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[Nara Utovosm]

PC revamp

[Vaerin]

The young man had awoken that morning with a very particular craving for a thin broth that consisted of the liquefied meat of one of the small crawling animals that stalked Kalinor's underbelly, with simmered garlic, egg, and a few other ingredients. Since Dra-Vaerin did not need to eat much, he had taken to making sure that the meals he did consume had a strong sentimental value to him. It was a way of keeping himself connected to his homeland, and more importantly his mother in this faraway city. It managed to stave off some of the more intense pangs of homesickness that had increased since arriving in Syliras.

Because of his geographic distance from the cavernous city, and the impossibility of procuring an exported Kalean creature with such a niche purpose meant one thing. Improvisation was necessary. From the produce that he had seen since arriving; he felt that the closest comparison to what would traditionally be used would be fish. The slippery, and sleek texture of its flesh were in his mind highly comparable. The taste may not end up being entirely the same, however he was sure it would do the job. Without a doubt in his mind about where he would first set off to go procure some fish, he dressed himself, brushed his hair thoroughly and set off from his small room, which was slowly starting to feel more like a home to him.

He approached the Harbor at what was coming up to the sixth bell. Even at this time, it was a hive of activity - much more than he was expecting it to be. As per usual, he weaved his way through the crowds trying to avoid drawing as much attention to himself as possible. Though he felt himself doing an impressive job of fitting in, his subtlety and ability to blend in was not up for debate. He diminished into the background just about as much as a flash of lightning did in the night sky. Between the distinctive fabrics that billowed off of his diminutive frame that reflected the multiple hues of the Datura flower's petals; and the elegantly rounded black nails that occasionally peaked out from the enveloping folds of the fabric it was clear he did not 'blend in' with the average Syliran.

Navigating these conditions would not have been as much of a challenge for him had it not been for his unfamiliarity with the locale. Where was he to find the fish markets in the harbor? All the masonry was the same, there was no easy way to tell just by sight where one was going to Dra-Vaerin. At least Kalinor's main roads were visibly red. Finding things would be so much easier to locate if they implemented methods such as that.

In his confusion, he began slowing his pace, and backing up to ease himself next to a wall where he could better evaluate where he was going. His eyes began madly scanning the scenery trying to find some indication of where to go. However, in such a busy city such indecision often was frustrating to those with a clear idea of how to make their way to their destinations. A passerby with an important appointment to make pushed by: startling the youth into rapidly backing away while apologizing.

In the slapstick comedy that had become a commonplace event that marked the inconvenience that was Dra-Vaerin learning to navigate this new city, he backed into something very solid, warm, and damp.

Whirling around with the speed and precision of the aerial dancer he was, he turned to face this obstacle that had halted his retreat to the sanctuary of the tedious masonry that was Syliras' famous walls. The obstruction was - Viratas curse his luck - a giant of a man that seemed to be highly irate at this collision. From what Dra-Vaerin could see, this man was part of either the dock workers or one of the trading ships, judging by the rope, and heavy looking boxes that were close by to the man.

"Ah, please forgive me! I did not mean to do that. It was completely by accident. I should have paid better attention to where I was going. Sorry." He craned his neck upwards to meet the stranger's gaze, his eyes widening to twice their usual size out of fear and embarrassment. Dra-Vaerin could feel his heart begin to beat faster. Why, out of all the people in the city, did it have to be such a mountain of a man that he collided with?

Of course, deep down the half Symenestra was cognizant of the truth of the matter: it was an accident. His behavior in matters like this was to always assume the blame. After all, who would believe him if he were to say otherwise? He knew it didn't matter where he was - here or Kalinor. He was an outcast. The way he viewed the situation, it was his duty to accept it, and return the scorn with humility. His peaceful path was one he was sure would pay off for him one day. The current situation confronting him was just another chance to demonstrate this philosophy to the harsh and uncaring world he lived in.

Dra-Vaerin waited with bated breath to see how the man would respond, keeping his eyes fixed on this stranger's face. The youth wanted to scan for any visible display of prejudice before making his mind up on how to proceed next.

[Nara Utovosm]

PC revamp

[Vaerin]

A sense of dread washed over Dra-Vaerin as he noticed the man's face tense up as the waterskin he was holding was subsequently belted. Was that an indication this man was preparing to do something? Surely this man wouldn't risk attacking someone in broad daylight in Syliras? At any rate, Dra-Vaerin tensed his muscles in such a way that was not obvious. He knew he could not fight, but his training as a dancer did mean he could use his acrobatic skills as an advantage to make a speedy and unexpected getaway. To him it did seem unlikely that anyone would expect him to be able to spring backwards into a backflip - or to drop down low into the splits before tumbling away before running away with the drop of a hat.

Of course, this was just a fleeting thought. The hostility in the other man's eyes quickly dissipated into one of...confusion? It looked as if the man was studying Dra-Vaerin's visible features in an attempt to gain some understanding. Like he was trying to categorize and make sense of the face that was craned upwards at him. It was a look that he was used to seeing by now. Yet, no matter how often he received this kind of gaze, the dimming embers of the dormant rage that were so deeply sown in the youth's soul burned a fraction brighter. At one level he did understand that it was a need to make sense of the world through categorization - yet it always felt so invasive and insulting. It was indeed lucky that his mouth was currently covered by a swath of fabric, or the tightened line that his lips were pursed into surely would have identified his distaste. He lowered his gaze to his sandaled feet, and kept his eyes downcast until the man questioned him. Even then, he would quickly cast his eyes back down again, and miss the knowing look that the two comrades would make as they exchanged words.

This was due to the line of thought he was currently indulging himself in. Despite his mainly Symenestra appearance he was just as much a product of the human species. Maybe his lineage was not initially identifiable as particularly Vanthi, but there was a quality about his face that did hint at it to those that were familiar with them. According to his mother, he possessed his father's eyes and nose - though he definitely had the coloration of his mother's eyes. From what she had said, his father was quite handsome. Yet, Vaerin never once felt that he was particularly attractive. More just an oddity. A specimen that was observed with a detached curiosity. Halves like him were not a common occurrence. Nor would they be for multiple reasons. Part of his mission did stem from desiring to give those given the title of Dra like him a better standing within Kalinor's small society.

His indignation was not the response to the question he was asked however. Though, he would have been remiss to deny that being called odd by the blonde man did cause the Dra's nostrils to flare. However he quickly composed himself before looking at this man apparently called 'Rao'. A mantra that he would often recite in his native tongue in his mind floated through the corners of his mind as he began to respond. Viratas gift me with the strength to recognize all that connects my blood to the world.

"Well...vaguely. I am sure I am going the right way however."

It wasn't entirely untrue. However, it was more a lie than the truth. He didn't particularly want to draw this conversation out, or disrupt these two from the work they were clearly in the middle of. He'd almost rather have had the man follow up his original sentiments with the revulsion that usually seemed to accompany most of the human's recognition of his Symenestra blood and the all too quintessential: "Piss off back to your hole, widow". He found this man's sternness in his inquiry to be confusing. Why on earth would he care about that? Vaerin glanced pointedly over to the heavy looking cart that the other man was standing at before speaking in his deferential, but polite tone. The one that almost completely masked a much more biting message of 'mind your own business'. The young man was not entirely sure how this would pan out for him. He was certain that this man was not going to be the least bit interested in Dra-Vaerin's search for a singular fish to sink his fangs into, and watch over the course of the day as his venom very slowly corroded the flesh into a gelatinous liquid. But one could never tell.

"But, it looks like you both have very important business to take care of. Please don't overly concern yourself with me." He made a concentrated effort to make sure that it was apparent he was smiling from beneath the swath of fabric.

[Nara Utovosm]

PC revamp

[Vaerin]

It escaped Dra-Vaerin as to why this man, and by association his accomplice, wanted to prolong this interaction. Surely most people would have moved on from such an awkward encounter by now. Vaerin felt a sense of mild disconcertion at the men's motivations behind this. What more could either party gain from this?

Was it a set up? While it was true that they did indeed have a cart and were appearing to be stopped for a short break; wasn't that also just a touch too convenient? Yes, crime did seem to be as low as it was in Kalinor - yet he was well aware that not even Kalinor was immune from the occasional swindler or the likes. The smiles that both of them gave each other did little to set the smaller man's mind at ease. It was knowing. For whatever reason, the one with the darker hair had fixated his attention on him. Judging by the almost domineering way he carried this conversation thus far, the youth was under the impression that he was dogmatic when something fascinated him.

The way in which the man almost seemed to be patronizing in his efforts to assert himself over Dra-Vaerin left a distinctly sour taste in his mouth. The lack of discernable motivation had him unsettled, and more defensive than he might usually be. Of course, the way in which Dra-Vaerin displayed feeling threatened or uncomfortable was unconventional in some ways. However, equally as likely was that this man was just genuinely trying to help. If that was the case, Dra-Vaerin still felt his attitude was condescending, because it was clear that this man viewed him as a bumbling dolt over their accidental encounter.

In fact if the two men could read the other's minds, it might have been comical for both of them to find out the two of them had shared such similar views on the way the other was presenting themselves.

Sadly, this was not so. And as much as Vaerin secretly wanted to rudely end this interaction, he knew that his actions had repercussions. His temporary indignation was not worth causing a larger stir. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as he prepared to respond, the action calming him. He would need to put on a good face for the sake of his people. He would represent his race proudly and nobly. Dra-Vaerin pushed the fabric veiling his mouth down, since it was clear this interaction was going to continue itself more than a perfunctory "be on your way then". To keep his face obscured when talking to someone would have definitely been a faux-pas in this context. Dra-Vaerin made sure to not open his mouth too widely so that his fangs were never overtly noticeable: as he was still quite unsure if this man knew where he hailed from. Or of his views on Symenestra or individuals that possessed mixed blood.

The darker haired one that had done most of the talking was not 'Rao' but 'Raoul', and his friend that had called him odd was 'Lin'. Raoul had asked him for his name, and where he was going.

It seemed likely that Raoul was not familiar with the Symenestra or Symenos. Away from the people and language that caused so much internal turmoil for him, he could introduce himself as an equal. He was not a lesser; so why should he have to introduce himself here as one? However he would forgo mentioning his mother's web. Firstly, there were only so many Symenestran webs which would make him too identifiable; and secondly, he was never a member of the Datura web to begin with.

"Well Raoul, Lin: it is a pleasure to meet the two of you. I am Vaerin." He said congenially. He offered both of them a small smile and incline of the head as a sign of good will.

"However...I really would rather not bother you both with assisting me. Your work seems to be more important, I feel it would reflect very poorly on me to intrude on that - especially if you were to be made late because of me. It seems reasonable to assume that you are taking these to be inspected, yes?"
He ushered at the cart, keeping his tone measured.

"I have heard from one of the wives of the knights that frequents my workplace that the person in charge of these matters is quite the proponent of punctuality."
He was of course being polite in reiterating what the patron had said about this woman. Of course, he was not in the least bit sure at all about what he was talking about. To him it just seemed logical that a city that screened those that sought out entrance so vigorously would also have quite the strict view on trade.

While he was a timid person, he was somewhat aware of how to stand his ground on terms that resonated with his moral compass. He did this through deliberate deflection of the conversation. While he did divulge information about himself; it was negligible at best. All he had really said was his name and that he worked in the city, and definitely avoided answering the question of where he was going.

His mannerisms and way of speaking, while overly polite, were not intentionally inflammatory or rude. Thus, he reasoned they had no real cause to get angry at him for showing interest in their reasons for being there after they had questioned his motives. He thought if perhaps he engaged the two in conversation long enough, he could either find out their motivation for asking him where he was going: or they would tire of him. He decided to keep the polite, small smile on his mouth as his gaze returned to Raoul, seeming to eagerly await a response.

[Nara Utovosm]

PC revamp

[Vaerin]

The look that presented itself on Raoul's face was in a word: peculiar. He looked confused to Vaerin. For what reason, he didn't know. However, Dra-Vaerin decided that attempting to decipher a reason for this was a fairly useless endeavor. To him it felt most likely this man was just genuinely confused by his appearance. He definitely must have never seen one of my kind before then. No matter though, Dra-Vaerin continued to think, that had little to do with him just as the two men remained civil to him. He knew he would continue to be civil to them. So there was not much point in trying to overthink the situation.

The thoughts that Raoul had about the authenticity of the concern that Dra-Vaerin expressed having was understandable. They were not entirely unfounded, not that Vaerin would have ever admitted that. Part of it did stem from a self-serving standpoint. Not all of it - for he would have felt guilty if he were to be the cause of these two men getting into trouble. Yet, it was undeniable that what he said was deliberately stated in order to project a very particular image of himself. He wanted to divulge information from the two men by being intentionally vague, whilst still presenting an image of kindness and respectability. It was an interesting dichotomy of his own desires conflicting with his morals in some respects. It could be arguable that in some capacity he was being dishonest in his methods.

There was a pregnant pause in the conversation before Lin stated that they were under no immediate deadline in which Vaerin cast a more thorough glance at the cart the two men were previously hauling. The crates on closer inspection did seem to be legitimate trade goods from a ship. Well, rather they match what he imagined such a thing would look like. He had little clue on how trade functioned on this side of Mizahar. Honestly, he had little clue on how trade functioned in Kalinor. He focused himself more on artistic pursuits. His opinion on trading relationships between his people and the outside world stopped at he thought the Aconite web were by in large much more accommodating of both the Dra and the outside races. He sometimes wished his mother had been born to them, or married into them. Perhaps then he would have had an easier childhood. That did not have much of anything to do with trade though.

The human called Lin seemed to be annoyed at the current situation, judging by his almost pained expression. Which made Vaerin feel increasingly that his ideation of this being a set up for a mugging or something was a paranoid conclusion that had no basis in reality. There wasn't as much harried insistence from them for him to follow them as he thought would be present from criminals. Rather it seemed to be more like Raoul liked to push limits, which Lin seemed to humor. With that, he did feel his disposition towards the two soften significantly. Not entirely though. He felt it prudent to still keep his wits about him and be somewhat guarded.

Raoul seemed to confirm this hypothesis with his next statement, all the while chuckling. Even if it was more likely that the laughter was at Vaerin's expense given his lack of understanding about the sea-faring lifestyle. Vaerin however did not glean this understanding from it. Even if he did consider himself fairly adept at picking up on social cues such as that.

"Ah, I am relieved to hear that then. It looks like it must be very heavy to move...I must admit I don't begrudge you having to move it by yourselves. It must be very physically taxing work." Dra-Vaerin's response was rather superficial, but polite. Not that he was usually anything but polite. It was more just a statement to acknowledge what Raoul had said.

Raoul's following questions however left Dra-Vaerin utterly flabbergasted. Especially the casualness of what he was suggesting with the lascivious wink. To the point where Dra-Vaerin's mouth dropped open in surprise. Such a suggestion of impropriety?! Not in the least. Dra-Vaerin was not sure if it was actually obvious for outsiders to tell if Symenestra were capable of blushing; but he knew he was. His face felt roughly the same temperature as a sword just taken out of the forge.

"What?! Me? Oh no. No, no. No I'm not on-- chasing a wife?!"

He truly found himself floundering for what to say in response to that suggestion. So in his rush to clear himself of even the suggestion of such an indiscretion on his part he dropped any notion that he had held of being intentionally vague. His expression turned decidedly sheepish, as he adverted his gaze from Raoul and Lin, covering his mouth with his hand momentarily.

"No. Not in the least. I am just going to the fish markets for a meal later on, I don't have to work today."

Given the nature of Symenestran biology and reproduction, the idea of taking on other partners was common: after all, that was how the harvest came about. However, usually this was just for the purpose of reproduction and not so much for the desire of emotional commitment or love. As such, Dra-Vaerin found the suggestion highly uncomfortable. Moreso from his own personal standpoint, he knew that other Symenestra viewed this situation in a multitude of different ways. Those from the Datura web often seemed to have a more traditionalist and proper approach from his understanding of his mother's web in comparison to what he had seen from other webs.

The reason for this was twofold. He himself had never experienced a reason strong enough to justify chasing after anyone. Let alone an already married women. Back in Kalinor it was highly unlikely that anyone would desire to be romantically or sexually linked with a Dra in the way that he would have desired. He was almost certain that such an action would have been as close to social suicide as actually being Dra. Secondly, what he desired when it came to matters like that was to experience the same kind of devotion that he saw in his mother's eyes when she spoke of his father. However, that was going to be entirely impossible until he was more comfortable in himself. He felt that there was a lot of issues and information for him to process before he would be able to open himself up to such a notion. So Raoul's suggestion didn't stem so much from the idea of the act itself; but rather that he would ever be able to view himself in that light. Even in a throwaway comment.

Of course, by the time he felt he was able to even look anyone in the eye again, he noticed that Raoul and Lin had stepped towards their cart. Even then he still felt highly embarrassed. Even hypothetically he couldn't think of any of the wives that frequented the store that he could even look at in that way. He shook it off. There was too much to think about in matters of the heart.

Desperate to not look like a complete twit after that though he approached the cart, desperately trying to will his face to stop burning so.

"Erm, perhaps I can assist you in pulling the cart? If it wouldn't inconvenience you of course. I might not look very strong, but I was a dancer - an extra set of hands never hurt?"
He would fully admit that what he said sounded awkward, and perhaps didn't make much sense. But, well, he was still quite flustered and that seemed to make sense in the given moment.

He assumed that it wouldn't take too much time to do that, and well, one could never tell when a good deed would be rewarded. In retrospect he would believe that neither men had any ill desire in their heart towards him and did just want to help. This day had definitely not begun the way he had intended it to.