Of Breakfast and Archery (Tazrae)

[Elias Frostfawn]

Timestamp: 15th of Winter 521 A.V About two weeks had passed since he arrived at the veritable tropical paradise that was Syka. It was time for him to explore a bit. He had kept to himself until now, but the itch for social interaction was starting to make him stir and he had to leave the bungalows. Syka seemed safe enough, but he was still cautious. These people seemed friendly and accepting but he knew from experience how attitudes can change fairly quickly. Taking a deep breath outside, taking in the salty air from the sea and the fragrant smells from the tropical flowers that were always about he made his way away from his dwelling. He got his morning shower, the water hot and soothing and much appreciated after his time in the inhospitable wildlands. Civilization, he would never take it for granted again. Elias decided to start his day out with breakfast.Grabbing his money in a pouch and slinging his bow and quiver on his back he made his way out. He asked around the bungalows about a place that sells food and one of the residents mentioned the Protea Inn. Even more luck awaited, since the Inn didn't seem to be far off from his dwelling. Breakfast first, then he would see where the day took him. Making his way through Syka he was surprised at the amount of people who greeted him with a, "Good morning" or some other greeting. He would have to get used to such friendly people. He wasn't accustomed to such attitudes or indeed people in general. IT reminded him so much of home, this place. Well, all except the weather. Taldera and Avanthal couldn't be more different than the tropical environment he found himself in, but the people seemed in the same spirit and mind.The Inn appeared to be like any of the other structures around Syka. It didn't appear able to hold many people but Elias wasn't here for lodging. The resident he talked to moments before had practically raved about the innkeepers cooking. Elias was intent on trying for himself. Just walking into the Inn he could smell the wafting aroma of meats and eggs and fragrant flowers. He found his way into a large open area where he could tell the smell of food was definitely coming from. There was a fire warming the large area and a large table set in the middle of the room. Just then, he saw a lovely and slender blonde woman serving someone a meal. her smile seemed infectious and her hair caught the light in such a way as to appear a sort of caramel color. He decided to sit at one of the tables by the fire and it didn't take long for the woman to come over and greet him. "Ah, hello. I heard I could get...good breakfast here, yes?" Elias' voice faltered. He was always nervous about his tentative grasp on the common language. He had to often pause in the middle of whatever he was saying in order to find the next words he wanted to say.

[Tazrae]

Tazrae wove her way through the tables on the back deck by the large fireplace and stopped at the stranger sitting at a table by himself. She had a tray in her arms and set it down on the edge of the thick wooden table and set the still steaming pastry in front of him on its own little plate. "Hi there. You must be new to Syka." She said, offering him a smile as she set out a mug for him then pondered for a moment. "I've tea, fruit juice, or I can brew you some of the coffee people seem to like from down south." She added, having a carafe of juice, a teapot, and another pitcher of water - iced - on her tray. "Oh, we have ice water too." She added, shaking her head.

Newcomers weren't the easiest to serve since she had no idea what they might like. Taz was barefoot, like most of the denizens of Syka while in the confines of the city. She wore a crochet top that was loose-fitting over a bikini top and a bright colorful wrap-around skirt. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail and tied with a scarf. She wore a charm bracelet on one wrist and an armband on the other that formed the shape of a serpent.

When the man spoke, he had a heavy accent that wasn't altogether unpleasant. "I'm Tazrae. That's a bear claw... it's basically just a pastry that has an almond paste and brown sugar in it." She added, explaining what she'd put before him. "But I can make you anything you'd like. We have plenty of eggs, potatoes, bacon, even ham... and I can cook it up any way you prefer. Breakfast is two silver for as much as you'd like. We normally have yogurt and fruit with candied oats and nuts, but I didn't get the yogurt made last night so that's off the menu today. I can bring you a bowl of fruit too if you'd like." She said, smiling and then pouring his mug full of anything he selected as long as it wasn't the coffee that she didn't have brewed yet.

"What brings you to Syka? It's nice to see so many visitors. I can't believe how many people have stopped by recently just to peer in wonder at the jungle." She said, then retrieved her tray, hoisting it up in her arms. Taz smiled again, awaiting his final verdict on what he wanted for breakfast, then she'd see about fixing it for him.

[Elias Frostfawn]

As he marveled at the woman's garb he felt ashamed of his own. He suddenly felt as he would imagine a street urchin would feel at the palace of kings in his plain earth-toned clothing tattered and worn from his years in the wilderness. The clothing had been patched and repaired over time so his cloak and shirt were of several different fabrics and colors. He imagined he looked like a beggar, even though the woman did not wear the garb of nobility she still would appear as such next to him. Elias shook those thoughts from his mind, such thoughts would cause his eyes to falter from their base green color into some other hue entirely. Elias gave his best approximation of a warm smile and spoke in his broken common, "Fruit juice please. meat. Bacon, ham, eggs, if not trouble. Will pay extra. Very hungry." Elias said with a laugh. In truth, he was just looking forward to a good meal. Meat was what he was used to, fish in particular. The odors wafting from the kitchen had enticed him. Elias then noticed the serpent charm bracelet on her wrist. Strange, he thought. Typically people despised snakes. Maybe it was her favorite animal but it was something to talk about at least. "You like snake, yes?" The woman had introduced herself as Tazrae and Elias realized he had forgotten to do so himself. Typical, given his manners were severely lacking since he had spent years in the wilds. He remembered his first time entering Syka and not saying his name for the longest time in his conversation with Uta and the founders. "Apology. I am Elias. Pleasures to meet you." Elias looked down at what appeared to be a brown lump on a plate. A bear claw, she called it. It looked nothing like the claw of a bear, he had seen the creatures up close in Avanthal. He didn't think they had anything that bore such a name like this in Avanthal either, he certainly couldn't remember anything like it. These were his thoughts as he bit into the pastry. It was sweet, almost excessively so. The bear claw was good, he just wasn't used to such things. "Just looking for rest place, call Syka home," Elias answered the woman as to his purposes in Syka. "Hope that Syka can home be. It would be nice to lay root, no?" He hoped he hadn't mucked up the phrase but was almost positive he had. "Jungle beautiful, dangerous but beautiful," Elias added knowingly. "Do you go to Jungle? I follow Uta for gather of plants sometime" Elias asked wondering if she herself ever graced the dangerous wilds of her jungle home. Returning to the saccharine pastry that Tazrae denoted as a bear claw he likewise returned to his thoughts. Elias often got lost in his thoughts. When the only other person to talk to was An'un Dui it often was nice to have someone else to talk to, even if that someone was yourself. His thoughts were of the hospitality and kindness that the people of Syka seemed to naturally exude so often. It always surprised him how often complete strangers would care for one another and so readily offer of themselves to one another. It reminded him so much of home in Avanthal. He was just as often saddened that his social ineptitude and his hazy grasp on the spoken common tongue seemed to, however small, be a barrier to him. However, people seemed to go out of their way to communicate with him and understand him and engage in polite conversation. They made him feel welcome.

[Tazrae]

Tazrae nodded and poured him some juice. She would be hard-pressed to say what kind it was since she added all sorts of fruits to the mix with a base of pineapple juice and multiple citruses blended in. There was also a hint of mango and more than a little passionfruit, which gave the juice tiny black speckles. It wasn't overly sweet, but it was refreshing and hydrating in the warm Syka morning.

She nodded at his request, knowing just how to feed him now. "So, you eat like the rest of the men here. I got it. I can fix you up something that will fill you up." She promised, then smiled when he gestured to her charm bracelet. She also touched her armband, which was also a serpent. "I wouldn't have said I liked them a season or two ago, but I got bit by an eyelash viper. They are very poisonous snakes. I almost died. So I did some research, talked to some experts, and now I'm breeding snakes out back. They are Massurana. They look black but gleam in the sun with rainbow iridescence. They are mildly poisonous, but their fangs are in the rear of their mouths. They hunt snakes and are immune to the pit vipers that kill so many around here. I am breeding them to spread them about the settlement to help control the more dangerous snakes. If they bite you... it hurts very little. And mostly they don't bite... they are gentle for what they are. I can show you one later if you'd like." She said with another smile.

The Protea Inn had a whole separate section off to one side. It was a wide cobbled path that led out to a series of tall cages that resembled wardrobes with mesh for walls instead of wood. Each large 'wardrobe' provided housing for Tazrae's breeding stock snakes, all heavily decorated with driftwood, sunning rocks, and large basins for the huge snakes inside to soak in. There was a warning sign outside of The Reptile Garden that asked Visitors to please stay away. But Tazrae had been known to give a tour or two if the visitors seemed interested.

On the opposite side from the Reptile Gardens, Tazrae had a chicken house that provided her with all the fresh eggs her guests could eat. The visitors couldn't hear the chickens from the back deck that overlooked the beach. The Inn simply hid the whole affair from the guests, though the rooster crowing often woke them just before dawn.

"Nice to meet you, Elias. It will be lovely to have new blood in the settlement. We haven't had many visitors stay lately." She added, then smiled. "I heard a woman was with you too. Tell her she's welcome to swing by any time just to chat, or perhaps have some tea." She added, then gestured at his clothing. "It looks like you have been traveling hard. I think here in Syka we are a bit spoiled. We have this sort of miracle plant here... its similar to cotton, but its incredibly lightweight. Its almost indestructible once woven properly. They call it Isuas. Juli over at the merchantile will sell you shirts and trousers or anything really made of it. And it will wear better especially in traveling than cotton will." She said cheerfully. "Plus we like to dye it bright colors... so that's why our clothing looks new. It's not really." She added, giving him another cheerful smile.

"Tell you what... I'll tell you about the jungle but let me get you some food on first." She added, having liked the way he introduced himself and his strange accent. Tazrae couldn't place it, but it felt exotic as if he were from far far away. She herself had been born and raised in Riverfall, so she was most familiar with the Akalak and Drykas. Their accents were familiar, almost routine. But Elias was exotic... and evidently hungry.

Taz gave him a little wave and was off again, stopping by another patron's table to fill their teacup up, and stopped to take a third order. She really wasn't running a restaurant. The Inn was a place for people to gather and gossip, but she'd failed to plan out anything for this morning having fallen asleep early and forgotten to get her yogurt culture going so she'd decided to make it a short order day, where everyone could pick.

Heading back to the kitchen, she put on four thick strips of bacon for the newcomer, grabbed a knife and hacked off a thick ham steak for him, and added that to the grill. Then she cracked three eggs for him and sliced off two thick slices of her bread to toast by the fire while the meat was cooking. The ham steak came off first since it was already cooked from a left-over ham she'd baked the night before. Once the bacon were almost done, she set the three eggs to frying and plated him up the meats and added in the eggs. She then garnished the plate with a wide assortment of fruit slices and bites from the icebox so they were still cold. He could fill his belly with the protein and then finish off his meal with the fruit.

She delivered the plate to him, also dropping off a fluffy omelet to the guy drinking tea she'd worked on while his meat was cooking. Then she hovered to make sure everything was to his liking. "The Jungle...." She started out, picking up the conversation where they'd left it off. "It's the best part of Syka really. I thought it would be the beach or the amazing weather, but its not. The jungle is full of life. It has so much food and so many medicines. It's a giant resource that many people don't understand when they look at it. We get our special cloth from plants that originally grew there. We get our building materials, rope, wood, and so much more. It's a beautiful place but incredibly deadly. Everything out there will bite you, sting you, poison you, or try to put you in their belly." She added, shrugging. "You don't control the jungle... you learn how to co-exist with it." She explained, then excused herself to check on the rest of the patrons.

She moved around the room, visiting with people, passing out more tea and juice while handing out more of the sweet treats, and then picking up dirty dishes and starting new breakfasts for others. It wasn't busy. It wasn't crowded, but it was homey. Tazrae was doing more socializing than working. When everyone seemed to be settled and Elias had more than enough time to dig into his breakfast and make a good dent in it, Tazrae wandered back to Elias' table and made herself at home. She settled opposite of him, and rested her chin on her elbow and studied him openly.

"Syka's a good place to settle. What are you going to do with yourself here?" She asked, curiously, wondering if he was the next business Syka needed or what his plans were. "Are you going to start a business here or something? Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked, curiously.

[Elias Frostfawn]

The juice tasted pleasant. It tasted much like the bear claw did to his unrefined palate, a little too sweet from what he was used to but not unpleasantly so. It was definitely much less sweet than the bear claw. There was still so much to get used to, he thought to himself as he enjoyed the fruit drink. Elias would have been hard-pressed to name exactly what fruits the juice consisted of but it was fragrant and refreshing. Listening to her story, he thought she was remarkable. It takes a strong person to take a near-fatal encounter with something and not only be unafraid of it but turn it into a positive. Many people would still be shaken if they caught a glimpse of an earthworm let alone a snake and be traumatized by the experience. It was clever to take a snake-eating serpent and use it to solve a very real problem she experienced first hand. She had a warm smile and she was clever. Not a bad person to get to know. "I would like to see snake, if please," Elias responded giving a smile of his own. He never flinched away from new experiences. Animals, in particular, were a special interest. He didn't remember if they kept snakes in Frostfawn hold but they tended to a lot of animals back home. Maybe it would remind him of home just a little bit. Elias took a bite out of the ham after Tazrae had delivered the plate to him. It was far more than he would have expected from the price she had mentioned. It wasn't the only meal he had experienced in the five years he had wandered the wilderness. An'un Dui and him had often, maybe once a month, had stopped into a city or town and would keep a low profile while they gathered supplies and food in town with the little money An'un Dui could get from pelts and resources from the wilderness. Anything that she could sell she would and it would often amount to a few gold, enough for meager supplies and maybe a small meal for the two of them. She had surprised him with a large pouch of money she had saved those five years, "You'll need it in this town and wherever else you're heading to. Use it well." That's what she said when they were settled in. The meal Tazrae had set in front of him, however, was more than he had received in quite some time. More than the breads and cheeses he had been given from markets by An'un Dui. It was amazing as he dug in. He also heard what Tazrae had said about the Isuas. Embarrassment flared again as he fidgeted, his clothing was noticeable then. It would be the first thing he would do tomorrow, buy some clothes to fit in. The jungle was as she said. She spoke as someone intimately familiar with the workings and the dangers involved in traversing and existing within the jungle. Very useful if she could show him some of what she knew. An'un Dui seemed to thrive in the wilds, and he longed to do the same. Maybe he could invite her to an excursion out in the jungle. He might be able to pick up something. As the plate emptied out, Tazrae seemed to settle on his table. A business? Elias hadn't given something like that much thought. Before that winter he had wanted to raise falcons. He had grand ideas of being invited to lavish palaces and exotic locations as a master falconer and giving some of his treasured birds, birds of fine breeds, and from lines of noble blood just like the kings, lords, and ladies he would gift such creatures. Perhaps it wouldn't just be a dream. "I want to raise bird. uh...Falcon, hawk. That bird. Maybe become famous falcon man" he laughed."Maybe you show me jungle? I need to know surviving to catch such bird."

[Tazrae]

Tazrae offered him a smile. She was free enough with them, finding a lot in her new life to smile about. "I'd be glad to show you the reptile garden. There are even a few snakes there that are gentle enough to handle if you'd like to." She offered, glancing around, then adding in. "When the breakfast crowd wanders out." She said, decidedly, then leaned back and listened to him a while before she had to attend to her duties as hostess. Then she was up, making her rounds, and back again when his breakfast was almost consumed so he could eat in peace without worrying about entertaining someone.

"Raise birds? Like a birdkeeper?" She asked, tilting her head curiously. Her place was filled with bird feeders because she loved seeing the exotic contrast of birds here in Syka compared to the songbirds that ... oh wait. He said falcon, hawk... he was a falconer then? "You are a falconer then?" She said softly, looking thoughtfully. "I've seen a great many birds of prey in the jungle. Some of them were fairly large. But I only usually just see the parrots and tuoucans and some other more colorful things like minerbirds at my feeders. Of course, I don't think the scraps and bits I leave out for them actually appeal to bigger birds like that. I don't leave out scraps of meat, after all." She said thoughtfully.

"I can show you the jungle, sure enough." She added, wondering if she could tailor a sort of tour for him so he could see some sort of birds of prey on their way. She'd never noticed, just in casual observation, where they actually lived or if she could find some but then again there was no reason they wouldn't be able to see some if they looked in the right places. The problem is, Tazrae didn't know the right places. She could learn though, and explore with him.

Taz thought of what he said, really thought it over, and nodded. "I can help you learn about surviving in the jungle." She added, though could promise no more than that. She knew nothing about surviving elsewhere. "I'll tell you what.... you show me about birds and I'll show you about the jungle. I know about snakes and can teach you that too, but I know so little about birds themselves." Taz added, smiling. She loved exchanging knowledge with new people and learning things she did not know before.

"If your totally finished, I'll take your dishes and put them in the kitchen, then we can walk to the Reptile Gardens." She added, glancing around. Everyone else was either finished or on the way out. Taz waited for his consent then made a round of the whole place, gathering up not only his dishes but the few remaining stray dirty plates and glasses around the place. Then she laid out the remainder of the bearclaws with a pitcher of water filled with ice for anyone else that happened to wander in while she was off showing Elias the snakes.

"Ready to come to see the snakes now?" She asked, beckoning to him. If he followed, she'd lead him off the deck and down a path that ran parallel to the Inn. They walked along a path that branched off and Taz showed him really quickly that there was a shower set up with a cistern on the roof for heating water if he ever was in the vicinity and wanted to take one. Then, once past the shower, the cobbled pathway led to a bamboo and young palm grove that contained a series of wardrobe-like structures that had wire mesh for walls, and just the wooden frames intact.

The wardrobes were all painted a neat tropical white with dark mesh between the woods. Each wardrobe was landscaped with driftwood, water bowls carved out of rocks, and plants that were just sprouting. A cobbled pathway lead between each of them. Taz gestured at one or two overgrown things, but no snake could be seen. Well into the 'garden', Taz paused at one enclosure in particular and unlocked it with a key she kept hanging around her neck on a thong. She swung both doors wide and carefully reached in, pulling out the black snake with bright blue eyes.

"This is Relavi. He's a young male, small for his age, but growing bigger. He was sick when I found him, having swallowed a set of goggles, thinking they were an egg. I got him to regurgitate it, and saved his life." Tazrae said, turning and giving Elias a closer look. The snake wasn't actually black, though at first glance it looked as if it was. Instead, it was a deeply iridescent color that flashed more blueish purple in the sun. If he wanted to hold it, she certainly would gently hand it over to him carefully demonstrating how to hold it with most of its body supported in his arms.

"He's a Massurana... they are vipers themselves, but their fangs are in the rear and they rarely bite unless you smell like other snakes." She added, smiling once more at the snake. "He's being kept for stud for some of the females I have here. We have two females that are pregnant and should clutch any time... hopefully with a hatch in sixty to eighty days." She said, then leaned back against one of the wardrobes, let him look the snake over.

"It's important to understand snakes if you want to spend time in the jungle." She said softly. Then tazrae waited, certain he'd have questions.

"You can hold him if you'd like." She added, then would show him how to gently take the snake from her if he was so inclined.

[Elias Frostfawn]

The plate lay empty before him and he moved on to sipping juice while observing the people around him. The people of Syka, he had found, were mostly laid-back and fun-loving people. There were several colorful outfits amongst the breakfast crowd and more than one shirtless guy sipping a colorful drink much like the one Elias himself had. Several people offered a wave as he looked about himself and he returned it trying to appear friendly. Tazrae returned and he nodded, "yes.. falconer. I have experience with bird. Favorite have always being hawk...and owl." He added the owl, remembering the snowy owl he had trained along with his mother while he learned how to handle the majestic raptors. "I don't expect to capture falcon yet. Have no place to put, cannot take care of properly. Perhaps next season. But would like to explore jungle with experience person. I can tell you about bird, what little I know. I would like to know snake if you would show. That would be nice." He smiled and drained the glass adding it to the empty plate. "You would like help with washing?" Elias asked and held out five gold mizas. "For food and company" he offered. Elias followed her out as she guided him out to her snakes. He noted the shower and her offer. Elias had been bathing in the Common Pool with the other Sykans. That part proved tricky as he would have to make himself scarce as he washed off the disguise paint he would wear. That was when the magic that An'un Dui had taught him came in. Subtle changes to his face to make the color stable and his eyes remain their natural color was useful although at his level he didn't like to rely on it too often. Past the shower he marveled at the bamboo and palm grove and the line of wire mesh wooden boxes. Elias watched as she held a large black snake with blue eyes. It was brilliantly colored, and a beautiful creature to be sure. After Tazrae told Elias the story about how she had nursed him back to health and a short lesson on how to handle the creature Elias nodded when Tazrae offered to allow him to hold the snake. Relavi, she had said the creature's name was. From Tazrae's tale of helping the creature, Elias thought that she reminded him so much of his family, specifically his sister Ari who always seemed to find some hapless creature around the Avanthal to nurse to health. All, or at least most, of the Frostfawn hold loved animals, but Ari always had a special connection to them. Ari, he thought, or his mother. They both had special connections to animals, much like this woman seemed to have. Elias seemed to have met a kindred soul in that respect to Tazrae. "Snakes very important in jungle. Need to know how to avoid. Very dangerous if out in wilds and get bitten, yes?" He nodded adding to her statement. He couldn't tell how many times he had to be rescued from nearly running into a nest of snakes or laying under the wrong tree because of the deadly creatures.