Cultural Differences

Log Info

• Title: Cultural Differences
• Emitter: Skielstregar
• Characters: Skielstregar, Tawyse, Vaera
• Place: Mictlan
• Time: December 19th, 2021
• Summary: On a later morning in Mictlan, Skielstregar is making firewood with the leftover wood he's gathered for the nest mother. Tawyse arrives, seeking the man out. He's surprised that she came all this way to visit explicitly him, her wishing to check up on him and share that she sent inquiries about a group of werewolves to help get insight into his affliction. Some embarrasing and blundering words later, Skiel clears the air on some personal relations just as Vaera joins them. Conversation turns to how makari expression their emotions and how it difference from soft skins, as well as Skielstregar's experience of living with softskins for a while to help bridge that gap.

Mictlan, Late Morning.

Within the temperate climate afforded by the Dragon bones, communal work is a common sight. So it comes to no surprise to hear the cracking of wood, and the grunting of work as tents are erected to house those refugees from a while back.

One such soul was further away from the main crowds, at their own little slice of land. They had two piles beside them: one of unchopped wood, and the other of spliced firewood. A tarnished bronze scale in a tunic is sitting on a stump. He takes a log from one pile, drives a talon into the top, grips the sides, and cracks the log in half. Then quarters it in a similar fashion before stacking it off into the firewood pile.

He's humming quietly to himself, a low rumble. Eyes closed. Calm.

The Gnome is happy to have made it to Mictlan, to escape the fog blanketing the land in gloom, and the dull, damp chill that finds its way into one's bones. She goes first to the fire, to warm herself. Then she discovers one of the communal meals, of which she avails herself. Satiated, she begins to wander the area, as if searching for someone.

Eventually, she comes across the serene Sith, who happens to be ripping apart logs with his bare hands. Tawyse stares for a little bit, before moving to settle beside SKiel. When he next reaches for a log to split, he finds it placed into his hand.

Crunch. Snap. Place. It's almost like watching someone crack an apple in half with their palms, but replace it with a core of wood.

Skiel blinks as the next log comes soon than expected, and he opens his dead silver eyes.

His frame blocks the newcomer's self for a moment, the man's head having to swivel around a few passes before he finally scooches enough to see. "Ah. Peassse on your nessst, Taw," he rumbles warmly, placing the log on his lap to give her proper attention. "What bringsss you to the People thisss day?"

Giggling, the Gnome smiles brightly. "You.", she says simply, in reply. "Peace on your nest." She holds up the next log, awaiting the destruction of the one in his hand. "I brought some bacon for you. And some coffee."

Skiel's eyes blink with an audible 'snick'. "Thisss one?" he echoes (sort of) with raised brows. Seeing as she had the next log in hand, the half-dead makari picks up the one he has, his arms tense and flex, then it cracks in half. Then each half undergoes similar, quartered and stowed away.

The next log is taken, and surprise, once again, crosses him. "... oh, thank you. You are too kind," he rumbles quietly, smiling. "But what ever for? Coming all thissss way just to give sssuch thingsss? Thisss one does not mean to diminisssh your generosity, but it ssstrikesss thisss one curiousss as to why?"

"Yes, you. And no, it is not too far." Tawyse pulls up the next log. "This is an interesting method for creating firewood. It seems to be... comforting, to you. You had your eyes closed, and your tongue was sticking out."

Her expression falls a little. "You do not wish me to visit you here?"

Skielstregar rumbles. Crack, crunch, place. "It isss a way to help the People without unsssettling them," he says. "And thisss one can do it easssily without needing to put their weight into an axe. Heh. If thiss one did that, they'd just desstroy the wood."

He looks down to his snout, sticking his blackened tongue out for a moment before retracting it and looking to the side. ".... thiss one was... concentrating," he murmurs. Clearly, if he were a softskin, he'd be tinged.

Expression falling makes him perk up some. "Huh? What? No. That isss not what thisss one sssaid. Thisss one was merely curiousss. There are... ah... not.. that many people that come to visssit thisss one. Ssso it is... abnormal to thiss one.." he goes quieter, taking the next log and cracking it.

Another log is taken up, as Skiel gets to work upon previous one. She giggles as he sticks his tongue out once more. "Sort of like that, yes." The Gnome seems pleased at this.

"I've taken a liking to you.", she says softly. "And it has been.. rewarding to help you train."

The log in his hands crunches a bit too quickly at the admittance. He blinks. "... ah," Skielstregar quietly says, it more felt than heard. "Thisss one appreciates your effortsss. And findsss your company pleasssing. Thisss one hasss not had any issess sssince that night thuss far."

The next log for 'chopping' is offered up to the bronze-scale, while Tawyse chuckles at the quickly crunched log. "I'm glad that you are doing well. I have an understanding how difficult the affliction is to deal with."

Her smile brightens a little. "So, that's the uhm main reason why I am here."

Skiel blinks, then grins slightly. "Ah, thisss one figured there was a main reassson," he snickers, the firewood making becoming rote and routine as they converse.

The Gnome is happy to continue the movement of logs. "I uhm hope it doesn't bother you. Or er interferes with any uhm relationships you might already have." Tawyse keeps her eyes on the firewood she's handing the Sith. "I don't want to be a pest."

Now that gets him to tilt his head to the side. Crunch, snap, place. "... interferes with relationshipsss? What do you mean?" he requests, genuinely confused. The man's skull was thicker than the logs he's cracking.

"Thisss one sssees no interference," he adds after a beat.

Taw huffs a little, her cheeks colouring lightly. "That was my subtle attempt to ascertain as to whether or not you have ... someone, already." Another log is offered up. "Is this still the wood you brought the other day, on that sled you had?"

Skiel stares blankly at Taw for a solid ten seconds. A feat he was quite good at, considering he looked like a corpse when still. "... sssomeone?"

Click. "... oh! Uh, ah, um, no, no thisss one... thisss one doesssn't. Did.. did you think Vaera wasss the someone? No, no Vaera and thisss one aren't... t-thisss one respectsss her deeply and trustsss in her wisssdom."

Deciding to extract his foot that he had oh so elegantly shoved down his mouth up to the knee, he glances to the pile. "Sssome of it. Not all of it wasss needed for the nesssts."

The Gnome's cheeks continue to redden. "Oh, no, I thought you two were just really good friends.", she lies. "Vaera does seem very wise, so it's good to listen to her wisdom."

Nodding, she smiles again. "It is pleasing to see that you are generous. That was.. a giant amount of wood."

Skielstregar nods sharply. "Yesss, Vaera isss a very good friend. They have helped thisss one many timesss, and thisss one helpsss her often. But we are nothing more than friendsss," he states as if it was a simple, immutable fact.

He grins. "Yes! Thisss one hasss been gathering the wood for monthsss in preparation! Thisss one- hah- might have gone a bit too far and made too much."

GAME: Vaera rolls perception: (6)+10: 16

"Months? Oh, hah, I thought you had done that in a day." Tawyse giggles lightly. "It was much more impressive in my head." She gestures with her chin at the log he rips into smaller pieces. "I mean, you're making short work of these ones, and I've seen you take down and carry large trees. It is an impressive feat of strength."

Skiel coughs into a fist. "Ah, no, thisss one hass their limits," he rumbles. "Thisss one cannot do it all day, and needs rest. And not to mention all the firewood that Mictlan uses on the daily eating into that. It takesss time to get it all."

He rumbles a chuckle. "Perhapsss one day thisss one can just uproot entire treess to speed the process up?"

"I'd like to see that.", she says with a grin, while offering up the next log. "Er. Ones that are dead already, though, yes?" The Gnome chuckles lightly. "So, I've a question about your .. heritage. You enjoy the cold greatly, yes? I have heard that Am'shere is hot and humid. Are you still able to tolerate the temperature there?"

Early to rise, early to work, or so the saying went. And there was never a dearth of work to be done in Mictlan. Even with everyone helping out, there was still work to be done, improvements to be made. The fact that there were no permanent structures was strange, but it was not her place to question that without speaking to those in charge.

There was one building at least, and she was going to do what she could to make it feel comfortable there. The red makari had a large bundle of wood on one shoulder as she walked over to the small camp.

She stopped nearby, before continuing on to find Tawyse and Skielstregar working on firewood, who she offers a wave, before sitting down nearby, dropping the wood next to her.

Skiel shrugs with a wink. "... ssssure," he teases. But then he happily explains, "Yesss, thisss one cna tolerate the heat just fine. It is a bit uncomfortable some days, but overall it is well. Though, in Am'shere, the worssst is really the bugsss and insssects. The heat isss nothing compared to thossse if you lack scales."

He turns slightly as he heard the off-beat tempo of a familiar gait. He smiles lightly. "Ah, Vaera, peassse on your nessst. Working on carving sssomething today? Or more wood for thisss one to snap?"

"Insects? They are bad, then? Many clouds of them?" The Gnome shivers lightly. "I guess scales are pretty good at resisting mosquitos?"

Tawyse looks when Skiel turns to speak to Vaera, and she offers a wave in return.

Vaera raises a brow to the gnome for a moment, but she shrugs and takes one of the larger logs and braces it against their metal leg, taking a large chisel like tool to the bark around the outside of the hardwood. "The insects are not bad if you have scales, yes. But you likely wish to hear Skielstregar's opinion on such. I am just preparing some wood for more work. Cozamalotl seems to have taken it as a challenge, that the supports added to their nest means they can gather even more tomes to surround themself with. And I would rather not take any risks."

Skielstregar chuffs. "Yess, clouds of them. Scales and hide keep them from getting the worst of you. But sssoftskinss would be quite... addled."

He looks down to Vaera's work, him bobbing his ehad. "Ah, yesss, she isss... thisss one would hope that ssshe ussesss less books for the sake of her nessst, and othersss."

"I certainly have neither scale or hide for skin." She holds up a bare hand to demonstrate. "Surely there are ways to make them abate, yes? Incense or something?" The Gnome rubs at her chin. "Er. Someone is building a nest out of books? Uh. Some sort of bird?"

"There are ways to keep them away, yes, sometimes plants burnt on the fire, I believe that is close to incense used outside of Am'shere in a way."

"She will not be denied, her desire for her children to be surrounded by books." Vaera chuckles, prying off several large chunks of bark and setting them aside. "Ah, Tawyse, there are several mothers who are preparing for nesting, and, they can get rather obsessive over some things in preparation, especially the first time ones."

Cryosanthia has connected.

Cryosanthia has left.

Cryosanthia goes OOC.

Skiel nods. "Yesss, incenssse or saps to ward off one's ssscent help bessst with countering the Am'shere wildlife."

He chuckles, grinning. "Yesss, Vaeara hasss the right of it. Ssssome mothers in Mictlan are readying for eggsss. Thisss one cannot enter their groundsss, asss their scent and aura would disstresss them. And with the current ssstate of their being, thisss one might get blasssted out with magic out of paranoia. Ssssooo... thisss one collected all the wood for them."

Tawyse nods. "Right, so I will be sure to bring incense to disguise my uhm scent. Which... I have no idea how strong it is. Or if I smell at all." She chuckles at the mention of mothers, and Skiel being prevented from entering the nesting grounds. "Not a surprise though, I would guess that Sith-makar mothers are as pick as soft-skin mothers. Most men are asked to go, and let the nurses do their work."$e

"It is not to disguise your scent, it is to ward off insects. No kin would try to hide their scent from others under normal conditions." Vaera chuffs, the statement not lost on herself. She does sniff once at the air in the direction of the gnome, and shrugs. "I do not know if you smell different from other gnomes or not. "As for that? It is, different, among sith-makar. Many relationships are for nesting only, which is why they are on edge with males around. Those with cihuaa however, are usually much more welcoming and relaxed."

Skielstregar shrugs. "Vaera hass the right of it. But yesss, it isss similar to softskin mothers. Though, what Vaera is saying, no kin would hide their ssscent. It holds our emotionssss. But thisss one's scent is... full of death and decay. Ssssooo.." he rolls a hand. "Thisss one would be blasted out of the nesting groundsss more than likely. Sssoo they help from afar."

"Well, it will still fool the insects, yes? That is all I would want to do." Taw rubs at her cheeks. "So you both can smell me? Do softskins smell differently from Sith? I mean, can you still read anger or sadness in our scents?"

She nods to Skiel then. "Oh, I was curious about that, I could smell something when you were uhm mad."

"And yet even if the scent was removed, I do not think he would not wish to stop in there." Vaera Chuffs. "I believe he thinks he looks worse than he does."

"Yes, it would stop the insects. And your scent? Like I said, you smell like, either a gnome, or Tawyse. I am uncertain."

The red makari shrugs and scrapes off another chunk of bark. "But no, you do not have your emotions in your scents. You do not smell embarassed, but you act embarassed, and sometimes softskins have increased blood flow to their face. Other emotions are similar."

Skiel shakes his head. "Softssskins are different, like Vaera saysss. It isss.. hard for makari for underssstand what sssoftskins are meaning sometimesss due to it. It is why sssome kin seem.... bland as a board at timesss. Communication is different. That'sss why thiss one triesss to ssssmile more!" He smiles! It's horribly unsettling, all those teeth on display.

He rubs his neck. "... ah. The, ah, necromanciesss flood out of thisss one and entice terror into thossse around him when he isss like that. Handy to sssscare someone when they need it. Not ssso handy when your alliessss get ssscared of you."

Tawyse passes up another log to Skiel, while her cheeks do that whole increased-blood-flow thing. "So basically you just smell whether or not we've had a bath recently, then?" She chuckles and then acks at Skiel's smile. "Er, probably a bit too much teeth there for a smile." The Gnome nods and chuckles. "Yes, probably not handy to make your friends run away."

Vaera looks to the smile, chuckles and shakes her head. "It is not a bad smile. It is just that softskins tend to not have sharp teeth."

"Yes, like that, Tawyse. That is a good example. Though, it is hard to do so on demand, so I suspect there is a reason for embarassment? Apologies. There are still some scents to softskins however. And some can still discern your kind apart by scent."

Skielstregar nods slowly, him toning down the smile some. "Ah, uh, yesss. We cannot really determine sssoftssskinss emotionsss like that. Good thing thisss one was with sssoftskinss for sssome time."

He takes the log, arms flex, and he cracks it in two. Then into quarters. "... though, thisss one doess try to ensssure their friendsss don't run away." His voice grows to a mumble as the sentence ends.

"Eheh, yes, it usually requires the presence of embarrassment for blushing to happen.", the Gnome confirms. "And yes, I do believe it is the amount of teeth showing, not just the pointy nature of them."

Tawyse nods then to Skiel, "Ah, so you're kind of used to us, and our silly ways, then? And I know, you do very well keeping it under wraps."

"He does not have more teeth than normal. Usually." Vaera shrugs. "They are just larger than most, perhaps that makes it look like more."

"I am used to it, as is Skielstregar. He is perhaps more used to softskins than makari, I would say. He can speak of what he wishes to, though."

Skielstregar hums. "Yesss, it isss reactionary, usually like kin's scents." He takes another log, flexes his arms, and snaps it. "Regardlesss, yesss. Thisss one iss. Thisss one wasss with an oruch tribe for ssssome wintersss. They were kind for the mossst part. They ah, helped thisss one stitch his mind back together after coming back."

She points to herself, and smiles lightly, "See, this is a smile." Her grin broadens, until she is showing as much of her teeth as possible. "And so is this, however, it's a little unsettling. That is what I meant." Tawyse nods to Vaera. "As I think I am used to Sith-makar. Mostly." Her expression saddens then. "Oh, they found you after you escaped from Charn?"

"I do not know the whole story, but I have heard of much of it." Vaera explains, setting down the stripped log now as she takes a hatchet out of one of a bag. "Scents are usually reactionary, but they can be controlled, much like other emotions. That makes more sense, when you say too much teeth, you mean showing too much of them. Softskins do not smile enough for me to have a good frame of reference. Especially not the mul."

Skiel nods slowly, him reaching out with a large hand and patting Taw on top of the head carefully. "Yesss, yess, thisss one knowss, they were just playing around." He smiles properly this time around, only showing off a /little/ bit of his malformed teeth and fangs.

He bobs his head. The man didn't seem down about the fact. "Yesss, they found thisss one maddened and shambling, babbling incoherently, lashing out. They were strong and subdued thisss one. Their shamansss helped thisss one heal. And to get a leasssh on their Forgotten anger. They were kind. And if thisss one runss into them again, there would be no hard feelingsss from leaving them. Though, they are unsssuere where that roving band isss now."

"So. What is it like, then, being able to sniff out the emotions of other Sith? What do the different emotions smell like?" The Gnome blinks as she's patted on the head, and she grins up at Skiel. "That's a much better smile!", she says cheerfully. Taw's expression grows thoughtful. "Well, there are a few orc tribes here and there in the land, maybe you will find them again, some day. I hope so!"

"I am not sure what you mean entirely, Tawyse." Vaera admits after pausing to think on the question. "It is just a scent like any other. It smells like someone being embarassed, or sad, or happy, among other things."

"But most are just something someone recognizes. You would smell them, yes, but not associate the scent with a feeling without effort. But for what it is like? It is good. It is good to know who is doing well, who needs help, or needs to be talked with. Everyone is on the same page with their feelings, and willing to help others."

Skiel shrugs. "Maybe one day. Thisss one left becaussse they didn't agree with their traditionsss. They'd be welcome company, but thisss one wouldn't ssstay overlong."

The man nods at Vaera. "Yesss, that. But, to put it in a sssoftskinss's perspective. It'sss nothing different than reading body language. Ssseeing how one perssson actsss, the feeling you get from someone on how they are acting. IT isss the same for uss. Just the scentsss are part of it."

The Gnome nods softly then, and offers the next log up to Skiel. "Well, it's an interesting thing, I must say, this scent-sory perception you have." Tawyse lets out a small yawn, and gives her head a shake. "Hmmp. Might be time for me to head back to camp."

-End Scene-