Wanderlust

[Zack]

Caillte wiped his brow gingerly, cursing the sudden heat spike that noontime had brought about.

Coming to see his contact Eri, he was sorely disappointed when he found out his venture was in vain. He had sent a couple messengers to the mage, and by all reports he was supposed to be home today, but after waiting around for over three hours he decided to call it off and wander towards one of the local taverns or inns for a drink.

Looking around, the short man couldn't help but be amazed at all his eyes fell upon. Visiting a community of mages always had an air of mystery and grandeur to it, and Caillte couldn't help but soak it in with a smile slowly spreading across his face.

Finally reaching a tavern, he pushed open the door to find it mostly vacant, save for a small spattering of patrons. Seating himself directly at the bar, he waved over the bartender and ordered a pint of the home brew, mulling over in his head how he was to spend the rest of the day.

[Kefi]

Litauia spent the morning in the shack she called home, servicing the small handful of people that came to seek her assistance. One woman had been especially charitable, which left Lita a few extra coins. Since having any currency at all was exceedingly rare, the shaman was taking full advantage of her fortune. Coming from a close communal family, the concept of owning something still seemed selfish to Lita. She grew homesick frequently, but her time on La'marri was purposeful and she wanted to make the most of it before going back to Yoreiq.

The tavern was close to her property, so she decided to spend her money there. It had been much too long since Lita conversed with people other than her customers. She opened the door and stepped across the floor with bare feet. Since the La'marri were accustomed to females covering their breasts, she had taken to wearing a thin beige fabric as a makeshift shirt to cover them from sight. The fabric still felt foreign to her after all these years and she walked too straight due to the discomfort. The sarong, however, was more than familiar. She unlatched her coin purse from the waistband before sitting down next to one of the only patrons at the bar.

Lita had no sense of urgency, so she neglected to flag down the bartender just yet. After years with very little to eat or drink on a daily basis, she didn't see the point in fulfilling that need before fulfilling her curiosity. She turned her heavily tattooed face toward her companion at the bar and flashed him a smile as her hands toyed with the coin purse. Her people were known for their amicable nature; Lita was raised to be polite above all else. "I am Litauia," she said in ways of introduction. Her common tongue was still a bit rusty causing her to speak in short sentences or single words whenever possible. Not many people in La'marri spoke the language of Yoreiq.

[Zack]

After taking a few sips of the house ale, which was good but not great, Caillte observed his surroundings. The tavern was nice, all in all; it was dim, but not dingy. It was small without seeming clustered. A woman walked in and seated herself at the bar next to Caillte, and offered a greeting. He turned towards the newcomer and cocked an eyebrow, her thick accent causing him to pay close attention to her words. "Caillte, nice to meetcha. From Yoreiq, I assume?"

Without needing an answer, Caillte could tell that this woman was foreign. His travels familiarized him with many of the cultures and languages of the land, and as such he was able to decipher a lot of the accents he heard.

After gracing her with a small smile, he got the attention of the barkeep once more. "A drink for the lady, whatever she wants, on me." He turned towards her and nodded lightly.

"So, miss Litauia, what brings you here on this fine day?" Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Any chance you're a reader?"

[Kefi]

He seemed cultured and kind, which was a new experience for Lita. La'marri was full of residents skilled in magic who kept to themselves--or away from her, anyway. Regardless, her customers and social interactions a like were few.

The question he posed was not so much a question as a statement. His assumptions bothered her to an extent, but she held her tongue and forced herself to keep smiling. Leaning into him, she carefully pressed her nose to his. If he knew she was Yoreiq, he must know her culture's friendly greeting. Sitting up in her chair, she nodded to the bartender and asked for "what he has" because she rarely ever drank.

"You do not have to buy my drinks," she told him. Foreigners loved their money. Though she thought currency meant nothing, others on the mainland rarely shared her opinions.

She cocked her head at Caillte, not sure how to respond to his questions. Yoreiq had literature, but she didn't read as a child. And the language here made it much too difficult for her to start. "No, no reading. But I love words" she told him, thinking of her unique spell work. "Why do you question?"

Her drink arrived and she curled her fingers around the cup, waiting for his response.

[Zack]

Though taken aback somewhat by her face being pressed, he reciprocated by pressing back lightly. He knew of the practice, but knew it was usually kept for greetings to fellow Yoreiqi. The fact that she was so friendly and open put Caillte at ease, though, small doubts of awkwardness due to cultural barriers being dispelled almost instantly.

"No, no, please accept my offer. I tend to spend all my money on myself, so it's nice to have somebody to share it with." he raised his cup to her for a moment as a sort of respectful toast, then downed his drink and ordered another to come along with hers.

He chuckled lightly at her responses regarding books, though he made sure not to make it seem like he was laughing at her. "Yes, words are quite lovely. It's a shame you don't read, though. The written word has a certain charm to it, I feel. Haven't been able to shake that feeling for decades." He scratched at the scruff on his neck, feeling like he may need to shave soon. "And I ask because I am a procurer of books of all kinds, and I make a lot of my living off of selling those I've cataloged. A lot of those in La'marri require the services of people like me for magical tomes, old scrolls, research notes, things of that nature." He hung his head slightly, then grabbed his next drink and took a small sip, his mouth drying from the explanation. "My friend Eripiam was supposed to be here, I had a couple new tomes and a novel he requested, but he's not in town. So now I'm just kind of biding my time until I find another potential buyer, or something like that."

He glanced back over at her over his cup. "So, any way I could help you in that regard? I'd love to have a new buyer in La'marri."

[Kefi]

She took small sips as she listened to him, drinking in the words he spoke. If he knew her native tongue, she would feel much better--this burdensome translating in her head was taking its toll. Moving away from her homeland forced her into these situations, but she was still not used to it after all these years.

The ale burned her throat as it went down. Her tastes leaned toward flowery teas or perhaps rich wines. Ales were too harsh for her taste. Before today, Lita never even bothered to try the stuff. In the hopes of fitting in with her surroundings, she downed it anyway, making a conscious effort not to grimace. So much was uncomfortable today: the clothing, the drink, the company... If he was less intriguing, she would have left already. However, he was intriguing, and she quite enjoyed his attention. And she stayed for him, trying to dispel her discomfort.

"You are much too generous," she said in way of thanks. The fact that he chose her to share his money with was somewhat flattering. Lita thought herself attractive, but not attractive enough for a man's attention--and so he must be interested in gaining something else from her. He was quick to bring that something else up: business. Unfortunately for him, she could not read.

"I cannot read. Only Yoreiqi words, but not many of those. I like speak. Reading is... difficult. Though I could try. Books are beautiful." Missing a few words here and there, Lita managed to get her point across. Her speech was halted and slow as she looked for the words she needed. After speaking, her head was down to hide a blush. She downed the rest of her drink as she looked for a reason to stay busy. That, perhaps, was not the best idea. This was a stranger and Lita needed her wits sharp.

"Can you teach?" she asked him as an afterthought, pondering the idea as she spoke it, "I would learn." She didn't expect a time commitment, but asking caused no harm.

[Zack]

Noticing she seemed to struggle with his native tongue, Caillte determined to lapse into some Yoreiqi speech when he could. It wasn't his best language by a long shot, but he was sure he knew enough to make their conversation a little less of a force for the woman. She seemed like a genuinely good person, and Caillte hated to cause meaningless struggle.

In response to her comment about his generosity, Caillte let out a little blush. He couldn't help but agree on some level, as he did find himself spending for others rather than himself when he went out for a night on the town or something of that nature, but he was rather shy when it came to praise. He didn't do what he did for thanks, he just did it as if it were a natural impulse. Litauia was very kind indeed, and gained only more of his respect as she expressed her care for the written word despite her inexperience with it.

When she suggested he teach her, he visibly beamed. He had just gotten in contact with three interesting Yoreiqi tomes that he had wanted to delve into during his trip, and what better way to teach the girl than in her native words? "I would love to teach you, as a matter of fact. All of my books are back at the Inn in my room, though. Do you have a place in mind where we can meet, either a home or somewhere in public?" 

He tapped his chin a few times as he thought, then struggled out in Yoreiqi, "Or we can meet at Inn, if you would like that." He drank the rest of his remaining drink then looked at her bashfully. Going back into his native tongue, "I'm sorry if I butchered that, it's been a long time since I've talked to anybody in the Yoreiqi tongue."