~•.:Elementia:.•~

.:Chapter Two - Newcomer:.

"I am Susklahava Brookestone."

"Rude..." Jay mumbled.

"How is it rude? I am greeting him, it is tradition to symbolise outsiders with the mark of the gods." She stated, confused.

"I see." Falcon nodded in acknowledgement. He then extended his hand once again. "And it is our tradition to shake hands in a greeting."  Susklahava hesitantly grabbed his hand and slowly shook it up and down, she pulled away a couple seconds after and looked to the others.

"Do you have other greetings too?" She asked, nearly in a dreading way.

Collie walked in front and toward Susklahava, she stood right up to her, looking forward because they were roughly the same height.

"We Ligjta's usually embrace. But, you don't have to don't want to, though." Collie then pulled the Wildling into a warm hug. Susklahava hugged back and the two smiled at possibly making a new friend.

After the two girls pulled away, Sensei Wayne walked towards the six. "Well, now that we have ALL calmed down, come, Susklahava. I shall show you were you will be sleeping - Lloyd, you may accompany us." He pointed to the brown haired, green eyed boy, who immediately ran after the two.

As soon as the three walked through the paper-lined-with-wood sliding doors, Lloyd and Susklahava gasped in awe when they saw a large, grey stoned room.  It had a small pond in the far right corner, with a waterfall flowing from the wall. Green vines and other matching plants grew over the ceiling and walls, a statue of a woman was in the centre of the room.

"This is the only room though." Lloyd stated, confused, with a tilt of his head.

"Good things come to those who wait." Sensei Wayne smiled and walked over to the statue, pressing a circular thing. Almost immediately a stairway opened up next to it, looking the same as the room but with no plants.

Susklahava giggled lowly and hastily ran down the stairs, even jumping down a few at a time. Sensei Wayne gestures for Lloyd to follow, and he walked down with his Sensei next to him.

"Sensei, she is weird." Lloyd whispered to the said man cautiously. Sensei Wayne chuckle casually and ruffled the teenager's hair in bemusement.

"Not in her eyes." Was all he said before running down the steps as well, skilfully and effortlessly dodging vines or tree roots. Lloyd followed quickly in pursuit, but stopped every now and then to step over flora.

By the time the boy had reached the bottom, breathless and panting, he gasped when he saw a wooden room, with six straw mats, laid with half on each side. There was a circular pool of alarmingly clear water in the centre - probably a Bathing Sphere.

"This is where you six will sleep for the nights." The elderly teacher stated, a little cheerfully. "And bathe." He added quickly after a short silence.

"I see." Susklahava nodded slowly. "But, it will take a while to wash off and then replace my markings."

"There is no need for those." At the Wildling's shocked expression, he decided that it would be wise to continue. "Here we do not care for race, religion or styles of living. It is not important and you will need to learn to adapt - and luckily for you, Wildlings have a natural talent at that."

"O-oh..."

"What is troubling?"

"I-it is just that... Wildlings who do not wear their markings are thought as wh-whores."

Lloyd wanted to step in now. "Well you are not in the Darkwød. As Sensei said, religion and trends do not exist here." He placed a hand on her shoulder and felt it relax in relief.

"In that case..." Susklahava started, before pulling her makeshift boots and literally dragging Lloyd into the Bathing Sphere. The Wildling silently rubbed at her body and hair, a huge smile on her face. Meanwhile, Lloyd sat still, frozen with the shock of suddenly being pulled into cold water.

A splash of water to his face knocked him out of his trance. He blinked and looked as Susklahava, who waited a little, still smiling, before splashing him again. Lloyd seemed to catch on and half-heartedly pushed a small wave of water to her, then getting more confidant and full on soaking her more. The two laughed quietly while playing, and Sensei Wayne smiled.

He watched his two youngst pupils play with a small grin on his face. He decided to leave the two be and made his way back up the grey marble stairs slowly, to discuss matters with his other students.