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[color=1E90FF][b]Interactions[/b]: Roman [@ReusableSword][/color]
[color=1E90FF][b]Time[/b]: Around 3 pm[/color]
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By now, Sjan-dehk had grown accustomed to how his conversations in Sorian went. He would manage at least one or two smooth exchanges. Three, if his luck persisted, but eventually his limited command of the local tongue would rear its ugly head and bite hard. 

Unresourceful men made poor captains, however, and Sjan-dehk was no poor captain. There was no real need for him to parse every word of every spoken phrase; so long as he could pick out the important parts like a marksman picking off targets, he’d know enough to just get by. It was not a perfect situation by any stretch of the imagination, but it was good enough for now.

With this stranger, Sjan-dehk understood enough to know that the man’s name was Roman, that he was a craftsman of some sort – a trademark of his important-sounding lineage, it seemed – and most noticeably of all to Sjan-dehk, that he wasn’t Caesonian. Or at least, he didn’t sound like one. It was entirely possible that his accent was just one of many that existed within the city, but after – quite literally – running into Alidashti royalty at the castle, Sjan-dehk allowed himself a modicum of hope. Making contact and perhaps even deals with three different lands would surely more than satisfy the trade delegation still aboard the [i]Sudah[/i]. It could even mean a quick return to familiar waters and familiar duties for Sjan-dehk. 

That thought sat strangely in his head. It should’ve pleased him, and yet it didn’t. Not as much as he had expected, at least. 

[color=f26522][i]“Come friend.”[/i][/color] Roman beckoned him to follow with both words and gesture. Seeing as he had nowhere to be and no idea where to go, Sjan-dehk saw no reason not to fall in half-a-step behind the giant. [color=f26522][i]“Tell me of your land? I have only heard of the Commonwealth in passing stories from our traders. What brings you all the way out here?”[/i][/color]

Sjan-dehk’s brows climbed higher up his forehead. Even in the years leading up to the attempted coup by the absolute royalists, Viserjanta had been in enough simmering turmoil and unrest to keep all but the most dogged and intrepid merchants away. Perhaps the ones Roman spoke of had only reached the very peripheries of the Commonwealth. Far enough away from the major seats of power and thus more-or-less insulated from political and courtly intrigues, these provincial regions – Jafi amongst them – had been the safest places to be. Ironic, considering that most of them grew out of military outposts and settlements to pacify said regions. 

Not that it mattered in the end. Like a wildfire, the following civil war burned its way to every corner of the Commonwealth. Sjan-dehk had been present to witness enough of its excesses to last at least a handful of lifetimes. War had a strange way of turning even the mildest person into wanton monsters relishing in their own depravity. 

[color=1E90FF][i]“To explore. To trade.”[/i][/color] Sjan-dehk kept his answer simple. Even if he knew the words to describe the recent history of the Commonwealth, he wouldn’t have used them. It wasn’t a topic for casual talk. Or any sort of talk, the more he thought about it. [color=1E90FF][i]“We had war for many years. Fought…Our own in many battles.”[/i][/color] There wasn’t much emotion in Sjan-dehk’s voice. He may as well have been describing the weather. It was all in the past. Whatever grief and sorrow he felt had been expressed all those years ago. Now he was simply talking about a fact of life. 

He shrugged. A man standing under an awning loudly hawked skewers of some unknown meat from his little stall. The solid, generous chunks dripped with a sauce that sizzled as they touched the coal-fired grill underneath. [color=1E90FF][i]“But now we have peace. Less fighting, so ships can do other things.”[/i][/color] Sjan-dehk continued as they walked past the stall. He’d have to remember to tell Avek about it later; the smell alone was tasty enough to warrant asking the steward to try his hand at a facsimile. [color=1E90FF][i]“The High Queen, she ah…Decided that I am more useful here.”[/i][/color]

As they continued on their way, the clamouring noise of a distant crowd grew louder, accompanied by the vague sounds of combat. Roman had mentioned an arena, and Sjan-dehk had already roughly guessed what it was that happened there. His ears simply confirmed his suspicions. [color=1E90FF][i]“Ah, duels,”[/i][/color] he said with a nod and a grin. Even in Viserjanta, he had always been keen to observe how others fought in the field of honour. Taking part, however, wasn't something he did. Winning battles was one thing, a duel with all sorts of rules and whatnot was another. [color=1E90FF][i]“Will be interesting to see, yes? Who competes?”[/i][/color]