(The Communal Kitchens) Eating Issues (Taln)

[Drusilla]

Drusilla smiled, Taln didn't seem to mind the fact she had fangs. "I'm glad you made a friend! Just show me where to climb and I'll get to work. Do you want me to get you some as well? You said life as a dek is hard, and I believe you fully. So let me help you, as upper class shouln't I help you so that you can be at your best?"

It was only after Drusilla touched Taln did she notice her mistake. She had made note of the actions Taln made when frightened or uncomfortable. Drusilla slowly removed her hand, ashamed of her action. He was scared, she should of known that. "I'm sorry, Taln. I wasn't going to hurt you. I just wanted to see your face, that's all... You're a very handsome man..." Her voice got quieter as she spoke the last part.

She got up moving away from Taln and sitting in a corner. She didn't want to frighten him anymore, so moving away would give him time to calm down. She hoped.

[Taln]

"Yea, sure. I usually go there to get food for my friend when he needs the extra protein. I'm never one to pass up more food when I can get it. Never know when I'll have the chance again. That's exactly what I'd do if I had your caste. Help others be their best." Taln moved his head back down again and stared at his hands, unsure of what to say. He didn't like acting like a scared idiot--hated it in fact. Few things were more embarrassing than being terrified of people touching his face, but he just couldn't help it. His keen hearing caught the soft words that she repeated from what she'd said earlier in the commons and he sat for a chime and thought on it deeply. 'Why does she keep calling me handsome? They only say that when they want to bed me, but she sounded offended when I mentioned it. Even with my bad eyes, I can still see the raised ugly scars and being way too petching tall to be normal. I'm just an overgrown scarred dek beast with a quick temper. As long as I live, I'll never understand women! Drusilla had moved away now. But--first she wants to be near me and now she doesn't--ooh right. She saw me acting like a coward over a simple touch.' Taln added this moment to the stack of embarrassment in the life of a dek. Maybe he'd get used to it. He hoped not. "So uh...you need to get some meat on those skinny bones. Why don't I show you the freshest food in Wind Reach?" he said as he rose from the floor in a lithe motion.

[Drusilla]

"Your friend is very lucky to have you. It seems you watch out for him or her." She gave an honest smile," Maybe I'll meet them someday..." Drusilla slowly got to her feet, every move she made was slow and careful. Standing up she brushed off the front and back of her dress with her hands, and moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Lead the way, Taln." A thought crossed her mind, "Should I get some for your friend too? Like I said I just want to help, if your at your best who knows what you can do." She had noticed Taln's reaction to the word handsome. "Tell me, if you don't think your handsome. I want to know what you think of yourself. All of the girls in Kalinor would agree with me, I don't think any of them have seen red hair before..." Drusilla thought of the few Symenestra girls she had known, they would have been in awe of a place where the people had such firey hair.

Drusilla absent-mindedly offered Taln a hand, not thinking of the reaction of Taln or the other Inarta seeing an Avora and dek holding hands. It was habit, a kind and friendly gesture.

[Taln]

Taln nodded in answer to her question. "Yea he really needs the meat right now even more than I do. I think -I'm- the lucky one to have him befriend me." His emerald eyes glanced at her swiftly for a brief chime in surprise, but he was conditioned to respond immediately. "No, I -know- having ugly raised scars and being an overgrown dek beast is the last thing in Wind Reach to be handsome. You realize Inarta consider deks just animals without fur you know? Like a rat or something. So your foreign girls would find someone foreign handsome? Just because I'm different? I don't think different colored hair means handsome in any way--it just means--different, I guess." he shrugged. Taln automatically took her hand in his, obediently taking it as a claiming gesture. His hand felt even larger, and he was very very careful not to hurt her fragile bones. As long as an Endal didn't come along to claim him then Drusilla had staked he was hers for as long as she chose. He felt bad for the woman though. Only at night had someone claimed him so boldly and usually it was just a few moments in public to get to the man or woman's quarters. He wondered if he should warn her that others would think she was taking the 'pet dek' for the day and that they'd think she was bedding a dek animal. The man decided against saying anything. Drusilla had lived in Wind Reach far long enough to know what was going on here. Or so he assumed. At least with a claim, Taln stood a higher chance than most deks of getting a room to sleep in tonight.

[Drusilla]

"So your friend is a he.. Maybe, you both are lucky to have each other." Drusilla listened to Taln's reasoning, "I didn't think you were a dek when I first saw you. Even Endals have scars on them. I thought you may have been an Endal picking on the deks." Drusilla stopped giving Taln a saddened look, " You are no overgrown beast. Who ever told you that deserves a good Symenestra bite.."

"As of now, by dek rules you're considered 'owned', right? Thats good, I wanted to sew up those holes in your pants, and maybe get you a new tunic, and if you're not offended or think I'm going to bed you...Maybe you can get a good nights sleep. The Endals won't bother me, I think I scare them." Drusilla smiled.

[Taln]

"You did? Oh right. Yea, the bryda confuse a lot of people. I never realized what we wore was so important until I got 'em." He looked down at Drusilla as they walked, still curious at her fragility and utter paleness. When she mentioned a bite,Taln couldn't help but grin at her comment. "Yea it looks like Symenestra are at least nice enough to show their fangs up front instead of hiding them till you least expect it! So you have fangs, eagles have talons, and Inarta have tempers." The pair walked hand in hand toward Edge of the World. Inarta stared openly at the strangeness. An overgrown dek in filthy caste inappropriate bryda actually -smiling- at the pale skinned purple eyed foreigner in a long black dress! They whispered but turned silent when the two got near enough to hear-or so they thought. Taln heard all of it. "You'd fix these? Yea I could use a new Lontev. You mean have two sets of clothes? I've never had two sets at once." The dek could hardly believe this string of mercy. A good feed, a second good feed, extra food for little Reech and two entire sets of clothes with a roof over his head to sleep tonight! He couldn't wait to show Drusilla his secret 'stash' of food. If she didn't mind killing a few things in a precarious position, he thought it would be heaven for her. He hoped he was right. He was very conscious of how her hand was so thin, that the large man was extra careful not to hurt her. "Endals scared of you? But you're so gentle! Now telling an Avora the truth when they ask if I think they're ugly---that's something to be scared of!"

[Drusilla]

Drusilla full out laughed, not her normal giggles. But a real laugh. "The pants and your strong build fooled me!" Drusilla heard the Inarta, it was nothing new. She had grown up with the whispers and looks. As they walked by the crowd, she got an idea. Using her other hand, Drusilla flipped her long white hair at the crowd and gave a 'don't mess with me' look. None had been Endals,even if they had been...

As they walked away from the crowd, "Yes Endals are carefull around me, that's what happens when you're known for having an Endal friend who gets himself into fights and you're the one who pulls him out of the fight and scolds him in Symenos."

A bright smile crossed her face, "Taln, I make clothes for a living and I'm a workaholic. Sure, I'll fix your pants and see if I have any extras."

[Taln]

"Huh? Oh yea. Well I've always been tall for my age and others would assume I was older. Because of it I guess I've always been worked a little sooner and a little more than most." Taln shrugged. "I either had to get strong enough to deal with the increasing workload or get crushed beneath it." The tall man peered around nervously as she gave 'the look' and spoke so openly of having an Endal friend. Any dek, yasi or chiet could never even dream of speaking so casually of Endals in public. But now it made sense why Drusilla cared so little about Caste if she were the friend of Endals. "It ..uh.. must be nice to have friends in high places." he answered carefully. As a dek he was brazen, but not stupid enough to bad mouth an Endal while under the public eye and reluctant to do so even in private. That caste was responsible for almost every bite of food he'd ever eaten and the same blanket of safety that they and their eagle mounts provided. Endals were the parents of Inarta and they should always be held in feared awe and respect. His emerald gaze caught her purple irises for the briefest of chimes and flitted away again like a nervous sparrow. "I didn't know you were a weaver. What's it like?" There was a small part of him that held the creative types apart with the mystery they held. He'd never been the least bit creative unless it involved ways to get food, shelter, or talking his way out of a beating. The dek just couldn't fathom a life comfortable enough that you could put aside all worries of violence, starvation and seeking shelter to just...relax and make something from nothing.

[Drusilla]

"Yeah, he was a nice guy, cocky but still. He was like a brother.... I really...miss him." Drusilla looked extremely distraught, " I miss Brunhild too." Drusilla stopped and lifted a sleeve, showing a bracelet in jewled tones, "It was his late-brother's. Died as a Yasi, would of ended up as a dek... I feel like he watches over me."

Her face lit up, "I was taught to sew and such around the time I learned to walk and climb. It can be hard, but I love it. It's what I live for. Carrying big bulks of fabric and weaving material is hard for me. My teacher demanded the best and nothing else. Have you ever had the 'pleasure' of meeting Lady Dai? With her crazy demands lately, I'm more than overwhelmed. Fall is a busy season."

She shook her head, "I need to grow a few extra pairs of arms..." A thought crossed her mind, "Would you want to work? You'd be safe from other Avora, and you know I wouldn't overwork you. If you help me get ahead, I'll try and teach you how to use a spinning wheel and such..." She looked at him hopeful, it would mean safty for him and a chance to work his way out of dying from hard labor as a dek, if all went well.

[Taln]

Taln watched the woman's face light up as she spoke of her work and couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. The man nodded at the mention of the woman's name. "Yes I brought her so many boxes of materials last week, I actually lost count." Her question made him want to squirm with embarrassment. He knew he'd have to fully explain why he was a dek. His green eyes clouded over and he watched the ground as he walked. "I uh..I'm a dek for a reason. I can't...see.. um ..I have no depth perception. And I can't see things that are far away or really small. A dek is made for manual labor, not fine crafting. I just wouldn't be able to." The man's coppery hair hid his expression, but not the flaming badge of shame on his ears, face and neck. Secret : sorry for the crappy post, but I'm so distracted today!