47th of Ash, 112
The snow was a bittersweet thing. On one claw, Arkash loved the way it made everything look. An endless rolling blanket of ice crystals that covered all the dirt and grime of the lower district. It was easy to forget where he was if he didn't look up during Rien's snowy days. But, on the other, the emotional comfort the snow offered was outweighed by it's encumbering, draining properties. Arkash could never last long in the cold, he barely had enough warmth in him to get to and from work half the time.
But, that day saw him run claw-in-hand to a dangerous part of town some ways away from home. He didn't have the warmth to make it back from there, especially because the reason they fled blocked their way back, but the lady he traveled with managed to save him from an icy sleep when she found a homeless camp they could warm up at. For that, he was more grateful than he'd initially let on. The most he could do in return was help her get back to outer Nivenhain, where she'd need to find her own way home, but she'd agreed to such a service.
The thought that they would pass by his home on the way to the Outer district also helped to brighten his mood, despite everything that the two had witnessed that day. If they were lucky, he could introduce Mannon to Cojack or Liu. He had to be careful, though. He had blood on his clothes, and if Liu was around, she'd smell it and know something bad had happened. But what could he tell her? He didn't even know who's blood it was, let alone how it got there. The cold had temporarily paused his cognitive functions and held his memory while they were in Charger territory, and for that, he was almost grateful. He knew they were in a shoot out, and that someone had attacked them, but other than that, he knew not what happened on the Charger's turf.
Another matter the young rath needed to address was Lady Mannon's ability to rot people's flesh. He'd only heard of such things in stories, and though he had his suspicions on what that meant, he couldn't be sure. It wasn't the sort of subject he could toss accusations around on, either, not in public. He had to approach the topic with caution and tact.
Arkash's yellow eyes traced his surroundings and scanned for any of his fellow nameless that might have crawled the lower district that near the sunset, and found none. So, he adjusted his scarf as he looked to her, then lowered his gaze to her hand as it rested in his claws. Arkash hadn't touched many humans; most of them wanted nothing to do with him. It was the first time he really got to sample what skin felt like. Liu had told him once that it was possible to tell a lot about a human by their hands; their callouses, their scars, the shade of their tan, and the softness of their skin.
Mannon's were light, soft, and unscarred. That wasn't to say they were without their work, as there was a rough patch or two around the bases of her fingers. Arkash didn't know what all those factors meant of course, only that they somehow told a story.
When his eyes lifted from her extremities, he looked at her own eyes with something of an inquisitive stare. "'Ow did 'ew rot 'at man's 'and?" He asked at last. "Back when we was runnin' from 'em nasty two. Th' bloke's arm turned all green an' festerin'; 'ew said 'ewd do th' saem t' me. How?" He furrowed his brow while he looked upon her, then adjusted his scarf again while he led her along. He spoke openly, but he'd made sure that they were alone beforehand. Hopefully, the lady trusted him enough with whatever secret she held.
It was a serious question, and the answer she gave would mean one thing or another for how Arkash was to proceed. He suspected she was new to Lorien despite her own saying otherwise and as such, something of that magnitude had to be addressed.
The snow was a bittersweet thing. On one claw, Arkash loved the way it made everything look. An endless rolling blanket of ice crystals that covered all the dirt and grime of the lower district. It was easy to forget where he was if he didn't look up during Rien's snowy days. But, on the other, the emotional comfort the snow offered was outweighed by it's encumbering, draining properties. Arkash could never last long in the cold, he barely had enough warmth in him to get to and from work half the time.
But, that day saw him run claw-in-hand to a dangerous part of town some ways away from home. He didn't have the warmth to make it back from there, especially because the reason they fled blocked their way back, but the lady he traveled with managed to save him from an icy sleep when she found a homeless camp they could warm up at. For that, he was more grateful than he'd initially let on. The most he could do in return was help her get back to outer Nivenhain, where she'd need to find her own way home, but she'd agreed to such a service.
The thought that they would pass by his home on the way to the Outer district also helped to brighten his mood, despite everything that the two had witnessed that day. If they were lucky, he could introduce Mannon to Cojack or Liu. He had to be careful, though. He had blood on his clothes, and if Liu was around, she'd smell it and know something bad had happened. But what could he tell her? He didn't even know who's blood it was, let alone how it got there. The cold had temporarily paused his cognitive functions and held his memory while they were in Charger territory, and for that, he was almost grateful. He knew they were in a shoot out, and that someone had attacked them, but other than that, he knew not what happened on the Charger's turf.
Another matter the young rath needed to address was Lady Mannon's ability to rot people's flesh. He'd only heard of such things in stories, and though he had his suspicions on what that meant, he couldn't be sure. It wasn't the sort of subject he could toss accusations around on, either, not in public. He had to approach the topic with caution and tact.
Arkash's yellow eyes traced his surroundings and scanned for any of his fellow nameless that might have crawled the lower district that near the sunset, and found none. So, he adjusted his scarf as he looked to her, then lowered his gaze to her hand as it rested in his claws. Arkash hadn't touched many humans; most of them wanted nothing to do with him. It was the first time he really got to sample what skin felt like. Liu had told him once that it was possible to tell a lot about a human by their hands; their callouses, their scars, the shade of their tan, and the softness of their skin.
Mannon's were light, soft, and unscarred. That wasn't to say they were without their work, as there was a rough patch or two around the bases of her fingers. Arkash didn't know what all those factors meant of course, only that they somehow told a story.
When his eyes lifted from her extremities, he looked at her own eyes with something of an inquisitive stare. "'Ow did 'ew rot 'at man's 'and?" He asked at last. "Back when we was runnin' from 'em nasty two. Th' bloke's arm turned all green an' festerin'; 'ew said 'ewd do th' saem t' me. How?" He furrowed his brow while he looked upon her, then adjusted his scarf again while he led her along. He spoke openly, but he'd made sure that they were alone beforehand. Hopefully, the lady trusted him enough with whatever secret she held.
It was a serious question, and the answer she gave would mean one thing or another for how Arkash was to proceed. He suspected she was new to Lorien despite her own saying otherwise and as such, something of that magnitude had to be addressed.
