Cindergrove

To prove herself! If she could prove herself to Maveith then no one, not even Azerius could deny that she deserved to live in Cindergrove. This was the chance she needed!

If only the chance wasn't so terrifying. Lilote had heard stories about people being slain but had never witnessed the act herself; even the Sorcerer's dinners were turned from bird to roast by daemons far from Lilote's range. Maveith's grin was intimidating and Lilote bared her little teeth too...

But she had to be brave to prove herself.

"...Yes. My Sorcerer said that anyone who tried to eat from her or her visitors would get unmade immediately, so none of us ever did but... but I could."

Though the thought made her oddly queasy to imagine.

"...Um. But I don't want to if it would make them die. I'll eat down until they're unmagical, like horses are, but if they're magic all the way to their core... I don't want to eat their life. That would be dreadful."

She was panting by the end of that little speech, terrified Maveith would take that as proof she wasn't strong enough to help.

"Hmm." She said nothing more, but the look that the merchant sported undeniably showed some disappointment. "I will keep that in mind. Will you be in Cindergrove for the next month? If you are, I shall have work for you. Do you need coin, or magic or items?" Her voice had grown a little less warm, more business-like. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Maveith was considering working out a deal with her, wasn't she?

It was a relief that the goliath's intensity dialed down without threat or roar.

And that wasn't a no. It wasn't a 'that's useless'. If she wanted Lilote here in a month that meant she would definitely need her.

"Umm, I don't know about money. Is this a lot?" She pulled her little purse out of her dress and pulled out the coins, five shiny pieces of gold that filled her little hands.

"Azerius is going to feed me." She's totally sure that was what he meant by letting her stay. "That lock magic did fill me up. If I don't get cold I won't need more for maybe two days... maybe I should buy some?"

But there was something that she'd noticed, sitting there. She bobbed her head and rolled her eyes to Maveith's left, not wanting to drop her coins by pointing. "There's something that smells really nice over there! Can I have it? I think it's the block under the cloth, the one that isn't magic." The day was pleasant enough that the incense was releasing a soft scent.

The goliath looked the handful of coins over and scoffed. "It is a lot, for peasants. For the likes of you or me, there could be more. But that's not important," she said. "You can make change of many things by offering a favour, a skill, or a secret if those run low." She patted Lilote very, very carefully on the top of her head dome, though her hands were still heavily callused.

"Take this," she said, pulling out a little brick of incense. "You burn it, slowly, on a plate. If you have a connection with the divine, this will heighten it. Best used before you sleep, but try to keep an open mind." Maveith added, "this costs one silver. That's one tenth of one of those gold coins. Shall we make an exchange?"

Lilote squeaked uncomfortably at that pat, delicate as it was, for the air-filled dome on the top of her head squished under the pressure. It was always disconcerting to have someone else force the air out through the valve at the back of her neck.

She cringed away and shoved a gold coin into Maveith's hand instead.

"I'll pay that! I'll use it tonight too, and I'll ask the god who protects the weak ones to see me." She took the block and cradled it against her chest, knowing it was precious. She needed a patron to look after her, material or metaphysical. The idea of being all on her own and having to make decisions was daunting.

As soon as she got the change she stood. "Thank you, Maveith. Um... I need to go. To speak to Azerius. I need to tell him the truth before I get too scared again."

((and now Mavieth is free for whoever else wants to play with her!))