Fantasy Kaizoic: Earth Reborn

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo heard the man, internally thankful that Rufus had given him a reason to back out of this conversation. He quickly excused himself, getting off the table and heading to the stairs. He gave the man a quick wave. “I think Cräga’s sister came in, and they kinda seem a bit....at odds with each other right now.” He said “They make a good alarm clock eh?”

 

[Da Doofus]

Rufus glanced down at the two sisters. He kept the fact that he could see down Crina's blouse to himself.
Not lingering, he moved down the stairs next to Kairo as Cräga continued to scold the younger sister.

"What they fighting about?" He asked quietly.

 

[Chai_T3a]

“The new girl Crina.” He said, making sure that he couldn’t be heard by the two who were arguing. It wasn’t that hard when the the two of them were being this loud.

“She apparently wants to quit her job. And Cräga isn’t taking any of it.” He said, glancing at Crina.

He couldn’t blame her for not enjoying the job either. From the limited amount of info he knew about it, it sounded pretty terrible. He’s worked some terrible jobs before, but picking up after animals sounded like it was on a whole different level of bad. He really hoped that that kind of work was the exception rather then the norm around here.

Besides that, he couldn’t help but notice how similar their situations were. Maybe they could somehow work together on this.

“You can join us.” Kairo blurted out without much thought. It seemed like a good idea at the time. She’d get a chance to find work he enjoyed, and the two of them would have someone else as company. A win win for sure. “We’re heading into town in search of work. Maybe you could find something else you enjoy.”

 

[Da Doofus]

Both sisters looked at the two of them. Crina with gratefulness and Cräga with agitation.
Rufus cleared his throat.

"Yeah . . . Let me discuss it further with my friend here." He smiled, and put a hand on Kairo's shoulder to lead him to a nearby booth. His grip was firm.
Once they were seated, he leaned toward Kairo. The sisters were arguing about something else now with hushed tones.

"What the hell are you doing?" He hissed at Kairo quietly.

 

[Chai_T3a]

“I just thought it was a good idea.” Kairo answered in a hushed tone. “I mean what harm can she do? I don’t think she’ll be with us all the time.”

 

[Da Doofus]

"What part of 'we need to lie low' is this supposed to go with?" He whispered harshly, then began to rub his eyebrows.
"Fine . . . I can job hunt with her while we're in town."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Oh yeah...

Now that Rufus had made his point clear, Kairo began to understand how rash and uncalculated his idea really was. He cringed a little bit as he realized what he did. He seemed to really be on a roll these past few days. First by attracting the suspicion of Cräga, and now, by inviting her damn sister along. At this point, he was really beginning to feel more like a nuisance than anything. It wasn't that big of a deal back in camp, since he was able to put his skills to use. But now out here, where the sole thing they needed to do was survive, he seemed to be completely out of his element.

Kairo scowled. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I asked her." He said, looking back at Crina, before back at Rufus. "I mean...maybe she won't be that bad?"

 

[Da Doofus]

"Oh I'm not worried about her per se, it's just harder to advertise yourself as an experienced fella when you have a kid tagging along." He sneakily pointed a finger at Crina. "Babysitting doesn't look good on a resume, you get me?"

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo seemed relieved at that, before laughing a bit. "What kind of work are you trying to find anyway?"

 

[Da Doofus]

"Whatever pays decent for simple work. Given the area, my guess would be courier to be the place to start." He shrugged.

 

[Chai_T3a]

“Yeah. I don’t think it’ll change things that much by bringing her if your looking for a simple job like that.” Kairo says. “I mean how hard could being a courier be.”

 

[Da Doofus]

"Well back home I was a courier for a while . . . And being unarmed meant a short career." He said grimly, gesturing to his pistol. "This ain't home by a long shot, but I still like being careful."

 

[Chai_T3a]

That did make a lot of sense. Kairo’s always lived in places that were relatively stable, but he had heard of how dangerous some areas with complete anarchy had become.

He gave him a quick nod. “Forgot that we don’t come from the same background.” He said. “But from what Bom told us, it sounded like the town was peaceful enough.”

 

[Da Doofus]

"It's a town, kid. There's gonna be some kind of sleaze somewhere." He advised, standing up and buttoning his jacket.
"Well little miss . . . If you're coming along, we could use someone to show us around town in exchange for a job reference."

Crina smiled a bit and glanced at Cräga. "Sure thing." She beamed. "Drafisl's pretty nice, I take it you two are new here?"

Cräga's glare of suspicion on the two was enough to chill blood.

 

[Chai_T3a]

“Mhm. But I’ve only heard good things about it.” He said, giving her a smile. Though he was silently suffering inside from Cräga’s glare, he nudges Rufus. In an attempt to get him to take lead in the conversation so he can silently panic under Cräga’s gaze.

No matter what, he was determined not to look or sound like a dumbass ever again. Even if that meant just not talking at all.

 

[Da Doofus]

"I was hoping there would be a courier job available." Rufus mentioned.

Cräga glanced at him. "Only guy who trades out of town is Vincent Boklovitz. He runs the general store in town."

"Sounds like a lead." He nudged Kairo and saluted to Cräga as he made for the door. "I'll see if he can hire a nice girl to help mind his store while I'm there."

Crina smirked at Rufus's attitude toward her reputable sister, and waited for Kairo to follow after him before departing.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo didn't waste a lot of time, giving Cräga as good of a smile as he could manage before shutting the door. He pretty much deflated immediately after exiting the inn. Finally away from the source of all that anxiety.

He sighed, looking over at Crina. "Your sister...she's really intense." He said. "Kind...but really intense."

 

[Da Doofus]

"Yeah . . . She always says that life was different before I was born." Crina shrugged, following behind the two. "Never really knew what she means by that, but it's not important anymore.
Pretty soon I'll be able to live somewhere else on my own."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo raised an eyebrow in surprise. He didn’t think that Crina would dislike living with her sister enough to leave her.
“Sorry if it sounds like I’m prying. But you don’t enjoy it with her?” He questioned.

 

[Da Doofus]

"Well you've met her, how do you think it is living with her?
I love her of course, but I don't like her at times." She explained.

Rufus glanced back. "You going to live with your parents or something?"

The blonde fell silent. "Never knew them. Cräga and the locals pretty much raised me."

"Locals? Other people in Drafisl, you mean?" He added in curiously.

"Not humans, if that's what you mean. Only other of our kind are travelers and Mr. Boklovitz in town. The Vindav are the main people in my life."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo nodded in understanding of her situation as he continued to walk towards the town mentioned. What she said was just another reminder that the people of the current day led much different lives then he did. It really would be tough to talk to these people without exposing their identities. Especially since he knew nothing about any of the cultures and customs of this place.

“Like the whole town’s your family or something?” He asked.

 

[Da Doofus]

"That's how it is for the Vindav. The tribe is all family, but that works fine for them. Cräga gets by with it and with the Kendians when they pass through, but I don't want to be in the jungle forever. I want to live with other humans, you know?"

Rufus was silent.
"That's not all it's cracked up to be, but it's your call."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo didn't fail to notice the little hesitation that Rufus had before voicing his opinion. He couldn't blame the guy for having it either considering what the mans seen. Hell, even he's seen his fair share of bad people in his life. Crina really wouldn't be impressed if she got to meet more of her own race.

Still though, she should have her own dreams, and it wasn't like everyone of their race were terrible people.
Kairo turned back to look at Crina.
"There's a lot of...interesting characters out there, that's for sure. But I'm sure you'll find people you'll fit in with." He said. "Just...be careful about who you choose to spend time with."

 

[Da Doofus]

She rolled her eyes.
"You sound like her. I'll be fine on my own."

Rufus kept quiet, but followed the road now slowly being lit by morning light. A distant smell came on the air that made his mouth water.
"What is that?" He sniffed the air, the delectable spice of smells enticing his appetite. "Barbeque?"

Crina looked at him.
"Bar-buh-que? I don't know what that is. You're probably smelling the sauces the Vindav are preparing for when the Kendians arrive tomorrow.
You know . . . For their annual stop in this part of Hennasia on their migrations."

"So they stop here to eat?"

"Yes and no." The blonde began. "They and the Vindav have a holiday that is coming up and they celebrate in the Kaveran jungle. The Vindav partake as well, but with the Kendians bringing prey normally impossible to eat around here, they make sauces and seasonings to the festive feasts."

"Sounds like the 4th of July with a bit of Thanksgiving." Rufus chuckled. "How's the food?"

"I prefer the roasted Pavem, but there are plenty of other big animals the Vindav cook on behalf of the Kendians."

"What's the holiday about?" Rufus peeked over his shoulder.

"The day the Life Mother returned to her home to tend to the forests that cover the land. Kavera's Blessing." She smiled. "The Vindav and Kendians worship her as a god. Cräga and I aren't very religious, but she says Kavera is real."

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kavera. That was the same guy the Feral had mentioned way back then. This Kavera figure seemed to be someone very important to these people, more so then he originally thought so. Hopefully he could find out more about her when they get in town.

“Yeah. She seems to be a pretty big deal.” Kairo mentioned. Hopefully it was a vague enough answer to not be suspicious.

“What about you then. You think she’s real?” He asks, walking backwards to be able to look at her.