Nocturne Summit The city, the crowd is fading, moving on

Luna couldn't follow Keyni, not just yet.

She had to will herself not to follow the jade-eyed woman out of fear of being alone again -- but truth be told, the moon nymph was not emotionally equipped to handle another pack, at least, not now. Luna needed more time to wander and walk a path for herself before she could even think of contributing her time to someone else. The fae hadn't dealt with a feeling of loss this bad since Zuryu's death, and even in the present would she still have trouble trying to forgive herself for what happened to her first love. After months of self loathing and neglecting her mental health, it was time to confront these inner demon's head on rather than running away from them.

The huntress lingered in this area a little while longer since her meet with Keyni, a nostalgic attachment to it that she needed to feed into one last time before leaving. Her stark gaze was fixated on the equally luminous night sky -- for it was a time of day that soothed her during moments like this. Even so, Lune couldn't help but feel more distracted than usual....

the last piece of the pheasant tail tribe has found herself in the wilds once again, but for this time, permanently. the trek back into the desert was nothing more than a hazy dream, a mirage full of hope that only ended in bitter sorrow. with the red desert no longer able to provide for her, the scarred warrior cut her losses and turns her back on her home, never to return until she walks the earth again as a spirit.

the wilds are familiar to her, some parts more than others. shikoba wants to seek out lost creek hollow, despite it being a darker piece of her history. a phantom pain runs across the claw marks on her face, and shikoba gasps as a paw feverishly reaches up to brush against the dark scar. the hell cat that haunts her dreams at night is unknowingly dead, a peace that shikoba will never know until she herself passes.

continuing on her path of the summit, shikoba's ears perk up when she sees a dark figure come into view. a willowy figure that is easy on the eyes, one that clashes with the muscular build and scarred appearance of the agouti woman. shikoba could say that she almost feels insecure and disrespectful to be in the presence of a beautiful creature like the one before her. but, none the less, she offers a humble chuff to greet the other. hopefully, her english would come a little easier to her.

It was not hard to pick up the presence of another close behind her -- seems like she isn't the only one with a footing for midnight scenery at this height. Luna didn't quite mind extra company in her current state since conversation did a great job at keeping her mind too busy to focus on how it all went so wrong. Swiveling her ears and wrapping a dark tassel around her forepaws, the moon nymph would sit up and turn her bright gaze to meet with whoever had approached.

The raven was met with a curious sight -- a marbled coat of clays and sand, eyes of burning sulfur, and notable scars that might've told the femme stories she was not aware of. Her size seemed similar to Luna's own, but with a muscle ratio that proved more imposing than her own lean, "runner's" type figure. Whoever this was, they'd already done a great job at piquing Lunaria's interest only by approaching, and with a sway of her tail against the rocky flooring, the moon nymph beckoned the female closer.

"Well, don't be shy now. Won't you sit and watch the stars with me?"

she is spotted... and the girl does not turn her back on the scarred woman. instead, she is beckoned closer, an invitation to join her. shikoba could feel her heart beating a mile a minute, though she relies on her deep breaths to bring her back down into a calmer state. slowly, she trails her way over to the younger girl, glowing eyes gazing softly.

clean... except for the scar across her chest. shikoba blinks at it for a moment before lifting her gaze to the turquoise gems scintillating in the girl's skull. she comes close to the girl and soon sits herself down not too far away from her. licking her black lips, she intends to find her words.

"shikoba... hasn't watched stars before." while her parents did do minor astronomy lessons, shikoba does not pay attention to the sky that much, unless it is to check the time of day. perhaps, she finds a new passion tonight with the raven with her. "what do you see in sky?" she is tentative, broken in her english but trying her best. hopefully, the girl does not tease her for the lack of knowing the mother tongue of the wilds fluently.

The older woman seemed hesitant at the very least, noticeably pausing to breath and lick her lips. Was Luna being a little...too direct, then? She understood she could be a little too comfy with strangers at times, and It may have been the huntress who was being approached in the first place -- but for all she knew the femme could've only been passing by with intentions of not being noticed. Still, Luna wouldn't have minded a little company tonight.

A warm smile was offered as they treaded closer, and attentive dark ears swiveled while they spoke. "Shikoba? Is that your name?" The moon nymph questioned with a curious tilt of her head. Luna thought it strange for the dame to be mentioning herself in the third person, but it only made the raven more enthralled to know who she'd been talking to.

"Many things, actually. The moon, the stars, their constellations. Maybe even the occasional shooting star if you're lucky enough to catch one..." Luna went on with every hint of adoration in her voice. In this moment,  it was easy to forget that she was sulking just a moment ago -- and Luna hoped it stayed like this."You'd be able to find many things, visually or figuratively. It's pretty easy to get caught up in it for hours...."

Then her attention was back on the woman, who now sat beside her, and an enthusiastic smile etched her dark features. "Why? Do you want me to tell you more?"

she feels a twitch of embarrassment when the girl must confirm what shikoba's name is due to her strange way of talking. the woman hesitantly nods her head. "bad english" she explains promptly. thankfully, she is getting close to mastering understanding english when she hears it, but she still faces a barrier to getting the words out herself.

she feels herself gain interest as the moon child before her begins to talk about the wondrous celestial bodies in the sky above them. shikoba steals a gaze above for a moment -- the more one knows about something, the more excited one can be when they see something special. shikoba has an eye for weakpoints, but not for beautiful things as Lunaria does.

when asked about learning more from the cloaked girl, the native nods her head. perhaps, if she thinks hard enough, she will remember a lesson her father had taught her in her youth. "tell more" she invites, her head leans in a little closer as her ears push forward with interest. she may be an old dog, but that doesn't mean she can't learn new tricks.

The fire-crested woman nods her head to confirm that 'Shikoba' is her name, and Luna smiles warmly at them -- just until she'd notice a slight discomfort in their nod. Luna shook her head, waving a paw at them to dismiss the assumed obstacle. "Pff, English is overrated anyway, don't you agree?" The moon nymph says with a wink, moving a tad to give the she-wolf a reassuring nudge on her shoulder. Lune didn't want them to feel uncomfortable talking because of a little thing like that -- they can still understand each other somewhat. That's all that mattered. 

Besides this, Shikoba seemed more than interested for Luna to fill her head with crap about the sky, and the little raven was more than happy to oblige.

She took a moment to get comfortable and shuffle a bit, before her bright gaze trailed skywards and locked focus. "Don't you ever find it strange how the stars appear in the sky and form some kind of strange shape? Some might find it coincidental, others beg to differ--" Ah, the constellations were her favorite subject. So many theories about how they came to be, and so little information about them to actually unpack. Lunaria was very much skeptical about most, but it didn't stop her from wanting to seek the myths and tales others have managed to weave from it. "Makes you wonder what's actually going on up there, though if there's one thing I've collected in my journies it's that a lot see them as celestial bodies..."

shikoba sees no judgement in the eye of the raven-haired girl before her; internally she lets out a sigh of relief. while she has yet to encounter someone in these wilds that judges her for her lack of fluency, her travels out of the desert left burning embarrassment in the back of her head. but for now, shikoba is content as there is no one else here, it is just her and lunaria. the shoulder nudge brings a smile to the older woman as she settles in for her astronomy lesson.

she listens contently as the tale is seamlessly spun before her very eyes. shikoba turns her sulfur eyes to the black canvas above her, and soon enough she can see the stars twirling and scintillating. as the raven begins to delve into theory of the stars, shikoba listens quietly. the term of "celestial bodies" catches shikoba's curiosity. yellow eyes turn to meet turquoise. 


"what does girl see up there?" she means to ask what bodies she sees, the constellations that take shape, the ethereal beauty that overtakes the sky each and every night before morning rears its head.