Sleep is for the Dead (Kalila)[Complete]

by **Roka** on March 17th, 2012, 3:03 pm

24th Spring 512AV

The Pig's Foot Tavern, it seemed like a good place to enter today, the sun hadn't set but there was still groups gathering along its watering hole. He wondered if any of them actually had honest jobs, which would shock him if it were true.

Still he was not one to talk ill of others he had found his submergence into Sunberth unsettling, he had fit right in, almost no forceful jamming to find his place. He remained to himself when he could and had found friends in many races and many talents.

He slid into a table, his body was sore from the extra training he'd been doing over the last few days. He'd worn himself out just to remain busy. He rested his arms on the table and listened to the music of a bard plucking strings a few feet away. It wasn't anything exceptional but he enjoyed it still. The rhythmic stokes of fingers adding to his lethargic spirits.

He rubbed at his eyes and considered actually buying a room for the night just to have a bed to sleep on. Not that he minded sleeping wherever he could find, but it would be a nice change.

He remembered then that prices had taken a high rise, one he wasn't willing to pay for. When it came down to it, he was really a cheap bastard. He hardly ever bought food or drink, he just found it himself where he could or stole what he needed when he could, as for shelter, the northern wilds were a decent place to find rest and if not there, there were plenty of place to slip into unseen.

Roka yawned, mouth wide, and reached up to rub the corners of his eyes. He blinked a rapid pattern to clear his vision. He knew that he had to remain alert here still, even if it was a place of leisure.

by **Sahashkalila** on March 17th, 2012, 3:53 pm

Once again Kalila was heading down the familiar path to the tavern, the only familiar path that she really had. She still wasn't used to the city, except for the route to the market and to the Crimson Edge camp, but other than that she had no where pressing that she needed to go. She wondered if people were starting to think that she was an alcoholic as many times as she seemed to frequent this place, but she supposed that was better than letting the know she was Dhani. Her black robes fluttered about her in the breeze as she got close to the tavern, her veil once again hiding her face from the world as she entered the familiar place.

The sound of music hit her ears and she smiled as she saw a group of players in one corner, they weren't anything to boast about, but the sound was pleasant to her ears and her golden eyes studied them for a moment before she made her way up to the bar. The bar maid threw up a hand in greeting, reaching to bring out her usual mug for Kalila, but Kalila shook her head, not wanting anything at the moment. Instead she looked around the room, seeing familiar patrons.....an a dark headed man that she did not recognize at first, but the more she studied his face, the more she realized that she had seen him at the training camp and her eyes widened with interest. He was lovely, there was no doubt about that, but he looked tired and ill, and Kalila wondered if her was sick as she watched him rub his eyes. She could help him if he was, her healer instincts taking over, but she wasn't sure if he would accept her help. Making up her mind to go over there anyway, she gestured to the bar maid, asking for two cups of tea so she could bring him one as well. Once she had the steaming mugs in her small hands, she made her way over to his table, hesitating slightly before speaking.

"Um...excussse me...I did not mean to intrude but...you look unwell,"she began, inwardly cursing herself for her nerves. "I can help you if you need it, but I thought you might would like a cup of tea. It can do a world of good ssomtimess..."She trailed off and then set the mug down in front of him, realizing that she probably looked like a right fool in front of him, a complete stranger coming and offering him some tea. Who does that?

by **Roka** on March 18th, 2012, 3:27 am

Roka had watched her enter and recognized her vaguely, she was another Crimson Edge affiliate or prospect, he didn’t recall. She was rather small and he had found her mysterious with her face covered and her surveying eyes. At least she was smart but he wasn't sure he'd assessed her threat level.

Pretending not to notice he drew his eyes back to the table's grain, but the gentle sliding of feet upon the floor boards seemed to increase in volume and a smooth voice addressed him from the barrier of the tabletop.

He looked up to her a blanketed expression upon his face. She appeared nervous, pausing here and there to access his reactions but motionless he looked at her just the same patiently waiting for her to finish.

'Sick? Did she really just look at me and see exhaustion? I must look a disaster then.' his thoughts were trailed by the clang of the cup upon the table, and he snapped to his senses.

"Ahh, please sit." he finally proposed signaling with an open hand the chair across from him. His hand hesitated by the mug, reaching and then recoiling. He couldn't say why he was so paranoid at this time; it must actually be that he was somewhat ill, for she seemed of good intent.

He forced a smile as he looked up at her. "Your too kind, miss..." he grasped the mug with a commitment and pulled it to him and hope she had missed his earlier disinclination.

"Do I really look so ill?" he laughed to lighten the mood and help her feel more comfortable. "If so, my apologies for troubling you" he leaned upon the table and forced energy into his appearance.

by **Sahashkalila** on March 18th, 2012, 3:59 am

She watched as he hesitated before grabbing the mug, understanding why he did. She was a complete stranger who had offered him something that could be poisoned....not that she would do something like that, but she at least understood. She studied him so more as he forced himself to acknowledge her company and she hesitated a moment before she sat down, chuckling a bit at his comment.

"You do not look that terrible....jussst exhaussted,"she said softly, setting her mug on the table and clasping her tiny hands in her lap. "For give me...my name iss Kalila....and I thought you might would enjoy ssome tea, it can be sssoothing." She then reached up and undid the veil, letting her dark curls tumble down her back, draping the material across her shoulders as she regarded him with a kind smile. "You are not troubling me, I'm a healer....ssso I naturally want to help." She then reached for her mug and brought it to her lips, taking a sip before her golden eyes regarded him with amusement.

"I did not poisson that you know,"she said with a grin, nodding towards his untouched mug.

by **Roka** on March 18th, 2012, 5:11 am

Roka's was amused by her, mostly by the rhythm of her voice, the way it trailed out in a sweet hiss. He was vaguely reminded of a serpent, and the way she fluidly moved like every part of her body was one single motion in action. He concluded that this was just a habit of his to relate people to things he better understood, things he had encountered in the wild, things that were more recognizable in their intentions than that of most things covered in furless skin and walking on two legs.

Her eyes struck him as they pierced him though, they were deep and dusty, sharper than most he'd seen, yet he found a strange beauty in them. As she uncovered the rest of her appearance he was pleasantly surprised, another beautiful woman, a healer at that. His thoughts glimpsed to the only other healer he had encountered also a lovely yet deadly looking woman whom he'd seen much of since their meeting.

He relaxed a bit upon her obvious call to his actions, appreciating she had noticed his actions and not been offended. "Well Kalila," the name was a sweet one, a wave of balanced consonants and vowels that felt smooth rolling over his tongue. "Thank you...I will trust you this once and if I find myself dead then I shall never trust you again." he joked a smile tugging at his lips. He gazed up at her through dark lashes, as he studied her features diligently. After all he was only a man.

The glass raised to his lips he took a small drink. He hadn’t yet tasted this drink, he found many cooked or well prepared meals and drinks didn’t appeal to him much. This however tasted natural, like a honey stirred into a floral liquid. He quite appreciated it in fact. He took a larger drink, uninhibited by her company, and let the liquid slowly run down his throat in a warming stream. His tongue slid over his lips cleaning a sweet layer away. “That’s quite wonderful actually.” His smile widened as a comfortable sensation filled his gut.

by **Sahashkalila** on March 18th, 2012, 9:58 pm

"Thank you.....I will trust you this once and if I find myself dead then I shall never trust you again."

Her smile widened at his joke, a laugh bubbling up and spilling from her lips, the sound pleasant to her ears. She had not had a genuine laugh in....well a very long time, because she usually kept to herself. It was a nice change and the smile remained on her face once her laughter died down. "I sssupposse that iss very good advice for yoursself, although it would be very impolite of me to kill you on our firsst meeting,"she said softly, her eyes studying him just as intently as he was studying her. She may have been Dhani, but she was still a female and any female fully appreciates being in the presence of a handsome man. She studied his features, his long dark hair falling past his shoulders and she had the strangest desire to run her fingers through it, wondering if it was as soft as it looked. He body was lean and toned from what she could tell through his loose clothing, and overall she just enjoyed looking at him, for she had not been around a male presence since her travels with the traders.....and they were not particularly pleasing to the feminine eye.

His eyes though were what caught her attention the most, they were a deep gold, just like hers, and they seemed to study her with a sly fascination. She blushed a bit under his intent stare, looking back down at her cup and running a hand through her curls, a small smile on her face as he raised the cup to his lips. She peeked back up at him through her lashes, her smile widening as he expressed his appreciation for the beverage. SHe didn't feel quite as ridiculous now that he had tried it, and she took another sip of her own, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.

"It issn't ale...but I alwayss think it takess a much more cultured persson to appreciate tea. Or ssomeone who iss sick."she said with a chuckle, her fingers toying with her curls. "Thiss particular one iss made with rosse petalss and cinnamon with honey, and iss ssaid to provide sspiritual healing....whether that is true or not I'm not ssure, but it iss one of my favoritess. I ussually had thiss on my travelss in the desssert" She did not know why she felt the need to tell him that, she was rambling and she once again attributed it with nerves. She shifted in her seat once again, the blush evident on her honey colored skin as she watched him.

"What iss your name?" she asked suddenly, realizing that she did not know who this lovely stranger was.

by **Roka** on March 19th, 2012, 4:41 am

Roka returned her smile. He was weak to sweet words poured from a beautiful woman’s lips. He was aware of this himself, but it wouldn't stop him from feeling that way. He wondered if he ever bonded to another if that would cease. It was a curious question that passed through his mind.

Her description of the drink made it all the more sweet, she described it in detail with great attribute, it was a romantic portrayal that made him want to take time to breath in the smell of it, and the sight of it too as well as the taste. He was sure she could have sold him into seeing the beauty of just about anything with that voice of hers though.

Roka caught the light flush of color rising in her cheeks; it was a nice shade to accent her tanned flesh. He had to look away for a moment to give him a break from the constant searching of her face he had been doing. He sipped at his drink again, this time enjoying its aroma as well. He couldn't taste it, but the smell of cinnamon tickled his nose. He hadn't known anything in the city to smell quite this good. Any food, or any drink in the city seemed bitter and salted just like its people. It was befitting to have a smooth drink with a woman such as this, a welcome surprise.

He had forgotten to introduce his name, it hadn't even occurred to him until she mentioned it. "My name is Roka." He counted himself lucky that most people weren't accustomed to introducing a last name, because he was one not in possession of one. His name sounded short and harsh in contrast to hers and he nearly chuckled at the click of his letters as he spoke them.

by **Sahashkalila** on March 19th, 2012, 9:54 pm

Kalila studied his eyes once more as he looked back up at her, trying to determine what he was thinking about as he spoke to her. His voice was warm and pleasant, and she did not mind listening to him speak. "Roka...."she said softly, his name rolling off her tongue with a click. It was light and fleeting, but it fit him, and she had no room to judge since she only had one name. "It iss a pleassure to meet you." The honesty was clear in her smooth voice because it was true, he was a pleasant change to all of the rough types that she had seen on the streets of this city. There were so many people that seemed rugged and harsh, while Roka had something else that she couldn't quite identify. She birefly wondered if he was a Dhani, but he had no apparent lisp nor did his name ring of serpentine origins, but his eyes were just as hypnotic.

Of course he could be a complete nut job and she would never know.

She sat back in her chair and once again studied him with interest, wondering what had brought him to this place. He looked exhausted, and being off your guard in a tavern wasn't the smartest thing for him to be doing. "I hope I am not keeping you from anything,"she said suddenly, thinking that she was perhaps intruding or that maybe he was waiting on someone, but she was curious about him. "You do not sseem like the type to frequent a tavern Roka, esspecially when you look utterly exhausted.....but then again, I could be wrong." She reached for her mug on the table and held it in her lap, the warmth of the liquid seeping into her hands. "Perhapss you are ssearching for company, jusst ass I am."

by **Roka** on March 20th, 2012, 11:14 am

His fingers nonchalantly traced the uneven configurations of the wood grain that made the tabletops. A mention of a smile smudged on his face and eyes downturned as he let the conversation flow as it may. Conversation was a commodity that could not be bought, at least not conversation worth having. He felt insubstantial among the banter between them. That and the tea combined into a kind relief that had lifted his spirits if not his tender form. In a day or two he was sure he would find himself uneasy once again, out in the forest, hunting and plucking deceased leaves from their living hosts, much as he felt was needed from his life at times.

He shook his head upon first hearing her question, a smooth gesture, rippling the straight strands of hair that brushed over his shoulders. "No, I'm not looking for anyone in particular." He nearly left it at that, but to fill the silence felt compelled to continue despite his waver.

"I suppose like you say, I come here occasionally just to be in the company of others. It's a bad habit I've acquired; Sometimes, even if at a distance and only for a brief period it is comfortable to not be so alone." His eyes drifted back to her, lifted his mug with a loose grip to press it to his lips in another sip. Even now he could feel the breeze that would slide past him over the hills, or the smell of fresh leaves and sprigs, or the feel of the grass bowing over under the heel of his feet. It was a home, but when there he would miss people. He could feel a pull that would tell him he was searching for someone to complete him, and his frustration mounted at the anxiety that it built within him.

by **Sahashkalila** on March 20th, 2012, 2:19 pm

Kalila watched as he shook his head, the motion causing smooth length of his hair to ripple and her desire to touch the soft strands grew once again.....although it would not be polite of her just reach out and touch it, no matter how badly she wanted to. As she listened to him speak though, she got the feeling that he was sad and a bit lonely, even though he was with company right now. She did not know what his life was like or if he had a family that he could go to, but from the way he spoke she assumed that he didn't and she could feel her heart tugging in sympathy towards him. She came to the tavern for much of the same reason as he did, to escape the loneliness that haunts her, to seek companionship. She had no family, nor anyone that she felt particularly close to here in this city, and so she made the same trek to the tavern almost every day, hoping that perhaps she would be able to crush the Lilongwe that seemed to haunt her. A look of pain flashed across her face at the thought of what her life had become before her features cleared and she brought the mug back up to her lips for a drink.

"Yesss, no one truly wantss to be alone, and it is a sad existence if one iss,"she said softly, her eyes going back to his as he looked at her. "I ssupposse I come here jusst ass you sseeking the companionship that I do not have, or perhapss I am sssearching for ssomething to make my life complete......I do not know." She shook her head and looked down at the table, another blush forming in her cheeks. She had shared more of her own feelings when she was supposed to be there to make sure that he was well, not bore him with her troubles. "I'm ssorry, I do not mean to burden you with my troubless....and I ssupposse thiss tea iss not working for my own sspirit. But perhapss it hass worked for yourss? I did come over here to ssee if you were alright after all." She looked back up and smiled at him, the gesture warm and friendly.