RP:The Past Can Hurt

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it." - Rafiki, The Lion King

Summary: Eli eventually finds his way to Khitti's bakery and decides to stop in for a bite to eat and to officially meet the redhead outside of a guild meeting setting.

Ginger Snapped Bakery and Sweetshop, Cenril

Elioyahazer finds himself strolling from out of his own home and closing the gates behind himself. Both calloused hands slip into the pockets of his pants while eyes gaze lazily about. Things were troublesome for him, especially as of late. With Lanara moving in, recently acquiring the position of deputy, and the whole ordeal of the sharknado. That’s not even to mention the story of twisted fate that altered everything he believed himself to be. While he used to love those robes of red, he finds himself in far more common clothing. Dressed in blues and basic shoes - leaving his features visible for all. Eventually his nose can smell the nearby bakery, which is only just around the block from his home. His stomach gurgles and the desert borns features twists into a visible frown. Guess it was time to eat. Without further thought, he steps into the business he has yet to visit since moving here. His presence is announced by an enchanted bell that rings out to notify employees of his entrance. An amused smirk quickly replaces his emotion and Eli turns to meet whoever might approach him in greeting. Perhaps this would give him an opportunity to get to know the guilds spiritualist? He has afterall heard that Khitti works here - Lanara often spoke of her and the shop.

With it being the holiday season, Khitti was more at the shop than she was at the Paladin’s Guild hall these days. Thankfully, Ulah had it handled at the HQ. Ulah always had things handled. It’s a wonder that Khitti still held the position of leader with that elf around. Regardless of all that, Khitti was pretty much on her own again at the bakery. Because she’s too damned nice to her employees. But, much like yesterday when Scandal showed up, she didn’t have many customers. Five or six of the tables in the dining area were filled with customers, some couples, some families. All were handled by the waitressing queen, Victoria, while Khitti dealt with the behind the counter work. The bell would ring and Khitti looked up from the rearranging the cases and spied Eli. “Hi! How can help--oh, it’s you, Sandman. Huh. If I would’ve known that I’d have Adventurer’s Guild people showing up two days in a row, I would’ve just invited the whole group,” the redhead said with a smirk. She could still do that. Maybe she -should- do that.

Elioyahazers grin turns into a broad smile at the sight of Khitti working behind the counter and her unusual greeting. He offers a wave of his hand and nearly shakes his head at the name sandman. An odd and unusual nickname given to him by Lanara which was meant to inspire fear in others. However, he had no need for such things. The deputy strolls over to the counter - eyeing whatever treats and snacks were available for purchase. “Well, perhaps we should call a meeting here. Rent out the floor for a night.” He’s sure that many of the members would enjoy the foods contained herein. Plus the atmosphere seems friendlier here. “And, you don’t have to call me Sandman anymore. I’m trying to let go of certain things from the past.” He tries to not laugh at his own name, “Eli.” He offers his hand for a more formal introduction. “Good to finally meet you outside of all the activities of the guild.” His mutated eyes continue to scan the shop - looking over the decor and the arranged tables. Truth be told Elioyahazer is a bit of a cook himself and finds that the smells delivered within are quite to his liking. “Nice place you have here. To be honest I did stop by for a bite to eat, and maybe a little conversation if your able. What would you recommend from your menu?”

Khitti nodded and wiped her hands off on her apron before shaking the one he’d outstretched towards her, “Seems a lot of us feel like doing that lately. Leaving the past behind that is. And it’s good to meet you too, Eli. If you and Lanara want to have a meeting or two here, I’m all for it. Maybe some free food will entice the others a bit to show up too.” The templar let out a hmm as she retracted her hand and eyed the cases in front of her. “Depends on how hungry you are. I definitely recommend the carrot cake.” Pause. “And, if you’re in the mood for something savory to balance out the sweet, we’ve started making sandwiches too, with the bread we make here. The various meats come from different parts of Lithrydel. Mammoths from Frostmaw, cows from the farms in Xalious. I think we might have a bit of boar left from Venturil too. If any of that sounds good to you, just pick the meat and I’ll fix the sandwich up for you.” While he decided, she poured a cup of tea for while he waited, “And this too. It’s chamomile and lavender. One of my favorites.”

Elioyahazer finds himself stifling a laugh back. Scandal would love free food, recalling a mission to Vailkrin to deal with a specific vampire and his random comments about sugary sweet pastries. “The free food would probably help.” When she gives her recommendations he lofts a brow. What is carrot cake? Carrots, in cake? What is this magical dish? He loves carrots. “You know what, I’ll take a slice of your carrot cake, tea, and a sandwich.” He ponders over the lists of meat she had readily available and decides on mammoth. If he was going to try new things, why not go big and try something else alongside that cake? “Let’s try out Frostmaws mammoth today.” He gives her another smile and produces the coin to pay for his entire meal and then some without a second guess. The rest was for her to keep. “I’ll keep the guild meeting location in mind, and bring it up with Lanara soon.” It was a good idea to move locations from time to time in an attempt to change things up. Once the transaction is complete, his voice calls out once more. “Do you mind if I just snag a table over there and sit down?” He isn’t sure of the protocol within her shop and decides that it would be best to double check first. If she confirms such thoughts, he would indeed take a seat - giving the families around as much space as possible. Hopefully, she would have a moment to join him for some friendly, get to know you, type of conversation. His purpose here isn’t really all that important. He just feels that he should spend a little time with the people that will be adventuring with him. Who knows, perhaps new friendships would be born from such things?

Khitti took the order and the coin with a smile, “Coming right up. And go for it. I’ll bring your food in a minute.” There’s a nod at his mention of keeping the possible guild meeting location in mind, then headed off into the kitchen. There’s a bit of rustling about in the kitchen, a clang here, a few chopping sounds there. She’d return eventually with two small plates. One had a large nine grain wheat kaiser roll, with lettuce, tomato, a bit of spicy mayo, and the mammoth meat in between the two layers of bread. Even the meat was well seasoned, with garlic being the main spice used. On the other plate was that cake that just seemed to baffle the desert-goer. The carrot cake looked very similar to spice cake, and yet, there clearly were the carrots, as well as some walnuts, baked right into the cake. And on top? That was the pièce de résistance. Fresh cream cheese frosting was slathered over the top, the inside, and the sides of the cake. Going further than just that, cinnamon had been sprinkled on top and more walnuts as well. Both were set before him, and then she took a seat as well, eyeing him carefully, “You said you wanted to talk?” Hm. Maybe she’d been a bit too anti-social during the mission -and- that guild meeting. Maybe that’s what he wanted to talk to her about? It was not often that people actually set out to talk to her about, like, every day normal things. And made friends. You know. Non-introvert type things.

Elioyahazer took a moment to look the sandwich over, take a sip of that tea and then finally eyeball the carrot cake that had been so lovingly baked. Truth be told, that particular dish looked so good that she’s probably earned a lifetime customer by just sight alone. This looked like good food. “Thank you,” Eli picks up the sandwich first and takes a bite - finding all of its flavors to his liking. Each spice mixes well in his mouth - only enhancing the flavor of meat wrapped up in that nine grain bun. When he swallows down his first bite he glances back up to her. “This is freaking delicious.” His eyes move around the bakery and then settle on her once more. “How are you not slammed with work all day?” He’s truly surprised by her ability to craft such things. Eli was able to cook, but his things tended to be -very- different. Closer to that over-priced snake of a cook Whamsey. He still remembers the prank Lanara had played on him using that crew. Finally he remembers why he came by the shop and drops the surprised expression. “It’s probably weird that I’ve stopped by, but I assure you it has nothing to do with requests from the guild. I’m just merely curious about those who are apart of it all. I’d like to learn about everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.” His words seem directed to her unspoken thoughts, though he’s no mind reader. “To be honest, I’ve always been a bit of a loner, so working with people is rather new for me.” He plucks up his fork and dips into the carrot cake, and the bite that he takes practically has his eyes rolling within their sockets. “Alright. I don’t know what you’ve done to this cake, but it’s officially my favorite.” He isn’t lying, by any means and it seems that he really is just here to shoot the breeze for a little bit. “So tell me a little about yourself Khitti, if you don’t mind my asking. You’re the head of the paladins guild, if I recall?”

Khitti smirked at Eli’s reaction to the food, but it soon shifted into a genuine smile, “I worked for the woman that own a bakery previously in this spot. So, I saw how the weeks before Yule usually work. Quite a bit of custom orders, but inside dining is a bit slow. The week of, though? It’s nuts. People need their desserts and breads and whatnot to go with dinner, so that’s when we’re really hit. That’s why it’s just me and Victoria here. Everyone else has a couple days off this week. I’m not a slave driver like Mrs. Mallard was.” There was a hint of bitterness in that last sentence, but it didn’t stick around as she continued on. “I’m glad you like it though. And, you stopping here isn’t too out of the ordinary, I guess. Scandal was just here yesterday. He, uh, works here now.” Khitti was still a little surprised by this, “And yeah, I understand the loner thing. There’s very few people that I’ve really been able to work with since I’ve been here in Lithrydel. It’s hard to trust people.” He asked her to tell him about herself and her mind went back to the ship on the way to the island, during the Crimson Cloak mission. It’s probably not best to go -that- far back, history-wise. “I am, yes. The name is a bit misleading though. It’s mostly ‘paladin’ in name only.” She leaned back into her chair and eyed the ceiling a bit, thinking to herself before answering further, “I’m not from Lithrydel. I didn’t always used to have holy magic. Or a holy sword, heh. Uhh, my fiance’s a ship captain--it’s the one called the Tranquility, out at the wharf.” She wasn’t very good at this, and was rattling off random facts about herself. Eli did ask for this, after all, “I used to work for Queen Hildegarde in Frostmaw. Used to be the deputy leader of the Necromancer’s Guild. Third-in-command beneath Hildegarde and Lionel in the Warrior’s Guild.” The redhead chuckled a bit, “Stop me if that’s enough. I’m not well-versed in talking about myself. Fairy tales and other random facts, yes. Me, not so much.”

The one thing that might surprise Khitti is his steadfast determination to listen to her supposed terrible ability at describing herself. He had picked up on her comment earlier about everyone trying to move on from the past. Only now does it ring through his mind that she's referring to herself as well. Obviously Elioyahazer doesn't know who Mrs. Mallard is, but he does draw up a smile over her words, and Scandals employment. This might actually be a good fit for him. “Well, it is always odd to speak of yourself. Especially when put on the spot by a strange fellow you hardly know anything about.” The desert born shifts his eyes to the cake once more, and takes another bite while thinking. There's one particular fact of her story that he zeros in on. She used to be a necromancer? How did she turn away from that? Did she find herself lost for a time? This thought strikes a chord within himself as Eli is attempting to walk away from the life of being an assassin. It wasn't easy to try and walk away from the skills he had acquired, especially when faced with combat. “I don't mean to pry.” He gives her a moment while he takes another bite and finish it before continuing. “But I find one particular part of your story peculiar. You said that you were once a Necromancer?” She would of had to have been, to be a leader within it's guild. He's suddenly rather curious, “What happened to make you change your ways to that of a paladin, even if it's only in name?” Suddenly he realizes that the question might not be something she was willing to answer. “Not that I mean to be insensitive or ask you to reveal something if it's rather personal. I just find myself going through change as well.” The truth is, this is probably the first time he's ever talked to a paladin. Or heard of anyone going through such a drastic change. What were her reasons to become what she is?

“That, is, uh… quite a long story, unfortunately. A lot of it happened back home in Dhavislaav, the rest here in Lithrydel.” Khitti paused briefly, side-eyeing the closest family near them. They weren’t in earshot, thankfully, since this story really wasn’t kid friendly. “I didn’t choose to change my ways. They weren’t even my ways to begin with. The dark magic was forced onto me. Long story short, I was fused with an entity from the Shadow Plane. Amarrah. She’s where I’d gotten the dark magic from. Things eventually transpired here after I came to Lithrydel. We were parted, by her father, but he allowed me to keep the magic. Eventually, he took it away, because he was entirely frakking nuts and had plans of his own. Before that though--literally just weeks before it--the sword I was using during the mission, Tenbatsu Kaji, it found me. It’d been intended as a reward for a fight in Craughmoyle, but, it wasn’t quite fond of that.” Khitti paused long enough for him to take all of that in before continuing, “The sword is sentient. Made by a follower of Cyris and imbued with the spirit of a holy sprite named Seika. Before I lost the ability to use the Shadow Plane’s dark magic, I couldn’t understand Seika. It just sounded like a bunch of twinkling and jingling. Afterwards, though, I could hear the sprite as clear as day. And then she started training me. I had intended on becoming a paladin, but I chose the way of the templar instead. I’m not as good as one would think the leader of a holy guild would be.” The redhead chuckled somewhat, crossing her arms over her chest, “Cyris is… rather particular with his paladin’s. Once you frak up, you’re done. For good. He’s not as forgiving as Arkhen. I probably would’ve chosen Arkhen to follow if it hadn’t been one little detail about Cyris--he’s the god of freedom. Even though I’ve never had freedom, even now, the idea of it is nice, and it’s a nice illusion to have for yourself.” She sighed heavily, sat up in her chair, and waved dismissively at the thought, “But, that’s not to say Arkhen or the others doesn’t deserve loyalty. After I came here, the dark magic started eating away at me. It was killing me. Humans are not made for entwining with the literal forces of darkness in the other realm. So, I became a vampire. And then I met Brand, realized I wanted a family with him, and we went on this huge adventure to get me a cure. I got it. I died. Arkhen, Vakmathras, and Delisha’s magic brought me back. So, I do what people don’t do. I try to explain that all of them need to be honored. They all have their place--even if some of Vakmathras and Delisha’s followers are pretty questionable. There’s still disciples of both that do good. I almost had one in the guild until she disappeared. But, that way of thinking is likely why I don’t have the numbers that other guilds do. Because it confuses people. Messes with the way they’ve been taught; that things are only black and white. But, you live in the grey area of life for so long that you can see good and evil on both sides of the light and darkness. But… that’s ultimately what got me into the problem I had in Venturil. I miss the darkness, but I don’t know if I can have it anymore… and I think I have to move on from that. I really don’t know if I can though. Lanara seems to believe in me though. Enough that she even joined the guild. There’s others two, but it just feels so much simpler to try to go back to the way things used to be.”

Elioyahazer lofts a brow to her story - riddling his features with an emotion of curiosity and confusion. Truly she had a dizzying tale to weave. One that spanned a great many places. Locations that he hadn't even heard of, but yet here she is. Alive and well, despite the fact that others had tried to end her. She was experienced in many things, beyond just combat. However, Elioyahazer couldn't comprehend the thoughts of gods and goddesses. Not that he hated them by any means, but he most certainly isn't a devout man. "Your thoughts on those deities who are generally thought of as dark or evil are rather interesting." His whole life had been one on the darker side of things; accepting contracts to end people's lives for coin. There aren't many around that still do that, and even he himself, has recently stopped. "Not that I'm a follower of anyone in particular." The gods confused him so and always have. Instead her preferred to rely on the strength of his own skill and steel, instead of casting out prayers to obtain power. They were just two different ways of life. He can't help but offer up another smile at the thought of Lanara. His guild leader, his girlfriend, and recent occupant of his home nearby this shop. Eli takes another moment to finish up the cake, tea and sandwich, mulling over her words. "You'll find others to join you, I'm sure Khitti." He's suddenly serious, and referring to the topic of her own guild. "Sometimes going back to the old ways, reminds us why we left. The problem is that when we dip into those experiences once more, it's twice as hard to leave." This line of thought is what will prevent him from returning to working as an assassin again. Being that class wasn't his choice. Finally he comes to a stand and nods. "Thank you Khitti. I know it's rather strange of me to just stop by, but I only live just around the corner. I'll bring Lanara with me next time. She did just move in." It seems that he was ready to head out and let her get back to work. "And if you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask." He wouldn't offer her help just because she was a fellow guild member. Nor is it because of her relationship with Lanara. Instead, he seems some common ground within her, and though this conversation had been small, he does have a better idea of who she is.

Khitti seemed somewhat apologetic as she noted that raised brow of his, but said nothing, offering a faint smile instead. It was a look she often got when people asked for her story--as few and far between as that was. The only person that really understood had been Brand, and that was because the majority of her experiences had been shared with him, here in Lithrydel. “When someone assumes that you’re evil or will become so, just because you use dark magic, you get a different perspective on things,” she said at length with a shrug. He finished his food, said a few more things, attempting to be reassuring and helpful. These were all met with a nod and another smile, “You’re welcome. And you’re fine, really. I need to get out of the kitchen now and again.” Khitti would remain seated, when he moved from his chair, olive-green eyes peering up at the now oddly talkative male. He hadn’t seemed like that when he’d introduced himself to the new guild members at that meeting. “Goodbye, Eli.” She’d let him go off, to return to dealing with his own business elsewhere, and sighed once he’d gone, propping her head up on both arms, her elbows finding home on the table. “Hey, Victoria…” The dark-haired woman peered over the register at her boss, “Yeah?” Khitti finally shifted her head towards her head waitress, red brows furrowed somewhat, “I’m gonna need some peppermint tea. Probably a lot.” Victoria frowned somewhat, then nodded. Peppermint tea was that one thing she’d drink to comfort herself when she was thought about the past and wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to do away with the memories just yet or not.