Picnic in the Gardens [Khyan]

[Hilana Chenzira]

She looked amused when he raised an eyebrow at her, and she laughed. “It’s a shocking turn of events, isn’t it? The feral desert nomad around well-to-do nobles. But I figure I might as well enjoy it while I can,” Hilana looked on over the gardens and smiled. “The wheel will keep on turning as it does, unless I can convince my father to just leave me here longer… we will see,” she offered a one-shoulder shrug. “So following your logic, I would expect you to be back on top of human society by the end of next Searing,” she grinned at him. But she would figure it out, one way or another. The difficult was dealt with immediately, and the impossible took a little longer. Miracles were by appointment only. But she needn’t go quite that far. This was somewhere between difficult and impossible, even if it trended towards the latter.

“Tertium… is fine. I’ve been in the high-end places that weren’t strictly for Patricians or Re’hyeans; but I suppose my problem was more the people whom I had to be with in them,” she had a bite of her wrap, quiet again now that she had something to chew on. That at least kept her quiet; she didn’t talk with her mouth full. Her guardians had never allowed it and had given her hell; there was no need to be rude. She just had a better time here in the clubs if she went to watch Finn, sometimes with Arvaelyn, and she had had a few offers from those she had danced with at the Aurisian ball, though she’d yet to have time to take them up on it. “My father’s estate is on the river. That was one of the nicer things about it, the view, I mean. And dancing on the shores in a storm when one came up.” Hilana went back to her wrap, enjoying the rice mixed with the chickpeas, keeping it all tightly together with one hand and the plate balanced on her lap.

“I wish I could take you out there with me sometime, and show you some of it. Maybe one day… though I don’t know how much you would like it,” she admitted.

“Don’t even think about it,” she crossed her eyes at him when he joked about the Mesmer initiation to quiet her down before pulling a face at him. She couldn’t make the face he had given her before when they had met last, nor was she about to try, so she just exaggerated for the point of comedy. But she laughed, shaking her head. “If you find them that irritating, I will stop with them.” She wasn’t going to keep punishing him. Too much soured everything, and she wasn’t about to upset the balance between them. Besides, he could likely save himself the trouble and send a note to Tertium, care of her father to tell her she had procured a racing saddle. Hilana would be gone by the end of the season if her father knew half of what she was getting up to.

“The mead is good, isn’t it?” She opened the bottle of blackberry as well to have a sip of it, offering it to him. “The peach one you have in your hand really turned out great. The hives up there were busy in that orchard, so the honey from there went with the peaches in that mead. Came full cycle,” she was pleased with that tidbit of information. She knew Khyan likely didn’t care, but she could tell it to him anyway. She offered him the blackberry. “Do you want to try this one? He improved the recipe over the last time you tried tried it.”

[Khyan Nykara]

“Heh…” Khyan shrugged, “From your lips to the Founders’ ears.” He said at the notion of returning to his rightful place higher in the hierarchy. Of course he knew it was only a jest, but what a pleasant one to ponder.

“Ahh, your father’s property is up delta then? Our estate was on the Southern riviera. I used to love falling asleep so close to the ocean that I could hear the waves and smell the salt in the air. I do so miss that. I might have visited that property more often, had I known it would be abjured me at some point.” He arched an eyebrow nodding. He wasn’t opposed to paying the property a visit. He didn’t know Hilana’s family status, but many Equestrians were richer and led more lavish lives than many Patricians. In truth Khyan didn’t know what sort of financial straits his Gens was in before the fall. Their lands had been in the family so long, he supposed it was possible they didn’t have much in the way of liquid assets. He hadn’t wanted for anything, but his father was the consul, which accorded favours as well as profit.

“Oh I am in jest.” Khyan said of the puns with a dismissive wave of the hand. “Mostly.” He appended with a slightly threatening glare, lest she grow too punny for her own good.

“I’m glad the honey cuts the peachy flavour so it isn’t overpowering. I’m picky with peach… ah, but blackberry sounds lovely! Yes, let us trade.” He passed the peach mead in favour of the berry, and immediately gave it a taste.

“Oh yes. That’s a little bit of me.” He nodded, placing the bottle down on the bench between them.

[Hilana Chenzira]

If she could brighten his mood in some way, be it large or small, then she was happy to do so. It cost nothing for her to do it, and even if it had, making her friend smile a bit to try to distract him from the drudgery and broken dreams was surely worthwhile. She knew his life was difficult, especially when he had done nothing to cause it. He was being punished simply because of his blood connection.

“It is. Waterfront and spreads out to get a nice view, but it goes back some ways past that… lots of gardens, then there’s this big walk-through aviary full of exotic birds. A ways past that are the stables, for the camels and the horses,” he had mentioned he liked those, after all, and in Tertium, status symbols were always seen as being worth having. To be fair to her father, no expense was spared for the animals; taking care of one’s mounts went very deep in their blood indeed. “There’s a swimming pool, and the house is, well…about what you’d expect from an Equestrian in Tertium that regularly hosts foreign business partners.” But she had meant taking him out into the sands themselves and just enjoying that vastness and the freedom. Show him the wilds from the ground, the beauty of the oases… but that remoteness, so far from the luxury he had spent his life in, was likely very far from what he was used to. But he would almost surely prefer the Tertium estate that had been her gilded cage.

“Mostly,” Hilana echoed, concern written all over her face. She made her eyes wide with pretended fear before laughing, grinning at him. She filed that little tidbit of information about his preference towards peaches in the back of her mind. She took a sip of the peach mead, enjoying the nicely-balanced flavour of the stone fruit. “That one is good, isn’t it? Do you like melopita at all?” She referenced the traditional cheese pie. “I’ve half a mind to make one in the next coming days,” she added by way of explanation. If he did, then she could save him a chunk. Plus, Dominus Æros would surely like it, too. She had another go at the wrap, enjoying the spiced rice against the kofta before selecting a date to eat. “I do need to take Hayima’el out to some of the oases and see if I can find that tarantula, though… Or something better, but at the very least a bejewelled tarantula.”

[Khyan Nykara]

"Ah, I see your game..." Khyan narrowed his eyes, "Trying to lure me in with talk of exotic birds, are you?" His scowl cracked into a grin. "Whether to assume their shapes or steal their eggs in serpent form, I must admit there is temptation at the notion." He chuckled. He wasn't serious, really. One of the things he rather enjoyed about a reptilian existence was that it required less sustenance. He was rarely hungry as a snake, and he'd never felt anywhere akin to famished as he often did as a mostly human.

"Oh I like anything with cheese. Get pastry involved, and I'm downright enthusiastic." He did prefer the savoury to the sweet, but as far as desert desserts went, it was amongst Khyan's favourites. He paused for another sip of the berry mead, which was very sweet but the kick at the back of his throat was a welcome trigger to his pleasure centres.

As the conversation abruptly turned from confections to arachnids, Khyan blinked in bemusement, feeling he'd lost the thread of the conversation somewhere. More confusing still, she'd referred not to tarantulas in general, but to the notion of finding 'that tarantula'. As if it was a callback to earlier in their discourse. He glanced to the mead, wondering whether it was doing its work more quickly than was typical, before lifting his dark gaze to meet Hilana's.

"But... why are you keen to hunt tarantulas? Is-..." A strange notion occurred to him, all at once, which would have explained the segue neatly enough, but been perplexing for altogether different reasons. "Is some bit of the bejewelled tarantula an ingredient in melopita?!" His volume was incautiously loud for one wearing a collar, but he wasn't thinking of such things at the moment. "I mean... I'd still eat it, but that seems passing strange."

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana laughed at the expression on Khyan’s face. “No, truthfully, I wasn’t trying to do that. I didn’t even ask about Animus, did I? You would have had to go in your cobra shape for those eggs, too big for the asp. No, if you wanted another totem, but you wanted it to be an avian... I would probably have said a shoebill stork. Have you ever seen one?” The nomad’s eyes were bright and dancing with delight at the mention of the creature. “They’re so beautiful. But oh, they are not for everyone. But if you like the exotic birds, the parrots really are nice. A number of them are tame, so you can feed them treats and they will come and sit on your arm. Otherwise, maybe one of the falcons or the eagles... there was a nightjar on offer in the Forum a few days ago... but I couldn’t justify it and Risdra would have been very upset.” Risdra had to be something else that lurked in Hilana’s apartment, because it certainly wasn’t the contented python that was enjoying Khyan’s neck and shoulders, his tongue flickering so leisurely. Maybe it was whatever she said he would have liked to see that came from Tertium from her auntt? Founders only knew.

“Good. When I make it, I will come find you with some of it,” she was cheerful. She at least enjoyed the baking and cooking, if the picnic that she had brought down for them to enjoy was anything to go by. Gods only knew where she found the time to engage in all these hobbies, but it was questionable how much Hilana slept. She clearly did; he’d seen her do it when they first met, but who knew?

As her friend looked confused, Hilana’s head tilted in question. And what came out was absolutely the -last- thing she expected to ask as it was her turn to blink before she dissolved into giggles, her bare shoulders starting to shake with mirth. She held onto her wooden plate to avoid dropping it from her lap. “Oh, Founders, no, no,” she couldn’t stop giggling, imagining the concept of putting a bejeweled tarantula into melopita. “Nooo,” the girl took a moment and got control of herself. “You can eat them if you really wanted to and you were desperate. They’re kind of like cracking open a crab in that you’d have to rip open the carapace and you can roast the legs and get meat out of it, but they’re really not worth it. They’re strong predators in the ecosystem and they’re important like that, plus you have to waste a fair bit of them because of the venom sacs. You’re better off with scorpions. At least those you just have to cut off the top two segments of the tail, so that gets rid of the venom, and then it’s easy to eat the rest.” Of course the nomad would know all about eating bugs...

“I only mentioned it in terms of time,” Hilana explained. “I want to make melopita, but I also have to go take Hayima’el to the oases and see if I can find that tarantula. I know I saw one around the Viridis Aquae oasis earlier in the season, so I’m hoping it’s still there. It was a good sized one, so hopefully no one beats me to it,” she puffed her cheeks in thought. “I need a good sacrifice for Deus Avaerys and Domina Varvara, but it has to be something I can carry with me. I caught sandcocks in Glade outside of Tertium before I came here last season, and then I wrangled aoudads for the Equinox... I figured that if I could get my hands on that tarantula, that would be a worthwhile offer for Them.” She did not think walking a quadruped through the Aurisian Embassy was particularly smart, considering the company she would be going with.

[Khyan Nykara]

Khyan parted his lips to protest that he'd only been joking about eating eggs or assuming the shapes of the birds but, before he had a chance to utter a syllable, Hilana was on a tear about the practical reality of what it would entail. He just clapped his mouth shut and pursed his lips, as he perused the spread between them for his next morsel.

"Is Risdra someone with whom I am supposed to be acquainted?" He wondered aloud, as he paused his perusal to prioritise a fresh sip of mead.

"Ah, well. Hopefully it won't come to my eating arachnids of any kind but, well... Good to know, I suppose." He wasn't relieved exactly that melopita didn't count spiders amongst its ingredients, but it at least reaffirmed his worldview somewhat to be thus vindicated in their absence from the dish. His family was so far removed from their nomadic roots in the open desert that he had to wonder whether Hilana's knowledge of which bits of which critters were edible had to do with her closer ties to the roving Vastians who lived as their ancestors had. It stood to reason that food would be scarce in the expanse and that people would resort to such practises, but Khyan never had and didn't plan to begin. At least not in his mostly human form. Perhaps Hilana's apparent obsession with food preparation was born of erstwhile paucity of the fine ingredients one could easily acquire in the capital.

"Oh, I see. The tarantula is for a sacrifice, then? I should probably make an offering soon... It's been a while." His dark eyes trailed over to the looming Temple of Midnight's Mother before which this ancient statuary garden lay. He walked past it regularly these days, but hadn't made an appearance in quite some time. He'd always been more comfortable in the Radiant Mass, where things felt somehow less personal.

[Hilana Chenzira]

“No, that one you wouldn’t have met. Risdra is my cat,” Hilana shook her head. “And before you think I risked your life as a poor magpie… she’s terrified of birds. When I brought her out to the herds as a kitten, we had a magpie that we had been raising, and he was spicy. She tried to check him out and he gave her a very unexpected peck on the nose. Didn’t do any damage…but she’s been afraid of anything with wings since then. So while she was there when I found you, as soon as she realized you were there, she went and hid in the spare room,” the girl admitted. “She didn’t come out until I got home that night.” Even if Risdra was a big cat… oh, well. If Khyan ever had the opportunity to visit her apartment again, then she could show him. That was if he liked cats; she knew he seemed to like animals in general, but cats could be tricky.

She finished off her wrap as he commented about eating arachnids, and that made her chuckle before she began to form up another wrap from the second half of her lavash bread. “Food is food. It’s better to know what you can and can’t eat if you’re desperate. We were usually pretty well-provisioned, but there’s a lot that underestimate the Expanse. I’ve not cooked scorpions for my student yet, though… I think that that might be a bridge too far for a day trip,” and Hilana really didn’t want to chase Finn off of their lessons, not when he had as much at hand as he did in terms of skills and abilities that the little details like that were not as needed.

“For a sacrifice,” the girl nodded, folding up her bread around the rice, sauce, chickpeas, and meatballs. She didn’t know whether or not it was worth mentioning that she would be venturing to Kaladon - but on the other hand… Khyan got along well with Tiaz, and he could probably manage the new acquisitions, especially with Æros’ assistance with Mesmer. He might even like them. Vasilei could take Risdra. She’d be fine with him and his family. Asher would get Hayima’el. She decided to leave it alone, because she’d already considered such things, with her propensity for going into the sands. Vasilei knew her wishes in that regard. She just hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. “If you ever want to go out one night on Hayima’el with me, we could go find something to catch for you to sacrifice?” The girl offered, following his gaze. She wasn’t sure what all Khyan was thinking, or if that was even where he was at… but she extended it anyway, taking a bite of the wrap.

[Khyan Nykara]

“That didn’t even occur to me…” Khyan sniggered. He hadn’t had time really for it to occur to him, but that he supposed had been Hilana’s point in addressing it before he could.

“Aw, well, on the one hand I’m sorry I scared your cat, but on the other hand I’m pleased he didn’t maul or devour me.” He noted with a shrug followed by a swig of mead.

“You’ve a student?” Khyan canted an eyebrow. “That must put you in your element…” He observed with a wry smirk, as he shifted his legs back toward the front, resting the bottle of mead in his lap as his eyes regarded the ancient statue before them. His eyes clouded over as he accessed his Rune to view the piece as it had been upon its construction millennia earlier, before erosion dulled detailed features toward formlessness and moss gathered upon stone carved skin. The statue looked regal and alien- A beautiful man with elven ears and a stoic smirk wearing regal robes of unfamiliar make. It wasn’t Aværys, predating His birth as it did. It predated even the Re’hyæan diaspora that brought His ancestors into Atraxia.

“Hm?” Hilana’s offer drew his gaze back to her which, now augmented by his Craft, viewed her ætheric Aura as well as her mortal form. His Sembler’s eyes could see her affection for him and the strides she took to please him. This food had been prepared for his benefit on the off chance she found him, it wasn’t merely something she happened to be toting when she ran into him. He hadn’t know that.

The clouds left his eyes as he turned them back toward the statue.

“Ah, yes. That could be helpful. I’ve never had to catch my own. Not that I’m not capable, mind, it just… didn’t seem important at the time.”

[Hilana Chenzira]

“Nothing to apologize for, you weren’t the magpie that pecked her as a kitten. Were you?” Hilana raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes as if in surprise before chuckling. “No, you were not, and I’d do it again. Still, she’s an old girl and she’ll just get to enjoy peace and quiet. If I find more birds to nurse back to health, then she will either learn they are okay, or hide in the other room,” she had a drink from the peach mead, and setting the bottle back down between them in case he wanted to switch off of the blackberry back to the peach.

“I did, can you believe that?” she shook her head, taking another bite of her wrap. “He’s Peregrinus, but he wanted advice on surviving in the sands. Learning what he can eat, what he can’t eat, a bit of navigating so he can figure out how and where to go. Language, local flora and fauna. I found someone who doesn’t mind when I go off into more information than most people ever want to know. It works pretty well,” she grinned at him. She knew full well how she could get started on a subject and start talking... and talking... and talking. It was just finding those who were happy to talk about it, or take in the information, too. But at least Hilana could poke fun at herself over it. It was something she was working on, though...probably not quite fast enough for some of her friends, but progress was progress.

She followed his gaze to the statue, and looked beyond it at the others. When they had originally been made, she was sure that they were beautiful. But it said a great deal about time, and how it could eventually wear away everything. But she liked looking at the bioluminescent fungus, too - that, she wanted samples of, though she supposed she should probably inquire at the Temple to make sure that it was acceptable to do so. She didn’t want to upset anyone by just gathering plants willy-nilly in such a hallowed place. They may not much like it if she did, after all, lest she detract from the gardens and catch hell for it... so she would just have to ask. And if they said no, so be it. If they agreed...well, with luck, Hilana would have something new to play with in the shop. That fungus was one that would be very interesting when it was distilled with the right additives, and she had a feeling Raithen would surely like it for his darts. She couldn't have known that he was Sembling her too, considering his skill, and even if he was, the girl didn't mind. He put up with a lot from her. By the time her attention was back on him, her friend's gaze was on the statue.

“You’re more than capable,” The Vastiana agreed, smiling, and picking up a date to eat. “But this way you have some transportation to and from, and I can at least keep an eye out for sign if you’ve an idea of what you’d like to hunt for... that way we’re not wasting too much of your time going out.”

[Khyan Nykara]

"Her, sorry." Khyan amended, upon realising he'd misgendered the feline in question.

"Fair enough." He chuckled. Her technique seemed sound enough to him. He glanced down to the peach mead as it was set down, but his grip remained round the neck of the blackberry, which he lifted for a sip moments later.

"I certainly can believe that. I'm sure your wealth of knowledge is quite enlightening to a willing subject." He replied dryly, wiping at his lips with the back of his hand.

"It seems there's been such an influx of peregrini lately." He observed, and considered her description of the student. It sounded like the chap was a good fit for Hilana. It was good for her to have an amenable outlet upon whom to wax didactic. She seemed so fond of imparting tidbits of knowledge that were so very specific to circumstances for which he had no frame of reference. Cooking, horticulture, surviving in the desert. All perfectly useful skills in which Khyan had nary an ounce of interest. One of the blessings of having an old chum for a master meant that he hadn't needed to learn any of those skills for his livelihood, either. Thus far it hadn't come up, but he felt rather confident he could pout his way out of cooking duty with his new master as well...

He supposed those interests were beneficial to bear for people in different lots. If one enjoyed the task of rearing plants it wouldn't feel so much like toil. To him, the notion was as dull, as... Well, watching grass grow. That was a literal saying people uttered to describe their boredom, and it was, in his mind, quite literally what Hilana did for work. Founders bless her for enjoying it! Khyan was so easily bored that he tended to veer toward alcohol and other vices that felt like they expedited life or, at least, cut out a few of the redundant bits.

"I'd prefer not to veer too far afield of the city, if possible." He noted, arching an eyebrow and lifting one hand lazily to stroke Tiaz under the chin with his index finger. "Surely there are worthy sacrifices not too far up Vasta." He may have gone up and down of late with his sense of self worth, but if he was going to lose his life he'd rather it be in Sorokyn than the maw of some predatory beast.

Khyan would indulge in no further food, but would finish the berry mead and have a few more sips of the peach as they caught up a bit. He wasn't altogether forthcoming about his current situation, as it was so nascent and he didn't wish to curry outside opinions that might harsh his novel buzz. Perhaps next time. On this occasion, however, he said his goodbyes in the midst of the statuary gardens and made his way back home with belly sated to surfeit, his shopping in tow and the comfortable ease of inebriation making his steps fair glide... Far better than he ever did in magpie form.