The Sirrush and the Scam Artist

[kleineklementine]

Kaya and Nasr just stared as Quinlan got straight to his feet, rudely rejected their offer of tea, and staggered on his own back into the tent. From the sound of it, he just went in and collapsed, too! He was not a very good guest. But then again, maybe they shouldn't have expected anything different from a northern barbarian.

Now, of course, Kaya had to explain why she'd hid the man in the first place. But Nasr knew how much the privilege of having her own Sirrush breeding was for Kaya, and believed his cousin when she said she just didn't want the whole thing ruined because she saved some stupid abjad. Of course, Nasr also knew his aunt, Kaya's mother, and how much it would ruin Kaya's chance if she found out about this! So grudgingly he agreed to keep it secret. But what to do with the man until he was better?

Kaya, whose temper was worse than Nasr's, was still fuming at what she saw as the man's betrayal. Attacking her cousin! After she took him in! So to cool her head, Kaya threw herself back into all the work she needed to do anyway, while Nasr cautiously went into the tent.

He looked curiously and cautiously at the man. In truth, he'd never seen a northerner before. While Kaya made extended trips in Essryn to visit her father, Nasr stayed with the tribe and had met few foreigners. Now that the man wasn't a threat, he was curious.

"Kaya said she made a salve for you," he said cautiously, "you should probably use it again. Sun sickness can be very serious." He brought the jar of the lotion over to Quinlan, then sat down not too far from him, frowning curiously at him. "You are lucky Kaya found you. You would have died."

[Lion]

Quinlan managed to shuffle onto his back, peering up to the man that had reluctantly come to his defense.  Not that Quinlan would ever admit to being thankful for that.  Those kicks had been starting to get in his nerves aftet a while.  He just stared up at Nasr.  "I must apologize," he mumbled.  Then repeated himself so that he was heard more clearly.  "Where I come from, someone holds a blade to you, its either you or them.  I'm sure that sniff you just did was out of disgust for all my barbarian mannerisms."

Quinlan didn't really care if he was being respectful, but he already knew what the pair of these desert dwellers thought of him.  All he could ask was that they didn't slash his throat open while he slept.  He'd prefer they do that while he was awake.  "What is your name, stranger?" Nasr asked.

Quinlan looked at him, tempted not to answer at all.  What did it matter anyway?  "Quinlan," he murmured, sitting up slowly to rub the salve back over his burns.

[kleineklementine]

"You can rest easy, Quinlan," Nasr told him in his best attempt of a voice that said, I'm your courteous host and never ever threatened you with a sword. "No harm will come to any guest in an Awali tent, and you're a guest now. I'm sorry about before," Nasr rubbed his short curly hair, looking only a little sheepish. He didn't look entirely apologetic, however. "I thought you were an intruder, come to harm or dishonor Kaya. Especially since... well... you weren't dressed properly. Do you have a sister, or a girl cousin? If you do, then you understand."

Nasr did look a little sheepish when he looked out the tent. Because it occurred to him that Quinlan might not quite believe his promise that no harm would come to him in light of Kaya's assault of him. After all, Kaya had known he was a guest. "Kaya, well... She felt the same way when you attacked me. But she was wrong to harm a guest. I... reminded her of that." A polite way to characterize the loud and animated argument they'd had. Then, after a moment, he added, "She'll calm down. She has a temper. I'm Nasr, by the way."

[Lion]

He grunted, sitting up and pulling the dress off with some effort.  Avoiding raw skin wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't something Quinlan enjoyed doing.  Why couldn't Kaya had given him a skirt?  Some hostess she was.

"She said my clothes were in ruins.  She let me use what she had.  Which unfortunately was this lovely ceremonial skirt."

He kept the dress draped over his lap and shrugged a little, applying the salve thoughtfully.  "I don't think our customs are so different," Quinlan replied thoughtfully.  He ignored the question about having a sister or female relative.  "Guest or not, where I come from, Kaya would be justified in protecting a family member.  Temper or no.  But I am a long way from wherever Home used to be.  And,...I guess, I should say thanks?"

Quinlan studied Nasr.  "You came out all this way to see her.  She mentioned something about sirrush breeding.  She talked about her aunt.  Really that was all she could talk about the first bout of conversation we had.  I imagine that's what that golden horse was, yes?  She must be very far from where the rest of your...Awali was it? - come from."  Quinlan knew of course natives to these places all knew the nooks and crannies of these badlands. 

[kleineklementine]

"'Golden horse?!' Don't let Kaya hear you say that!" Nasr warned Quinlan, looking a bit offended himself, though he tried gallantly to hide it. "Or Myshhusu, for that matter. You wouldn't last long with the pair of them mad at you! But yes," he answered with just the slightest hesitation, "Myshhusu is a Sirrush. And her aunt is my mother," he added, straightening up a little. Clearly proud.

All of Quinlan's questions gave Nasr pause. Why did he want to know about how far they were from the rest of their tribe? And how alone Kaya was? Did he mean to do her harm, after all? Or did he mean harm to the Sirrush clutch? Of course, asking those questions - accusing a guest of something so vile - would be very rude! It would certainly violate the rules of hospitality.

"Our tribe, the Awali, yes, come from everywhere in this land," he answered instead. "Our homes are the great sky and our tents, and we move with our flocks, and with the kaadir and Sirrush that we breed." Best to tell him that people weren't that far away (even though, in this case, it was a few days to where the rest of their tribe was) and at the same time remind him that they had several large, powerful, and dangerous animals. "Were you hoping to join the rest of our tribe?" A coded way of asking, Why do you want to know?

[Lion]

They did say the road to hell was paved with good intentions.  Not that Quinlan had any of those.  He had no doubt that these people saw him as odd as he saw them.  He never did consider himself a worldly man, but he could adapt to any situation as best he could.  He had no pride or pretense.  What good would that do in a situation like this?

Quinlan glanced at Nasr, finishing applying that weird salve and setting it aside.  He didn't really cake it on, especially since he wasn't sure how long it would last.  With any luck, his skin would start peeling tomorrow.

"I'm just making conversation," Quinlan answered with a small sigh.  The suspicion was clearly evident in Nasr's voice.  "I've never heard of your people before.  And I've been around.  But not much into the desert.  It leaves me...euphoric."  He probably thought Quinlan was being full of shit, but he could honestly say, other than the heat, this kind of setting was remarkably freeing.  Maybe Nasr didn't see it that way.

[kleineklementine]

"'Euphoric?!' Tch! More like it makes you roast....phoric."

That, of course, was Kaya re-entering the tent. Nasr shot her a meaningful look that clearly said, Behave. But Kaya, at least, seemed to have simmered down somewhat. Instead of glaring, she was grinning at Quinlan. Well, maybe glaring a little at the same time.

"You can't have been around too much if you thought this was on the way to Essryn!" she continued, plopping down near Nasr.

"Kaya..."

She made a great show of rolling her eyes, then cleared her throat, and looked at Quinlan anew. "Oh, I'm sorry, brother," she parroted, "please, let me make you some tea."

[Lion]

Quinlan just eyed Kaya as he just about finished applying the salve.  Oh sue he'd finished applying it, but he'd needed to rub it in and he let his arms hang off to the side to remain comfortable.  Or as comfortable as he could possibly be in his skin.

"Thank you," was all he said in response to that offer of tea.  Even if it was in sheer mockery and she was probably going to spit in it anyway.

[kleineklementine]

Kaya tried not to glare as she got up and set about preparing the tea. She'd fully expected him to reject it; he had before! And now she was quite certain he was doing it just to spite her. Obviously he was. Stupid abjad.

Well, if Kaya's sunny, chipper disposition had annoyed Quinlan before, he seemed to have fixed that problem pretty well. Maybe he'd like surly, grumpy Kaya better.

Nasr watched Kaya, looking a little nervous. Then he turned back to Quinlan. "Unfortunately, I can't stay here past tomorrow morning. I'll be expected back with the others," and if he stayed, everyone would think there was something wrong. And both Kaya and Nasr knew that if Khitam found her daughter alone with a foreign man, Kaya would never be let out of her sight again. And certainly not left alone so long, as was required by Sirrush breeding. So for now, it'd be their secret. "But Kaya will take care of you until you're able to travel again," he said this a little uncertainly, as though worried that Kaya might do no such thing. "Unfortunately, I didn't bring any more clothes, so..." Nasr looked meaningfully at the skirt-mini-dress-kilt, and gave a shrug.

Kaya came back over with a steaming kettle. She set out three metal cups and poured first for Quinlan - glaring at him - then Nasr, then herself. Then she sat to drink her tea, glaring at Quinlan.

[Lion]

He had to admit.  Seeing her throwing death-glares at Quinlan was rather amusing.  But he was a guest and it would not do to laugh at a time like this.  He was still very vulnerable.  So he simply sipped his tea quietly and looked to Nasr, giving a friendly bow of his head.

"Thank you anyway," Quinlan said and sipped the tea again.  It was really very good.  For a man that preferred a bit of brandy with it.  "I think I can make do.  I don't plan on sitting around that entire time.  But I guess going outside isn't that good of an idea.  And we've already seen just how good my ideas are."

And his eyes slowly drifted to Kaya.

[kleineklementine]

"What are you looking at me for?" Kaya bit once she noticed Quinlan's gaze. Nasr shot her a look and Kaya heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I mean, is there something else I can get you, brother?"

Nasr frowned at his cousin. Perhaps wondering if Quinlan would survive her 'hospitality.'

"It's probably best if you do stay in the tent. You'll heal faster and Kaya will have a lot of work to do."

The implication, of course, being that Quinlan would only get in the way.

[Lion]

Oh Quinlan couldn't agree more, but he left it at that.  The fire was already hot enough, without him stirring the embers.  He only smiled between the cousins and set the tea gently on his lap.

"So what do your people do for...fun around here?  Or is there always work to do?"

[kleineklementine]

"For fun?" Kaya repeated, raising her eyebrows at Quinlan. "We lure stupid foreigners in with tales of our famous 'hospitality,' then tie them up in their sleep and feed them to Myshhusu."

Describing this, Kaya looked in a much better mood.

Nasr, meanwhile, rolled his eyes, and answered noncommittally, "There's a lot of work to be done during breeding season."

[Lion]

"Oh?  Well, I certainly hope I don't give your Sirrush indigestion.  I'd hate for that to happen," Quinlan said with a small grin, watching Kaya's expression from the corner of his eye.  That seemed to brighten her up.  Good.  Humor at his own expense.  That was the usual way to go.

"Mating season?" Quinlan peered up, the topic having caught his interest.  "Ahh.  So that's why all this, seclusion of sorts.  I guess they raise better without interruption?"

[kleineklementine]

That question seemed to perk Kaya up, her excitement and pride about the Sirrush momentarily overwhelming her grudge against Quinlan. Her face lit up and she opened her mouth to answer, but Nasr quickly cut in.

"We won't bore you with the tedium of our livestock," he said with an edge of firmness. While Kaya might still be angrier at Quinlan, Nasr was, perhaps, more suspicious. "Especially when we know so little of your story. Tell us, brother, where are you from? And what brings you so far away from your native land?"

It may have been a clumsily obvious way of changing the subject, the subtext of 'We don't ant to tell you about the Sirrush' loud and clear, but hey, they were only sixteen.

[Lion]

A hint well played.  And well-taken.  He wasn't going to press the issue, but it only confirmed what suspicions he had.  These were the animals he'd come all this way to look for.  Quinlan sipped the tea quietly until the questions were posed to him.  He looked between Nasr and Kaya, the cousin's sharing more resemblance than not.  He was an outsider to them after all.

"I am from the North.  You might know it as the nation of Serendipity.  It is very...green," he said, chuckling a little.  "Lush forests, rushing rivers, even great mountains covered with snow.  But a trader like myself cannot stick to one nation.  I've been interested in venturing to Essryn for months now.  And when I finally came this way...apparently, I got more than I bargained for."

[kleineklementine]

"Well, you came the wrong way," Kaya said bluntly, the 'idiot' at the end of the sentence more than implied in her tone. "You'd have made it there fine if you'd gone on any of the standard routes."

Nasr sighed. He'd shoot her a look, but how many had he given her already? Instead he looked to Quinlan with polite curiosity.

"Trader? What do you trade? Our people are traders, and as nomads, we're always looking to extend our network and barter for new and rare goods."

[Lion]

Quinlan kept his eyes to Nasr.  Besides Kaya was just going to get on his nerves if he continued to focus on her.  "All manner of goods.  I have several connections from Adela and many in Serendipity.  I like to keep my prospects open. In fact I came here looking to purchase rare goods to sell North. Silks, furs, dyes, any thing that would fetch a good price back home."

[kleineklementine]

Kaya looked at Quinlan with a knit brow. Something seemed funny. He hadn't said anything before about being a trader. Had he? If he was a trader, where was all his stuff? So, racking her memory for images of the site where she found Quinlan, she looked up and remarked casually,

"There was no sign of a trader's wagons or goods when I picked you up. Or signs that anything like that had been there."

[Lion]

Now she spoke.  Quinlan peered at her.  "When you found me, that was a long way from where I was attacked by brigands,"  he answered, because really it was mostly the truth.  "Then I had come a long way looking for anyone that would help.  I suppose that was when I passed out where you found me.  The uh, red abjad I believed you called me."