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<blockquote data-quote="Arcturion" data-source="post: 3743893" data-attributes="member: 54632"><p><strong>1.2 Hommes Optare</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">As Eltera watched Rentiki stroke the undead serpent’s fleshless skull, she noted that its bones would often fluctuate in size. The creature seemed to be thin as the breadth of two fingers and the length of the man’s arm one moment, and then longer than he was tall and thick around as his bicep the next while it floated lazily through the air. “Please do forgive my theatrics, dear Cat. It was merely a jest, you see. I’ve often been told I should have become a thespian instead of a sailor,” the Captain answered with a touch of pride in his deep baritone voice. “Although I’ve always felt that my place is aboard the Argus with the sea rolling beneath my feet and the wind in my face rather than bandying about with a troupe of mummers. Still, one usually can’t tell the difference between them and my crew at first glance. As for the dresses, well, I do have a reputation to maintain, after all!” Rentiki chuckled at his own words before sobering a bit at the mention of Terwase.</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">“Ah yes,” the large Daoshan replied with some uncertainty. “I’ll have him tend to us tonight if that is your wish, though I’m afraid any conversation will be rather one-sided, for his part.” Before Eltera could question the meaning of Rentiki’s words, the Captain clapped his hands together. “Splendid! Well, dear Cat, I’ll leave you alone for a bit so you may change. Dinner shall be ready shortly,” he said before turning on his booted heels as if he meant to go. Reaching for the cabin doors, Rentiki paused abruptly and cleared his throat with a sidelong glance at the dark aelf over his broad shoulder. “You really do look a vision of loveliness in the pale moonlight.” Accompanied by Orpheus, the Daoshan Captain grinned and then exited the room, the intricately carved oaken doors closing softly behind him.</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">Alone once more, Eltera wasted no time changing into something more substantial than the simple woolen shift she had awoke in, using the beautiful folding screen in one of her rare moments of modesty. She found an elegant ivory brush among some gaudy jewelry in a drawer of the trunk that lay within the hidden wardrobe, and worked the tangles out of her silvery-white hair before tying it back into a simple but efficient knot. It had gotten much longer since she last cut it many moons ago.</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">The table was cleared by the time that a knock came at the door shortly thereafter, tentatively prompting the dark aelf to bid this new guest to enter. A short, wizened old man shuffled into the cabin, carrying a tray with two crystal glasses and a bottle of what she guessed was wine chilled in a bucket of ice. The ice itself was a surprise since it was rare to see it outside of cold regions or snow-capped mountains, and was more the province of aristocracy or mages with a taste for chilled food and drink. The man himself had long, frizzled gray hair tied back into a simple knot at his neck and a thin beard to match, while his complexion was the tanned color of sandy olive. Strange tattoos in crimson and yellow slashed harsh patterns over his temple and cheeks. He wore simple gray woolen robes and leather sandals. The weathered lines of his aged face spoke of a lifetime of plying the seas and undue hardship, though the expression in his cloudy, milk-white eyes appeared calm and almost blissfully serene. With hands whose skin was stretched tight like parchment over fingers still deft of movement despite his advanced years, he gave Eltera a short bow of acknowledgement and set the tray down upon the table.</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">“Terwase?” the dark aelf ventured, the name sounding awkward upon her lips as she said it.</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">The old man cracked a toothless smile and nodded again, saying nothing in reply. Before Eltera could get another word in edgewise, he held up a bony hand and gestured toward the door before motioning with his arms as if eating an imaginary bowl of soup. When the dark aelf nodded, Terwase grinned and shuffled back out of the room to retrieve the first course.</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">It wasn’t long before Rentiki returned and, complimenting the dark aelf yet again on her supposed beauty, held a chair out for Eltera in a gentlemanly display of etiquette. Orpheus chose to lounge about in the corner over the squat mantle of the cabin’s fireplace, content to absorb the warmth from the magical flames. Though undead, the creature apparently still thought it was a living snake, and cold-blooded reptiles were wont to sunbathe or bask in any source of heat close at hand. Rentiki took his own seat directly opposite Eltera across the table just as Terwase returned with the evening’s first course, a rich cream soup with chunks of potato served with generous heels of black rye bread. The sight of the steaming broth made the dark aelf’s stomach twist in hunger.</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">“You look exquisite as usual, dear Cat,” Rentiki was saying, though she barely heard him as she ate. The large Daoshan poured glasses of deep red wine for each of them. “And I’m sure you’ve met my ship’s surgeon, Terwase. He has other unique talents I’ve come to appreciate over the years as well. I suppose you may thank him for saving your life, but he won’t be able to return your gratitude, sadly. When he was but a boy, slavers cut out his tongue when he talked out of turn one too many times. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a merchant is that it’s a foolish thing to damage the goods before they are delivered. I chanced a meeting with Terwase a few years back and he’s sailed with me ever since. So you see, dear Cat, your secret is safe with him, have no worry. Most of my men are released on shore leave enjoying all that Drace has to offer and what few that have remained aboard are just a skeleton crew while repairs to the ship’s mast are being completed. In the meantime, Hashad is out scouting for new recruits and securing supplies for our next voyage. We should be well underway within a fortnight at most.”</span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon"></span></p><p><span style="color: LemonChiffon">The Captain wolfed down his stew and made light conversation when Terwase brought in the next course, roasted capons browned to a light crisp and served with peas and mushrooms. Standing calm and silent as a statue, the old medicine man merely watched them eat with his skinny hands clasped in the folds of his wide sleeves. “No doubt you have many questions,” Rentiki observed shrewdly as he downed his wine with unabashed enthusiasm, and made to refill his glass. “Please, ask away and I shall do my best to deliver an answer. Of course, you realize I have my own questions to ask of you. This is my first time treating a dark aelf to supper and I mean to make the most of it, gods willing!” He laughed aloud and flashed a smile made all the warmer and brighter by the wine.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Arcturion, post: 3743893, member: 54632"] [b]1.2 Hommes Optare[/b] [COLOR=LemonChiffon]As Eltera watched Rentiki stroke the undead serpent’s fleshless skull, she noted that its bones would often fluctuate in size. The creature seemed to be thin as the breadth of two fingers and the length of the man’s arm one moment, and then longer than he was tall and thick around as his bicep the next while it floated lazily through the air. “Please do forgive my theatrics, dear Cat. It was merely a jest, you see. I’ve often been told I should have become a thespian instead of a sailor,” the Captain answered with a touch of pride in his deep baritone voice. “Although I’ve always felt that my place is aboard the Argus with the sea rolling beneath my feet and the wind in my face rather than bandying about with a troupe of mummers. Still, one usually can’t tell the difference between them and my crew at first glance. As for the dresses, well, I do have a reputation to maintain, after all!” Rentiki chuckled at his own words before sobering a bit at the mention of Terwase. “Ah yes,” the large Daoshan replied with some uncertainty. “I’ll have him tend to us tonight if that is your wish, though I’m afraid any conversation will be rather one-sided, for his part.” Before Eltera could question the meaning of Rentiki’s words, the Captain clapped his hands together. “Splendid! Well, dear Cat, I’ll leave you alone for a bit so you may change. Dinner shall be ready shortly,” he said before turning on his booted heels as if he meant to go. Reaching for the cabin doors, Rentiki paused abruptly and cleared his throat with a sidelong glance at the dark aelf over his broad shoulder. “You really do look a vision of loveliness in the pale moonlight.” Accompanied by Orpheus, the Daoshan Captain grinned and then exited the room, the intricately carved oaken doors closing softly behind him. Alone once more, Eltera wasted no time changing into something more substantial than the simple woolen shift she had awoke in, using the beautiful folding screen in one of her rare moments of modesty. She found an elegant ivory brush among some gaudy jewelry in a drawer of the trunk that lay within the hidden wardrobe, and worked the tangles out of her silvery-white hair before tying it back into a simple but efficient knot. It had gotten much longer since she last cut it many moons ago. The table was cleared by the time that a knock came at the door shortly thereafter, tentatively prompting the dark aelf to bid this new guest to enter. A short, wizened old man shuffled into the cabin, carrying a tray with two crystal glasses and a bottle of what she guessed was wine chilled in a bucket of ice. The ice itself was a surprise since it was rare to see it outside of cold regions or snow-capped mountains, and was more the province of aristocracy or mages with a taste for chilled food and drink. The man himself had long, frizzled gray hair tied back into a simple knot at his neck and a thin beard to match, while his complexion was the tanned color of sandy olive. Strange tattoos in crimson and yellow slashed harsh patterns over his temple and cheeks. He wore simple gray woolen robes and leather sandals. The weathered lines of his aged face spoke of a lifetime of plying the seas and undue hardship, though the expression in his cloudy, milk-white eyes appeared calm and almost blissfully serene. With hands whose skin was stretched tight like parchment over fingers still deft of movement despite his advanced years, he gave Eltera a short bow of acknowledgement and set the tray down upon the table. “Terwase?” the dark aelf ventured, the name sounding awkward upon her lips as she said it. The old man cracked a toothless smile and nodded again, saying nothing in reply. Before Eltera could get another word in edgewise, he held up a bony hand and gestured toward the door before motioning with his arms as if eating an imaginary bowl of soup. When the dark aelf nodded, Terwase grinned and shuffled back out of the room to retrieve the first course. It wasn’t long before Rentiki returned and, complimenting the dark aelf yet again on her supposed beauty, held a chair out for Eltera in a gentlemanly display of etiquette. Orpheus chose to lounge about in the corner over the squat mantle of the cabin’s fireplace, content to absorb the warmth from the magical flames. Though undead, the creature apparently still thought it was a living snake, and cold-blooded reptiles were wont to sunbathe or bask in any source of heat close at hand. Rentiki took his own seat directly opposite Eltera across the table just as Terwase returned with the evening’s first course, a rich cream soup with chunks of potato served with generous heels of black rye bread. The sight of the steaming broth made the dark aelf’s stomach twist in hunger. “You look exquisite as usual, dear Cat,” Rentiki was saying, though she barely heard him as she ate. The large Daoshan poured glasses of deep red wine for each of them. “And I’m sure you’ve met my ship’s surgeon, Terwase. He has other unique talents I’ve come to appreciate over the years as well. I suppose you may thank him for saving your life, but he won’t be able to return your gratitude, sadly. When he was but a boy, slavers cut out his tongue when he talked out of turn one too many times. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a merchant is that it’s a foolish thing to damage the goods before they are delivered. I chanced a meeting with Terwase a few years back and he’s sailed with me ever since. So you see, dear Cat, your secret is safe with him, have no worry. Most of my men are released on shore leave enjoying all that Drace has to offer and what few that have remained aboard are just a skeleton crew while repairs to the ship’s mast are being completed. In the meantime, Hashad is out scouting for new recruits and securing supplies for our next voyage. We should be well underway within a fortnight at most.” The Captain wolfed down his stew and made light conversation when Terwase brought in the next course, roasted capons browned to a light crisp and served with peas and mushrooms. Standing calm and silent as a statue, the old medicine man merely watched them eat with his skinny hands clasped in the folds of his wide sleeves. “No doubt you have many questions,” Rentiki observed shrewdly as he downed his wine with unabashed enthusiasm, and made to refill his glass. “Please, ask away and I shall do my best to deliver an answer. Of course, you realize I have my own questions to ask of you. This is my first time treating a dark aelf to supper and I mean to make the most of it, gods willing!” He laughed aloud and flashed a smile made all the warmer and brighter by the wine.[/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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