[Hunters' Gather] One of These Doesn't Belong

[Gracen]

20th Fall, 512 A.V. Gracen hadn't seen another human in the Hunters' Gather, and he often got unfriendly looks, but the fact of the matter was that he was employed as a hunter, and hunted with a Symenestra (albeit somewhat against his will). So until he was thrown bodily from their company, he was going to eat and drink there. He sat by himself, wondering if he couldn't climb his way to the Blue Grotto at some point. It was good to give oneself goals to work toward; even if they were beyond reasonable, they would allow a man to achieve more than he might with more modest goals.

ApologyI would have made this longer and more thoughtful, but guests arrived and there's about to be food. I will make it up to you in future.

[crossmyheart]

She Craned her neck forwards, a smirk of integrity crossing over her eyes. Her expression, to the much delayed, was blank. Her pale skin seemed to melt into her white hair as it fell over her shoulders, tossing around in the small gust of wind that twisted itself around her small frame. The frail women seemed a bit to young, and a bit to weak for the type of life she led. Her small feet comforted only by the bare fabrics of small ballet shoes, crunched against the soft morning grass. Her piercing blue eyes were sharp and weighed with amusement as she crept through the already open the door, peeking inside of the small building. Her ghostly form wafting across the hard wood. Her bow sending a glow of light across the floor in a series of magnificent reflections. She kept her eyes down trained to the wall, resting her back up against the sturdy build. Her hair falling over her small face as she tapped her foot lightly against the ground. Wondering why she had even come here in the first place. She let a soft sigh fall from her lips, her eyes pertaining other factors.

[Dhanviyr]

Dhanviyr was sitting at a table in a dimly lit corner of the Hunters' Gather. He had yet to order any food or drink. Rather, he was biding his time while he scouted the room out for potential employment. Every Symenestra came to the Hunters' Gather, from seedy conmen to wealthy merchants, and it was coming near time when he would need a job to maintain his living. Tonight seemed quieter than usual. In fact, he suspected it had just become a little quieter than it was but a few moments ago.

He turned in his seat a little, slowly, because it appeared that some of the folk near him had tensed, as if danger had arisen. Looking to the entrance, he realised there was a human in the tavern. He didn't believe he'd seen a human more than a handful of times in his life, and really, the Hunters' Gather was the last place someone would expect to. This was a place for the Symenestra to wind down within the safety of their own people, but now there was a human in the midst. If Dhanviyr were honest with himself, he was more than a little curious.

[Gracen]

Gracen knew he ought to have stayed in the Meadows Public House, where the foreigners tended to congregate, but he had no interest in the foreigners, no more than did the Symenestra themselves. He had a job among the Symenestra, lived in a house built for Symenestra. He would eat and drink among them unless they made it impossible to do so. None had come to offer him refreshment, and he supposed it was due to his human nature, but he refused to let it bother him yet. He caught a young Symenestra peering at him. At least, he thought it was a young fellow. Most races aged a bit differently from humans. The cleft-chinned youth didn't seem particularly hostile, so he acknowledged the gaze with a curt nod. After a moment, he dropped his gaze and nodded toward an empty seat at his table, then returned to eye contact. It was an offer, but he wasn't wearing his heart on his sleeve by any means. At the very least, he was more likely to get served if there was a Symenestra sitting with him, but then that Symenestra might risk the ridicule of his brethren.

[Dhanviyr]

Dhanviyr awkwardly dropped his gaze when his eyes met the man's. He wasn't sure if some of the others had, in turn, come to stare at him - perhaps suspecting a friendship - but he was too nervous to check. He didn't appreciate coming to the focus of anyone's attention. It was what made him a decent hunter but a poor society man. Though he wasn't Eypharian, requiring glamour and enhanced beauty for even the lowliest, he knew his evanescent nature wasn't winning him any favours with finding a job.

This was his call. It was a tavern in the land of his people, with a human he would choose to meet. Standing up suddenly, he upset the stool he was sitting on. He raised an eyebrow as he glanced around, daring any onlookers to challenge. Righting the stool, he clutched his drink in one hand and briskly walked to the indicated table and took a seat facing the man. "My name is Dhanviyr," he said between a superficial sip behind his mug, attempting to cover the furrow in his brow that spoke of some anxiety. He didn't think he'd ever been this close to a human before, and the one in front of him, particularly, had a chiseled enough appearance that Dhanviyr knew he'd end up in pieces if this went wrong.

He set the mug down and wiped his upper lip. "Has any helped you yet? These parts aren't all too friendly to outsiders. Speaking of, what brings you here, if you don't mind my asking?"

[Gracen]

Gracen didn't understand the man's lack of grace in a city designed for his race, but after the hyper-alert dart of his eyes to see what the fuss was about, he averted his gaze so as not to embarrass him. He was rewarded -- if rewarded was the right word -- by the negligible weight of the Symenestra's ass in the chair opposite him. Only then did he look up, not smiling, but nodding a greeting. "Gracen Haxo," he said, not gruff, but certainly terse. Chances were this one merely wanted to fish for proof that he was within his rights to hustle Gracen out. Though Gracen might defend himself; he knew better than to do so here against a Symenestra except in dire straits where his life might otherwise be in jeopardy. "Came looking for someone, but didn't find him. Settling for a while, I think. Hunting, climbing, balancing." The last might have been humorous, but it was true. He just didn't add that he was trying to train his body to this environment, climbing silken cords just to climb them, balancing on the swinging highways of the Symenestra just to develop his balance. They were predators, these people of Kalinor, and so was he in his own way. One predator might learn from others. "And no, they still don't want me here, although I am a hunter." ApologiesI just had a show open, so I have been AWOL. I am back now, and hope I haven't lost you!