Gettin' Friendly With the Locals

[Aydyn Blair]

Early Afternoon on Carmelyana
Second Cycle of Imperos
During the season of Summer, Era II

After a long morning on resting up, enjoying a meal in the tavern, and massaging sore muscles, Aydyn finally felt come early afternoon, that it was time to get a feel for Acumin. She wanted to get them used to her as soon as she could. She knew there would be some resistance, some distrust, but Aydyn never saw herself as a very threatening person. Besides, she was a druid and from what she had learned from Latherin the day before of the pact with Carmelya--as little information as she had garnered--she could not be so vastly distrusted. Although, there was that bit she had learned from Adamon months ago concerning druids who wished to use their otherwise sacred abilities to do things in honor of Jalat. Horrible. Simply horrible.

Well, she wasn't one of those druids. She was young, not particularly unattractive, and she was not very imposing. Donned in her blue skirt and a blouse, Aydyn also looked relatively conservative. She wasn't racy or given to flights of fancy. She was relatively level-headed. Really, what was there to dislike? Certainly her introduction to the community could not be all that bad.

Aydyn emerged from the main door of the inn and adjusted the fit of the blouse around her waist with a small tug at the white fabric. Blue-gray eyes peered around her with a degree of hesitation. Which way to head was the big question in her head now. What was in which direction? Were there any places that she should out right avoid? Only one way to find out, really. Aydyn's fidgeting hands slid from the hem of her blouse to smooth the wrinkles near the waist of her skirt. Right sounded as good as any direction to start out with. It was the right way to go, after all.

A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth at the awful pun. Hopefully the locals wouldn't find those all that painful. Aydyn moved away from the tavern to begin her tour of the village.

[Desmodus]

The outside of the Sooty Cavern Tavern was covered with sweet-smelling honeysuckle, and all manner of bees and flies filled the summer air as Aydyn emerged from the Inn. Although supposedly in the heart of town, Aydyn found herself surrounded not by buildings, but by a wasteland of darkened plots of land framed by the charred foundations of the former houses of Acumin. Vegetation had encroached, especially crabgrass and dandelions, although other grasses and more colorful wildflowers also laid claim to the vacant properties. In spite of the verdant, rustic look that might have appealed to a Druid such as Aydyn, Acumin reminded her uncomfortably of a vast grave overgrown with grass, punctuated by new houses resembling vine-covered barrows.

The inn itself was built atop something of a rise above the prevailing ground level, and the aftermath of the village's devastation provided the young visitor with a commanding vista in whichever direction she cared to look. There were now perhaps thirty to fourty structures in all the town, and all were made of vegetation with two exceptions: the inn itself, and a half-completed structure with two compltely built stone walls and what looked to be the beginnings of a stout chimney. Although she might not know it, this was to be the forge of the giant Throk Mumson once it was completed. She could see the Aedile's office, a green mound where Mila had told her she could obtain provisions for her animals, and a lovely stream flowing from a rock, standing opposite a grove of thickly-grown trees that would have looked somewhat out of place when Acumin was in its heyday, but which now dominated and set the tone for its verdant surroundings.

It was mid-morning, and there were few villagers lounging about. Pretty much all of the twoscore inhabitants were busy trying to scrape a living together from the bounty of Carmelya, tending small personal gardens, hunting or gathering nuts and berries in the forest, fishing in the streams that flowed nearby, scavenging among the ruined buildings in the hopes of salvaging something valuable, the sale of which was one of the few sources of hard currency in Acumin these days. The villagers had grown accustomed to this life, most were not even glum or bitter as they went about these meager tasks; however, they were far too busy to talk to the stranger, whom most did not yet realize had decided to stay. The rumors would not spread like wildfire until later that brightening, when locals began to gather at the Sooty Cavern to barter the humble fruits of the brightening's labor, and to parlay that into food and drink from Mila.

Whichever way Aydyn chose to go, Mila would be greeted mostly by silent, curious stares or curt greetings. The Acuminites were too busy surviving to chat up a wayfarer passing through. Looking about, the most promising places to visit so far were the pet store and the fountain. But of course Aydyn was free to go wherever she wished.

[Throk Mumson]

Throk was on his way to the forest. He always passed by the tavern for a short while to say 'ello to Mila and get some food in his belly 'cos the grumbling of his stomach might scare off the animals. Mila always made great breakfasts. Her bread was the best in town( the only bread as well) and now that the bees were doing their honey tricks again, there was plenty honey to drown bread in. Yum!

Right outside the tavern stood a figure Throk's eyes had never lain a look upon. It was a woman in an odd blue shirt of some sorts. It seemed she was looking for something, or someone.
Perhaps ah can 'elp 'er out wiv it, Throk thought. "Helping people is a good way to stop 'em throwing rocks at ya," Mum always said. So Throk always did. Besides, he liked helping people. Not because they would stop hurling rocks and pebbles, but just becuase it felt good to help someone!
Not very much inclined to make an exception today, Throk walked to the strange lady and thought of something to say.
"Erhm, 'ello. Can ah 'elp you wiv something perhapsmaybe?" he stuttered.
Cos, well. Ah mean...You look kinda lost ta me, dat's all.

[Aydyn Blair]

ooc: yay someone to interact with!

ic:
Aydyn had seen very few giants in her lifetime. Most she had seen from a distance and those she had avoided simply because they frightened her. She had no doubts that they could crush her at a moments notice if they so desired to. She had heard stories about their intelligence, which was reputed to be relatively small. She had interacted with a giant only once and that was as brief of an encounter as you could, seeing as the fellow was a guard at a gate and all he did was check her visa and wave her onward. So it was no surprise that she stared in some surprise at the giant that now stood in front of her, asking if she was lost. Those blue-gray eyes widened and her mouth cracked open just a wee bit. It took her a moment to respond, her mouth opening and closing, snapping shut before she finally cleared her throat and asked hesitantly, "Oh, uhm, serale!" She stammered after a moment, her cheeks flushing as she realized what a moron she looked, or at the very least, how uncomfortable she must be making the poor...man...in front of her.

She glanced around her, back at the tavern, to the left and to the right, as if to see if anyone in the n ear vicinity was taking note of this...you know, in case he decided to hurt her or something. Although, on second thought, what could a bunch of rather "small" people do to a giant? She smiled faintly, trying to banish the unease in her nerves. She didn't want to upset the giant. "Lost? Yes, sort of. I'm...new here. Just got here yesterday, in fact. So...I was going to give myself a tour around the place." She hesitated, glancing around at the few locals that were out and about. "I haven't seemed to garner a very grand reception, however." Not that she hadn't expected otherwise, of course. She knew village people quite well, being a small town girl herself. "I don't really know where I want to go, really," she admitted after a moment, her shoulders sagging slightly. She seemed to be relaxing a little as she lost herself into her current dilemma. "Do you know the area very well?"