Closed The Summit of Inequity

[Toan Onox]

The Summit of Inequity
Autumn 30th 514 AV, 18th Bell
Location: Aquillar Hot Springs

Sunberth. If it weren't for his hasty decision to skip Nyka then they wouldn't have wound up in this armpit of the world, but what else could he expect rather than face the disgrace in knowing those parsimonious bastards would look down at him, what with their noses raised so high even the Ukalas felt an outlandish snort of mockery. He'd messed up big time while he was there and in turn that cost him in more ways than one, as it'd scarred his own body as well as his slightly built reputation as an artist there. That mattered no longer, to them the "thief" they found was no longer around. In fact he'd disappeared and for all they could care, he could've wound up in the depths of the Aperture and rotted to oblivion. A meaningless and pointless existence by then, while the fruits of his labor hadn't even been planted at the time. Still it was all gone now and he knew better to move on, the fact he could cut his losses and accept them so easily rather disturbed him, then again he wasn't prone to fancy the brutish style that the Nykan's had about their daily lives.

Now of course he'd downgraded to this... A city full of thugs and ruffians just as he would be labelled as, although there had to no doubt be some form of potential here. That of course would remain to be seen as both he and his bondmate unpacked all their basic essentials, ever so cautious of their environment as the artist didn't dare make such an obscure mistake on their part. They'd arrived a couple of bells ago and with a bit of given direction found their way here, at a bathhouse that at least didn't smell half as bad as the rest of the city. Rotten. Just rotten. How will I make a turn for the better in a place that's only worse compared to where I started? Ravok would've done me only ill, and Eyris only knew where the other boats would've led us to. He had to take that into account and consider his blessings still present, granted they could've ended up on some Gods forsaken spit of land that would've ended their lives. The thought alone made him shudder as he imagined the thought of little to no civilization, which in turn made the outlook on Sunberth a little less grimmer now that he truly thought about it.

"Finally!" The young Kelvic fox said as he entered with the door to shut behind him. "I've been waitin' to piss all damn day. Do you have any idea how annoying it was dealin' with them sailors? All they talked about was petchin' whores and pissin' everywhere when we reached Sunberth, hope to Vayt they actually catch a disease for it." Those words brought a sudden sweat to Toan as he realized that could very well be another problem, granted that a large number of Sunberth's populace is already... unhealthy. Now he had to fear the fact he could be induced with some unwanted illness, one that would likely take the hands of Rak'keli herself to heal knowing their luck. He hung his head in shame for a moment, as he felt ready to tear some sheets of parchment to shreds at this point. "Master... Are you feelin alright?"

He realized how foolish he must be acting then, already he began to worry about what was possible, when he didn't know what truly existed out there. He chuckled then as he allowed a soft smirk to form on his face, a look cast over his shoulder to Ven as he responded with enthusiasm. "Worry not Ven, I'll make do I'm sure. But you must remember that I'm not to be called that anymore, especially now of all times since we're staying here in Sunberth. Understand?"

"Sure." He gave a shrug of his shoulders along with the answer. "So what do I call you?"

"When we're alone you call me by name, as for when we're around other people... Nato." He issued with a serious look cast the Kelvic's way. "We'll have to think of a good alias to provide you for a while, seeing as how we're going to spend an awful long time here." His gaze averted down to the table he stood nearby, the sketchbook rested on the surface as he tried to think on a new plan of action they were to follow.

[Ireth Telemnar]

What little sleep Ellemyer allowed Ireth was filled with nightmares. She tossed and turned in her little makeshift bunk below deck, writhing under her blanket as images of horror danced through her stressed little mind. She awoke with a start, her face and arms covered in slick cold sweat and her eyes flying around the room as she came to the realization that the mirages before her had only been those of another nightmare. Beside her, her precious daughter, whose lush pale skin nearly glowed in the darkness, slept peacefully upon a nest of blankets, her hands clenching and unclenching as her unconscious mind exercised its motor skills.

Ireth released a sigh of relief. Everything was alright. Well, most everything. She and Elle were alive with a few things to their name and some money in their pocket. Of course, on the other hand, Ireth had fled Nyka with Toan with a stormily unclear future. She'd left the beautiful city that she'd come to call home, and although she had still thought herself a newcomer to Nyka, Ire had made a good many friends that she had also left behind. Killigan and Oire and Nya and Tynibi...

Then she remembered the utter look of disgust that Tynibi had given her the last time they'd met, all because of Ireth's closeness to the thief Toan...

He was one of her dearest friend. She would not abandon him unless her or Elle's lives were in danger.

'It was for the best...' Ireth thought as she eased herself up from the bunk and dressed, careful to keep the rustling of her garments to a minimum to avoid waking her child. Then, as she stood over the bed and watched the baby sleep, tears welled up in her eyes.

"I should have gone back to Ravok. I shouldn've gone back home."

Images flew through her mind of her homecoming. The looks on the faces of her brothers and her mother when they welcomed her back into their arms, as she introduced Ellemyer to them, as she entered back into the proper life of one of Ravoks great fishermen, though her father is now gone.

Then Elle woke up. Her face scrunched up as she prepared to squall. But Ireth lifted her from where she lay and cradled her close to her heart. "It's okay, little one. It's okay. Shhh..." Ireth sat on the bunk again and opened her wooden trunk, drawing forth a clean diaper and tunic for her daughter. She laid Ellemyer down and drew off her tunic, first pulling her arms from the sleeves, then pulling it off from over her head. This movement caused the child's soft blonde hair to stick up with static, allowing Ireth a small smile of amusement. The diaper was filled, and Ireth drew ragged breaths in through her mouth, not yet used to the stench. She unpinned the corners that held the cloth around her daughters arse and put them between her lips for safekeeping. Ire then unfolded the diaper and pulled it out from beneathe Elle, making sure not to spill any of the contents. Using a bit of water from her waterskin and a clean corner of the used diaper, she wiped the baby's bum clean and tied the used cloth up in a bundle for her to wash later.

Ireth took the clean diaper cloth and folded it in half, meeting opposite corners to create a triangle. She moved Elle's bum onto the longest side of the cloth and folded the three corners in around her daughter, making them snug. Ire drew forth the pins from her lips and secured the diaper, giving Ellemyer a little tickle before dressing her in another little tunic. The child made delighted little gaspy sounds, bouncing and squirming around on the bed while Ireth fought to hold her still. "You'll be hungry soon too, little one. Best not confine you to your cradleboard just yet with that being the case." So Ireth swaddled her daughter in a blanket and left the room with the intention of finding her friend and his companion.