Long and Winding Road (EM, Maze)

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

Faruq was mostly quiet while they went deeper into the Maze. The conversation was interesting enough - and there was enough to pay attention to.

So, Ali's father was a carpenter, then. Not often a craft conducive to great wealth, granted, but still a far cry from the city cleaning work he remembered his dad doing. That probably meant their family had seen at least a bit less of... what his own had. But from what he'd seen the past two days... Ali was still very mindful of the sort of difficulty he had experienced firsthand.

He smiled to himself, but said nothing for now.

Lamis nods. "We don't travel constantly, there's no need for that. But we do have to move from one source of water and pasture to another across the seasons or risk ruining them. And we need to trade. That's the only way to get grain for bread, and the nicer fabrics, though we have good wool." She's never really thought about it. Would they be wealthier if they weren't used to bread and linen their horses and wool and mutton were able to buy? What would they do with the coin instead though? Linen instead of all wool was pretty nice.

"Our name is the same as mine, Naaji...at least our group. Hmm, you'd probably think us extended family, which is mostly true. Your folk that we meet at the oases closer to the city call us Nomads. We just call ourselves people." She didn't mention that 'city people' wasn't a particularly glowing term among them. But..."Either of you'd find a place among us easily enough, marrying in. It'd be a bit of a struggle at first, getting your home together, and a horse. But there's always a need for warriors and physicians."

As they head down the side street she asks. "So...are those living here not also Mekham? Why...is this not also part of that district?."

He nods along as Lamis tells them about their people, looking quite interested. Although he was somewhat used to the presence of different groups of nomads in the city, didn't know much at all about them - they were usually just passing by, and apart from one conversation or another, or sometimes the odd job or some healing provided to those who needed it, he didn't often have a chance to talk to them much. And... that aside, he had never heard from any of them what she had said before - less differences between rich and poor, greater freedom. That all definitely kept him listening.

That all said, the comment about them possibly 'finding a place easily enough' among them definitely got him off guard.

He looked at her again, somewhat fazed... but her next question thankfully brought them back to more comfortable territory.

Or actually... comfortable might not be the best word for that, really, but it was something he was used to, at least. But then, again, he fell quiet as Ali took the topic up himself, and observed their conversation quietly for some more time, keeping his eyes on the path they cut through the Maze.

"Hrmm." Ali grunted acknowledgement at the description Lamis gave. "Too proud to beg, not too proud to steal?" He frowned, considering that. "I always thought beggars above thieves myself. But I suppose perhaps it looks different from that position."

He cleared his throat. "Well. That certainly sounds different, anyway." Better or worse, he couldn't say. "I wouldn't mind if there was a little less different between the fortunate and the unfortunate here. But no." He grinned. "I'm not thinking of leaving to become a Nomad. Not unless I do much better at this next event than I expect."

The last question made him shrug. "It's to do with when they were built. Mekham District is old, very old. The Maze... well, very much less so. The buildings look very different; if someone blindfolded you and set you in front of a building from one or the other, there'd be no mistaking them."

His lips quirked. "Besides, people are always looking for one reason or another to divide themselves from others, eh?"

His brow furrowed, showing those clear signs of reflection again, at Lamis' words and Ali's comment. Too proud to beg, not too proud to steal definitely sounded... different to him, as well.

He thought he understood what she meant, though. In a way... stealing still meant you didn't have to depend on the good will of others - even though it might mean going against what you believed yourself...

That image of his father's face at the market on that fateful day as he seemed to struggle with his own conscience came violently back, and Faruq's steps falter for a moment, almost as if he stumbled on something.

He stopped for a moment, shook his head, heard Ali's voice coming back, saying some more about the differences between the Mekham District and the Maze.

He then looked at the others.

"Rofaqa... I may be wrong, but I think there's a somewhat wider square not far from here where we might stop to offer people healing and the water and food we brought without blocking the way. It should be... two more alleys ahead, one to the left. I think. Or did you have another place in mind already, rafiq Ali?"

[Lamis Naaji]

"I suppose we do build divisions at least as easily as connections, yes. I suppose it just feels strange, for the first time, seeing those divisions among Mekham when held up next to the greater differences with all those from much farther away that I see here." The Nomad skirts a pool of something, boots scuffing the stone underfoot.

"As for begging vs. stealing. Well...one shows you are still strong enough to get what you need for yourself. It's..." She struggles to explain. "We work together or we perish, yes? Almost nobody lives on their own in the desert long term. You find the occasional crazy hermit, and they are filthy, have almost nothing to wear, barely enough to eat, and often as not you just find their bones the next season you pass by. They beg...and it's not enough. So there's this feeling of needing at least the strength to see to yourself if you expect to have enough to also offer your family and the larger group. But also if one begs, it means their family was too inept or unlucky to provide for them. Plus you can steal luck. And..." She laughs. "Well, there's just a lot tied up in it. Though if we follow the Prophet's words, begging is, I suppose, morally superior to stealing?" Her voice is questioning, the entire thing thinking aloud, working through a question that really hadn't ever occurred to her.

At Faruq's suggestion, Lamis nods. "I'm definitely glad you two know your way around. This really is a Maze." A thoughtful pause, one finger idly tapping against her belt. "I suppose it should be reassuring that you both find theft a worse ill than begging as I travel through this place with strangers, hmm?" Acknowledgment that she's not *unaware* of the potential danger in trusting them.


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rofaqa: plural address? I've been trying to figure one out.

I do feel like the Nomad lore and where it logically goes, really better fits RL steppes peoples than desert peoples, but... magic not-Asia says otherwise.

[Ali ibn Farid]

Ali looked at her, his expression serious. "I give you my word, miss, you have nothing to fear from me." Ali had the quiet confidence of a man who was both better trained and better armed than most of the people he encountered in any given day. "I've often had the thought that a person lives or dies with their neighbors, but in the city it's hard to see that. Hrm." He frowned, but said nothing more on the subject.

Frowning, he looked around. "Yes, I know the square you speak of. And yes, you're quite right. It's just this way." He pressed forward, broad shoulders helping to clear a path.

As it turned out 'two more alleys ahead, one to the left' sounded simpler than it was. The Maze occasionally added a third dimension, as the trio found crossing a rickety bridge extended over another street, connecting two otherwise divided alleys. Arriving at their destination, the square seemed to be formed by the intersection of a number of streets, the space created more by coincidence than any sense of planning.

Grunting, Ali looked around. "Faruq, my friend, how would you suggest setting up? In the center, or against a wall, or..." Ali shrugged. As an intersection, it was rather busy, people both moving about and lounging.

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

Lamis' words on stealing and begging keep Faruq thoughtful the whole time while they walk the rest of the - longer than expected - way to that 'square' of sorts. Her mention of Mekhem's words make him wonder. It was clear from what he remembered of the Prophet's words that stealing was seen as improper, that much was clear. And the proper made clear the importance of friends - and community, he was almost sure. So that much would actually very likely be in agreement with what Lamis' told them of the Nomads' ways.

But then....

“Those who voluntarily put themselves under the heel of a tyrant get exactly what they deserve.”. He remembered his father repeating those words, which resounded clearly in his mind quite often, and guided many of his own actions.

Would that not mean that begging was in fact, in a way, accepting tyranny? And should one who properly followed the Prophet's words not fight against it?

But then, how could one do that on an empty stomach, or while thirsting?

When they finally arrived at the square, though, he pulled his mind back to the present moment.

"Settling ourselves against a wall would give us a better view of all that happens around us, rafiq Ali, so I'd suggest that. I've brought some towels with me - we could set them on the ground to sit and arrange the food, the jugs with water, and my medical supplies."

He looks at them both as if waiting for their agreement as he dug through his bag looking for the towels he had mentioned.

[Tarset Kishan]

For a few, this was a tour of what the worst of the city had, in all it's dilapidated and squalid glory.

For Tarset, it was just home.

That wasn't to say she spent all her time in the Maze. She had places to stay still in the Senpet district, places where she was more than welcome if she could bring in the copper. She also often enough ended up staying on a premises as a bodyguard or just plain guard when she needed to. There was still a home she returned to however, a place that was all her own, and that place was here in the Maze.

Thus it was that Tarset had no need to meet outside the Maze to join the other three to journey in. Instead, she had walked around until she'd arrived at the destination that she'd been told the evening before. She knew the square well enough. After all, any clearing of any size in the Maze was a hub of activity, for good and for ill. There were a few that gave her a wide berth and worried looks, and a few that she gave a bit of a berth to as well. She wasn't there today to get into any trouble, nor was she there to do work she'd been hired to do.

Spotting the three was quite easy. Faruq was the only one that slightly blended in with the crowd. Ali almost did, but there was something about him that said this wasn't where he belonged. Lamis, of course, stuck out like... well, like a nomad in a crowd, to be frank. Approaching, she gave a Senpet soldier's bow, fist in hand. "Salam, all. I see I'm just in time for sidi Faruq's offer. Anything I can do to assist? I could certainly wrangle up a stool or two, or make some room for better sitting."

[Ali ibn Farid]

Ali waved to the newcomer, inclining his head in greeting. "Hello, Tarset. It's good to see you again." He looked around, considering. "I don't think there's any wrong way to be helpful Some stools may be a fine idea, though, if you could provide them."

For his part, Ali had been carrying some of the heavier supplies on his broad shoulders. He set them near the wall with a grunt, rolling his arms to stretch.

[Lamis Naaji]

Ali looked at her, his expression serious. "I give you my word, miss, you have nothing to fear from me." Ali had the quiet confidence of a man who was both better trained and better armed than most of the people he encountered in any given day.

Lamis offers a crooked smile. "Not afraid, just reassured."

Their route was as convoluted as any hidden path she'd know in the desert. Oases in ravines, invisible if you didn't know where you were going, rickety bridges and all. But if she thought of things that way, this was all inverted, with the areas of harsh need tucked away and the lush oases on prominent display, though almost mirage-like if you weren't privileged to be part of the display already.

"I see 'square' is very much a figure of speech?" she adds after greeting Tarset as the Senpet woman approaches, merely nodding at the suggestion of where to set up. She'd expect them to listen to her suggestions on the sands, so she was fine with their suggestions here. Besides...putting her back to a wall seemed like a fine idea even without any real familiarity with this part of the city.

She's here observing, so that is mostly what she does; keeping out of the way and watching the response to their presence and activities.

[Ali ibn Farid]

Ali smiled wryly. "Well, it's definitely square-ish, at least." He pointed, fingers indicating the four corners of the little area. Admittedly, with the strange angles, there were closer to five, and one was a little squished, but nevertheless.

He shrugged. "It is the nature of the Maze. The old city was... hmmm. In truth, I don't know how it was planned. But at least to some extent, it was, as compared to here." Another shrug. "People do need a place to live. To call their own, even if it's just a cot."

Still working, he arranged the jugs of water in a line.

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

Faruq saw the Senpet approach them as he was already setting down two towels to make for an area large enough for the four of them to sit down on the ground without touching the dirt. He turned to greeted the Senpet with a nod and a weak smile before going on to help Ali arrange the supplies and start placing some food displayed at the front.

"May peace be unto you as well, Sayyida", he says before getting back to work. With the food and water set, he sits down on the ground as he's used to and starts getting his medical supplies ready. He then looks up at the others, noticing he's not answered another part of what the Senpet said.

"Oh... I suppose some stools might help. I'm actually so used to sitting like this I hadn't considered it, but it might help. Otherwise, Sayyeda... just keeping company, maybe helping pour the water or hand the food to those who need it, I suppose? Whatever you can do to help with be welcome."

He then looks at Ali and Lamis, finally finding a chance to comment on their remarks about the 'architecture' of the Maze with a half-grin. "I guess 'square' is as close to what it is as..." he stops mid-sentence, chuckles a bit. "As we can manage in speech without making it unwieldy, I guess. There are more sides than four to most anything in the Maze, as you've seen, and more corners than you could think to go round. But still... it's a meeting place, of sorts."

His medical implements finally ready by his side, he waits, sometimes waving to call the attention or passersby to what they're offering - with a somewhat kind, but drab-like expression - the expression of someone who's done that far too often, always thinking it important, but sometimes feeling as if they're trying to mop up a flood of the Nahr'umar...

[Lamis Naaji]

Lamis actually prefers sitting on the ground to stools, and settles to the side and a bit behind Faruq, looking curiously at his equipment, and at the crowds of needy people. Their tiny corner looks like a pebble on the edge of the desert, honestly.

"What sorts of malady are common here? Not that she has any idea of disease and treatment beyond things like 'bleeding is bad, and so is that strange rash.' But, despite her general comfort with simply watching in silence, that doesn't seem entirely polite. This isn't guard duty, after all.