A Shopping Trip (Kiya)

[Samantha Slate]

"Food first? Then we talk?" Kiya suggested as her stomach grumbled loudly. Is her speech really that primitive? Samantha wondered, Do they need to be trained to converse with any skill? The mage couldn't help but speculate even as she was speaking with the Kelvic. She had many questions about Kelvics, but had never deemed it worth the difficulty of tracking down the right books about it. Her arcane studies had always taken precedence. Now however, she had an easy opportunity to sate her curiosity. With an easy smile, Samantha nodded and beckoned the Kelvic closer, "Of course... If you want, I'll pay." She idly wondered if providing food would make Kiya less nervous. After all, most dogs tended to be more eager to please those who provided them with food. "Where do you want to eat?" It would probably be best for them to eat in a fairly crowded location. If Kiya suspected that Samantha had money to spend, she might try to make off with it while no one else was looking. The woman took a step to the side and waited for Kiya to join her.

[Kiya]

"Of course, if you want I'll pay" the women said, "Where do you want to eat?"

"No, I have money, and I prefer not to accept charity if it's alright with you" Kiya replied, slowly making her way over to Samantha. It wasn't the first time someone had offered to buy her food and clothes, many people thought that kelvics couldn't handle themselves but that wasn't true. Well, maybe some of them couldn't but Kiya had been taught to work for things. She would sooner go without then accept charity. Wolves didn't beg like domestic dogs, and she was going to keep it that way. "I'll eat anything, it's up to you, I don't know any places around here though, first time I've been to this town... city. You've probably got a better understanding of things"

[Samantha Slate]

She really ought to learn not to judge people from only a glance, Samantha thought as she mulled the Kelvic's words over. Kiya had a kind of pride in her voice as she refused Samantha's offer. The girl was clearly not just a trained animal who could speak; most humans Samantha knew couldn't withhold a free meal from themselves without a very good reason. The mage smiled approvingly at Kiya as she got her first close look at the Kelvic. What she saw only whetted her curiosity about the race further. The girl looked to be about sixteen years old, barely old enough to be out of her family's house, much less alone on the street at night. Instead of the typical neat appearance that most girls her age were obsessed with, her hair was left loose and unbrushed. She didn't apparently concern herself overmuch with clothes, either. All she wore was a simple cotton dress that covered her sufficiently to keep her from attracting notice in the streets. Her feet were unshod and left to the chilly autumn air. No, this girl certainly wasn't human, but she couldn't be considered an animal, either. She had the intelligence of a normal woman, or so it seemed at a first impression, yet she seemed to have a few subtle mannerisms characteristic of an animal. "I'll eat anything, it's up to you, I don't know any places around here though, first time I've been to this town... city. You've probably got a better understanding of things," The girl said with ambivalence. Where would be the best place to take her? The Kelp Bar? No, no. Two women visiting that place alone would be a horrible mistake. Drunken men's hands could go places they had no right to be when they thought they could get away with it. After a few more ticks of thinking, Samantha settled on the only place in the city that she was certain served fair quality food. "The World's End Grotto, then?" She suggested tentatively. It was sure to be fairly empty at this time of night, but still crowded enough to keep her from being alone with Kiya for any extended length of time. "They serve good food there, drinks too, if you're one for beer." Samantha herself couldn't abide the stuff; a vile, vulgar, and generally nasty concoction that was undoubtedly invented as a method of torture. "They rent rooms out there, as well. If you don't have a place to stay yet, they offer fair rooms for a good price."

[Kiya]

"The Worlds End Grotto, then?" Samantha said, "They serve good food there, drinks too, if you're one for beer. They rent rooms out there, as well. If you don't have a place to stay yet, they offer fair rooms for a good price"

Kiya nodded. Alcohol didn't excite her, nor did the idea of drunken men but the strange women seemed certain of this place, "Sounds good. I don't drink though, only water. I had planned to spend the night in a quiet alley but a room might be nice..." But the thought of being confined to one small space concerned her, Kiya preferred places with plenty of fresh air and escape routes, and although she was capable of looking after herself she didn't like fighting. Running was better.

The kelvic gestured for Samantha to lead, she would follow.

[Samantha Slate]

"Sounds good. I don't drink though, only water. I had planned to spend the night in a quiet alley but a room might be nice..." Kiya said with an uncertain nod, as if she weren't quite sure this was the best idea. Regardless of her reservations, the girl motioned for Samantha to lead the way, which the mage promptly did. She cast one last assuring smile in Kiya's direction before turning and walking at a slower-than-average pace. The woman wanted to make sure Kiya followed before separating them by too great a distance. If Kiya followed, then Samantha would slow her pace to be side by side with the girl and ask, "So, how long have you been in Zeltiva?" Though the mage already knew that she was new, she thought it would help start conversation. She might be able to learn a bit more about the Kelvic through conversation on the way to the Grotto. Hopefully, she could learn a little bit before reaching the inn. She always felt insecure in public places like that; still, it was safer to be with the strange girl in a crowd than alone somewhere. "How do you like it here so far?"

[Kiya]

Kiya followed after Samantha, the women walked at a slow pace so that they could walk side-by-side. Kiya's eyes scanned the streets, they were less crowded then before but less crowded didn't always mean safe. But what danger could there be in a clean upper class town like this?

"So, how long have you been in Zeltiva?"

"Arrived today" ok, so she was in Zeltiva.

"How do you like it here so far?"

"It seems very nice. But there's more people here then I would have liked" Kiya glanced over at the women and asked, "What about you? Do you live here?"

[Samantha Slate]

The wizard nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't uncommon for travelers to come through Zeltiva; quite the opposite, in fact. The city was one of the biggest hubs of trade and transit on Mizahar. The surprising part was that Kiya was presumably alone in the city. She was clearly uneducated in the ways the world worked; the girl walked right through West Street as a wolf! Kiya was lucky some Wave Guard didn't decide to put her down for being a 'wild animal' somewhere along the way! The woman's exasperation was obvious in her expression as well as her now-green gaze, which flicked between the street and the Kelvic every few seconds. Samantha's thoughts were cut short as the Kelvic asked, "What about you? Do you live here?" Instantly, a scowl etched itself into the halfbreed Vantha's face and her eyes swirled a few shades darker with crimson. Hastily, she smoothed her expression to avoid alarming Kiya; it wouldn't do to scare her away because she was angry. Her eyes remained their sanguine hue as the mage wondered how to best reply. After about half a chime, Samantha spoke in a controlled, measured voice. No anger was evident in either her voice or her face, save for the red in her eyes. "I recently moved here to study at the University," She replied, omitting the fact that she had grown up in the area. "I've been here for a few days." This line of conversation was a mistake. Deciding to do her best to turn the topic of conversation away from herself, the wizard asked in as nonchalant a manner as she could summon, "Why did you come here? There's much to do in the town, but I can think of little a girl like you might want with a port town like this."

[Kiya]

Kiya noticed the change in Samantha's manner. The women tensed and Kiya sensed her anger. She figured that Samantha had a history with this town that she wasn't willing to share with a stranger; this was something Kiya could relate to. Not wanting to anger the women further Kiya made a mental note not to ask those sorts of questions again.

Kiya simply shrugged at Samantha's next question. Why was she in this town? Even she didn't know. The kelvic had always been fairly vague.
“Boredom, I guess” she replied, “I tend to just, you know, wander. I find myself in the weirdest places...” Kiya looked around at the buildings and shops, mildly intrigued by the sight. Having spent most of her time in the secluded forests, everything in the town was interesting. The smells and sounds.

But, being in the town reminded her constantly of her home. If this kept up, Kiya would have to escape back to the forest where it was quiet and peaceful.

[Samantha Slate]

“Boredom, I guess” Kiya answered the wizard's question with a shrug, “I tend to just, you know, wander. I find myself in the weirdest places...” Samantha could understand that; she'd often felt the urge to travel and explore the world. In fact, she'd done a little of that herself over the years. As their conversation moved further away from Samantha's past experiences in Zeltiva, her eyes faded from their red and settled on a verdant green color. For a chime or two, Samantha contented herself with looking Kiya over out of the corner of her eye; the Kelvic had to be tougher than she looked, if she were able to travel around that much. Slowly, the pair's surroundings began to change as they walked. They were in a place mainly composed of small houses, some of which were in disrepair. The older woman didn't seem to notice the transition, so intent was she on the object of her curiosity. They were moving closer and closer to East Street, the most disreputable part of the city. Samantha was leading them through the shortest route to their destination, but she'd not taken the dangers of such a path into account. "Really?" She asked, relaxing slightly in Kiya's company. The girl herself intrigued Samantha now, not just her race. "Where have you been?" The wizard smiled at her Kelvic companion, "I've done a little traveling in my time, too. I only just recently decided to settle down again."

OOCSorry for the delay. I've had real life things to deal with. Would you like for them to get waylaid before they get to the inn, for a little action of some kind, or would you prefer for them to get to the inn without incident?

[Kiya]

This part of town was quite different to the one they had just come from. The people seemed sinister, and the houses all appeared pretty run down. Kiya shivered, she sniffed the air but only picked up the usual stench of human. The kelvic glanced at Samantha but the woman next to her seemed perfectly calm, maybe all her worrying was for nothing?

“I've just been travelling through the forests, annoying farmers” Kiya found herself smiling at the memory.

“I've done a little travelling in my time, too” Samatha smiled, “I only just recently decided to settle down again”

Kiya gave the woman a confused look, “Why did you decide to settle down? I couldn't think of anything worse than staying in the one spot” But it would be nice to have a home that you could return to after months of travelling.

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OOC: action sounds good. Sorry for the really late reply, I was away from my computer for more than a week