Closed [Alements] The Meeting of Goat Man and Snake Eyes

[Zydrunas]

3rd Autumn 514AV

Zydrunas stopped and turned the map around - again - and squinted angrily at the lines. He had been wandering around the lowest tier of the city for a while now, the near continuous turning of the parchment as he tried to make some sense of it - not that it seemed to particularly work. He had paced the dock area for several bells, the full loop back up what he thought was a way up to the next tier only to come out the other side disorientated and no longer sure on what exactly he was looking at. Lips were licked, a deep creasing of the brow as he frowned and then promptly turned the map around, flipping it this time so his back should be to the sea. Once more little sense was made of it par from the factor he was still, most definitely within the dock area. Begrudgingly he folded the map up, tucking it neatly beneath his arm and then once more set himself off again.

There was the careful steps around the locals - those beings that most certainly belonged in a dream - the shades of reds and blues catching the sunlight, and in response the man felt dwarfed, tiny and fragile in comparison to their hulking frames. In a sense it was almost intimidating to exist within a city of such natives, the garish colours mixed in with the surreal landscape did little in calming his thoughts to something more reasonable. Which even then was still failing to be established. It was almost as if the definition of the word had simply vanished over night, leaving the Dhani confounded as to what he could actually do.

Foreign tongues clicked, a hurried step to the side as they thundered their way along the dock and away; barely noticing the slack jaw and the raised hand to attract attention. They were consumed in their work, leaving the foreigner doing little more than standing there gawking. Air exhaled, a shift within his boots and the rough fabrics before he gave himself a pivot and a step blindly forward in no direction in particular. At least, that was until he found himself face to face with the establishment. Or perhaps, more correctly, it was his attention that was snatched up by the moored catamaran. With that, it was his entire form made a scuttle towards it and the gentle bobbing upon the surface, the golden orbs glinting at it in fascination - more so at the idea it had two hulls instead of the usual singular that other vessels carried.

His head wheeled round across to the rest of the decking at that point, a final acknowledgment to what was going on around him. A blink, a step beneath as he gave a drift between the put about decoration, a slight sway from one step to the other as he almost slunk in his motions. Until of course he was right up against the glass pane and staring in to the interior of the - bar, tavern, diner, cafe, club his mind finally chimed - and the warm glow that seemed to come from within. The mind clicked, and it was without further thought that he swung open the door and traipsed inside. The map was quickly unfurled, the humming sound of life from within the club that drew him in further and the bubbling intention growing - directions, it was the only way to get out of this lower tiered maze.

Smoothing it out across the bar surface, the fingers brushed the creases out and then planted firmly upon the marble surface. Cool met his palms, and in response he felt the prickling of not quite belonging in such an establishment make itself known. His throat was cleared, the foreign accent escaping from him with ease.
"Hallo?" A moment of pause, his gaze swept from one corner to the other. The hands returned to smooth the page, nervous almost in their fidgeting, "Anyone about? I need direction to the middle tier?" He dipped into a low mutter, speaking to himself with a frown, "What be here anyway? Bizarre city. Too much water."

[Caelum]

The afternoon aged in an uneasy quiet. It was typically slow these hours of the day, business creaking down when the sun started to slide past noon. It would pick up again as evening approached and dusk settled over Riverfall. People tended to think more about relaxing and enjoying company in the evenings when the work of the day was behind them. This day, however, was different. A strange affliction had begun to creep through the tiers of the Akalak’s great city, slipping insidiously from person to person until eventually it stirred against the divine chains coiled on the floor of Caelum’s soul. Bright sunlight softened the interior of Alements and glowed in copper accents and off of warm marble. Green leafed plants rustled in the breeze from the opening and closing of the double doors behind Zydrunas, but otherwise all was still. The proprietor happened to be in the kitchen, perched on one of the long, grey stone counters with a boot propped against the island. He was shirtless and held a small paint brush in his hand. A tiny tin of blue-black paint rested on the counter beside him and he drew a sweeping, elegant rune over the curve of his shoulder. A golden eye squinted at it before he added a delicate line at the bottom and moved on to his elbow. Ink spread in the second formation, looping in on itself before intuition had him bisecting the spiral with a single harsh line. The final rune he painted across the inside of his wrist, and this one held more dots than dashes, a single, sharp zig-zagging line connecting a few of them together. Laying the paint brush aside, Caelum closed his eyes and released his breath. It was a matter of moments for him to locate his center and settle there, listening to the currents of his soul and the stillness of ranuri inside of him. It was an uneasy quiet, but for some reason he had a difficult time bringing himself to care. He was going to find out if he could still detach his astral body and wield the magic of projection. All of his previous reservations regarding magic and the personal magic of projection specifically seemed to have been blown away by the rising wind of autumn as it swept through Cyphrus and gusted out into the Suvan Sea. What did it matter how he had come to be initiated into projection? The nightmares surrounding those decayed hours of his life seemed dull and inconsequential any more. In fact, it felt a great deal less like a nightmare at all. Envisioning the outer most layer of his soul, Caelum slowly and carefully began to detach it from his physical form. He began at the shoulder and found that once his focus narrowed in on that joint the glyph flared to life and began to aid him in sharpening his precision. He pried his astral body away from the bone and musculature he could so well picture, as a skilled physician being learned in matters of anatomy; and once that was accomplished, he moved down the length of his arm to the elbow to repeat the prying process. His eyes were not closed, but rather heavy lidded and low, gazing at nothing as all of him was staring inward. Finally, he reached his wrist joint and the glyphs assisted him again, speeding up the process so that in a matter of a chime his astral left arm was completely detached. It was at this point that Caelum's eyes seemed to wake up, and he looked over at far counter. It was a good ten feet from where he was currently perched. His right arm moved and he gripped the now limp and deadened left before steadily extending his astral arm to the far counter. Invisible fingertips spider-walked along the edge until pouncing upon a sugary blackberry jam pastry Elise had baked the night before. The pastry seemed to float through the air as Caelum brought it closer to himself and ultimately dropped it into his waiting right hand. "Huh." He considered, mouth flattening with thought. He heard the door to the Alements open and the sound of a stranger's voice murmuring across the stone walls. Without further ceremony, he took a bite out of the pastry and focused on reattaching his arm. He started at the fingertips and pressed them back in one by one before reconnecting his wrist and up and onward and until the glyph at his shoulder flared for a final time and he was completely attached again. Left arm tingling a little, Caelum hopped down and dragged his tunic on over his head, long sleeved and thereby covering the now used up runes painted on his skin. He finished eating the pastry while ducking out of the kitchen and into the morning light of his tavern. Sharp eyes swung immediately toward the stranger and curiosity climbed right up into his expression. "Too much water? What are you looking for?" He slid to a halt opposite of Zydrunas across the marble bar. Elbows pointed down and blood and gold hued horns glittered in the light. "Hey, I'm Caelum." A smile hooked sideways, unexpectedly magnetic. "Welcome to Alements."

[Zydrunas]

Zydrunas' fingers continued to fidget, tapping their constant tune out across the cool surface and making all but a pattering of noise in the quiet of the of the establishment. The orbs continued their flickering, his mind going to and fro for what exactly was about him. Which was very little, there was nothing but the impeccable cleanliness for his eyes to fall upon matched with the definite feeling of wealth. Truly Riverfall - a dream or otherwise - was a place of wealth and many riches, minerals, stones and other exotic goods. And water, the liquid gold of the desert region. There was the licking of the lips, the golden orbs once more turning down to the map as he tried to make sense of it.

The finger gave a trace across the dark ink lines, the licking turning into a purse and a chew as the gentle sounds around him begun to turn into life. He did not look up straight away from his careful study, eyes barely blinking across to the elbows that hovered across from him. A flicker up from beneath his brow, barely a noticeable glance to the one across from him. They met, barely a consideration of the shape before him and the face of flickering interest before his attention once more turned down to the city map.

"Zyd-run-ass. Or Zyd. Pick a preference. Dah, too much water. Laughable amount, much more than home, running freely everywhere. Much more. Nearly a quantity that belong in that of a dream. Why do you not contain it, could have a drought? Though we are further north... Wetter here?" He shook his head, pushing away his twisting thoughts as he tried to find some logic within. Eyes blinking as he tapped the surface and tried to locate his position by name, "Alement, Alement... Like a malady? I am looking for a way back to my lodging, the city be a maze to me." He gave a glance once more up to the man opposite him once more - Caelum as he had introduced himself - taking the horns in to his mind this time, and then once more looking down to the map.

He sniffed, paused, then turned his gaze up firmly this time to lock firmly upon those golden hued horns. Silence came and lasted, a peeling back into one of surprise. His jaw slackened slightly, the surprise turning into one of amazement as he craned his neck up to the height of the man opposite him. The entire form seemed to lean away as he rather obviously stared, the entire expression twisting as it seemed to try and calculate what was exactly before him. Logic, was not reached, even as he managed to tilt his head and sway in an almost snake like fashion - weighing up the strange creature before him. Finally, Zydrunas released a mumble and stated his decided conclusion, "Goat man."

It made perfect sense to him, even as his fingers twitched and he leaned right in for a close in inspection. Palms gently lifted, the inside twitching as curious intentions begun to buzz. His mouth firmly closed, and he exhaled, "Definitely a dream. Only way to make..." There was a shake of the head, the gaze locking as he considered the next move, "Caelum Goatman, with pretty," a finger waggled in the general direction of his horns, "Horn? Antler? Very odd. Not real right? A prop, decoration, a... head piece? Only logical."

Having never laid eyes upon an Eth before, it was a strange occurrence and one that stimulated him to understand. Only to find the failing to do so. And so, he finally reasoned, he must be asleep and the entire city was little more than some thought up figment of his imagination - or there was some colourful festival ongoing. The smile did little to help him either, the niggling to simply sink into that of nonsense climbing up swiftly, "You can take them off, right? No need to wear them around me. Keep them for... entertaining? Dah, entertaining."

Clapping his hands together, the Dhani moved to the task at hand and quickly made his presumptions about what was occurring, "Direction, I need it. More so if city wide party be about to occur. You lot in Riverfall do have a lot of colour, all loud and alive. And not to the Inn. To the wild centre of it all, where all the dancing be. Lodging and lying down can wait!"

His declaration was made, gusto filling his voice as he spoke in those foreign tones - though whether or not it was correct was another situation all together. But it was his eyes however that remained firmly fixed upon those horns, waiting and expecting almost for them to finally be removed.

[Caelum]

"Zydrunas," Caelum repeated curiously. The foreign name was a flower in his mouth, all of the edges of it quivering like petals fresh blossomed against the not-quite-yet-lost accent of the celestial language. It made everything sound either awkward or tremendous off of his tongue. " Zyd. I like that best. A pleasure to meet you." An eyebrow swung up and his elbow remained firmly planted on the bar, strong shoulders tilted in the casual manner of a man very much at home. That in and of itself might have proved astonishing to those few who knew him well, aware as they would be that every scrap of belonging and ounce of comfort he owned in this world was hard won. Yet today deep auburn hair stumbled into eyes that were not guarded, beneath which sat a mouth whose lines were not nearly as patient as they used to have been. Today he was different, and growing more and more with every passing hour. This was a creature who shed skin with every sun set and sun rise and changed his foliage in time with the seasons. Change in and of itself was not new to him. The question was rather whether this was backsliding or evolution. "This --" he checked himself and lifted his head to look about the interior of the tavern. It was empty save for them and there was no one occupying any of the six beds in the attached infirmary either. Satisfied, he returned his regard to the man before him. "Is not a dream. I would know. Besides, not every dream comes drenched. Do you dream a great deal about water? Do you remember all of your dreams?" A smile stole across his mouth like a secret. "I do." Straightening, he planted one hand firmly atop the bar and hopped up. Knees bent and he swung his legs about, the action made graceful by the fact of his noble bearing and his earnest practice in unarmed combat. He ended up sitting on the cream colored marble beside Zyd, long legs spilling down off the patron's side; and before Zyd could quite protest, he plucked the map of Riverfall right out of his hands to turn it about for a look. "Goat man," he snorted, squinting at the depiction of his chosen city. "I'll say. Haven't you ever seen an ethaefal before, Zyd?" The map lowered and he met golden brown eyes with irritation kept in check by humor. "Or are you one of the children I've told the tale of Semele and her rubies and how I ate them all right out of her womb until she cursed me with a man's shape instead of my cloven goat hide?" Storytelling came fast and wicked. His smile grew bright as shears snip-snip-snipping away. "Are you one then? All grown up? It's been some time since I told that story to a child. Did I know you then, as a child? Dream --" A sigh spilled out of him, and his words slowed down to a temporary end of his teasing. One hand rose unconsciously to pull his fingers back through his hair in an unconscious gesture. Beneath his hair, sliding over his scalp between his horns, was the shining abstract gnosis mark of the Dreamer himself. Nysel had branded him in a place that was naturally concealed, capable of being revealed only by the most intimate of touches. It was one of two marks from gods that Caelum kept largely a secret. "Why do you think all of this is a dream? My horns aren't --" He stopped, a laugh catching in his throat and the map of Riverfall wilted in his hands. "They aren't detachable. No. They don't come off and they aren't merely decorative. You're just going to have to look at them as long as you are looking at me." He proceeded to raise his eyebrows at Zydrunas as if to punctuate his point and then snapped the map back open between his hands. "Wild center. Wild center. Let's see..."

[Zydrunas]

Zydrunas squinted, and then shuddered to the chilling feeling of hearing his own name so delicately spoken. Though uttered just about correctly, it still left that slow creeping feeling of uneasiness within his pit -and the niggling reminder that he should have used a false name crept at the back of his mind. His lips gave a twitch, followed by a swallow. No use worrying about it now it was in the open. Regardless, the creature opposite him continued its stare back, perfectly comfortable in the returning of the gaze - unflinching, focused and itching almost into the territory of predatorial.

"But what you know be not what I know, and if you are a dream then whatever you believe be what..." he gave a flick of the wrist, the finger waggling slightly in its motions, "deem to be true?" He paused, tapped his chin as he tried to focus through the swimming mind and attain some logic. The lips had pursed rather firmly, his shoulders squaring up as he looked at Caelum dead on, if not for the occasional flicker back up to the horns - concerned almost over the actual nature of them -, "No evidence. Inclusion is verifiability, not truth. Prove it with good reliable... thing?"

The fingers by this point had gone to massaging the stubble, the golden orbs narrowed down into a line as he almost awaited the counter point to this thoughts. Or to simply accept them - words and someone simply saying so would not satisfy him on this matter. Even as the Goat man swung himself over so he was perched upon the bar did the Dhani inevitably calm his thoughts down to something much more manageable. Water itself. He gave a glare up to Caelum - he was noticeably taller than him from his vantage point - and the map was promptly snatched from his hands.

"Dah, water be a big dreaming point for me," he begun slowly, the hiss of petty annoyance gradually subsiding down to something more manageable - how dare he snatch from him - and the words formed solidly, "Wonderful thing, very remarkable to learn about. You come from land where it be rarer than gold, then you will know why," he gave a firm tap of his heel then, a rock almost upwards and then back down harshly. Inside the bubbling passions of stern belief throbbed, a huffing almost forming upon his demeanour as he " Water, make or break... well anyone. Water be life. No?"

"If you remember all, then good for you. Many do not. Maybe it be a natural gift to you. I do not know," He shrugged nonchalant and proceeded to let his eyes slip up to the horns once more. Glinting they were - far too realistic looking yet also beyond to be fake. His eyes blinked, barely registering the bizarre racial name that was granted to him. He gave a lisp as he attempted to announce it clearly, "Ef-ay-fel? I prefer goat man. Not difficult to pronounce. And certainly no tongue wrapping."

Still, the grin did nothing to stop the activation of some over active imagination from firing off in Zydrunas' mind. Everything seemed to sparkle, the tale of Semele and her rubies certainly being much more appealing that simply being this 'Ethaefal' creatures - and with the way the world was presently turning, by his logic it seemed much more likely. Hands grabbed and fumbled for a bar stool, eyes still wide with fascination as he perched himself upon it and stared up intently. Fingers laced together and he promptly shook his head, "No Goat Man, I am not one of the children you talk of. Though, tale... I would like to hea-" he blinked furiously then, "Why you laugh? I be... quiet! Don't laugh, you lie!" There was an accusing point then, his hands almost getting ready to prove a point, "They are applied with... tacky thing. Only way."

Nostrils flared, and he promptly folded his arms. Clearly unhappy with the fact that the other insisted they were also real, the Dhani allowed himself to return to the string of faint, frustrated mumbles, "Why a dream? Too many an odd thing. It come crassshing down the water, a torrent unlike home. Men of bold, exotic colour roam the city. A man with goat horn... well, he talk to me and tell me it be very real. A maze with change of behaviour. Alive with 'ound, and foreign tongue. With green beyond the eye above and a great toxic belt of blue below..." he threw his hands to the air at that point, almost as if to accentuate it, "Maddening in every feature. Yet you claim it be real still?"

[Caelum]

The Goat Man eyed Zydrunas, smirking a touch when the map of Riverfall was snatched back out of his hands. He leaned back, propping himself up on one hand. A proprietary glance was tossed behind at him, at the narrow window ledge that offered a glimpse into his kitchen. “You want truth. Fact. Science.” An eyebrow ticked up and he returned his regard to odd stranger. “It is not enough to see when your eyes view only a dream, to touch when only the incredulous is in your reach, to hear when all words could be wrapped up in fiction." He paused significantly, a wealth of bone deep empathy his eyes. "I understand.” And he did, didn’t he? He had come to his place, returned to this earth, from an existence as removed from the one he suffered here as the sunrise was from sunset. He had been cast from the table of his beloved and arrived alien to Mizahar, thrust back into corporeal being with fists full of thunder and a storm that swept across the isle he now knew as Black Rock. Further, Caelum was a dreamwalker and there were none who better understood how fragile reality really was than Nysel's legendary dreamers. They spent countless lives molding new dimensions from the perspective of dead ones. Sitting up, this dreamer proceeded to hop from his perch with a thump of worn riding boots to the stone floor. He caught Zydrunas' s shoulder and proceedeed to tug him clean off of his barstool with what was perhaps a surprising strength joined with an keen understanding of bodies in motion. He pulled, steering the stranger right around to the kitchen door. "Come on. Are you hungry? I'll fix you up something to eat while you tell me where you come from and how it is so vastly different from here. The beginning, Zyd, is always the right place to begin." Boots scuffed over thick, bright colored area rugs before moving back on to stone as they moved into the kitchen. It was a healthy size and full of light from the propped open side door. Sunshine gleamed off the copper bottomed pots and pans hanging from hooks in the ceiling and illuminated the long, granite counters and soapstone sink basins. A heavy wooden table held court in the middle of it all and was obviously used as both a kitchen island and a kitchen table. On either end were a matched set of comfortable worn leather armchairs and stools were tucked along the sides. "What do you like to eat? " A blackberry tart was plucked up from the cooling rack and he tossed it into his other hand with an inquiring sweep of an eyebrow. "Or I could make you a sandwich or there's some leftover stew from yesterday that can be warmed up."

[Zydrunas]

It was that look that caused Zydrunas to pause. His eyes gave a narrow, a chew upon his lip as he tried to focus upon what was before him and the underlying meaning that could have possibly existed there. He considered mimicry for a moment, a repeating of the words but with the way the cool gaze flickered and burned within its own sense of understanding, the Dhani was reduced down to simply staring with a dumfound expression. His own thoughts were scattered , stumbling and tumbling as he tried to gain something, anything, that could have been used as a base foundation outside of the adamant belief that Riverfall was indeed just a dream. No such place could exist when all that existed when all that was before was sand, correct?

It was the tugging pull of the Goat Man that brought Zydrunas back to the present. The golden orbs gave a slow blink, a taking in of focus firstly down to the hand that pulled upon his shoulder and then in the direction he was being pulled in. Obediently he behaved, the gentle sway of motion as he walked head bobbing as he tried to visually take in his surroundings - sheepish almost with what was to come. Things once more were beyond his control, and whilst part of him writhed at the lack there of the other half quickly smothered that and went along with it. He would have little control giving the almost sternness that radiated off the other, no use fighting it and potentially causing insult.

Sustenance and the potential obtaining of it however, eased him once more. His gaze lit up, lips peeling back to reveal a flash of white as he was lead around to the kitchen. Scents hit him, the lingering sweetness, the faint bitterness that went with preservatives and spices. He paused, a flickering of the gaze to and fro, his orbs looking to the instruments and tools that made the place so. And all the while, hunger made its presence known and his appetite rose. Perhaps, it was a trap. Perhaps the man already knew what he was and this was some well laid, well laid plan in which to ensnare him. He had his weakness after all, and it made him only squint in return, "Alway hungry. Alway... Dah, the beginning be the best place to begin."

He gave one of the table a rap with his knuckles, then let his hand fall down to one of the stools. It was there that he gave a perch, eyes following Caelum around the room. Zydrunas nestled his chin into his palm, and gathered his thoughts, "It began in... Eyktol, land of sssand. Home of heat and burning light. And little water. It be the nature of the place." His other hand idly pulled out shapes, drawing the invisible sand dunes across the table top, "It be where I come from. Far away. Or the waking world. At night, the air become cold, but the above," His finger pointed upwards then, gesturing in the general direction of the sky, "In turn become a million ssp-arkling diamond fixed upon the canvass of deepest ebony. That be where it begin."

There was a moment of pause as he looked to the tart, pondering briefly on what it exactly was before he looked upon the other with questioning, "Meat. Carnivore. Much of the time. All of the time. Until really needy..." His brow rose, "'Tew? What kind of? Meaty kind?" before his thoughts proceeded to distract him, "There much game around here? Hunting game I mean. I have a large appetite, need to keep it happy." A flick of the hand, the gentle clinking of the beads around his wrist before he continued, "Beginning. Beginning... that where it be. Among the bronze, the hill, and the clear. And... I ansswered a calling. I walked, I travelled, I wanted to view the world with my own eye. Told it be a big place. But..." He frowned then, "I am now here." He gave a shrug, "May be better for you to query Goat Man. I have a bad habit of being vague."

[Caelum]

The blackberry tart was set down on a pale cloth napkin in front of Zydrunas once the man had chosen a seat. Caelum gave him an inviting smile before rolling back again. "It's a blackberry tart. Sweet, delicious. Try it. I promise I didn't make it." A chuckle scoffed in the back of his throat. His cooking skills were still lackluster at best and utterly calamitous at worst. A small pot was lifted down from one of the hooks and he thwacked the bottom of it against his palm before curving around on his heel to slouch his way toward a small door tucked into the kitchen's far corner. He listened to his guest speak of hot sands and wide open spaces while pulling the door open to the ice box and angling around the slow melting hulk of frozen water in the center to pull a container off one of the stone shelves. He ladled up some of yesterday's rabbit stew into the little pot, covered it back up, and returned to the kitchen mains to slide around Zydrunas for the stove. "It's rabbit stew," he answered. "Lots of meat in it. Some vegetables too. What do you think of the tart?" The small pot was placed on the front of the oven and he dropped into a crouch, sunlight from the open side door glimmering off the low curve of his horns. The oven door was tugged open and he shoved a fresh cord of firewood inside in order to stir up the coals to licking flames. "A calling? What sort of calling? Did someone actually tell you of a mission or send for help?" Amber eyes caught Zydrunas sideways again, thoughtful, and he unwound to his feet only to slump against the edge of the table. Strong arms braided to a fold over his chest and his chin ducked down. He had a tart of his own now and took a lazy bite from it, not needing the sustenance at all as the su was high in the sky. "What did it call you to do? To travel, obviously, but to where? Here? This is Riverfall." And Caelum had already insisted that Riverfall was not a dream. He would know, after all. "You're not Eypharian," he continued on, a slow, closing gyre of puzzling words. "And you're not Benshiran." He squinted hard at his guest's face. "Well, you don't strike me as Benshiran, at least. Are you?" He rolled out of his slouch to approach the stove again and give the heating stew a stir. This was a man in seemingly constant start and stop motion. He seemed to fit a stranger easily into his routine, the idea of being hospitable to a guest a simple one. Everything he did or said was bringing him into orbit around Zydrunas, trying to fill his stomach and rest his legs or uncover the secrets of his past that might point them toward a solution. Caelum's entire day was this easily derailed, and if he minded, well, it was almost impossible to tell.

[Zydrunas]

There was the thumbing of his beads as he watched the goatman work his way around the room, the golden orbs flickering as he watched. He explained what was presented to him - as he received it with a curious glance and a firm look up and down. Of course, he continued to give his curious glances, mainly to the horns that crowned the man's head and then back down to that disarming smile that he continued to wear. Whilst it was indeed appealing, the residue back though cause his skin to prickle and that forever chewed upon his mind. Even as the pot gave a clatter upon the stove did the words finally return to him and his attention snapped back to the tart in question. Fingers peeled away from the beads, and carefully broke a section off.

Caelum was right on one thing - it certainly was sweet. His back straightened to the taste, surprised almost that something could be so. He was more used to the spices and herbs native to the warmer, southern regions. His tongue licked away a crumb, another long pause as he contemplated it. Another trying bite, the taste of sugar, fruit and flavours causing him to pull away with a testing chew. He proceeded to nod dumbly at Caelum after that, his brow raised but his eyes glazed in clear, focused thought. Finishing his mouthful and smacking his lips, the Dhani looked listing to the bubbling crackles of the flames, whilst the other seemed to prowl about for information, "The tart, it be good. Very sss-," The hiss came out and he forced it into a lisping sound, "-Weet."

And then those questions came. Heckling almost, sinking and sliding in. He gave a blink, the slow hiss escaping out from between his teeth and falling into silence, "Dah, a calling. An urge, one that need to be acknowledged and dealt with. One of the heart and body. Ego, not a," his finger gave a twirl, as if he was trying to summon the word out, "Job or duty." The digit gave a point then, "Get that, goat man? A drive to travel, it flowsss in my blood, in and out, back and forth. Like a might current of water that cannot be refu'ed," He paused, a moment of thoughtfulness, "Only redirected. Will move on eventually."

Zydrunas fell into silence, a small lean away as the scrutinizing gaze rested upon him and the slump to the table. Picking through the races, listing slowly as he calculated and worked it out. The Iyvess' lips peeled back into a nervous smile, his hairs prickling up at the back of his neck. Anticipating almost for what was coming next - paranoia in its finest. He leaned back in his perch, looking almost to where the nearest exit was. What if he was discovered? He'd never be able to study the city then. Run for the hills and never look back, be it a dream or otherwise.

"Not enough hand for you?" he gave a wiggle of his fingers, a swallow as he reigned back his expression, "Ben'hiran? Not quite," he laughed then. He gave a gesture down his form, golden orbs glinting in the light as he smiled and played a card of pretending of being amused. What story could he weave, quickly and within reach. One that was realistic for him with what he already supplied in answer to his questions, "Here be the frame of a halfer. Blame the human father for the other half." A lie, a simple one, it was a safe behind it with nothing else to worry about. That barrier, "Can blame him for the... li... li-ssp too."

"Goat man, Ethaefal, what be that exactly?" Turn the question away as quickly as possible, "A man with..." he gestured up to the horns, "Where do you hail from exactly? What land? You know of mine, and I am... interessted. Riverfall and onward, where you recommend? Much to view, dah?"