(The Communal Kitchens) Eating Issues (Taln)

[Drusilla]

52nd of Summer, 511AV
~noonish~


Drusilla sat alone in the kitchens, a streak of white among all the red. She sighed, not out of loneliness but because she was about to face her biggest fight. Eating among the Inarta. The plate in front of her had an Avora rationed amount of food, most of which was inedible to her. Well, she could eat it but it wasn't worth the stomach pains and sickness she would get for trying to digest the food. Drusilla picked around the plate. Maybe just a little wouldn't hurt...

As much as she suppressed it and tried to pretend she was fine living off over ripe fruit. Her Symenistra body needed meat. Uncooked, freshly caught meat. She slowly took a bite out of a peach, chewing it for such a length of time it was questionable if she would ever swallow. What a waste of good food, or she asumed it was good...

Maybe she could catch a rat later..

She looked over to the Deks eating the small amount of food they got. She felt an odd kinship with them, she had spent her childhood much like that. She looked back to her plate, they could use what she couldn't eat.

[Taln]

The six foot man hunched over, tying up a leaf wrapped bundle to his leg. It was half his bread and broth that he saved for his hatchling. Taln wrestled a bit with the dirty bryda he wore, still waiting for fall so he'd get a Lontev again. These petching things were just another excuse for a total stranger to beat him. With vivid green eyes, he glanced nervously over both shoulders and sat up again. Taln looked at the empty tray and sighed. To his right, a grubby dek with a misshapen arm struggled over his bread, nearly bent over double to eat. He'd purposely sat at the end of the table so he wouldn't have to tolerate more than one person next to him. Although he kept his head bowed to his tray, his copper hair slid forward to hide his eyes. From beneath lowered lashes, his hungry gaze flicked from one person to another, looking for an opportunity to catch out a slow eater. As usual, there were no slow eaters among the dek. He slouched over his tray, just enjoying a chance to sit down. Even if a guy couldn't eat, he could at least get to look at food, right?

[Drusilla]

Drusilla's attention was held by a dek she had never seen. She watched him with curiosity. He was a large man, covered in scars. How was he a dek? He was fit, and in Drusilla's eyes he was quite a nice looking Inarta. As she was wondering to herself the man took his food and bundled it up. Who or what was he saving it for? He had to be hungry. She looked at her plate of useless food, then at him.

She moved slowly to her feet, she was much smaller than him, and her Symenistra bones were much more fragile than a humans. She was intimidated by this Inarta, at least he was a he and not a she. Fixing her long mess of hair, she picked up her plate and carefully made her way to the man. She stood behind him, "E-excuse me...umm." She stalled a bit, "As an Avora..." She hung her head, "Just...eat this for me. It would be a waste to throw it away..." She placed the almost untouched plate in front of him."Sorry to have bothered you..." Drusilla quickly made her way back to her lone table, her heart pounding out of her chest and her small frame shaking slightly.

[Taln]

If the guy next to him didn't hurry up--a timid female voice sounded from behind him and he turned abruptly. His gaze flew to her face in alarm and then....stared. In less than a breath he flicked his eyes down and to the side as the unearthly beauty spoke so softly. The woman just ordered and left! 'Did she just -order- me to eat an entire plate mounded with succulent fruit and fresh vegetables?!' Taln definitely didn't need an order for that! He dug in with his left hand and mantled the plate with his right in unconscious imitation of a bird. His emerald eyes gleamed as he gulped down the sweet juicy mound of food. It would've been almost funny if he weren't so desperately hungry. His jaws made short work on the pile of food and for one of the few times in his life, Taln was actually...full. The ambrosia lasted less than two chimes, but the memory would last forever in a dek starved of mercy. The dek next to him eyed the empty plate and Taln glared at him fiercely until the other backed away. Finally sated, he looked around the room anxiously, searching for the delicate ivory creature. He kept his head bowed down, but his eyes roamed through every corner. There she is! She sat a few tables away in the nebulous area of status between higher and lower castes. Her hair and skin were so.. pale and her eyes were a striking shade of purple Taln had never before seen. The woman looked so fragile, he could hardly believe that anyone so delicate existed in Wind Reach--and as an Avora? For some reason she looked...scared. What did she have to be scared about with so much status? Oh. Right. Taln's face flushed in shame for a chime, knowing his enormous size was enough to scare a bird into moulting all its feathers off. A beast of a scarred dek. The beautiful and dainty woman looked terrified of him, but he at least needed to return her plate or offer to bring it up front for her. But to just -walk up to an Avora- like he actually had an ounce of caste?! Taln didn't pray often, but he sent up a quick prayer of safety that the woman didn't beat him for ...well whatever reason an Avora felt like watching his blood run. Slowly, as if to his own potential death, he approached Drusilla's table. The dek held the plate, nearly dwarfing it in his large hands. He kept his head bowed properly as he spoke in a deep and very quiet voice, edged with fear. "Your plate...I...uh.." The man cleared his throat nervously and tried again. "Thank you for your kindness Avora. This dek could take your plate up front for you if you wish."

[Drusilla]

Drusilla jumped a bit at the sound of the man's voice, she turned to him a hand over a portion of her mouth. She was smiling. But where there was a smile, there were fangs laced with poison. " Drusilla....My name is Drusilla Aster, but not many use last names here." She got to her feet, her elongated hands taking the plate from the man, " I have two good legs, so I do believe I'll be able to return my plate on my own."

Taking the plate the unthinkable happened, her hand had grazed his hand. She froze. She would of been fine if it weren't for the tiny unseeable hairs that covered her body. They allowed her to scale almost any surface, but gave her skin an odd feel. She lowered her head, her face was red doing nothing for her ashen skin, "I'm sorry...."

Drusilla looked up at him embarassment evident on her face. "Umm...Thank you for your offer, sir. I didnt catch your name or why you are missing your shirt. Please, give me a second." She asked taking up her plate, her black dress swaying as she walked to the front of the kitchens and returned back to the man. "Now, sit down and we can talk...if you don't mind...that is.."

[Taln]

The woman smiled and Taln blinked that an Avora would purposely smile at him in public. And he blinked again. 'Fangs?!' he thought in stark surprise. Before he even had time for the first thing to sink in, she actually introduced herself and said she'd take care of her own plate with a dek standing right here in front her! Her unbelievably slim hand brushed his and it felt exactly like velvet. The man just stood there in astonishment trying to fathom what was going on. She had smiled at him--like he wasn't a beast dek. This woman had fangs. The Avora intended to do a task reserved for deks. Her ivory skin rubbed like velvet then the woman apologized and blushed. The fragile beauty looked thoroughly embarrassed. Well that reaction was normal. He knew dozens of women totally ashamed of just being -seen- with him in public, much less accidentally touching this hulking dek beast. Taln was totally befuddled now. The Avora talked to him like she would any other Inarta--she even thanked him for not doing anything at all. "Sir?" Utterly confused, the dek looked first left then right, assuming she must be talking to someone else. "Me?" His emerald eyes swiftly glanced at her face and he quickly answered, hoping he hadn't angered her with his slowness to obey a direct question. His voice remained at a low and very quiet pitch. "You're welcome Avora Drusilla. I'm Taln, uh I don't have a last name--" The woman gracefully excused herself, swishing off in the wake of her long black dress and again he caught himself just staring. He abruptly flicked his green gaze back to the floor as she returned, hoping she hadn't noticed. The large man sat down the moment she said to, after all, she was an Avora. He fidgeted with his the ring on his lower lip, probably unable to feel more self conscious than he did at that very moment. His coppery hair obscured his eyes but not the crimson that colored his neck and face with shame. Why would she ask the obvious? To rub it in? "I'm a dek, Avora. I don't get a shirt." Taln hunched his shoulders, looking clearly uncomfortable. His bare feet curled under him and he looked at her through lowered lashes, keeping his head very carefully bent downward.

[Drusilla]

Drusilla giggled at the confusion of the word 'Sir', her hand covering her mouth. " I've been here sense I was twelve...You think I'd have learned more than I have. I guess I just can't relearn what I was taught back in Kalinor.." Her face changed emotions at the word 'Kalinor'. Bad memories. She shook the thought out of her head. "I'm sorry the past is past.." She gave another careful smile only to have it turn into a pout.

"Taln! That's not a good reason to not have a shirt. You'll catch your death wandering around half clothed! You're lucky I can fix that for you....and please, no more Avora. It was a lucky chance I wasn't.... Well, I'm a foriegner I'm sure you can tell..." Drusilla watched as people began to leave.

"You look really uncomfortable.....Can I ask you something, Taln? Be honest." Drusilla looked around cautously, wringing her hands. "Am I scary? I-I mean do I frighten you?" she lowered her head and exhaled. She mumbled quietly in Symenos, her crawling home tounge.

[Taln]

His eyebrows nearly shot into his hairline in surprise. This was the most un-Avora-like Avora he'd ever met! "Avora Drusilla, no dek is allowed a shirt. It's uh.. it's normal. As an Avora, you're surely aware that I -must- address you by your title or a passerby could call us out for it and kill us both. In private, not many care, but in public, well, it's...dangerous. You may be a foreigner, but if you're given a high caste, you must act by it..." Taln stopped and just couldn't believe this crazy conversation! As people started drifting off, he watched them through the curtain of his hair. The man's chin remained down with his eyes and face half hidden so he could stare freely at what he wanted to. "It's your place to call me or ask me anything you wish Avora, and my place to answer." It wasn't quite the question he'd expected and his emerald gaze flicked to her for the briefest heart beat before looking down again. He watched her delicate features, velvet ivory skin and amethyst eyes. Her beauty was exceptional and while her fangs made her ...very different, that was not what he was afraid of. "Don't take it personal--all Avoras terrify me, it's your caste that makes me the most nervous." He blurted out in honesty, crimson staining his face and neck at having to admit fear like a coward. The man licked his lips nervously and stopped, catching the strange language that seemed to crawl from her mouth. Taln's head tilted to one side, his green eyes gleaming, as he listened intently to the strange soft susurrus like whispers on his senses.

[Drusilla]

"I'm sure you've noticed them.....My fangs,my eyes,my skin...My body frame....I'm less than human. Symenestra, to be exact. Was born in Kalinor....My mother died giving birth...stepmother hated me...grew up much like you live...I'm the only Symenestra here in Wind Reach and I'll almost certainly be the only one you'll ever see. The gatekeeper won't let any males in here. They're too dangerous to be placed with the Inarta. They're meat eaters, and not like cooked meat either. We hunt, stalk, and kill. Well, I try not too..But, I'm so hungry.." As if on cue Drusilla's stomach gurgled.

"Why do the Avora scare you?" concern shown in her eyes. "Or is it the upper classes all together?" Even she could understand that, the Endals were loud, flashy, and much too showy. Most of the Avora Drusilla had met were fairly nice, if only her teacher had been one of the nicer ones....

"Well, I'm sure a female dek would have a shirt...." she shook her head "It's not fair...The way people treat you, what makes you less of a being than me? You're a strong handsome guy, what make you less than anyone else?" Drusilla had seen many deks die of poor condictions. Some had been friends of hers. "Taln, even if it's a lie..tell me you have a warm place to sleep..Just to ease my mind."

[Taln]

The foreign woman, the Symenestra, seemed intent on sharing her entire background with him as quickly as possible. Taln thought she must be either desperately lonely or wanted something from him. Oh that's why she gave me her food--she couldn't eat it! She would be more like the eagles and other birds that needed meat to survive. Taln nodded in total understanding--especially when her stomach gave immediate evidence of her words. He scrutinized her subtly from beneath his hair and she was indeed bone thin-starving as he had been not so long ago. "I can get you some raw meat. I don't usually go up there unless I'm desperate, but if that's what you eat then let me give -you- a meal this time." Taln said, gratified that it wasn't just a hand out she'd given him--he could pay her back with the kind of food she needed. "Yea the upper classes in general are vicious and short tempered as a whole--especially the females." His voice was especially quiet on this statement but very vehement. The man raised an eyebrow at Drusilla. If she'd been here for even a year, she'd know the answers to these questions. He nodded his head toward a lone dek headed toward the kitchen. She was dressed in a simple one piece tunic as she shuttled trays back and forth. "That's standard dek clothes, a Lontev. I ruined mine and an Avora gave me these bryda instead. Taln's face colored a moment thinking how he'd 'earned' the bryda. In fall, I'll get another Lontev. He put down a large hand on the skirt/pants item he wore. These are actually above my caste, and a lot of Inarta don't like that I'm wearing them when they find I'm a dek..."The man shrugged. "What's the big deal about showing skin? You Avora can bathe when you choose, but most of us are herded into the communal Tisuma Baths with all the other dek, yasi and chiet. Why does nudity mean so much to you?" Then it all came together. The pale woman's last sentence made things click in his mind as to why she was talking to him like this. All this bird shyke about 'handsome' when he was a just an overgrown scarred dek beast, then asking where he slept? Taln eyebrows drew together in a frown and he licked at his lip ring nervously. 'So she wants me to fetch her some raw meat and warm her bed. Yep. She's Avora. The Valintar definitely got her caste right.' He thought unhappily, assuming the usual. That's how every conversation ended when a higher up female deigned to talk to him. The man followed her orders as commanded. "I always have a warm place to sleep." 'When yet another Avora invites me to her quarters' He finished the rest of the spoken answer with his thoughts and sighed.