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Nikaio yawned and stretched out on the top of his bushi’s — Nivene — large shell. The moment he’d found the familiar, he knew they were going to be the best of friends. So when the bushi allowed Nika to actually ride on top of him, he was even more ecstatic. Now he didn’t always have to ride in the caravan — cooped up with others of his troupe. Having a familiar he could ride on allowed him to have some sort of privacy — or at least some alone time. Currently, the desert sun was beating down on Nika’s skin, leaving him warm and comfortable, oddly enough. He usually wasn’t a fan of the desert but as they traveled along the board of Oban, the heat wasn’t too bad and with the movement from his bushi, he was in a sort of peaceful daze that left him relaxed.

The troupe had, as a whole, decided that they had spent enough time in Tale and so they had started to head to Jauhar. Nika was excited for the change in scenery and doubly excited to be back in Jahaur. It seemed like it had been ages since he’d last stepped foot in the shifter country. It was, by far, one of his favorite places to visit thus far (though he still reserved judgement, completely, until he revisited his home country of Matori). The journey there passed by pretty quickly, with the troupe only stopping a couple of times — choosing to trade off turns on caravan control to maximize their traveling capabilities and to cut down on time spent in the desert.

Late afternoon was fading into evening as Nika’s troupe pulled up to an inn. Usually the group spent the night in their caravan and set up tents and such. However, with food supplies on low, the stop at the inn was welcomed and so would the warm beds. Music traveled out of the inn, quiet until the door was randomly open and the noise was let loose into the night. It piqued Nikaio’s interest enough to slide off of his bushi and pad, barefoot, up to the door. He glanced back towards where his father was currently talking to one of the drivers, before slipping into the inn alone and towards the music.

Nikaio frowned at the crowd of people in the common room of the inn. Was there always this many people in an inn in Jauhar? The music he’d been hearing seemed to be coming from the front of the throng of people. Nika pushed his way through the crowd, earning himself some rude looks and a cursing by one, very drunk, individual. When he finally pushed through the front of the crowd, he stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. Raising an eyebrow he watched as the dancer, obviously Oban, moved around. The woman had an obviously attractive body but that wasn’t what Nika was most focused on.

The way the Oban moved had Nika very interested in watching every part of her body move. It was a very sensual dance — one he was sure was supposed to make men melt — but he had no interest in the fairer gender. And so, it was easy enough for him to appreciate the dance more than the person dancing (though he always appreciated a good dancer). Nika crossed his arms, intent on staying as long as he could — hopefully until she finished dancing so he could try and talk to her and get tips from her.

Nika grinned, having enjoyed the show and gotten a few ideas for his own dancing, and moved off to follow after the Oban dancer. It seemed, though, that he wasn’t the only one with the same idea and several of the men moved off in her direction as well. He pushed through them, easily moving them out of the way in their inebriated state. He skidded to a stop when the woman came into view. “H-hey! Excuse me, lady?” Nika grunted as one of the other patrons bumped into him and nearly knocked him over. “Woah, buddy, I think you’ve had a bit too much, hm?” The drunk shifter muttered something unintelligible before righting himself, as best he could, and stumbled back off into the crowd. Nika shook his head, attention flicking back to the dancer. “I loved your dance.”

Nika blinked, frown forming on his face when she turned away from him and started to move away. “Heeey! Wait up.” He pushed passed the last few people and hurried to catch up with the woman. “I was wondering if you...could show me some more of your dance. I showed up kind of late and only saw the last of it. The way you moved...it was fantastic.”

Nika’s eyes widened as the woman brandished a dagger at him. He threw his arms up and instantly backed away as he shook his head. “Woah. Hold on. I didn’t mean it like that.” He frowned, lips pursing. “I’m a dancer too.” He motioned to his clothing — loose, airy and definitely designed to show off while he was dancing. “I really did just arrive at the inn. My troupe’s outside. Haven’t had a drop to drink, swear it.” His arms fell down and he placed his hands on his hips. Nika raised an eyebrow, daring her to question his intentions again.

Nikaio sighed and shook his head, shoulders shrugging slightly. “I don’t blame you. I shouldn’t have just come up to you like that. I’d say the majority of the men in here are drunk.” He followed her gaze past him, eyes watching all the men stumble around. When she spoke again, he blinked and glanced back to her. He was surprised, slightly, by her offer to move off to a private room. He shrugged, again, and nodded. “Sure. After you?”

The first thing Nikaio noticed, when they entered the room, was the familiar off to one side of the room. Then he noticed how the Oban woman seemed to try her best at avoiding it. Was it hers? Surely not if she was staying as far away from it as she could. He was curious, as he’d never seen one quite like it before. He kept his distance, though, because he knew that some familiars weren’t very good with strangers. When the woman spoke again, his gaze flicked back to her and he grinned. “Sort of. I’ve just recently started dancing for my troupe. We travel all over and perform. This is the first time we’ve been back in Jauhar in years. I heard the music when we first pulled up and I got curious. I am sorry I approached you as I did. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just excited to see a fellow dancer. And those moves…” He gave a small laugh and shook his head. “How long have you been dancing?”

“Nikaio,” he said in return for her offering her name. “I can’t say I’ve always been interested in dancing. When I was little I had no clue I’d end up in a gypsy troupe.” He paused for a moment, eyeing the Oban woman. Despite her being of the race he least liked, there was something about her that intrigued him, made him feel a little more at ease. Perhaps it was because she was a fellow dancer. Maybe a bit of his tension had eased out when she mentioned she hadn’t been back to Oba in a while. He rolled his shoulders before continuing. “My father, brother and I had to flee Matori one night. Our villages was...invaded. My mother and sister taken.” He shook his head. “But I’m sure you’re not interested in my life story. I only recently got into dancing professionally. I’ve practiced but it’s always good to learn new moves. It’s why I followed you.”