Talking About Akaji...Or Not (Rosela)

[Riaris Dovukalis]

The Akalak's eyes narrowed a bit, and his brow arched. The woman was certain that the man they spoke of wasn't with anyone. In fact her certainty seemed more of something that she expected than general knowledge she had come by. She must have been really interested in this man to be so willing to speak for him on matters about his personal life. "I'm sure that you are right. And I'm sure that he could use a friend...if you're interested? I know this may seem as something on a more personal note. But we at the lodge look out for each other."

Riaris worked his way into the subject of the Gods, and just as he had expected, she was guarded and didn't say anything more than what was needed. He knew it wouldn't be easy, or what skills the woman possessed, but he would try anyway. He had to know why Akajia spoke of the woman, what was special about her? Or, he also wondered if it was the Goddesses way of telling him to mimic the woman and shut up and leave the people be.

"Yes, Akajia is my mother, as she is with all Akalaks. But for the reason that she appeared in the council meeting, I don't know. I wonder if you could shed some light on this event, hmm?" He was reaching, trying to find any way to draw her off guard and to reveal something. If she would see this for what it was, he didn't know, nor did it matter.

He didn't know what to expect, what she knew or didn't know, he was simply digging for information. But again as he would have expected, the woman was smart and turned the conversation around. "I've never been inside, no. Have you? I'm sure that someone of your talent could find their way inside." He was still reaching, he didn't know a thing about the woman but there had to be something.

"Why mother...why her?"

He watched the woman walk away and his pale eyes moved over her shapely figure. She was beautiful, and choosing to sell clothing with a figure like hers was a smart plan. Women and Men both would listen to a beautiful women who could likely make any outfit look pleasing to the eyes. He had to admit that if he wasn't already in a relationship, and konti wasn't his preferred flavor, Taskel would have a fight on his hands. Recoomas on the other hand, the darker brother could think of many uses for those arms of hers and would enjoy the challenge of stealing her from another Akalak.

"Why don't you let me give it a try? I'll be sure to get everything you want to know from her...and maybe something more. You are far too proper and patience Riaris. Let me show you how it is done. She's in need of an Akalak friend, you can see it in her eyes. What better way to get to know her then to...get to know her." He finished his rant with a cruel chuckle.

Riaris didn't respond, and by this time the woman had returned. He looked over the items that she had, and agreed that he would take them all. Shopping wasn't something he planned to do often and having a few items to go between seemed like a good idea. "I'll take them all. The shorts as well." Riaris didn't really want to give Recoomas the lead, but if he couldn't get anything out of her..he may not have a choice.

[Rosela]

A small, surprised laugh escaped Rosela and she put a hand to her chest. The laugh was pure surprise and, uncommonly enough, lacking any derision. ”Interested? Oh, we’ve had a few drinks, hung out a bit…” She was beginning to strongly regret bringing up Taskel. It wasn’t giving her any information on Riaris, and kept the topic focused on her. ”We’re…talking. What Cheva brings is up to her.” She winked up at the tall Akalak with a secretive smile. ”And I’m afraid that’s all the boys at the lodge are getting out of me.” Invoking Sivah would likely have been more appropriate for her commitment to Taskel, but the last thing she needed was a bunch of burly Kuvay’nas men getting riled up over her leading on their brother.

He kept pushing on the subject of the council meeting, somewhat baffling her. ”Why she came? Oh, I don’t know… Does anybody really know what they gods are up to?” It concerned her that he was focusing on Akajia’s presence and not on Leo’s theatrics, which were clearly the star of the show. Did he think she knew something he didn’t? Did he know something about Akajia that he wasn’t sharing? He was asking her if she knew why Akajia was there… If he somehow knew she’d been marked, he may have been asking if her marking was the reason Akajia came. But he couldn’t possibly know, so what on Mizahar was he trying to dig out of her? ”It was a pretty dramatic affair; maybe they came to see how it played out? I just don't know.” She shrugged helplessly with an air of finality, opting for the simple, easy answer in the hope he'd leave the subject for one more productive.

She didn’t expect him to turn her inquiry on the tower into a compliment, and she broke into a grin. ”No, I’m afraid not...you flatterer.” She patted him playfully on the arm, enjoying the way her fingers bounced off the tight skin. She didn’t allow herself any man-chasing in the workplace, but it was hard not to admit, he was exactly her type. Size-wise, anyway, and she suddenly wondered if he was so strangely, deliberately obtuse with Kavala. ”Have you been to Wysar’s tower? Not really a tower I suppose, but I hear it has lovely halls.” Maybe attempting to turn the conversation to another god would throw him off her.

After her enlightening trip to the back room, he confirmed his admittedly large purchase and Rosela felt a modicum of relief that she’d made it through the sale without letting the odd investigation get in the way of it. ”Wonderful! You’ll look quite handsome.” She picked a pair of the black shorts from the next piled and slung them over one of her arms as well. ”Ok, so the silk shirt, cotton trousers, cotton shirt, and cotton shorts. That’ll be…4 gold mizas, 1 silver miza, and 2 coppers. Will that be all?” She started to move towards the desk at the back of the store, which held the money till. It also held her stiletto and the nasty little shadow that loved to pick on her, but her customer need not know about either of them. She doubted she'd need the former, but maybe the latter would shed some light on the situation in its usual, caustic way.

She wondered hurriedly if there was any way at all she could trip him up into telling her his true purpose in questioning her…but nothing came to mind. It ate at her very soul not to know what he wanted. Whatever it was, she was fairly certain he hadn’t gotten it, or he’d stop being so sideways about it. Maybe if he was faced with the prospect of leaving without it, he’d ‘fess up. It was a long hope, but it was the best she had.

[Riaris Dovukalis]

She was good, she was very good, and again he shouldn't be surprised. There was something there, something that Akajia saw and felt that it was important to point him into the direction of the woman. She wasn't giving him anything and all the while stayed professional as she turned the conversation again and again away from what he wanted. He gave a false chuckle and put on a smile to hide his growing frustration. "I know that we Akalak can be a bit much at times, especially when it comes to you women, but I assure you that the Kuvay’nas mean no harm."

He decided to let that one go as it seemed that the woman was getting defensive, and the last thing he wanted to do was to upset her. Doing so would put her into a completely different mind set, and unless he wanted to push it all the way to the point of scaring the information out of her, it was a very bad idea. The subject of the council meeting wasn't going any better either as the woman pretended not to care what was going on. He knew that was a lie however, why would she come to the meeting if she didn't care about it. Further more, why would Akajia speak to him about her during the meeting, if it had no meaning to her.

It was hard keeping secrets, especially when trying to get secrets out of other people while keeping them in the dark of it. But this woman was a master it seemed and Riaris was quickly losing out. "So, you're telling me that you have no opinions at all? The God and Goddess of Riverfall don't just walk the streets as we do. If they appear, there is a reason wouldn't you agree?" He hoped that he would have her there, but even then he wasn't sure.

Riaris had to admit, the way the woman acted and talked, she was used to this kind of thing, or so he thought. She didn't seem nervous or frighten, in fact she didn't even ask why he was asking so many questions. Of course that in itself told him that she was hiding something. The Akalak wondered if she was marked. He had no way of knowing, but she reminded him in a way of his sister. She had her secrets and it was like pulling teeth to get anything out of her. But he couldn't imagine that was the only reason. His mother had marked others in the city as well, but it was this woman that she spoke of.

"Yes I have been to the tower before. It is nice, yes." And once again she had turned the conversation away and onto something else. It seemed hopeless, and even Recoomas saw it so.There was only one way to handle it, one way that he could think of to get her to talk.

Honesty.

It wasn't how he wanted to handle it, but his time was up, and if he stayed any longer after making his purchase, she would know that something was up either way. When she returned and led him to her register, Riaris reached across the counter and gently took one of her hands into his. "I know that this will sound strange coming from someone that you've never met. But I am drawn to you. My souls twist and turn, both reaching out for yours." He paused for a moment watching the expression on her face before continuing on. "This isn't about sex, or some contract..I am seeking neither. But there is something, something that I can't yet explain between us."

"I want...I need to get to know you. The woman behind the merchant, behind the lovely smile and amazing looks. I have the feeling that you enjoy secrets? So do I, so..what do you say? To start...I'll tell you a secret if you tell me one?" He released her hand and reached into his pocket and gave her the coins for his purchase..and waited.

[Rosela]

There was a small twist of irritation in Rosela’s stomach as Riaris continued to pursue what she thought on the council meeting. Whatever he wanted, its roots lay there, and it had to do with whatever she thought on what the gods were doing there. What did it matter what she thought? What could he possibly gain by having that small insight? The charade was becoming circular, and it was becoming more apparent that playing the passive shopkeeper wasn’t working.

”I have opinions…” A single eyebrow rose slowly and she met his eyes with dead seriousness even as her lips retained a light smile. ”But if the gods wanted me to know their plans, they would have told me. If I wanted to know, I would ask them.”

As it were, it wasn't like they hadn’t told her much, though Rosela could still remember Akajia’s beautiful, rich voice echoing through her mind. She hadn’t said anything of her plans… But it hadn’t been exactly a straight forward conversation either. What were her exact words…

Her bait with Wysar’s Tower didn’t work, and he all but dismissed the topic rather than pursue it. So he’d been to Wysar’s Tower, but his interest was clearly on Akajia. Both Akajia and Wysar had been at the meeting, but then, Akajia was the focus. If he wanted to know why they came, why was he so focused on Akajia? Why not inquire about Wysar? Was it because Akajia and Rosela were both women? Did he think all women shared some sort of…

”Take this child, this gilded beautiful fish…”

With a snap, Akajia’s words came back to her, and it was as though a part, albeit a small part, of the picture had been illuminated. Akajia hadn’t spoken to her, she’d spoken about her. She remembered her thought at the time – as though she had picked up in the middle of Akajia’s conversation with someone. Had she been speaking to Riaris? Did he know then that she was marked? Did he think Akajia had said something else to her?

Behind the register, Rosela placed two hands on the desk, and another reached up to brush her hair back. Riaris caught it however, and she blinked in shock at his sudden change in tactics. It was oddly…romantic, and for a moment she could only stand there in surprise, feeling the roughness of his large hand around hers, and watching the sincerity in his face. This couldn’t possibly be his actual goal for coming in, could it? He hadn’t been interested in her, he’d been chasing her connection to Akajia this whole time. Or was that simply a devotee’s way of making sure they were on the same page when it came to his ‘mother’?

The flattery, of course, worked instantly, and she tilted her head away with a coy smile. Who wouldn’t want to get to know her better? The coins clinked down on the counter, and suddenly, the sale was of no importance. It was done, and the focus could be applied to…the game. She came back from her romantic reverie with a start.

One hand reached out to push the mizas aside, towards the till, and she leaned forward on her two bottom hands. ”A secret for a secret, hm? Quite the offer.” But did she want it? There was a small pause as she clearly thought about it.

She could ask him what he wanted from her, but after he asked for her secret, she’d know anyway. She could ask for some terrible secret from his past to hold over his head…but who knew if he even had such a secret. Even so, how could she ask in such a way as to ensure he didn’t double cross her and not give her the details she’d need? However, the thought of having someone under her control, in her power... But he’d know one of her secrets, and who knew which one he’d pick. It could be whether she had been marked that day, whether she had any other connection to Akajia…or even one of her other secrets. One of the bad ones.

Delicately slipping her hand out of his, she gave him a knowing smile and handed the stack of folded clothing over the counter. ”As tempting as it is, I’m afraid I must decline. A lady keeps her secrets close to the vest.” She gave him a quick wink and a smile. ”You’re welcome to try again sometime though. Maybe over a drink?”

[Riaris Dovukalis]

As the time passed, Riaris found himself becoming more interested in the woman. With each and every try she slipped away just out of his reach, and all while maintaining a proper saleswoman's pitch as well as flaunting about her beauty. It was to be admired, a woman such as her could be very valuable when it came to information, or keeping secrets. For Riaris, this was much more than curiosity, and he was taking it as if he had been given a task from the Goddess. What was it about this woman? One thing he could see through the fog of secrets is that Akajia wanted him there with Rosela.

She had to, why else speak of the woman so fondly to him and tell him that he should be like her? Perhaps he was missing something, the Akalak had a thick head as was made apparent at the council meeting, but for some reason he saw it as more. If she had wanted to silent him, she could had done so the way that Wysar had. But she didn't and in this Riaris took it to mean something more. Perhaps it was a test, maybe there was something he needed to do. He had to wonder, did his mother wish him to protect this woman, help her in some way, or was there another reason.

These thoughts continued to swarm around inside his mind, and as the lovely Eypharian continued to best him, those thoughts only beat louder. Riaris followed the woman's eyes, her brow arched and he smiled as she did. "Or perhaps if you listened more, you might better understand what it is that they want?"

Riaris saw what she was doing, turning the conversations in different directions, and acting as if the Gods didn't matter to her, or that she wasn't interested in what they had to say. He knew there was a falsehood in this, if not the gods, the woman was surely interested in events that concerned the city. Why else was she at the meeting? It had been said that the Gods did sometimes show an interest in the most unlikely of people, and even if this were true in Rosela's case, it still didn't explain Akajia's words.

"Who are you? My multi-armed temptress....What secrets do you hold? Am I to stand at your side, to your back? Or am I simply to know that you exist?"

There had been something stirring within him, a subtle change occurring from the moment that he first saw her until now. It was about more than Akaji, he wanted to know her, who she was, her likes, her friends, everything. Riaris wanted to know the woman inside and out, and in more than one way as well. He suspected that this was in part, Recoomas' suggestion as well as Akaji's admiration.

The woman was desired indeed.

Whatever his thoughts, emotions, or wants, the Akalak had been out classed at every turn by the sultry Eypharian. She had won the battle, but it only made him more interested in trying again. But it wasn't a total lost, she invited him to try, over drinks, which meant that she wasn't afraid or disgusted by him and that was a good sign.

Riaris held her gaze for the moment as she slipped her hand out of his, removing the small warmth that they shared and handed him his purchase. "Over a drink? I'd like that Rosela, I'd like that a lot." He added a smirk to his lips and stepped back and away from the counter. "I have all the time in the world, seek me out whenever time suits you. Until we meet again my gilded beauty."

[Rosela]

His flattery sent low purrs through Rosela's mind, and while she couldn't ignore the reason he was still there, plucking at her mind, she'd made her choice and would have to live with it. As much as she wanted to simply reach out and trace the steep line of his bicep, she wouldn't trade her secrets for it. Not while she lived and breathed, and not while Akajia's touch still graced the back of her neck.

"I guess I'll be seeing you then, Riaris." She smiled and greedily watched his hulking form disappear through the door, around the corner, and out of sight.

Gilded...

What an odd word to choose. A finger rose to tap on her lips as she realized it was what Akajia had called her as well. A gilded fish. After such a long exercise in verbal acrobatics, it seemed too much to be a pure coincidence. The idea was meaningless though; much like the entire conversation, it told her next to nothing. Deep in thought, Rosela sat back in her chair and hummed softly to herself.

Come to think of it...hadn't he come in for courting clothes? The line of her smile drew a predatory tilt, as one hand reached up to twist a lock of hair lazily around a finger.

[Elysium]

Riaris

XP:
Investigation +4
Flirting +3
Socialization +2
Observation +3
Negotiation +1

Lore:
Nanali and Johan, Beloved Sister
Rosela, Enigmatic Seamstress
Riverfall: Red Diamond Fashions
Investigation: Changing Tactics
Flirting: Flattery as a Weapon
Observation: She's Giving Nothing Away
Goodbye, Gilded Beauty

★

Rosela

XP:
Observation +4
Investigation +3
Flirting +2
Negotiation +1
Business/Retail +2
Socialization +2

Lore:
Riaris, Kavala's Lover
Observation: Assessing Your Opponent
Business: Keeping it Professional
Investigation: Seeking the Source
How to Keep a Secret
Gnosis: Recognizing One's Own
Riaris: It's a Date

Notes: Oooh, I loved the verbal sparring here. There was a fair amount of give and take. I also enjoyed how Rosela would slip out of each question, giving nothing away. Very well done!

and so, the journey continues...