An Errand for a Friend

[Kalani]

His good-natured reassurance brought a smile to the brunette's expression, glad that her breach in social etiquette had not been cause for insult. There were some that she had met, especially in these Eastern lands, where a slip like that could be taken as far more serious an insult than would ever be the case back home in the realms of the West where she had been raised. Not introducing oneself might be considered rude at home, yes, but especially if it was known that the one failing to make introduction was distracted, it could easily be forgiven.

Comfortable silence followed her introduction for a time as they continued along the street, though Kalani had a suspicion that the topic was not quite yet finished, despite the fact that her companion studied the streets in a fashion that many would assume that to be his focus. Such a thought was confirmed moments later when he addressed her quietly. She considered the question for a moment, her smile growing a little as she answered, 'Yes, I have discovered in these lands that my name is rather unusual.' She paused, thoughts briefly tracing over the memories of all she had left behind with a bittersweet sigh that could just barely be stifled, before adding, 'Even at home, my name is rather unique. It was the name of my mother's dearest friend -- who died a year before I was born -- and she was from a land even further West than I. My guardian told me that it is this friend for whom my parents named me.'

[everyone]

Majid



"The Western Shores", Majid acknowledged thoughtfully what his companion had just explained to him. "I cannot say they are unknown to me", he then resumed and it was easy to hear that there was a kind of recongition in his voice, "but only seldomnly have my journeys taken me there."
The tall man then was silent for a moment, his attention lying on the young woman while he watched her from the corner of his eyes. The sigh Kalani had tried to suppress didn't escape him, and the fact that the brunette spoke of her parents as if she had never gotten to know them made him guess that unintentionally he had hit a sore point with her. Slowing his pace down once more for his fellow merchant, and letting his gaze settle on her calmly, his eyes took on a warm expression as he spoke with the slightest trace of compassion: "I am sorry to hear about your mother's friend. And about your parents".
While his words echoed between them, fading slowly in the sounds of the city, he turned to watch the market stalls again, deciding that he was not in the position to press the matter any further.

---

[Kalani]

Though Kalani was mildly surprised to hear that Majid had ever journeyed the Western Shores, the land in which she had been born and spent her childhood, when she thought about it she knew that it should not surprise her so much. After all, owning a ship gave this fellow merchant a freedom to see far-flung lands that most merchants simply did not have. Though curious about what parts of the West he had seen, the brunette did not think it her business to pry unless he should choose to volunteer the information -- he seemed a very private sort of person and she did not wish to offend him. Especially not when she had already sought a favor from him in seeking information regarding the whereabouts of the Nomad; more so considering he was escorting her there personally, rather than attending to his stand of wares. She wondered idly if she ought to offer monetary compensation for the loss of business that would likely result from this. Her own stand was being watched by a young man in her absence -- a trustworthy youth whom had helped her with business in the past -- but the only one watching Majid's stand was his falcon. And certainly the bird could not conduct business.

Inwardly shaking away such distracting thoughts, she was pulled abruptly to the present as she found the mysterious merchantman's gaze upon her, the slightest bit of compassion lacing his tone. She nodded, accepting such words of sympathy, adding after a moment of hesitation, 'I was very young when they died and I have very few memories of them. I know that they were good people, kind and noble, and loved by all that knew them. Yet in some sense, they are strangers to me.' Candidly, she admitted, 'It's a very odd feeling, knowing someone to be related so closely, yet in the sense of knowing them personally being so far.' Her fair skin, so prone to coloring, flushed a delicate rose hue as she supposed she was babbling on about a topic that perhaps he had no interest in. Though some might find it odd to find it not so difficult a thing to speak of such personal matters, despite Majid being a complete stranger, yet something about his manner was so trustworthy as to make such admissions none so difficult. Then again, whether due to her background or some other part of her nature, Kalani had never found it so difficult to be open with strangers as some were.

[everyone]

Majid



As his companion's cheeks flushed with only the slightest trace of red, Majid's warm gaze sought the one of the young merchantswoman who just had offered to him a truth that maybe she only seldomnly talked about. Briefly he wondered just what made her trust him so much as to tell him of her feelings concerning this event that without any doubt had affected her life more than most likely anything else had. But soon after he dismissed this thought, realizing that it didn't matter anyway why she chose to share it with him as what was of importance right now, was his answer.

And although Majid himself had been lucky enough to have his parents guide him through his childhood, the tribe he grew up in had known enough orphans as to enable him to understand what Kalani just talked about.
"Sometimes", he thus, after a short moment of silence, voiced, "the mind forgets what the heart could never lose."
The tall merchant seemed to chose his words well as he spoke and while his dark brown eyes gained some colour in the now bright sunlight, it seemed that for a second he was unsure whether with what he would say he might intrude the brunette's personal space too much.
Tilting ever so slightly, he added with a low voice: "To me it seems that you are very much like your parents then, Kalani. And while you may not know them for the poeple they were, you will always remember them for who they were to you", before he turned back to the streets just a little, letting a thoughtful smile play on his lips. "Where I come from, poeple believe that a parent's love will guide their child forever, no matter whether time has taken them away or let them walk the path together. And I trust that this is true for all of us."

It happened only seldomnly that Majid talked this openly about the values of his tribe, and that he was sharing them with someone who would still have to be considered a stranger was what one could call unusual. Yet he felt that he owed the young woman this honesty and so he let these words echo between them, at the same time allowing his gaze to take in their surroundings which now changed to the ones of a busy market alley.

---

[Kalani]

The early morning sounds of Basra were a pleasant background noise as Kalani walked alongside this fellow merchant who was to take her to the Nomad. The topic of conversation, while not so uplifting as some - bringing to the forefront of her mind bittersweet memories of a life she had all but left behind when she had fled her homeland and all those she had loved so well - yet she was not overtly upset. And what Majid said... it made sense. Even if she had never truly been granted an opportunity to know her parents, though her memories of them were few or else forgotten, there was some part of her heart that could never forget.

At least she had been fortunate in that, with their deaths, she had still been granted a good home. Many orphans, she knew, ended up on city streets as beggars and thieves, struggling to survive in a world that cared little for their wellbeing. Not all, of course, but it was a common enough occurence and one which she had done her best to remedy both while living in Basra as well as when she had lived in Baghdad - providing food and shelter for as many of such orphans as possible. Considering she had ended up the ward of a powerful - yet kindly - king, it was the least she could do in turn for so many less fortunate than herself.

Offering a slight smile to her companion, Kalani agreed, 'I think that such a belief must be true. I... I may never have had the chance to truly know my mother or father, but there are times when I have felt something - their love, perhaps, as you say - guiding me.' There had been a fair few times that she'd had to make difficult decisions, leaving the land of her birth being the most major of those decisions, but had felt peace in such choices that could not be fully explained. But perhaps, as her companion's people believed, it had been that the love of her parents had been guiding her at such times. Though, of course, she could not discount the guidance of others in her life. It was true that the king who had made her his ward - having been a close friend of her father and wishing to do what he could for that friend's orphaned daughter - had forced some of the difficult decisions into her life, yet she knew he'd had good intentions. It was not his fault that the thought of being wed his son was as repugnant to her as would be the thought of marrying a brother. It was simply unfortunate that he had not understood this fact that had led to her departure. Despite what had come to pass, she had learned much from her former guardian when it came to mercy and justice, and such could often be noted in her words and deeds.

Gentle blue eyes casting a glance in the direction of the merchantman, she added a simple, 'Thank you.' Kalani had a sense that her companion was not one who often spoke of things that could be considered more personal and she very much appreciated his honesty. Especially when taken into consideration with the kindness already shown her in leading the brunette to the Nomad.

[everyone]

Majid



The moment Kalani took up on his words and even gave yet another bit of her soul away, Majid directed his eyes back to meet her own pale blue gaze. The tall man appreciated a lot the consideration his companion gave his poeple's beliefs and as he heard her speak about her deceased parents with undisguised love and affection a gentle smile settled on his face.

"You have nothing to thank me for", he spoke to her and indicated a bow with his head. It was remarkable to him how easy he found it to be around this fellow merchant, and talk about matters that both of them might usually consider too personal to discuss with someone they hardly knew. However, there was something genuinely trustworthy about her, and as he walked the streets with her he began to understand why Asim had had enough faith in her as to send her to him.

"To my poeple it is an honour and a duty", Majid, after a short while eventually continued to speak as he meant to explain to the young woman that sharing knowledge and offering help to those who deserved the same was indeed seen as a moral obligation. But before he could even finish his words his attention got drawn away from his companion and shifted to focus on what was happening not too far away at the other side of the alley where suddenly the rattle of pottery crashing mixed with the voices of merchants who demanded their shattered goods to be paid.
Majid's body tensed as his dark eyes followed the scene, easily spotting the tall woman with faint coloured skin and fiery red hair who strangely seemed so out of place - just as if her presence here had never been her choice to begin with.

---

[Kalani]

When Asim had first sent her to find Majid, whom the elder merchant had suspected would have a better chance of helping her on the quest she had embarked upon, Kalani had been uncertain what to expect. Asim had been firm on making sure that she would mention that he had sent her. Such would almost have made one wonder what sort of man it was she had been setting out to find. Now she understood better. This fellow merchant she had been sent to was of a secretive, cautious sort, less trusting of strangers than most. Perhaps that was because he was not a native of this realm and therefore folk automatically assumed the worst about him, necessitating his caution.

This was all speculation, of course, and Kalani was aware that she could well have been blowing a simple quirk of another's nature and making it into something more than it was. Not to say that perhaps there was more to the story, but it was just as likely that there was not. Whatever the case might be, the blue-eyed merchant was certain of one thing. She was glad that Asim had sent her. Not only had Majid proved to be most helpful in discovering the whereabouts of the Nomad, but their conversation had been enjoyable as well. The young woman felt that she had made a friend that could be counted upon without a moment's hesitation were need to ever arise in the future.

As Majid spoke of the sharing of wisdom and the offering of help being an honor and duty among his people, almost a moral obligation not lightly set aside, Kalani nodded her understanding. However, it seemed that before he could continue any further in such a vein of conversation, something caught his attention. Following the dark gaze, Kalani spotted that which had garnered her companion's attention. Some sort of commotion was taking place not too terribly far from where they had been walking. A wince of sympathy was elicited at the destruction of property, but before she could think too far in that regard, blue eyes caught sight of a very familiar head of fiery red hair. Certain that something was wrong, Kalani stepped closer to the altercation that was obviously brewing. She caught sight of a bald man hoisting himself out of the wreckage of some poor merchant's stall and sporting a split lip, and it was not difficult to put the pieces together. Careless of the danger, knowing only that a friend was in need, Kalani closed the distance swiftly enough to take a stance alongside Maeve. Though she carried no weapon, that did not faze Kalani... not at a time like this.

[everyone]

Majid



Although his gaze lay on the far end of the market alley, out of the corners of his eyes Majid still could see Kalani's features shift. He noticed how her pale blue eyes took in the scene that unfolded in front of them, and how they easily spotted the young red-headed woman as well. So far his companion's reaction was every bit what he would have expected, her wince a sign for her compassionate nature. But when then she stepped closer, an almost imperceptible frown melting into her expression as obviously she understood what was going on, Kalani did something that he had not taken into consideration.

Without any words or even as much as a second thought it seemed, she stepped away and quickly crossed the distance that separated him and her from the quarrel. For a moment Majid's eyes widened in alarm as he watched the fellow merchant move to stand right beside the tall woman who obviously was of Northern origins as well, as her fair skin and fiery hair implied. Instantly, his senses sharpened and his body tensed as he comprehended that whatever the reasons for Kalani's decision were, she was putting herself in great danger.
It took Majid mere seconds to realize that the worryingly angry man who just emerged from the broken stall was all but alone, another 5 men accompanying him and slowly closing in on the two women who now stood amidst the chaos without defence.

There was nothing else he could do. When Kalani had first shown up on his stand this morning, he had been cautious, maybe even suspicious of her intentions. But as soon as she had revealed to him her request and that Asim had sent her, the merchant had known that she could be trusted. Majid had offered to take her to the port because he felt obliged to help any friends of the elder salesman who was one of the few who had never held any prejudices against him; but as he had gotten to know the young brunette a bit during their shared walk to the port, he had developed a certain kind of loyalty towards her that exceeded this rather impersonal alliance.
And so the choice was made before the group of six could encircle the two young woman completely.

He would not stand by and watch as Kalani put her wellbeing at stake.

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