A Clean Sweep

Log Info

• Title: A Clean Sweep
• Emitter: Aryia
• Characters: Aryia, Aya, Venom, Khepri, Seyardu
• Place: Temple District
• Time: March 14th, 2022
• Summary: A war golem is helping keep the temple district clean and proper while Seyardu hands out free food for passer-bys. Aya and Venom end up intersecting with the others as they pass on by. They chat, Venom casting some veiled glances towards Khepri before the golem departs for other duties. Reminded of something, Aya too joins in on absconding. Seyardu assuages Venom after the veiled woman has had a rough outing, losing someone in the process before she too heads on out, leaving Seyardu to resume her duties.

Temple District, Midday

Recent events have most folks lingering around the temples. Afterall, you'd want to be near such a place if you got bit by a recent outbreak of lycans, right?

Well, one such figure was certainly lazing around, but not for that. A scarred mul'neissa woman in a buckled green jacket, laying out on the outer ring of the fountain in the center of the district. Shaded gaze looking up at the sky while her rough fingers brush against the waters beside her.

The place is still a little untidy, and so a tall, gaunt figure in a long hooded cloak can be seen, sweeping carefully. Its steps are curiously deft, its movements snap with inhuman focus as the broom moves back and forth. Walking to and fro ceaselessly, as the plaza is carefully cleaned, the worst of the debris picked up and dumped into barrels for disposal. A hollow humming sound comes from the creature as it works.

Aside from concerns of growing fur, fangs, or a penchant for chasing wagons, there are other reasons to be about the temple district. Even for those not especially divinely-inclined. Or was that then and this is now? Aya enters from the mouth of the road desceding from the mountain and the nobility district, temple, and/or airfield atop. An evening stroll, perhaps, judging by her pace, or lack thereof.

A shrouded figure moves into the district of worship from one whence she could most rapidly rearm.

Venom, veils and hair fluttering some in a breeze that barely moves the heavy oilcloth poncho. Her movements are precise and even as she makes her way along the thoroughfare, obfuscated eyes scanning the crowd and environs about her as she follows her course.

Sweep. Sweep. The lean figure is precise and methodical, the broom moving in calm strokes. As though there's all the time in the world. A glint of yellow light, and the gleam of metal, can be seen in the drooping hood's shadows, as it pauses to tip the latest pan of trash into the barrel. Pausing in its incessant humming to look around, as if reviewing the work thus far.

Aya pays the majority of passersby little mind: noted, yet not her focus. This includes the shrouded sweeper. What her focus rests upon, at present, is not immediately apparent; presumably internal as her glances about are few and far between.

There is more than one shrouded about, of course; descending Vardamen and other robed clergy, those wrapped against wind or weather, and even one veiled. It is the last that catches Aya's eye and sparks rememberance. Recognition by familiar obfuscation? A hand partially lifts in greeting to Venom, somewhat reserved as if she may not be the one whom Aya believes that she recalls.

With the lane of travel being somewhat... fluid, Venom does find herself occaisonally sidestepping the odd Jotun, or Oruch. With a brief pivot of her head toward the glow coming from a hood over yonderly, she is almost on top of the far flung Mul'niessa before her attention reorients that way.

And she visibly starts, drawing at once to a halt before, with a slight list of her head, she tenatively raises a hand to return Aya's gesture.

Every once in a while, the temple of Althea decided it didn't want people coming inside, when the days were pleasant enough out that people could do with the fresh air and open skies. This was one such day, where the temple had set up in the plaza with a few large tables, and a portable stove that was roaring with several pots of warm stew and soup wafting out into the air. It wasn't all of their food, and it was easily managed by a single sith-makar cleric, who had become nearly an expert at doling out free meals. soup, sandwiches, and other things all prepared and offered to those stopping by.

Khepri is about to start sweeping again, when it's approached by an older woman. Soft words exchanged -- from her dress, perhaps she's a new widow. The cowled head bobs slowly, birdlike, as a three-fingered hand is placed on the woman's shoulder for a moment. Then it reaches under the cloak, and removes a small charm from around its neck... placing the charm in the woman's hand, and gently closing her fingers over it.

"Evening," Aya offers to Venom without disposition on the type of evening. There may be more to follow, though the interruption of the sweeper and interaction with the woman pulls her notice away and holds it. All until Seyardu arrives (and/or the scents of food) into the vicinity.

Venom's head holds itself slightly off camber for a moment or two longer before returning to it's proper alignment and subsequently dipping into a nod. Her hands emerge from her poncho, flicking and twisting into the signs for, "Hello. Are you well?" <handspeech>

With Aya's attention drifting back toward... that direction, Venom's does in turn, her hands lowering to her sides as wafting scents of yumminess carry accross the square.

"My thanks for your work, it takes much effort to keep a place such as this clean and functioning, but it is appreciated greatly." Seyardu offers to the golem cleaning nearby, And then she sees other familiar faces, who she waves to. "Aya, Venom! Peace on your nests. Call it professional concern, but I really should make sure you are getting enough to eat Aya. And you are welcome to some as well if you wish Venom, if you need or wish. There is more than enough to go around, and the bakers in the temple made apple pastries with some of the apples that were stored for the winter."

Khepri leads the older woman over to Seyardu, and gently nudges her into line. At Seyardu's words, the golem stares for a moment, head cocked slightly, before responding in a tenor voice, "The work of the faitful is never done. I am happy to serve in whatever way is needed." It stares curiously at the food, but makes no attempt to take any, instead starting to move away again.

"I am well fed," Aya assures Seyardu with a decline, adding, "There are those who need it far more." Whatever doubts she held on her recognition of Venom are greatly reduced, if not eliminated entirely, by the gestures and their meaning. She turns back to respond with motions of her own. "I am better than I was before, thank you."

The movements and interchange of the Golem with Seyardu occupy Venom's eyes, wherever they are under there. It takes her a moment to respond to the invitation from her friend with a brief wave at first.

The motions to her side warrant a slight dip of the veils before the hands reappear to sign out, "That's good." <handspeech>

"Is that so? There is more than enough food to spare, you need not concern yourself with that." The cleric chuckles. "And you must forgive me, but I have seen your cooking, and so it is a bit of a concern to me that you are eating well still Aya. Nevertheless, if you are alright, so be it."

"There is always a need for work yes, but there are many to do it." She adds to the war golem. "Do not overwork yourself in the process."

Khepri lets out a funny little clicking sound. "The work is not hard. It must be done. The world does not wait, but perpetually rolls onward to her judgment." With that, the golem returns to its silent vigil, sweeping and cleaning.

Aya watches the golem depart, eyes following a moment even as she gives a slight nod to Venom. Another moment passes before comments are parsed and she blinks, head and eyes snapping abruptly to Seyardu. One brow arches high. "My cooking? I do not cook, have not, save for-" Her rebuttal sputters out abruptly as realization dawns. Of course.

She inhales, then exhales, shaking her head slightly. "There is no cause for concern. I do not cook for myself. The inns and taverns exist for that, and welcome the business."

Venom's awareness, likewise, tracks the movement of the construct for some while before she loses it in the ebb of the crowd. Her posture shifts ever so slightly, then she looks between the two women.

A moment passes.

Two...

Then, "It's a worthwhile skill to have, even at the basic level." <handspeech>

"Then do not worry about it. From what I remember, even if it was a bit well done, it was still appreciated greatly." Seyardu sighs. "That being said, I agree with Venom, it is not bad to know how to cook. Venom is a good cook as well. To be honest, sometimes the inns do not change their menus enough for me to always wish to go to them."

Aya considers this, glancing between the both of them. After a few moments, she must admit, "I suppose you are both correct; everyone must eat, afterall." Their recent company excluded, admittedly, but she does not mention that directly. Instead, she shifts sidelong with "Daechir is rather talented with food..." This unexpected energetic start wanes rapidly to conclude with "... though it may be some time before he takes it up."

Venom bows her head slightly at Seyardu's appraisal of her tradecraft, such as it is, and she signs, "Thank you. She's being nice."

The mention of the generous Mul'niessan puts a little list to her head again, but she isn't particularly experienced with that sort of thing.

She lets the moment hang for a beat or two, then signs, "I can make some notes if you like." <handspeech>

"Then perhaps you should learn to fill the gap until he is capable. It may lift his spirits, much as your food before did." The sith-makar suggests with a small smile. "I have not checked in on him, but I hope that he is recovering well. If he needs any further care, you do not even need to think about hesitating to ask."

"It is not being nice either. I have had a few meals with Venom, and she makes excellent stew." She adds to the veiled woman.

"I have never known Seyardu to be anything other than nice," Aya opines to Venom, "but that does not mean that she exagerrates. I would welcome whatever you would offer. Thank you." Perhaps the Makari's nice has rubbed off upon the mul. Seyardu's hope and comment prompts a glance and thought. "He is recovering and, yes, I will inform you if he needs anything else. For now, he seems to only need some time, and sime solitude." The statement is both relieved and ... not.

A sudden thought of the topic, topics, or combination of them appears to strike, marked by a sudden tenseness in Aya's features. Her eyes shift across the square. Whether the thought is weal or woe, she doesn't clarify. "Excuse me. We will speak again." With that as a sudden farewell, she moves off briskly; not an instant disappearance as she had a past habit of, though she does so rapidly enough to quickly become lost in the passersby.

Venom dips her chin again at Aya's appraisals en masse, but she doesn't make any overtly consilatory motion. It's not something she has a lot of expertise in.

Or, perhaps it's something deeper.

The veiled woman watches Aya slip off for a few strides, likely due to the magical travel ban hovering over the city, but eventually loses sight of her as well.

She ventures closer to Seyardu at last, looking around for something, before she reaches out to gently bump her knuckles against the silverscale's arm.

"You look well." <handspeech>

"I am not always nice, but I do try. That is good, I will keep myself available as much as possible. I wish him a quick recovery, and a short period of solitude, for both of your sakes."

"Ah, right, see you." She manages to offer in goodbye before the mul'niessa is off. She stops to ladle out some soup and make a sandwich for someone passing by, before her attention is back on Venom. "I am doing well, yes. There are less pressing concerns right this instant, or that is what I tell myself. That and, having someone to return to certainly bolsters one's spirits." She admits. "You as well Venom, I hope things are finding you well."

The veiled one glances to the passing beneficiary before she steps out of the path of engagement.

She nods again to Seyardu's words, well, the first ones.

She cocks her head at the newer ones, "Someone" she inquires simply. She leaves the query hanging, in lieu of presenting an answer of her own. It's.... complicated. <handspeech>

Seyardu regards the handspeech, and tilts her head, before grinning just a touch awkwardly. "Ah, yes, well, it is not something entirely new. This one has been spending time with one of the people, a makari named Sjach for some time now. It is only recently that we have both been able to admit our feelings for each other, really." She admits. "He is my Cihuaa, and it lifts my heart to refer to him as such."

Venom takes a moment or two to roll that over in that veiled noggin of hers before it nods, and she reaches out to gently bump her knuckles against Sey's arm again.

Her hands come together and frame a further response with, "I hope it goes well." <handspeech>

"I hope so, too. I really do." Seyardu sighs, looking to return a bump to Venom's arm gently. "It is something I am not used to in the slightest, but being able to spend time with them, it is wonderful. I hope it is something you can understand yourself."

"So, I will keep doing my best. It helps as well, being able to have insight into such matters. It seems almost expected of a cleric of Althea, here."

There's a little side to side listing of Venom's head at that, but she doesn't have a lot to say at first.

It's a couple of beats after the Sith's words abate that she signs, "Some."

The enigma glances around, then goes on, "Your faith teaches you about that sort of thing??" <handspeech>

"Well, that is good. Some is better than not at all, yes." Seyardu smiles, followed by a low chuckle as she looks to the temple. "Well, we sort of do, yes. After all, out of all the gods, the marriage between what you refer to as Daeus and Althea is the most well known. And Althea is a goddess of Family, love and compassion for others, so it is no surprise that it is something expected to be well understood."

"This one often struggled when lovestruck followers came to the temple seeking for advice on such matters. It was a surprisingly common occurrence, even for a makari such as myself."

Another nod, then, "I expect Violet may have some queries about that." Venom signs with her hands down low, largely obscuring the gestures from anyone not facing her from Seyardu's direction.

The veiled woman scans the crowd, the high places, then, still signing discretely asks, "Do you know anything about fog and angry trees eating people?" <handspeech>

"Well, if you see Violet around, then let her know that she is welcome to come by any time to the temple. If I do not find her myself." Seyardu smiles. "I did not know you knew her, but you are friends with Aryia, so that is not surprising. Seems she really likes talking about her, after all."

"About those things? That does sound quite concerning. I am sorry, but those matters are out of the realm of what I know." She sighs. "That does not mean I can not look into it however. And I could ask some like the druid Un'eth for help if you needed?"

"I've noticed that myself." the enigma notes, whatever expression she has behind those veils unreadable. She gives that a minute, then, "Someone was lost on the last mission I was on."

She hesitates a moment, her hand frozen between gestures, then, "I don't want it to happen again." <handspeech>

"Someone was lost? As in, disappeared?" Seyardu asks, stepping away from the main serving area for a moment. "I know magic to tend to people who have passed now, but, I can not summon someone who has disappeared. But I could see if I could find where they are, if you needed."

"I understand. I hate things happening to people I travel with. It is a horrible feeling. And, while I can not promise it won't happen again, I can at least help with this. I would be happy to, really."

The cleric stops, and pats Venom on the shoulder. "I know you did everything you could. I will help as best as I can, if you need."

The shoulder is tense at first contact, even if the oilcloth muddles that somewhat, but it relaxes after a moment, and the enigma nods, her other hand lifting across her body to curl lightly over Seyardu's.

Her empty hand rises between them, then and she signs a simple, "Thank you." <handspeech>

Seyardu stops, and after a moment, hazards a brief hug before she steps back away, and nods, offering Venom another smile. "You are welcome, Venom. I have obligations for now, there are still people to serve out here, and I need to bring everything back into the temple. But afterwards, I will stop by the library, and see if I can find anything before I prepare any magics to test. If I can not reach you, I will let Aryia know. Is that alright?"

Venom is momentarily stunned by the sudden embrace, but, she's had.... recent experience to acclimate, one could say. The figure nods and her arms encircle the Sith for a few moments until it's time to part.

She nods in acquiescence to Seyardu's obligations and gives a neat bow upon her offer before she straightens.

Her hands sign, "That would be good, thank you very much."

She looks about the crowd one last time, then signs a, "Be well." before she starts to move onto... whatever her original course was. <handspeech>

-End Scene-