Day 2, Summer 513
Once again Janba found himself completely and utterly lost. The houses, though individually spectacular in their decorative state, started to look the same after a while. He'd been lost once already today which had led to him having to ask directions. But here he was again trudging the finely paved streets with no idea what direction he was headed.
A familiar rumble brought Janba's attention to his stomach, as it made it's growling complaint of a lack of attention of late. True indeed, he hadn't had much of an appetite while on that blasted ship, most of what he ate having ended up in the sea. The thought of it brought a reminder of the taste of bile, and he spat on the ground without realizing. It took a disapproving look from a passerby to remind him of his manners.
"My apologies ma'am", he offered, wondering if she understood him. With that incident out of the way, he decided to stop at the side of the road for a moment to collect his thoughts and appease his hunger. Sliding the backpack off his shoulders, he rummaged inside for whichever morsels of food he could find. An apple appeared in his hand, but no sooner had he attempted a bite that someone bumped harshly into him from behind.
The would be lunch ejected from his hand as if determined not to be eaten this day, landing with an unceremonious thud in the well kept garden he had been stood by. Turning suddenly brought a wave of pain in his injured hip, causing him to stumble back and trip over the backpack. Landing flat on his back, he heard children laughing before they scampered off down the street.
"Look where you're going next time, you lizards", he sent with them.
Waiting for a few moments for his hip to cease with its protestations, concern grew as he felt a pain in the small of his back. But as he slowly lifted himself up enough to feel with his hand, the searching fingers found the apple. Thankfully it wasn't harmed too badly. He couldn't say the same for the garden though.
After what seemed an age, Janba finally got to his feet and dusted himself down. Looking around, he noted that this appeared some kind of herb garden. Unlike the others though, this one had a very unique pattern in the middle of it, one that only a stupid clumsy man could create by rolling around like a dog.
"Well that's great", he muttered, bending down to fetch his backpack. It might have been in Sunberth that such an event would end with a knife in the stomach. Didn't take much back home to get people's blood boiling. But here he doubted his chaotic debut as a gardener would be rewarded with such harsh retribution.
So he thought. For anyone close enough to hear, the noise from Janba's surprised lips was a cross between a curse word and a sound like a threatened woodland animal. Turning once more to discover this new assailant, he found himself face to face with... well, he honestly had no idea.
It looked like a bird or a duck as best he could tell. It was as white as the stone houses around him and every bit as majestic. This one had a long, slender neck, curved as it rose before coming to those beady eyes and that mean looking beak. That beak certainly hurt, but as he stepped back to avoid further punishment, he couldn't help but wonder to himself what that thing would taste like roasted over a fire. His stomach grumbled in agreement.
He certainly did wonder the strangest things at times.