On Order: One Muse

[Kender Bard]

Kleio followed her gaze and then smiled faintly as he indicated the chair in front of him. "Do you get homesick?" he inquired.

A tavern wench wandered over; an elder woman, past the 'buxom wench' age that many similar establishments tended to keep on hand. "What will it be?" she asked them.

[melissa]

Artima slid into the chair across from Kleio's. "Not really, no," she replied. "But, I guess it has to creep up on me eventually."

When the wench wandered over, Artima frowned briefly in indecision. But her grumbling stomach quickly settled the matter. "I'd like some chicken. And a spot of mead would be nice."

[Kender Bard]

"I'll have the same," Kleio remarked. The wench nodded and scurried off to speak with the cook. Kleio returned his attention back to Artima. "I was very homesick when I left Anarlina," he replied. "I suppose I'm just sentimental, aye? Where do you suppose you'll be heading off to once my statue is done?"

[melissa]

"I've considered several places," Artima replied. "But I haven't decided. I might actually go back to home to visit my family. It's been awhile since I've been there last."

[Kender Bard]

"Ah so Anarlina hasn't captured your heart enough to stay, hmm?" Kleio remarked. He gave a small shrug - to each their own. The wench returned with their drinks and promise that the food would be done soon. As he sipped the mead, Kleio took the conversation in a new direction. "How come you never bothered to take up and learn a trade if I may be so bold to ask?"

[melissa]

"Well, I don't know yet what I intend to do," Artima reiterated, as she took a small sip of her mead. She was surprised by the taste; it was richer than she would have expected. "Mmm.... this is good."

She then cleared her throat and continued. "Anyway, I have tried to learn various trades... but there's nothing I've taken to. Or maybe the trades I've tried don't take to me. I can't sing, can't really read or write, and don't know how to tell stories, so being a bard or book copier is out of the question. I get nervous around people I don't know, as you know, so I'd make a lousy merchant. So on and so forth." She shrugged then. "I've yet to find my niche."

[Kender Bard]

Kleio regarded her thoughtfully as he sipped at his mead in silence, taking on that pensive look of deep thought he sometimes adopted. It wasn't until their dinner had been brought that he brightened. "Hmm, what is it you like to do for fun?" he asked.

[melissa]

"I do like to sew," she admitted. "I'm not very good at it, but it's something I enjoy. I also like to watch people, and I rather like the wandering I've been doing, seeing new places."

[Kender Bard]

Kleio nodded and spoke between bites of his meal. "Well anything gets better with practice, but if you don't think you could make a living off sewing, there are other things. How fair of a hand are you at drawing? Like say... a map?"