Teaching A Savage (01)

"Yes, something important happened. I decided that I'm not an old woman and have literally no reason to stay a chief forever. So, I wanna live here. That's about all I think."

"What are you even talking about, Chiyo? Don't you have to manage the relationship between your people and the cyclopses?"

"Eh, I think that won't be a problem anymore. The truce was only made because we don't have anyone who could protect us, but that handsome boy over there proved me wrong." Chiyo pointed her comparatively delicate hand at Alban, looking as if what she said was completely reasonable. Her lips were curled into a charming smile, before she waved her free hand softly at Alban.

"That really doesn't make sense..." Nimra said. Her thoughts were leaking out of every corner of her body, the puzzlement leaking out of her pores. She kinda understood the sensation of wanting to be free, she had been providing for her lazy dad for years. Honestly, she felt more like a tribe leader than a young woman. Only she went and greeted the townsfolk and worked amongst them. Her dad acted more like a recluse, only showing up at time to bother people into working out with him.

"If it doesn't make sense to you, let me clarify the situation a bit. I'm not a responsible leader, so I'm stepping down. Those cyclopses were threatening to step all over us, and I fought their advances off alone numerous times. I was only in charge because I was the only option the monoya had for general protection, but now that we don't have to face those gigantic clowns it'll probably be fine. My people are more of the creative type anyway, someone like me would only ruin that." Chiyo poured out all of her doubts and sighed softly. It was the first time the father and daughter alike were seeing the woman before them as she was, expressing anything akin to vulnerability from her.

Alban watched all of this and felt the strange isolation from earlier, an air of indifference around him. He was still caught up in his thoughts about what he truly was, Nimral's story lingering on his psyche. He wasn't putting much thought into the situation, believing that Chiyo's heartfelt expression would be quickly accepted. The nimms were a kind people from what he saw, and he seriously doubted any of them would turn someone away.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Nimral asked while stroking the willowy mustache in a lackadaisical manner. His manner was relaxed and withdrawn, much unlike his usual self. Both Alban and Nimra were confused, shouldn't he be boisterously declaring her a training partner? The two's eyes narrowed in tandem, staring at the man that stood between the border of whimsicality and insanity.

"I'm gonna move here. Please let me." Chiyo's voice was unusually meek, her lips clamped tightly together. She enjoyed the kind and lively ruckus of the townsfolk, completely different from her people. Her culture was one of artistic expression and silence. She wasn't a big fan of the second part, always feeling suppressed in the quiet streets that were almost always empty. The only time the monoya were loud like the nimm were at the festival, and Chiyo felt like that wasn't enough for her. Her hands were clasped together in a pleading gesture, the knuckles of her fingers clenched so hard that they paled.

"No. Your people need you, so you can't stay here. Who says the cyclopses won't come back to terrorize them?" Nimral set a firm stance on his words, declaring his refusal. Chiyo expected this and had a plan, she wasn't very fond of not having alternatives to get what she wanted.

"Don't you like alcohol? I always see you emptying out our kegs during the festival."

"I don't see what this has to do with our conversation."

"What if I told you I made it? That if you let me stay here, you could drink daily? How about it?" Nimral's stance as a dignified leader crumpled at a speed quicker than the old man made excuses. He truly believed in what he said though, so he tried to ignore the temptation. Chiyo didn't let the hesitation escape her notice, quickly grasping onto the chance she was presented.

"I'm a Barkeep, you know. I'll even show you the process if you get me a cauldron. That'll verify my claims, right?" Nimral turned around and stood up, before proceeding to swiftly half walk and half run behind the house. The old man returned with a cauldron half his size before slamming it down on the ground, gesturing for Chiyo to start. The loud noise pissed off the intently watching youths, the old man was way too annoying way too often.

"Do you have any water? I already have some herbs and fruits that'll work." Nimra pulled out a bottle of water that she collected from the lake, before handing it to Chiyo. She then glowered at Nimral, agreeing with his opinion but hating the man's obsessive fixation with smashing perfectly solid ground. What did the terrain do to him?

Chiyo poured in the lake water before forming a fireball in her palm, her left hand lighting the cauldron on fire. She dumped a bunch of oddly colored herbs into pot, while the mixture quickly blended into each other. As the herbs and water clashed together, the herbs rapidly fermented. Chiyo was rapidly aging the herbs and mixing them as well, all in one fluid movement as she rocked the cauldron back and forth with wind magic. Not even a minute later, the liquid settled, a strong herbaceous yet slightly sweet aroma spreading around her.

Nimral gulped, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. The smell seeped into his airways, the bewitching smell hitting him hard. He shoved a hand into the cauldron rather unceremoniously, before opening his mouth and pouring the contents held within his fist into his gullet.

Nimral's face relaxed into a drunken stupor while his frame toppled over. Fully conscious, the lips on the old man's visage stretched from ear to ear, the happiness on his face evident. Alban wanted to try the brew too, his nose was tingling in excitement. Before he could even think about walking towards the cauldron, he was pushed back by a gust of wind.

"Alcohol isn't for kids, so don't even think about it." Chiyo knew what an eager and curious teenager looked like, she was one once as well after all. Her outstretched hand produced billowing gale pointed at Alban. He carbonized a cyclops while sober, she did NOT want to see what he'd do next drunk.

"Oh yeah? You don't look all that old either. How about you prove you can drink?" Chiyo looked to be around 20 to him, and in his past life that was too early to drink where he lived. He was quite aware that what he said didn't make any sense at all, really, but he was indignant. He already got dumped on for being young by that brutish gorilla of a man yesterday, and he wasn't enthusiastic to go through that again.

"Then how can I do so, oh feller of cyclopses?" Chiyo surprisingly engaged him, a patient yet daring simper on her countenance. She found the boy interesting, randomly showing up out of nowhere and saving the day. She had never seen a so called hero look more like the villain, it sounded humorous beyond belief.

"Teach me something worthwhile." Alban jokingly replied. He was plotting on annoying the woman until she just let him drink. Sure, she was tolerating him now, but he could fix that. Once Alban set his mind on something, he would try his hardest to follow through. It was what he had been doing since he arrived on Nightmare, and it was what he would continue to do as long as he lived.