Tal wasn't usually accused of giving great advice, as Alys was learning. He wasn't good with people outside of making his deliveries, but his heart was usually in the right place even when his words missed the mark entirely.
Or backfired completely, which was unfortunately as often as not.
But with his mouth full of stew he nodded agreement at her intention to try the Academy, glad at least one of his suggestions was meeting with approval. Hotaru would be glad of another student, and he was always in favor of giving Sah more work to do to keep him out of trouble.
Her question turned the tables enough that he had to hurriedly swallow and take a swig from his mug before he nodded, perking up and looking annoyingly proud of himself. "You bet I have," he confirmed, disappointment dissipating like morning mist in sunlight. "I'm a courier, deliverin' all o'er Caido! I've been just about everywhere but the Draig." His chest puffed out a little bit.
"Not many people in King's End. There's a Refuge there where folks hid durin' the War, an' some stayed on after. Wrenzoak's Refuge, it's called, an' it's a nice enough little town, but funny thing is, no magic works there. Attuned can't shift, Abandoned can't--" he wiggled his fingers, "--an' Ascended tech didn't work either, back when they were still around. So it's kinda like neutral ground for everyone. But Torchline? If y'can take th'heat, Torchline's bustlin'."
He grinned in spite of himself, stealing a quick bite before using his spoon to emphasize his words. "There's canals all through it, an' Merfolk travelin' through the whole city. Haulani's a big place. Big as Snowcloak, but more spread out. Half the city is on floatin' islands above the sea!" His spoon sketched an arc in the air that swooped down to the table. "They've got a good skyport there. Second best in all Caido, after Stormbreak's, an' you can buy or sell anythin' in the Port at Kaiholo if you're willin' t'trade favors for it. They used t'have a Queen, but the current King is one o' the Merfolk, if y'can believe it. It's a pretty friendly place, but y'gotta be ready t'bargain hard or you'll get taken advantage of in a heartbeat."
Or backfired completely, which was unfortunately as often as not.
But with his mouth full of stew he nodded agreement at her intention to try the Academy, glad at least one of his suggestions was meeting with approval. Hotaru would be glad of another student, and he was always in favor of giving Sah more work to do to keep him out of trouble.
Her question turned the tables enough that he had to hurriedly swallow and take a swig from his mug before he nodded, perking up and looking annoyingly proud of himself. "You bet I have," he confirmed, disappointment dissipating like morning mist in sunlight. "I'm a courier, deliverin' all o'er Caido! I've been just about everywhere but the Draig." His chest puffed out a little bit.
"Not many people in King's End. There's a Refuge there where folks hid durin' the War, an' some stayed on after. Wrenzoak's Refuge, it's called, an' it's a nice enough little town, but funny thing is, no magic works there. Attuned can't shift, Abandoned can't--" he wiggled his fingers, "--an' Ascended tech didn't work either, back when they were still around. So it's kinda like neutral ground for everyone. But Torchline? If y'can take th'heat, Torchline's bustlin'."
He grinned in spite of himself, stealing a quick bite before using his spoon to emphasize his words. "There's canals all through it, an' Merfolk travelin' through the whole city. Haulani's a big place. Big as Snowcloak, but more spread out. Half the city is on floatin' islands above the sea!" His spoon sketched an arc in the air that swooped down to the table. "They've got a good skyport there. Second best in all Caido, after Stormbreak's, an' you can buy or sell anythin' in the Port at Kaiholo if you're willin' t'trade favors for it. They used t'have a Queen, but the current King is one o' the Merfolk, if y'can believe it. It's a pretty friendly place, but y'gotta be ready t'bargain hard or you'll get taken advantage of in a heartbeat."
