Rainy Day Meal (Open)

Thread Status: Open
Players involved: Shinzu,
Characters involved: Atlas (Shinzu), 
Setting: Linosea Forest, close to the plains
Time: Current, midday
Weather: It's a stormy day. The wind is rough and the clouds are dark, but it hasn't quite yet started to rain.

---

He had known since the night before that rain was going to swoop right in, halting any of his attempts to get to the plains for a few days of travel and hunting. Thankfully he wasn't low on food yet, but over the years Atlas had learned to keep a good stock of everything he needed: berries, eggs, herbs, medicine, and wrapped up packages of dried meat. Fresh meat was so much nicer to eat, and tastier too, but he didn't feel like figuring out a way to carry around one of those weird magic-insulation boxes he'd seen in one of the cities. One of those ones where you make it really cold and it keeps cold for a few days... Man, that'd be really nice. But Atlas did have some nice spices for when he set his meat out to dry, so it was like a treat on a long day. Or right now, while the air was chilly, the air rough, and his hut was filled with warmth from a fire in the fireplace.

The rest of his fresh meat had gone toward a stew. It smelled wonderful, with spices, beans, and vegetables. However, it wasn't quite done yet. Atlas stood up and meandered his way outside, where he had a few tables, some posts, and chairs, so that people coming by could think, 'hey, someone actually lives here.' A visitor every now and then was always lovely, though he was well aware of parents telling their children or friends not to go into the woods to talk to strangers. Even elven strangers were strangers.

Atlas sat down in one of the chairs by the table, holding his head in his hand as he watched the clouds swirl around in the sky above. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the sky was lit up by lightning. He pulled his short cloak over his shoulders tighter, but otherwise he enjoyed the weather quite much, his eyes closed and body relaxed.

The fringes of the plains and Linosea Forest were more than familiar territory. The darkness of the forest and the muted greenery of the plains were as opposite as night and day for those unfamiliar with the laws of the land. However, despite having lived nomadically along the fringes, Faolan hadn't seen every single inch of that line. There was no way to, not for a single elf who had just become an adult not too long ago.

Not even during the tail end of his adolescence either, though he did find himself traveling a fair bit back then.

The sky wasn't its usual expanse of blue. Unfortunate considering it was almost time for him and G'reg to head over the mountains. He'd heard a strange rumor the last time he'd been in a Pren village. Something about a shrine to a fire Oracle going up in flames and burning everything alive. Sounded like fear mongering to Faolan, but G'reg had expressed interest and Faolan wasn't yet skilled enough to control the beast.

As the sky grew darker, a nagging itch in the back of Faolan's conscious pulled him away from his inner thoughts.

"What is it, G'reg?"

G'reg's voice was unmistakable. Deceptively human and warm. Whenever G'reg would intrude, Faolan was captivated. How could a dragon's words sound so inviting?

"You'll do well to find shelter, elven. I will not fly in these rains."

Faolan shoved G'reg's presence away and pressed forward with a new sense of urgency. G'reg was off in the plains somewhere and Faolan didn't need to be told twice. Sleeping in the trees was ill-advised when the storms would rage. He pulled his leather cloak around himself. He was just at the crest of a small hill and he could see a small house with a person sitting outside of it.

He immediately reached out to G'reg, who chuffed.

"You didn't know about this house, did you?"

G'reg didn't respond.

Faolan decided not to press the issue and pressed on, making his way down the hill to the house. The closer he got, the more he could make out. Some chairs, a table, a fence. Did someone actually live out here other than him? Astounding.

He approached Atlas, cautious.

"Pardon the intrusion," Faolan said slowly. "I'm not prepared to travel the plains in a storm. Might I wait here until it passes?"

Had Atlas been a few years younger, he would have practically jumped out of his skin when he heard the other person approach. Nowadays though, he was far more mellow, much more quiet, allowing things to happen as they did. And with the approaching storm, he was not surprised at all that someone was out and about, even though few people rarely passed by these parts to begin with. Humans, elves, demons, what have you-- most of them did better in large groups, up in their cities and towns or hopping about the treetops. Seeing another person approach--and an elf no less!--was like a ray of sunshine in this welcome but gloomy weather.

"It's no problem at all," Atlas said, his voice surprisingly high for someone so tall and well built as compared to his kin. He gestured to the table. "Feel free to sit if you'd like! Or I've got some stew warmed up inside, if you're one who eats meats and vegetables." 

He shrugged, giving the elf a soft and warm smile. "Say, what brings you out here all the way to the plains? Don't see too many elves outside of the forest!"

Faolan immediately thought about G'reg. The only reason he was ever out in the plains anymore was because of that green giant. Didn't seem all the strange to him, but Atlas's comment brought him back to that reality. Oh, right. Elves need to be in the forest and never anywhere else.

"Watch your temper," G'reg whispered.

Faolan frowned a little as he took a seat, adjusting his cloak a little and setting down his small pack. "I heard some rumors from some of the Pren elves," he started cautiously. "They didn't seem too concerned, but there was some sort of accident in Sleibte that is causing concern for humans, I believe. I'm sure you can figure out the rest. Humans being concerned has never been a good thing."

They tended to overreact much of the time. Faolan wouldn't admit that he was very curious about this accident to anyone. Not even to G'reg, though he suspected G'reg already knew and just wasn't saying anything substantial.

"I would appreciate a little stew," Faolan said, that little frown breaking into something more hospitable. "The storm is likely going to drive off any game I could catch on my own. I'm Faolan."

Atlas nodded and began to get up, pushing most of his cloak out behind him. He glanced at the sky once more before standing completely and gesturing out to the forest and plains around them. "I'm in very much the same situation, but I had a bit of rabbit left over, at least," he said with a laugh. "And, you know, it's good to meet you Faolan. I'm Atlas. Nomad. Elf."

He gestured for the other to wait for just a moment and came back with two steaming warm bowls of stew and spoons. He set one in front of Faolan and sat back down in his original spot, stirring his stew, but not yet eating it. "What were you saying about the humans?" Atlas finally asked. "I've been out in the plains for a few weeks, I haven't visited the cities quite yet. And, well, very few people stop around here for more than a few minutes."

"According to the information that these particular elves had, there was some kind of attack on a shrine in Sleibte," Faolan explained, accepting the stew with a low chirp. "They didn't have a lot of information that was reliable, but they claim an Oracle died. Killed I think."

Some of the travelers through the Pren territories weren't always in the right frame of mind, especially if they weren't natives to the forest. Linosea Forest wasn't the kindest environment even for those who lived there for centuries. Travelers had to take extra precautions. Faolan doubted the legitimacy of the claim immensely. Oracles were vessels to the gods, were they not?

Who would be foolish enough directly attack an Oracle?

"Humans get antsy when anything outside of civil disputes plague them. And they do cause a bit of a mess when they get antsy."

Faolan dipped his spoon into the stew and took a sip. Deliciously hot. He hadn't had a properly cooked meal in a long time. Starting fires in the plains was ill-advised and G'reg usually would squash the fires out unless he'd made them himself. The was - apparently - a fundamental difference in the two types of fire.

"It must have happened recently, if you haven't heard about it from travelers," Faolan pointed out. "So far, most of the travelers I have come across have heard at least a little something about it. It varies depending on who you're talking to but the general agreed story is an Oracle died and humans are upset about it."

As the young elf talked, Atlas nodded and listened patiently. He slowly ate his stew, letting it sit and soak farther in the broth before going in for the rabbit meat. The storm was drawing ever closer, but he didn't appear to mind nor care at this point, focused entirely at the conversation at hand. "That's truly an unfortunate event," he said softly. "It's understandable that humans are upset! Anyone would be upset, really. I imagine I haven't heard about it or anything because I've been...out here."

He gestured to the little cabin house and yard around him. "Wasn't going to head into the city for a few more months at least."

Faolan nodded. "I find it's usually best to avoid rumors because most are unfounded, but I'd like to think that there is some merit to this. I'm curious to say the least. I was going to head out there to see for myself what the truth really is, but I'm a little hard pressed to find someone willing to go with me."

"You, mean someone to go with me? Shame, elven. You shouldn't be lying like that."

As if G'reg wasn't the biggest liar in the world. Old man.

Faolan, however, did fall silent. He'd have to be careful about what he did and said next. Honestly, he would have liked to have some company outside of G'reg, who was secretive and didn't talk much outside of molding him into a better conversationalist. Somehow, it didn't have the same feeling to it. His connection with G'reg was unnatural. It had to be.

He continued to eat his stew and watch the clouds. They were swirling dangerously and darkened as  time passed. The threat of rain was so severe, that a few drops splashed down, but quickly stopped. There was a flash of lightning arcing across the sky followed by a deep and menacing rumble.

"Oh my."

Though Atlas didn't reply to Faolan's first comment about wanting someone to go with him, he did react to the rain. He batted a few rain drops out of the sky and stood up, yanking on his shirt collar as sweat rolled down his forehead and neck. It was so humid, more so than he had realized at first, and he picked up his bowl while gesturing inside with one of his free hands.

"We can continue the conversation inside, if you don't need to leave so soon," he offered. A bit of thunder here and there was no problem, but having to wait for one's clothing to dry...now that, truly, was a problem. He didn't like how it stuck to his skin, but he didn't really complain much. No reason to. Atlas simply offered the younger one the choice to follow him and meandered inside, where a warm fire was crackling under the pot of stew he had made. 

The little hut itself wasn't that impressive. A few rooms; a bedroom, a common room, and a small storage room. It was patched up of almost all the leaks he managed to find, and as long as it remained dry, he didn't care. The table inside had a few cushioned chairs, a bed against the wall, and various travel equipment strewn about. Atlas took a seat at the table, scowling quite a bit, as if thinking.

Faolan sighed and hurried into the hut as the rain began to fall harder. He'd come originally to seek shelter from the rain. The meal was just a bonus and as he took a seat in one of the cushioned chairs, he felt an overwhelming sense of coziness. The place didn't look like much, but it did feel like a warm and inviting place to stay.

Faolan was just the type who preferred to wander. Maybe not too far from the forests, but he didn't want to settle in one place. It was too much work, and he was bound to a dragon. A dragon who didn't like to stay in one place unless it was advantageous for him. He had to push that out of his mind. Maybe it would be better to just head back out into the rain. This felt awkward all of a sudden.

But then a huge crash ripped through the sky and Faolan thought better of it.

"I wasn't incredibly interested in traveling in the rain, to be quite honest," he muttered. "I appreciate your hospitality. You look concerned though. Is something wrong?"