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jdh97A warmer welcome
Collab between @Theyra, @PrinceAlexus and @Fetzen
Location: Streets of Dawnhaven, then The Eye
Interacting with: Desmond, Sya, Valthyr
Mentions: Ayel Raunefeldt @Dezuel
Desmond, with Silver in tow on his right shoulder, has since left the moon temple. It was becoming a bit crowded for his tastes, and since the people there were busy and not really paying any attention to his presence. He had the sense to leave and did not expect to see the married royals to arrive, but they too quickly went about their business.
So, back into the falling snow, and Desmond being satisfied with his exploration of Dawnhaven. He is walking back to check up on his store, trying to ignore the heavy falling snow, while Silver was in her element and did not mind much. His workers should be moving his goods into the store, and he can finally start being a merchant in this town and earn some coins.
So far, Valthyr's little housing project had not made any progress that could be seen with the naked eye. Having spotted a pompous building whose apparent luxury triggered bouts of vicarious embarrassment, the druid assumed that he now knew where Ayel lived. If anything, who else should put so much effort into maintaining an entire garden full of busts that looked like the despicable man ? So he now knew where to look for an empty spot, but all the empty spots he had found so far had enough traces of wheels and footsteps deeply imprinted on them that growing a tree there was likely to block some important access route.
Did Dawnhaven have any plan where things were laid out or was everybody mostly left to his or her own devices ?
Again, Valthyr felt the temptation to just not try and figure that out the very safe, but bureaucratic way. He could just as well look for the least frequented spot that was preferably large and plant a seed there. He had picked up a few samples earlier from other trees, but not decided on the species yet.
The druid then noticed a blob of reddish hair whizzing by the very corner of his vision. Had his human hearing gotten worse because he hadn't picked up the sound of crunching snow ? Valthyr made a mental note of seeking a healer's attention at some point in case he had caught a cold from all the barefooted-ness, then raised his hand in an attempt of a friendly greeting.
As Desmond walked, and paid some attention to Silver when she suddenly hooted and seemingly pointed at something with her head.
Desmond turned his head to see what Silver was pointing at, and it was a man. A very tall man, perhaps the tallest he has seen. It was intimidating, but seeing the man’s raised hand. It made Desmond realize that the man is trying to be friendly.
So Desmond waved his hand in a friendly manner at the man in return. “Hello there,” Desmond said in a friendly tone. Silver was staring at the man, watching but not showing aggression.
”Hello!” Valthyr responded, his voice being a very chesty one. A few more moments passed with him solely focused on Desmond himself, but then he noticed that the man was not alone. There was… an owl spending its time peacefully on the merchant’s shoulder ?
Almost any other pet or animal companion would not have grabbed the druid’s attention as thoroughly as this one. It was basically common knowledge that owls were more skittish and quite skeptical of human activity than, for example, cats or dogs who’d been widely domesticated for much longer than he could even think about, yet this one sat perched on the stranger’s shoulder as if they were friends since forever.
”Does she have a name ?” he asked and stepped a little closer so he would no longer need to raise his voice as much.
“Her name is Silver, and I am surprised you could tell she was a girl.” Desmond sounded amazed yet curious. “Most can not tell what gender Silver is from a glance, and it was a lucky guess or you know owls.” Who is this man, he wondered and thought in his head..
Desmond studied Valthyr to get a clue about this stranger, and besides his clothing which did not tell him much other than he had to be freezing. In this cold weather, with the snow falling as heavily as it was. It seems like the stranger will suffer, and in a concerned tone.
“I see you do not have shoes on, so perhaps we can take this to a warmer place?” Desmond asked the man and quickly came up with a place to go. ‘How about the Eye, or perhaps my store? It should be warm in either.“ Desond then remembered something he should do before he forgot. “My name is Desmond, by the way, and what is yours before we get inside?”
Valthyr weighed his options in front of his inner eye, deciding whether the idea of going to that other "Eye" was a good one. He had been there before, twice in fact, but on neither occasion had it been for relaxation or any other activity such a place was meant for. It would be a first one and that sounded more tempting the more he thought about it. On the other hand... Retreating to a store which was likely far less cramped with strangers would have its perks, too.
"I leave it up to you to decide." he ultimately replied with a subtle smile. "I'm Valthyr. Got a family name called 'Naffron', but you can just forget about that if you'd like." Not that he had ever liked it very much, but given the comparatively small amount of people that had to be uniquely addressed in his origin community, family names had never been much of a focus anyway.
"I know a bit about animals. Plants, too. In fact I just wanted to start growing a tree here." Did it sound absurd if he referred to the act as casually as to anything else that normally didn't take years to reach a conclusion ? He pondered while also walking with the merchant, then decided to at least not tell anything about his plans of also having a treehouse in a matter of days yet.
His index finger itched. He wanted to touch the owl and stroke her gently, but his mind froze its joints solid so it couldn't move and shamelessly breach the barrier of privacy everybody deserved. Also what if Silver would just decide and dig her sharp beak into his skin during the attempt ? Patience, Valthyr reminded himself. Patience!
“Nice to meet you, Valthyr, and I will try to remember your last name either way. I should say my full name, Desmond Wathen. If you are familiar with my family’s business and you are that much of a green thumb, okay.” Desmond said respectfully,” but maybe start growing once this snow stops.” Desmond thought for a moment since Valthyr decided he should pick, and after weighing the two options. Desmond came to a choice, “The Eye would be best right now, and besides, my workers are probably still moving my wares inside anyway.” Desmond said and started making his way to the Eye.
“Food and drink are on me once we get there, and if you are in need of either,” Desmond said in a friendly tone. I know Silver here may want something.” He chucked, and Silver made a soft hoot. “Oh yeah,” Desmond said like he was forgetting something. “You can pet Silver, but do it slowly. ”Desmond emphasized the slow part.”She does not like it when someone does it fast or rough.”
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The warm, scent-laden air of the Eye billowed out onto the open street the moment the entrance door was opened. His nostrils disliked the odour and lack of freshness, but the large remainder of his body embraced the warmth as a very welcome change. Desmond's mentioning of him going to pay for any food expenses almost made Valthyr's stomach chime into the mix as well for he hadn't eaten anything proper for as long as he had already been here, at least.
It was only a slight detail, but... had that door been repaired somehow recently ? Must have been the many people using it every day wearing things out prematurely, or had this place fallen victim to some intoxicated ruffians recently ? Of course neither was the truth, but who was he to know ?
The large number of people in here served as a stark reminder of how little he still knew. So far, Desmond appeared to be quite the nice person, so maybe he could dare to poke some proverbial holes into the man's stomach by asking him questions about this town. There had to be many more people worth chatting with maybe.
The druid stowed away the thought of stroking Silver away for just a moment, thinking that it was easier to do once they had seated. A set of chairs in a yet empty corner managed to catch his attention so much that he didn't notice most of the other, more peculiar patrons that were spread out across the room. Even Sya herself slipped past his eyesight that moment in spite of the fact that her not being tall was compensated for by himself being way more than just a bit of that, capable of looking onto things from above.
He gestured towards the table with an outstretched hand, hoping that the merchant would be pleased with his choice.
"Now..." he began with a more lowly tone. "I'm maybe not what one could consider to be your average person, perhaps. I just arrived yesterday and it was... quite turbulent to say the least. I don't have much of a clue about how things work here yet." It was as much of an unspoken request for help as it was a very barebones starter for an explanation of all that had happened. Could he even talk about the fact he had witnessed a murder first hand ?
“This table is fine,” Desmond said, not making a fuss about where he was sat and sat down at an open chair. Silver jumped from Desmond’s shoulder to the table and was looking around. “This is her first time being here, and well Valthyr given the people that Dawnhaven attracts.” Desmond noted a brightborn with four eyes that had just passed by them. “I would not be surprised, and I hope your welcome to Dawnhaven was better than mine.” Desmond chuckled at the thought. ‘I have only been here a short time, and when I reached Dawnhaven. I was greeted by a ten-day-long blizzard.“
Desmond sighed and sounded a bit concerned. “I do not know if that was a sign or anything, but here I am, and only now is my store being stocked and should be open soon.”
He leaned back in his chair and felt like he had talked enough. “But enough about me,” Desmond leaned back in and looked at Valthyr and spoke in a friendly tone with his hands closed together on the table.”What brings you to Dawnhaven, and what questions do you have about how things work here? I can help there, and what was this turbulent event you dealt with, if you are willing to share that is.”
It was a simple question, one even adorned with the explicit reminder of not having to blurt out anything if he really didn’t want to, but still it felt like finding oneself stuck in the midst of a sudden avalanche. One of the kind that contained both snow and rocks. Where should he even start ? Valthyr’s thoughts raced long enough for Desmond to probably notice something until he finally reached a conclusion.
He would tell everything. There were people in Dawnhaven who each held a part of the puzzle already and he would not leave it up to them to piece the full picture together, possibly the wrong way because they didn’t see the subtle differences at the edges of each piece.
Valthyr took in a deep breath nearly filling the entirety of his lungs, then used that to start talking: ”I…” Another moment of awkwardness. ”I’m a druid from Lunaris, or at least that’s what people associate us with. We live high up in the mountains and usually don’t have to do much with the daily affairs of the kingdom, but the news about Dawnhaven even reached us. I came here to find out what’s true, but could not have imagined what I actually ended up in within… minutes ? I would not even know that ringing the bell at the center of this settlement is intended to signal a general alarm if it hadn’t been for me witnessing the murder triggering that alarm first hand.”
The flood gates had opened, it almost felt like relief to hear his own voice venting everything. ”Saw the prince, but only briefly until he left the hunting party that was set up and I was a part in. I’m sort of a shapeshifter, you know ?”
Was that too fast ? Now it was out, but the first bits or regret seeped into the void that there was now instead of the lake. There was a saying that a few things in life never came back and one of them was one’s own spoken words.
Desmond took a minute or two to process what Valthyr had said since it was very much news to him. He sounded a bit taken back by all of what Valthyr had said. “Okay, you definitely had a worse first day than I did.” Desmond looked like he wished he had a drink. “I never was told who discovered the murder, but the fact that it was you on your first day and I cannot imagine how that would feel. Entering Dawnhaven and seeing that.”
Desmond shook his head in disbelief, but sounded like he was getting a hold of what was said, but changing the subject. “I am from Lunaris too, so that is something we share but, while I have met some interesting people in my life under my father’s watch with the family business.” Desmond looked like he was thinking hard about it. “I do not think I have met a druid before, and I have heard of them.”
Silver hooted twice forcefully, and Desmond seemed to know what she was saying and turned to her. “I know you are hungry, but not now.” Silver gave Desmond a look and hooted again. Desmond sighed, “We will eat soon, just be patient.” Silver did not make a sound and for the moment seemed like she was listening to Desmond.
He turned back to Valthyr, “sorry about that but… being able to shapeshift is new to me and impressive, though I did not know that anyone could do that.” Desmond looked amazed but with a hint that he had some suspicions about it. “Still, I imagine the town has need of your talents, given the Blight and the missing sun. I have seen the prince as well and even the princess, but I have not met either yet.” Desmond looked a bit more relaxed now.
“Either way, you seem like an interesting person being a very tall druid and had a… eventful first day here. Well, I think it is time we eat something, and I know that Silver over here is itching for some food, and trust me. She is not yet addicted to human food though she likes chicken. So what do you say, Valthyr?”
”I say yes!” Must have been the heavens that had sent Desmond his way, Valthyr thought for a very brief moment. After the avalanche of disappointment yesterday this was a big turn for the more benign. ”If there is anything I could do to return the favor, please tell me.”
His hand slowly crept closer towards Silver, his fingers barely hovering above the table’s rough surface as they inched their way forward. His elbow was virtually ready to make an abrupt turn at any moment should the noble bird decide that this was too early for such an approach still. The owl’s feathers now were almost in reach.
”We have quite a few animals where I come from, not just cattle. People tend to think that it is the non-humans that are in need of teaching, but… there are some indications to believe that the opposite might be very much the case as well.” No, he was not going to mention this prick with four letters in his name as a prime example now!
Desmond smiled while getting the attention of a barmaid. “It is fine, and for now, let’s just relax. Since it sounds like you may need it after what happened.” Then Desmond had a thought about what a favor. “Besides, I have no favor to ask right now and the only I could think of if anything would happen to Silver.” Desmond's voice sounded concerned at the thought, but soon relaxed a bit. “She has lost one family already and I would be distraught if anything would to happen to her.‘ Desmond stared a Silver with loving eyes and looked like he was prepared to hug the owl, but decided against it for now.
“I agree,” Desmond shifting his gaze to Valthyr. “Animals can teach us things we would not think about.” He chuckled, “I know that may sound strange coming from a merchant but, Silver has taught me some things and I do not know what I would do without her.” The sincerity in his words was clear, mainly the last words about Silver.
“What about Valthyr? You have an animal companion or a best friend with fur, scales, or feathers?”
The druid looked up to the barmaid for a moment, offering her a polite smile hidden somewhere behind the forest of stubborn beard that had grown over the course of his journey. This appeared to be one of the more well organised places, but still he had not noticed just how exquisite the Eye actually was with its owner being the marvelous prime feature.
”Back at home, yes. Not like a pet I would own in person, but the community in general has quite a few. Also, sometimes I feel like being a shapeshifter of sorts, it helps with forging a bond with animals, even though it is just a very, very intricate illusion that can be distinguished from the real with senses sharp enough. I can’t replicate an owl though, just cats, ravens and a big bad wolf. Right here, Silver is actually the first animal that doesn’t appear somewhat hostile to me. That is… given that the last one I encountered was a blight-born squirrel.”
The images of Sir Abel being slain, the woman creating half a glacier out of thin air and then everybody running away flashed through his mind. Several people had witnessed it, but nobody had seen it from the perspective of a feline. Did the killer know this as well ? Had he even recognized him as the man he truly was instead of a harmless, small animal ? Clearly nobody else had and that served as another reminder that, in the end, he might have to talk to that prince anyway. Asking Desmond about Flynn’s location however felt quite a tad too audacious for the moment.
“Okay Valthyr, I see.” Desmond would reply back as the barmaid looked at him for an order. “I will have some chicken wings, please.” Then she switched back to Valthyr.
“I do not consider Silver a pet, more of a companion since I have raised her since she was a baby and despite my attempts to release her back into the wild. But she always comes back so I consider myself lucky in that case.” Desmond went to slowly pet Silver and she would coo at the touch with a smile.
“”Still that is impressive Valthyr that you can do such a thing even if it is just illusion magic.” Though Desmond had a curious look on his face, “A blightborn squirrel you say.” He made a half chuckled, “that thing would be angry though I hope it was not a big danger despite it being a blightborn.”
Desmond sighed, “Silver has been friendly to humans and I think that is because of me though she can be protective of me.” Silver, while still relaxed, was watching Valthyr but not in a scared or aggressive manner. More of a semi-cautious, like she was studying him but at the moment, she was willing to let Valthyr pet her if he wished.
Sya Leala, keeper of this little inn, was having a small migraine behind her eye after dealing with a 4 armed pirate. She was agitated as she spoke checking on several things including if they had enough food on the heat for the guards shift change. Her tail and hands gesturing as the woman come Lmaia spoke to the barmaid.
Gentlemen, Vala needssss a break, so il ssserve food. Anyzing else, strikesss vour fancy?” She said moving to hand the food over, her balance almost too perfect as she swayed slightly. Sya added some innuendo and a little bit of the cheerful, playful innkeeper she presented to the town at large at work. Thought today with arm ring, tunic and leather skirt she embraced her native lands more.
She turned to the trader, the man she did not know but the men, he supplied decent beer. ”Velcome back, good traders alvays welcome, you get my gold, not the other one. Im Sya, i run ze Inn, bakery and distillery in town.” The one eyed Lamia said proudly though she was pretty tiny compared to the giant newcomer by a good 2 feet or more, far slimmer but she held her ground confidently, this was her little realm with a hint of tail peaking to say hello from behind her with a cautious wave of blue scales.
Valthyr’s surprise acted more quickly than his countenance, causing him to blink his eyes at least two times upon the sight of Sya. He had always imagined he had seen a lot of things already, but she… just had not been on that list yet. Apparently one eye could deliver more a piercing stare than two if needed, even though he couldn’t even tell immediately if Sya was actually staring at him or just looking normally and he completely misinterpreted things in his momentary confusion.
Was he supposed to wave back at her face or at her tail that was welcoming him so cheerfully ? ”Erm… hello! Nice to meet you!” Yes, not only the druid’s hair and beard were red by now. His face somewhat, too. ”I’m Valthyr, just arrived yesterday.” The back of his mind prayed for not getting into the circumstances of having to tell the entire story again, in spite of how briefly and superficially as he had just done it for the first time. ”I’m a druid from Lunaris and trying to find my footing here. Desmond’s already helping me a lot with that.”
He gave the merchant an appreciative nod. Something touched the tips of his fingers and he spotted how his hand had drifted forward just the tiny bit that had been necessary to touch Silver’s feathers.
”I suppose you know each other for a few days already ?” he asked, not addressing anyone in particular.
“I have met Sya before, though briefly. It was the day after the blizzard ended and there was a party hosted in here celebrating it being over.” Desmond saying it to Valthyr before turning to face Sya. “Though now that I think about it, I am not sure I gave my name last time we met. I am Desmond Wathen, and it is nice to meet you properly.” Desmond spoke in a mostly friendly tone towards the lamia.
Though Desmond was hiding his lingering scared nature against Sya, he is still learning about the blightborn and learning more about her in particular. She seemed like a friendly blightborn and a good host based on what he has heard. Though what she eats, he is still learning.
Sya was having a little fun teasing the druid, sure he was a customer but it did not mean she had to be entirely boring and people seemed to be used to her somewhat strange manner because the town, everything was strange times. ”Welcome to Dawn Haven zen, ve not have much but itsss home.
Oh a…prei…Gothi of earth? blessed one? ” Sya said and her eye did a flick as well as a shift of her tail just passing over some seasoning in a jar and placing it down with a wave of blue scale and surprising control. ”He is a good egg. Good beer too.” Sya said as she smiled at Desmond and gave a little dip in her tail, lowering a fraction and offered a small hand to properly introduce herself. Returning to her not so grand height of about 5 feet.
”Sssyraeia Leela, vut everyone callsss me Sya. Nice to properly veet you. Hopefully a repeat customer both ways.” Sya said genuinely, she always liked to meet new people and to gain new opportunities. These men were both, she could make a good impression and maybe make some interesting and new people to bring into her world.
Moving silently and slid over resting onto a chair, kinda awkwardly sat of a sort, unable to sit but not standing. ”If vou do not mind vy company a little.” She said cheerfully, a little of her teasing self back and present.
"Not at all!" the druid replied. Well, in fact he did mind a lot, but in a positive way. He could feel how his attention just wanted to pour all over Sya and take in every little detail. A blight born ? So it was true, not only did Dawnhaven have them but there were also those with a benign character. At least so far Sya had not done anything that would indicate anything different.
"So I'm Valthyr Naffron, but as I already said to Desmond you can happily forget about my family name again." He chuckled. "That blizzard must have been here before me, I just arrived yesterday and didn't encounter any bad weather." Silently, he supposed that after six months of almost darkness there was no need anymore to mention that 'not bad' no longer had the same meaning as it had once held in more classic times. "My plan is to build a small home here, a tree house perhaps as that's the quickest way to do it I think."
Sya might have been just 5 feet tall, but the way her tail wiggled and redirected iridescent colors into his eyes made her feel more like being double or three times that height and using all of it to wrap herself around his head. That would probably go away after some getting used to her appearance, but until then he would have to put some effort into not staring at her all the time.
“It is nice to have a proper meeting with you Sya.” Desmond softly smiled at the lamia, still hiding his lingering fear. “I am fine with your company and someone else to help Valthyr here get used to town.”
Desmond then turned to Valthyr. “The blizzard did happen before you arrived here, and a good thing that you missed it.” Granted, Desmond then remembered how Valthyr encountered a dead body on his first day and realized that both of them, the dead body with Valthyr and him with the blizzard, had bad first days. Though Desmond would take the blizzard over the dead body, despite having to endure ten long days of that blizzard.
“Still, how do you plan on building your tree house, Valthyr?” Desmond shifted to a curious tone.”While I am sure there are trees of good height nearby, it would take time for a proper home to be built on one.” Then again, it has been a long time since Desmond has seen a tree house, let only be in one. “Do you need any place to live before your home can be built?” Desmond asked concernedly.
He has already noticed how his clothes seem insufficient for the cold and with this cold weather. Desmond does not like the idea of Valthyr being out in the cold at night. “I have some spare room in my house if you need one?”
Sya nodded as she listened to the men talk with tail bouncing a little and waving as she perched, it never stayed fully still and Sya's own big blue eye glittered with a tiny glow as she sat in the chair that did not suit her entirely anymore. Reaching up, Sya adjusted loose long dark hair out her rather large single eye. “If vou ever need a meal, ve always ave something hot, if you ever need vork, I always van use a strong Man to help, much work, vew hands.” Sya reached over and gave his solid arm a poke with an exaggerated gesture and a playful tone. Sya was genuine but she could not help but tease. It was too much in her personality.
”Their is space, iv you want to annoy Ayel, make it taller zan is home.” Sya said with a look that implied she very much disliked that man, he was one of few she actively and very much disliked, she did not feel anything from him.
Sya waved her tail to Desmond casually with a lazy movement back and away, it copied with its own almost instincts. Sya was not blind amd very attentive, She noted he had a slight fear and note of her being what she was, Sya did not mean harm and willed herself to relax and rested the narrow tip on the table glittering with such fine tiny layered scales, delicate and precise. ”Zankyou, maybe one day i can call vou both friend. ” Sya said cheerfully and would of Snacked. She had no need to snack. ”Ov course, I vas one of early, town was quiet zen. I help… alvo….”
Sya paused and thought. ”Vou try to be more careful, brave yes, vot zis is a dangerous place Valthyr. Know bad.” Sya said softly warning him a tiny bit for being reckless, but also a hint of concern. Sya knew too well how dangerous the Blight Beasts and lands could very much be and wished she did not at times.
She blinked and her eye returned to normal as she turned to look at the men and lightened again just as fast as she darkened.
"I highly appreciate your offer, Desmond, and would be happy to accept. I do not want to be a burden however, so if there is any way I could put my skills to use, just tell me." Valthyr replied towards Desmond before turning his gaze back towards the one-eyed lamia. "That goes for you as well, of course."
When Sya mentioned Ayel and the idea of making his house taller than the noble's residence, she had struck pure gold inside him. The sheepish grin made its way onto the druid's face faster than he could even try and cancel it out, betraying rather easily how open the door Sya was knocking on already was. Surely he could try to arrange that, the only thing potentially stopping him being a bit of concern about the possibility that moving higher could put his home into the exhaust plumes from the residence's chimneys. Then again, wouldn't a man such as Ayel use only the most dry, most pure firewood one could possibly get ? He wanted to see the man turn red out of annoyance, but not himself wake up dead because of smoke.
"I can make plants grow faster with the proper ritual. It is delicate work, but it can be done." Valthyr shifted his eyes towards the chair Sya sat on more haphazardly than could be really comfortable. "Though if I don't have to sleep outside anymore, I could prioritize some other wooden projects first. How about... a better chair for you, for example ?" He pointed towards the standard issue rig beneath Sya's scales. "Something more curved, perhaps. And carved out of a solid block or with fewer parts at least."
Ayel, the Aurelian noble trader whom Desmond has heard about. While he has a impressive merchant empire, but has the ego the size of a palace. He has yet to meet his Ayel, who would be his rival in this town. Based on what Sya has said, she does not seem to like the man, and while Desmond wants to remain open. Chances are, he too would dislike the man who honestly seems like the person his parents never wanted him to be.
Desmond focused back to the subject at hand and turned to Valthyr. “It is no trouble on my end, and it sounds like you have ideas of how to aid the people in town. It is not like you are going to be a freeloader.” Though Desmond was curious how long it would take Valthyr to make himself a tree house for himself if he can make plants grow faster.
Meanwhile, Silver was watching the three talk, and while she was being patient with Desmond, she was concerned about food. But she was mainly watching Sya, the blightborn was something she had never seen before and was trying to figure out if she was friend or foe. Anyone there could tell that she was watchful of Desmond and almost seemed to be guarding him. Still, Silver has yet to take any aggressive actions against the lamia.
Still, Desmond undeterred by Silver’s actions but taking note of how she felt. He continued to talk to the two. “So, Valthyr, what do you think you will be doing here now that you are in town?” Desmond a bit curious about the subject. “Just wondering how a druid like yourself will be doing, mainly though it sounds like you have some ideas.”
.
Sya was Intrigued, he was an earth Gothi who could increase the rate plants grew, he could manipulate the earth magics… He had a great potential to be a rather important person and Sya had met him in kindness, you never knew who you meet, so Sya was Sya, she was a warm inn keeper, least to the wider world. Privately Sya felt lonely without those around her and needed others to function properly, friends, tribe, more naked happy friends, and anything In Between Sya Just needed human connection to help remind herself she was not a monster and not alone any more.
Through the chair. Her eye was emotive and her tail expressively moved with her emotions plain to see. Happy. Sya could not hide her emotions, part of her … unique new self. ”A … Yes. Yes. Please. Vi am… perch… vut it is not work well.” Sya thought, 1 chair. .. what if?
”One chair, zee if it works, il pay you for one for vy Office, vand a larger… Seat for vy libiary. I snuck on a few extras to ze build.” Sya said with a grin and exerted more control over her appendage. ”Fair pay, yes, i pay fair for Gothi vork.”
Sya turned to the bird, it was eying her and she could tell it was almost evaluating the Lamia. She had a keen sense of people, things and strong observation skills. They iz pretty Desmond, Vat iz ze name of zis elagent creature.” Sya asked and slowly moved her hand to let the bird see she meant no harm.
While all this was going on, her brain did its typical Sya thing and changed mid flow. ”Ve always need a good smiðr, wood smith. much new, and much building.” Sya might have butchered it abit but she commented accurately on the town's demand for skilled labour.
Valthyr slowly retracted his hand from Silver after it had rested quite close to the owl for the majority of their discussion so far. The animal appeared either nervous or approaching the end of her patience, probably both. ”I can start working on the chairs pretty much instantly as there is not much else to do while I wait for the tree house foundation to grow. I think I’ve seen a few other solid trees in the forest on my way here. Is it… is it allowed to just cut one of them ? Might also need a helping hand to carry the parts of the trunk I need and a few basic tools.” The druid's eyes turned towards the merchant, the question for Desmond’s opinion about that as much unspoken as it was unnecessary to verbalize. He was willing to share whatever Sya was willing to pay, of course.
”No worries. The trees I meant are pretty much at the rim of the forest as seen from Dawnhaven. No need to go further inside…” he was quick to add. If the rest of the blighted squirrel family was still in there alive, it would be foolish to go alone. Except for this certain noble, perhaps as either the latter’s arrogance could drown out even the corrupted forms of life or, should things turn for the best, it couldn’t and he would just not come out of that forest so soon again.
”To answer your other question, Desmond, I’ve basically been sent here on the biased expectation that the rumors about this place’s existence that have reached even us would not be true. Yet here I am talking with both of you, so…” Valthyr grinned slightly. ”... maybe sending back an initial report would be a good start for me once I have settled in a bit ?”
Sya looks back distracted checking the door and main room, no need to move yet. She thought and nodded along as she shifted evidently she did need a chair more designed to her new form, her comfort was less than ideal too. ”Ask vor Ivor if need help too, hard to mmissss ,very big man, nice though.”
”Good zings i hope, ve make best, even in dark time. Ze post office is short from ze market, 3rd vrom left lane.” Sya Said, report back gave her a mental shiver but he seemed to be … not so bad, and hopefully they sent him off with a good perspective of Dawn Haven.
“Hmmm,” Desmond leaned back in his chair. “I am not sure if anyone is allowed to just cut down a tree but I can find out. Since it is for making something and not just blatant destruction.” Desmond leaned back in, to the table. “Let me worry about that one, Valthyr, and we will see if it will be okay.” Desmond sounded confident in his words.
“But that sounds like a good first step, Valthyr,” Desmond said with a soft smile on his face. “Letting your people know what is true or not about Dawnhaven.” However when Valthyr spoke about a certain noble that he seems to dislike. It made him wonder who this noble could be, and there are sure to be plenty of nobles in town who could fit the bill. They are nobles after all.
Then a curious look formed on his face. “Though I have to ask, what do you and your people think Dawnhaven was?” Desmond knows little about the rumors surrounding Dawnhaven, they were not his concern at the time. So he paid no mind to them. The rumors about the blightborn living in Dawnhaven were more of his concern. Since he knew little about the blightborn at the time, and is still learning about them.
Sya waved her tail in a gesture that was combined with a shrug and flash of light reflecting bright cobalt blue from the fire as she wiggled a little to remain seated. ”Long as outside ze town walls, vou have time easssier..” Sya said as she looked about and the Inn remained as it was…no more drunken pirates thank the goddesses.
”It vas nice to meet you, please be velcome you handsssome gentlemen, my hearth iz always burning and velcomes vou..” She decided and placed two small sample bottles she had in a pocket marked “Shine of Selene. Basilisk DistIllery. ”Strong yessss, proof burns, free sample, much to come. First batch.” Sya said with a smile and she rose but not before she teased the far more easily blushed Valthyr by using her tail to grab his knee and with a one eyed wink turned away playfully as she slithered silently across the room to call for someone to put a new batch on putting her Head round the kitchen door as a flash of blue snaked out the edge of the bar as she did.