Within Her Little Parlor (Vhast)

[Navisya Curare]

"Only if you don't know how to swim." Navisya drew from her wineglass, thankful for its bitter, warm flavor. She let it sit on her tongue for a long moment as she leaned back on the sofa. After the moment had passed, Navisya turned her glass in her hand, watching it with a strange, amused fascination. There was pleasure in having someone dependent on her. "I'm not sure what you've heard about my home, Vhast, but Kalinor is not dangerous. All you have to worry about is the fall when traversing the strand roads. Otherwise, most places have floors." She'd venture to say that Kalinor was the safest city in all of Mizahar, provided one had the ability to stick to surfaces. Being a mile underground, Kalinor was immune to siege and storms, and no azo army—if one thought to invade—could manage to cross the silken wires of Kalinor. Even if they could, the city would be nearly pitch dark to them. Mild guilt pricked at Navisya's conscience. It was easy to forget that Vhast might have been overwhelmed by this place, on top of being so far from home and virtually in the clutches of a purported enemy. He was very quiet and polite. Polite was good; quiet was disconcerting. However, that may simply have been how he was brought up. "I'll happily arrange a tour." Navisya had halved her wine by now. "The baskets used for transporting goods work just as well for azo—humans. They can take you most places. You can be carried anywhere else. Not by me, certainly, but perhaps my father or cousin." She felt the need to repeat it again. "Symenestra are very accommodating." She downed the rest of her glass alarmingly quickly, then set the glass aside on a table. "Tomorrow, I will see that you are fed, and see any other needs met. Tonight, I am very tired and I wish to sleep. The rest of the wine is yours to finish. Zlynge will keep you company." Navisya nodded politely to Vhast, then began to scale the wall to her sleeping area, far above the floor level. Pausing near the niche, she turned and looked down at her human guest. Her slender frame adhered effortlessly to the stone-like wall. "Don't worry about Zy needing to be taken out. He knows where to go. Just don't wander around without lighting." She nodded, giving one last farewell in a human fashion. "Good night, azo." Navisya then folded herself into her niche, disappearing from view.

[Vhast]

Navisya had a knack for allaying the young man's discomfort, the bewitching timbre of her voice as sweet as the grapes that went into the glass of wine she'd offered him. Vhast had a weak heart for the peculiar though, fascinated by things that fed the fathomless basin of his curiosity rather than the drying well of his sensibility. The woman had proven unorthodox in all the ways that enticed the former since he'd first noticed her in Ahnatep, from gilded eyes to alabaster locks. Amidst a race of dark skinned, multi-limbed aristocrats, she might as well have been the crowning jewel of the city. He'd surrendered before even asking for her story. But now in Kalinor, resting at long last without a planked floor rocking beneath his feet or the heat of a goddess' kiss tearing away what little meat he had on him in pounds of sweat, Vhast could feel the crushing magnitude of his decisions bearing down upon him. If it hadn't been for the calming effect of the Symenestra's words or the wine rushing quickly to his head on an empty stomach, Vhast might have broken down before he'd even been given the chance to make sense of which way was up. Instead, his eyes flickered briefly before inhaling a deep, fictitiously pleasant sigh, the remnants of his glass calling to him as he reached out with softly trembling fingers. The weakness pained him to watch, but he was quick to draw the brim to his lips before much more could be gleaned by either party. Tipping his head back, the contents swirled deliciously past his lips, savoring a small mouthful as the rest poured warmly down his throat. This last bit he gave his tongue a chance to absorb, closing his eyes in memory of what it had been and joy for what it would do to his constantly ticking mind. Hopefully a deep sleep would remedy all misgivings. "Thank you for the wine, Enda Curare." The drink managed to relax his tongue so that the Symenos sounded far better than his first boorish attempt, a surprised smile feeding a trace of pinkish tint to his pale cheeks. "Zy and I shall guard the fort," he spoke with mock resolution, glancing heavily down at the Akinva. Noticeable lines of canid muscle had Vhast feeling helpless when it came to physical prowess. The best his incapable hands might manage was to grab one last swig of the wine bottle before meeting his end. But he supposed there were worse ways to go. Standing up from his chair with opalgloam in tow when Navisya rose to depart, the scholar found that some old customs were hard to break, dipping his head politely as she turned from him to rise to her own bedding. Zy simply stared at him from seated position, perhaps wondering if Vhast were making ready to leave now that his own master had retired. That seemed to be the protocol with guests. Then perhaps, all would again make sense in the world. If only it were so easy. Instead, the visitor stepped gingerly across the room and patted the fur between the dog's head, removing the hand on his way to the bottle of wine. Vhast may have been tired, but it would take half a glass more to forget. Aside from his own questions being left unanswered, there was a journey whose reasons were thus far unaccounted for, and to dwell on them would do his entire body a great discredit to the rest it needed. He'd made it this far and survived, after all. But Vhast wondered just how benign this spider's web was. And what the petch was an azo?