PM to join [The Pigs Foot] On Dry Land (Kechaiya)

[Iosena]

It had been a long day, most of which had been spent trying not to get mugged. Roth had docked the Waterwife that morning to sell some of the fish they had caught and Iosena decided to explore. She was trying to find a space that she could use as a glass workshop. While her skills were no where near that of the Wind Reach master artisans, it might be enough for her to live off of.

After much wandering, she had found the Armory and discussed with the proprietor about using the furnace. It would at least be hot enough for her to work the glass into a mold until she could raise enough money for her own place.

She noticed the stares she attracted as she moved through Sunberth. Her burgandy hair and hawk like features stuck out in the crowd, even though she was shorter than most. Her billowy shirt and loose fitting pants were at least not too different.

After sometime her stomach began to protest in its emptiness, she was still getting used to needing to eat during the day. When she came across the Pigsfoot it seemed to be fairly busy and the smell of cooking food was pleasant, so she headed in. She placed and order at the bar and took a seat at one of the tables.

Iosena sat at a table toying with a small glass seabird, it was a bit crude, but still discernible. She had a mostly untouched pint sitting next to her, as she took in the other people around the tavern. It was crowded and noisy and there were so many different faces. Her patchwork of memories were mostly from Wind Reach, so she was still fascinated by features that were not Inarta.

There were those with dark hair and those with blonde, not touched by red. There were very tall people and even some closer to her own height. Much of Sunberth seemed to be a patchwork of humanity, with rare glimpses of other races.

She sat the bird aside as a plate of food showed up. Getting something hot that wasn't fish was a treat and she savored the first bite. She gave a small satisfied sigh and resumed her people watching.

[Kechaiya]

Timestamp: Fall 6th, 514 AV
Location: Pig's Foot Tavern
Time of Day: 19th Bell, just before Sunset

Kechaiya was exhausted as she moved through the streets under Syna's setting light. Her stomach grumbled, not having eaten anything since the apple she had this morning before her work day started. Her plethora of patients had her hard at work for the entirety of the day. Her hands and wrists were sore from the countless sutures she had to stitch, her back aching from hunching over the injured and ill. But it had been good for her coin purse, which jingled much more loudly than it had before. Deciding to treat herself rather than attempting to boil another potato, Kechaiya had started towards the Pig's Foot.

Arriving in front of the tavern, she could tell that it was, as always, in the full swing of things. Loud music, talking, men and women alike stumbling out to relieve themselves or vomit up their stomach contents into the streets, before heading back in to start it all over again. Pulling back the hood of her cloak, Kechaiya stepped inside. As usual, a few faces stared in surprise at her black eyes, comments were tossed out, then they returned to their drink and jest. Kechaiya looked around, not seeing many places to sit, and none that would allow her to be by herself as she preferred.

There was a table with a woman with flaming hair and large nose, eyes rather striking in ferocity, much like a bird's. There were no other companions there, so she figured that one stranger was better than many. Moving toward the table, Kech sat her pack next to the chair and removed her cloak, draping it over the back. With a simple, "Hello," she sat down noting the woman already had her food, and was fiddling with some glass item. The barmaid had come over, her excessively large breasts threatening to spill out as she rattled off the food that was prepared for today. "Chicken on bread and gravy," her thick Tawna accent spewing forth. When asked for a drink, she ordered a pitcher of wine. Manners from her life in Eyktol came forth, "I Kechaiya, who you?"

[Iosena]

Iosena noted the other woman as she approached the table, her black eyes, coppery skin and small stature stuck out as unique among the others in the bar. She had never seen anyone with features like this woman before and she had to make a conscious effort to look away before it seemed she was staring. Especially since the woman seemed to want to avoid any attention, so she looked back at her little glass bird and wondered where this woman could be from.

She jerked in startled surprise as the woman spoke to her, people around here mostly seemed stand offish. The woman's manner of speaking also took a moment to process, she looked up and gave her a shy smile, "Hello, I am Iosena, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Iosena sat the bird aside and resumed picking at the stew she had ordered. It was mostly a uniform brown color with chunks and little discernible content, importantly though it wasn't fish. Roth might be able to survive forever on fish, but she didn't think she could. She wanted to ask Kechaiya where she was from, but couldn't figure out a polite way to do so, finally she looked back up and asked "Have you been in Sunberth long?"

[Kechaiya]

Iosena sounded like a foreign name much like her own. She spoke Common much better than Kechaiya, but there was this strange sound to it. Kechaiya thought it sounded like a bird, like when those blessed by Eywaat spoke to the birds of the desert. But she couldn't be sure if the woman was foreign or not. When the question was put in front of her, she didn't mind telling the truth. It wasn't as if she could pass for a Sunberthian born and raised anyway. "Come here six years pass."

Her wine arrived and she sipped at it, finding it a bit drier and more chalky today. But this was Sunberth, not Ahnatep, so one couldn't be picky about the wine. "What that?" She was pointing at the little glass thing the woman had been fiddling with, as she continued to drain the wine down her throat. She couldn't finish the entire pitcher any time soon, but had found it cheaper than buying by the tankard, even if some was left over for the desperate drunks when she left.

She was starting her second goblet of wine when her food arrived, and she eyed it hungrily. The chicken was hot and white, covered in a yellowish white gravy made from the chicken itself, with a large chunk of crusty bread to accompany it. One might not think the small lass could eat the whole chicken, but they would be sorely mistaken. She ripped off a leg and tore into it, gravy getting on her cheek. She may have some manners in other aspects of life, but at the dinner table they were found entirely lacking. After all, she was brought up eating around the fire in the deserts of Eyktol, then as a slave in Ahnatep, then stealing food on ships she stowed away on, before finally ending up in Sunberth where manners made you stand out. It didn't take her long to completely strip the leg clean of flesh and muscles, dabbing at the gravy with some of her bread. She took another long draught of wine, before letting out a giant belch that elicited cheers from around the tavern.

"No like stew?"

[Iosena]

Iosena took a sip from her beer and made a face, it was not a flavor she was used to. So many things were taking time to adjust to here. She kept trying new things, to see what she might like and what she might remember. Kechaiya seemed to have quite a zest for her food and drink.

"This?" She gestured to the bird, "it is just something I made. I used to make all kinds of glass, but these little trinkets were my favorite. It just reminds me of times past. I was looking for a new place to set up shop today."

She poked at the stew and took another bite, chewing it very slowly. "The stew is fine, I'm just not used to the flavors here, everything is just a bit different. "

Iosena hoped her comment would not be considered rude, it wasn't that different was bad after all. She took a couple more bites of the stew to be polite, just in case.

[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya had seen the woman's face as she sipped ale. Kechaiya didn't mind a good ale every once in a while, but strongly preferred wine. She summoned the barwench over, "One goblet empty." The woman smiled and nodded, and scurried off at her request. Kechaiya listened to the woman talk, and found that she apparently made glass, and made the glass into other things. She'd never met anyone who could do such a thing. Kechaiya didn't have much of a head for things made by hand. She was pretty much just good with plants and fixing people. But hearing about such crafts fascinated her.

She listened to the woman finish speaking, and resume eating, "How make glass?" If she'd learned anything from other craftsmen, they could talk and talk and talk about their work. This gave her enough time to continue chomping at her chicken and listen all the while. Eventually the barmaid had brought another goblet, and Kech filled it up, and slid it across the table. "Try wine, no like ale." She was perfectly fine with sharing the wine, but there was no way in Hai she was sharing her chicken.

After downing half her chicken, the poor bird looked as if rabid dogs had set upon it. She flipped her plate around to start on the other side. But before she did, "No from here? Where from?"

[Iosena]

Iosena accepted the goblet of wine and took a small sip. It was aromatic, sweet, bitter and fruity all at once, she enjoyed the way the flavors played over her tongue. She gave Kechaiya a gracious smile, "thank you, I do like this better."

Her voice was a bit wistful as she spoke, "most of what I remember is of Wind Reach, but it has been a while and a lot of things aren't clear to me. I'm sure that sounds absurd, but it's terribly hard to explain it clearly. It is mostly coincidence that has brought me here. How about yourself?"

Iosena paused a moment to take another sip of the wine and a couple more bites of her stew. It actually helped give it a flavor other than brown. She wondered if Roth might like some wine, perhaps she'd have to find some to take back to the ship with her.

She picked up the bird again and held it out for Kechaiya to look at. "Glass starts off as sand, which is heated in a very hot oven to get it to melt. The temperature must be just right for the glass to be clear and for it to not be too brittle. Once it is a hot, mostly liquid, it can be shaped. This can be done by pouring it into a mold or manipulating it. This little bird for example, was made by twisting the molten glass into shape, while it was on the end of a rod."

She flipped the small bird over and points to a round looking flaw "that is where it was removed from the rod, a bit like a belly button."

Iosena chuckled softly at her own joke, "I'm still trying to remember everything I was taught, for now this is the best I can do. Around here I think practical items like bottles will sell the best though. What do you think?"

She took a few more sips of the wine, "what is it you do in Sunberth?"

She hoped she wasn't making the other woman uncomfortable by talking so much or asking so many questions. Her curiosity and having someone to talk to other than Roth, was getting the better of her.

[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya smiled lightly that the woman liked the wine, she had been right with her assumption. Kechaiya heard the name Wind Reach but that's all she knew, a name. The woman didn't seem to know, or didn't wish to say, how she'd come to Sunberth, much to Kechaiya's disappointment. When asked about her own arrival though, Kechaiya decided to tell her a partial truth. She was not willing to tell of her time as a slave, that she escaped by leaving her parents behind in chains and stowing away on ships for a year and a half until she finally settled down in Sunberth.

"I come six years pass from Ahnatep in Eyktol." It was short and succinct, just like the fire headed woman's own answer. Thankfully, the woman began talking about the glassmaking, giving Kech time to work on devouring the rest of her meal. The first surprising thing to learn was that sand became glass. Kechaiya was from an ocean of sand, and had no idea it could be used in such a manner. The fact that it took some sort of oven to make it melt made Kechaiya wonder just how hot it would have to be, since the desert got incredibly hot. As she got a little more technical, Kech lost a little understanding of it due to not know various words, but she got the gist of it. Melt sand, shape liquid glass, and then it become whatever you made.

"Is curious glass make from sand. Eyktol is days and days and days of sand in all direction. No know sand make glass. Sound hard."

When asked about her own profession, "I doctor. I fix people hurt. Father teach me. Use plants help heal. Very good doctor." Kechaiya wasn't normally a boastful person, but something about this conversation brought it out of her. She poured another goblet of wine and sipped at, before setting it in the center of the table, so the woman could refill her own if needed.

[Iosena]

"It would seem we are both far from home then. Perhaps you can give me some advice on making a new home here?"

Iosena took another sip of wine and her head began to feel a little fuzzy, as thoughts blurred around the edges. She rubbed her head and felt the tip of a horn breaking the surface and was sure her hair was getting lighter. She gave Kechaiya a smile and tried to act like nothing was amiss, she wasn't sure how the woman would react to what was going on, but she didn't want to make a scene and flee the room either. Perhaps the woman could help her find others like herself, others who had fallen.

"It can be very difficult to get glass just right. You learn to spot when it's at just the right point, but even experienced artisans make mistakes. Getting air bubbles out can also be difficult too. Like anything, it just takes a lot of practice and patience."

Iosena went to take a sip of wine and was suprised to find the goblet empty, so she took Kechaiya's invitation and refilled it. Knowing a doctor was never a bad thing, especially a good one, accidents happened in her line of work after all. "That's really interesting, do you like helping people? This city seems a bit rough, you must see a lot of patients."

She could feel Leth coming out and her memories began to shift. Dusk was always heartbreaking as she remembered what had been lost. She promised she would keep it together though, she had to learn to stay in control. A deep breath and some more wine and her nerves felt a bit better.

[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya looked strangely at the woman for her question. She was pretty sure she'd told the red head that she was a doctor, not a house builder. Kechaiya didn't know the first thing about building houses. It never even occurred to her that the word 'home' and 'house' were two completely separate concepts. "I doctor, no house maker." Then she realized that particular snippet wasn't very useful, so she said simply, "Use wood." Maybe doctor meant house maker in Wind Reach, where ever that might be.

Kechaiya was proud of herself when she suspected that all craftsmen could prattle on forever about their trade. She listened intently, finishing the last of the chicken, the other leg. Deciding to participate in this particular line of conversation, mouth a bit fuller than many manners might dictate, "Why no want bubble in glass? Bubbles pretty."

Kechaiya finished her food by swiping her bread through her gravy and finishing it off. Washing it down with more wine, she answered the woman's question. "I no like or no not like fixing. I good at fixing. Is what I do for mizas. Lots patients, every day. I have... six today. Is mostly gangster."

During the entire time Kechaiya had been watching the woman, she had seemed nervous about something. She'd been rubbing her head, flashing half hearted smiled, taking deep breaths to calm what appeared to be frazzled nerves. Kechaiya poured herself another goblet of wine, only now beginning to feel a bit of a buzz, "Is something bad? You act nervous, like child with lie."