Spring 5th, 513 AV - The Safe Haven Hostel
Zandelia sat at one of the rough wooden tables within the Safe Haven Hostel, the timber looked ancient and as if it had been thrown together with haste in mind over quality. It was not surprising really, the Nykan’s disliked the foreign hordes and saw little reason to give them luxury that was not earned. It was a wise decision to Zandelia’s mind as it meant that all newcomers were immediately faced with the prospect of either earning their keep or moving on quickly. There was no sense of a duty of welfare in the Monks, or the citizens – people got what they put into the system. Even the food was meager in comparison to what the citizens were given on a daily basis, it was more to make sure there were no deaths from starvation than to feast the travelers. No, what was provided was out of charity more than anything else.
And the fact that they do not like to waste anything here, food especially. It is a gift from their Pantheon and to let it rot without trying to use it all would be considered…impolite Zandelia thought as she bit into the last portion of her dry, crusty hunk of bread and fiddled with the few pieces of fruit that she had not decided upon whether they would cause illness if ingested.
She was not the only one eating their daily breakfast meal, however most had moved on and swept themselves out into the city already. She liked to dine later than the rest as, even though it meant she got less food, she liked to pick the hostess’ brain for anything she might now. She was a curious woman, of an age with Zandelia she knew – though what exact age was never revealed. An ex-monk and crippled from an injury no one seemed to know the specifics of she was a mystery worth probing indeed. Zandelia had seen her spike a few unruly visitors with those throwing disks of hers and now their bodies were in the cart out the back. She was dangerous, intelligent, ruthless but at the same time pleasant enough and some knew her to have a small sense of humor.
“Not to mention she…knows things. It was she who put the idea of blending into the Nykans into my head fully after all” she muttered before risking the fruit and washing it down quickly with some weak ale – water was too precious to waste on outsiders.
She pushed herself out of her chair and grasped her small wooden plate and mug and took them over to one of the counters where she deposited them. Unlike many of the guests she appreciated her position in Nyka, she was a nothing for now. She saw no reason to frustrate those who provided for her and, in the end, by making herself more polite she gained far much more than being assured safety – she gain reputation, and that was all important. It was not much in the grand scheme of things, to be liked by Vysia Prakmat, but it was a start. The female monk had connections and Zandelia wanted to use them, even if it was just in a passive way. One she had deposited them in their proper place she wandered over to Vysia for her usual morning exchange, hoping that if she did it enough the woman might come to like her enough to reveal certain things.
“Good morning Vysia, any trouble last night?” she asked by way of introduction, the other woman merely looked up from her books and regarded her for a few moments.
“There is always trouble when you foreigners are concerned Amelias, but nothing that I cannot handle – you know this yet you ask every morning. Why?”
“I like to know things. Besides, I see no reason to not try and keep my home safe if it needs help” noting that her alias had its uses at all times it seemed.
“Hmm” Vysia grunted and paused, “no, there is nothing I need from you today. As to people in the city…they always need help. You shan’t hear anything from me though, I do not know you”
“You never ask me?”
“Precisely, I do not desire to. Why don’t you go about your business and try not to destroy anything”
“I plan to, need to buy some clothes today. I’ll see you later then…” she trialed off and began to walk away.
“You took my advice I see”
“It was good advice, why shouldn’t I?”
“It is…unexpected. Just remember, the clothes don’t make the Nykan. You are far off from being accepted here, though you are better than most” Vysia admitted, grudgingly too.
“One step at a time, hmm?” Zandelia stated by way of farewell before making her way out of the door and into the morning dampness of the city.
