[Aquillar Hot Springs]Friends and Tranquility:Sharing a Meal

[Antar]

Noon, 65th day of Fall, 511avYes, noon, we all arrived in the springs in the morning in the last thread. Though I imagine a few if not all may be staying the night. Don't post in this one till the first is rounded up.

Meals within the demesne of the hot springs, and the conjoining inn were always rather simple repasts. Made in a small kitchen by the one of the old couples servants or cooks. The dining area was a small, cozy affair with the atmosphere bent on the relaxing. Small hooded candles were placed at the center of every table and a stick of rich incense lay upon a brazier stand in the corner. The Hostess was as sweet as she always was, flitting from room to room, checking on the myriad number of guests in the hotsprings and ensuring there was no violence. Today it seemed was a small celebration in store for the only member of the group which seemed to be leaving Sunberth soon in the coming weeks, Eridanus.

The man was a comfortable enough sort, even if Antar did not know him well. He had taken great strides to speak to him on... a wide variety of subjects after Zenai, Eridanus and himself had fought off a couple of brigands on what should have been a routine escort job to make up a little cash.

The man was a tenacious fighter, and Antar would be somewhat disturbed by the fact that he would leave Sunberth. Especially after he noted the man's intrinsic value as a fighter. But that was what the ethfael's choice was. So Antar would not gainsay him about it. At the very least, Zenai had seemed to bring Zandelia, Shai, and Bob to the party... with Antar being an afterthought it seemed. He had already been staying in one of the private rooms of the inn for the night...

His mind wandered back to the feel of a certain spider near him and her words in the baths... a promise of a latter visitation. He couldn't help but rest his head in one hand and take a long admiring glance in her direction in the seat beside him before stopping to shake himself. This apparently was a meal that they all should share a pleasant repast and trade stories. An odd sort of gathering for Sunberth to be sure.

Raising a glass of redberry, a nonalcoholic beverage that was served around these parts made from a bit of fruit, the white haired rogue made a toast, "To a safe journey to those that leave, and safe times for those that stay."

They had a few moments before the waitress arrived to take their order, and there was ample time to talk...

[Zenai]

“Here, here!” Zenai raising his own glass of whatever red liquid was inside it. “To Eridanus, may his life be interesting.” Zenai bit his own lips; to some it was a curse. Hopefully Eridanus took it as good luck sign from Zenai. He looked at his glass and suspected the red liquid to be strawberry but he wanted to take a sip to make sure. He sniffs the liquid while he stirs the liquid by moving the glass in a circular motion. It smelled like…he doesn’t know exactly. He doesn’t have the noise for this kind of things. All he knew that it was sweet-smelling. He took a gulp and let it cycle all around his mouth as well as letting his tongue the time to taste it before swallowin. After thinking for a while, he found out it was some sort of berry. He puckered his lips, he prefer something less bitter-sweet. He will ask for water later. On a related note, he couldn’t wait for the meal that was to be served to them. He had been awhile since he has something good and wholesome; it’s not that he doesn’t like the food served at the taverns of Sunberth. It’s just he wanted a meal with the prospect of being stabbed or getting in a brawl over a misunderstanding.

Zenai sat next to the guest of honor as befits his relationship with Eridanus. It was like it was only yesterday that Zenai had found Eridanus sleeping in an abandoned building. What he did there and why was a mystery but it didn’t mattered now. Here and now; they were to celebrate the Vantha’s departure from Sunberth. Zenai would have persuaded Eridanus to stay but the man has his reasons and Zenai respects that. Zenai too had his reasons to leave Syliras and Wind Reach but he want neither to talk about it nor remember it; too many bad memories. It was better for him to focus on the present and future. At the present, he needs to give Eridanus a good farewell. In the future, Zenai would need to concentrate on his own position and status in Sunberth. He wondered if he could do it without Eridanus. Sunberth would rarely breed or attract such people as Eridanus. He was a diamond amongst garbage. Zenai then thought of Bob who was special in his own way. He was like he was mistaken for a diamond but really was a rock salt.

Zenai wondered if it was right to invite the others; especially Shai and Zandelia. Bob; Eridanus has meet him before especially during that fiasco with the ghost and key. Zenai shivered as he remembered that unholy day. He had thought to leave Sunberth but the other cities were just as strange and tainted with such things in one form or another. Sunberth just so happens to be very creepy on that day. It shouldn’t again, right? Anyway, Bob had meet Eridanus during the day of fog and they were close acquaintances at least. Bob was nice enough to show Eridanus the ropes and helping out on a few occasions that Bob decided to be generous. Eridanus have accepted the way Bob is like Zenai have otherwise Eridanus would have stabbed the midget on sight. Then there was Antar; Zenai had meet him earlier than Eridanus and he so happened to be guarding the same merchant caravan that Zenai and Eridanus had signed up to join. He thought Eridanus could use a little bit of excitement since he had that boring job as a word runner for Tua. That day was some day and since then, he has stick with Old Legs.

Finally, the two ladies: Shai and Zandelia. Shai was one of those spider-people that creep Zenai out but he accepted that they were just different from other people. They just so happen to like having their food digest on the outside and become soup before they slurp it up. Zenai and Shai had some engagements; some friendly and others questionable. Since that night, Zenai had kept an eye out for a black-cloaked scrawny woman on the roofs least Shai tried to rob his caravan again. There would little mercy on the next round. Finally, Zandelia; though rough looking, she still had some beauty in her especially around the chest area. He doesn’t know what to make of her since she has been ignoring and avoiding Zenai for the most part. That could be a good thing as Zenai suspects Zandelia has a dark streak about her. That would be normal for most people in Sunberth. Zenai should make an effort to get to know her better to better assess her intentions and attitude towards Zenai. He hated the mysterious beautiful woman archetypes. There were so full of trouble according to other people’s past experience.

Zenai tried to strike a conversation to set the mood.
“So Eridanus, what you will be doing in Alvadas exactly?” Zenai asked and pretty sure Eridanus didn’t quite tell him what it was he wanted to do in Alvadas. “Any chance of you coming back? If not, do write back. I’m going to miss you terribly.”
After he got an answer from Eridanus, Zenai would further proceed. “Hey Eridanus, remember that time that we got ambushed outside with Antar when we did that freelance escort job?” He then turned to Antar. “You remember, right? It was petching horrible if I remembered correctly. Remind me never to work for that merchant. He may be a bit of bad luck, that one. Careless, at least.” He waited for the conversation to end before striking another with Bob.
“So Bob, how are those rat races? Need further assistance from Anthony or myself? Oh, you know what would be a great idea? If we trained the rats to fight cats, it would be releasing a lion on a gladiator!” Zenai gave another retarded idea to Bob. Zenai raised his glass to the women.
“Perhaps the ladies would be so kind to come and collect the bets for Bob again. I saw you ladies collected quite a bit more than I’ve expected that night. I think men are more careless with their mizas when they’re both drunk and have beautiful women in their sights.”

[Zandelia]

The meals at the hot springs were simple affairs, Zandelia knew, but hearty and far more than satisfying to her tastes. When she spent much of her time eating at any run down and ramshackle tavern, drinking establishment or other location where questionable meats were sold as the finest cuts the simple but unrivalled quality of the hot springs foodstuffs were a blessing to her palette. She held in her delicate, but strong, fingers a polished wooden cup filled to the brim with the finest ale in all of Sunberth and the surrounding regions that she knew of. The long table they were all sat seemed to be made of well-seasoned oak of an age she could only guess was older than three of her family’s generations put together back to back. It was smooth and without splinters, though that was more from use and being cleaned than by intent as far as her gaze could discern. The seats were comfortable and to her rump seemed naturally indented by the thousands whom had sat there before her, making cushions pointless to them.

If I ever get up on my feet then I shall have my own damned office made like this, functional and comfortable. Luxurious, yet at the same time, simple. Only the truly appreciative would live like this she thought to herself with a satisfied air as she took a small sip of her ale, savoring the taste upon her tongue.

She knew those sat with her, a very disparate grouping to be sure, to varying degrees she was forced to admit. She knew Shai reasonably well and had slunk through a true hell and helped to drag her back too – such a thing forming a bond that she was sure the little Symenestran both respected and hated at the same time. Bob Barton was the other she knew fairly well too, the short swindler with a heart of gold, after a fashion. Bob was a wonder to her, the fact that he was still breathing in a town like Sunberth a constant surprise to her. He gave hope to her future plans, showing that you could achieve should you try hard enough to do so. Antar was the one she knew most after Bob, though it was merely in a training capacity for the most part. He took part in the sessions she held with Mok, all three of them driving each other to excel in their quest for fitness. Eridanus was a mystery to her still, though not for lack of trying but more due to his very being an enigma to her comprehension. Zenai she had met but not really gotten to know, though she was sure that would change all too soon.

“To safe journey, I’m sure the destination is better than this petching place” she muttered to herself to the toasts, raising her cup in the obligatory manner but not really feeling the same enthusiasm and good will as others seemed to. She found more jealousy than anything else.

“And I find that men seem to be careless most of the time Zenai, faced with my ample figure or not. Still, it certainly does seem to help doesn’t it?” she responded, shifting her position all too subtly to bring her bust forwards and lowered slightly just to see the gazes of the males follow her breathing for a few moments before she laughed to break the spell, shaking her head and fetching a glance to Shai.

Always with the watching of the breasts, never with the watching of themselves, and some say they’re the stronger gender. Strong they may be but guile and cunning they intrinsically lack she thought to herself as she nodded to Eridanus as a gesture of greeting and respect.

“I don’t think he needs a reason to escape Sunberth though, I’d leave if I had a reason. Though a reason, alas, never appears. So I join Antar in the hope of safety to those who remain” she finished with a chuckle and a small smile for the grizzled warrior.

She still could not believe that the man would be bedding the only person at the table she would love to treat to an illicit tumble one day, Shai the svelte Symenestran. She held no real curved figure but her eyes were enough to capture Zandelia’s interest. Her rump was the perfect heart shape too, though she would never state it out loud now that she was all but spoken for this evening. She put her arm around the woman, pulling her close and raising her cup to Antar as she jerked her head to the side to indicate she knew exactly what was going on – much to Shai’s embarrassment she knew. That spectacle completed she turned her attention to Zenai and decided that some form of pleasantry, at the very least, was required.

“Zenai, I haven’t seen you for a while. Where have you been and what have you been doing? Come, reveal the mystery that is your life man!” she spoke up so that all might partake of the information should they wish to do so or were not deeply engaged in their own conversations.