[D2 EE Thoroughfare] Food fast approaching

[Qara al-Hazaad]

Qasim smirked "Hard not to be a little jealous of one who can not only call upon one source of magic but two. A rare individual, you would have for in well with the Qabal, when they were allowed in the city that is."

He paused a moment thinking "You said you had a love of learning yes? Perhaps when I next schedule an excursion to ruins you would like to come with? Having someone with ability to do magic and is a learned person would likely be a great boon."

Qara smirked and winked. "Well, I guess I'll weather some jealousy then, somehow. Oh, the Qabal?" She asked with a straight face "THey are the outlawed magic users, right? As for the ruins...I am sure we can come to an agreement. What kind of ruins, may I ask?"

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim nodded "Yes the Qabal were ones who studied the Seal. They had a grand university here once upon a time but they once tried to wrest power from the Caliph and in one evening she reduced the university to nothing but crumbles of Stone. The ruins of it are still around, a bit of a reminder for those that think challenging the Caliph is a good idea." Qasim spoke in a somewhat matter of fact way not really showing how he felt about the whole thing.

"As for the excursion I do not know yet! Merely was saying when the opportunity arose you would surely be a useful person to bring along. Not to mention lovely company all around."

[Qara al-Hazaad]

Qasim nodded "Yes the Qabal were ones who studied the Seal. They had a grand university here once upon a time but they once tried to wrest power from the Caliph and in one evening she reduced the university to nothing but crumbles of Stone. The ruins of it are still around, a bit of a reminder for those that think challenging the Caliph is a good idea." Qasim spoke in a somewhat matter of fact way not really showing how he felt about the whole thing.

"As for the excursion I do not know yet! Merely was saying when the opportunity arose you would surely be a useful person to bring along. Not to mention lovely company all around."

"Ah, I see, I see." She replied neutrally. "A fine example, I am sure. They must be surely beaten to the dust." She smiled, and took another bite of food. "I see! Well, certainly I am interested. Any favorites out there, that you found and enjoyed? I assume you can still find some old riches there to pass on, or what exactly do you usually find it?"

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Snip

Qasim nodded back keeping his own commentary about the event to himself as he ate a little more shwarma.

He smiled taking another drink "Well the desert is littered with ruins from past civilizations. I am no archeologist or scholar so I can't say much about them." He explained looking to her eyes, the smile on his lips never retreating "but occasionally we can find intact pottery, weapons, scrolls are rare but possible. While it's a bit more morbid bones can sometimes be of value to historians."

[Qara al-Hazaad]

Qasim nodded back keeping his own commentary about the event to himself as he ate a little more shwarma.

He smiled taking another drink "Well the desert is littered with ruins from past civilizations. I am no archeologist or scholar so I can't say much about them." He explained looking to her eyes, the smile on his lips never retreating "but occasionally we can find intact pottery, weapons, scrolls are rare but possible. While it's a bit more morbid bones can sometimes be of value to historians."

"Oh, I see. Just an intrepid explorer then." She let out a small laugh. "Bones, I see." Her tone was even more neutral on that, but turned to a different tune. "What was your most exciting discovery, sidi?"

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim was one able to easily see the flow of interaction and pick up on tonal changes, noting her flat reaction he only could read it as disguised distaste and he noted that for later.

When she asked about exciting discovery he lit up a little more than he already was "Well Sayyeda Hazaad I do not know if it is a tale you would like to hear, it is full of many dark and terrible things though it is a thrilling tale to be sure full of heroics and adventure."

[Qara al-Hazaad]

Qasim was one able to easily see the flow of interaction and pick up on tonal changes, noting her flat reaction he only could read it as disguised distaste and he noted that for later.

When she asked about exciting discovery he lit up a little more than he already was "Well Sayyeda Hazaad I do not know if it is a tale you would like to hear, it is full of many dark and terrible things though it is a thrilling tale to be sure full of heroics and adventure."

"Oh? Now you piqued my interest." She took a small bite of food, followed by a small sip of water.

"I am always up for a thrilling tale."

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim smiled, small and slightly amused "Well never let people be able to say a lady would leave a date with Qasim al-basiri unsatisfied."

He started telling a tale, weaving words into landscapes and emotions "It was a caravan two years ago moving across the Burning Sands heading toward a settlement about a month's travel from here. Around a fortnight into the trip we were making camp under the twinkling stars of the night. I was in my tent resting when I heard a deep growling outside and a sudden crash!" Qasim had imitated the deep growling of a hungry beast before mock lunging toward Qara and hitting his hand on the table to make a startling noise.

"I jumped to my feet and ran outside to find a big beast seemingly made of shadow, it's head that of a jackal and its body on all fours like a dog with long sinewy limbs but it had the torso and arms of a man. It's eyes glowed amber with hate in the desert night as it stood over a guard the two fighting, the guard holding back the beast by the neck as it snapped at him a long gash on the guards arm."

Qasim lowered his voice drawing his listener in "I stepped quietly across the sand grabbing a length of wood as I did. Now Sayyeda I am no warrior, I am a much better lover than I am a fighter. However I couldn't just abandon this man to his fate so I took a mighty swing at the beasts head!" His volume rose gradually until he was using a full projected voice a bit short of yelling, he also mimed many if the actions as he told the story "It hardly damaged the thing surely but it distracted it enough for the guard to lunge forward with a sword and plunge it in the creature's breast. It howled in pain and anguish before it fell off the man slowly dying."

"I helped the guard up and he thanked me but we had bigger problems. Tracking where the beast had come from we came across shadowed ancient ruins of a lost settlement. We found evidence of things that seemed Ivindi, and Mekhem in origin but likely hundreds of years old at least. We were not alone though, more if the jackal men came from the shadows harrying us through the ruins we killed them they got a few of us but we fell back and found ourselves in a temple."

"It was clearly an old building, once grand but now crumbling and decrepit. We barricaded ourself in the building and while the soldiers set up watches I explored. It was clear the people who worshipped here had been Pious and given much of their time and wealth to the God of this temple. I eventually found a cellar and descended into it, down there I came across a book it seemed to be their sacred text talking of a dark God that showered them with blessings but required sacrifice in return. I also came across a journal both books were written in a ancient dialect but I was able to decipher it as it was based on, or likely more accurately was a base for Ivindi."

"The journal was of a priest who grew Greedy and spiteful looking to take more blessings for himself and luring members of his congregation to secret sacrifices. He was eventually found and taken care of, someone continued the journal saying that the God grew angry at the death of his favored one and plunged the town into darkness and cursed the people."

"There were minor scuffles throughout the night but as the day broke the beasts disappeared scurrying away from Shilai's wrath. We made our way to the destination where I was able to get the book and journal to Ivindi. I heard back a few weeks later that the settlement had been found and those there laid to rest and cursed ground cleansed."

Qasim sat back as the tale came to an end, taking a drink to hydrate his dry throat "It was not the most profitable trip but certainly one of the most interesting."