Missing a Little, but we Don't Care

It was another warm day in the area of and around Alexandria. And the best place for most was to be in the shade with a cold drink and a filling meal, so the Wayfarer's Inn was as busy as usual, if not more so. The fire was out, the building lit by magical lamps as the evening began to creep in.

One of the patrons that evening was a new face, a dark red makari for whom their red lineage was almost readily apparent, dressed in a long coat split down the middle of the back for their tail. She lingers at the door to scan the room, before she makes her way to one of the empty tables, with a slightly stiff gait, every other step punctuated by a dull thud of wood on wood until she reaches a chair to spin around and sit.

Shortly on her heels, indeed shortly enough that it seems likely that they could have seen one another on the road, comes a blue-scaled sith. Like the female that precedes him, he has a certain lack of limbs. Namely a left arm and leg which are made of beautiful, replendant crystal. The limbs twinkle and shine in the light of the fire, as do the male's scales which are dark enough to look almost black save the twinkle of midnight blue that burns within. He stops at the door, blinking at the closeness of the other sith as if he had not seen her before.

One look around the room tells that there are few if any tables open and he lets out a soft sigh before his eyes land on the red-scaled one. Nodding once to himself he draws closer to her table, and offers her a customary greeting. "Peasce on your nessst. May thisss one join you, thisss one will ssshare thisss onesss tea." His voice is none too gently accented by the draconic tongue which it seems likely is more familiar to him than tradespeak.

The presence of the other sith-makar had not gone unnoticed, but their pace was unchanged. When they sat down at the table, they quickly looked around, and found the blue scaled sith from before. There was more than a bit of wariness, but they bow their head.

"Peace on your nest. Not a lot of tables open, I ss'pose it it'ss fine." They reply finally, looking over them. "Were you following me for a reasson?" They ask bluntly.

The blue-scaled male looks surprised - smells surprised - by the question and then a low chuckle escapes him. "Thisss one wasss coming here for tea, and sssomething warm to eat. Today they make meat-piessss." He is at ease in spite of the others wariness, and does not create any reason for suspicion as he sits down slowly. He favors his right side slightly, and his descent onto the stool is careful. Once he is seated he waves for the waitress in a friendly fashion and it seems that she knows him because she waves back.

This done he turns his green eyes on the red-scaled one, taking in her unfamiliarity. "You are new to Alexandria yesss? Thisss one isss Zeke. Sservant of the Dragonfather, and known to mossst here asss ssuch." More gently he lifts his crystal claw and swishes his tail in the sith equivalent of a smile. "Or perhapsss for being the bearer of unusssual limbss yesss?"

The red scaled makari blinks, watching the arm curiously, and the ease with which the waitress seems to address them. They seem to relax some, until the comment about their limb. It was a strange thing to point out, and they were wary again despite the demeanor of the other.

"Vaermir, most call me Vaera. Meat piess are good, densse bread keeps the cooked meat inside from ssspoiling longer." They reply, watching the arm. "You're bringing that up because of my leg, are you not?"

Zeke tilts his head to the side, curious about her statement and then shakes his head. "Your leg? No. Thisss one sssimply findss that people asssk fewer quessstionsss about them if thisss one... cutss them off." Here he gives her a weary expression. One that says that perhaps a great many people have said perhaps too much about the limbs he bears. "And worssse. The admirerersss..." He shudders delicately.

"Figured you were talking about it." The dark red sith sighs. She bushes away the coat from her right leg, where it had been hiding a scarred stump of a leg cut off above the knee, and attached to it, a carved wooden leg, in near perfect representation of a normal one down to the scales, only a few metal joints giving away the difference. That, and the material. "Ssorry. Thought it was obviouss, what with you following me ssso long, probably heard it coming in here."

"Weird thing to admire, this one doesn't know if there's just that many people misssing limbss here. Won't assk much if you don't, that fair?"

"Thisss one wasss full of thoughtsss of food." Zeke admites unashamedly, and he nods his assent to her suggestion that they leave talk of their missing limbs unspoken of. This if anything seems to set the blue-scale even more at ease, and he swishes his tail eagerly at the arrival of the waitress. He orders a tea service for them both and meat pies for himself before allowing the female to make her own order if she pleases.

"What, is the food that good here? Surely there'ss food to be hunted out in the forestss." Vaera asks curiously. "I jusst figured that it wass worth taking a day to take in the place."

She looks to the waitress after readjusting her coat, and orders several of the meat pies for herself. "Sstill feelss odd to jusst trade coin for food. Not ssomething I do often."

Zeke chuckles quietly, rolling his right shoulder in a half-shrug. "It isss very fresssh. And the crussst iss very crunchy." Both good qualites in a pie. He settles in his seat to await the food. "But perhapsss thisss one isss sssimply in a good mood today? It hasss been beautiful out, and warm enough to drive any of the People to ssleeep. Thisss one knowsss that there are not many peassceful daysss in thisss sscity ssso thisss one doess try to enjoy them."

He looks at the one across from him and nods to her words. "There isss ssenssse in what you sssay. Among the People it isss rare for food to be sssomething that one needsss..." He stops, looks for the word and recalls the one that she used. "Coin for. Are you from Am'ssshere then?"

"At some point, yes.Food was a job, not something to be bartered over." They respond to the question, bowing their head. "This one would rather spend time for food than coin usually. And on your own, a single deer or similar prey lasts a long time. A bit of planning covers needs for long periods at a time."

A single brow raises. "Is this city not peaceful? Sseems like most do not travel it in fear."

"Ah." Says Zeke softly, his eyes growing distant for a moment before once again her question brings him back to the present. He it seems is prone to thoughtfulness, but he has the bearing of a sith well into his years so this is perhaps not surprising. The blue-scale curls his tail around his seat and for the first time a long curling scar wrapped around his tail is visible. A dangerous life lived. "Thisss one hasss no wisssh to be alarming, but thisss one musst be honesst in sssaying that there iss little about the scity that isss peasceful or resstful. Thossse that live here have become adjussted to the chaos, crave adventure, or are called to the duty of protecting thossse that remain innoscent."

Sith-makar had a tendency to hide all but the most grievous of scarring, and the tail doesn't go unnoticed by the cautious red scale. She did not look over one hundred, but she was not young, either, and there were enough oddly grown scales that could indicate previous injuries.

"Not going to alarm me, would take a lot more than that at this point." They reply simply with an accompanying shrug. "Peaceful in comparison, sssuppose?"

"Peasceful in compairissson to where?" Zeke says gently, unsure where the other sith means. He shakes his head though. "Thisss one can think of no plasce in thisss world that issss quite asss.... busssy asss isss thisss one." He lets out a soft sigh of pleasure as tea and meat pies are brought out. Silently pouring tea for his companion first and then for himself.

"Peaceful compared to other citiesss." She says with a shake of her head. Though she stops to pick up the teacup, peering inside and giving it a wafted sniff before she sets it down to be filled. "There are other busy placess. Then again, I am actually welcome here, sso that iss the change."

"It isss true that the People are not welcome every-where." Zeke agrees with a nod, knowing that to be truer than his words can easily express. Painfully true in places. "There are more of the People here than there are in nearly any other scity in thisss world thiss one thinksss." He had traveled some, but by no measure could he say that he had been everywhere. "But ssshare wordsss with thisss one if you will, of what bringsss you to thisss plasce."

"Worse than unwelcome. There are many here?" They ask, looking curious. "This one heard rumors, in passing, but did not realize they were true."

"How did so many come to this place, then? Was there an exodus from Am'shere for some reason?

They poke at one of the meat pies with a fork that was on the table, breaking it open and giving it too a sniff before eating it. "This one has heard very little for many years."

Zeke shakes his head. "For each it wasss a persssonal choisce, but... perhapsss thingsss in Am'sshere are changing too sslowly for our younglingsss. Perhapsss the lure of sssafer nesst-plascess, or the call to closser sshoress where vengance can be found. Thiss one can not ssay with sscertainty, but scertainly many of the People have chossen to call thiss plassce home in ssspite of itsss disstance from our anssestoral landsss. Thiss one thinksss that the eldersss will have to enact ssssome unknown change to draw back thosse that have left, or we will return to a homeland empty." He himself picks up his pie with his flesh and blood claw, biting into it almost delicately and with obvious relish.

"Then that is understandable." Vaera nods. "These lands are much softer despite the dangers you speak of. But there is game and forage to sustain those who look, and this one is understanding trade better."

"It is certainly closer to places for vengeance, as well, not blocked by the sea." She adds, with a glance eastward.

Zeke glanced in that direction also, his glance drawn by hers and he shook his head. A second bite of the meat pie had it nearly gone and he licked some of the juice from it from his maw before continuing. "Ssso, what bringsss you to thiss plassce then? Sssome-thing that thisss one hasss ssaid, or ssome-thing elssse entirely?"

After a sip of the tea and a bite of the pie, she had waited several minutes before taking another sip, and finishing off the first. And then it was another minute of sipping tea to think. "This one, does not know. Which would mean that the reason being is for purpose. There was no way to return home, nor do I know if I would wish to at this point." They say, remaining neutral almost even to the other sith.

The blue-scale sith nods and finishes his first pie with one last bite. Always delicate to ensure that no stray pieces are left and then cleaning his claw off on a piece of cloth left on the table for that purpose. With the first pie gone he focuses on his tea, it's cooled enough now to be pleasurable to drink. "Well, if you ever have need of aid, or wissh to ssshare wordsss with another of the People, thisss one can often be found at the Temple of the Dragonfather here." Zeke offers this with a faint swish of his tail.

They seem to think, eating the second pie slowly. "You are happy hear, at leasst, unlesss you are pretending to be." They note with a look to the tail. "I do not know if I wish to speak with kin yet. It is much more ssimple to be distant from ssoftsskinsss. As for aid, I have managed fine for a long time."

"A temple to the dragonfather?" They ask afterwards. "Did the ssoftssskins build it as ssome manner of placation, or did the people do so? Both ssseem unlikely."

The words cause Zeke to blink and then he drinks some more of his tea. Some things he knows, words will not fix, and this he senses is one of them. "Asss you will." He replies, acknowledging that it is her choice what she does and that he has no intent upon it. Her second statement causes him to blink and then he lets out a chuff. Almost laughter. "Sssoftsskinsss worsship the Dragonfather alssso, but by another name. They ssee him only asss themssselvesss, and know little of his dragon-form. They call him Daeus."

"They can take many forms, but taking a humanoid form, I ssuppose it would make them more approachable to ssoftskins."

They shrug. "Iss the temple interchangeable then? Sseems their viewss are different sstill." Vaera continues, but then they seem to wince, their leg stuck bent slightly for a moment. She reaches into her coat to take out a small wrench which she uses to loosen a joint until it falls naturally again.

"I have heard the name before, but I did not make the connection.

"Thisss one doess not think that they are ssso different." Zeke says, and he should know given that he is a cleric of that self-same diety. "They ssay sssome wordsss differently, they make different offeringsss here and there, but the heart? The heart of our Dragonfather doesss not change no matter what form he takesss. It isss true of the other templess ass well. Ssshould you look, you will find familiar fasscess in the godss. Thisss one likess to think that thisss one hass learned much from the sssoftssskinsss here, and that they have learned much from thisss one."

"Perhapsss the heart of a god is different then." They say, shaking their head. "This one would not be ssurprised. I have sseen hearts before, they are usssually different. But a god doess not abide as the living do."

"That may be ssso." Zeke acknowleges, eating his second pie in the wake of the silence that comes after his words. All done with his food the sith-makar finishes his tea and looks to the fire. Suddenly, he shakes his head and rises to his feet. "Thisss one ssshould be on thisss onesss way. Enjoy your evening, it wasss a pleasssure to ssshare wordsss with you." He leaves a few coins on the table. Enough to pay for all that they ordered and a fair amount extra for the waitress as well. Then begins his way to the door.

"I ssuppose, thank you for sssharing words." They reply. "Perhapss I will go out and enjoy the evening."

She looks at the table and the coins, but before she can say anything, they were out the door. Seems like that crystalline leg could move quickly.

-End