Knowledge is Power [Aranta]

[Snaeha Datura]

He had clearly noticed her frigid tone, so Snaeha cleared her throat (he'll think you've got some horrid disease if you keep doing that) before she spoke again. "The Meadows is as good a place as any." By that, she meant that The Meadows Public House catered for Non-Symenestra clientele. Aranta's presence would not raise any eyebrows or suspicion there.

As they headed towards the exit of the Cribellum, Snaeha nodded politely to the crop-haired librarian. Dra-Nesyria gave a tight, unfriendly smile in return, and muttered under her breath, "don't come back too soon." Snaeha ignored the passive-aggressive comment.

She was too busy quizzing Aranta. "Do Zith drink alcohol?" It would not really fit their primal lifestyle, she thought, but the idea of a bunch of drunkards flying in the sky was somehow sickly amusing. She herself favoured sweet wine, though Snaeha knew that the stuff at The Meadows was far from the finest alcohol in the land.

.

[Aranta]

Aranta briefly wondered if it was a normal thing for Symenestra women who weren't related to each other to be so hostile to one another, but he was distracted by Snaeha's question. He knew where the Meadows was, knew that it was a gathering place for socializing, but he had no clue what alcohol was. "No," he said simply, wrapping his wings around himself in an improvised cloak once again; he would never get why other races were so finicky about nudity, or near-nudity. Aranta himself preferred wearing the least that he could get away with, as fabric tended to rub his fur the wrong way. It also hindered his movements, made him just slightly more clumsy. "I do not know what this... alcohol is, but I don't believe we drink it. Zith only drink water and fresh fruit juices."

[Snaeha Datura]

"Oh, alcohol is great." Snaeha responded enthusiastically. As a young woman, much of her time was spent at The Hunters' Gather, socialising with the colourful individuals there, who spent most of their time gambling or nursing their drinks. Men would buy her drinks there, and she could flirt her way through the night, spending hardly a penny but ingesting more than her fair share of wine. "It leads to many great memories."

And what memories would be created today? A hungry little voice asked in the back of Snaeha's mind. She - the sensible part of her conscious - refused to answer, but once again lewd images flashed in front of her eyes, and Snaeha had to truly concentrate to not trip up. Oh yes, alcohol, Aranta, and you... What fun could be had?

"There are beds there, too." Instantly Snaeha's grey skin flushed with faint pink, and she choked and spluttered on her own words. Which she had said outloud. And not in her head.

Recover, recover, recover!

"Which is helpful for the wandering... traveller."

oocI am finding it way too amusing to have Snaeha be so desperate and gushing

.

[Aranta]

OOCJust gonna bs some Zith phsyiology here... XD Aranta briefly wondered if Snaeha was coming down with something; her heartbeat was all over the place, and so was her tone of voice. It was nothing at all like the way the Symenestra usually acted, but she didn't smell sick; that was one of the few things Zith could pick up on easily without having to concentrate to sort out different smells. Zith relied far more on their hearing and sight than they did on their sense of smell; compared to the former two senses, the latter was incredibly weak. "Beds are nice," he agreed readily enough. And beds were-- after lots of tossing and turning and trying to figure out how to sleep on them without getting his claws caught or his wings tangled in the sheets. "I am not sure about this alcohol, though," he continued. "It is a type of drink? What makes it so special?"

[Snaeha Datura]

Snaeha had never really wondered what was in alcohol; she had always been too busy enjoying herself to ask such questions. "I think its made with sugar and wheat, or barley or something." She replied vaguely, shrugging her shoulders. "Have you never seen a drunk person before?" It seemed strange that he may not have done -- but then again, her friend seemed to have not even heard of alcohol before now, it was clearly non-existent in the Zith culture.

The journey time to The Meadows was short, and it had taken only five chimes or so for the two to reach the tavern. Unsurprisingly, there were only a handful of other individuals inside. It took barely a tick for Snaeha to choose a seat before she slid into it. "What would you like for your first taste of alcohol?" She asked with a grin, pointing to a menu that listed of each drink and it's price.

.

[Aranta]

Aranta shook his head. "I stay outside," he explained. He really wasn't too terribly fond of enclosed spaces, no matter how spacious they might be. The Zith followed Snaeha into the Meadows, sitting down in a seat across from the Symenestra. He glanced at the menu and then back to Snaeha, shrugging. "I am learning to read," he reminded her. "I am not very good. What do they have?"

[Neologism]

It wasn't surprising when the Zith was met with hostility. Although Kalinor accepted the race, with less prejudice than other cities, the Meadow's Public House was one of the few places that Zith were informally banned from. Especially with such a valued guest currently taking up residence. It didn't take long for Laudavyn himself to appear, meeting the Symenestra and her Zith company at the door. Rutreg, their current guest, sat in the corner of the Meadow's main room, looking through a book on Virates. However it did not take him long to catch onto the sudden tense aura of the room, which slowly lowered his pages as he took in the two at the entrance.

"I'm afraid, I will have to ask you to leave." The Aconite met the Datura's eyes but refused to look at the Zith. "And I would expect that you would take our guest into consideration next time." The lanky Symenestra didn't look back at Rutreg, who had dropped his jaw at the sight of Aranta. "Now." The male Symenestra ushered them out the door as one of his niece's offered Rutreg a mug of tea. It was clear that the entire room had been immediately put on edge, fearful of scaring their unique guest.

oocZith are not generally welcome in the Meadows, especially when there is a human guest. I would suggest you guys visit another tavern, like the Hunter's Gather. Sorry, but it would be very unlikely that the two would simply be able to walk in, especially with the current circumstances.

[Snaeha Datura]

Snahea was aghast. She had, after all, been smart (or so she thought), in selecting the Meadows, as it was the only tavern to cater for non-Symenestra clients. "The wine tastes like piss here, anyway." She muttered in Common to Aranta, trying to reassure her friend -- and to save face as well. She had never been asked to leave an establishment before, and her ego was well and truly bruised.

With a final indignant sniff, Snaeha stood and strode out of the tavern, huffing out great puffs of air to truly show her displeasure. Once they were both free of the hostility, Snaeha made her thoughts well and truly clear, "What an arse." She stated in a flighty tone, "you'd think he ran a famous and celebrated tavern, where Viratas himself drank and ate." Her anger had meant that the words, beginning in Common, had leaked into her mother tongue.

With a final, slightly calmer breath, Snaeha finally addressed her friend. "I'm sorry about that. I suppose we should try the Hunters Gather." In truth, the largely Symenestra tavern was her favourite of the two, but now the place seemed like a resented silver trophy.

oocOops, sorry about that

.

[Aranta]

Aranta briefly debated baring his teeth at the other Symenestra before following Snaeha, but decided that would be immature, and Aranta was no longer a pup. Instead, he settled for gazing steadily at the man, his head tilted slightly, and not blinking for a moment before he followed Snaeha. He was gratified to hear the old man's heartbeat racing as he walked away, and he couldn't stop a small smirk as he caught up with Snaeha. As the Symenestra ranted, Aranta was slightly amused to note that she had seemingly slipped into Symenos without realizing it; Aranta still got the gist of Snaeha's words, though. It was hard to miss, with how the young woman was practically vibrating with indignation. When Snaeha apologized, Aranta shook his head. "It is nothing to be sorry for," he said firmly. "Many Symenestra do not like Zith-- I am used to being treated this way." That last bit may have been a tiny bit of a lie-- while Aranta had not been denied access to a building(not that he went inside many, anyway), he was well used to Symenestra pulling their children away from him, or crossing to walk as far from him as possible. He saw the fear in their eyes, heard it in their pounding heartbeats, and he had long ago accepted it. Had accepted it before he'd even left his colony. His life would never be easy, he knew that. He nodded along with her suggestion. "I have not been there, either," he offered, trying to distract Snaeha back into the happier mood they'd been sharing earlier. "I have not actually explored much of this city."

[Snaeha Datura]

Snaeha's pout did not lift as they made their way to their alternative venue. Zith were greeted with hostility at the best of times, she knew that. Snaeha was not as naive as she allowed others to believe, but still their experience at the Meadows had shaken her. The way the Aconite Symenestra had blatantly refused to even glance at Aranta, the cold tone he had used to address her! Her life had been an easy one, complete with parents that spoilt her and brothers that treated her like a princess. She had exactly nought experiences of hardship or mistreatment.

So be told to leave an establishment so harshly, so suddenly, was more than a shock to Snaeha. Surely she - as a pure Symenestra - should have been enough for Aranta to be accepted into the tavern. The Aconite, in rejecting her friend, had rejected Snaeha's blood and heritage.

Her thoughts, even more angry and poisonous than when they had initially left the Meadows, were still fixated as they entered the Hunters Gather. In fact, over the course of her journey, Snaeha's active mind and colourful imagination had only increased her dislike for the Aconite Symenestra. He had not only insulted her friend and bloodline, but her entire family! Her looks! Her hair! Actually, the more Snaeha thought about it, the more she realised that her new enemy (for she would not name him) had pretty much insulted every single thing Snaeha valued.

Turned out Snaeha Datura held quite the grudge.

"Here we are." She grumbled moodily, entering the Hunters Gather. There were, as to be expected, a few of the usual faces sitting at tables and drinking from tankards. Instantly, Snaeha delivered each of them a challenging a look.

In the far corner, someone asked loudly, "What's her problem?"


.