Closed Follow Your Nose

[Noven]

For one, blessed moment, all was silent. The only sounds to be heard were ones of frantic chewing, slurping, and clinking of utensils. Noven ate as heartily as the rest; having real food instead of shyke at some tavern or other was one of the few perks of being under Jillian's employment.

Having not been as ravenous as the rest of the mess hall's inhabitants, though, left him with time to stare. The Myrian lass was not quite as savage as her reputation led most to believe. She had, after all, said thank you. And everyone in this city wolfed down their food. Kaie was no exception, and by no means out of place. She hadn't eaten any of the children during their training either. Nov imagined it wouldn't have been terrible hard, to snatch up one of the littler ones and put them on a spit.

After another few chimes of witnessing the frantic eating all around him, the cook stood up and moved to Kaie's table, which remained otherwise empty. The orphans had hardly stopped to take a breath, but they still somehow maintained half of their attention on the Myrian. Nov suspected it had neither to do with fear or deference. Even with their obnoxious amounts of curiosity, the children possessed an unsettling degree of pack mentality in moments of uncertainty. They were now under some kind of eerie, unspoken agreement to stick together and observe, biding their time, letting their little minds bubble and boil with multitudes of questions.

The cook cleared his throat and sat down on the opposite bench. True silence permeated the air, marred only by the wood creaking beneath his weight. Under normal circumstances--normal being dictated by the sour, glum, and anti social leanings of his nature--he would have made every effort to steer clear of interaction with strangers. Hell, he didn't even bother with those who weren't. Since Mae's sudden disappearance, he'd been more acrid then ever. And it certainly didn't help that every last petching person in Sunset seemed to know.

But something was...needling him. A confounding feeling of knowing, of what vaguely might be construed as familiarity or deja vu or other things of equally taxing natures. Yet how could this be? He'd never seen the likes of this Myrian before. At least, he thought he didn't.

If that were true--and it had to be--then why did it feel like a lie?

His unspoken questions were getting him nowhere. And hadn't been the entire time he'd remained in the Myrian's presence. This much Nov could grudgingly admit. Which meant he needed to do it now, before Kaie was sated and decided to be well on her way. It could be the last time they met, at least under such civil circumstances, and he growing desperate for answers.

"So, uh," Nov began, neither adept at conversation nor motivated to pretend he was, "what brings you to Sunberth? If ya don't mind me askin', that is."

[Kaie]

As distracted as she was by the appearance of real food sitting before her, Kaie was very aware of the silent, broody man seated before her. Once the orphans had clustered about their usual tables, thin middles bent over the surface so they could gossip and titter quietly to one another toward the center, the Myrian had acquired the most peace she would get from the children. Another spoonful of soup slipped between her lips. It was warm and though not as satisfying as she might've hoped, it tasted almost sweet to her tongue. She was far too hungry to fret about quality in the first place. This city was not Syliras. If such a generous meal wasn't laced with poison, she should consider herself lucky. She'd do best to remember that.

The cook cleared his throat and amber eyes danced away from her over flowing spoon to eye the man. After a few ticks of silence she opted to let the spoon rest within the mostly empty bowl, and started a bit slower on the kabob. A few giggled escaped one of the nearby tables but the Myrian ignored them. When the cook finally spoke up the question he asked wasn't a strange one. In fact the damn few that got over the fact she was indeed an outsider and a savage of Falyndar, it was the first thing they asked her.

"Why are you here?"

Casually, she looked down toward the kabob and took another bite. A nonchalant way to bide her time. A hesitation. A deliberation over just what kind of answer she could give him. A quiet laugh escaped her and she shook her head slowly over her tray.

"You get right to it, don't you? A nice change." The Myrian took another bite of the kabob, chewed thoughtfully and gestured the tip of the small wooden spit in Noven's direction. "I'm not here for any reason of much interest. I've been selling my sword around Sylira the past few seasons. The last employer wanted some of us to escort him safely into the city. Petch if I know what possessed him to pick here," Kaie lied coolly, her Common brutalized by her native tongue but clear enough where her words were not mistaken. She twirled the kabob before her after taking another bite. Once she had swallowed she shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head toward the orphans. "You seem sturdy enough. What's got you all cooped up cooking for this lot? Sunberth not interesting enough for you?"

[Noven]

When the Myrian laughed, Nov felt a stab of certainty that he was going to get no answers. But then she surprised him, yet again.

Her handle of Common and unexpected amount of tact were gradually becoming easier to accept. Even so, the cook kept catching his face on the cusp of morphing into signs of bemusement. A succession of slow blinks, or a knitting of the brow, that sort of thing. It was hard work for him, maintaining a facade of lazy neutrality. Wasn't exactly his strong suit. But this was too important, and he was determined enough.

Truth was that he just wanted to keep the Myrian talking for as long as possible. Because, odd as it seemed, the more he was in her presence, the more sure he felt that this was no coincidence. That the nagging sensation in his head wasn't just a passing phase or nervous tick.

Something was afoot. And Krysus take him if he wasn't going to get to the bottom of it.

So, Kaie was a merc too, but a significantly more expensive one, Nov was willing to bet. She could use a sword, after all. And was a seasoned traveler from the looks of it as well. Noven couldn't even imagine life outside of the Berth, let alone accepting some contract that took him to a completely different place.

Which led well enough to the Myrian's own set of questions. Why was he here? A ruffian like himself with not a shred of good able to survive his troubled past, better fit amongst the street rats than a rabble of fortunate orphans.

So many reasons... Nov sighed to himself. Because after Calyn had died in the fire he felt he needed to commemorate her, repay her somehow. Because he had to make a living and could no longer associate with mobsters. Not after what they did to the only good thing in his life. Because he knew what it was like to be an orphan and spent the last eighteen or so years telling himself he didn't care about his past. Because he liked food and cooking reminded him the only mother he ever knew. Because Nona would have approved.

Because Nona. Always Nona.

"Me?" Noven laughed, the sound bitter even to his own ears. "Well, work is scarce. Food, even more so. I figured since I live here already, might as well take advantage."

He toyed with the spoon in his bowl a bit before adding, "that and I, uh, owed the previous landlady a thing or two. You know, just wanted to pay my debts." Nov cleared his throat again and commenced with his airs of indifference. "Besides, it's a pretty nice set up. I eat free food, kick these runts around for a bit, and get paid at the end of the day. And sometimes, if I'm really, really lucky, the Boss Lady doesn't insult me."

Some of the older children snickered. They knew all too well the kinds of names and phrases Jillene liked to use.

After a moment more of fidgeting around in his seat, Noven rubbed wearily at his eyes and sighed. Then he set a level gaze on Kaie and asked her direct. No mincing, no beating around the bush. He didn't even bother with the children; they'd eavesdrop somehow anyway. Just get straight to the point and maybe everyone could be saved a bit of time.

"This your first time in the city?" he asked slowly, reluctantly. "Cause I feel like it might not be...somehow...You sure we've never met?"

[Kaie]

Have I managed to offend him already? What a bloody good start. You sure know how to nip at the hand that literally feeds you, don't you Kaie? The Myrian thought grimly to herself in the short ticks of silence that followed after her question. It was always a hard thing for her to gauge in barbarian strangers, those subtle places where sensitivities lingered. Perhaps if she had paid a bit more attention or tried to be more empathetic, she'd catch onto the most microscopic of hints that hid in plain sight. If only she had the patience. The jungle-born was a blunt woman. Where one might dance around the truth for the sake of another's feelings, Kaie cut right to the chase. Naturally, that didn't always work in her favor. She still never truly regretted her words. Maybe her choice of them, but never their content.

Timely enough, Noven did respond to the Myrian's inquiry. It was neither cheery nor grave, but she did sense trouble laced in his words. Maybe it was a melancholy edge she picked up in his tone, or an assumption she gathered from his overall broody demeanor. Nonetheless, he answered her question and it satisfied her. Whether his justification for his present situation was just as much a lie as hers was hardly her business. At mention of the "Boss Lady" Kaie caught contemptuous giggles coming from the table of children nearby. Her eyes shifted from their sneers to the cook's tired face. A grin tugged at the corners of her lips.

"You and I? Met before? Perhaps," She allowed skeptically, leaning back on the bench to appraise him with her gaze. After a tick or two she shook her head and took another bite from the kabob. When she'd chewed and swallowed, she continued. "Unless you've ever gotten out of this shyke hole though? I doubt it. You don't strike me as the kind of man who's traveled too far from home before." The last medallion of food slipped from the shaft of the kabob and onto the plate. Swiftly, Kaie speared it with the wooden point. "Rumor is your kind out this way doesn't do well in places where there's...structure," She added before taking the food from the tip of the kabob with her teeth. When she was done, the wooden length hit the plate with a quiet tinkering.

"What makes you feel like we've met? I can't imagine too many of my kin wander out this way, and we're not the sort you forget."

[Noven]

He mulled over her words. There didn't seem to be any reason why Kaie should lie. They lass spoke honest enough, and her comments confirmed his earlier assumptions that she was far more traveled than he.

"True enough," Nov confessed. "I haven't set foot outside this city since the day they found me here at Sunset. And for just those reasons, too. Lived too long this way to take up another. Though it seems being able to use your fists is a useful skill to have no matter where you go."

The cooked eyed Kaie's sword pointedly as he took a drink from his cup. It felt kind of strange, talking as much as he was. But for some reason he just didn't feel on edge like usual. By all accounts he should have; he was dining and talking with a Myrian after all, a race used so often as a threat for wayward children or fodder for chilling campfire stories of savagery and brutality.

And yet, here he was, as good as spilling his entire life story. Which wasn't much to begin with, sad to say. He showed up one day not remembering a damn thing and got put under Nona's care. Simple as that. Everyone knew the story, even the children.

But what they didn't know was that sometimes he still tried. Tried to remember, to dredge up hazy bits of his past. As much as he worked toward building a facade of masculine indifference, Noven found himself drifting back toward the same questions every now and then, wondering where he came from, who his family had been, why he had been abandoned.

The answer ought to have been simple enough. He was just like the rest of Sunset's ragtag orphans; given up, neglected, or stripped of family one way or the other at a very young age and with no where else to go. Most of the children appeared rather satisfied by these circumstances. It was after all not uncommon or unheard of. New orphans were made every bell on the streets of Sunberth. They counted themselves lucky enough to even be alive and kicking right now. As did their surly cook.

Still, those nagging questions came creeping back when he least expected. Like now, as he sat before the exotic looking Myrian that was starting to seem less and less exotic the more he stared at her.

Maybe he'd lost it. Finally. All these years and trials would drive any person a little bit mad. But that seemed too easy of an explanation. It didn't explain the faint spark of...knowing, of almost a kind of familiarity he felt around Kaie. It was petching weird and even petching harder to deny.

Nov was pretty sure any other worker would have spurned the Myrian on the spot, or at the very least treated her with extra, extra caution. He, on the other hand, had simply allowed her to stay, fed her, and even left the runts in her charge. It ought to have been a hair short of crazy. So why didn't he feel like he'd done anything wrong or reckless?

"Not sure," the cook answered Kaie's last set of questions. "Just a feeling. Must be the long day..."

It was just beginning to darken outside and the after effects of a large meal were beginning to take their toll on everyone. Several of the children were already yawning loudly over their empty places, their sleepiness spreading like a contagious flu. Even Nov felt the little weights on his eyelids start to grow heavier.

"I can't imagine many of them wandering this way either," he continued, stifling a yawn of his own. "You're the first one I've seen all twenty some years I've been here."

A though occurred to him and he scratched at his chin, thinking. "You got a place to stay?"

oocphew, sorry for the delay. lots of catching up to do these days. think this is getting close to the end? we could drum up more action with Seng this season if so

[Kaie]

It had been a long day indeed but not one far different from the recent ones preceding it. Drinks had been poured, pockets picked, and blood spilled in a city most outsiders wouldn't have been sorry to see fall victim to the void. A few fresh bruises upon her skin were a testament to the day's hardship. She hoped she had gifted her assailants with more blackened spots of skin than they had rewarded her. Then again, part of her still mused, perhaps like so many unfortunate souls they hadn't escaped Dira's embrace by the rise of Leth. Street rats that didn't band together or scatter back to the shadows, usually fell victim to Sunberth's real predators sooner or later. Yet what would become of a tigress with no allegiance within the city so very far from home?

The Myrian woman leaned back in her seat and rotated her ankles beneath the tables, stretching the tendons with a harmless pop. Overzealous conversations had seemed to fall to little more than murmurs over trays. In fact, in one glance, Kaie swore one child's drooping head was ticks from resting in the food juice on his plate. A reflexive jerk back to the waking world saved the poor boy the embarrassment. Nevertheless, a quiet laugh slipped past the worn jungle woman's lips. The plague of exhaustion did not end with the orphans. With Noven's yawn, Kaie found herself following suit. Sleep was something one could only outrun for so long. Were her kin in Taloba experiencing it as well?

The image of a fang in the midst of Falyndar's infinite jungle filled her imagination. She could see the fine points of their spears, the newly crafted arrows in their quivers with vibrant colored feathers for fletching, and the menacing gleam of firelight across the length of steel blades. They'd sprawl about the area they occupied, she reckoned. Some would curl beside the warmth of the flames while others branched out into Akajia's embrace, watching the flitting shadows around them with all the cunning silence of a black panther. She knew what they would listen for: the crackle of leaves beneath feet and the haunting hiss somewhere in the foliage. Would any of them a dark, serpentine shadow slithering between the trees that night? '

"This is true. My people do not stray far from the jungle. It is not the way," She agreed with a slow nod of her head, well aware how hypocritical her ending remarks appeared. Hands moved to her face to rub the sleep threatening her eyes. "My pilgrimage has just proved very...unintentionally wayward." Kaie offered a small smile at the man and then shook her head. "You've been kind enough. If the day comes when I can repay you, don't hesitate to call upon me." She rose from her seat and gathered her plates into a neater pile upon the tray. At the sound of her moving chair, several tired heads snapped up, but their reaction was not one of nervous terror. On one of their faces, the expression seemed almost regretful. "And if you've got the thirst, I'm sure we'll meet again in one of these taverns."

Swiftly, the Myrian lifted the tray and followed the children before her to place the tray where the rest were stacked. She offered the orphans a smile as she went and pushed open the door, where a rush of Sunberth's stench more violently than she remembered. Just before departing she stopped. Peeking back out from behind the door toward the cook, she cleared her throat.
[color=#ecb58a]"Thank you again. I swear this debt will not got unpaid." And with that she was gone.

OOC:So sorry again! Thank you for being so patient with my closing post!

[Avarice]

Succumb to Your Desires . Noven : Skills: Cooking +2 Intimidation +1 Observation +5 Negotiation +1 Socialization +3 Loot: N/A Consequences: N/A Lores: Everyone Knows About Mae and I Chicken Kabobs: A Dish for Ungrateful Orphans Kaie: The Exotic Stranger Kaie: Scares Small Children Kaie the Myrian: Will Work for Food Kaie: Surprisingly Civil...for a Myrian Kaie: A Traveling Sellsword Self: Have I Met Kaie Before? Kaie : Skills: Begging +1 Intimidation +1 Teaching +2 Rhetoric +2 Unarmed Combat +2 Socialization +3 Loot: N/A Consequences: N/A Lores: Sunberth: Home of the Sketchy Welcome to Sunberth! May I Take Your Wallet? To Ask for Food is to Murder One's Pride An Odd Exchange: Training for Food Countering: Using an Attackers Movements Against Him Noven: A Good Cook Noven: Never Left Sunberth Noven: To Whom I Owe A Debt Comments : All in all, a fun read! If you have any questions, concerns, or things that you'd like to throw at me regarding this grade, please do not hesitate to shoot me a PM! Furthermore, please edit your post in the request thread to reflect your having received a grade! Thank you!