In which something falls

It's getting late in the evening now, dark enough outside that the stars have begun to shine their way into the midnight blue. Here and there the clouds blot out the starlight, but they pass by quickly enough and thus offer much of their light to the world below. Which makes it a fine night to be outdoors. Strangely enough however there are not many people about. Zeke sits just outside the Soldier's Defense, a large cup of hot tea beside him and what looks to be some kind of food wrapped up there as well. His cloak almost obscures him in the darkness save that he's thrown back the hood and revealed the six horns that lie across the top of his head as well as his darkish blue scales that seem almost black in the starlight.

Through the darkness, a young bull elephant dutifully follows along behind Faranth as she wanders the gardens, speaking softly to the plants as she waters and tends to them.

Wandering through the gardens comes Delilah; the golden haired sorceress is carrying a basket with a small variety of food, which just happens to include a bottle of rum (alcohol being one of the essential food groups, naturally), which no doubt will earn her some measure of disapproval along the line. Hopefully the fruits, vegetables, and the decent cut of beef she's got will make up for it. ...Of course, she does have to stop and gape for a moment at the bull elephant; afterall, you don't see that every day.

It seems that the bull elephant has garnered attention from more than one eye, because Zeke has risen to his feet as well, his green eyes on the animal. His tail swishing back and forth slowly. The movement of that particular appendage shows flashes of his left arm which it seems is made of something... else. Something not scaled but too shadowed and far away to determine.

MalGein (the young bull elephant) pauses in following Faranth around long enough to raise his trunk to his head to greet the golden haired woman who has stopped to gape at him. Faranth turns to see what is holding her friend up, and spots the woman. She chuckles lightly to herself and walks back to the young elephant, loosening a bundle of bamboo strapped to his back. She removes a single stick from the bundle and holds it out, offering it toward Delilah. "Do you want to feed him?"

Out of character, perhaps, for those that know him, Boshter the Arvek Nar is making his way towards the Verdant Earth, hands tucked into the pockets of his robes. Out of character, that is, because he's quiet. No bounding exuberant energy /here/. Just a quiet, plodding course there.

The blond sorceress turns bright red; caught in the act of gaping. "I-- sorry for staring, I've just never seen one before," she admits. She looks over at Zeke as he raises to his feet, and gives him a bit of a 'can you believe it?!' look, before turning back to Faranth. "Well... yes! I would, please!" She takes the offered bamboo, and approaches, offering a bow to the elephant that apparently has waved to her. "A pleasure to meet you both," she adds, offering the bamboo -- a mite on the gingerly side of things, mind you.

Zeke's tail moves a little faster as Delilah offers her expression to him, watching her with keen interest as she offers the bamboo shoot to the elephant. So interested in fact that he takes a little step forward when he ought not. Zeke's tail catches on his cup of - what was tea - and spills it down the steps. Worse he nearly runs into Boshter whom he narrowly avoids by nearly stepping on the same appendage that tripped up his tea. "Pardon." The word is spoken in a deep tone, and one that is wholly apologetic.

Faranth lets a smile spread across her face as Delilah takes the bamboo from her. She steps back toward MalGein and scratches behind one of his ears as she offers the shoot. MalGein's trunk slides toward the offered morsel and takes hold of one end, guiding it into his mouth, he begins crunching on the vegetation, the other end still in Delilah's hand unless she lets go. As he munches, Faranth speaks up. "My name is Faranth, and this here little guy is MalGein." It is that moment that a slight commotion arises from the direction of the Soldier's Defense, and steals Faranth's attention away from the woman she's talking to.

"Oh!" Boshter is caught off guard. It's not that he had not noticed people in the area or that he wasn't paying attention but he's still caught off guard by Zeak in this case. His hands go out automatically to steady him, should he continue to totter, but it seems unnecessary.

'That's okay," he offers in cheerful, blarite accented trade.

Delilah watches with an expression of wonder as the bamboo is taken from her hand and munched on. "Delilah," she replies, letting the Elephant continue to hold on to her hand. "Very pleased to meet both of you, Fatanth and MalGein." She pauses, looking at the elephant with renewed curiosity. "Little, hunh? So you're going to get a lot bigger?" She does, at this moment, subconsciously shift her basket around behind her back; no sense in making it entirely tempting to a youngster. Her twin will be needing dinner, too.

Zeke actually reflexively flinches away from Boshter's helpfulness, tripping backwards and landing in a wholly awkward position. Sith-makar are not meant to be folded over their tails or even off their feet really. Awkwardly he flails a bit, gruffly holding up his claws to forestall any attempts to help him up. "Ssssorry." Zeke's distraught state makes his accent thick enough to walk on.

Faranth tilts her head to the side, her attention still on the steps to the Soldier's Defense. "Yes, he's just a baby right now. He will get much bigger when he starts growing." She absently takes another bamboo stick from MalGein's back and hands it to Delilah as MalGein finishes the one he has. He flops his ears and lets out a small happy trumpet at seeing the next morsel of food. Luckily for Delilah, he appears to have no interest at all in her basket.

Boshter doesn't look off put by the flinching away. If anything, rather understanding actually! He steps back from him, hands spread out to either side of him now in a disarming gesture of peace.

"I hope you are all right," he calls to Zeke after that. Rueful look, really, and sympathetic. A glance towards the others. TWO Sith-Makar!

Delilah looks over her shoulder once again, flashing a big grin to Zeke and now, apparently, Boshter as well. It's the 'I can't believe I'm feeding an elephant' look. She looks back in time to see the youngster taking the second piece of bamboo from her hand to munch on. "Okay, you are absolutely fantastic," she declares, watching MalGein eat. She glances back over her shoulder, and nods to the other two; "You should come and see," she beckons. "As long as too many people won't be a problem?" she adds, asking of Faranth.

Slowly, and with much effort Zeke rises to his feet once again. This is a process made more difficult by his prosthetic left leg which is now clear for everyone to see. As for a long moment is his crystalline arm. "Yesssss." He hisses this out as he gets up, finally righting himself and settling his cloak as it should be. A habitual movement of his cloak hides his unnatural limbs from view and much of his body as well. Standing up he is an impressively imposing sith-makar; nearly seven feet tall and broad through the shoulders though he tapers through the waist.

Once settled Zeke glances ruefully at Boshter. "Thisss one isss sssorry." His deep voice makes his accent thicker somehow, and though it's easier to understand him now it's clear he's not a native speaker of the language he's offering his words in.

Faranth shakes her head in the negative. "We do our work mainly at night..." she indicates the plants that she and MalGein had been tending. "But he's getting better about crowds. You should have seen him on our first day here. Almost picked a fight with a Gryphon." She takes several more pieces of bamboo from the bundle, and offers one to Delilah and the other two to the shy men on the stairs.

"Do not worry," says Boshter, good cheer and warmth beginning to emanate from his tone, "I think your pride is far more injured than anyone else was! Well, that and the tea?" He looks down, thoughtfully, before turning his attention back to Faranth and giving a nod towards her, thoughtful. Working at night? He can grasp that.

Then again, he /is/ an Arvek.

Delilah is more than happy to keep offering bamboo to a hungry elephant, especially if he's a growing boy. "Picked a fight with a gryphon, hunh?" She chuckles softly, "Don't worry, you'd've flattened him I'm sure." She grins broadly, showing her teeth as she kind of... regresses into an expression she hasn't used sine she was a little girl. "Donna is never going to believe me, I'll have to bring her down to meet you both, too." She looks over her shoulder once more, still grinning a bit silly. "His name's MalGein," she explains to a couple of perfect strangers she's never met before. "Best elephant ever."

Zeke glances down and sighs at the sight of the spilled tea. Delicately he picks the cup up and holds it in his hand, blinking twice at the offered bamboo. Without realizing it his tail wags back and forth slowly, his eyes lighting with interest but he shakes his head. "Thiss one hasss work to attend to. Many are ssick inssside." He motions toward the Soldier's Defense.

Faranth notes the reluctance in Zeke's demeanor, and steps forward, planting one offered stick in each of the men's hands. MalGein dutifully follows the food, brushing past Delilah to follow, his touch surprisingly gentle for an animal his size. "I'm sure there’s always enough time to feed a passing animal."

"Well, they have good herbs over at the Verdant!" Boshter points at the store he was going to. "I was on my way there to get something for someone! If you will excuse me, I will get going there!" He's going to move to carefully step around the gathering so that he has the opportunity to do just that.

Delilah watches as the elephant finishes eating the piece of bamboo she last provided. She's still grinning as she backs off a step, shifting her basket to the other hand. "Well," she observes, "I'll definitely be coming back and bringing my sister." She chuckles softly. "It's been fantastic, everyone. I'd best be heading off though, or my sister's going to be wondering what the heck happened to me and where dinner is." She pauses, "She'll probably check the jail first, come to think of it." She shrugs, and turns to step off. "Been fun!"

Zeke wouldn't have taken the bamboo, but there's little choice but to do so. He stands there perfectly still as the elephant eats his bamboo stick; like a statue. In fact one would be hard pressed to find him breathing the entire time. As soon as he's able he lets go of the shoot, his tail wagging back and forth the moment that the elephant starts to look for food elsewhere. There's a bright gleam in his green eyes. "Peassse on your nesstss. I musst go too." He nods low to both the women and perhaps slightly lower to Faranth in thanks for pressing him to feed the elephant. Then he treks back to the Soldier's Defence to clean up his food and head inside.

-End