Had the sisters known that he was Hytori, and not Sunborn, chances were that they would have quietly left the shop and promised each other never to speak of it again, much less cross the threshold. But as it was, ignorance was bliss, and he seemed far more likely to be a Sunborn than one of the ancient elves that had gone to war against their Re’hyaean overlords. His colouring suggested he was more like to be one of those, baseborn and raised abroad, maybe, than a proper Hytori. She wasn’t one to try to Semble strangers, either. Their own accents and attire, or at least what was visible of it under their cloaks, certainly led towards their being of the desert-dwellers of Atraxia. And most Hytori wouldn’t want anything to do with them, either. But Kalzasi seemed a fairly neutral ground. Orks, after all, were welcomed here…
Khalcifer’s antics, though, were quite amusing. Athalia, who tended to be the more taciturn of the pair, found him rather endearing. Fire knew fire, after all, and while she did continue to explore the shop and what was on the shelves, she would still murmur to the spirit, asking him about himself. She knew better than to inquire about Sivan to his own contract; and it was better to let Hilana do her thing. Her little sister could talk the head off of a wave.
“The Everwilds? What is it like in there?” She wondered. It seemed like her sort of place, by the name of it… but it was also doubtless somewhere wiser that she did not venture into. She did, however, want to go and see the Second Deep. That was a project for another day, however… “Did you ever bring any plants back?” The Everwilds were where Fae came from, if she remembered rightly.
Ecithian orchids could be fussy indeed. They took some babying, and up here in Kalzasi that had just gone through such an awful winter, it was understandable that he would have that much trouble keeping it going. “They’re tricky, aren’t they? The moment you’re not paying attention… orchids are incredibly dramatic plants,” the Vastiana was amused. “I have this one coleus who gets very upset and fakes their death because it wasn’t watered the exact instant it wanted to be. Wilts and withers in hours and when I water it, back to being lush and gorgeous within twenty minutes. There is a monstera that is the same… and like your orchid, it is an Ecithian import.”
When he left them there, Hilana nodded, and simply perused the shelves. Where she might have touched a bottle or box or jar, she now did not, and when Sivan returned to the shop, she joined him at the counter. She seemed surprised by the gift, but delighted all the same. “I thank you, Sivan. I’ll bring you some from ours in Atraxia - do you have a favourite flavour?” The Vastiana wanted to know. Vasilei might have something on hand, but if it wasn’t, it could steer her towards new ideas for flavours.
