Interests
Balathu Malesaria thanked the woman crewing the street food stall and went back on his way, pulling his clothes tighter around him. He had lived in Vanzograd for well over a year now and still he had not accustomed himself to the damnable cold. He wore a thick pale fur coat over his Clan colours and still the wind and the cobbled streets seemed to cut through to his very bones. At least his hands were warm. Balathu was somewhat of a regular at the food-stalls of the larger streets. While the food of the city was nothing like the cuisine of his clan, it was at least very nourishing. It needed to be. Compared to the nomadic trader lifestyle of the Clans, the Vaulters led hard lives in the cold shadows of the Horlaken mountain-range. Even after the Great Quake had drastically changed life in the surrounding regions the range was still massive, towering over the city even at this distance. How anyone could even think of living there was beyond the Clan ambassador. Pity about their coffee though. He thought. The mountain-folk brewed the beverage but they did not seem to care about the taste of it. Just that it kept a man warm and working for a few more hours.
He kept a careful hold on the 2 large pies he had purchased as he extricated himself from the crowd. The two guards on watch outside his ambassadorial house saluted at his approach. They were residents of Vanzograd, their guard-uniform adorned with a simplified version of Balathu's own clan colours. Hands fully occupied with his large breakfast he simply nodded in return. The embassy building was much like every other building in Vanzograd, a square grey-blue block. In deference to the style of his clan some embroidered canvases had been hung up along the sides. While he appreciated the gesture, it did little to alleviate the brick-like nature of the architecture. One of the guards opened the steel-blue titanium gate and followed him to the door. It was not locked. Balathu kept all his items of true worth on his person. The door opened, he thanked the guard and went inside. A large luxurious carpet covered the room of his entrance hall from wall to wall. He had brought it with him when he had travelled to the city. Soothing to the eyes. He hurried through the hall and into the personal dining hall, tracking mud and grime from the streets with him and over the carpet. Ultimately not his problem, and besides, there was likely going to be a lot more dirt coming through before the day was done. The 2 meat-pies were set on the spacious round dining table and the lid of a pot put over each to preserve the heat. After closing the door to the windowed kitchen, Balathu Malesaria sat down gently in one of the low chairs surrounding the table and carved a slice of pie for himself. While the meal was ultimately not intended for him, he had also not had a bite to eat since waking. One thing he had achieved during his time in the city was to shake the Early-Bird habits of his clan. With the onset of winter close at hand and the trade deals of the summer finalised he had little to do but wait for correspondence. However, this morning he had gotten up bright and early.
He brought the slice of pie up and took a sizeable bite. It was a far cry from the dishes of home or the ambassadorial dinners at the various embassies of the city, but it was hearty and at perfect temperature. Licking his fingers, he quickly wolfed down the remainder of the slice. The house was silent except for him. They won't mind if I take a little more. With a deft cut of the knife a much smaller slice was freed. With habits formed from a hundred formal dinners Balathu reached for his drink only to close his hand around nothing. Grumbling his annoyance, mostly at his own forgetfulness, Balathu got up from his chair and poured a cup of water from a chilled pitcher. It would not need to be artificially cooled for much longer. The Clanner shuddered involuntarily at the thought of Vanzograd growing even colder.
He turned back to the dining room and gently sat down. It was his own home but the guests he would be entertaining made him feel uncomfortable. Without looking he reached for the slice of pie he had cut just a moment ago. His hand found only crumbs. Dumbfounded, he looked at the tray. The knife was where he had left it, but the small slice was gone.
"Looking for this?" The voice was feminine and sharp as a knife. Balathu nearly jumped out of the chair he was in.
The woman standing by his kitchen doorway was short but clearly muscular, skin-tone a kind of dark greyish brown, as though she was caught in the light of twilight. A swirling design of Dust-tattoos belied the mottled appearance. Her black hair was tied up in a long braid that went past her shoulders. Her clothes were so dark-blue as to be nearly black and clung tightly to her form, the various straps and belts brimming with weapons and tools. The man in him wanted to see what was hidden beneath those mottled clothes. The Clanner in him knew that would be akin to asking to see the jaws of a lion up close. Fascinating, impressive. Deadly.
"Lady Soininen, I did not notice your arrival." He could see the slightest flicker of a grin on her face at the quiver in his voice.
"That was rather the point of hiring us, was it not? " Kiira Soininen responded before eating the rest of the slice she had silently taken from his plate. Her Dust-radiant eyes never left him, "And neither me nor Kaleva appreciate being called Lady. That is a trapping of the city-folk."
Balathu resisted the urge to clear his throat. "Ah, but my people are nomads, not people of the cities, and yet we still refer to women of dignity as ladies."
Kiira strode over to the table. "As I said, neither of us are ladies."
Now he had to resist the urge to back away. The shades he had hired all had an air of danger about them. "I take that your amiable mood means the job went well?"
The woman laid one pie above the other and lifted them with a sure grip. "I doubt you will hear much of it aside from rumour-mongers but yes, the warehouse was emptied of supplies. When we have rested, and the situation permits it, we intend to move onto the next objective."
"Ah, good, good. I believe I can arrange for an advance payment once the second task has been carried out." He could think of little else to say as the Forgotten woman nodded briefly at him then walked out of the dining hall without a sound, pies in hand.