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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - LATE AFTERNOON
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Xochi rests upon her coiled tail, drinking tea in repose after working in her garden all day, taking time to think on Sammi's riddles now.
Bracvar pushes the door ajar, carefully stepping into the tavern to avoid clipping the doorframe before he scuttles toward the bar. He joyously calls out a greeting and request for ale to the bartender on his way over, grinning wide under his tendrils. On his way, he spots Xochi, or rather notices her tail first, pausing before realizing that he's seeing a different snake than the one he'd rather not run into.
Xochi dips her head to the newcomer, smiling, "Greetings, friend."
Bracvar smiles, nodding toward her as he waits for his drink. "Good day, miss. Apologies fer staring your way, not often one sees a snake about here, and I briefly thought I recognized yeh as someone else."
Xochi chuckles quietly, "No need to apologize, the only other I am aware of here in Respite is Captain Louma. Besides her, I am... quite alone here, insofar as other snakes."
Bracvar chuckles, looking about briefly to the bar as his tankard arrives. He picks it up with a nod to the tender, turning back to Xochi. "Yes, the guard captain, though I suppose it's rather silly as a mistake, as she's got all the feathers and you, well, don't."
Xochi chuckles, "And those beautiful black scales as well." She lifts the tip of her tail up above the table. "Quite a unique one, she is, to find so far from our homeland. I do not believe I've seen folk such as you before, I'm afraid."
Bracvar takes a sip of his ale, leaning against the bar top. "Aye, out here at least. More likely to find my kin around ports, I've just got an unnatural wanderlust." He chuckles quietly, shrugging. "An' it's pretty easy to charge a bit more fer fresh deepsea fish in a desert town."
Xochi blinks, "Fresh deepsea fish, hm? I do not believe I have ever had such a thing. I have had stews sometimes." She stops suddenly, bowing her head, "Ah! Forgive me! I have not introduced myself. I am Xochi."
Bracvar grins, bowing his head in the same manner. "No apologies needed, miss Xochi. I am Bracvar of the sea, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Never had fish from the deep, though? That's a shame, you could swing by my stall in the market next time I'm in town and see if any catch yer fancy, then!"
Xochi 's tongue flicks out a few times. "I shall keep an eye out, yes. It would be a very new experience for me!" She pauses, considering. "Is this a missed opportunity, perhaps? A fish? No, for I can still partake now..."
Bracvar tilts his head a bit at the last part. "Pardon miss? A missed opportunity?"
Xochi: "Ah! It is... something I am seeking. A riddle of sorts. I seek something which inspires my regrets, and something that represents opportunities lost. It is part of a ritual which I am assisting a friend with."
Bracvar nods slowly, his interest caught. "Rituals, eh? That's quite something to be caught up in... Unfortunately yes, while fleeting, fresh fish are plentiful, so hard to consider one a missed opportunity."
Xochi takes her tea cup and sips, nodding. "Yes, ahh, I have heard there is a saying for exactly this situation, no? 'There are plenty of fish within the sea!'" She laughs at her joke for a moment, "But yes, a ritual. It is the first time I have ever been involved with such a thing as well."
Bracvar chuckles heartily at Xochi's joke, nodding. "Well, I hope your friend is at least versed in such things, a lot can go wrong when calling on such ancient magic, if yeh don't know what yer doing anyways."
Xochi hums, "Yes, she seems rather competent. She has mentioned 'old ones' quite a lot, so perhaps she has learned such lore from them? I am an elder as well, but I am unsure if that is what she means."
Bracvar pauses, shaking his head slightly. "She's getting around a lot more than I thought. Old Ones, you say? Is this friend of yours perhaps a seaborne creature like meself, named Sammi?"
Xochi nods, "Ah, yes! At the waterfall just north of town. You know her as well then?"
Bracvar nods, laughing. "That's where I met her as well, aye. She's an interesting one, hm? So her gift to you is a ritual, then?"
Xochi reaches down to a pouch and removes a small broach, "This was her gift to me. This ritual is something we are working on together, though it does seem that I shall be the one to benefit from it."
Bracvar peers at the broach with his one uncovered eye, nodding after a few moments. "Tis quite beautiful. Still, you must have made quite the impression on the lass for the ritual." He smiles after a few moments. "I'm glad she's finding kind folks on the land."
Xochi hums, "Yes. She had said that in some places, others feared her for what she is. I am glad that Respite fares better then others in this regard. It gives me hope as well."
Bracvar drinks of his ale, looking curiously to Xochi. "That does make me want to ask, if yeh don't mind. What made you leave Orela for such an out of the way place as Respite?"
Xochi shifts back upon her coils. "It is... difficult to explain. But for the most part, this is retirement, a place where I can disappear, and find peace for myself."
Bracvar nods, shrugging slightly. "That's as much as I need to sate my curiosity, miss Xochi. If a story is not wanted to be shared, there's a good reason, and that's all there is to it as far as I'm concerned."
Xochi bows her head, "Ahh, thank you, Bracvar. It is not that I do not wish to share, only that..." She stops and shakes her head. "Yes. Good reason. Yes."
Bracvar chuckles quietly, nodding. "Of course... If yeh recall your story to yerself, perhaps a clue to your ritual riddles lies in yer past?"
Xochi nods, "Regrets always lie in our past, true. And missed opportunities as well. What causes me the most regret? What lost opportunity most impacted me? It is... unpleasant to dwell upon."
Bracvar looks aside, considering his own past briefly, chuckling before he speaks. "Perhaps don't dwell upon them, then, simply look back and believe that while those moments are gone, yeh can make up for them with new ones ahead."
Xochi laughs along, "That is wisdom, perhaps, yes. Though not so easy, sometimes."
Bracvar laughs, sliding his empty tankard toward the bartender before turning back to Xochi. "Yer very kind to waste words like wisdom on this old crab!"
Xochi shrugs, pouring the last of the water from her kettle into her tea cup. "Perhaps. Wisdom is not a strong suit of mine, so I seek it wherever I may."
Bracvar grins, nodding. "I hope yeh can find enough wisdom, from within or not, to help with yer quest then, Xochi."
Xochi sips her tea before smiling to Bracvar, "As do I. Thank you for that, Bracvar."
Bracvar shakes his head and pays for the one drink when approached by the bartender, turning back to Xochi to continue their conversation on lighter local topics as the afternoon winds down.