Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2022 0:08:54 GMT -5
[ for Ermir ]
Long days in Dresmond weren’t exactly few and far between since the Eldouirs had taken over and confined them all to Elderkeep. Every day felt the same and every day Xanthe wondered what the point of all of it was. Every day she felt herself growing a little more bitter. A little more angry. There was little to no relief to be had, except maybe in a drink or two.
Sweat rolled down her forehead as she carried the two thick rolls of untanned leather across the road and into the wooden hut she called a 'shop.' Balancing them on her shoulders, she unfolded a thin sheet and spread it across a table which she dumped the rolls on top of with as much caution as she could bear to use after a long days work. There she stood for a moment, leaned over the table, huffing and rubbing the sweat from her eyes. Savi sat by the door, bushy tail flickering in an all-too familiar motion which drew Xanthe's blue-green eyes across the room to him. "If I don't start tonight, I'll be behind tomorrow."
"You're losing daylight," Savi responded calmly, the voice of reason.
"We never lose the light," she rolled her eyes, but walked away from the table and over to the bench against the wall to sit down, head leaning back with a thud as it rested against the wall. "What else will I do if not work?"
"What else do you do?" He retorted and received yet another glare from his human. "You think I'm judging you, Xanthe?"
"Well, aren't you?" She met his eyes, and he blinked, his ears turning downward. When they did, she frowned.
"I'm as trapped, bored, and frustrated as you, my dearest friend. What soothes you, at the very least, helps me sleep." Savi answered, and for a while they sat there and looked at one another in silence, though it would have all felt like silence to anyone else. She'd been spending a lot of time working lately and not near enough in the presence of others, which worried her Dyr. Finally Xanthe nodded, glancing out the window at the setting sun.
She stood and disappeared into her own small room to wipe herself as clean as possible with a damp cloth, change out of her stained and torn work clothes into a simple top and skirt, and let her hair down. When she reappeared Savi simply dipped his head into a nod, his ears returning to proper placement high above his head as they exited and headed across the settlement.
The little tavern, if you could call it that, was as busy as usual. Not much to do in a place like this. She found a seat by the bar and settled down, sliding a coin across the wood to the man behind it in exchange for a mug of whatever it was worth. Savi settled next to the bar stool she'd chosen, looking out at the crowd with studious eyes and occasionally nodding to another Dyr or two if he knew them well enough.
The first sip was almost cold, and she closed her eyes at the sting of it flowing down her throat. She was glad Savi had insisted because as usual, he was right. She'd needed to spend her time amongst her people, even if she did so alone.