WE Strange Weather (Tacrith/Ujana)

[Cornetified]

From his brief time in Oba, Tacrith had grown reluctantly accustomed to the dry heat of the desert. It was still uncomfortable, but he expected it now. The rains were actually a relief for him, still more used to the moisture of Yael. It was a nice change to see that everyone else was uncomfortable.

As the rain kept coming though, day after day, even Tac was getting a little disgruntled. Tired of the ship rocking back and forth in the unrelenting waves, he had retreated to the solid ground of shore. A tavern was his place to take cover in, though he was reluctant as ever to go inside where everyone was huddled together. Instead, he sat on the covered porch to watch the rain fall. How miserable; there was either not enough rain or there was too much!

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Droughts in Jauhar and now this?

Ujana wasn't sure what was more cursed; her travels or Tendaji itself.

It was supposed to be a quick trip; just a little jaunt down to Oba to visit with her foster family, catch up on old times and make a payment to her investors. At first the leafling had debated whether she should go at all since Jauhar had been in the midst of a dry spell, but at the time it wasn't crippling. This trip needed to happen, both for her own state of mind and for the tavern....she just wished it could have been nicer.

She was stuck in Oba. So long as the rains persisted Ujana couldn't find safe travel home, and even though she had two perfectly good legs to walk with Medina had made her promise not to try it.

"You have a family to think about! What if something happened to you? Wet sand can trap you, girl! And what if you get wet and freeze at night? "

So instead of making her way back to Jauhar where her family was no doubt suffering from the exact opposite issue, Ujana stayed at Medina's and helped around the bar, same as she had in her youth. It was nostalgic, to say the least, and while parts of it were pleasant the company surely wasn't. Many of the locals were pissy and wet, while the foreigners seemed just as disgruntled about being here as she was.

Ujana stepped out onto the porch, and turned towards the yaeli who had taken up residence there, like some old wet radaku. "Hey stranger, what can I get'cha to drink?"  

[Cornetified]

Sighing, Tac leaned back and closed his eyes. He could hear the murmur of voices from the other side of the wall seeping out through the door and windows. He could only imagine how stuffy and smelly it would get in there with so many bodies grouching over their drinks...

Stranger? He cracked an eye open to see who was talking, and was rather surprised to see a woman standing there. Had she noticed him out here, or had she just stepped out for some air as well? "I wonder if you would bring me a mug of water with a few slices of orange in it, if such is available," he replied after a moment, side-eyeing the pouring rain. "The irony is not lost on me, I assure you."

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Ujana couldn't help wondering if all Yaeli were this small or if it was just him. It wasn't like she hadn't seen shrimpy travelers before; malnutrition made 'em small, and it wasn't as if a lot of them had money to spare for fancy meals. He didn't look particularly starved, just...maybe it was just her, then. Ujana had grown so used to seeing larger bodies, both alkidike and earthling, that she'd grown accustomed to it. Grown to expect it, even, but the thought just made her smile.

"I'll see what I can't do for ya." Taking his order, she disappeared back into Medina's with a little grin. Water, huh? Well that wouldn't do much for warming that thin little body. Ujana sidled her way past a group of drunkards, slipped into the backroom and took a look at their stock. A glass of water, sure, with orange slices, prissy as that was, was easy to get and so was a bowl of warm, spiced dumplings. Ujana paused at the bar on her way out to grab a tankard of her favorite brew as well; a snack for her 'break', and was well on her way outside.

Once there she delivered his order with a smile, all before sliding the bowl of dumplings his way. "Courtesy of the house. Well, more like payment for putting up with me because I'm sitting out here for a while and not going back in there." She motioned behind her with a vague gesture before flopping down in the seat next to him.

"So did you come here because of the Dretch thing or are you just traveling?"  

[Cornetified]

Wrapping his coat a little closer to himself, Tac kept his gaze out on the rain. A few bodies would scurry by every so often, but most were avoiding going out in this weather, save for those seeking the comfort of a warming drink. Honestly, why did they feel the need for such a thing? He preferred to be of a clear mind.

Seeing the service with a smile rather than a curious stare or a distasteful snub, Tac returned with an appreciative nod. The bowl made his brow rise, giving the warm aroma a curious sniff. Payment for what? "Oh, I can't acc- Do have a seat," he murmured in resignation. Turning them down might have deterred the company at first, but the woman had sat down quite quickly. He wasn't about to kick off someone being pleasant to him.

Now she was trying to converse though... After a moment, he took a sip of his water and shook his head. "I suppose the closest title to any accuracy would be traveling, albeit reluctantly," he replied, finding himself leaning toward the hot bowl again. It did smell surprisingly good. Maybe just a little... "Thank you," he said as he pulled the bowl onto his lap.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Regardless of how he may have felt having her so close, Ujana made herself comfortable in the outdoor seating. She stretched her legs out in front of her into the empty space, wriggling her toes in the stale, rainy air before crossing the limbs at the ankle. She had hoped there might be more air outside then there was indoors, which there was, it just wasn't nearly as much as Ujana would have hoped for. Her hair still clung to the back of her neck, and the area beneath her breasts was getting sticky.

"Get run out of Yael?" Others may have had enough tact to leave it alone, but she didn't. "You don't look much like a runaway, you know, cuz of the cane, but-" Ujana shrugged her shoulders before settling back into the chair. She lazily reached out for her mead stein, and knocked back a gutfull.

"Unless you're in some kind of trouble." She gave him a sidelong glance, "You aren't, are you?"  

[Cornetified]

"Run out?" he repeated incredulously, shaking his head and straightening his back for a more respectable appearance. "It was no such thing as being 'run out,' I assure you." Should he bother elaborating with this woman?

Well, if his time on the ship and in Oba had taught him anything... He paused to take a spoonful of the soup, pleased to find the taste more than tolerable. Adjusting to Oba style food was still a process, after all.

"The only trouble I find myself in is not of my design. I was treating a patient on a ship when.. when it suddenly had to depart from port, with me still on it in the lower decks with the patient. For the ruffians on board, it was not possible to turn back to return me, and I was rather outnumbered in the matter. As you have pointed out, I often need to make use of a cane, so swimming back was out of the question as well. Thus, here I sit until they get me back home, which they have promised to do. I had hoped to find another ship for my return, but my options appear to be limited."

Good thing he had ordered water; his throat would surely be sore from all this talking!

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

Ujana held her hands up in a placating manner with a little whistle. "It's all good, you don't have to share." It wasn't as if she purposefully trying to insult him or anything; she was just curious, same with a lot of folks, honestly, she'd wager. It wasn't as if the limpid yaeli made a point of traveling across the ocean as often as other races. She took a long drag out of her drink and clucked her tongue. For a moment she looked out across the street, keen on looking at something other than the yaeli, and noticed the downpour had intensified. At this rate they would have street flooding, and Ujana didn't know how much more the thatched roofs in the lower income areas could hold.

And yet, he kept talking. Maybe she hadn't stepped on his toes after all?

"You know, I could pay for you to go home, if you wanted. Might be some rough sailing after all this rain, but it's not like I don't have some gold to spare." She turned back to him then, seizing the man up. "But...admittedly, getting swept away like that sounds really fun. Like some sort of grand adventure! I'm a less jealous of you, droops; have a couple of kids and your adventuring days are gone. Kind of makes me wish I'd played it out a little longer."  

[Cornetified]

Tac gave the increasing rains a morose glare. Everything was trying to trap him, lately. The offer given so casually surprised him, and he had to stop himself from staring at the woman. After a long moment, he sighed and shook his head. "I appreciate the offer greatly. However, despite the situation, I prefer to remain with those I came with. They may be a bunch of ruffians, but they treated me well enough on the way here. I would prefer to not risk a less pleasant crew for the way home."


He took another bite of the soup, and gave a soft hum of contemplation. "Perhaps it is an adventure, but I assure you I have no desire for such things. I just want to return to my home and my clinic." Kids... Right. As if he would ever have children. "Are they here with you now, your children?"

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

"Seriously? You aren't having a bit of fun with any of this? Not at all? Come on, Oba's pretty hot on it's good days but it's got to have at least something to make you stop and think 'this was worth it'. It's not always a swampy mess. " Granted right now Oba's residents were more like a pack of drowned rats than awe inspiring survivors, but weren't Yaeli supposed to be more mystical than this? What was going on with this guy to make him so pragmatic?

"Nooooo, no no. I'm a pretty free thinking kind of parent, but I'm here strictly on business and some things kids don't need to see." She hefted her stein and canted her head to it casually before taking another drink, "This specifically. My eldest son is with his father in Tale right now and the other three are with my girlfriend back in Jauhar. As soon as the rain lets up I'm going home to them, but right now I'm stuck."  

[Cornetified]

Pursing his lips, Tac looked out to survey the scene beyond the covered porch. "I do realize that I have learned much about this culture and have been able to experience it in a way many of my brethren might not, considering the fears of this land they hold so tightly to. The insight I have gained will hopefully be of benefit in the future, so I suppose it will show its worth in time."

He hummed softly around another mouthful of soup. "I suppose it is good that they are away from this liquid onslaught. Yeal is not dry, but even this much rain would be a cause for panic." He could only imagine what the Yaeli would do if something like this happened back home!

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Cornetified

6/7

Blah blah culture blah blah blah share... Ujana was suddenly very glad she'd brought a drink along with her. Some of the things this man said could have rivaled her father; there was no great personalization here, just a clinical view of the world around him.

She hated it.

Was there really nothing here that could get his blood pumping? It didn't even have to be something good, but even hatred of a place was better than bland acceptance. Suddenly she wished the rains would just dry up so she could push him off the porch and get him on his way.

"If it rains too much the water would swallow your island up, don'tcha think?"  

[Cornetified]

His brow cocked, and instinctive denial teasing at his lips. He caught himself though. "I.. suppose anything is possible. I would never have thought to leave Yael, but here I am. I do find the concept highly unlikely though. There was a time no one on Yael knew this enormous land was here, and now there's even another land... what was it.. Belrea. The world seems to be much bigger than we know, so there should be plenty of space for the water to go."

Without noticing its progress, he found his spoon already scraping at the bottom of the empty bowl. He set the bowl onto the table and finished off the water as well. "Again, thank you for the meal. It is appreciated." The surprise hospitality was quite welcome considering the mixed reviews he tended to bring out in others here. ...That didn't make him any less eager to be home though.

Painted Moose