The Necropolis [Conway]

[Kari Muffin]

At least everything was smoothed over.

Conway was a little surprised by the hug, and shifted awkwardly in an attempt to return it. Being affectionate towards people that was still something painfully strange for the Joker. After years of not having contact with people besides fighting and drunken sex, this was something he had to get used to.

It was nice, but still awkward. Touching people was weird.

"It wasn't too bad. June has had worse," Conway said finally as he looked at the Jackal. June had had plenty of fits but they normally involved screaming, throwing things, and hiding over a panic attack.

Conway perked slightly. So he would be okay after this? And he would be willing to let Conway experiment with dinner? Though the idea of being alone with Mehdi was a little unnerving. He hadn't spent too much time around the cat and he was still mildly suspicious.

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan," he smiled.

[Vyn]

That's right, June had panic attacks. Javaid had nearly forgotten about the girl's troubles, but he refrained from offering more than a gentle nod. At least it wasn't Conway's first time dealing with something like this and, in the scale of things, he apparently wasn't too bad off.

He let the remaining knots of subtle anxiety fade away as Conway smiled. Everything was fine and Conway was happy, that was all that really mattered.

He jotted down a quick note to Mehdi, apology included, and summoned Ma'at... just in time to see the feline stroll through the gates. The jackal twitched, glancing at the note as if it had somehow betrayed him by leaving early, before realizing the truth of it. Of course Mehdi had known to come.

The feline strolled over, grinning gently as he waved to them both. "Hope I'm not intruding! I was pretty shocked by your letter, y'know. Did Conway actually manage to get you past the gate or did you dig your heels in for him too?"

Javaid's cheeks were so flushed it was almost painful and he stubbornly avoided Mehdi's gaze. "C-Conway would still like to go to the Market... Would you take him?"

[Kari Muffin]

Conway watched the Jackal quietly, feeling a bit more comfortable about the entire situation. At least things had smoothed over and were still going to be bright potentially. That was assuming he could get the right ingredients and not horribly burn the food when everything was said and done.

The wolf perked when he noticed Javaid's betrayed face. His eyes followed the man's gaze to the cat. Well, he wasn't too surprised that the man was already here. If he knew the extent of Javaid's condition it was fairly easy to predict the outcome.

He gave the man a rather indignant expression at the comment. He wasn't particularly sure why he felt so offended, but he did. "He got past the gate," Conway commented with a small smug smile. He would have bluntly stated "I'm better than you" if he had realized that was what he was going for.

He shifted awkwardly at Javaid's statement. Yes he wanted to go to the market, but did he really trust Mehdi? Well, he didn't have a choice. He gave the cat a rather pathetic looking face that screamed of a puppy begging.

[Vyn]

Mehdi continued to grin jovially, his long tail curled lightly at the tip. He was honestly somewhat surprised by Conway's reaction to his words. He expected Javaid's reaction, but the indignant smugness from Conway was a tad unusual. Cute. But unusual.

Regardless, it would seem as if Conway was far better than him and for that Mehdi would've tolerated anything. His grin widened and he gave Conway a firm pat on the back. "That's wonderful! Good job, Javaid!" His words were saturated with a low, cheerful purr.

Javaid couldn't help the blush that danced over his cheeks as Conway discretely boasted his pride at besting Mehdi. He could see it and, honestly, he knew it was true. He was more willing to follow Conway out there into the dangerous world than Mehdi. It really shouldn't have been that way; he'd only known the Joker for such a short time and Mehdi he'd known ages.. Why was it then that he trusted Conway enough to leave?

Take Conway by himself? For some reason he hadn't expected Javaid to suggest that, but it seemed reasonable if Conway was willing and... by the desert sands, that face screamed 'willing'. Mehdi had to resist the urge to ruffle the adorable man's hair. "Of course I can take you, Conway. No better man than myself for the job." Mehdi was a trader, his life revolved around the wonderful bustling markets and he was proud to show off.

He turned to Javaid then, a more subdued smile on his muzzle and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I really am glad to see you're making an effort again. A good man like yourself deserves to be a part of the world, y'know?"

Javaid patted Mehdi's hand as his tail gave a quick wag. "I know, Mehdi. Thank you." He gently nudged the hand away and pulled smoothly to his feet. "Now stop babying me in front of Conway."

[Kari Muffin]

When the cat touched Conway he moved away from the hand and proceeded to growl. He may have been following the man to the market but he wasn't okay with being touched at random. Cheerful pat on the back or not he wanted his personal space. He gave the man an indignant look before his face had slipped into the pleading expression.

And if Mehdi had ruffled his hair Conway probably would have smacked the man's hand away, among other things.

He was half tempted to stay with Javaid and forget about the market, but he had said he could make dinner and they needed fresh food for that. The Joker refrained from sighing as she stood up, straightening his clothing as he did so. Really, he would always look like a vagabond but straightened them out of habit.

"Thank you for being willing to take me," he said after Javaid had finished reprimanding Mehdi.

[Vyn]

Mehdi blinked in slight surprise when Conway growled and leaned away but he got the hint fairly quickly. So he was a no-touch sort of person? Mehdi was quite the opposite in many ways and greatly enjoyed physical contact (to the point of occasionally overstepping boundaries) but he'd do his best to keep that tidbit in mind, if only for Javaid. He wouldn't go running the risk of chasing away Javaid's only friend on no better account than 'old habits die hard'.

He grinned to Conway's thanks, waving a hand playfully. "It's nothing at all, it'll be fun showing you around."

Javaid rose when Conway did and gave him a warm smile. He was still a little wobbly on his feet, but the anxiety had all but faded entirely. Mehdi would take care of Conway out there and Conway knew where to go if he needed a safe place to disappear.

"Have fun. Tell me all about it."

"Alright, Javaid. We'll be back before you know it." He motioned to Conway cheerfully. "Shall we?"

[Kari Muffin]

Conway hoped that he wasn’t going to regret this. Javaid still looked a little off, but he sounded better. The man shifted a bit, keeping his pawed hand in his pocket. Oh this was going to be a rather trying experience, wasn’t it? Hopefully no one would ask him to remove his hands from his pockets. He could only imagine what people would say.

“I will,” Conway said with a bright smile for Javaid’s benefit. It looked surprisingly natural on the man’s face.

He turned to the cat and gave a small nod. He debated for a moment if he wanted to activate his ability now or later. Probably better to do it now. He focused on opening a communication with Javaid and then focused on the cat. “So how far is it exactly?”

He would try his hardest to actually engage in conversation, however hard it was for him. This was Javaid’s friend, and he had done quite a bit to help the Queen. So Conway needed to be civil and not freak the man out.

[Vyn]

Mehdi grinned as he glanced one last time between Conway and Javaid. They were both stretching so far for each other. Could either of them even see it? At least they made each other smile, and that was really the most important thing.

With one last cheerful wave back to the Jackal, Mehdi lead Conway back out through the main gate and onto the little road that would take them to the market. "It's not that far at all, really. A little over half an hour at a leisure pace, I usually cut it down to about 20 minutes but I'm a quick walker."

His tail flicked as he peered out into the distance. As of now there was nothing but the rising stretch of dune ahead, which was really the worst of it. He motioned out into the distance. "At the top of that dune, you'll have a clear look of everything nearby. It's breathtaking." Too bad Javaid wasn't around to see it.


Back in the temple, Javaid was relieved to have some momentary solitude to recuperate from his panic attack. He was finally feeling as if he could properly breathe again and, though he was worried about sending Conway out, Javaid was glad that he was getting a chance to see the market. Conway deserved to know more about his heritage.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway quietly followed the cat, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he took his usual route. He wasn't feeling particularly fantastic about leaving Javaid behind, and he wasn't particularly sure about the cat. But he wanted to get some fresh food, and he had made a promised to Javaid.

A half hour? He raised an eyebrow. That was longer than it would have taken in the city, certainly, but at least it wasn't too bad. And if they walked a bit faster they could make it there sooner. The Joker quickened his pace a bit, hoping the cat would catch on without needing it spelled out.

"Breathtaking huh?" Conway commented. He was rarely impressed by scenery. Then again he was more concerned with people than enjoying his surroundings. And right now the surroundings were rather bleak and empty. He glanced back behind him. Was Javaid going to be okay? Should he wait a little while to check up on him?

"Besides the market is there anything else around?"

[Vyn]

Oh good! Conway got the hint! As soon as the other male picked up his pace, Mehdi matched it and even pushed it a little. He was used to walking long distances in the sun and it had stopped bothering him long ago. Some people, however, were less inclined to it.

"This market is actually one of the biggest in Hisstor, the largest city is just north of it and there are a lot of little towns to the east and south. You can find something to do or see just about anywhere you look. Javaid's Necropolis is the only civilization out here for ... miles. I know there are some small villages scattered in the desert past there, but I haven't visited them enough to know much about them." Mehdi's life based based almost entirely on travel and trade, he knew almost every inch of Hisstor like the back of his paw.

"Anything in particular you'd like to see?"


Once the weakness in his knees didn't seem so bad, Javaid set to work on his usual tasks. He made sure his borders were secure, checked on the graves, and generally filled his time as he usually did. The familiar work was wonderfully reassuring and before long the anxiety of earlier had become nothing more than a thing of the past.