Open Trading Lessons (Ashlyn Darkstalker+)

[Mo'esha]

84 Winter 515 AV
Early Morning

Mo’esha was still awaiting her meeting with the council. There had been no word on how long she might have to wait to plead her case, and she was beginning to doubt the small store of Mizas she’d managed to save from her work in Endrykas. So it was that she found herself in the Bazaar, bartering with a merchant to borrow a chair. She wasn’t entirely sure how the city might feel about unapproved work, but she was sure that they would frown much more sternly upon not working at all.
It took some time, and leveraging of her gnosis (about which she felt slightly sacrilegious), but eventually she came to an agreement that secured the use of a single, small backed chair and a minute patch of grass whereupon she was allowed to conduct business for the day. The freezing winter winds had begun to die down and the sun was shining brightly on the canvas tents of the market as she set up her makeshift workplace.The Bazaar was a buzz with early morning preparations, and intermingled with the mundane scents of people and wares, Mo noted hints of frustration, contentment, complacency, and worry on the gently flapping breeze. The sun was warm as it filtered down on a small patch of grass at the edge of her allotted area, and she prayed that it would remain favorable throughout the day, even if she had to chase it with her little chair.
Placing the chair directly in the sunlight, she sat down facing the market street, and propped a small sign - which she'd convinced the merchant to hand write for her - against her knee. It read simply, “Ask me for a massage.”

Word Count286

[Maya Lark]

Ashlyn walked around the Bazzar as she had convinced Tura'lu to go on to his work meeting so he didn't mess up his chances of getting the job. She had a meeting of her own later on in the week about working in the stables. Ashlyn looked at some of the daggers but crinkled her nose and walked on not needing another dagger at the moment. The young woman smiles at several of the other patrons seeing no reason to be nearly as paranoid as her mate that everyone was out to get them. Humming gently the young woman saw a rather peculiar sight, a young woman who had set up a chair and put a small sign out saying something about massages.

"What is a massage?" Ashlyn asked walking up to her curious to know more about things Drykas had every little time for. She looked to the woman once more wanting to know about such things.

"You are Konti yes?" Ashlyn asked knowing she was too pale to be a drykas, Inarta, or Chawkta.

[Mo'esha]

Mo’esha’s scales gleamed iridescently in the morning sun as she turned to greet the enquiring voice with a smile. The woman's curiosity tingled her nose like champagne bubbles, followed by a faint hint of... was that trepidation? Mo'esha tried briefly to identify the underlying emotion, but it was far to faint.
“A Konti, yes.” She beamed, happy to have anyone show interest in her makeshift workshop. The approaching woman’s common was thick with Pavi accents, and the familiar lilt of it brought a straining joy and nostalgia to Mo’s heart. “You are Drykas, no?” The Konti looked positively delighted as she rose from her chair, dusting it off and arranging it for a demonstration.
“I spent some time with the Opal Clan after I was...” The Konti woman trailed off, unsure of exactly what to say about her time in Kenash.Released? Kidnapped? Stolen?“After I was finished with business in Kenash.” She followed up, attempting to sound collected and professional, but as her hand lightly brushed the raised slaver’s brand on her cheek, it spoke far more than her trembling words ever could. “They are very good people. I don’t know what I would have done without their help.”
As she straightened herself Mo smiled, and the genuine honesty in her words was apparent in her sea – green eyes. “Come, come.” She waved Ashlyn toward the chair. “It is easier to show. I will explain while I demonstrate.” Mo gestured for the Drykas to sit backwards in the chair, so that she could comfortably rest her arms and chin on the low - slung back of the seat. “Free of charge. It is the least I can do for one of the Horseclans.”

Running Word Count569

[Maya Lark]

"Yes I am Drykas. I am here in town with my mate," Ashlyn said with a smile looking at the young Konti. She sat down on the chair the way the young woman told her to do so that it would be easier for the other young woman to do her job.

"You've been to the Opal clan? I have heard good things about them," Ashlyn said with a smile talking to the young woman. She smiles and put her head down enjoying the massage.

"I wish I could give one of these to my mate when he gets home from work," Ashlyn said with a small sigh thinking of Tura'lu.

The black haired Drykas turned her head some listening to Moesha as she spoke to the young drykas. She chuckled some seeing a man get slapped by a woman for whatever reason.

"You said you had been to Kenash. What is it like there?" Ashlyn asked not knowing the city was a sore spot for her. Ashlyn looked back when she felt the woman's hands still.

"Did I ask something I should not have?" Ashlyn asked not wanting to have offended the young woman by her not thinking before she speaks.

[Tura'lu Darkstalker]

Tura'lu leaves the job meeting irritated and frustrated they kept asking questions while tura'lu knew they read the papers he filled out .

He looks for Ashlyn a little worried for her he goes to the bazaar feeling like she would be there to meet people to know more then just drykas as time goes on and the morning begins to go to noon.He begins to worry a little bit more he see's a sign about some kind of reading and heads in feeling like Ashlyn would like it and wants to see if it's safe for Ashlyn to see later.

But instead he see's Ashlyn with some kind of person rubbing her shoulders as Ashlyn senses him in the room as Tura'lu glares at the person rubbing her shoulders.He is afraid this can easily turn into something worse as tura'lu doesn't know this person all to well this person can be a good or a bad person but right now Ashlyn's safety is all he cares about but he notices something blond hair fair skin as he walks to Ashlyn.

He sees the persons face there's a mark on the persons face he glances at Ashlyn to see if she is alright as he is relieved to know she is okay as she can see it in his eyes He is glad she is safe.

[Mo'esha]

Mo’esha deftly kneaded the woman’s shoulders and upper back. “A massage is really just rubbing and applying pressure to different parts of the body.” She demonstrated with the neck and shoulder muscles. “You help them relax by applying pressure to them against deeper muscles and bones and rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart. “ Mo’esha paused for a split second, but continued with a shake of her corn-silk mane. Kneeling behind the chair, Mo gradually worked her way down the woman’s back alternating petrissage and effleurage. “You are fine,” Mo said softly as she kneaded a particularly stubborn knot nestled in the well – defined tissue of the Drykas’ lower back. Mo admired the vivid tattoos there, taking care not to stretch or tug the skin too much as she applied light cross-fiber friction to help loosen the stiff muscles.

“I um…” Mo paused again for just a minute as she searched for the correct trigger point to effect the back. Should she tell the lady what she was thinking? Was it appropriate? Did it really matter? The Drykas she’d known, however briefly, has always been warm, kind, and understanding. She should talk about it a little. Maybe it would help. All these thoughts crossed her mind in the matter of a few seconds as she slid her hands back up to the woman’s shoulders and began the slow decent over again. “I was actually a slave in Kenash. It is still strange to talk about. But not your fault at all. In fact, it was your people that helped me across the Sea of Grass to start a new life here. I owe a life debt to the Horseclans for that alone. Their extreme warmth in doing so simply adds to the depth of my gratitude.”

Mo was so focused on her work that she did not initially notice the second figure approaching. The pressure and enthusiasm of her strokes slackened a bit as the acrid scent of suspicion and distrust assaulted her senses. Cocking her head to one side, like a curious cockatiel, Mo was startled to find a rather large man quickly closing the gap between himself and the makeshift massage chair. By the look – and smell – of him, he was none too happy to see the women there. And for a moment Mo’esha feared that, perhaps, he has been sent to close her down, given that she did not have city approval to operate. However, she quickly realized her concern was misplaced. Love and relief radiated from his eyes as he glanced toward the woman in the chair. Clearly this must be his mate.
Stepping away from the chair, to demonstrate her harmless intentions, Mo greeted the man warmly and explained the interesting arrangement to him. Knowing neither of their names, and realizing she had not actually introduced herself, she started there, “Good morning! My name is Mo’esha. I’m bartering massages today. This sweet lady was curious, so I offered to demonstrate for free as a sign of solidarity to your people. I’d be happy to show you too, or allow you to watch if you’d like…”

Mo gestured to the chair with a smile, the scales along the backs of her hands reflecting the mid-morning sun with an array of pastel colors. With a sweet, but determined smile she awaited the man’s answer, unwilling to approach the woman again until she was sure that HE was comfortable with the interaction. Old habits and all that…

[Maya Lark]

"Tura'lu this is Moesha. Moesha this is my mate Tura'lu," Ashlyn said with a smile introducing the pair formally.

She slipped out of the chair and popped her neck with a soft smile. Anyone looking at the pair would wonder how the pair had managed to end up together. Tura'lu had become untrusting of strangers when his family had taken in a young boy that ended up stealing from them. Ashlyn however had met the same young lad and escorted him back to the pavilion. She made the boy apologize and return what he had stolen from the family. Afterwards the woman gave the boy a few gold mizas and sent him on his way. The simple action of rewarding the boy for doing the right thing had confused Tura'lu completely.

Shaking her head some the woman took his hand and pulled him over to the chair.

"Try it my heart," Ashlyn said with a smile.

She had always used pet names to get him to do what she wanted him to do. Sitting him down with a smile the black haired woman bounced back in front of him and sat down where he could see her.

"There now you know that I won't go anywhere," Ashlyn said with a bright smile, "If Moesha doesn't mind of course." She said looking back at the Konti not wanting to put any pressure on her if she was uncomfortable around the par.

"You are lucky. Not all of the Drykas are that kind to outsiders. Most would have done the same as those in Kenash and taken you captive. The view on captives are changing just not very quickly," Ashlyn explained looking at the woman still sitting on the ground.

Her windmarks were done on her hips seeing as during the winter the woman did not want to remove her shirt to get it done on her arm. Tura'lu however has his windmarks proudly stamped on to his arm. From what the woman understood him to tell her, the man had bonded during the summer.