RP:Wash and Debate

(Title subject to change)

Galina, eager to put her escape from the Masquerade ball behind her, takes what little advantage of using the whaler's bar, however a sudden warrior's appearance draw the servitude side of her out, and may have accidentally created a friend, a warrior in training, Kuto.

Whaler's Bar

Galina slithered into the tavern full of its sleeping compatriots no doubt sleeping off their alcoholic migraines. As she slithered up to the bar she took coil, to a position that lacked a chair, and winding herself up she rested herself on top of her coils and leans against the bar, to rest her generous bosom. Her top half was humanoid though as dark as a drow, and her white hair to match flowing long down her humanoid back, beside her she set down her pickaxe, and pressed a few silver she retrieved from her brown ragged shirt that she wore over her humanoid half. Her bright emerald eyes and her black scaly coils alone separating her from the drow. Her humanoid ears were pointed and elf like, yet small. She fingered the silver as she looked for the tender. She wore no smile, but sense of relief seemed to be about her. For those who might approach her, she was a little over six feet tall, and one might estimate she was a little over six feet long too.

A groan from outside can be heard as a young human male looking to be in his late 20's limps in, his six-foot frame bending forward slightly with each couple of steps. Though some would assume the sound was drawn from the alcoholic nature of this tavern Kuto was by no means drunk or even had a drop of spirits in him. If anything he looked more worn out and exhausted; fresh cuts and bludgeon wounds littered what could be seen of his body underneath the armor he wore. "Huh.... This... is new..." he wheezes before finding the first open chair and collapsing into it with a half-sigh, half-groan. Specks of brown hair can be seen under the hat, and glasses frame his brown eyes. A flinch would escape him before he'd realize he was leaning against the weapon strapped to his back. With care Kuto reaches back and undoes the harness before placing it in his lap and, with another sigh, glances around the tavern, noting the patrons. Mostly humanoids... wait what? Kuto blinks a couple times upon seeing the naga. A... snake woman? He thankfully keeps the thought inside his mind instead of speaking it out loud but his curiosity is still rather piqued. This was new to him, and another opportunity to learn about the world he'd be placed in. Unfortunately, it would be pretty easy to catch him staring should she notice.

Galina was used to the way she was stared by most other humanoids, she was afterall out of place. But then she had been for the past five years. Freed only recently by sheer luck or divine destined. She didn't know, she didn't care, she was out of it, even if she knew that she was being tracked. When the tender came around she ordered a tequila, but then taking more notice of the warrior to which she examined seemed to be hurt. She made no attempt to rush him, she was far to placid for that. But she uncoiled herself, and borrowing a napkin, and a clean bucket, she put down a little more silver for the bucket to be filled, and a proper cloth as opposed to the napkin she had. When what was prepared, she slithered forward, slouched slightly as if she didn't want to stand straight anymore, and something her eyes may have lay glimpse that her spirit had been crushed sometime ago. Her voice was small and soft, she lowers herself to try to be less imposing. "You are wounded, I am no doctor, but would you permit me to clean those wounds?" She would ask her voice soft.

Kuto feels his eyes widen as the woman approaches but slowly tells himself to relax, still in slight awe of her. "Oh... I would appreciate it, actually. As battle worn as I may look, this is only my second day in these lands and I am trying to earn my keep and learn to take care of myself," he offers a friendly smile and visibly relaxes. "Funnily enough, people have given me so much and I've barely been able to than them. It will be nice to expres gratitude to someone for once," Kuto laughs. With a frown, the human realizes he was rambling and offers the response she was probably looking for. "Yes, that would be much appreciated. Do I need to move or anything?" Kuto thought he detected... nervousness from her?

Galina nodded, listening to the man as she wet the towel, with the water, "If you would the armour where the wounds are." She said softly her eyes fixating almost hypnotically even though she would move them so they never locked with his. " She would as soon as he removed the armour where the wounds were inspect the damage.

Kuto would admit to being fascinated with her, which was perhaps why he seemed slightly reluctant to remove his armor, especially with others watching. Somewhat shyly he would slip out of his cloak and tunic but out of public decency kept them in his lap. Despite how tough and in-shape the armor made him look... Kuto was not quite in the shape of a warrior yet. No biceps protruded from his arms and his stomach, while not flabby and round, was definitely not flat against his torso, either. To put it simply: Kuto appeared rather wimpy under these armors, another sign of his short time in the world here. Every few seconds he would steal glances at her to take in her features, just learning what he could of her with his eyes. "Is this what you meant?" he asks.

Galina inspects the man beneath the armour, and doesn't say a word about what she sees, only applies pressure to the wounds at hand, and washes where the blood as stained, occasionally pouring a bit of tequila on the wounds to try to disinfect. By her appearance she had a large bosom, and curves in the right places, had she been a true humanoid she might have been a model, but there was likely something softer about her. Her shirt was really to small for her, likely not even hers her bosom taking up most of it making it into a makeshift crop top exposing her hourglass midriff, which was slightly toned and likely stronger than it appeared as were arms, but her hands were heavily calloused and not manicured, the pick axe by the bar prominently displaying her current career.

Kuto flinches and grits his teeth with the occasional dabs of alcohol on his broken skin. "Ghghgh!" he squeaks, trying to keep his voice down despite the burning pain. It was probably a good thing as Kuto was beginning to find her more than fascinating and needed the shift of focus away from her. Also noticing her slender figure, Kuto tries to pull his eyes away from her and does notice the pick axe. "Mining, huh? I made a stop -Hyurk!- there earlier... but I've actually spent -HoOH!- most of my time training today to be a WARRRRior!" The last word starts with a yell of pain and surprise as more treatments hit him in rather sensitive areas on his skin, despite his best efforts to keep his voice down. To his dismay, some of the patrons appearead to be waking up from their booze induced slumber to watch the sight of him being treated by a mysterious, if not attractive, woman. "I am hoping to join the Warrior's guild and learn what I can to make myself a decent member of socie-TEEEEEE!!!

Galina face was emotionless but, her eyes were not, if anything they may have seemed slightly sympathetic for the pain of the disinfectant. She handed him the tequila bottle so that he could drink some to numb the pain, as one bar people supplied her with a few bandages. Which she the proceeded to wrap around his wounds. "All can be fine in time." She said, sort of to the his fixing up but also at what he was planning on doing. His voice while a bit loud she didn't seem to let it visible bother her. "Society is hardly decent, individuals can be, so rarely is the whole." She added, trying to clean up.

Kuto breathes heavily for a minute, the alcohol still burning in spots, before accepting the tequila and slowly sipping a bit. Even with his inexperience with spirits he was thankful for something to numb his mind at the moment. "True, but that doesn't mean we as individuals can slack on our attempts to bring some good to others. Like you," he smiles in gratitude. "It looks like I'll owe you unless there's something I can help you with."

Galina shook her head, "No not for me, but if you happen to find any other naga who are frozen, and being moved by people somewhere like a mine, prevent those from carting them away." she said. "Every individual has a choice to choose, whether to be good to others or to be ill," She bowed her head softly coiling up and sitting on her coils. She closes her eyes briefly before speaking again. "I have a little more silver, if you want some food. "

Kuto frowns. Quietly he leans forward to ask her something privately.

Kuto whispered to you, "Why would your kind be being smuggled? And do you have any idea who?"

Galina whispered to Kuto, "our kind were frozen by a divine in the past, we are strong, and powerful magically, but when we were frozen in time, we are vulnerable, and they know how to break us, broke me."

Galina whispered to Kuto, "The only name i know of, was posted at the keylay tavern bulletin board, there are also two half giants who look for runaways I don't know their name only one is a half drow the other is an albino elf."

Kuto feels his heart go out to the naga, and before he can consider the consequences he reaches out and places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm Kuto Huri, only the Unremarkable for now, but I have never agreed with slavery or the smuggling of people. With more time, would you allow me to aid you?" the human asks quietly, a glint of determination in his eyes. Clearly more details about the time issues would need to be examined later, but her plight reaches him. Not to mention the fact he felt like it was time for him to give back to the world that had been generous with him to this point.

Galina looks at towards him as she feels his hand on her shoulder, she doesn't flinch nor does she react, whatever these people did to her, made her very un-reactionary. "Galina." She said, "I would admire your aid.: She said locking eyes with him for the first time, which hopefully wasn't to hypnotic, but then that what they had told her to stop doing.

Kuto has a weird feeling that shakes him to his core as their eyes meet. Though her face didn't show any feelings, her eyes seems to show more. At least Kuto could have sworn they did. "I just need more skill and practice. And maybe more information from you over time. Is that possible or is there a time frame for this smuggling to be done?" he asks, putting his armor back on.

Galina shook her head, “they have been doing this for five years and more, they will surely keep on doing it,” she drops her gaze “ They move between tunnels but the mine is always the same, its always boarded up, and it dry enough to crack snake skin.” Her coils more observable now seemed to have layers of dead skin on them, only a patch exposing the core beautiful obsidian black scales beneath. “ you do what you have to on so little water.”

Kuto said to you, "Do your kind require large amounts of water to keep your skin... er, scales, or... body in good shape?"

Galina replied, "yes lack of water and skin becomes cracked and painful, given long periods without,"

Kuto said to you, "I'm guessing it can't be saltwater, otherwise you probably would have cleaned yourself. Cenril is pretty close to the ocean, after all... -he puts a hand to his chin in thought.-"

The smallest of smiles formed on her lips. “Like salt in the wound?” She shook her head and whispered, “ I haven’t cleaned up since i might end up back there, which means the same conditions and no skin bubble, to hold the water we are granted.”

Kuto sighs in frustration at her plight, but then a metaphorical light bulb goes on in his head. "...I think I know a place that has a decent sized pool of water that you might be able to treat yourself in... as far as I know, it's fairly private from the few visits I've had of the area." Leaning forward, he asks quietly. "Would you oppose following me back to a place near Kelay?"

Galina said to Kuto, "i would follow, yes"

Hilltop View

Kuto carefully leads the Naga through forest and dirt roads, coming upon a small grove with a fairly sizeable pond in the middle of it. Thankfully no attention had been drawn to them and the human greatly hoped none would be as long as they were here. The human relaxes, hand off his sabre harness before turning to Galina. "This is it. Feel free to look around, I haven't seen anyone else come here yet besides me. And if you think it'll do..." Kuto points to the small body of water. "...You can treat yourself there."

Galina followed kuto as he led her to the pool. She looked around aware that there seemed to be no one else around. She did look out of caution but she nodded to Kuto, i may in fact, thank you” she said slithering towards the water near a large rock.

Kuto wasn't quite sure on how societal standards worked in naga society, but he at least had the feeling she was about to do the equivalent of undressing herself. Not wanting to disturb her or make her any more uncomfortable, Kuto takes a few steps away from the entrance and leans against a nearby tree, eyes scanning for any more potential visitors.

You didn’t remove her shirt, likely because it needed as much as a wah as she did, as she slipped into the pool took hold of the dead skin and began to peel it off. She rubbed what she could of the dust and reemerged some moments later slithering up to him. “ thank you.” She said when he turned around her wet brown shirt soaked but the black scales beneath her humanoid glossy and polished obsidian black with dark grey scales running along the front.

Kuto smiles as she reapproaches but her new look catches his attention. "You're wel-" he had stared but trailed off to simply end with "...Wow..." The human seems starstruck by her 'transformation'.

You her eyes said more even when her smile did not, “ thank you.” She said calmly she said trying to pull some of her white hair out of emerald green eyes.

Kuto dumbly repeats 'You're... welcome?" but would grin upon seeing her emotions crack through, even if only for a moment. Oh boy, what could I be getting myself into, he said to himself. "It feels good to finally do a good deed for someone else after all the generosity I've received," Kuto laughs before sitting down againt the tree, getting comfortable for a rest.

Galina nodded coiling near to him. “ The needs of the good are so often met while wants of the evil are met, who's happier?” She said posing the question.

Kuto shrugs. "I don't think that's for us to know, unfortunately. In the end all we can do is make as many people happy that we can," he would say before looking down to the ground. "Sorry if that's not the answer you want to hear, however as much as I may want to change things, I'm in no place to right now."

Galina she looked at him as he responded, then she responded, “ happiness is not a need, it is a desire, a want, if one wants change they have to make it happen, if change is needed change will inevitably come” she closed her eyes for a moment the cool of the water affecting her like the coldblooded creature she was. “Change is only what we make it when-we make it.

Kuto said to you, " You are right, Happiness may not be a need but a life full of misery is no way to live. You are also correct about change, I could have settled in as just another town civillian when I was brought here but I chose to get stronger and search for my calling. As much as the training hurt today, I know I will need to do it again tomorrow if I am to change my fate."

Galina who had begun to feel sleepy said “life is full of pain and change, we must adapt to survive, whether it in the services warriors, the devout, or in halls of a mage, we do what we choose to do.” She said her voice growing more soft as she snuggled up in her coils. “ every hour is a trial, to be full of happiness or through the learning pains of misery, its how we * yawns* respond to it that matters.”

Kuto said to you, "Hey... I know I said this place didn't get many visitors, but do you really feel safe enough to sleep here?"

Galina said to Kuto, "Death while sleeping is peaceful, if the divines, or whoever guides me has willed it, who am i to object? Besides I only fear two, and few animals would attack a naga, she said yawning her mouth opening unusually wide like a snake before she rested her chin on her coils."

Kuto stands up and dusts the dirt off his armor before looking down at her. "For what it's worth, I hope peaceful sleep finds you and that you live for me to make good on my offer for you. Take care, Galina," the human would nod his head courteously before taking steps away from the grove. He would pause and turn his head to look back at her and make sure she'd settled in to sleep.

Galina sure enough had settled into her sleep patterns, it take some time for the sun to wake the naga or hot water from some child prank at this point, but as he departed her first real smile appears on her face, gentle and full of mesmerizing joy.