[Alements] Sea Business (Kavala)

[Tyne Brightcrest]

9th of Summer, 514A.V. The inked waves of Laviku’s blessed touch shifted across the left side of Tyne’s chest, as if eternally submerging his heart in the Sea. The art was touched by the sun since the Svefra wore his loose fitting linen shirt open until halfway down his chest. Tyne thudded along one of the Riverfall Port’s many well kept wharfs. The city seemed to pride itself on an outward presentation that was foreign and unheard of in other places. The swampy docks of Kenash were not nearly as well kept as the sailor’s walks in Riverfall. As it should be, here they respect the Suvan and all she brings them. A special kind of thirst was coming over the sailor as he strolled down the wharf. It was the kind of thirst that left a man yet thirsty still, but fuzzier of mind. He found, sitting upon the end of the dock, a rather pleasant looking seaside tavern. The patio that expanded ambitiously from the drink house, dotted with polished tables, wooden and shining. The place seemed inviting enough. Tyne grasped the hilt of his cutlass to better navigate the tables. He took care not to knock astray any lantern nor candle with the weapon as it dangled from his hip. Tyne sat with a sigh, dangling one booted foot over the opposing knee and gazing contentedly out at the open Suvan. He smiled to himself as he watched Laviku’s domain shift uncontrolled and chaotic across the horizon. “Hello. What can I get for you?” The voice was soft and hinted of passion unknown. Tyne turned and found himself gazing upon a beauty whom he had rarely seen the like of, though his sails had taken him far and wide. “My name is Elise and I’ll be your server.” She smiled knowingly at the look on his face, but kept herself professional. Tyne ran a callused hand through his beard. “The darkest Kenashian rum you have.” He returned her smile, blue eyes squinting to the point of disappearance. “Please!” The word followed her as she left to return with his order, politeness was ever in his wake. It was hard to cultivate aboard ship for weeks on end. The sort he commonly associated with were not the type to set much stock by polite banter neither, more by the edge of a cutlass or the weight of a coin purse. The beauty brought his rum and he paid the three silver for it. The ceramic pitcher sloshed happily as he poured himself a cup and sipped from it. The slightly sweet liquid burned as he let it slide down his throat. The Svefra cleared his windpipe in a deeply satisfied manner and leant back in his chair, content to watch people pass by. Worry had not yet entered his mind about work, there were always prospects in Riverfall if you looked hard enough, and he was well to do as it stood at the moment. A bit of relaxation might have been exactly what he needed.

[Kavala]

The pale Konti walked into Alements without so much as glancing up. She held a parchment up in her hands - a missive of some sort - and was frowning down at it with a sense of confused excitement as she read the words that were clearly inked on it. She bypassed some of the tables and chairs expertly without seemingly looking away from the paper and then cut around the bar to a table near the far corner where the stained glass/stone windows were still streaking in light. Her body creaked as she moved, the sound of tightly wrapped leather hugging her skin and giving off a slightly spiced scent as she passed the svefra's table and settled at the one beside his.

She was dressed like most of the Akalaks in Riverfall. The leathers were dyed a deep burgundy in this particular set and hugged her athletic frame tightly. She wore a brace of throwing daggers on a weapons harness and a set of tamos that were carefully sheathed on her arms. Across her back was slung a double bladed longsword that she somehow managed to sit down with and avoid either stabbing herself or someone sitting in close vicinity. Her long translucent hair was tightly braided and fell in a long cord down her back where the intricate drykas braids all interwove and combined at the nape of her neck. Race-wise there was no doubt she was Konti, but the way she dressed hinted at Drykas and maybe Rivarian heritage. She was no frail flower, foreseeing the future and urging everyone to be calm. She looked instead every inch the warrior which her bare defined arms supported.

Kavala leaned back and offered Elise a smile as the woman sat a Sweet Tea down in front of the Konti complete with ice cubes in it. "Thanks Elise. Is your horned companion around here anywhere? He wasn't out front and I haven't seen him here." She said, refolding the letter and setting it aside and finally taking a good look around. Caelum wasn't immediately obvious, but that didn't mean he wasn't out and about. Her eyes rested for a moment on the man at the table beside hers and she decided he looked Svefra if nothing else.

"He was just here a minute ago, Kavala. I am not sure where he slipped off too." Elise answered, her reserved nature opening up slightly in front of the Konti. The two women seemed to know each other well. Kavala tapped the paper she was reading.

"A friend from The Southern Boarder Post wrote me. He remembered me talking about keeping bees out at The Sanctuary. He wants all the honey I can send him, which is good news because the beekeeper for the orchards flooded the market this year and there's very little call for it here other than what we use out there for medicines... and truth be told that's more beeswax than anything else." She added.

The server nodded, looked thoughtful and glanced around. "How are you going to get honey over there for your friend? You going to sail it over yourself?" Elise asked, curious and taking a moment to glance outside. Sure enough, Kavala's catamaran was tied up at the far end of Alement's dock. It was usually there for one reason or another, regardless if the Konti had sailed into town or not.

"I'd love to. I have developed a real fondness for the Isur and my friends there. But ... there's no time at all. Not this season. Between foaling and the new yearlings being trained and my first crop of Denusks going off to the Kuvay'Nas cavalierly, I couldn't escape for that long. There's just no way." She added, glancing around once more for Caelum. "I'd hoped Caelum knew of someone trustworthy to shuttle frieght that direction." The Konti said, taking a sip of her sweet tea and smiling in pleasure.

[Tyne Brightcrest]

The Svefra looked up curiously at the establishment’s newest client. He had always been a people watcher. Something about the solitude of the sea made the man acutely aware of personalities, he enjoyed wondering at their story. Often, Tyne found himself puzzling for hours at the motivations of complete strangers. The woman who stepped into Alements seemed to be quite a personality. She carried her pale, lithe form with utter confidence. Her leather garb was tight and clearly meant not to impede her movement, her weapons attested to the kind of ‘movements’ she was able to make. Tyne watched her approach and sit next to him, covertly. The Svefra fingered the pommel of his simple cutlass, thinking about how mundane it looked compared to her arsenal. Clearly the place had received her patronage frequently, the server brought her a drink without asking and set it down in front of the woman. The patron thanked the girl by name. Elise, the serving girl who had so recently stolen Tyne’s heart called the newcomer Kavala. Tyne glanced over at this Kavala as she discussed something with Elise. She too, was not lacking for beauty. But more, she seemed to bear an exoticness not from within the Suvan. Her pale hair and skin, and almost unnaturally youthful beauty hinted at origins in the White Isle. Though Tyne had never really met one, he had seen Konti from afar in Riverfall before. He found himself shamelessly staring, and when she mentioned moving cargo, the Svefra almost missed it. Tyne cleared his throat excitedly. Down his gullet went the last of his cup of Kenashian rum, sending a low burn through him. He momentarily shook his head before turning back to the Konti named Kavala. He was still leaning back in his chair, boots set firming against the arm of another, when he first spoke to her. “Excuse me madam, I shan’t be a snoop, but I caught wind of a need of a ship for transport?” His common was thickly accented and the Svefra struggled with it, being partial to his mother tongue. But it was called the ‘common’ tongue for a reason. He smiled with confident bravado as he pushed back from the table and stood. “Me very own Splendor, as the Givetaker decides, be empty of cargo. I, as a good and diligent soul of the sea, be looking for anyfing worv’ shipping across salty wa’ers.” Tyne punctuated the rough sentence with a fluid bow, dangling his arm across his chest. He hoped the Konti would be willing to commission his Splendor. He was not currently too light in the coin purse, but a lazy sailor was a poor one. To let the currents of opportunity carry a situation like this away was foolish, and Tyne Brightcrest was no fool… Realizing too late, as always, that he had made his show and declared his intent without an introduction, he hastily rectified the false etiquette. “I be named Tyne Brightcrest, and Splendor is the craft I call mine.” He informed her as an afterthought. Elise, who had not yet left, waited for the sailor to finish speaking and shifted her gaze from the man to Kavala. “Let me see if I can go find Caelum for you.” She hurried away and left Tyne standing in front of the leather clad Konti who seemed, though her race was clear, to be a weaving of many cultures. Tyne found himself wondering at her story more than any he had met in a long while.

[Caelum]

“Don’t wait so long next time,” the sought after proprietor of Alements was saying in the attached infirmary. Caelum knelt before a one of the six patient beds deftly securing a muslin bandage about the knee of one Meddin Flint. The wily slaver grimaced, silver streaked hair stumbling into his face, and found himself admitting things to the horned doctor that came, at least to Caelum, as no surprise. “I’d rather there wasn’t a next time.” Golden eyes picked up as Caelum tucked the end of the bandage in and he made a study of Meddin’s face. He was no longer young, but he wasn’t old yet either. His body was still as quick and clever as his mathematically inclined mind which knew better than the spend the final third of his life indebted to monster like Haev Provedan. “Perhaps there won’t be. Might have been an accident,” Caelum offered diplomatically, words low and easy as he unraveled back to his full height. Dark leather trousers and a short sleeved tunic clothed him, and he wore no weapons belt or any other visible weapons in his own tavern. Some might disagree with his thinking in that, but he could be surprisingly stubborn about the strangest things. Of course, only the very foolish would think that meant he was defenseless. Meddin accepted the hand up Caelum offered him and rose to his feet, wincing just a little as he gave a testing shift in his weight. His mouth flattened with approval and he jerked his chin appreciatively at the ethaefal. “That feels pretty good.” His eyes sharpened cannily. “I can have that tonic? Decath was sayin’ how you might be lookin’ after some interests down at Rattling Chains. I know a good bit about those interests.” Caelum’s smile crooked with what could only be called a charming welcome. “’Course you can have the tonic. It’ll help with the swelling in your knee as well as the restlessness at night that’s kept you up.” He turned lazily about on the worn down heel of his riding boot to lift a thick green bottle from the counter he had prepared earlier. The cork was checked with a flick of his thumb while his free hand lifted a heavy coin purse from a drawer. He turned back to Meddin to offer both. When Meddin met his eyes, he said. “I understand you do the books.” The wiry accountant hesitated, but only for a moment. He lifted first the purse and tucked it into his shirt and then the bottle of his herbal tonic. “I do…” “For now, I just want to know what they say.” Meddin nodded to this and his mouth curled in a knowing grimace. “Salient points. I follow. You’ll hear from me soon.” He shoved around on his good leg and strolled for the door to the main room of the tavern, his limp adding more character than it did distress to his bearing. “Good. Take care of yourself in the meantime.” Caelum followed Meddin out into the warm sunlight and green shadows of Alements, walking loose hipped and easy. “I don’t want this to happen to you again either, Meddin.” The slaver looked back, something like a cross between suspicion and hope in his eyes, before he jerked his chin in a nod and disappeared out the door. Caelum watched him go, thumbs sliding into the low sling of his belt and expression thoughtful; and that was how Elise found him, pausing to murmur in his ear. The proprietor looked over, blinking slowly at Kavala and the sun haired svefra before turning in their direction. “Hey, Kav. What do you think of the new tea blend? Sir –“ The stranger was offered a friendly smile. “Welcome to Alements. I’m Caelum.” Ledger- 100 gm in Bribe to Meddin Flint (Employee of Haev Provedan)

[Kavala]

The Konti glanced at the man sitting at the table beside hers. Once he started speaking though, he had her full attention utterly. She nodded to his greeting, smiled at his willingness to go, and rose to pace the few steps towards him and shake his hand if he'd let her before she returned to her seat.

"I'm Kavala Denusk. I run the healing facility outside of town called The Sanctuary. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tyne. There's definitely going to be a need to get some freight over there. On my part it would be about a hundred gallons of honey. I think that's how much I'm going to be able to come up with for my contacts over there that need it." She said, tapping the letter beside her still neatly folded on the table.

"Have you ever been to The Southern Boarder Post over in Kalea? It's primarily Isur, but its a really lovely place to visit." Kavala said, knowing if he'd ever been there he'd know a few of the more glorious things about the city. If he hadn't, she'd certainly inform him so he could check them out while he was there if they could indeed work something out.

"Can you tell me about your experiences? Where all have you sailed too and what kind of ship is the Splendor?" Kavala was curious. She always liked to know about people she'd be hiring for one thing or another. But she also believed in the fact that there were no coincidences. If Tyne was here now, there was a reason for it and most likely they were supposed to meet up.

It was at that moment that Caelum strolled up. Kavala kicked out the chair opposite of where she was sitting for him, and smiled at the tea.

"It's delicious. Whoever is making it here needs to show Cadra a thing or two so I don't have come all the way to town to enjoy it." Kavala said, offering Caelum a smile. Then she introduced the two men.

"Caleum, this is Tyne Brightcrest. Tyne, this is Caelum. He owns this place." Kavala said, keeping it short and simple. "I got a letter from a friend today, Caelum.... a bartender who is far more than a bartender... at the Southern Boarder Post. He wants all the honey he can get from us if possible... so I need to ship him some. Tyne might be taking the freight for me since I have no time to make it across the Suvan this season even for a fast trip." She said, including both men in the conversation by switching her focus back and forth between them as she filled Caelum in.

[Tyne Brightcrest]

Tyne tried to recall his many voyages through the Middle Suvan, either gripping the gunwale of his mother’s Foamdancer, or the tiller of his own Splendor. The Southern Trading Post was indeed a favorite of the Brightcrest Pod, though Tyne had personally not explored the place. As a youngster he had chosen to fish or play in the water whenever his mother or grandmother would stop there. As an adult he had never made port on the Trading Post himself, but passed by on a few occasions. “Aye. Me firs’ time at the old Post was a tender twelve, me pod gone frough many a time.” Tyne stroked a stray whisker back into his sun-baked beard thoughtfully. He was still remembering the old deck of Foamdancer when the Konti named Kavala made a further inquiry into his ship. “Splendor be a Casinor of beau’iful proportion. Less’en ten years on the Suvan, but trus’y and stout she be. Strong canvas for me sails, and I check the keel for rot every few days.” Tyne said confidently. The sailor knew his ship, and took pride in her upkeep. Such diligence when in regards to sailing and ships was expected of Svefra, but it was nice to prove it every so often with a cautious employer. “She shan’t disappoint, you can inspect her if you choose. Plen’y of cargo space for the prospective employer’s goods, and insurance of delivery upon me own blood.” That last was with an assuring tap on his cutlass and a confident smile hidden beneath the beard. Tyne turned as he saw Kavala’s attention shifting to someone else. A lean figure approached. Made mostly of blemish free features, the man Kavala introduced as Caelum seemed to be the perfect representation of a man, save for the horns flanking his unnervingly attractive face. Tyne held out a hand hesitantly. “Fair winds, mis’er Caelum.” Tyne held up the pitcher of rum he had bought earlier and offered it to the Beautiful Ethaefal. Tyne had only met a few of the race, and never spoken directly to or been the subject of one’s attention. They were indeed something to behold. A subtle grace about them that somehow put them above the rest of the mundane world. He hoped his apprehension did not show on his face. “Twas just informing Miss Kavala here of my Splendor’s merits, as it was.” He gestured vaguely at the wharfs behind them. “My maid an’ me been around the Suvan for nearly ten years, from Zeltiva down to Yahebah. But none holds more beau’y than ol’ Riverfall.” Tyne said, his words becoming uncomfortable in the presence of the two clearly blessed people. Tyne had never thought of himself as plane, but in the presence of Caelum and Kavala he was beginning to. The rough waves of Laviku and Syna’s relentless gaze had weathered him much over the long years, and he was realizing it. But a Svefra was supposed to be the product of a sea life, and the sea was tough. Tyne fingered the lace of his shirt as he stared from one to the other. He may not send people flustering with his form, but he was sea worthy.

[Caelum]

"Elise made the tea," Caelum told Kavala. A fond glance was cast the dark haired girl who, intuiting her boss's wishes, was setting a small selection of carafes, vials, and jars on a hand painted tray. Turning his attention back to his guests, Caelum let his smile deepen naturally. "You know she'll be happy to show Cadra. Hey, Tyne."

The sun washed svefra shortly became the recipient of Caelum's study. He had an intensity of regard that could be disconcerting, but it was lacking in judgement. He watched for a little while as Tyne shifted with wafts of uncertainty. The ethaefal managed to at once weigh Tyne Brightcrest on some personal scale of opinion and communicate an unspeakable compassion. What Caelum was capable of feeling for perfect strangers would hardly seem credulous even when it was crouched low in golden eyes, relaxed on this casual occasion.

"It's good to meet you. Thanks --" Caelum reached out to accept the offered pitcher of rum and half turned, pulling out a cushioned chair at the table Tyne appeared to have abandoned. He made a polite gesture at Kavala to sit and and then nodded much the same at Tyne. Elise arrived with the tray and she set it down on the table. Caelum muttered his thanks to her before lowering himself to a seat. Both elbows pointed down to the tabletop as he studied the array of ingredients. A plate piled high with fresh fruits and cheeses was lifted out and he nudged it to the center of the table for everyone to share.

"I'd be interested in throwing in some goods to sell if that's alright with both of you," he continued while lifting from the tray a vial filled with a pale yellow powder. He tapped a small measure into each of the three glasses lined up in the middle. His fingers hovered thoughtfully over two different jars before lifting a pinch of dried leaves to crumble them into the glasses next. As he did so, he looked back to Kavala and Tyne. "I'd like to make some contacts at the Southern Border Post. Establish good relations with the leadership there, et cetera. Kavala and I are thinking about partnering in some more expansive retail endeavors eventually and so that strikes me as rather wise."

While that was true, Kavala also knew that it wasn't an immediate goal of Caelum's nor was it something they had been speaking about recently. It was on the back burner as they worked on numerous other projects, including aspects of Cytali. Of course, Caelum had ulterior motives for wanting connections at the Southern Border Post and, indeed, deep as he could into Kalea. To those ends, he was equally as interested in learning more about the svefra seated with them and determining the degree of his trustworthiness.

"Here, try it like this." He poured measures of chilled rum into the prepared glasses and topped each off with a mint scented tonic. After giving them a stir, a glass was placed before each of them.

[Kavala]

Kavala nodded when Tyne explained his ship was a casinor. She was familiar with the style and knew it was more than enough ship to do the job she wanted to Tyne to do. She also smiled slightly because he had a lovely way of describing things and the type of voice one could listen too for hours and be entertained just by the timbre and resonance of his speech. She wondered if he realized how articulate he was in terms of being a storyteller. Many of the Svefra were, Kavala had noted, but she took it as a cultural trait and not necessarily something they tended to cultivate on purpose.

“I’m familiar with Casinors. I’ve never sailed one but I know a little about them having ridden in a few. Your ship sounds perfect for my purpose.” She said, resuming her seat after her offer of a handshake went unacknowledged. The Konti picked up her tea and sipped at it to cover her uncertainty. She did not want to force traditions of greeting on newcomers nor assume they knew others’ intent.

The Konti nodded to Caelum, glanced at Tyne’s offer of pitcher towards the Eth. She grew quiet then, letting the men talk. She kept her thoughts quiet and knew that Caelum would draw the man’s attention. People stared at the Eth often as he commanded unknowingly the presence of all around him. She traced a webbed finger around the edge of her drink, lost a moment in thought, and then caught wind of Caelum’s words to her.

Kavala’s eyes darted to Elise and she offered the human woman a smile and nodded at Caelum’s assurance that Elise would show Cadra how to make the tea. It irritated Kavala for a moment because she never in her life before coming to Alements had let anyone make her tea for her. She was perfectly capable and her niece certainly wasn’t a bartender to have to know how to make new drinks. Kavala knew that wasn’t Caelum’s intent, but it put her on a mindset wondering if she relied a little too much on Cadra to see things right at home when she wasn’t there… like now when she was here. Why was she here anyhow? She’d come to the city to send some letters via the post and had picked up correspondences addressed to herself or her facility as well. The Konti had probably needed to head straight home. The Gods knew there was enough to do there without lounging here, but the day had been nice and the weather too hot to do much outside anyhow.

But Kavala had work indoors. She had medicines to make, philtering to do, and a constant bunch of research that needed carried out. Her latest forays into the Chavena had netted her some knowledge that had been unexpected – knowledge about painkillers the ancients used to make from jellyfish. She was busy trying to replicate it in her lab and was getting close. Better pain killers were always a boon whether they were used on sentient people or just on Kavala’s patients.

Her attention snapped back to Caelum as he finished his introductions. She was already sitting, but made no move to alter her position as Caelum took a seat as well. Her mind was across the Sea thinking about the Southern Boarder Post and her friends there. Was Rideon Mistshadow Pitrius at On The Edge even now, gazing into the artifact called only the mirror of Ionu looking upon some scene far away that had been or never was going to be?

Kavala signed, a little wistful, wondering if a visit wasn’t in order and how she’d make time for it with all the things she had going on at home. The Fall might be the best time for such things. There would be far more time for trading gossip and really enjoying the Isur people. Kavala missed the way they dressed, their elegant sense of time, and their long long histories. Being among them made her feel like a child and she enjoyed the sensation enormously.

“The leader is a man of great power and a somewhat chaotic personality. Those among his own people tread lightly around him. He’s probably one of the most powerful men I’ve ever met. But there are other people there, far more welcoming, and safer to do dealings with.” Kavala interjected. “Even their Anvil is an incredible man. He’s open to new ideas and broadscale concepts. But you’d be surprised, Caelum. Their medicine is perhaps better than even ours as is their technology and know-how.” She said, thinking about her meeting with Emaneus Vizerian. A soft smile played across her lips. She’d liked him… a lot. He’d been easy to talk to and the type of person one could debate long into the night with.

Kavala turned her gaze on Tyne again, curious as to his opinions on the Isur. "Have you met many Isur?" She queried. He’d either offer them or hold silent, though she’d said little other than of the two men that had made the biggest impressions on her. Rideon was a secret little guilty pleasure. They were linked more than by common interest as well.

When Caelum set the drink in front of her, she gently set aside the tea she was almost done with. She picked up the ale, sipped it, and nodded. Ale wasn’t her drink of choice, but she was wondering what was in the mix.

“What’s this, Caelum?” She asked curiously, not quite certain she wanted to offer an opinion on the beverage yet or not.

[Tyne Brightcrest]

Tyne felt the Ethaefal’s gaze even when he tried not to notice the intensity, and the effect it had on his nerves. The man seemed to be more than the owner of this shop, more than a rarity of nature. Tyne couldn’t put his thumb on it, but Caelum just seemed to be a tantalizing mystery wrapped in a guise of a man. Quick to move forward from the unnerving introductions, Tyne took the proffered seat. He smiled happily as the tray of woof appeared and snatched from it a chunk of potent cheese. He began to nibble at it as they spoke, careful not to get any in his beard. The rum washed it down nicely. “Aye, Splendor’s empty and eager for a ‘onest haul across Laviku’s deeps. Kalea’s truthfully not a place whose mountain’s shadows ‘ave crossed me sails much, pod mostly stuck to the eastern coastal cities. But no Svefra worf ‘is waves” He thumbed the mark on his chest “is not wise to those waterways.” Tyne nodded as if expecting them both to agree. Caelum began to tinker with some powder, pouring it into a set of three glasses filled with ale. While he did this he voiced an interest in reaching out his business influence to Kalea as well, saying he’d want to send some cargo along with Tyne, if he didn’t object. Tyne was far from finding fault anywhere in this situation. Two prospective clients and a relatively short jaunt across the narrowest part of the Suvan? Smooth sailing as it were. “I’m a sociable sort when need bubbles up. If contacts be what ya want of the mountain people, why don’t I just bring ‘em some o’ dis?” Tyne raised the jug of rum, showing his white teeth in a crooked half smile. The Svefra leaned forward and took the offered ale. “Friends are easily found when the profit be swift. There be anyone in particular I should seek whence lashed to the dock in old Post?” Tyne inquired with a sniff of the ale. He nibbled at the cheese and took a swig. Ale was something he could drink easily, a close second behind the sweet burn of Kenashian rum. However, he was used to a certain roughness. The herbs and powders Caelum put into the glass caught him by surprise. It was not the usual booze any longer and Tyne was warming to the new brew fast. He may have to make it a habit of gracing this bar with his patronage. Kavala began to describe quite a thundercloud of a man, and Tyne was growing increasingly doubtful about wanted to meet him. But by her words she was looking for more hospitable people to deal with at the moment. “Seen a few, aye. Ne’er had a cordial frien’ship as it were. Just too different in me ‘onset opinion, not to take none away. Me? I’m like the water, moving about and going every which way. Isur are like stone, all set in their stoney land. I just ‘aven’t found myself makin’ port there.” Tyne shrugged, and after a moment broke out in a burst of chuckles. “Now that me mind is on it, I remember dis one bucko. I swear he could pound horseshoes inta chandeliers!” Tyne half stood, waving his hands out in front of him theatrically. “He done drank that Akalak under the table, wee little thing an’ all. Guts like tempered steel, that one.” He sat down again, grinning to himself. “Drank me under de table too as it were.” Aware that he might have turned his metaphorical rudder astray from the conversation for a moment, Tyne coughed and leaned in for another bit of cheese, this time lighter. “Now me Splendor be lashed up down de wharf. You can take a look inside her hull if you need to. An’ I ‘ave to inquire into the nature of the honey. Will there be any special directions pertaining to the maintenance and or purity of said product?” Tyne was struggling with the language a bit, his heavy accent bleeding through the more he spoke. He wondered offhand if either of them were versed in Fratava. But the Svefra knew enough to not ask. He could speak common after all, as long as the words were shortish. He nibbled again on the cheese and downed the rest of Caelum’s altered ale. “This is blessing on the tongue, friend.”

[Caelum]

“What’s the name of their leader, Kavala? And what’s an Anvil? Other than a piece of forging equipment, I mean.” Curiosity piqued in the ethaefal. He leaned back with a comfortable creak of his chair, glass in hand and ankle propping on the opposite knee. "I've never been to the Southern Trading Post," he explained. "Nor do I know much about the Isur. They have quality medicines, better than our own?" His eyebrows raised, immediately hooked. "Do you think we should invest in some purchases there? Kavala and I are both healers," Caelum then explained to Tyne. "She's really rather extraordinary and is the best physician I have ever met. I personally haven't tried my hand much at philtering medicines, though, and stick primarily to herbal remedies." A sudden thought occurred to him and he looked back at Kavala. "Do you think there might be the copies of any books or instructions regarding the philtering of their medicines? I'd love to get my hands on something like that." He would of course need to begin his study in the much more basic aspects of philtering, but it would be fascinating as well as incredibly useful to have such a set of medicinal "recipes" on hand when he did finally obtain a higher degree of skill. It might have been reassuring to see Caelum actively expressing a desire of his own that was not seeded by the need of another. He did possess needs of his own, but they could be harder to ascertain than even these precious philtering instructions he spoke of. "I put candied mint leaves, bee pollen, and a tonic in with the rum," he answered Kavala's question regarding what he had put into their drinks. The result was a sharp, refreshing taste with just enough sweet to make the rum go down with ease. It would also came with a punch of health benefits ranging from restored energy, soothed stomach, and clarity of mind. "It's new. You'll have to tell me what you think, and if maybe anything should be changed. I'm not entirely sure about the taste, though I am glad you're enjoying it, Tyne." He squinted at them and ultimately leaned back in his seat. One ankle propped on the opposite knee and strong shoulders slumped nobly. Light from the tall windows glimmered off the pale curve of his horns and his smile grew deep and fond as he watched the svefra rise to illustrate his story. Tyne Brightcrest was an exceedingly likable man, he decided, and one who had probably had a wealth of stories he'd be interested to hear. "I'd love a look at your Splendor when we're done here, actually. I've an interest in boats and I've never actually been aboard a casinor before." He was also a shrewd enough businessman to recognize the potential tactics of another. It was not so much that he doubted Tyne's kept a clean ship, but more than he preferred to see things with his own eyes.