Submission (#2985) Approved

He's really been starting to regret traveling all of the way to Silveil City; the cramped, looming buildings coupled with the hustle and bustle of all sorts of folk has left him feeling tense and anxious. He'd much rather be back home in Ealei, perched high in the canopies of the Eldertree and comfortably away from the rest of the population. But the whispering of rumors, a tainted kyunru bound by silver chains, was more than enough to have Lanhe pack his bags and head across the Rainbow Reef towards Silveil. The first thing he did when he stepped into the glistening city gates? Promptly emptying the contents of his stomach in the nearest corner possible. Perhaps in another life he would do his best to find some sort of waste bin or container; but, well, desperate times call for desperate measures. The sheer lack of concern from any of the passersby was enough of a hint to the green (in more than one way) kittom that perhaps this was a more common occurrence than he would normally believe. The second thing he did was vow to never return to the city, no matter how sweet the temptation may be. Although, he thinks between heaves, that the forest was quite ethereal and calm. Despite how high up he sits within the branches of Ealei, the night sky never looked as close as it had done when he was passing underneath the branches along the path to the city. So perhaps the next time he'll just take a detour through the trees instead. 

"You look positively miserable." The directed statement causes him to whirl around, deftly wiping away any remnants of what he can only presume was his lunch, and making eye contact with a very well-dressed stranger. Despite the similar heights between them, there's an aura of power and domination radiating off of the silver-eyed stranger. And...were those...? Lanhe squints, his own grey eyes attempting to adjust to the lights illuminating the streets and skies, and he's a bit shocked at the appearance of winglets around the eyes of the unfamiliar face. He's heard rumors of more fae-dominated children within the recent years...but his self-imposed isolation has never led him to actually seeing one, nonetheless having a conversation. "Now don't go glaring at me, I was merely doing my due diligence as an upstanding member of the community." There's something...fake about the words, but perhaps Lanhe's feeling overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the busy city around him to truly pick up on any sort of indication of malice. He does his best to relax his face and untense his muscles, but the world around him doesn't pay any mind to the smaller kittom, and he's soon jostled around by those moving along the streets. A particularly large fellow bumps into his shoulder, causing Lanhe to stumble and nearly make closer acquaintances with the concrete, but a firm grasp on his arm prevents the fall. He's shocked, (at being touched or the concern for his well-being...Lanhe doesn't know) but his savior isn't paying any attention to him, but rather the man now halfway down the street block. If looks could kill...well, Lanhe is suddenly very glad that he didn't bump into anybody. 

"You've picked a busy street to lose your lunch at. Can't say I expected anything different though, not quite used to this many people, are you? Come now, my home is a short walk away." The familiarity at which the stranger speaks to him has warning bells ringing in his mind. Lanhe steps away as though he's been burned and clutches at the arm that was previously grasped. He hopes he looks as threatening as he feels when he speaks, 

"Who are you?" The smile he gets in return doesn't quite reach the stranger's eyes. "The streets are always talking and I am quite keen to listen. I've heard tales of a tarred kyunru and the one who pursues them, but I realize I may have been too forward in my assumptions. My name is Arthes, born and raised here within these jeweled walls. I would say it is a pleasure to meet you, but you seem to not be having quite the time of your life."  

There's a silence between them, the city's noise fades to static. Then...

"You know of them?"

"I'd be a fool not to know a thing or two in my time here." Lanhe pauses and assesses the situation. He doesn't really know what his plan was when he got here and the kittom, Arthes, before him seems to have more information than he could reliably find on his own. The offer is tempting for sure, befitting of the city of which he resides. "And what do you want in return?"

"Would you believe me if I merely requested your company?" Lanhe scoffs and Arthes lets out a short chuckle. "Then I wish to hear your reasonings for wishing to find such a beast. I've always been fond of fairytales you see." 

A few hours later and here they were. Tucked within the grand study at a table, board game laid before the two of them. Lanhe wonders if he perhaps had followed a lion into his den while in his hunt for a tiger. But he eyes the game with some thinly veiled curiosity. Arthes is quick to notice and explain the rules;

"The game is fairly simple, you have twelve wall pieces," the darker kittom points the rectangles out and then settles over a piece that almost resembles a pawn, "and you have one main piece. Each turn you can choose to move your piece one square in any direction." He demonstrates this by moving the wooden token forwards, to the sides, diagonally, and finally backwards. "The objective is to reach your opponent's side that is designated by the colored tiles. If your token ends up there, you win! However...you can choose to not move your piece at all and instead block your opponent's, but you can only do so twelve times before you're out of pieces. Simple, no?"

Lanhe is hesitant to agree...but the rules do appear fairly simple. Yet he knows better than anyone that appearances can be deceiving. Still, he's quite the quick learner and the prize for winning the game is information he's quite desperate to obtain.

He resigns himself to his fate and the game begins. And then he loses. And loses. And loses. And loses, again. No matter how many times he tries to outsmart, outwit, and outplay his opponent...Arthes always seems just one more step ahead than he imagined. They're halfway through the next game when...

"You're not very good at this, are you?"

Lanhe pauses in his movement of his piece on the board. Arthes sits across from him, feigning concern in his tone, but looking largely unbothered by the situation at hand. Had he not already been used to the strange kittom, Lanhe figures he might even fall for his masquerade that Arthes has mastered so perfectly. By the slight tilt of his head to the furrow of his brows, the silver-eyed kittom is quite the actor. Instead, however, Lanhe scoffs. 

"I know as much about games as I do kyunru and fey apparitions, and care for them even less. If you have time to make idle chitchat then you also have time to provide the information that I request." The laugh that escapes his companion's lips only causes Lanhe to further narrow his glare. 

"Maybe once you win...and judging by your current progress," Arthes leans across the table, interlacing his hands and resting his chin in the middle. "You and I have plenty of time to get to know one another."