(FIN Oba+Jauhar) Spoiled Rice ( Reill and Phaedra)

[Aukai Oceansoul]

During the night a gang of oban rodents had dug into their rice stores and spoiled it for eating. Reillan knew that their chances of making it comfortably without it in the desert would be slim so he took Xarthin and raced back in the morning arriving in Neued when the heat started to really be felt. Xarthin didn't seem to mind but Reil wasn't impressed with a return to the humidity, best to get his supplies as quickly and as painlessly as possible and return. He had left Keel with Yitzah so at least they were together and not far out into the desert yet. He felt bad for taking their main protection but there was no way he would have made as good of time walking instead of riding the janarim.

He sidled up to a stall which sold rice and got to bartering right off the bat. Time was drifting and he wanted to get home.  

[Heras Box]

Duke Edward Drake

Phaedra had left her home and the market there to seek the market in Neued. She had heard that there were spices there that would be good for cooking. She supposed it had something to do with it's closeness to the desert and the specific plants that grew there. The leafling made it to the market in time for the rush. Phae had to duck between several people as they didn't seem to want to move and make way for her. When she was clear of others and not at risk of being knocked unconscious by someone carrying their goods away, the brunette made her way over to a stall that had an assortment of spices. She paused just in front of it when she noticed that there was an Oban at the stall beside it. Phaedra could only stare.  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Heras Box

Reill paid for his rice and lifted it, giving profuse thanks to the shopkeeper for the supply. A tinkle of leaking rice scittered to the ground and he stuffed a thumb in it to stop the flow, once he could sit down somewhere he could sew it shut and be on the way. There was no way he was going to leak rice all over the desert. He turned face to face with a leafling, "Good morning." he said demurely, he ducked around her and sat on a convinient log nearby and took out needle and thread to fix the hole in his bag.  

[Heras Box]

Duke Edward Drake

The Oban had greeted her. Phaedra was even more speechless then. She knew there would be some of the desert dwelling earthlings in the area but she had never expected to come so close or even face to face with one. When he went to sit on a log to sew up the bag of rice he'd just bought she turned to watch him. Again she was left staring. He was acting so... casual. Normal even. The brunette tilted her head as she tried to wrap her mind around this. She had always thought of the fire earthlings as monsters. What this one was doing was anything but monstrous. In fact it was something she would do.  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Heras Box

Reill as it turned out had much more skill with swords then needles as was professed when he pricked his thumb hard enough to make it bleed. He let out an indignant squawk. He would have to work on his sewing skills...and maybe get a thimble, he thought as he stuck his abused thumb in his mouth and fair glared at the offending needle that he wished into the deepest haystack.

But the bleeding didn't last long and soon enough the hole was patched. He lifted the bag up for a leak test and it held. Meanwhile Xarthin had grown bored with standing around and unbeknowst to his rider was walking along the stalls peering into them interestedly no doubt looking for a fishmonger to the dismay of the proprieters. He came upon a leafling watching his masters brother and grunted at her shoving his large toothy head under her arm for a pat.

Reill looked up and dropped the bag of rice. "I'm sorry! He's supposed to stay out of the market!"  

[Heras Box]

Duke Edward Drake

The girl continued to stare, her mind seemingly unable to grasp the concept of an Oban being so... Normal. It almost made her angry. Until the boy made a squawk at pricking his thumb. Phaedra snorted a laugh but did her best to hide it. She didn't want people to think she had lost her mind. The brunette leaned to the side a bit and watched as the boy managed to sew up the hole in the bag, that was until she felt something nudging it's way under her arm rather determinedly. Phae looked down at the thing that was doing so and froze. Oh those teeth looked sharp! When the Oban apologized she moved only her eyes to look at him. "He obviously didn't listen." With that she gave her attention back to the beast and gently patted his head. "Okay.. you are scaring the small leaf girl. Please sit or lay down." Not that it would work, telling this creature what to do.  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Heras Box

Xarthin sat and panted with his mouth open, obviously oblivious to what his "smile" did to others.

"We have tried for months but, well he has a soft spot for females." Reill reached out and gently closed the giant maw. "Don't smile dear, you'll scare people." Reill snorted. "If hes behaving like this he won't hurt you, he's liable to stand on your foot though so watch it if he stands again."

"Xarthin, what am I going to do with you? Your not the cute fluffy thing you seem to think you are." He turned back to the leafling, "He wouldn't be here if not for the rice we lost on the trip, we were well on our way and hes the fastest thing we have. My name is Reillan." He said nodding to her.  

[Heras Box]

Duke Edward Drake

Well look at that. The thing managed to sit down. Still, it's mouth hung open and she could see the teeth that lurked in there. Now she knew why she didn't have a familiar. Teeth. Anything with teeth like that made her nervous. Phaedra shook her head at the beast before the boy reached over to close his mouth. It reminded her that she was close to and being spoken to by an Oban.

Her green gaze went toward the boy as he spoke and she could only stare in silence. That was until he gave a name. Reillian. They had names! Phaedra knew this of course but it was so odd for her to actually know the name of one. "Hello." It was all she could manage. The leaf girl was at war within herself. Her kind nature protested her dislike for the Oban's but she couldn't over look that dislike. Could she?  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Heras Box

Reill noticed her staring and he figured being a leafling that she might not have had as much exposure to his people, he hoped that if she had met someone, they hadn't been rude. They were all people after all and Tendaji had given them a most needed refuge in a time of great need. "Do you er, do you have any questions? About me or Xarthin?" He didn't know if he was being helpful or a pest but well, surely if she were interested in his people she would have questions, he turned a bit so she could see his crystals if she wanted. "I think hes a bit darker then normal, I found him on the Jauhar/Oba border when we first came. I think because of his dark color he was hunting at night where the sun would not bake him." Reill bent to pick the rice up and balanced it on Xarthin's back. "Would you like to ride him? It's a most interesting feeling."  

[Heras Box]

Duke Edward Drake

Phaedra blinked when he asked if she had any questions. She did. Quite a fewbut she couldn't find a way to word them without being mean. Instead she simply bit down on her bottom lip and stared some more. While the beast was interesting her gaze was locked on Reillan. Deciding it would be best to be honest with him she cleared her throat. "Uhm, you should know that an Oban destroyed my family." Phae lifted her gaze to meet his before she continued. "You are the first one I have.. er, met and I am not sure how to react. I am not fond of Obans. I am pretty sure I hate them. But you seem so... not how I imagined."

The leafling looked at the beast as she was asked about riding him. At first she felt herself pale. "Is that really safe?" She could just imagine falling off or hurting herself in some other way.  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Heras Box

"I am deeply sorry for that, obans tried to destroy part of my family too, even though they were family themselves, they only kicked my brother out, I am not proud of all my race nor all of my own family, some do not hold the values that I think everyone should have especially in wartime." He patted the janarim at a lost. She shouldn't have had to go through that, "No one should have to loose their family." No matter who did it.

"Here in Jauhar my brother and I have found only peace, if a little rockiness." The odd confrontation thankfully hadn't amounted to much. He and Keelthy were peaceful for the most part. The north a sanctuary for them from home where turmoil had caused them to flee, over a career choice of all things.

"Hes quite safe, we've never had an incident since he was trained to ride, he likes to muck about more on the ground it seems. If you want I can just have him stand there?"  

[Heras Box]

Duke Edward Drake

This boy was making her way of thinking all kinds of messed up. She was sure that the Oban were monsters and that they were out to destroy families. What with the slavery thing and then what happened with her mother. Only.. this fire earthling had basically told her that his own kind had pushed him and his brother away. Phaedra blinked. Could it be that her way of thinking was wrong? No. That couldn't be it. "That's... uhm.. bad." The leafling cringed.

To get her mind off of the whole Oban thing she looked at the beast that the boy was offering her a ride on. It was very large and looked dangerous. "I wouldn't know how to get up there or hold on.." Her green eyes blinked a few times more before she glanced at Reillan. "I will admit he's a bit intimidating."  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Heras Box

Reill knelt on one knee and cupped his hands after he made Xarthin lay down all the way. "Here I'll give you a boost, hes quite well behaved when someone is on his back." There seemed to be few people in these days who had not gone through some trial or hardship, if only peace were to stay longer, but unfortunately someone always got bored with their lot in life and sought power, even though power won by violence wasn't a sure bet, he thought. And it was definitely not clean

But if he could help this one girl out then maybe just maybe he would improve her outlook. Sometimes all people needed was a kind word and support, just like his brother.  

[Heras Box]

Duke Edward Drake

As the boy knelt down she stared at him even more. He was willing to do that to help her onto his familiar? Was he really an Oban? "I uhm.. okay." Phaedra wasn't sure what else to say. After all he had already gotten the beast to lower itself and everything. She let him help her onto the back of the large creature but once she was up there she seemed to freeze in place. "I'm not sure this is such a good thing. I am horrible with balance and I think I might fall off without something holding me up here." That would be just what she'd need. To fall off a large animal.  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Heras Box

Xarthin stood managing to keep his leafy rider on.

"Don't fret, I won't let him move. Straighten your back there, now take a deep breath. Now look at the world around you, looks a bit different from up there doesn't it? Suddenly your the one in power aye? Borrowed as it may be, but he wouldn't let you up there if he didn't trust you, no more then you would let someone you didn't like stand right behind you."

There was a special bond when someone road, hard to explain more visceral and exciting then immediatey noticable. Reill knew that feeling.