[Aquillar Hot Springs]A Fortuitous Meeting (Firenze)

[Deltan Colari]

66th of Fall, 514 A.V.; 10th Bell Deltan threw his cloak off of one shoulder to combat the warming weather. Autumn or not, this was a particularly warm day, especially for a man in a cloak out for a walk. He had been in quite a fix for the last little while, after all. Without a coin to his name and lacking a weapon, it was a struggle to survive. He had gotten remarkably little sleep, though the snatches he had gotten had been during the day. Right now, he was running off of self-discipline and a rather nice four-hour rest once the daylight had come. Dressed in plain clothes of Syliran style, he made a rather nondescript figure. That is, except for the bright red hair and blue eyes. Those unfortunately made him stand out in most crowds. He'd heard the Inarta looked much like he did, though Deltan was not terribly interested in that. As he approached the bathhouse, Deltan could hardly mistake it. Good; the boy had been right. The young man stifled a bit of guilt over how he had gotten the location of this place. Since most would not speak to him on the streets, either because they thought he meant to harm them or because he was not worth notice, he had snagged a young boy by the arm and given him a shake, demanding, "Where can I find a cheap room? Now!" In a babble, the boy had blurted out this place's name, and after a bit of loud pressing had given vague directions. Apparently they had been good enough. If only he'd had a miza or two to offer as compensation... But if he did have those mizas, he wouldn't be in this fix, now would he? As the young man entered the bathhouse, he was greeted by an elderly man--surely in his sixties, if not seventies. The man seemed pleasant enough, unlike most of the Sunberthans he had met thus far. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, then Deltan said to Max (as he'd introduced himself), "You sound like a Syliran. Did you ever live there?" It was an offhanded remark; more a way to hopefully get a discount in the future than anything else. Deltan himself spoke with a thoroughly Syliran accent. Anyone who had been there would be able to pick up on it handily. Strangely, Max simply smiled and said, "So, what would you like?" Why? That was...unusual, though the man did not seem the sort one could push for details, no matter how nice he was. "I need to think about that," Deltan replied after a moment's hesitation, deciding that he had to get funds from somewhere; even five silver mizas was too much for him to afford by far. That thrice-cursed woman had stolen his every miza, and now he had to find a way to live in this city without getting his throat cut. The young man turned to leave, planning to look for work in the city, even if it was mere manual labor. He hadn't eaten more than scraps for a day or so, however; he didn't know if he could do the work required without resorting to excessive use of his Flux. That would be dangerous to the point of idiocy, in his current condition. No matter; he would find a way...He hoped.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

Slamming the door to her shack, Firenze checked to see if she had everything she needed on her. She'd been out hunting for the last couple of bells and she was starting to smell of rancid meat, not to mention the streaks of blood. If someone passing by looked at her they would probably think that she had been attacked, with how disheveled she looked. It was a rough morning, to say the least. She was struggling to catch any game lately. Unfortunately, for her, it was not a good thing. Not with the way that the town had been, everyone acting half out of their minds, the food shortage didn't help either. She was hoping that she'd pick up the knack of hunting by now, but she was still having a hard time with it. She'd only caught a couple mice this morning, exerting more energy then the small mice would give her, putting her body in an off balance. She hadn't been feeling too well already and then chasing the rodents around like a mad woman didn't make anything better. She was just so hungry.

She had walked around in a hungry and angry state all morning, the low growling of her stomach fueling her anger. She thought she could take her anger out on some catch, in doing so her anger got the better of her and she couldn't focus, flailing about like a mad woman... chasing a mouse.

She wanted to relax a little bit and try to get her mind to rest, see if she could bring herself back around and possibly try to get this cough eased. It had started the day before and while she hadn't been worried about it then, it started to scare her a little bit that she still had it today. In Sunberth, one didn't merely catch a sniffle, they caught the measles. They didn't catch a tickle in their throat, they caught pneumonia. You didn't just have a cough, you were half way to your grave. These thoughts scared her, she was still young, she didn't want to die yet. There were so many questions she had that were unanswered, and she was craving to find the answers.

Sitting in her room this morning she wondered what might help alleviate her problems and the first thing that popped into her mind was water. Oh, she loved water, she could stay in it all day! The thought of it made her smile a little. She decided then that what she wanted most at that point in time, was a nice hot soak.

She grabbed her soap, cloak, boots and a couple mizas. She wasn't sure how much it would cost, she hadn't been there before. She was hoping that it wouldn't cost more than a couple gold mizas, even that seemed kind of expensive but she'd rather be safe then have to come all the way back just to get some more money. She usually just washed in a stream or from a bucket of water. She knew where it was, she just hadn't ever felt the need to go there. Today was different. She couldn't have been happier that there was a hot spring near her home town. She slammed the door to the shack and wrapped her cloak tighter around her. Thankfully, the bath house wasn't too far from where she lived so didn't have to go through the main hustle and bustle of the city.

Walking through the grass on the hills towards the spring she plucked a plain little white flower and tucked it behind her ear. Coming to the gate of the bathhouse she saw that she wasn't the only one wanting to soak in the spring. There was an older man with graying hair and crinkle lines near the edges of his eyes. She looked to who the man was talking to, slowing her pace, there was a brilliantly red haired man, she couldn't see much of him but she could see that he had some scruff on his face. As she walked closer she could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, "...would you like?" The older man sounded kind of grumpy, I hope this guy isn't making him mad, I don't want to get in the middle of a fight, I just want a bath, Fire sighed. "I need to think about that," the red haired man replied and turned just enough that she could see his face, he had bright shining blue eyes and an almost sad look on his face. She wasn't sure why someone would be sad when they were only a few ticks away from probablly one of the best things in all of Mizahar.

Walking up to the gate, she looked between the men, "Who would I need to talk to about being able to use a spring?" She didn't want to get too close to make them feel as though she were crowding them, but she didn't want to stand to far away that she'd have to shout. "I can help you, it's 5 copper for the common, or 5 silver for a private bath," the older man turned toward her, hoping to gain her mizas. She thought for a moment and then smiled at the man, "I think common would be fine, thank you. I only have a couple of gold mizas on me, do you have any change?" She pulled the mizas from her pocket and showed them to the older man. "Miss, you might not want to flash your money all over town. You should know better then that. Hand me one of the mizas and I'll get you your change," he reached out and plucked one of the gold mizas from her hand, shoved it closed with his other hand, turned around and walked away. She waited for the man to return, putting the other miza in her pocket. He came back and handing her her change, directed her where to go for the common spring and returned his attention to the man waiting.

OOC NoteBrought 2 GM with to pay for springs. Change from Max:
1 GM/9 SM/5 CM

[Deltan Colari]

Just as Deltan was about to leave to see how he could get his hands on some funds, he caught the sight--and scent--of a young woman. She looked as though she'd been in a tussle with an angry cat, streaks of blood on her cheeks and the faint smell of... Was that old meat? "Who would I need to talk to about being able to use a spring?" She asked, glancing between Deltan and Max. As the man repeated much the same thing as he'd said to Deltan, he didn't seem to show much surprise at all at the woman's odd appearance. Though Deltan had thus far found only a few of Sunberth's many, many flaws, he supposed that boredom was not one of them. One never knew what would happen in a city like this. As the woman spoke with Max, Deltan observed her with a thoughtful expression. She had a few mizas, she said... Hm... Something in Deltan rebelled at the idea of taking money from a woman who seemed as much a visitor as he was, but something much stronger retorted that he was in real danger if he did not get a place to sleep. Staying in a tent was uncomfortable at best, and Sunberth was far from the best. All it would take was a man with a knife to get at the tent's cloth walls, and he'd be dead before he knew what was happening. While Max was gone, Deltan turned his attention to the woman; she was in disarray, though she hardly seemed the manipulative, dishonest sort that infested the city. That made a surge of guilt fill him, but he had to do what he had to do. "Excuse me?" He asked in a tentative voice, glad that he didn't have to try to fake his hesitance. "Do you have a couple mizas to spare? I need a place to stay..." He cleared his throat, feeling and looking embarrassed to be asking her for this favor...And implanting a soft hint of pity into her mind. Blue eyes tried to hold her golden ones, and Deltan noted how unusual her eyes were. What blood did a woman have in her veins to give her eyes like that? The emotion that those eyes transmitted was weak, no more than a seed that might grow if Firenze allowed. If she chose to ignore it, there was nothing he could do. Still, she seemed as likely a target as any. "I would really appreciate it..." The young man ran a hand through his red hair, briefly considering the unwashed feel of it. That was another reason to get a job; he could definitely use a bath of his own. A trained hypnotist would have easily marked the clumsy control of Deltan's voice, as well as the rather guilty expression on his face. That was to say nothing of the abrupt, blunt way he asked for what he wanted. A real hypnotist would have wheedled and groomed Firenze until she'd offer money without him ever mentioning his need. Deltan was only an amateur to say the least, and knew next to nothing about how hypnotism of his sort was more a supplement for manipulation than a force in itself. The idea had crossed his mind that he try to convince the woman to pay for his bath, but he could not justify that as a need; after all, he could live with a little grime, but not without a roof over his head. As Max returned with Firenze's change, Deltan kept his hopeful eyes on Firenze, leaning a bit toward her. She did smell of meat. What had the woman been up to, for the gods' sakes? No matter; as long as he got what he wanted out of her, who cared? That last thought stung; he did care, and felt guilty and slightly humiliated for this act, but he had no recourse.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

Just as Firenze was about to start heading to the spring the man with the red hair turned towards her, looking her in the eyes, "Excuse me?" She wasn't sure what the man wanted but she was kind of curious to find out. She hoped that her curiosity wouldn't get her into trouble, but sometimes it was hard to resist. "Yes?" She'd asked. He face had started to flush and he cleared his throat, "Do you have a couple mizas to spare? I need a place to stay..."

She wasn't sure how she'd felt about that, she didn't really have much money to begin with, she'd only brought a few mizas with her, but they were still hers all the same. She looked over his face and he seemed rather embarassed to be asking that question. He didn't look like a homeless person? Most homeless she'd ever seen were either half way, if not already, on their death bed. They'd have sunken cheeks and pale skin, tattered dirty clothes and usually a bottle of alcohol, or something else more sinister, to help ease them into their grave.

As she looked back into his eyes she felt a slight need to give him those precious few mizas. If I was in his situation, wouldn't I hope to meet someone who would help me? She thought for a moment, trying to figure out if she could afford to help this man. "I would really appreciate it..." he ran his hand through his hair and kept his bright blue eyes on hers. She watched him for a moment, her eyes looking back and forth between his, trying to determine if she should help him or not.

She reached into her pocket and fiddled with the small coins. She wasn't really sure what she should do. She'd met countless homeless people in Sunberth. If she could, she always tried to avoid them. It made her heart hurt to see someone struggling so badly, but she had to be careful because it was a fine line to walk and not end up in the same position. Being homeless and poor in Sunberth was never a good thing, she did not want to end up there. She flipped the coins back and forth in her pocket, while her mind flipped back and forth between sharing her mizas and being greedy.

Finally, she sighed and pulled her hand out, the few mizas she'd had on her in her clutched hand, "If I share my mizas... will you share some lunch? It's almost the twelfth bell. I would like to get the stench washed off first though, so it won't bother us." She watched his face, trying to guess how he would react to her odd question. It was even more odd to be coming from a Sunberthian, but she'd always been kind of naive. She smiled at him, her eyes turning up at the corners, hoping that she might be able to put him more at ease.

OOC InfoGift to Deltan: 1 GM/9 SM/5 CM

[Deltan Colari]

J Deltan waited anxiously as the woman seemed to debate with herself. Truth be told, the young man doubted he'd help a random man who came up to him, begging for money. After all, in this city it seemed like one would be more likely to be stabbed if one seemed like they had a spare miza or two. Still, that was what the extra dose of pity was for. Even if she was naturally compassionate, an extra little nudge couldn't hurt. The woman held his eyes for a time, and it took an effort for Deltan to keep from looking away. They really were unusual eyes, and...flicking between his, if he wasn't mistaken. An odd habit, that. Was it a sign of hesitancy or reluctance? Not that he needed to know, of course. Learning someone's tells wasn't very useful if you didn't intend to see them again. Out of the corner of his eye, Deltan saw the disheveled woman playing with something in her pocket, and he heard the faint clink of coins rubbing together. Oh, yes; she was definitely considering it. The young man clearly seemed nervous. After all, if she didn't have pity on him, he would likely be in deep trouble. No weapon and weaker than usual, he wouldn't get paid enough to do more than bait the pickpockets. Then, surprisingly, she sighed and said, "If I share my mizas... Will you share some lunch? It's almost the twelfth bell. I would like to get the stench washed off first though, so it won't bother us." Deltan's eyes lit up at the deal, and he quite eagerly nodded and answered, "I would like that." He tried to keep the excitement out of his voice. He'd not eaten more than scraps in two days! Thankfully, water was not scarce...But he was feeling weaker than usual, and it was all he could do to keep from salivating at the thought of food. Besides, it was the least he could do to keep her some company, in exchange for possibly keeping him alive. He returned her smile and extended a hand, momentarily forgetting the blood that was on it. "I'm Deltan, by the way. And you are?" There was no need for hypnotism now; he had everything he needed from her. Once she shook his hand--if she did--he would step back and look for a place to sit while he waited for her to bathe. It would let him catch up on his rest...though he hoped he could keep from falling asleep.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

As she smiled at the man, he smiled back extending his hand, ""I'm Deltan, by the way. And you are?" She was thankful he didn't mind her disheveled appearance and shook his hand, "I'm Firenze, pleased to meet you." After shaking his hand, she placed the mizas in them and tucked a piece of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. "I'm going to clean up, I'll meet you back here and then we can have lunch." Shifting the things in her arms she turned to walk towards the common springs to wash off.

Her boots slapping on the ground, she made her way towards the steaming water, excited that she was going to be able to relax for a few moments. It was going to be a shorter time then she had originally planned on, but she didn't mind. She hadn't planned on eating lunch but she was happy to make a change, more so because she'll have company. She hadn't gotten to talk to too many humans lately because she'd been running around in the forest trying to get better at hunting, that and make sure she had enough to eat. She was still continuing to grow and her body reminded her of it constantly. She would eat and only a few bells later become hungry again.

She came up to the edge of the spring, smiling with content and looking around, there weren't too many other people here. She was fairly comfortable with her body and she didn't think anyone else would mind her being naked, considering most of the others were as well. She started taking her boots off, kicking them next to each other at the edge. Unclasping her cloak she meticulously folded it and sat it on top of her boots. She grabbed her hair and twisted it trying to wrap it behind her head to keep it out of the way while she removed the rest of her clothing. She stripped her shirt, pants and undergarments off and set them with the rest of her things, leaving her necklace on. She'd been scared too many times before about losing it, she didn't want to take the unnecessary risk.

Slipping into the water, she sighed. She loved water so much, in any form. She didn't stray too far from her clothing, she didn't know anyone else here and she didn't want to get her things taken. That didn't keep her from enjoying the experience, she dipped her head under the water, blowing bubbles out of her nose to keep water from filling her nostrils. She soaped herself, cleaned her hair and washed herself. She was already starting to feel better. She got out of the water, sat on the edge and squeezed her hair out, grabbed her comb from her cloak and combed her hair while the sun dried her skin. Pulling her legs out and laying them next to her things, she plaited her hair, used her cloak to wipe the excess water off her legs and got dressed. She was warmed from the spring so she folded her cloak over her arm and made her way back to the entrance of the springs.

She wondered if the Deltan was still there and he would keep his word and have lunch with her. She was feeling better, even though she still had a small cough and was actually looking forward to having lunch with him.

[Deltan Colari]

"The pleasure is mine, Firenze," He replied with a genuine smile. She had, after all, given him money. That certainly was a pleasure. Besides, she seemed nicer than the run-of-the-mill Sunberthan. Firenze brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, as if that made much of a difference considering the mess she currently seemed. Why was that, anyway? No matter, he supposed. "I'm going to clean up, I'll meet you back here and then we can have lunch," She said, and set off for the springs so she could bathe. Only when her back was turned did he brush his hand against his trousers; though Deltan looked a bit of a mess, himself, he didn't particularly want to know where that meaty smell came from...Especially if it was on his hand. Deltan settled down on the ground, legs stretched out and his back against the wall of the small building that acted as the tavern. He watched her go for a few moments, before settling in and closing his eyes. The young man didn't think for a moment to simply leave. He needed to get lunch anyway, and spending time with the woman who had been kind to him was a good way to repay her. It helped dull the faint guilt at manipulating her. Soon, the young man rested his head against the wall and closed his blue eyes. Then, not too much later, he slid down the wall, lying awkwardly on his side. By the time Firenze returned, he would be almost in the fetal position, snoring slightly. He had no true dreams, only vague impressions. Home. Cold nights on the road. Warm skin. Thief. Each one was accompanied by little more than either a comfortable settling-in or an uneasy noise escaping Deltan. A slight noise would wake him, but it wouldn't be hard for anyone used to moving quietly to sneak up. After all, Deltan had not grown used to the need to sleep lightly in this city.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

As she walked through the entrance to the spring, she looked around for Deltan. Where did he go? she looked for the bright red hair and blue eyes, thinking it would be easy to spot him. She walked further out and didn't see him until she walked towards the gate and she saw him lying on the ground. He was slumped over on the ground to the side, his cloak in a mess about his body and it looked like someone killed him. Oh my Goddess! Someone killed him! What am I supposed to do!? Panicking she ran over to Deltan and kneeled next to him. Dropping her cloak she grabbed him and shook him, hoping that he was just sleeping.

She was really hoping that he was not dead. She'd never really seen a dead person up close before and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Fire didn't know if she should let someone know. Should she inform the man who owned the springs? Did he have family here? Or friends? Did he have anyone that might miss him if he was dead? Or was he a wanderer with no family, no one to notice that he was gone and that he was in a gutter somewhere with rats making a feast of him.

That thought sobered her and made her very sad at the same time. She knew what it felt like to be so very alone in a sea of people living in Sunberth. Everyone always keeping to themselves and wary of the person standing next to them, wondering if they were going to wind up dead because the person to the right or left wanted whatever it was they had. Sometimes, it felt like her heart was crying whenever her thoughts strayed that way because she couldn't understand why a world needed to be so cruel. After those thoughts passed, she would become angry with herself for being naive and uneducated. Maybe if she knew more of the world that she lived in, then she could understand why people did the things they did, or the reasons that they did them for. Even though she looked older, she felt as if she were still a child in her mind and heart because of these thoughts.

She scanned Deltan's face trying to see if she could tell whether he was dead or not, she didn't have a clue how to be able to tell. She thought he looked normal... or as normal as a Sunberthian could be.

[Deltan Colari]

By the time Firenze returned, Deltan had been quite soundly asleep. Indeed, if she were hasty in her assumptions, she might very well presume him dead. At least, if she didn't notice the steady rise and fall of the young man's chest. As he was shaken, Deltan's blue eyes snapped open after a moment and he tensed, one hand balling into a fist and mind trying to draw Djed to his arm so he could land a solid, painful punch at whatever had roused him. Fortunately for them both, Deltan noticed those unusual eyes and he remembered where he was and who Firenze happened to be. Somewhat roughly, he sat up and tried to push her to arm's length. "Couldn't you tap me or something?" he asked peevishly, not quite awake enough yet to hide his irritation, "You didn't have to grab me like that, Firenze." The irritation faded as he remembered the scant sum of money in his pocket; if nothing else, she deserved kindness for that. After a moment, he took in a breath, closed his eyes, then opened them again. This time, he seemed a bit less irked and more ready to be reasonable. "That was fast," he commented, smiling a bit ruefully. He wouldn't apologize--she had jerked him awake like that--but he'd pretend it had not happened. With that, the young man stood and rubbed his upper arm. The Djed drawn into it and dispersed so quickly had caused his arm to seize a bit, and now it was sore. Well, that was no matter. He had enough money now for a night or two in a bed, a cheap meal, and time to look for work. That was good enough for him. "Are you ready to go?" Deltan asked, making a gesture toward her, since she likely knew the best places to eat...for cheap, hopefully. The young man would follow where she went. He wasn't worried about betrayal; she struck him as the genuine sort. He'd keep an eye on Firenze, though; he'd been deceived too recently to grow lax.

[Firenze]

66 Fall, 514 AV

Deltan snapped awake and jumped as if he was ready to strike her. That scared her enough to make her jump back. She hadn't thought that he might try to attack her, she'd only thought about him possibly being dead. He pushed her to arms length and glared at her, "Couldn't you tap me or something?" He sounded irritated and she looked down ashamed that she'd so quickly jumped to conclusions. She had meant to scare him, she had only wanted to make sure that he was alive. The angle that he was laying at looked as though he'd been attacked, slumped over to the side. He still looked at her and said, "You didn't have to grab me like that, Firenze."

Looking back at him again, she apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. The way that you were lying on the ground, I thought you had been attacked... or even dead." She frowned a little and looked at the ground again. "That was fast," Deltan said getting to his feet and rubbing his arm, she mirrored his actions and stood with him. Holding her arms in front of her, hand over hand, she replied, "I tried to be quick, I didn't want to make you wait long. I wasn't sure how hungry you were, but I know that I'm fairly hungry."

She looked back to his blue eyes when he spoke, "Are you ready to go?" She wasn't sure if he wanted to go somewhere else to eat. She wondered if they had anything to eat here since they had a place to stay. They could go eat at a tavern, but she didn't want to go too many places today, she kind of wanted to get home after this. "Yeah, I'm ready, did you have a place in mind? I could check and see if they serve food here if you'd like? It would be quicker that way," she smiled at him, trying to calm him after the scare she just gave him. Her stomach growled loudly and she placed her hand over it and gave it a dirty look because it was giving away how hungry she really was. Laughing uncomfortably she rubbed her stomach, "I suppose I should check here first since it's close and my stomach is making sure to tell me that it's hungry."

Turning to go find the old man she made her way back to the entrance. She spotted him near the private springs entrance, talking with someone who appeared to be paying for the use of the spring. As she walked up to the old man, the stranger the he was talking to walked off. That's convenient, now I don't have to wait... or deal with encountering another stranger. She walked up to the man and asked if they had any food that they could purchase to eat. "I've got Natlana's famous shepherd's pie for 4 copper mizas to eat and if you're thirsty we have redberry juice for 2 copper. Are you wanting to get something to eat?" the old man asked her. "We are looking to get something to eat, I don't have any mizas on me right now, but I can go get some," Firenze replied. "Well, let me know when you've got that money, I'll be here. I'm sure we still have some left," he walked off to greet another person that was coming towards the spring.

Firenze walked back toward Deltan and watched him. He looked tired, it didn't seem as though his nap had helped. She hadn't been in the spring long, so he wouldn't have gotten much sleep. He needed somewhere he could lay down for a while and get some rest. As she approached, Fire spoke, "They have shepherd's pie for 5 copper a person and if you're thirsty they have some redberry juice for 2 copper per. It doesn't sound like a whole lot to pay for food, hopefully they give you a good sized portion!" She laughed, excited for their lunch.