Common hazel eyes stared lost at the world above the clouds. She was unable to fly. It had never been in the cards for her. She could figure out some strange magic like her father had taught her, but she could do nothing but wonder what it was like to fly above the clouds. What it felt to naturally feel the wind in your hair dancing against your features. There was many things she could not completely understand. Maybe she was fearful of the arcane magic her father loved so much. Maybe she was too much like her mother stuck with her feet on the hard ground. What else could she do in this world but stand with both feet secured tightly to the ground. She was a Goddess that stood for the strength in this strange world, but her idea of being able to fly high in the sky was to take a airship towards and area where she was the weakest. 

None of the people would know that she was the Goddess. Rhea had made quite sure of it when she placed a magical mask over her face. She appear not different than any other young girl with her power trapped away. Her chocolate curls were neatly secured in a loose ponytail down her back. She did not want to continuously push the hair from her eyes. The wind was too strong for such annoyances. She kept most of her normal appearance outside of the simple tunic with baggy pants. She had no need to change her coloring of her hair, skin, or eyes because they were all fairly normal. She would easily blend in with the world around her. Sometimes, she felt content just being the same as any mortal that took the ship across the mighty sea.

The air was cold against her skin and this high her breaths came out a little heavy. She was not used to the altitude this high up. Her temple was actually deep underground, so even the normal level of the earth could be strange to her. She had grown so used to the darkness of her home that being outside sometimes could feel a little strange. Her skin had lost a little of it's earthly tan because she spent too much time in her cavern. She loved being near her water home, but she needed to get out again. She wanted something new in her life.

Shifting, Rhea rested her elbows down on the sturdy wood of the railing. Her gaze shifted down to try to see as much of the world below leaning out a little once she had her balance. The height did not bother her but at this point all you could see was nothing but clouds and seas below. Being so close to the ocean did, however, bring her some peace. What she did not know, was it was beginning to look like maybe she was trying to climb over the railing. She easily forgot what other could think of the things she did.

(since no one else has jumped in on this I guess I will)
Was it fate that the dwarven wizard (in-training) had spotted this girl right before she made a fatal fall? He wandered, if only for a second she was daring to make a jump. He knew though, that if he wanted to save her life he would have to act, for her feet seemed to become lighter on the ground every second. His plain eyes contemplated only a moment longer before deciding that this woman needed help. Hoisting his backpack over his shoulders he set it down carefully as to not break the instrument inside. He leaned up against the railing and leaned his wizard's staff against the handrail before he leaned against it himself.

The dwarf was perhaps a bit more acclimated to similar altitudes than the woman next to him as he leaned against the railing, but his breath was heavy as well. The thin air didn't suit many creatures. Only the mighty giants of yore, the Madagor, and the Rocs that roamed the skies for cattle and man alike. Being next to this great drop indeed disturbed the dwarf, for at any moment this ship could rock to and fro, just as the earth could throw its land around, but at least the earth was more sturdy otherwise. This ship, on the other hand, was a contraption of (mechanics / magic here), constantly shifting ever so slightly that Uran's stomach churned in rebellion. The dwarf unlatched one of the compartments of his backpack to pull out a flute, puffing a few notes into it. An appallingly sharp sound was emitted from the pipe, and the dwarf took his face away from the mouthpiece in disgust, a careful ruse to get the woman's attention without garnering the eyes of the other few passengers aboard.

"Lassie, what do ya' think yer doin'?" The dwarf questioned. Perhaps if all ended well, there would be the same number of bodies on this ship as when it departed.

Alerted by the high and cringe-worthy toots of a flute, Illiyana almost instantly located the sight of conflict.

The girl was seemingly attempting to jump, that is, if you only glanced at it. But if you really looked twice, perhaps three times, you'd see that she only wanted the caress of the waves. Perhaps because she wasn't anywhere near human, or the dwarf couldn't see up to that high, but if you looked into her eyes, there was a sense of peace in them.

Leaning over, she tapped the dwarf on the shoulder-or maybe that was the head, she couldn't tell- and said to him in a low voice, so as to not draw attention, "She's not trying to die- she just longs for the water! Will you let her be?!"

The ocean below taunted her as she leaned over as far as she could. It was so massive that she felt that she could easily reach out and touch it. With her mind completely absorbed by her new findings, she took no notice the people who were beginning to glance her way. There were the soft whispers of people trying to assume what she was doing but the sound shriek that came from a flute. There was a moment where the melody caught her completely off guard. Her ears were sensitive towards music and when she was not ready for such noises it only helped to knock her off her feet. Her body swayed in place as she placed both hands firmly on the railing. It only took a moment for her full body to shift back into the boat and her eyes to dart to the noise.

Not many were effected by the noise because it soft but as close as he was to her, it was enough to get her focus completely on her. She had opened her lips to speak but it appeared that someone else had stepped in to talk on her behalf. The whole situation confused the Goddess. How had people been able to get so close to her without noticing? She could only place blame on her own single-minded focus. When she focused in on one thing, everything around her seemed to disappear. She could easily walk across her temple while reading a book and reciting the language within. Her staff had grown use to the strange occurrences and just move away from in front of her path.

"Uh…" Rhea gulped uncomfortably. "It is alright. I am sure he was just fearful for my safety. I was not paying attention to my surrounds. Forgive me and thank you both for your help." A soft blush had invaded her cheeks as she bowed to the both of them. She had been caught completely off guard in this whole situation and it was almost obvious with how she shifted.

Hazel eyes drifted between the two strangers as she began to catch her bearing on the situation on hand. It was not very often that someone was able to catch her so completely off guard that her emotions ran wild. If for even a mire moment, the shorter man had done something quite remarkable. Letting her breath escape slowly, the Goddess calmed herself again and let smile grow politely.

"What a lovely flute, you have sir. You have quite the ability." Her eyes glanced back to the woman but her smile never faltered. "I did not expect to get the attention but not one but two strangers. It must be my lucky day. Now, who must I name when I retell this tale of debt?"]/b]

The dwarf tried to hide a snicker under his breath, because he knew that this height and this temperature, no matter what he did, there was no amount of adjusting that he could do to get the flute to be in tune. His only hope was to make it play up an octave at this point. However, his pride somewhat swelled for a moment at the compliment to his skill.

"Uh… Well, the name's Uran, lass." The dwarf really did expect more than a thank you for preventing what he thought was an attempt at suicide, only to suddenly realize that it was merely a case of inattention. Most humans were more than willing to get off with a simple statement of gratitude and never see your face again, or even beat you up drunk all in the sake of winning a bet with one of their friends. Well, the males anyways. One really didn't see too many women there aside from bar-wenches looking for a decent pay. Poor lasses had to put everything behind a smile. Aside from the half-orc one, Groda was her name, he met in one of the villages he frequented in Adeluna while he was there. Men didn't dare try to court her or agitate her. Unless they were drunk. Those men ended up with less teeth than when they entered.

Somebody wanted to thank her? What was wrong with this person? The only time anybody really talked to her was when it was an order or an insult, and there were plenty of those everyday. But this person- no, she couldn't be a person; there was something about her, so alluring, but so powerful.

Blinking in confusion, she tried to tuck her feathery wings back. Whenever she was surprised, shocked, confused, embarrassed, or thrown off guard, (which, at the moment, she was all five of these) her dark black wings would creep out of their hiding place and become erect. Although she knew that it was no use trying to hide it, it had become habitual to hide what made her special. Before she learned to hide them, she was almost stoned to death by those who thought her a demon.

Bowing her head meekly, she mumbled, "My name is Illiyana, my lady, but you have no need to thank me. I did nothing special." Gratitude and compliments- it seemed like it was against her very chemical makeup to accept them, mostly because she knew they weren't true.

As the heat crept up onto her face, something resonated from the back of her mind to the front, and made its way to her conscious: His name rhymes with urine! She chuckled at that thought silently, ducking her head down even lower than it already was.

Her hazel eyes slowly drifted from the man to the woman. It appeared that she had drawn the attention of two interesting individuals. She pondered on why she was able to draw the focus of the strangest of people as they introduced themselves. Even though her mind was focused on one thing, her gaze never parted from the two of them. She was very good at being lost in her own head while appearing completely listening to the people around her. 

Well," Rhea mused as the smile crept from ear to ear, "It is lovely to meet you Uran and Illiyana." The excitement was slowly getting the better of her but it did not stop her from looking towards the woman and commenting after. "You should always take praise when it is given. Not many will be kind enough to give it, so enjoy it when you can." There was a sharpness to her words but it was quickly disappeared as she shifted to look around them. She needed to do something to give them more thanks for what they did.

"Now, let me feed you to show my gratitude and do not try to deny me!" It was clear that she was not going to take no for an answer from either of them. She had already turned her back from them. Her hand quickly gestured for them to follow. She knew that the mess hall offered a nice banquet of food. It was not the best of food, because of where they were, but it was all you could eat.

Rhea could not help but feel a moment of relief as she talked to these two. They could easily decide to not follow her but had a good feeling about her new interests. She just loved the fact that at this moment she was as normal as the two of them. She was no Goddess or object of worship. She was just another strange girl on a flying ship. "Oh, and you two may call me Rhea." Many did not know the Goddess by name, so it gave a nice comfort for her to be able to use her own name.

Illiyana's mouth flooded with saliva as she mentioned food. When was the last time she had actually had a real meal? No, not her survival food, the food that she'd been eating for the past weeks, months. Her diet had consisted of roots, tree bark, sometimes berries, and if she was extremely lucky, maybe a bird.

With Illiyana's kind of money (next to none) the banquet hall was absolutely, positively off-limits to her. Just a loaf of that bread would cost her at least a wing. But since this lady was paying…

"I would very much enjoy dining with you, Lady Rhea." Illiyana stated graciously after a very pregnant pause. She didn't want to disobey her and so she took her gift kindly, hoping to stay on the good side.

Turning to the dwarf, she made an attempt at conversation. "So… how long have you been playing?" Congratulating herself, she flashed him a smile, and she admitted, she did so much frowning, it felt like agony to do so. 

Food? Roast mutton chops? A nice grilled tenderloin? Butter bated steak? Sure, he might have had enough to pay for it himself, but who in their right mind would turn down a free meal? Inns could only offer so much outside of the richer cities. Perhaps they had a good strong dwarven lager, not any of that see-through piss water that humans called "fine ale." On a second thought, it would probably be rude to get drunk while he was here, or with such kind company. The food would be enough.

"Well, ye already said I can't say no." He said with a tint of joy in his voice. Dwarves indeed loved their feasts, any human willing to offer such graciousness, well, dwarves made quick friends with ones such as Rhea.

He looked to what he could only describe a human child it seemed, if she had wings he couldn't tell (do you hide them somehow or no?). She seemed quite rude, but something about her smile seemed… off maybe, but it looked genuine. Perhaps just Uran's imagination. "Been playin' the flute since the day I left Wyllmochvar for Adeluna six years ago now. Got this one a bit before I began crossing the Ancenses I believe. But ja. Six years now." 

For once in her life, she had finally found someone who would share her love for music. It was difficult to find anybody who would find music an interesting topic to talk about, let alone share the love of playing.

Excitedly, she answered the dwarf, who suddenly didn't seem so revolting as she typically thought they were, at least in her encounters (which never had been good in the first place).

"When I was back in Heaven, I was part of the Divine One's Ensemble. We played several times a day, and because many people found other interests, I was switched around on several different instruments. Flute, violin, drum, lute, you name it."

Illiyana was hoping she didn't seem to be bragging too much. She didn't have many conversations, and when she did, they usually ended up with either a death threat or somebody having to break the two of them up. But now, she realized how desperately she had needed a real, genuine conversation.