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

[Valan]

Valan didn't realize what a slander he was giving to his kind when he said he did not know Zulrav was that much respected around here. However, you had to excuse his behavior- Valan was not the most religious type. Well, he was, but that was exclusively for Zulrav- and, as these type of things were, those were mostly one-on-one sessions.

He too knew how the horseclans had always remembered Zulrav and Semele for the Striders, but he had since forgotten the piece of knowledge, and it dwelt in a dusty corner of his brain, neither touched nor disturbed. For all his knowledge of the worship of Zulrav, Valan didn't know that much about his other followers.

"I guess I am." Valan smiled yet again as they entered. He cocked his head when Sama'el mentioned the Drykas Mysteries. "I'm afraid I don't," He finally admitted. After a few words to the bartender for a couple of drinks, he continued, saying "Care to enlighten me?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"There are no Drykas Mysteries," he said, tapping his nose and winking. Certainly the Web wasn't a common subject of discussion; one never knew when an outsider would attempt to do with those secrets held dear since the times of Arin Drivankali. "C'mon, I'll buy you a drink. Are you hungry?" He urged Valan up to where the drinks were being served and lifted two fingers to indicate drinks to the Fouroats holding court that day.

[Valan]

Understanding dawned on Valan's face, and he grinned sheepishly once more. "I see," he said, "And yes, I'm hungry, but don't think I'm letting my best friend pay for everything!" Laughing slightly, he willingly approached where the drinks were being served, and quickly claimed one. Once he had the cold drink clutched in his hand, he raised it in a toast to Sama'el, exclaiming,

"To my best friend for the day! May your life be rich and long, and may the drinks never stop!" Valan laughed at this, the phrase having come from one of his father, who drank a bit too much at festivals.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"May Zulrav's be ever in your wings and may Semele bear up under your feet as you walk the path!" He raised his own drink and drank, glad for the quick conviviality. There were days where he felt alienated from his people and then there were days like this where he could actually connect with someone, even if it was silly. "Good stuff," he declared. "Shall we eat too, then?" Sama'el found them a place to sit down comfortably, knowing food had a way of finding a person if a person was hungry here in the Trough. But there wasn't always space to sit down so one had to get one's hindquarters in a seat when the getting was good. He was looking out for his new best friend. "So. Tell me a secret."

[Valan]

Valan, after sitting down, spend a moment pondering the question. It was a strange one, all right, but Valan was feeling fond of Sama'el at the current moment, so he tried his best to answer with alacrity.

"Well...I already told you I was marked by Zulrav and a guide...hm, how about this. One of my best friends is an Akalakian, who I met two years ago." Valan smiled as he thought of his blue-skinned friend, Azurk, who had had met outside the gates of Riverfall and had maintained a friendship long since, despite the scarce chances they had to meet.

"And you, Sama'el? It's give and take, y'know. Tell me something about yourself."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"An Akalak?" he asked, bemused. "Well, I traveled from Syliras with a squire, an Akalak, a guy who loved dogs an awful lot, and..." he chuckled. "That's not really a proper secret. I'm in love with a girl. Well, that's not really a secret at all if you know me." He flushed and grinned. "I suppose... well, not to put a damper on the evening, but when I was seven... Well, we were in Sylira, my pavilion. We were on our way back to the Sea when bandits fell upon us at night. Killed... everyone. That's how I became a slave for eight years. Sad story, but it's not going so badly now." He paused, finished his drink. "I mean, I'm here. I'm alive. I've got someone to drink with." He smiled again. "That calls for another drink, wouldn't you say?" There had been no call to make things awkward, and he hoped it hadn't all been ruined. Even if Valan spent most of his time away from Endrykas, he knew how difficult life was in Cyphrus. There were plenty of sob stories, but Sama'el saw his own as the impetus to make a better life for himself. He went to get those drinks and give Valan a moment to digest that bit of news if it was at all shocking.

[Valan]

It WAS a bit shocking for the young man. A smile had traveled across his face as he heard about the travel from Syliras, and even a chuckle about the part that followed, but his face became serious when he heard about slavery and the hard life Sama'el had lived, up until this time.

Valan's life had never been particularly hard- not that it was a cakewalk. Live in the Sea of Grass never was. He had his fair share of bad experiences, the most harrowing was when he got lost during the yearly pilgrimage to Endrykas at age eight. He had spent a terrifying night lying wide awake, listening to the plains and the creatures that inhabited it, shivering in a crater fearfully. In the morning, he had fortunately been rescued by a passing merchant on his way to Endrykas, and Valan met up with family there amid general relief and joy. Valan liked to think the incident had given him a healthy respect- and fear- for the deceptive sea of rolling ferns and grass.

But still, he could not imagine what life would be like as a slave. Valan embodied the free spirit, traveling where he wanted and doing what he wished. Forced to obey someone else's orders, to do what they commanded without any rights of your own...Valan shuddered when he thought of such a life, especially when it started at such a tender age of your life. The fact that Sama'el had gone through all this but still was strong enough on the inside to face his future was optimism was truly admirable, and a bit humbling.

"I think it calls for more than one, my friend." Valan murmured as Sama'el got up, and something like respect glinted in his eye for a chance second. But, when he returned, Valan already had a smile lighting up his eyes.

"So..." Valan paused to take a drink of the new refreshment. "...This girl. Does she live around here, or something?..."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el was glad for Valan's moderate reaction. He didn't seek pity, but he did want people to know what had become of him for all those years. While he felt that the gods had conspired to help him once he developed the nerve and the opportunity to escape, he was modestly proud of his achievement. If he sought the approval of his people overmuch, well, it was at least understandable. Mention of Dymphna made him color from more than the drink, and his head dropped for a moment, bashful at the vulnerability implied by the butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling she gave him. "Beautiful red-headed healer from the Whitefeather pavilion. Sweet, kind... did I mention she was beautiful?" There were other virtues to sing, of course, but he tried not to overdo it. People were indulgent with someone in love, but there were limits. "But what about you?"

[Valan]

Valan shrugged. "A couple, here and there, I guess..." He said, sipping his drink thoughtfully. "Nothing really serious. Haven't met "the one" yet." He grinned when he looked up and saw the redness of Sama'el's face.

"Hey, don't look so embarrassed," He chuckled. "At least when I see that face I can tell you are truly in love with her." Valan didn't have much experience in the way of love and commitment, but something about the bashful expression on Sama'el's face spoke to him of the love and bond the two lovers shared, and, deep within his stomach, Valan felt a thread of envy shiver by.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Well, you are out on the Sea most of the time. You'll have to come back for regular visits to meet likely candidates." He chuckled, trying to turn the attention away from himself. He was in love with Dymphna, and she seemed to love him in return, and it all seemed far too good to be true, which, in his experience, was generally the unfortunate reality. "So tell me what you look for in a lady friend and I'll have some lined up for the next time you're here."