Private Tales On The Road

[Kasim Areth]

Allira was a city of opportunity, at least that was what every merchant he had ever met claimed.

He couldn't really blame them of course, there was so much going on in this city that it was difficult not to find something to do. There were dozens of Inns, theaters, show rooms, and of course the Noble Houses. If you needed work, it was almost a guarantee that you could find it somewhere in Allira.

It was a good thing of course, but it made for a hell of a lot of people.

Trying to get to the inner city was near impossible, same went for the Middle city really.

Kasim had always found that the best of bets were to be found in the Outskirts and slums. The living wasn't the finest admittedly, but there was something in the air that just sang of opportunity. Perhaps it was all the gambling, or maybe the drinking. The Jester didn't really know, but he felt good here.

He just had to find the right Inn.

 

[Sebast]

Tsun had forsaken her several leagues ago, taking to the skies in hopes of retaining his freedoms. Her shoulder felt a little too light without him perched there, almost as though it had been made to bear his weight, yet it was something she knew she'd adjust to. In a city as large as the one before her she knew it might take her several days to clear through its streets and leave once again.

She had never actually been to Alliria, despite the fact that it had lingered on the lips of many she had done business with. A few had actually urged her on this way, though she had suspected it was because they had no need for her wares and were hoping to brush her away faster. Some did not take kindly to nomads in and around their domiciles.

But looking at it now she could truly appreciate the why of it. It was pure madness, to be sure, and yet it was at the same time a peddlers paradise. The streets were filled with countless individuals, many with coin purses weighing them down, and in a place with so many bodies there was no doubt that disease and infection ran rampant. Her hand ran down to her belt as she pondered that, caressing the vials she carried there.

She had a new elixir that needed testing out, yet middle and higher class folk weren't the sort to enjoy being test subjects. Not that Sebast would ever intentionally bring someone harm with her mixes, of course... So it was that she allowed her feet to lead her toward the dens of depravity which stank to high heavens, where squalor and desperation ran rampant.

Clutching a small bundle of fragrant herbs to her nose to try and stave the worst of it off, she stepped into the outskirts of the city, down in the shadow of all of Alliria's splendor, and was met with a sight far worse than she'd experienced even in the smaller and less prosperous towns. Even if her elixir was effective, she knew that she'd never have enough of it to help those present.

Not even if she lived a hundred lives.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Allira was a splendor of controlled chaos, and the outer city really only displayed that by a hundred fold. There was a distinct smell to it, one mostly consisting of human waste and unwashed bodies.

Any Elf likely would have been unable to journey through the place, and any Dwarf would have felt...well he had no idea how the dwarves would have felt about something like this. He'd met a few of them, but it seemed with those folk they were cool with anything as long as they got to drink.

Couldn't blame them for that really. "Let's see."

Kasim said, musing to himself as he walked through the muck filled streets. There were a dozen or so Inns already ahead of him, most occupied by a rowdy crowd or two that had squeezed in. Briefly he wondered if he could find something more calm, but it was unlikely.

Instead he just carried forward.

The Closer one got to the city walls the nicer the Slums got, so he figured he'd just keep trekking through the crowd.

 

[Sebast]

It had not taken her very long at all to find someone pleading for respite.

Their genuine exhaustion and obvious affliction tugged at her heart strings. They were desperate, that much was for certain, and she knew that if something wasn't at least attempted they likely would not last another few days. Certainly not long enough for them to acquire the funds to get themselves looked at by a proper medicine man, or to purchase some well known potion.

She knelt beside him in the dirty street and tilted her head to one side. For a moment she did little more than observe him, an unexpected wave of morbid curiosity coming over her before she took back the reins on her mind, and then she reached back into her cloak and pulled forth that experimental vial.

Truth be told she knew how most of the ingredients reacted with one another, it was close to her most common alchemical creation, able to bolster the immune system and assist in fighting off afflictions, but stumbling across new ingredients, ones she had never seen in her homeland, or those which had cropped up the closer she got to Alliria, always had her much too curious and excited to test out their properties.

Adding them to this potion, out of all of them, was the safest bet. Or so she'd come to discover over the years. Often times the general effects of it would counteract any nastier outcomes.

"Here," she said, softly, offering it out to the festering man, "This will help."

She rose up, taking a small step back to observe him as he mindlessly chugged down the contents of the vial. Almost as though he did not care whether it would heal or hasten his demise. She knew that sort of desperation, she had seen it many times before.

Now came the waiting game. Patience was often necessary when dealing with one so close to deaths doors...

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim watched quietly as the woman fed the stranger her potion.

It was not often that kindness was displayed in a place like this, even less often that it was accepted. He supposed it was a good thing, though his own internal paranoia would have seen him chuck the potion directly at the womans head and then scream some obscenity.

One couldn't be too careful.

Still, he was a man of much curiosity, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on. It was clear that the woman was a doctor of some sort, perhaps an apothecary.

They were not all that rare in Alliria. Nobles and poor alike needed herbalists to tell them what to do with their wounds, and it wouldn't be too surprising to have one of them mill about with the commoners. He frowned slightly, and then slowly began to move closer.

He wanted to see what would happen.

 

[Sebast]

It became obvious after a few seconds that the added ingredient wasn't immediately problematic. His head did not expand or explode, he did not come out in a rash - at least, not one that wasn't present before he drank the concoction - or keel over and die. He seemed to remain the same, and she honestly worried that she'd wasted some high quality ingredients by nullifying their properties entirely with whatever herb she'd found.

But then his expression began to change. That desperation was pushed to the side in favour of contentment and the man eased back against the wall with a soft sigh. Whatever pain he might have been in was replaced, soothed away. That wasn't something she'd observed in those who drank the original potion. She often opted for practicality over comfort, it was better to offer healing than mask their problems with a moment of relief that would fade.

Still, having both in one?

She crouched back down, oblivious to the eyes now on the duo, and pulled her water skin from her belt. After wiping it off slightly she passed it across to him and allowed him to drink heartily from it. The water was fresh, drafted from a spring as opposed to the city wells, and while she would miss its sweet taste while in the city she did not stop him from drinking the majority of it.

Once she was certain he wasn't about to have any volatile effects she felt a little more comfortable walking away. She rose up, taking the skin and the empty vial with her, though her gaze lingered over him for a moment or so more.

It was difficult not to when you knew one of your creations was coursing through someone's body.

When his skin began to clear up, slowly but surely, she forced herself to release the burden and to keep herself from lingering further she turned from him and began to walk away.

Only it wasn't into an empty space she stepped, but a body.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Interesting. The thought mused through his mind as he watched the girl.

His guess had been correct. She was some sort of apothecary, though likely not from one of the local shops. It was rare that any of them did charity work in the outskirts, especially without announcing it first. Marketing was important when you were running your own business.

Particularly in Alliria where competition was about as fierce as it could be. He watched the effects of the potion for a bit, then nodded to himself.

Apothecaries were not too far off from some of the great physicians he had spoken with. Often times it was more about research and brewing things just the right way, but most of them just wanted to help. Lost in thought, Kasim didn't notice as the girl whirled around and turned into him.

The sudden motion caught him off guard, and almost out of reaction The Jester reached back to the dagger on the small of his back, only stopping short when he realized what was happening.

"Ho there." He said as his hand came up and gently nudged her. "I think you took a wrong step."

 

[Sebast]

"Oof!"

The collision left her somewhat winded as she fought to regain her balance and some modicum of composure. Bast was quick to step back enough that the both of them had enough room to breathe, though not so much that she might collide with someone else - such as the poor man on the floor.

"Apologies," she said, almost immediately, once the initial shock was gone and air rushed back into her system. Truth be told she wasn't used to places quite so busy as this. Normally there was room to maneuver, but here? "Everyone's so pressed together."

Her brows furrowed for a moment, before she calmed her mind and allowed her discomfort to run from her body like a steady stream of water. What she wouldn't give to be back beside that babbling brook once more, refilling her water skin, with Tsun close by. Still, the wilds could not offer everything a woman needed to survive. Or more, some of the comforts that she'd come to enjoy.

After checking the vials on her belt to ensure none had broken, she looked up at the stranger and offered a wry smile.

"Didn't do any damage, right?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Only to my pride, I'm afraid." The Jester said with a wide smirk, placing a hand over his heart and taking on a 'wounded' appearance.

These were of course the little games that he liked to play, the buttons he liked to press.

"Kasim Areth." The young man said in introduction of himself, making a small flourish with his cloak and giving the woman a shallow bow. "Bard, and entertainer."

Within the crowd it was difficult to pull off his full introduction, but he managed it well enough in the space he was given. Flashing her another smile Kasim continued. "And you are?"

There was a certain charm to how he spoke, something that drew in those listening.

 

[Sebast]

Raising one brow, Sebast considered going along with his initial shtick but ultimately succumbed to a smirk of her own. In truth she was grateful that she had done no damage to the stranger, or to her precious vials of which she had but a pitiful amount, and where one might continue to dwell upon such her relief had her let it all go.

If he claimed he was fine, and there was no real reason he wouldn't be after a simple bump, then so be it.

"Kasim," she said, inclining her head subtly as she logged his name into her memory, "I'm Bast, er... Sebast. Don't really have much of a fanciful title to offer, Mister Entertainer. I hope your pride is swift to recover."

At that last part her smirk turned into a full on grin. More often than not she'd have scurried away almost immediately after finding out that he was fine, but between the fact that she wasn't wanting to be rude, and the way his charisma managed to put her at ease, she happened to be in no rush.

Why not spend an extra minute exchanging pleasantries before losing herself within the crowds once more? It wasn't every day that she came to such a hub of activity, after all.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"It usually does with a drink or two." Simple truth really.

Pride was a funny little thing, not something he had often felt. A few times when learning the Runes, some others in his childhood, but by and large Pride was not an emotion that he focused on. Perhaps that was because of his father, or perhaps it was because he'd simply overcome that part of himself.

Either way, it hardly mattered at the moment. "Perhaps you'd like to join me."

He offered.

"You could tell me more about these." He reached out and ran a finger across the vials that hung at her belt. It was a rather forward move, but Kasim was a forward person. "I would be so delighted to learn."

He would at that.

 

[Sebast]

Now that gave her pause.

Generally speaking, Bast wasn't one to drink. Her coin purse couldn't really stretch to accommodate it, and even if it could drinking alone wasn't something that seemed at all appealing. In fact, it seemed like a downright depressing idea. She was happy with her stream water, sometimes going so far as to add some of the edible berries she gathered to flavour it a little, and at a push she'd drink the much ickier city water sourced from wells that probably had decaying corpses at the bottom.

Okay, that thought might have gone too far. She almost gagged thinking about it.

When he gestured to the vials, going so far as to reaching out a finger to touch them, she took a half step back and surveyed the situation. There were voices in her head telling her to leave, to go on with her day, to become a nobody amidst the vast crowds, but damn it if she wasn't a sucker for someone showing genuine interest in her craft.

So many passed it off as nonsense or witchcraft even after it's been proven effective and safe, that she wasn't often upfront about that side of her... business? Wasn't much of a great business. That was where the cloak came in.

"I was looking for an inn for the night," she finally said, in defeat, "If you show me to one that doesn't have bed bugs, I'll happily share a drink with you."

And then she could sort through her wares, see if she had anything really worth selling. It was always hit and miss depending on her travels, and the settlements she found herself within.

Truthfully this was one of the things that Bast often did her best to avoid. Asking for help usually meant there was a price held over ones head, expectations that the good deed would be repaid. Maybe she could figure out a way to do so without prolonging her stay, before any outlandish requests were made.

After all, folks usually had ulterior motives for things. And Bast wasn't about that life.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Funny how that worked out. Kasim had a way of finding what he wanted even in the middle of a crowd, and what he wanted most often was rather simple; a story.

That was what Bards always looked for after all.

To many people an apothecary might not have been that interesting of a tale, but Kasim knew better. They brewed potions, concocted medicines, and that usually wrapped itself in many interesting little places. He'd gotten more than one tale from an apothecary.

He intended to do so again. "You're in luck."

Kasim said with a glowing smile.

"I happen to know of an Inn." He didn't really, but he knew the places to look. "It'll be perfect."

 

[Sebast]

Luck.

That was a strange way to look at it.

Bast had never been anything even remotely close to lucky, her life seemed to have been made up of a series of mistakes and misfortunes, at least until she ventured west and met with these strange new civilizations she'd unearthed on her journey. Places and people she had never believed could exist.

"Luck, is it?" she inquired, as she checked that she had all of her belongings with a swift pat, and composed herself. Her cloak was adjusted so it once again covered the traveling garb and random assortment of items beneath, and the satchel over her shoulder was positioned back into place.

"Well then, lead on, good ser."

She bit the inside of her lip, mentally admonishing herself for lowering the mask she had been so intent on keeping in place since leaving home. She was fethed now, though, because if she slipped back into a more common, lower tone and vocabulary he'd no doubt pick up on it.

And a change in behaviour so apparent would be far worse than continuing along the same vein.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He smiled at her, almost amused that she would check her pockets. "This way."

Alliria was a place of prosperity, somewhere rich and poor gathered. The slums were only for the latter of course, but the closer you got to the gates the better things were. That was where he lead Bast, knowing full well that they would at least find something of worth there.

"So." He began as he lead the girl through the crowd, keeping a subtle eye on the fact that she was following him through a series of reflective surfaces around them. "Where are you from?"

Kasim inquired. "Alliria is a place of all sorts. I'm always curious where people came from."

It was true, this city had more origin stories than the gods.

 

[Sebast]

Satisfied that she wasn't forgetting anything, Bast fell into step alongside the jester and allowed herself to be led on through the city. Being that it was her first time in Alliria there was plenty to catch her attention, and the further from the slums they ventured the cleaner the air became.

The streets were still packed with people, of course, there remained odd smells that she couldn't quite place her finger on, and her sensitive nose did not appreciate that very much, but despite that fact she resisted the urge to pull the bundle of herbs out again. She didn't care if random strangers saw her do such, but in the presence of someone she'd be spending at least a little more time with? Well...

She didn't want to seem any more odd than she likely already did.

His question caught her off guard, and she tried to perform mental gymnastics with herself to pull out the name of some more local place that she'd visited of late. Instead she stalled, a slight "uhhh" sound whispered under her breath.

"Oh, you know... Uh. I don't know your word for it," she finally said, with a shrug, turning her gaze away from Kasim to glance at some random thing. There was a tapestry hanging out of a window, and though at first she only feigned interest in it soon she was genuinely intrigued by the symbol it bore.

Not enough to go asking questions, of course.

"Talk to a lot of strangers, do you?"

Part of her hoped that it would be a good enough distraction from the unanswered question, yet there was a slightly teasing undertone to her question too.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He perked an eyebrow. Now that was certainly an interesting little tidbit. No word for it in common tongue? That was about as telling as could be. Likely meant the Explorers guild hadn't put it on any known map, and that...oh that was sweet for any story he could spin.

Lovely.

"Of course." Kasim retorted as he continued their journey through the crowd. It was obvious she didn't really want to speak of her origin, and that was fine, for now. He would ask more when she trusted him, always easier that way. Better for digging. "It's part of my job."

Kasim glanced back towards her. "Wouldn't be much of a bard if I just kept to myself."

He shrugged.

"I need stories." The Jester smiled. "Strangers always have stories."

 

[Sebast]

He was right, she supposed, unless he wanted to be the kind of bard who simply rehashed old classics, told legends in a new way. She wondered just how much he was forced to travel, and interact, and perform. A very genuine shudder ran along the length of her spine at the mere thought of it.

Definitely not the life for her.

"If it's stories you're after," she said, turning her attention back to him as they passed the tapestry, "You're speaking to the wrong person."

She thought back to life before discovering these strange lands, and though he likely would not see it if he focused back on the route ahead it brought about a rather deep frown. Contemplative, and briefly remorseful, before she banished it in favour of a more neutral expression.

"If you've any to tell, though... It's been quite some time since I enjoyed the company of another."

She had already committed to coming out of the shadows for the time being, to rejoining society in more ways than as a simple vendor, why not make the most of it.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim doubted very much that the woman had no stories to tell, but he wouldn't press the issue. Not yet anyway. There was an art to this, one he had perfected long before he'd ever chosen to become a Bard.

It was why he was so good at it. ”Oh you can be assured you'll hear no silence from me.”

Telling stories was what he did. It was how he earned a living and how he would survive until the end of his days. At least that was what he thought. Nobles and commoners alike enjoyed a good story, and even the most dull party was brought to life by the most boring of Bards. It was something he'd seen more than once in his lifetime.

Everyone needed to be entertained.

”Why don't we wait until the Inn? Kasim asked as he stepped out of the muddy path and onto a wooden gangplank that had been set into the streets. ”Walking through a crowd is not conducive go story telling.”

Just up ahead he could see Alliria's outer wall, meaning they were close now

 

[Sebast]

"But of course," she said, never having once presumed they'd begin any sort of storytelling out there in the bustling streets. For one, Bast could barely even hear herself think much less focus on much more than a fluff-filled conversation.

The further they wandered the more she began to doubt the items she had come here to sell. What could she possibly offer these people that they did not already have access to? And those who did not have access, like those belonging to the slums, would hardly have any use for the trinkets unearthed along the road.

Those niggling doubts wormed through her mind. Of course, now that she had an empty vial and a better idea of what the new ingredient had to offer in the mix she could always brew up another batch. And she still had the older potions that had not been bartered for en route, random salves in metal tins, heck even some of the base ingredients themselves were often sought after.

Especially in places like this, where heading out in search of such hidden greenery would take away precious time.

No, there'd be something worth selling, and someone worth selling to, even if she took the first part of her day here to relax. Probably for the best, at any rate, it was a much harder job to do when exhausted.

"From which of these strange lands do you hail?" she asked, out of nowhere, the realization that she hadn't bothered to ask that question back to him suddenly coming to mind. Perhaps it would be some place she ought to visit one of these days.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Vel Anir of course." There was no point in lying about it here. He could tell her he was from Elbion or some such, but his eyes gave him away.

If he said something else any one of the yokles standing around would contradict him just to do so. The Golden eyes that he carried with him were a trademark of Vel Anir, marking him as someone at least connected to the nobility. Of course he doubted she would know that.

"Wonderful place." There was just a hint of sarcasm to his tone. "Big walls, banners, lots of humans."

He glanced around. "Not as...diverse as Alliria...but look there's the Inn."

Kasim pointed to a sign that depicted a boar being ridden by a woman in a dress. There was no name on the sign, but the name was more than obvious from the depiction.