Open A little to much?

[Astrid Ismosia]

Start:

Date 10th of Summer
Time Early morning
Astrid stood behind the bar at the grottos end tavern with her hair in a messy bun that was falling out in all different places. She served people with her average speed smiling and chatting to the drunken patrons.
The sky outside of the tavern the sky was beginning its stages for early mourning. The patrons were only a few but they provided the same challenge as many. Sighing Astrid walked over to the last call bell, ringing it in two long strokes she called out in a sing song voice
“Last call my Darlings!”
With a few angry mutters the patrons either stumbled out to leave or rush towards the bar all talking at once for a drink. Astrid smiled pleasantly and took the orders as they came and poured the drinks.
Astrid breathed a sigh of relief as she began the clean-up, it had been a long night however it was money in her pocket, placing the chairs on the tables and moping. Once the Grotto was perfectly spotless Astrid took of her apron and stepped out into the fresh morning Air.
Astrid

[Torias]

In my unnatural state of being, I had very few earthly needs to tend to. I did not require food, nor drink, nor sleep. My place of residence at the time, however - the World’s End Grotto - was both a boarding house and an oft visited restaurant. The smell of food and drink were constant residents, and though they brought me no desire to dine, I found an old brand of comfort in the ambiance. It reminded me of a life I once had. It was rare to see Torias outside during the daylight hours, but while he maintained a largely secluded lifestyle, the herbs in his care still needed sunlight. The Nuit, wearing a cowl to shield much of his face from the warm sun and the sight of passersby, was seated on a bench outside the Grotto, holding a potted plant his lap. The night-haired waitress, who Torias had seen in passing many times when he made his way to the exit at night, emerged to his left from the door. He turned his head to observe her curiously, as the sunlight struck her in a pleasing way. Her youth and vitality were almost palpable. With the right tools, it might have been possible to capture it in a jar. “Good morning,” he rasped in a kind tone. His voice was filtered through the cloth of his cowl, which left only his sunken eyes visible. The sunlight struck him too, making what could be seen of his skin glitter in an inhuman way. Of course, he was not human: his possession of four arms made that quite clear. Although Torias’s greeting was pleasant, it was clear he was in some mild distress. The plant in his lap was wilting, and some of the leaves had begun to brown. He hoped the sunlight would do it well while he inspected it for parasites, though so far he had found none. It was dying, and he wasn’t certain why.

[Astrid Ismosia]

Astrid turned towards the raspy voice, She saw a figure, by the voice he was a male, Astrid couldn’t tell by his face for he had covered up.Astrid smiled as she saw the plant, until she realised that it was wilting. Taking a few more steps closer she reached out and touched one of the leaves.
“Oh no! Your plant! Um…Um… Do you give it enough sun?”
Astrid panicked for the poor man’s plant, She had seen him around the tavern, she was almost certain that he was currently living there but she couldn’t remember for sure. Looking up she caught his face under his hood.
“Oh sir! Are you alright? You look deathly!”
Astrid looked at his sunken eyes and sunken cheeks, She hadn’t seen many to be sure but this man looked as if he was a dead man walking, She reached up to pull his hood down to have a better look at the poor man

Astrid

[Torias]

The girl’s concern was anticipated, but the level of her curiosity was not. Torias was not accustomed to having conversations with strangers so early in the day. He longed for the comforting veil of nightfall. “It would appear not.” The Nuit turned the plant in his lap, picking off the smaller, deadened leaves with his discolored fingers and fittingly blackened fingernails. The only thing he could think to do was prune off the dead pieces, but his knowledge of botany was dreadfully insufficient. When the waitress voiced concern over his appearance, Torias didn’t even look up. Perhaps he should have. “It’s alright. I always look--” Off came his cowl before he could even think of reacting. The unwrapped garment now hung unceremoniously around his neck, exposing his entire face to the light. Concern for his plant was momentarily forgotten as a visible look of annoyance came upon his gaunt, grayish gold features. If the girl still believed him to be a living man, he might have looked impossibly sickly, from his thinning hairline to his sharp cheekbones. When he spoke, she might have even seen flashes of his black tongue. “Satisfied?” he growled, though the threat of his tone was entirely disingenuous. Torias was more offended by this invasion of his private space than the exposure of his visage. He had nothing to hide, but merely chose to out of courtesy for his living neighbors. With his two right hands, he began to re-wrap the cowl around his face. “Did you have any advice to offer or do you intend to rend the rest of my garments?”

[Astrid Ismosia]

Standing back up She placed her hands on her hips and glared down at the man… Astrid realised that the man was either Dying or a nuit and Astrid guessed Nuit.
“Excuse me? I am paid to show concern during my working hours however I just showed you some concern and I didn’t have to! I don’t care if you’re a Nuit, where I grew up when you received kindness you return it!”
Feeling the wind behind her, Astrid held her dress in place as her hair flicked around her face in the subtle wind. Her Ebony eyes never leaving the man’s face or losing her glare.
“I suggest a course of 19 bell sun and two small waters every three days, also trim the dead to allow regrowth”
She said proudly, She had watched someone try and save one like the one in his lap, she recalled from memory that it had worked.
Astrid

[Torias]

Mildly surprised by the girl’s indignation, Torias listened calmly while he wrapped his cowl back in place. In a short few seconds, only the top portion of his face was visible, complete with a tuft of black ponytail protruding just under the nape of his neck. It helped preserve a body longer if he shielded it from the elements. He also found it made him look adequately imposing. The plant was put aside on his bench, allowing him to rise to his feet. Although he had apparently offended the waitress, she still offered him some advice on plant care. It spurred a second look from him. “My apologies,” the Nuit replied flatly. Standing at his full height, he could see the waitress was quite tall for a woman. She matched his eyes evenly. “Where I come from, what we call kindness did not involve tearing off a stranger’s clothing. I would ask that you not do it again, though I do appreciate your concern. There are not many who would spare the sentiment for a Nuit.” Torias turned and picked up his plant, with all the speed and mobility characteristic of an elderly man. It was held in the crook of a lower left arm. “I will take your advice to heart. Thank you.” Finished with this encounter as far as he was concerned, the Nuit began to move down the road, passing by her with so much as a second glance.