What is 'unsatisfied'? [Nemo]

[Sunoko]

What a wonderful day it was in La'marri. The sun had peaked over the horizon hours ago, and now peered over the village with it's warm, caressing rays of light. 'Morning', was the word that the common tongue called this portion of the phase. A time when the multitude of races and peoples who inhabited this village awakened from their slumbering states and began their stories of the phase... or, 'day', as the common tongue called it.

Journeymen carried on and about with their morning chores, blacksmiths lighting the fires of their smithing forges, the more permanent grocers opening their doors and windows to customers while those passing through the village having set up small pallets, or working directly out of their wagons. The fuss of bargaining over one or two coins would soon afterwards fill the air as merchants began plying their trades, and consumers passed through, eyeing today's goods and services. Ah, yes, the village market... Large, and almost circular in design to allow as many merchants and tradesmen to set up shop as possible... And as many customers to look around.

Narras loved this place's market so much that he often didn't leave the side of the small, white tent he set up for his therapy sessions. Amusingly, that was no understatement; Lacking the need to sleep as often as others, he enjoyed simply sitting quietly on the earthen soil, staring upwards at the sun as it made it's journey across the sky. What a serene place this La'marri was. What he found, however, was that business wasn't exactly 'booming' for him in this place; The villagers, he assumed were probably the slightest bit intimidated by the idea of receiving a massage from someone... or something, with a large, bestial body such as his own. The spines likely didn't help matters either.

Oh well. Such was the story of many Nyralia-Xu. He'd likely have to move on to another place soon, at this rate.

[Nemo]

Trade.

For some, it is just what makes the world go 'round. For some it is their occupation, their calling. For others still it was just a way to get their hands on rare things they'd neverotherwise be able to obtain. For Maddock, and his family of thirty or so, it was a fascination, a strange thing they'd never encountered before coming to this reality and still did not quite understand

Take the exchange of small gold, silver, and copper discs. It was obvious they could ne bartered for other things, and that they were some kind of common commodity, but what were their purpose? Where did they come from? What did they ge used for, apart from trading? Why did humans have a strange fascination with them, spoke as if they were more important than anything else? It was a puzzle - and the Raveners had given up on understanding it.

Most humans though were prepared to trade one thing for another - THIS was understandable. This made sense! And so some serious thought was given to what it was humans tended to want. Furs? Always worth trading for. Meat, too, was a commodity. Certain plants were quite valuable to the right sort of people, and that was simple enough. A healer's skill was valued. A warrior's talents were valued. Carrying letters and packages withou looking at them also was worh something, strangely. So really, the ones-who-hunger had much to offer for trade, and made good deals because honesty was very important to them.

The tall, pale, dark-lipped and featureless-eyed people and the strange creatures they traveled with were sometimes called 'Whisperers' by less trusting humankind (usually Connlaothians). The more-trusting tended to develop a rapport with the travelers, and just called them that - Travelers. La-marri was the latter, and they welcomed the Travelers. They didn't make trouble, they traded honestly, and had a reputation of integrity. To merchants, that's a bond worth its weight in... In... Small gold discs!

And so, when Travelers came to the village, activity picked up quite a bit despite the late day's cooling light. Voices called, hagglers haggled, and trade commenced. One Traveler crouched around a group of children and told stories as he tapped rocks together in a kind of rhythm. Another entered a man's house to see to his sick child. One of the monstrous-looking ones bartered hopefully for a drink with some furs. And so on.

Maddock, another inhuman Traveler, was a massive, broad creature in simple leather clothes, a cloak about his broad shoulders, and a sack over his back in which he could have stored two grown men. It bulged with lumpy objects that clicked and clonked like glass, and the massive Ravener carefully set it down once he'd gotten to a clearing near the strange masseuse's tent. It was untied, folded out into a blanket, and careful, long-fingered hands positioned crystal jugs containing different thick, chunky liquids of rich browns, golds, and the occasional red or blue or green about. Each had a drawing - some with pictures of chicken and herbs, some with plants and potatoes. Others had fruit, others still had deer and things. But as he settled down, cross legged and shoulder-slumped.

As an afterthought, the massive creature fished about in his sack and produced a sign, which he stuck firmly into the ground.

"Stew And Jars" it read, and below, "Trade only"

[Sunoko]

The market certainly did begin to bustle with life by the turn of the midday, to be sure; The occasional barter or clink of coins against wooden surfaces (as well as each other) only lightly echoed through the open field during the earliest moments of the phase; Yet as time passed, that passing echo would grow into a river of voices, both jolly and jovial, yet passionate and-- in some odd cases-- oddly primitive. The market district of La'marri slowly came to life, glorious and wild, controlled and yet carefree as the citizens of the town began to intermingle with foreign traders and passersby until the many beating pulses of the land became a fine mesh wave.

This was, more or less, the time of day when Narras got most of his customers. In fact, as he began to allow the swimming white noise of the world around him to wash his own self awareness away, he recieved his very own first customer of the day.

"...Erm, uh... Excuse me? Are you open for business?"

What a soft and mindful voice, Narras couldn't help but think. Having been midway into a reflection of sorts, the large, yet slender Nyralia-Xu slowly opened his eyes, the large, pristine white pupils slowly gaining focus as they came to know the man who 'awakened' Narras. Humans certainly had a physical sense of humor. Clad in iron armor that had seen very many battles, here stood a man who's voice did not at all match his appearance. His light skin-- or what could be seen of it from his face-- was gruff and scarred. His short, messy, black hair told the story of a rather carefree lifestyle. His dark brown eyes were busy darting this way and that, keeping themselves occupied in order to avoid having to stare into Narras's own; Not an uncommon reaction, the Nyralia-Xu was beginning to learn. He was quite young, by the look of his face, and kept adjusting the metal armor he bore over his shoulder...

"A sapling, then. Wonderful," Narras responded rather simply, a smile on his face as his long, powerful tale moved for the first time that morning, helping him to balance as he stood from the ground... and suddenly towered over the human. If he weren't intimidated by the claws of his hands or feet, then it seemed odd that this simple act would cause the young man discomfort. At least, that was Narras's thinking. The intricacies of human nature were still quite the mystery to him... Likely to all Nyralia-Xu.

"What are you--"

"Here, let me look at you." In truth, yes, the man was a tad bit unnerved by Narras's height. However, what was perhaps more unnerving was how... 'familiar' the larger creature acted. Even now it reached forward (to the man's disdain) and tried to touch his face; An act denied by a very simple, instinctive backward step. Narras couldn't help but smile further at such indignation, however; Humans were such paranoid things. Not many races were quite as easily disturbed as they were. This... innate 'distrust', as it were, was so foreign a concept to the Nyralia-Xu that Narras, after somewhere near a year of wandering these lands, still didn't comprehend it.

"Ah, apologies; Where are my manners. I am Narras-Xu-Lu... I specialize in message therapy. You seek my consult?" What he had gained a fair understanding of, however, was the Common tongue. Sure, there were words and concepts that were--and likely always would be-- foreign to him, he was very much capable of communicating on a human level. If only he could master accents as well... Perfection was a strange concept.

"What makes you think--"

"You 'feel' weakened, sapling. Even without touching you, I can tell, this close. No blood... but likely not as simple as a dislocated shoulder, hm? You fear possibly losing your arm, hm...?"

"How did you-- I didn't... Yeah. Yeah, it's banged up pretty badly. That apothecary back there," The man motioned with his head to a further end of market, "He says herbs might help it heal, but this pain is..." He didn't need to continue; Narras understood well enough. His words did explain why he seemed so disconcerted... They also explained why he bothered to approach a lowly (yet rather large) tent with signage that simply read, 'Healing'. Narras wasn't exactly an expert at marketing.

"...I can pay, okay? If you can ease the pain, I'll pay whatever you want. So... is there anything you can do?" Pay, pay, pay. As Narras understood it, this concept was very fundamentally instilled in human nature; Debt, and the guilt of occurring debt. Were gathering not banned in certain portions of the area (not here, fortunately), Narras would've taken the poor sapling in for free. However, there was order in this strange fear of debt, and it was likely a worse idea to go against it than to simply adhere to it.

"Indeed there is, sapling. Why don't we step into my tent... and I can examine you better."

And so, the two vanished into Narras's place of 'business' for something close to two hours. And, in that short time, a surprising amount changed. The market became even more busy, bustling further with life if that was at all possible. To add to this, the Nyralia-Xu unknowingly received a neighbor as well; Though he would not be able to greet him openly until eventually, with a serene swagger to his steps, Narras exited his tent, alone.

"Ah, a tradesmen... Welcome." Perhaps there should have been some sense of trepidation in his approach to this new neighbor, a large, rather hardy creature matching Narras's height-- and then some, but that was not the Nyralian way. With his hands outreached for the big guy's rather aggressive-looking face and furred chest, Narras attempted to greet him the most instinctive way he knew how; A 'sharing' of the minds... Just a short one. Enough to get a name, maybe a little racial understanding... Gender, perhaps... Likes... Dislikes... Fond memories... Family... Friends... Or was that too much to ask of a first sharing? Narras never quite knew where to draw the line...