Morning Pleasantries

JP with Winteroak and White_Caribou

She sat at the table with her guards staying well out of headshot. Steamed rolls and butter, filled the table as well as soft white cheeses and honey. A variety of fruits was on offer most types that Shalia had never seen before, with their odd shaped and bright colours.
Tamazzalt dismissed his servants and took on the role of host. Shalia judge the man to be around fifty years old although he carried himself like a much younger man.

"May I offer you some tea?" He asked sitting only after she sat. "There is mint, hisbiscus and camomile..." He said moving to serve her upon her request.

"Mint," Shalia responded eagerly, though dialed it back in a prompt manner. Didn't want to seem too doe-eyed right away.
As he poured the steaming beverage, she eyed the odd fanned birds and the vibrant flora here and tried to bask in the beauty of it. This quiet, lovely little moment that had only just begun. Hopefully it would fare better than the last meeting she had over a meal.

Shalia would start her breakfast first with two rolls, one she would slather in butter and honey-- a delectable treat she had deeply missed-- and the other paired with one of the cheeses.

"What can you tell me about those birds? I have not seen them before in my travels. Very elegant," she asked Tamazzalt before taking a large bite of the honeyed bread, savoring the flavor burst.

Tamazzalt smiled at the young woman. So many people from her generation forgot the simplest of niceties.
"Those are called 'Vorpas', it means 'shinning feathers' in archaic Ozainae." He explained looking at the blue and green birds admiring their beauty. "They are not native to our lands. Legend has it, that a pair was a gifted to the third Sister Locust, by a noble house from the Still Valley. Before it turned into the hellish swamp lands it is today."

"Vorpas..." Shalia softly repeated.

She took a sip of the tea after blowing to cool it, finally looking away from the birds. They were beautiful and foreign to this land. 'Kindred spirits', she thought briefly with a faint smirk. Though the last time such a being was found, it ended bittersweet.

These didn't seem to be any trouble at all. Minding and enjoying themselves as she was thus far.

"Sounds unpleasant. I was unaware Arcadia had even more harsh environments beyond desert and mountain. Where is this Still Valley?" Her tone was steeped in intrigue.

New lands...new creatures...yes, this would be fruitful in many ways.