70 Ashan, 718 ‣ Nashaki
“Overseer said he’d never seen him take more than he’s owed. Well I just don’t see that! Far as I can tell, any one of them’s viable to have taken it, even the overseer! Betcha that’s why he’s coverin’ for his guys!”
“Uh…”
“Checked the docks up’n down myself. All night, I was out there lookin’. Didn’t see a damn thing. And he still thinks it’s out there? It’s a cover-up!”
“Right, right… so what do you want us t–”
“I need that gods-damned ring found! Best place to check’d be their pockets, sure as hell.”
Saza blinked, watching the cantankerous woman before them with bright orange eyes. She’d pulled them into her makeshift shack (it was really just a few tents sewn together and tossed over a couple tall rocks) as soon as she’d heard them approach, which made him wonder if she had been giving every passing stranger the same winding story.
Dressed in long, draped fabrics and various colors, the human had her dark hair pulled into a bun atop her head, and the fried, frizzing strands stuck out in all directions. She was closer to Hyde’s age than his own, but he suspected it had less to do with the arcs and more to do with the obvious sun damage to her wrinkled skin. Her eyebrows, thin little arches, lifted and lowered with the lilt of her scratchy voice.
“Sure,” the young biqaj settled, “I’m... sure we can find your ring. Uh. Right?”
He looked to his left, searching for a more suitable response from Hyde. Saza didn’t know how this kind of thing was supposed to go – he was a soldier. He didn’t usually deal with people losing things, or getting things stolen, or… whatever had actually happened to the woman’s missing ring. With her shack settled just to the side of the main docks, on the beach, she claimed to have lost it at some point during the night one trial before.
According to her, a handful of dockworkers had still been out and about at the time. Staring at her, she said, like they wanted to (she’d mouthed something in Hyde’s direction, but covered it from the younger’s view). The ring had been on her thumb, like she said it always was, and she’d spoken to the workers for a few bits to tell them off… and by the time she’d made it back to her shack, the ring was gone.
“If you don’t find it, I just don’t know what I’m going to do. They took it! I swear to you they did! I’m betting it was Sa’alna, the one with the big hair like–” she pointed to Saza’s clean, fluffy hair. The woman hurriedly sat down after that, dark eyes wild with concern.
Saza reached for one of the cracked mugs she’d set in front of them, on the little table (it was just a couple of flat rocks on top of other rocks). He lifted it to his lips and took a sip of… tea? Was it tea? It tasted like some sort of flower, and he scrunched his nose in disapproval. The expression was wiped from his face soon enough when he noticed the woman’s stare on him. Maybe he should've gotten something to drink when they'd stopped by the tavern...
“Thanks for the tea,” he offered weakly, before clearing his throat and glancing away.
After a not-so-quiet grumble, she looked between them both, and retrieved a small coin pouch from somewhere in her draped clothing.
“I’ll pay you both,” she assured with a rapid nod, “I will. That ring’s all I got of my ex-husband.”
Ex… he wondered if she meant late, or if she was just clingy.
“Whaddya say? Get my Zihmi’s ring back from those sneaks?”
“Uh…”
“Checked the docks up’n down myself. All night, I was out there lookin’. Didn’t see a damn thing. And he still thinks it’s out there? It’s a cover-up!”
“Right, right… so what do you want us t–”
“I need that gods-damned ring found! Best place to check’d be their pockets, sure as hell.”
Saza blinked, watching the cantankerous woman before them with bright orange eyes. She’d pulled them into her makeshift shack (it was really just a few tents sewn together and tossed over a couple tall rocks) as soon as she’d heard them approach, which made him wonder if she had been giving every passing stranger the same winding story.
Dressed in long, draped fabrics and various colors, the human had her dark hair pulled into a bun atop her head, and the fried, frizzing strands stuck out in all directions. She was closer to Hyde’s age than his own, but he suspected it had less to do with the arcs and more to do with the obvious sun damage to her wrinkled skin. Her eyebrows, thin little arches, lifted and lowered with the lilt of her scratchy voice.
“Sure,” the young biqaj settled, “I’m... sure we can find your ring. Uh. Right?”
He looked to his left, searching for a more suitable response from Hyde. Saza didn’t know how this kind of thing was supposed to go – he was a soldier. He didn’t usually deal with people losing things, or getting things stolen, or… whatever had actually happened to the woman’s missing ring. With her shack settled just to the side of the main docks, on the beach, she claimed to have lost it at some point during the night one trial before.
According to her, a handful of dockworkers had still been out and about at the time. Staring at her, she said, like they wanted to (she’d mouthed something in Hyde’s direction, but covered it from the younger’s view). The ring had been on her thumb, like she said it always was, and she’d spoken to the workers for a few bits to tell them off… and by the time she’d made it back to her shack, the ring was gone.
“If you don’t find it, I just don’t know what I’m going to do. They took it! I swear to you they did! I’m betting it was Sa’alna, the one with the big hair like–” she pointed to Saza’s clean, fluffy hair. The woman hurriedly sat down after that, dark eyes wild with concern.
Saza reached for one of the cracked mugs she’d set in front of them, on the little table (it was just a couple of flat rocks on top of other rocks). He lifted it to his lips and took a sip of… tea? Was it tea? It tasted like some sort of flower, and he scrunched his nose in disapproval. The expression was wiped from his face soon enough when he noticed the woman’s stare on him. Maybe he should've gotten something to drink when they'd stopped by the tavern...
“Thanks for the tea,” he offered weakly, before clearing his throat and glancing away.
After a not-so-quiet grumble, she looked between them both, and retrieved a small coin pouch from somewhere in her draped clothing.
“I’ll pay you both,” she assured with a rapid nod, “I will. That ring’s all I got of my ex-husband.”
Ex… he wondered if she meant late, or if she was just clingy.
“Whaddya say? Get my Zihmi’s ring back from those sneaks?”
