RP:Groceries
Synopsis: Talyara and Zahrani meet while the panther feline is spending time with the colony in which she grew up. Rani is happy to introduce Taly to some of the children of the colony, and to share the experience of what the cats of Cenril generally do for a Friday night dinner. The paladin also discusses Guild business (for multiple Guilds) with the colony Matron, Roahin.
This is a Healer's Guild RP.
This is a Devout's Guild RP.
Open Market
Zahrani could be seen in her more panther-like form, wearing simple sleeveless garb and surrounded by a small group of feline children. There appear to be 6 of them, but keen eyes will notice at least 1 other acting as a lookout on a nearby roof. The group walks amongst the stalls, the paladin holding the hand of a 9-year-old snow leopard feline. She asks the boy, "Your father will probably be home with some fish, but what would you like with it, Amir?" The child's name is pronounced ah-MEER. A slightly younger one of the group hopscotches along, answering, "Cake!" A couple of the children giggle, and one of the older ones rolls their eyes and responds, "Remember last time you tried to eat cake?" Felines are not well-suited for large amount of sugar. Amir responds to the others, "How about some rice and turnips? I can find us a pouch of spice too." Rani responds, "That sounds good. I'm sure your parents would love that." A few of the stall-workers give suspicious glances at the small group, while one produce seller waves emphatically to the paladin. She knew who the panther was, and she practically gushes over the half-dozen children as they pick out some food to buy.
Talyara stands at the produce stall, pondering the sales. She wears a pair of denim shorts, a crop top, and a pair of strapped sandals. Her hair has been tamed into braided pigtails as she picks up a more exotic fruit—a mango and lists it to her nose to give a tentative sniff. Her cheeks were rosy and her skin bronzed, hinting that the witch had spent the day at the beach soaking in the sun’s rays. She smiles and nods to the stall owner before reaching into her pocket and handing over the appropriate coin for her fruit.
Zahrani | The 6-year-old who had initially suggested cake, a small cheetah girl with carefully trimmed short hair, wanders over to the stall of fruit where Taly was purchasing a mango. It smells nice, and slightly fermented from some of the more aged specimens. It's one of her favorite places for her and her friends to be. So many sights and smells cross through this part of the port city. The young girl's big brown eyes turn away from the fruit to look up at the emerald-eyed elf. Zahrani supervises the children as they pay for their own produce, turning over to look at the young cheetah. A smile forms on her face as she recognizes Taly, turning to wave at the witch and get the little one's attention. "Almitra!" she calls out the child's name. Almitra turns to the paladin's voice, before looking back at Taly with a grin and running to rejoin her friends.
Talyara feels the presence of the little girl before she actually sees her, the witch looking down and offering a sweet smile to her. “Hello there,” she offers kindly before lifting her face and spying a familiar figure. “Hi Rani!” Taly calls back with a wave before following the cheetah girl who runs towards the panther’s call. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” Taly asks Rani as she looks around at the group of children.
Zahrani watches as Almitra joins her older brother, who hands her a small satchel of vegetables to carry while he hefts a bag of potatoes. The two oldest ones give a mildly amused look at Talyara, wondering how she came to learn the paladin's nickname. The panther feline walks up to the elf, offering her a warm embrace. "Not at all. It's always good to see you." She turns to the children and says, "Everyone, this is Talyara. She is someone very close to me." The snow leopard child is the first to wave and introduce himself, "My name's Amir." The two eldest, who are twin brother and sister, call themselves J'darr and J'nira. Almitra's brother, with similar fur marking as her, takes his turn cautious, "I'm D'zaeed. I saw you already met Almitra." The littler one turns away shyly. The last one, a tiger-striped middle child, built like a 10-year-old version of Zahrani, says, "I'm Raahin." The children do their best not to act too awkward around the stranger, but if Zahrani trusts her, most of them feel like they could as well. After everyone gathers their groceries, Rani takes Amir's hand once again, offering the other to Taly, "Would you like to walk with us?"
Talyara makes sure to turn to each child as they are introduced, nodding her head in greeting, and repeating their names to show she had been paying attention. “It’s lovely to meet you all!” She smiles kindly. “You can just call my Taly.” When Rani offers her hand, the witch accepts it and bobs her head in agreement. “Sure! As long as everyone else is okay with it. I don’t want to intrude. What are you all up to?”
Zahrani walks with Taly holding one hand, and Amir holding the other. They all seem to walk in a tight group to stay together, staying in close proximity to the paladin. Their ~lookout~ follows along from the rooftop, keeping an eye out for any ruffians or other characters with ill-intent. Amir speaks up to answer the witch, "We're just buying food. The fishercats will be bringing home their catches tonight, and we all got paid today for our errands." It was pretty routine, honestly. The fathers and male felines were more likely to find work out at sea, or take jobs out of town, to support their colony. That usually left the eldest women in charge of running things. Almitra walks on the elf's other side, glancing every now and then, before grinning and offering to hold the witch's other hand. It seems she's warmed up quite a bit to the new friend.
Talyara leans forward slightly to look towards Amir when he begins to speak, her head canting to the side intrigued. “Oh I see! Is this for your dinner? I assume your having fish and some other stuff?” She asks curiously. Those green eyes look to her other side and see the little girl looking up at her. She quickly slips her mango into the messenger bag on her shoulder and offers her hand to Almitra to take. “So what do you do for fun?” She asks the little girl.
Zahrani |The group walks down a less-used street, but it appears to have been recently cleaned. Amir nods, "That's the plan. Our families usually eat together on Friday nights." The snow leopard boy reaches into his grocery bag, grinning as he sees the package of spices is still there. Almitra, while holding Taly's hand and having a slight spring in her step, thinks for a moment. Adjusting the bag of vegetables she's tasked with carrying, she says, "We play tag together...and we race across the roofs...and run obstacles. I like to draw and sing..." Her brother D'zaeed chimes in, "She ~really~ likes to draw and sing..." Almitra sticks her tongue out, but doesn't respond. Raahin the tiger-lass then adds with a slightly patronizing-but-amused tone, "And you enjoy poetry, so let others enjoy things too." D'zaeed shrugs, smiling sheepishly, "I didn't say she was bad at drawing and singing..." The children banter as they reach their destination, while Zahrani smiles and listens to them and her beloved Taly. It's good to get in touch with her roots like this, and it's good to share this experience with someone so important to her.
Talyara swings Allmitra’s hand slightly as they walk and talk down the recently cleaned street. “That’s nice that you all enjoy meals together,” she tells Amir before focusing on the little gift again. “Oh yeah? Maybe you can show me one of your drawings one time? Playing tag and running obstacles sounds like a lot of fun,” she tells the children with a giggle. “Do any of you dance? My sister is a dance teacher. I like to climb trees and collect herbs and flowers.”
Zahrani looks around out of cautious habit as they make their way down the street that leads into the colony. At the question of dancing, J'nira and J'darr chime in, "Just about everyone here loves to dance in some way. Alone, in pairs, in an entire group...life here would be boring without our dancing or our music." Raahin adjusts the bags of rice she carries, before chiming in as well, "I like to arrange flowers. What do you usually do with yours?" The main building of the colony is in sight; a large, old hotel complex with a big courtyard in the center, along with archways as entries. Compared to the wealthier districts, it's not the prettiest building to look at, but it's well-maintained despite the age of and the wear. A burly, grey-furred feline man looks through a window, before turning to a similarly-aged woman, "Sounds like Amir's group has returned." The old woman gets up from her chair, looking out from the second-story. Her fur is black, with patches of silver, and her eyes are yellow with a look of shrewd experience. To the children, she speaks in a firm but calm tone, "You're just in time...We're getting the fire going and the fish cleaned in the courtyard."
Talyara :: “Oh yeah?” Talyara asks about the dancing, lifting her arm so Almitra can twirl beneath it. “I’m a little shy to dance, but my sister loves it and so do the people who take lessons from her.” When Raahin mentions arranging flowers, that’s where Taly’s gaze lands. “I braid them into my hair, make flower crowns, dry them to burn or use in salves and tinctures.” As they approach the colony, the witch turns her attention to Rani. “Well I should be letting you all get to dinner. Thank you for letting me walk with you all!”
Zahrani | Almitra twirls quite deftly as she holds Taly's hand, not losing pace with the group. The children leave, heading towards a common room where their parents waited to help prepare ingredients for the evening meal. Fishermen work skillfully with fillet knives to prepare their catch; very little of the carcass is thrown away. The old gray male feline joins two others building the fire and establishing a bed of coals to cook on. From another part of the courtyard, it sounds like a sitar is being tuned, accompanied by the sound of warming up their percussive skills on a drum. Zahrani lingers by Taly's side, still holding her hand and smiling, "You're welcome to join, if you'd like." It would be quite appropriate for a witch to find plenty of allies and friends amongst the cats of Cenril.
Talyara ’s eyes travel to the hustle and bustle of the colony and a small smile tugs on the corners of her lips. Although the situation was different, this reminded her of the coven she had grown up in. How everyone worked together as a community—eating together, working together, playing together. It was nice to see and it pulled at her heartstrings. So much so that she looks to Rani and nods. “Sure, I’d love that, actually. As long as I won’t be an issue.”
Zahrani sighs, smiling warmly before adding, "Just be ready to pitch in if asked." That's the way of things here. If the food's not ready, people get to help, whether that's through peeling potatoes or keeping a few young cubs entertained and out of harm's way. As they enter the courtyard, Taly would see that the residents came in many shapes and sizes. Some were more elf-like in their features, others more catlike. A sapient tiger looks out at the sea like a sentinel from the rooftop. A humanoid woman with chestnut colored fur on her ears and a striped tail nurses her infant while she rests in a comfy chair. No one seems to stare at Taly's presence, though their noses undoubtedly tell them that they have a guest. The old black and silver feline from the upper floor approaches, extending a hand in greeting, "I am Roahin. I am the Matron, or Grandmother, of this colony. The children, and Zahrani, speak well of you."
Talyara chuckles softly and shakes her head. “I’ll do whatever needs to be done,” she assures the panther before her green eyes wander about the room, taking it the different people that occupy the space. When the matriarch approaches and offers her hand, the witch graciously accepts it, pairing it with a winning smile. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am happy to hear that good things have been spoken. Hopefully, I live up to what they have to say!” Taly adds with a giggle. “Is there anything I can do to assist with dinner?”
Zahrani | Roahin offers a wry grin, looks around, assessing the work that's being done. Her amber eyes settle upon the common room where the children had gone. "If you want, you can help the children prepare the vegetables." she says to the elf. "Almitra and D'zaeed's mother will be with them." The matriarch then moves to offer a warm embrace to Zahrani, "It's always good to see you, child. How is Falion?" She refers to the human that had adopted Rani. The paladin responds, "Father's busy in the archives at the Paladin's Guild, but he's well." The two women walk towards the location of the musical instruments being tuned. Zahrani then speaks, "Speaking of guilds, I have some news you might like. A member of the Healer's Guild crossed paths with us. She's looking to build a healing center here in town, and she's offering to compensate anyone in our colony who's willing to help build and staff it." Roahin's eyes widen slightly as they walk, "That is good news. An opportunity to improve on a trade, and to uplift people in and outside of our colony."
Talyara nods her head with a smile and moves off to help the children with the vegetables. “Hi there,” she says with a small wave to the parents that were present. “My name is Taly and I’m a friend of Zahrani’s. I have been sent to help with the vegetables! So please, I am at your disposal. What can I do to assist?”
Zahrani and Roahin discuss the possibilities that working with the Healer's Guild might provide, and potentially recruiting for the Paladin's Guild as well. Most of Cenril's felines weren't necessarily religious, but they care for Zahrani, and the teachings of Cyris, the God of Freedom and Independence, seem to jive well with their general outlook on life. Plus, they couldn't stay cooped up in here forever. Many of the young ones want to make a difference for the wider world, just as they did for their own. The days were getting darker after all. Meanwhile, Taly would be greeted by Almitra and her mother, and the little one says, "Taly! Do you want to help me with the rice? I'm helping Mama wash it." To which her mother responds, "I think the two of us is enough paws in the sieve, little one." To Taly, she says, "If you could the others wash and cut the vegetables. We can probably expect a couple dozen people here tonight."
Talyara bows her head respectfully to Almitra’s mother before tapping the young girl on the nose playfully, leaning over to whisper conspiratorially. “I always mess up rice so this is probably for the best!” Taly gives her a wink before moving over to the needed station and taking up an unoccupied knife to begin helping with the chopping of the vegetables. Unconsciously, the witch begins to hum to herself as she works.
Zahrani | Almitra giggles at the witch before rejoining her mother. With all of them there, they make short work of the veggies. Zahrani and Roahin help with chopping wood. In short order, the smell of roasted fish, veggies, and seasoned rice wafts through the air. After dinner, there is singing and dancing as a father and son play their instruments. The children play, and the adults speak of the goings-on outside of their home. All in all, a good night.
Talyara could not deny how enjoyable this evening was. The closeness of the colony, the love and laughter that permeated the area were infections. The witch ate with gusto, enjoying every morsel. Then when dinner was done and cleaned up, she allowed the children to teach her some dances. She spent the remainder of the evening laughing and joining in on the fun.