[The Stranger's Welcome] The Day After [Eisi]

[Talen Stirling]

14th of Summer 511 A.V. The sea breeze felt fresh and cool as Talen ran light-footed with heavy breathing towards the harbour on his morning run. He usually switched up his route, and today he'd run around the outskirts of town and then inwards. It was rarely very warm in Denval, and today was no exception with a strong cool wind blowing down from the north. It was only helpful, though. He wasn't feeling well since yesterday; his encounter with Darren where they had drunk Degtine and ended up in a fight hadn't left him at the peak of his physical performance. In fact, it was no coincidence he'd planned his route to pass The Stranger's Welcome where he could get a drink and a decent breakfast that he didn't have to cook, and possibly burn, himself. His legs ached, though not as much as his side where Darren had punched him the day before. Running was quite a pain when you had bruises, although they weren't visible through his white linnen shirt. The wind was against him, but the ground sloped downwards towards the Passenger Quays. The combination of the two left him less sweaty than he otherwise would have been, and perhaps also less sick. He made long, relaxed strides and tried to keep his breath steady. Thinking of anything but the fact that your muscles were burning was simple enough on a relaxed trip like this, and the thought of a good breakfast and something to go alongside it didn't slow him down. The sign of The Welcome appeared when he rounded the corner of a pretty green house wrapped in foliage, and he grinned as he leaned forward and sprinted the last short distance. He broke his run a few feet in front of the tavern doors and stopped dead in a few steps. Wiping the sweat from his brow he stretched his arms and legs each in turn, and then stepped inside taking the scent and look of the tavern in with a breath and a turn of his faintly smiling head.

[E'isi]

Eisi woke up to the mornings sun shinning through the window of the tavern, Darren was still missing but he at least secured a room. Her soft skin glowed in the  dim light of the room, her scales reflecting ever so often from stray rays of the sun. Holding on to the sheets gently to her, she lifted her delicate body out of bed, her hair  a mess around her face, eyes heavy with sleep. Sighing she grabbed her long white pants, with her soft pink top, fixed her hair in to a side twist, and splashed water over her face. She grabbed her saddle bag and pulled out what little money she had and left the room. Walking down the stairs she herd commotion, it was to be expected, after all the only inn was also the local watering hole. Taking a deep breath she headed down to the desk and waited for the keeper to come see her. She held hope of leaving a message for her beloved Darren only to get side tracked by a young man entering the doors. She smiled politely at him, he was tall, light hair and pretty. That was as far as she got when the keeper tapped her hand that she was resting on the counter. " Sleep well Konti bride?" Was it just her or was Darren going around telling everyone that she was his bride to be? " I slept fine, thank you for asking, I was hoping to leave a message for my companion." she wanted to tell the keeper and everyone that there was no marriage pending in the near future, but opted to just go along with it, better not to confuse him. "if he comes by can you let him know that I'll be in the market today trying to find some supplies." she smiled sweetly at the man, she hoped that the message would be transferred but wasn't quite sure. "I'll do my best love," the keeper was being called away to another but he would try that's all that mattered. "thank you sir," she called after him. Eisi turned back around, she wanted to get something to eat then go to market. She saw a small table off to the corner, it was one of the only tables left. Taking a seat she quickly looked over her surroundings, the people of this town where nice, though it seemed they didn't get visitors very often. This fact reminded her of her own home island, and the people who she knew there. They too didn't get many visitors and celebrated their arrival. As Eisi sat her mind started to drift, as she thought of blue seas and the unknown world to many.

[Talen Stirling]

He stood stunned in the doorway as his eyes met those of a smiling woman. She was radiant, almost luminiscent with her white hair, pale skin and light clothes. Blue colours seemed to run along her arms, and somewhere in the back of Talen's mind the name "Konti" appeared. She looked away and he took a deep breath again, only to be embarasssed for staring like he had done. He had never seen anyone like her. Sure, he'd seen one in a crowd or at a long distance but it wasn't the same. He stretched his shoulders and stumbled to the bar with a stolen glance from the corner of his eye at her. Perhaps he should go speak to her..? She was obviously new in to-- He was ripped from his thoughts by a barmaid appearing to service him. "Just.. Just a common breakfast and water, thank you." He leaned against the counter with one elbow and looked out over the bar. There were a couple of visitors and some locals eating breakfast at the tables, most were occupied although free seats were available... She was sitting by herself in a corner. He hadn't really felt queasy about approaching someone like this for a long time. In a sense, he hadn't felt this way about a girl ever since Alice. Although that memory was not something he wanted to revive. He could just take a seat at another table... But no. He wanted to talk to her, hell, he wanted to look at her. Not only was she beautiful, she was also a stranger. What Denvali, and man, wouldn't want to approach her? He smiled and thanked the waitress as his plate with a piece of bread, some fruit and a glass of water arrived. He picked it up, one in each hand and tentatively approached the corner table past another with an empty chair. He avoided her eyes if she looked, only to raise them and a question when he arrived at her table. He felt nervous, and although he tried to conceal it, it certainly showed in his smile. "Is this seat taken?"

[E'isi]

Eisi looked over papers that he brought down with her, specially over a map of Denval. She looked confused as her lose hair fell over her shoulder, her flecks of scales reflecting the light. "I'll never get the hang of this traveling thing." growing tired of trying to find out where the hell Darren would be, she pushed the map aside. She turned her gaze to the window, playing with her hair. She became lost in thought, when a young voice brought her out of her tantrum of not having a clue. "Is this seat taken?" She looked up to see the light haired man from the door, he smiled timidly at her, eyeing his food, the seat and then at her. Feeling self conscious she pushed her hair out of the way as she smiled back. "No, not at all, please." she motioned to the chair. Her accent was evident even in common, it her voice soft and polite. She watched the man sit and stared at him. She took him in, just like she thought before, cute, with out knowing she ended up gawking at him. Her pale skin turning a light shade of pink. "um, so...ah..." she fumbled over her words, "I'm sorry.." she laughed a bit as she looked away, "I don't mean to stare but, do I know you?" of course she didn't, why did she ask that! "I'm sorry, I mean I don't know you," she looked back , her face even redder, "Let's try that again," she smiled brightly at him, "I'm Eisi, and what is your name?" She wanted to slap herself for idiot she must seem to be to him, unlike Darren he spoke common, and she didn't have to worry about him not understanding her.  She waited for him to reply and nodded. "Nice meeting you." she spoke quietly. Yet again she started to stare, she never seen a man that was so boyish, yet something in those gray eyes of his told her that he was much more then a boy. Not to mention that he was built for strength.  "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" she looked away again, "I really don't mean to stare!" yet again her face a brilliant red.

[Talen Stirling]

He smiled more confidently as she offered him a seat, and sat down looking around the tavern quickly to see who were working today, and who were there for breakfast. He rolled his shoulders to free up the muscles, and looked back at his captivating companion. He was conscious of his light sweat and wild morning hair, yet when he tried to catch her eyes she blushed, looked away and stammered. Obviously, he was not the only one to be a little nervous. He didn't mind though, it was sweet and so was her voice. Her hesitation gave him time to take in the sight of her soft skin, the curve of her lithe neck and body. Strange blue scales hinted at her mysterious origins, and trailed down from her neck and up from her arms to her lovely figure. With a considerable effort of will he removed his attention from her appearance to her words, smiling back at her kindly as he answered her question. "My name is Talen.. And I don't think we've met before, I wouldn't have forgotten." It wasn't anything original to say, but it was certainly true. It was lucky she was so embarassed by staring at him, otherwise they would both be doing nothing but eyeing the other. Without a doubt she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and although Talen was not the most active bachelor, he like most Denvali was quite open about such things. He leant his head to the side and looked at her curiously, the meeting of stares' causing her to blush and hide her bright, entrancing eyes. He couldn't help but laugh, briefly and clearly before he leant a little closer onto and over the table to offer his mind. "Don't worry about it, if I can't stare I'll have to wear a blindfold, or I won't be able to comply." He smiled, and tried to catch her stare again, to see if she took the compliment for what it was. The truth.

[E'isi]

[center] Eisi looked up to meet his gray eyes once again, he leaned over on the table and offered a complement. His words confused her a bit, but she understood, he was attracted to her. Her face betrayed her yet again, flushing with pink. "Thank you,". Never had she had so many men stare at her, she knew why, of course they thought of her as a beauty beyond comparison, but in truth there was beauty that surrounded them everyday, all one had to do was pay attention. "I'm sorry, yet again, I'm just not used to being looked at that way." that was a bit of a lie, "Oh sorry, I lied!" she covered her lips as her eyes grew wider, "Only one man looked at me that way..." sadness came in to her violet eyes, the truth was even Darren didn't look at her this way, only one did, and it seemed like he was lost in her memory. She quickly shook away her sadness and replaced it with a smile, her eyes enchanting once again. "But that's not a good subject I guess," a nervous laugh escaped her lips.  Eisi fiddled with her fingers, her webbing flashing with scales, "So have you lived here your whole life?" that seemed like a better topic, everyone loves to talk about home. She looked him in the eyes trying to feel at ease with him. Looking down quickly, as she blushed a light pink again. Why was it so hard for her to look at his eyes? Eisi gathered he thoughts as she looked back up, her eye brows pinch in the middle, "Sorry, my common is, well, ok." a polite smile came to her face, "I want to understand more then I do," yet again she looked at his eyes, was it possible that men can have almost the same traits that her people do? And how old was he? He looked like a child, yet again she was also child like, still being young for her race. She replaced her confused face with a more friendlier one, she moved one hand on the table and started to tap her fingers to her thumb, each time her fingers tapped, the scales of her webbing became more clear. Being a bit nervous she also chewed on her lower lip. "So you probably wondering what I am." From her experience so far, she found out people from this town didn't get out much, and asked the same questions that she was asked over and over again. She smiled and shook her head. Just thinking about her first time out made her smile. "Well let me start with saying I am from a island, and we don't many visitors their too." she wondered if she said that right. "I am an Konti, a race of women." tilting her head to the side, her scales became more evident, bright blues and deep purples, she saw him glance at them before, she smiled, "I notice you look at my scales quite often." she blushed. "All of us have them, I can tell that other races do not." now she felt like she was just blabbering. Changing the subject she asked "Did you grow up here?" that seem to be a good subject to talk about, everyone liked to talk of home. "So will you how me around here? My traveling party left me at the docks...And to be truthful, it would probably be nice to spend a day here just learning about your culture."

[Talen Stirling]

Her temperament and expression changed swiftly as waves upon the sea, going from embarrasment to apoligies to a sadness that seemed to call out for comfort. He reached out a hand instinctively, brushing against her elbow briefly. He smiled at her laughter, even if it was a charade to make herself more comfortable. Whatever memory it was she probably wouldn't want to dig it up now. He was of no intention to pry into it either. He looked at the webbed hands moving in unison when she asked her question, curiously wondering what it must be like having those things."Yeah, I have -- ..." He would have continued, but a brief glance that quickly escaped his own left him momentarily confused. Err'.. Denval is great. You'll like it here." He smiled and took a moment to indulge in some of the food he had carried over there, a few pieces of food and some water disappearing quickly without great amounts of loud chewing or spilling. Back in the day, he'd been reprimanded often enough by Alice as well as his mum for it to stick. He turned his full and rapt attention back to her as she started speaking about herself and where she was from. An island? Mura perhaps? He'd heard about the Konti, even if he'd never seen one before. Some of the most popular stories amongst Zeltivan sailors involved the surreally beautiful maidens of the sea, with various degrees of truth and tale within them. He almost reached out a hand to try and catch her own when she spoke of her scales, but before he could do so she asked him about his own origins. He looked up at her with a almost apologetic expression. To him, talking about his life in Denval was not nearly as interesting as the origins of her fair kin. "Yeah, I did... And yeah, I'd love to show you around! When I've finished my little breakfast." He smiled cheerfully at his pretty companion, and continued with his meal at a fast pace. However, curiosity suddenly bid him ask. "Your traveling party? Who are they?" A curiosity mixed with a strange sense of worry. There were strangers who were less likeable than the one before him.

[Paragon]

Talen : Talen Skill XP Reward Running +2 Bodybuilding +1 Seduction +1 Lore: Basic Konti Anatomy Other: Elsi : Elsi Skll XP Reward Observation +1 Lore: The Konti Aren't So Different Other: Fun little introductory thread, it's a shame it got cut off early. If you were wondering Talen, I gave you the point in seduction because of your cheeky little chat up line! - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.