Is There Anybody 'Inn'?

by **Oralie** on December 2nd, 2021, 10:00 pm

2nd Winter, 521av

Oralie had been standing a little way off from the Protea Inn for a few chimes. Her nerves jangled, though it had nothing to do with the building and its innkeeper, and everything to do with the fact that she had only just let it sink in as she watched Mathias walk back up the beach, that she was totally alone out here.

Of course there were other people here, but for the first time in her life Oralie had total control over her own path. She felt like a ship lost at sea. What did she know about making a life for herself? Nothing at all. Oralie could barely cook, knew nothing about houses or earning money or the myriad of other skills she would probably need now. She could barely even read and write!

Oralie took a deep breath, counted to five and then shakily let it out again. She repeated this a few times until she felt calmer. Loitering on the beach by herself wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She smoothed her hands down her cloak, though the action didn’t achieve much for the threadbare fabric, and grasped the strap of her bag before heading down to the Inn.

Her footsteps sounded loud on the front porch, and she stepped through the open door, casting her gaze around the large space inside. Ahead she could see a long table in what appeared to be a common area, with halls leading at right angles to each side of where she stood.

It was beautiful inside, the wooden floors shining and a breeze moving through to rustle the leaves of various plants about the place. It felt incredibly luxurious to Oralie, who was used to cold stone and sparse furnishings.

She took a hesitant step forward, further into the space, and then another. She couldn’t see or hear anybody else inside. She could see the common area a little better now, noticing the fireplace behind the long table. All the furniture seemed solid and beautifully carved and, feeling bold, Oralie stepped forward again to touch the corner of the table.

She took a moment to examine the space closer now noting the linens on the chairs, beautiful decorative shells and woven rugs about the place. Was this truly how people lived normally, or had she found herself in an expensive Inn that offered a higher level of comfort than what most people had?

Oralie steeled her nerves again before deciding to see if the Innkeeper was about. She licked her lips, put on a brave face and called out.
“H…hello?”
It wasn’t so much a call as it was a loud whisper. After a chime or so where nobody appeared, she resigned herself to the fact that she would have to speak louder, or end up standing around like an simpleton until someone wandered by.

“Um, excuse me?”
Oralie cringed, for her voice had never sounded so loud before, but in reality she was speaking at a pitch most would consider to be a polite call. She wrung her hands in her cloak as she waited, eyes darting here and there, never landing on an object for much more than a tick.

wc: 534

by **Tazrae** on December 3rd, 2021, 3:17 pm

At the sound of the first hello, one of the Protea’s longest residents stirred. A huge black and white Imperial Watcher lifted its head off the back deck where it had been sleeping in the sun and looked on curiously. He heaved himself to his feet and padded forward, sniffing the air and trying to determine if the new arrival was someone he knew and had brought him a treat.

Creature padded in through the open doorway. The Protea had few doors and no glass at all to keep out the sea air. Instead, it relied on shutters to close it off to storms and the sea breezes wafting in to keep it cool from the heat. Palms shaded much of the building during mid-day, and those areas that were exposed to the sun had small juvenile palms strategically transplanted so at least in the future they could do some good shading when they got bigger.

Tazrae had already fed the guests that morning and was at her desk in her philtering lab/office making plans on expanding the Inn upwards, making an apartment for herself upstairs. It would be a costly endeavor, but before she got to it, she wanted to plan out what exactly she wanted, needed, and how much it would cost.

When she heard the greeting, Tazrae put the lid on her inkpot and dipped the wet nib into the water, wiping it off on the ink-stained towel she kept for cleaning the pen. Rising, she slipped out from behind one of the movable barriers that walled off her office from the kitchen and called out… “I’m in the kitchen.” To the newcomer. Giving her hands a quick wash at the sink using a bit of a pump at the wellhead, Taz wiped them dry on the washing towel and turned to face the newcomer.

“Hello there. I’m Tazrae. Are you looking for a room or can I help you with something else?” She asked, already reaching into the icebox to pull out a pitcher of fruit juice. She poured two wooden cups full, offering one to the newcomer, and returning the pitcher to the metal box holding its enormous ice block.

“Have some cold pineapple juice mixed with mango and papaya. Are you hungry? I have meat we can slice and bread to make a sandwich with.” She suggested, eyeing the visitor and wondering where she came from. “Did Captain James get back with The Veronica already? I missed seeing him sail into the bay if he did.” Taz said, growing a little excited. She had things on order from him and should be down at the dock helping to unload the ship if indeed the Veronica had put in.

Tazrae picked up her own juice, sipped, and pulled out a chair at one of the bigger tables in the kitchen for the newcomer. “Sit sit… be at home.” She added, waiting for the woman to introduce herself and let Tazrae know what she needed.

A large emerald and sapphire lizard roughly the size of a horse poked its head through one of the exterior windows. “Do we have guests?” She asked, flicking the air with its purple tongue. Taz turned and laughed. “Bree, trying to scare the guests…. Both of you.” Tazrae chastised as Bree removed herself from the window and Creature gave his tail a wag as if to show he was non-threatening. “The Ixam is Bree… and the dog is Creature… you can call him Creech though.” She added laughing slightly.

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by **Oralie** on December 3rd, 2021, 9:00 pm

It didn’t take long for Oralie to hear movement, her keen hearing picking up steps that definitely did not belong to a human. There was a faint clicking of what she guessed were claws coming from somewhere behind her and she turned, but couldn’t see anything yet.

Not even a chime later she heard a female voice call out from the kitchen, presumably belonging to the Innkeeper. Oralie took a breath. “Okay… brave face, she sounds nice Or…” She stepped forward, entering what she assumed to be the kitchen from the direction of the voice.

Large golden eyes roamed about the room as she entered, amazed once again at the beautiful space. She had thought that her master back in Syliras had been wealthy, but his house had been nothing like this at all. Or perhaps this was a different sort of wealth, as it sounded from Mathias that the people here lived very differently to anywhere else she had heard of.

Oralie blinked at the woman when she turned, nodding in response to her question. “I uh… yes, please. I would like a room if you have one.” The Innkeeper, Tazrae, was very lovely. She seemed to radiate warmth and Oralie kept looking admiringly at her beautifully curly hair. She felt incredibly plain and scruffy in comparison, in her threadbare cloak and three-times mended shoes.

She politely took the offered cup of juice, noting the bright colour of the liquid. She sniffed it hesitantly, unsure what any of the contents Tazrae had just listed were. “I actually am a little hungry… but I can wait until a mealtime.” Oralie had zero social skills and was acting more like a timid mouse than a confident ocelot, but she was trying her best. At least she wasn’t visibly shaking.

She nodded again. “Um, yes. I came on the boat… ship? M...Mathias showed me your Inn after it was unloaded. He thought this would be the best place for me to stay.” Oralie watched Tazrae sip the juice, so she eventually tried some of her own. Much like the piece of melon Mathias had given her earlier, this was equally as delicious.

She took a chair at the table when invited to, sipping the juice a little more. Tazrae was looking at her expectantly. “Oh, my name is Oralie. What… uh, what is a pineapple?” She wondered if she was going to have to learn how to make all these things herself. There seemed to be a lot of foods she had never heard of before.

She was about to take another sip of the delicious juice, when a huge something appeared in the window. Oralie’s golden eyes widened, the pupils dilating into slits and a tiny squeak of alarm passed her lips. The thing then spoke, spoke! Oralie promptly sloshed juice all over the Innkeepers lovely table.

Tazrae seemed totally unfazed, laughing and turning to respond to the creature. Oralie’s heart was thumping in her chest and she was sure everyone could hear it. She forced herself to relax, for if there was any danger then surely Tazrae would not be laughing. Hand shaking, she placed the cup back on the table next to the puddle of juice before she could spill anymore.

It was then that she noticed she must have called on her mark out of fear, for a very conspicuous glow was emanating from her left hand. She quickly pulled it off the table and into her lap, though she wasn’t sure how long it had been active for by then so anyone could have seen it.

“Ixam?” Her voice was a little higher pitched than it had been previously and she took a couple of breaths to try to calm down a little more. She then dropped her gaze to the dog. Dogs she could do, for there had been plenty of them in Syliras. This one seemed affable enough, even if it was a bit larger than what she was used to.

Oralie looked again at Tazrae, abashed. “I’m sorry about the table, do you have a cloth I can clean it with?” Her eyes slid to the window again, though the creature was no longer there. “I just… it… she? Made me jump. I’ve never seen anything like, well, I’ve never seen anything like anything here before actually.”

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by **Tazrae** on December 4th, 2021, 2:50 pm

Tazrae nodded. “We have six rooms open at the moment. Until The Veronica arrives that is, then we might get a few more visitors. Well, it already arrived, I mean so more might be coming... I don't know. I’ll take you on a tour and you can pick whichever one you’d like. My room rates are 120 gold mizas a season, and that includes all your meals and access to the guest and main deck, firepit on the sand, any games, and the paddleboards. I’ll even throw in a lesson or two if you’d like.” Taz assured her. Taz took a second look at her then, realizing her clothing was somewhat tattered and looked like it belonged more in a rag pile than anything else.

“You know, I’m looking for help for the Inn as well. I’m getting busier and busier and planning on adding an upstairs apartment and more rooms. So, if you know of anyone who is any good at cleaning and would be willing to learn a bit of cooking… I’m paying 3 gold mizas a day and I can take room and board out of that… it would be 273 gold mizas a season minus the room fee… so somewhere around 153 gold mizas a season. It’s a bit more during the winter with the extra day, but it’s not everyday work, just when the Inn has guests and a bit of cleaning when we are empty. I’d give bonuses for events… for we sometimes host parties and weddings, and if you took over some of the cooking eventually there would be raises available as your ability to cope with things grew.” Taz threw in. The girl looked strong but somehow fragile, a beautiful mixture of both. There was a delicate fierceness in her that Taz wasn’t certain about. Her eyes were an unusual color, almost Benshira, but she didn’t have the dark skin for it nor the other features Tazrae had grown used to seeing in her people. The Innkeeper didn’t want to be rude and ask about her race.

Oralie said the magic phrase to Tazrae… it involved the word “hungry” and “I’m”… so the Innkeeper was up and in motion almost immediately. She tossed some logs on the woodstove, stirred up the coals below, and pulled out the skillet. She had a scoop of butter in the cast iron pan and just as soon as it was sizzling, she sliced off some pork belly fat into bacon and had it sizzling on the fire. She cut five thick pieces for the girl and when the meat was done, she fried her up three eggs. Meanwhile, she toasted her two thick slices of fresh tropical bread and put the whole plate in front of her in less than eight chimes, while handing her a fork and knife. She added a crock of butter to the table in front of her and a small jar of jam. “Eat. No one stays hungry here. We’re an Inn. It’s what we do. “ She said, still talking to Oralie as she bustled about the attached kitchen cleaning up after the breakfast preparation.

While making breakfast, Taz had wiped up the juice, refilled Oralie’s wooden mug, and hadn’t batted an eyelash at the spill. She’d missed the light in the girl’s hand as well, making sure that the bacon hadn’t burned in the frying pan. “The table is made of tropical wood. It’s grown that big being wet. It will thrive far into the future being wet again. Besides… it's only a table. Bree was trying to make you jump.” Taz replied.

The Ixam, head still poked through the window, started to protest. “I was just seeing who the newcomer was. I haven’t seen her before and she smells like a cat.” Bree retorted, her tongue flicking out and tasting the air again. Taz looked puzzled at that statement, but didn’t counter Bree or question Oralie. It was possible the girl had a cat or even was a cat.

“Pets are welcome here if you have a feline companion. Just clean up after them.” Taz replied, trying to put the already jumpy girl at ease. She offered a smile to Oralie’s words. “Syka takes some getting used to. Things are really different here. There is all manner of creatures you’d likely have never seen before… and because of a statue in the heart of the settlement, all the birds talk, even the littlest ones. They don’t say much of interest, but they can if they are motivated. People eat all sorts of things here that you might not see them eating elsewhere. Snake is probably one of the biggest proteins we ingest, but all sorts of sea creatures too. And no one really cares much about clothing when it gets hot, so don’t stare too hard if you see people without it.” Taz replied, then sat herself down to nibble on a piece of toast while Oralie finished her breakfast.

“Is there anything, in particular, you wanted to do while you are here? Are you sightseeing or just visiting for some relaxation, or are you planning on staying a bit? I should have asked you that before I offered you a job.” Taz said, glancing around. “And if you are looking for a job but this one isn’t the type of thing you are looking for, there are a lot of other jobs available around the city.” She added, knowing that a lot of the budding businesses needed help now that Syka was open for tourism.

by **Oralie** on December 4th, 2021, 6:57 pm

Oralie listened attentively as Tazrae explained the Inn to her. It sounded delightful and she decided that she would have to try all the games and see the firepit, both things she had never experienced before. And while she also had no idea what a paddleboard was, she found herself nodding as Tazrae was speaking of lessons.

She noticed then, that Tazrae’s gaze had lowered to take in her clothes and Oralie shifted a little in her chair. She whished that she could look as pretty and neat as the woman opposite her, but she didn’t even know where to start. All of her clothes were much the same shade of beige or brown and all of them had patches darned into them. It had become apparent that they were totally wrong for this new place the moment she had stepped onto the sand and she wondered if the shop she had been shown earlier might carry something more suitable.

Her head tilted ever so slightly, much as a cat or a dogs might do when being spoken to, as Tazrae went on to explain that she was after some help for her Inn. It sounded like a wonderful proposition to her. Oralie was good at cleaning, and she was sure she would like cleaning a place as nice as this. She would have loved to learn how to cook too. She had tried at her master’s house, but had never been allowed to do much more than spread butter on bread.

While she was thinking it over, Tazrae had practically leapt out of her chair before she’d finished speaking. Before Oralie could protest that she didn’t have to go out of her way to make a meal, Tazrae had a fire going and was starting to melt butter in a pan. A delicious smell soon accompanied a sizzling noise, and she desperately wanted to go over and watch, but remembered being reprimanded by the cook in her master’s house whenever she had so much as breathed in the direction of the food being prepared.

So distracted by the food cooking away was Oralie, that she jumped again when Tazrae swept over to mop up the juice on the table. She gave an ‘oh’ of response, and flicked her gaze hesitantly back to the creature in the window. The flickering tongue unnerved her, and Oralie’s golden eyes rounded a little in surprise at the statement it made.

When Tazrae set the plate of food on the table, Oralie gaped at it for a moment. She had never had so much to eat all to herself before. She picked up a slice of the toasted bread and smeared some butter on it, forgetting to add jam until she had taken the first bite. She dipped a piece into the egg yolk, copying what she had seen her master do once, and a small noise of satisfaction sounded in her throat as she ate it.

Oralie shook her head at Tazrae. “I uh, I don’t have a cat.” She paused, wondering how much explanation she should give. Mathias hadn’t even blinked when she had told him, and it seemed that most everyone here was much the same as he. “I’m an ocelot, a Kelvic, I mean.” It was probably best that people knew about her, especially if she wanted to live as her Kelvic self here. It was still terrifying though, to tell others about it after what it had meant for her in Syliras.

She listened gratefully, still working her way through the meal, as Tazrae explained a little more about Syka and what to expect from the place. Her gaze flickered over the Ixam again. “Do the um, lizards speak too?” Oralie wondered just how much of the local wildlife was able to do so.

“I am hoping to stay here actually, for a long time if I can.” She was certain that her old master would never follow her here, as she had never heard the word Syka before in Syliras.
“No, I would like to work here please, if you’ll have me. I’m good at cleaning, really good!” Speaking of work was the most animated Oralie had been since she had arrived. It was a safety net of sorts to her. Work was all that she knew. “I am afraid I don’t know how to cook very much but I am sure I can learn.”

She peered round the kitchen, eyes lingering again on the window through which she could see the ocean. “I don’t know what else I would do… I’ve never been allowed to…” She broke off, realising what she had been saying. “I mean, there was not a lot to do where I am from. What… what do you like to do? I suppose I want to find some new clothes...” She trailed off again, since that wasn't exactly an activity and cast her gaze at the table.

"Let me clean this up." Oralie began to gather up her plate and cup, planning to take them to be washed. Cleaning was good, cleaning was calming and her nerves were starting to jangle again.

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by **Tazrae** on December 5th, 2021, 2:55 pm

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One of Tazrae’s favorite parts of being an Innkeeper was just sitting around getting to know the guests. Oralie was a pleasant person to be with and Taz enjoyed feeding her. The revelation that she was a Kelvic took Tazrae by surprise. She hadn’t known a lot of them, but she’d often thought of them as more bestial, prone to mischief. The people of Riverfall had kept them as pets and used the pretty females as …

It wasn’t something Tazrae wanted to think about. Things had happened in her life recently that had shown her the dark side of humanity. It was something she’d been blind to before because she’d been sheltered and protected, raised to be safe she thought… though in truth she had been raised to be chaste and pure to be accepted into that side of humanity. She’d fled from it all, coming to Syka to start a new life. And staring across the table at Oralie, she wondered if she too had come to escape things.

“Well, keep the shed hair down in the Inn and we’ll be fine. Syka is a good place for Kelvics, Oralie. Clothing or lack thereof isn’t a problem and the wilder you are as a creature the more you seem to fit in.” She said softly, then added. “A lot of people come here to get away from the world and to hide; starting over with a new life. I did. Those people that seek shelter here tend to bloom and grow strong. I don’t know what your past is, but if you’ve managed to get here, then you’ve managed to go a long way to changing your life and improving your future. If you let the people here get to know you, they will protect you.” She said thoughtfully, not certain she was right about Oralie, but covering the basics in case she was. “There is a strong sense of community and once you are one of us… you are one of us forever.” She said thoughtfully.

“Bree is special. She is under the influence of magic that makes her sentient and able to speak. She’s one of a kind and won’t hurt you.” She said, glancing at the lizard who had joined them after a fashion via the glass-less window. She would have come right in if the guest hadn’t been new and if it wouldn’t have potentially scared them. “She’s very smart too. If you like long walks, make friends… she loves the water and running on the beach. She can be a very good companion.” Taz affirmed.

Bree snorted. “Very good? I’m the best companion. If you get tired, I’ll let you ride me home.” She explained, then gave a very sharply wicked toothy grin.

“Of course you can work here. If you already are good at cleaning, that’s a bonus. I need the help… and I will be expanding this season if I can.” She added, then laughed when Oralie admitted she didn’t know how to cook. “That’s okay… cooking isn’t hard to learn, especially the basics, and I am a patient teacher.” She added, then looked thoughtful as she listened to Oralie’s question.

“I forage for food for the guests, pick fruit, walk the beaches, fish, throw crab pots and lobster traps. Bree and I wander the jungle and explore all the ruins that are everywhere here. I sing and play instruments, throw parties, mind the Inn. I collect flowers for my garden, raise chickens, and put out seed and kitchen waste for the birds and insects.” She added. Did she have any other hobbies? Probably, but the most prominent one was the obvious one. She was a cook and Innkeeper, but that wasn’t really a hobby. It was a profession.

“The mercantile will have some clothing for you. Ask for Isuas cloth. It’s very thin but very durable and will protect you from the sun and wind, but feel like nothing at all.” She said thoughtfully. “We can swing by Juli’s place – that’s the mercantile – after we get these dishes clean and you select a room.” Taz added, helping Oralie gather up the dishes, but instead of letting her do them, she insisted on showing her the rooms instead.

Tazrae was currently sleeping in one, but that didn’t stop her from showing Oralie all of the rooms and letting her pick her own. Taz tended to sleep on the small side of the L-shaped building in the room closest to the kitchen. She vacated it for a tent on the beach when the Inn got full. The room that shared the bathroom with hers was open, and so too were the four on the long part of the L-shaped building. Each pair of rooms on that wing shared a bathroom as well. Taz then took her outside, showed her the outdoor shower, the chicken house, and carefully lead her through the reptile garden. Then she pointed out the names of some of the flowers growing around the Inn and gave Oralie a few minutes to herself to select and move into a room while she washed the dishes up.

When they were done, Tazrae took her down the path to The Commons of which the Mercantile sat on the northern edge. Playing tour guide, Tazrae showed Oralie the place Mathias lived, where the bungalows were, and when they could see them by the path… the overwater ranchos. She’d show her other places too… after she got her shopping done… if Oralie wanted.

Climbing the steps to the Mercantile, a young woman was setting out new boots that still smelled of the tanning process. “Nice boots…” Taz commented, then pointed at Oralie. “Juli, this is Oralie. Oralie, Juli.. she’s the daughter of Captain who’s ship you rode over on. Oralie needs some Isuas clothing to survive here in Syka… hers is falling apart.” She added, and turned the young woman over to the owner of the Mercantile to show the girl what she had for sale that particular day.

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by **Oralie** on December 5th, 2021, 7:03 pm

The hint of a smile twitched at the corners of Oralie’s mouth with Tazrae’s comment on shedding hair. It had been a long time since the expression had graced her face and it felt unfamiliar to her. Her golden eyes came up to fix on the clear, bright blues of Tazrae as the Innkeeper continued to speak, her voice a little quieter than it had been.

Oralie’s expression took on an almost mournful guise as the woman spoke of hiding from the past, but it gradually turned to one more hopeful as Tazrae confided that she herself had done so. It was nice to know that she was not alone, but in a good way. That other people here might know how she was feeling, or what she had experienced was almost a relief.

Tazrae didn’t pry into Oralie’s past, but the Kelvic felt that she would have told her some if she had asked. There was something comforting about her. Perhaps it was the caring aura that came with being an Innkeeper, but Oralie felt it was more than that. Her golden eyes hinted at a smile, even if the expression was absent from her mouth. “Thank you.” It had been exactly what she had needed to hear.

Eyes slid to the Ixam again, head tilted in curiosity at the creature. Did Oralie like long walks? She didn’t know, but she would have to try one and find out soon. She wondered how a person would even start riding a giant lizard, and decided that if she were perhaps to try a walk with it, she would do so as an Ocelot.

“Oh that is a lot of things to do!” Oralie thought she would like to try some of them too. She really had no idea what she liked, having never been able to do anything for herself before. Her eyes widened when she realised what Tazrae had said. “You go into the jungle?” She imagined that either Tazrae or Bree, or perhaps both were fearsome then, though the Innkeeper at least seemed far too lovely for that.

Oralie reluctantly let herself be steered away from the sink, though that reluctance quickly changed to delight as Tazrae showed her all the rooms in the Inn. The bedrooms were just as beautiful as the main spaces, all hardwood and draping linen. Oralie felt like she was an important person choosing to live in luxury, for compared to her old life, that was what this was. A very small smile did manage to break onto her face when Tazrae showed her the chickens, for the birds all flocked to the front of their enclosure in a noisy cluster when they saw the Innkeeper. The snakes made her hesitate, but their colours were mesmerising and she was soon peering into their enclosures with wide eyes.

Back inside, Oralie put her single bag in room three. She almost chose room two, to be as close to another person as she could, but told herself that she needed to be braver here and that she would still be under the same roof as at least one other person, even if they weren’t sharing walls. She found Tazrae waiting for her when she exited, and followed her back up to the Commons.

While there was not a huge number of buildings here, she suspected it would take her a little bit to remember where everything was. The Mercantile was easily found in the main cluster of buildings, and Tazrae quickly introduced her to Juli, who chuckled good-naturedly at the Innkeepers words. “I can see that! Come on inside and let’s see what we can find you.” She gestured to the door, which Oralie moved through, and then shot a glance at Tazrae that said ‘where did you fish this one up from?!’.

Inside, Oralie was gazing around at the sheer volume of things, many of which she had not seen before. Juli clapped her hands together, which made Oralie jump, and smiled at the Kelvic. “So, clothes. How long are you here for?”
“Oh, um… a long time I hope.” Juli nodded and headed over to where various items were hung up and started to pull some things off, holding them up to show Oralie. “What sort of thing do you like?”

That question again. What did she like? Again, she didn’t know. Oralie had never been allowed to choose her own clothing before. She pointed at a plain cream skirt Juli was holding up and the woman raised an eyebrow before handing it over. The material felt very light but sturdy in her hand.

“It’s Isuas cloth, pretty much everything here is made from it.” Oralie nodded, remembering what Tazrae had told her earlier. “Now tops…” Juli saw Oralie’s gaze go to the neutral ones on the rack, and instead pulled off a couple of bright ones with a knowing smile. “You need some colour girl! She handed over a jewel green blouse and then had Oralie choose between an orange and a pink. Oralie glanced over at Tazrae, hoping she would help her choose.

Next a dress was added to the selection, made of a cream material with a yellow pattern running over it, the brightest Juli managed to talk her into getting. Some sandals, a bikini and a woven hat also went onto the small pile on the counter.
“Are you going to be going into the jungle?” Oralie stared at Juli with alarm and the woman laughed. “I guess not. But if you ever want or need to, you come to me and I’ll sort you out, okay? You could probably make do with a few extra bits for the time being though.”

Oralie ended up with a few kits for survival, fishing and preservation along with some insect repellent and a new waterproof backpack. After she had paid and managed to fold everything into the backpack, Oralie hefted it back outside again, looking over at Tazrae. “I’ve never had so many things before!” It had been exciting, choosing, knowing that this time it was for herself to keep. “Thank you for your help, Tazrae.” An actual smile wound over Oralie’s mouth. The two women were so unlike the people she had known before, and it was hard not to feel buoyed in their presence.

ledger :

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by **Tazrae** on December 12th, 2021, 4:08 pm

“Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go into the jungle alone at first. I had to have many many lessons from Randal, one of the founders here, before it was safe for me to go alone.” Taz warned, knowing the young kelvic might try something on her own. “If you ask him, he’ll take you out as well, I’m certain.” She said, knowing it was the truth. Randal loved time in the jungle, especially one-on-one with new people. He loved teaching them about what he loved and bringing their knowledge up to the point they could survive alone or in an emergency situation. “You should make friends with him. A good place to start is to visit Mathias, another founder, who often fishes off his dock at night. He loves it when people drops by to join him and the conversation is always fascinating.” Taz added, knowing what she said was the truth. She should take her own advice and visit him more… she usually learned a good deal. “If you hang out with Mathias, sooner or later, Randal will wander by and stay for the conversation.” She added, then got on with the cleanup.

Soon they were on their way for a mini tour of Syka and a visit to the Mercantile.

Taz was glad Oralie had coin to pay. By the shape of her clothing, the woman wasn’t sure the newcomer had a copper miza to her name. But she did produce coin for Juli which relieved Tazrae. She had the feeling Oralie was hiding something, and that might have been something that would bring trouble to Syka. Taz was familiar with the concern herself. A lot had been happening lately to cause such things, and it made Tazrae more and more cautious as time went on. Oralie was a lovely soul though, and that thought was reinforced by how she treated Juli.

“The Pink… definitely the Pink.” Taz said, choosing the pink for Oralie since her opinion was asked. She would have selected the orange for herself, though, for it begged for a deeper skin tone, but the pink would really pop on Oralie’s lovely pale complexion and blonde hair. Taz nodded her approval of all of Oralie’s selections, then nodded as Oralie added some bug repellant on her pile. “Add in sunscreen too. Your pale skin will get crisply after five chimes on the beach if you don’t protect it with either cloth or cream.” Taz added.

“You’ll need these, whether you go into the jungle or not. You don’t want to sunburn and the bugs bite just as hard on the beach as they do in the jungle when the wind isn’t blowing.” Taz added, smiling slightly. “I don’t think you bought anything you don’t need.” Taz added, trying to reassure Oralie as she watched her stuff her new waterproof pack.

“Now, where do you want to go? I’ll show you the Common’s really fast, and where Mathias’ bungalow is later when we head back that direction…. At least show you all the community areas so you know where things are… and important places like the storm shelter.” Taz said, beckoning for Oralie – even with her heavy pack - to follow. From the Mercantile, Taz took Oralie down the beach past the docks and to Swing Beach. She pointed out the Tidepool Bar, and then circled inland to go past Kihala’s Shrine. They took a moment at the shrine, which had a beautiful stone fountain shaped like the goddess’ head with living plants as hair.

“Kihala gifted Syka with statues that come alive in our defense if we are ever attacked. The one at the beach we already walked by.. it’s a large fish. But there are others… an elephant, a panther, a parrot, … like that. I’ll point them out if we walk by any more of them. She is, in many ways, our patron Goddess… “ Taz added, then pointed out Randal’s Cabana on its tall stilts as they passed north, circling The Commons. She took a trail to the Storm Shelter and popped her head in with Oralie to show her the giant cave with its tunnels that allowed them all cover during fierce winds. Then she showed her the Dovecote and the door that lead to The Outpost if Oralie ever decided to go there. Then, making a quick trip north on another trail, Taz showed Oralie a banana grove and explained how important the fruit was to the settlement. Then, circling back, she actually entered the Common’s proper and began showing her the places there. Taz pointed out the forge, the kitchens, and the guest quarters which were little covered beach cabanas. She showed her where the cushions were and the extra blankets. They passed by the water storage and the big Events Center, then past the Kiln and the statue of the Bronze Parrot, which was another God-given gift that allowed all the wild birds that entered Syka to talk.

At that point, Tazrae paused. “Did you want to see anywhere else while we are on tour?” She asked, curious.

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by **Oralie** on December 12th, 2021, 7:04 pm

Oralie listened attentively, nodding at Tazrae’s advice regarding the jungle. While the idea of being anywhere inside the endless mass of trees seemed horrifying to her, it appeared everyone here was perfectly comfortable to live alongside the jungle. Anyone who knew what her other self was might have laughed at the idea of her fear, but the Kelvic almost forgot who she was sometimes, for it had been so long since she was last able to take on her four-legged form. She filed the information on Randal and Mathias away for another time, though it sounded like she would need to get used to the thought of venturing into the trees sooner rather than later.

At the Mercantile Oralie thought the colours of the clothes she ended up with were as bold as she hoped she could be. Maybe they would help her get there eventually. She was glad the two women were encouraging; it seemed everyone here was a huge family and that thought was comforting. She took Tazrae’s advice, adding sunscreen to the top of the bulging backpack. There were so many different things to think about now and she was thankful that people were willing to be so helpful and willing to share information with a newcomer.

The pack on Oralie’s back felt like it wanted to tip her over, but the Kelvic’s slender frame belied the muscle she actually possessed thanks to her feline self. Gripping the straps to keep it comfortable on her back, she stepped easily after Tazrae as the Innkeeper showed her around the Commons.

The Tidepool Bar held her attention for a moment, the buildings stretching out over the water much like those of the Bungalows she had seen earlier. That however, was nothing to her compared to the beautiful shrine the pair eventually came to.
“The Goddess of Life?” Oralie was mesmerised by the statue, with its flowing water and living hair. She had learned of Kihala during her many visits to the Temple of All Gods in Syliras. She reached out to gently touch her left hand to the plants, letting the soft glow of her Luminance brush the green leaves, though it was not really visible in the sunlight. She paused, realising how Tazrae had worded what she had said.
“That sounds like… she visited while you were all here?”

The Shrine was quite possibly her favourite place so far, but Tazrae had a lot more to show her, so she hiked her backpack up again and followed after her. When they came to the storm shelter Oralie made sure to commit the location of the huge cave to her memory.
“Are the storms here really that big?” It seemed the jungle was not the only extreme she might have to get used to. The Dovecote was met with a look of disbelief, for how could it be in two places at once? That was a question for another time though.

There were lots of little trails leading off of the main cobblestone path here and there, and Oralie wondered how long it would take her to be able to remember them all. At least the Commons was easy to navigate. She viewed the Kiln with much excitement, making a promise to herself that she would come back to try it herself.

She peered up at the Bronze Parrot in wonder. There seemed to be so much here that was almost magical, things Oralie could barely wrap her head around. She fixed her golden eyes on Tazrae.

“I… I’m not sure, you’ve shown me so many places! Maybe…” Oralie paused to think, musing for a moment on what might be useful for her to know. “Where do you get all of your food from? Then I can collect it for you for the Inn.”
She knew that some of it came over on The Veronica in the crates and sacks she had helped to unload, but she was sure that there were other places the Innkeeper sourced from too. She bunched her shoulders up for a tick, shifting the weight of her pack.

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by **Tazrae** on December 12th, 2021, 8:15 pm

Taz’ wanted to answer all of Oralie’s questions, especially about Kihala, but instead, she shook her head. “It’s a long story… Kihala’s visit… but I’ll definitely tell you.” She said softly, then beckoned to the girl to follow her. Taz had noticed that Oralie was a bit concerned about the jungle, about its dangers, and she was right to be so. The young Innkeeper lead the kelvic past the Community Pool explaining that’s where people bathed and swam when the ocean was too risky or they just wanted to relax and talk. Duncan, hearing them pass by, waved, and Taz veered off to introduce him.

“Duncan, this is Oralie. Oralie, Duncan.. he’s a local mage and the one that maintains the Community Pool.” She added, giving the pair a chance to greet each other. Duncan was polite and asked how Oralie liked the settlement so far, and then queried Taz as to where she was taking Oralie next.

“I’m taking her to see…. The spider monkeys.” Taz said, hesitating only briefly. Duncan smiled, not willing to spoil the surprise and understanding that Tazrae meant the playground in the jungle rather than the actual monkeys themselves.

“Good. You’ll like the place, Oralie.” Duncan assured her. “Meeting the monkeys, I mean.” He said, correcting himself a bit last minute. Then he excused himself on some errand or another, leaving the two ladies to their own business.

Taz took a small overgrown path through the jungle, headed directly away from the Inn and the Commons. “You asked about Storms. We really don’t have bad ones here often, but I have taken shelter in the caves once in the two years I’ve lived here. That was the storm the day before Kihala visited.” Taz said, turning to look at Oralie and as the trail grew more overgrown, she paused.

“When you move in the jungle, there’s a way to walk that helps. Loosen your hips, bend your knees, relax your shoulders. If you loosen up your spine, you can bend and twist as you walk, avoiding overhanging branches, in an attempt to not touch anything. Sometimes vines can be snakes, or even intensely poisonous in the jungle… so you need to move as part of it, not as a stiff perfectly postured Kelvic might.” Taz said, reaching out and laying her hands on Oralie’s hips and giving them a circle with her hands, trying to loosen up the Kelvic’s gait. “Watch me.” She said, setting off in front of Oralie, her hips swinging loosely and her body able to bend and twist with the vegetation as she moved. Taz never plowed straight through anything green, but instead almost slithered through it without touching as much of it as she could.

They walked for a while as Taz talked about the storm. “Randal, one of the founders, built most of the Protea. He added storm shutters on the non-existent windows for just such a blow. We closed them and tied everything down or put everything inside that was on the deck, then we spent a whole day in the shelter as the wind blew and much of the jungle flooded. We were warm and dry and the cave itself is stuffed full of food and emergency supplies like blankets and spare clothing for just such an occasion. There’s even firewood in there for everyone to have a fire for a few days. The caves have natural vents that allow the smoke out but don’t let the rain in.” Taz explained as they slowly headed north.

They passed through more of the jungle, Taz pointing out things she spotted as they walked. A coiled eyelash viper here, a giant spider there, even colorful parrots and holes that Tazrae promised would reveal nocturnal crabs that would come out and battle for better spaces at night. After a few bells though, the jungle seemed to open up and they could hear the call of monkeys in the distance.

Taz stopped on the edge of the clearing and moved to one side for Oralie to join her. “This place used to be a place of children.” She said, letting Oralie take in the playground before them and the structures that were half-covered with vines that flowered and fruited. “I get food for the Inn all over the place. I buy almost nothing. I hunt for pigs and collect fruits and vegetables in a hundred different places. I’ll let you help me forage so you learn those places to. But here… here I want to teach you something very important.” Taz said, her voice full of seriousness.

“I want to teach you to play.” She said, and beckoned Oralie. They moved to what appeared to be a ladder held up by metal brackets. It was attached to what looked like a chute that revealed polished metal all the way down. Vines crawled up its length and covered its sides, but the metal chute part itself was reflecting the beautiful blue of the sky. “Follow me up…” Taz said, and began to climb. The ladder itself was easy to climb and when Taz got to the top, she sat down and then pushed off, sliding down the chute lightning fast. She landed at the bottom, on her feet, then beckoned to Oralie. “Come on… try it!” She said, waiting for Oralie at the bottom.

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