RP:Potential Allies

Part of the Saurian Onslaught Arc

Summary: Reginae stumbles across the new 'government' in Chartsend. General Aetherclaw and his company appear to be an efficient and merciful occupation within the city. He mentions the return of an 'old king', which also peaks her interest before the two parts ways.

Market

Aetherclaw :: Chartsend had certainly seen better days, or had it? A question that might have been begging at some many minds. For the humans who lived there things were under new leadership, and the leadership was military dictatorship at least for the time being. Only few weeks prior a horde of these Saurians or Razurath as they called themselves, had entered the city and within a very short time frame removed or puppetted whatever leadership of town that remained. The market square was active as ever, humans trading and non humans trading, but it was no longer in gold that was being traded, it was orange crystals of amber. Several tall red Razurath Guards stood at the ends of the square, and the ocassional some hooded white scouts slipped through the crowds, as if making sure that no theives lurked about, when one was found they were dragged before a purple razurath who sat at the end of the square to the east, and who seemed to be writing down the names of those involved and asking questions amongst the others. As if trying to find out whether the the theif had stolen before, and or whether or not if the items in the past had been stuck to soley food. Several theives corpses already were being escorted out of town for burning on a wagon while a few former theives were recieving soup out of a stand that had been opened up with yellow razurath serving to them, along with odd brown fruit with a meat like interior. Aetherclaw himself the peppermint spiral colored Razurath general, sat in his own manner under a shop that had formerly been a smuggler, and slave distributer, the person now dead, and the shop converted into a Strategy barracks. With Aetherclaw's desk facing towards the market. A small child sitting on his leg coloring something on the paper as he worked, over a variety of papers. "Lether, I need the parcels regarding the instruction from Rathul, any new orders." He would ask, as he continued to jot down names of citzens.

Though Reginae preferred to muck about on the surface as a human, Chartsend was a different story. She’d been here frequently not too long ago, helping defend the city in times of war and peacefully visiting Pilar and Yozenra. Neither of her friends lived her now. After Pilar’s disappearance, Yozenra had come back to Alithrya with the Queen but still. Regi knew Yozenra made frequent trips here to inquire about her vanished wife to no avail. So when she arrives to find foreign creatures guarding the gates and scattered through the market, the naga is uneasy. She watches a recently caught thief as she’s presented for judgement. Narrowing her azurite gaze, she eavesdrops on the conversation that ensues, pretending to consider a star shaped fruit on a market stall display. The purple fellow asks questions and the humanoid thief answers in a breathless, high pitched rush of words. Her accent is heavy, too heavy and quick for Reginae to hear the intricacies of her explanation. The gist was predictably apologetic. Regi casts a stealthy glance over her shoulder as the woman’s lead off to the cart to be fed. Admittedly, the naga is surprised. She’d anticipated punishment for the human’s crimes but these foreign creatures opted for assisting her instead. Interesting. “I’ll take this, thank you.” She coils her tail close to avoid the paths of the people she moves through, holding the star shaped fruit in front of her. After a moment or two, she approaches the purple Razurath and inquiries about the thief’s strange treatment. “Why did you let that woman live?” Her voice is cool, controlled but inquisitive. What sort of creatures were they?

Aetherclaw :: The Purple looked up and from its work. It wore a white toga which hung limply on it save of course for the potbelly that seemed to press against the fabric. Glancing up at the naga it, seemingly unsurprised by the appearance. Taking his pen as he leaned back his own tail lying against the ground out of the back of the chair he sat on, or what had been a chair and now more of stool. He looked at her with his purple eyes. "The woman has a history of stealing, but in all the times she has stolen. It has only been for food. Records, from Chartsend former government, and also word of mouth by several citizens have confirmed this. If a Society is supposed to function orderly, then all citizens ought to be fed, the basics must be provided for, and so that their work pays off to fulfill the luxury's. We have also provided her with an opportunity to join the ranks of our soldiers, she declined so that she could take care of her two children, we respected that." The purple kept the eye contact, and was polite in his tone. One of the reds who stood by him seemed to nod at her as if to confirm it. The Reds were very disciplined, they only acted on orders alone. Even two reds who sat outside the eel, seemed to confine themselves to a single drink before switching to water. "If you have any interests on joining or aiding our troops the General Aetherclaw is avalible, but if you have anymore civil concerns or questions, I am certainly avalible as is every purple in the city. My name is Pravos."

Reginae watched his body language in her peripheral while he spoke, making notes of his mannerisms alongside what he was actually saying. Something else that caught her attention was how this Pravos fellow didn’t shy away from addressing her. But then, they both seemed to be more like monsters in appearance than the humanoid fixtures advertising their wares in the street behind her. He also spoke to her with respect, though he had no way of knowing her rank or status here. If she was a citizen or an outsider. If she was a friend to them or a future enemy with sharp senses. It impressed her. “Kind of you, yes I agree.” His explanation, punctuated by another such creature on the sidelines, painted a gentle picture. One of mercy and order for order’s sake. “Thank you, Pravos.” Then, flexing her thin fingers into the soft skin of the fruit, she swung wide to offer it to the woman. Regi’s arch ended near the aforementioned General and the General’s child sized company. Her movements are slow, non-threatening but radiating authority all the same. “General Aetherclaw.” She addressed him, holding her position well outside his reach. The tip of her snowy tail flicked back and forth like a pendulum. “What brings you and your ranks to Chartsend?” They were but strangers but Pravos had answered her question with ease and directed her here. Could she expect the same of their general?

Aetherclaw glanced up from his work on the numbers as the red passed him the parcel, containing the papers. "Nothing." He said as he looked over the supplies sent and the orders on various construction projects, but nothing regarding to the strategy. The Naga who ventured over address him by his title, and he motioned with his hand. "Thank you, but the formality is not as nescessary as the Pravos thinks it needs to be." He said politiely but also coolly. The child on his leg showing off her picture to him briefly. His jaw parted as if in a smile, "Very good job Savanna, looks just like the market." He patted her on the head with his four fingered right hand/claw. The General wore unlike the purple who wore a toga, or the red's which was much more tribal with a simple band of cloth around the waist and from the left shoulder to the waist. The General wore a dark brown textureless one piece suit that stretched over his body and tail like a glove leaving only his feet and hands and neck and up bare. The general seemed weary eyed, on his left side running through a white stripe was a solid white eye, while the one running through a red stripe was a solid red eye. "Well, for one reason the scenery, and atomsphere, but more on a miltary stand point, we are here to bring order to the chaos of these lands surrounding our valley. Or so that was the original mission, that is until we heard word that long vanished king had reappeared in Venturil, which puts me in the awkward position of realizing that, order may very well be on its way again, even if its not what we had in mind. I take my orders from the top, and I hope i get word soon." He was forthcoming with that information namely because it didn't expose troop movements nor did it hide the fact that the General was acting on orders, and those orders seemed to have delay because of the new information. Helping savanna off his leg, he opened the drawer on his left and picked up a dark brow fruit, which he cut open on the desk which has a reddish juice which seemed to be more like the juice of a steak more than anything like fruit, once in half he took ripped out the seed and placed it in the drawer, giving one half to child who took out of knife of her own to cut it up, while he offered other fruit half to the naga. "Meitfruit, steak textured and flavored" He said offering the fruit which aside of the cavity where the seed had been the item in question would look indeed exactly like a steak, minus for a bone or gristle, just the meat with the fat evenly dispersed throughout. The seven foot tall General would rise, and offer his four fingered hand. "Aetherclaw."

Reginae maintained statue-like stillness, only her eyes darted from the papers, this child named Savanna, and then back to the man addressing her. She couldn’t be sure where exactly the General’s gaze landed but she maintained eye contact when her attention wasn’t elsewhere. Her lips do crack into a smile with the explanation of Chartsend’s charm. The people here seemed more relaxed than further inland. Pilar had loved it too. “Your valley?” She wasn’t sure she knew about it’s existence, since she didn’t know about them as a species until now. Aetherclaw makes note of a ‘long vanished king’ and Reginae’s humanoid ears perk with further interest. This king may be a worthy ally or perhaps even this lot. They seemed efficient and organized. “I hope it won’t lead to conflict.” This new king and this so-called ‘top’ that issued orders. Before Reginae has time to weave her own militia into the mix in her mind, running through various scenarios and outcomes, a ‘fruit’ is offered. She takes it automatically, only realizing it’s odd nature once she looks it over. Her fingers test the texture, how malleable and lean it appeared. Functional. Precise. “Thank you.” The naga turned this ‘meitfruit’ over and examined it from all angles. It only smelled of meat, no traces of anything malicious. He offers his hand out and she reaches her humanoid hand out to meet it, shaking it with brief formality. “Reginae,” she stopped short, not offering her last name or title. Surely they were both withholding fragments of information from the other. This could be hers, for now. She didn’t appear intimidated by his height. “I’m afraid I’m travelling elsewhere but may we meet again.” Retracting her hand, she turns to watch the child before tasting the odd fruit. It’s only polite, she wagered, and it was exactly as he’d said. A flavorful but dense cut of meat without bone or gristle. How interesting and mysterious. She lifts the fruit with a nod, a silent thanks and gesture of departure, before she weaves her way back into the crowd.

Aetherclaw nodded with ever so much politeness, "A pleasure to meet you," He watched her for a moment, before she took her leave, and migrated back into the crowd. Taking a seat again, and then taking a pen, he wrote on a papyrus and signed. Which read: "To the Blockade Guard, By order of General Aetherclaw, the occupant carrying this letter is permited through the door this one time, the woman in question is named reginae, she and she alone may pass this one time, burn this following recievment. Treat her as we would anyone, with Honor and respect, she is just another citzen or a citzen to be." then sealing the letter, he motioned to the red that watched, and handed it to him. "Find her in the crowd and give this to her, she will need it if she wants to leave the area we have blockaded off."