Vanator watched the redhead shift her hips to one side, settling in more comfortably in her chair, then leaned over to refill her wine glass. Her behavior suggested that Uopa intended for the encounter to continue, a subtle changed from the more suspicious demeanor she displayed when he first arrived. Freely too she spoke of personal things, perhaps his own openness inspired the Inartan to do the same.
The Drykas took another deep drink of the mead, swirling around the small amount of amber liquid left in bottom of the glass as Uopa shared a bit about her upbringing. He smiled slightly, trying to imagine what kind of trouble the woman got into as a youth. Van's grin widened as she spoke of her aunt's resolve in raising the young Uopa the best she could.
The woman politely feigned concern for her monologue, and Vanator shook his head in protest. Uopa took a natural course change, turning the conversation upon her guest. Yes, she was avoiding the original questions regarding the Shadowmare men, but the Denusk's own interest in locating them had waned in the company of the Inartan. Uopa was interesting, in spite of her self-denegrating remark about being boring. She was mature and attractive, and the hint of something untold or hidden beneath her hospitable demeanor was intriguing. The relaxation afforded by the mead certainly made staying desirable.
Van leaned back again, one hand resting casually over the arm of the chair while the other held the glass. "Well, the first Inartan I ever met was Chalcedony, we call her Chalce. She came to the Sanctuary after the Djed Storm. She is a falconer and works with our raptors." Vanator did not feel comfortable sharing anymore about the falconer, and the reason she left Wind Reach, or her other talents. " The second was a teenager named Sami. I found her half dead in the Sea of Grass. She and Chalce have a lot in common, pretty upfront about what they are thinking." He laughed, thinking about each of them and the sometimes fiery personalities they displayed. He had been told that was an Inartan trait. "I brought Sami back to Riverfall."
Leaning forward, Vanator refilled his glass, then reclined again. "Kavala. She is...amazing. She built the Sanctuary from practically nothing. Now she has a herd of horses of excellent breeding, even bred her own breed. We raise dogs and raptors too. We have a facility that can give animals and kelvics full medical treatment, and the whole place is pretty much self-sustaining. Kav has become pretty well know in Riverfall." There was so much to say about Kavala, most of it too personal to share with a stranger.
A small curl lifted the corner of Vanator's smile. He had a mischievous notion, to turn the conversation back to the Shadowmares, if only because the Inartan had so deftly avoided the subject. He looked down into his glass again before lifting his gaze and catching Uopa's blue-green eyes. "And the Shadowmares? How do you know them?"
The Drykas took another deep drink of the mead, swirling around the small amount of amber liquid left in bottom of the glass as Uopa shared a bit about her upbringing. He smiled slightly, trying to imagine what kind of trouble the woman got into as a youth. Van's grin widened as she spoke of her aunt's resolve in raising the young Uopa the best she could.
The woman politely feigned concern for her monologue, and Vanator shook his head in protest. Uopa took a natural course change, turning the conversation upon her guest. Yes, she was avoiding the original questions regarding the Shadowmare men, but the Denusk's own interest in locating them had waned in the company of the Inartan. Uopa was interesting, in spite of her self-denegrating remark about being boring. She was mature and attractive, and the hint of something untold or hidden beneath her hospitable demeanor was intriguing. The relaxation afforded by the mead certainly made staying desirable.
Van leaned back again, one hand resting casually over the arm of the chair while the other held the glass. "Well, the first Inartan I ever met was Chalcedony, we call her Chalce. She came to the Sanctuary after the Djed Storm. She is a falconer and works with our raptors." Vanator did not feel comfortable sharing anymore about the falconer, and the reason she left Wind Reach, or her other talents. " The second was a teenager named Sami. I found her half dead in the Sea of Grass. She and Chalce have a lot in common, pretty upfront about what they are thinking." He laughed, thinking about each of them and the sometimes fiery personalities they displayed. He had been told that was an Inartan trait. "I brought Sami back to Riverfall."
Leaning forward, Vanator refilled his glass, then reclined again. "Kavala. She is...amazing. She built the Sanctuary from practically nothing. Now she has a herd of horses of excellent breeding, even bred her own breed. We raise dogs and raptors too. We have a facility that can give animals and kelvics full medical treatment, and the whole place is pretty much self-sustaining. Kav has become pretty well know in Riverfall." There was so much to say about Kavala, most of it too personal to share with a stranger.
A small curl lifted the corner of Vanator's smile. He had a mischievous notion, to turn the conversation back to the Shadowmares, if only because the Inartan had so deftly avoided the subject. He looked down into his glass again before lifting his gaze and catching Uopa's blue-green eyes. "And the Shadowmares? How do you know them?"
