Flashback Cadaveric Anatomy 101 (Eleret)

[Adnaj]

7th of Fall 506 AV

Thus far, Adnaj was familiar with little more than the docks and shipyard. He didn't really know what else to do with his time. The docks were the one place where an inexpensive healer was most needed. In the Old Quarter and around the University, there was enough money to provide most vital health services. Down here, however, those who had the money lacked the time during their busy work day. Meanwhile those who had the time had so because of on-the-job injury. There was plenty of work to be done here and people paid what they could. It was enough for Adnaj to scrape by for now.

It seemed easier to mingle with the crowd down. Adnaj was fortunate to have a fresh enough body that many people didn't care to suspect his true nature. Those who suspected didn't care to deny their access to affordable treatment. Besides, Adnaj was disarmingly friendly to any would-be patients. Bedside manner, as Adnaj realized, would have to become an important part of his search for livelihood.

Adnaj was not, however, working at this moment. It was noon and he decided to head over to the Cerulean Pier. It had been a long morning and now it was time to eat. He approached the eatery, threw his large medical bag up and onto the table and then approached the purveyor in order to secure his ration of food for lunch.

[Eleret]

Eleret came down to the pier relatively often, visiting the aquarium and walking out on the wooden boards to its very end. Sometimes she swam out in the surf, but not today; today she satisfied herself with breathing in the salt-scented air and seeing the sea. The student still had a pile of reading to get done, and if she went swimming, that might not happen. She had learned that the last time she was in Zeltiva. After leaning on the pier railing for a little while, watching the opportunistic gulls scout for people's leavings, the Konti decided to look for food of her own. Her pale, scaled features stood out amidst the mostly-human populace, even though Eleret was small enough to disappear behind many. She wore brown pants and a light blue shirt, sufficient protection against the sea breeze considering the vestiges of summer warmth which had not yet faded. Being familiar with the pier, Eleret didn't have to look far for her own food. She made her way over towards the eatery, dodging students, visitors, and denizens as needed. Here where there were more people, she could smell less of salt and sea, and more of what her gift brought her -- a confusing welter of scents, many of which clashed with one another, providing little actual insight to the seer. It went a long ways towards putting a dent in her appetite, but Eleret knew from experience that that would eventually pass. The Konti made it out of the thick of the crowd and stepped into the eatery, pausing to take stock of her surroundings and the other patrons. Eleret then made her way up to place her own order, smiling politely at the man before her.

[Adnaj]

Among the crowd, Adnaj's eyes were drawn to the beauty of a certain Konti at the front of the line. Not drawn in any kind of desiring or illicit way, but in the way that anyone was drawn to a member of the Konti. Drawn to the beauty of the grace and elegance of the Konti women. Afterall, Adnaj's charge was to study the living form and what form was more deserving of study than the sophistication and beauty of a Konti woman. Eleret seemed to stand out amongst the crowd.

Although he was not directly staring at the woman, he was also quite close to her as they were both at the counter. His gaze, all likelihood, wouldn't be disconcerting, in fact it would likely betray his rather innocent intentions. In this well-preserved yet aged human body his stare would seem less like an ambitious suitor and more like a carefree elder. Unfortunately, a student of natural anatomy would be able, upon genuine inspection, to notice that this body was "well-worn."

Not wanting to upset anyone, Adnaj pulled his gaze away from the Konti and ordered lunch. He hoped that this woman had neither the commitment or the practical knowledge to ascertain his true identity.

[Eleret]

Eleret usually took whatever menu item was centered on fish; in Zeltiva, that often meant several options to choose from. Today she opted for fish and beans, not as good as her sister would make, but decent enough. She stepped away from the counter, starting to walk out and scanning the tables for a place to sit. Motion at the edge of her view halted the Konti, and she ducked sideways as someone -- another student, from their look and haste -- dashed through the space she had moments ago occupied. The dodge brought her up against Adnaj, though not with any force; she didn't jostle him. Once the student had passed through on their urgent mission -- whatever it was -- Eleret stepped away, turning and smiling apologetically at Adnaj. "Pardon me." At close range, her gift was able to tease his mood-scents out from the general populace -- or at least, she thought the scents were mostly his. A trace of pungent licorice, with a distinct underlying sharpness that she associated more with tension or unease; an odd combination for sure. The Konti was far too polite to ask outright for clarification and explanation; it wasn't done to be invasive. So she chose a simple, general question instead, and hoped he might volunteer something related. Even if not, it was a query worth making in its own right, out of courtesy. "Is well?" Eleret asked, her normally precise Common grammar slipping somewhat.

[Adnaj]

Adnaj chuckled as coincidence brought the woman right into his personal space.

“Oh yes, I’m fine,” he grinned. “Don’t worry yourself over it, I know how crowded the pier can get at this time of day.” Adnaj truly did understand. In fact, it was for this reason that, near this far into the duration of one of his bodies, he usually stopped coming to the pier. In the next few weeks, it would be too inconspicuous for a Nuit to wander around in this part of town.

“The students are always the worst, too,” he gave a low pitched chuckle. “Wound up from their classes and zipping past people like nervous, little chipmunks.” Adnaj detected a youthful warmth about this woman. He didn’t worry, with her, about a cold or odious reaction to having met a Nuit out on the street. Besides, she literally bumped into him. If this body had been convincing thus far, perhaps she wouldn’t notice from the opposite side of a luncheon table. He glanced around the eatery and noticed that it was now mildly over its seating capacity.

“There isn’t a place to sit in here. Unless you were taking your meal out to the pier, why not take a seat and eat with me?”

He liked the idea of having some company, for once. Every day he came to these eateries and watched the living intermingle with one another. He certainly wasn’t lonely but it got boring to eat in silence. Sahova was definitely a quiet place and it was a place of welcomed and appreciated solitude but the culture of Zeltiva had slightly affected him in the time since his arrival. He looked forward to a little conversation with his food, today.

[Eleret]

Eleret smiled back at the man as he gave no indication of being disturbed by her misstep. His 'scent' shifted as well, if his it was -- it traded sharp pungency for something more mellow and relaxed. She wasn't able to distinguish what exactly, the subtlety overwhelmed by the presence of so many others around them, but the shift eased a bit of tension in the young woman as well. "I am student," she remarked, lips quirking wryly to one side. "But..." She groped for an appropriate word. "...slower." Now that she was looking at him, focused on him, Eleret noticed the man's appearance. He seemed... exhausted, perhaps, too pale and with dark shadows under his eyes. But -- it would be quite rude to draw attention to this in a stranger, and medicine was not her forte besides. She simply noted it, and continued on. The Konti nodded at his invitation, scales shimmering on her forehead with the motion. "I would like that. I have seen the pier; I will see it again." Then she shook her head a little, with a small and sheepish grin. "I have bad manners. I should introduce, I am Eleret." Giving him a chance to reciprocate, she surveyed the room for herself, considering the tables around them. Balancing the tray on her left hand, Eleret pointed at the one which had nothing on or around it except a large bag. "It is that one?"

[Adnaj]

"My name is Adnaj," the Nuit offered in introduction. "Yes, that's the one," he said as he started to guide her toward the table.

He enjoyed Eleret's excellent, though clearly not native, grasp of common. This was the first time that he had ever actually sat down with and met a Konti woman. Up until this point, he only knew OF their civilization. As always, Adnaj was quite open to the idea of meeting someone from a new and wholly different culture.

Once they were both seated, he looked at her with genuine interest. "A student, but slower?" Adnaj repeated out loud. "So, do you attend the University or does this mean that you simply educate yourself?"

[Eleret]

Eleret smiled at Adnaj as he introduced himself in turn. "Pleased to meet you," she replied, walking over to the table with him. She sat down across from the part of the table occupied by his bag, setting her plate on the table. "I am at the University, yes," she affirmed with a brief nod. "I... do not 'zip'?" she continued, hesitating over the word he had used. Eleret waved a hand in the direction of the fellow student, now long gone, who had instigated their introduction. "Run around all the time. I study history, here," she added, the corner of her mouth tugging sideways in a wry smile. "The professor said to the class, go away and read. I read. No running after books." The Konti folded her hands on the table's edge, then regarded Adnaj curiously. "And you? What is your work?"

[Adnaj]

"You study at the University!" Adnaj repeated with a genuine degree of respect. "Excellent, you should be very proud!"

He chuckled at her response to his comment. "True enough," he remarked in a friendly manner. "I guess there isn't a whole lot of running around for you. History only seems to change every hundred years or so," he said, laughing lightly at his own joke.

For a second his eyes flashed with a sense of error and surprise. His humored observation came from the fact that he had seen interpretation change over multiple human generations. Something, quite obviously, that wouldn't have been normal for a typical Zeltivan human.

He quickly recovered and continued with the conversation. "That must be very interesting, looking back into the post-Valterian events which shaped our world, today."

He broke for a quick sip from his drink.
"Myself, I choose to study healthcare. I dabble in a bit of everything but, obviously, I focus on medical care," he told her.

"In fact, I am looking to start up a small clinic, here in Zeltiva. I am conducting all of the preparations by myself. I just started everything, this year, so no one really knows that I am here, yet. I'm starting to grow though," he quickly added.

[Eleret]

OOCThank you for your patience! He quite clearly approved of her studies, and Eleret smiled across the table at Adnaj. She didn't want to seem rude and start eating while they were conversing, so her attention remained focused on the man. The Konti caught a whiff of something at once sharp and almost cloying, an overall unpleasant scent which seemed to correlate with the flicker in his expression; it seemed to be his, not that of another in the eatery. Her expression in turn flickered -- a slight flinch from the sudden, strong "odor" her Gift relayed, followed by an uncertain interest. For sake of something to do, she picked up her fork and started worrying at her fish, not so much cutting it up as flaking it to bits. The pause extended a bit longer before Eleret finally resumed the conversation. "I have only a little study so far. There is much history. ...You have studied it also?" she asked rather diffidently, curious, but unsure if this was actually an acceptable topic of conversation given his seeming tension over it. "I have little... healthcare," the Konti continued, hoping that would prove to be a less stressful topic for the man. "Though it is hard to grow up in Mura and have none," she remarked, finding a rueful smile to offer her companion. "My sister is healer. I am not. It is a thing I should learn more, I think."