[Bronze Woods] The Fall of Summer (Telrin)

[Krahe von der Nebel]

The spirits of the Kelvic hunter rose drastically once the fire gained its momentum and roared to life. Already the heat was letting him feel his fingers again. It was like he being melted out of a block of ancient ice. With its welcomed warmth came the reddish orange tint of light that illuminated the clearing and everything inside it. The shadows of Krahe and Telrin were exaggerated doppelgangers that stretched out into the forest, the flickering fire making them move and stutter about. Krahe wasted no time in setting up the spit over the fire; jamming each of the metal stands into the earth before letting the skinned rabbit rest between them on a third rod. With his hand gripped firmly on the handle, he started to spin it, smiling as the warmth of the fire started to cook the meat. He turned to his new acquaintance and was about to say something when the words caught on his tongue. He wanted to ask the question he had posed during their first meeting, but wondered if it might spark more tension between them. Of course, that had been when Telrin had viewed him as a threat. But even then, what was to say that opinion hadn't changed? Still, it might start some sort of conversation one way or the other. The last thing he wanted to do was sit in awkward silence. "Thank you for the help." He convinced himself to say, the rest coming out naturally. "I hope it doesn't bother you if I ask this again... but what exactly are you doing all the way out here?" He thought for a moment and built on his question. "Most people I see are traveling merchants or the occasional adventuring party. Even then... None of them have ever been alone. I don't question your ability to handle yourself, especially when you've made it this far in. I just find it... odd... that you'd do so in the first place."

[Telrin]

The man quickly set about to putting what Telrin assumed to be dinner over the fire, and so the boy settled comfortable in his seat, bringing one leg up to his chest and resting his chin on his knee. He remained silent, thoughts wandering as Krahe did whatever it was he was doing. He remembered passing a clearing on their way there. There was still light, at least enough to return home, but he could not linger for more than an hour. And even then he would have to hurry if he wanted to make it to safety before dark. The Kelvic posed a question, causing Telrin’s eyes to refocus. He took a minute to process the question, but his answer was as blunt as the rest of his speech had been. “I am looking for a place to be. I live best when I am alone. I don’t need anyone else.” The boy’s voice fell a fraction at the third statement, and his eyes glazed for a heartbeat before returning to Krahe. “I am looking for a place to camp for the week, and to maybe come back later. Also, I am sleeping in the city, so I will have to leave in an hour or so.”

[Krahe von der Nebel]

Krahe continued to spin the spit, his nose drawing in the scent of cooked meat that was slowly filling the area around the campfire. Combined with the scent of the burning oak, the clearing was quickly filled with the smell akin to that of a smokehouse. It gave the mood a much needed shift. With the wind having died down at the sun dipping into the horizon, the world around them was quiet. Peaceful. Like a painter's magnum opus. The young human's voice accompanied the crackling of the flames as they ate away at the twigs and hunks of tree. Krahe listened intently, noting a level of... uneasiness about the boy from his words. Something in the way his face changed when he stated his individualism. But Krahe did not want to make him uncomfortable by questioning it. "The city? I have heard many things about it. Some good, some bad. They say they have walls made out of rocks. But... how do they stack them that high without them toppling over? And for that matter, what is this nonsense of a 'Spa' ? Can you really pay Mizah for someone to punch you in the back?" He said, spinning the spit more slowly now. Even with the many tales of the outside world relayed to him by traveling merchants, he was still unable to make sense of most of it.

[Telrin]

The air thickened with the smell of roasting meat, and the boy couldn’t help but breathe deeper. It wasn’t as good as it would be, since it wasn’t completely cooked yet, but it held the promise of what was to come. Krahe was focused on his task, and for a small while they were left in a comfortable silence. At least, until the Kelvic broke it with another question. For the second time that day, Telrin found himself smiling. “Yes, they use stone. But they carve it into blocks, and then they use special stone. Liquid stone… cement, I think it’s called. And plaster, but that’s more for the houses.” And when their talk turned to the spa, Telrin again laughed out loud. “I don’t think they punch you in the back, exactly, but… I don’t know. They could. I’ve never been there.”

[Krahe von der Nebel]

Krahe's mind wandered in the realm of human logic. Liquid stone... was such a thing possible? Each questioned that surfaced about the human lands made his heart yearn more and more to visit them. To see the towering structures of wood and stone with his own eyes. To let his nostrils be graced by the smell of baked goods and smoked meat. Most of all, though, he wanted to be where things were happening. He had grown tired of the leaf green and dirt browns of the forest. He wanted something new. His desires were so strong, in fact, that he nearly burnt their meal. "Gyah!"" He exclaimed before yanking the metal rod off its supports so that the burning meat would not be charred further. Only the rabbit's underbelly had been affected, and even so it looked edible. Krahe let out a sigh of relief. With a renewed smile, he split the meal into two even halves, offering one of them to the young human before taking a seat on a cleanly cut stump. Just as his rear hit the wood, his teeth sank into the meat. He wasted no time in filling his belly, giving off less-than-attractive grunts and groans as he tore at the rabbit with his mouth. He only took breaks to finish what was in his mouth or to take a breath. Within mere minutes the juicy hare had been reduced to a few bones. A contempt look was on the Kelvic's face. "Of the many tales of the city... the ones of pre-cooked food sounds the most enticing. Hmhmhm," he chuckled, patting his belly. A long pause passed before his throat felt thick, several words crawling across his tongue and struggling to slip out his lips. They burned at the back of his teeth until he could take it no more. "Heh... but uh... I don't suppose you'd be willing to add another to your party..." he spoke with poor confidence. "I don't mean to be... sudden... but you've been one of the few travelers actually going to the city. And... well... I want to see it."