Less Enthusiastic

The land here was getting hot and dry, but beautiful and seemed like it would make a good place for hunting and a place to make a good home, except for the lack of shade and trees.

When they finally reached Desdem, Voah was purely astonished. Where she had been expecting a village akin to Aquilo, something constructed of wooden poles, hides and tents, or cobbled stone, she marveled to see that the homes and structures appeared to be fashioned from the earth itself, which was ruddy in color around these parts.

The people of Desdem were tan of skin from toil beneath the sun, like everyone else they had met in Arcadia. These folk wore scarves or swathes of cloth upon their heads, long colorful robes and tunics, made up differently depending on the practicality of daily routine. Some bore vestigial features that one might have recognized as Odsier.

Until now, the Atsigani had been withdrawn and reserved in the presence of their guests, which made Voah feel quite disconnected and lonely, but now the tone and the demeanor of the party had become more jovial and open as they began playing their instruments, some of which she had not seen before. She couldn't help humming along trying to harmonize to their songs.

She watched as some of the happy faces of Desdem fell in scrutiny as they mistrusted her and Gonyaul as outlanders. She listened to Gonyaul's thoughts on the matter of staying in Desdem and making a living but she was not yet as enthusiastic in her appraisal. There was the problem of finding work. What sort of skills did she have that these people would be looking for, that she didn't have to hide, assuming they accepted them and gained their trust? Would she be separated and placed with women and children in Desdem as she had been with the Atsigani? That wasn't altogether terrible, but it certainly made her feel restricted for what seemed like no reason.

First things first, they had to find out when the caravans were due to make for the Holy City. That would help determine how much time they would spend making a positive impression on the people before they had to depart.