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Winds and Dreams	There's no particularly extra-busy time of day for the kinds of skinners, tanners, butchers, and such that work around the outskirts of a city. The hunting they thrive off is quite variable and unpredictable- except for certain figures. In little time a certain woman, Winds and Dreams, has developed a sort of repute for appearing early in the day with finds that a lesser hunter might spend all day running down. Even more curiously- and rarely asked about- the creatures seem more often cut than shot or trapped. In fact, here she is now, pulling a mid-sized hand-cart along with... what appears to be a pair of bears straining the wood frame, making her way along the last few strides into the staging area of sorts for arriving in the city.
Rishi	A woman wearing a leather cloak, which does little to hide her beauty, has been visiting several stalls, seeking out strange animal parts. Gallbladders and glands and other such things. So far, everyone has simply taken her smile and coin, and simply accceded to the odd requests.
Bright Journey	There's a quiet rustling through the trees just outside the aforementioned staging area, but let us be honest. No well trained hunter, let alone a Lunar Exalted, is going to mistake that rustling for the wind in the trees. Indeed, there's another person just approaching from the opposite direction. Quiet, careful, but at least in this aspect, not a match for the keenest ears. In a few moments, the person makes her way into the clearing. Her black cloak is wrapped around her, hood up, but even that level of concealment can't help but hide the rueful look she has upon seeing the cart. She herself, after all, isn't carrying so much as a squirrel to her name. She flips down the hood and shakes loose a long sheaf of bright pink hair, then lets out a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle. It's early enough that her voice is clearly discernible in the quiet clearing. "Heh. No wonder I had no luck."
Rishi	When the woman spots Winds driving the cart though, she waves and heads over. "Hello again, Winds! It is good to see you!"
Winds and Dreams	With surprisingly little strain showing on her face, Winds stops in her pushing and steps out of the way of the handle of the cart. She runs her fingers through her hair to swipe it back out of her face as Rishi approaches, and offers a raise of her other hand in greeting. "Morning. Don't often see you around this area. I'd think you had yourself handled for meats and the like." A pause, then, as she hears someone from the other direction. A faint smirk at the comment, before; "Well. I do tend to try some measure of discretion- not to scare off everything else, you see. But apologies if you were after these."
Rishi	Rishi cutely wrinkles her nose at the jibe, "No, no. I am a fine hunter myself, yes, but I do not always find everything I need for my medicines. Hunters bring rare animals here, so here too I come for their special parts." Rishi looks around, attempting to spot the other person Winds is talking to. It's a moment before she sees the other woman. "Ah! Hello to you too!" she looks over Wind's haul then says "Would you like to join us for breakfast? Winds should be able to afford for us a very fine meal." She smiles lightly, showing that she is teasing Winds
Bright Journey	The cloaked young woman grins in reply to Winds' comment, and approaches relatively quickly. She keeps her cloak closed, but still, there's glints of metal underneath. Hunter's leathers her clothing is not. On the other hand, she doesn't seem too upset at having been upstaged in the hunting department. In fact, she pauses, a very distant, thoughtful expression on her face for a moment. She then shakes her head slightly, her expression rueful...and just for a moment, a tinge of sadness crosses it. "It's quite all right. I can feed myself." She eyes the bears ruefully for a moment. "Usually. But the onus is on me, not you, and you're clearly the better hunter. I'm sorry, I..." She pauses, gathering herself. "You just reminded me of someone. I'm sorry if I was awkward." The pink-haired young lady eyes Rishi curiously, and offers a friendly, and seemingly honest smile to both. "Breakfast would certainly hit the spot, but I really don't mean to impose...especially on someone who didn't offer." She's still smiling, though. Clearly, she knows it's a joke of sorts. "Pleased to meet you both. I'm called Bright Journey."
Rishi	"And I am Rishi. It is most nice to meet you. You are a hunter too?" She tilts her head off to the side, her dark silken hair flowing over her shoulder as she does so. ...Honestly, how she manages to look like she's just come from a day at the spa after a morning of shopping is ..odd
Winds and Dreams	A sweep of a hand at the two dead animals in her cart and Winds shrugs; "You're welcome to the first crack at these if they might have something you need," she says mildly, nodding Rishi over. "If I'm to be honest this was more of a fill of the day than a necessary outing." "Which I suppose does open the door to morning meals, as well. I don't find myself especially opposed to the notion. Though it might take a few moments for the sales."
Bright Journey	"I'm a hunter of sorts," Bright replies, with a friendly and cordial nod in Rishi's direction. "It's...more what I've done than what I am, if you take my meaning. I know a little something about herbalism, too, but it's much in the same vein--something I had to do to get by growing up, not how I'd describe myself if I wrote a book." Bright tosses her hair back, and beneath the cloak is the glimmer of gold. Notably, though, she's in much the same position as Rishi--almost -too- clean. It's striking especially since Bright just came out of the woods, but her hair flows and pale skin shines like she just stepped out of the bath. "If the pair of you would have me, I'd be honored to join. I may not have meat to contribute, but perhaps I'll be of some small help over the fire." She grins cheekily. "And you two seem like interesting people to get to know. What shall I call you both?"
Rishi	"I was thinking that we might simply buy something, once Winds completes her sales. While I certainly do not mind doing for myself, the city has better chefs than I." Rishi looks down and blushes very slightly. "...Plus I am out of peaches."
Winds and Dreams	Winds, by contrast, is exactly as filthy as one might expect from someone who just fought two bears in the woods. She chuckles lightly. "There -are- other foods, you know. But this shouldn't take... especially long? I don't need anything terribly specific." On that note she excuses herself a moment to offload the cargo- and cart.
Rishi	Rishi nods and calls to her the name of a nearby teahouse, before turning to Bright and saying "Shall we head over? I have heard that they sell a thin breakfast cake with a fruit and honey covering which sounds quite appealing."
Bright Journey	As Winds leaves to sell her morning's bounty, Bright gives Rishi a quick grin. "So. Her name is Winds, or...well, Winds something, I presume. But I really haven't caught yours yet. You don't -look- like the type to be shy." She chuckles a bit and gives Rishi a nod. "Now, that -does- sound like something I'd be interested in. And here I was, coming into the staging pit thinking the morning was a waste. You two seem to be an interesting pair." With that, Bright and Rishi make their way to the aforementioned teahouse, secure in the knowledge that Winds wouldn't be too far behind.
Winds and Dreams	Indeed, Winds is not long to follow- and she's brisk of pace, and likely catches up ere too long. "Winds and Dreams of War and Peace, if you care to be especially flowery about it," she comments, as though she hadn't missed any of the conversation- rather sharp ears, her.
Rishi	"Ah, I am Rishi. I believe I said that before, but perhaps you were too busy examining her catch to notice?" She head tilts again, considering. "I do not know that we are especially interesting. At least not more than you. ....It is nice, yes? Being always clean?" The Teahouse is a large, rambling affair, with many complex twists and turns that leave plenty of nooks and alcoves for private dining, reading, or...other things. Their selection of teas and other dishes would allow for a devoted following even without such features. Only the first floor is open to the public, but plenty is rumored to go on upstairs.
Bright Journey	Bright looks a bit aggrieved. "Oh, no. I'm sorry, I must havce missed it in among the other conversation. Rishi it is. Again, a pleasure to meet you." At the mention of cleanliness, though, Bright gives Rishi a conspiratorial smile, and lays one finger beside her nose for a moment. Her voice is a lot softer than normal, almost a whisper. "Mmm...yes, it is. I noticed you're as...er, fortunate, as I, that way. But we shouldn't speak of such things. That kind of thing makes you two -much- more intersting, though, by the way." Peeking around at the interior of the teahouse, Bright raises one eyebrow in a mixture of curiosity and sheer amusement. "Interesting place you've brought us to. Maybe the crepes aren't the only confections on sale." Winds catches up not more than a few moments later. What did she do, fly? But Bright is only mildly surprised at the voice behind her. "Oh! Pleasure to see you again, Winds and Dreams of War and Peace. Flowery, perhaps, but it rolls nicely off the tongue. Glad to see you caught up. Shall we get a table?"
Rishi	Rishi goes to grab a table in an especially private alcove where they can talk without being overheard, while the others put in their breakfast orders, before coming to join them in putting in her order. Soon they are all settled in place where they can talk freely. Though Rishi might have trouble talking around the massive pile of crepes, pancakes, fruit, and honey on her plate.
Winds and Dreams	Winds takes in the teahouse for quite a long moment- although she doesn't seem quite as taken with the place as the others. In fact something almost seems to put her ever so slightly ill at ease, here. Still, she follows without complaint, and is modest in her food and drink. She pauses, looking between the two a moment. "Well, I cannot say I'm especially pleased to hear the conspiratorial turn of the conversation but- I suppose there's little for it, at this juncture," she muses, sinking back in her seat slightly.
Bright Journey	Bright, meanwhile, doesn't have quite -that- sort of an appetite. To be sure, she has all the same kinds of good stuff, just not as much of it. Still, she looks content just looking at the plate. At this point, sitting down, her cloak doesn't cover as much of the clothing underneath. As she begins to dig in, she looks at Winds and looks genuinely perturned that Winds doesn't seem to be enjoying herself quite as much as herself and Rishi. "Oh, dear," Bright replies. "I'm sorry to hear it. Whatever else might go on here, I'm sure Rishi brought us here for breakfast, and breakfast alone. This kind of place is..." Bright's voice trails off a moment as she thinks of the words to say. "It's...the kind of place that's inevitable in a city this size. I've been here for less than two months and seen at least a dozen places that aren't too far off from this. And I don't go to places where the risque -is- the business, if you catch my meaning." Bright grins impudently. "Why should any of us?" Bright's tone turns serious for a moment. "That said...if I'm misunderstanding, or if you want to talk about it. I make a pretty good sounding board. It's what I do."
Rishi	Rishi headtilts at thetwo of them, then swallows, before wiping her face and tittering. "Ah, no. No. I chose this place because....well, if we wished to discuss just how....interesting we all are, it is best such things be discussed quietly, yes?" And then she gives Bright a particularly sharp look. "As both Winds and I know what we are, it would be best if you started. And if you are one of the Dragon's Blood, it would be best that you left after your meal."
Winds and Dreams	"The place is another issue entirely," says Winds, head shaking at that. "I'm referring to this talk of collars and, for instance, my own sword. Not precisely my favourite subject in the midst of a city. Much less one in a place that- hedonistic activities aside- tends to be the sort of place that less savoury deals are made, in my experience. Privacy can often be more illusive than available."
Bright Journey	Bright's eyes light up with understanding, and she takes a bite while she thinks of a reply. "Ah. I see. In all honesty, I sort of assumed the plan was to not talk about -that- sort of thing at all, but...actually, that may well work out better for me, at least. And I hope the same's true for the pair of you, though obviously I can't guarantee that. What I'm sure of, though, is if the goal was to speak completely freely, we should be cooking bear meat over a fire in the woods right now. Here, we have to be more coy. I think Winds is right, that anyone could be listening in. But I -do- want to have that conversation with you both. "After breakfast. I'm not letting this go to waste, and you two shouldn't either." She takes another bite, then adds, "But I'll say one thing right now. If you're worried about those with the blood of dragons, then we have at least one thing in common. I don't believe we're enemies."
Rishi	Rishi smiles then, does a fast look left and right, then a third and fourth hand creep up from under her cloak as she starts eating much faster. "Then it would be best we were done, no?" she says between bites.
Winds and Dreams	A pause, and then Winds' hand comes up, finger and thumb touching to her temples to drag across her closed eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose. She exhales, and straightens herself back up, sipping at her cup for a moment. "Well, that, at least, is a relief for the moment." A few sniffs at nothing in particular before she genuinely relaxes- albeit just slightly. Her eyes never quite stop scanning the room around them, through the meal.
Bright Journey	Bright Journey gives Rishi a long, somewhat disconcerted look, but for once in her life fails to say anything whatsoever at Rishi's handsy little stunt. Instead, she turns and focuses on her own meal. If she shifts ever so slightly away from where Rishi is sitting, surely it's coincidence. She looks at Winds with a sympathetic little smile. "We'll be out of here soon, don't worry. I suggest we head back out of town, so we can talk and get any more misconceptions out of the way. I think we'll have more in common than not, once we get a chance to sort it out. Aside from the obvious questions, you really do look like someone I..." Bright pauses for a moment, looking down into her juice. "...someone I used to know. I'm devoutly hoping I'm fortunate enough that you can point me in the right direction. Even iof you can't though, I think this will turn out to our advantage." And with that, Bright continues to down her meal.