The stern woman's apology went unacknowledged as Kasrjin had begun to pile Edda's belongings together. It was not out of bitterness or anger, but the pragmatic Xaela felt that acknowledging such a statement was as unnecessary as the statement itself. She had expressed apologies--the feeling of regret--presumably for making the assumption that he was Dravanian. She was the second person to do so, and given the horns and the scales, it was an easy assumption to make for one who had never seen an Au Ra. As for "answering every threat with immediate violence", what exactly did she take him for? Edda, too, had looked upon him with apprehension, even fear on their encounter.
He frowned as he carefully folded a few clumps of robust cloth. There must have been a misunderstanding, or it was another social principle of the western continent that escaped him. The Xaela was a thinking man, but with the looks being given by those who had encountered him, most must think him--and to a certain extension, other Au Ra--to be some indiscriminate force of nature. The violence was inefficient and meaningless, but necessary given the circumstances. They were situations of self-defence, but then perhaps they were squeamish to such things. It seemed every other facet of this society called to mind another of Tsanai's warnings, and the more he recalled her, the greater his yearning for her guidance was.
It seemed that the stern woman realised that waiting for some sentiment of acceptance from him was futile, for she turned away immediately after delivering her statement.
It was the first sensible thing she had done thus far. Such were Kasrjin's thoughts.
The Au Ra avoided the large bird when he could. Presumably it was similar to a horse, but even if it was, dealing with animals in the way of mounts or beasts of burden was outside of his capacity as a Khadai, and so he did what he could to instead be thorough in collecting Edda's personal effects and placing them in the camp site. His thoughts drifted idly as he then continued his task of collecting the body parts. It would have been better to send an Aljai, perhaps, but then they lacked the requisite skills to survive on their own. Yet, Kasrjin lacked the communication skills of the traders and administrators. Tsanai's justification for the Khadai was sound, but it seemed to the Xaela that he was more likely to be killed by misunderstanding than by the weather or violent foes.
By the time his train of thought had come to a halt his task had been finished, and Edda, presumably finished with her discussion, approached him. “She is not entirely wrong, you know,†the female said to him. “As we approach Ishgard, it would be wise of you to keep your head down. The people of Coerthas do not take well to strangers, least of all those with horns and scales.â€
Edda paused momentarily before speaking again in a hush. “I know not where it is you seek to go, but Coerthas and the surrounding lands are vast. Will you go the city, Ishgard? Or does your destination lie beyond? You need not answer right now – think on it, if you must.â€
The Xaela stood up and crossed his arms. He was aware, at least now, of his appearance to those of Ishgard. Their conflict of swords and wings brought them to bear against dragons, and his scales and horns would certainly cause issue with those who had not yet familiarized themselves with his kind. A passive approach would be best...though if someone attacked them again, Kasrjin was not certain of the appropriate response. Clearly defending himself brought about nothing but disapproval, leading him to believe that such actions were somehow deplorable. Perhaps the self-preservation instinct was different here.
As for her second query, he glanced at her and gathered his thoughts. His objective would require more information, first, to narrow down the search area. Certain items would be needed. A map, a compass, supplies...Kasrjin frowned. The concept of currency was not foreign to him, but like so many other things, dealing with such matters was meant for an Aljai. He was familiar with the idea of bartering--and its massive inefficiency as a system of resource distribution--and thus he would require suitable quantities of items to exchange.
After remaining silent for several minutes, he spoke. "Ishgard. I require information, and I wish to..." Kasrjin gestured to the campsite where the corpses were hidden. "...learn to avoid such situations in the future." It was also possible that this larger settlement of Ishgard possessed those who could interpret the Correspondence, which would make it all that much more important to reach. If they were capable of deciphering the last few pieces, it could potentially narrow his search greatly.
The Xaela glanced at the female curiously. "Upon arrival, you shall have fulfilled your agreement with me. In what capacity will I engage in combat on your behalf?" He had already asked again, but it was worth another try. "In what manner will you contact me should my abilities be unnecessary in the near future?"
Kasrjin frowned again, upon making another realisation. "Will we be accompanied by the stern woman?"
He frowned as he carefully folded a few clumps of robust cloth. There must have been a misunderstanding, or it was another social principle of the western continent that escaped him. The Xaela was a thinking man, but with the looks being given by those who had encountered him, most must think him--and to a certain extension, other Au Ra--to be some indiscriminate force of nature. The violence was inefficient and meaningless, but necessary given the circumstances. They were situations of self-defence, but then perhaps they were squeamish to such things. It seemed every other facet of this society called to mind another of Tsanai's warnings, and the more he recalled her, the greater his yearning for her guidance was.
It seemed that the stern woman realised that waiting for some sentiment of acceptance from him was futile, for she turned away immediately after delivering her statement.
It was the first sensible thing she had done thus far. Such were Kasrjin's thoughts.
The Au Ra avoided the large bird when he could. Presumably it was similar to a horse, but even if it was, dealing with animals in the way of mounts or beasts of burden was outside of his capacity as a Khadai, and so he did what he could to instead be thorough in collecting Edda's personal effects and placing them in the camp site. His thoughts drifted idly as he then continued his task of collecting the body parts. It would have been better to send an Aljai, perhaps, but then they lacked the requisite skills to survive on their own. Yet, Kasrjin lacked the communication skills of the traders and administrators. Tsanai's justification for the Khadai was sound, but it seemed to the Xaela that he was more likely to be killed by misunderstanding than by the weather or violent foes.
By the time his train of thought had come to a halt his task had been finished, and Edda, presumably finished with her discussion, approached him. “She is not entirely wrong, you know,†the female said to him. “As we approach Ishgard, it would be wise of you to keep your head down. The people of Coerthas do not take well to strangers, least of all those with horns and scales.â€
Edda paused momentarily before speaking again in a hush. “I know not where it is you seek to go, but Coerthas and the surrounding lands are vast. Will you go the city, Ishgard? Or does your destination lie beyond? You need not answer right now – think on it, if you must.â€
The Xaela stood up and crossed his arms. He was aware, at least now, of his appearance to those of Ishgard. Their conflict of swords and wings brought them to bear against dragons, and his scales and horns would certainly cause issue with those who had not yet familiarized themselves with his kind. A passive approach would be best...though if someone attacked them again, Kasrjin was not certain of the appropriate response. Clearly defending himself brought about nothing but disapproval, leading him to believe that such actions were somehow deplorable. Perhaps the self-preservation instinct was different here.
As for her second query, he glanced at her and gathered his thoughts. His objective would require more information, first, to narrow down the search area. Certain items would be needed. A map, a compass, supplies...Kasrjin frowned. The concept of currency was not foreign to him, but like so many other things, dealing with such matters was meant for an Aljai. He was familiar with the idea of bartering--and its massive inefficiency as a system of resource distribution--and thus he would require suitable quantities of items to exchange.
After remaining silent for several minutes, he spoke. "Ishgard. I require information, and I wish to..." Kasrjin gestured to the campsite where the corpses were hidden. "...learn to avoid such situations in the future." It was also possible that this larger settlement of Ishgard possessed those who could interpret the Correspondence, which would make it all that much more important to reach. If they were capable of deciphering the last few pieces, it could potentially narrow his search greatly.
The Xaela glanced at the female curiously. "Upon arrival, you shall have fulfilled your agreement with me. In what capacity will I engage in combat on your behalf?" He had already asked again, but it was worth another try. "In what manner will you contact me should my abilities be unnecessary in the near future?"
Kasrjin frowned again, upon making another realisation. "Will we be accompanied by the stern woman?"
