[Stranger's Welcome] No Strangers Here [Sitkanis]

[Tabarnac]

45th Spring, 511 A.V. "Buy you another drink?" Perras asked, clapping Sitkanis on the burly shoulder. Syna still shone outside, so the Ethaefal looked more human, which didn't put the Denvali soldier off so much as the pretty boy with horns thing. He intended a long evening of drinking with the fellow survivor of the trip down into the mines seasons past, and he was trying to remember all the bawdy jokes he intended to tell to the barmaids when his friend grew -- literally -- horny. With luck, Zagary or some of the other guildsmen would find them and hijinks would ensue. But for now, they laid the foundation for future drunkenness. If Adalia got mad, well, they would cover for Sitkanis. Perfect gentleman, he. There was a flower pinned to his chest. There would be no proper mallow until summer, but the flower and what it stood for allowed him much more social leeway than others were given, and most were given quite a bit in Denval so long as they didn't break any of the hard and fast rules that kept them all alive and healthy.

[Sitkanis]

The longer Sitkanis spent in Denval the more be pined to be known as one of the Denvali. He understood he was not born there but in a way he felt like he was. He fell from the Ukalas into their waters and by some act of the Gods themselves washed up on their shore. He could not remember anything from before he lived among them except small snapshots and clips of some foggy past life. Sitkanis had never been a drinker. He always tried to keep far away from the stuff. He felt a bit obliged to take a drink when Perras offered. Maybe it was more peer pressure. He wanted to be like them and be known as one of them. He was no longer with Leth. He needed some where to call his own. He thought about the act of drinking and in the end chalked it up to be nothing more than him just wanting to experience it. "Yes, thank you Perras." Sitkanis was happy that he was able to spend time with the man as his daytime form. He worried people did not take him as seriously at night. "So how have you been since the trip to the mines?" Although he had wanted to get out of the mines as quick as possible after the affair was over he wondered how the others had faired. "Does that sort of thing normally happen in the mines?" He felt foolish asking so many questions but there was so much that he plainly did not know. He wanted to talk about the city. Mostly how much he liked it there. He was not sure how to say it though. He was terrible with words and he did not want to sound odd. Instead he kept quiet. Maybe a better opportunity would arise later. Then maybe it would not be so awkward.

[Tabarnac]

"Good man," he said with an encouraging grin, then flagged down the bar wench to make his order. Sitkanis was by far too sober a fellow, so Perras took this opportunity to order them both a shot of degtine as well as a beer to wash the harder stuff down. The spirits were necessary during the winter to keep the chill of Morwen from a man's belly and his bones, but most Denvali were happy for the warming effect even in the summer. They lived far enough north that it was rarely too, too hot. The degtine came first and while the wench was after their beers, Perras put the little glass in front of Sitka, taking his own and raising it for a toast: "May there ever be love and laughter on your journey." That said in honor of their friendship and the sleeping Aquiras, he threw back his head and drained the entirety of the degtine in one go, setting the glass firmly down when he was done, savoring the heat swirling down his gullet, the numbness of his nose, and the spice upon his tongue. "It is good," he declared, then relaxed further. Perras leaned against the bar, a slighter, though not insignificant figure next to Sitka himself. "When not about the Captain's business, I saw to my house's production, spent time with friends. Prayed the cold be banished back to Avanthal soon." He grinned. "You? And oh, that sort of thing doesn't happen so often. The Road's more dangerous where rockfalls and the like are concerned. Even after centuries, the debris fields are still dangerous."

[Sitkanis]

Sitkanis gingerly sniffed at the drink as he scrunched up his nose. He truely did not want to drink but it was an experience and it was what the Denvali did. He raised his own glass like a mirror image and simply nodded. It seemed like this was not the best time to complain about Adalia leaving him. "Yes, love and laughter." His words did not hold the same spirit that Perras' had. He did smile at the man though. He could not deny that he was happy to be out with Perras. While Perras drank his degtine quickly, Sitkanis downed his at a much slower rate. He did not find that he liked the taste very much but none the less, he drank. He had been offered many drinks since he had come into the city. It seemed to be something people did with friends. He did not want to put people off by turning their offer down. With Adalia gone he found himself with a large lack of companionship. Besides, he had heard that alcohol helped to smooth over the pains of heartache. Maybe if he got drunk enough he would forget about her completey, not that he was anywhere near drunk at the moment. Sitkanis' brown eyes seemed to lose focus as Perras asked how he was doing. He was not sure how he was doing. He missed Adalia, that much as evident. He was feeling a lack emotion at her leaving though. He prefered to keep the sadness bottled down inside of him. The woman left after all. Why should be morn after her. She was not strong enough for him anyways. "I don't really know. Adalia left. I'm sure she went back to Mura or something." He was trying to figure out how to put the strange lack of emotion into words as he spoke. "I suppose I am not doing great. I'm not really feeling anything about Adalia leaving. I suppose I miss her but..." He looked down at the counter as he thought. "I feel less constricted now that she is gone. It is a strange feeling." He looked back at Perras after he finished speaking. He forced a small smile for the man but it was clear how fake it was. Sitkanis was much more messed up than he noticed. There were still a lot things, memories, emotions, that were buried in him. They were starting to poke at the surface so lightly that he was unaware of their growth. "I would be willing to help out with the rockfalls when they happen. It would be better than me just poking around doing odd jobs all the time." He wanted to add in how much he was starting to like the city, almost fall in love with it. Maybe he should say it. The Denvalis had done so much for him. The least he could do would be to show some graditude. Surely that would not be too hard for him. "I am really growing to like Denval. I am glad that I fell here. Of course, it would have been better not to fall at all."

[Tabarnac]

"Well, fuck." Perras had another drink to make Sitka feel better because he was a good friend like that. "Sorry, my man." He clasped the ex-Drykas on his burly shoulder, the sort of comfort found between men in these sorts of situations. "She seemed a little needy, though, so perhaps it's all for the best. Now you can meet some fine Denvali ladies, who will be most obliging, especially since you're foreign." He grinned. The Denvali were certainly rather open and laissez-faire about sex. Marriage wasn't as common as in other places, since there was a sort of group responsibility for children that came from their military background where one person would care for the children of a fallen comrade. "Damn, I'm going to have to tell Zagary. It's no secret he was infatuated with the fishy lady ever since they were stuck in that collapsed mineshaft. Whew."

[Sitkanis]

A simple shrug was all Sitkanis felt was nessisary. Adalia was gone. There was nothing he could do. There was no way he could chase after her. The only way out was on the sea and there was no way he would face the waves. "I am better off just forgetting her. Everything was easy enough to forget." He eyed the drink in front of him as a memory of Adalia flashed before his eyes. He could deny that he missed her all he wanted outloud but there was no denying that in truth he missed her more than anything. At times he would find himself visiting the shore not to see Leth but to look out over the body of water that Adalia had left him on. He forced a smile in Perras' direction. "That sounds good to me. Who needs her right?" If he could not forget about the Konti he would replace her, or at least find someone better. A feeling of anger peaked up within Sitkanis when Perras mentioned Zagary's attraction to Adalia. "I guess we will all be mourning her leaving then." The words were a bit sharp, a bit sharper than he intended. He did not want to talk about Adalia. He would have prefered to talk about anything but Adalia. "So Perras, I don't think you asked me to come here with you just to talk about our lives." He tried to sound a bit more friendly as he steered the conversation away from the Konti. "Am I right?"

[Tabarnac]

"Actually, I just wanted someone to drink with," he said, "but if you're going to stick around, in Denval, I mean, then we're going to have to teach you a bit of swordplay. Otherwise you'll never be in the Guild." He laughed, but the Dandy Guild of Swordsmen was equal parts joke and true elite. It was likely Sitkanis had no idea the honor he was being accorded, being considered for recruitment despite his lack of martial skills. But he had come through a crisis with Perras and Zagary in the mines, and he had proven his mettle to them, at least. Even the Captain looked upon him with an admiring eye, it was said. "Should we repair to the Temple of Nikali?" he asked, still grinning, the buzz of degtine making him warm and animated. "You can practice a bit of swordplay there." He patted Sitkanis' package and winked knowingly.

[Sitkanis]

"Well, here is to drinking then." Sitkanis was not exactly sure hiw Perras would have chosen him out of all of the people in Denval to drink with. Of course, he was happy it was Perras who asked him to accompany him for a drink and not Zagary. The Ethaefal could only be so polite. He looked at Perras when he talked about Denval. "I don't have any plans to leave. Adalia wanted to head to Syliras but in a way, I'm glad she left and I got to stay. I was not ready to leave." He cocked his head a bit at the mention of a guild. Clearly he still had a bit to learn about the city despite being there for half a year now. "The guild?" It must have been something important to the city. Why else would he have to train for it? Sitkanis eyed Perras a bit strangely at the gesture toward his more tender areas. Maybe this is how people normally acted in Denval? He did not want to seem too angry in case it was. He could not help feeling a bit put off by Perras' action. "Sure, the temple seems fine to me." From what he knew of the temple was that it was full of beautiful women. He could not protest to that. He was unsure as to how that would help him train to be in the guild that Perras spoke of though. "Well...this is his city. He must know best."

[Tabarnac]

"Good man," he said, and grinned. He downed the last of his drink and got up to leave. "Let's be off, then!" END

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Sitkanis Award: A patron within the Dandy Guild of Swordsmen. Additional Notes: I don’t think this was the best set up for what we wanted to do, and for that I apologize. But please feel free to start a thread at the beginning of Summer at the Guildhall, assuming he has met Jarl, and we’ll see about him being inducted as a pledge or whatever the equivalent will be. He already knows most of the members I have as NPCs, so we will make it happen. If you don’t, I will try to create a thread soon. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!