View source for Mildly Misplaced Makari

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== Log Info ==
*Title: Mildly Misplaced Makari
*Emitter: Eztli
*Characters: Eztli, Shilde
*Place: Wilderness
*Time: Wednesday, May 18, 2022
*Summary: It's a rainy day in the forests of Alexandria. Eztli has been pointed in the direction of an entire village of makari outside of the city. The small makari decides to investigate, but the rainy and muddy paths prove somewhat confusing, and slow going. And the woods are filled with giant wolves! Or actually, it's just Rocky the large dog, who is followed shortly by Shilde. After a slight moment of panic, Shilde explains that she is watching the roads for travellers in need, and the small makari seems to be in need of direction. Eztli agrees, and the druid guides her to Mictlan, sharing conversation as they go. </div>

	 Wilderness outside of Alexandria, early afternoon. 

On more than one occasion, Eztli had been pointed towards the fact that there was an entire village of sith-makar who lived outside of Alexandria. She wasn't sure whether or not to take that as advice, as an insult, or just a subtle nudge to go there, but no matter the reason, she was more than a bit curious to see the place for herself. 

The only problem was that it was raining heavily that day, turning much of the path into a muddy trail. Slow going for anyone, and even more so for the small sith. Eztli was travelling with a large parasol that covered them entirely from above and then some as she trudged down the way, determined to reach the village as quickly as she could manage.

The small sith makar might gradually become aware of the large form of a shaggy dog. Wet, though not soaked, the creature's fur providing him with an effective natural rain coat, he plods along on an obvious intercept course with Eztli. Well, lopes more than plods, but he's certainly not charging or displaying any other overtly hostile behaviour.

The small makari freezes up when she realizes that a rather large dog is moving closer to her. She had picked up a rather large (for her) walking stick, which had been dried off with a small bit of magic to lean on as she went. 

She stops, and stares at the dog, before realizing that was probably a bad idea. She averts her eyes and looks to continuing to walk down the road, keeping an eye on the dog out of the corner of one of her eyes. 

"Hello there, mister or missus dog. Are you alright? Is your owner around, or are you just wandering around without one?" She asks with just the slightest hint of nervousness.

Rocky keeps coming closer, closer.. then stops as well, settling his haunches down and letting out a 'whuff' as he returns Eztli's initial stare, keeping his eyes on her as she averts her gaze. He tilts his head sideways, huffing another 'whuff' is what almost might seem like a question.

"Crumblin' sandstone, Rocky, if I have t'chase y'all the way back to... Oh." Antoher figure emerges from the treeline, then, short and squat, protected from the rain only by an oiled cloak and hood, bearing a large pack and an even larger shield strapped to it. "So ye found another one, did ye?" she says, seeing the parasol bearing Sith. With a shake of her head, she continues with her own rolling gait, approaching dog and lizard person.

Eztli almost jumps from the loud greeting of the dog, and she fidgets slightly with the traveling stick she had in one hand. "You don't know if you have an owner?" Eztli seems to question back, not even sure if her question was understood or not. The small makari almost seems to frown, and they rest a hand on their hip. "Well, that won't do, will it? You look too well cared for to be a stray, so come on, let's see if we can't find your owner." 

And there was a voice coming from the forest, which caused Eztli to spin around, the parasol moving to stablize, spinning just slightly back and forth over them. "...Oh, um, hello! I take it you're this dog heres owner, then." She greets with a laugh. "That's good! Though, what do you mean by another? Did you find some lizardfolk around here? Other than me, I mean."

"Owner? Naaaah.." Shilde says, waving a hand as if to dismiss the suggestion once she's closer.. the edges of conversation range. She doesn't stop, though, rolling right up beside the dog to bury a hand in the fur at his shoulders. "A friend, aye. Partner, sometimes." The dog gives a doggy grin, tongue rolling out. Shilde's eyes narrow, then gives him a little shrug. "Pain in th'arse, always." The dog leans back, as if to shoulder check the dwarf.. sending her stumbling a step before she scowls back at him. He continues to grin.

A harumph, and then Shilde looks at Eztli again.. only now giving her the once over. "If yer talkin' bout their colony, then aye, I seen 'em. If yer askin' 'bout Rocky, well.. he' good at finding folk that might be lost. Or maybe needin' a bit o'company on the road. Aren't always safe walkin' alone in these parts. Brigands. Wild animals. Monsters. The dog'n I tryin' help those folk out." A pause. "Make sure they make it t'where their goin'. Stayin' out of trouble." The last phrase has a bit of a double meaning.

"Well, whatever you choose to call yourselves, you're companions, right?" Eztli replies, finally allowing herself to grin and set aside the talking stick in her hand with the parasol to reach out and pat the dog- 

Those teeth were still fairly big. She veers away from Rocky's head to awkwardly pat the dog's neck and shoulder. "No, I meant like, sorry, I'm not used to this place, and that sounded vaguely threatening, maybe I'm just a bit on edge." The makari elaborates. "So there is one here, actually? An honest to goodness colony? That's really cool! Though the thought of monsters and bandits is a lot less cool. That's why I got myself a few things for self defence as I go." 

The white and brown makari stops, and huffs slightly. "I don't look that lost, do I? I mean, I don't know where I'm going entirely, so I don't even know if I can be lost, yet."

Shilde shrugs, offering another, "Naaaah," even as Rocky leans into the new pets. Sure, he's big, maybe intimidating. But he's also soft, and goofy looking. "But y'do have a look of someone.. eh... unfamiliar with the area, aye?" Shilde offers. Diplomatically. She puts a knuckle to her nose, looking up and down the road. Well, more of a trail at this point. She points north. "That way'll bring ye to yer kind. Mictlan is what they're callin' it.. though if ye've heard of it, y'probably know that bit already. Rocky'n I'll walk y'most of the way, if y'like. Don't doubt y'can handle yerself," she adds, and it's hard to say how sincere that comment is, "But Rocky needs the walkin' all the same. Few herbs'n fungi out'n about best harvested in the rain."

"Well, I'm not entirely at a loss with this place, and I can follow directions, mostly." The small makari huffs, but she continues to pat Rocky. "I came down part of this road on the way down, at least, I think I did. I can't tell what turn it was off of, and the path is almost a swamp now." 

"A lot of people told me about Mictlan, I think it was called, that was where I was heading. I wanted to make decent time there, in case I didn't decide to stay the night. Seemed like everyone was suggesting I go, and I don't want it to turn out to be some sort of refugee camp or something like that, you know?" 

"And I can handle myself, for the most part. But there's only so much I can do before running away becomes the better option, and I'm a bit short for outrunning people. What herbs and things were you looking for? I'm pretty horrible at foraging, but I won't pass up a chance to learn more if there is one."

Shilde just nods, apparently not particularly displeased at being called on her implication. She pats her hip; Rocky gets up off of his haunches and starts walking with her as she starts leading the way north. "Might wanna look into gettin' a horse, then. Or one of them raptors your kind like t'ride. All sorts've nasties like t'ambush the lone traveller." Shilde, of course, has a big dog. "Just lookin' for sage, mostly. Sells good in th'city. When the rains let up, probably start pokin' through the woods fer toadstools. The alchemists like those. Wouldn't eat 'em, were I you." She runs a thumb across her throat, as if to explain.

She stops talking for a bit, considering how to explain Mictlan. "Ah. It's more'n a refugee camp, for sure. Haven't visited their places through the portal.. so'm not knowin' how much like the homeland it might be, aye? But seems pretty comfortable for yer kind."

"Oh, the giant, bipedal lizards, I heard about those! Swift clawed, something like that. They even have those here? I guess if they're living in the area, they might have brought animals with them, makes sense." The small makari enthuses, her tail just poking out the back of the robes and waving wildly through the air. "Those would be amazing to see, and uh, yeah, might be a bit safer." 

"I was lucky I was able to find enough to eat on the way here. Though, most of the food was charred when I caught it, so not the best for long term storage. Being able to forage for plants is a lot more convenient and handy for long term solutions." 

"To be honest, I haven't been there either, so I don't know what to expect." Eztli sighs. "So this'll be my first time seeing a place like that at all. I'm not sure what to expect, whatsoever."

Shilde huhs. It's apparent the dwarf didn't quite expect that revelation. She looks sidelong at Eztli again. "So.. where y'from then?" she asks. "S'pose Am'shere ain't the only place yer folk come from," she admits, looking ahead again. She pats Rocky on his rump.. the large dog then takes off, veering off the trail to push through the trees and brush. "Wouldn't hurt t'pick up on a few pointers for livin' of the land out here. Lotsa folks, city bred'n born, don't understand how useful it can be. City won't always be there t'take care of 'em. If yer lookin' t'learn.. well, I know a few things. Most've the druid circle does. A few ranger types in town, too.. if y'know where to look."

"Am'shere is the only place I know of, really." Eztli shrugs as she's given a sidelong look. The small makari grins back. "Least, ancestry wise. But no, never been, don't know too much about the place, guess I probably came from there though. Since I can remember I've been from Charn, but I'm not there now, which is better." 

She doesn't seem too bothered, or hides it well, and continues on. "It is handy to know, you're right. Mushrooms and herbs and sprouted greens and wild fruits and vegetables are all good to know, and it's just as important to know how not to poison yourself in the process. Odd for the ranger types to be in town, but I guess the city is pretty close to a huge forest, after all."

If Shilde things the explanation is a little odd she doesn't give much sign, just nodding along with Eztli. "Aye. Despite its size, still thinks itself a frontier city." She snorts at that. "Thinkin' they've forgotten what a frontier is. But ah well." The dwarf druid rolls her shoulders in a shrug. "Now.. best not t'be sneakin' up on this place. They've got their defenders.. an' I unnerstand they jut had a bunch of wee ones born. Er, hatched. So's likely to be extra wary 'bout folks comin' in. So make sure ye make yer presence known. Sure they'll be welcomin' ye's soon as they're knowin' yer okay. If ye want y'can mention one o'th'circle walked with ye abit. They don't know me, but they know the circle." She grunts. "An' if yer serious 'bout learning some of the ways've the forest, look fer me. Rocky'n I range about. If ye get into trouble, hollar. Might not be around, but can't hurt in case we're in shoutin' range."

"Not a frontier city no, it's pretty big as far as cities go." Eztli nods, then freezes, and bursts into laughter. "Oh! Where are my manners, I can't exactly holler for you if I don't even know your name to begin with! Mine's Eztli, and I already know Rocky. I'll remember that if you ever need someone to help you forage, though maybe not the deadly stuff." 

The laughter dies down, and the makari peers up the road. "Even for me? I'll have to make sure to be extra careful, they might think I'm odd after all, and best to nip any potential misunderstandings before they become an issue. What's the circle you're talking about, then?"

"Shilde," the dwarf responds, wiping some of the moisture from her forehead as she peers forward. "Aye, even for ye lass. Yer kind got th'villains and ne'er-do-wells, same's any other people," she explains. While finding it odd, perhaps, that she feels the need to explain it. "Though shoutin' for Rocky'd probably be th'way t'go. His hearin's better'n mine, an' he knows his name."

Shilde takes a moment before addressing Eztlie's last question. "The Druid Circle. Local chapter'v the Yggdrasil Union. Folks who see'the natural world'n tend t'the Green Word. Avoid desecratin' the wilds an' they can be yer friends. Decide t'abuse nature's bounty'n they'll become yer worst enemy."

"As opposed to you not knowing your name well?" Eztli teases with another quiet chuckle. "Do I need to say Shilde more for you maybe? Anyways, good to know it, and I'll keep it in mind. Don't know many dwarves, and less so those that are outdoorsy folk. Then again, suppose I'm not the most typical sort myself, so it's not my place to be judging." 

"Ah, Yggdrasil Union folk! That makes sense, I can promise I won't go abusing nature or anything like that. At least, long as I'm not in mortal danger or anything. Fire and plants tend not to mix well, and I try to avoid that if I can help it, you know?"

Shilde squints a bit over at Eztli.. then decides the small sith isn't making fun of her, so she snorts and even chuckles. Once. "Well. Bein' that Rocky don't talk much, his name gets spoken a fair bit more, aye?" She doesn't comment on the unusuallness of a dwarf druid, though, falling silent for a time as she considers this new aquaintance. "S'good, s'good.." she finally says, happy to hear Eztli's promise. "Anyway. Looks like we're gettin' close. Rocky'n I are gonna head back now. Still got my 'erbs and 'shrooms t'find. Keep followin' this path.. sentries'll have ye in sight soon enough. Be seein' ye around." She raises a thick fingered hand to make a brief fist, then she whistles sharply.. presumably to signal her furred companion.

"Ah, right! I've taken up a bunch of your time already being apparently lost in the forest and all." Eztli laughs. "You were quite kind to help me find my way to this place, and Rocky and you were good company. A lot better than trudging through the rain alone!" 

"I'll make sure to make myself as big and imposing as possible so they know I'm coming." The small makari grins. "See you around, Shilde! And take care, there's big dogs in these forests that'll sneak up on you if you aren't being careful."

Shilde snorts again at the last comment, and might even grin a little bit as she shakes her head, waving her hand briefly at the Sith Makar before disappearing into the woods.