Culture Shock

The Stonewright Brew pub is the largest and oldest such location in the capital of Dun Mordren.

	 A great fire warms the building at its center, and a great many kegs line the back wall behind the always packed, at all hours counter. This place /never/ closes, and it never empty.

	 Constructed from sturdy stone, like much of the rest of Dun Mordren, the brewpub's walls are decorated with murals about the history of brewing in Dun Mordren, proudly declaring itself, with comical images of inebriated dwarves, the true inheritor of the finest dwarven brewing traditions.

	 A bust of the Dwarven King suits in the corner, serving as a place to direct toasts to.

Stonewright Brew Pub, Dun Mordren

You know sometimes you should read the fine print.

Lorik had taken a mission as a package guard in Alexandria. A simple job. Guard a box till it made it to his destination. That's all he had to do. He told his cousin and his sister he would be back soon, that he didn't need much in the way of help, and then...he...had realised that he didn't read the fine print.

...and the package? Was actually bound for Dun Mordren.

By Airship.

So the good news would be that he gets a free airship trip. The bad news is that he spent the entire time in the hold sitting near a box. He didn't get to really go outside that much, and he was going to be very late to supper back in Alexandria.

...and that dwarves? Didn't always get along with him.

Which is why he's found a small corner of a pub. A booth up in the corner, and is at the moment making time until the return trip to Alexandria. Reading a book, and in general trying to remain fairly inconspicuous.

Which is very hard for likely one of the only shadow elves in the city to do.

Lori'thalik may be the only Shadow Elf in the area, but he's by no means the only elf. The forest to the west of this mountain happens to be the very woods in which the Sildanyari realm of Llyranost lies. Accordingly, there are a few Llyranesi in the city at this time. Some merchants, some officials. However. walking into this pub at this very moment is a wild elf, and, as chance would have it, one known to the aforesaid mul'niessa, Ga'Elian the ranger. He pauses a monent to survey the place with his goggled eyes, and turns to the shadow elf, striding over nonchalantly, hoping that anyone who notices him will find him beneath notice. The ioun stone orbiting his head is a trifle remarkable, but the dwarves have long appreciated the magic of rocks.

There are odd looks, but most of the patrons just go back to their drinks when the wild elf wonders in. One or two follow his path of travel to the cloaked figure in the corner, but cloaked figures are not /that/ uncommon in the wide world.

Its mostly better to stick with your drinks in a place like this anyway.

Lorik on the other hand blinks for a moment as his eyes flicker up and he notes the tall and magic-bedecked figure of the Wild Elf striding towards him. A blink of suprise before he raises a hand to wave a greeting.

"Ga'Elion." His words in swift enough elvish, with his own unique accent. "I didn't expect to see anyone I knew here."

Ga'Elian takes a chair and sits, "Neither did I." He lifts his hand to order a drink, then says, "I was visiting home, and thought I'd pay a visit to a particular friend of mine here before I headed back south. I'm in no hurry, so figured I'd wend my way through the wilderness. I should get back to Alexandria in a week or two. What brings you here?"

A slight chuckle and a shake of his head. "Not reading the print at the end of Guild assignment. I took a job to watch a package, didn't realize they were sending it here by airship. So..." The shadow elf shrugs slightly. "...here I am. I should be back to Alexandria in a day or two. I think. I'm not quite sure how the trip works but..."

The shadow elf just smirks again. "Gives me time to catch up on my reading and research."

As a server brings his drink, he reaches into his pouch for a silver coin then releases the coin, allowing it to float from his hand to land gently upon the server's tray. For the drink he bought, the change from a silver piece is a generous, but not ostentatious gratuity. He says, "I've never een comfortable with airships. I'm sure it's irrational, but there we are."

Lorik laughs and shrugs. "I've been worried on occasion that I might float up into the sky without a cavern over my head every so often since I've come up here. So...I'm not one to talk about rational or irrational."

There is a shake of his head at that. Amusement across his features. "Everything is different since I've come up here, not bad. Just...different. I'm still getting used to it I must confess."

Ga'Elian nods. "When you consider that I only left my home a mere 3 years ago, I think I've done quite well adapting to change. I'll be 119 years old on the first of the next month. If I may ask, how old are you, Lorik."

There is a slight smirk there. "I have you by 6 years then, I'll be 125 this winter." The shadow elf replies with a soft chuckle. "Though most of that I've spent under the thumb of my family so I'm fairly sure most people wouldn't say I have much experience in the wider world." A shrug at that.

"But I'm learning fast enough now that I'm out, trying to make up for last time I suppose you could say."

Ga'Elian drinks, then says, "Things do seem to move faster in the City. Especially with the humans, gobbers, and lucht siuil. I've sure seen a lot of differences from life in my tribe, too. Among my folk, and I imagine among yours, too, there is a value set on quality craftsmanship and tradition that among these races is replaced by more of a sense of innovation and efficiency. Also, they breed in droves, but I figure that's mainly due to their short lifespans."

Lorik's eyes cut to the side when the other elf mentions his people and there is a slight sigh from that. "They appreciated...Order. Value. Tradition. Not asking questions. And whatever can get them further up the pecking order. I'm thankful for my family for protecting my sister and I from the worst of it at least. I know my older siblings had a worse time of it."

He shakes his head though, sighing just slightly before glancing back towards the wild elf. "But yes, there are so many varied people in Alexandria. It is somewhat overwhelming trying to keep it all straight. Its taking me time to figure out just which temple to go to for what."

Ga'Elian chuckles, "I"m afraid I know almost as little of your people as I did of humans 3 years ago. A mul'niessa woman I knew once explained to me that where the Sylvanori see nudity as natural and nothing to get excited over, the mul'niessa see sexual intercourse as a perfectly valid means of manipulating people."

"Manipulation, assassination, blackmail, sometimes currency, all sorts of things that can be used for." Lorik replies with a slight shrug. "Mul'niessa, or at least those of my society, are not very...." He pauses for a moment. "...nice I suppose would be the polite way to put it. As you would expect from a people that worship Taara as their patron."

He shrugs slightly at that.

"One of the reasons I left."

At the vocalization of Taara's name, he gestures the name of Eluna in Handspeech, as if warding against the divine attention of the Lady of Darkness. He nods solemnly and says, "I'm always glad to see such folk as yourself abandon her ways."

A twitch of a smile. "Well don't be so sure, I haven't been very useful up here yet at least. Though...I'm trying."

At that moment though a figure walks in. A tall human with an eyepatch. "Ah! There is my captain! I should be going!"

Ga'Elian says, "Better not very useful here than useful to them. Anyway, bon voyage." He raises his drink in salute.