Freezeday evening, Xenofos enters the common room and removes his helmet. In his left hand he is holding his swordbelt and scabbard.
Kolyey is seated facing the main entrance. She is drinking something and looks very upset.
Xenofos walks to the dour Humakti. Without putting down his kit he greets her “Good eve, good Kolyey. What news of thane Varanis, gentle Maalira or your captain Berra?” He sounds genuinely warm and friendly.
One of the serving men comes by and puts a warmed ale down, swooping off to do the same for other people likely to pay. Geo’s has a proactive attitude towards service.
“I haven’t seen Berra in days. The temple officers are nowhere to be found.Your cousin went to worship, I think. The White Lady is somewhere, just not here.”
Hearing the news Xenofos sits down, placing his sword and helmet on the table and takes the offered drink. Looking and smelling at the beverage he sighs slightly and asks the serving man if he could have a drink of mulled wine instead.
“Sure, honey. Be back with it in one moment.” Nobody has ever called Xenofos honey here before.
Kolyey is drinking mulled wine and says, “It’s good and reasonably priced.”
Xenofos concentrates on the Humakti before him with a steady look of his brown eyes lined as they often are with kohl. “And what seems to be eating you, Kolyey.”
The hired singer in the background is entirely failing to make himself heard. It is a loud evening. Wine comes to the table, the beer goes somewhere else, and it seems that there is room and time for conversation.
“I went to ask Humakt a question and I don’t understand the answer,” Kolyey says.
“Humakt never lies. But sometimes he and his servants may be hard to understand.” Xenofos sips from his mug and raises an eyebrow. “Not bad” That toast may have been aimed at passing servant.
The man gives a little skip, but gets on with ladling out food and wine. And, of course, mulled beer.
“I definitely don’t understand what I saw.” The Humakti mutters.
“Maybe Berra or local priests can help you when you see them.” Xenofos looks at his wine “Visions can be confusing. “
The door to the inn opens and Varanis steps through. She looks tired and frustrated.
Xenofos is sitting with his back to door and concentrating on Kolyey. Kolyey looks rather unhappy. She is drinking something.
Spying the other two, Varanis strides over to their table and drops into a seat without announcing herself.
Maalira wanders into the common room and looks around to see what is happening.
Xenofos was about to pat Kolyey on her hand when Varanis sits to the table.
“Hello, Varanis. You look like your day is going worse than mine.” Kolyey says.1xenofos: (Is Varanis within arms reach.)varanis: ((Yes.))
Maalira spots Varanis and starts towards her.
“Just annoyed, Kolyey. The Sun Towners are all obnoxious.” The Vingan answers.
Xenofos sets down his mug, his face lits up and he reaches for Varanis’ arm to squeeze that but that turns into an attempted hug. Benches make that a bit awkward.
“Cousin!”
She leans against him. “I missed you.”
Maalira reaches the table and takes another seat.
The same singer who was giving Maalira extra fame last week is on again, but fortunately the hubbub is too loud for him to be heard. It might have been something about her challenging Harrek to a competition to keep their clothes white.
“I am not surprised by this. I asked Humakt a question and I don’t understand the answer,” Kolyey tells Varanis.
“What was the question?” Maalira asks Kolyey
“I was so deep on the journey I did not really miss anyone” He squeezes her tighter “But I am really happy to see you again.”2Any despair or anguish disappears with that hug
Varanis sighs against Xenofos’ shoulder. She visibly relaxes with the contact. “Where did you go?”
“I asked Him if all the attacks were His way of telling me to worship someone else,” replies Kolyey.
He pauses for a moment “To the Spike, I think. But we should listen to Kolyey .”
“Oh. That sounds dangerous, Kolyey! You don’t want to trigger any reprisals. Surely they are just toughening you up or something.” Varanis looks perplexed.
“I don’t understand the answer I got.”
“What’d old Death-Face tell you?” Varanis asks.
Two cups of mulled wine are put down at the table, one for Varanis and one for Maalira. Maalira’s is a sweet white, with some kind of herbal mix.
Maalira grabs the drink gratefully and takes a sip before paying attention to Kolyey.
“I saw a sword. I couldn’t tell if it was whole and breaking, or broken and mending.” Kolyey looks confused.
Varanis sips the wine and shrugs. Not bad. “Could be worth asking Lord Raven when Berra returns.”
“Where is Berra” Xenofos turns towards Varanis as soon as Berra is mentioned.
varanis: The Vingan shrugs, but her expression turns to a scowl. “Temple business, I guess.”
“Good Kolyey” Xenofos gestures towards the Humakti” said she was not there?”
“Why are you annoyed with her now?” Maalira asks Varanis, bluntly but not unsympathetically.
“I don’t have the run of the temple right now, but I hope Berra and the Swords are still there.” Kolyey answers.
“Ah so they could be there, just not available?” Xenofos nods.
“Now? Still might be a better word for it. Did she tell you what happened the night before we arrived in New Pavis?” Vingan asks. That morning the two avoided each other. And then Berra vanished almost as soon as they settled into New Pavis.
The white wine is good, and warm. The clay cup holds a lot.
Kolyey shakes her head.
Later, there will be tales of how Maalira could make a single cup of wine last three days, and still be drinking it.
Xenofos looks at Kolyey and then Varanis “What happened the night before we arrived, Varanis?”
Her scowl deepens and she takes a long draught of her mulled wine. Finally, she says, “we had an argument. It got physical.”
Kolyey winces at the fact. 3discussion on if rage is affected by solace spell
“About what?” Maalira probes.
Olives, of all things, are put on the table. Small and slightly over-salted, they are still the genuine Esrolian deal. They come with cubed bread and oil, and a cheese that Sartarites probably think matches.
Kolyey eats a little bit of the food.
Nobody jumps out at Kolyey to challenge her to olive-pit spitting.
“Any bison cheese, good chap?” Xenofos asks the server.
The man executes a neat about-turn, and stares for a moment. “Honey, I can do you that, but we’ll have to send next door. Few heartbeats, no more. You alright for wine, all of you?”
Kolyey nods to the server.
Varanis is not talking while a server lurks, but she holds out her now empty cup.
He is looking at Varanis and waiting for her answer. “If you can be a darling. If it is the real tribal cheese.”
He nods apologetically to Maalira. “I hear the town dwellers try to make their own, but that is no good.”
Wine is poured, the man calls an order for bison cheese across the room, and promises, “If you don’t think it was made in a stomach on a saddle, I’ll give you another cup for free.” Then he is off to go see to more people’s needs.
The Vingan takes another draught of wine. Finally when she gets the space to talk, she says, “It was stupid. I found out that she knew when her exile would end and that she was contemplating taking a contract for the last bit of the exile. But I found out from Raven, not her. I have been angry for weeks, because of the exile. And then, she had the gall to suggest I was only here to sulk.”
“When will her exile end Varanis?” Xenofos asks quietly.
Kolyey closes her eyes and looks pained.
“Did you tell her why you’re angry?” Maalira asks gently.
Xenofos blinks.
“Fire Season,” Varanis tells Xenofos. To Maalira, she says, “I tried. But I don’t remember the conversation clearly. I was furious and full of rage without an outlet. My intention had been to return the Wyter sword to her and then go burn some of the anger off. But, when she saw I was angry, she demanded I follow her out of camp and suddenly we were arguing.” Now she flushes. “When she accused me of sulking like I was a fucking child, instead of trying to back her up, I’m afraid I lost it. I took a swing at her.”
Maalira pinches the bridge of her nose, and takes a large gulp of wine.
Xenofos reaches for Varanis arm and squeezes it gently, without saying a word.
Kolyey murmurs, “Humakt commands that we keep strict truth and fellowship with each other.”
Her voice gone flat, Varanis adds, “She knocked me out cold and left me lying in the dirt.”
“That’s not fellowship,” Kolyey comments.
Despite herself, Varanis says, “She left Lord Raven with me. He ensured I was healed enough to take care of myself.”
“You should not have taken that swing.” Xenofos says quietly “but she, in my opinion, should have told you when her exile ends when she knew. If she had a chance. And she should have known you came because you love her”
“Fellowship seems to be lacking around here lately,” says Kolyey.
He sighs and looks around the table, his eyes tarrying a bit on Maalira.
The Humakti gets a glare. “She takes Separation seriously,” Varanis says, apparently defending the friend she is angry with. To Xenofos, she says, “She was busy. But I’m still pissed about the sulking thing.”
Kolyey is not moved by the glare. “I don’t blame you.”
“Would you like me to speak to her?” Maalira suggests.
“She’d likely just accuse me of going crying to you. We’re adults and we should be able to deal with this like adults. But, she’s vanished for the time being, so there’s nothing to be done about it anyway.”
“Did she send any word? Or has she just vanished?” Xenofos asks.
A plate of cheese gets slotted onto the table. It does look Bison-related, for sure. Some is new and glistening, some almost hard.
Kolyey suddenly perks up a little. “I have an idea. Let’s go hunt undead.”
varanis: “We got word that she had temple business,” Varanis replies. To Kolyey she says, “maybe in the morning. For now, I’m taking myself off to get clean and then get some sleep.”
Xenofos breaks some of the cheese on the plate and tastes it carefully.
Xenofos gets a sideways hug before Varanis rises to her feet. She waves to them all, takes her empty cup to the counter, and vanishes in the direction of her room. She does not try any of the food in the process.
It’s certainly not a town cheese, although also not how the Straw Weavers make it.
“Sleep is a good idea Varanis, sweet dreams.” Xenofos says to Varanis.’ disappearing back ” At some other time I would follow her with a plate, Maalira. But perhaps not tonight. Try some. It is not bad, but does not taste like the stuff Neela and Saberitha made…”
Kolyey gives the cheese a suspicious look.
- 1xenofos: (Is Varanis within arms reach.)varanis: ((Yes.))
- 2Any despair or anguish disappears with that hug
- 3discussion on if rage is affected by solace spell
