8th Summer, 515AV
"Ayatah. I'm glad you're here."
The Myrian glanced up from her papers, startled at the clipped voice that had appeared from the hall. Niko Tamdal stood at the doorway into her office, hands held behind his back in a very proper manner. This visit from the Nuit was an unexpected one, so Ayatah's response was delayed until she eventually gestured to the seat on the other side of her desk. "Good morning, Niko. Can I help you?"
He slid himself onto the chair, briefly glancing around the small room. Ayatah had not yet been employed long enough to personify her own area, which was still rather bland and smelled faintly off who had occupied it before her. "I've got a small collection of samples that I believe might interest you." He said. Samples, when speaking with Niko, always equated to bones. Whilst this was not Ayatah's professional area of expertise, she assumed that it was her clan heritage that had made him think of her. "They're mostly samples that have been handed in to me over the past few years, but I've never put them on display." He paused, and Aya frowned minutely in response to this bizarre tale. Niko was an expert on bone prep and anatomy -- how she possibly help him? He smiled at her obvious confusion and continued smoothly, "they're weapons, Aya. Weapons made out of bone. Some of them look positively Myrian, even."
Now her interest was sparked. Her people often made weapons out of bones - it was one of the stronger materials found in Taloba. She had not heard of any other culture that did the same, but of course it was not impossible. "How fascinating." She murmured, briefly glancing down to the notes she had previously been writing. "When was the last time you had an addition to this... collection?"
"Yesterday, actually. A fellow dropped by with a weapon that he claimed was made from the bone of some jungle animal, and I thought of you." He smiled again, as if this association of jungle creatures and Ayatah was somehow a compliment. "Anyway. I'd appreciate it if you could take a look, even if it turns out that only one or two are Myrian-made. It would be nice to learn something about them, at any rate."
She nodded. There was nothing of great import that Ayatah had planned to do today. She was still finding her footing in this new job, but helping out a colleague was always a positive thing to do. "No problem. I'm free now, in fact."
The Nuit grinned, as if he had expected this answer all along. "Excellent. Let's go, then."
They wandered in relative silence. Niko appeared to be a man of few words, and Ayatah struggled to think of things to discuss other than the samples she was to examine for him. Thankfully, their journey was a short one. In only five chimes, the pair had crossed to the Hall of Bones. Niko led Ayatah into his office, upon which stood a large box filled with several bones and blades. Clearly, the Nuit had anticipated Ayatah to accept his request. "As you can see, I have quite the extensive collection." He chuckled and dragged a pale finger along the rim of the box. "Not all are in good condition, I'm afraid."
The Myrian smiled mildly, leaning forward onto his desk to peer into the box. It was clear that the oldest of these weapons had been in the box for many years, with only the basic of maintenance completed on them to ensure they didn't entirely turn to dust. Still, she gave the Nuit a concerned glance. "Some look very old. I'm afraid they might break."
"Do not worry, Ayatah. If I was so bothered about these bones, I would have jad them looked at earlier. Should you find anything of interest, I might install a new section to the Hall featuring bones as weapons, but that's only a possibility. Investigate and research as much as you want." He grinned before indicating to a small tag that hung off of one bone. "I have labelled them to the best of my ability. This one, for instance, is from a tiger I believe. Others have been chipped, worn and engraved to such a point that they barely look like bones now. But! I digress." Sliding the box into his arms, the Nuit passed it over to Ayatah, "enjoy your investigation, and thank you Ayatah."