Malati almost bumped into someone as she stared up at the stream of skyfish above her. Her yellow eyes darted back and forth as she watched these flying fish interact with each other and the numerous people of Nambia. It was truly amazing to see how many of these creatures there were. The day’s sunlight flashed off their iridescent wings and was sent scattering in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of small rainbows. The overall affect was to bathe everyone below groups of skyfish in stripes of colored light.
She quickly apologized to the man she’d nearly run into, who did not seem to have noticed, and continued to move through the grassy field. The people here for the skyfish migration flowed around her, chatting with each other, laughing, joking, and Malati let their voices wash over her as she walked between rows of tents and merchant stalls. Since setting out to explore the world, Malati had gone to see numerous natural wonders of Revaliir. And as wonderful as they were, this is what she had been missing. Cities and people.
As she continued to walk, her eyes drifted from the migrating fish, to the people. Humans, elves, orcs, and people of dozens of other races walked the streets of Nambia. Growing up Malati had heard of cities like this, but never really believed they existed. She and her mother had lived near a small village, and that village had been home to a handful of human family, maybe a dwarf or some other humanoid. A red skinned tiefling like herself stood out, and drew attention. Good and bad.
But here, especially for this once a year event, she blended into the background. She got a few looks, but no more than anyone else was receiving, and never did she feel like she was being judged or gossiped about. She even saw a few other tieflings, or people who looked like tieflings. Aside from her mother and father, she’d never met another of her people. Her tail swished slightly with nervous energy, and she almost began to walk over to them when her stomach growled noisily. Her cheeks darkened with a blush, but looking around no one seemed to notice and she quickly moved away in case they had.
Running her fingers along the scar on the left side of her head, Malati looked around at the various stalls and tents, looking for someone selling food. The smell of food filled the air, and a quick spin around revealed more than half a dozen vendors all tempting her with some savory or sweet treat. Given the current event, Malati quickly decided that fish would be her best bet. Of course, that did not do much to reduce the number of choices she had. It seemed like everyone had their own version of cooked skyfish.
After a couple of seconds of indecision, and a few minutes of purchasing, Malati became the proud owner of three different cooked skyfish. With a large grin on her face, she took a big bite of the sauce laden fish on a stick in her right hand, while she continued to walk through the festival grounds with her two other fish on sticks held carefully in her left. May the gods bless whoever thought to put food on sticks, Malati mused to herself after swallowing that first bite. Now I don’t have to sit down and stop exploring while I eat.
The question now became, what next? As Malati pondered this question, she slowly made her way through the tents and stalls, inspecting the wares of the various merchants, and occasionally taking a bite from one of her fish. A seamstress from Abed caught her attention. She had seen more than a few people wearing sarees from that city when she was last in Pavpora. Not only did the garnets look absolutely beautiful, but after talking to a woman wearing one, Malati had learned that there were even special wrapping techniques for people with tails. And as much as Malati loved her tail, she did have to admit it could be annoying to find clothing that accommodated it.
But as she prepared to approach the seamstress, the older woman locked eyes with Malati and shook her head. Malati quickly shot back a confused look, and the seamstress's eyes flicked down to the tiefling's right hand. Glancing down, she grinned broadly as she saw the fish on a stick, sauce dripping off it and to the grass beneath her feet. Malati lifted the remains of the fish and stuffed it into her mouth, tossing the stick in a conveniently placed receptacle. "I will be back," she told the seamstress around a mouthful of fish as she transferred one of her two remaining fish on a sticks to her right hand and continued her exploration of the area.
