The Necropolis [Conway]

[Vyn]

Javaid didn't need to hear Conway to know he was agreeing with Mehdi. The feline instantly turned back to Javaid and stuck his tongue out in the 'I told you so' fashion. He always took Mehdi's praise as the simple adoration of a man who could not cook his own meals, but Conway's praise was a whole other level. The jackal's cheeks heated and he turned away briefly, grinning bashfully.

"Thank you."

Mehdi caught the difference in reactions immediately. Ooohhh, perhaps this was more than friendship he saw between Conway and Javaid? He'd never seen the jackal blush this much! Did Conway get to see this side of Javaid all the time?

Conway's whispered comment confirmed that as well. He turned back to Conway and he grinned. "You're right, he wouldn't be Javaid if he weren't so humble." He thought he'd liked this guy before, now he knew he did.

Javaid couldn't stop the intensity of his blushing. Between the two of them it felt as if his face would sear off. He sipped his drink determinedly and tried hard not to look either of them in the eye. Mehdi was sitting there looking smug in his confirmations and Conway saying such sweet things that Javaid's heart wanted to stop.

"I... should start prepping for dinner." He barely managed to whisper the words out through his pleased embarrassment.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway was painfully oblivious to why Javaid was blushing. He figured it was a normal reaction for the Jackal to have. After all he was good friends with Mehdi and they shared exchanges all the time right? And it wasn’t like Javaid could properly hear his compliment, he could only assume from what the cat was saying.

The Joker finished off his juice as he watched the two interact. This was nice. He could count the times he felt happy and safe on one hand, really, and this was one of them.

He didn’t want to leave.

The thought was a sudden sharp pain in the back of his mind. Of course it was going to remind him when he was having fun and enjoying himself. He pushed the thought away playing with his cup when he heard Javaid’s faint voice.

He dropped his ability and went back to how he normally dealt with people. “Thank you, Javaid,” he said brightly.

Though he would be left alone with a stranger, at least it was a stranger he could clearly handle.

[Vyn]

Javaid slipped to his feet, his tail wagging despite himself, and he grinned over at Conway. "You're very welcome." He couldn't quite get the blush to fade from his cheeks, but he could at least he'd better found his voice.

The jackal had nearly made it to the door when he came to a sudden thought... How far could Conway's telepathy reach? "Do you think you can reach me upstairs with your telepathy?" It was worth a shot anyway... but would Conway be able to hear his return thoughts? Hm... Javaid hadn't tried that either. It would be a good experiment.


Conway's bright 'Thank you' would go unheard by Mehdi but it gave him his first experience with being on the silent end of Conway's dilemma. Interesting. The feline watching with intrigue as his mouth moved and he heard nothing, but Javaid responded earnestly without problem. Definitely a troublesome magic, wasn't it? But Javaid brought up a valid question. How far could Conway throw his voice?

[Kari Muffin]

Conway's eyebrows arched Javaid's question. Well he supposed he could find out how far it went. He had a feeling it was further than the distance between him and the kitchen. How far was anyone's guess for now. "Okay," he said before switching on the power.

How well could he hold a conversation with Javaid while holding conversation with Mehdi? He had been doing fine before. It didn't take that much effort to keep up with the conversations. How many could he manage at once now?

When Javaid had left the room Conway shifted in his chair. Setting the glass down as he looked at Mehdi. What was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to interact with someone he barely knew? So much for all that confidence he had earlier.

"So... have you lived in Hisstor all your life?" He supposed that would be a good way to start a conversation. Not everyone who lived here had lived here their entire lives, right?

[Vyn]

After Conway's confirmation, Javaid slipped out of the room and headed upstairs to the garden. Mehdi had brought some fresh chicken with him and Javaid was excited to make a meal around it. It wasn't everyday he had fresh meat available and, even if the cooking and prep would take a bit longer, he figured Conway would enjoy the addition.


Downstairs, Mehdi was terribly eager to figure out more about this wolf that had slipped into Javaid's life. To his surprise, however, Conway got the first question in. This would be terribly fun.

"Pretty much. I was born and raised here and I don't ever intend to live anywhere else..." The feline nodded and his tail curled up in thought. "However, I have left the region on occasion - mostly for work and never for very long. No matter where I go, there's never anywhere quite like home." He purred softly and glanced toward where Javaid had left. "I do, however, know a great deal more about the Outside than Javaid. I don't think he's ever step foot outside of the region. What about you, Conway, are you Hisstor raised?"

He noticed the Canine seemed to stick to the Common tongue instead of the native Hisstor (though Mehdi he figured it could also be because Javaid had frightened him off with his archaic use of the language, it wouldn't be the first time).

[Kari Muffin]

Conway listened to the man’s comment intently. So he was also a “proper Hisstor.” It made plenty of sense. There was a reason why not many people had seen his region. But at least Mehdi knew what the outside world was like.

The question came as a small surprise for Conway. He didn’t expect to share his past with someone, and yet he had been silly enough to ask the question. He bit the inside of his cheek.

“I was born here, but my parents died when I was eight. I was sent to the outside world and bounced from place to place.” He gave a small shrug, “My family thought it was best for me to get the best education possible, but things didn’t go so smoothly.”

Hopefully the diamond didn’t have a lie detection spell or something. What rank did they have the ability to tell if someone was lying? He never could manage to keep that straight.

He decided to poke at Javaid while he was working. “So, what exactly is for dinner tonight?”

[Vyn]

Mehdi's expression was instantly apologetic, though not overly pitying. "Ah, by the bones of our ancestors, I'm sorry Conway. It's hard to lose your parents that young... Javaid lost his when he was that age, I think that's still to blame for his anxiety about leaving the region..." He sighed a little but quickly switched over to the subject of education.

"Well, it was a good intention if nothing else. Not many Hisstor's get the benefit of worldly experience... I don't mean to pry, but may I ask what happened?"

The Six of Diamonds, luckily, didn't have a lie detection spell but nor did he think to use it just then. It seemed like a legitimate story and Mehdi naturally gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.


Javaid was in the garden picking vegetables and gathering herbs when Conway's whisper reached him. An ear twitched back to focus on the sound but his nose immediately told him he was alone. What an unnerving ability... but so useful. His tail wagged slightly and, for the first time, he attempted to make a proper response.

'We're having chicken tonight, with vegetables and some Hisstor snacks I haven't gotten the chance to make for you yet. I think you'll like it. The chicken has a bit of spice, but the rest of the palette evens it out nicely.' The jackal grinned to himself, wondering if Conway could sense that. 'I still intend to re-accustom you to spicy foods.'

[Kari Muffin]

“The outside world is a scary place.”

Mehdi seemed like a practical sort of person. And he must have natural grace besides diamond charm. Conway decided to pick up his glass again as the feline asked another question.

“My sister became ill,” Conway said as he stared at the glass. A sad expression was on his face when he sighed. “Though my Uncle was fairly well off, it wasn’t enough to support me and my sister. So the money went to taking care of her and I was abandoned. I had to stop my private education and I bounced from realm to realm after that.”

He had probably seen more of the realms than any other Hisstor. Traveling was second nature to him now, and staying in one place seemed odd.

Alas Conway couldn’t see what Javaid was doing at the moment. If he had thought about it he would have been able to, but he was focused on the words and the intent behind them. He could practically feel Javaid’s smile. “Chicken? That sounds fantastic. And thanks… I really do want to get used to the food here. It’s really good even if it is spicy enough to make me cry.”

[Vyn]

Mehdi bobbed his head. "It is, but to let it control you is even scarier." The feline's expression was a little sad for a moment. He cared about Javaid and, though he liked running his errands, he felt terrible that the man was too frightened to leave his post from time to time. He was a brilliant and kind individual but no one ever got to see it when they were only here to see the Grave Keepers.

Though... Conway had come, hadn't he? And now Javaid had more friends.

"I'm sorry to hear about your sister... sorrier still to hear that you'd be abandoned over it." The feline's fur had bristled slightly as he spoke and, though he controlled his expression, his feelings about the matter were written plainly over his face. "Tch! To think a Hisstor would turn away family like that! There are other options, and, to be frank, no education is better than no family." The feline bit his lip, blushing beneath his dark fur. "Ah... But I'm sorry - I shouldn't speak ill of your family."


Javaid's grin only widened as he received Conway's reply. Oh good! He could hear him in return. The thought was strangely comforting, knowing that Conway was 'only a thought away'.

'Good! I was hoping you'd like chicken.' His tail wagged at Conway's remark about spicy food. 'I'll be sure to include some spicy sauces on the side for you to experiment with. Mehdi will appreciate that, he's got an addiction to spicy foods that could kill a normal man.'

[Kari Muffin]

“True....” Conway said absently. Even though he had only known Javaid for a short period of time, he worried about him as well. Being locked away wasn’t exactly healthy, but Conway couldn’t particularly preach about being healthy, could he?

Conway was hardly surprised by the feline’s actions. Family was everything to Hisstors. He felt the same way. His Uncle was a different story though. The wolf shrugged. “My Uncle wasn’t fond of me. He considered me the reason why my parents died. He had always been fond of my sister so he decided to focus on her alone.” A small smile crossed his face, “It’s fine to insult my Uncle. I don’t consider him family either.”

It was time to change the subject. “What’s education like here in the Wastes?”

Spicy sauces huh? It wounded like it was going to be a really good dinner. Maybe he should inform Mehdi. Then again he was probably the one who had brought the chicken. How else would have Javaid got the bird? “I’m rather fond of poultry. There are very few people who know how to make it properly. I have no doubt yours will take fantastic.”

All of Javaid’s cooking was wonderful.