RP:Kindness at Yule's Eve
Synopsis: On a very special night, Zahrani and Janita render aid in their own ways to a poor woman who was in desperate need.
Zahrani quietly walks among the few denizens who still wander the streets of Kelay, each step by the paladin accompanied by a quiet clinking sound from her armor. Her tail gracefully swishes behind her, and a simple cloak covers her head and wraps around her form, blocking much of the chill night wind. She takes seat adjacent to the square, blue eyes gazing serenely from beneath her hood.
Janita wasn't out in the open, instead preferring to people-watch from an alleyway. Dressed head to toe in black, she blended into the darkness quite well. Nearby, a poor woman was asking people for coin, and being mostly ignored, though she got the occasional copper or silver piece. She then made the mistake of approaching a couple dressed in fine furs. Her request for a coin was barely out of her mouth when the rich woman shrieked, “Get away, you filthy beggar!” Her husband then took his cane and whacked the poor woman on the shoulder. “How dare you accost us?! Back, back I say!” The poor woman ran away, tears in her eyes, clutching at her quickly forming bruise. Janita watched all this silently, but as the rich couple began to walk away, she pulled a scarf up over her muzzle. Between that and her hood, her face was almost completely obscured. She then climbed up to the roof of the building and began to follow
Zahrani hears the cane's impact, rising to her feet immediately and padding her way to the area in question. She had heard what they had said to the woman who had been panhandling. Her nose picks up the scent of an unusual being stalking the roofs towards the rich couple. However, the paladin's priority was to see to the woman they had assaulted. Zahrani could provide healing, coin, and food. With a raspy, yet warming voice, the feline woman asks, "What do you need? I can help provide food, healing of injuries, and a bit of coin if you'd like." The hooded, clocked feline stands about the same height as the average male human of Kelay, but she carries herself with an aura of strength and grace that a human would be hard-pressed to emulate.
Janita | The panhandler looked up at Zahrani with wide, wet eyes. “Oh... th-thank you... I... I could use a good warm meal, and someone to look at my shoulder, yes...” Meanwhile, Janita moved swiftly and silently over the rooftops, following the rich couple to their home. The husband was fishing his keys out from hisa pocket when Janita dropped to the ground behind them, pulling a knife from her waist. She pressed it into the wife's back while covering the woman's mouth with her hand. “I'll be taking your gold, now,” she hissed. The wife's scream was muffled and the husband dropped his cane in fear. He fumbled with his coinpurse, but eventually handed it over. Janita snatched it and darted away, sheathing her blade as she did so.
Zahrani nods to the poor woman, "If you need privacy, I have a room at the inn just across the street. I can check your shoulder there. I can also get you something to eat as well..." The paladin herself had just finished training for the day, and was eager to get some food as well. Lowering her hood, her face is revealed as that of a black panther, with a few long braided locks of jet black hair leaving her scalp and traveling across her left shoulder. She has a slightly androgynous build, like someone who scales walls while wearing a full set of heavy armor.
Janita | The poor woman nodded. “Oh, thank you, thank you...” she said. Just as the two entered the inn, Janita reappeared. She followed them in, lowering her scarf. She walked briskly through the dinner crowd and tapped the beggar on the shoulder. “Hey. I have a present for ya.” Her voice was deep, but not masculine. The beggar woman turned, mouth open, only for Janita to take her hand and place the coinpurse in it. Her eyes widened as the small bag opened slightly to reveal a glint of gold. “I-I-I--” “Happy Yule, ma'am.”
Zahrani quietly pulls off her cloak, revealing the steel plate armor beneath and the paladin crest over her heart. As she relaxes and takes in the warmth, the black velvety fur on her face and hands seems to reflect subtle hints of amber glimmer. Blue eyes turn to face Janita as she provides gold to the poor woman; the paladin daren't ask where it had come from. Even if she had been suspicious, there was no way to prove it was acquired through ill methods. Offering a kind smile to the half-feline draconian, Zahrani says, "Yes, Happy Yule. Would you like to join us for a meal?"
Janita smiled, though she kept her hood up. “Sure, why not?” The poor woman looked about to cry from joy, and hugged the paladin, then Janita. The draconian tensed in her grip, but then patted her on the back with an awkward smile. The beggar woman released her and wiped her eyes. “It's been too long since I've been treated with such kindness. And by strangers no less!” Janita touched the woman's shoulder. It was meant to be comforting, but it only brought about a wince. “Oh sh—I'm so sorry! I forgot that's where that jerk hit you.”
Zahrani offers a slight purr as the woman hugs her, before she turns to one of the employees. A young woman who appears to be both intimidated and mesmerized by the feline. "Could you have 3 servings of tonight's meal brought to room 5?" A few seconds seem to pass before the girl snaps out of it, "Oh...OH! Yes, of course, Warden." Turning back to her new companions, the paladin says, "My name is Zahrani, the Warden. But you may refer to me as Warden, or Zahrani. If you follow me, I can heal your shoulder while our food is prepared."
Janita | The beggar's eyes were now watering from pain, and Janita looked stricken. As much as one could discern from the bit of her face that was visible. "Janita," she offered. "M-Marian," the beggar said. The two followed Zahrani upstairs, Janita's eyes passing over room 3's door briefly.
Zahrani produces a key to room 5, opening the door and proceeding to unbuckle her plating. "Make yourselves at home. Marian, if you could sit down in one of the chairs or on the bed, I can help with your shoulder." The paladin enters an adjacent changing room, and moments later emerges in a simple sleeveless shirt and a pair of comfortable pants. Her entire body was covered in that same black velvety fur. Her form had been conditioned to put her on par with the strongest male paladins and warriors of the temple; the difference being that she had the advantage with speed and agility. Zahrani rubs her paws together, warming them up in preparation for the healing of the poor woman's shoulder.
Janita allowed Marian to sit on the bed while she took the chair. Like Zahrani, she was tall, but her build was indiscernible beneath the baggy clothes she wore. The room was nice and cozy, and she was getting warm. She lifted her hands to her hood, but hesitated to actually drop it. “Guys... don't freak out.” She lowered the hood, earning a gasp from Marian. Janita looked like any brown-furred feline, except for one key difference: the rows of light blue horns that trailed up from above her eyes to the crown of her head.
Zahrani turns to Janita, the feline pausing for moment. The only part of her moving is her tail swishing behind her. Beyond that, she doesn't appear shocked. The calm grin returns to her face as she says, "You did smell slightly scaly...but in a good way." The paladin then sits with Marian on the bed, turning to her and asking politely, "May I see your shoulder?" She needs to examine the extent of the wound.
Janita smiled ruefully. “You're not the first one to say that.” The beggar woman removed her old coat and unbuttoned her shirt, pulled it half off to reveal the injury. The spot was swollen and bruising, and tender to the touch. Janita growled softy. “What a couple of... Ugh. I hate people like that.”
Zahrani sighs, responding to Janita, "It seems like the wealthiest among us are also the most miserable in spirit. They want for nothing material, and yet..." Turning to the human, she gently places a warm paw on Marian's upper back, a warm support to relax against as her other hand hovers over the swollen area. Her eyes close, her mouth moves in indistinct whispers, and her finger and palms glow with a soft amber light. A sensation of iciness-then-warmth would pass through the damaged tissue, an arcane force encouraging it to mend and heal.
Janita | The wound took only a few moments to heal. Marian smiled, then redressed herself. “Thank you, Warden.” Janita nodded approvingly. “That's a good skill to have. I'm not much of a mage, myself, sadly. But I can run and climb with the best of 'em.” It was then there was a knock at the door. “Warden?” a voice called. “I have your meals!”
Zahrani smiles, "You're welcome, Marian." before she stands up and answers the door, allowing the Inn staff to enter and place the meals at the small table. The feline tips the staff for the service, then proceeds to take a seat in front of one of the plates. It appears to be medium-rare venison steak, roasted potatoes, and some root veggies. A hearty meal for a winter in Kelay. "I'm not really a mage either," she says to Janita. "My foster father took me in when I was wandering Cenril as a cub, and trained me as a paladin." Zahrani proceeds to pour cups of tea for her and her guests, before asking, "What of you two? I'd be interested to hear where you come from and what you do." You told Scandal, "ooc: It's going alright. They crossed paths after helping a woman who was begging on the square. She had been hurt by a snobbish, rich couple after daring to ask for a few silvers."
Janita inhaled deep. It smelled delicious. Marian's stomach rumbled audibly and it took all her willpower not to shovel everything into her mouth. Janita took a bite of the steak. It was a good as it smelled. “Well, I grew up in the Nameless Desert. Got the urge to travel, recently so... I'm doing that. Marian?” “Me? I'm nobody... Just a bum.” Janita frowned. It sounded like Marian had been told that by others enough that she'd started to believe it. “No, Marian, you're not.”
Zahrani listens to the two of them quietly as she eats. At Janita's last words, the paladin nods in agreement, "Janita is right, Marian. Things may feel hopeless for you, but your life is no less precious or important than anyone else who walks these streets." She takes a sip of tea to wash down her food, exhaling with relief at the warm beverage before adding, "And there is no shame in needing help when you need it."
Janita | Marian sniffled, then started to cry softly. Janita left her seat and wrapped Marian in a hug immediately. The human gripped her back, her tears soaking into the black cloth. “N-N-No one's ever been so good to me...” Marian said. Janita bristled at the implication. That basic decency had been withheld from her, over something as stupid as her being poor. She looked to her fellow feline, blue eyes meeting blue.
Zahrani sighs, placing a warm paw on the human's back to comfort her. She thinks back to how lucky she had been to be found by her foster father, lucky that he had been a paladin who could raise and teach her everything she would need to survive. Not everyone had such fortune smile upon them. As she meets Janita's gaze, Zahrani could sense that this is what they were here for. They had been given gifts of talent and resource, and they could help those who needed it most...or stand toe-to-toe against those would harm the innocent. Smiling at the other feline, she then says, "That was a good gift for you to provide for our friend." referring to the gold.
Janita smiled. “It's no big deal.” “It's a huge deal!” Marian said. “Th-that much gold could feed me for the winter! I-I don't know how I can repay you...” “Don't worry about it. It's not something I really need for myself, anyway. You just take care of yourself, okay?” Marian sniffled and nodded. Janita gave the woman a squeeze, then released her. “Now, let's eat, before it gets cold.”
Zahrani looks at her two guests as the three of them continue to eat. It was unorthodox, but for now, she can't think of any better way to spent Yule. She finishes up her plate, then quietly refills her tea while Marian and Janita eat. "Where are the two of you staying for the evening?"
Janita smirked. “Room 3.” Marian didn't smirk. “I, um, have a small apartment... I share it with a few other people...” Janita hummed. If she had to guess, she'd say it was too small for the number of people in it, and perhaps they were even living without heat. But at least Marian wasn't homeless along with being poor. “You guys need anything? Blankets, candles, new socks?” Janita asked. Marian poked her steak with her fork. “All of the above, and more...” Janita seemed to be deep in thought. She wondered how much she could haul out of that rich couple's house on her own, and if it would put Marian and her roommates at risk.
Zahrani's ears turn towards the other two women, her eyes turning towards Janita after Marian's last response. She could almost see the wheels turning in the draco-feline's head. Without a second thought, she reaches into her back pocket and produces a small amulet with a paladin sigil on it. Handing it to the human, Zahrani says, "Take this to the Temple in Kelay, and tell them them you were sent by Zahrani. They can provide a few things, but you'll have to sleep close together." That might actually be a better way to preserve their own heat beneath the blankets that the Temple could provide. Janita was still thinking of robbing those two rich buggers, but knowing Marian and company would have some resources made it a less pressing issue, at least for the moment. Marian looked about to cry again as she took the amulet. “Gods bless you. Both of you.”
Zahrani wraps her arms around Marian in a strong, gentle embrace. Upon releasing the woman, she then adds, "Also, be sure to return the sigil to me when you are finished. I'll still be in this room for the next few days, so if I'm not here, you can slide it under the door." She would need to check in to the Temple to let her know that the amulet had been returned. It was a simple way they ensured resources got to those who needed them most, and weren't being hoarded by bandits.
Janita smiled as Marian wiped her eyes and they all returned to their meal. There were so any people like Marian out there, and she could only hope they all found someone kind and generous to make their Yule a little bit brighter. She would do her part, at least. Even if that meant performing a little larceny.
Zahrani finishes her tea, setting her cup on the table and yawning slightly. She then turns to the human and asks, "Marian, would you like a bath? I can put some hot water into the tub in the washroom." She wants to leave the option up to Marian. It was an invitation after all; not a requirement.
Janita | Marian nodded. “That... that would be amazing.” Janita finished her meal and stood. “Thank you very much for the meal, Warden. I'm going to hit the hay. And Marian, if you need something, feel free to leave word with the innkeep.” Janita pulled her hood up. “Good night, both of you.” The Eagle scampered off to the north.
Zahrani stands up and moves to let Janita out. "It was nice to meet you, Janita." The paladin offers the other feline a hug, if she wanted one.
Janita smiled and accepted the hug. Marian wandered over, and Janita hugged her, too. “It was nice to meet you, too. Take care of yourselves. See you around!” With that, Janita headed down to her room to rest. She'd need her energy for breaking and entering.
Zahrani nods, offering a warm smile to Janita as she closes the door. She then proceeds to draw some water for Marian. The feline shows her where the washcloths, soap and towels are, then leaves her to her privacy. She lays down on the bed, looking out the window and the snow falling outside.