To Drink and be Merry [Sama'el, Closed]

[Valan]

17 Spring 511 AV

When Valan exited the tent, the first thing he noticed was the sun. It was inevitable, really, given how it was placed almost directly across the sky from him, as though it intentionally placed itself there to make Valan squint; well in that case it succeeded, for Valan did indeed have to close his eyes for a second, the bright sunlight searing his retinas after the cool darkness of his tent. It took several rubs with his tanned hand before the heat diminished, though it was but a trivial concern.

After Valan finally recovered enough, the next thing he noticed was the tents around him. Vibrant, beautiful, and intricate; no matter that Valan had been raised in a Drykas pavilion and had therefore been here several times, the city of tents had always impressed.

Ah...The tents. They seemed to flow endlessly into the distance, and were so vibrant and colorful, each marked with skilled Drykas crafting, and so full of color...and, by comparison, Valan's little four-person tent looks drab and puny. Not that he was complaining; having only arrived the previous night, he was happy to find a place to put up his tent at all.

Adjusting his jerkin, Valan began strolling down the road, eyes flickering to and fro as he examined the various tents and the invariable goods for sale that ended up at. He wasn't looking to buy anything, really; in fact, Valan was here on a job. To be more precise, he was here looking for a job; as a guide across the Sea of Grass, Endrykas provided a great opportunity for him to find someone who would be willing to pay for transport. A foreign merchant who didn't want to pay the guide he had taken here for a second trip, for example...though Valan didn't intend to let the opportunity of visiting Endrykas up, however. The merchant could wait a day or two. Just enough time for Valan to drink and be merry.

With a smile on his face, the young man continued down the road.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el wandered down the path. There were no true roads in Endrykas, but traffic, both on foot and astride a horse, tended to follow certain paths of least resistance, wearing paths of dirt through the prairie grasses. He had been with Petya, one of his teachers, plying the Web with his infant skills. It was strange how such mental, spiritual work took the energy out of him more than a day in the saddle, but he was young and energy came back easily. There wasn't quite the normal skip in his step, but he was certainly not walking like a weary man. Being part of the Watch was honing him like a blade. When in Endrykas, he trained with weapons, taught younglings how to ride and care for their horses, wandered around the Web, learning its ways. When riding circuit, he fixed things, gathered information, watched. The Watch, well, they watched the Sea of Grass with hawk eyes. It excited him to be contributing to the welfare of his people. This made him smile, and so he reciprocated the smile of another man passing him. "Are you headed to the Trough?" he asked, suddenly desirous of a drink.

[Valan]

It took a moment before Valan realized the man on the road was talking to him. He was too busy ogling a glass shop in the distance; the most exquisite glass swan was displayed there, and Valan had been contemplating how such a thing could be made. When it finally became clear the lean and rangy man was talking to him, however, Valan spared no time in answering, perhaps to make up for his previous silence.

"The Trough? Well, I hadn't intended to, but now that you mention it, it sounds like a good idea." The smile became more easygoing, more relaxed, as Valan saw the man was smiling back. All the same, Valan's eyes sized the man up. He was indeed tall and rangy, but there was a good amount of muscle there too. Something about the man's expression and way he carried himself suggesting to Valan he was a warrior, which Valan had seen enough of traveling from the Diamond clan and back. "Why? You want to tag along, my friend?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el immediately beamed. He was a companionable sort of fellow, and nothing made him happier than making friends, integrating himself ever more fully back into the culture of his birth and early life. The man's windmark reminded him of a woman's mark from Syna he had seen once, and he considered that a good omen. He clapped a friendly hand on the other's shoulder and nodded. "Drinks taste better with company. I'm Sama'el of the Sapphire Clan," he said, slinging an arm around the other man's shoulders. He laughed. "Today we are best friends." Then he saw the glass swan the other had been looking at. Indicating it, he said, "Fine work, but awfully delicate to survive the Drykas road."

[Valan]

Valan laughed as the man flung his arm around Valan's shoulder.

"True, I'll give you that." He chuckled. "So, your Sapphire Clan, huh? I'm part of Amethyst Clan- Name's Valan, Valan Windrider."

As the man- Sama'el- gestured towards the glass swan, Valan nodded in agreement. "Yes, the Drykas road is tough, that must have been very careful- and lucky." Valan was silent for a minute, considering the glasswork.

"Alright! Now, do you know where the Trough is? Unfortunately, I just arrived, and I'm afraid it's been a while since I hit the place up." Three or four years, in fact. Valan had been busy guiding- and praising Zulrav, his god.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Valan Windrider," he said, still grinning. "And I will show you to the Trough," he promised, leading the way by herding him in the proper direction. "It's a pavilion run by Aeryc and Erys Fouroats. Lots of food, drink, and sometimes singers or musicians. Lots of happy people for the most part. Just don't get belligerent. They don't like that. "So Valan Windrider, my best friend for the day, what have you been up to that's kept you out of Endrykas for so long?" He made a mental note to ask Valan about horse breeding at some point since his clan was known for their skill in breeding and training horses. Sama'el wanted a herd of his own to help support his future pavilion.

[Valan]

Valan considered the question for a second before answering.

"Well, after I left my parent's pavilion, I took up a job as a guide," Valan answered. "I've traveled around the Sea of Grass a lot, going between the horseclans and even Riverfall a couple of times. Some of that time I also spent with my god," Valan unconsciously fingered the Holy Symbol around his neck. "I spend a lot of time on the move, never staying in any place for that long. I guess that's why I'm so happy as a guide. I get to travel- a lot." Valan suddenly realized he had perhaps said a bit too much and grinned sheepishly. "And what about you, Sama'el? By the looks of you, you've had an interesting time before coming here yourself. What's your story, mate?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el was only too happy to meet people and let them talk about themselves; generally their lives were more interesting than his. But before he could reply, he noticed the holy symbol of Zulrav and his eyes widened a bit. All the same, he continued to grin. "Stormgod, eh? I like him. He's given me gifts, though never marked me. Perhaps someday..." There was a vague, faraway moment, but he shook his head and smiled again. "My pavilion's long gone, but someday I'll rebuild it. For now I ride with the Watch, mending the Web and guarding Endrykas. Dangerous work, but I don't have a family or a pavilion depending on me yet. Besides, you've never seen anyone ride like me and Dohaina... Nothing can catch us on the open plains." In fact, he wasn't really boasting, but he blushed just a little, embarrassed that it might be read as such. Valan seemed like a good fellow, but if he was going to leave Endrykas again, he supposed a close friendship might not be in the cards. All the same, friendly acquaintances were good too. "Oh, here we are..."

[Valan]

Valan's eyebrows rose when Sama'el recognized the holy symbol of Zulrav, obviously a bit surprised he knew what it was. Usually, Valan had to tell people about the sign- the religion in Cyphrus varied greatly from person to person. However, he had come across a couple of people who knew the sign, so it wasn't that big of a surprise, though Valan was momentarily stymied. He listened to Sama'el talk about it, and thenValan responded with:

"Yeah, well, Zulrav has been quite good to me. He marked me when I was nine, and has guided me ever since. A bit ironic, really, the guide being guided by a god...though I'm not complaining." Valan smiled up at the sky, then turned back. "I've never been friends with one of the Watch before." Valan didn't have a lot of friends, but the one's he did he kept a strong bond with, often taking time out of his schedule to visit them- if he could. A good number of the people Valan liked were travelers like him, and not easily tracked. However, Sama'el seemed like a good possibilty as a friend, and Valan hoped they would be able to form a close bond despite Valan's life on the go. And then, the man noticed where they were. "Anyways, you'll have to tell me about this Web..." -And now they were at the door of the Trough- "...after we get a couple of drinks."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Many deities were worshiped in Endrykas, but the horseclans never forgot how Semele and Zulrav gave them their Striders. Certainly Sama'el knew that mark or not, he had been gifted many times over by the god of storms and knew his iconography as well as any. "You're lucky," Sama'el noted with a smile, then ducked slightly into the pavilion. He was rather tall. "And you know the rules of the Drykas Mysteries..." He winked.