Crumbs from the Bread King [GOBLIN]

[Cambie]

The Stranger nodded his head as he took the hand and gave it a single firm shake before retreating. He gestured for her to walk with him as he continued down the narrow alleyway, turning several corners. Essyrn had always been a maze of corridors and tight streets, but this southern part of the Jewel City was especially jumbled; a man could easily get lost for hours in the sandstone labyrinth.

"Zeyna... that is a good name for this city," the man commented briefly as he led the two of them around one final corner. The alleyway exited into another large courtyard filled with a smaller bazaar, this one filled with fruit stands. "Simple, but recognizable."

He stopped at the mouth of the alleyway and turned to her. Initially he opened his mouth as if to introduce himself, but stopped just short. There was a slight hesitation. If he ever showed any signs of inner struggle, it was just before he finally spoke again.

"You may continue to refer to me as Kassim, if you wish."

[GoblinFae]

"It is a pleasure to meet you then," she replied softly, nodding her head. Tiraris suspected that like her, he was not offering up his birth-name and yet she found it did not bother her in the slightest. She was enjoying the anonymity that came with sharing a conversation with a complete stranger and no strings attached.

Looking around her, she was amused to find he had led her to another bazaar. "So what brings us here this time Kassim? Is there something special about this quarter?"

[Cambie]

He glanced out of the alleyway and into the bazaar. It was bustling at this hour, with possibly hundreds of people going from stall to stall inspecting both the local and imported fruits. It was a perfect place for a person like him to get lost in.

"This bazaar is directly west of the Bread King's palace, so the guards will have already questioned the merchants here. We will not be bothered again."

His voice was barely audible over the sounds of merchants shouting out their fresh goods and their prices, trying to out-compete their rivals across the way. It was deafening in a way that only an Essyrni bazaar could be, especially so close to the noon rest hour. The Stranger didn't pay much attention to the fact that he was barely heard, though. His voice remained at a comfortably steady volume.

"And... I am here because it has been years since I was last here. It brings back... memories."

He turned to 'Zeyna'.

"You do not have to follow if you wish otherwise."

[GoblinFae]

"Clever," she murmured in return, mentally adding that attribute to her growing list of interests concerning her new "friend." She blessed every single one of her lucky stars though for her acute hearing that allowed her to understand the soft-spoken man. Crowded places were the worst when it came to trying to listen to such men.

Tiraris nodded her head, understanding hid being drawn back to a place that held memories for him. Quietly she replied, "I would be willing to follow if you are not opposed to my doing so. I have nowhere else I need to be."

[Cambie]

The Stranger gave a nod and then stepped out of the shade. At near the noon hour, the sun was beating down heavily on the hundreds in the bazaar by now, and moving through the throng of sweaty bodies and layered fabrics proved somewhat difficult. The man didn't seem to have much problem though. He was lithe in frame and moved fluidly through the mass.

As they passed by one stall, he stopped and looked at the merchant, a young man with a silk headscarf tied around his curling hair. The Stranger hesitated for a moment before turning to his companion.

"This stall always had the best mangoes."

He slowly slid up to the young merchant and said, "Ibrahim Refaei."

The young man gave him a confused look and, after a long while, frowned with his reply. "Sir... my grandpapa has been dead for twenty years. I am Taisir."

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris followed in her own manner, pausing at some stalls along the way but staying altogether not too far behind her companion. His pause in step caused her to glance in his direction and circle around to stand on his other side. She found the interaction rather odd. That list concerning Kassim, seemed to be growing with every second like a hungry caterpillar.

She stepped forward, selecting a pair of ripe mangoes and motioned for the boy to pay attention to her. The assassin could not say for sure why she did it, whether it be the strangeness of the moment or the air of confusion that surrounded the stall. Tiraris had so many questions building up, and forgot to even bother haggling for a lower price, readily handing over the desired amount in coin before offering one of the two fruits over to her "friend."

"You said they were good."

[Cambie]

The man looked down at the mango for a second before nodding in thanks and taking it into his hands. Of course it'd been quite a while since he'd tasted one of these exotic fruits as well. When one no longer felt pangs of hunger or cravings for food, everything one ate became just a bit more bland to the palate.

"Umm, excuse me," came the timid voice of the young merchant, "Did you know my grandpapa?"

The question caught the Stranger off guard and, perhaps for the first time since meeting Tiraris, he seemed slightly flustered. After a moment, he replied, "...yes. When I was very young. You... look just like him."

And with a hurried thanks and a goodbye, he gestured for the girl to follow him away from the stall and its confused proprietor.

"Thank you for the fruit," he said quietly to her. "Please, you first."

[GoblinFae]

She raised a thin brow in surprise, allowing herself to be hurried away, fruit in hand. Yet, when he urged her to eat first she smiled broadly and shook her head. Tiraris clicked her tongue. "Nice try but you first. If it really is your favorite then you would not mind getting a bite already. Go on," she motioned pressuring him more. "Eat."

[Cambie]

As they made their way from the stall and deeper into the jungle of the bazaar, a small space seemed to form around the two of them. Finding a spot off to the side with enough room actually move one's elbows and not feel crushed by the surge of bodies, 'Kassim' finally acquiesced with a nod of his head.

He removed a small dagger from underneath his thick swathe of robes and cut out a wedge from the fruit. Mango juices dripped down his fingers and palm when he lifted it up to his mouth and slowly bit into it. The taste of it, something he'd not experienced in quite some years, brought back a flood of memories for him, and it showed in his eyes. His lids half-closed as he chewed thoughtfully on the soft fruit.

After savoring the wedge and swallowing it, he looked back over to his companion. Softly, he nodded and said, "As good as it ever was."

He held out the knife for her.

[GoblinFae]

A flick of her wrist and a knife appeared in the palm of her hand before she realized what she had done. Tiraris laughed nervously at her mistake, sending him an apologetic smile as she cut into her own fruit. "I have my own," she simply stated as an excuse.

The assassin hummed appreciatively as the sweet, tang of the mango filled her mouth and dribbled juice down her chin. "I have not had something like this in a long, long time. Thank you for your recommendation. It was well-made," she praised.

[Cambie]

'Kassim' looked at her for a moment before nodding his head. Without any flourish, the dagger disappeared back into the folds of his robes.

The quick draw of her blade intrigued him. Maybe this woman, like himself, was more than meets the eye. Inwardly he wondered what her purpose was for coming to Essyrn. Of course, he could ask himself the same question.

"One of few fine points of Essyrn. This place is known for greed, for death. But if one looks deep enough, there are redeeming qualities about it."

He peeled back the skin of his own mango and took another bite, chewing thoughtfully.

[GoblinFae]

"I am afraid I would have to disagree Kassim. I find Essryn to be a place of resilience and life. Mother Nature is a cruel mistress. She does not suffer fools and is especially harsh on those that dare brave her desert playground. Yet, despite all that Essryn remains, a prosperous oasis amidst a barren wasteland. I could not think of a more poetic example of man's determination and tenacity to cheat fate and win."

She sucked on her slice, hoping to drain away any juices that might cause more of an unnecessary mess. Tiraris found it quite curious that her companion would declare this land that she claimed her sanctuary from a world of killing, a den of the dead.

[Cambie]

They walked past the crowd now, to a spot well away from the most popular stalls. Only a few stalls stood here, presided over by a few old men, with less than a handful of wares left. A stone bench jutted out of the wall of a nearby building and this is where Kassim now sat as he slowly ate his mango.

"And despite the desert, they thrive," the man said in agreement with her. "There is life out here in these sands, despite the elements."

His knife flashed back into his hand, and he made a cut through the air as if to prove a point.

"But the people thrive on each other. They step on one another's shoulders to reach the top of the dune. And when they can no longer step, they stomp. Many lie dead in their wake."

He sliced another piece of mango, but just stared down at it with a thoughtful frown. His knife had cut through the flesh of the Bread King just as easily as he now sliced this fruit. Men were so fragile.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris nodded her head as she listened, cutting and eating more fruit as she did. His quick actions with his blade surprised her though. She had seen such skill with only two types of people, huntsman and butchers. The assassin wondered briefly which grouping she belonged to and eventually decided on both. Kassim she pegged as a butcher though. The way he cut his fruit, segmenting it easily into separate sections reminded her greatly of the way the butcher at home would cleave pork ribs into single strips in rapid succession.

"Then it is no different than the rest of this world. If one but opens the eyes then one will see just how twisted this world can be. There is no place on this earth where human greed does not follow."

[Cambie]

The Stranger glanced up from his fruit and, perhaps for the first time, showed some emotion with a mirthless laugh. His eyes slowly drifted back down to the ground, watching as particles of sand were tossed around by the gentle wind.

"Truer words have never been spoken," he replied softly.

For a time, a heavy silence blanketed them, only interrupted by the sound of a loud bell signalling the noon hour. As if on cue, most of the shops emptied as everyone went their separate ways, either to engage in solitary prayer or to otherwise rest before coming back in the afternoon. Only a few men were left in their stalls, the ones who refused to give themselves any reprieve.

Finally, the Stranger shrugged and added, "Then any joy you find in this place is just as misplaced. But at least the fruit is good." He looked back up at her. "Where are you from?"

[GoblinFae]

"Perhaps so. But is it not a matter of perspective? Can a person not look above the cloud of darkness just as easily as below it? Some people choose to be blind to the evil in this worlds, others seek it out. Perhaps there are even those caught between unwillingly or otherwise but it is beside the point. We make that choice. We have that least given that fate makes all the other choices for us, cruel wench that she is."

Tiraris chuckled and sighed. "Where am I from? Well where do you think? What kind of foreigner do you have me pegged as?" she queried, entirely amused by the question.

[Cambie]

The Stranger shrugged his shoulders, but the words came out of his mouth so fast that he must've had a preconceived notion well before he asked her. "Serenian," came the flat tone. "If I had to guess, it would be Serendipity."

He shrugged again and peeled the rest of his mango, taking one large bite out of the remaining bits. There wasn't much left, but he savored every little bite of it. Anything to take his mind off the events of that night.

Already the bazaar was nearly empty, perhaps hauntingly so. It was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Essyrn, and a nice reprieve from everything he hated about this place.

"Just a guess, though."

[GoblinFae]

She smirked as she thoughtfully chewed more of her mango, being only halfway through it herself. "It is a good guess nonetheless," came her gentle praise. "Although I have been all over the continent and could most likely claim any other place as home just as easily. I suppose there is no place to call home once you set yourself adrift in the world."

There was a melancholy note to her voice as if Tiraris was reflecting on a past memory. "Do you need to leave for prayer, Kassim? I would hate to keep you."

[Cambie]

"No. My years of prayer have come and gone," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. In his youth he'd prayed to the Gods and the spirits, prayed to them for guidance and for salvation. But could one's soul be saved, if one's soul belonged to another? What manner of prayer would give him his name back?

He sat there with a furrowed brow, thinking hard, trying to remember his real name. Nothing came, as nothing had come the thousands of times he'd done this before. He was nameless.

"Have you seen all of the city?" he suddenly asked, golden eyes looking back up at her. "The streets will be cleared."

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris respected that. She was much the same way after all. Ever since she had been old enough to know there was something different about her and that it was not a good thing, she had prayed at the family altar. As far as she was concerned, those prayers had fallen on deaf ears. There was nothing but the heavens above that had heard her pleas. There was no deity that desired to acknowledge her.

Tossing the pit and skin into a rubbage pile, she smiled shyly at him. "I admit that things have changed since last I was here. I doubt I have seen it all. But I must ask, is that an offer or a hope to send me on my way?"