[Kulkukan Tavern & Inn] The Night Starts Here (Serrif)

[Naeya]

Timestamp: Season of Summer, 8th Day, 512 AV "Nystir!" A small blonde figure came bounding up to the Kulkukan's main bar with wide eyes and a giant smile on her face. She dropped her hands flat on the counter and leaned in on the tips of her toes, trying to catch the Akalak's attention. Anyone who knew her (and quite possibly those who didn't) could immediately guess that she was after something "Nystir!" Naeya waved a hand excitedly at the owner of the tavern, beckoning for him to join her. She'd only just arrived back at the inn after an afternoon spent visiting her parents. Now, as Syna dropped lower in the sky and began to invite evening into the fold, she had other matters to deal with. Today. Today is the day I'll find myself a sailor. "How are you today, Naeya?" the Akalak asked, once he had made his way over to her section of the bar. Naeya tucked some strands of loose hair behind her ears and smoothed her green dress before replying. "I'm well, thanks!" she responded cheerily, before allowing her expression to paint a question mark across her face. "I was actually wondering if I could get some advice from you." Glasses clinked as Nystir tidied up behind the bar. "Of course." "I'm looking for someone to take me over to Mura." Naeya eyed the Akalak hopefully. "Do you know of any trustworthy sailors who might be leaving Riverfall in the near future?" Nystir tilted his head thoughtfully. "I just might. Will it be you alone, or are you travelling with companions?" "It's just myself and a Symenestran gir-" As soon as the final word had begun to leave her lips, she realized her mistake. Petch! Despite the young girl being (seemingly) harmless, Naeya understood that the general Rivarian population had a tendency to harbour strong biases against anyone belonging to the Symenestran race. She should have known better than to mention Ayanna, but the words slipped out before she had thought them through. While a friendly smile remained on Nystir's face, Naeya thought she could see a hint of wariness creep into his expression. And, when he spoke, her Konti gift was awoken. The Akalak was no longer telling her all he knew. "Ah, I'm sorry, Naeya," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I wish I could help, but I'm not sure I know of anyone... suitable." It was all she could to keep herself from cursing aloud. Why in Avalis' name did she have to go and spoil it all? Biting her lower lip, she decided to give it one more go. Although the Akalak seemed satisfied with his answer, it couldn't hurt to try to get a more useful one out of him. "Oh, come on, Nystir," she wheedled, giving him her best look of innocence. "You must know someone leaving Riverfall for Mura! Just one name, that's all I ask." Nystir's decision was final, however. It seemed he would not risk offending his friends and acquaintances by asking them to ferry a Symenestra (male or female) on such a long trip. He shook his head regretfully in response, and then moved on to another waiting customer. The Konti threw her head back and stared, chagrined, at the tavern ceiling. A soft groan of frustration left her throat, and she slid dejectedly onto a nearby barstool. Turning to the man seated next to her who had presumably heard the entire conversation, she shrugged helplessly. "What's a girl to do?"

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

There were plenty of reasons for someone to visit the Kulkukan tavern. It was one of the few places he felt that he could visit alone without an Akalak escort of some kind. That thought brought a smile to his face, the need for an Akalak escort…He would rather be beaten senseless at the gates than need one of those oversized men to escort him around like he belonged here. He was at the lowest tier right now, working through the crowds. The port area was always busy and a fine mist hung in the air. Which was usual when he was this close to the massive waterfall.

It was a little different than when he headed here during the winter. The water particles didn’t freeze to his clothing. It was warmer than the winter by far and he was enjoying the cool kiss of the night. Especially since Kavala had talked him into more comfortable clothing. He wore a white tunic button up top that was right now unbuttoned about fifty percent of the way down his chest paired with his long baggy white cotton pants. At his side he had his two ornate daggers on his belt as he usually did, the golden hilts and ornate sheaths would likely easily catch attention…if the mural on his body did not.

The door pushed aside easily and he entered. Immediately his eyes scanned the tavern to see what was going on. Things that were odd to him would stick out…like the woman in the dress trying to get the barkeeps attention. He heard her talk about needing a sailor to get her and another to Mura. So, someone heading the other way? It was interesting to hear someone having so much trouble getting away from Riverfall. And there were several reasons he could begin to believe this.

Konti had long lives that matched that of the Akalak men, also from his understanding the Konti could have Akalak children without many or any complications at all…and could even gift them with the gift of an Akontak. However human women usually died in childbirth from complications. So the goal to keep Konti women here and especially keep Konti Nakivaks was definitely a goal. One he had seen act out in Kavala’s life all too well. But he noticed this woman wore no such indicator that she was a Nakivak. So he felt the need to help her escape if that was really what she wanted to do.

Gently he walked over past her sending her only two words in her native language as he walked past her to a table at the far side of the tavern. “Hello sister.” Those words would ring in her ears as the tall man walked past her slowly; indicating that he did indeed want to talk to her; he could help her but he wasn’t sure he wanted certain others overhearing them.

He walked to the table and without missing a beat pulled out a chair for her and looked directly to her with his deep emerald eyes. Would she join him? Or would he instead look like a fool? He didn’t know for sure but he hoped those two words alone would intrigue her enough to have her come over to join him. Especially since he was a human male, and it wasn’t common for someone like him to know even a lick of Konti. By his build he wasn’t a linguist. He hoped she would come…but you never knew what one would do these days.

[Naeya]

Kontinese was an uncommon language to hear in Riverfall. Naeya herself was barely able to understand it, let alone speak it. The few words she did know, she had learned from her mother, but these days her mother had a tendency to speak Tukant or Common rather than the language of her homeland. That was why, when the dark-haired stranger walked by and uttered the phrase, "Hello sister" in the Konti tongue, Naeya's curiousity was immediately piqued. A man... who speaks Kontinese? Her green-eyed gaze followed him over to a far table, where he invitingly pulled out a chair. Before leaving her cushy seat at the bar to join him (which she'd made up her mind to do as soon as she recognized the invitation), she took a moment to look him over. Tall, dark, ruggedly handsome... and very, very human. Potentially dangerous, too, she thought, noting the daggers at his waist. Or someone who's lived through danger in the past... Her widened eyes darted to the scarring around his neck and wrists. She wasn't sure if she wanted to learn the story behind those marks. At the very least, she didn't want to learn of it firsthand through her gnosis. Shaking her head once to snap herself out of the morbid turn her thoughts had taken, Naeya hopped carefully off of her barstool and began to make her way towards the stranger. She smoothed the front of her green dress nervously before clenching her fingers tightly to her palms. She couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason for her nerves, but supposed it was because she expected this man to be a sailor. He must have overheard her failure of a conversation with Nystir. Why else would he make the effort to speak with her? Upon reaching the stranger and irrelevantly realizing that he was much taller than she'd originally expected, Naeya gave him one of her friendliest smiles. Nerves would not do. Not if she'd have to win the sailor over with her charm - especially because of the whole Symenestra problem. After sliding into the offered chair, she didn't speak until he took his own seat. Her eyes drifted once more to the scar around his neck, but then quickly flicked to the wall behind him in an effort to not be impolite. "Thank you." She spoke in imperfect Kontinese with an obvious Rivarian accent, reverting back to Common in her next words. "I'm sorry, that's as far as I go," she said, laughing self-consciously. "My mother never did teach me much of her native language." Naeya shifted on her seat and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "I am curious, though. How does someone like... well, like you, know Kontinese?" She gestured in the man's direction before resting her chin thoughtfully on her palm as she waited for him to respond.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He was glad to see she decided to make her way over to him. It seemed that with a few simple and intriguing words he could call a Konti to him, of course given the correct circumstances and these were the correct circumstances. She was nervous, he could tell by the way her hands smoothed out her green dress as she approached him. A nervous tick of sorts, everyone had them and he was doing the best he could to eliminate his. Such things could tip people off; or could be used to one’s advantage to mislead people. Whatever the case his attention was focused squarely on her. A friendly smile, he knew such because he had seen the same smile given to him by many of her sisters. But for different reasons.

He had her sit down and he gently pushed her forward a little to the table. She was light as most Konti were so the act was less than difficult. He took his seat across from her and noticed like many others that she was tracing his scars with his eyes. He had seen it enough times to know when it was being done, and that intrigued him. All Konti had a gift…what was hers? His mind didn’t drift far though. No she was feigning to be polite when he knew her mind wanted more. Her eyes flicked away from him and tried to focus on the wall, she was trying not to look. And this effort was well placed although after being on Mura for a year he didn’t mind being stared out by beautiful women.

Her accent told him much, she had likely not grown up in Mura, no rather her home was here in Riverfall. And her reverting to common confirmed this. And the story deepened, her mother was obviously a Konti and her father an Akalak. The first was a known and the second an assumption but likely a true one by any merit. She then perked her first inquiry his way, the learning of Kontinese.

“When you live among a people; their language comes if you want it to or not.” That was how it had happened to him. HE didn’t set out to learn the language himself. But after hearing it spoken for so long he just picked up on it little by little. He’d use it on occasion for small talk and the Konti would giggle at his attempts and correct him playfully at times. The learning experience was fun for him.

“You are seeking to leave.” He stated; there was no mistaking this for an inquiry. It seemed the unspoken agreement here was give and take a little game of inquiry. It was entertaining for Serrif to be like this with someone else. He wanted to know what this woman was having so much trouble with, especially if he could aid her.

[Naeya]

"You lived among the konti!" she blurted in reply, leaning forward greedily. "On Konti Isle! How long were you there for? And what do you think? Was it as beautiful as everyone says? Were there lots of konti? Were there any akalak?" Her words tumbled out of her mouth, layering question upon question upon question. Naeya's eyes had brightened and she was looking at the stranger with a newfound appreciation. Here was a man who might be able to both sail her to Mura and give her another perspective of the island. She had truly struck gold. Her only worries were of the scars and their implications. Did he consort with dangerous people, or had he simply found himself in a horrifying situation? "Situation" seems like too light of a word to use. Her left hand drifted unintentionally up to her throat, fingers resting lightly on the skin, and she took a breath to reel herself back in. "But here I am, bothering you with questions you can't possibly want to answer. And I don't even know your name! I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away." Naeya laughed self-consciously. She was unaware of the game of inquiry she had been participating in, but perceived that she had broken an implicit rule of engagement. Memories of her childhood washed over her, and she suddenly felt young. Young and guileless and ignorant. This man had clearly experienced much, and here she was, rambling on about nothing. What a way to impress. "Yes. I am seeking to leave," she continued quietly, embarrassed by her excitement. "Sooner rather than later, if everything works out. I, uh, I've been having some problems with finding someone willing to offer me passage." Her left hand had moved to her hair, wrapping strands of blonde between her fingers as if she were weaving a net. "But it's really nothing to worry about." Naeya leaned back on her chair, green eyes locking onto green eyes. Around them, the tavern was beginning to grow busier and louder, and she raised her voice so her next words would carry across the table. "What is that you seek, stranger?" she asked, not unkindly.

[Taylani]

Naeya

Skills :

+1 Interrogation
+2 socialization

Lores :

Interrogation: Looking for a Sailor
Serrif Von Chatlyn: Someone who has lived through danger.
Serrif Von Chatlyn: Lived amongst the Konti

Serrif Von Chatlyn

Skills :

+1 socialization

Lores :

Desire to help Naeya
Socialization: Straight to the point.

Notes :

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