So I got permission to publish this fantastic work of art! Salenia is on the side, played by the lovely Bianca Balti. Let me know what you think!
Hope you love it! xx Katherine
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Chapter 1
Salenia Cathela ruffles her long, dark waves of thick hair as she slowly walks down the street, going from the glitzy world of uptown couture to the slums of her city. Most people of her status would be terrified of leaving their high-class nests for the dirty and dilapidated place that she’s currently on her way to, and for good reason too. The people of West Kanyan reek of desperation and are well-learned in the art of thievery, not that it’s hard to rob members of Upper Kanyan who come through. You show them something that looks like a weapon and they scream like a child as they empty their pockets and purses. The unspoken rule throughout all of Kanyan is that citizens are not to take from the people of their city section. Even West Kanyan’s inhabitants refuse to take from their neighbours. If they need something, they trade for it, but never steal. That only happens to outsiders. Salenia has been through this part of the city enough times to get through without any trouble, due in part to the fact that everyone knows that she carries a weapon of her own that she won’t hesitate to use under duress. Although she’s well-known, it doesn’t stop people from staring at her as she walks past them. In the dark slums, it’s almost like she creates her own light. She stands tall with her back straight and her chin up with indomitable pride. Her bright violet eyes fit into her delicate heart-shaped face perfectly, always full of a vivacious and determined spark. Though she’s slender, her curves are well-filled out, speaking of good health and a proper diet. She wears a pair of black leather pants and a slightly oversized soft white tee shirt with black booties. The outfit is casual, but wealth still comes off of her in waves.
She stops in front of an old house that’s in the process of breaking down. The windows are busted out, random shards still attached to the frame. She goes up to a wooden front door that’s swollen and warped from water damage and opens it without knocking, walking in casually. She goes through the house without getting distracted by the debris and broken knick-knacks littering the floor, heading out to a shop set up in the barren backyard. This door she stops to knock on once, pause, twice, then three more knocks following a second pause. It seems to open by itself and she goes in without hesitation. “Cestia?” she calls.
A slightly smaller than average girl comes out from behind the door. Her pale blonde hair is piled on top of her head in a messy ponytail. Her thin face has smudges of dirt and oil on her cheeks, forehead, and chin though her bright blue eyes show her excitement. She has on a denim jumpsuit that’s just as dirty as her face, though it’s halfway off and tied around her waist, revealing her dingy white tank top. She wrings her thick glove-incased hands with anxiousness. “Salenia,” she greets, inclining her head slightly with friendly respect. “I just finished.”
Salenia smiles, looking a little dark and unapproachable in the shadows despite her true nature. “May I see?”
Cestia smiles widely and gestures with her hand to the back of her workshop, indicating that she should go through. She follows behind the tall, graceful woman, slipping past her to gauge her reaction. On her work table is Salenia’s rig for the balloon races that she plans to begin participating in next week. Without asking for permission, she picks up her rig and slips into it. It’s black and looks like a harness, the design taken from the Old World. She adjusts her long hair, freeing it from the back before pressing one of the buttons on her left shoulder strap. A surprised shriek escapes her mouth as the rig dips just a bit before throwing her high into the air, the crown of her head brushing the ceiling of the shop. She laughs happily as her feet hit the ground again, violet eyes dancing with excitement. She presses the button below it and grins when the rig lifts her up several feet off of the ground and keeps her suspended there. She pushes the button again and it lowers her feet back onto the ground. She spends the next half hour in her own element, figuring out how to work the rig and discovering the combinations she can make with all of the buttons on her shoulder straps. When she’s finally satisfied with what she’s learned about her new toy, she takes it off and turns to Cestia again. “The balloon?”
“Back here,” Cestia answers, leading her out the back door of her workshop where their hot air balloon is stretched out, just waiting to be filled up and taken for a ride.
The basket is a little crude, but well-fashioned with pliable wood, just big enough to hold two people inside of it. Thin wires tether it to the base of the giant balloon. Fixed onto the open base is a hand-welded device to create a gas fire that’s vapors will fill up the hot air balloon and make it float. The balloon itself is violet, the same color as Salenia’s eyes. Across it is CATHELA in big black letters, identifying both player and transportation from high up in the sky. Salenia turns to face Cestia. “Do you know how to work it?”
“Of course,” she replies. “I had to build it. You can’t build what you can’t operate.”
Salenia smiles, pulling out a wad of cash from her pocket, counting out the bills. “Good. Here’s your money, as promised. I have another proposition for you.”
Cestia puts the money in her pocket, blue eyes filled with curiousity. “What is it?”
She doesn’t beat around the bush. “I want you to be my race partner, Cestia.” The blonde’s face contorts in complete shock as her mind struggles to process what her rich client has just said. “I’ll pay you, of course. Money is no object. In fact, I’m looking into getting a place of my own. If you agree to play with me, I’d like to offer you a room in my new apartment. I can get you a new workshop or you can keep this one, whatever you want. Will you at least think about it before you tell me no?”
“S-S-Salen-Salenia,” Cestia splutters. “Are you sure you don’t want a competitor like everyone else? You’re just starting out, it’s understandable that you’d make a mistake like this.”
The dark haired beauty just smiles a little, unconcerned. “I know what everyone else does, Cestia. I refuse to be like the rest of them. They’re prejudiced and more concerned with status than anything else. I’m not competing in Uptown. I’m competing in North Kanyan. That’s where the real races are, and that’s where I want to be too. I chose you as my partner because I have any doubts in your abilities. You’re passionate, just like me. I want a real competitor, not a rich one. Please think about taking me up on my offer. I’ll leave you to your thoughts. When you make a decision, please call me. I’ll come pick up the balloon and rig sometime before next week…It’s exciting, isn’t it? The thrill of competition running through your veins.”
Salenia puts her sunglasses back on and goes back through the house, heading back the way she came to find her father and get the paperwork for her new apartment. Cestia watches her leave, still in shock.
