Open I'd Rather Smell the Ocean than...Shyke

[Dor'gen]

6th Day of Fall, 514 AV

The Savage was at a disadvantage.

For well over two centuries, he had been cultivated in the bosom of the forest. He memorized its twists and turns, thrived in the face of its beasts, and committed its ways to memory. Yet, so shortly after stepping out of the realm he had called home for so long, Dor'gen found himself in a new type of jungle. Unlike the countless trees and beaten trails of his beloved Taloba, the city of Sunberth was a labyrinth of stone. What's more, every corner seemed to have a pale-faced mongrel lurking in the shadows; awaiting hungrily for the chance to lash out at a new victim. However, the Akalak found that these Humans were not brazen enough to test him...at least, not yet. He noticed the glances and hushed words in passing, yet not once had he been the victim of an attempted theft.

Perhaps it was because he had only been in the den of thieves for less than a fortnight...or perhaps it was because he was a Giant among Men.

Regardless, now that he was away from home, it would have been easy to settle into stagnation. He, like so many foreigners, could simply settle into taking odd jobs here and there before falling into an addiction to ale and wenching. However...this was not the path that the Savage desired to take. To simply sit back in ease was abhorrent in the eyes of Myri; and by extension, Dor'gen. As such, having finally ironed out his living situation, the Akalak rose moderately early in order to stave off stagnation. Upon dressing and arming himself to the teeth, Dor'gen descended from his apartment within the Quarters and entered the city proper. Of course, he was greeted by a myriad of things that were putrid to every last sense he possessed.

The stench of filth offended his nostrils. The ragged architecture was terrible to look at. The din of drunken sailors was irksome...and it felt as though the very air was as thick as a blanket.

'Remind me, one more time, why you insisted on this shyke-hole?' inquired the oh-so smug voice in the rear of the Savage's mind. 'Shut up.' came Dor'gen's silent response, complete with a literal roll of the eyes. Being that the whole of the city was more disgusting than what he wanted to deal with this morning, the Savage decided to do a little exercise...far away from the smell. Turning about, the towering Akalak began his voyage towards the east with long, confident strides. However, before he even drew near to the edge of the slums, his pace began to pick up. Faster and faster his legs moved, ultimately resulting in a brisk jog.

Now there was a sight: a purple giant jogging down the street.

Being that jogging was not necessarily his "thing", the Savage's stamina left much to be desired. He cleared a few blocks before the protest of his lungs demanded that he lessen his pace. With reluctance, he complied and slowed to a brisk walk whilst attempting to catch his breath. Once he had managed to do so, Dor'gen began a cycle. He jogged for as far as he could, then slowed to a walk. This pattern continued long after he broke free from the city limits and finally came to an end upon reaching the beach of Baroque Bay. Sweat characterized his being at this point, causing his undershirt to stick to his form as he raised his arms above his head. Practically panting, Dor'gen began walking about breathing heavily...before he noticed just where he was.

Taloba was divinely lacking in the marine scenary department...and what the jungle lacked, this beach definitely had. For one, the stench of the city was held at bay by a gentle, ocean breeze. It smelt of salt and felt wonderful upon his skin. Striding forward, the Savage opened his arms wide and breathed in deep; allowing the cool of the air to wash over him like a wave. 'At least there's something decent about this place.' he commented to Goa, who responded with a grunt. All things considered, there were worse places to be...namely within the city limits.
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[Nellie Hawkins]

"Stupid shyke. Why'd you 'ave to dig yerself so petchin' deep, anyway?" The words were addressed to an as-yet unseen audience: the clam that Nellie was after neither heard nor cared that she was struggling to unearth it. Still, the litany of complaints and cursing continued to flow, quietly, from the young woman's lips as she pressed deeper into the sandy muck.

The more she dug, the more she regretted her path that morning. On impulse, she had decided to venture away from the docks; the scenery was depressing there, and the sailors were coarse company so early in the day. Her adventurous decision had netted her precisely nothing, even after nearly a bell of searching. The quarry she now chased was the first she'd seen and seemed determined not to make her hunt easy.

Her efforts so far had met with very limited success: she'd found a clam ring, finally, and one of the largest she'd seen yet on the beaches. Digging down to its creator, however, was proving to be no small feat. Her shovel wasn't meant for this kind of work, and Nelile struggled to keep the hole cleared of sand. Each time she brought a spade full up, the sea seeped in and washed more sand down from the sides. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was certain that Laviku was laughing at her efforts.

But progress was being made, however slight, and Nellie refused to give up after investing so much effort. Rather, she dug all the faster, fairly flinging the sand out of the hole and over her shoulder. Small bits covered her back and fell into her hair, but she had given herself to the challenge and besides - what was a little dirt to a fishmonger from the 'berth? She continued to dig.

Ticks later, though unseen beneath the sludgy waters, Nellie heard the telltale clank of shovel hitting shell and a grin spread across her face. She abandoned her shovel, laying it down in a pile of recently deposited sand and thrust both hands into the newly excavated sand before her. Sure enough, the sharp edge of a clam met her fingers, not hard enough to slice skin, but she winced just the same.

Delicately, slowly, she began working her hands into the sand around the clam, eyes widening when she realized how big the petchin' thing was. Finally, the protective sand was loosened enough for her to work her hands around and under the clam, pulling it decisively from its hiding spot and holding it aloft for inspection. Easily the size of her clenched fist, the clam was well worth every chime of struggle. If this one was any indication of what could be found, Nellie decided immediately that this was her new favorite beach.

Victorious and feeling rather proud of herself, she dropped her prey into the bucket with a flourish. The resounding metallic clanking seemed loud and out of place in the stillness of the beach, and Nellie started in spite of herself, looking around instinctively to see who may have heard her, flinching back when she spotted a large - very large - and heavily armed purple behemoth headed her way.

She squeaked involuntarily and immediately hated herself for it. It was a sound that screamed 'fear' and 'surprise' and neither of those were good emotions to telegraph when you were on a deserted beach, faced with someone who looked like they could snap you in half. Confidence, stupid. At least look like you can maybe put up a fight!

Taking her own advice, she stood, lifted her chin and tried to look, if not frightening, at least not scared.

"Mornin,'" she offered the greeting coolly, inwardly proud that her voice sounded normal, and no longer shrill and squeaking.

[Lo'campo]

He was in deep thought this time as he headed for the beach. He really needed to learn his way around this petching city. It was a good thing that he wasn't needed anywhere at the moment, or he would have been late for what ever it may have been. He had been walking for bells now, so long in fact, that he had forgotten why he had traveled out towards the sea in the first place. Now he was focusing on finding out where he was. The blue giant looked one way, then the other unsure of where he was. He could tell though that he was in the more dangerous part of the city by the shady characters that glanced in his direction. The thought of one of the bastards making a move on him made him wish that they did. He needed to kill, the thought of their blood upon his blade made him want to start trouble. Keeping his head low and pulling his arms in, Lo'campo attempted to make himself appear smaller than he already was. Maybe if he tried hard enough they would attack and then he could take their lives. They didn't take the bait. Now what was he to do. He could find another target, or continue on to Sunberth's waters now that he had found he way. Not paying attention he bumped into a large figure that pushed him back. Lo'campo was caught off guard. He didn't know anything that would be tall enough to push him back with that much force. Regaining himself and preparing to go on the offensive, he looked at his new found target hoping that it was one of the goons that he had saw before. What stood before him was not a goon, but another Akalak. He stood about an inch taller than him with a darker hue that made his skin violet colored. He now stood face to face with the man. It had been a long time since he had seen another Akalak face to face. The man stood straight up as Lo'campo did his body muscular and cut, his long silver hair partially covering scars on his face and traveling down his back.What was to happen next? A fight? Introductions? Taking no risks, the blue warrior slipped his hand inside his robe and grasped his lakan. He had to be prepared if things were to get out of hand. He could hear his heart beat in his chest. Chimes past and the wind blew yet still neither Akalak said a thing to the other. Who was to apologize? Lo'campo for not paying attention, or the violet giant for running into him? He noticed a small woman on the beach digging in the sands. By the look on her face she looked scared. Looking to himself and then the violet man, Lo'campo silently laughed. He could only imagine how the woman felt with the two of them there, plus he didn't need a witness placing him anywhere if something violent were to happen. Brushing the encounter off his shoulders for now, he decided to go apologize to the woman for making a scene. Putting his hood over his head so the heat of the sun would not bake his skin, he moved to the warm sand, soaking the warmth through his feet after removing his footwear before it became to more painful then soothing forcing him to roll up his robes and tip toe to the waters to cool them down. Deciding to stay in the water, Lo'campo watched his fellow giant now intrigued that another of his race resided in Sunberth.

[Dor'gen]

What tore the Savage away from the cool embrace of the wind was something that he did not anticipate. Sure, upon his arrival he was greeted with the sound of furious digging and a few grunts; but he promptly dismissed that as someone going about their business at the beach. However, when he perceived a shrill squeak, Dor'gen absolutely had to see what had made such a noise. Turning, the Akalak lowered his arms and placed his gaze upon the young woman...who looked as though she were hunting for treasure in the sand. Armed with a shovel, there was dirt on her front and in her hair; a fact that caused a light chuckle to escape his lips. After a moment, Dor'gen noted that her eyes were upon him...and the pieces slid into place.

"Same to you." he said simply, regarding her with a respectful nod. However, the bemused grin only grew once he realized what had happened...Apparently she had not been expecting to turn around and see a giant standing with his arms wide open. Honestly, Dor'gen was beginning to grow accustomed to such responses to his presence; for the humans of the sordid city were not exactly used to bumping into giants in the streets. Regardless, the Savage did his best to wipe the smirk off of his face before taking a slow step forward. "The name's Dor'gen...And if you don't mind my asking, what's you-" he began, before being rudely cut off by the presence of another. Out of nowhere, the collision of a body against his set the fires of instinct raging about the Akalak's system.

Turning on his heel, the Savage gave the sod a solid shove with his dominant hand; which then flew to the hilt of his sword. They slid around the weapon and almost tore it from its scabbard; yet restraint afforded the Akalak a moment to choose whether or not to escalate the situation. After all, this was not the Jungle; where such a bump could mean life or death. No, this was a city of mankind, where such carelessness could have been expected. However, Dor'gen did not move. His fingers remained coiled about the hilt of his weapon whilst his shield-arm awaited any sudden movements; for a swift bash with the armament could provide an easy opening. However, upon taking a moment to assess his "opponent", the Savage noted a surprising fact:

'Twas a fellow Akalak...the first Dor'gen had seen in well over a century.

Despite this amazing fact, the Savage did not allow commonalities of species to affect his guard. Instead, he held fast and watched; noting his fellow Akalak's reaching for his own weapon. However, as a moment of tension slid past, he simply...walked away without saying so much as a "pardon me". Now, while this would have irked civilized folks, Dor'gen was accustomed to such behavior and was partially glad that he did not have to engage a fellow Akalak. "We'll have to keep an eye on that one." came Goa's remark; which was met with a silent nod. With the situation over, the Savage returned his attention to the woman...whilst keeping the other Akalak in his line of sight...and offered a slight smile.

"So...ah...Whatcha got there in the bucket?" he inquired, before recalling that he was in the city of thieves and cutthroats. Raising his swordhand in a non-threatening manner, he quickly added: "Not that I'm looking to rob you or anything. Just...erm...curious." If it seemed that conversation was not Dor'gen's thing...

...It really petching wasn't. Not by a long shot.
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[Nellie Hawkins]

In the ticks after her greeting, dark eyes skimmed over the man before her. Nellie found her first impression reinforced on closer inspection: definitely a very large man. But, once she'd gotten past the sheer intimidating size, the details began to stand out, not reassuring her at all. Scars crossed what skin she could see, evidence of a life lived hard and not likely peaceably. In her experience, men did not gain scars like that by avoiding or even losing fights. Another flutter of fear echoed her thoughts, and her grip on the shovel tightened convulsively.

But the giant focused oddly light eyes on her and returned her greeting in an entirely unexpected way: with polite words and civilized manners.

The unexpected response rendered her speechless for a moment but the man took the weight of conversation on himself, for which Nellie was sincerely grateful. She used the short reprieve to school her features into something less offensive than the surprise that she knew was showing, and to calm the nerves that had been jumping since she'd first noticed his presence.

Her thoughts and the purple beast's - Dorgen's words were cut off abruptly by the arrival of yet another giant, this one blue. Unable to stop herself, Nellie shrank back at the sudden collision and resultant violence. Though each kept their weapons sheathed, the barely contained aggression and tension were contagious. The confrontation lasted only chimes, but standing there with a shovel and a bucket as her only defense, Nellie felt as though it had been bells.

When the blue giant stalked off down the beach, her sigh of relief was nearly audible, though she found her fingers slow to release their iron grip on the handle of her clamming shovel. Dorgen seemed to have no such compunction, however, simply turning to face her once more and continuing as though the interruption had never happened.

Nellie's eyes flitted from purple to blue and back again in a strange mix of confusion and unease. A blank stare met his words as she stood, uncomprehending for the moment. Taking in the upraised hand, the small smile, the awkward words, she shook her head in bemused silence. With effort, she forced herself to match his casual tone and attitude, ignoring the previous incident as best she could.

"I - ah - clams. A clam, anyway. Its not much ta steal," the words seemed to flow of their own accord, easier now that she'd broken the dam. "I'm Nellie," she finished lamely, answering his partial question from earlier. "Its nice ta meet you...?"

She couldn't help that the last statement sounded decidedly like a question; it was a question. She hadn't decided yet if staying to talk had been a foolish move that would result in death or injury, or, unlikely as it seemed, a friendship. Shifting her grip on the shovel, she stood there awkwardly, unsure of what else, if anything, she should say to the giant in front of her.

[Lo'campo]

Sliver hair falling down over his dark face that now faced the sandy shore as the Akalak sat at the waters edge. Eye's slowly glacing over to the woman and violet colored giant, Lo'campo wondered who the man was. He had seen Akalak in Sunberth before, but something sat on Lo'campo's shoulders telling him that this person was different somehow. A killer? No, couldn't be, too upfront noticing as he walked up to the clam digger introducing himself and holding conversation. He could tell by looking at the man that he wasn't a threat,or hasn't shown it at least, but he also knew that his past didn't match the tone used when speaking, his scars were enough proof of that. Then there was the encounter where he ever so rudely ran into Lo'campo. If he was so "nice" as he was portraying to be, why didn't he apologize on the spot? A better, why didn't he confront the man instead of walking off? The beach was quiet, the waves speaking out to him with every crash and recede on the shore. High tide had to be coming in seeing that the water had gotten significantly closer than when he first sat. Boredom started creeping in, the urge of needing something to do increasing with every chime passing. He could have just left, but wanted to stay to meet the fellow giant whether it be civilized or uncivilized. Small little legs made imprints in the sand, a crab slowly traveling to his robes and giving a light pinch onto his clothing. Petching animal, stabbing the crustacean with his lakan before tossing it back out to sea. That satisfied his being bored for a while only to bring back the feeling. Waters crashed to the shore this time bringing a few oddly shaped rocks to the shore. He picked them up in hand analyzing them, they were solid, with some type of ridge looking as if one could open them, but who was he to judge nature. Taking the lot in hand, he began flinging them through the air and across the water. He enjoyed this, the rocks odd shape making them easier to grasp and able to skip across the water. Before long, he ran out of his own supply and began looking for more to no avail until he laid eyes on the bucket that the woman had nearly filled with her own. Was she collecting them? It was true, they were strange looking things, but not to strange to be collectible. Finding his more polite voice which still sounded similar to his natural abysmal sound, he approached the two from the side so he didn't catch them by surprise. Hood over his head he spoke."Sorry to interupt, but I have seemed to run out of my own rocks to skip out into the water, can I use some of yours if it isn't a problem?" His word were meant for the woman though his eyes looked towards the man from under his head wear. A closer look of the man made Lo'campo think that he was older seeing a more primed skin and muscle that had to be built up from over the years compared to his own toned build. Studying the man up and down he noticed the sword from before, but no lakan. "An Akalak with no lakan hmm?" he asked his curiosity getting the best of him. He wanted to know who this man was, not for conversation, but to see if he would be a formidable ally...or enemy. Quite selfish and unreasonable yes, but this was Sunberth, and it was full of surprises. He didn't like surprises.

[Dor'gen]

As the young woman began to speak, the aging Akalak took a moment to make himself moderately comfortable. He spaced his legs shoulder-width apart, relaxed his joints, and folded his arms about his chest. His attention, for the most part, was placed upon the woman as she introduced himself; and a light smile began to play upon his lips. Of course, Dor'gen was not foolhardy enough to lower his guard...not by a longshot. For one, he was still within the sordid city of Sunberth...and there was also the matter of his fellow Akalak who was only a few paces away. Upon hearing her name, the Savage first gave a polite nod. "Nellie." he repeated, as if testing the very sound of it upon his lips and tongue.

"I've never met anyone with a name such as yours. And it is nice to meet you as well." As the words escaped his lips, the Akalak noted movement out of the corner of his eye. Apparently the hooded one had taken to skipping stones across the water's surface...but had stopped for some reason. Turning his face slightly, Dor'gen caught a glimpse of the brief search for additional stones before noting the man's approach. Instinct blazed through the Savage like a mighty inferno, inspiring the tensing of his muscles ever so slightly. When the hooded Akalak came to a halt, Dor'gen made certain not to make any sudden movements...for that could result in a premature confrontation.

When the hooded one made his inquiry, Dor'gen could not help but loft a brow. It came as a surprise to hear a full-grown man asking for stones; especially since he could have walked down the shore to find some more. However, he did not address this question, for it was more aimed at Nellie than he. What he did address, however, was the comment regarding his lacking of a Lakan. "What I have, or don't have, is none of your concern." he said curtly; fully aware of just how inflammatory his response may have been.
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[Nellie Hawkins]

Uncomfortably, Nellie's eyes shifted up and down the beach. Though Dor'gen seemed content to stand and exchange niceties, living in Sunberth had taught her that calm pleasantries were usually a prelude to decidedly less friendly arrangements. Once again, she cursed her profession and her own lack of preparation in coming alone, with no means of defense, to such a deserted spot.

Though, admittedly, it was much less deserted than she was comfortable with, she noted. The other giant had been keeping himself occupied near the water, to Nellie's mild relief, but now seemed intent on rejoining the conversation. His request took her entirely by surprise - rocks? - and Nellie met his eyes with a confused glance of her own. Flicking her gaze to the other male, who seemed no more enlightened than she, and even less curious, she followed the newcomer's pointed glance into her clamming bucket.

"Oh! These aren't - I mean -" she sputtered a bit, trying to find the balance between polite denial and an entirely inappropriate amusement. He clearly thought her clams were rocks, and he wanted to throw them back into the water. Under normal circumstances, surrounded by people, in a familiar environment, Nellie would have been tempted to set him straight and even try to sell him some clams. At the moment, however, she was more eager to end the conversation and avoid a repeat of the earlier tension. She settled for simplicity. "No. Sorry." The corners of her mouth twitched upward slightly in a semblance of a smile; the effort seemed to be wasted.

The behemoth's attention had turned to Dor'gen while she'd been thinking, and Nellie doubted her answer had even registered with him. He'd said something, she hadn't caught what, something about a lake? Whatever it was, it had elicited a cool response from Dor'gen, and Nellie retreated a step instinctively, in an effort to remove herself from what seemed to be inevitable impending violence.

'I'm going to get a nice, safe job. Swear to Dira. In a tavern somewhere,' she thought to herself. It was a measure of how unsettled she was feeling that working in a tavern in Sunberth was her first choice of 'safe' occupation.

[Lo'campo]

A smirk to the purple man's remark. "Thank you anyways ma'am" He spoke to the woman that refused to share he rocks though she had more than enough....Humans were weird. Turning his attention back to the seemingly taller man, Lo'campo gave him a quick look up and down. "You're right, that was none of my business, Lo'campo, nice to meet you." He said putting out his hand to greet the man. "My curiosity just caught the best of me, and I just had to know. I apologize if it upset you." His tongue burned with the fire of the words coming from his mouth. Why was he apologizing to this man after he first bumped into him, then gave a rude remark afterwards? If anything he should be giving him a small sample of what his fist tasted like. No, he had to keep it peaceful. It would be senseless to give a bad impression on a possible ally, or formidable enemy. Glancing back at the woman, who had a smile on her face, Lo'campo could tell that she was about ready to soil herself at the sight to the two giants. It made him laugh a bit on the inside seeing nothing more than a few words were passed between he and the violet Akalak, and yet she was looking as if their blades had crossed right before her eyes. Wind flowing through his hair, bring waves down onto the shore, Lo'campo stood his ground not taking his eyes off the man. Waiting for a response he shifted his weight. He dare not sit around people that he didn't know let alone trust. This was Sunberth after all. He was just surprised that there was another Akalak present in the city. Though all seemed peaceful on the beach, he could feel the tension in the area. His guard was up, the violet man's guard was up, the human though he couldn't be sure probably had something going on, but it did not worry him for he did not come to fight...Not yet anyways. All he wanted was a peaceful conversation and maybe make a new friend whether it be on good terms or bad. Hand still extended, the other running through his hair, he studied the scars along the man's face. He wanted to know what in the world he fought to get such things. Who was he? Where did he come from? Why didn't he have a lakan? Did he lose it? Did he never make one? The question went on and on in his head temporarily pulling him away from matters at hand. Stone cold eyes met his own as the two men stood. The violet warrior had to be studying him as well, the thought now rendering in his mind. Judging, thinking, planning on how to react to his greeting. Letting out a breath of impatience, Lo'campo clenched his jaw, things were dragging out. He gave a light smirk again to reassure that he meant no harm.

[Dor'gen]

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Strange.

For a moment, the Akalak could not grasp why the woman was not exactly dripping with conversation. As his gaze fell down upon her, he noticed that she not make a response to his previous statement; but instead kept her eyes plastered upon him and the other giant. At first, Dor'gen simply chocked it up to her being a native daughter of Sunberth; and as such conversation may not have been a commonality. However, as the towering man allowed his eyes to lazily look the young woman up and down...he came to notice the truth of the matter. This so-called Nellie was not exactly in an advantageous position. She did not look like she had any sort of fight in her, nor did she look like she had a single defined muscle on the whole of her body.

What's more, the only "armament" that Dor'gen could see on her person was the bucket filled with clams. In a pinch, she could hurl it at a potential attacker, but that was much akin to shaking a stick at a tempest. "She's probably regreting coming to the beach today." came the quiet musings of Goa, the Akalak's "darker" sibling. "Aye. Two Akalaks and only brought a bucket?" he replied, unable to contain a small smirk from forming upon his lips. 'Twas a touch amusing, he had to admit...the thought of getting a bucket thrown at him. Nonetheless, as his intentions were purely benign, the Akalak began to conceive some sort of way to inform Nellie that he meant her no harm.

But before he could so much as part his lips, the giant responded to his rather inflammatory remark.

Dor'gen found himself absolutely taken aback by the tameness of the Akalak's words. Initially, he was under the impression that the residents of Sunberth were quick to fight; especially if someone was being passively rude. However, this man did not so much as bat an eye before extending his palm and introducing himself. This...politeness instantly defused any of the snark that the Akalak harbored within and replaced it with a degree of tact. After all, there was no need to make himself seem like some sort of belligerent animal! A small sigh escaped Dor'gen's lips before he bent over. He placed his shield upon the sandy ground and promptly righted himself; before reaching behind his cloak with his now-free hand. There resided a scabbard, veiled from view, within which held his Lakan.

"If you absolutely must know," he began, tugging the weapon free. "I do have a Lakan, I just keep it conceiled, see?" With that said he revealed the Lakan to the light of Syna for only a tick, just long enough for Lo'campo's curiosity to be sated. Then, he promptly returned the weapon to its scabbard. "I'm not...Your typical Akalak I suppose. I'm not even from Riverfall, so brandishing my Lakan isn't a norm." he said, before reaching out with his dominant hand. He briefly, and firmly, grasped his fellow Akalak's hand and rendered a polite shake. Upon release, Dor'gen took a moment to retreave his shield from the earth and to hold it aloft once more.

'Twas then that he attempted to do Nellie a "favor". Clearing his throat ever so slightly, Dor'gen attempted to speak in the language that his sire had imparted to him. Tukant was not a tongue that Dor'gen frequently used, for he had no need to indulge in it. In fact, with the exception of speaking it around his sire, the Akalak had not uttered a single phrase of the language in almost a century! As such, it took him a great deal of effort to scour the furthest corners of his mind in hopes of retreaving the vocabulary required...but eventually he began to piece together a sentence in the Akalak native tongue. "Think I, She Scared. Us Big. Small She. Go Us, Food? Talk? Perhaps this was the olive branch required to make a new friend?

"Food-Drink-Place: Drunken Fish, Close. Go We?" he inquired, motioning with his head the direction of town. 'Twas then that the Akalak decided to adopt the Common tongue once more, for he was confident that he had butchered Tukant enough for one day. Turning his attention to Nellie, he said simply: "It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you find enough to fill your bucket!" These words were coupled with a warm smile before motion gripped Dor'gen's form. Turning on his heel, the towering man joustled the sand beneath his feet and began striding off in the direction of the city proper. If Lo'campo was gripped by curiosity and desired to know more about Dor'gen, this was the opportunity to follow.

If not, well, the Akalak was going to find himself a nice plate of food at the Drunken Fish...Maybe even a mug of cider to go with it.

Word Count818
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