While his transient companion made herself busy with her retrieval of items, Kasrjin had occupied himself with examining the town from the vantage point of the settlement's central forum and examining the curious rock that levitated at its hub. The occasional passersby would glance at him curiously, but besides the man from before none had approached him. The settlement itself quickly exhausted the remainder of Kasrjin's interest, which had been invested fully into the floating azure formation.
The more he gazed at the structure, the more it intrigued him. The rock formation was rough cut and housed in brass; the way it levitated and rotated meant it was clearly arcane in nature. The Xaela had placed his forehead against it and closed his eyes briefly, and confirming his suspicions was a certain telltale feeling--albeit a minuscule one--of that paradoxical cross between a low hum against one's skin and suddenly sticking one's hand into boiling water. However, the familiarity of the sensation felt...wrong. It was too refined, and too artificial. While Kasrjin's perceptions of it had at least a passing similarity, everything else about the energy felt foreign. Another cursory inspection of his surroundings failed to reveal any of the peoples wearing pointed hats that may have been able to answer his inquiries, and the Au Ra stepped away from the formation.
Still, what exactly was the purpose of this structure? The brass of the formation and its position in the hub of the town allowed a few theories to form in the Xaela's mind. Perhaps it was merely a symbol of cultural importance, or they utilised its energy in some way that was not obvious from its appearance alone.
In any case, the Tsenkhai's suspicions were at least partially correct. Though its form was twisted and warped beyond almost all recognition, something that bore a vague resemblance to the Correspondence was present upon the western continent. That was one question that had been handily answered. Though the energy's nature he had yet to understand, it was progress.
The Xaela was lost in thought, hands straight down at his sides when the corner of his eye caught the presence of someone approaching him--the female who had brought him into town, this time brandishing a large knapsack upon her shoulders. Her gait had straightened considerably, suggesting that the injury she had suffered was healed, or at least sufficiently cared for such that it did not significantly impact her rate of movement. Many of the larger items she had begun to fasten to the feathered bird creature whose presence Kasrjin had completely failed to keep track of.
"Any trouble?" the female asked. A smile was creasing her face, for some reason.
She received a confused frown from the Au Ra for her efforts.
As if sensing his inability to comprehend such a nonspecific query, the female asked a different question that seemed similar in intention and tone, though only somewhat less confusing in its wording. "Are you alright?" She was still smiling in a fashion that had begun to cause the austere Xaela some small measure of discomfort. Kasrjin went down a brief mental checklist in order to evaluate the nature and purpose of the question. She should be able to infer based on his appearance and movements that he was at least visibly uninjured. If the female had intended to ask as to the status of his mental health, she would have specifically asked such a query, so therefore by asking this question of "are you alright", the female must not have intended to ask about that. The word "alright" had a definition that could be loosely interpreted based on the context, and she presumably was not inquiring as to the nature of directions in terms of left and right. Was she asking him what he wanted?
He followed up with a sentence spoken in a rather stiff, mechanical fashion. "I wish to comprehend this land's social conventions as we travel," Kasrjin stated bluntly in a fashion that he was rapidly becoming more comfortable with. He'd refrained from such questions before out of thin consideration, but now was not the moment to be prancing around about conversation practices. While they were making their way to their destination, he would obtain information he needed in order to perform the function he had been assigned in the most efficient manner possible.
The Xaela spun around a few times to gain his bearings before looking straight at the female again, noting her height as he had to practically gaze at his navel in order to examine her properly. "We are going to...Cur-this? Is this the name of the destination I am bound for?"
The more he gazed at the structure, the more it intrigued him. The rock formation was rough cut and housed in brass; the way it levitated and rotated meant it was clearly arcane in nature. The Xaela had placed his forehead against it and closed his eyes briefly, and confirming his suspicions was a certain telltale feeling--albeit a minuscule one--of that paradoxical cross between a low hum against one's skin and suddenly sticking one's hand into boiling water. However, the familiarity of the sensation felt...wrong. It was too refined, and too artificial. While Kasrjin's perceptions of it had at least a passing similarity, everything else about the energy felt foreign. Another cursory inspection of his surroundings failed to reveal any of the peoples wearing pointed hats that may have been able to answer his inquiries, and the Au Ra stepped away from the formation.
Still, what exactly was the purpose of this structure? The brass of the formation and its position in the hub of the town allowed a few theories to form in the Xaela's mind. Perhaps it was merely a symbol of cultural importance, or they utilised its energy in some way that was not obvious from its appearance alone.
In any case, the Tsenkhai's suspicions were at least partially correct. Though its form was twisted and warped beyond almost all recognition, something that bore a vague resemblance to the Correspondence was present upon the western continent. That was one question that had been handily answered. Though the energy's nature he had yet to understand, it was progress.
The Xaela was lost in thought, hands straight down at his sides when the corner of his eye caught the presence of someone approaching him--the female who had brought him into town, this time brandishing a large knapsack upon her shoulders. Her gait had straightened considerably, suggesting that the injury she had suffered was healed, or at least sufficiently cared for such that it did not significantly impact her rate of movement. Many of the larger items she had begun to fasten to the feathered bird creature whose presence Kasrjin had completely failed to keep track of.
"Any trouble?" the female asked. A smile was creasing her face, for some reason.
She received a confused frown from the Au Ra for her efforts.
As if sensing his inability to comprehend such a nonspecific query, the female asked a different question that seemed similar in intention and tone, though only somewhat less confusing in its wording. "Are you alright?" She was still smiling in a fashion that had begun to cause the austere Xaela some small measure of discomfort. Kasrjin went down a brief mental checklist in order to evaluate the nature and purpose of the question. She should be able to infer based on his appearance and movements that he was at least visibly uninjured. If the female had intended to ask as to the status of his mental health, she would have specifically asked such a query, so therefore by asking this question of "are you alright", the female must not have intended to ask about that. The word "alright" had a definition that could be loosely interpreted based on the context, and she presumably was not inquiring as to the nature of directions in terms of left and right. Was she asking him what he wanted?
He followed up with a sentence spoken in a rather stiff, mechanical fashion. "I wish to comprehend this land's social conventions as we travel," Kasrjin stated bluntly in a fashion that he was rapidly becoming more comfortable with. He'd refrained from such questions before out of thin consideration, but now was not the moment to be prancing around about conversation practices. While they were making their way to their destination, he would obtain information he needed in order to perform the function he had been assigned in the most efficient manner possible.
The Xaela spun around a few times to gain his bearings before looking straight at the female again, noting her height as he had to practically gaze at his navel in order to examine her properly. "We are going to...Cur-this? Is this the name of the destination I am bound for?"
