"So... I suppose you have quite a history?" I ask, turning my head backwards to get a somewhat acceptable view of the cargo. The two hwardgon have gone scuttering off elsewhere, so I might as well make the most of my limited company. Shouldn't I? Not like I'm going to be bored hearing the story of a human-eyed osibindah.
"Don't we all?" Nin asks back and I huff the reaction out of my system. A piece of jerky slips out of my pocket, into my gloved hand, and I pop it into my mouth. The hard dried meat cracks apart and stretches in other places. Leaving a rather foul taste across my tongue and a spiteful will to succeed in my spirit.
"Thing is, I know my history. I've lived it and I want nothing more to do with it. Yours, however? I can pass the hours right by with it." I say, finding a good spot to switch my body around. The road ahead is flat and straight, little obvious damage to it otherwise. I won't be going as fast, but manners are to look at who you are speaking to. Not like my back can get any worse with how much I've been having to haul.
"I do not know if I want that. My past is what is motivating me to do what I am doing right now," Nin says and while I know his head is a world of its own, I can't help but reach for what hangs low.
"Being a slave?" I ask, breaking out into a snicker, and I get something close to a 'ha' from him.
"No. No. I'm looking for people. Hoping to make amends," he clarifies, a nervous tick to the chitter noises coming from his mandible thingies. His dark shell makes it hard to distinguish him from the darkness of the underground, lights or not. But I know fidgeting when I see it.
"Is it strange I already know that those must've been some intimate relationships?" I ask, though, more so myself.
"With what I am? Yeah... Yeah." Nin answers anyway and I watch the mass of black look away elsewhere. I shift my elbows and back up, getting myself back into a proper form for pushing the wagon.
"What'd you do?" I ask, taking the shovel and shoving it right into the depths of his privacy.
"See... This is a strange thing to answer. Really... I don't know if there is a single good answer. All I know for sure is, I love... Loved... Someone." he struggles to say and I nod along as I set aside my cravings for the moment. If anything, they might not even be my cravings, just ones I picked up from him. I'd certainly take a distracting moment after saying something like that.
"Honestly, you too? Everyone's doing stupid things these days for love." I heartily breathe, feeling left out. Another huff escapes me and I set it all aside. It matters to me none. I have my life and they all have theirs.
"I know I cannot exactly argue my way out of this. But let me make sure you're fully aware that my circumstances mean little." Nin asserts and I cock a brow at his tone.
"Oh?" I go.
"You are not selling me," he warns, and my imagination fills in the gaps when his empty magic reserves fail to supply their part. A cocky smirk born of ignorance comes about, and I revel in it for the moment. I can always regret my behaviour later in good stereotypical manner!
"We will see, won't we?" I taunt back in such a simple manner.
"We will, yes," Nin mutters, and his attention shifts away again. Rolling my shoulders and hopping up a bit, I look around the tunnel with him.
"So, who're you looking for?" I ask as I straighten out a pocket and kick a random stone away.
"My friends. Four of them I need to find. Two I know roughly where they are. Maybe three," he answers quickly, not much pondering needed to get it out into the open. I click my tongue, already having my heart out for the guy.
"Honestly, I feel for you there. Ivahstar and me go back for a while. But, outside of a coincidental service that brought us back together, I'd probably not be here." I remark upon, thinking back to my time with the Madame before I unscrewed the supports in her operation. Ivahstar and Heiya happened on that way, I didn't invite them until I came across the pair.
"The world is a big place. So these leads I do have are the most important things to me in the whole world right now," he says and my brain lights up enough to delude me into thinking the darkness is gone.
"Oh, I love a good challenge. Tell me some things." I say, the brightness in my head coming out in my tone and the bug huffs his joy. A noise of agreement follows through and I wait for something to work with.
"I'm looking for six women, each of them-"
I spit-take with an empty mouth, "H-How many women!?"
Nin chuckles, "I guess it does sound silly."
"It's not even the fact you've somehow lucked into every boy's dream. It's the fact you did it as an osibindah!" I exclaim, vision clinging to his hideous buggy exterior. How does any girl of any meaningful calibre look past that? Must be one gods-blessed personality he has. Or some ugly girls at worst...
"I had a bit of divine help," he explains, chuckling some more and my expression warps some more. I didn't mean my thoughts literally or close to it!
"Well... Gods aside, what is important about where they'd all end up?" I ask and he thinks it over. Could be anything, really. Species can mean a lot, their homeland or home city on top of that. Maybe even some niche culture I'll never learn about and when I do, I'll forget about it.
"Two of them are probably still in Suhurlodst. One works there in the Gnomon, the other owns a bakery." he starts with and I nod, a comment already in the teeth-rimmed chamber.
"Certainly a contrast in influence." I let out, thinking back to any times I've had an interest in women. There's always a close orbit to what I am doing, no real move away from it. Shady women for a shady man.
"And, now, get ready for the rest!" Nin laughs and I dread what I am going to hear. My poor, poor sense of understanding of the world.
"Gods above..." I moan.
"One's a Valkinvar and I can only fathom where she's ended up, if she's even alive anymore. One's a noble lady from a continent down south. Another is a slave formerly sold by your two friends. There's an aelenvari ivy-mother and... I said six? Yeah, those six. Suhurlodst two, Valkinvar, oxfuine, aelenvari and Einervaene." he rambles on and I do my best to cling to what information I can. Which to say is not a whole lot.
"Pfffft. Well, good luck on that one. All I know is that I want no part in aelenvari again for a while." I say, an irk of disgust crossing my lips as the Madame's habits come back to mind. Work is work, but I'm free to hold whatever thoughts I want.
"What, you go through a flower and not even have a root flutter her eyelashes at you?" Nin jabs and I smirk with a shaking head. Gods no, I wish it was something as nice as that.
"No, no. I worked at a place that dealt in sex slaves and other grimness. The place's owner had an exceptional cruelty towards aelenvari because of her issues with how ugly she was. Not even by their standards, not fully, anyway. She was just hideously scarred. Somehow died even uglier." I explain, scoffing at the end. My mind otherwise not doing a very good job of avoiding how disturbing it was to look at the Madame. Her efforts to live as if she was beautiful, too, only made it worse.
"Working for these two pay more?" Nin asks and I wave a hand of dismissal, fighting back a shiver all the while.
"Nope!" I laugh out, wishing I could say otherwise. No, no, this is personal, and I'll let him figure that out on his own as we cross the country to the markets. He'll be aware in time.
"Hm, well, I hope the one I am looking for never went your way." Nin lets out, a teeth-baring chitter catching my focus. I square up, readjusting my travel position once again.
"Who knows, really, who does? Though, we did have a trio of aelenvari come travelling by the town we were set up in before things went bad. Basically, a match for the powder store and she certainly had the personality to be a whole inferno." I explain and I hear him shuffle about as much as his rope bindings will let him. He best be careful, though, too much movement and he'll be locked away into something worse.
"Can... Can you tell me anything about that trio?" he asks, and I do my darndest to recall anything. His body rises with the anticipation no doubt inflating his limbs with energy.
"One was a little boy, not all that old at all. There was a horrible maimed blonde and a redhead, rose as one can possibly be." I explain and Nin pops with a relieved sigh.
"Rose'lhia..." he says, and some forgotten memory does the rounds with a feeling of familiarity going through me. Yeah, that woman I met on the stairs was certainly a Rose by any other name. Certainly as sweet with how she bothered the Madame.
"Given Ivahstar's luck. You ever do find yourself free of being someone's decorations. try to remember the town of Nahgart and a place called Castle Buugburth." I tell him and I mock myself mentally for remembering places other than the town the Madame was set up in. Honestly, what is with my old storage area at the moment? The wrong things are getting stuck up there while the rest is slipping away.
"She's been to these places?" Nin asks and I tilt my head about.
"The latter, we briefly captured her or the other at the castle. We were set up in a town between the two places. An aelenvari mountain ain't that far from the castle, either. Follow that path and you might find her holed up in there." I say, though, my information is years old at this point. Easily more than three at the barest.
"Her Garden-Mont...?" Nin lets out ponderously and I shrug.
"Could very well be, could very well be." I say, nodding what I can as his head likely turns to the other three women he listed.
"Ok... That means I know where three should be. And where three roughly are," he lets out.
"Now, I ain't paying much attention to the news of the surface down here. But, from my time working with the Madame, I saw quite a bit of progress being made for the Union." I point out and the bug shuffles about as if to test the strength of his bindings.
"Mmm, right, them. I should have more time," he says and I blink, not sure he quite understands the situation. Union victories mean a lot of dead Valkinvar.
"The war is pretty finely in the Union's favour these days. The Valkinvar for all their power and might ain't much to look at anymore. It's on its way out. Doors are open for the new powers that be." I say, and I watch Nin shake his head.
"The Union just took a fair few losses fighting Atarifuge. The giant you found me at. They've moved in and have taken over Thrurstradtur-Suhurlodst." he explains and I slip with wide eyes.
"Ow..." I let out, rubbing my head and getting myself back up before the travelling wagon can go over me. I lodge myself firmly and force it to a stop. Nin bounces back and forth.
Well, I guess that information certainly does change things. Maybe enough to give him those hopeful few minutes, but even I'm having my doubts. I know full well we only had a small camp stationed outside the town and it was still larger than it. Camp like that in every town and you'd rule the world with that many soldiers. Unnaturally sighted ones at that.
"That woman from the Gnomon? She is or was the Grandguard of the city." Nin explains and I nod with further rubs of the back of my head. Certainly got more than physical aches now.
"Ah... Right, Inerish Dakrid. That annoyance to anyone who considers themselves outside of the usual laws." I say, recalling the many rumours and events that have happened since she got the position. If she still has her job or is even still alive with the Union now in charge, I imagine I have a brief opportunity to live a peaceful life. Handling crime becomes secondary when you have invading soldiers in view.
"Still, I'm glad Rose'lhia is alright. And apparently causing as much trouble for others as she did for me!" Nin laughs and I try to join in, even with the lacking aspect.