Not Sick, Just Searching

The soldier's defense is particularly busy today. A string of colds and various illnesses bringing up the resident population as the temperature begins to slowly climb. Karasu doesn't particularly stand out from the crowd, but his raven does. He's been told several times to keep an eye on the bird as though Wuya would infect the populace or something. About the third time he's been asked though, his expression has fallen to hard lines of displeasure. "Excuse me," He says, trying to get the attention of one of those individuals who work here. "I am looking for a man."

"Ain't we all honey?" Says the woman, smiling in a way that does nothing to elicit one from Karasu. "Can't you see I'm busy?" She motions to her patient and Karasu nods silently before moving away.

A massive, towering silver and tarnished bronzscale makari steps out from one of the side rooms. He's had to come in numerous times having been dealing with the plague outbreak in the threatre district. And this time was no different.

"Are you certain?" a Lucht-Suli asks the towering warrior. "You are quite cold, and..."

"Thisss one told you, that isss normal with thisss one," he rumbles, scratching at a patch of bronescales that flake off.

"And your scales are-"

"That issss /normal/," he stresses. "Doesss thisss one have the symptomsss or no?"

The Lucht sighs, shaking his head and waving him off. "No. No developments thus far. Come back tomorrow, and I'll give you the all clear."

The aide walks off, and the unarmored makari rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands. Shaking his head, he looks around before spying a familiar face, and he carefully lumbers over.

Skielstregar, in a simple tunic and pants with just a dagger on his hip, raises a hand. "Peassse on your nessst, Ssshaman Karassssu. Are you well?"

Karasu looks up as he is addressed and the raven on his shoulder picks up considerably. It seem that Wuya was a little bored. "Peace on your nest Skeilstregar." He offers a low polite nod to the sith-makar, then gives the other a little once-over with his eyes. "I am well enough. I am not here for myself, but rather looking for someone else today. Are you well?"

Skielstregar dips his head and lightly smiles.

The makari seemed to be just fine. Over time, those tarnished bronze scales have started to thin out and flake off, the man now about three fifths silver with some errant patches of bronze left over. He's had some wounds that have been healed over into scars, most notably one on his shoulder. But all in all, he seems chipper.

"Thisss one iss well, thank you for asssking," he happily rumbles, tail swishing behind him. "And yourssself? Though, thisss one mussst ask. Who are you looking for?"

Karasu certainly takes note of the more silvery sheen of the sith-makar compared to their first meeting. "I am looking for a man I met here briefly. I think he was a guard. Long brown hair, armor, and a jewel here rather than an eye." He motions to his face briefly. "Perhaps it is a hopeless search. You look well Skeilstregar. The silver scales suit you."

Skielstregar tilts his head to the side. "... Dolan?" he ponders aloud. "Thisss one met them before. A Sunguard hasss him under watch... Andelena, her name wasss. Asssk around the Dragonfather'sss temple for her."

The compliment makes him blink, then he looks to the ground, tapping the tips of his fingers together. "... thisss one thankss you for the kind words..." he mumbles quietly.

Aww, he's embarrassed.

Karasu startles at the name and then looks at Skeilstregar in surprise. "Yes. That was his name. I remember a Sunguard being... concerned with him. I did not realize that she had taken him to task." This news darkened his eyes somewhat and he seems to consider his options. "I will have to ask there for him."

The sith's reaction to his comment causes his lip to twitch. He in fact almost smiles. Wuya whistles and makes several other noises toward the sith-makar that makes that near-smile spread to Karasu's dark eyes. "My companion is being a little rude, so I will not translate for him." Wuya looks at him offendedly, and Karasu gives a half-shrug. It would only embarrass Skeilstregar more.

Skielstregar tilts his head the other way. "... very... well. Thisss one advisess caution, thisss one isss... unsure of their dynamic."

He coughs into his fist, him glancing to the raven. "... ah. Um. Thisss one knowsss the birdsss like shiny thingsss. Ssssorry Wuya, none of the scales have come off yet, they are all new. But thisss one will save one for you when one doesss."

"Yes, I had noticed that their relationship seems... complicated." Karasu shakes his head gently and his gaze goes half-distant. "From what I understand he left to protect her. A noble reason to leave someone behind, but not so easy to understand for the one left."

It seems as though perhaps Karasu has some experience in this arena. Wuya responds to Skeilstregar's offer with an odd look and a few clarifying sounds which make Karasu pet the bird on his feathery head. "Wuya would never impose by taking a part of your body Skeilstregar, but he appreciates the offer."

Skiel shrugs and sighs. "That isss... sssertainly a noble reassson, yesss. If... thisss one may asssk, why are you sssseeking him out?"

He raises a scaled brow. Then, "Ah. Ssssorry, it'sss not uncommon for the People to give a scale to other kin. We shed them eventually, ssso they're just laying around."

He looks at his arm, a veritable array of little silver mirrors that reflect the two of them (plus Wuya) a dozen dozen times. "Plusss these might have actual usssesss..."

"I was hoping to talk to him." Expalins Karasu, if not perhaps in a very enlightening manner. "We... may share a similar history, and if so I suspect he is a man in need of some refuge. Though perhaps the woman he left behind is offering it to him. If so... it might be better for him."

This somewhat odd statement given Karasu nods at Skeilstregar's thoughts on his scales. "They seem to be coming in quite healthily. Did your old scales shed in such number before now? It seems unusual that so many are coming in so quickly."

Skielstregar chuffs. "Strength in numberssss," he says, shaking his head. "It may help you and him piece together thingssss better. Refuge easssier. Thisss one did not get to where they were jussst by being alone with their woesss."

That question gets a long, frustrated sigh to spill from his maw. He turns it aside, visibly cold air rolling forth from him. "... to be honessst... thisss one doesss not know. Thisss one ussed to not be able to grow their ssscales back. And the onesss that were on thisss one were just... dead ssssilver."

He plucks a tarnished bronze scale off his elbow and shows it. Closer inspection shows that it... wasn't bronze. Actually, it was really badly tarnished silver. He puts the scale into his pocket, and shakes his head. "For yearsss, thisss one could not grow ssscales. And the thingsss that grew, well, grow wrong." He flicks his too-long talons on his hands, and he smiles a bit, showing his fangs. "But recently, they have jussst... been coming back, like thisss one hit their growth ssspurt at a young age again. It's... confusing. But thiss one isn't complaining."

He scratches his back. "... well... except itsss been itchy for the passt few weeksss...." he grumbles.

There was the noise of someone stomping through the halls of the soldier's defense for a moment, only to come to a stop immediately behind Skielstregar. Seyardu notes Karasu nearby, but it seemed that their ire was more directed at the makari in front of her for the time being.

"Skielstregar, this one heard some rather concerning news. There is a plague in one of the districts of Alexandria, and not only that, but my own brother was the one who discovered it by accident, and did not think to inform me of this happening, and a possible illness best taken care of sooner rather than later. Would this information happen to be correct?" The cleric asks, crossing her arms and raising one brow.

Karasu does look with interest at the tarnished silver scale which came off so easily and has to admit that he has no idea what would cause a scale to become tarnished-looking in the first place. Nor what would stop a sith from growing new scales any more than he knows why the growing would begin again. "It certainly seems for the best that they are growing in properly now however." Wuya chirps and Karasu notices the other sith coming toward them in time to give Skeilstreager a little warning. "Is that your sister?"

Skielstregar bobs his head once. "Yesss, it certainly isss. It makesss thisss one look less dead, which they are very happy they ar-"

The stomping makes his words die out, him turning around as his conversation partner(s) pan their attention behind him.

He turns. Blinks. Then puts his hands up in front of him. "A-Ah, sssister," he stumbles, trying to smile some. He glances between the human and the makari, him picking up that the man understood the dragon tongue.

He responds in kind. "Peace on your nest," he greets weakly, but warmly. "You... are not wrong. This one was in the middle of that."

He hangs his head a bit. "Forgive this one, for they have not been able to get very far without the Defense pulling this one back in for more checkups. They can leave occasionally, but then get wrangled back here by the horn." <Draconic>

"Then it was you, but it would be hard for one to be mistaken for you, Skielstregar." Seyardu sighs. "But there are many clerics here, you could have sent a message through one of them. It was only because I was alerted to the concern due to the Althean temple being sent to help deal with everything that this one discovered what happened."

"At least you are alright it seems. I would offer to help, but most of my magic has been expended on the most severe of the cases in the area. Still, when it is resolved, I will make sure to check on you as well, as well as Vaera."

"But, I am just happy you are alright. I heard that some manner of fiend had something to do with it."

Unfortunately for Karasu, he does not actually in fact speak draconic. He simply recognizes Seyardu from their previous encounter with one another. Thus when Skeilstreager lapses into his native tongue, Karasu is left quite in the dark as far as the conversation is concerned. Thankfully, Seyardu switches them back over to the common tongue and he's able to suss out that Skeilstregar had worried her. Karasu bows to Seyardu. "Peace on your nest." He offers politely, and starts to edge away from the conversation so that he is not evesdropping on a private matter.

Skielstregar drops his hands, and switches back to his hissy second language. "Sssorry..." he mumbles, "Thisss one forgets forgets how connected you are, sssister. Thisss one is well, they are hearty, sssso they are not sssick."

The mention of Vaera get's a flicker of emotion from him, a pure joy, and it goes just as quick as it came. "Vaera isss well," he informs. "But, yesss, it was a... nasssty demon. Disguised asss a Lucht."

He glances to Karasu. "Sssorry. Yesss, thisss isss my sissster. Can't you tell?" he smiles.

The height difference is atrocious. But, they looked vaguely similar in the face, and they both were the same color.

"I heard that there was another Lucht that was causing trouble at the docks recently, from what I heard." Seyardu notes. One brow raises for just a moment at the sudden joy, and the makari just chuffs and shakes her head.

"Ah, peace on your nest, Karasu." She greets. "It seems they are still able to find their way into the city, or at least, the spell did not affect those already in the city. Which means we must be mindful of keeping the city safe."

At the mention of a lucht, Karasu's head comes up quickly, and Wuya makes a low whistling noise. "This lucht that you encountered... When did you see him?" Karasu asks. "Was he breathing fire? Horns? Anything like that?"

Skielstregar shakes his head. "No, nothing like that, thisss Lucht seemed to control people through disseasse. They are apprehended by a Vanguard and are under guard. It wasss... a few daysss ago?" he ponders aloud, scratching his chin. "What, did you run into sssomething?"

"Yes, they seemed to be different, but it is concerning multiple were pretending to be people, based on the reports. I am glad you are alright though, I have, more than some experience with them in the city." Seyardu replies with a slightly nervous chuckle. "Nothing of late, however. I am sure Skielstregar or the others can tell you more, I was mostly concerned with making sure those afflicted were tended to."

"I believe so, but perhaps another type of what you encountered. Strange." Karasu has a thoughtful expression on his face now and he bows his head to the two sith-makar. "I will take your advice, and perhaps question you later Skeilstregar, if you will allow. For now I should continue my search for Dolan. Peace on both your nests." He bows to them promptly, and makes for the door without further ado.

Skielstregar looks between the two, and he sighs. "Ssseems like two separate instances. But, ah, yesss, Ssshaman Karasssu. Thiss one will speak to you later, it wasss a pleasssure to ssseee you."

A voice comes from down the hall. "Uh. Skiel stuh gar warrior?" a mousy half-sil pokes out from a room further down the way.

Skielstregar looks over, his expression flattening. "Thisss one ssaid, many timesss before, Sssskiel will work just fine. Yesss?"

The half-sil cowers a bit. "Um, right. Sssskiel."

The makari groans.

"You needed to be looked over again..."

The warrior pinches his snout, then looks to his sister. "Come ssspeak to thisss one later, thisss one has some good newsss to share with you."

He pats Seyardu on the shoulder, then heads towards the room.

...

"For the lassst time, it. Isss. Normal...!"

-End