[center][b]Veyati - Chapter 1: Keen Interest[/b][/center]

The rush of salty air into Veyati's nostrils made her wrinkle her nose. She made a comment about the rather... interesting smell, pointing her chin down. Nevertheless, she went on to gather the equipment from her quarters to prepare to venture out into Garude. The rest of the crew were mostly on the same page with her, a bit averse to the smell at first, but continuing on with their tasks around the ship of retrieving and organizing wares they may end up trading upon this sphere. The Captain stayed comically nonchalant, lazily ambling out onto the grass first. He turned his head up slightly, took in a deep breath, and let out a long and satisfied sigh. Finally, they could get started.

Veyati loped onto the grass up in front of the Captain and tilted her head in question. With the two behind masks, both Caslin and Veyati were expressive with the posture and hands to make up for a lack of visible facial expression. "Do you think they wanted to greet us?" she asked.

Caslin snorted and shook his head. It was a short laugh. Veyati only caught a glimpse of the guardsmen, but the Captain saw how intently they were staring down the ship. "I think they were more interested in our ship than us." 

"Normally I would say that doesn't bode well, but they've left us alone so we might as well give them the benefit of the doubt."

Caslin folded his arms and leaned back, showing dubiousness in expression and tone. "Benefit of the [i]doubt?[/i] That man was staring down my ship like it just insulted his mother. I'm not sure whether to be personally offended or go back and apologize on behalf of the Erimtha."

Caslin and Veyati both shared a laugh for a moment before returning to the matters at hand. The crew had finished prepping the wares to be transported and alerted the Captain. He gave them a nod over his shoulder and a wave of dismissal, saying that they would be embarking soon.

"I presume you would like to venture out alone again?" Caslin said, turning back to Veyati. She gave him a simple nod, to which he sighed and shook his head, but didn't verbally object to.

Veyati smiled under her mask and giggled. "I'll be fine, Caslin," she assured him, "Besides, I won't get to see or do anything interesting if I'm stuck with the caravan."

Caslin shrugged. "A fair point, though one of these days we'll have to trade off..."

"Or bring Fazir."

"Or that."

Caslin gestured for the caravan to assemble and embark. Veyati followed with them part of the way, but it wasn't long before she said her farewells to the others and took up her own faster pace, passing the caravan on her way to the town.

A dirt path laced with the occasional placed stone led Veyati across the stunted hills and through a series of toppled boulders, looking as if they sprouted from the ground angrily to clash with one another. The town's dim lanterns grew more and more bright, but the walls they illuminated remained as darkened as before, many of them suffering from rot in some places.

A seabird landed upon a dilapidated and unused fence outside of town, screeched at Veyati, and flew away into town. Things were quiet as she approached, save for the gentle creaking produced by swinging lanterns that wobbled in the sea gusts. On the far side of town, no one made themselves present or lively, but the occasional passerby indicated she wasn't ultimately alone there. It didn't do away with the tension. There was something off with this place. Normally the darkness would feel comfortable, but here it just felt... [i]wrong[/i]. Veyati wrote it off as foolish nervousness and shrugged it off, continuing on her path.

It was only as she found herself nearing the heart of the town that the populace took a notice in her. Holding rumors quelled the fear one had in the unknown, but it tended to be of misty apparitions and fleeting shadows. Here, Veyati was a jarring sight with her mask and robes. Few could dismiss her, and she couldn't help but notice how they reacted to seeing her.

Veyati clearly discerned whispers about her as she proceeded forward, with hands covering mouths as individuals turned to one another whilst keeping the corners of their gaze trained on her cloaked person. A few went as far as to simply bolt away, their heavy breath carrying word of an phantom in their midst. A stranger.

It was hard not to seem foreboding as she turned her head this way and that to look back at the townspeople gawking at her attire. She stayed silent, so the only expression they received was the one the mask gave them. She came her to seek exciting new things, but as far as everyone else was concerned, Veyati [i]was[/i] the excitement. It was ironic, and that alone almost made her laugh. It was Veyati's mask concealed her smile and helped to stifle her quiet laughter, but she didn't really expect to get [i]this[/i] much attention. Normally being seen as some kind of dark aberration would make one a little unnerved, but [i]they[/i] were the strange ones to her.

It genuinely confused her, and for that she was compelled to ask why. Why run from a stranger who bears no weapons, no threatening gestures, and no ill will? Veyati fidgeted with her hands for a moment before attempting to reach out, more verbally than physically, to anyone that seemed willing to speak with her. 

Her silent pleas were acknowledged, luckily, and from the darkness of the cities alleyways, a pair of individuals approached as swift as the wind that swept through town. They came from behind, and made themselves apparent rather close to Veyati; their sense of personal space was the antithesis to others she had seen thus far. They practically touched her shoulders as they revealed themselves. Veyati swayed, and her robes with her, as she first peered over her shoulder.

"Oh, I've never seen a get-up like that. Certainly you are new to Garude, no?" The two swept towards Veyati's front as if closing her path, and she followed them with her gaze. Someone actually spoke to [i]her[/i] first. That was a refreshing change of pace. They were a man and a woman, both of tall and slim proportions, and donning extravagant but minimalist clothing of leather and white ruffle. Their eyes were curious, peering, as if trying to swim through the holes in her mask and to her true face. Their motions and mannerisms indicated they were of same blood. Such fluid and perfect synchronicity couldn't have been anything but familial ties.

Veyati folded her hands in front of her and made a short, polite bow to the both of them. "Yes I am new to Garude," she told them, "And... actually, all of my colleagues dress like this. I just decided they were moving too slowly and left them behind." She was smiling behind the mask, but her tone made it easy to tell. She took notice of their curiosity, watching them carefully, but this was her first chance to get some questions answered. She wasn't about to shove them away for something so trivial. Which question first, though? After about two seconds, Veyati came to a conclusion. Both.

"I didn't realize our garb would cause such unrest with the public..." Veyati said, letting out a long sigh, "Maybe you could tell me why everyone is at unease? And, better yet, why you aren't?" The siblings took one look at one another, as if knowledgeable of something unseen, and returned to Veyati, taking a single, inconspicuous step forward.

"Oh no, not unrest. [i]Mystery[/i]," said the woman. Veyati blinked at her.

"[i]Suspense[/i]," added the man, "You'll come to find Garude exudes an air of rumor like a latrine exudes foulness." Both of them laughed. Veyati kept her laughter, and her smile, to herself beneath the mask. All she gave them was a tilt of her head, but... they had her attention. An air of rumor could be interesting! Right?

"Not the most picturesque of comparisons," the woman continued, "but it suffices. Your garbs are simply [i]novel[/i] is all. Quite novel. New things here elicit caution initially. They will... [i]warm up[/i] to you soon." For a moment, it seemed as if she was sniffing the air around Veyati, but it might have been subtle enough for to not notice. It seemed like Veyati was busy looking over her own garb and comparing herself to the two in front, but when the woman started acting peculiar she started to edge a bit forward to see what she was up to. Until the next one spoke. Then she leaned back straight in place.

"This is what causes the unease. I'm sure you have come across peculiar individuals before?" the man asked. They seemed to almost ignore her final question. And Veyati noticed.

"Well if I haven't before, I can say for sure I have now." Veyati said. She opted to make it obvious she was having a private moment of enjoyment, putting a hand over the mouth of her mask as she giggled. Not to make a show of it, but it [i]was[/i] genuinely entertaining. She then raised two fingers and added, "But that doesn't answer the other question." Maybe they just needed to be reminded.

The duo shrugged in tandem, their faces equally matched as a dismissive smirk.

"We are but nightly citizens. We have seen a great number of funny people, and it does not frighten us like it frightens most others," the man stated. They fell silent for a moment, before the woman spoke up.

"Say, you don't suppose you and your colleagues would enjoy attending a particular event tomorrow night? The mayor hosts a wonderful party on occasion. You seem like you'd offer a wealth of entertainment to many who regularly attend it."

"What do you say?" the man repeated.

Veyati looked to the two of them, then put a hand over the bottom of her mask and tilted downward to show she was contemplating it. She truly was. A party? She tapped her gloved fingers over the mask as she thought it over. It was barely two seconds before she smirked and came up with a reply, turning back to the others.

"Wealth of entertainment? Oh, no no..." she shook her head and waved her hands at them, "We are just traders-- not entertainers. But... it sounds interesting nevertheless. Regardless of whether my colleagues follow my decision, I would like to attend."

"Wonderful!" the man procured a slip from his pocket and handed it to Veyati quickly, suddenly quite ecstatic at her acceptance. Veyati thanked him as bowed lightly before she received it with both hands. "On that slip is the location and time. City hall, just on the Extinguishing, tomorrow night!" The duo gave a curt bow to her, as always in tandem, and turned to leave without another word, back into the darkness from which they came. A hushed wind followed in their wake.

Veyati laughed again after they left. What a peculiar bunch. But... they seemed nice enough. After a few moments, Veyati stepped off to the side of the street and raised the invitation up to read it. Staring down at the slip, she read its message, written in cursive letters.

[center][i]Exclusive event on the night of the 14th. City hall. Only those with invitation slips are permitted to attend.
You are hereby invited! Attended by the mayor and local lords and ladies. Food and entertainment will be provided.[/i][/center]

It spoke something of dancing and went on to detail more things in depth. Dancing. Veyati regarded that with a soft expression. One could only imagine how different their dancing was, compared to what she'd seen at home. It sounded wonderful! She began folding the invitation to put it away, yet something made her give pause. It was awfully convenient for two strangers to show up and introduce her to such an event so quickly. It begs the question of why would seek to give her an invitation, and why they would be carrying them in the first place. They didn't ever formally introduce themselves. Neither did Veyati, but... hardly the point.

Garude was certainly a place of rumor, mystery, and suspense. Veyati was all about exploration, discovery, and answers. Foreboding darkness aside, it sounded like Garude was her kind of place. Opposites attract, after all.