It was a slow week at the inn in our little hamlet, maybe that’s why those ladies left such an impression. It’s not like we don’t get travelers passing through on a regular basis, though they never stay long - we are only a rest stop for merchants going to where the real money is, and adventurers need something more exciting than this languid town.
The day was sunny and pleasant, and the door was open to air the place out. I was wiping down the counter when a pair of shadows stepped through the door. Once they were in enough for me to get a good look I saw they were both young Miqo’te ladies.
One was of average height and lithe of figure. She sported somewhat short hair, black with dull orange streaks, braids on the sides. Her eyes were a shade between yellow and green. On her back was a short bow. Her clothes were mostly of rich blues, and those of someone who favored freedom of movement.
The other one was, in many ways, the opposite. Tall and a little more stocky of build than a typical Miqo’te - but it was clear that she just had a larger frame, and a lot of lean muscle to go with it. The light armor provided decent protection, with a sword on her hip and small shield on her back. Her hair was cropped along her jawline, a pale off-white with dull orange streaks. Her eyes shown a bright blue. Her attire favored rich reds and dark golds.
Both were tanned, as people who spend much time in the sun. The two went to a table, the dark haired one smiled and waved at me, while the tall one gave a friendly nod. I stepped around the counter as they took their packs off their backs. They saw me approach then sat down with a look of relief, I’m sure in part because neither had to approach me to make an order.
I’ve always been good with faces, and what struck me about the two as I got closer was the similarities rather than the differences. That shade of orange that streaked the hair on both was the same. The shape of their ears, the eyes, nose, curve of their lips... not perfect matches, but very close. There was no doubt these two were related, probably sisters.
I greeted them and asked what I could do for them. The dark haired one chimed, “Hi! Hey, how long have you worked here?†I told her, with a little pride, that the place had been with our family for five generations. “Oh good. Say, in the past few summers, you wouldn’t happen to have had a Hyur pass through, about so high,†she raised a hand up, “late forties, salt and pepper hair...†She continued to describe a charming sounding gent, painting a vivid picture of him with her words. “Goes by the name Nicolae Tregarde.â€
“He would have been asking about us,†the light haired one said.
The dark haired one glanced around, “oh, where’d Lu go?â€
“Where else?†the light haired one said with a shrug. “To the market to haggle for baubles we can ill afford.â€
“Hope she finds something nice,†the dark haired one replied without an ounce of sarcasm, then turned back to me. “So, did he happen to come by that you recall?â€
I told them that I certainly would have recalled such a person, especially after she had described him so well, but that no, I had not seen him.
“Well... damn,†the dark haired one said as her ears drooped, disappointment in her voice and on her face.
“That’s another one off the list,†the light haired one sighed and leaned her elbow on the table, head tilted in the palm of her hand. “Running out of places.â€
Now I was curious. I asked, if they didn’t mind, what this man was to them.
“He’s our papa,†the dark haired one said.
“Adopted,†the light haired one added, anticipating my question. Clearly they had been through this before.
I said I’d love to hear the story of how they came to be adopted by a Hyur, to which the dark haired one perked up and said in a sing-song, “story time! Story time!†This one didn’t seem to stay down for long, and I even noticed a hint of a resigned smile on the other.
But first I took their orders. I fetched a couple meads, apparently they were going to let this Lu fend for herself when she got here, then introduced myself.
The dark haired one said cheerfully, “I’m Moire, and this is Katarina.†She waved a hand to her sister, “a cat named Kat.â€
“Mo...†Katarina scrunched her face at her sister. Like some Miqo’te she found the comparison to domesticated pets annoying. She then looked to me, “Trina, please. Anyroad, I was named after our papa’s mother.â€
“And I was named after ma’s ma,†Moire said with a little pride. “Uh, adopted ma’s ma, not our mama’s ma. Obviously.â€
Katarina made a motion to a chair, she could tell this might take a while. I glanced around to make sure the other customers were fine. Just two others, locals, they would get my attention if they needed anything. I could tell that they were as curious to hear the story of these travelers, but were discrete enough to not barge in. I sat and asked the two, please, to continue.
The day was sunny and pleasant, and the door was open to air the place out. I was wiping down the counter when a pair of shadows stepped through the door. Once they were in enough for me to get a good look I saw they were both young Miqo’te ladies.
One was of average height and lithe of figure. She sported somewhat short hair, black with dull orange streaks, braids on the sides. Her eyes were a shade between yellow and green. On her back was a short bow. Her clothes were mostly of rich blues, and those of someone who favored freedom of movement.
The other one was, in many ways, the opposite. Tall and a little more stocky of build than a typical Miqo’te - but it was clear that she just had a larger frame, and a lot of lean muscle to go with it. The light armor provided decent protection, with a sword on her hip and small shield on her back. Her hair was cropped along her jawline, a pale off-white with dull orange streaks. Her eyes shown a bright blue. Her attire favored rich reds and dark golds.
Both were tanned, as people who spend much time in the sun. The two went to a table, the dark haired one smiled and waved at me, while the tall one gave a friendly nod. I stepped around the counter as they took their packs off their backs. They saw me approach then sat down with a look of relief, I’m sure in part because neither had to approach me to make an order.
I’ve always been good with faces, and what struck me about the two as I got closer was the similarities rather than the differences. That shade of orange that streaked the hair on both was the same. The shape of their ears, the eyes, nose, curve of their lips... not perfect matches, but very close. There was no doubt these two were related, probably sisters.
I greeted them and asked what I could do for them. The dark haired one chimed, “Hi! Hey, how long have you worked here?†I told her, with a little pride, that the place had been with our family for five generations. “Oh good. Say, in the past few summers, you wouldn’t happen to have had a Hyur pass through, about so high,†she raised a hand up, “late forties, salt and pepper hair...†She continued to describe a charming sounding gent, painting a vivid picture of him with her words. “Goes by the name Nicolae Tregarde.â€
“He would have been asking about us,†the light haired one said.
The dark haired one glanced around, “oh, where’d Lu go?â€
“Where else?†the light haired one said with a shrug. “To the market to haggle for baubles we can ill afford.â€
“Hope she finds something nice,†the dark haired one replied without an ounce of sarcasm, then turned back to me. “So, did he happen to come by that you recall?â€
I told them that I certainly would have recalled such a person, especially after she had described him so well, but that no, I had not seen him.
“Well... damn,†the dark haired one said as her ears drooped, disappointment in her voice and on her face.
“That’s another one off the list,†the light haired one sighed and leaned her elbow on the table, head tilted in the palm of her hand. “Running out of places.â€
Now I was curious. I asked, if they didn’t mind, what this man was to them.
“He’s our papa,†the dark haired one said.
“Adopted,†the light haired one added, anticipating my question. Clearly they had been through this before.
I said I’d love to hear the story of how they came to be adopted by a Hyur, to which the dark haired one perked up and said in a sing-song, “story time! Story time!†This one didn’t seem to stay down for long, and I even noticed a hint of a resigned smile on the other.
But first I took their orders. I fetched a couple meads, apparently they were going to let this Lu fend for herself when she got here, then introduced myself.
The dark haired one said cheerfully, “I’m Moire, and this is Katarina.†She waved a hand to her sister, “a cat named Kat.â€
“Mo...†Katarina scrunched her face at her sister. Like some Miqo’te she found the comparison to domesticated pets annoying. She then looked to me, “Trina, please. Anyroad, I was named after our papa’s mother.â€
“And I was named after ma’s ma,†Moire said with a little pride. “Uh, adopted ma’s ma, not our mama’s ma. Obviously.â€
Katarina made a motion to a chair, she could tell this might take a while. I glanced around to make sure the other customers were fine. Just two others, locals, they would get my attention if they needed anything. I could tell that they were as curious to hear the story of these travelers, but were discrete enough to not barge in. I sat and asked the two, please, to continue.
