Completed [The Bean] Hot Cuppa

[Elann]

Timestamp 29th of Summer in the Year 515 AV

Today things had finally settled a little bit with all the crazy that had been happening since her arrival in town. She was getting more used to the crowds of people, and heck, even the smell was bothering her less and less. There of course were worse places in town when it came to smell, but she found that the area around The Bean wasn't quite as bad. With fresh washed clothes she ventured out of her apartment to find something to do while she let her other set of clothes dry above the hearth. She also was craving sunlight. Her milky skin demanded it, and while it was much more fair than other girls in her tribe, she still had spent a lot of time in the sun and got used to it. For the most part her duties were to weave rugs, and when not doing that she studied the Penita scrolls or went to the temple. But now all that was gone.

Elann wore her shin length tunic with a somewhat simple looking robe over the top of it. Modest was not a clear enough visualizing word. She was near frumpy, but something in her held an inherent beauty that could not be pinpointed. Sure she was beautiful, fair, long-necked, and had a nice shape (not that you could really see it), but she had something inside that was all the more important. With a hushed pace she moved through the crowds, her hands found the folds of her robe that kept them somewhat warm. She wasn't like many around here who sweat, she couldn't sweat in sweltering heat. Her body was as though it was cold-blooded. When the sun hit it, fire warmed it, or she was covered with blankets to no end, her body felt like it was on fire, yet when in the dark, cold, or lightly clothed she felt like a dead body. At home she would always drink coffee when she was freezing, and here it was as though it never warmed up. Granted it was a nice temperature out, but for her, it was cold. She moved closer to the coffee shop with her small amount of money in her pocket, anxious to get a drink.

[Asher Claveson]

Asher moved slowly through the streets, his eyes fixed on the words written in his dear Meyarra's Book of Letters. Of course, thanks to that Inarta bloke from the afternoon before, the words still made no sense. Just a jumble of symbols with the occasional punctuation. At least he knew what the punctuation looked like. He should have insisted on his wife teaching him earlier. In fact, she probably had been hinting that he insist. She wasn't much for hints, but she took exception for him. For him, she took exception in a lot of things.

A body rammed into him - or he rammed into them - and sent him sprawling across the ground. A short cry of surprise slipped from him as he saw the book fling away from him. Without thought, he crawled on his hands and knees hurriedly, knowing he must look a fool and not really caring. He couldn't really breathe, not until he swept up the book and smoothed out the few wrinkled pages. He sighed, sounding tired to even his ears. He had been running about for a long time, hoping to find an Inarta anywhere who'd be willing to teach him even the basics of written Nari.

Looking up, Asher noticed he happened to fall in front of the coffee shop, but that was soon out of his mind when he saw the woman staring down at him. She was not very tall, but the way she held herself told him that height didn't matter to her. As he took in her milky skin, her bright blue eyes, he could see that she was someone men would find attractive. Indeed, if he had not given his heart to his wife, he would probably have done his best attempts at flirting. But... well, he had given his heart away. And so his focus moved to her formless attire - somewhat out of place on this woman - and then more on his location.

"Ah," Asher started once he realized where he ended up sitting, "I believe I'm keeping you from your coffee." He smiled as he rose to his feet and added, "Sorry about that."

Now that he thought about it, though, having his own coffee didn't sound so bad. It would help him wake up and return to his personal quest in finding a willing Inarta teacher. Or did he need to keep his money for more important things? What was more important than having his wife's words with him once again?

[Elann]

While Elann was a slightly observant person, she found she was all the moreso here in the city. Everywhere you went there were people, constantly moving. She found her eyes constantly wandering, shooting glances in many directions, trying to take it all in. She noticed Asher and could see him moving closer to her as was normal for people walking perpendicular in the crowd, however instead of what everyone else did in swerving around the thin Benshiran girl, he was focused on something else or something. All she could see in her peripheral vision was the hulking mass of Asher's overbearing body trampling over her before she brought up a knee and braced for impact. Evidently the brace worked and he was not so intent on overrunning her that he flopped off to the side of her. The crowd gave way to the two of them and she watched as he scrambled for his effects.

She rubbed her arm in slight pain as it had taken most of the brunt but it was not too bad. As he managed to right himself she pushed her curled hair back behind her ear and looked to help him stand. Her fingers were very cold to the touch and yet had a great strength in them. If he would let her, she would help pull him up onto his feet. With her thick Benshiran accent she responded to his apologies, "It's okay. Are you okay? Did your book get hurt?" she seemed more concerned with his well being than her own. As the people continued to flood past them she would slightly tug at his arm to pull him and her out of the crowd closer to the freedom that The Bean offered out front on its patio. There she would let go of him and fold her hands, one over the other at her front.

There was something about him that seemed a bit ragged in her perception, perhaps a little obsessive. His sigh from earlier and determination to immediately grab at his book and almost pet the pages seemed to communicate something of abnormal or strange behavior. That however was something that Elann was finding common here. Syliras was nothing like the desert, not in custom or thought.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Asher Claveson]

Asher was surprised by the woman's cool fingers, but he did not hesitate to take her assistance and guidance. It was rather warm out, warm enough that she shouldn't have to worry about being cold. Perhaps she just came from someplace cold? He was also surprised by her question, as most people took little to no mind to the book. In fact, they would show their annoyance if he went on about it longer than they wished him to. He still had a hard time telling when they would rather he stop.

In an attempt at levity - because he knew when his book was less important than someone's injuries, like the woman's wrist - Asher joked, "I'm sure the only thing bruised is its ego." Her accent was peculiar, definitely not Nari - she sounded nothing like Meyarra - and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you new to Sylira? Wait," he shook his head, "where are my manners? I'm Asher." He held out a hand, one that was not occupied with his book and wasn't going to accidentally hurt her wrist further.

[Elann]

With a light chuckle Elann nodded to Asher about his book. His levity and kindness seemed to warm her as it was not something that she commonly saw in the city. Everyone here seemed to be hurried and in a hasty mood. The few that were not that way generally became her friends or people she treasured. When he asked her if she was new to Sylira she figured that it was due to her accent. A bit of a calm came to her smile and before she could answer he interrupted himself to introduce who he was. Her smile crept back over her face as she greeted him.

"Nice to meet you", she hadn't really learned much of how to greet someone in typical fashion around here so she just gave him her fingers to do with what he wished with it. In her culture the women hardly ever talked, much less greeted strangers. Elann had always been infatuated with the customs and language of the people of the world though so it was not something she fought. Like little icicles, her fingers felt like dead flesh. There was little to no warmth in them. If he had thought her embrace around his arm to lift him up was cold, her fingertips were moreso. She was from the desert and spent her youth taking turmeric baths and for that reason her body strangely didn't work much like others. It was like a lizard in the sense when it was cold, she was cold, when in the heat of the sun or under a blanket her body was like an oven.

While it was summer and warmer out, with sun beating down, it was no desert heat. She was cold throughout her body and it was the reason why she wore not only a tunic but some various underclothes she had purchased. She proceeded to introduce herself. "My name is Elann, daughter of Shlomet, of the Sons of Rapa." she tipped her head in respect to him and looked to the coffee shop briefly. "Can I buy you some coffee for the tripping?" she gestured for him to join her.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Asher Claveson]

Asher was stunned by the woman's - Elann's her name, he'd have to remember that - smile in response to his words. It was bright, gave her a glow that seemed to be held in reserve for moments like this. He didn't know her very well, but he felt a little proud to give her a reason to smile like that. It was probably the happiest he felt in a long time. He smiled back, taking her fingers - and wow, were they cold - in a slight hand shake. "Nice to meet you," he replied. "I would be thankful for your generosity." He waved out a hand, letting her lead the way into the coffee shop.

As they entered, the noise of the outside crowd became muffled. It was impossible to completely block out the hustle and bustle of Syliras, so this was the most reprieve they would get from the noise. As they waited to order their coffee, Asher spoke up, "Not to pry, but have you taken ill?" He hoped that she was not unwell, and all these people walked on by without thinking of helping her.

[Elann]

The voice of Hagard Astram could be heard in the distance as she made her way inside The Bean. Every few customers she would hear his gruff voice call out, "What'dya want?", as a new customer would approach and not respond to him pointing to his sign. There on the counter she could read the simple sign that said "Tea or Coffee", making it simple. While there was a menu on the wall that said various prices for various items, she considered that she just wanted something simple. Her taste for coffee was a bit different than most peoples and even though he had bags on the wall for purchase, she doubted he would have what she wanted. Normal coffee was only three silver mizas and that's what she settled on, however the darker and more thick it was, the better. She waited for him to enter the building after her and then continued on to get into line.

The building looked a bit worn down and beat up, certainly not what she was expecting having walked in here for the first time. While it was cozy and perhaps a bit too busy, she could see a few chairs at a table that were not claimed yet. In moving through the tables along the outside wall she managed to make it to the counter to stand in line with Asher. It was a few moments later, as the line moved forward Asher's voice spoke up. She brushed her hair behind her ear that had escaped and turned to look at him, twisting right on her heel. In the light from the window he could see the brilliance of the blue in her eyes. The color was far more extreme and crystal clear than any eye color that a human could have. It had a faint ocean green hint to it as well that intermixed with the blue hues. As he asked her if she had taken ill, she contemplated and considered what he meant. While the burn was evident from the very hand that reached up to brush her hair, it was not wrapped at this point and was just lightly disfigured and looked as if her skin had at one point been cut by something and then badly burnt. It was however the same single tone of creamy skin as the rest of her. A very astute eye would have noticed it at the point, yet even a normal person might noticed the scar tissue of the cut. Tripping into braziers with sharp edges, cutting your hand, and then falling into the fire it contained is not a recipe for beautiful skin. "No...not ill. Why? Do I look like I am?" She was curious how he had come to this conclusion because the injury happened two months prior and the pain from the burn had all but left her. Even at this moment the nerve endings in her thumb pad were deadened and numb, so she it was out of sight and out of mind.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Asher Claveson]

Asher paused at the brilliance of Elann's eyes as they reflected the light from outside. He certainly had never seen anyone's eyes that bright a blue, didn't even think it was possible. He blinked before saying, "Sorry, it's just that the last time I felt hands as cold as yours, my mother was sick. Not, ah, not that having cold hands is a bad thing. I just wanted to make sure you weren't walking around with something and weren't getting the treatment you needed." He had enough of people dying, lately.

He glanced at the hand she used to brush her hair back, noting the burn she had exposed. It didn't look recent, since it now matched the tone of the rest of her skin, but it didn't look like it was pleasant to get and recover from. Not that any injury was fun to get.

"Hey," Asher started at Hagard's voice. The man grumbled before asking, "What'dya want?" Asher couldn't help the instinctive swallow that came, before putting on a smile to hide his nervousness.

"I'd like a coffee, please," he replied, then looking to Elann so she could go next.

[Elann]

While she did not take offense to his question and comments as to why he thought she was not only sick, but possibly failing to get the treatment she needed, she did seem taken aback by it. With a scoffing laugh she simply said, "No...I'm not sick." Putting a fake scowl on her face but for a moment she played with him a light bit and then grinned to show she was. "I am from ah..the deserts of Eyktol. This weather is cold for me. This is why I'm here. To get warm." she explained to him with joy. It was going to feel so good to have some coffee in her to warm her core. It's what they would drink on freezing cold nights when out watching the sheep, or goats in the case of her family.

She watched as Hagard finished his customers and out of courtesy for her guest she let Asher order first as she pulled out her money. He had taken too long and she could hear Hagard's voice tear through the air once more. As she looked to Hagard, he was pristine and gentlemanly, but oooh did his voice not match his preened appearance. Once Asher had ordered she stepped up and said boldly, "I would like some coffee as well, and a bag." she pointed to a brand on his back wall that her eyes had just picked up on. That was benshiran coffee if she had ever seen it. "The one from Yahebah please."

He asked her, "Two cups and a bag, how much do you want by weight. It's 26 gold mizas per pound for that brand." she took in a sharp breath. That was a lot, but she wanted the coffee and it would last her a long time. Plus it was useful for guests if she ever had them over.

"Okay, one pound" replied the Benshiran. She produced the money from her pouch and set it down on the counter, sliding it over. As Hagard prepared the drinks, she looked back to Asher. "I am wearing all these clothes like in winter down in the desert and still I'm cold." She had on her normal wool tunic with the robe lining the outer edges of her garments. Across her belt was a very pretty silken multicolored belt. A gift from her father at a young age. If he examined her clothes he would likely see a belt pouch and a Benshiran slingshot inside the folds of her garments as well. All of it hiding any sense of beauty, yet her form was shapely and not flat. Once the drinks and the poured container of coffee was in her grasp she would hand Asher his and then take her things to the open table while it remained that way.

OOCCoffee bag, exotic 1lbs purchased 26GM

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Asher Claveson]

Asher nodded, saying, "I was wondering why you were wearing wool in the summer, though it seemed rude to ask." He took a sip of the coffee, letting the taste wash over his tongue while he contemplated his next question. As they sat at the table, he made sure to set Meyarra's book in his lap, so it was protected from any accidental spills that may happen. Not that some of the pages hadn't suffered from his wife's spills.

In fact, he remembered one time she had been drinking her tea, and dumped half her cup on the page in the process. She had gone off ranting for hours, much to his amusement. He ended up drying off the page for her as she continued her rant about teas and how they shouldn't have staining properties when they're just leaves dipped in water. That was only a week or two after their union. Oh, how he wished he could be with her again, hearing her rants and taking everything in stride. It was odd by others' standards, but it was his life, the one he chose. Apparently, it didn't matter what he chose, since the world saw to take her away from him.

Asher cleared is throat, trying his best to dispel the negative thoughts, put on a smile and asked Elann, "So, what brings you to Syliras? Hoping to settle, or just passing through?"