only to breathe [Zeis!]

[Cy]

[/b]

Her voice sounded out over the crowd they navigated easily through, her dark eyes watching the pair of teenaged boys walking ahead of her. At her side, though thirteen years old, Maron held tightly to her hand, quiet and observant as his sister admonished his oldest brother. It was nothing new. Timson was always mean to Sim. It was strange how Samara continued to insist that they loved each other. They clearly didn't. That much was made apparent when Timson ignored her to merely upgrade his bullying. With a disappointed glare, the woman picked up her pace, dragging Maron behind her.

"Timson, let go of him!" She shouted, dropping the hand of the youngest in order to reach out, grabbing at her brothers to peel them apart, pulling at Sim and shoving at Timson until he finally relented in releasing the fistful of hair he'd been yanking brutally around. Instead, he dared to reach out to smack Samara's hand away from him, defiance smoldering in his tipped chin and narrowed eyes. Pulling Sim behind her with one hand, she quite boldly responded by reaching out to flick him hard square on the nose. Their relation was made apparent as they mirrored each other perfectly; golden hair, dark eyes, and that strong jaw wound as tight as could be. For a moment, they said nothing, merely staring each other down. His gaze was surprised by her audacity in striking back at him. Her hand was clenched tightly to Sim's wrist, though the boy said nothing in protest to the grip.

It was, surprisingly, Timson that bowed out first, but he didn't do it without the final word. A solitary swear cut from his tongue, cold and hostile, and then he was twisting around to march off before he could be punished for that too. Though her hard expression didn't change, her insides cringed as she watched the boy retreat. Refusing to crack, she soon turned to face Sim, her features softening immediately as she lifted her hands up to his face, fingers itching to wipe away the tears that stained his cheeks. "Are you okay, sweetie?" She whispered with concern, but Sim was pushing her hands away in order to brush his own eyes clean, sniffling and looking anywhere else but at her. Tilting her head with sympathy and worry, she released a resigned sigh and moved to slide a hand affectionately over his hair, giving him a small nudge that he accepted as he moved to continue down the path to home. Once more, she watched one of her siblings walk away, but she perked up with a slight smile as she looked back to Maron, nodding her head to gesture after Sim. "Go on with him, hun." As he listened, moving by her to go catch up, she reached up to touch his hair as well and she watched him jog to walk beside his brother, daring to take his hand and Sim allowed it.

Things never used to be so bad. Maron had been too young to know any better, only able to respond and adapt to the behaviour of his siblings - but Timson and Sim had been old enough to remember their mother, and they were old enough to know that she was never coming back. Timson had become angrier, taking it out on the world, and Sim had grown far more sensitive. She could only continue to do her best in keeping it together, even if it meant being sworn at and pushed away.

Taking a deep breath into her lungs and slowly releasing it, she reached her hands up to fix her hair, tucking strands of blonde behind her ears, and her dark eyes skimmed her surroundings to see if anyone was watching. If there'd been an audience, the natives of Sayaie had at least been kind enough to look quickly away and resume their activities. Pulling her lip in to chew anxiously at the flesh, she smoothed down her blouse and fixed her skirts, returning composure to her person piece by piece before picking herself back up to begin moving forward once more.[/ul][/size]

[zeis]

M'ari and Valenph had been assigned the Saiyaie peninsula sweep this week. It was a welcome change, because as much as M'ari loved Itnala, he was a Saiyaie boy, born and raised. It always felt good to be home, even if it was just a brief pitstop on a long two-way flight. Familiar sights, and sometimes even familiar faces greeted him on each of these trips. This particular afternoon was no different. He had delivered a few letters for his father, dropped in to say hello to a few old friends, and as a last piece of somber business payed homage to the graves of his mother and elder brother. Now he walked the streets easily, losing himself in the crowd and striving up uplift his spirits by feeling like a real member of humanity again.

While her rider walked his old familiar paths, Valenph rested on height at the guard heights. She draped herself comfortably over the platform, chatting amiably with Deneph and the other simourv on day-watch. The large green watched the world eagerly through the eyes of her rider, as always fascinated with the diminutive human perspective. Every now and then when there was a lull in conversation, or a particularly uninteresting view, she would turn her own eyes on the city and pick out details far below. It was interesting to see how humans lived, and amusing to compare and contrast their way of doing things with her own kin.

What was currently occupying her attention was an example of human sibling rivalry taking place in a busy market street. As her rider neared the two combatants, she switched to his vision and watched them tussle with amusement. M'ari, unobservant as ever, had yet to distinguish the fighting children and their caretaker from the overwhelming throng of people. So he had to actually stop and look around to spot them when Valenph spoke. Those human chicks are like Teimoph and Dionyph.

Oh yeah? M'ari grinned and shielded his eyes against the sun to continue his search finally spotting the pair she spoke of just as they were pulled apart by their guardian. Cute kids. Cute girl. He remarked as the flow of human traffic gradually pushed him closer to where she had made her disciplinary last stand. The girls eyes quickly scanned the crowd for onlookers, and he looked away just in time to not seem rude. The man edged out of the way as the first defiant teenage boy shoved past him, followed more politely by the other two.

I like her. Shes good with chicks. Why don't you talk to her? M'ari did not need much encouragement to do that. He smiled amiably as he reached speaking distance, and commented with a wink. "Cute kids. They can't be yours though, you're way too young. Little brothers I'm guessin'?"

[Cy]

[/i] too young to be their mother. At least the years of their anger and tears hadn't aged her so much that that couldn't be seen! Even by strangers. Her smile managed to lose its uncertainty, but there was still a sense of awkwardness tinging it as she glanced away from him, down to the ground and then off ahead to her retreating siblings, nodding before looking back to him. “Yes, actually, that's right.” She confirmed, as if vaguely surprised that he'd pegged their relationship to each other accurately. She was sure it was obvious though, she couldn't tell why she was sounding that way.

Ducking her head down, she started to pick her pace back up before stopping to angle herself back to facing him, lifting her dark eyes up. “Th-thank you though,” she fumbled quickly as she recalled his compliment on them, not wanting to be rude and leave it unaccepted. Her stutter made her feel self-conscious, fairly embarrassed as she glanced off again before abruptly turning to try to move by him again, continuing on without even thinking to dismiss herself. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to her that the man addressing her was possibly an attempt for more than just a passing statement.[/ul][/size]

[zeis]

M'ari didn't comment on the tentative flicking of the girls gaze, or her stutter. That she was either nervous or embarassed was obvious, and he didn't need Valenph to tell him that. He hadn't made his comment to make her uncomfortable, and had been hoping it would spark a conversation or at the very least some playful flirting. Smooth, M'ari, really smooth. He his his mild disappointment and kept his face friendly and slightly smiling as the woman moved past him to continue on after her siblings. He couldn't blame her, she had to keep an eye on those kids. "You're welcome."

He sighed once she passed him and was about to leave it at that. About to. The green-rider stole a glance over his shoulder at the retreating mystery woman. He hadn't even gotten her name, and that was a crime. To be a sweep-rider and visit this beautiful city once or twice a week, and maybe see her and not know her name? Maybe she was busy now, but would she always be? The sweep-rider weighed his options for a bit, and Valenph, watching the progress the interesting woman made away from her rider with growing recognition, mentally nudged him into action with a not so subtle. What are you waiting for?

M'ari laughed quietly under his breath and plunged through the crowd after her, dodging and weaving through human traffick to catch up with her. He walked by her side, not wanting to slow her down as she pursued her siblings, and called out to her to catch her attention. "Hey, miss! I know you're busy. I just wanted to say I didn't mean to offend you or anything back there, if that's what happened."

[Cy]

[/b] She assured, certainly not wanting him to think such a thing. Why would he think that he'd offended her? Had she come off as offended in some way, had she come off as rude? The gears in her head clicked and rolled as she replayed their brief interaction, plucking out every little gesture and word and tone that could have come off as off-putting, as was her ever critical state. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off as rude, I didn't– ”know that you wanted to talk to me? That seemed just silly, clearly he had or he wouldn't have made a comment in the first place. Right?

“I just didn't want to lose my brothers, especially after they've been fighting.” She covered less than elegantly, pressing a polite smile to the corners of her full mouth as she nodded, glancing ahead once more before looking down to the ground and then back up, folding her hands neatly in front of her as she kept her stride slowed so he wouldn't have to rush himself in order to keep up.[/ul][/size]