Kit's eyes grew troubled as he spoke, and her body twitched as he talked of the ultimate punishment for a sky dweller. Though she knew in the back of her mind it could never happen to her forever, in this time and place, it could- and it had happened to others, enough to briefly cloud her eyes with hatred. She dropped them quickly, as if to hide the emotion, and when she looked back at him they were clear again. "There are many of you in these lands ?" she was, honestly, surprised. Why would they choose to live here, persecuted? The Harpy Queen she had contact with would have had a bloodbath over this, if shed known.
Kit smiled as he studied her, and she stealthily lifted the edge of the black feathered cloak she wore. Kits created bodies were never incomplete in their mechanics, and hidden things had explanations. You could see the undersides of her wings, tied cleverly to the cloak so that if her wings twitched, the cloak would look as if it were merely catching a drift of air. The tawny feathers were at points tied into awkward angles, until upon further study it appeared that she had designed it to release with just a single motion if needed. "This covers them," she added needlessly, a hint of amusement in her voice. "And helps me blend in with the rest."

Kayao's head bobbed back and forth, an interesting fight between nodding and shaking his head. He raised his hand above his waist as he tiled it side to side in a gesture to show that the numbers were beyond his knowledge. "I've never been beyond the territory, so outside of here I know of nothing." He said as he allowed his wings to stretch for a moment. "I was brought up behind these walls after I was adopted into the royal family by the late princess." The harpy got the words out as quick as he could, as they always seemed wrong even though he had no evidence of where he came from or who his blood family was.

Studying the cloak, his eyes now easily found the seams between wing and cloak. Had he never been tipped off to search the cloak, he would have always assumed the nature of her wings to be an illusion. "I see." He said softly as he stepped to his right a moment, studying the cloak from the side. "It's quite cleaver really, even with my eyes and intuition I would never have thought of such a thing." Even though saying this made him feel a little less bright, he was confident in learning a new trick that could be used for his brothers. The idea of wing binding was never a pleasant thought and he often took quite a ribbing for his leeway with the royal family.

Behind the mask, eyebrows rose in vague disbelief. To a person bent on new things, ideas and places, the thought of staying in one place for a whole life was nothing less than incredible. It had been a vast amount of time since she had even been back to her own courts. "Nothing..?" she near-mumbled this, more to herself than to him, before shaking her head slightly.

Her eyes twinkled at the compliment and inspection - it was always easy to flatter her if she felt it was deserved. "Its been quite helpful here in this city." she paused, her previous thoughts invading slightly, "I have not spent much time in places like this, where the winged are outcasts."

After letting his wings stretch to their full span, he returned them to his person as he re-positioned his feet. "It sounds like you are very well traveled." He said as he eyed the room, the crowds had been dispersing and he began to fight his hands need to be doing something during conversation. Looking her over once more he thought for a moment before he cleared his throat and idly searched for Aubrey. "I'm sure you have many stories.." Voice straining slightly as he was not used to speaking in a common tongue for this length of time. "If you would grant me the pleasure, I would enjoy very much to remove us to somewhere more comfortable." An odd smile held the harpy's lips as he wasn't the best at communicating in a gentle manor. "I'm sure you have your poison, as I am feeling the urge for mine." Chuckling as he spoke, his right hand slipping from his pocket as he gestured to one of the corridors that lead away from the recreational hall.

Aubrey wasnt hard to find, once one saw through the ladies who seemed to gravitate towards him. But he hadnt been unaware of the conversing pair, and except for the first two ladies hed been bantering with, he extricated himself from the rest, making his presence more available, if Kayao wanted to leave as it seemed he might.

She nodded slightly, eyes laughing. "More stories than I would care to mention." was her comment, spoken with an undertone of irony. She followed his gesture with her eyes, and inclined her head slightly in a gracious manner. "I would love to, however I must return to Master Detmi for tomorrow's briefing, though it will not take long if I may join you afterwards.." Kit looked up at him, deliberately adding a hopeful note to her voice.

The harpy laughed with a nod as he smiled and let out a soft sigh of relief. "Of course! The night has only just begun." He said as he noticed that the hall they currently occupied had no more than Aubrey's small fan club and a few other patrons. "Take your time, I hardly think what you have planned could be memorized in a few moments." Chuckling as he spoke, locking his eyes with Aubrey's in an invite for the man to peel himself away from his adorers. Kayao knew where his brethren were and he could not deny the fact that he disliked being late to the party. Thought he did happen to make a trend of showing up late, this time he would not be returning to his subordinates alone and that was enough to easy the harpy into a good mood that would be quite difficult to tarnish.

Kit smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Though I doubt it will be as involved as tonight, I do have the pleasure of staying on staff here indefinitely." To her private pleasure, she had been the only one from her original 'company' tonight to be so invited. The next few moves were planned, though it never showed. The waif turned away as if to leave, then looked over her shoulder with a blatant grin, lighting up her brilliant purple eyes. "How shall I find you, stranger?" the tone was almost teasing, laughter edging it.

Aubrey, still in the background of the pair, made an elegant bow to the ladies, worthy of any court noble. (It stood to mention that none of these ladies had even guessed he was a recently promoted stable-boy... But he was betting on Kayao not noticing this tiny elegant mannerism, involved with Aubrey's Queen as he was.) He shoo'd them away gently, chuckling mildly as he stood at ease, waiting and observing.

Kiarash turned himself to the corridor, smiling to Aub as he made his way to the harpy. "Master Detmi.." He said returning the woman's grin. "Tell him Kiarash would very much enjoy your company in the Airborne Battalion's quarters, he'll show you the way." Giving a short wave, he returned his attention to Aubrey. "Wonder if your charm will keep you unscathed through the festivities awaiting us." He said with a laugh as he began to lead his friend through the halls. They followed a few long corridors as well as climbing countless flights of stairs. After the final flight of stairs which climbed a tower in a spiral, the two men came to a large wooden door. The door was dressed in golden thread and numerous precious gems, though it was nothing compared to even just the stairs themselves in the Emperor's private spire. On either side of the door were two armed guards who gave Kiarash a smile and opened the door for the two.

The harpy walked into the large hall, which was easily twice the size of where they had their dinner. There were far more harpy's in this room than one would ever see in his life living outside of the castle walls. The constant noise was hard to hear over as the room full of men were too involved in their conversations to notice the newcomers. Kiarash easily took control of this situation as he made his way a few feet in front of Aubrey before throwing his wings out into the air. Each wing stretched nearly nine feet in either direction as they reached their limits and popped, drawing a long sigh from the harpy. A number of other's noticed the Kiarash and Aubrey enter and cheered for them while raising their bottles to the two. Ki laughed at this and made his way through the hall guiding Aub to his own private chamber in the back.

Stepping through the thick satin curtains he eased himself down onto a heavily padded chair which was custom designed for the harpy. Relaxing as he smiled to his friend offering the seat next to him. Leaning back he kicked his feet up onto the table, nudging the bucket full of ice in the center of the table with his boot. Tilting the bucket towards himself, he examined the four bottles of different liquids, pondering which refreshment he would enjoy most. "After the day you've had.. what could I do for you to compensate for the event with Piruz?" He asked as he gave his friend a crooked grin. "Anything you could desire in this empire is at our disposal." Chuckling as he grabbed on of the bottles and removing the cork before he took swig and hissed softly smirking as he read over the bottles small handwritten label. "The alchemists are getting more skilled with every bottle they produce.."

"I will do so, then." She said easily. Smiling at Kiar, she then darted away, her cloak fluffing up behind her in a sort of wave only the pair of them would understand at the moment. She disappeared into the side room her company had gone into earlier, earning a half-hearted glare from Detmi. He couldnt very well be mad at the dancer who'd just earned him a much higher budget for his passions- and worse, she knew it too.

Aubrey grinned wolfishly at Kiar, gold flecked eyes dancing. "I think I'll pull through alright." he said with a chuckle as they began the trek upwards.. And upwards.. After the seventh flight or so, Aubrey cast a jaundiced eye at Kiarash, remarking dryly, "Do you walk all this way every night..? Or is this special treatment for the flightless?" By the time they reached the gilded doors, Aubrey was thoroughly convinced that the harpies had a shortcut, somewhere..
He followed Kiar in, his overly sensitive ears ringing for a moment at the noise. But, upon seeing the gathered crowd, he almost instantly relaxed. His shoulders dropped into a slouch, his gait became much less forced and more the elegant glide he covered up around most people. Simply not being around the human folk (even if he was masquerading as one), made the man feel much better about life. As with nearly all his race for different reasons, he deeply resented humans.

He continued to follow Kiar through the divide of the room, plopping down on the plush chair Kiar indicated. His legs drew up underneath him, lanky form condensing easily into a relaxed crisscross. He eyed the bottled drinks with a raised brow, selecting one at random and eyeballing the label. "Magic potions?" he said, the undernote of laughter making his comment teasing, though honestly he was curious. His eyes lifted to Kiar's before he opened it however, the man's words giving him pause. "Well my lovely, if you shower me with more gifts one might think we were headed for the bedchamber." His voice was still light, but there was a hidden shadow in his eyes. Nothing, in his or the Queens courts, was ever given without a hidden request or barb. And though he truely had nothing to fear from any of these men, still why would it be any different here.

Setting his bottle on the table, he grinned to Aubrey as he licked his lips. "I make that trip five times a day, sometimes more." Kiarash said as he laughed, rolling the bottle on the table at an angle as he eyed his friend. "Why do you think the stairs spiral?" Asking as he picked up an ice cube, chewing it rather loudly as he took a sip from the bottle. "This is a sanctuary for my brethren. We have no issue diving down the tower or flying up here." Grinning as he looked to the curtains that formed the door, which were thick enough to drown out most of the racket coming from the main room. "As for the drinks, after enough of the stuff.." He said as he rolled his shoulders and leaned back in his seat. "Sure, you'd think they were magic."

The harpy crossed rest his right ankle on his left knee, setting the bottle in his lap as he nodded his head lightly to the faint music being played in the hall outside his private 'office'. His ear flicked slightly from his friend's statement as his face was overcome with a somewhat flustered expression. "Oh, no, of course not." He said rather quickly as he smiled. "Do not let the armory fool you, we are a very friendly people." Kiar said as he took another swig from his bottle, letting out a hiss as he took more than he could handle. "Strict folk, but friendly none the less. I simply want to avoid our friendship being hindered because of Piruz, I've made quite enough enemies from such a simple thing."

His shoulders twitched at the thought of diving off the tower to the floors below. Even he would be a miserable pulp for a while after that sort of a fall. It was the one thing Kit could never convince him to do anymore- allow her to take him flying. Hed had quite enough of that, thank you all the same. He looked again at the label, then popped the top off of it, taking a swig and sputtering slightly at the unaccustomed taste of the foreign liqueur.

Recovering, Aubrey laughed at Kiar's expression, and very nearly opened his mouth to push the comment further. But, eyes dancing, he let it be for now. Time enough to tease that expression out of his new friend later. Aubrey's voice was dry as he commented, "Believe me Piruz has not been the first hard-headed animal I've dealt with." And some of the others had horns, so I think this is an improvement, he added silently, bemused. "Though he has the most spirit I've seen in quite some time from a beast of burden. You trained him well."

Kiatash chuckled at the other, arching a brow as he took another drink. "It takes some getting used to, really." He said as he raised his bottle slightly. Clapping his hands, two servants promptly entered the private chamber setting a small hookah onto the table, right into the bucket of ice. They went about their duty quietly and within minutes, the coal was burning and Kiar had a hose in his hands as he took the first number of hits to get the tobacco smoking. "He's got fight in 'em. When I met him it was almost the same as what happened to you." He said as he laughed. "Only, with my hollow bones, if I didn't command his respect so quickly.. I'd be in ten times the pain you felt." Shuddering at the thought, he nipped the hose again before releasing a cloud of the sweet, melon scented smoke. "Just can't get my share of this stuff." The harpy said with a smile, leaning his head back. "Better than the stuff going around the streets though."

From the main hall designated for the harpies came a chatter, multiple voices hushing themselves as they neared the private room that Kiarash and Aubrey were occupying. Kiar's ear twitched as he could hear the others as they drew near, shaking his head as one of his brother's shouted at the curtains dividing the Forerunner from his subordinates. "What's that grounded outsider doing in our sanctuary?" The harpy who spoke up, who had brown wings, was cheered on by the room of drunken soldiers.

Aub chuckled, scooping up the second hose and trying out the flavor. "He must have been a rare find here in the dessert, warhorses like him arent usually seen here in this heat. Or at least, he is only one of three in your stables as the moment - and the other two destriers are mares, and smaller." Perhaps too much rambling from the ex-stable hand, but it was true, he mused quietly. The price of a good destrier like Piruz was typically equal or more to that of 7 normal coursers.

He took another swig from the bottle he'd chosen, accustomed now to the the burning sensation, this time hardly batting a lash over the taste. Aub lifted his head as the noise outside drew closer, intermixed with hushes and laughter. He blinked slowly, then inclined his head at the curtain in a very regal way as he looked at Kiar. "A challenge?" his eyes were laughing, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. This.. could be interesting.

Kiarash was in the middle of taking a hit from the hookah, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the flavor of the tobacco. He nodded slightly as Aub spoke. "I was not around for his arrival, though I was told to appreciate Piruz as I couldn't fathom the distance he traveled to serve me." The harpy who had called to the Aubrey had poked his head through the curtains, eyeing his superior before looking Aubrey over. "Really, what are you doing here?" He demanded with a cocky tone to his voice, arching a brow as he inspected the human. "No place for a grounded simpleton, boy." The harpy cackled as he spoke, the crowd behind him drunkenly cheering on his insults. Kiar eyed the two as he flexed his fingers, keeping his middle fingers ready if he needed to intervene. The Forerunner was readying himself to take down his comrade if needed while giving Aub a slight nod. "It would appear so, grounded simpleton." He said teasingly with a chuckle.

Aubrey uncoiled his legs from underneath him, grinning crookedly at Kiar, and as yet ignoring the other harpy. "Well then, I suppose I must accept lest you all remain thinking so little of me." He stood casually, and looked down his nose at the head poking in from the other side. "Well then you feathered windbag, shall we?" Aubrey shouldered easily past the harpy, facing the crowd outside the curtains and making a deliberate show of inspecting the insolent harpy's backside. "Huh, talk about the pot calling the kettle black sah, you call those scrawny scraps of yours wings? Why, I've seen a finch with better plumage than yours."

The harpy grinned as he was bumped against, stepping back from the curtains as he watched the human. His wings flared out in a threat display as the other teased his wings. Scowling, he beat them once before returning them to their stretched position, sending a small shock wave at Aubrey. "Please, you can only dream of such freedom." He said with a sly smirk, rubbing his chin as Kiarash stepped out of the private room. The brown winged harpy tapped his pal against the hilt of his sword as he watched Aub. "How could something as bland as yourself even push on in life knowing how much of an unnecessary race you are?"

Kiarash was leaning against the pillar next to the 'doorway' to his private room, watching the antagonist of the situation keeping his hand near his sword. Scowling slightly, he took another swig from the bottle in his hand as he switched his focus to Aubrey, wondering how his friend would react to the other.

Aubrey himself did not budge as the male's wings flared out, merely ran a hand through his ruffled hair to straighten it. He chuckled mildly then, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he stood at ease, bemused. Human, eh? Well, he wouldnt disabuse them all of the silly notion. "Well one mustn't complain you know, at the very least Im not a bird-brained cage-dwelling excuse for a pigeon - who lets a human King pull his flight feathers out and sends him birdseed to compensate." Aubrey cocked his head to one side, smiling broadly.

The brown winged harpy hopped into the air taking flight as he hovered, keeping his feet at eye level with Aubrey. Balling his fists and preparing to strike the other, he looked down on the other as his temper flared. "We keep our right to fly and we are paid handsomely." He scoffed as he spit at the ground in front of Aub. "Unlike some stable-boy, who no one would notice if he were to go missing." The harpy drew his sword with this, bringing himself back a few feet as he prepared to strike if Aubrey pushed him far enough.

At this point, Kiarash let his wings unfold as he idly tended to his gauntlets. His wings when fully stretched would be twice the size of his rowdy subordinate. Taking a handful of his robes, he polished the rings secured around his middle finger as he watched his private. Waiting for the inevitable as he straightened up and kept his knees bent as he watched the lesser harpy draw his sword.

Aubrey chuckled again, tilting his head to look up at the other. "Nice view. Bit small - or do the ladies not notice, because they never get past the smell of roasted goose anyways?" Aub's hands were still in his pockets at this point, but if any had really studied him, Aub was balanced securely on the balls of his feet, ready to move. Frankly, he was having fun, and more than willing to tussle - even though to the casual viewer, he was far outmatched just by being weaponless. "But then again, I suppose you let that shiny toothpick of yours complete all of your half thought out ideas?"

Meanwhile, a huffing Detmi was climbing the third staircase with the previously masked waif, who was bounding up the stairs two at a time, despite her height. Eventually, he just pointed up. "Keep going, you cant miss the top." She smiled and thanked him, laughing inside as he turned and trundled off gratefully to the kitchens. She waited until he was long out of sight, then slowly unfolded her wings from beneath the feathered cape she still wore. They were nothing like Kiars, or his officers - any of them. Small, deft, they were built like her, for speed and agility. Patterned bars striped them in shades of tawny brown and cream, visible now that the gilded adornments were gone.
She grinned and stretched them, then shot upwards. For the first few flights she went straight up through the center of the tower, then suddenly banked, turning sharply into the stairs themselves. Alone, unwatched, Kit was testing herself, flying through the actual stairways. Her wingtips brushed the walls with every moment, yet, the turns and twists were navigated without incident. She set down a flight underneath the enterance, tucking her wings back out of sight.
The guards, though they hesitated, reluctantly let her in when she used Kiar's name. And with every eye on the trio in the back, she glided in unnoticed.

The harpy private furrowed his brow as he pulled the blade to his side, raising it to his waist as he settled his second hand on the hilt. His nails dug into the hard leather that was woven around the steel handle as his wings clapped together sending out another burst of air. "Impudent scum!" The brown winged harpy pulled back before angling his body forward, his sword at shoulder height in less than a second as his wings shot behind him. Launching himself forward, the harpy private shouted in their native tongue, earning a cheer from the crowd around them.

Kiarash gritted his teeth as he saw the other begin his advance, rocking his body weight onto his toes as his knees bent and he lowered himself a few inches. Without needing to draw his wings out for flight, his physical appearance frayed at the edges before he vanished from the eyes of the select few watching their superior. The brown winged harpy was removed from sight as well, before a loud crash was heard from the wall above the door leading to the tower stairway. The Forerunner, now exposing the large double edged blades concealed atop his forearms, had his left armed blade pierced into the stone, pinning his subordinate by his uniform. His right hand pressed the forked tip of his right armed blade gently against the harpy privates throat, the space between the points of the blade fitting perfectly around the lesser harpy's windpipe. "I will command more respect for my guests than this!" Shouting with his nose inches from the brown winged harpy's, though his message was for everyone who was backing this antagonist. "Understand?" He growled out the question as he pressed the forked blade into his subordinates neck, drawing small trails of blood. The brown winged harpy nodded with a hard gulp, followed by the room answering in unison. "Yes sir!"

Kiarash scowled as he pulled his blades from the other, letting him scramble back into the crowd and hide. Landing silently, Kiar dropped his arms as he rolled his middle fingers, the frequency of the rings being pulled caused the forked blades to slide back into the Forerunner's gauntlets and out of sight. After fixing his arm guards and letting the room return to its former state of drunkenness, he noticed Kit had returned from Master Detmi's briefing and he smiled holding his arms up in a welcoming gesture as he walked over. "When did you show up?" He asked with a questioning yet excited expression, ignoring what had just happened completely.

Aubrey's eyes tracked Kiar's movements as none of the rest could, but he made no outward sign of it. After, Aubrey kept an eye on the chastened harpy, smiling crookedly. Hotheads were the same no matter where you went, he mused, his thoughts briefly going many years back. Though Kiar's display had been informative, he almost wished he hadnt intervened.. Then again, he was supposed to be human, right? And a human wouldve had to take his lumps in this situation.. For the best, then. He wouldve marred my pretty face. Aubrey's sardonic grin continued as his eyes found Kit, watching with interest as Kiar approached her.

Kit, leaning casually against the far wall, strightened as Kiar walked towards her. "Oh, about midway through the verbal sparring match." she chuckled softly, her eyes flickering to Aubrey briefly. "Are they always this rambunctious?" she asked in a bemused way, not really minding at all.

Kiarash chuckled as his hand slipped over the woman's shoulder, turning her gently and easing her in the direction of the private room. "Have your wings bound for over forty eight hours and see if you are a little on edge." He said as he folded his wings loosely behind him and stepped in front of her, pulling the curtains aside and waving her in with a smile. "Though I do not think I did ever catch your name." The harpy spoke with a hint of embarrassment as he looked for Aubrey, wondering if he'd need to order an extra bottle for the man. Though his friend did accept the fight, Kiar didn't expect his men to be so rowdy. After the woman had settled, the harpy allowed himself to be seated. Quickly snatching the hose once more, he took a large hit from the hookah as he watched the winged woman.

She flinched inwardly at the contact, not expecting the friendly gesture. But she moved with him, allowing herself to be guided towards his private hideaway. As the pair passed Aubrey she briefly looked back, glaring at him for a split second. She hadnt wanted to be followed to these lands, after all. She settled down in a chair, gladly loosening the strings from the cape and letting it fall to the side. Her wings were visible now fully, lightly folded along the side of the chair. Tapered and slender, they mimicked a raptor's wings. And once seen, her next words were almost obvious. "Peregrine." she answered with a smile, "Peri for short."

Aubrey chuckled as Kiar guided Kit towards the curtained area, ducking in after them as he hadnt been told not to. Which seemed to be how he usually operated. He settled back down in his chair, idly taking another drink from his bottle as his eyes roved between the pair.

Cocking a brow, he tilted his head and rest his chin in the palm of his hand as he nipped at the hose. The bubbling in the vase of the hookah timed with his thoughts as he pulled the hose away, letting the taste linger before he began to speak. "A lovely name." His voice was laced with a more serious tone as the smoke spilled from his mouth in an even, thick flow. "Rather.. off putting nickname that grants you to be honest." After finishing his statement, he blew the rest of the smoke onto the table as it settled in a thick fog. Picking his bottle up he took a drink and rubbed his lips of a stray drop of the liquid. "Though I am sure it's purely coincidence." He said with a chuckle as his wings placed themselves into the curves carved into his chair. Resting against the polished and padded wood he let out a sigh as the length of his wings dropped to the floor and formed a large feathered blanked covering the cushions. "In either case, it is a pleasure to have formally met you." Kiar said with a smile as he tipped his bottle in her direction.

Inwardly laughing, Peri's face merely seemed slightly puzzled. "My nickname?" she tilted her head slightly, watching him curiously. "Is it wrong here?" Her feathers fluffed slightly, her eyes tracking to Aubrey, who'd practically spluttered his mouthful of drink out, and now wore a lopsided grin as he watched them.