The blistering heat of summer rose in waves across the pebbles and stones of Jastrey's inner township. Even with the daystar making its way to dusk, the shade brought little respite to the overwhelming heat. Akon was hunched over a wooden work table in the shade of the trees outside the Shady Corner's confines, laboring over her armor. She, for once, was not layered head to foot in the black robes and garments she usually wore. Instead, her shoulders with scars past of various unknown wounds were bare, and the runes covering her arms showed. She was pulcking out a few bent and ruined rivets from her leather armorwork, placing new ones in their place, and hammering them shut against the black leather folds, reparing the damage done from the most recent of Jastrey's battles. Sweat formed on her brow, but the woman seemed focused on her work, not really paying mind to the heat.
Akon gave a sideward glance towards the gnome, looking a bit more welcoming than usual, though still stoic in nature and emotion. She looked back to her work as she placed a new rivet. "Blood drinkers of some sort, wishing they were true vampires assulted town last night. Managed to hold them to their own, and back them away from our walls, as per usual, though it left a few chinks in my armor. it's only minor repair work." She said, raising her hamer, and flattening the rivet in place to hold the leather correctly.
Binx had been leaving the tavern with a worn book tucked under her arm as she passed by the Gnome and Uordeq. Her mask was pulled down around her neck so her face was visible when the word vampire reached her ears. Her apathetic expression didn't change but there were subtle signs of discomfort in her demeanor. There was a pause in her step, her breathing halted for just a second, and suddenly her bored eyes were alert and cautious, her pupils small. It took every ounce of her willpower and Uordeq training to suppress a shudder at just the word.
She attempted to gather herself, realizing what Akon had actually been speaking of. She forced herself to exhale and turned to the pair. She held the book to her chest as her gaze fell upon Akon. "Did they do much harm to your armor?" She asked casually, greatful that her tone came evenly.
Akon's reading red eyes glanced over the Uordeq, but gave no indication of what she had gathered from the Uordeq's exhale and hidden feelings. But the woman's gaze always seemed to gather more than was usually offered openly about a person. She looked back to her work, flipping over her armor to repair the other side. "Let's just say I damaged a lot more of their armor than they did mine." She smirked slightly, raising her hammer again to correct a few newly set rivets. "What reading has caught your fancy?"
The Uordeq shrugged with the book in her arms. Binx rapidly recovered her apathetic demeanor, a slight smirk at Akon's reply. The battle had gone well indeed. "Studies of the undead." She said simply. The book was small, worn, and plain, journal like in appearance. Someone had probably written it on their travels, it was one of many books she had read on the subject. She wanted to learn as much as she could about them, habits, locations, and especially weaknesses. However, she spoke none of these things.
Akon nods to Binx, keeping focus on her work. She swiftly with drawls her hand from Ohren's lickings with a look of distain and her back hand aimed like it would give the bear a sound swat on the nose if the Uordeq didn't restrain herself. "Do you -have- to do that?" She snarled, annoyed at his antics.
Akon narrows her eyes down at the burr and aims a swift, sharp swat at the tip of his nose. "Don't lick me again, or I'll maim your tongue." She sneered in low tones, eyes darkening and taking on their more cold gaze. But they lightened again shortly as the Uordeq watched her fellow Ixifar make her way to the town post. Watching carefully, Akon read everything she needed to know about what the Ixifar was about, gathered from the conviction of Chataya's stride and the angle of her brow, as well as the direction which she headed after making the post. Akon then looked down at her repaired leatherwork, placing the hammer and rivets asside. She picked up her armor in hand and gave it a quick shake out before tucking it under arm. "I'm going to help Chataya." She said monotonously, part of her cold demeanor slipping back through her voice.
"You've got quite a bit of leather to be working with there lady" Riddles said, clearly quite exhausted from the heat and fighting "I saw you during the fights, quite an impressive fighter. Almost worth forgiving you for dragging a body past me my first day here!" he said with a huge chuckle.
"I've been off in the woods, there was a hare that was taunting me, and I just had to catch it" he said, as he clutched at his stomach, which looked quite a bit less jolly from all the recent work.
"Either way, you don't seem to be about to turn me inside out or pull me off in chains, so I suppose it would be fair to ask ya, whatcha working on there Ms. Dark and Mysterious?" he says, giving her a quick smile, while cautiously approaching the work table.