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Post by Stage on Jun 5, 2019 5:23:40 GMT
Baerbel glanced up at the grand building of ivory and marble before her. It was a strange sight among the mostly practical architecture of Mival, this palace of cherubim and columns. This was undoubtedly the bathhouse. She had been directed here by a tall, dark-haired guardswoman with a scarred face who appeared to be waiting for someone not far away. The woman had pointed it out as quickly as she might a part of her own body. Perhaps she was a frequent visitor.
Wearing nothing but a satchel that held a few Mites, the damon strode into the curious building, bronzy eyes scanning the detailed sculptures and intricate engravings that lined the reception area. A strong, coppery smell came with her. Her fur was still awash with dried blood, now ugly and brownish, staining her alabaster hair near black. The true hue of her wiry pelt only came though around her wrists, on the back of her legs, and in uneven patches on her back. Against the dark, drab color of the dried blood, it seemed to positively glow, shining outward like silver in a ore vein. She would be glad to be rid of the thick crust if only to free herself from the metallic stink of it.
Eyes falling the ceiling, the damon approached the small, elderly woman behind the counter. "How much to bath?"
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 5, 2019 16:45:29 GMT
Sulis's weary eyes shifted over to the damon. It had been a long, tumultuous night for her, as it no doubt had been for many people in the city, but that was behind her. Faith, and prayer had kept her safe, and that very same faith extended over the baths as well.
After all, she had guardian angels watching over her.
"Three mites." Sulis responded. "Though, for you it's free. You seem like you had a nasty night."
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Post by Stage on Jun 5, 2019 18:57:40 GMT
The sapient primate nodded. "Very well."
"I see only one entry way," Baerbel noted as her dark eyes flicked across the room. "The bathing, it is unisex?"
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 5, 2019 19:50:01 GMT
"It is. These are co-ed baths." Sulis said. "So long as everyone who enters behaves themselves, everything should be fine."
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Post by Stage on Jun 5, 2019 21:42:47 GMT
Baerbel hummed. It was a low, deep sound that would surely be mistaken for a growl in the darkness of the night. “Curious. Most humans are so very picky about such things.”
The damon’s tail swept the ground as she turned towards the changing room. “Thank you. I take it there places to store belongings?”
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 5, 2019 22:13:17 GMT
Sulis slowly nodded. "Lockers in the changing room. Your stuff should be safe, since no one's ever stolen anything from here."
She took a deep breath. "Gender, sexuality, most races and people are high strung about it, but i never was one of them. Outside of a few physical traits, it's all part of one greater entity. The culture i came from didn't bother to entertain gender differences until later on, though a few refused to change with the times."
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Post by Stage on Jun 5, 2019 22:25:16 GMT
Baerbel stopped. Though her expression remained flat, her tail slapped the ground. She seemed intrigued.
"My people, the damon," she explained, "are much the same. We had no notion of sexual orientation until we came into contact with humans, and gender differences are little to none for us. Our language is not gendered, not are the roles in our society. Our current king, for instance, is female, though 'king' is merely an approximate translation. Our word for her position, kunog, has no counterpart. There are no kings and queens among damon. There are only kunog."
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 5, 2019 22:46:19 GMT
"Fascinating. Cultures of non-humans have always been interesting to me."
Sulis blew out air between wrinkled lips. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but paused as if thinking it over. " I'd be interested in seeing your kunog." She finally said.
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Post by Stage on Jun 5, 2019 22:59:48 GMT
A slight smile lit up Baerbel's grim face. "Romy is a good kunog. The damon are an aggressive people, but she is calmer than most. She has put more than a few who mistook her serenity for weakness in their place though. She was a... friend, despite my low standing. I was raised by humans. I am also an academic. Damon see me as a placid scholar. Humans as a temperamental storyteller. But Romy was good to me. I left because I did not care for the petty political schism that has made our one tribe two, but, were I of a mind to take a side, the pretender kunog Amal would not see my support."
"I am afraid it would be quite the walk however," the sapient monkey continued, face returning to its resting position. "She is to the far northeast, and the path there would take you near Amal's land. He has allied himself with a great bird, one of the monsters this city formed to protect we small folk from. She is peaceable enough at times, but her wrath is petty and easily earned."
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 5, 2019 23:08:34 GMT
"Amal?" Sulis mused. "And.. a great bird? Can you... explain more? What happened?"
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Post by Stage on Jun 5, 2019 23:23:35 GMT
Baerbel's bronze eyes fell closed. The hard line of her mouth seemed to tighten further. "You see, we were already on the brink of great change before coming to this continent. A human called Amos and I had been working for some time to bring our peoples together as allies. Our unwilling migration here dashed that dream."
"Perhaps that is why I could not stand the squabbling that arose afterward," the damon mused, eyes snapping open. "We came so close for change for the better, but some, such as Amal, saw our bewitchment here as a sign that we should not stray from our traditions. This question split us. Those who remained loyal to Romy took refuge on the side of a volcano. Those who chose to follow Amal fled west, to a great plateau where they met the beast. She arrogantly has them call her Rutikunog, the red king, but she more widely goes by Soomekh. It is ironic. Amal, who denounced Romy for dismissal of our old ways, strayed himself. They will deny it, but their relation with her is one of worship. The damon do not worship. We may admire, but we have no gods."
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 6, 2019 1:43:42 GMT
"I'm sorry." Sulis quietly whispered. The wrinkles that covered her face seemed to deepen as she thought. "Tradition and the old ways are a powerful force in all cultures. Change is hard for both mortals and higher powers. Change brings the unknown, and all life fears the unknown. We prefer the comfort of what we know, over the uncertainty of a dark path. My own people were engulfed in this debate of conservative thinging over progressive advancement. Only, we weren't just torn apart. We were wiped out, with only a few survivors. For that, be thankful your race still exists, even in a split state."
The old woman's face had darkened. Her eyes seemed to drift past the damon, to something that didn't exist...
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Post by Stage on Jun 6, 2019 2:15:02 GMT
"Truth be told, I am not overly fond of my people," Baerbel admitted. "As I said, I am a changeling. Truly, I am neither damon or human. I would be sad to say farewell to friends such as Romy, but the damon as a whole would not be missed. It is not as if they have produced anything of worth. They do not believe in permanent things. We do not even have a written language."
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 6, 2019 20:39:41 GMT
Sulis's already dim eyes seemed to dim even more. "Holding such little stock in your own race... It hurts to see, but I understand why you would hold onto that."
She lifted her eyes back up to Baerbel. "All things are temporary? Perhaps they are, but that doesn't mean they cannot leave something of worth behind. Something for later generations or people to look back and know that your kind once dwelled, that they were an important part of this world or the one you came from. It also helps keep some cultural behaviors in check, if you think about it..."
"Sulis, the beach room is done cleaning!" A younger male voice came from within the baths.
"Excellent. Now we can have guests enjoy those!" She called back, before turning back to the damon. "If you want to do more than just wash up, you can enjoy the beach room we have. You can soak in the sand, play some volleyball..."
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Post by Stage on Jun 6, 2019 21:17:40 GMT
Baerbel smiled slightly. It was not a warm, reminiscent smile this time. "That was my purpose in our society. I am an orator. A keeper of knowledge. But I am also one. In their bickering, both kunog have failed to appoint replacements. When I am gone, so too is everything that could be left. All I can do is pass my knowledge to those such as you and hope you care. When the damon are gone, that is all that will remain. If they die and no one remembers them... can they be said to have ever existed?" "Thank you, but," the talking primate then answered, shaking her head, "I fear sand would be poor for my wound." The damon placed a hand on her right shoulder. Slowly, she pressed down, pulling at her own skin. A wound, long and deep, previously hidden by her fur and the blood that coated it, opened up.
It was from this grievous injury that she had pulled the pole arm that served as her weapon last night.
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 6, 2019 21:47:32 GMT
Sulis made no reaction upon seeing the hideous injury that the damon held. Her eyes slowly blinked, and she bent her lower lip back into her mouth.
"I... I see." Sulis finally responded. "I didn't realize. We do have a trained professional here who can help clean that wound for you as you bathe. She's well versed with preventing infection and natural healing recovery. If you would like, I can have her assist you as you clean up."
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Post by Stage on Jun 6, 2019 21:51:32 GMT
Baerbel nodded. "I am confident in my ability to endure infection, but I also know this continent holds any alien ailments. I should show caution. Is there a cost to her services?"
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 6, 2019 22:02:24 GMT
Sulis shook her head. "Not with a wound that bad. She's in the bath currently. I'll let her know you're coming in and need treatment."
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Post by Stage on Jun 6, 2019 22:05:21 GMT
"Very well," the damon nodded. "I shall head there now."
Baerbel halted on her way once more though. Her head turned, and her bronzy eyes flicked back. Her tail curled high in the air, as if hung there in anticipation.
"It was... good, speaking to you. Perhaps I have visit for conversation again."
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Post by Executus Gira on Jun 6, 2019 22:16:06 GMT
"Perhaps if you are open. It's always pleasant to speak with someone so open and free thinking about everything."
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