Quest On Guard!

[Perplexity]

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41st of Fall, 514 AV
Early Afternoon

Change was seldom welcomed with a smile. There were always those who resisted it. There were always those who worked to prevent it. Change was coming for Zeltiva one way or the other and there were certainly those who did not like it.

Rumors had spread quickly throughout the city. The growing encampment upon the beach near the Cerulean Pier drew widespread attention. While the Iyvess tribe had brought with them little more than odd looks and weird dances in the sand around bonfires the authorities were still cautious. To that end the Wave Guard was dispatched upon their arrival to quarantine the beach. After just a few days it became apparent that such high security measures were utterly unnecessary on Zeltiva’s part. The Wave Guard presence was diminished but that didn’t prevent some concerned citizens reaching out to the community to “keep the peace”.

So far, the only peace that had been broken were a few startled fishermen and some very, very curious children. Nevertheless, the Dhani camp still received visitors and for the most part the Iyvess entertained guests with their own strange bit of hospitality. This included coercing them into wildly quirky dances, much joking, and impersonations of passerby’s. Wounded pride seemed to be the most common injury to anyone serving as the butt of an Iyvess joke. Over the past few days large groups of the tribe would vanish into the sea in the early morning only to return toward the evening with their catches of the day. And through it all, one woman among the Dhani stood out. Her head held high with arms clasped behind her back she surveyed the encampment stoically.

She was tall with ebony skin and piercing eyes so dark they were almost pitch. Her body was lean and bore the scars of many battles. Midnight black hair cascaded down her shoulders skirting across her frame, the only crown to mark the queen that she was. Though Iyvess had no queens and honored only the strength of those who proved themselves capable, this woman could have worn the title well.

Shikar, she was called in the Common tongue. She was second among her people only to the Chief. His absence weighed heavy on her mind. He was away from the Den speaking with the land-dwellers on where their people would fit in among the city. She surveyed the human city with suspicion. She didn’t like the land walkers. She didn’t trust them. They smelled not of the sea, nor did they sing the songs of the Deep. Still, the time of the Prophecy had come and like her Chief, her lifemate, she believed in the words of the ancient priestess.

Her dark eyes came to rest on one of the land walkers. They narrowed ever so slightly.

“You! Come. Question, I have.” She raised a hand pointing at the individual. Her voice brokered no arguments. The authority in her tone was beyond clear. She had spoken. She expected an answer.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow C uriosity was one of her primary personality traits. It had been since she was old enough to walk and would continue to be a driving force likely till the day her inquisitiveness killed her. The arrival of the Iyvess was not something you missed. Even Saraphina, who was camped in the wilds and visited the city only seldom, had come to know of their presences. She had gathered with the crowds to look over the tribe that settled on the sands and had wandered through their camp once the Wave Guard had started to thin. Saraphina had been polite, if not rather blunt, in her interest of learning about the Dhani race and Iyvess as a whole. Thus far, she'd been given somewhat cryptic answers and mostly the water race seemed to want to teach her some odd dances. That was fine with the Kelvic, she was just as content to move peacefully among the newcomers. After all, she still considered herself fairly new to the world, why should she treat the Iyvess harshly when she'd been show such hospitality by so many when she'd begun to explore. O n this day, she'd brought Abaccus down from the mountains. The ride had been....relativity smooth. No woodland creatures had startled her mount, though the Bloodbane had gotten a bit cross as a traveller heading out of the city had pasted by them at the gate. Saraphina had nearly been thrown off by the quick buck and lunge the aggressive horse had made towards the docile pony. Using swift reflexes and feline Kelvic balance had allowed her to correct the momentary problem, though the traveller was probably terrified of the cursing red head and whining horse that had displayed a rather harsh fight for dominance. Abaccus had been fine afterwards, even nudging Saraphina when they finally made it to the beach where the Iyvess were camped. Sliding down off her Bloodbane, she chuckled as Abaccus rubbed his face on her shoulder, "Don't try to soften me up....that little ride was very annoying. We're going to need to work on our teamwork if we're going to travel together. I'm going down to visit with the Iyvess again. Their...very interesting people." Tethering the dark horse to a nearby fallen log and taking off the riding gear so to leave her horse with a better degree of comfort, Saraphina set the gear by the dead tree. Making sure the riding gear was more or less away from being easily seen, the tiger Kelvic headed down towards the encampment. S he nodded to a few of the Wave Guard still stationed on the edges of the Dhani camp. She wasn't a common visitor, but she still came by more often than some, so none of the defender of Zeltiva felt any need to question or stop her. Then there was also the way Saraphina carried herself. The red haired women may have been young, but she was confident and capable. She walked with the grace and poise of a warrior, held her head high and met the eyes of any who looked her way. Walking deeper into the tented camp, Saraphina could detect the smells of fresh caught fish. She paused and though briefly about bartering with the Iyvess for a few, but a barking female voice caught her attention before she could move to act on the idea. "“You! Come. Question, I have.”Turning to the dark skinned women, Saraphina searched her mind for a name and came up blank. Though she recalled seeing the leader of the tribe walking closely with her. Her long black hair shifted in the sea breeze and the scars on her body immediately made Saraphina a bit wary. This was clearly a skilled and powerful warrior to have been in so many fights and to have survived to display the injuries gained. The demand had been spoken in broken common, but Saraphina understood enough to gather want she wanted. Glancing around, the tiger Kelvic considered ignoring the order. After all, she was not part of the Iyvess tribe, this regal leader had no power over her. But then, Saraphina was somewhat weak when curiosity caught her attention. And she wanted to know why Shikar was targeting her for her inquiry. Walking towards the Dhani with a cautious air, she paused about two arms lengths away and responded in a crisp but still polite tone, "You are very new to Zeltiva so I won't take offence to your tone, but I am not a dog to be called at your whim. If you wish to speak, you need only ask. I do not mind helping you....but I do not take orders from anyone but myself. I am Saraphina....what question do you have?"

[Ricky Maze]

On Guard!
Fall 41 514 AV, Early Afternoon

Where there was disturbances there was always somebody there to keep the peace, for Zeltiva it was none other than the Wave Guard which stood ready to uphold such ideals. Yet with the appearance of the Ivysess passed and their intentions made clear, it seemed that the call for investigative measures fell short as their presence was more or less there for what Ricky defined as "moral support" in this case. What guards were here were pretty much those that still remained curious and wanted to interact with the foreign race that rose from the depths, and Ricky was by far no different from the lot that remained seeing as how he liked to know more about this race that appeared before him. His presence alone though was that of a silent reminder, more or less present for the relief and security of the people that showed here in turn. As a guard he was meant to protect and serve the locals of Zeltiva, and for him to remain here in uniform just allowed those that knew what he was to be at ease.

Why else would he not stand about watching the people and the Ivyess with such curiosity? Given that he could easily be elsewhere in the city to carry out his shift, even so he would much rather kill time watching and learning more about the mysterious water tribe than walk about the city with no real event. T'ey certainly like t'eir odd dances. He remarked in silence as he stood with arms crossed, he pretty much upheld the idea of a silent guard at this point. He wanted to blend in mostly, be a part of the background as though he were there, but not expressively so given that he and many other guards could just stick out like a sore thumb. T'ese Ivysess 're supposed t' be like de Dhani? Oi'll admit Oi never 'eard o' ot'er races existin. He contemplated further as he continued to watch, then again he figured he knew little of the world when he thought more about it, even so now that these mysterious beings had managed to show on Zeltiva's doorstep.

Still he kept himself calm and stood proud with eyes engaged with the activities of the locals, occasional glances given as those passed by registered that an actual Wave Guard stood within the crowd. He pondered about the Ivysess more and in turn led himself to wonder what it would be like to bring his family here, to see how they reacted to meeting an unusual yet interesting tribe. Then again it was probably a good idea that he didn't bring them, at least not until enough intel was collected on them. Intel and trust really. Ricky believed it paid well to know your enemy, but that also depended on if they actually were an enemy to begin with. All the same he took this opportunity to learn and he wasn't going to waste it, seeing as how it would serve him better one way or the other later on down the road. It was then one particular woman caught his interest, one that definitely proved to be leadership material given her approach to a local. Her tone and demeanor suggested that she was... dominant? She definitely had that appeal when she demanded for the red haired girl to approach.

Ricky focused more on them now, his interest piqued as he heard the young lady engage with the dark haired woman. Let's hope not'in bad comes outta dis, Oi really dun wanna step up an' make a scene in front o' t'ese people. He hoped with a slight furrow in his brow, nevertheless he held a faint smile to encourage any that passed by to have a good time. All while he was focused on listening in to the conversation that would unfold between the darker woman and the girl with the gingerly colored hair.

[Perplexity]

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Shikar quirked her head curiously. She studied the fiery haired young woman in front of her for a few moments before a large grin broke out on her face.

“Ask, I did. You come. Question now.” She blinked at Saraphina. There was a sharp amusement in her eyes at taking in the other woman’s small amount of defiance. It was a challenge that Shikar could relate to and only made her more curious. She gestured to a tall man with dark hair and a fairly muscular build. He was garbed in the blue vestments of the Wave Guard.

“Sara…Sarapin…Sara.” Shikar nodded as if abbreviating the other woman’s name was the most perfectly acceptable thing to do in the world. Her inability to fully pronounce the name didn’t seem to bother her. If anything she was rather nonchalant about it. “Sara, why only see men wearing swords? Why women no fight to protect den?”

It was something that Shikar had noticed upon arriving to the city. The brief venture that she had made into the city had sparked in her an insatiable curiosity. None of the females carried any sort of weapons on them or at least practically none that she had seen. Indeed, most of them were dressed in strange looking frilly gowns that made them look like puffed up jellyfish. It was the oddest thing to Shikar and made absolutely no sense.

“Why women hide behind men like frightened guppy?” She gestured to her tribe. Among the Iyvess that roamed the beach there were just as many females as males who were pulling their weight. They sat in the sand weaving nets out of what appeared to be seaweed or sharpened bone spears using rocks collected from the bottom of Matthew’s Bay. The largest thing one might notice among the Dhani was the high amount of fluid cooperation there was between both males and females with both genders working in tandem.

Shikar stared at Saraphina expectantly as if this red headed woman were suddenly the absolute voice of Zeltiva who spoke on behalf of all land-dwelling women everywhere.

NoteShort but necessary post. Don't worry, shenanigans will kick off soon.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow T he dark haired Iyvess seemed to find Saraphina’s mild annoyance amusing and became more friendly for it. A strange response, but Saraphina didn't pretend to even come close to understanding the Iyvess. The Kelvic smirked a bit and relaxed her stance to a more welcoming one, body language often spoke louder than words in her mind. And the last thing she wanted to do was start a fight. The shortening of her name caused no offence in the red head, clearly Shikar was having trouble grasping the common tongue. That was fine, she’d conversed with people who had similar problems. “Sara, why only see men wearing swords? Why women no fight to protect den? Why women hide behind men like frightened guppy?” Saraphina blinked at the question, stunned for a moment. Most of the women she’d met or associated with had some combat ability, but she certainly knew most of the ‘civilized’ people in the city preferred to hide behind the Military and the Wave Guard for protection. Clearly the idea of an organized, dedicated fighting force was forgien to Shikar and she wanted to know about it. At the Iyvess’s gesture, she looked back towards the sea dwelling tribe and did see the fluid cooperation and unspoken understanding each individual had that allowed them to work together. S cratching her jaw with a slightly sharpen nail for a moment, she paused in thought for a bit. After a few seconds had passed, Saraphina answered the question in her usual blunt way, “I personally thing the most women of this city are lazy and selfish. They usually have a small tribe, those that share blood. Children, mates, sister and brothers….they care for those first and help the rest of the people after their own tribe is safe. Many women in the city help in other ways. They cook food, make clothes, raise children and let the men fight off threats, gather food and build shelter. I think the men like to protect the women by keeping them away from things that are dangerous because the women can make children and men cannot. I would never let my mate go into a fight without me. But I can fight well with these and I rely on no man to protect me,” Saraphina raised her arms up and balled her hands into fists, stepping back into a combat stance to show Shikar that she knew unarmed combat quite well. It was both an excuse to show off her skill and a subtle warning only warriors would understand. A message of, 'I am not your enemy....but I can become one easily if push to it'. “ but there are many women in the city don’t know how and aren’t willing to learn how to fight.” R elaxing her stance, she motioned to Ricky Maze standing nearby in his Wave Guard uniform. The brunette man seemed to be paying attention to the conversation, but Saraphina didn’t really care if he was offended by what she said. She would speak her mind, it was her right as a free willing being. “Those in uniform with weapons are a group that choose to protect those that can’t or aren’t willing to fight. They are a military, a warrior clan. That is the best answer I can offer. I come from a land where the women are like yours. We all work together, help each other and live as one. My Mother is Vantha and though I am not, she raised me as such, so I understand why you question the women of Zeltiva. Do all women in the Iyvess fight and protect their den?” Saraphina was honestly curious about the shape shifters culture. The Iyvess she’d spoken to had been rather withdrawn and secretive. She didn’t really blame them, after all, they Zeltiva people hadn’t really welcomed them with open arms. Rumors had spread about a Coup that had gone badly the last time newcomers had arrive. Saraphina could see the concern, but judgement without cause was for the ignorant and narrow minded. The Kelvic was neither of those, wanting only to learn as much about the world as she could. Shikar and her people, as far as she was concerned, were just another adventure and lesson to tally onto her journal of experiences.

[Ricky Maze]

As Ricky continued to watch the Ivysess dance about and take to attending their daily routines, he couldn't help but wonder where such a question had come from when he overheard the darker female ask about the women not bearing arms. Somewhere deep within he chuckled at the thought but in truth he knew well enough that there was some good thought and wonder to back it up, of mostly all the Wave Guard there were pretty much just men that joined the ranks. Women were by far few and rare when they joined but that didn't mean they never excelled in any forms of combat or protection, given that most who joined didn't really have such military experience in the beginning anyways. So really it wasn't just the women but Zeltiva as a whole that just took to a more lighthearted means of enlightenment, whilst the Guard and those who joined the ranks were there to preserve such ideals.

Yet as he listened to this Saraphina tell Shikar her perspective, he couldn't help but grin in such an amused manner as her answer sounded completely strange to him. Sure he might as well be a local offended by her words, but in truth he found her blunt honesty quite humorous when it came to sharing her perspective. Oh yeah, we really love our women. He mused with a chuckle as he continued to look elsewhere, already aware he was being used as an example of what Zeltiva relies on for protection. The fact that the gingerly girl stated that the men needed woman because "they could make babies" while men couldn't amused him the most, as Ricky recalled last that it required both man and woman to be able to make such a child. He should know after all, given that he himself is a father. So really if one wanted to argue with that statement, then the women practically needed the men just as much as men needed them.

Either way he wasn't going to make it so obvious that he was interested in listening to them, thus the fisherman clasped his hands behind his back as he took to pace a little bit. Oh sure, our women 're just totally defenseless as t' rely on us alone. Apparently de girl's never met me wife, nor a real Zeltivan woman for de matter. He thought in silence as he continued to move around and look occupied, his thoughts based around the woman Kenabelle and her astounding accomplishments in her years. The women of Zeltiva weren't weak at all, from his perspective they were quite strong. They were bold and adventurous and in some cases free spirited, it only depended on that individual lady when it came to doing what she wanted to do. That's one ideal Zeltiva has kept at its heart, or so Ricky himself took to believe. The people live and follow their hearts, and often when times are grim they come together to form a unit, and pull through the hardest of times only to be stronger.

An interestin' question t' ask. He thought as his eyes darted from before him down to his feet, he'd almost forgotten that he'd managed to carry his longsword with him until now. Yet that wasn't of any importance, Saraphina managed to ask about the Ivysess and it could in turn be useful information. By the looks of how both the male and female Ivysess pulled their own weight here the answer could be easy to perceive, but given that looks and impression never won battles alone he paid very close attention to the two as the conversation unfolded.

[Yuri Lehrer]

Yuri Lehrer was wandering about the city of Zeltiva, looking for something to do, hoping that someone would hire his services, when he remembered something he had been told a couple of days prior, people had seemingly appeared out of Matthew’s Bay and had been setting up camp It would only be fair if I checked it out, after all… this sort of thing doesn’t happen every day. Deciding that would be what he did for this day; Yuri made his way down towards the beach, and was mildly surprised to see that what he had been told was true, the encampment itself wasn’t all that large, but it was large enough to house the inhabitants, who seemed human from where he was, but appearances weren’t everything in this world, as he'd learned in the past.

As he made his way towards the encampment, Yuri noted that there were several members of the Wave Guard standing about near and in the encampment, he wondered why that might be for a moment before he figured out a couple of possible reasons It could have something to do with the events of the Denvali attempt at a coup, it seems the most likely explanation but I don’t like to judge people by the mistakes of others… After this thought passed his mind, Yuri found himself near one of the Wave Guard, someone he was sure he knew, but hadn’t seen in some time… as he tried to remember the man’s name he noticed another person he knew within the camp, the Tiger Kelvic, Saraphina talking to one of the Iyvess. The appearance of the Iyvess was, something akin to royalty or leadership, the way that she held herself was what made her seemingly hold that ‘position’.

Thinking for a few brief moments about who the member of the wave guard was, Yuri also tried to follow the conversation between Saraphina and the Iyvess, whose name he knew not, it didn’t bother him though as his attention was focussed on trying to remember who the member of the wave guard was, deciding on a course of action, he put his hand on the shoulder of the other man and said “Hello there… long time no see…” Yuri trailed off while the name made its way from his brain to his mouth “Ricky, right? How have you been?” When he asked his question and was sure he’d gotten the name right, Yuri relaxed a little, lowering his hand from the Wave Guardsman's shoulder and into his cloak, he stood at ease, his gaze moving over to where Saraphina was conversing with the Iyvess ‘leader’, wondering what they might be talking about.

Yuri didn’t really have to wait that long to find out, Saraphina motioned in the general direction of Ricky and himself, as though inviting them over to join in on the conversation, unsure as to whether he should join them, he waited for a moment, thinking about what may happen if he did or didn’t go, before moving towards the Iyvess, Saraphina and Ricky, not really paying any heed to the dances which were going on around him. When he was close enough that his voice wouldn’t have to be raised in order for all of the others to hear, Yuri spoke, a little uncertainty in his tone, as we was deciding whether he was allowed to enter this conversation , but mostly resolute “Well, hello everyone…” Yuri trailed off as he thought about what had been said and whether he should continue talking, deciding against this course of action, he stood in a relaxed stance, most of his weight on his back leg, arms at his side, inside his cloak, waiting for what would happen next.

[Perplexity]

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Shikar blinked at Saraphina for a moment as if the words passed from one ear and out of the other before breaking out into a wide grin. She stepped forward slapping Saraphina on the back in a forceful albeit friendly pat. She seemed completely unfazed by the woman’s battle stance.

“You speak with tongue like sharp spear. This—“ Shikar pat her own chest with a firm nod of approval. “—I like.” Motioning to the encampment the Iyvess woman made a gesture of welcome to the red haired northerner.

“All fight. All learn. All Iyvess part of Den.” Shikar folded her arms over her chest for a moment. Her brow furrowed as if she were concentrating heavily to get a handle on what she was trying to convey. When no words came the dark skinned Dhani woman just pointed to her denmates once again.

“See?” Shikar gestured to a male Iyvess stringing gutted fish out upon a long rack fashioned from bits of wood. Since arriving in Matthew’s Bay the Dhani had begun corralling schools of fish both to devour themselves and even offer up to some of the fishermen who frequented the waters around Zeltiva. While there had yet to be a major increase in the availability of fish in the markets some sailors and fishermen were already beginning to see the benefit of having deep sea divers present on the beach.

On that same note a younger looking Iyvess one who seemed no older than an adolescent was sitting beside the male watching and copying his movements. She was ocassionally interrupted by him taking her hands to guide her through the motions but it was quite obvious he was teaching her. Beside the both of them stood another male who was gutting the fish with what looked like a bone dagger.

“One family. One fight. Makes us strong and only strong survive.” Shikar turned to observe Yuri as he approached the two conversing. The woman quirked her head.

“Who this Everyone? I am no Everyone. Yssgranashikar.” She pointed to herself then pointed to Saraphina. “Sara. Everyone no here.” The ebony warrior pointed to the sand beneath her feet still giving Yuri a puzzled look.

“Who is this?” Shikar looked at Saraphina curiously as if, once again, the red haired woman possessed all the answers to every question beneath the stars.

Ricky

A lazy peace had fallen over the settlers on the beach. Though their arrival had given the citizens quite a fright the worst of the panic seemed to have been abated. The same could not be said for all denizens of the city of sails, however.
Jeremy stood leaning against the wall of a warehouse overlooking the beach. He held in his hand a mug of foul smelling kelp beer. One would have been surprised to find that even that particular brand of alcohol had an expiration date and this mug seemed to have turned stale. It did nothing to help the ragged appearance of the man. He wore patchwork clothes with faded brown trousers tucked into worn and ruddy boots. His shirt was of the flimsiest homespun cotton that looked so stained by grease and sweat even the moths might have thought twice about nibbling on the thread. His face was haggard and his beard was peppered with age. Bloodshot eyes stared unwaveringly down at the Iyvess encampment.

There was a smoldering hate in those eyes.

A tap on the shoulder caught his attention. The man averted his gaze from the encampment to an equally disgruntled looking man with yellowed eyes and jaundiced skin. There was a flash of silver between them as sunlight reflected off a metal surface before worn clothes concealed it once more. Jeremy downed the last of his stale beer then gave a loud burp. He pushed himself off the wall meandering his way down to the beach. His steps were a little sluggish. There was a tightness to his jaw as his brow furrowed in determination to put one foot in front of the other.

His smell would announce his presence before his footsteps would. Standing upwind of Ricky it was not long before a casual breeze carried the odor of beer and filth to the Wave Guard’s nostrils. Shortly after that Jeremy was standing directly beside Ricky. He gave the sergeant a lopsided grin. Surprisingly there was a full set of teeth in the man’s mouth though they were browned and yellowed due to lack of care.

“Top of the morning to you, Sarge! Standing guard are we? Keeping an ever watchful eye on the outsiders?” His voice was deeper than one would have expected. There was a slight wheezing rasp to it as if he were perpetually on the verge of falling into a fit of coughing.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow T he dark haired Iyvess women’s jolly response to her explanation made the Kelvic smile. Even though she had to brace herself a bit to avoid being bent forward from the slap on her back. Shikar was far stronger than her form made her appear, but she was well balanced enough to be able to take the friendly hit. ‘Sharp tongue like spear, well that’s the first time I’ve gotten complimented for being direct’ Saraphina thought to herself as Shikar waved a hand around and proclaimed proudly, “All fight. All learn. All Iyvess part of Den.” Saraphina looked in the direction the leader warrior pointed, watching with some degree of nostalgia as an elder man taught a younger girl how to string up fish for preparation and storage. She recalled with a pang of pain of how her Mother taught her some of her talents and how the artists of Avanthal passed their knowledge to an eager young mind. It was the same in this tribe, the experienced hunters teaching the younger the ways of nature. Shikar spoke again with gusto, “One family. One fight. Makes us strong and only strong survive.” Saraphina nodded in agreement with Shikar. The Iyvess certainly appear to be a well-organized and close nit group. They hunted together, fought together and lived together in understanding and unity. It was a lifestyle that reminded her keenly of her Avanthal and Vantha bloodlines. “The law of nature is that only the strong should survive. Your….den works together and keep each other safe. That is the way it should be. I live in the wilds, I know that strength matters out there....and in here.” Saraphina tapped her chest as she spoke, most obviously pointing at her heart. Whether Shikar understood her meaning or not, she didn't really care. She was simply stating her opinion. S araphina’s ears perked at the sound of sand crunching under feet. Turning her head, she smiled as she saw the approach of one of her associates, Yuri Lehrer. His innocent question confused the Ivyess, and she pointed to herself, finally speaking her name. Shikar’s voice seemed to take on an odd hissing growl that Saraphina was certain she could never hope to mimic, a guttural nasally noise and her name was spoken somewhere in sound. What Saraphina got from the enunciation was ‘Nashikar’. The Iyvess turned to Saraphina after questioning Yuri, pointed asking who he was. The red head nodded to the mercenary and spoke truthfully, “This is Yuri. He is…..a warrior, a swordsmen. He fights to protect others and is a friend of mine. We…..we hunt together sometimes. He is a good man to have in fight, someone who has made himself strong, like your people.” That was true, Yuri and Saraphina occasionally took on mercenary jobs together, but she got the feeling Nashikar wouldn’t understand the explanation of one being paid to guard or fight something, so she just call it a hunt. Which was true enough in most cases. Y uri's defensiveness didn't go unnoticed by the Kelvic. The light haired man had a scent of caution and readiness, but she knew Yuri well enough that she wasn't worried about him attacking the dark skinned Dhani without cause. He was simply being careful. Saraphina was rather absorbed in learning and speaking to Nashikar. As such her focus was on the Iyvess and Yuri, Ricky had been mostly forgotten by Saraphina. So the approach of the drunken man reeking of hate and violence was unnoticed by the Kelvic. She was simply too interested in the new knowledge she was gaining, “Nashikar….may I ask why the Iyvess came to land after so long? You are strong hunters in the water…..why do you wish to leave you home and come to the cities?” Saraphina hoped she wasn’t being insulting by asking, but her curiosity and blunt nature was making it hard not to pry into the Iyvess culture. Really, how could she resist asking about them when she herself was still learning in leaps and bounds about the world and all its wonders.

[Ricky Maze]

With a sudden hand brought up to his shoulder Ricky looked down with interest to see just who had taken to approach him so, when he turned to face the fellow that sought to greet him he soon realized that it had been a familiar face. One he hadn't seen since spring began no less. Yuri Lehrer. He looked to have a contemplative expression as he asked if he'd been right in addressing the Wave Guard, along with seeing how he'd been since their last encounter of course. "Ello dere. Can't say its been quiet as Oi've 'ad quite a year." He mused as the small talk seemed to generate between them. He thought to ask Yuri what he'd been up to since their last encounter, but found that the mans attention was more direct on the girl Saraphina, thus he merely stayed back to watch as Yuri went ahead to proceed over there and join in on their conversation.

Great. First he goes 'fter a Charoda, now he wants a ginger lass. He remarked in silence as he barely gave an eye roll, unsure as to what he honestly thought or felt about Yuri altogether. Still the conversation that the female Ivysess had with Saraphina proved interesting, as Ricky could gather that the tribe (or den) functioned as a whole. A community that relied on survival, as the next generation learned what was passed on down from the elders. This interested him greatly, as he started to think that there was much to learn from the Ivysess. They too could learn and gain a lot from their stay in Zeltiva, and it certainly was a place of peace. So long as they abide by the laws and didn't create chaos in the city, he was happy to accept them as living individuals that deserved a chance.

Something reeked in the wind and it was a smell Ricky knew too well, in fact if he didn't know better than he probably wouldn't have been able to guess what it originally was. Unfortunate for him the putrid stench of Kelp Beer was something the father was quite acquainted with, enough to where he could practically pick up the stench from a mile away if given the chance. Thus when he grimaced at its presence the aroma proved to originate from a man who approached him, one that looked to be enjoying the day in his own way as he swooned a little during his walk. Ricky could relate honestly, given the fact Kelp Beer was strong enough to kick a bear flat on its ass, he understood well why it was the sailor's preferable drink. So why did it surprise him that this man drank it? Probably because the odor wasn't to be expected, since this wasn't exactly the ever popular Kelp Bar it originated from.

"Aye sir," Ricky remarked towards the strangers simple observation, "only 'ere t' make sure no trouble gits started is all." He assured the citizen with a faint smile, that was more less forced as he still stood with hands clutched behind his back. "Is t'ere a problem or somet'in ye need t' report sir? Or 're ye just out enjoyin' de day like de rest o' us?" Ricky more or less kept his eyes forward as he watched the crowds, but did spare glances to the man as though he were of some importance at least.