Private Tales To Tor'Rahel

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir might not have been the sharpest blade in the barracks but even he could tell that his travel from Crobhear toward where he has been told Drow were said to roam in The Spine has been.... Unusual. No sounds of wildlife permeated the scant treetops that dotted the mountains. Even the scant villages that existed between Crobhear and Gild were now nowhere to be seen. He has even felt watched once he had grown close enough to where this entrance to where the Drow dwelt was supposed to be.

For those Drow posted close to the surface, and even those ranging above ground, they would be met with equal surrealism. Walking alone through the cold ridges of the mountain, into one of the more heavily guarded entrance down toward the old rulership of Zar'Ahal, to Tor'Rahel bound, was a lone small figure bearing a dark cloak emblazoned with the Queen's own sigil.

But a special kind of bewilderment would be waiting for one Zathria At'Arel at her post. That lone figure would approach, hood drawn up to hide their features, cloak bundled tightly around themselves to largely obscure their form, before a pale, soft hand would extend from the cloak. Gentle, star-like light would blossom above their palm to fill the tunnel at the first sign of any Drow to speak to. Whether a patrol of Zathria's or an outright gatehouse built into the mountain, this light.... Would not harm the eyes of even a Drow. Giving them the novel experience of getting to see what looked for all the world like a star in the palm of this figure's hand without it's light searing or discomforting them.

Ispir had, after all, been practicing since his adventure with Ria. He didn't like the idea of his light causing her pain so.... He adapted. That lone, short figure almost a half foot shorter than even Zathria, would then speak in a gentle voice that nonetheless carried far, far wider than it had any right to through the tunnel.

"Hello? I was hoping to meet some Drow here. I'm looking for someone."​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria had been called up to the surface as the nearest Queensguard when a human was seen approaching with a cloak emblazoned with the Queen's sigil was spotted by the outermost Drow scouts. His progress was tracked as he drew closer to one of the surface tunnels and as he pulled closer to the mountains, Zathria appeared from an overhang, crouched on the top of a rocky surface with a bow and arrow in hand, though the string was still lax and held loosely in front of her rather than drawn as she spoke.

She watched him for a moment, though he must have sensed her presence as his voice called out a few moments later.

I think you are lost little boy, her voice called out from above, though the Queen's symbol told a different story.

Where did you get that cloak? she demanded. Did you steal it?

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir would blink from beneath the aforementioned cloak and lift his hand a bit higher, spying Zathria At'Arel perched like a bird of prey above him, more than prepared to skewer him with arrows if he was a threat. An experience he was NOT eager to relive and so he shook his head. Answering politely as he could.

"No ma'am. That's why I am here. My friend Ria gave it to me and she said I could come visit. That she'd know when I got here. She gave it to me to keep me warm and because it would keep me safe."

Strangely there wasn't any doubt or second-guessing behind the short human's words. No "maybe" no "supposedly" only the unvarnished, direct, downright respectful truth. Given exactly as requested. The only thing he could do now was to wait and see what the lethal-looking woman perched high above thought of his small story and if she decided to pry even more.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria's eyes narrowed a bit, focusing in on him to take in all the features about him. None of the scouts had reported any other trail with him and although he looked harmless enough, she knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

It meant she could focus her attention on him rather than watching the darkness that was covered by the nearby hidden soldiers.

She transitioned the arrow to the same hand as her bow, the kind of maneuver that meant nocking and pulling was of maximal speed but was a step less aggressive than what she had been doing only moments earlier.

She pushed up to standing and dropped on a series of stepwise rocks to the ground below where he was standing.

And how do you know this... Ria? she asked, Queen's cloak, Vyxa'RIA. Surely this wasn't actually true was it.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

As Zathria At'Arel scrutinized the hooded figure more closely Ispir would note her trying to peer under the hood and murmur softly.

"Oh!"

Lowering the hood Zathria would be met with an.... interesting sight. The human before her was... handsome? Pretty. Too pretty. Flawless features that would make a House Matriarch envious peered back at her. Luminous aquamarine eyes caught the light he conjured and almost seemed to glow themselves stared back at her.... fearlessly? Naively? Something between those two, surely. Their face was symmetrical, perfectly so, without blemish or fault anywhere to be seen. A head of raven black hair sat tousled, as if styled, despite having sat under a stifling hood for who knows how long. Two twin tails ending in gradual aquamarine hues toward the tips would sway and whip about their head with any sudden movements.

All in all the figure before her was beautiful, uncannily so, a prized slave that even the leaders of noble houses may just enter a bidding war over. Which might make his presence and circumstances make a bit more sense. Nevertheless as she descended to speak more closely with him Ispir would give a gentle smile, letting the light drift up and between them to illuminate their meeting as he answered.

"Well, we went on an adventure together! She was looking for some magical scroll thing and I decided to help her out. We fought some bandits, went into an old temple, fought some elementals, answered some riddles. We even looked at the stars together! She seemed to like that part a lot. Umm..."

Thinking for a moment Ispir would pivot instead to trying his best to describe Ria. Standing up on the tips of his toes he would extend a hand up in the air, roughly a half-foot higher than Zathria's own head.

"She's about this tall. Her hair is kinda like yours only wavier. She has a lot of scars and muscles. Her eyes are a really nice ruby color and she's very pretty."

Giving a nod at his best description he would shrug and draw his arm back down, simply waiting and watching Zathria curiously.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria looked down at him and just wasn't really sure what to think. He looked like he'd never taken a punch before, no broken nose or scars or sun lines or anything.

How did you not get eaten on the way here? she asked, the question just kind of coming out on its own in a way that was relatively uncharacteristic for Zathria.

Well, that could describe numerous different people, she said, and it also could certainly describe Vyx, which left Zathria with so many questions. Oh yeah, Zath was going to be asking Vyx about this.

You don't look like you're going to do very well underground, she muttered as she slipped the arrow away and bent down to begin unstringing the bow to store it on her back.

You know what the Underrealms are like, right? she asked.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir would blink at the very blunt question and had just opened his mouth to answer it before Zathria At'Arel simply continued speaking. Her first question seemingly rhetorical so his mouth closed as he gave a nod. The dark hood behind his head bobbing up and down a bit comically at the motion. But as Zathria mentioned him not doing well underground he would fidget anxiously on his feet.

"Oh, well umm...."

He watched her bend down to unstring her bow, his train of thought interrupted by her question, and he would shrug.

"I've heard some stories. Dark, dangerous, beautiful sometimes if you can stand it."

'Reminds me of Ria'.

Was a follow-up thought that came unbidden that caused his cheeks to flush gently before he coughed awkwardly into his hand.

"U-Umm.... Oh! This might help."

Clearing his throat Ispir would then speak again, only now he would perfectly mimic the voice of Vyx'aria such that it was unmistakable that he was speaking in the quite literal voice of the Queen. Even matching her cadence, preferred inflection and lilt of her speech to absolute perfection.

"She sounds like this. Usually very quiet but can speak quite a lot when she's talking about things she likes."

He then smiled, hoping that that was another useful hint for Zathria.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria just stared at him for a moment, still trying to figure out how he had made it here alive, blinking several times as she watched him, and then she heard him perfectly mimic Vyx'aria's voice probably through some form of magic, she had to assume, and that just confirmed it.

Zathria stood there stunned for a moment, her mind trying to work through exactly what in the stang was going on here, but surely this was... well, she didn't know what it was. Evidently he knew Vyx, but the rest of this was just a line, right? Was this secretly some sort of assassin trying to get to and kill the Queen?

Well, at the end of the day, the best way to find out was to put him in front of the Queen, she supposed. She'd take his head off later in a most violent manner if he tried to raise a hand to Vyx.

Really, I would like to know how you made it here. Do you fight? Did you hire someone to escort you? Have an innate intuition for hide and seek? she asked. Was that a joke? Was that serious? Probably somewhere in between. She imagined that he had to be good at that or something of the like.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

It was a bit awkward as the Drow woman seemed to be thinking over a lot of stuff. Most likely trying to figure out who Ria was. He knew he was basically asking to find a piece of hay in a needle stack but he still trusted what Ria said about knowing about it as soon as he got here. Though he wasn't sure what kind of magic she would be using to do that. From what he had seen maybe she had ear-shaped shadows all over the place?

Ispir only stopped thinking about equally improbable and hilarious possibilities when Zathria At'Arel questioned him again. A question he would begin to answer.

"Well no not re-....."

Another question.

"N-No I have frie-...."

A third question which caused to snort and giggle a small laugh. A hand rising to cover his mouth politely as his aquamarine eyes twinkled with humor up at Zathria.

"You're funny. No wonder you're the one greeting people. Umm no I can't really fight. I don't like hurting people. Uhhh I got here because of some friends I have nearby. They hunt monsters and other dangerous things like kobolds or trolls or hydras. So they brought me most of the way here and pointed me in the right direction."

Shrugging the too-big cloak he would add.

"Not long after that I could tell some of your friends were watching me and must have recognized the cloak so they let me get here, I guess."

Pulling out his harp he would strum a few beautiful notes before bowing his head to her.

"What I'm really good at is singing and playing music! I even promised to teach Ria how to play an instrument and she promised to teach me how to use a sword. She's really good at that sort of thing."​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria listened intently to his answer. It was... odd. A moment of sonder the poets would call it as she realized that he lived such a vastly different life from hers that it was almost unrecognizable. She couldn't imagine just flitting through life. Because that was what he seemed like he did. She lived a rigid life and even when she was being flexible about things, it was within certain structures and parameters that she put on herself.

Weird.

And they didn't warn you about coming here? she said, shaking her head.

Yes, she is, Zathria said about Vyx'aria's skills with a sword. Instruments. Well, everyone - even Drow - enjoyed music, so maybe he'd find his way as a minstrel or the like down below. Or he'd be eaten up and spit out by someone. She supposed that was less likely if he was under Vyx'aria's protection, but first he had to make it down.

We're still a long trip from Zar'ahal. Stay alert, she said. The Drow may have owned these tunnels, but it was blood and sweat that kept them that way. Travel outside the cities was always a danger.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir puzzled a bit over the odd look that Zathria At'Arel got on her face. Simply... staring at him. It made him... anxious? Self-conscious? Either way he averted his gaze in the wake of whatever emotion it was. Only when she asked about his Noct Yaegir friends warning him about coming here did he perk up.

"Oh! Yes! Several times actually but Ria said I'd be safe coming to see her so I knew I'd be alright."

He nodded as if that was the most obvious thing in the world only to pause and beam happily as Zathria confirmed his words.

"Oh! So you do know her! I'm glad I did a good enough job describing her."

ispir was surprised when the Drow woman then said they were far from.... somewhere... presumably where Ria was and the implication that she going to escort him there made him bow in thanks.

"Oh! Thank you I umm... didn't expect an escort."

Scampering up beside Zathria to walk with her Ispir would offer her a hand to shake as he introduced himself.

"I'm Ispir, by the way, it's nice to meet you...."

He paused, remembering how Ria had fumbled THEIR initial meeting and giving her name, before adding.

".... and may I know your name, Miss?"

As politely as can be.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria looked at him as he mentioned that he didn't expect an escort. It wouldn't do for Vyx's halfling friend to die on the way to the city. Zathria would never hear the end of it.

No offense, but I don't think you would do very well below without escort, she said. Was it rude? Maybe by some people's standards, but it also wasn't wrong and Ispir would be able to pick up by this point that Zathria was quite direct with her thoughts. It made her a good commander and a bad politician.

Zathria took the offered hand as they started heading for the tunnel down.

Ispir, she repeated, likewise not giving her name until he asked for it. She debated a moment giving her real name or an alias, after all, Vyx had given Ria for one reason or another. The truth would come out soon enough, so she saw no reason to give a false name.

Zathria, she said as they passed the threshold of the cave that led down into the Underrealm. It didn't occur to her just how dark it was for him and she pressed on into the pitch darkness below.

The tunnel stretched on and tilted down, leading them from the surface down toward the proper underrealm. Tunnels stretched out to every side, but she seemed unconcerned, following faint markings that her people had made, the marking so faint that you wouldn't see them if you weren't looking for them.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Surprisingly Ispir nodded along with Zathria At'Arel 's "rude" assessment. His twintails bobbing and swaying in the air as he flat-out said.

"Oh, yes definitely not."

As with Ria he openly admitted to weakness where it lay, not attempting to hide or obfuscate it at all, or he was simply such a supremely good liar that it sounded just like the truth. As she took his hand it was a soft, warm thing, better suited for playing the harp, piano or even painting than war. Once she gave her own name and began walking Ispir would smile and reply.

"That's a pretty name."

Something did occur to him though as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Zath....Ria.... hmm."

Tilting his head and lowering his hand Ispir was lucky that the ball of light he had conjured was as dogged at following him as he was at following Zathria. Letting these usually dark caverns drink in light for the first time in.... well.... possibly ever.

"Miss Zathria? Ria... didn't give me her whole name, did she?"

It was purely a guess, prompted only by Zathria's own name ending with Ria's own, but it also made sense with how guarded a person the Ria he knew was. In truth he didn't mind if she had, it was still a cute nickname, and even if it wasn't her real, full name she would likely stay "Ria" to him regardless. His way of addressing her and, maybe, only his way.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Yes, also Ria. Not that Ria. I don't go by Ria so don't get any ideas, she said, and once again it seemed like perhaps there was a hint of humor and sarcasm to her tone.

A flash of light pulled up behind her and she turned to glance at it though she didn't say anything about it. It was strange to see a light that wasn't annoying to look at. It did make sense that he would need something to help him see down here. Just one more thing that would make him stand out down here.

The question about Vyx'aria's full name caused Zathria to make another glance back at him as she walked on. It was a moment of guarding at first, and then Zathria's curiosity took over. It wasn't going to hurt anything if she tried to find out a little about what was going on.

No, but her true name is something you will have to learn from her, she said. She didn't know what game Vyx had been playing - likely caution, truly - but she wouldn't spoilt it for her.

So you two just bumped into each other in some temple, looked at the stars, and then decided to take a quick wander down to Zar'ahal? she asked. There was more to this story than she had heard so far, of that she was sure.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir would giggle a bit at Zathria At'Arel 's response. She was definitely charming in a casual way. Though he would shake his head in agreement.

"Oh, no, no ideas here Miss Zathria."

There might have been just a tiny bit of cheek to his words, a drop of playfulness, but mostly seriousness. Ispir would look around with a newfound sense of wonder, wanderlust and adventure as he began to see this world both the same as, and alien to, his own. Pondering every growing moss and mushroom he saw. The bits of Drow stonework and architecture he passed. It made him give a small hum of appreciation before Zathria looked back at him and spoke.

Her response actually made him smile.

"I don't think I'd have it any other way honestly Miss Zathria. Though she'll probably be grumpy about it...."

He paused.

".... oooor tease me about it somehow. She does that sometimes too."

He then blinked as Zathria asked about their adventure together and he would adjust his cap as he thought.

"Oh! No no we bumped into each other on the road. Ria was holding a map upside-down being all cute and grumpy. I was playing some music and petting some animals. She was obviously lost so I offered to help her. She uhmm... walked away at first. The wrong way. I didn't want her to end up in trouble cuz some people don't like Drow so I tagged along and then we heard a village being attacked. We decided to help them since they might have given us directions on where to go. Ria killed some bad guys, I got a cool staff, and the people cheered for us. Ria looked...."

He paused, considering.

".... happy.... but uncomfortable."

He paused in his story there, pulling out a piece of jerky to nibble on, before scampering up beside Zathria to offer her a piece of deer jerky as well.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

The description of Vyx'aria holding a map upside down definitely sounded right. Vyx was notoriously bad with directions.

Yeah, okay, that does sound about right, she agreed with a nod as they continued their passage down for nearly a mile and it eventually opened up into a massive cavern below rather than a tunnel.

Slightly glowing fungi clung to the walls of the cavern and at the far end waters stood like endless black mirrors that stretched under deep rocky overhangs connecting to underground oceans. It was hauntingly beautiful and yet so different from anything seen on the surface.

Why did she help stop the bandits? Zathria asked, wondering if Vyx had gotten something out of it. She knew that the two of them had had great troubles while on the surface, the discrimination was relentless and often led to violence that simply couldn't be avoided. There could have been a myriad of reasons for intervention, but she was curious what that one was.

Happy but uncomfortable. An interesting way to describe it. Their years on the surface had been different and while not entirely unpleasant, Zathria was glad to be home.

No, thank you, she said to the offered jerky, not saying aloud that it was because she couldn't be sure it wasn't poisoned. Although let's be honest, at this point, it seemed really unlikely that he was an assassin.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir would shrug at the denied jerky before popping the very same piece he had offered Zathria At'Arel into his own mouth.....

Definitely not an assassin, it seemed.

But at her earlier question Ispir would give her a puzzled look, swallow, and reply.

"Umm... w-well like I said we were hoping they had advice on where to go."

Putting away his bag of snacks back into his pantaloons he would continue.

"An old man uhh... tried... I think. Or was going to give us directions. But he wanted to know why we wanted to find the temple and then Ria got mad. I think because he called us a 'living light and shadow' or something."

Ispir shrugged.

"It upset her real bad and then she stalked off. I stayed behind to accept the thanks of people and then kept travelling with her. She was surprised at first but we made camp for the night. I found a really cute frog, showed it to her, she loved it, and then we looked at the stars together."

He would blush ever so softly and clear his throat, squinting his eyes up at the ceiling of the cavern and muse to himself.

"It's a shame you guys don't have a way to see the stars down here. Ria was really pretty... I-I mean she really LIKED them."

The cover up was not smooth, or elegant, and he sighed dejectedly.

"It was...."

His tone would shift, his dejected sigh turning into a small, wistful smile as he shrugged, his fingers fiddling with her cloak as he lowered his gaze to the path ahead, lost in thought as he murmured.

".... it was nice. She.... She seemed...."

He shrugged again, suddenly feeling like he was talking about an event that maybe he shouldn't share with others. And, truth be told, a small part of him didn't want to.

"W-Well, anyways umm... then we shared some snacks, some food...."

He squinted.

"She got mad at me for some reason. I don't really remember why."

The story paused there, for now, as he gazed with wonder over the dark, still waters and hummed.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria walked on and listened to everything he said, and not just that but the way he said it. It was wistful and laced with emotion, and she was trying to put this all together with the Vyx'aria she knew. She and Vyx had known each other for a long time, but somehow this halfling had gotten through to her in such a short time. Or maybe just found her when she didn't have her guard up as much.

But there was something that stuck in Zath's mind as she listened. It was ugly, hard facts and she was putting pieces together bit by bit.

Do you know anything about Zar'ahal? The Underrealm? I mean by that, do you really know what it's like down here? If you're coming down here looking for Ria's hand in marriage or the like, I fear you're going to be in for a rude surprise, she said, and even Zathria felt bad for saying that.

She huffed out a breath of air and stopped, turning to look at him.

He was nice. Way too nice to survive down here in their world.

I'm sorry, I know that was harsh but I think you need to have eyes open down here, she said, lips pressing together and cheeks twisting a bit to the sides as she said it. Why did she feel bad? She was just spreading some truth and she usually didn't feel bad about things. Why'd she feel so bad about this?

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir would pause at Zathria At'Arel 's question about Zar'Ahal, then about the Underrealm, and then shook his head initially before blushing at the mention of marrying Ria. The suggestion had, frankly, stunned him speechless. First and foremost because he had honestly assumed that Ria was already taken. She was so pretty and sure he liked her, liked touching her, she was grumpy much less with him than other people it seemed, but.... marry?

He nearly ran into Zathria from being so distracted but luckily she spoke up in time with.... an apology!? Of all things? This only confused him more and he would blink too-big aquamarine eyes up at Zathria. Cheeks flushed and Ria's cloak shadowing his face just enough to make his eyes shine in their depths as he mumbled.

"G-Geez..... you too?"

Almost pouting a bit Ispir would swallow and ask slowly.

"I.... I mean...don't... take this the wrong way but even I've heard stories that Drow aren't nice to boys. But both you and Ria are so nice to me, talking to me, apologizing to me, so readily. Not that I want you to be mean!"

He was quick to clarify that last bit.

"I just.... if her being nice to me and being my friend and...."

He sighed.

"I mean... yes I.... I DO like her it's just...."

Rubbing his face in exasperation he would huff in a very similar manner to Zathria and, against all better judgement, decide to trust her. Admitting in a gentle voice after a moment.

"I have... amnesia. I don't know a lot of things. Too many things."

He grimaced a bit, eyes downcast, dulled, no longer shining.

"I don't even know how to say how I feel with these things so... you're right Miss Zathria. How could I ever expect it not to be a rude surprise?"

A small, numb shrug was all that accompanied that rhetorical question.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Ria and I also spent a lot of time on the surface, she said. Although many of their views and those of the loyalists were bleeding into the rest of Drow society, it was slow going. There were plenty of Drow who could easily get along with most people, but there was still a dark subset to their society.

Then be her friend, but just temper your expectations for anything else. She has responsibilities and commitments and gaggles of people vying for her hands, she said. She was doing what she could to dance around topics but also very much butting in for the protection of both her friend and the halfling.

Her head shook in surprise, corners of her mouth pulling down slightly in an expression of surprise.

You have amnesia?! she blurted out, definitely not expecting that. Well, he certainly remembered Ria pretty well, though in hindsight, maybe she was the only person that he knew. It made a bit more sense why he would brave wandering around down here, then, maybe.

This conversation was stressing her out, apparently, because moments later she was reaching into a belt pouch to pull out a chunk of darb root that she stuffed in her mouth, offering him a piece as well.

A minty flavor, the chemicals within helped sharpen the mind and had become one of those things that Zathria always seemed to carry with her, usually chewing it before battle or in the context of other situations that stressed her out.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir didn't immediately put two and two together for what them spending time on the surface had to do with them being nice. But as he thought it over he guessed it made sense. Being around people who weren't Drow making it easier to act not so.... Stereotypical?

When Zathria At'Arel mentioned being Ria's friend he would smile gently and nod. He had already been doing that, had planned on it even, but the second part of that sentence made him lose enough focus to stumble over a rock as he questioned incredulously.

"G-Gaggles!?"

That really.... Put things in perspective for him. His eyes would lower to the cavern floor in thought. Responsibilities. Commitments. He definitely had very few of those. Maybe going to see his friends when he decided to travel to see them could be considered a commitment. But responsibilities? Not a one. He didn't really count having to feed and house himself. Everyone and everything had to do that so it wasn't exactly a unique responsibility.

He frowned a bit. The idea that he had met Ria in a.... Single note of her life, separate from the entire song, bothered him for reasons he couldn't explain.

He was jolted from his thoughts by Zathria's blurting and he would blink rapidly, blush, and the nod sheepishly.

"U-Ummm yes.... Before I met Ria and had some other adventures I uhh... The first thing I remember is.... Being me, how to play music, talk, the stars, how to shoot a bow and uhhmm... Basic things like how to eat. I woke up on a mountain all alone. I don't know how I got there."

Ispir would accept the root in both hands, nibbling if gently, and actually quite liked the minty flavor so he gave an appreciative, if surprised, little hum at the good taste.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Gaggles was such an underrated word, but really summed up well the situation. Many of the gaggles were not of the highest quality and some were of the absolute epitome for what a suitor could be: gaggles.

Zathria watched as it seemed some of what she said had struck home. She didn't know exactly what would happen when he and Vyx were reunited, but she had hopefully prepared him for it at least a little bit. After all, what he had seen of Vyx was probably very different from what everyone else saw. But Zathria also knew that having your own small world where you weren't beholden to anyone but yourself and what you wanted to do was a powerful balm for the mind and spirit.

That sounds... jarring, she said, trying to figure out exactly what the right word for just "waking up" with no memory was. It sounded really awful if she were being honest, but she was sure he didn't need her to tell him that.

Well, here's to better futures then, she said as they drew closer to what looked like a small fishing village. Of course, fishing in an underground ocean was far different than above ground, and this almost looked more like a refugee village than a Drow village: gnomes, dwarves, a handful of drow, and some goblinoids seemed to all co-exist down here going about their daily lives in what certainly didn't look like wealth, but they were getting by at least.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Ispir would continue to idly nibble at the root for a bit. Zathria At'Arel 's statement, or understatement more like, earned a wordless nod from him. Not exactly lifting his spirits. He would give a wan, joyless smile at her toast though. Half-heartedly lifting the root as if it were a mug of ale before pausing as his mind began to feel.... tingly. Closing his mouth and realizing that the root wasn't just food he would blink, make a face like a kitten that had just bit into a lemon, and politely offer it back to Zathria.

"U-Umm.... no offense intended Miss Zathria but my head is funny enough without something making me feel weird."

Spying the small fishing village Ispir would wave to those who glanced at him in passing. His smile becoming a bit more genuine as he was sincerely happy to see people living their lives in the underrealm. Though as one might expect the reactions the quite literal beacon of light received were.... befuddled, confused, and though he wouldn't recognize the meaning of the expression Zathria would certainly see the calculation, the jealousy, the murderous flicker in the eyes of some of the male Drow seeing a surface dweller alongside one of the Rahi'Valsharess.

No doubt they wished to be the ones trailing in her beautiful shadow, in Maelzafan's name.​

 

[Zathria At'Arel]

Zathria gave an amused snort as he offered the root back to her.

You just chew it, she said, realizing that he had been swallowing it and imagining that didn't go down very smoothly.

Keep it, you might change your mind later, she said as she continued to chew her own. It wasn't a true narcotic, per se, but it made you just a little sharper. In truth, Zathria mostly liked it for the flavor and the fact that it gave her something to do rather than just stand there.

Zathria paid no real mind to the people giving them looks except to ensure none were moving against them. Most weren't foolish enough to move against an armed drow down here.

You hungry? I'm hungry, she said, jutting her chin out at a small tavern along the road before they broke free from the town and back into the dangers of the tunnels again.

Zathria spat the remnants of her root out to the side of the road and headed inside.

Ispir Sione

 

[Ispir Sione]

Suddenly feeling very silly at having been eating the root as he had he would flush gently in embarrassment and lower the root shyly. Muttering gently in some useless attempt to save face.

"O-Oh.... Right. I-I knew that....."

Giving a nod and taking her suggestion to store the root away he would put it with his other snacks and then blink at Zathria At'Arel 's mention of being hungry. He would briefly wonder why she hadn't accepted his snacks if she was hungry but he reasoned that she probably just wanted a full meal rather than road rations. He always did feel more at home in taverns and inns and so he would nod, give Zathria a smile, pause to copy her spitting out her root, and ducked inside with her.

The insides were at both so intimately familiar and utterly alien. The same kind of glowing fungi Zathria and he had passed earlier provided natural light where it was preferred. None of the usual scents he knew from the surface graced the air. From the drink to the food everything was different, to say nothing of the people or the looks of shock and respect they paid. Not to him, of course, but Zathria's uniformed presence definitely earned her immediate attention and respect in a way that made Ispir feel substantially safer staying almost tucked into her cloak.​