Completed Azira? Social? As if!

[Azira]

12th Fall, 513 AV Mealtimes were always a depressing affair for the Avora. Azira enjoyed the food, even the mystery soup but it was also a lonely time for her. She had so little contact with people, only talking to people when necessary. She didn't have anyone close to her, no family or friends, only passing acquaintances. The only person she'd had any real contact with lately was the Symenestra, Drusilla, who had approached her for training in archery. Their exchanges were purely educational so she didn't have to have any sort of personal conversation with the woman. That suited her just fine.  As a result of her social ineptitude, she always felt awkward and self-conscious in the Communal Kitchens. Inartans either socialised or wolfed down food and hurried away to see to their own business. The teen did neither, just sat at one of the few empty small tables and stirred her soup absently while staring into space. The girl hoped that no one would sit at her table but it seemed unlikely seeing as the area was filling up quickly as people streamed in, many of them just off work.  She sighed and stared sullenly at her food, forcing a spoonful into her mouth. If she just concentrated on eating then nobody would bother her. If someone sat down, they wouldn't attempt to start a conversation with a sullen teenager surely. Should they attempt conversation with her, Azira would probably end up saying something stupid or offensive by accident. Creating misunderstandings was a talent of hers. She'd be fine so long as nobody sat beside her.

[Turrin]

Walking into the Communal Kitchen, Turrin noticed the place was pretty crowded with many Inartans. As he walked into the room, Chiets tended to give him a wide birth, but the Deks would literally walked a completely different way to avoid him. It was irritating to watch people cower at the sight of him since he had no intention on hurting or abusing any of them. Plus Aponivi would throw a fit if he found out his rider abused a lower caste just for the sake of doing it. He made his way to a table full of Endals and leaned up against the end of their table. One of the Endal bit into his chunk of meat and said to him with a laugh, “Turrin, I swear you must be the slowest flier out of us. This is the third time this week that I beat you to kitchens. What do you have to say for yourself and don't blame it on Aponivi?” Turrin walked over to his comrade placed his large hands on his shoulder and said bluntly, “First Samen, I am never late. I arrive when I want to arrive. Second you are in my seat, so I will ask you to leave, or I might have to get violent...” He tightened his grip on his friends shoulder to add to the effect of the threat and smiled and winked at the others sitting around the table. Turrin trailed off to had to his act, and the table full of people started to laugh at Samen. The fiery red head grabbed a bone and looked up at him with a smile of his own and said playfully, “If you don't get your hands off me, Myrian, I might have to add you to the menu.” Turrin laughed out loud at his barbarian friend, slapped him on his back, and said with a wink, “I got to warn you. I suggest you bring some seasoning because Myrian is quite bland.” Samen looked at him and gave him a disgusted look and said plainly, “...I heard stories about Myrians in Riverfall. Is it actually true?” Turrin rubbed the stumble on his chin for a moment and said with evil grin, “Isn't there always some truth to legends and folklore.” The orange haired Inarta gave him a flat look and said sharply, “Now you are just dodging the question, Turrin.” Running a hand through his brandy hair, Turrin shrugged and said plainly, “All meat tastes like chicken, Samen.” Turrin looked at the full table of his brothers and sister-at-arms and said with a nod, “Enjoy your food my friends. I am going to find a new place to eat today. I will see you all in the morning.” When he left the table, he went to the slabs and found a picture a walrus steak. His mouth started to water at the salty and fat filled meat, but with all the Dek and Chiet in the room, he didn't want to seem right to stuff his face with a juicy steak while they get gruel and bread. He would never call their pot gruel to the chief, but essentially, the food is bowled till it a fine unified color. It was disgusting to look at, and he couldn't imagination the taste, but he a part of him was curious, so he got into the line with the Dek and the Chiet. He took his place behind a dirty Dek. The Dek in front of him started to fidget uncomfortably when he noticed the Endal behind him. Turrin looked at the nervous Dek and said in poor Nari, “Don't fear Dek. We are all hungry. You earned your ticket. Enjoy your food.” Turrin watched the Dek drop his food voucher on the floor, but he was to old and gnarled to bend over to get it. The Myrian took pity on the poor soul and prayed for Dira to take him to the Hall of Myri when he died. The old man suffered enough from the hands of his mother's people. The Endal land a comforting hand on his shoulder and said softly, “Honored Elder. I will retrieve your ticket.” The Endal bent down grabbed the ticket and switched his own ticket with the old Dek's meal ticket. The Dek was stunned at the Endals generosity, but he clutched the ticket to his chest with all his meager strength. When the Old Dek got to the chief and handed him his meal ticket, the Chief looked at the Dek and looked at Turrin. He was about to shake his head, but Turrin mouthed to the Chief, “Just let him have my meal, and I will take his meal.” The Chief nodded to Endal and dished out a bowl of soup to Turrin ad handed him a piece of bread. The Myrian put a hand on his shoulder and the Dek muscles tightened at his touch and said softly in Nari, “Walrus steak vary good. My favorite meal. You pick, honored Elder.” The Old Dek pointed to the walrus steak and said with a smile in Nari, “I would like that one, sir.” Turrin smiled at the old man and pulled down the slab with the walrus steak. They waited fifteen minutes for his steak to cook, and eventually it was place on the counter with a bowl of soup and some bread. The Old man tried to lift the tray, but he couldn't, so Turrin picked placed his bowel of soup and bread on the tray, and he motioned the old man to a mainly empty table with a lone woman sitting next to it. Turrin motioned the man to her table. Turrin was a social man, so he didn't really care who he spent his time with it as long as they were respectful of him. Walking to the other side of the table from the woman, he decided to ask before sitting down and said in Nari to her, “Hello my name is Turrin. Would you mind if Honored Elder and I sit and eat with you?” He hoped the woman knew common, so he didn't sound like he just arrived in Wind Reach, but he noticed many Inartans didn't speak common, so he always talked to them first in Nari.

[Azira]

Spoon in, spoon out, eat, the Avora chanted in her head, trying to block out everything else in the Kitchens. It was proving difficult now that the Endals had arrived. She usually did her best to avoid being here at the same time as the boisterous upper caste but she'd been starving. Rather than wait a few hours she'd come down earlier than usual. Azira was seriously regretting it now. She couldn't concentrate on eating with those lot laughing and joking from one of the bigger tables. She couldn't stand it because they were everything the teen wanted to be. They had the highest status, the best job, the best gear and of course there was a great sense of comradeship amongst them. She was envious of them. Her mind was too occupied with her bitter thoughts for the Avora to notice the arrival of a new Endal. She was seriously considering just abandoning her dinner to get away from the happiness of the Endals but she couldn't do that, she couldn't be that wasteful. It didn't matter that Azira had possibly contributed to the soup she was eating or maybe the haunch of rabbit she had had come from one of her hunts. It didn't matter, she didn't have that right. The teen jumped in fright as a voice sounded above her. She looked up, and up at the gigantic man before her. He's huge!, she thought, gaping up at the big man. Her eyes darted across him, taking in his appearance. He was foreign, she'd known that from his Nari, but she had no idea where he might be from. She hadn't seen that many foreigners after all. She judged that he was an Endal which was surprising seeing as he was an outsider but it also meant that she instantly distrusted him. He'd asked her if himself and an Elder (that's what it sounded like) could sit with her. Looking past his huge frame, she made out the stooped figure of an old man. Dek, she thought as she looked the man up and down. An Endal sitting with a Dek. You could only get that sort of behaviour from a foreigner. The Avora did mind if he sat there with the Dek but she knew it wasn't wise to deny an Endal. "Sit if you want," Azira told him in Common. It was probably easier for him to speak and listen to Common and at least he'd know that he could speak it to her. She could speak the language fairly well, it was nothing like her Nari but she'd found that foreigners could understand her well enough. There was no need for her to speak anymore so she dropped her gaze and went back to eating her dinner.

[Turrin]

Turrin handed the old man his walrus steak, and he took his bowl of soup and one piece of bread. He stirred the contents of the bowl to see if they was any signs of a different color like a carrot or a pea, but it seemed the chief cooked the gruel to a uniform color of brown. It looked disgusting, but he wasn't going to complain since he handed the old man his meal ticket. He grabbed his spoon, dug it into the soup, and brought it to his mouth. The first spoonful wasn't bad, but it could use more salt or pepper. He looked over at the teenager and said in common, “This reminds me of the meals my Flight make out in camp. When we are all finished hunting for the day, each person contributes one ingredient to the communal pot. Also nobody gets to complain on the ingredient each of us put in either.” Turrin ate another spoonful of soup and continued his story, “Now, I would normally head out into the forest and look for a tuber of some sort for the pot, but Samen decided one day to add five large leeches to pot from one of the rivers.” He hoped his story wasn't going to make her lose her appetite, but he tried to think of a entertaining story about eating, and the leeches in the stew pot seemed the best choice at the time. Turrin ate another spoonful of soup and said with a laugh, “When we saw him pour the five leeches into the pot, we were horrified by the thought of eating one of those bloodsucking parasites, but we couldn't complain since it was the Flights meals for the night.” He broke off a piece of bread and dunked it into his soup and ate the soaked piece of bread. He continued with a smile, “When it was almost ready, we started to smell the cooking pot, and the aroma of the soup didn't smell to bad. When Samen served it to us, none of us wanted to be the first one to try it, but eventually our flight commander bit into the leech and said it tasted like a ground slug. When I tried it, it tasted like a eel from the lake in Taloba. In the end, everyone was satisfied with the meal, and now we have a tradition of having the meal every season. You would be surprised how tasty leeches are when fried in a butter sauce.” Turrin looked over at the old man, and he seemed to eating his steak like a wild wolf. The Dek seemed all smile during his feast, but he never made eye contact with the red haired teenager too since she must be a higher caste than him. Turrin looked at the teenager, and he had to admit she was a attractive young woman with her long red braids with bird feather. It was good look for the young woman, but he didn't want to stare to long, so he asked with a smile, “What is your name?” The Myrian asked a harmless question name, but he didn't want to ask about her caste because he noticed the lower caste sometimes behaved weird when asked their social status in society especially to a Endal. Turrin took ate another spoonful of soup and look around the room. He noticed the table with his Wing was quite lively by the sounds of them from here. Turrin broke off another piece of bread dunked it into the soup bowl and asked another harmless question, “Do you hunt?” Turrin gave the woman a smile and ran a hand through his burgundy hair as he tried his best to get the woman to open up to him.

[Azira]

Azira immediately regretted having spoken in Common. The Endal realising that she knew the language began nattering away in it. She'd been annoyed before because she was alone and now she was annoyed because she was being forced to socialise. Sighing, the Avora tried to see the silver lining. This would be a good opportunity to practise a foreign language. Her grasp of the language was fairly good but she was a little rusty from lack of practice. There weren't too many Inartans who could speak Common and those who did rarely spoke it as there was no need to; they could communicate perfectly fine in their native language. The foreigner had launched into a story, that he probably intended to be funny or entertaining, about soup with leeches in it. She was careful to keep her expression neutral, not wanting to offend the Endal, though she really wanted to tell him to shut up. It wasn't that interesting. They'd eaten leeches, big deal. She'd eaten some unusual things while on hunting trips before like different insects and once or twice she'd had a frog. The teen wasn't going to share that information with the man because it wasn't particularly interesting and unlike him, she wasn't going to bore a person to death with unexciting stories. Azira glanced up occasionally as the man spoke and when he finished speaking, she found him eyeing her critically. Cheeks flushing slightly at the attention, the Avora dropped her gaze and continued eating her soup in silence for a few moments. When he asked her her name she knew that she couldn't keep silent any longer so she might as well have a proper conversation with him rather than have awkwardness between them. Besides, if she could befriend him she'd benefit from it. "My name's Azira," she replied shyly, tucking a braid behind her ear. "And I do hunt, yes. It's my job actually. But I'm sure I'm nothing beside an Endal like yourself though I am rather a good shot with a bow." She smiled back at him, hoping that she appeared friendly. Sometimes her attempts at smiling looked more like she was baring her teeth. "And your name is? If you don't mind my asking that is."

[Turrin]

Turrin listened to Azira answer his questions about her name and her occupation. She told him that she was a hunter and pretty good with a bow. The Myrian enjoyed the confident when she spoke of her archery, but she immediately belittled her performance as a hunter when she compared herself to him. Turrin knew the young woman would never get far if she held herself in lower regards to another person, so he returned her smile and said after eating another spoonful of soup, “My full name is Turrin of the Twisted Vine, and it is a pleasure to meet a fellow hunter.” He broke another piece of bread and dipped it into the soup and said softly, “We are both hunters regardless of the mount you ride. In the end, we both serve to feed the people of Wind Reach.” He ate the bread and thought to himself, “Azira don't compare yourself to other people. It will only hold you back.” Turrin heard those words many times from his father before he died. The Endal struggled being accepted by both Myrian and Inarta society, so he often had a inferiority complex that caused him to often get in fights with the hot headed Inarta. At the time, he didn't care who he had to beat as long as he was victorious, but in the end, his competitiveness isolated him from his peers, so he had to learn how to adjust. However, Turrin always loved a challenge, so he said with a grin, “Later in the season, would you be interested in heading to the range and shooting?” Finishing up with his soup, Turrin looked at the older man who seemed to be determined to eat the whole walrus steak. The Myrian smirk in amusement at the Dek, turned to Azira, and asked softly, “Since you are hunter, I am sure you have been noticing signs that winter might be early this year. How has the Avora and Chiet hunters been faring lately? My flight has been noticing the northern winds are starting to shift, and they are bringing storms into the bay. How is the changing weather affecting hunting inland?” Turrin learned from his father that information was key to forming a sound conclusion. Aponivi has been hesitant lately about flying over the bay because of the chaotic northern winds. Turrin stopped for a chime and wondered if he said to much to a lower caste, but he shook his head and apologized, “Sorry, I might just be over thinking the situation...” Turrin mind thought to himself, “Am I really over thinking it? Myri I hope I am wrong.” The Myrian said with a small smile, “What are you into besides hunting?” As he waited for her to answer, Turrin was starting to wondering if he was becoming bothersome. He wasn't the best at small talk, and it was starting to show the longer he talked to Azira.

[Azira]

The teen regarded the foreigner curiously as she finished the last of her soup, mopping up the last few drops with her bread. She was able to look at him directly, something she wouldn't normally do to a member of the Endal caste as they didn't like it. This outsider was strange however and probably wouldn't mind, or even notice, the unusual behaviour of the Avora. He was behaving fairly strangely himself, smiling at her and eating a Dek's meal while the Dek ate his one. She had no idea what to make of him. Here he was acting as if they were equals or something as if their occupations as hunters automatically made them of the same status. "That's an...unusual name. I was already aware that you weren't from around here but where are you from?" she asked, beginning on her haunch of meat. Azira nearly choked when he suggested that they do some shooting on the range together sometime. It wasn't as if she was asking her out on a date or anything so there was no need to panic. But what if a date was his intention? After all, he had been examining her quite critically before. She felt even more self-conscious than she had before. She tried desperately to think of a neutral reply, she couldn't risk offending him or leading him on after all. I don't want to be some Endal's bed warmer! she thought, her mind whirring to come up with some excuse. "I...I'm flattered by such an offer but it isn't really appropriate. You're of a higher caste than I am and um...that wouldn't really work out," the girl mumbled, her cheeks flaming. Loosening her braids from their tight hunting bun, she swung them across her face in an attempt to hide her expression. The Avora hurried to answer the Endal's questions about the changes in the weather in an attempt to hide her obvious awkwardness and embarrassment. "Some animals are more difficult to come across than others. The weather's been all over the place lately so perhaps after it settles down, the hunting will return to normal but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will only get worse. I'm always having feelings like that but they aren't always right, you know?" Azira replied, fiddling absently with a braid before taking another bite of rabbit. She really wished they didn't have to speak in Common, she was getting a little sick of it if she was being honest. "How's your Nari...Turrin?" she asked, the Endal's name unfamiliar to her. "It's just that it's a lot easier for me to speak Nari then Common. If it's quite bad I'm sure I could help."

[Turrin]

Turrin finished up his bowl of gruel and pushed it off to the side. The Dek seem like he was about half-way through the walrus steak. The Endal looked up at her when she said his name was unusual. He knew it was a mouthful luckily, he didn't add Aponivi to the name. Turrin leaned back in his chair and put his hands in his lap and said with a nod, “I am originally from Taloba in Falyndar until the age of fourteen. When my Myrian father died my late Inarta mother move my late sister and me to Wind Reach. I am a child of two different people, but I don't want to forget my Myrian heritage while I live in my mothers homeland, so that is why, I go by the name Turrin of the Twisted Vine.” It was a lengthy explanation, but he wanted her to understand the significant of his name even though he was living in barbarian lands. The Myrian watched her as she started to choke on her meal when he asked her to go shooting with him. Turrin knew the lower castes tried to avoid Endals at all cost since most of them take whatever and whoever they want when they want it. The Myrian knew he wasn't one of those Endals, but the highest caste reputation was feared throughout the mountain city. He just wished that he could walk up to a lower caste and talk to them without them peeing on themselves. To make matters worse, the Azira seemed to completely misread what he was asking of her. It wasn't like he was going to bed her when they were finished at the range! Turrin just watched the teenager cheeks turn as red as her hair, and he was about to say something, but she cut him off and started to talk about the earlier question about the weather and hunting. Fair enough. He already terrified the young woman enough sitting by her, so he didn't bring shooting again. The Endal listened intently about hunting, and she was coming to the same conclusion as him this coming winter will be a bad one for the city of Wind Reach. Turrin was about to answer, but Azira asked him to speak in Nari. He nodded slowly and said in common, “I have to say, Azira. Your common is quite proficient, but I will speak in Nari for you. I have to warn you...” Turrin trailed off and said again in Nari with a smirk, “My Nari not good.” Turrin paused for a tick or two trying to remember the correct tweets and whistles to form the words of his mother's people. Turrin said slowly, “You are right, Azira. Bad weather coming all around the Unforgiving and Thunder Bay. I think winter will be bad for Inarta and Wind Reach. Valintar will have tough decision in coming season.”

[Azira]

The Avora paused in her eating to gape at him. It was a long explanation but it was what he said that had shocked her. He was half Myrian. She tried to remember what she knew about the race but the only thing that would pop into her head was that they ate people. She suddenly felt very wary of him. Glancing at his bowl she was reminded that he'd given his meat to the Dek. Maybe he doesn't like meat, she thought, trying not to allow her reaction to show on her face. Or maybe he only likes the flesh of people. Feeling a little ill, Azira put down her haunch of rabbit and tried to think of other things. He couldn't be a total barbarian because he was half Inartan. She just needed to keep thinking that and it would be fine, she'd calm down. Her hunting discussion distracted her sufficiently and she found she was able to eat again, the thought of cannibals pushed out of her mind. Instead trying not to wince became foremost in her mind as Turrin began speaking Nari. It sounded so...unnatural and forced. It wasn't his native language she supposed but surely it should be better than it was. His mother was Inartan and he lived in Wind Reach so surely he should have picked up the language. But he seemed to struggle with the tweets and whistles of her native tongue. She'd have to talk much slower than usual if he was to understand her.  It would be difficult to remember though. The teen smiled thinly at him, unsure what else to do in the face of such language skills. "Well your Nari isn't...terrible," Azira told him, still keeping the smile plastered on her face. Liar! You think it's horrible. She kept smiling. "I...maybe we shouldn't talk about anything too complicated. I don't know if you can manage difficult explanations or anything. No offence or anything but you have an...interesting accent as well," she explained as she ripped off the last chunk of rabbit with her teeth. Chewing, the girl wondered how much longer she could sit here and talk to this half-Myrian (thinking about cannibals again). She wasn't the best conversationalist at the best of times and now that she was finished eating, Azira just wanted to leave. If she tried to the Endal might think it was rude so she stayed put and hoped that an opportunity for escape would present itself soon.

[Turrin]

Turrin raised an eyebrow when she told him not to speak about anything to complicated. The weather was the simplest conversation topic two people could talk about. He wasn't sure what else to talk about, so he sat their for a chime wondering if he should just leave since the young woman was clearly uncomfortable with his presence. He knew some Inarta were just as bad as Myrians when it came to isolation and intolerance. When she mentioned talked about his accent like it was a bad thing, he just shook his head and said in Nari, “You ever leave Wind Reach. The people of other lands speak differently. It is way of world. My father's people not vary tolerant of outsiders. Most are killed before getting miles from our city. To some clans, it is game, so we made ourselves quite isolated from rest of world. It might explain the uniqueness of our accent as well. Our common tongue same as rest of world too, but it sounds vary different than common tongue in Lhavit.” Turrin took a drink of water as he continued speaking about his dialect. He wasn't enjoying the conversation. He was just expecting a polite conversation over dinner, but the conversation degraded into miss communication and frustration on his part. Part of him wondered if he should just leave to save them both the trouble. Turrin glanced at the Dek who just finished his meal and said softly in Nari, “Azira, it was a pleasure to meet to you.” The Endal gave her a smile and said simply, “I am sorry if I startled you. You seemed lonely sitting here by yourself, so I decided to come over a talk to you.” The Myrian knew he needed to do his evening exercises before bed, so he decided to let the young woman have her chance to escape. The Myrian stood up and took the plate from the dek and said in Nari to him, “Elder, I must take leave of you too, good night.” The Dek nodded with a smile on his face and hobbled off out of the kitchen. Turrin looked at her and said with another smile, “If you done, I can take your bowl to counter? I hope you have nice night yourself.” Turrin knew it was probably best to call it a night. He didn't want to have a conversation based on fear, and the way the teenager was acting around him made him uncomfortable, and least of all, he didn't want to make her even more uncomfortable than she already was.