PM to join Hunting for Knowledge

[Estrellir Konrath]

Winter 12, 516 AV


Estrellir had given up scarf and gloves, but she’d never sacrifice her coat to the warm weather. What residents called warm still felt chilly to her on occasion—besides, she needed its myriad pockets to house her collection of more or less useful knickknack. Late in the evening, having worked for bells on end, she crossed the bridge towards Zintia Peak wrapped tightly in wool and hood up. Approaching the other side, she noticed movement ahead and saw two familiar figures disappearing into an alley.

Of course, the news had traveled through town like lightning. Since then she’d spotted the trio several times, seeing as her lodgings belonged to Solar Apartments. Touching firm ground, Estrellir adjusted her hood and peeked into the alley.

The two men were halfway down, talking quietly. Both were handsome, she knew, but in vastly different ways. There and then, Estrellir decided to follow them—tail their steps a while, find out what they were up to. Possibly they were just looking for nightly entertainment and revelry, possibly they were still at work. Discussing the disappearance of poor Lana Winterflame and plotting the hunt. The Konti’s mouth twitched.

She’d been walking at a casual pace (the alley well-lit and far from deserted) and nearly bumped into the blonde priest during a moment of sour musings. Fortunately, she could avoid contact and slink away to the side. Hiding in the doorway to a small restaurant, she ventured a glance from under her hood.

The men had stopped and seemed to be discussing something. From her point of observation, Estrellir saw the tall sharp one had his brow furrowed in doubt. The blonde’s voice wafted over. “I’ve seen worse in Kenash, Mattais, I know how these things work. We give them two or three days max, then we apply pressure.” When Mattais replied, his voice was too low to make sense of the words.

Estrellir angled her body so that she could observe the two out of the corner of one eye, then slouched a little and took her time fumbling for her pipe. Once the weathered wood was in her hand, she took her time cleaning and filling it with tobacco. Trying to appear casual and not at all interested in words spoken by the priests—when in fact she had just caught on fire. The blonde, a Kenashian! Plans of drastic measures! Even though the Konti had taken a step back from spy to humble investigator, old habits were simply too hard to shake.

[delete]

Daffy had just finished up at the bar playing her fiddle for the crouds. She’d made decent tips tonight, despite the fact that she felt her focus constantly slipping due to the Vantha hunt and the abnormal weather. At least it was nighttime. Daffodil liked night. She got frequent headaches during Syna’s reign due to the eyestrain. But at night she could see very well, better than most, it was her time. Her eyes darted around the alleyway when she stepped out into the streets. She wasn’t planning on making her way home yet. She just wanted to wonder around, get rid of some of her nerves. Being in this new city reminded her of being free to explore Riverfall after she was adopted: So big and new and fascinating! But, she thought, mostly big. Her world was constantly expanding. She could barely keep up!

The night air was far too warm. She remembered the freezing Riverfall winters and here was supposed to be colder. She understood why that was a problem, but there needs to be a better solution. She did not feel like she was smart enough to figure out what that should be, however, so she kept her head down. If she ever saw the cook of the apartments she stayed at, she had no idea what she would do. She’d have to do something though.

The alleyway was fairly crowded and very well lit. She was making her way out of it when she heard two familiar voices. It was Mattius and Abe. She focused on them, trying to block out all other conversation around her. They were locked in conversation, and didn’t even glance at her as she let her thick black hair fall over her face and passed them quickly, before moving to step into a sheltered doorway. “And what sort of ‘pressure’ are we talking here, Abe?” She caught the man say before noticing that she wasn’t the only one standing there listening.

A youthful looking Konti woman was fumbling around for a pipe and subtly angling herself so she could see and hear the two men speak. She looked at her, without saying a word, the two shared a silent understanding of what they were both doing. She didn’t want to speak, she didn’t want to draw attention to herself especially since she would also be giving away this lady as well. Daffy was kind of struck with shock, so she probably wouldn’t have been able to call upon her second language even if it was appropriate. “We shouldn’t talk about this here.” The blonde one said as Daffy snapped back into focus on the task at hand. Her heart was racing, she felt... sneaky and a little worried, but also excited!

The young mixed blood always felt nervous whenever she saw the three priest’s. Every time she passed them she half expected their hands to be covered in blood. They were turning to keep walking now. Their voices got lower but she could still hear them pretty well.

“You are... following?” She quickly and quietly said to the blonde before her, using Kontinese. She didn’t speak it very well at all, but the meaning shouldn’t be too hard to deduce.

[Estrellir Konrath]

When Estrellir looked up, there was a girl. For a few painful moments, she simply stared at the stranger, hearing or feeling nothing (except surprise). As the pipe was between her teeth, smoke trailed from her parted lips and disappeared into the night. Along with talk, laughter und cries of other nocturnal revelers.

Eventually the Konti pulled herself together, cataloguing details: narrow features, doe eyes, thick hair and humble posture. The girl appeared just as surprised as Estrellir, but also slightly guilty. She must’ve come to do the same thing and instantly, understanding passed between them. In a way, it reminded her of Izuyanai the raven, although with her a sort of distance had always lingered between them. The slim girl in front of her seemed less cautious, but just as curious. Possibly a bad combination.

When the blonde spoke again, Estrellir gripped her pipe tightly—fear, they’d noticed her after all—and took it out of her mouth. Then she summoned a pretty smile to her lips and leaned over. “Maya, how nice to run into you! I haven’t seen you in ages or at least it feels like it. How have you been?” She tried to hit just the right tone—excited, but not too loud, a soft-spoken Konti glad to see a friend. The two priests stood too far away to understand her words, but in a way, their meaning didn’t matter.

Apparently her little trick served its purpose, the two men had started moving again. Estrellir exhaled smoke as she watched them out of the corner of one violet eye. Truth be told, she knew all too well what playing with fire could cost her (those two were blessed by their seasonal gods, after all) and simply wanted to learn more about them. Preferably without the trouble of face-to-face interrogation. Learning that Abraham was Kenashian pleased her immensely. He seemed human, likely Svefra, but she could detect no connection to the Paille Dynasty. Freeborn or ex-slave then. She couldn’t wait to mull over what he’d said.

They were walking away though—and there was the girl. Pipe still between teeth, Estrellir grabbed the taller one’s elbow to link arms with her. “Why don’t we find a nice bar to exchange news? I’m sure we’ve so much to catch up on. How about the Scholar’s Demise? I do love their cocktails.” Perhaps a little extravagant for Lhavit, but Estrellir had far too much fun putting on her Kenashian socialite mask. It fit like her old cloak: well-worn and comfortable. If the girl agreed to play along, they would walk a few steps behind the two priests—coincidentally going into the same direction. Soon they’d reach Surya Plaza and any hopes of trailing anyone through the late evening crowd would be crushed anyway.

[delete]

The Konti seemed like a natural at this. Daffy had a little bit of practice at lying, but being put on the spot like this was rather intimidating. She missed a few heartbeats but managed to reply “ L’oril! I almost didn’t recognize you! Did you do something with your hair?” She babbled, speaking something akin to the meaningless small talk she heard around Lhavit a lot. Her foster mothers name was the first and only name that came to mind, probably because of her companion’s race. She was grateful for the other female’s lead, she would never have been able to orchestrate such a natural solution to the problem at hand. Daffy felt a little ashamed at her first move.

The Konti continued talking as the men moved on, thinking quickly once again and suggesting an activity that would allow them to move with the two men they were listening too. Her arm was suddenly linked with the other womans. This is kind of crazy, I feel like a spy. She thought to herself somewhat childishly. She had a desire not to mess this up for either of them. She smiled, mouth closed out of habit to minimise exposure of her sharp ‘Zith-Like’ teeth. “Yes, I like that! My treat, of course!” She was getting into the act now, trying to come up with a lot of worthless information about her character ‘Maya’. The two of them set off, following the two gentlemen at a safe and casual distance while making false small talk. The words were hard, very hard, but no one would pay attention to them nattering away happily, especially in another language. It didn't really matter what was said, she supposed, but it made it easier.

“So why you don’t see me much now! You work too hard!” She commented, putting on a satirical ‘pouty-face’. Her kontinese was probably hard to make out, but she tried, wracking her brain for words she'd heard her mother say before to her father. Daffy wasn’t a great actor, so she found herself naturally melding with the character the other female was portraying but slightly more air-headed and very ditsy. As she spoke she tried to listen to the snippets of conversation from the men in front, but the crowd was thickening now and it was getting harder to focus. Everything sounded very loud in her sensitive ears. They weren’t saying anything related to the Vantha’s now anyways, plus they were unfortunately headed to a very busy area.

The crowd closed in as soon as they exited the back streets and entered the plaza. The crowd swept the two men out of sight, and swallowed them whole, leaving the two woman alone in the swell. Oh how she detested crowds like this. She decided to keep walking towards the bar they mentioned, and eventually found the doorway and stopped. She had a nervous smile on her face. No that they weren’t acting, she was facing a stranger again. A very curious stanger at that. Her dark eyes gave the other woman a once over “Do you want to go inside?” She eventually forced herself to blurt out. She did hope she got the chance to talk with her. After all, they did already have something to talk about. And perhaps a cocktail would help Daffy relax. She felt jittery and anxious. Absentmindedly she would play with the corner of her white blouse.

[Estrellir Konrath]

It would’ve worked without the girl playing along, Estrellir supposed, but the fact that she did came as pleasant surprise. Obviously there was a pause, but then she slipped into her role as if she’d been born for it. Of course, ability had nothing to do with natural talent and everything with practice (as far as the Konti was concerned). Perhaps Maya had deceived others before then, perhaps she knew a bit about different faces people wore on different occasions.

Either way, they had a conversation they could use as veneer and a path before their feet. Estrellir had to grin at the fake complaint, it hit home by coincidence. “Ugh, you know… Got to put food on the table,” she retorted cheerfully. “Or wait, you probably don’t. You’re too busy sitting in bars and making pretty eyes, no?” Truth be told, the Kontinese was a bit of a problem. Her friend’s accent was worse, but Estrellir had to fumble for words herself. Then again, it was safe to assume the men they were following didn’t understand any of it. Most likely they were completely safe.

While talking, they came out on magnificent and lively Surya Plaza with its every corner lit by lanterns. Restaurants and bars were open, patrons spilling onto the street with their drinks. The unusually warm weather had multiplied the resident party spirit and thirst for entertainment, or so it seemed. Lhavitians were worthy of being Kenashians, Estrellir thought sometimes (before missing all the debauchery). Abraham and Mattais, of course, had long disappeared into the crowd, onward to their favorite haunt or further scheming.

Estrellir kept her arm linked with the girl’s, out of curiosity more than anything. They’d dropped the act, but ended up at the Scholar’s Demise all the same. There, they faced each other and the girl blurted out her invitation. Compared to her earlier upbeat persona, she seemed sincere, even nervous. “Yes, why not?” After all, there was more to figure out.

The Demise was quite full with students and working people from the neighborhood. Estrellir thought she saw a few familiar faces, no surprise given the tavern had become her favorite quickly. With no free tables, they had to sit at the bar. Estrellir had put away her pipe, shrugged off her hood and proceeded to order a drink called Time’s End. She wouldn’t ask that the girl go through with her earlier offer, there were quite a few other questions burning on her tongue though. First of all she switched to Common, it felt easier. “So. Why were you listening in on them? If they caught us, they’d think we were accomplices of Lana. Why risk it?”

[delete]

Her accomplice agreed to go inside. Her arm remained linked with the Konti’s until the two females found a seat at the bar in the busy tavern. They remained liked for a reason unknown to Daffy, but she didn’t pull away. The places was just as crowded, which made her head hurt, but she had grown used to this kind of atmosphere, and could ignore it a little better than the stampede-like feeling she’d gotten outside in the busy streets.

The Konti ordered a cocktail and Daffy had a quick look over the drinks list at the bar. Her eyes shone when she saw the extensive list of wine’s on the board. She was half tempted to buy a bottle, but she didn’t want to spend that much on an unnecessary luxury item, so she just ordered a glass of Merlot. Mind you, that was still expensive. Daffy allowed herself to take a breath as she stared at the crimson liquid being poured into a fresh new glass and passed to her.

The Konti put away her pipe and suddenly she was speaking common, a language that Daffy was a lot better at. The accent still sometimes made things difficult but she could feel more at ease in this language. She didn’t have to strain her brain as much. Daffy had just taken the first sip of the earthy, full-bodied drink when her companion, who must have been burning with questions, as was she, asked her the first one. It was the most logical to ask, and it made her heart skip a beat. She had to think about how to answer that one. Truthfully, it had all happened at once and she hadn’t really given herself time to consider all that could go wrong. What had gone through her mind was a concern for Lana and the other Vantha and a strange, and burning curiosity. Perhaps she was a bit naive, and she knew she was no hero, but something had made her stay there and listen. Something had compelled her enough to go against her usual mentality. She just didn’t know how to describe it.

Carefully she placed down her class and looked at the Konti seriously “It happened very suddenly. I caught what they were talking about as I left work and I couldn’t help listening in.” She told her, honest as ever. “The danger is really only sinking in now.” She shook her head and took another sip of wine before turning back to the konti and returning her serve “And what is your answer to the same question?” She asked her “Did you follow them premeditatedly?” She added, since the Konti was already in the doorway she thought to clarify. For her, she had gotten herself stuck in the situation, but there was a drive there to find out more, for the Konti however, it might be more than that. “Oh yes, and” She spoke up once more smiling casually “My actual name is Daffodil.”

[Estrellir Konrath]

Estrellir took in the girl, how she studied the menu and then her glass of red wine. Definitely a passion the Konti could relate to, although she—naturally, being raised on exquisite rum fabricated from local fields—preferred much stronger liquids. There was a time and place for pure spirits though, a night at the Demise always called for cocktails. Briefly, she was surprised how well she’d adapted to local culture during the past three seasons.

When the girl took a moment to answer, Estrellir leaned back and sipped her drink patiently. Its taste blossomed on her tongue, sweet and spicy at the same time, a tiny bit of home. Truth be told, it was possible she had worked too much recently. With the business, making a name for herself in a town that owed her nothing (unlike the one she’d come from) and her studies with Thomas, she’d hardly had time for a leisurely stroll or even a few chimes of play with Sir Alwin. Not that it mattered. Estrellir was always happiest at work—yet she’d noticed the significant lack of social functions and grand parties (not that different from the former) and found herself missing them. Not the tight dresses and jewelry, not the polite smiles and chit-chat, but the people. Here was an opportunity to get acquainted, so she took it gladly.

Back to the girl. So she’d acted spontaneously, not exactly a surprise. Estrellir grinned at her question. “Me? I’m just too curious for my own good. Seriously though, I was confused more than anything else. How will hunting down a simple cook change the fact that winter hasn’t come? It seems to me that the arrow is missing its mark.” Instinctively, she’d lowered her voice. One never knew who might be listening in—one of the first lessons she’d learned, ever. The fact that her partner in crime shared her penchant for eavesdropping didn’t necessarily mean they had other things in common.

Even if she trusted the Konti with her actual name. Her expression revealed nothing but genuine interest and curiosity. “Well met, Daffodil. I’m Estrellir. Really, this time. I admit I’m quite intrigued by divine trio in town, although when it comes to what they do and why, it’s hard to separate fact from hearsay. Have you heard anything of interest?” Daffodil had to be a good observer, she could tell. Thinking on her feet, adapting to unusual situations.

[delete]

The way she spoke was somehow elegant, and sophisticated. Daff wanted to speak like her, but her knowledge of common tongue wasn’t quite that comprehensive yet. Her mind was racing though. She still felt like some kind of undercover agent. Which was probably rather juvenile of her. She was glad of the company too. It seemed like every night she would face a crowd of so many faces and know none of them. This place was so different than home. The Konti was a breath of fresh air though. She was very easy to talk to, and sort of lead the flow conversation. Daffodil was very intrigued by her.

The woman answered coolly, but she didn’t give away a lot in her answer. Daff noted that but decided to leave it and move on. For the second part of her sentence had distracted her. The woman lowered her voice slightly before parting her lips once more to say something else. After she did, Daff couldn’t help but be relieved. It hadn’t occurred to her till now that she might be sitting with someone who was no necessarily in line with her own views on the matter at hand. “To kill anyone because of the actions of another is never the right thing to do” She nodded sadly “So, I agree with you.” She took another swig of her drink, feeling frustrated because she felt like something needed to be done, but she didn’t know how to do it. She imagined the three priests would have a lot of weight on their shoulders, though. None of them showed any signs of moral stress.

The Konti introduced herself now as Estrellir. Her name was very pretty, and it was just as elegant as her. She wondered where Estrellir was from. But there’d probably be time for questions like that later on. She took another sip of the crimson liquid in her glass before answering her next question.

“The priestess of Bala has a young daughter, but I do not know her name. I have seen them together once. It intrigued me because, if anyone, surely the mother of a little girl would have some compassion... for the Vantha.” She said, not looking at her companion, but down into her drink. Her brows were furrowed. She knew she was looking at this too emotionally, she could already tell that Estrellia looked at things from a more logical perspective. But words just tended to pour out of her when she was in situations like this.

“We learnt today that Abe is from Kenash, but I have never been to such a place, so I can’t think what he was talking about.” She said, changing the area under discussion back to facts. Her voice remained steady and low, so as to not attract the attention of others. She paused again, allowing the ivory skinned woman to respond.

[Estrellir Konrath]

Estrellir had never been a good friend. Most of her relations could be classified as either family or purposeful. She tended to hang onto people who had or knew something she wanted—give and take. Sometimes, however, she also drifted towards the innocent, prodding and twisting until something more came to light. She enjoyed provoking, testing others to see how they might serve her purpose. Usually she trusted her instinct and Daffodil seemed like a good person to know, perhaps a good assistant. Before she could decide what to do with her, however, Estrellir needed more.

For some reason her confirmation irritated the Konti, discord was hidden behind a sip from her cocktail. Perhaps it was the compassion. Nothing good would come from overflowing emotions, although in essence, Daffodil seemed to share her opinion. Both felt the urge to do something, but shied away from direct confrontation. The more they knew, then, the better they could prepare for whatever would happen with the frosty Goddess and her followers.

When the other girl mentioned Tia, Estrellir couldn’t help but grin—not exactly with joy. “The priestess of Bala is a Shinya. One of the protectors of this city, trained in martial arts and magic,” she added, in case Daffodil hadn’t heard of them before. Accent and general behavior suggested she hadn’t been in Lhavit long. “Nothing can be said with certainty, of course, but I doubt she’d show compassion to an enemy. The lapse in seasons will cause all kinds of complications, don’t you think? Then again, I don’t know her personally, so you might have a point after all.” She sighed, not really believing—but she also didn’t understand the point of parenthood and didn’t feel like rectifying that anytime soon.

When Kenash came up, her gaze darkened by several shades. Briefly she debated what to tell the girl—after all, to describe her birthplace meant opening up and revealing information about herself. For the sake of their conversation, however, she couldn’t avoid it. There was the desire to know more about her companion as well—give and take. “Kenash is a city at the edge of the Cyphrus grasslands, an unforgiving and vicious place. Its people are divided into the ruling families, working citizens and slaves. Many slaves. The fact that Abraham has spent time there makes him dangerous, but also easier to understand for someone like me. I know Kenash well, and so I know him. Judging from his tone, I’d say his stay wasn’t a pleasant one… What do you think?”

She hadn’t done that in a long while, sharing her thoughts with someone else. It might be the alcohol lowering her inner shields—another sip—as previously, she’d only done that with Mell. It didn’t feel wrong though, and Daffodil had no reason to betray her.

[delete]

(Sorry for the delay, I've been feeling a bit ill is all, I'm getting better now )

Daffodil watced the girls expression while she talked. The habit was born from her childhood where she tended to be very careful about how she was coming off to others. She couldn't read the Konti very well however, she wasn't yet very well versed in reading subtle cues so she missed any annoyance that Estrellir may have felt. Daffodil could not help her emotions. She'd been better at hiding them when she was in the orphanage, maybe the years with her adoptive mother had softened her too much. But her mother had never seen emotion as weakness and now neither did she.

She glad of this connection, however, and wanted it to continue. She would stay here talking to this girl all night if that was what she wanted. Estrellia didn't seem to agree with her theory about Bala's priestess. "Yes you are probably right about that. She- they all- have a big weight on their shoulders." She said, her shoulders slumped just a little and she took another, this time bigger, gulp of wine. She was frustrated, and she hoped that she'd have a better idea about what to do after this conversation. She wondered just how curious her companion was.

After she mentioned Kenash, the girl sitting next to her's eyes darkened and she stiffened. There was a long, slightly uncomfortable pause before the Konti opened her mouth. She listened very attentively to each word, extremely interested. She had meant to travel the world to learn more about everything and about herself even. and listening to the experiences of others was a very good step in that direction. She knew there were slaves in the rest of the world, but she couldn't imagine it. There were none in riverfall, in fact the people of her hometown actively went out to intercept slavers.

She thought back to when Abe was speaking and nodded slowly "You could see it in his eyes as well he was talking about something traumatic." She had noticed his face- she could see it in a lot more detail from far away than, presumably, her partner could. Since she had talked about her home town the half-zith decided to tell her something in return. "I was born in the grasslands somewhere, It sounds as though I was fortunate to be taken to Riverfal instead of Kenash." She paused wanting to ask her how she'd come to know Kenash, weather she was born there or had just visited. It was strange for a Konti to start her life outside Mura, or so she thought. But it might have been too personal a question, so she just polished off her wine instead.

"May I have another one please" She asked the Bartender, passing her glass over. She hadn't actually had a drink or two at the bars she worked nights at in a while, she she decided one more couldn't hurt. She wouldn't overdo it though.