Kali grinned as the two human women spoke in turn, the keen eyed elf watching them both intently and trying to learn a little bit about them through their words and appearance. Dawn was perhaps just as young as Verita but there was something about her, perhaps she was trained. None the less Kali found her interesting, they would have to talk later if only so she could find out what made the young human woman seem so disciplined despite her age. Verita , on the other hand. Verita was young and acted young and it was almost endearing the way she coughed and wrinkled her nose as the elf’s smoke which was quickly blown in the other direction as soon as she realized that it bothered the young human. “I’m sorry it bothers you so much.” She apologizes, nodding towards Dawn after her statement about food and confirming Dal’Tek’s invitation. “ Very well, first we start to eat and then we can share stories with each other. I have plenty of exotic tales from  Gha’mos to share, after all.”<br/><br/>Kali falls in by Dal’Tek as they walk to the dining hall, eyes momentarily settling on Y’vaste. The elf feels a pang of sympathy when she looks at the woman and slowly shakes her head before looking away, towards DAl’tek and whispering. “ That is what happens when one is cursed in some manner, I am sure of it.” Really it could have been many things, but elven magic was quite full of glamor and very easy to lose hold of. It was a sad day when Kali met an elf like Y’vaste , it was her assumption that they were usually cursed or had just lost control in their desire to play creator with their own bodies. Kali does not dwell on the subject though. There would be plenty of time to approach the woman later and ask her curious questions but for now it was time to languish in the happiness of finally being with Dal’Tek and his people once more and enjoy the company of other wanderers.<br/><br/>As they came to the dining hall were meals were prepared Kali took her seat next to the shaman, sitting cross legged next to him and eagerly packing her pipe once more as the others marveled at the food, or in Vertia’s case got a mouthful that she regretted. “young human.” She said, deft fingers casually  packing her pipe with more of the sweet narcotic that had been wrapped in some sort of sticky paper in her sash. “ The sour ones are an acquired taste, dear. Try the fruit instead. Much more sweet and pleasant.” There was a hint of amusement in Kali’s voice as she finishes her task and lights the pipe with a spark from her between her fingers, puffing again and casually chewing on the ivory stem as everyone settled in.<br/><br/>When Dal’tek asks her to share a story she nods and clears her throat , exhaling the smoke away from Verita this time as she looks around the table with a raised eyebrow and mulls over what she wanted to say in her head. Dal’Tek, well he had heard all of her stories but this was a new audience and they had no ‘favorites’ per se. Perhaps she should start by simply giving them a choice between a few tales. After perhaps a minute of smoking and silently thinking the elf finally nods once more, grabbing a fruit no bigger than her palm from a bowl and biting into its skin, savoring the taste before speaking up. “ The land I come from is distant, across the water. It is very old and filled with glamor unseen here.” Kali pauses, making sure she looks everyone in the eyes , busying herself with finishing off the rest of her fruit and discarding the stone-hard pit before continuing. “The magic of the elves, as you may all know it, is a little different from you humans and Aviari practice and things may sound a little… strange in my tales that are otherwise normal where I am from and if not normal , at least not without explanation.”<br/><br/>After another pregnant pause and a long draw on her pipe the woman cants her head to the side and speaks up once more. “ The sun is always hot and directly overhead during the day. The sand is like glass in some places, so baked by the star it is. At night it is cold. Cold enough to see your breath.” She blows yet more smoke to emphasize this point, a large and sweet cloud of whatever it was she was smoking hanging over the table before it dispersed. “ I have two tales for you all to choose from. One of a naga, a woman cursed forever to bhalf snake and half woman from jealously, a tale of betrayal and noble debauchery.” Again she blows more smoke but this time it is different, like magic was at work, it hangs overhead and she  reaches up casually shaping the cloud with her finger into something vaguely resembling a woman with a snake’s lower body before simply blowing against it, making the image disperse nearly instantly. “ Or the tale of the sphinx and her deadly riddles.” Again she does the same trick but this time it is a woman with a lion’s lower half oddly enough, how odd this land she was from was.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>