Chapter Two – A Place to Rest
In these times, when Dalamud looms so large in the skies, it never really gets dark any more. Dense clouds that shroud the red moon diffuse its sickly crimson light throughout the sky and blanket out the stars, dull sun and moonlight both.
Regardless, twilight is slowly creeping its way across the land when both adventurers and their chocobo mounts reach the tiny hamlet of Wineport. They exchange greetings with two Yellowjacket guards at the entrance and head down a winding, narrow path leading to the settlement itself.
Smoke billows lazily from chimneys and the distinctive clang of a living blacksmith's forge rings through the air. In the middle of the yard, a campfire crackles and bursts with dancing firelight. People talk as they finish their daily tasks and put away tools for another day. Wineport seems small and unimportant, but underneath the ground are wine cellars and a network of tunnels, pressing vats, fermentation tanks, store rooms and pantries all hidden away from prying bandit eyes.
Upon seeing the visitors making their way slowly out of the passageway, one Wineport resident finishes loading barrels onto a cart and moves around it. Instantly mistrustful of strangers, his whole demeanour changes in a flash when he recognises who they are. A grin spreads across his face and he motions in welcome, offering the new arrivals a plump-fingered wave before he heads up to meet them.
"Well, I'll be. Flame Lieutenant Kit Hallym in my hamlet. And his scarlet-haired Serpent lass."
The Midlander dismounts his chocobo and walks up to the Roegadyn, holds out his hand in greeting with a smile. Instead, the larger man claps him on the shoulder with the force of a small landslide. Kit, having recovered well from the blow and laughing, helps the Wildwood female from her chocobo and takes the reins of both birds.
"What brings you out here then, pal?" the well-built resident asks and begins to lead them both towards the warmth and bright lights of his settlement.
"Just in the area, seeing the sights. We were hoping to stay the night, Syzfrusk, if you can spare the room of course."
Syzfrusk nods. "Sure can. But we ain't got nothing fresh to serve you for dinner as of yet. Me and Sizah were going hunting, if you want to come with."
It's common La Noscean practice to repay your hosts for their generosity and so Kit agrees to help without any hesitation. Part and parcel of being an adventurer is practising the customs of each place you end up in, after all. When both chocobos are unsaddled and set down to roost he heads out with the two Wineport hunters. Left alone with their host's wife Rostnblyss is the other adventurer.
Within their race, Roegadyn women and men vary greatly. Where the husband is broad, deep-voiced and stout with arms built like an Amalj'aa thigh, the wife is curved and shapely, delicate in a rugged sort of way. The only real feature they share are the blunt, flattened noses typical to every Roegadyn face.
Rostnblyss has hair the colour of crushed desert saffron, offsetting terracotta skin that marks her as a Hellsguard female. She sweeps around the kitchen with practiced ease, sharpening a knife here and stirring a huge laundry tub full of steaming water there. Disappearing briefly down to the cellar, she resurfaces and finally notices the Elezen woman waiting patiently by the front door.
"Evening kitten," Rostnblyss smiles. She shoves the containers she fetched from downstairs onto worktops and a table. "You can help me do veggies. What's yer name?"
"Rose. Marceaux. It's Rose Marceaux. Sorry."
Rostnblyss chuckles and plunks down a basket of muddy vegetables in front of the newcomer. "He told me you was shy. Said you need a little coaxing to come out of yer shell. Right miss, water's over there. Peel these and put 'em in the pot when done. Chop the carrots, chuck 'em in the stew. We got no airs and graces with food in this part o' the world. Easy, ain't it?"
Rose nods silently and gets to work. She smiles to herself and gathers a selection of salt leeks from the basket. If only her cooks could see this. What would they think of an esteemed luminary chef and the owner of Gridania's Cornucopia restaurant preparing vegetables like an apprentice?
Meanwhile, high upon a plateau outside of Wineport four figures lie on their bellies in the darkness. Still as rocks and black as sin they remain undetected even with Dalamud's foul presence radiating overhead. Four pairs of eyes watch the Midlander with the bow go off to hunt with a Roegadyn and a Miqo'te. That means he left the female behind, but she's still protected. They can wait. They would wait. It will only be a matter of time until his guard slips and the female's alone. Vulnerable. Easy prey.