Crafty [Zephyr]

He was busy capturing a memory of movement — scratching the graphite into the page, making darker areas just a little darker. When making studies such as this, you had to be quick. These subjects did not stand still.

They were also unaware, and that was more of a delight. It made their poses more natural, their stances more appealing. It was better practice. He’d gotten Kara to grab movement before, not faces yet, but gestures, walking — she understood such things, he thought, because of her practice, the way she twirled and moved with her glaive. Her movement was first hand in pencil and first hand in sight.

And then she wasn’t so unaware anymore.

Shit.

A quick sketch, ready to eventually be refined and changed into a clear painting, perhaps scaled up and made slightly less accurate. That was, of course, something he excelled at — a somewhat ethereal unreality that made his paintings just feel like... more.

“Ah, um. Good morning?” He asked — a breathless, excitable voice, marked as foreign by the attempted masking of the accent of the drow. But Dhaunmyr was not a drow, he was a dark elf, so he hid it for that reason. Drow were too proud to try and ‘become’ those who lived in the Realms above. “Is there a problem?” For all his confidence, it was clearly projected. His hand had begun to shake.

“Well — you — it’s one of the better ways to practice.” Dhaunmyr laughed out, nervously. But she reassured him fairly quickly, and he gave her a more genuine smile. Dhaunmyr tugged his coat around himself a little tighter, slipping the pencil in one pocket and closing the sketchbook, tucking it under his arm.

He was a little surprised by the braids, but they weren’t terribly out of place. And then she wanted to walk. So, she wasn’t angry with him at all. Good. Okay. Dhaunmyr offered her a hand, but in such a way it was unclear if he meant to lead her with a grasp, or shake hers. He had taken a deep breath, and centered himself, before he extended the hand. Now he could play pretend a little.

“I am Dhaunmyr Vivacity, my dear, and, you have just found the most interesting person in the world with whom to walk. May I ask the name of the beautiful lady who asked such a favour?”

The quiver in his voice was gone, he was confident somehow. Eilistraee save him-

“How lovely to meet you, Miss Zephyr!” Dhaunmyr returned, with a grin. There were two people, no, three, who had given him no last name by which to call them, and he was alright with that. He wouldn’t dream of calling dearest Kara by Miss Bellringer in anything but jest. Then again, they were so close — but that did not mean he couldn’t manage with even strangers. It just meant he had to try a little harder to shake off traditions — ones he reminded himself were not important to him any longer, even if it didn’t help so terribly much.

“Oh of course! I wouldn’t dream of causing anybody boredom. But before we get any deeper into that — may I ask where you were headed today? I wouldn’t desire to distract you from it, although to join you and make conversation would certainly be a delight.” He just needed a moment for the pendulum to swing from extremely terrified of the woman in front of him, to overly confident in a more detrimental way, and find its way to the middle, if such a place existed. When there was purpose to conversations, of course, the middle was available. When there was not, it was hard to focus either way, let alone find a ground that allowed a healthy amount of both.

But, for normal life...

“Just Zephyr? I assure you — you know what? You’re right. Just Zephyr.” He could do this, it would be okay. She wasn’t coming back into his life, and he wasn’t going back to hers. It would be okay, for once, if he just acted like a normal person. That’s all he wanted to be anyway.

But, now they were introduced... and now that he knew she had a fine understanding of culture, at least, for someone more everyday than he, Dhaunmyr was excited to show her that his mannerisms were not all that normal at all. Not the drow ones, or the scared needy dark elf ones, and not the ones he made up to be this fantastical figure to fling himself so fast into friendship circles that did not warrant him being there, other than as a fun little accessory to an arm or to a conversation.

“Ah! Books — can one desire too much of a good thing? This I doubt personally and completely. Books have been a sole companion to me for all too long in my years, but, never have they aged a day. Dependable as the moon, or perhaps you prefer to hear me say — dependable as my good merchant’s word — such a wonderful choice in pastime. And I do agree on the whole stimulating front, although, a good deal of those on the topics of magic and its usage are more entertaining than one may initially be lead to believe. And, some will say, if you pay enough attention to the books, even if you are not gifted with the years of study, or it residing in your blood, or the boon of something otherworldly, you can pick up a thing or two.”

Dhaunmyr snapped his fingers, and in the palm of his hand, a small rainbow appeared. Then, he closed his fist, and it disappeared.

“Definitely not something naturally available to my race, nor is it taught by the priestesses, however, it’s a fun party trick.” He looked from his hand to Zephyr, smiling. “Let’s go, then, I shall endeavour to find you the perfect book today. And if I do manage it? Well, that will be fine for me.” Dhaunmyr chuckled.

“Show me onwards, and if I find a route more useful that you missed, perhaps I shall mention it, or, well... I prefer not to head into areas where I am more alone and less public. ‘Tis a shame beyond measure that some people cannot understand that I have never meant anybody any harm in my life. I live here as much as they. But, the course of truly living never did run smooth. On, on, I shan’t encourage you to dwell on the topic of my being what I am.”

“Oh, that? Specifically that was a little trick that comes with my way of fighting. You see, I study in the way of a particular kind of elven archery, the words for it fail in common, I find, but, what I want most, is to return to the way my ancestors lived before being driven beneath the surface. I hear that particular kinds of secret nature-worshippers are able to perform the same thing, I suppose we have similar interests.” Dhaunmyr smiled.

“The forests, the trees, the protection of them. How wonderful it would be to truly go back to the ways it should be... but, that’s not to say similar tricks are not possible with a little quiet study. Although, I can’t show you them. I am able to see magic, and get rid of it to a degree, amongst other things. Mainly, I use magic in a way that isn’t quite spells, but I’m sure if I showed you how I can force an arrow down a curved path, the guards would have me detained before I could make a single excuse.”

The sounds of the market were of course familiar to Dhaunmyr. He worked there every day. Or, he worked there most days, or... he worked there when he did not feel like lazing around all day. It was easier not to really think about that, how much better off he would be if he wasn’t nursing a hangover every day.

But, life was for living, no?

“I was worried you’d say I don’t much resemble an elf! Haha. Well, I shall tell you one thing. Looks are incredibly deceiving, especially in a place as diverse as Waterdeep. Sometimes, adorable little children are actually thieves who will turn around and mug you on the spot. And, on occasion, the more brutish looking are the most delightful to be around — if you will, allow me to talk a little on the topic of one such person. His name was Edward, oh and he was the most darling half orc you’d ever meet! He and I got on remarkably well. Too well. We don’t speak anymore. Oh! And another, he was rather lithe looking, but still a little sinister, and, yet, he was incredibly gifted magically, and physically. Odd night, with him. I do pray that today will not resemble that encounter, and yet, I fear to jinx it.”

Dhaunmyr was used to the noise, the busyness of the market, darling darling Mrs. Crabappleson, one of the guards with whom he had a little arrangement — that being, if there was trouble, he asked for that guard, and just allow the process to take its course. You could get it worse if you resisted, even if someone stole from you, not the other way around. But he trusted him. A polite wave, and a little giggle. He was also quite handsome.

He was, himself, familiar with the bookstore, he often visited it, even just to browse instead of a real lunch break. Dhaunmyr waited until they reached the door, holding it open for her, to answer Zephyr. It was just so loud. “Well, you’ve already found the best place for daytime, since I’m here, and, also, it’s just a good sort of... introduction to the Waterdeep. There’s a bit of everything. That said, perhaps you’ve already seen enough of here. Perhaps taking a stroll around the parks of the City of the Dead? Hm? After you.”