Tales of the Jewel

The cafe is mostly casual, but it's bustling business with the beginning of the feasting time. Fortunately, there was room still. Rufus waits at the door for Zara, the shopkeeper looking for his story.

When Zara arrived she offered a smile. "Good evening. I hope you had a peaceful day."

"I can honestly say that it's more peaceful than I'm used to." Rufus motions to a table. "I took the liberty of ordering whatever is the specialty of the day but it you can think of anything else you'd like I am curious to try it.

He offers a seat to Zara. " So, you wanted my story? The long one? "

"Longer stories usually carry more meaning, more worth." she nodded as she sat down.

"Well...to begin." Plates come down with flatbreads, rice, roast meats and vegetables. "I come from a land called Gallim, once filled with wandering tribes. We were the neighbors of the ones called the Yodotai, who wanted the lands for themselves. While the Yodotai were outnumbered by all the tribes put together, but their armies were disciplined and cohesive, and united in their cause while tribes squabbled among themselves. One by one, each tribe fell until the land was united all as Yodotai."

There is a moment of hesitation before he continues. "That Gallim that was had been dead and buried long before I was born but for all that they had united the land by force, Yodotai considered us a full part of the nation. I was young when my parents died, but rather than starve I was raised by the local government. I found that I had a knack for seeing how to build things, and with no real prospects I signed up or service to the state. While I was in training, rumors of this city came to us: a city with near impenetrable walls, teeming with a mix of cultures that put all of ours to shame. Built by genius engineers, filled with forbidden knowledge and magic. Real magic, not the thing from stories. The sort that people could actually train with and learn, if they had the knack."

He motions to himself. "So, I managed to be fortunate to be sent out as a scout to learn more about this place: to see what tales held a kernel of truth and which were just tales. And I must say... I am leaning to most being true, in some form or the other."

Rufus looks over Zara. "Any questions so far?"

"Why do you differentiate real magic from the thing in stories?" she asked.

Rufus' eyes widen for a moment, as if surprised, and then something clicks.

"Because we have no such sorcerers in our own lands. From what I gather, it's a rare thing here to have such a gift. In Yodotai, it is completely non-existent. Magic is the stuff of legends."

"My father told me many stories when zi was a child. Tales from far off nameless lands and amazing sights. Horrifying monsters, valiant heroes and great magics were common components of these accounts." She smiled wistfully. "I asked him once if they were real. He shrugged and said it was a large world, more vast than we imagine. Anything may exist out there, even if we've not witnessed it ourselves."

"Well, more and more is true. I think I have barely scratched the surface of what there is to find." Rufus peers across the table. "So I will likely be here a while. And, since we are here: what is your story Domina Zara? There is no one who minds you meeting with a strange man for dinner?"

"How strange are you?" she laughed. "There are worse things for the rumormongers to gossip about, than my dinner with a gentleman such as yourself."

"As for my story..." She sighed under her breath. "It is a continuation of my father's. I am his legacy and it is my duty to maintain his estate and oversee out family and assets. It is a lot to live up to and there are some who don't believe I'm capable of doing so."