The evening hours are more to an illithid's liking than the cringing blaze of day, and so it is then that Manfelsashiir slips out of the inn to properly experience its new surroundings. The trains are something new and not unwelcome; no amount of curiosity can really make walking too far in a city on a bad leg a particularly wise course of action.
There are several neighborhoods that sound promising; one of them is Chimer, with both the river and a beach nearby and a reputation for welcoming "scholars and reclusive types" besides. If nothing else, it thinks, the humid air should make for a pleasant evening. So it is there Fel goes first, stick tapping softly, a peaceful observer. (A few people look mildly, briefly startled when they see it, but the surprise is never recognition. Here an illithid is simply one more xenian. Not even Sigil offered such freedom.)
The crowded areas offer crashing waves of every emotion, and for some time Fel opens its senses to taste them. It is a fast way to learn about the environment, if an eventually-overwhelming one. When the illithid has had its fill for the moment it moves away from the rush of beings in search of room to breathe.
Apparently one of the humans has done much the same. Away from the flood of other feelings the wisps of despair hang clearly in the air like dew-strung spiderwebs. Fel keeps walking, debates attempting communication. Those in such a mood tend to either welcome distractions or drive them away at once, but what's the worst that might come of it? To be asked for privacy is hardly an insult, and this does not seem to be an area where violence is a serious concern. An acceptable risk, then.
[Pardon me,] it murmurs in a soft, seashell-colored thought as its slow path parallel to the wall nears the stranger's perch. Not too close, some feet away, but just the same this seems the right phrase. [The sea is lovely, isn't it?]
A harmless pleasantry, for after Oryndoll Fel is still in a mood to keep its acceptable risks small indeed.
chimer, sunset/night.
There are several neighborhoods that sound promising; one of them is Chimer, with both the river and a beach nearby and a reputation for welcoming "scholars and reclusive types" besides. If nothing else, it thinks, the humid air should make for a pleasant evening. So it is there Fel goes first, stick tapping softly, a peaceful observer. (A few people look mildly, briefly startled when they see it, but the surprise is never recognition. Here an illithid is simply one more xenian. Not even Sigil offered such freedom.)
The crowded areas offer crashing waves of every emotion, and for some time Fel opens its senses to taste them. It is a fast way to learn about the environment, if an eventually-overwhelming one. When the illithid has had its fill for the moment it moves away from the rush of beings in search of room to breathe.
Apparently one of the humans has done much the same. Away from the flood of other feelings the wisps of despair hang clearly in the air like dew-strung spiderwebs. Fel keeps walking, debates attempting communication. Those in such a mood tend to either welcome distractions or drive them away at once, but what's the worst that might come of it? To be asked for privacy is hardly an insult, and this does not seem to be an area where violence is a serious concern. An acceptable risk, then.
[Pardon me,] it murmurs in a soft, seashell-colored thought as its slow path parallel to the wall nears the stranger's perch. Not too close, some feet away, but just the same this seems the right phrase. [The sea is lovely, isn't it?]
A harmless pleasantry, for after Oryndoll Fel is still in a mood to keep its acceptable risks small indeed.