8th of spring, 521 AV
Aster needed to learn more about Zith. She was determined to try and dig up what information she could on her newest mortal seeming, and starting with the race seemed like the best option. She supposed she could always try and meet up with Nightblood again; but she wanted an outsider's perspective. She supposed calling it an unbiased perspective wouldn't be right, since just about every race were extremely biased against the winged beings; but she doubted the reliability of information she might get from Nightblood.
Besides, the Zith woman was already extremely baffled by her; asking questions about things that should be obvious to any Zith would just make that worse, and Aster didn't particularly feel like trying to have that conversation. Who knows how it would go; she remembered the sting of claws across her cheek vividly. No, Nightblood probably wasn't the best person to ask.
But if not Nightblood, then who? She didn't know of anyone who specifically knew about Zith. Aster had spent the morning mulling it over; if Nightblood frequented the outskirts of Sunberth, and assuming she lived with other Zith, then there must be at least some Zith presence on the outer edges of Sunberth. Which meant whoever lived or spent long periods of time away from the city would probably have a higher chance of having seen or interacted with them in-person.
Abruptly, Sunberth's graveyard keeper came to mind. He was a strange, surly man, intimidating to be sure; but Aster had previously had a few run-ins with the man, and while he was perhaps a bit scary, he didn't seem all that bad. He certainly spent a lot of his time around the Dust Bed, which conveniently, wasn't far from where the dovecote was located either. Perhaps it was worth paying him a visit to ask a few questions.
She didn't need to know enough to write a detailed history of the Zith; she just wanted to know what they were really like to people outside of their own. Her interaction with Nightblood had been strange, to say the least, but not necessarily dangerous or aggressive. Aster was fairly sure it was due to the fact that Nightblood had taken her for one of her own. What if she hadn't appeared as a Zith that night? How would things have gone?
Aster waited for early evening before she left for Sunberth. It wasn't quite late enough for her to shift yet, which made her a bit nervous; she very rarely dared to venture back into Sunberth before nightfall, with Alard still looking for her. But the Dust Bed was far outside the city, the dovecote was nearby, and night would be coming soon enough. She was getting too impatient to wait, and she was worried it might be harder to find Jebediah come night.
Stepping out of the dovecote and onto the rocky, grassy hills, Aster inhaled the smell of the sea and began her walk down towards the Dust Bed; she avoided the Ridge, where the more intricate crypts lay, instead heading for where she'd found him the one time she had come by with a body. It didn't take long to find him; the shifting sound of a shovel breaking dirt reached her ears, and Aster followed it.
Jebediah was finishing burying a body, shoveling the last few piles of dirt back on top of the grave. He glanced up hearing her approach, and grunted at her. "What d'you want?" He asked, then frowned, straightening up slightly to squint at her, eyeing her horns, glittering a gentle lavender and jade in the burning light of the setting sun. "Hang on a tick, I feel like I know you."
"We've met once or twice," Aster acknowledged. Jebediah continued to squint at her for a long moment, then grunted again, turning back to his work.
"No matter. What are you doin' here? Can't you see I'm busy." His tone was irritated as he resumed his shoveling, the muscles of his broad back flexing visibly even beneath his shirt. Intimidating indeed; Aster knew he was capable of hefting more than just dirt and bodies.
Word count: 691
Besides, the Zith woman was already extremely baffled by her; asking questions about things that should be obvious to any Zith would just make that worse, and Aster didn't particularly feel like trying to have that conversation. Who knows how it would go; she remembered the sting of claws across her cheek vividly. No, Nightblood probably wasn't the best person to ask.
But if not Nightblood, then who? She didn't know of anyone who specifically knew about Zith. Aster had spent the morning mulling it over; if Nightblood frequented the outskirts of Sunberth, and assuming she lived with other Zith, then there must be at least some Zith presence on the outer edges of Sunberth. Which meant whoever lived or spent long periods of time away from the city would probably have a higher chance of having seen or interacted with them in-person.
Abruptly, Sunberth's graveyard keeper came to mind. He was a strange, surly man, intimidating to be sure; but Aster had previously had a few run-ins with the man, and while he was perhaps a bit scary, he didn't seem all that bad. He certainly spent a lot of his time around the Dust Bed, which conveniently, wasn't far from where the dovecote was located either. Perhaps it was worth paying him a visit to ask a few questions.
She didn't need to know enough to write a detailed history of the Zith; she just wanted to know what they were really like to people outside of their own. Her interaction with Nightblood had been strange, to say the least, but not necessarily dangerous or aggressive. Aster was fairly sure it was due to the fact that Nightblood had taken her for one of her own. What if she hadn't appeared as a Zith that night? How would things have gone?
Aster waited for early evening before she left for Sunberth. It wasn't quite late enough for her to shift yet, which made her a bit nervous; she very rarely dared to venture back into Sunberth before nightfall, with Alard still looking for her. But the Dust Bed was far outside the city, the dovecote was nearby, and night would be coming soon enough. She was getting too impatient to wait, and she was worried it might be harder to find Jebediah come night.
Stepping out of the dovecote and onto the rocky, grassy hills, Aster inhaled the smell of the sea and began her walk down towards the Dust Bed; she avoided the Ridge, where the more intricate crypts lay, instead heading for where she'd found him the one time she had come by with a body. It didn't take long to find him; the shifting sound of a shovel breaking dirt reached her ears, and Aster followed it.
Jebediah was finishing burying a body, shoveling the last few piles of dirt back on top of the grave. He glanced up hearing her approach, and grunted at her. "What d'you want?" He asked, then frowned, straightening up slightly to squint at her, eyeing her horns, glittering a gentle lavender and jade in the burning light of the setting sun. "Hang on a tick, I feel like I know you."
"We've met once or twice," Aster acknowledged. Jebediah continued to squint at her for a long moment, then grunted again, turning back to his work.
"No matter. What are you doin' here? Can't you see I'm busy." His tone was irritated as he resumed his shoveling, the muscles of his broad back flexing visibly even beneath his shirt. Intimidating indeed; Aster knew he was capable of hefting more than just dirt and bodies.
Word count: 691
