Fallen Petals- Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Rogue, The Bear, and The Amazon

…Jiro

    There was no moon on Himari… that was the first thing Jiro noticed about the planet when they landed their ship in its docks. He had heard of this tale, of course, 'the land that does not feel the cold moon's light…' but he had not thought himself foolish enough to believe it. Now he would be foolish not to. Stars were stretched across the inky black night sky for miles and miles. But no moon. He found it incredibly disorienting… what was night without the moon?

    The shadows of their traveling cart were dimmer under the moonless night, the sounds of their wheels hitting the cobblestone road attracting many curious glances. Full lush trees were everywhere, littering the road with their leafy contents. To the left of the path was a long and winding river, cool and so clear that even from his distant spot in the carriage he could see the fish swimming it's depths. Running water… there was no such thing on his planet. Tammarania was made up of only rock, and whatever bodies of water they had were pumped from deep within the earth. But the water here was beautiful, and it was as much as Jiro could do not to jump from the carriage and study it more closely. On their way into the village center they passed a number of large sprawling farms, where cattle grazed and vegetation thrived. Farther ahead of the path were scenic rolling hills, waterfalls highlighting the view beautifully… No wonder Himari was considered a port town. This was the nicest village Jiro had been to in a while… of course they never stayed in one place too long.

    "Well, Jiro?" he turned warily in the direction his name was called, eyes narrowing as the Manajii woman sharing the cart with him smirked in his direction. Her voice was thick with her native accent as she addressed him, "Did I not advise that Himari would suit our purpose better? And you would have had us travel to the Tundras… "

    Jiro sighed in irritation, blue eyes sparking with his annoyance. "It would have been easier to outrun the bounty hunters if we had navigated through the Tundras. Traveling here instead gave them time to catch up with us! And now our ship was ruined almost beyond repair in the crossfire!" he turned away from her, whispering gruffly under his breath, "It would have been easier to stay low key in the Tundras-"

    "Will we not blend in here?" Tally asked, voice dripping with impish self-satisfaction, "There are so many traveling merchants around that we'd have to beg anyone to look twice at us! And even if our identities are discovered, Himari is free territory. No arrests can be made as long as we are within this planet's atmosphere! So we're clear, at least until our ship is finished… Just admit I was right, that I chose better-"

    "Pleased with yourself, are you, finally able to get something right?"

    "Excuse me-"

    "Children!" called a good natured voice from the front of the carriage. Jiro and Tally turned to the rather large man who was steering the cart, the majority of his girth hardly able to fit on the seat. He smiled in a fatherly nature in their direction, "Play nicely."

    Taliah, never one to undermine Bear, discontinued her argument. She did, however, spare Jiro a cutting glance, glowing green eyes filled with contempt. Jiro had long since ceased being intimidated by his egotistical crew mate. Yes, she was still the same 6'7" she was when he met her, still the same foul mouthed, violent tempered Manajii she was when Jiro had first seen her. He had to admit the monstrous horns protruding from the depths of her multicolored hair had caught him off guard at first, along with the menacing claws and the jagged fangs. Jiro had never seen anything like her before he'd left Tammarania. But after the years of traveling with her, he knew that her sharp tongue was just about the only thing sharp about her… most of the time anyway.

    "Are we nearing the village center, Bear?" Tally asked the man who drove the carriage, "I've been sitting for too long, and these wooden seats are too hard…"

    The man called Bear was indeed incredibly bear like, large broad arms holding the reigns on the horse with great expertise. He'd lost most of the blue black hair on his head with age, but made up for it with the amount on his strong chin. His chest was bare and extremely muscular, covered in scars from all the battles he'd survived. He wore traveling boots and worn trousers, and a friendly disposition that contrasted greatly with his monstrous appearance.

    "I'm sure you will be fine, Taliah," Bear answered pleasantly, as Jiro rolled his eyes at her complaints, "But it will not be long. The village center lies at the foot of those hills. There is sure to be an inn in the area. Ugh…" he grunted as he urged the horse forward, "All of these god forsaken hills…"

    Jiro turned his attention back to the surrounding area, his curiosity growing more. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that Tally had been right… this place's appeal outweighed that of the Tundra greatly. There was a compelling air about this village, a certain mysticism that was starting to make the young man restless, anxious to explore. Bear called it the 'adventurer's heart', a heart that raced at any sign of excitement. Well Jiro's heart was certainly racing. If there was a story to be told here, a adventure to undertake, then Jiro would be the one to find it.

    As they trudged slowly up the path, Jiro got lost in his surroundings, eyeing the village and their people. He caught the eye of numerous women, who smiled and waved as he passed by, causing Tally to roll her eyes, "Perhaps the Tundra would have suited us better…"

    Jiro ignored her jibe, immune to Tally's biting words. They both knew that any flirtation from the opposite sex would come to nothing when Jiro was involved. Jiro knew he was at an age where women would be attracted to him. Bear had warned him of that time when he had just been coming into manhood. Then he had been scrawny, with eyes too big for his head, and shaggy unkempt hair that desperately needed a cut. Bear told him that there would come a day when a woman would look at him, and she would no longer see a boy, but a man. Then, Jiro could not picture it. But now, at twenty-three winters, Jiro had grown into his large blue eyes, and years of fighting at Bear's side had made his body hard and well-formed. His hair remained unkempt, but it somehow fit him now, a careless sweep of russet brown falling to his shoulders. And suddenly, women around him wanted him, declaring their affection for him, pledging their love to him… but that wasn't what Jiro wanted. There was no room for women in adventure, no room for women in the life he had chosen for himself… He would choose open space over a woman any day. Besides, he had his hands full with Tally, and she wasn't even his woman. To this day Jiro didn't understand how Bear did it… to fall in love with a Manajii was no doubt hard work. Jiro felt sorry for the guy.

    It wasn't long before they reached the marketplace. It was crowded, despite the late hour, and it took some time for them to maneuver their way through it. Jiro spotted dozens of different races in the crowd, more wide spread than he had ever seen. Of course the majority were his own people, Tammaranians. It was common knowledge that Tammaranians were the most vast population in the Stellar System. Easily identified with their dark skin a pointed ears, his people were spread about the universe, seeing as their own planet was so overpopulated that they must branch out for survival. And of course there were the Fey people, people who were native to Himari, creatures who survived the plague that killed most of the humans. Fey people were creatures of the forests, people who worship the spirits of trees and rivers, and rely on nature to survive. They were easily spotted among the dark Tammaranians with their incredibly fair skin, and pale hair and eyes. Jiro was sure every race was represented, with the exception of the Manajii and the humans. It was normally odd to see a Manajii outside of their planet. Most never left the sand covered planet, preferring to lock themselves away with their culture and their technology. And humans, well, they were near extinct weren't they. Jiro didn't feel like that was any great loss… all they did was start wars and take land, barely contributing anything to the rest of the universe. For years they had confined the fey people to the forests while they ruled in the open. The plague, he strongly believed, was their comeuppance. Jiro had never seen a human in his life, but he didn't think he was missing anything-

    'Whoa…' Jiro's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as his gaze was drawn much farther up the road where the path disappeared into dense forests, ending at the top of the rolling mountains. Far to the north, outlined by the brilliance of the starlight, nestled in between the hills were three incredibly large houses. It was a stunning scene, the three houses, sitting high above the village, it's windows glowing with inviting light. Was it a castle? He had not heard of any royalty residing in Rose Helm… It had to be an Inn! What was the purpose of three houses if not to accommodate all of the guests! He nudged Bear from his spot in the cart, "Bear, let's stay there," he pointed ahead of them, "It looks incredible…"

    But Bear shook his head after looking at the three houses nestled in the mountains, "No. Too ostentatious. Anyone who stays there is probably very wealthy. Aren't we supposed to be 'lowly merchants'?" Bear raised a brow at him, "How can we keep our cover up if we're paying to stay in some luxurious inn?"

    Jiro's excitement dampened as he saw the sense in Bear words… He kept forgetting they hadn't come to Himari simply for leisure. They were in hiding, under the guise of simple traveling merchants. Of course, from the start of this plan Jiro had been skeptical. He was sure anyone simply looking at Bear would know at once he had spent most of his life in fighting somebody's war … and Tally? What Manajii reduced themselves to selling wares in small villages? They were too proud a race for that. But Bear was confident it would work, so Jiro went along with it. Tally wore a disguise, feeble thought it was. A large traveling hat hid her horns, and she'd painted her nails to make them look more feminine than intimidating. There wasn't much they could do to hide her height, or her fangs, but she stuck out a lot less. Bear came up with each of their back stories, that he was once a pilot for a fighter ship, but those days were long behind him now. Taliah was an Amazon woman from the Tundras, with particular knowledge of weaponry. Jiro didn't need a back story, seeing as most Tammaranians were merchants anyway, so it would not be a surprise to see him selling wares. It annoyed Jiro, however, to be placed among a bunch of merchants when he was really much more. It was going to be incredibly boring, he was sure. It wasn't for long though…only until they could make enough gold for the necessary repairs on their ship.

    "That looks like a good spot," Bear proclaimed finally, bringing Jiro from his thoughts. He led the carriage in front of a cheerful little building, where a sign hung in the window, declaring it the Veiled Inn. As soon as they came to a stop, Tally was jumping from the cart and to the ground, stretching her long arms above her head.

    "About time," she groaned as she stretched. Jiro watched her with disinterest. There was a time when Jiro was very intrigued by the Manajii people. He had heard tales about the planet covered in sand, where the people were as tall as trees, and as smart as the gods. Of course, both were exaggerations. Tally was tall, but she wasn't a tree, and though she was a genius, her intellect was far from god-like. Her manner was less than graceful, swearing at every turn, goading Jiro every chance she got. If it were not for her particular talents when it came to their line of work, Jiro would have tired of her long ago…but Bear insisted they needed her. The Manajii people were experts when it came to weaponry and machine crafting, but they guarded their secrets almost religiously. To have a Minajii with them, creating their weapons and altering their spacecrafts, was almost unheard of. And Tally had her moments where she was almost bearable, though they were few and far between.

    "Jiro, Tally," Bear tossed a couple of coins her way as he began to unload the cart, "Go secure us a bed for the night. I will see that our horse and cart are stowed away safely."

    Tally did as she was told, entering the inn, Jiro unloading some sacks from the cart before following. The inn was unremarkable, but it held a welcoming warmth. A fire cracked in the corner, casting shadowy lights on the peeling paint of the walls. An older Tammaranian gentlemen stood at the counter, a cordial smile on his weathered face.

    "Welcome to the Veiled Inn," he said, bowing as they approached, "Will you require a room for the night?"

    "For the month, actually," Jiro said as Tally laid the coins on the counter, "We are prepared to pay this amount every week for the remainder of our stay. Does this suffice?" he asked as the man counted the coins with wide eyes.

    "Pirate's gold?" he asked, and his grin widened considerably, revealing several rotting teeth. Tally made a small sound in disgust as the Inn Keeper bowed his gratitude, "Indeed this will do, young master. I can offer you and your woman our finest room-"

    "His woman?" Tally interjected, but Jiro quieted her with a glance.

    "That will do nicely, thank you."

    As the inn keeper busied himself with the keys, and Tally fumed at the thought of being called his 'woman', Jiro eyed the other patrons of the inn. Currently only two men were in the room, smoking pipes near the window and watching them curiously. Jiro nodded in greeting to them, before turning back to the inn keeper, who handed him the keys.

    "Enjoy your room, young lord," he said as Jiro took the key, immediately tossing them as well as the traveling bags to Tally.

    "What are you giving these to me for?" she complained at once.

    "I'm not going up just yet. I want to look around the village..." he turned to the inn keeper, "Where's the nearest bar around here?"

    But it was not the inn keeper who answered. One of the two men in the corner snickered a reply, "Fallen Petals is not too far from here… just up the mountain in fact."

    "Fallen Petals…" Jiro thought that was an odd name for a bar. Just as he was about to question it the inn keeper let out a sound of protest.

    "No respectable man would step foot in such a place! Sinful it is, sinful indeed."

    "Never said he was respectable, did he?" said another of the men by the window, and they laughed at that. Jiro's curiosity was growing. Was that the place he'd seen atop the hillside when they'd entered the marketplace?

    "What's the 'Fallen Petals'?" he asked the inn keeper, who waved off the sound of the name as though it were a curse,    "Why is it sinful?"

    "Never you mind, young master," was his reply, waving him off, "I suggest you find somewhere else to drink tonight, or don't go at all." and that was all he would say on the matter. Jiro's brow lowered in frustration as the Tammaraninan disappeared into the flapping door behind his counter. When Jiro's curiosity was stirred, he could not just simply let it go. He had to learn of this 'Fallen Petals' establishment. He directed his questions to the two by the window, who were still leering eerily at him.

    "Tell me of this place," he demanded, and the men laughed at his curiosity.

      "Oh, no boy." teased the taller one, "The Fallen Petals is something better experienced than explained." Jiro's eyes narrowed at his tone. "I can tell you this, though… you won't find a better place to get a drink…or anything else you might desire, than that."

    The two laughed again, deciding that this was a good time to leave the inn. "Bring plenty of silver with you, my boy!" said one over his shoulder as the walked out of the door, "You'll want to bring as much as you have once you see what's for sale!"

    Tally stared at them in irritated uncertainty, "What the hell was that?" she asked, shaking her head, "The people in this village are a little strange if you ask me… hey!" she exclaimed as Jiro made for the door, "Where the hell are you going."

    "I'm going to find this 'Fallen Petals'." he said as though it were obvious. "Do you wanna come?"

    "No!"

    "Good," Jiro said shortly, "Because you are not invited."

      Jiro closed the door on whatever retort she had ready for him.