Private Tales Flint to the Fire

[Nadya]

She had been about to tease him about kissing noble boys when his voice came out rough and guttural, a language she knew she would never understand or ever attempt learning. Nadya Caliar never looked scared. There would be no chance given for anyone to see her weak.

"Gods, they look friendly." Nadya grumbled, cutting their scout friends a sideglance.

But her grey eyes snapped forward when Talorgan brought her attention to the moth dragons. Of course, he possibly thought to steer her attention to the natives coming their way, but the female's sharp inhale did not go unnoticed. Her arms wrapped around his solid one, squeezing it tight to relieve the sense of cuteness that overcame her. She would not dare do so with the actual smaller species dragons, but her friend's arm would suffice.

 

[Talorgan]

"We're outsiders. They normally only see us landing monstrous dragons in the hills. I think a few times scouts have burned human tribes they thought were jarlax from the air."

He glanced down at her hands and smiled.

"Do not put your hands near their mouths. They eat lots and lots of small creatures all night."

The two scouts slowed and dropped into step a little way behind them. Talorgan continued on the as the group ahead turned to face them.

<You know me!> he called out.

<You are not one of us.>

<I thought I was welcome. >

<To talk. In the day!>

<I am or would...> Talorgan started to stutter.

"You are still bad!" called the oldest in the group. Talorgan felt embarrassed at failing in their language in front of Nadya.

"We don't have shelter for the night," Talorgan said.

"Well what did you bring?"

Talorgan opened the bag at his hip.

"Spices!" he started, lifting out a small tin. They were valuable back home but he didn't know how they would be treated here.

"You don't have anything we could call a gift?" he muttered to Nadya.

 

[Nadya]

Nadya had tried to keep her face neutral, but as soon as Talorgan began speaking in another language, her brows furrowed as she tried to decipher a sliver of what he was saying, but as soon as the natives began to reply, she caught on that Tal wasn't the most fluent or confident in speaking with them.

One of them began to converse in Thanasian, almost shocking Nadya.

Then Tal asked her a question.

A hasty laugh, she turned to look up at him. "Do not judge me."

But from her pack she pulled out five nicely crafted daggers. From Thanasian Iron and the hilts carved from obsidian, they were a true dedication of Thanasian styled weaponry. "A guy I was fooling around with made them for me. Thought they could have come in handy if we needed to.... you know, hunt our own food." She grimaced, looking sheepish as the rest of her pack was majority food rations.

Nadya laid the daggers in their sheaths on the ground between both parties.

"An offering, from me to your community. Tal brought me here to show me there is much to learn from the Wylds..." Best they hear her pandering to them.

 

[Talorgan]

Judgement only came in the form of one raised eyebrow.

There was a palpable tension as the daggers were laid out. Only the elder knew much thanasian. The others didn't understand of this was an offering or a threat.

"That will do. Shelter for one night. Food. We celebrate Andthrid's..." the Elder looked to the sky as if it had the word.

A brief exchange followed in their language.

"It's a coming of age celebration," Talorgan explained.

"Come, come," said the elder.

The two scouts remained behind them. They were thrown a single glance by the elder. Talorgan suspected Nadya would be closely watched. The other tribes people continued on their original task: setting watch with the moth dragons.

"At least you got a good look at them," Talorgan said as he followed through the elder on a narrow, steep path between the rocks.

"They have some shelter in the rocks themselves, but they mostly live outside," he explained as they stepped out into an open area.

They were slightly higher than the flat land below. Several rocks jutted up ahead of them and there was a system of caves beneath it. To their right was a field of tents and to the left a large fire was being built.

"Must have made an impression for those knives..."

 

[Nadya]

Nadya let out a breath she had no clue she had been holding, but her lungs relieved at the decompressing. She had looked to Talorgan, about to ask what exactly entails as a coming of age celebration, when they were asked to follow. It was obvious the better idea was to do as she was told, and the Wing Leader fell into step beside her friend.

The moth dragons had been a pleasant surprise, but the way these people lived their day to day intrigued Nadya more.

"When they said shelter, did those knives buy us two tents?" She would have loved the privacy and peace, some time to herself after all that travel. Nadya had always had a moment to herself whenever she returned to her private home withing the sacred grounds on Thanasian lands.

Nadya looked to Talorgan. "I mean, no offense to you. I'm sure you don't snore..."

 

[Talorgan]

"They may just have given us space in the communal tent with the warriors," Talorgan laughed. "Or maybe one tent or maybe two. Or you could just sleep on the grass."

Talorgan hadn't taken offense, but was clearly amused by her comment. For him, it played into the delusion that he was a wild man who rejected civilisation and she was a pampered noble heiress.

The elder slowed and turned about. He was tall by thanasis standards, but wiry. All of the tribes people were. They ranged far and wide and food was not as plentiful.

"Why now? Why her?"

"I think it's important that more..."

"You are welcome. We are not here for you to make a show of."

Talorgan felt that one. His expression changed sharply. For all he might have spoken about wanting to expand awareness, this was still all a pursuit because he didn't have anything better to do. He felt more at peace out behind the wall. Showing this place to Nadya wasn't really for the benefit of the tribe.

"Ah come. Andthrid will be playing Kaja before the celebration."

Talorgan looked to Nadya.

"It's a ball game," he said. "Half the tribe will play."

 

[Nadya]

Nadya plastered on a pleasant smile, enough to satisfy the elder, but it faltered the moment she asked Talorgan why bring her along.

She began to feel as if she was overstepping, being called out for having no true purpose to this visit. Nadya simply wanted to escape Thanasis and responsibility for a while...

Privilege. For someone that spoke so much about not needing it, she certainly didn't show it.

Surprised, Nadya looked to Tal once they were ushered to follow and sure enough, half the tribe were already deep within a game.

A ball, easy to tuck under one's arm, was the sole object of either team to retrieve. Nadya had thought it simple, especially given how easily accessible each team made it to steal, but then she realised how tactics worked in this sport. She jumped, knocking into Talorgan when she saw a tribesman tackle their opponent that made a run back to their base with the ball, only to drop the ball and have it returned to a new location on the field.

"Fuck." She hissed, seeing the tribesman that had been tackled stand and limp off the field. Another was eager to replace him on the field. "I think they would murder me, Tal."

 

[Talorgan]

"Maybe," he laughed. He placed his hand on Nadya's shoulder.

"Miyo means throw or pass the ball. Don't touch the people with white flags, they're calling the score. One time they told me the whole tribe played and no one score all game. Just a big pile on that lasted an hour."

Two young men from the tribe approached. They both wore scraps of red fabric. It was the most colourful dye the people made from local flowers. They held out another red cloth for Talorgan.

"Why don't you watch and decide if you want to play," Talorgan laughed. He set down his pack, and set down two knives and his sword.

The tribes people were tall and wiry. Built for walking long distances. Talorgan was broader, with thick arms. It was obvious why one team had quickly saught him out.

As he ran out into the ill defined space for the game, he was immediately thrown the ball. Talorgan charged straight at two players trying to stop him, clutching the ball tight to his chest and dropping his shoulders.

 

[Nadya]

Nadya had to think and distract to get herself to not think the thoughts she had watching Talorgan move amongst the tribal people.

It was all too obvious the differences between Thanasians and the tribes, the different strengths and skills between both cultures showed which were bred for warfare and combat. It became glaringly obvious to Nadya that she may indeed have a type.

Clearing her throat, she tried to push away the appreciation of watching Talorgan, but no one else had their muscles move the way his did when he held that ball.

"Are you promised to him?" Asked a tribes woman.

Nadya spluttered, playing it off, "To Tal? No! No, he's a friend. I am to be a Commander one day, and Talorgan likes his freedoms." Certainly, he would make a good husband, but to a woman or man that liked the same things as him. Nadya was built for military.