[center][h3]Frippery[/h3]
A Greenie & Amaranth collaboration[/center]

[i]Three Crowns Hotel, Gilane
2nd of Midyear, Afternoon[/i]

Shakti sat in a windowsill and watched people come and go. She had snatched some food from the kitchen when no one was looking and from an empty table in the dining area and eagerly munched away as she observed the comings and goings of the various residents of the hotel. Some she had recognised from her rescue and subsequent milling about the ground of the place, but others she had not recognised or perhaps they were guests. It was a hotel after all, so she had to assume they had legitimate guests. Either way, Shakti watched them as she ate and ate as she watched. She had a bowl of stew and a piece of bread which she swirled in the hearty broth as she nibbled on it. She washed it all down with a swig from her canteen which contained water. Almost as good as goat’s milk. Almost. 

"Food pretty good, eh?" After refraining from eating for almost a whole day, it was no surprise that Meg had pretty much inhaled her lunch and then gotten herself seconds. Her stomach a little filled now, she had started eating slowly rather than shovelling stew soaked bread in her mouth, so she had the opportunity to actually looked around herself and do a little people watching. Morning most she recognized, having seen them about since her arrival. There was however a face she had only seen once, the Redguard Brynja and the others had rescued. Having been distracted by her own mission and other news, Meg hadn't been able to introduce herself, until now.

"I'm Meg, by the way." She offered the young woman a smile. "Or Megana, but call me whatchu want. Sorry didn' get a chance t'meet you 'til now."

Shakti jumped a little at the voice. She hadn’t seen the other woman come up beside her, being too busy eating and staring to pay attention to her periphery. She swallowed a bite of food and responded, “Oh hello. Yes, it is very good, though I’m mostly just hungry. It is good to meet you Megana, I am Ta- Shakti, is what they call me.” She cursed herself for slipping up. She wasn’t used to codenames yet. Hopefully it wouldn’t matter, this new woman seemed friendly enough so far. Looks could be deceiving though. Shakti grinned back and tore off a piece of bread and offered it to Megana. 

“Oh, thankies!” Not one to say no to offered food, Meg took the bread and took a hearty bite from it, enjoying the taste and texture. “Mmm…” Yes, refraining from food really did help remind a person how enjoyable eating actually was. Meg could only imagine how it had to be for Shakti, having been stuck in the prison. Her ventures underground in Skyrim had often and rather accidentally taken her to cells with long dead prisoners, some Imperial supporters, some of the Stormcloaks, others just having been in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was nice to know that this young woman who was kind enough to share bread with a complete stranger had been saved from such a fate by her companions. 
“That’s a lovely name y’got there,” she commented once she’d swallowed and cleared her throat with a gulp of water. “Hm…” She decided not to comment on the fact that Shakti mentioned it was what she was called. “How’re you findin’ it here? The Three Crowns I mean, I’m assumin’ you’re from here, Hammerfell that is.”

Shakti took another bite of her bread as she thought about Meg’s question. Well, the city was nice enough, although she missed the desert and its open skies. It was somewhat claustrophobic in the tightly wound city streets and alleys. “I, I think I like it here. I am from the Alik’r desert and I miss it but... But Gilane isn’t so bad. The hotel is nice as well, even if the room they gave me is a bit, er, small.” Shakti kicked her feet a bit as she swirled some bread in the soup and took another bite. “I do not recognise your accent. Where are you from? Is it anything like this? I know the weather here can take a bit of getting used to. Or so I’ve heard, I have not actually been outside Hammerfell.” The young Redguard offered a sheepish smile to go with her comment. 

“Woah, the desert…” Meg had a hard time even imagining how the weather out there had to be. Roasting in the desert sounded just about right, if Gilane felt so hot and sticky to her. [I]Mara please don' let the desert be a place we gotta visit…[/I]

“Oh, I'm from Skyrim!” She was quick to jump on the much cooler topic. “Not like here at all… it's cool all year roun’, an’ some places there's always snow, like Winterhold. I've seen lotsa Redguard in Skyrim, even an Alik’r warrior once.” She couldn't help but notice the sheepish smile on Shakti’s face. “Some months ago, Skyrim had been the only country I roamed 'round. Stick with us an’ I'm sure you'll be seein’ lots more of Tamriel than y’ever thought was possible.”

“There are Alik’r in Skyrim? In the snow?” The notion somewhat surprised Shakti. She had never really seen snow before. It got cold in the desert at night, but it did not really snow. She wondered if it was like sand that was always cold. She tried to picture what that would be like, but it was hard to picture it in her mind. “I hope I get to see more of Tamriel. I’ve heard tales of what it is like, but to see it in person… It would be wondrous!”  

“Aye, there are,” Meg replied with a grin. It wasn’t often when she found herself more knowledgeable on a subject that someone else, so she was relishing the moment as much as she had enjoyed her food just a few minutes ago. “Pro’ly just passin’ through, never really chatted with ‘em. But I did know a few Redguard in Riften growin’ up, and when I moved t’Whiterun.” She nodded in agreement to seeing more of Tamriel. “Aye… it’s pretty damn amazin’ how the differen’ places can be, just by usin’ your own two feet t’move ‘round.” She looked out of the window; catching sight of the sky, she nodded toward it. “Even the sky here looks differen’ from what I was used t’seein’ back home… I’m hopin’ maybe tomorrow I’ll feel better an’ get t’know Gilane more.”

She looked away from the window and once more set her eyes on Shakti. “So… how’re you findin’ the others?”
“Well, aside from you I’ve only spoken to two others, maybe three. There is the tall Orcish woman, Mazrah. She seems like she has a good heart, if a bit, er rough. There is also the Khajiit, Daro’Vasora.” Shakti put a hand on her sword, “She had my sword, and I traded her for it. She too was very kind, but she also seemed troubled by things. I also briefly met an Argonian, though I do not know their name, only that they freed me.” She had seen a few others stalking the grounds of the compound, but they had all seemed troubled by something. It seems there was a shadow of something hanging over the members of the group, though Shakti could not begin to guess at what it could be. Especially when she had been so consumed by her own problems with recovering her sword.

Meg nodded. "Y'mean Judena," she provided, an instant smile finding itself on her face as she thought of the older argonian woman. "She's been with us since the beginnin', pro'ly one of the sweetest person I ever met." She thought something over for a couple of seconds before continuing. "Don' be surprised if she doesn' remember your name at firs'. She can be forgetful, but she's someone y'want on yer side." That and there was just something about the older argonian that made you like her... even Durantel hadn't been immune.

"I haven' met Mazrah yet, but if Sora- er, Daro'Vasora trusts her, then so do I. An' the same goes for you." She offered the Redguard a smile and her hand.

“Judena. Got it.” Shakti said, trying the word out. “Yes, she did seem rather kind in the brief moments we interacted. I had never seen an Argonian before her.” The Redguard clasped her two hands around Meg’s outstretched hand, slightly unsure of what she was supposed to be doing. She did however, know that a smile begets a smile in return, and so she beamed back at the Nord woman. “It has truly been nice to meet you, Megana. However, it is almost midday and I must practice my sword-forms. I hope we will speak again soon!” With that, Shakti hopped off of her perch and bowed to Meg. 

Meg stood up as well and returned the bow, feeling it was probably the nice thing to. "Aye, t'was nice meetin' you as well, Shakti! Hope t'see y'around again!"

Finishing her bow, Shakti raced off towards a deserted courtyard, no doubt intent on practicing her attitudes with a sword in the warm afternoon sunshine.