Completed [Open] An errand for the spider

[Bethsyliss]

Day 91 of Winter, 512 AV. Today was not an easy day at the workplace. The Scorched Skull was packed with citizens of all races and ages -- though not belonging to all class rankings, for the establishment in the Pillars of Dust was designed for the poorer portion of the inhabitants of Ahnatep. Most people had been given the day off today, in preparation for the next day's celebrations: the new year was only two nights away, and the last day of 512 promised to be filled with festivities all across the city. Bethsyliss, of course, had not been given the day off, and had even been asked to work extra hours, for, in times like this, inns such as The Scorched Skull had to run twice as effectively to keep up with the high level of demand. The fifteenth bell had only just rung, and already the tavern contained more people than Syliss had ever seen since she had started working there some ten days ago. "Sylisss," the Head Barmaid Ssahnya called as she was picking up some drinks from a table on the other side of the room. "Come over here. I need you to do sssomething." "Busy," Syliss shouted back. Whatever Ssahnya wanted, it would have to wait, because she was serving a table of regular customers and didn't want them to grow impatient, as, she figured, they had already waited enough. "Get over here now," Ssahnya insisted sharply. She might be a fellow viper, but, in the workplace, she was her boss, and she didn't treat her any differently than the other employees. "You better go and see what she wants," one client advised. "It's wiser not to irritate Ssahnya while she's working." He winked slyly at her. "Yeah, you're probably right. Please excussse me," she said, putting down all the drinks at once before working her way to Ssahnya through the thick crowd. "When I call you, you drop what you're doing and you come immediately," Ssahnya said with a look as sharp as the daggers of Dra-Navra, the half-Symenestra owner of the tavern whom Syliss had yet to meet. She didn't wait for Syliss to apologize and carried on: "Dra-Navra needsss someone to spread some leafletsss around the city for tomorrow night. Me and Jaben can't leave here, and I don't trussst any of the other waiters to have them do it, so I'd rather you did. The leaflets are behind the bar. Pick them up and go distribute them to people on the streetsss. Be back here by the twentieth bell." "I... I really don't know my way that well around Ahnatep, Sssahnya," Syliss replied hesitantly, unsure whether she was properly cut out for the job. "I don't care. I'm not asssking you. Now go before Dra-Navra findsss out no one is on it yet, because I'll hold you personally responsible if that happensss." Syliss shuddered. Ssahnya was always helpful but never merciful, even as she had been on Syliss's first day. Were she to fail, Ssahnya would probably also blame her, and she would get in a lot of trouble. She had never seen Dra-Navra yet, but the talk buzzing around the owner of The Scorched Skull told her it was maybe better that way. "Try not to get lost," Jaben, the Head Bartender, said with a perfectly straight face which Syliss knew hid a smirk. He never showed any emotion, but his constant remarks indicated to Syliss that he was fond of seeing her make mistakes, whatever the reason. She took the pile of leaflets from behind the counter and left the tavern to seek targets to whom advertise The Scorched Skull's new year's eve opening. She roamed randomly about the streets, eagerly offering passers-by a leaflet for them and sometimes throwing in an extra for their friends. By the time the sixteenth bell struck, she had already covered the whole area of The Pillars of Dust and was moving on to other parts of Ahnatep.

[Singh Re Naphu]

Singh had lost Esha. "Finally." Singh huffed under her breath. Though when Singh went to rest on a building she was almost ran over. Glancing around she sighed. 'Maybe it wasn't the best idea...' When Singh's cold calculating eye's wondered around addressing all that passed. Singh was ready to move on when a familiar face caught her eyes. 'Syliss... yes Syliss. That was her name.' Singh cringed inwardly at their meeting terms. They both had gotten in trouble and Esha had almost gotten arrested afterwards. Sighing Singh made her way to Syliss. A small smile, more like a smirk but she was trying, played on her face. "My my, wonder seeing you here." [/color]

[Bethsyliss]

"Lady Singh! What a pleasant sssurprise!" Bethsyliss cried with unconcealed joy. She was delighted to come across her friend, whom she had met some ten days earlier. Her excitement wavered momentarily as a shadow of doubt dawned upon her mind. "You are Lady Sssingh, aren't you?" she added hesitantly, examining the Eypharian woman's features. "Of courssse you are. And where is your glig, the Lady Esha?" she asked. "I'm sssorry. It's none of my businesss." There was an awkward silence then. Syliss knew Singh was a very quiet person; she had learned so the day they had met. Singh was used to parcimonious strips of wisdom and seemingly carefully thought out sentences, rare flashes of exquisite eloquence unheard of anyplace else. She was not one to make small talk or to indulge in casual conversation. "Where are you headed on thisss fine winter day?" she continued, making a great deal of effort to smooth out her faux-pas. "I've been sssent on an errand. I'm actually working right now. I work at The Ssscorched Skull as a barmaid." She remembered then that the Scorched Skull was considered a rather disreputable establishment by the denizens of Ahnatep, and added quickly: "Not that I plan on making a career out of it, obviousssly. It's a lassst minute arrangement to get by with a few extra mizas through the ssseason, you see." She wasn't lying, but her nervousness didn't help. She tried to relax and attempted to produce a thoughtful phrase: "Like ssscavengers we try to sssurvive by clinging on to whatever rock we find." But, realizing she might have inadvertently insulted Singh, she added: "Not that I think you look like a scavenger, of courssse." Syliss didn't feel she was doing very well so far. She didn't know whether Singh was irritated or simply amused by her blunders, so she didn't take chances by pushing her luck too far and moved on to something else. Besidesss, I am here to do my job, she figured. "Ssso, anyway, I've been inssstructed to dissstribute these leaflets around the city," she said. "Dra-Navra -- my boss -- you mussst have heard about her somewhere --; anyway, ssshe wants to make sssure everyone's aware that the tavern is open all night tomorrow to celebrate the new year, so it's all on these sssheets of paper. I don't suppose you'd be interesssted, but here you go -- jussst doing my job." She handed Singh a copy as casually as possible. She had definitely not grasped the jist of this yet. "By the way, she said then, genuinely curious about the mysterious Singh. "Have you got any plans for tomorrow night already?"

[Singh Re Naphu]

Singh kept the small smile and nodded her head when a flash of doubt hindered Syliss's voice. Singh had gotten used to people getting confused on whether she was Singh or Esha. The best way to tell who was who was their tattoo's on separate arms. A small silence stretched and Singh tried desperately not to laugh at the face Syliss was pulling. Syliss soon found her words and asked Singh, "Where are you headed on thisss fine winter day?" Singh simply made a gesture around her as to say, 'Around.' As Syliss continued to talk Singh's smile came more natural,"Not that I think you look like a scavenger, of courssse." Singh couldn't hold it anymore. A small laugh leapt from her lips. Singh hugged her arms around herself and continued to listen to Syliss talk enough for the two of them. Singh took the leaflet, though she would likely get rid of it, and smiled at Syliss who looked a little awkward. "By the way, have you got any plans for tomorrow night already?" Singh shook her head. Singh glanced at crowd around her and then back to Syliss, " I usually wouldn't ask.... but would you like help?" Singh gestured to the leaflets. Singh wouldn't mind helping, she really didn't want to just be standing and didn't want to leave Syliss so soon. And she could show Syliss how to feel more fluent and comfortable with her current task.

[Bethsyliss]

Syliss's nervousness had faded a little bit when Singh had laughed and hugged her, slightly easing her tension, but she knew she still had an errand to run and she wasn't doing too well. However, Singh's proposal instantly caused her to relax completely. Enthusiastically, she exclaimed, her face lighting up in childlike surprise: "Why, Lady Sssingh, I'd be delighted to let you help me! I hope you didn't have anything you wanted to do thisss afternoon though, because I'd absssolutely hate to ruin your day -- essspecially consssidering tomorrow is the new year's eve and you mussst be preparing to celebrate." She remembered then what Singh had replied not even a minute ago. "Right! no. You said you you had no plansss for new year's. How sssilly of me!" And so they happily trod along the sandy streets of Ahnatep, spreading Dra-Navra's leaflets around the city to inform everyone of the exceptional opening hours of The Scorched Skull. Initially, they were met mostly with reproving frowns, but gradually those turned into glances of interest and sometimes evolved into brief, merry conversations on light subjects, which helped Syliss feel more and more confident. Of course, Singh, the more socially apt of the pair, quiet though she may be, did most of the talking; but Syliss pitched in occasionally, and her interventions grew more frequent and more effective as she observed Singh's technique when dealing with passers-by. However, there was something in her way of catching people's curiosity that Syliss couldn't quite put her finger on. It nagged at her for some time, until she finally blurted out: "How do you do it, Lady Sssingh? I mean, how are you able to wrap people around your finger like that?" Singh didn't answer, but -- whether it was her imagination or not -- she saw her wink at her. They had engaged in a dark alley by now, when the outline of a black silhouette drew itself on the background of the sunlit avenue facing them. It was coming their way. "Lady Singh, do it with that perssson," said Syliss to her resourceful companion. "While you do your thing, try and memorize all the ssstepsss, and when it's over, go over them with me ssso I can identify what you do. Some day I want to be as skilled as you at it," she said, almost challenging herself. The dark figure was right before them then, and Syliss concentrated hard in preparation to observe and take mental notes.

[Singh Re Naphu]

OOCSorry for the hold-up. Been busy. And a third person sounds like a great idea. Singh didn't answer when Syliss asked her how she was able to wrap people around her finger as such but simply winked. Her smile was small and barley counted but it was enough for the eye to see. As they walked into a dark alley the outline of a black silhouette drew up on the walls and came nearer. Syliss wanted Singh to do her technique on the person coming forwards and then explain to her what she did. So Singh simply nodded and kept the smile. Making sure she had a leaflet at hand she walked on to meet the shadow. As Singh got closer she closed off her thoughts. She needed to concentrate on the appearance, emotions, and aura the person or creature would give off in-order to do this right. It was simple really. Observe the person and see what kind-of person they needed in-order to 'sell' the product. In this case the product was a leaflet. As Singh got closer she started to observe the person coming nearer.

[Shanapar]

Shanapar swore to himself when he realized he was lost. He knew he should have just braved the crowd of people and travel the main road to his room, but no, he panicked when he saw the hordes of people and decided the choose an alternate route down a alley. The decision was definite a mistake on his part since he had no clue where the alley would take him. He looked at his raven Shadow perched on his gloved hand. He noticed the hood needed to be adjusted on the birds head, so he stopped and leaned against the wall. He looked at the bird and smiled softly at his friend, “Shadow if I die of starvation in the alley...please don't eat me.” The crow turned his head and gave him a loud caawwhh. Shanapar smirked at the bird wondered if his raven was disappoint that he couldn't eat him when he was gone. He laughed softly and said to the bird, “Alright, you win Shadow if I die. You can have my eyes...” He reached up with his other hand to adjust the hood, so the leather completely covers the birds head. He looked at the birds feathers and noticed he was starting to molt. He picked a loose feather from his wing and put it in his backpack. He heard the bird give him a soft caawwhhh, and he said to him with smile, “In a few more cycles, you will be able to make a head dress from your feathers.” He looked at the jess tied to the bird's foot, and he notices it was loose. He frowned to himself wishing his jess knots were as perfect as his father's knots, but he soon realized that his father had years of practices in falconry to make his knots perfect. He reached up and undid the loose knot from the birds ankle. Feeling the restraint lifted for a moment, Shadow started flapping his wings in excitement at the prospects of flying. Shanapar learned that if he made a shushing sound, the excited raven had a tendency to calm himself down, so when the bird acted up, he immediately starting making the shushing sound. Eventually, the bird calmed down enough for him to tie the jess knot around the birds ankle. He reached back, adjusted his bow and quiver, and he continued down the alley. Walking down the alley, Shanapar was surprised to see two woman passing out leaflet. He walked a bit slower to get a better look at them, and he noticed that one was a beautiful dark skinned human woman. She seemed to be the leader of the two since she saw him first and started talking to the equally as stunning Enpharian woman. Shanapar wasn't what you would call a “ladies man”, but he noticed in his travels that politeness and kindness goes along way with a woman unless they were Myrian. Part of him knew that this encounter with the two women was going to be awkward, but he figured he would humor them because he was curious on what they were trying to sell. When he got into speaking range with the two women, he decided to say the first word, so they knew they weren't in any danger from him. When he first left the Eyktol region, often he spoke in broken common, but today with years of traveling under his belt, he found it was much easier to collect his thoughts and speak in the common tongue. Shadow must of sensed the women from under his hood because the bird started to flip his wings in excitement. Bringing a hand to the head of the bird, he shushed the bird trying to calm him and he looked at the ladies and said softly in common, “Sorry my friend has a tendency to get a bit excited around new people...” He stopped for a few ticks to think about what to say next and continued his greeting, “My name is Shanapar the Untamed from the Suli tribe, and I have a question for the both of you. Do you know how to get to the main road? I am sort of....” He stopped not wanting to admit he was lost, but he said with a awkward smile, “lost...”

[Singh Re Naphu]

The uneasiness first started in Singh when she noticed the bird. She quickly tired to dismiss it as one of the bird carriers seen around the city. But his skin color, hair, and just his whole essence was starting to choke Singh. Singh calmly breathed through her nose in a hope to calm herself. But that simply went out the window when he started talking and she could see his eyes. God his eye. Black as the feathers of his bird they were. A small rave of panic rose in her throat and made it hard to form words so she didn't. Singh focused on keeping her face straight, her smile was gone, and her breathing and heart steady. 'Come now Singh, it's just a person. You're here to help out Syliss and you can't do that if you can't simply talk.' Singh shook her head mentally and put on a weak smile for the man. "I'm Singh Re Naphu. And this is Syliss." Singh gestured to themselves. 'You got this Singh. Just keep calm, if you need help you know Syliss is right there and willing to keep you safe.' Though Singh's thoughts were helping it still didn't ease her sorrowful memories that came flooding back.

[Bethsyliss]

A vague feeling of recognition passed Syliss's mind, but she brushed it away and put on her best smile to greet the stranger shrouded in the dark light of the alley. However, a shadow crossed her lips when she caught a glimpse of the hooded raven that accompanied him. She knew this man. He was the person who had attempted to hunt her in the harshness of the desert when she was traveling across the Burning Lands of Eyktol. He had made an attempt on her life -- an attempt that would probably have succeeded had Ronin not thrown himself in to help her. This man would have to pay. Syliss stared at him, her face frozen in an awful grimace from the smile that had deformed when the full realization of the identity of this man struck her. She was paralyzed for a few minutes, her mind and body completely numb as if the chain of her thought processes had been ruptured by the sudden and unexpected intake of an excess of information, which had broken into her unprepared psyche. While she tried to regain her functions, Singh introduced herself to the man who had made himself known as Shanapar the Untamed. Then she introduced Syliss. The act of pronouncing her name made her snap out of her torpor and reestablish her social composure. However, there was only one thing on her mind: revenge. Lossst, is he? she thought with dark intent. Well, I think we can take advantage of that. Syliss knew that if she were to attain any level of social prestige, she couldn't behave the way she wanted to. But she wasn't about to let a murder attempt pass unnoticed. Impulse, rage and the thirst for vengeance taking over her more intellectual capacities, she didn't even devise a plan before she made her move. This was a dark alley, after all, and they weren't likely to be disturbed with their business. With incredible snakelike swiftness, Syliss leaped at Shanapar and pinned him to the ground. There was no way he could escape now, and Singh was there for backup. Syliss had no intention to physically hurt the man. But she needed to put herself in a position of power in order to overcome the humiliation of having been hunted down without retaliating. She wanted him to know she was not of the type one should toy with. She wanted him to feel the same threat he had imposed on her. She wanted more than everything to be feared by him. "In cassse you don't recognize me," she hissed viciously, "I'm the sssnake you tried to kill a month ago. Now that's the sort of thing that I take as a persssonal offenssse, you sssee. But unlesss you refuse to apologize, I might decide not to harm you. I want to hear a sssound apology from you right now -- and maybe you should throw in sssomething extra, jussst to make sssure I don't change my mind. You've already lost your way, and I don't sssuppose you'd enjoy losing anything else," she added menacingly, referring to his virile parts by pressing on them with the weight of her body on top of him. "Now, Ssshanapar. Snakes get hungry from time to time, you know."

[Shanapar]

Shanapar looked at the Eypharian woman named Singh and gave her a respectful nod of his head. He wasn't sure if he should smile at her, but hopefully the woman isn't offended with just a nod. He watched the woman named Singh for a moment and noticed the woman behavior suddenly shifted when he approached, and he started to wonder to himself if the woman was feeling uneasy around him. He decided to say something to put the woman mind at ease, “You have nothing to fear from me, Lady Singh. Shadow my raven is far more ferocious than me. I am just a hunter nothing more.” He looked at Syliss and said with a nod, “So what is it you are passing out?” For a moment, he watched the smile on Syliss face slowly form into a scowl. He started to wonder if all citizens of Ahnatep were prejudice of his people, or does he just gave off a uneasy vibe? He started to get the feeling that he was unwanted here, so he backed up, gave them a half bow and, and said softly them, “I have a feeling Eywaat will guide me out of this labyrinth. It might take a day or two, but I will survive, so I will take my leave of you both.” His eyes flickered to the ground, and he noticed a stray leaflet on the ground, and he bent down to pick it up. Once he had the leaflet, he said softly to both of them “Since I can't read your language, I will asked the someone to read the leaflet to me when I get the chance.” He looked at Singh and said with a awkward grin, “By the way Lady Singh you shouldn't hide your beautiful smile from the world...” He wanted to say something more, but the word seemed to slip from his mind. He was captivated by the woman's beauty, but he knew a noble or gilded would have nothing to do with desert dweller like him. Shanapar sighed to himself and nervously looked at the ground, and wished he was back in the solace of desert. Suddenly, Shanapar was tackled by the dark skinned human woman named Syliss, and he felt his head hit the ground, he could feel a sharp pain and a warm sticky liquid on the back of his head. He stared up at her with his black eyes, and he realized immediately when she started to speak this woman wasn't human. She started to sound like the snake people of Falyndor, and since he spent time in the Dhani city, he knew he was dealing with a dangerous predator. He made no threatening move since he didn't want to spook the snake woman into attacking him. He wouldn't survive the poison if the woman bite him since he wouldn't be able to get to a healer in time for the antidote before the poison killed him. At the moment, all he could do is listen to woman and remained silent until she could explain the reason for the attack. She introduced herself as the snake he tried to kill a month ago. Suddenly the whole incident flooded his mind as he remembered the hunting trip that gone horribly wrong. When Shanapar was by the river traveling to the city, he noticed a track that could only be made by a great serpent. The trail was easy enough to follow, so he set off to find a much needed meal since he hasn't eaten for days. Hunger took him into the desert, and he tracked the snake to a rock and acacia tree. Suddenly the snake woman started talking to him, and her inhuman voice jarred him from his thoughts. With his black eyes, Shanapar looked up at the enraged Dhani as she started to tell him the reason for her attack. She made valid points that he humiliated her in front of her kelvic companion. He thought she was a ordinary serpent, but he should have realized at the time with the snake strange behaviors that she wasn't a ordinary snake. She must have been terrified, and his heart sank into his throat when he realized what he put the woman through that day. When the woman started making threats, he quickly thought of different ways of overpowering the woman. He knew if the woman bite him. He might have had to end the woman's life before he died, but he wasn't a monster or a murder. He was just a hunter who made terrible mistake a month ago, and he knew he needed to make it up to the woman or his honor as a Chaktawe would suffer, and he would give his tribe a bad reputation if they found out one of their own killed a citizen of Ahnatep. Beside, he was sure Lady Singh was a noble or gilded, so her word would trump his word in court if he killed the woman in self-defense. Suddenly, Shanapar heard Shadow squawking loudly and flailing blindly on the ground. He knew the bird was terrified, and he looked over at Lady Singh with pleading eyes and asked urgently, “Lady Singh my friend wasn't involved in the incident in the desert could you please free him? I don't like hearing him in a panic, and he should be free to fly with Eywaat when I am gone to join the ancestors?” When he said what he needed to be said to Singh, he looked up at the Dhani woman and said sadly, “Syliss, I can tell you are a proud woman, and what I did to you and your friend was unforgivable....” He looked at her and said softy, “I am sorry for what I did to you that horrible day. My heart sinks into my stomach at the thought of the fear. You felt when I mistaken you for prey. I have respect for your people Dhani since I spent many years in Falyndor, and I know your people are predators and not prey. You must been humiliated to be treated horribly by me.” He took a deep breath and continued softly, “You have to believe me if I knew you were Dhani, I wouldn't of hunted you like a desert cow. I made a mistake, and on my love for Eywaat and for my people, I am deeply sorry for trying to end your life.” He sighed to himself, looked up at the sky, and said to her bravely, “If you still seek vengeance Dhani, my knives are located on my belt, so if you need to take my life, to satisfied your pain so be it.” He closed the second eye lids, watched the beautiful woman face turn fuzzy, and he waited for justice to come swiftly.