[IMG]https://picload.org/image/rpocagri/markerjaelnec.png[/IMG]
[h3]The Duchy of Zerul, by a road in the southwest[/h3]
“I once asked Freagon – my master – about the king,” Jaelnec commented on Angora’s apparent pleasure at vulnerability despite station. It was true, too; he barely even remembered a time before the death of Paul IV, the “last king of Rodoria”, having been just nine years old when the Withering claimed him and threw the kingdom into the civil war that still raged to this day, eleven years later. Angora could not remember it much better, by his count having been seven years old at the time, so he was honestly a little surprised at her implied bitterness towards a ruler she barely knew. “He told me that the primary purpose of a monarch is to keep the throne occupied, to make sure others aren’t tempted to take it for themselves. That kings are revered not because they are ‘special’, but because they stop people from tearing out each others’ throats the way the dukes do now.”
He sighed. “He told me that most people mistook their hatred for the throne as hatred for the king... that they didn’t really want to get of the man as much as they wanted to destroy his seat.”

Other than that he remained fairly impassive, barely even reacting to Angora’s statement that she was going to get dressed – though he inwardly thanked Laon for it – and merely raised his uniform black gaze casually to look at Domhnall and Iridiel as the priestess stirred. He sat there a moment and smiled, warmed by the sight of the two foreigners’ interaction even if he could not understand their language. That is, he did so exactly until the moment he heard the sound of heavy cloth hitting soil, much closer than made any sense to him.
He knew that he did not want to look even as he felt his head and eyes turning, felt his muscles clenching in his neck painfully as he tried desperately to stop his field of vision from shifting. Helplessly his focus moved to Angora, fully visible before him, naked as a newborn. For an instant his heart felt as though it had stopped, as though time slowed, and he stared at her with eyes that grew wider as his face turned redder. His jaw clenched so hard that his teeth hurt, sending a quiet noise of straining bone resonating through his skull, much louder to his ears than it truly was. His throat constricted so that it felt like someone was actively strangling him...
She placed her hands on her breasts, the movement irresistibly drawing his gaze. Locked it there. And then his heart started beating again, [I]rapidly[/I], and the expression of shocked fascination upon his face instantly turned into one of horror.
Letting out a desperate, high-pitched cry of primal regret, the squire felt his legs kick out, his boots strike the ground, and suddenly he was doing a veritable backflip off the log he had been sitting on... only, due to his seated position the rotation only took him three fourths of the way, leading him to landing face-first into the ground, body outstretched, just behind the log. There he remained, silent and motionless, as he stewed in his own self-hate.

“The fire didn’t do anything, you know?” he heard Olan comment after some commotion, probably – in Jaelnec’s mind – caused by the woman’s outrage at his base fascination with her body. He did not know what had happened, nor that the explorer extraordinaire went to the fallen Angora to offer his hand. “In any case I’m pretty sure it’d be better for you [I]not[/I] to kick it. You know?”

[IMG]https://picload.org/image/ddggriwa/nimbus.png[/IMG]
[h3]Zerul City, outside I’onriyi’s estate[/h3]
Nimbus felt confused and uncertain as she awaited I’onriyi’s response to her introduction, her brow furrowing in a worried expression as memories and knowledge flowed through Male’dai’s thoughts and drifted through her mind, pointing out the different interpretations and implications of the way he was looking at her. She became aware of just how seedy this scene must have looked to random passerbys on the street; a petite but attractive deigan in a ragged dress, being scrutinized by a male penin in a state that was less than fully dressed, implying immediate association with his bedchambers. Nimbus worried what rumors might be ignited by the scene and how these could impact poor I’onriyi. What if people thought she was but a pauper looking for scraps to survive another day, and the penin was a wealthy lecher looking to take advantage of her? Surely they had to ensure that such misunderstandings were avoided by explaining the situation. She could not allow this man to suffer for her mistake.
But then the penin simply turned around and went back into his house, leaving Nimbus dumbfounded and rooted to the spot, deeply uncertain of what was expected of her. He had not closed the door... was she supposed to follow?
[I]Of course you are,[/I] Male’dai told her with an exasperated mental sigh. [I]You worry too much.[/I]
She still hesitated for another moment, trying to determine what was expected of her, until I’onriyi himself clarified his intent. After all, she could not close the door “behind her” unless she had passed through it, could she? Breaking into a blinding smile she hurried past the threshold, gently closed the door and then eagerly but cautiously went after her host, holding her arms close to her body to avoid any risk of accidentally touching and breaking anything in the penin’s home.

Soon after she had reached what appeared to be the little man’s kitchen, remaining by the door and making an effort to be as small, silent and motionless as possible to avoid being in the way, I’onriyi spoke to her again, uttering words that made her eyes widen in horror.
“Uh, no, of course not,” she assured him, wondering for a moment what she had done wrong until Male’dai’s thoughts reminded her of how people perceived true deigan.
[I]It’s unusual that trust is even a relevant topic when my kind is concerned,[/I] the deigan pointed out. [I]We don’t trust anyone and no one trusts us. It’s no surprise that he – a penin – would be particularly suspicious of me.[/I]
“But I’m not Male’dai,” she corrected him a second later, pointing at her face. “[I]This[/I] is Male’dai. I’m Nimbus.”
[I]Listen to yourself, Nimbus. How much sense do you think you’re making to him?[/I]
She faltered, looking momentarily crestfallen. She had not meant to deceive him... but had her explanation been inadequate? She had to clarify things immediately!
[I]Relax. He’s a smart guy; he’ll get it, just give him a little time. You tried to say a lot with very few words, and he’s probably still groggy from sleep. It’s fine.[/I]
Hesitantly she relaxed, though she remained almost comically wary of disturbing anything in I’onriyi’s kitchen.

She listened attentively enough next the penin spoke, staring at him blatantly, though she could not stop her gaze from shifting between I’onriyi’s face and the bread he was handling, her stomach growling at the sight of food. When he pushed a plate her way, she hesitated only a moment, looking intensely from the slices of bread to the man as if to confirm his intention, before she eagerly seized the food and showed as much of it into her mouth as she possibly could.
Nimbus still was not used to the whole with this [I]hunger[/I] and [I]thirst[/I] that Male’dai had to contend with, and even now she remained fascinated with how different the experience of eating and drinking was when one did so out of need rather than fancy. The urgency before, the [I]fullness[/I] after... it was completely different.
After a moment’s frantic chewing, swallowing and choking, Nimbus paused her meal long enough to reply to her host’s questions.
“I would follow you because you are the best option near here, from what I’ve heard,” she told him, smiling at him earnestly. “And even if there are others here more widely known than you, fame is of no interest to me. I approached you because people speak fondly of you; because you do things that make things [I]better[/I]. I want that.”
Her smile faded and her gaze fell as she idly plucked the bread in front of her to tiny pieces. “As for adventuring... Since I came here, I’ve spent nearly every bit of Male’dai’s funds on trying to help people. I’ve fed them, bought them places to spend their nights, bought them clothes... Some wanted alcoholic beverages more than anything, but Male’dai said that wasn’t the kind of [i]need[/i] we wanted to help satisfy. I spent most of yesterday and all night tending to refugees, even ruined Male’dai’s dress to improvise bandages...”
She shook her head shamefully. “But I barely made a difference. People are still hungry, homeless, naked and hurt. I want to do [I]more[/I]. Like you! So I thought I’d help you, since you’re already helping people. Right?”