Closed [The Sanctuary] A Beginning Of A New Road

[Kavala]

Timestamp: 11th of Summer, 513 AV

Two bright luminous golden eyes peered over the edge of the bed. They belonged to a white haired young boy that was barely walking. His dark blue skin almost looked black in the darkness. Hands gripping the bedspread, he had his nose inches from the strangers face, staring at him. Tasival would have poked the strange sleeping man if he could have been able to reach. But he couldn't, not even on his tippy toes.

A cat circled the boys feet, purring loudly. Her long silky orange fur left traces on the boys pajama bottoms. The cat jumped up onto the bed, still purring, and stalked near to the stranger to get an even better look. She butted her head against the man's sleeping hand, as if to encourage him to pet her.

The little boy giggled, his eyes darting between Roland and Cadra. "Who?" He asked carefully, as only a very young child could ask. "Who are you?" He said again, managing a whole sentence, even though the words were boyish and spoken in Tukant. He asked again, first in Pavi, and then in common. Cadra moved on, twitching her tail, investigating further. She stomped a trail across Roland's chest, making herself at home as she sprawled down on him, nudging his chin and beginning to pur.

Tasival got tired of being raised up on his heels and sank down, putting his face out of Rolands direct view. He rested again, then popped back up on his toes. "Sleep time over." The child said again, serious, repeating the words in three languages again until some form of recognition flashed through Roland's sleepy eyes.

"Making food. You will help us! Cadra says." The boy repeated again, this time glancing at the cat purring like some living alarm clock. He sank down, then rumaged around, wandering to Roland's wardrobe which had been empty the night before to begin pulling down random clothing that now hung there. He managed to tear three shirts off a shelf and a pair of inappropriate leather pants with armor, and dragged the mess over to the bed. "Get in clothes!" The boy demanded, laughing, and went to bring Roland shoes. He brought him one riding boot and one soft indoor kidskin boot. None of the clothing was Rolands, but all of it looked new.

[Roland Eir]

Dreams faded into inky blackness as Roland semi-consciously stretched a hand out to stroke the soft fur of whatever bumped it. The sound of giggling reached his ears, and the man opened bleary eyes. The eyes of a tiny white-haired child dominated his vision. With a start, Roland jerked back on the bed. With one hand he wiped at his eyes, with the other he struggled to contain the cat which had made itself at home upon his chest. Meanwhile the child was speaking gibberish, or at most some language Roland had never heard. "W-what?" Roland managed, petting the cat to keep it from nudging his chin further. Finally the boy spoke common. "I... I am Roland. Who are you?" Roland asked around the purring feline. But the boy dropped down from where he was on his toes, and his white head disappeared from Roland's field of view. Gently pushing the orange cat aside, Roland leaned forward until he was looking down upon the child. From the little he could understand, it seemed the boy was wildly keen on getting Roland out of bed. Struggling to free himself from the cat and covers, Roland swung his legs over the bed as clothes were flung at his feet. Memories were surging through his mind from the night before, and it took him a moment to get his bearings. A chill breath of air reminded him that he had gone to bed stark naked. With a short gasp of embarrassment he pulled the sheets from the bed to cover himself, sending the cat to the floor. He spied some undergarments in the pile and wordlessly pulled them on, ears burning. From the pile he grabbed an earth-toned cotton tunic and pulled it over his head. In the back of his mind, he wondered why he was following the commands of a small child. But the youth's attitude was infectious, and Roland found himself caught up in the comical urgency. Tapping the armored sections of the pants the boy had selected dubiously, Roland strode over to the wardrobe and pulled out something more casual. "I'm an awful cook, you know," Roland said warningly, tugging on the kidskin boot and searching for its mate.

[Kavala]

Tasival helped of course, dragging some of the clothing items back over to the wardrobe when he realized his selections might be unacceptable. The cat just watched from a corner of the room where she had retreated when Roland had arose. She groomed herself, keeping a watchful eye on the child though even a casual observer could see that she was greatly amused.

There was no sign of Rolands old clothing at first. But when he dug further into the Wardrobe in search of his casual clothing, he'd find it in a neatly washed stack at the bottom of the elegant piece of furniture. But it was obvious someone, probably Kavala, had tried to replace what he had with working clothing. There were half a dozen pairs of pants, ranging from cotton to leather. Shirts also filled the wardrobe, linen, cotton, and sturdy thick work shirts. There were leathers, much like the Akalak in the city wore, and a set of what looked like leather armor in his size. There were sturdy riding boots, kidskin boots more suitable for roaming around the place, and a set of lace up sandals. Underthings lined the shelf and socks aplenty were loaded in a lower drawer. A warm cloak lined with fur and a lighter one also filled the wardrobe. Someone had also thoughtfully left leather gloves and fingerless fighting gloves as well, the type a thief would use in dyed black leather.

There was also a thick robe identical or even perhaps the same one as he'd worn back from the bath last night.

The boy had made something of a mess of Rolands neatly packed wardrobe. But the boy seemed to settle as soon as he saw Roland getting dressed. When the man was done, Tasival took Roland's hand and lead him to the door and waited expectantly.

"I cook bad too. Cadra will frown. But we help. We learn." He said, a smile on his face dawning as he realized that maybe Roland would cook worse than him and thus earn him some praise. The cat, noting the motion, stood up, stretched elegantly, and trotted after the pair. If Roland opened the door, Tasival would lead him down the long corridor, back through the library, and down the short hall to the commons. The cat followed, even passing them to move through the big room and into the kitchen that dominated off to one side.

When she slipped off the blue tiles and onto the green tiles of the kitchen, the cat transformed in midstride, turning into the young woman with strawberry blond hair. She didn't even blink in the transformation, melding between cat and human in a blink of swirling bright lights, and reaching for a cream colored sleeveless tunic that hung on a hook by an apron. In a moment she was dressed, though an observer could tell her nudity didn't bother her nor Tasival ho didn't seemed phased at all by the cat going from feline to human so quickly.

"What do you like to eat for breakfast anyhow?" Cadra asked Roland, turning around to meet his eyes with her golden orange ones as she shyly asked. There was a heavy footfall in the hallway as another man, human this time or at least in this form walked in. He had a bushel basket full of fruit he set on the counter. "Kavala said to give this to you. She'll be along in a few minutes with this morning's eggs. She said to get the new guy...." Aweston stopped, turned, spotted Roland and smiled. "Aweston Denusk. I'm the head groom. You must be Roland. Kavala told me to have you hang out here in the kitchen and just relax today. If Cadra needs anything, help her and Tasi. If not, relax, have something to eat, and you can start work tomorrow." The man walked forward and offered to shake Roland's hands.

"Don't worry. I'm Drykas. Not everyone around here is furry." He said, patting Cadra on the head in a half pet half tease. The teen grinned up at him, purred, and started unloading the fruit in the basket. "I'm going to make a big fruit salad and some egg pie. Can you bring me part of that hanging bacon? I'm going to fry it and then set it into the pies. That way we can leave them on the counter and all folks have to do is heat up their portions as they wander in." The teen said, smiling slightly.

Awston nodded, giving one last smile to Roland. The handsome drykas departed to fetch Cadra's request. Kavala came in then, nodding to Aweston as she passed. The Konti didn't look like she'd slept much. She was dressed in leathers that were slightly worse for wear, giving the impression she'd been doing chores. She had an egg basket in her hands, which she set down by a sink in the kitchen area. Tasival pushed a stool over to the sink, cranked on the pump over hanging the sink, and began rinsing the eggs since they were fresh from the hen house. The boy looked like he was used to this job. Though it was an easy one, he handled each egg with care in his small hands and set the clean eggs aside.

Kavala stood for a moment, watching the child, as if she often couldn't believe he was real. Her eyes took on a distant expression and her lips curved into a smile. "Thank you Tas." The boy turned to look at her, rolled his eyes, and corrected her. "Shay." Kavala nodded, looking incredibly sad for a moment. "Thank you Shayru." She said softly, momentarily disturbed she couldn't tell the two apart. She turned then, spotted Roland, and smiled. "When breakfast is done, come find me. You'll need a tour and I'll give you some idea of what you will be doing." She offered, knowing Roland was probably curious.

"Where you going Aunt Kavala?" Cadra asked, looking curious. "You aren't going to stay and help?" Kavala shook her head. "No... no I'm working on something for Vanator. A surprise. I need to get more of it done since I skipped working on it last night and this morning because I had to go to town." She said. Cadra nodded, smiling. "Oh.. that. He'll be so surprised!" She offered, then dug into a book she had on the counter and opened it up to the recipe she wanted. Kavala slipped out.

"Roland.. here's the recipe. I'll work on the crust if you mix up the filling. Everything is here on the counter we need. And Tasi.. no Shayru should have the eggs cleaned." The girl said, and laid out the book so the page could be read. IT was written in neat little handwriting.

Easy Quiche

6 eggs, tsp. vanilla, tsp. sugar, 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt to taste
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup vegs -diced green peppers, onions
1/2 cup fried bacon, chopped.
1 mix eggs, vanilla, sugar and butter until smooth.2 Mix flour, cinnamon, and baking powder
3Pour into pie shell and top with 1 tbs. cinnamon/1 tbs. butter (blended) pinch of salt, vanilla. Mix well. Bake 1/2 Bell on medium heat

Cadra showed him where all the measuring cups and spoons were and left him with a bowl to mix things up in. "You'll have to fry the bacon and crumble it. I have the stove going already so it should be hot enough for the fry pan." She added, turning to the crust and beginning to mix flour and sugar together.

[Roland Eir]

With the door open, Roland allowed young Tasival to lead him on. The cat padded softly behind them following as the child pulled him down the long corridor. The idea that he would soon be learning to cook startled him. The previous night he had arrived apparently on the verge of death. Already some strength had returned to him--a full meal and a night of restful sleep, coupled with Kavala's healing, had seen to that. But somehow he doubted that when the woman had offered him a job she had meant to have him cooking. Remembering the gloves in his new wardrobe, the kind his father had often used, he wondered just what exactly she had in mind. It was possible she had guessed at his old profession, and intended him to put his skills to use in her employ. The idea posed something of a quandary to him. On the one hand, he owed her his life. On the other, he had sworn himself so often to be a better man than his father. The cat swept past his feet to move ahead, and he nearly stumbled. Now was not the time for such puzzles. After all, a pair of gloves was hardly enough to base such assumptions. As the cat entered the kitchen and changed into the young woman Roland remembered from the previous night, he stopped dead in his tracks and blinked at the swirls of light. Only Tasival's tugging hand got him moving again, caught off guard as he was by the sudden nudity. The two did not seem phased at all by it, and it was over so quickly that Roland almost wondered if it had happened at all. The kelvic--Cadra, he realized and half remembered--had asked him a question. Before Roland could stutter an answer, his attention was caught by the newcomer. When Aweston had introduced himself, Roland reached out a hesitant hand to shake back. The "Drykas' " reassurance did little for him. The word was slightly familiar, though he could not place where he had heard it. "Uh, yes, I'm Roland," he said finally. "Good to meet you." Met at last with what seemed to be a member of humanity, questions buzzed in his head. He wanted very much to know more about kelvics and--with a slight shock he realized he had no idea what Kavala was. Anyway, it seemed rude to ask them about themselves in such a way, so he would relish the opportunity to speak with a member of his own kind. But Cadra called Aweston's attention first, and the man was off. Roland returned the smile as Aweston left, though he suspected it did not reach his eyes. The morning's rush had left him dazed so far, and so it was as Kavala entered. She looked tired, and from the wear of her clothes she had been working. With a pang of guilt, Roland remembered his wardrobe. Undoubtedly it had been Kavala who set it up so tidily, and he had left it a mess. Before she saw it, he resolved to reorganize it when he got the chance. With interest, Roland watched the interaction between Kavala and the boy. The tender look she gave him gave an impression of familiarity and love, and he guessed that he was probably her son. But when she called him Tas, as he had been similarly named by Cadra, he insisted on a different name. An uncomfortable chill settled over Roland when he heard Kavala's saddened, almost subdued correction. More questions for me, Roland thought. This place is as strange as any I could have come to. Roland smiled back at Kavala when she spotted him, more to be polite than anything else. "That sounds good, thank you," the man responded. "I'll see you then." Then Cadra addressed Kavala, and he was stuck with more questions. "How could they possibly be related" and "Who is Vanator" were chief among them, but he kept these to himself. It was his mother who taught him that answers will come to those who are patient, and he hadn't forgotten--though the words were out of place for Sunberth, they fit him well enough now. Cadra caught his attention with a book of recipes, and Kavala left. With a slight frown, Roland pulled the book closer. He knew his letters, luckily. But much of what the page said made no sense. "Easy Keychay," Roland read alloud, mispronouncing the unfamiliar word. "Cadra, what is a tisp?" Assuming she answered, he would turn uncertainly to the counter and start gathering the ingredients he needed, occasionally asking for Cadra's guidance on what this or that was. Once he knew what he was doing, it wasn't too difficult to measure out the ingredients. He knew Cinnamon, as a child he had once picked a stick of it out of some unsuspecting man's pocket. It had been hot in his mouth and he had regretted ever taking it. He shrugged, trusting Cadra's judgement and the recipe itself, and picked it out from the ingredients there. In its natural form, it could not be measured as the recipe called, so he took a knife and slowly sliced it into small chunks. Vaguely he wondered if it had been cut fine enough, but set it aside and moved on. His hands were slow and clumsy with the knife, but the portions seemed more or less accurate. When the bacon was brought in, he accepted it and moved to the stove, awkwardly shifting the meat from one hand to the counter so he could grab the frying pan. Thinking there wasn't much else to it, he threw a slab of bacon onto the bare pan. The sudden sizzle of flesh on metal startled him, as well as the grease that bubbled and popped in the heat. Over the course of the ordeal, he burned himself twice in his unfamiliarity with the stove and the meat. When the time came to flip the meat from one side to the other, he found that it stuck to the metal. He pried at it in frustration, seeing the uneven cooking from where he had let the meat overlap in the pan. When he was done, he cut off the bits of meat that were too black to eat. The rest were crispy, and the intoxicating aroma seemed to indicate he had done something right. Leaving the meat to cool, he began mixing the other ingredients as the recipe called for. As he did so, he decided he could ask a couple questions of Cadra. "So, what is this surprise for... Vanator?" he asked, having trouble with the name. "Is he another worker here?"

[Kavala]

Cadra grinned and came over to rescue Roland. Shayru only laughed, the boy busy stirring what appeared to be an empty bowl of eggs. He was playing at cooking just mimicing what Cadra had been doing.

"This and this... are short for teaspoon and tablespoon. These are the tools here... the teaspoon is the small one. The tablespoon is the big one. Do you know your fractions? Like half, quarter and stuff?" She asked, handing him a spatula that was metal and could scrape the bacon off the pan where it had stuck. She moved to a container of oil off to the side, grabbed it, and drizzled a slight bit int he pan with the bacon and loosened it up with a few quick motions of her hand, flipping the meat.

"Kavala is carving out another room with Reimancy. Vanator is her older half-brother, Larik and I's father, and Tasival and Shayru's uncle. Vanator was the oldest of the pavilion, then there were a few more siblings I don't know who I think are dead, and Kavala was the youngest sister by his third wife. Kavala's mother is Konti. Among the Drykas, which is what we are... he is our Ankal... our leader. The men can marry multiple women and have many wives at the same time. Vanator's mother was their father's first wife, the most important one. Vanator lost his wives during the Djed Storm of 512, including my mother, and Kavala isn't married." Cadra added, helpfully.

" But here, it is a bit different. There are blurred lines because Kavala owns the Sanctuary and Vanator is Armsmaster here. But she still looks to him for leadership, comfort, all the things an Ankal is on the grasslands. It's just not so strict here. It's... safer. And anyhow, she'd be here helping if she wasn't carving out his suite. We all help with everything, even food, though I don't like to let her cook much. She's okay at it, but I'm better." Cadra grinned.

"Kavala is making him a surprise. She's adding a brewery on to the back end of his suite so he can experiment in making meads. With all those bees she has topside, we are going to have gallons and gallons of honey." Cadra said, moving around Roland, helping him when he needed it, but otherwise putting the pie shells in the oven, all six of them, to get them started on baking since the egg mixture would take longer.

"We're making quiches. Egg pies. I don't like fancy terms. Have you ever had one? It's like a slice of pie but made of egg filled with bacon and all sorts of deliciousness. You top it with cheese and it tastes amazing... but only if you season it correctly." Cadra said, moving about again. She said a few quite words to Tasival who somehow was named Sharyu instead at the moment.

Shayru disappeared and reappeared carrying a huge wedge of cheese. He put it on the counter and then went to fetch what looked like a cheese grater at Cadra's direction. As soon as all the shells were in the big bread oven, Cadra began grating cheese as the boy went back to whisking invisible eggs. A lovely young redheaded woman with sad eyes wandered in. She took in Roland and Cadra cooking, raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. The smile didn't reach her eyes, but she introduced herself to Roland regardless.

"I came to see if you needed any help, Cadra. I see you have plenty this morning. Kavala take in another stray?" The Inartian glanced at the new man almost apologetically, and then gestured to her chest. "I'm Chalcedony but everyone calls me Chalce. Yes I was named for a rock. Kavala took me in a few seasons ago as a stray too. I'm her falconer and I give a few Morphing lessons here and there as well as teach people to work with birds. Cadra won't tell you, but her aunt found her and her brother at a slave market outside the city and rescued them. She found Vanator the same way after he'd been captured by the Zith. They sold him because he was too rotten to eat and too mean to keep." She said with a small grin. It was obvious that the words she spoke were probably more than she said in a several days since Cadra was watching her like she'd gone daft.

"I see they have you cooking on day one. I had to clean stalls on my first day here. I've never seen a horse in my life let alone what comes out of the non-business end of one. But you'll get used to it. I did. This is a good place, Roland, but they won't give you any special treatment. If you are here, you've been adopted officially and that means they will treat you like family. But like any family, you'll be expected to pull your weight. And don't worry about Vanator giving you a lecture on hurting his sister. I think hes finally come to terms with the fact that Kavala can take care of herself usually." Chalce said, moving around the kitchen as she did so until she peered into the oven and grinned. "Quiche? Perfect. I have all my morning chores done. I think I'm going to go catch a bath before foods ready. But if you need anything, Roland, just ask." Chalce said stopping by Tasival to lean over him and start to plant a kiss. She paused, glanced at Cadra, and reversed course. "Sorry Shayru. I thought you were Tasi for a moment. No kisses. I get it." She said, patting him on the head, then heading out the way Roland knew the bath was. She left them all with a small wave and a stride full of purpose.

Cadra only smiled. "Chalce is Inartian. She left Wind Reach when her sister died in an accident. Her sister rode one of those huge eagles. The eagle died too. She took it very hard. She's here... finding herself. I have no idea what that means. But she's really good in the mews and with my brother Larik. Do you like birds?" Cadra said, finishing with the cheese and checking on Roland's frying efforts. She directed him to a cutting board and a knife to dice up the bacon when he was done cooking it.

Cadra went on to start work on the egg mixture. "So why are you here? I mean why really? I'm not my aunt. She sees the good in everyone. You look like you've seen hard times. But you are still alive, which means you have skills staying alive. So why here? Why now?" She asked.

NPCs of Sanctuary - Their Pics and Bios

[Roland Eir]

“I think I have the basics of it. These cups all carry the different measurements right?” Roland said, holding up a half-cup. “I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out.” He uncertainly went on with his work, casting an appreciative glance at Cadra when she helped with the bacon. Roland listened silently as Cadra explained the family of the Sanctuary. It was complicated, and he had trouble following the family tree in his mind. It seemed that Vanator was some sort of clan or tribal leader, but Kavala was at least somewhat in charge here at the Sanctuary. “You’re all… Drykas?” Roland asked, trying to figure it out. “So it is not a race like Konti or Human, but more a group of people of all races?” The assurance that things were not as strict here set Roland at ease. He wasn’t sure how he felt about joining some sort of clan, or even a family. Even the loose structure back home had chafed. But something about the way he had been welcomed here, and the way that Cadra lightly explained things made him feel more at home here than he had ever been in Sunberth. “A brewery is a surprise?” Roland laughed, returning Cadra’s grin. “Seems like that would be hard to keep hidden.” The harmless conversation was helping Roland to relax. He’d even almost forgotten that Cadra had been a cat just minutes before. Almost. When he had chopped and prepared the ingredients as best he could, he called Cadra over and let her start mixing them together. “I can’t say I’ve ever tried quiches, but egg pie sounds good to me.” Everything was better in pie form—he’d snatched quite a few cooling treats from windowsills in his time. With his work done for the moment, Roland leaned back against the counter and watched Shayru, or Tasival, or whoever that strange child was. He had a different demeanor now than he had when he’d woken Roland and dragged him to the kitchen. Roland couldn’t put his finger on what exactly had changed, but even the different name was enough to set him wondering. Shaking his head, the man turned and watched Cadra cooking. Her movements had a familiar sort of practice to it, even when grating cheese. Obviously she had spent a lot of time in this kitchen. Light footsteps caught Roland’s attention as the Inartian wandered in. She seems to be human at least, he thought as she started speaking. He introduced himself quickly when she gave her name—he had never heard of chalcedony before. Listening thoughtfully, he glanced over at Cadra. That explained why her brother disliked slavers so much. If he was honest with himself, Roland hadn’t really given much thought to slavery before. It seemed an insurmountable fact of life; people wanted free labor, and others had filled that need with a commodity. Roland frowned a bit, forcing himself to listen on to Chalce’s words. Cooking seemed easier than cleaning stalls, and Roland was silently thankful that he had been granted a respite. He was feeling better than he had been, but his body was still a lot weaker than it had been. From the sound of it, his rest was not going to last long. “Goodbye, Chalcedony,” Roland said as she left. When she was out of earshot, he looked over at Cadra and raised his eyebrows. “She’s a talkative one, isn’t she?” He moved over to the pan and managed to flip the bacon again, sending a few drops of grease to spatter against his hands. He shrugged at the question of birds. “Inartian, Wind Reach… even quiche is all new to me,” Roland said with a chuckle. “I’m sorry; I’m like a child all over again. It’s very different from where I grew up.” At Cadra’s direction, he scraped the bacon from the pan and brought it to the cutting board. Wielding the knife, he began to chop up the crispy meat. Cadra’s questions made him pause. He thought about it before he spoke, cutting the meat with slow, deliberate strokes as he talked. “I don’t really know where to begin. You probably don’t know about Sunberth, Kavala didn’t seem to. It’s a long way from here; I’ve been on the move since early spring. In Sunberth, men are afraid of what you take for granted here. Reimancy, and Gnosis, and… kelvics.” He shrugged uncomfortably. “I couldn’t stay. I grew tired of my father’s business. My passions lay elsewhere. In magic. So I left.” It felt strange to admit it. To be a wizard or mage in Sunberth was to be shunned at best. At worst you were dead. “I stopped in the city of Syliras, and I listened to travelers in the tavern talking about the lands to the west. I heard of Riverfall, and it sounded as far from Sunberth as any city could be.” Roland changed the subject. “The bacon is ready.”

[Kavala]

Once the bacon was ready, Cadre put the whole thing together. The crusts she'd been making were filled with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese and then the egg mixture was poured over it. Then there were spears of asparagus placed on top and the whole thing was put back into the oven.

"Chalce doesn't usually talk, Roland." Cadra noted, her voice having an odd note to it. "Like, almost never." She said again, starting for a moment after the woman's retreating form as if she were puzzled by the outburst. The woman cocked her head, shrugged it off, and turned to give Roland a good hard stare as well. She'd heard his answer, just before the bacon was announced to be done, but she hadn't been exactly ready to respond.

"Elsewhere? I know of Sunberth, Roland. My brother and I, we've traveled. Being Kelvic its easier to do so than it is for people. I've never been there, but I've heard enough... plenty. It's... not the nicest place. Rough. Full of criminals and slavers. If you aren't a thug your a thief. People die young there... really young. And the slaves that come out of Sunberth are broken, utterly broken. I've seen that first hand." She said, then leaned a hip against the counter. It was obvious that Cadra and him had nothing more to do until the egg pies.. the quiches.. cooked in the oven.

"My Aunt is a mage. She knows reimancy and auristics and other things as well, darker things. Chalce knows morphing. And they are warriors, all of them, Roland. You didn't come here by chance, you know that? You were sent. That's how we all ended up here. That's why we fit together so well. Can't you feel it? You are standing here making a meal and I bet inside if you were really to look deep, you'd feel more at home here than you've ever felt in your life. And I bet it will scare you a little, to the point where you might want to run. It might make you run away as far and as fast as you can. But the truth is, you need to be here. You are needed here. And Kavala, well, she'll teach you given enough time. She'll teach you anything you want to know and if she doesn't know it, she'll find someone to teach you that will. But its all for a reason. Can't you feel it? You are in a fortress, Roland. You waltzed into a fortress and no one blinked an eye. Why? It was the same with me and my brother. It didn't matter that we were related by blood. It mattered that we were meant to be here. She's got use for your skills... you're a thief aren't you?" Cadra said, looking certain, her golden eyes piercing Rolands human gaze.

Kavala picked that moment to walk in, her hair coated with brown dust and her smile somewhat tired. She sniffed the air in an exaggerated mimicry of Cadra on the hunt for food, and laughed when she saw the two standing together at the counter talking. "Am I interrupting? I just came by to see if breakfast was ready yet." She asked, looking hopeful and for all that she was an adult and older by both of the pair standing together, her wide eyes and innocent smile reminded them both of a child hoping for a treat prior to being served dinner.

[Roland Eir]

Strange, Roland thought, puzzling over what it could have meant for Chalce to speak to him like that. He wished he could ask Cadra about it, but she seemed as confused as he was. And well she should be. This unfortunate young woman had opened up around him, a newcomer? Roland turned his mind away from it. It was too early to be adding to his mental gymnastics. Listening to Cadra talk, he watched her movements as she put the quiches together. This mixture of egg, meat, and cheese did not look very appetizing yet. He struggled to imagine what it would taste like, but such meals were beyond his scope of experience. He was beginning to become aware of just how empty his stomach already felt. It was to be expected after his time on the road. Cadra's talk of Sunberth gave him a strange mix of emotions. Though he assured himself he was relieved there was a strange sense of homesickness. He was proud of having survived there--like she said, many did not live to adulthood. And more than that, he missed the freedom he'd felt working under his father. Cadra named the people correctly; they were thugs and thieves. But so Roland had been. And he recognized the allure of it. There was a power you could hold over others, through threats or blackmail, violence and money. Roland felt sick. "You're right," he said simply, after the talk of slaves. Breaking away from Cadra's gaze, he leaned back against the counter and tried to relax. There were good reasons he had left that life. The life itself was one of them. Bloodletting had never sat right with him. And his own future had to be considered. There was nothing for him there but to follow his father's footsteps and descend into the madness of the city. Here, he felt hope instead of fear. Cadra continued, speaking of warriors and chance. Telling Roland he'd been sent. That made him smile. What sort of higher power would take an interest in his life? Obviously they were active, his arm was evidence enough of that. But to go as far as guiding or "sending" him anywhere? There was nothing special about him. He would have told Cadra as much, but her words struck a chord. This was home now. It felt like he had been falling from Sunberth like a man from a cliff, and this Santuary was a clear lake at the bottom. It had caught him, and he was grateful. Was it something more? As Cadra said, here there was opportunity and safety. He was needed, she said. Here he could find training, advancement in life. A future, like he wanted. "She", Kavala, had use for his skills. And the question after dug a pit in his stomach. "I was a thief, Cadra," he said quietly but sternly, avoiding her piercing eyes. "And that stays in the..." He trailed off as Kavala entered the room. Her appearance suggested she had been yet again hard at work, and from the sound of Roland wasn't the only one who was hungry. "Not yet," he mumbled, trying to shake off a mounting anxiety. Cadra wasn't at fault for her words, but Roland did not like the idea that everyone here would know what he'd done. It was a life he was trying to escape from.

[Kavala]

Kavala glanced between Roland and Cadra, looked hopefully towards the oven, and then snagged a pear from a bowl off the counter. She settled into a seat up on a stool and pulled a wicked looking dagger from a sleeve sheath and began peeling the fruit neatly. The dagger was one designed to throw, not necessarily peel fruit, and it looked razor sharp. She didn't even glance down more than a moment when she started, confident in how the knife skinned the fruit and took the peel off in one long continuous strip.

"I am interrupting. I'm sorry. But I'm about starved. Too much reimancy today, but I so want to get Vanator's suite done. Pretend I'm not here." She added, her eyes twinkling as she met Rolands and Cadra's then dropped to her fruit.

Cadra let out a sound that mimicked a cat's purr and glanced at Roland. "I agree with keeping the past in the past, but old wounds fester when hidden. I'll speak of my past, even though its painful and shameful. Others will as well. Larik and I were slaves. Even Vanator was caught by the Zith for almost a year and just barely managed to avoid getting eaten. Kavala was brought here forcefully and pressed into reproductive services by the Akalak after having been captured on the grass by slavers. She wore a bracelet denoting that she was a breeder for them for two years. We have no secrets. We only have pasts... and those pasts make us stronger." Cadra said, glancing at her aunt that was ravenously devouring a pear. She wondered momentarily if the Konti would keep the food down. Lately, she'd been eating a lot of dried seaweed and couldn't stomach much cooked food, even though she constantly complained of being starved. But maybe fruit would stay down. She was certain for all Kavala's enthusiasm, the quiche would not.

Meanwhile, Kavala was doing her best to remain invisible while in plain site, letting Cadra and Roland talk. She was so proud of her niece, and how the Kelvic saw the world. Cadra was growing up, her mind catching up to the forced adulthood her body had been put through in captivity. She wondered if Roland had a clue the girl was only going on two years of age. And she was getting old enough now, by and large, to bond without the bonding damaging her mental growth and dampening her spirit. Maybe Roland would hit it off with Cadra, though secretly Kavala had hoped her niece and nephew would stay unbonded for a long enough rest to fully grow and maybe have a handful of years at the Sanctuary before they started serving someone else or a higher destiny.

Eyes so pale of a blue they looked blind at times studied the young human. Kavala hoped she'd made the right decision taking him in. But there were signs, as always, of what needed to happen and why. And due to that she wasn't worried. If they didnt' need Roland, perhaps the Gods deemed he needed them. In Kavala's mind it was a two way street and because her family took much from the divine, they were willing to offer a great deal back as well. And that included helping out fellow sentient and higher intelligent beings.

When the pear was polished off and just the core and peel left, Kavala put its remains into the compost crock and rinsed off her sticky sweet hands in the sink using the small well head pump. She dried them on a towel, and seeing if the conversation was waning between her guest and her niece, offered a teaster.

"So, any plans today Roland? What would you like to do?" She asked, curious and wondering if he had plans. She had some ideas. First she wanted to give him a more thorough medical exam, check on his arm wound, and then see if he was fit enough to spar with her and use that to check on his training. If he passed muster in those areas, she wanted to introduce him to some of the horses, see what they thought, and watched how he interacted with them.

[Translucent]

Congratulations On Your Hard Work!

Kavala:
XP: +1 planning,
Lores: Difficulty telling two souls apart, Surprise for Vanator, High hopes for her Niece and Nephew

Roland Eir:
XP: +2 Socialization, +2 observation, +2 cooking
Lores:Cooking: Recipe for Quiche, Cooking: Teaspoon, Tablespoons abbreviations. Cooking: Instruments of measurement. Denusk Family: Drykas, Kavala: Mage


Notes: I really wish sometimes that I could give grades for NPC actions. You had beautiful posts there Kavala. Lots of learning for Roland.

As always PM me if you have issues.