Coming to the island had not been for any reasons of pleasantries. No, a vacation of any sorts was the furthest thing from his mind as his ship made its arrival to the Yoavesh Port. If anything, it was his curiosity of this Death’s Kiss that he wanted to explore. It was a double edge sword as far as its healing properties versus the side effects went. It was powerful in both regards and he had wished to experiment on them as soon as word had came to his ears. To be completely honest, he wasn’t too sure what sparked such a need but he hadn’t questioned it. Lately he’s been feeling a tad empty and not like himself, though the latter had been like that for weeks going into months now. Not since the nightmares starts again and he couldn’t sleep for very long before he would come back to that hellish world.

Was he going mad?

No, he was sure he wasn’t even as he thought about it some more as he stepped off the ship and walked down the harbor. Unkempt black locks covered his face but his eyes sparkled like stars in a cloudless sky. His wares were modest and nothing that truly stood out, but that was the point. He had to blend in for what he was seeking to do; according to his sources, the orcs here weren’t very open to the idea of easy trade of the Death’s Kiss. The plant was deemed too dangerous to let outsiders get their grabby little hands on it and do gods know what with them. No, instead he heard rumors of the black market having them. It was merely a game of figuring out which of the dealers to seek and where in general this glorious market was.
 
He pushed aside some of his locks away from his sight by the time he crossed over into the city. The plant could prove to be quite useful to his dilemma and if not, then he could find some use in its power, someway. As he was about to pass by the inn near the beach, Asher was drawn into a memory from his past. He recalled his mother leaving with his sisters from their little home in Egjora’s lower districts. She had gained favor of another man, one with the wealth to make her life enjoyable until her dying day and she took the children she felt had a future. He apparently didn’t as she left him to rot with his despicable father and bear being the focus of his daily drunk temper afterwards. But there was no need worry about either of them now, not after what had happened three years ago. So why was he reminded of them now?

Asher was sure he didn’t hold no guilt over the crimes, not after how they deserved it. Leaning against the side of the building, he started to caught his breath and sought to regrasp his focus. Perhaps the sight of the beach would do well to help him be collected again? Allowing himself a few more seconds, he went along with the sudden thought and once he hit the beach, he nearly collapsed back first into the warming sands and listened to the crashing waves. 

The inn came first. The siren had forgotten how bad the rest of the travel was through the Laeto Rainforest. She had gone to the falls many times in her life but she normally did not travel the rest of the way to the coast. The forest grew worse once it left the tranquility of the falls. By the time she made it to the other side of the rainforest, her clothing was coated with a nice layer of dirt and her hair a few lost pieces of plant material. She located the closest inn that could find to bath and change her attire. The woman that exited the inn later that day was the complete opposite of the one that entered. Most people probably would never believe the dirty tomboy that entered was the same woman that gracefully walked out the inn doors. With each step, the fabric of her dress danced around her feet shimmering from purple to pink depending which thin layer of fabric hit the sunlight. Her shoulders laid bare and the bodice of the dress clung tightly to her curves, showing that she was quite the lady. She always wondered where she had gotten certain assets, maybe it was another thing that she had inherited from her father's side? Whatever it was, when she wore a form fitting dress the eyes of everyone would shift to look at her. She knew she still did not have the body like her Auntie did, the eyes of the people were forever glued to Aunt Angela. She was, however, content with what she looked like. She had just enough curves to bring the eyes to her but not too much to cause her any physical damage later in life. She could only image the back pain women had to go through to hold that extent of beauty.

As the strange thoughts danced through her mind, Rhea continued to take graceful steps through the town. She so far enjoyed what she was seeing. There was a simple quaintness to this town. There were people around every corner but there was no feeling of stuffiness. She had heard a lot of stories about this place but she could not recall the last time she had ever set food here. She did enjoy being in the city because of the number of people there, but there was still a lot of this world that she had not explored. She had been to many places and seen many things, but it felt as if there was always something new and exciting to see right around the corner. Nonetheless, the eyes that watched her pass from one store to the other made her lips curl into its signature smirk. There was one thing that the siren loved the most and that was the gaze of others. You saw so many emotions glimmer in those gazes from lust to envy. There were a few that watched her curiously and a couple who turned their whole body to watch her pass by. It was almost her fuel to pull their eyes onto her and have them captured in her grasp until the moment she would disappear amongst the crowd. People were always strange and interesting creatures with the unique things that caught their fancy and made them tick. She almost enjoyed being mortal because it was easier for her to watch everyone around her without feeling the need to portray someone else. She had always enjoyed taking on masks of others to see how they would react in comparison to her beauty.

There were a lot of strange items for sale in their bazaar but there was nothing that caught her eyes. In the end, she began on one side of the town and ended on the other. The further she got to the close the stronger the smell of salt hit her senses and brought a happy glimmer to her gaze. It was as if the town had completely faded away from her when her eyes caught the first sight of the sea. Hazel eyes filled with excitement and her steps grew more frequent. There was never a doubt that she was the creature of the water when she would get near it. She always found herself almost dancing to the water's edge and trying to jump in before her clothes were even removed. The moment her feet touched the hot sand, she kicked off her slippers and bolted towards the ocean. Locks of chocolate curls danced violently against the wind until the moment her toes touched the water and the siren halted instantly in her steps. There was a soft giggle that left her lips as she danced around in the feet-high water. She was being mindful of the fact she was still wearing her dress, so she was trying to keep herself from stripping off all her clothes and jumping in. She was also sure the tribesmen would not be very happy to see a strange dancing nude on their beach so close to the city. Maybe later she would slip further from the town front and enjoy the ocean more fully.

After a couple giggling kicks at the water, the feeling of being watched grew strong and hazel eyes darted towards the shore to see that she was in fact not alone. The siren had been absorbed in the ocean and her excitement that she had taken no notice to the stranger that was enjoying the beach at first. A large smile did not falter but she could not help but let out a few larger laughs. She could only image what the strange was thinking of her, but she really did not care. She did not blush or even try to retract from the water, instead, she nodded her head towards the man. "I do hope I am not ruining your beachside rest. I could move further down if you wish? I must have lost my surrounds for a moment ." Her voice spoke out soft and melodic, but the way that her lips curled and eyes watched him curiously it was almost as if there was a double meaning to her words. It was hard to tell if she was being completely sincere or teasing him. Silently, she hoped that he would allow her to stay because she rather enjoyed company over solitude.

The peaceful scene of the tides and warming sands drew some comfort within Asher, but they were merely superficial to his mind. Chaos had a firm grip, dwelling in the recesses of his head but in such a way it was also controlled. He wasn’t like the sore that glorified destruction and carnage. No, his actions and motives were much more subtle than that. He felt the cool breeze of the wind every so often against his skin, the salty air in his nose as he inhaled. It reminded him of home and had things been different than perhaps it would have drawn out feelings of homesickness and yearning to go back home to his family.
 
Asher’s eyes closed tightly as he merely took it all in, eventually knowing that he would have to move on and follow through with his plan. The Death’s Kiss was on the menu and he felt that nothing would stop him from obtaining a sample of it.
 
Over some time, he had the faintest of feelings that he wasn’t quite alone; when it grew too much to ignore, he opened one eye to look. Sure enough, he spotted someone after a bit. A woman, clearly a lady of the court at least from her attire. Though he’d admit that he hadn’t seen one carry herself the way this one did. Perhaps there was more to the surface, but he withdraw his attention and left her be. It was only when she came to him did both eyes open and latched onto her. There was something about her, aside from her heavenly appearance that set off something in his quaking mind, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.
 
When she offered to leave him be, Asher shook his head. Not planning for company and not wanting it in general were two different things and it would serve to be quite the enriching distraction.  
 
“No, I was just reminiscing out here. You have done nothing to wrong me”, he addressed, his voice showing that it had a hint of Egjoran in. Asher plopped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at her. “Many do get lost the in the beauty of the scenery. It’s rather difficult to take one’s eyes away from something so…captivating.” A small grin etched across his lips before he started to rise up. He had to remember that he was in the presence of a lady and he wiped the sand off the back of his head and shake any of it off his back. Anything less would have seem disrespectful, something that had been beaten into him by his father. Asher was a bit taller than the woman, but not enough to completely tower and have her a half bow. “Though I will admit that I wasn’t expecting another to grace my eyes here, but that’s life, is it not? Just full of unexpectancies.”

The smile remained cheerful on Rhea’s lips. It would not have faltered if he had spoken to her roughly, but she was grateful that he seemed interested in the company. The weather was beautiful and the water was cold. She could feel her body ache for the water but resting in the sand with the stranger would be enough to keep her from diving into the water just yet. Her parents had taught her better, but she never followed everything she had been taught. He addressed her calm and she could feel the hint of interest on his tongue. He spoke in a way that could only help to spark her interest. She had the feeling that this evening would have a story to remember later.

Her fingers gripped at the front of her dress and she softly curtsied in response to his bow. The siren would never ignore a gesture that she had received. He showed her the proper grace and she would return it. She was hoping their conversations would not remain completely proper. She had never been a fan of conversations without a fuel and personality. It reminded her far too much of deities meetings. She liked the little emotions that ran through in a casual conversation. The moment that someone let their guard down a little and show where their heart lay. She still craved for those moments to peer into someone’s mind.

Rhea was curious to know what was ticking in the stranger's mind, but something about him caused her to believe that she would most likely see very little. It only helped to fuel her curiosity and push for the conversation. She enjoyed his idea of life, or how he tried to portray it. Her eyes watched him curiously as he finished speaking and took it as her turn to speak.

”Life is full of unexpectancies. It would be quite the bore if everything worked out exactly the way we wished. I would have not so many interesting souls if it were not for the path I was given in life. You could almost say Life likes to keep me busy.” There was a soft giggle at her comment. It would not come off as hilarious to him because he probably held no understanding of her life. She could not help but hear her aunt in her head, reminding her to let herself meet everyone in the world. She had always pushed her to be more social than her parents. Maybe she had always seen something in her from the beginning.

”You have a lovely accent, sir.” There was the small smirk on her lips as she tilted her head at him curiously. ”If we wish to continue speaking, I assume we must finish the last of the formalities, however, I am enjoying knowing nothing of you but your handsome voice.” He had so far been trying to keep a line of a proper structure with a twist. She did not want it to end so soon. Maybe if he remained unable to figure her out, this conversation would continue interestingly.

Being from where he came from, the peasant was used to being cool and collected. He was also used to observing others and appealing to them accordingly. At times, he could keep to the shadows and stay out from prying eyes; but on other times like he found himself now, Asher didn’t mind entertaining someone of interest. He wasn’t sure what she made of him, but appearances weren’t everything after all. The same could be said for herself, making this a sort of stalemate as far as he knew. How…quaint.

“Indeed.”

She did seem to share his views on the matter, which stirred appeasement in him. A fresh mind was so much more refreshing than that which belonged to those of the old days. They were less flexible in their ways than those still enjoying their youth. “Life keeps me busy as well, which is partly why I am here on this island.” He was about to speak further on the matter, but his accent gained her favor and he gave a slight nod. “Egjora. I have lived there nearly my whole life and have only very recently started to travel to see the world for what it truly is. I felt…like a caged bird prior.” His words held a darker truth to them, but he was not lying to the lady. He had yearned to leave the little island and see the rest of the realm with his own eyes.

Any sense of being alone for now seemed to die down as he chimed in onto this little game they were playing. “As you wish. I am here for a certain thing. Very potent and dangerous, but in the right hands, it is a good instrument to have on one’s self.” Crouching down, Asher started to trace along the hot sands with but a finger. He made sure to pay plenty of attention to the details of the luscious petals, of the thick stem and curly leaves. If his talents of artistry had flourish, then perhaps his future would have been quite different, but there was no sense in worrying about it. Within minutes, he was done drawing the flower and looked up to his unnamed companion. “This. Deakisi- a powerful little flower that have great healing powers but can easily cause terrible effects on people if used instead as a drug.”

“So, Interested in joining me to find it? I’d think it be far easier to have a partner assist me”, he said with a wink as his eyes lowered back to his drawing. Perhaps like it, she was a beauty yet held an air of danger too.

They both agreed. Rhea could feel the corner of her lips twitch at the idea. She loved the strange hue of mysteriousness between them. She did not need to know anything about him to know he was most likely dangerous. She cared less about who exactly he was and if he were to find out about who she was, there was a strong possibility it would ruin everything. He spoke a little about his life, keeping the story simple but enough to let Rhea know she made the right decision. He was not a normal traveler like a lot of the strangers she met. It gave higher chances that he would know of her past if her name was given. There was always the chance he had lived under a rock or care nothing for the deity, but she did not wish to risk it. She loved not being known for her past. She was nothing but a pretty woman in his eyes and the sensation was exhilarating.

”I can understand feeling like a caged bird.” Rhea words came out softer this time but her smirk never disappeared. She had always been a lot like her father, always holding a girlish smirk on her lips. Their histories could be very different but she knew understood well the feeling of being trapped. She went from one trapped situation to another in her life. She perked up, however, when he began to talk about why he was here. She spent most of her time traveling from city to city for no reason other than to see what had changed and evolved. If he offered something for her to do outside the normal wandering, she would happily take it. She was not one to think too much about the risk that could come with working with a stranger.

Hazel eyes watched him curiously as he began to trace out something on the sand and soon crouched down beside him. He spoke of a flower that he was looking for. The idea intrigued her. She had never actually heard about this flower before. She felt a moment ashamed. If her Aunt and mother knew that she was not up to date on the flora, they would never let her live it down. They were both far earthier than she was. Her eyes watched him draw in silence the curiosity growing as the image took shape. She had to admit he was quite the fine artist. She would not have figured that someone had created it with just his finger. It made her wonder what he could create with a brush in his hand. Maybe time would allow her to find out or maybe not.

Her eyes shifted up to his when he asked if she wanted to join him in finding it. The butterflies jumped in her stomach and she studied his face curiously. He wanted a help from a complete stranger. Most people would never let a complete stranger help them in finding something that was supposedly very special. How did he not know she wouldn’t just take it to sell later? It only helped to grow her interest in him. She wanted to see more. ”Well, you place a lot of trust in me not causing you trouble in your search. I love it. I am happy to join you, but what shall that contain? Where would one find this little flower in Yovaesh Port? I am sure it probably not found on the beach.” Her smirk grew as she watched him curiously. She could not wait to see what would happen next.