[Flashback, Hunters' Gather] Chit-chat (Veldrys)

[Nisana Curare]

Season of Summer, Day 38, 510 AV

Nisana let a pleasant smile touch her lips as she arrived into the stone walls of the Hunters' Gather. It was a place she had taken to spending more and more time in as the prospect of leaving on Harvest grew nearer and nearer. Any day now she expected Serena to officially as her to leave to find a surrogate, and Nisana's heart swelled with pride at the thought. It would finally be her time to show what she could do.

Nodding politely to a few familiar faces among those present she proceeded to an empty table. She was not here to bring in a kill from a hunt, nor eat, but to simply relax and listen. Not that she needed any pointers for her coming harvest, she was the daughter of Valvessa Curare after all, but sometimes it was nice to hear of some of the other Symenestra in Kalinor.

Letting her amethyst eyes wander over the various Symenestra gathered about she listened for anything of interest that might pop out from the various conversations.

[Veldrys]

Veldrys wasn’t normally the kind of man that enjoyed taverns and the company of other people, but this day he needed a distraction, something that made him forget what he’d just been forced to do at the Purging. He’d been forced to deal with yet another surrogate who tried to cut the baby out of her belly. Did those stupid women really believe that they could successfully perform a cesarean section on themselves with a rusty knife and no medical training – and survive it? He disapproved of the Harvest and wished it didn’t exist, but he disapproved of women trying to kill themselves and their children even more. This was pure idiocy! Maybe a good, warm Bruka would cheer him up. His mouth actually began to water a little at the thought of a delicious meal. With that thought in mind he made his way into the tavern, taking a look around as he did so. Were there any free chairs? He made his way through the common room, nodding at the people that he knew. The young healer was somewhat reclusive, but in a city like Kalinor that had less than a thousand inhabitants it was inevitable that you knew people, no matter how talkative you usually were. Under normal circumstances he would have preferred to sit alone, but today he wanted compan, and thus he stopped in front of Nisana’s table. A single, young woman promised to be pleasant company rather than getting on his nerves like some of the other people in the tavern. „May I sit here?“ he politely asked as he stood there, looking at her from out of his amethyst eyes. „You are a Curare, aren’t you?“ he then added. While he had never spoken to Nisana before or even been close to her, he had heard stories about her mother. She was famous in Kalinor. Would Nisana follow in her footsteps? Did she share her mother’s views?

[Nisana Curare]

For a time it seemed that Nisana was going to be disappointed in her hunt for something interesting, but after a few chimes a younger male Symenestra approached her. Her amethyst eyes gave him a brief look over, not a sexual manner as one might expect between two Symenestra of mating age, but in a simple sizing up. He did not seem to be a hunter, but he did seem to have some semblance of grace to his movements beyond the norm for a Syemenestra.

Smiling at his questions Nisana gave a small nod before replying, "Yes, on both accounts. I am Nisana Curare, first daughter of Valvessa Curare," the pride was clearly evident in her voice at her heritage.

She paused a moment, looking him over before recognition touched her face, "Ah, you are of the Vervein web, yes? Veldrys, if I am not mistaken?"

After her conversation with Velenor in the market she had been curious about those who thought like him, that the Harvest was beneath the Symenestra and Mother's should give their lives to keep the blood pure, and so she had found out about Veldrys. There were very few among the Symenestra that believed in such foolhardy ideas, and so it was easy to know who exactly was involved in them. Nisana was curious if Veldrys, if this was indeed him, would be as haughty and arrogant as Velenor had been.

[Veldrys]

„I am pleased to meet you, Nisana.“ The tone of Veldrys‘ voice was polite and calm, and he inclined his head in a greeting. He did indeed move with a certain grace, but he didn’t particularly act like a hunter. Unlike Nisana’s, his Web was not famous for anything. His father was a merchant. His Web was comparatively well off, but they had accomplished nothing great so far. They were only normal Symenestra, with a son who’d decided to become a healer rather than take over his father’s business. Although ... he’d heard strange rumours about Nisana’s mother a while ago. He furrowed his brow as he thought of them, but then he decided that it would be best not to mention them, otherwise the conversation would likely quickly become unpleasant. With that thought in mind he took a seat opposite of her, ordering the Bruka he’d intended before he turned to answer her question. „I am of the Vervein Web“, he confirmed. „My name is Veldrys. You’ve heard of my Web and me?“ He couldn’t help but wonder what she had heard. Did she know of Old Hellebore’s complaints that he was too soft? Did she know that he was working at the Purging? Was she aware of the constant conflict with his Web?

[Nisana Curare]

"Just a little," Nisana responded to Veldrys' question with a polite smile, "I have seen you at the Place of Purging, and heard a little of your Web. They are merchants, yes?"

She figured it was best not to mention the full reason she knew of his family. Normally she would not pay attention to a Web as simple as the Vervein, but she doubted bringing up Veldrys' birth would be a great way to start a pleasant conversation.

"What brings you to the Hunters' Gather today? Just out for a bite to eat, or looking for some pleasant company?" Nisana gave the other Symenestra a warm smile as she spoke.

While he was not one of the other races she'd have to deal with on her Harvest, it never hurt to practice the skills her Mother had taught her. Especially with the possibility of leaving on her first Harvest looming so close.

[Veldrys]

„I work at the Purging as a healer, under Hellebore himself“, Veldrys answered. „But the rest of my Web are merchants. We are by no means as important as the Aconitum, but we have everything that we need.“ Veldrys‘ life had been fairly pleasant, at least when he had been a boy, before he’d started to develop his own views of the world and decided that he didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps. He’d enjoyed talking with the traders that came from the surface – he’d absolutely loved hearing their stories – but in the end he’d considered healing and saving the occasional woman from a cruel fate or at least extending her life to be more important than buying and selling things that weren’t absolutely necessary for one’s survival. „I was looking for a bit of distraction“, he replied as she asked him why he was here. „As you can imagine the work at the Purging can be hard sometimes. The surrogates don’t always do what they should, and your fellow healers often have a different opinion on how to solve a certain medical problem.“ He shrugged his shoulders. He decided to stop here since it was unlikely that she wanted to hear about surrogates that tried to stick a knife into their belly or old Symenestra women that tried to beat him with a stick because he was just a stupid boy in their opinion and knew nothing about the art of healing. Besides, he had come here to forget exactly those things. „And of course I was also looking for pleasant company. That is something that is lacking at the Purging sometimes.“ He returned the smile she gave him. He found that he liked the way she looked at him. „And you, Nisana? Why are you here? Do you just want to enjoy a good Bruka or something more?“

[Nisana Curare]

"Everyone has their place in Kalinor, and working under Hellebore is certainly very prestigious," Nisana assured with a pleasant smile, "But I can certainly understand that it would be difficult working in the Purging."

Shrugging at Veldrys' question Nisana gave a little laugh, "Mostly I came to just relax today. I have been hunting much lately, and as much as I may enjoy it there are times it is still nice to just sit back and relax. Pleasant company is always appreciated though."

Sitting back in her chair Nisana smiled pleasantly at Veldrys as she gave him a glance over, there was something in him that reminded her of Velarian, "So tell me of yourself Veldrys. Surely there is more to your life than your work in the Purging? What do you normally do with your free time?"

While she was practicing her skills in speaking she certainly would not be upset if a friendship arose from this meeting. Possibly even more, but she was not willing to let her mind wander far down that path.

[Veldrys]

„It is prestigious“, Veldrys agreed. „I’m glad that I was given the opportunity to work there although Hellebore and me don’t always see eye to eye.“ A smile flickered across the young healer’s pale face. Hellebore always called him a little too soft. But then Hellebore’s bedside manners left something to be desired, and he called all those young healers that were working under him too soft. He hadn’t openly criticized Veldrys‘ work yet or thrown him out, and thus Veldrys concluded that he probably did something right, no matter what Hellebore personally thought of him. „I’m not a hunter“, Veldrys admitted. „I know how to wield a knife, but I tend to use it for other things.“ It should be obvious to Nisana what other things Veldrys meant, that he usually used his knife on people. „You must tell me about your hunts sometimes, when you are in the mood. I’ve been to the surface occasionally, even as far as Lhavit – I accompagnied a couple of traders once - but my experience with hunts is still limited.“ Hunting was, as far as Veldrys was concerned, a safe topic and one that he was curious about, unlike the Harvest and everything that was associated with it. And of course there was more to his life than his work at the Purging, but it probably wouldn’t be wise to reveal that he’d been dabbling in Morphing. He could make himself look like a different person and he hoped to one day combine his magic with Glyphing so that he could change others, so that he could use Morphing for medical purposes (no matter that the effects weren’t permanent). But magic was a topic that was viewed with suspicion. „I like to explore the surface when my work at the Purging allows it“, he finally replied. „And I consider myself something of a historian. I have a particular interest in the Valterrian and how our people moved from the jungle to an underground city. Do you ever wonder what life was like for our ancestors, Nisana?“ From what he knew their venom had been weaker then, allowing Symenestra mothers to survive the birth of their children. Sometimes he was convinced that the solution to his race’s problems could be found there, in the past, in the world before the Valterrian. „Ah ... the Bruka has arrived“, he observed. „Would you like anything to eat or drink, Nisana? Bruka? Juice? A cup of blood, maybe? Or some wine?“ It was only polite that he offered the woman whose company he was beginning to enjoy to buy something. As far as he was aware she hadn’t ordered anything yet.

[Nisana Curare]

"If you insist," Nisana continued to smile pleasantly at Veldrys as she responded to his request, "I would be happy to share with you some of my hunting stories."

Nisana couldn't help but think back on the time when she had not considered herself a good storyteller, and when most the stories she had had to share were those of her Mother's hunts. While she had not had the time of her Mother to amass a vast chronicle of stories, and certainly was no fabled teller of stories, she at least felt comfortable in sharing the few that she had.

Veldrys' question regarding life for the Symenestra before elicited a small shrug from Nisana in return, "I have thought a little on life before the Valterrian, but I have never dwelt on it. I am sure almost all of us would prefer things to be as they were before, for many reasons, but as far as I know there is little we can do to return things to how they were. Perhaps with some form of magic, but I am not knowledgeable enough in those skills to even contemplate how such a thing would come to be."

The arrival of Veldrys' Bruka, and his question to Nisana, brought back her pleasant smile, "How about a trade? For a juice to wet my throat I will share a story of a hunt with you."

[Veldrys]

„You have a point, Nisana“, Veldrys conceded. „There is little we can do to return to the kind of life we had before the Valterrian, at least at present, but still, I cannot help but wonder if there isn’t at least something that we can do to improve our situation.“ That was all he said. If he continued, it would inevitably lead to a discussion about the Harvest, and how he thought that the people of Kalinor should dedicate more time to researching ways to save Symenestra mothers rather than relying so much on surrogates. He didn’t know Nisana well enough to talk to her about such a sensitive topic and was not in the mood for arguments. Besides, he thought for the third or fourth time, he had come here to forget. So why in Viratas‘ name did his thoughts always return to that one unpleasant topic? Maybe it was a sign of madness, some kind of obsession. He shook his head and focused on the woman opposite of him. He really needed to get out more, to do more than cut people up and try to mend broken bones! His social skills, he noticed, were sorely lacking. He needed to remind himself that there were more things to life in Kalinor than captured surface dwellers and dying mothers. He couldn’t remember being that melancholic when he had been a boy. „I don’t know much about magic either“, he said. That was true. He knew a bit about magic, but not nearly enough to accomplish anything great. „I only know that it’s dangerous and that it can lead to worse things than death. Any kind of research would have to be done with the utmost care.“ He shrugged his shoulders and carefully tried his Bruka. A smile spread across his face. It was delicious! „That is a fair trade!“ he replied and signalled for somebody to come and bring Nisana something to drink. Once the drink was there, he handed it to Nisana. „A glass of fine juice for a story“, he said to her, and then he leaned a bit back in his chair and waited for her to begin.