[Aquillar Hot Springs]A Fortuitous Meeting (Firenze)

[Deltan Colari]

As Firenze drew back from him, looking rather abashed at her behavior, Deltan felt a faint pang of guilt. Once she explained her reasoning, that pang only grew stronger. She'd only been worried for him, and that made it worse. He'd snapped at her for not acting like almost everyone else in Sunberth. Still, Deltan wasn't planning on apologizing. He'd just make it up to her by being nice, he supposed. "It's all right... Thank you," Deltan said after a moment, giving her a smile. The mention of food broadened his smile, and he gave a nod of agreement. He was indeed very hungry. Despite Firenze's calming efforts, it seemed like Deltan really didn't need any calming. He knew she wasn't a danger--at least, not yet--so he was at his ease. The young man still kept an eye on her, though; one never knew who could turn out to be a snake in this city. "Good idea," he agreed, moving to follow her into the tavern here. It was a smart move; when one had to walk so far to get a good bath, many people likely made a day of it. When Firenze's stomach rumbled, Deltan simply couldn't help himself. He grinned and let out a laugh that was quickly stifled to avoid offending her. Really, it had been too long since he'd felt things were going his way, and he found himself feeling rather happy. Still chuckling quietly, he let Firenze speak with Max and get the prices. Then, once she made it clear she'd not mind shepherd's pie and juice, Deltan used some of the money Firenze had given him to pay for two portions. It left enough for him to get a room here for the night, cheaper than anywhere else he'd seen, and allowed him a chance at a real meal. Though Deltan didn't seem quite so excited about their lunch as Firenze, he certainly did want to eat. That gave him a thought; she was awfully happy to be eating, even happier than he was and he was the one who hadn't eaten much at all recently. Odd, though nothing suspicious. Deltan beckoned Firenze to a table, pulling out one of the chairs for her before moving to his own seat. This meal was on her, after all. It was only fair to be courteous. After removing his cloak and draping it over the back of his seat, he sat down and rested his elbows on the table. The young man studied Firenze, blue eyes scanning her briefly, though more in depth than he'd done when he first saw her; a taller woman, perhaps an inch shorter than he was at best. Though she'd just bathed, her slightly damp hair still had an untamed quality to it. Most women tended to brush their hair into a bit more order than that, though he thought that Firenze's hair fit her better as it was. She was very unusual for a Sunberthan, entirely too trusting and compassionate. Not that Deltan was complaining. It beat the usual suspicion and deception by a long shot. He was still curious as to why Firenze had been so dirty, but he supposed it would be bad form to ask. At least, openly. So, he went at it obliquely. "So, Firenze," he said conversationally as they waited for their food to arrive, "What do you do for a living? A lady who has mizas to her name in this city has to have some livelihood." Max brought them their juice, a fairly large cup each, and the young man offered him a smiling thanks. Really, he wasn't so irritable when things were going his way. Usually, he was fairly easy-going. It was only being robbed blind and left to die in a city that was only slightly more orderly during the day than at night. He reminded himself to catch up with the harlot who had robbed him and find a way to even the score, though that was a distant thought now. He was in entirely too good a mood to dwell on it.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

Deltan led Firenze to a table and they both sat. She was excited to try a new meal. She hadn't had a shepherd's pie before, but it sounded pretty good! She reached up and played with her locket while they waited. She looked over to Deltan and he was watching her, she wondered what he was thinking and then he spoke, "So, Firenze, what do you do for a living? A lady who has mizas to her name in this city has to have some livelihood."

She twisted the locket around her finger idly, "I like to hunt, I try to catch what I can and then sell it to butchers. They seem to like what I've brought them so far, at least I think so, they keep paying me for it. I like what I do for the most part, but sometimes it leaves me a little messy and smelly," she laughed a little and it turned into a smile. She watched his eyes, they were so brilliantly blue and she really liked them, they reminded her of a stormy sky right before it started to rain. "What do you do for a living, if you don't mind my asking?"

While she was waiting for Deltan's answer, the old man from the springs entrance brought them their juice. She reached for the cup and thanked the man. She took a sip to see how she liked it, it wasn't bad. It tasted sweet and had a little bit of a bitter aftertaste, it reminded her of the blue berries from the bush that she'd tasted. She watched the old man hand Deltan his cup, he smiled at the older man in thanks and then settled back into his seat. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

Fire wondered if he was from here, he didn't seem like someone who might be from Sunberth. Then again, most people in Sunberth didn't seem like they were from Sunberth. She didn't feel like that she was from here sometimes, she felt as though she were an outsider. She'd wondered when she was little what had happened to her parents, were they alive? Were they dead? Did they love her or miss her? Why did they give her up? She didn't think that she was a bad kid. She'd gotten into a little bit of trouble but it was mostly innocent, at least she'd thought so. Most people in Sunberth stole or killed or hurt people. She didn't want to be like that unless she absolutely had to. She felt like there was more to this world then making other people hurt. Life already made you hurt, why add to it?

Her thoughts turning dark, she looked down into her juice and she rolled the bottom of the cup on the table and watched the liquid slosh around.

[Deltan Colari]

The young woman answered Deltan's query, all the while toying with a locket about her neck. A hunter, was she? It sounded about right; she had smelt like one before her bath, and seemed to be decidedly lacking in the social graces that made Sunberth so appealing. Deception and merciless greed seemed to be notably missing from Firenze, though he'd not put it past her--or anyone in this city--to just be faking honesty to earn his trust. Still, Deltan rather liked her, if she really was what she appeared to be. Deltan joined in with Firenze's laugh, though he was careful not to agree with her. No need to tell her she'd smelt like she hadn't had a bath in days, if she already knew it. Besides, as a hunter there was some excuse. Her own inquiry about Deltan's profession drew a smile onto his facek that matched Firenze's. "Guard," he said with a shrug, "For caravans, most like, but seems I'll be wintering here in Sunberth until I can get back on my feet." As Deltan received his cup, he tilted his head forward a bit and sniffed at the juice. Not bad to the nose, it smelled something like blueberries, though a bit more tart. The taste wasn't much different, and it pleased Deltan greatly after days of nothing but water. The young man placed his cup on the table, saving the rest of the drink for the meal. He watched Firenze as she retreated into her thoughts, elbows resting on the table and blue eyes studying her steadily. After a bit, she took to playing with the cup she had been given. Deltan noted her down as a very physical sort of person; she seemed to need something to do with her hands no matter the situation. Unlike her, Deltan sat fairly still, though his boots did occasionally shift on the floor. He, too, was accustomed to action after all. "Miza for your thoughts," he said in a slightly softer tone after pausing for a moment to focus hypnotic energy into his words. Last time, it had been an emotion. Now? He was offering the faintest whiff of a suggestion. Open up to him... It was a weak suggestion, and surely would not override any desire of privacy on her part. He could have made it a touch stronger, but he wanted to see if he could use his own tone to help prod her in the right direction. Either way, it was worth the effort. This time, Deltan didn't feel a shred of guilt. He was just taking the opportunity to practice his hypnotism, and maybe lighten Firenze's mind at the same time. He owed her that much for her generosity.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

"Miza for your thoughts," Deltan said, interrupting her dark train of thought. She looked up at him, her eyes sad, "I was thinking about too many things... I was wondering where you are from though? You don't seem like someone from around Sunberth. Not to say that you aren't. You just look like... well, you've been on a long journey." She looked back to her cup, the rippling waves of red inside of it as she swirled it around. She sighed, she didn't know why but she felt like she could talk to him, that he was someone who might understand, "I was thinking about my family too. When I saw you and you looked like you were dead earlier, it reminded me of my parents. I don't know who they are, but I want to try to find out. I want to know if they're dead or not, and if not, why didn't they keep me?" She put her face in her hand, her brain didn't seem as full of darkness, realizing that maybe talking about what she was thinking might actually help her to figure out the questions she had swirling around in her mind.

She didn't mind growing up in the orphanage, she always had someone to play with or cause mischief with. So it wasn't like she regretted where she grew up. It wasn't like she was there very long anyway, not like the other children. Jillene wasn't all that bad, she was a little scary to look at and it always felt like she knew what you were thinking... or thinking about doing. And as long as you stayed out of her way, she didn't go out of the way to make your life miserable. Sure she was pretty strict and she didn't like when you were causing trouble, but she was never out right mean or cruel. Firenze paused in her thinking, I wonder if my family is happy... or if they're mean and cruel?

She looked back to Deltan's eyes and smiled, glad that he had asked her to share what she was thinking. It did make her feel a little better. She was still curious about where he came from and if he had any family and what it might be like to have a family. She reached out with the other hand that wasn't holding her head and grabbed his hand and squeezed it a little, "Thanks for your company. I just wanted to let you know that in case I forget to say. I have a tendency to forget things."

[Deltan Colari]

At first, Deltan didn't think that his hypnotic ploy had worked. Firenze simply inquired about his own origins. Then, the young woman went on, speaking of her unknown parents and her questions about them. From Firenze's brief words, Deltan surmised that she was an orphan. Well, that wasn't an unknown thing to Deltan. He'd known more than a few in his childhood. He was a bastard (technically speaking, at least) and had occasion to appreciate what he'd not had as a child. It must have been worse for Firenze, who had had no one. He pitied her. Instead of sympathizing outright with her as she rested her face in one hand, he leaned in a bit and rested one hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it before returning to his former position. "I'm from Syliras, to the west." The answer was softer than his usual voice, and he tried to carry his sympathy through that. He was tempted briefly to soothe her with his magic, but that struck him as...wrong. He'd not dull her regrets, even with his weak touch that seemed like it would desecrate her feelings. Practice was one thing, this was something else entirely. If he could comfort her, he'd do it without magic. Deltan suspected Firenze wasn't used to expressing her private thoughts as she was now, and he filed that down in his memory. It was probably a Sunberthan thing; in this city, making oneself vulnerable was a very bad thing. As a result, Deltan felt rather touched that she'd opened up to him. He knew that she might not have been so free with her tongue without his hypnotic nudge, but he did not feel it cheapened the gesture. His touch had been so weak, she could have done it anyway. When the young woman smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze, Deltan's eyes narrowed briefly in suspicion before he relaxed. She wasn't some whore who meant to seduce and rob him; her generosity--no matter how he helped it along--had proven that she'd had no selfish motives. It was simply a friendly gesture. Returning the smile, he answered, "Thank you. You're one of the only people I've met in this city worth knowing. I owe you for your gift." That much was true; most he'd met were scum and he did owe her a debt. That bit about memory made one reddish eyebrow raise. "Poor memory?" He inquired curiously, glancing over at Max and giving him a nod of thanks when he brought their food. Extricating his hand from hers with a small smile, he set to the food with a will. Deltan likely would have restrained himself in the presence of a lady...Had he not been hungry for the past couple of days. As it was, his food was rapidly disappearing, and he barely cared that Firenze saw. She'd been excited enough about their meal, so he thought he could be forgiven.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, after she had spilled her thoughts. She wasn't sure why she had done that, feeling it might be due to the fact that she'd been kind of lonely lately, she'd been out hunting a lot more than usual lately. Her increase in hunting probably because of the food shortage. It's been harder and harder to get a decent meal because of the insanity in the city. Everything had just started recently been opening up again and she was glad for that so she could get her things sold to the butchers.

"I'm from Syliras,to the west." She'd heard of that place before, she'd never been there but she'd heard it was a pretty decent place to live. There were knights there, she did know that, but didn't know much else about it. She wanted to ask him about it but thought it might be better saved for another time.

After she had reached out and squeezed his hand, giving her thanks for listening to her spiel about her worries, she pulled her hand back, cheeks flushing. Unsure why she had done that, she usually wasn't prone to touching people she didn't know. But then, she really couldn't say that she didn't know him anymore. She knew his name and what he did, that counted for something. He smiled and replied, "Thank you. You're one of the only people I've met in this city worth knowing. I owe you for your gift." Not planing on having him owe her for her mizas, she didn't say anything and noted it in case she needed to cash in the favor in the future. He raised an eyebrow at her after her comment of being forgetful sometimes, "Poor memory?"

"I wouldn't say poor memory, I just get a little scattered sometimes. You know, forgetting there's a fire in the hearth or leaving my boots in the middle of the floor type thing. Know what I mean?" At that time Max brought their food and she became distracted from the conversation. She noticed that he wasn't really holding back from eating, so she wouldn't either. The rest of the meal she sat in silence, eating her pie and enjoying it. Making a mental note to come back again if she ever had a couple coppers to spare.

[Avarice]

Greetings! Salutations! Hello! *insert all other greetings in ze world*

I am Avarice, your lovely AS of Sunberth; and I am here to inform you that there is something wonderful coming your way...A Grade! Yes. You've finished a thread and it was wonderful so below you'll find your hard-earned XP and Lores. Any questions? PM me! (Don't be shy, I don't bite...I promise!) Also, please be sure to edit your post in the request thread to reflect your having received a grade!

 

Deltan

XP

• Navigation +1
• Observation +5
• Intimidation +1
• Hypnotism +3
• Begging +1
• Socialization +5
• Flux +1
• Rhetoric +3

LORES

• Location: Aquillar Hot Springs
• Apparently, I Look Like an Inarta
• Max, Co-Owner of the Aquillar Hot Springs
• Wielding Hypnotism to Inspire Pity
• Wielding Hypnotism to Encourage Opening Up
• Firenze: The Woman with Unusual Eyes
• Firenze, the Charitable Huntress
• Deception by One Breeds Wariness to Others
• Self: I'll Comfort Without Magic

MISCELLANEOUS

• Gift from Firenze: +1 gm, 8 sm, 1 cm*Meal Cost Accounted For

 

Firenze

XP

• Observation +5
• Rhetoric +4
• Socialization +5
• Negotiation +1

LORES

• Hunger Breeds Agitation
• In Sunberth, All Illnesses Are Grave
• Helping a Total Stranger
• I Rather Love the Water
• Max, Co-Owner of the Aquillar Hot Springs
• Location: The Aquillar Hot Springs
• Deltan, the Syliran Guard
• Life Already Hurts, Why Add to the Pain?
• Why Did My Family Leave Me?

MISCELLANEOUS

• Expenses: -2 gm

Yours Truly,
- Avarice <3