Ulduvai, an immense city that was once an airborne paradise in ages long passed. These days however, it was a rumour. A legend. A myth chased by adventurers and others with intents ranging from nationalist to self-serving greed to pure curiosity.<br/><br/>While Taldor and Cheliax built their camps and set forth to chase after tales, Ulduvai prepared and sent out one of its own. A lone woman of Shory heritage with a strange story all her own and intents as of yet unknown.<br/><br/>It may have been a day like any other for those from Taldor but for the woman watching them from higher ground, it was about to become the day that would change everything.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>After years of dodging beasts and monsters that couldn't even be categorized back at home, spying on a camp of well-armed humanoids almost seemed safe. Of course, there was no guarantee that they were more than well-armed raiders. But then again, they didn't exactly demolish everything in sight in search of riches. While that was relieving to notice, Maia still wasn't about to walk right into their main camp and hope for the best. It was a good thing she was quick on her feet, as it made following them rather easy...though, loud as they were, it would have been difficult to lose track of them, either way.<br/><br/>Still, it felt strange to watch humans interact after centuries in her ruined home with just her father and countless dangers as company. It gave her a sense of longing for the life she had before everything went wrong. Every time they smiled, she smiled herself without realizing it. Every time they laughed, she wanted to be in on the joke. A part of her wished she were one of those riding with them, like the robed woman in their company. Of course, observing and feeling envious weren't the reasons her father sent her to seek others out, something she reminded herself of quite frequently. Though she still didn't like the idea of putting herself at risk by approaching so many well-armed humans, this was probably as small a group as she'd ever see without waiting even longer.<br/><br/>She closed her eyes and brought her hands together in a brief moment of meditation to steel herself before she thought, "<em>Please don't shoot first.</em>" then approached them with a deliberate lack of stealth. Better they be aware than surprised, right?<br/><br/>Before them appeared a young woman with long dark hair and soulful dark eyes shot through and speckled with faint gold. A sheepish, disarming smile touched her lush lips until her approach and something apparently off about her began to frighten the mounts. She bit her lip as she stopped in place with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "<em>Okay... That's not helping.</em>"<br/><br/>Her skin was soft, brown, and seemingly dusted over with reflective glitter in random places and her ears were somewhat large and pointed. She was clad in brilliant, sheer white from her chest to her hips. A thin-strapped gown covered her torso and was cut short with high slits on the side. She wore a thin vest that tailed behind her like a small cape and her fingerless gloves rose well above her elbows. Only the shallow cut marking her left cheek, brown leather thigh-high boots, and frayed edges and slight tears along the edges of her fabrics indicated any ruggedness. Delicate yet nimble and glowing with possible magical strength, her figure was touched with a combination of lean athletism and petite, pert bosoms in her upper body to shapely hips and full, supple thighs lower on.<br/><br/>Maia cleared her throat in nervousness as she thought "<em>Please work.</em>" of the tiny, gold hairpin adorning her hair, then spoke in their language "Greetings, friends!" She paused and looked puzzled at how strange the foreign words sounded coming from her own lips as well as how stupid her first words might have sounded to them. Suddenly her tone changed from faux-confidence to the soft-spoken and self-concious murmings of someone who probably didn't get out much. "I ah..." What was wrong with her? Didn't she rehearse this meeting twenty times in her mind? "<em>Concentrate. Focus. Relax.</em>"