Meeting Of The Minds

Posted on 24 Sep 2022 @ 10:05pm by Mage Kalian Winter & Rogue Nazri Arisant

1,412 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Hall of the Phantom Shadow
Location: Jader - the Raven's Roost
Timeline: Bloomingtide 4th

Nazri had killed a man. To be fully transparent, he'd killed a score of men. It wasn't as though he went out of the way to kill, but it was an occupational hazard in his line of work. He was a bounty hunter. He'd lost a lot of sleep over the first. He hadn't had a case of insomnia since. The people he killed had it coming and he gave them a chance when he could. He really didn't feel a sense of guilt Until now.

He'd given Hiram a chance too. A choice between surrendering or being shot. Hiram had chosen a third option, he'd jumped to his death, but not before swearing his innocence. Everyone he hunted was innocent or at least said they were. So he hadn't considered it might actually be true.

But something Hiram had said before he leaped had caused him to think. Thinking had caused him to check things out. Checking things out had led him to believe he might have been right. He'd spoken to Ian, Hiram's brother who had told him he could find his answer in Jader.

So he'd decided to check things out a little further. He stepped off the Falcon and took a moment to get adjusted to not having a swaying deck under his feet. He spotted a tavern with a sign above it. Not all of his people could read, but Nazari could. Raven's Roost. It seemed as good a place as any to start his search, or at least get a hot meal and a cold drink.

He crossed the distance to the establishment, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

Kalian looked up from the bar, his eyes widening at the sight of a qunari ducking his horned head to fit through the Raven's door frame. It'd been a slow afternoon, the usual lull before the evening patrons started to arrive. "Good day, serah," said Kalian with friendly enthusiasm. Jader was a busy trade port, so qunari weren't rare exactly, but certainly interesting. "Welcome to the Raven's Roost. How may I help you? We have some delicious stew simmering in the kitchen, made fresh this morning, and even better ale on tap."

Nazri didn't realize he'd been frowning. At the mention of food and now being fully, or at least mostly acclimated to being on solid footing, the frown slowly morphed into a smile. At least the corners of his lips were turned up.

He turned his head slightly and made no effort to cloak his sniffing the air. "Stew sounds so good, smells good too. What is it?"

"Lamb, with carrots, turnips, onions, and a blend of culinary herbs and spices that Cook keeps secret." Kalian gestured to the common room, empty except for two older women chatting at a corner table. "Choose any table you like, and I'll bring you a bowl."

"Sounds good, and I'll have a tankard of ale."

"It will be my pleasure." Kalian hurried to the kitchen and filled a large-sized bowl with the hearty stew, brought it out with a half-loaf of crusty bread fresh from the bakery that morning, and set it on the table in front of his qunari guest. Then he returned to the bar and filled two tankards with ale, set one in front of the qunari, and asked, "Do you mind if I join you?"

Nazari quirked one brow, it wasn't a question he often got. "Sure," he replied "If you want. I'd be happy to have you join me."

Kalian sat across from the qunari and took a sip of his own beer. "My name is Kalian. The tavern belongs to my family, my sister runs it." He grinned and looked the other man over curiously, gaze lingering on the horns. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Jader?"

"My name is Nazri," there was a pause, the qunari wasn't going to put all his cards on the table just yet. "I've been told a story, I'm here to check it out."

"Well, Jader is full of stories." His curiosity was peaked, but Kalian resisted prying... for now. "Have you visited Jader before?"

"No, I can't say that I have," Nazri replied after a long sip from the tankard, "What about you? How long have you been here?"

"I grew up here, for the most part. For a few years I, uh… stayed with my grandmother southwest of Jader. To, uh, help her out." The truth of it was, Kalian's grandmother taught him to control his magic, but that was a story he was unlikely to tell a stranger. Kalian took a deep pull of his ale. "This tavern... before my sister, my father ran the Raven's Roost, and my grandfather before him. If you're looking for a place or a person in Jader, I know the town pretty well."

The qunari cocked his head slightly studying the human. "I could use a room," he admitted. Maybe a few days, maybe a week, I'm not sure."

"Of course. We have a couple of rooms available. The place was full-up during the Summerday festival, but most of the out-of-towners and folks comin' in from outer settlements have left." Kalian grimaced. Summerday was usually fun, but this year's festival had been downright dangerous, and he was glad it was over.

"As for people, I...uh don't really have a name. Just a description. Human, late forties or early fifties. Stocky, blading, what hair he has is red our used to be red, and from what I'm told, he doesn't have a sterling reputation."

"That description might fit a few human men in Jader.".Kalian rubbed his chin and considered. A qunari in Orlais stood out too much to be an assassin, and yet... "I apologize in advance if this is an offensive question, but I have to ask. What do you want with this man?"

Nazri favored the other man with guileless (and tormented)eyes. "No offense taken. I am just checking out a story someone told me. Making sure I was given accurate information." His answer was true, not the whole truth, but the truth.

Kalian smiled in relief that his new acquaintance wasn't a murderer. "I'd start with the taverns close to the docks and the brothel. They cater to sailors, traders, and folks just passing through the port. The Orlesian Arms tavern is favored by the templars in town, and the city guard frequents the Thistle of Jader Inn. At the Raven, we tend to get customers from the local craft guilds. If the reputation of this man you're looking for is in question, you might try asking at the guardhouse." Kalian imagined the range of receptions that Nazri - a qunari - might receive around town. "I could accompany you if you'd like."

Nazari was different than most of his kind. He enjoyed social interaction and was pretty good at it, but he was aware of people's perception of qunari. "I would be honored to have you come along."

"Sure, sounds like fun." Kalian was looking forward to introducing Nazri to Rhiannon and his other friends. Elinowy's aversion to elves always surprised him, and Kalian wondered how she'd react to a qunari. "You might give a little more thought to the, uh, story you're going to tell, about why you're looking for this man. I know Jader pretty well. Once you start asking questions, the gossip will spread. Depending on the story, the man you're looking for might go into hiding or he might even seek you out."

"You have a point," Nazri conceded. "I will have to give it some thought. I don't want to lie. At the same time, I'm not sure how forthcoming I should be."

Kalian drank more of his ale and resisted the urge to ask more questions for a time, to let Nazri eat his stew. This Nazri was a man of integrity, reluctant to lie and not afraid to say so. After a few minutes of companionable silence, Kalian drained his tankard. "I'll let my sister know you're staying for about a week." After a moment's consideration he added, "The day after tomorrow I've invited a few friends to gather here. Join us, I think they'd like to meet you."

Nazri had taken his time eating his stew, at least by human standards. "That sounds like a great idea. I'm looking forward to it.

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