It's Time to Bang! (Sahashkalila)

[Xalet]

83rd day of Spring, 512 AV Xuphim hadn't dealt extensively with Centroc. The length of their meetings typically involved Xuphim asking a question on how something in the capture pack worked, or looking to refill its contents with more of the same. The Akalak wasn't much for engineering, but he had to hand it to whoever took the time to put these tools together, they made the job much easier. Why couldn't a puny, weak race become feral beasts? Instead the Jamoura, while peaceful and omnivores, were bulky, heavy, and impossibly strong. Even stronger than Xuphim, and Xuphim didn't much care for anything that was stronger than he. The creature's were strong enough to put meaty hand imprints into his armor, denting the mild steel that made up a majority of its frame. The plates of the armor was meant to take a beating, but the misshapen pieces were starting to become a bother. Not only would the structural unsoundness reduce the protective quality of his armor, but they simply managed to get in the way of his range of motion. It was time to try and call upon all those 'armor maintenance' lessons he always daydreamed through during his years as a squire. Even if Xuphim wasn't immediately at the helm, his light brother Xalet wasn't one for lectures himself. He knew it required a wooden mallet and a hard surface, and that with enough pressure and elbow grease nearly any shape could be regained so long as it wasn't too brutalized. "Uh-huh..." Xuphim grumbled as the Eypharian, whom had most recently got done telling the Akalak of the various potential places he could find such a tool in the haze filled city. The Syliran took his job here seriously, but the reality was that even he wished to stay out of that Gods forsaken mist as much as possible. With a heavy sigh his chrome tinged eyes lifted upward to the tops of the trees, contemplating the many difficulties he had dealt with ever since coming to the Spires. He didn't regret it, but it reminded him why both he and Xalet detested magical forces all these years. Unable to fully clear his head, he stepped to the side and un-shouldered his pack so that he could take an inventory of the items he had left at his disposal. If the purple skinned man had to go in for the proper necessity to keep his armor from falling into ruins, so be it.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila had not had the chance to visit the supply store during her stay in the Spires. She had been far to busy with patients and her supply of personal items had been steadily depleted. She also needed a new cloak, something that she had given up in her desperate efforts to save the Konti woman and the Jamoura Hethe. She realized quickly that living here without a cloak would be increasingly difficult for her, and so today she decided that she needed to find something that would work for her....despite the rumor of the prices being doubled. So she set out from the ward after telling Jorg where she was going, hoping that he would remember where she had gone.

She pulled the veil around her head closer to her to ward of the slight chill as she made her way to the supply store, nodding at those she recognized along the way before entering the supply store, staring curiously at all the goods. The rumors also seemed to be true about Centroc having something for everyone, because there seemed to be odds and ends all over the place, things that she recognized and things that she didn't. Unfortunately she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, get eyes landing on a pile of fabric that looked promising, so while her thoughts wandered, she ended up walking straight into a rather large man, yelping in surprise.

"Oh I am ssorry I didn't...."she said hastily before her words trailed off, taking a good look at the man in front of her. He was purple. His skin was actually purple....she had never seen anything like that. She briefly wondered if he was sick, maybe with some kind of skin infection....but she had never heard of anything that made the skin change. After a few moments she realized she was staring, and so she cleared her throat and smoothed her shirt. "I....apologize for my clumsinessss, it sseemss my thoughtss are elssewhere. I did not mean to dissturb you."

[Xalet]

Running into Xuphim was much like running into a wall. The mass of his frame combined with the weight of the armor and equipment he carried equaled to some four hundred pounds. He swayed slightly, but otherwise remained fairly grounded. "Ehhh?" the deep voice came. He stood up fully from the hunched over position he had adopted while checking his Jamoura apprehension equipment. The distance between the top of his head, and the top of Sahashkalia's was significant. Nearly two feet of distance separated the two individuals, at least vertically. From Dhani to Akalak though, they were much closer. Xuphim showed no signs up backing up as he leaned down to inspect just what had run into him. "Ehhhh??" he repeated again, his face now directly in front of her's. His grey eyes were much the same color as his armor, that much could be easily seen as he appeared to be giving his best attempts at piercing the woman's veil. "How big and purple does a guy have to be not to get bumped into?" his words formed a clear question, but it was difficult to determine if he was joking or speaking seriously. Finally after a moment of scrutinizingly gazing at Sahashkalila's veil he leaned rearward and stood up straight. "Or is it you just like what you see? Could'a just said something; I'm free when I'm not bagging Jamoura. I'm gonna warn you now, I only do that kind of stuff with attractive women. What's with the veil anyway?" he brought a large hand up, scratching the back of his head idly, pondering the garments purpse, "Is it because you're ugly...?" At this point Xalet had to mentally step in, "Xuphim, could you be a little less directly insulting? I'd prefer it if we didn't verbally abuse the entirety of the Spires." "Screw you, it's not an insult. I'm insulted that you think I'm insulting. It's a question. What's the big deal if she's ugly? I'm just curious, that's all. Some people are attractive, some people are hideous, that's life. Maybe she can bake a mean cake or something. It's not like being ugly means you suck at everything in life, damn." Xuphim replied, his logic was infuriating to his lighter half. Still though, he decided to clarify his previous query, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, you know. In fact I say don't hide it at all." he pointed a thumb to his chest before striking his fist outward at some invisible phantom, emphasizing his next point, "And if someone has a problem with it, you just punch them right in the petching face." Crude and direct as always. If anything could be said about Xuphim, at least he was consistently uncouth.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila did not know how to take the huge creature in front of her, his invasion of her personal space making her slightly uncomfortable. He was not terrible to look at, chiseled features with dark locks, inquisitive grey eyes that seemed to be trying to study her intently. She took a step back and frowned slightly, not that he could see, and tried to determine if he was joking with his greeting. He did not seem to be, but she could not tell. Perhaps his humor was just very dry? "I am ssorry, once again I did not mean to. I wasss losst in my own thoughtssss, which happenss from time to time,"she said, looking up and up at him. He was incredibly tall, and she felt dwarfed by his presence.

His next words made her stiffen and she frowned even more, smothering the urge to slap him since she could not reach anyway. Her eyes narrowed and she sniffed, her hands reaching up to loosen the veil to reveal her face. "I can asssure you that I did not run into you with that intention, nor do I have any dessire to do that now. You asssume much, whoever you are,"she said with a frown, thinking that the man was crude and strange. She had never had someone come to her suggesting that they do...private things and then turn around and assume she was ugly. She shifted her feet before she reached up and pulled the veil away, letting her dark curls tumble down her back.

Her golden eyes looked at his gray ones with barely suppressed amusement, and she tied the veil around her waist before crossing her arms. "I am not hiding anything. Perhapsss before you asssume ssomething about me you sshould think for a moment. It iss rather chilly out and it keepss me warm,"she said, cocking her head to the side. "Am I ugly to your eyess?"

[Xalet]

"Xuphim of the Syliran Knights." he noted quickly, a thumb thrust against his breastplate when she mentioned his anonymity. Some folks went through life attempting to hide their identity, using shrouded dealings and fake names. Xuphim wanted everyone to know who he was. In the back of his mind, a dream of his was to begin to introduce himself, only to have the person he was introducing himself to stop him, and finish the introduction. Fame was a wonderful thing, and the Akalak couldn't imagine why anyone would forsake it. His thumb dropped from his chest, his facial expression shifting slowly. His brow creased heavily, and he appeared to be staring even more intently now that the woman's veil was not obscuring his view. Finally he leaned back with an exhausted sigh, slicking his hair back and out of his face, "Now I'm even more confused. You...look like that and you hide behind the veil? Does it pain you to be gorgeous? Heh, I'm assuming again. I know you said it's chilly but seriously girl, damn." he paused. To someone that knew Xuphim it would appear as if he had suddenly developed a hint of sensitivity. To someone that really knew Xuphim, it wouldn't be unusual that it was short lived. "If I ask if you wear robes because you're fat, will you take them off? Heh heh heh...we could make some good lookin' kids together girl." he began to laugh to himself, still stupefied by her beauty hidden behind darkness. Slowly though his laughter trailed off, his keen observational skills and instincts were telling him something about the woman was off, but only slightly. Was it magic? Some hypnotic perfume? "No...it's her eyes. Twenty something years amongst the ocean of Humans in Syliras, and those eyes are just...different." he finally decided. The rest could potentially be learned through 'casual' conversation. Quickly he cleared his throat, trying to reduce the appearance of his rather obvious stare, "If you think it gets cold at night, you could always sleep with me. I'm a warm guy, you know? What do you say? There's not much fun to do around these Spires."

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila wrinkled her nose at him and huffed, thinking that he was the most unusual man she had ever met. She felt out of her depth, flirtatious banter was not something that she had any real experience in either. "Xuphim....well, I do not know if it isss a pleasssure to meet you yet. That remainsss to be ssseen, and my name isss Kalila,"she said, shifting uncomfortably under his stare, a blush rising to her cheeks. She didn't know why she was acting this way, she was normally calm and collected, so why was this giant making her act like a little girl? Perhaps it was because she had never had someone be so forward with her, to talk about things that she did not have any sort of experience in that was so....intimate. It was a little overwhelming.

"I am from Ahnatep....thisss veil iss a part of me jusst asss much asss the dessssert isss....Knight,"she said softly, idly twirling the fabric of her veil around her fingertips as she looked up at him. He was so hard to judge, the expressions crossing his face did not match what he said, leaving her to flounder and wonder if she was saying the right things. His next comment though made her blush even harder, and her eyes widened in surprise. "I-I am not going t-to undressss for y-you!,"she stammered, shaking her head adamantly and taking a step back from him again. What the bloody petch was he trying to get at here? Little did he know that there would be no children from a coupling with her....but she wasn't about to say that to him. It might encourage him some more, and she did not appreciate his laugh or his stare.

She was just about to turn away from him in embarrassment when his latest winning statement caused her to halt in her tracks.

"If you think it gets cold at night, you could always sleep with me. I'm a warm guy, you know? What do you say? There's not much fun to do around these Spires."

She did not know what came over her, all of the outrageous things that he had said to her ringing in her head. She turned quickly and placed one hand against his chest while she stood on her tiptoes and slapped him with the other. She was only able to make contact with his jaw, but it was enough to cause his head to turn and she smiled in satisfaction, her hand stinging slightly from the force of the blow. She took a step back from him and crossed her arms, shifting so the her weight rested on one hip. "You have odd mannerssss for a Knight....they need work,"she said grimly before turning to look at what she came there for, a cloak.

[Xalet]

Xuphim's head did snap to the side from the force of the impact, which must have given Sahashkalila some satisfaction given the grin-like look that painted itself across her face afterward. Anyone else in the world of the male gender would have been getting a fight, but just as all things have a weakness, women were Xuphim's. Even in training he couldn't bring himself to fight one, having to forcibly turn the reigns of the body over to Xalet when such an opportunity arose. That as it was, he had no anger from being struck by one. To him it was just another instance of 'intimate' contact between himself and what he believed was an attractive Human girl. "So...I guess that means you're not getting naked?" his head turned back to face forward. Striking Xuphim was much like striking a sandbag, not very much happened, although the sound of the contact was certainly telling. The size of his mass compared to the dainty frame of Sahashklila was significantly different, but he could still feel a certain weight in her blow, as if she had done better than he expected for someone her size. "That's too bad, although clearly you have trouble keeping your hands off of me. But why the hostility!?" his voice finally picked up at the end as one of his large hands came up to rub the side of his face. "I said nothing but good things, yes? Ugh, Human women are so difficult to understand. I call you gorgeous. I mention a clear desire to see your unclothed body, I even offer myself to you. Are these not things a Human man might do to gain the interest of a Human girl? Do people in this desert you come from simply not do things together?" Finally he caught himself before he continued on. With a sour expression upon his face he breathed in deeply and collected himself, still displeased but clearly more in control, "Fine then, how instead would you suggest I approach you? Realize how hard it is for me to ask this, I don't let anyone tell me what to do...but you're hot enough that I'll allow it." Anyone except for his Sergeant that was, a petite yet powerful woman in her own right. Best to keep that a secret for now.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila just shook her head as he prattled on, letting his words roll off of her as she looked through the fabric in front of her. There were several promising ones as she held up each one, some feeling too light while others were too heavy. Finally spotting one with a hood, she picked it up, passing the wool through her hands as she listened to what the man behind her was saying. Bloody meathead. She wondered if he thought of anything else besides eating and sleeping? "I am not getting naked in front of you now, nor do I intend to,"she said stiffly, tying the cloak around her shoulders to see what she thought about it, her back turned to him still. Centroc was most likely having quite a laugh at the two of them at the moment.

She then pulled the cloak back off and placed it over her arm, deciding that it was the one that she wanted before she turned back to him, her eyes glittering. "I am not a human girl ssso perhapsss you are doing ssomething wrong,"she said with a quirk of her lips, amused to see him so frustrated. She suspected that he was used to get what he wanted, or at least what he attempted to get, but she was not about to be easy prey for him. She also felt a deep satisfaction as she watched him rub his face, hoping that she had at least done a little damage. "We do quite a lot of thingsss in the dessssert, Knight, but perhapsss I am not jusst a ssimple tavern harlot waiting to ssspread her legsss for a man,"she said, inclining her head to him. She wasn't about to mention that she had never done any of those kinds of things, better to let him wonder.

"I am terribly ssorry that I am having to make you actually work for what you want,"she said sarcastically, shifting her feet once again. "But maybe you could actually approach me with a bit of ressspect. Isss that sso hard? I thought thatsss what Knightsss sstood for."

[Xalet]

"Phhsss!" Xuphim scoffed, shaking his head. Frustrated was right, the Akalak was clearly out of his element. Sahashkalila was going to have just as much trouble explaining things to him, as he would have explaining things to her. As for not being Human though, where did that come from? His scrutinizing silvery eyes missed very little, and from what he saw, he saw a Human. His instinct told him that there was something different about her, but everything else pointed to a Human. While Xuphim wasn't exactly well traveled, he felt he lived a life filled with many more types of cultures and species than others did, giving him an advantage when it came to picking out a non-Human. "Yeah, well...I work hard for everything I've got. I've been pushing hard and kicking ass for years. It's not about spreading legs or being a harlot, I just don't waste my time. I've almost died more times than I damn well care to remember, so yeah, when I see something or someone that catches my attention I go for it. I don't have the luxury of spinning clay or something and waiting a dozen seasons for some gal to take interest in me." Xuphim wasn't exactly angry, but he wasn't at peace either. He felt and spoke with an external passion that Xalet lacked. All the things Xalet felt over the years, Xuphim wore them plainly on the outside. "The Knights aren't about respect. Yeah, they make you shine your armor, shave your face, and stitch up your tabard real nice, but the reality is the Knights are there to die so those poor bastards spinning clay don't have to." the more he spoke about it, the more Xuphim could feel that 'urge' rising. He was the dark brother for a reason, and it wasn't simply because he didn't put his forks on the right side of his place when he ate. Where there was such powerful emotion concentrated in one body it made sense that a few of those emotions be negative. Rage was probably the best way to describe it. At the end of his last string of words the dark purple of his lips began to peel back, almost like he was bearing his teeth. Quickly the Syliran spun around, facing directly away from the dark haired woman. "Petch..." he breathed to himself, tilting his head downward, eying the mark on his palm. That was the mark of Priskil, a woman who one way or another believed in what Xalet and Xuphim stood for. How would Xalet treat that woman? Reverently no doubt. Could Xuphim do such a thing? Probably not, but it was time to give it his best shot. Sucking in a calming breath from his teeth he turned back round to face Kalila, "Ok. So, hi. I noticed that you were incredibly hot. That's good. I imagine your parents were hot as well. I like to work out myself. We're both not Human, so we have things in common." it was absolutely terrible. It wasn't that his attempts weren't filled with true statements, or at least things he believed to be true. It was that they were all completely disassociated with one another. "I'll bet you've got some nice brea--err, body structure. So, ah, you like that cloak there? I could buy it for you."

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila blinked once before she burst into laughter, her hands coming up to wrap around her stomach. Her tinkling laugh filled the supply store and she couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much or so hard. It was a good feeling. After a few moments she calmed down and wiped her eyes, still chuckling a bit in amusement. "You are an amussing man Xuphim, ssomething all together unexpected. You infuriate me one moment and make me laugh in the next....it iss refresshing,"she said with a small smile as she looked up at him. "Your attemptsss are quite clumssy but if you practice I'm sure you will get better.....but it iss nice to know that I have good bone sstructure, ass you sso eloquently put it." The last line amused her, being a snake she had very little structure at all, not that he knew that, but it was amusing all the same.

Her mind returned to his quick change of personality, growing angry one moment to attempting to be nice in the next, even turning away from her do she would not see his expression. She had never know anyone to have such a quick change of emotion and it puzzled her, her mind pondering over what he said. "It iss funny how the sstoriess portray the Knights, a group of noble heroesss who upheld moralss and idealsss sset down by thosse long ago. For the greater good and all,"she began, her voice soft as she sifted through her thoughts, her expression thoughtful. "And yet, that iss not the way that you ssay that they are. You make it ssound ass if you are nothing more than hired guardss who were given a sspecial title, a reasson to think that they are more than jusst another ssword. Perhapss what you ssay iss the way that it really iss, and perhapss I live with a romantic notion of the Knightss.." She paused and shrugged her shoulders before she stepped closer to him, a small smile tugging at her lips. "But ssomething made you want to be one, sso perhapss you need to find thosse valuess once again,"she said, stepping forward and poking him in the chest before stepping back.

"Ssince you are offering though.....you are more than welcome to pay for the cloak,"she said with a grin at him, placing the fabric on his arm and crossing her own arms in satisfaction. "Being cold blooded iss quite a nuisssance here." She winked at him and wondered what he would think of her hint. If he hated her so be it, it was no scales off her back, but a part of her wondered if he still would be interested if he knew what she was.