With this, ends the intro arc, the main characters introduced. Raima, as it were, was written partially by myself and partially by the player of the character, the Raima's rhymes were beyond me at the time. Both Raima and the charr are my friend's creations.

Either way, with the end of this introductory arc, I'll get around to posting something else soonish.

Raima

Craywin entered the house, having to bend down to reach the low-set door handle. Asuran height, he reminded himself. The door was properly sized, but the handle was adjusted to the preferences of a smaller race.

He ducked under the doorframe, pushing aside a curtain to reddish darkness. A strong smell of herbs surrounded him, the assault on his nostrils almost instantly dissipating any lingering thoughts of what had happened in that alleyway. He rubbed his nose, trying not to sneeze.

The room itself was small, and not very Asuran in nature. The walls, where they were visible, seemed raw and tan not unlike the mud-houses seen in Elona. They, and the glassless windows in them, were mostly hidden by draperies. The only unobstructed source of light seemed to be the half-burned embers glowering in a small stone fireplace on the right side of the room. He blinked, trying to make his eyes adjust to the light faster.

"Hello, my friend. You're here, in the end." The Asura grinned up at him.

"Raima."

She smiled, pattering towards him in her strange Asuran walk. "Come in, come on. I've put on the pot. The tea is done, and it's still hot."

Without waiting for an answer, she ambled over to the fireplace, unhooking the blackened tea kettle with a poker, and poured two cups of steaming tea. The herbal smell doubled, almost clouding his senses for an instant. He accepted the small cup, holding it carefully in both hands.

It really was hot. His skin burned where the cheap pottery touched it. He shifted it carefully until he was only holding it with his fingertips.

"What is it?"

"I said so. Tea. Good for you. Herbs and fruits and spices, too."

She gestured towards the cup with the poker. "Don't think. Drink."

"I did not know you had returned to Lion's Arch." He sipped gingerly. It scalded his lips, as he had expected. He winced.

"I had. It was a long march."

He chuckled at her matching his rhyme. "Hardly. It is just one gate from Rata Sum, isn't it?"

"The man knows nothing, yet he talks." The Asuran chuckled. "Raima doesn't like gates. Raima walks."

"All the way from Rata Sum? That is a long walk."

"Rata Sum, did I say? More than two places in the world, friend Cray."

"All right, all right." He put down the cup carefully on the thick carpet and sat himself down next to it, sitting cross-legged. "Suit yourself. But next time you send me an urgent letter of summoning, maybe you could be there when I arrive?"

The Asura chuckled, waving her teacup around. Sitting on the carpet, she was almost at eye-height with him.

"Maybe you thought you came to see me. But maybe you just went where you needed to be."

"What?" He frowned. Sometimes, he believed this particular Asura was more than a few cups short of a full tea set - even more than your average Asura, anyway. Eying the cup, he wondered just what kind of herbs she used. The smell was making him itch a little, and he started to worry it was the tea itself.

"Cups, you think. I don't have many. So be careful when you drink. Don't break any."

He smiled, unable to hold in a laugh. Then he became serious again. "Where were you then, this morning?"

"With me."

The deep, growling voice from behind him made Cray jump up, knocking over the rest of his tea. He swirled around to see a set of white teeth gleaming in the shadow beside the curtain.

Big teeth. Charr teeth.

Behind him, the Asura grinned, rubbing her hands.

"Found her on my evening walk. Now... time for business. Let's talk."