"So how did you come to be in Green Harbor?" The player called Numair asked. He sat across from Onua in the warm common room of the inn where she was staying, making conversation while they waited for their food.
"I'm here on business, actually," she told him. "I'm supposed to meet up with a horse trader and check out his stock."
"So you're a trader, too?" He asked curiously. From what she'd seen thus far, Onua got the sense that Numair Salmalin was curious about almost everything.
"I'm the horse mistress for the Queen's Riders," she told him. Her employment was no secret, and she had no qualms about discussing it with a stranger. She was no fool though, and if he started asking about too many details, she knew how to spot a spy.
"That must be an interesting line of work," he said.
"I like it," Onua agreed. "I get to spend most of my time with horses or shouting at trainees, so I'm happy." Numair laughed. Just then, their food arrived and their conversation halted as Onua watched in fascination as Numair ate the stew more quickly than she would have thought possible. When he finally slowed down, Onua asked him: "What about you? What are you doing here in Green Harbor?"
"Cheating innocent bystanders out of their hard earned coin," he told her through a mouthful of food.
"You could do that anywhere in the world," Onua pointed out. "Why here?"
"Well, I originally meant to head for Corus, but I spent all my money booking passage to Tortall." He rolled his eyes at his own apparent lack of planning. "We docked here and I realized I had no money and nothing in particular waiting for me in the capital, so…" He shrugged. "I just stayed here."
"How long have you been here?" She asked.
"About… a year, I think," he told her, sounding surprised by his own answer. "I hadn't realized it had been so long."
Onua frowned. "What did you do in the winter, when they closed the market?"
"Turned into an icicle," he joked, but the light hearted tone in his voice sounded forced. When Onua didn't laugh, he sighed. "It was hard," he admitted. "Fewer people means less money which means less food, and it gets much colder here than I'm used to." He shivered at the memory. "It worked out though, and I'm still here." He smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"What are you going to do this winter?" She asked.
"I don't know yet," he sighed. "So tell me about these ponies of yours- what makes them special?"
Recognizing the attempt to change the subject, Onua launched into an explanation of breeding practices and training, but her heart wasn't in it. The idea of anyone starving and cold on the streets in the winter disturbed her. She wished there was something she could do to help.
They talked for a while after that, discussing horses and sleight of hand and the best way to cook a stew, among other things. Onua found the player to be good natured, funny, and pleasant to be around, but extremely evasive when asked about his past. That didn't bother her, though. Everyone was entitled to their secrets: Goddess only knew that Onua had a fair number of her own.