e&tg 41

(is the first paragraph an overexpository piece of duh?)

"I apologize," i said once i was inside.  "I presume that the Tashpari custom is family name first, then?"

"Correct."  She picked up a bowl and handed it to me.  "Water.  You have something for me."

"That i do," i said.  I drank it all, then took off my backpack and pulled out Néfilo's satchel.  As i turned to face her, i saw her scrubbing the red clay off her face with a wet cloth.  Now i was able to appreciate her tiny nose and pale skin (which was still a bit pink from the scrubbing).

She put the cloth down and took the satchel from my hands.  She opened it and removed a sheaf of papers, which she replaced with another sheaf.  She tied the satchel closed and as she handed it back to me she said, "You would best not spend the night in town.  I offer you my hospitality here."

"I... thank you.  Yes, i accept.  Just one second."  I went outside and told Kohasadi to find somewhere comfortable to spend the night.  He squawked, stretched, and started walking around.

---

"The people in town called you a witch," i remarked in between bites of a succulent mushroom stew which really cried out for bread that, sadly, Yeniri lacked.

"That is what many would call a woman who lives by herself, doing strange things in the base Earth, who it is said turned away from what was her calling from the Gods of Heaven."  She fixed her gold-flecked eyes on me.  "My Sun-touched eyes, my Anu-colored skin, my hair the color of the Stars themselves; these all meant i was destined to be a Priestess of the Gods."  She paused for a second, then said in response to my blank expression, "You know nothing of our ways."

"I know nothing of your ways," i agreed with a nod.

"The Gods seeded the Earth with life so that some good could come from evil.  The Earth is fire, which is destruction and hate, and dirt, which is rot and death.  All life springs from this, away from the Earth, and yearns for the Heavens.  Man and beast walk upright, fowl flies, plants grow upwards."  She paused to drink some water.  "For as long as i can remember, i felt an affinity for the Earth.  As some faiths insist on saving sinners instead of destroying them, so i wanted to work with the Earth, so that we may all benefit from the knowledge.  Had my appearance not been touched by the Gods, i would have been killed for my heresy.  Instead, i was banished."  She laced her fingers.  "Néfilo thinks of me as a rogue geologist, but i am a priestess of the Earth.  After some time, i think he will understand this."

e&tg 41

(is the first paragraph an overexpository piece of duh?)

"I apologize," i said once i was inside.  "I presume that the Tashpari custom is family name first, then?"

"Correct."  She picked up a bowl and handed it to me.  "Water.  You have something for me."

"That i do," i said.  I drank it all, then took off my backpack and pulled out Néfilo's satchel.  As i turned to face her, i saw her scrubbing the red clay off her face with a wet cloth.  Now i was able to appreciate her tiny nose and pale skin (which was still a bit pink from the scrubbing).

She put the cloth down and took the satchel from my hands.  She opened it and removed a sheaf of papers, which she replaced with another sheaf.  She tied the satchel closed and as she handed it back to me she said, "You would best not spend the night in town.  I offer you my hospitality here."

"I... thank you.  Yes, i accept.  Just one second."  I went outside and told Kohasadi to find somewhere comfortable to spend the night.  He squawked, stretched, and started walking around.

---

"The people in town called you a witch," i remarked in between bites of a succulent mushroom stew which really cried out for bread that, sadly, Yeniri lacked.

"That is what many would call a woman who lives by herself, doing strange things in the base Earth, who it is said turned away from what was her calling from the Gods of Heaven."  She fixed her gold-flecked eyes on me.  "My Sun-touched eyes, my Anu-colored skin, my hair the color of the Stars themselves; these all meant i was destined to be a Priestess of the Gods."  She paused for a second, then said in response to my blank expression, "You know nothing of our ways."

"I know nothing of your ways," i agreed with a nod.

"The Gods seeded the Earth with life so that some good could come from evil.  The Earth is fire, which is destruction and hate, and dirt, which is rot and death.  All life springs from this, away from the Earth, and yearns for the Heavens.  Man and beast walk upright, fowl flies, plants grow upwards."  She paused to drink some water.  "For as long as i can remember, i felt an affinity for the Earth.  As some faiths insist on saving sinners instead of destroying them, so i wanted to work with the Earth, so that we may all benefit from the knowledge.  Had my appearance not been touched by the Gods, i would have been killed for my heresy.  Instead, i was banished."  She laced her fingers.  "Néfilo thinks of me as a rogue geologist, but i am a priestess of the Earth.  After some time, i think he will understand this."