A Reluctant Repast

Log Info

• Title: A Reluctant Repast
• Emitter: Seyardu
• Characters: Seldan, Sey
• Place: A10: Temple District
• Time: Tuesday, August 17
• Summary: Lorem Ipsum Dolor

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         The air of solemn, heavy divinity in the area is often broken by laughter. The dual presence of the deities Althea and Daeus, man and wife, stand towards the center, with their children and their children's temples positioned around them. The presence of the divine is felt not only by their temples, but also by the actions of their worshipers. The great plaza is as a social center, paved in brilliant, white flagstones and covered in benches and sitting areas. Priests, acolytes, and servicefolk of all stripes roam the plaza, going from one task to the other.

         At the front of the temples of Daeus and Althea, at the Plaza's centermost point, rests a great fountain, the cheerful waters reflecting the Sun during the day, and the Moon and Stars at night. The fountain is strategically centered, and is oft a place for wisdom and lesson-giving. It is not uncommon for a priest of some stripe or the other to stand there, surrounded by the curious and faithful, delivering messages of hope or contemplation. At other times, it and the plaza become a landscape of celebration of the holy holidays.

         Few vendors are seen in the plaza--the nearby temples provide most food or services. Towards the west, the great Bridge stretches across the river, and towards the east, the Redridge mountains. The plaza rests in the midst of it all, the temples massive and grand on the Alexandrian scale. 

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Seldan          Ginger-blonde human in armor wearing Eluna's symbol.     
Seyardu         A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint. 
Zeke            A blue-scaled sith-makar in white Daeus vestments     

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A sultry, overcast Callem day in Alexandria finds Seldan standing to one side of the square, a bit withdrawn from the activity around him, eyes roving over the comings and goings. Occasionally, they flick up to the rooftops, barely visible through the trees, or to the sky itself, but mostly, he watches people. He wears full armor, although he has toned it down from the moonlit sheen, to make it appear as ordinary if well-made plate, and his sword rests unsheathed point-down on the grass at his feet, the hilt between his hands. He seems - meditative.

Of those in the temple district, Seyardu was a frequent visitor, or perhaps figure, as she was spending her nights at the temple of Daeus, now. And so, there was little that escaped her notice. And Seldan was hard to miss despite his efforts to subdue his armor. So she came out of the Althean temple wearing their robes, carrying a platter in her hands with various foods and drink on it.

"Peace on your nest, Seldan." Seyardu greets. "You have been there some time, you should eat. The bakers made chocolate biscuits to accompany lunch today, vegetable soup and cured meats made into sandwiches."

She offers the tray, and smiles.

Seldan bows politely as Seyardu approaches, the alabaster pillar stealing over his features as he sheathes the blade, which seems to prompt commentary from it.

"Some guard you are," comes a crotchety old man's voice.

"He's a guard, not a rock, Kanian, unlike you." This comes from a deeper, middle-aged male voice with a dwarven cast to his words.

"Seldan, let it go. Zeke was right," a third voice, this one nasal and female with an aged sound to it.

"Why yes, I am tough and strong." The crotchety old man again. "No, you're just dense." "Not half as dense as you, Golain. I usually notice what's right in front of me."

The voices from the sword appear to be carrying on merrily, and Seldan lets out a sigh. "Peace upon your nest, Hearthguard," he answers politely, though reservedly. "Your offer is kind, but I would have you share your fare with those who hunger. I am here because I wish to be, and not because I am bid to me. I trust you are well." Seyardu says, "I will share the food with those in need of a hot meal that tastes good. And forgive me for saying this, but you look in need of one." She continues with a shake of her head. "There is enough to go around to those in need."

She listens to the voices from the blade a moment, and sighs before sitting down. "Whether you wish to be here or not, you have been here some time. I am well enough, I would say. But what of yourself?"

Perhaps it was the utterance of his name which was enough to summon the sith-makar. For here he comes out of the temple of Daeus. He carries a bag with him, likely his lunch. He stops just to the aside of the temple and looks around a little bit. Taking stock of the area and noticing Seldan standing besides Seyardu. He pauses, but resumes walking toward one of the benches.

Seldan closes his eyes and lowers them, letting out a long sigh. "In truth am I surprised that you approach me at all," he admits slowly. "I shall not deny that it is well to eat." He appears to be hesitating, though.

"I would speak with you later, on the matter of the statues."

Seyardu says, "And why are you surprised by that?" Seyardu asks, looking up to Seldan. "I would be a poor ally, and a poor follower of the celestial mother if that were the case."

She picks up one of the dark brown cookies studded with chocolate, and offers that first. It was hard to read her at the offer though. She catches Zeke though, and offers a wave to them."

"You said that you need those that you can trust, so I will continue to try to be one you could consider so."

Again Zeke hesitates, holding his box of food and looking at Seyardu's wave. A wave is sometimes greeting and sometimes invitation. They look deep in conversation, and Zeke is largely unwilling to be an interruption to this unless he is desired... He turns and joins the pair, nodding low to each. "Peassce on your nessstsss. If thisss one isss interrupting, thisss one apologizesss, and will be on thisss onesss way." He'd caught the tail end of the conversation, and nodded slightly to Seyardu in acknowledgement of true words.

"Kin, peace upon your nest." A shade of the guilt and hurt from the other evening penetrates the alabaster pillar of impassivity, but he looks up, reaches out, and takes the cookie with a gauntleted hand. "You are not interrupting. I ... knew not if you still held the statues against me, as your words from the other day."

"Peace on your nest, Zeke." She greets with a brief swish of her tail. "Seldan is right, we were only just speaking, and I was suggesting he have something to eat. You are not interrupting."

She thinks for a moment, letting out a puff of air. "Sit, Seldan, and you may join us as well if you wish Zeke. I do not blame you for the statues. It was, frustration with my own inaction. Aya is alright as well."

"Thisss Heartguard?" Zeke's question makes little sense without reference, but he blinks his green eyes in surprise at Seyardu, listening as she explains. Nodding the blue-scale sits with them, his tail curling around his flesh-and-blood leg as he sets his box beside himself. "Emotionsss can make for quick wordsss." He acknowledges this and gently pulls the top off of his box. There is a small container of tea inside, alongside some various meats which make up most of Zeke's diet.

Something in Seldan relaxes at the words, at least a little, and while he nods mutely to Zeke in response to his question, he does sit as bid, taking a bench nearby and a sandwich to go with the cookie. Both are set down, long enough for him to remove his gauntlets.

Meanwhile, the sword seemed to have mostly shut up, but now chimes in again. "I told you, Seldan," the nasally female voice says, "You are far too hard on yourself."

Seldan ignores it, as is so often his wont, and lays the gauntlets at his feet to pick up the sandwich. "I was here when Aya re-appeared. It is good to know that she is well. The statue did not return with her."

"Yes, it was a bit unsettling, as I am not normally prone to such anger. I am sorry if it caused concern." Seyardu offers in explanation. "It was, ah-"

Perhaps Zeke recognized the confusion as she shakes her head before continuing. "It is something to do with the slavery. The statues. The fact, that the guard is not helping, they seem content to not help for their reasons."

From a new bag that had not been seen before, she opens up one of the side pouches to take some dried meat to chew on. "It is, as they say, it hits close to home."

Zeke looks at Seyardu, offering her a small flicker of the end of his tail as encouragement. That and his own peaceful, calm scent. "There are many in Alexandria willing to turn a blind eye to evil, but there are many more who fight it asss we do." He pulls out a fork and takes a bite of his meal. "Thossse of usss willing, mussst do what we can however, not to fight amongssst ourssselvess. Lessst we do the work of evil."

"Even so," Seldan agrees, taking a tentative bite of the sandwich and chewing quietly before speaking again. "The last time we faced a foe such as this, we were near undone by such conflict." The impassive stone pillar of his demeanor fades into something somewhat more open, a rueful expression conveying unhappy experiences. "Eclavdran's minions are quite capable of turning us against one another, and thus must we always be watchful. The protection from evil spell I keep always to hand, and shall until my dying day."

"Yes, it was not my intent to cause strife amongst those that were there. I am sorry if I did so, truly." Seyardu says after swallowing another bit of the dried meat. She had relaxed following the confusion, but it was replaced by regret and guilt. "But know that it was not facing the threat that made me waver, Seldan, even if I feel I will be of limited use when it comes to actually dealing with them. But for what I can do, those I can help, it is like the other day. I will ease the burdens where I can, so others may do what I cannot. If that is trading blows, healing the injured, or bolstering allies, then there is surely something I am capable of."

Seyardu takes a moment to smile to the paladin. "It was a near thing, but I have grown much in a short time. Seeing the ashwing again, the same spell that put me on deaths door did not have the same hold on me."

The blue-scale nods his agreement with Seldan. Remembering how close the demon had come to destroying so much. "To be wary of evil sssseeking to enter the mind of thossse you call alliesss isss wisssdom kin." Zeke says gently, and looks at Seyardu, acknowledging her words as well. "You have grown, and thisss one thinkss you will grow sstronger ssstill. Thisss one ssseesss much... potential in you Sseyardu. It isss good to hear you ssspeak of your effortsss with sssuch confidance."

An unruly lock of hair, escaped the thin headband that holds his hair (mostly) in place, tumbles into his eyes as he turns his head to listen to Seyardu. "And so shall you continue to grow," he agrees. "Well do I recall being laid low by a foe well beyond me, and being ill near to death, when first I came here, my first attempt at baiting evil to its destruction." He oh-so-carefully does not look at Zeke. "And yet you stand strong, you take on the smaller evils, that you might learn and grow strong to take on the greater ones. Do not dismiss your own contributions, for you do even as I did. They are of great value, and you may tread where I may not, at times, for truly are we forged in the fires of hardship. Your allies will aid you, when needed, and I count myself among them."

The assurances and comments make the silver sith-makar chuckle and shake her head. "The confidence, it is a good act, yes?" They state, chuckling some more. "I do not feel confident, I feel completely out of my depth. I have not been back to Mictlan for fear of bringing something with me I could not deal with. I stay in the temple of Daeus so I can get a more restful sleep."

She chuffs, taking a look around the area. "Yet, there are others I care about, Aryia struggles herself with what has been happening. So I will do what is necessary to allay their fears. I may not be truly confidant, but this one can at least be dependable."

The telling of old stories, the memories - which are far further into the past for the blue-scaled sith than they are for the man - make Zeke's tail swish behind him in pleasure. "It isss good to ssshare wordsss with you both." He looks at Seyardu seriously then, setting his food aside a moment so that she will take seriously what he has to say. "Thisss one will tell you what thisss one hass told othersss. It isss important to have faith in onesss sself, but it isss not good to ignore onesss true feelingsss. They can come out in waysss that we do not like later. We are here to ssuport you Seyardu; we are alliess, and you can trussst both Sseldan and thiss one. Of that you can be scertain."

"It is even as he says," Seldan chimes in at once, setting down his own sandwich at once. His eyes lower. "At times must I remind myself that I do not stand alone, this time." This time? Both a burden and a story lie behind the words. "As you support me, so in turn shall I support you, and any who face this threat, and I shall aid you as much as I may. I am versed in the ways of magic, as well as Eluna's teachings. Hesitate not to ask."

"As for the statues, I know that Aryia desires swift answers, but of those have I none."

"The small ones, or the warehouses?" Seyardu asks. "I understand, answers take time. Though I will say, perhaps it was telling that Aya returned without the statue, I heard this. In the warehouse, it was used to summon the fiend. They may wish to have prevented that again, or some other purpose. It seems they are capable of various magics."

"She chuffs again at the words, and the tears into more of the jerky. "I do trust you both. It is why I am willing to speak of my concerns so. Yet, I do not take time for myself often. It still feels wrong to have had this breastplate made, and purchase this bag. But I need to take care of myself more, or I will never see what I need done."

Zeke is watching both the pair with careful eyes. There are words behind their words, and the healer in the blue-scale can not help but see it. "Anssswersss would be good. On both the sssmall ssstatuesss and the larger onesss. Though thisss one hass heard little about thessse other sstatutess. Enough to be... very conscerned that the scity ssseemsss to care ssso little about thosse who might be alive in them." Here he thumps his tail with distinct displeasure and shakes his head. His food forgotten now.

"Consider that in appropriately arming yourself, you serve not only yourself, but your allies as well." Seldan picks up his sandwich again, but does not bite yet. "These things of which you speak, they enable you to better aid your allies. Protecting yourself does the same. Do not fear to care for yourself, for in so doing will you more readily aid those around you. You are stronger when you look to yourself, so long as you do not look only to yourself."

Now, he takes a bite from the sandwich.

"Consider that in appropriately arming yourself, you serve not only yourself, but your allies as well." Seldan picks up his sandwich again, but does not bite yet. "These things of which you speak, they enable you to better aid your allies. Protecting yourself does the same. Do not fear to care for yourself, for in so doing will you more readily aid those around you. You are stronger when you look to yourself, so long as you do not look only to yourself."

Now, he takes a bite from the sandwich, chews, and swallows, then adds, "It is in my mind to risk returning to Maridran," he says slowly. "It is a village entirely taken over by Eclavdran's servants. The adults were all taken by the demon," his eyes lower sadly, "and the children were taken in by the city, but it may be that we might learn more of the statues and their powers. It may be that one remains."

"Yes, it seems that there are threats in this city which need to be addressed. And they need those capable of handling them, so I should prepare myself to face them, and help those I go with. You speak true, Seldan."

Seyardu looks out to the doors of the Althean temple, almost always open. "I have been speaking with those I know and trust, in the Althean temple." Seyardu adds at the question of the statues. "Appealed to their compassion, as I can not believe in good faith they are not truly petrified people after what I have seen. They have agreed to send someone with me, to prove this true. A cleric capable of returning stone to flesh, and, reviving them after if the shock is too much."

The talk made them a bit more agitated, but they continue. "There appears to be some in the city who think them normal trading goods, and try to have them released. Which is, concerning."

"A town with these statues before? It may be worth looking into. If there is a link, there may be something to be learned, to prevent it. Though, I would not wish to bring it up to such children unless absolutely necessary."

"It isss conscerning." Zeke murmurs to Seyardu, his eyes showing the sorrow and a hardness that was born of his desire to do something about this atrocity. Yet Seldan's words draw his attention and his brow furrows with concern as Seyardu speaks up. "Are you sssure that ssssuch isss sssafe Sseldan?"

Seldan listens carefully, chewing as the other two talk, expression now open, but sober and intent. "They are concerned only for their affairs, and mostly care little for other things. Some of them command the guards' will. Move swiftly, but do you prove successful, trumpet it to all. The more swiftly you do so, the less likely it is that you will be silenced."

The sandwich lowers again. "I will not involve the children. That ground may yet be cursed, and it is a risk, for I think it not impossible that the demon maintains a connection to the place. It is ... a risk. Well do I know where it lies, but ... if we can find a statue. I remember them being used to summon him." The last is said with a wince.

"I do not know what became of the one Aya had, I did not ask. I feel, hmm."

Seyardu looks to those beside her, and seems to nod. "You are correct, making sure that it is believed is important. With your assistance, Perhaps and arrangement can be made. A statue is brought back, and I feel you may be able to convince those at the temple of Daeus Zeke, and Seldan, those you know at the temple of Eluna, ones you trust. With several ranking members of three different temples present, they will have no choice but to acknowledge that they are in fact people, and may hold enough sway to at least deal with the warehouses."

Zeke's eyes narrow somewhat on Seldan, and he shudders at the thought that the demon might be summoned. "Then all the more reassson to be cautiousss and careful. Thisss one sssuggessstss that you do not go alone. Perhapss Sseyardu would go with you?" He swishes his tail at the idea and nods once to Seyardu. "Thisss one will sspeak to the temple. To sssee if ssservant of the Dragonfather can accompany you. Perhaps that will be enough. If not... do let thissss one know yesss?"

An easy, warm smile grows upon Seldan's lips as he looks over at the blue scale. "I shall do naught of the kind. That is where I found what was left of the Mourner Verna." The smile fades and vanishes, but he goes on. "I am no fool, and I shall take any who wish answers on the little statues. In no way do I think Maridran to be remotely safe, and yet where else shall we find a statue to study?"

"As for those imprisoned in stone," he goes on to Seyardu, "I shall aid you and the others. The nobles will not always hear me, yet am I not lightly ignored."

"I will come with you, to help find answers. It is best not to go alone." Seyardu agrees, offerig the silver guard a smile. "After all, if these statues may be present, then none should be left alone. I can prepare spells which makes handling them safer, should any risk falling under their control."

"The nobles, I do not know how convincing them will go. Which is why I feel the best course is to make it abundantly clear that these are people, to those with the power to enforce this. Once that is accepted, then, it should be treated like the slave trading that it is, and whatever the nobles feel will hold no sway."

"Good." Says Zeke, feeling the matter settled. Seldan would not go alone, and Seyardu would try to accompany him. He glances down at his food and gives an almost imperceptible sigh. Carefully he closes the lid, closing the meal he hardly touched away and offers Seyardu a comforting thrum. "Thisss one knowsss that regardless of any-thing elssse. That innocentsss will not be left to sssimply be carted off to become ssslavess. We will not allow it, any of usss."

"You should eat, kin," Seldan tells the blue-scale, with a _look_, watching Zeke pack up his meal. "We shall not abandon those that have been taken. You have my thanks for the assistance. Be warned, though. It is in my mind that the demon may yet have a connection to the place, and there may be traps or curses. Keep your warding spells close to hand."

"It is only the part of the problem, though, but it is an important step. There is still the matter of those brought out of the warehouses. And I will make sure I do what I can to help." She agrees, giving another puff of air at the comforting noise with a swish of her tail. "I will be as careful as I can be, and prepare accordingly."

She nods, and chuckles again, swishing her tail. "Seldan is correct again, you should eat. What example would it set for your kin, who I have tried to ensure would have a proper meal? Or your Cihua, should she see you?"

Amused, the blue-scale lets out a little chuckle at their concern for him. "Thisss one will eat. In truth, thisss onesss appetite of late hasss been odd." Zeke seems to think about it, then shrugs. "Thisss one will have one of the other clericsss look at thisss one perhapss. To sssee if a cold is oncoming. But in the mean time, do not worry for thisss one, thisss one isss careful not to over-work leassst kin or cihuaa worry."

"I think it unwise to allow the Hearthguard to inform Cryosanthia that you are not eating." Seldan levels a steady gaze at Zeke, but a hint of humor plays around his lips, and he takes another bite of his sandwich. "I would not have Sentinel Kira learn of it."

There was, of course, the flash of worry from the silver sith-makar for the briefest of moments, but she nods, and chuckles. She was still a healer, and it was best not to let concern show.

"That would be wise, Zeke. It may simply be from things unrelated to illness, but that needs proper confirmation. You could ask me some time as well. I spent several years travelling between villages, healing those in need. And some illnesses in kin are different to those in others."

Seyardu chuckles, looks to Seldan, and back to Zeke. "I will not worry, as I will trust you to make sure it is not to be worried about. But I will make sure another time that you have. That is fair, yes?"

Zeke gives Seldan a horrified look, but it is mostly amusement as well. "Yesss, yessss. Check up on thisss one if it makesss you feel better." He shakes his head at the pair of them. "Would that you two would take asss good care of yourssselvesss ass you try to do thisss one!"

With that amused statement he rises, giving them both a wry look and swishing his tail at them. "Thisss one hass dutiesss to attend to, ssso thisss one will go, but thiss one wissshess you well again. Peasssce on both your nesstsss." That done, he begins to wind his way back toward the temple.