"Dark" Hadrian confirmed. "Sun does not... hit me." It was one of the advantages of being undead. Extreme temperatures posed little threat to him - even fire would only singe his enchanted bones. It was a great advantage of undead - many woes of mortals, such as hunger or the environment, held no sway.

He was content with silence and waiting, but the weaver's offer was quite tempting. He would go on a reconnaissance of the island himself later, but having a local answer his questions was not something he could just pass by. "Yes. How to make cloth?" Hadrian was unlikely to pick up the particularities of local industries on his own, it was best to ask an expert.

 Hadrian was capable of recognizing colour - the necromancer who raised him found it important that their soldiers were just as capable as navigating the battlefield as the living would. The use of colours to denote specific units seemed to have survived, too convenient not to be repeated. He'd overheard some people discussing codes of arms or such, that seemed to operate on a similar principle.

"Brown. Please." It sounded like an inexpensive colour to make, and one that wouldn't draw attention. He caught the suggestion, and that gave him more food for thought. Reconnaissance would be useful, but he could just as well familiarize himself with the island terrain after he had the cloak made. "I can stay."

 Hadrian took the weaver's words as the indication that the measuring process was over. He did not need to move, and remained on stand by as time passed. He did, however, pay attention - it was important to learn about measures of the world. He might have to make use of them later. This system, founded upon the body, felt familiar for some reason.

 Hadrian stood by as the weaver took measurements. With neither breath to move his chest nor life to spark at his nerves, he remained still as a statue.

"Tell me if need to move" he added. Staying still, he tried to pick up on the whispered numbers - the local metric system was valuable information. The weaver didn't seem to be using any instruments, just making an observation and judging by his own measure. It spoke of experience and skill in his craft.

 This weaver had a way of asking difficult questions. What did 'beautiful' mean? What was beauty? Hadrian was a soldier, not a philosopher, and had no idea what to make of it.

The input on his position was vague, but he could work with it. He was about to stand by, when the other question reached him. "Yes" he responded, moving closer. "Tell me when to move" he stood ready to rotate or make other parts of his armour accessible.

 Hadrian handed over the basket, still puzzled at the question. "The ship was built good" he remarked. He'd never seen one that large during the time of conquest; his unit never participated in marine warfare and once they've arrived at a port, it would have already been stripped of any vessels.

As the weaver was settling down, Hadrian glanced towards the position of the sun. His armour produced a sizeable shadow, and he was not certain if it was desired or not. "Do you need light?" he asked, moving away.

 Athanasia accepted Ashton's response instinctively, without even raising an eyebrow. The attendants appeared worried, fools. They wouldn't understand - humans were a weak people, lacking the fangs, claws and might of greater creatures like herself and the .

"Then go with my blessing. And I would welcome your company in the future, should your path bring you to my domain again."

 "Not mine ship. I was traveler. Passenger" Hadrian quickly added, recalling the word used to describe his position. He followed Vai onto the patio, immediately scanning the new locale. It looked rather open and not very defensible.

His grasp on the basket hasn't shifted since he first picked it up. Hadrian had no muscles that needed rest and no skin that could be chafed by prolonged contact. He noticed that he was drawing far less attention there - people were busy with their own activities and stared less.

 Ria' frowned. "You have to wear this boring uniform robe all day and you want more? This is just..." He scrambled his mind for a word to express his disappointment, but fortunately Kana spoke up and made up for his fleshmate's lack of imagination. And he even offered to broaden Ria's fashion horizons! What a good friend he was!

"What does that look like?" he asked. He heard Kana was one of the adepts from beyond Serendipity, but little beyond. "I should be able to make something you liked."

 It was a great day. Not only did Athanasia hear so many wondrous tales about the world outside, but also earned an oath from an exciting new person! She stayed at the shrine, listening raptly to what Ashton had to tell. When she grew hungry, she had the attendants bring her some food, and so the day has passed. No villagers showed up to request her blessing - a good thing for once. Most of the time, she enjoyed times to exercise her power, but that day she wanted no interruptions.

She did not see the sun from beyond the shrine walls, but the attendants at the door noticed the change in the light outside. When refilling the water, one of her people requested permission to speak - and, as it was time for a break in stories, she granted it.

"It is getting late, Mistress of the Crimson Flame" the boy reported. "Night is falling and it shall be time soon for us to leave. Oh- is Master Ashton going to spend the night?"

 Alright, I'm working on a reply. It seems to me that it's drawing to a close (as in, there could be a timeskip to let Ashton rest and have him continue on the journey) unless you wanted something else to happen?

 Some of the spellwork done on him at his creation endowed Hadrian with a compass-like enchantment that allowed him to orient himself better when on the field. As he was not meant to be a navigator, this was the extent of his ability, and he was forced to re-learn the lay of this new land completely. He quickly recalled the ship he was traveling on as he prepared an answer.

"I'm from the continent" he responded. "The ship sank." He took a step to the side to avoid bumping into a gaggle of children that erupted from behind a nearby building.

 Ria' held his arms out slightly as he was gracefully shrinking. The Wyrdwood-issue robes billowed out around him, falling to the floor as they were no longer held up by his body. He quickly kicked off shoes and socks - being trapped under his own shoe was not a part of his schedule.

He sauntered from below the fabric to meet with Kana, Liam and Dylan. The only student non shrunk groaned at the sight. "I get that you're going to be hiding inside most of the time so you're not planning on flashing anyone, but do you have to stay naked?"

Ria' responded by casting one of the very first spells he learned. His motivation to study magic fell sharply once he found out that he lacked the power to summon fabric in sufficient quality for his goals. Fortunately, though his size was decreased, his power was not - and he was more than capable of finally achieving his dream of making magical outfits. Why, he needed to expend so little power now, he could even make some amendments!

He settled on a blue vest with bronze pins, conjured into existence over a simple white shirt with wide sleeves. A pair of bracelets held the sleeves in place at his upper arms, matching the outer coverings of the black gloves. A wide scarf that functioned as a belt was chosen to match the purple of his hair, adorned with a jeweled buckle. Beneath formed a pair of short, billowing pants matching the vest in hue and black tights mostly hidden in dark blue boots reaching up to his knees. "Should I have a hat?" he wondered as he finished the bronze adornments on the boots. "Kana, do you- oh right! What kind of outfit should I magic up for you?"

 The attendants were staring. One even murmured something too faint for Athanasia's ears to catch. She glared at the girl, shutting her up. She would not have her servants comment on her guests! Neither Kaeth nor Ashton have done anything objectionable - it was the nature of mortals to require food. And she doubted that beings of great power, such as dragons or mighty beasts, bothered to feed in a manner the lessers would find appealing.

Athanasia glanced back at her guests. Fortunately, it seemed that the attendants' rudeness did not affect them overmuch. She still noticed that Ashton was muttering something too quiet for her to catch and hurried to make up for the breach of etiquette. "I assure you, my servants will be properly punished for their rude staring."

 Hadrian followed, keeping an eye on the traffic. His grip on the basket was firm, and he doubted he'd drop it even if bumped into. The possibility of thieves and pickpockets was something he learned to account for in this world. He was yet to notice any attempts here on the isle, but he was more inclined to assume the fault in his scouting capacities than the absence of crime.

Hadrian fell into step behind the weaver, matching his pace. It was slower than the marching speed he was used to, but he was trained to accommodate. The focus of his attention was well divided, and he reacted quickly to the question. "I am Hadrian". He repeated the name just as he first heard it so long ago he had no words to describe, sound for sound.

 "I'm not from Serendipity, either, I just like the local dress style. It's so pretty and frilly! I'm from Thanatos - those islands full of jerks" Rhuneth sulked, her face twisting into a frown. "Don't ever go there. They hate necromancers, and they hate foreigners too. Worst place to go sightseeing in all of Le'raana."

She glanced at Lillian. The zombie slowly extended the hand, lacking the manual dexterity to direct the handshake properly.

 Oh, how she loved to bask in the rightful adulation! Athanasia loved telling this story, watching awe light up the faces of the audience. Gods truly did thrive on prayers and worship. It was the best part about being visited by new travelers - some of her villagers were starting to get accustomed to stories of her majesty, but outsiders never did.

"If you wish to see dragonriders, look up" she advised him. "You may get lucky and see some in flight. I had the opportunity several times, myself, but I chose not to call out to them."

The crow cawed, and Athanasia inclined her head, curious. Did he have a question, or something to say? When Ashton translated, the goddess couldn't stop an indulgent smile. Ah, the concerns of flesh.

Then her belly rumbled.

She motioned at one of the attendants, who hurried to answer. "It should be arriving soon." The girl moved closer to the door and sniffed the air. "Oh, I think it's on the way!"

Spoiler

Feel free to have the long-awaited food arrive in your post :D

[close]

 Only after making his offer did Hadrian realize how suspicious it sounded. He was a stranger here, one that already got leery looks from the locals and guard forces alike. From what little he picked up on the weaver's body language, it was clear that he was not a fighter himself and already was having trouble carrying everything. It would naturally look like an opportunity for stealing.

He was about to take the offer back, when the weaver acquiesced. Hadrian's surprise did not show - he had no face to properly expressed. The soldier took the basket, wrapping one armoured arm around it. Its weight was not of concern. "Lead the way."

 Rhuneth's face lit up with an excited smile. "Thank you!" she chirped. "It's so nice to meet someone who appreciates my work! And here I was worried Serendipity was full of people prejudiced against zombies. Honestly, I have no idea why they think the dead are any worse than the living- and Lillian never harmed anyone!"

"Oh, Lillian is her name. Say hi, Lillian!" The zombie waved her hand instead, as her vocal chords were too rotten to utter a word. The necromancer followed up with an introduction on her own. "Oh, and I'm Rhuneth."

 This did not look like the best way to transport cargo. Hadrian acknowledged that mortals were sometimes better suited than the undead for the task, but this was not such an instance. Unless it was something so delicate and fragile that it should not be held by untrained hands, he should assist.

"Can I help?" he asked, pointing to the baskets. "I'm strong, and I don't tire." He wasn't just bragging - his undying bones were enchanted with empowering spells, and have already withstood the weight of a glacier. He could move some baskets.