[Kulkukan Tavern and Inn] Time for a meal (Iredeth)

[Nisana Curare]

Season of Winter, Day 9, 510 AV

After wandering the chilly docks for some time Nisana noticed that the a fair amount of people were moving towards a large building that was marked as the Kulkukan Tavern and Inn. Though there would be plenty of people there, some who were undoubtedly clumsy brutes, it would also be a good place to learn more of Riverfall, and a meal after the journey here would certainly be pleasant.

Once inside the building she took some time too look around and take the setting in. The red lights gave the room a pleasant feel, she had to admit, but the design of everything was definitely not as elegant as a Symenestra would make it. It did feel appropriate for lumbering people who were occupying it though.

It was surprising that most of the people who worked here were human, and there seemed to be plenty of women among them. Perhaps she would find the one she sought here, but she would not expect such fortune already. Still, it would be remiss of her to not at least look here.

Finding an empty table she took a seat, placing her backpack on the floor next to her. Ordering some fish for herself she sat back and waited for the food to arrive. Knowing she would be here for some time she let her amethyst eyes travel about the room, wondering if she could spot any interesting women among the crowd.

[Iredeth]

Iredeth was enjoying Riverfall immensely. There was something about the city that spoke to her – the vibrancy of its people, the boundless influence of nature, and the subtle power of the city’s beauty. She walked along the city’s streets in a kind of trance, taking in the feel of the city without really paying attention to anything specific. She needed to understand the soul of this place so she could infuse it into her next doll. She barely registered the sign on the building into which she strolled in, her eyes focused on a point inside her own head rather than on what lay before her.

She was abruptly awoken from her reverie by an elbow jostling into her ribs. Her amethyst eyes lost their glazed look for a moment as she glared at the man who had brushed past her. Having been shaken out of her trance, she would not be able to slip back in so easily. Her gaze wandered around the inn in which she found herself. It was filled with people, but none of them piqued her interest. They were all too mundane, too alike one another to fascinate her. She only ever noticed the exceptions to the rule, the subtleties that made a person stand out, the ones who didn’t belong… And as her eyes romanced across the floor of the inn, she caught sight of pale skin. Too pale to be human and not the right shade of pale to belong to a Konti…

Iredeth stared openly at the Symenestra woman. How ironic was it that after having tried so hard to escape the company of Symenestra she had found herself next to one once more? She had no desire to approach the woman, no desire to speak to her or acknowledge her in any way. The Symenestra race held no more sway over her blood than the Benshira. She had convinced herself long ago that she did not belong to any people, even if two representatives of those races had supposedly given her life.

But just as she was about to avert her gaze and duck out of the building, amethyst eyes met amethyst eyes.

[Nisana Curare]

At first there seemed to be no one of interest, and Nisana gave a soft sigh as her fish arrived. She honestly had not expected to find a woman to bring back so early, but she had at least hoped to find someone interesting here. Bending over slightly she lifted the piece of fish to her lips and, sinking her fangs into it, released some of her venom to start digesting her food.

As she placed the food back down and returned her eyes to room about her they met with another pair of amethyst eyes. For a brief moment she had the pleasant thought that she had come upon another Symenestra, perhaps another out on harvest, and her lips started to spread in a smile that revealed a hint of her teeth.

It didn't take her long to realize this was not the case though, the woman's skin was too dark, her hair to coarse. Though her smile fell somewhat it didn't fade completely, as at least the presence of this apparent half blood was preferable to no company at all. Gesturing with her right hand, which had shorter nails than her left, she called out, "You. Your Mother was Symenestra, yes? Come, sit and speak with me Dra?..." she left it to the woman to complete her name as she gestured to the chair next to her.

Looking the woman over quickly she had to say that there was something familiar about her. She couldn't put a name to the woman's probable relations, perhaps someone she knew in passing, but she was sure she could find out after speaking with the woman some. If nothing else the conversation should at least help to pass the time while she waited for her food to be ready.

[Iredeth]

Iredeth bared her teeth slightly in a semblance of a smile, revealing short, white fangs. They may not have been as impressive as the other woman’s, but at least they were there. She resented how easily the woman had called her out as a half-breed. Of course, it was a rather simple observation to make, but still the identification irked her. And the stranger had presumed to know half of her name. Well, technically speaking, the prefix of Dra- belonged to the name of every Symenestra half-blood. But Iredeth had not thought of herself under that name for years. The few Symenestra with which she had had contact with in Kalinor – with the exception of the woman who had raised her – had insisted on using her given name. But now that she was outside the Symenestra city, she was determined to shed the name like an old, dead skin.

She should have turned away right then and walked out of the tavern. It wasn’t as if the woman would jump up and follow her. But for reasons that were unclear even to her, Iredeth stayed. Perhaps it was seeing a Symenestra out of her natural environment that interested her. She was so used to observing Symenestra in Kalnior that she could no longer picture one outside the city’s borders. This was her opportunity to get an up-close view of one. After all, people’s behavior had always interested her. Perhaps the reason was more complicated than she could admit.

“Dra-nothing,” she said curtly she walked over to the woman’s table. “I am Iredeth. Notwithstanding that my mother was a Symenestra.” She took a seat opposite the woman, never taking her eyes off her as she tried to gauge her reaction. “And who are you? I did not expect to meet a Symenestra so far from Kalinor.”

[Nisana Curare]

Nisana's smile fell some at the half blood's rejection of her traditional name, and what little remained of the pleasant curve of her lip was wiped away by Iredeth's name. Anger flashed in Nisana's eyes at the thought of a half blood with a proper name, but the fire faded after a moment as she calmed herself. Sweet words made a harvest go smoother and, while she wouldn't dare to bring this half blood back for Serena, practice with someone obviously disliking the Symenestra would be beneficial.

With her faint smile returning she gave a small nod of her head, "Iredeth is a very interesting name for one of your decent. I am Nisana Curare, and I am here because I am traveling in the world. I am curious about the various peoples who life in Mizahar, and wish to see them for myself."

Wondering if Iredeth knew much, if anything, about the harvests Nisana watched her carefully as she idly spun the plate that held her still digesting fish on it, "I am curious, were you raised by your Father? Is he the one who named you?"

[Iredeth]

Iredeth felt something jump in her throat. Curare. Of all the names this woman could have had…She pushed the thought away, burying it deep down in her mind where it wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble. She did not want to hear that name, nor be reminded of the connections it implied. Of course, it was a common name among the Symenestra… And yet Iredeth had known only one person by that name.

“No. I named myself,” she replied with a note of casual indifference. “My father died before my birth. I was raised by a Symenestra woman who was not my mother. She suggested I choose a name for myself that I liked more than the one given to me by my oh-so-caring mother.”

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, as if the information she had just shared was of the most common variety. She knew that a name that didn’t reflect her status as a half-blood would be looked down upon, but she had ceased to care long ago.

There was something about the Symenestra sitting across from her that bothered Iredeth. Perhaps it was that Nisana’s reasons for traveling out of Kalinor were too similar to Iredeth’s own. Somehow, Iredeth resented that similarity. She did not want this Symenestra to be like her in any way. She had grown up being shunned by a community that had never truly known her. And now, she was learning that a representative of said community wasn’t all that different from herself. It wasn’t something the young woman wanted to deal with.

“And have you learned anything interesting about the people of Mizahar? Seen any interesting place? Any fascinating people?” she asked airily, as if making casual conversation. She had the nagging suspicion that the woman was lying about her reasons for venturing out of Kalinor. She seemed the right age and the right type of person to be called upon for a harvest. Not that Iredeth knew a lot about that kind of thing. She had never had any practical experiences with any of the Symenestra rituals, beyond that which she had read in the Viratessa. And she had read quite a lot, or rather, as much as there was to read in the comparatively small sacred text.

[Nisana Curare]

The barest hint of a frown touched upon Nisana's lips as she puzzled over what Iredeth said about her upbringing. Of course a half blood was a taint upon the lineage of Symenestra, but some Symenestra blood was still superior to none. That Iredeth claimed her blood Mother, a rarity among the Symenestra, had abandoned her... Nisana was not sure how she felt about it. If it was true of course. There was always the possibility that Iredeth was simply vindictive and lying, but the half blood's words had the feel of truth to them.

"So far," Nisana said in reply to Iredeth's question, "I have learned that things are frequently more impressive when seen than read or told about," she gave a soft little laugh, "Truthfully I have not been away from Kalinor for very long. Riverfall is the first city I have visited, and I have only arrived today. As for fascinating people," she brought a black claw up to touch her lip toughtfully, "I would have to say that you are the most fascinating that I have met yet. You clearly do not have much love for the Symenestra, and yet you were willing to come and speak to me when I called out to you."

Nisana smiled pleasantly at Iredeth, showing just a hint of her teeth, as she waited to hear what the half blood's response would be. She'd been told that flattery was a good way to improve a person's opinion, but it was a delicate balance to not make it obvious, or unbelievable. Becoming friendly with Iredeth would be a good show of her skill before she went to find a woman for Serena.

[Iredeth]

“There is something about you,” Iredeth said, waving her hand around vaguely. “You remind me of someone, though I can’t really decide who. Besides, I was curious to see how a Symenestra acts outside of Kalinor. I have never seen one so far outside the city’s borders.” She placed her elbows on the table and propped her chin up on one hand, studying Nisana as if she were an exotic curiosity. The woman did remind her of someone – someone she had rather not be reminded about. Her name, the way she held herself, the way she talked… It’s a Symenestra thing. They all act the same way. I’m just imagining the connections. But even as she tried to tell herself that there was nothing extraordinary about this Symenestra, a nagging feeling in her gut told her otherwise.

After a moment of silence, she asked, “So, are you really a student of human nature or are you out on a harvest?” She leaned forward a bit as she said this, a glint of excitement in her eyes. The passage detailing the harvest had always been Iredeth’s favorite part of the Viratessa. But being who she was, she had never gotten the chance to even be close to someone who was partaking in the ritual. Now, she found herself hoping almost desperately that the woman before her was indeed in the middle of a harvest.

There was a certain mystique about the ritual… Iredeth felt inexplicably drawn to the idea of this tradition. She hungered for knowledge of it, wanted to understand the motivations of the hunter, the details of the hunt… And she would never admit to herself that her interest in the harvests had at least a little bit to do with her mother’s status as a respected hunter.

[Nisana Curare]

Nisana's eyes went a little wide with surprise at Iredeth's question. She hadn't expected half blood to see through her deception so easily. She relaxed when she saw the hint of eagerness on Iredeth's face. Either the woman didn't know what the harvest entailed, or she was Symenestra enough to respect some traditions. Either way, it was enough to allow Nisana to relax once more.

"You are correct, and clever to see through my deception," she said softly as she gave Iredeth a pleasant, fang revealing smile, "You grow more fascinating the longer we speak Iredeth, for although you do not seem to have much love for the Symenestra, you seem interested in the idea of me being on a harvest."

She was honestly finding this half blood interesting, but it was only partially because of her interesting views and thoughts. The nagging feeling that Iredeth was familiar would not leave Nisana's mind. It had to be more than just someone she recognized in passing, but Nisana just could not place her. Perhaps with some time, and more pleasant conversation, she could coax out the name of Iredeth's blood mother. Even if not though, this was certainly becoming a pleasant way to spend the time while her meal digested.

[Iredeth]

“As I said before, I was raised by a Symenestra, and while I did not exactly live in Kalinor, I visited it often. I read the Viratessa as a child. Couldn’t help but learn the traditions,” she said, shrugging off her knowledge as if it were an uncomfortable burden. The woman had gotten a point in her favor by calling Iredeth by her name. It was pleasant to her the name said without scorn or sarcasm, but Iredeth had to wonder whether the sentiment was genuine or only some clever ploy.

“Besides, one must know one’s enemy better than one’s friend, don’t you think? Wouldn’t you learn everything you could about a culture that despised you?” she added, her eyes glinting with a remnant of some deep-seated anger. For a heartbeat, she looked positively fierce, her amethyst eyes glaring with a weary hostility.

A second later, the intensity in her eyes died out, and she leaned back, her expression becoming impassive once more. She tucked a stray hair back into the bun sitting atop her head, only to have another one tumble out. Impatiently, she swiped the hair out of her face, letting a short sigh escape her lips. “You ask a lot of questions,” she said blankly, eyeing the Symenestra from under partially lowered lids. Iredeth looked positively serene, none of her earlier intense anger visible on her calm countenance. It was as if a wave had washed over her, washing away all the bitterness from her manner… Or perhaps it had only washed over it, allowing the anger to sink down to the bottom of the lake that was her mind.

“Would you answer some yourself? Are you the eldest child then, since you are on a harvest, or simply the most competent hunter?” she asked in the same calm tone, presenting an outward air of casual indifference. Though, beneath the surface boiled a burning desire to learn as much about this stranger, so she could convince herself that this was not who she thought it was.