Sharing a Meal

The rain's begun to fall in the time that it's taken for Cuemoni to go from the food stall in the Colosseum District to the Temple District, which leaves Cuemoni's turquoise scales glistening in the rainfall. She doesn't seem to mind that, but she does walk briskly, and the reason why is revealed as she murmurs, "This one hopes that the meal is still warm. The Shaman deserves good food."

Red-lined golden eyes peer around as it seems to suddenly occur to Cuemoni that maybe, Zeke isn't _in_ the temple, but is outside of it. She looks around for her recently-made friend... and isn't beginning to notice that the red symbols painted on her scales are beginning to run.

Thankfully for Cuemoni, Zeke is indeed in the temple district this day. Or rather on the edge of it. He's standing at the temple of Daeus, speaking with one of the other clerics easily. The sith seems at ease, his tail quiet but giving the occasional conversational flick as he discusses whatever he's speaking about with the other cleric. It's not hard to find him, he is not a small individual, and his white vestments alongside his blue scales make him somewhat easy to spot.

He wraps up his conversation with the other cleric who departs within the temple amicably and he turns his attention to the sky and the conditions of the outside world.

Cuemoni spots Zeke, and her tail thumps happily on the ground, the smells of happiness and even a bit of excitement following her as she pads over to Zeke as the other cleric departs. "Shaman Zeke!" she greets, before she offers him a spread-armed sort of bow. "Peace upon your nest. This one hopes this one is not interrupting your duties, and hoped to see you."

"Peasssce on your nessst Ssshaman Cuemoni." Zeke offers back to her, his own somewhat lower bow given without her emphasis. He glances toward the rain and them motions for her to come beneath the roof and out of the rain. "Thisss one isss on a break from dutiess at the moment."

A small bit of amusement from him, his tail giving a little shift. He seems in general much more relaxed today than he was upon their first meeting. "Thisss one in truth hasss few dutiess to attend to asss of late."

At Zeke's direction, Cuemoni joins him under the roof, and while some of the symbols painted on her scales are beginning to run, the lines that frame her golden eyes hold true. "This one is happy to hear you are not overburdened," she replies. She reaches into her bag and pulls out two sticks of cooked meat and vegetables.

"This one was with Warrior Skielstregar. He showed this one the custom of ordering from softskin food stalls, and this one thought of you. Shamans must keep their energy up to serve the People." She holds the sticks out to Zeke for him to take, her tail shifting in a happy sort of twitch to offer something nice to someone else.

Zeke makes an amused noise when she mentions that she's glad that he isn't overburdened. He is about to say something when she pulls out two sticks with bits of meat and vegetables on them. The blue-scale goes still, like a serpent sensing danger and not wanting to draw attention to itself. This survival instinct is only borne out when she offers these sticks to him. His eyes nictate nervously, and though he doesn't move he smells oddly of panic.

His throat bobs, and the scent of meat; rich and full of flavor reaches him. His stomach grumbles conspicuously. His green eyes don't leave the sticks, but he doesn't reach out for one. In fact there's a growing silence and uncomfortable tension growing in the fact that he hasn't said anything nor moved since she offered them to him.

It takes a not insignificant portion of his will to not step back. Instead finally he rumbles out a few carefully chosen words. "Thisss one isss grate-ful for your consssideration..." His claw twitches, as though he would dearly love to accept her meal on a stick. "But thisss one doesss not eat ssuch thingsss."

As Zeke's uncomfortable tension and quiet grows, Cuemoni's excitement and friendliness draws back into concern. Nowhere in her language nor in her scent can be read offense for the refusal--indeed, there's a sense of empathy in her golden eyes. "Ay! This one did not mean to make you uncomfortable," Cuemoni says remorsefully, drawing the meal on sticks back into her bag. "This one understands--and should have asked about gifts of meals when this one met you last."

She bows her head deeply. "This one apologizes greatly, Shaman Zeke. This one is used to sharing meals with members of the tribe, so that bonds may deepen and friendships are established. This one... must remember that not all of the People share the customs of the Xiuhcoatl tribe." And yet there is something in her voice--the pause in her sentence, perhaps--that indicates something else beyond the words that are said.

The food vanishes and Zeke slowly unfreezes. His eyes flicker to the place that it vanished more than once, and though his stomach grumbles again he does not move from his place. "Thissss one would be mossst pleasssed to ssshare a meal with you Sshaman Cuemoni." He offers her a little half-bow. "Only, let thisss one provide the food? If... that isss acceptable?"

Cuemoni seems delighted by the offer, her tail moving a little in that happy-twitch manner again. "Yes! Ay--"

She rumbles a little in her throat, and less enthusiastically, but still happily, she says, "Yes, this one would be more than happy to do so. This one will eat anything that Shaman Zeke provides. This one does not wish to be an inconvenience to the Shaman. May this one help in any way?" The offer to help is genuine.

But then Cuemoni adds on, seeming to realize that could be overstepping a boundary again, "Unless Shaman Zeke would be more comfortable providing everything himself. Then that is fine, too. This one only wants Shaman Zeke to be comfortable and well."

Zeke relaxes almost entirely, her easy acceptance making him feel much more at ease. "Thisss one will sssuggessst thiss time, perhapsss lunch here? At the temple." He motions to the temple of Daeus. "The temple hass itsss own kitchen, and iss alwaysss willing to provide mealsss. If you like, they will welcome our aid in the making of the food." He shifts his tail behind him softly in pleasure.

Zeke's relaxation results in Cuemoni's tail doing less of the happy-excited twitches, putting her at a content ease. "This one will be happy with any meal that Shaman Zeke suggests," Cuemoni replies. "This one is... not a skilled hand at cooking. This one always burned the food too much, because this one has... a special relationship with spirits of flame. But this one tried to help the tribe anyway."

The golden eyes and voice turns bashful as she admits, "This one was usually only allowed to prepare ingredients and not cook them. So this one can help with that?"

Zeke rumbles soft amusement and nods eagerly. "Sssa! That would be a great help." He motions for her to follow him to the kitchens and leads the way. As is his wont, he does not walk terribly far ahead, just enough so that she doesn't have to wonder which direction to go. "Thisss one appreciatesss your undersstanding Ssshaman Cuemoni."

Here he ducks his head slightly. "Thisss one isss grate-ful that you are willing to take sssuch time to aid the kitchen; jusst to ssshare a meal with thisss one."

Cuemoni follows him, her golden eyes wide with curiosity as she regards the new sights, but never losing track of Zeke in the process, as the lizard man is her sole guide in this place, and she is more than aware--or so it would seem, by the way her tail now pulls very close to herself--that she is a traveler, a guest and not a local, and therefore that means behaving well.

Her golden eyes settle onto Zeke with his ducked head. "This one will do anything it takes for a friend," she says. "Even if a friend is just met. This one was taught to look out for all members of a tribe, who all require different things, and no one is lesser than another for different needs. It is about community, and compassion; that is why this one is here to begin with." She rumbles deeply in her throat, a sort of reverent tone for the value with which she was raised.

"Thisss one wasss raisssed with-out tribe." Zeke admits, not looking at Cuemoni as he rounds a corner and finds the kitchen. For a sith this was as anthemia to one as well... being born without a limb. "Thisss one hass few friendsss, but thisss one would welcome more."

The door to the kitchen opens and there's a rush of activity inside. There are no sith in this room save the two of them, but everyone here seems to know Zeke quite well. He gets several nods and a few more greetings. "Peassce on your nesstsss." He rumbles in greeting to everyone and steps to a basin to wash his claws. He stays close to Cuemoni at first, showing her to the chopping station. Only once she's settled there does he step away to start plucking a chicken.

Unlike most who stay at their stations, Zeke follows the chicken he plucks through the whole cooking process, but nobody says a word about his oddity. They all seem quite used to his presence at this point. He allows someone else to do the actual cooking of the chicken which is roasted, but he stands there the whole time watching it cook.

There's a sad look in Cuemoni's eyes as Zeke tells her he was raised without a tribe, but she rumbles again, a placating sound this time. "This one will endeavor to be a good friend," she states firmly, almost like it is a challenge she's accepted. Maybe, in a way, it is.

Then she's in a kitchen that is filled with things she does not recognize from anything like they had in her tribe, and Cuemoni is suddenly nervous, tail twitching and scent wafting. But that feeling lifts a little as she repeats the washing movement that Zeke makes, and she's guided to the chopping station.

Thankfully, despite the foreign-looking kitchen, one thing does _cut_ across cultures all the same: sharp knives, and using them to chop ingredients. She starts to prepare things, and she settles into a deft and quick rhythm, having things done in a timely manner--enough where she has time to watch Zeke as he watches the chicken, and while it is indeed an oddity... There are worse things to be odd about.

Finally, her work with preparation is done, and she joins Zeke. "Is it cooking well?" she asks.

Zeke's got a pleased gleam in his eye, and a sense of satisfaction about him. "It isss done!" He says with distinct enjoyment as the chicken comes off the rotisserie. It's placed on a plate and seasoned a little more by Zeke himself. He can't help but take a little breath of the chicken and then half-presents it to Cuemoni. "Let usss gather sssome vegetablesss and then sssome tea and we can ssshare a meal yesss?" His tail is tight against his legs to avoid whacking some unsuspecting soft-skin in the shins, but he is still very clearly pleased with himself.

Once they've gathered the rest of the meal together, Zeke leads them to another room just off the temple kitchens where they can eat. Once everything is settled, and they are seated on the stools that Zeke has procured, Zeke nods to Cuemoni once again. "Thisss one offersss wordsss of gratitude again. Thisss one isss sssure that you have better thingsss to do than make food..."

Cuemoni takes the chicken piece offered to her, tasting it. Her tail happily twitches, although the look in Cuemoni's golden eyes suggest that she would be letting it loose if she wasn't also in the kitchen of soft-skins like Zeke. "Ay, this is very good, yes!" she exclaims. "Let us share a meal, Shaman."

She follows Zeke into the room and carefully takes her stool, clearly inspecting it with a wary eye to avoid a repeat of the seat that had once trapped her. Her tail thumps the ground in response to Zeke's words. "This one is more than happy to make food if it means being with friends," she says. "This one is also still getting used to the layout of the city, still learning about the softskins' ways so that I do not offend them. This one has nothing but time to learn--and that includes learning about a friend, and that means meals."

She tilts her head a little to one side, golden eyes alight in happiness. "So this one offers words of gratitude in return. This one is grateful that you took the time to offer a way to share a meal with this one. This one is sure that it was an ordeal to turn down the meal that was offered and risk offense--just as this one is always afraid of causing offense in this land that is foreign to me."

Zeke seems quite pleased himself, tail shifting pleasantly behind him, and his green eyes lit with happiness. "It mussst be a challenge. The People are very much different from ssoft-sskinsss. Thisss one has sssoft-sskin kin, hass lived amongsst them a very long time. Hass never had a tribe, but sstill doess not fully under-sstand their cusstomss or waysss. Their jokesss are mossst difficult to under-ssstand."

Wryly, he begins to divide the meal, taking portions of the meat and vegetables for himself which leaves her with the lions share of the meal. "Mosst how-ever are under-sstanding of misstakess, and if you have any quesstionsss thisss one would be pleasssed to be of asssissstance to you."

The golden eyes peer at Zeke with empathy written into them. "No wonder you feel and seem so different," Cuemoni remarks. "You are... caught between places to belong, and have had to make one for yourself. Because you have had to make your own tribe, of sorts--to make people into kin regardless if they wear skin or scales. This one..."

Her tail goes still. "That is perhaps what this one will have to do in time," she says, somberly. But then her golden eyes perk back up as she looks at Zeke, dismissing her own remark. "This one means to say... This one looks up to you. You have lived so long, and you have found a path that is 'odd' among the People, but is rewarding, no? This one thinks that is worthy of admiration."

She takes her portion of the meal and begins to eat, not letting the efforts go to waste.

Zeke looks at her in surprise, though perhaps he should not be so. "Isss thisss one ssso different then?" He looks at his food. "Thisss one sssuppossesss that thisss one isss. Thisss one hasss learned many lesssonsss, that kin need not be tribe or cassste. That kin need not be sscaled."

He is more surprised to learn that she looks up to him, though they have met just a few times. Twice in fact. His tail flicks with pleasure, but he smells faintly embarrassed. "Perhapsss you are right Ssshaman Cuemoni. Thisss onesss path hass been a long, sstrange path, but it isss a good one. Thisss one would not encourage any to follow it too clossely, but perhapss otherss can learn from it yessss?"

The blue-scale eats slowly and thoughtfully. "If thisss one can impart any wisssdom, it would be that one. That kin, and friendsss, they are from all plasscess and waysss. Do not feel alone Ssshaman, you have casste here in thisss one; you have a friend. You will find othersss; who will accept you for your-ssself."

Cuemoni's tail thumps on the ground in decisive concordance with Zeke's words. "This one is glad to be able to learn from you," she says happily and warmly. "This one... faces many trials ahead. This one does not realistically expect the Xiuhcoatl to survive, even if this one earns back the favor of the guardian spirit."

She slows in her eating. "This one... may have been sent here by the Elder to find a new life outside of the tribe. This one was told the decision rests with this one, and that some things are written in fate, and others are not. So, this one will learn from you, Shaman Zeke. This one will not give up on the Xiuhcoatl people, but this one must also... learn to live on this one's own."

"Thisss one wisshess the bessst for your tribe. Thisss one would be ssad to learn that another tribe had been lossst to the People. The tribe that thisss onesss nessst-mother wass born to wasss... Dessstroyed resscently. Thisss one learned of itss losss resscently. Though thisss one did not know of them, it isss sssad to hear that the People ssseem to be... vanissshing. Few eggsss, few hatchlingsss. Ssslaverss and dissspleassed ssspiritsss." Zeke rumbles low in his throat a sound of displeasure a the thought.

Then his eyes lift to look at Cuemoni. "Thisss one wonderssss what the Elder meant to tell you that the decisssion iss up to you."

A similar rumble of displeasure emanates from Cuemoni. "So this one has been told. It appears the People are at a crossroads. Something is happening, and the People are at a point where one will ask the People to choose. Ask the People to act. Ask the People... to decide."

Cuemoni looks back at Zeke, golden eyes meeting green for a long, long moment--as long as Zeke allows. "The Elder, perhaps, meant that. Or... she meant this." She gestures to the meal that they share, then upwards to herself and him. "Choosing new roads over what was before. The People will survive but change. Adapt but thrive. We must not ever forget the old ways nor the People who brought the current generation here--but the People must also find new paths to walk."

She gives a pleased sort of huff. "Such as yours, Shaman Zeke."

Zeke only ducks his head away from her golden gaze when she mentions his path once more he huffs an amused noise and shakes his head subtly. "Thisss one doesss not know what othersss have told you of thisss one. What wordsss have been ssshared. But thisss onesss path iss not one that thisss one would wissh upon another." He shakes his head more firmly and offers the female a glance.

"Though thisss one isss curiousss asss to what wordsss were sssaid." This much he admits easily.

There's a sort of pleased tail wag as Zeke invites Cuemoni to recount what has been said about him. "This one has heard that you are kind, that you offer words of wisdom and aid. And that you would benefit from having more friends. There are those of kin who think you are good, and who wish well of you. From what this one has seen--those are true." There's a slight nervous twitch to Cuemoni's tail--perhaps she is leaving off a bit.

But the golden-eyed Shaman looks to her mostly-empty plate now. "This one will add as well: Shaman Zeke is a good cook. But maybe... this one won't? This one fears that others would come to the Temple and disturb your duties in hopes of a meal."

Clearly this is not what Zeke expected to hear that was spoken of him and his tail flick-flicks in happy surprise. Though her lack of telling all does make him worry a little, but that's a brief flash. Instead he notices that she has finished her food, and so has he and he makes a small amused noise. "Thisss one did very little, but... thisss one would like to ssshare mealsss with you again. Thisss one will take ssuch risssk, in fact... Thisss one will take to making larger mealsss, sso thiss one can ssshare when you have the time and desssire to ssshare sssuch with thisss one."

He looks down briefly. "Thisss one doess... ussually eat alone, having sssome-one to sshare mealss with would be nice."

Cuemoni's tail acts similarly to Zeke's happy flicks, the golden eyes lighting up with the elder Shaman's offer. "This one--this one would love that!" she says, trying to contain her excitement verbally, although the scent says what she isn't putting out. "May this one come by... Would once a day be too often? This one has time, and this one would not want you to keep eating meals alone."

Again Zeke is surprised, and his tail gives an unexpected but soft thump of approval. He seems almost a little startled that he'd made such a sound and the small burst of embarrassment fades quickly to joy. "Yessss. That would be acceptable. Thisss one isss ussssually here at the temple. If thisss one can not be for sssome reassson, thisss one will leave word here asss to the reassson why." Slowly he rissess to his feet. "Thisss one ssshould clean thisss up and return to dutiesss, but thisss wasss a pleasssure Sssshaman Cuemoni."

Cuemoni lifts herself up from her stool, tail still twitching happily, and smelling thoroughly of satisfaction with the whole ordeal. "This was wonderful, Shaman Zeke. But let this one help you clean up? Shamans work together, ay?" The golden eyes are full of mirth, and she already moves for her plate, seeming to indicate that she won't quite take no for an answer there. Maybe that's another Xiuhcoatl value that she carries with her.

-End