CanadienneBacon
Explorer
After picketing the mounts, the ladies head to the tents. A second Uz-Kala guard at the entrance to the largest tent steps to the side to admit the ladies with a slight inclination of his head. Unusually large for a desert trader, the guard's muscular biceps bulge beneath his linen tunic. A steel-honed scimitar hangs from the guard's belt, inches from his hand. Black eyes starkly follow the ladies as they enter the tent.Inside, low benches and scatter cushions in hues of bold persimmon, gold, olive, and port wine litter a dirt-packed floor, over which layers of intricately woven carpets have been thrown. Heady incense hangs thick in the air, as does the scent of roasting meat and toasted grain. Across the room, a pale-skinned woman with a long coiled auburn braid at the nape of her neck gyrates at the side of a merchant in robes. The woman's skimpy brass "armor" looks poorly suited for combat, but appears supremely complementary for gratification of the senses.
Seated at a bench to the right is a well-appointed Uz-Kala. The man's dark eyes glitter even in the low light of the tent. A clean linen set of robes flows from his shoulders and the scent of lemons reaches across the room to greet the ladies when the man rises from his bench and approaches. "I greet you in the name of the Brethren, behen-ji. Welcome. Salt and bread?" The Uz-Kala gestures to a wooden lidded box and a loaf of fresh bread. "Drink is also here, if you require." The Uz-Kala extends a hand, palm up, in greeting and motions to the ladies to be seated and to partake.
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