Exploring is the Spice of Life (Open)

[Tao]

Tao finished working through the plants quickly, only becoming aware that he was being watched once he was finished. There had been a few wild onions and some other spices that were always useful to have in the kitchen. He looked up at Vendaril, clutching a handful of stalks that no doubt looked inedible, and smiled sheepishly at his rudeness.

As he packed away his prizes, he thought back to the little he knew about the Symenestra. They certainly didn't eat like most people he knew, though he didn't know what sort of cuisine they preferred. He made a mental note to look it up somewhere later; it could be interesting.

While he had been working, Vendaril had apparently been inspecting the animal tracks around the water. He raised his eyebrows as he was told about the trails. He couldn't possibly understand how one could tell that there was a goat out of some dust.

"So... what do you do now?" He asked, swinging his bag back onto his back. "I mean, they were here a while ago, but they're gone now..."

[Vendaril]

Vendaril, upon seeing Tao’s skepticism, flushed a little. “Well, at least I think it’s a goat. Like I said, I’m no expert.” He turned away quickly, looking downstream. “Whatever it was, it had hooves and it headed this way. You can grab whatever plants you need as we go, but try not to slow us down. This animal is moving as well as us – it’s like a race, but only we know its happening. Oh, and the animal gets a few hours head-start.” He picked up a brisk pace down the mossy rocks. At least this bit should be easier for Tao, he thought to himself. The water had worn away at the rocks over the years, and left it smoother than the surroundings, clear of any detritus. Of course he would now have to be careful not to slip, but even this clumsy specimen should be able to manage that.

Keeping his eyes to the ground, following the hoofmarks, Vendaril was surprised by how much his companions doubt had got to him, especially considering the detrimental thoughts Vendaril was having towards him. He resolved to attempt to be less touchy – that is as long as Tao didn’t do too much prying into his psyche. He walked in silence for a while, pausing every so often to check the track, to discover some droppings. Twice, he had to turn back to find his way again, scowling as he strode past Tao, trying to hide the red in his face. Eventually though, the tracks began to show signs of the animal looking to rest. This at least, he could tell.

Dropping to all fours, he grabbed some dust from the ground and rubbed it over himself, hoping to mask his scent a little, and decrease his visibility in the stark landscape. He indicated for Tao to follow suit, and he started forward again, hoping his prey was still asleep and he could take it unawares.

[Tao]

Startled by Vendaril's suddenly mood swing, Tao fell completely silent, unsure what had provoked him. He did his best to keep pace as usual, using the rocks and trees close to him to keep his balance. He slipped on the water worn rocks once while Vendaril was ahead, but managed to steady himself by throwing his hands out.

As the other man moved back and forth, staring at the ground and moving back and forth, Tao only watched, not quite understanding how it worked and resolving to just leave it to the expert. The Symenestra still seemed angry at any rate, and probably wouldn't appreciate his input.

After a while of the painfully awkward silence, something seemed to have changed. Tao was bemused as he watched Vendaril cover himself in dirt, then scuttling along on all fours. He looked very different standing like that, but much more comfortable at the same time.

He copied the man's actions as best he could, smearing some dirt on his face and hands (there was already plenty on his clothes, he reasoned). Still nervously silent and worried that he would ruin the man's hunt as well as insulting him, he followed after him, wondering what would happen next.

[Vendaril]

As the day wore on, Vendaril became more and more frustrated. He was certain the beast was near - everything around him was screaming this at him. He backtracked, went in circles and still found no animal. He hissed a blistering string of curses in Symenos as he traced the markings yet again. It was no use; trail simply went cold at the edge of a large spur of rock. Leaning against the jagged stone tooth, he let out an exasperated sigh. Tao was sitting a little way off, as he had been for hours, solemnly watching the Symenestra walking round and round. He had been very withdrawn lately - although so had Vendaril - but still, he hoped he hadn’t offended him. As odd as he was, he had an odd appeal so Vendaril, and not in the usual way a human would appeal to a Symenestra.

As he thought over this, Vendaril noticed a small crack in the stone. Moving around the obelisk, he realized it was in fact a fair sized fissure, hidden from the way they had come by the rock formation. Within the cave he heard the sounds of uneven breathing. The prey was here, but it wasn’t resting. Apparently it had caught on to the fact it was being followed, and concealed itself in the hole, waiting until the danger passed. Excited, he padded over to Tao, telling him what he had found in a breathless whisper.

“I’ve found it!” He said, eyes glinting with achievement. “It’s been hiding in a little cave over by that large rock. But the problem is, I was counting on catching it asleep, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be for a while. I don’t mind waiting, but I don’t know if you are willing. It’ll be a safer kill if we do, but we will probably have to spend the night outside the city.” Vendaril glanced up the sun, already poised just over the horizon. “It’s up to you."

[Tao]

Vendaril seemed to be back to his pleased self, looking delighted with his success. Relieved, he got to his feet, smiling back. He glanced over the uneven rocky outcrop. He didn't see any evidence of a hiding animal, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to bring that up again.

"I don't mind waiting." He replied, after checking his bag. "I have enough to eat for a night or so, and you've been working on this all day."

[Vendaril]

“Excellent,” Vendaril flashed a wide grin. “Well, I don’t suppose you have a knife of any sort? You probably know how we, you know, feed.” He tapped his fangs and extended them to illustrate his point. “If I’m going to remove your share, it will have to be pretty quick after I deal the kiss of death. Otherwise all you’ll get is a skin full of acid.”

Vendaril made a mental note to get one for himself upon returning to Lhavit. If these joint trips were going to be frequent, it would soon pay for itself. Plus, it would probably prove useful in other areas too. He threw his bag open, and slung his bedroll out not too far from the cave. That way he could monitor the beast, and still give it enough room to lure it into a sense of safety. Then he would be close on hand to strike.

[Tao]

Tao's eyes widened at the sight of the fangs. "Oh, uhm, yeah. Knife." He pulled out his eating knife, dull and nicked from use, and handed it over.

"Does... do they hurt?" He couldn't help but ask, waving a hand at his mouth as he pulled out his bedroll. He wasn't sure whether that was rude or not; the question had just slipped out. He settled a little further back so he wouldn't interrupt Vendaril's work, sitting down on his new bed.

[Vendaril]

The gangly man paused in thought, sprawled across his makeshift mattress. “My teeth? I don’t know... they certainly hurt anyone unfortunate enough to cross me!” He let out a small chuckle. He knew it was a bad joke, but that was his specialty. That is, he didn’t know any good ones...

He glanced at the knife Tao offered in an outstretched hand. “Hm, I may as well use my nails as that poker. Still, I should be able to get a good portion off, if I work at the opposite end to my bite.” He realised he was avoiding the question about his dentures, and his interrogator wasn’t falling for it. He paused for a moment, and with a bemused look on his face said: “I guess they sting a little. The fangs, that is. But then my kind are used to difficulty. We learnt to deal with the hardships in life long ago.”

He halted again, as if lost in thought. Shaking himself, he reached into his bag and pulled out an old, but carefully preserved book, bound in leather. He tossed the thick codex to Tao. “You said you enjoyed reading; take a little look through that. One of my bloodline wrote that during the Valterrian, it’s a rare perspective. A rare book. Read that and you may understand some of the hardships we have endured, just be sure to return it before we split ways.” Rolling over, he pulled another book out, a visibly newer edition. It was followed by a quill and ink bottle. “My own journal,” he said, in answer to the questioning look in Tao’s eyes. “Perhaps once we know each other better, then you can read this.” He opened the ink, dipped his pen and began to scrawl in spidery Symenos across the yellowed pages, occasionally cocking an ear towards the cave.

[Tao]

Tao caught the heavy book with a small yelp. He looked over the thick cover; the leather was worn under his fingers. It was clearly an important treasure.

"Th-thank you." He said as sincerely as he could. "I didn't mean to pry... it's just interesting."

He settled down more comfortably, opening the tome carefully, wincing as the leather creaked. The pages were yellowed and worn, covered in a faded curly inked script. He squinted at it in the fading sunset light; it wasn't a language he recognised.

"... Um, Vendaril?" He looked over at the man, who was writing in his journal with an air of concentration. He waited for him to look over at him before continuing, holding the old heirloom up. "Could you... read this to me? I don't understand it."

[Vendaril]

Vendaril blinked. It hadn’t occurred to him that he wouldn’t be able to read it. Still, he was hardly going to admit it. “Of course, it’s in Symenos! And if we are to respect each other, we must learn to speak in each other’s tongues. And if we are to be companions, we must learn to respect each other. Therefore, I shall work on my common, and you shall learn Symenos!” Vendaril hadn’t quite seen where he was going with this line of thought, and he wasn’t entirely sure where it was going to end up.

Swiftly scribbling out a couple of pages in common, he tore them from his own diary and passed them to Tao, the evening wind attempting to pluck them from his fingers. “Here is a translation of the first few pages – I have memorised them, it is a gripping read. Attempt to make connections between the words in the original and my writings, and I shall answer any questions on syntax and the likes.” Suddenly realising he had volunteered to teach the human his language, Vendaril instantly began to regret opening his mouth. Still, what was done was done, and it could give him someone to practise Symenos with. Viratas knew, it was hard enough to find fellow speakers outside the Symenestra cavern.

Preparing himself for an onslaught of queries, Vendaril settled himself on his back and picked up the journal again.