Private Strictly Business

[Nere Ashorn]

The winds were bad. Dust fiends and sprays of sand battered the streets. The city had shut off all the fountains to conserve water, and most denizens of Cindersend took this as a sign to stay inside for the rest of the day - those that had a place indoors, anyway. Nere was not so lucky. A thick red scarf wrapped tightly around her face, and goggles cut from yellowish glass kept the worst of the dust out of her eyes. Every step she took was protested by the wind, which clawed at her pantlegs and tried to push her off kilter.

She was supposed to be scoping out a new troupe of performers that had just rolled into town. Some devhani making bold claims at the gates - and now the bosses wanted to know - would they be good for business, or bad? But, she'd gotten a little distracted. First, old Geminara had needed help shuttering her windows against the worsening sandstorm. And then Nere had found out that the healer hadn't delivered Mr. Ecaeris's medicine for that week, and then the ladies down at the Kitschy Kitty asked her to go settle a tab with a particularly stubborn patron, and that was all part of her job too so she couldn't rightly go and tell anyone off.

Pack laden with things needed for her various errands, and the winds hissing in her ears, Nere had nearly forgotten about her original task of tracking down that newcomer group of devahni. More pressingly, it was late afternoon and she was starting to get hungry.

An alcove carved out of the sandstone walls provided some respite. She plopped down on the stone bench within, before noticing that someone else was already sheltered there.

"Ouish!" she exclaimed, pulling down the folds of her scarf to flash a friendly smile. She relished a breath of air not muffled by the warm cloth. "The weather could give us a break, eh?"

 

[Taresh]

The winds roared off of the desert and into the city of Cindersend carrying with them clouds of sand that blasted into the wood and stone structures of the city, like a never ending siege. The normal sounds of the city disappeared under constant moaning of the wind and the rattle of sand bouncing off of everything in sight. The city was known for taking everything that the world had to offer, drinking up every resource, gulping away every puff of shroud surrendered to it. It seemed fitting then, Taresh thought, that the world would sometimes fight back. In a way it felt like the desert was trying to sand blast the city out of existence.

Taresh pulled his dark cloak tighter to his body, making sure to keep the cowl low over his face. The last thing he wanted was sand in his eyes and mouth. At least, not any more than was necessary. His plan had been to walk around and scope out some places to put up extra advertisements for the troupe. That idea had only lasted three minutes before he decided he was a fool for ever leaving his room in The Pewter Mug.

With few options, Taresh had decided to duck down into an alcove with a stone bench, the space offered some much needed protection from the winds and sand. With a groan he shook out his cloak, watching as streams of sand poured off of him and made a small pile at his feet.“This whole place is madness. I should have told the others it wasn’t worth the effort to come here.” He grumbled to himself.

Deciding to extend his break a little, Taresh sat on the bench and pulled a leather pouch from somewhere in his cloak. With practiced movements he removed a wooden pipe and quickly packed it with loose tobacco leaf. Within moments the pipe was lit and tools put away. With a deep sigh, Taresh lean back against the sandstone wall and watched the sands whipped back and forth by the wind outside of his small pocket of safety.

Suddenly a woman emerged from the sands and plopped down onto the bench next to him. It seemed she hadn’t seen him there previously, based on the sound she made upon finally seeing him next to her. The woman gave him a smile and pulled her scarf to reveal her face to him. She had blue eyes and black hair that seemed to have been partially tugged from its braid by the winds. Taresh could see by her ears that she was half-elf. “You’re telling me! Makes me feel like a bit of rust the armor-smith is trying to blast off of some old armor.” Taresh returned her smile with one of his own as he reached up to pull the cowl of his cloak back from his head. “My names Taresh, welcome to my small alcove of peace and tranquility.” He offered her a hand to shake while taking another puff of his tobacco.

 

[Nere Ashorn]

Nere realized that she hadn't noticed the man right way because he looked very much like a part of the stone work, or perhaps an open doorway, all grey and black and with angles that looked like they were metered by a bricklayer. Deva were usually a little bigger, but this guy was especially daunting. He took up most of the low stone bench that they shared. Nere had to twist around in her seat to look up at him proper. But, he was cordial as he introduced himself.

"Nere Ashorn, thank you kindly for sharing your humble abode with me," she beamed along in response. The smoke from his pipe didn't bother her. It was a soft herb, and the wind carried the scent away quicker than he could puff it out.

She'd thought the pleasantries were going quite well, but then the deva extended his hand out. He wasn't hold anything for her to take - did he want her to give him something, instead? Nere stared with a puzzled tilt of her head, wondering what he might be asking for.

Blue eyes brightened as she got an idea. She turned away to rummage around inside her pack, and pulled out a small bag full of several round things.

"Want some figs?" She asked, moving to place the bag in Taresh's hand.

Inside were several of the purple fruits, delicately sweet in fragrance. The figs were fresh and soft, not dried. It was an opulent treat even for Cindersend, which was known for its easy access to opulence.

 

[Taresh]

“Nere Ashorn."Taresh tested the name, the syllables rolling off of his lips in a deep rumble. “It’s a pleasure to meet you on this fine sandy day.” He arched an eyebrow as she observed his outstretched hand rather than taking it in hers. A small humorous smile formed on his lips as she turned and dug through her bag before presenting him with a bag filled with some fresh figs.

It seemed that Nere was not accustomed to shaking hands in greeting. “Ahhh, no. I’m sorry, I was simply wishing to exchange a hand shake in greeting. I am not trying to shake you down for a treat!” He laughed, but then eyed the sweet purple fruit in the bag she had placed in his hand. They DID look rather delicious, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had a fresh fig. “But uh…I would be willing to accept one if that is how you make new acquaintances. I mean..” He chuckled once, “who am I to oppose someone else’s customs?” With a grin he plucked one single fig from the bag and held it up between the claw of his thumb and index finger, handing the bag back to Nere as he did so.

Taresh had to be very gentle to prevent his claws from puncturing the fruit. He brought it up to his nose, closing his eyes and sniffing deeply. A warm sweet smell filled his nose, there were some earthy undertones and a bit of honey too. “Oh they smell quite sweet.” He said with excitement as he savored the smell for a few moments more. Then, all at once, he popped the purple fruit into his mouth and bit down. The fruit squished in his mouth, the skin yielding easily, giving way to a thick squishy interior. A thick sweetness filled his mouth immediately, it reminded him of the honeyed fruits they would sometime make during the spring when the Dragon’s Teeth were feeling generous with wild fruit. There was a slight crunch as his teeth ground down on the small seeds found in the fruit. A rumbling groan made its way out of Taresh’s wide chest as he chewed slowly with his eyes closed.

“Holy hell that is divine.” He said at last, licking a little bit of juice from his lips. He gave Nere a wide smile, revealing sharp teeth momentarily stained dark by fig juice. “I’m afraid I have nothing tasty offer you but some pipe tobacco Nere Ashorn, perhaps you have a task I could help you with instead?” He pause for a moment before adding. “No murder though of course, can’t get into too much trouble." His eyes sparkled with joy as he held his pipe up in one hand, a small wisp of smoke drifting lazily into the air before being sucked out out of the alcove and into the days winds.

 

[Nere Ashorn]

A handshake, of course. Nere silently scolded herself as Taresh explained to her his intentions. It's not as if she'd never heard of a handshake before, they just weren't common in her line of work. Greetings in general, really. It was always give and take, agree or disagree, and those sorts of interactions didn't need any good graces. Nere made a note to try it out next time she met someone.

Offer a hand and start with your name.

Still, he took the fruit, and Nere had one too. She listened as he expressed his gratitude, and tried not to get too jealous at his pick of the bag. The fig she bit into was still green, and not nearly as juicy. Still, the sweetness was refreshing, and she had fun crunching the seeds between her teeth. She swallowed the last bite, and responded to the deva's offer of help.

"Oh, that's perfect actually because I've got express instructions not to murder anyone on this next job." Nere frowned to herself. "Come to think of it, I don't know why the ladies would need to mention that, it's not as if I'm in the habit..."

Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said out loud. Nere used the movement of closing the bag of figs and putting it back in her pack to mask newfound nervousness. Inside thoughts, she reminded herself. "There's some traveling talent that I'm supposed to be scoping out," she explained herself better. "You wouldn't happen to have seen anyone new around this district, have you?"

 

[Taresh]

Taresh puffed his pipe as he listened to the half-elf. The smoke warmed his mouth and mingled nicely with the sweet earthy taste of the fig. He often enjoyed finding unique foods and beverages that complemented the flavors of his tobacco, it was such a delight to find one here in this unexpected place.

Another deep baritone laugh escape his lips at Nere’s words. “As long as those are your instructions, I would be more than happy to assist you in whatever way I can.” He rumbled, arching a questioning eyebrow towards her. His other eyebrow rose to match the first when she told him what her purpose was. It seemed that their meeting might just be more than coincidence. What were the odds that she would set out to find his troupe and, in the process, find herself waylaid into the exact alcove where he was resting?

“Well I have some great news for you.” He said, puffing again and letting the smoke flow slowly from between his lips. “I just happen to know exactly who it is for whom you search.” He nodded his head with a serious expression. “Oh yes, a handsome devil who just rolled into town a short while ago. Very tall, very dark, very very muscular.” He winked at her and let a large grin replace his serious look. “Allow me to introduce myself completely. I am Taresh, of the traveling troupe known as the Kyvoli’s. Currently in town to see if Cindersend should be added to our travel plans this season. Consider me something like a forward scout. I’m the poor lout that got chosen to travel all the way down here from Dragon’s Teeth to see if there was any interest in our show.”

Taresh filled his mouth again with smoke, this time, instead of letting it escape into the wind, he inhaled the smoke through his nose as it left his mouth.

 

[Nere Ashorn]

Nere nodded along to Taresh's description of the stranger she was looking for, bluntly unaware. It wasn't until halfway through his re-introduction that the lucky coincidence dawned on her. The surprise on Nere's face was clear. She'd never had the presence for the stage, but she made a decent audience member with her reactions. Her chest rose in a little gasp and her smile turned to round 'O'.

"No way," She exclaimed rather dumbly. Cheeks flushed red, as the embarrassment caught up to her. "Oh, we've gotten off on entirely the wrong foot! Now I don't even know where to start."

Frantically gathering her thoughts, she fidgeted on the bench. Lines of sand had settled in the folds of Nere's clothes, blown there by the wind. She brushed them off, where they fluttered back into the open street, bolstered by another gust of wind. Dense as an anchor stone she was, looking all over the city for someone and then not noticing when he was right in front of her!

But, the moment wasn't lost yet. The deva next to her was calm as water, tasting the ripples of smoke on his tongue. Maybe she should follow his lead and start over from the beginning.

Standing up against the buffet, she turned to face Taresh properly. Held her hand out with a determined look, ready to shake Taresh's.

"I am Nere Ashorn, of House Talonrune. There's an empty stage around here that needs filling, and someone up high thinks your Kyvolies might fit the part. I've been sent to find out what you can do."

 

[Taresh]

Taresh grinned as he noticed Nere’s cheeks flush red with embarrassment. The half-elf’s mouth made a perfect little ‘O’ as she gasped in surprise. Taresh thought it was perfectly adorable, something that he kept to himself, it wouldn't due to offend the first person who might be interested in employing the troupe. Instead he simply looked on as she seemed to collect herself and then offered her hand to Taresh, introducing herself properly this time, including her House affiliation.

Taresh gripped her hand in his, careful not to crush it as his large hand seemed to swallow her own.“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Nere Ashorn of House Talonrune. I would be more than happy to inform you on the extent of our performing capabilities. I, unfortunately, am not capable demonstrating many of our performances on my own. We perform acrobatics of all sorts, high fliers, silks, trapeze, and tumbling. We have some musicians and dancers as well. If there are children about we also do storytelling and some illusions.” He ticked off his fingers as he went through the list. “Pretty much anything and everything that someone could want, we are capable of doing.”

Taresh took another puff of his pipe and continued speaking. “I am, however, relatively unfamiliar with the houses here in the city. Are you able to tell me a bit about House Talonrune and the establishment within which they would like to have us perform?”

 

[Nere Ashorn]

Yes, things were rolling again! Once the handshake got on its way, Nere felt much better. His hand was really warm, though, and she was worried hers might get sweaty. Luckily, it turned out handshakes did not last very long.

Nere didn't actually know much about variety shows, or any shows for that matter. She was usually out guarding the entrances to functions, not attending them. Still, she nodded along to Taresh's list of talents, and it seemed like a mighty promising list of entertainments to her.

He asked his own question in turn.

"Uhm, well it's just up the street. Want to take a look? At the very least, it'll get us out of this storm." The sand was going to start kicking up, soon. One unacquainted with Cindersend weather might think that the sand was already kicking and screaming its way down the street, but that's because they hadn't seen the buffet come through yet. The buffet was a thousand arms and legs of tendrilling debris and dust ready to pry loose and haul away whatever wasn't nailed down. It didn't always show up, but on days like this the fear of it kept most people inside.

"Come on, it's really not far at all."

The red scarf came back over her nose, and she stepped out of the alcove. There was a good chance that Taresh wouldn't hear her over the wind and dirt, so she kept it to small talk for the rest of the way. Unfortunately, small talk was not something that was taught to the average striker.

"Is it true that devas can turn into animals?" She shouted over the din.