The only source of light in the house party were Light Mages who focused their magic to their pinky fingers to see their way out of the excursion. A modest table stood by the door with glow in the dark wrist bands; lime green for single, sunflower yellow for "it's complicated", burgundy red for taken, and lavender purple for "ready to risk it all". Now, not everyone chose the right wristbands, and some relationships were definitely on the line that night as bodies threw it back on another body hoping to get some nookie the same night just in the upstairs bedrooms. The youngest people present weren't even old enough to drink by Fioran law, and the oldest might as well have been the parents of those same underage kids chillin' and drinkin' and smokin' the night away without care or worry.

Such an occasion prompted the engaging of illegal activities. A politician's daughter, who was often seen as the most innocent and lighthearted young woman her family had produced, was snorting cocaine and sipping lean like it was water. A young and upcoming priest who finally became ordained walked out from a bedroom upstairs, his fourth body for the night sprawled on the bed with her legs open and chest voraciously searching for the air to calm her lungs. N'Umoya remembered his name vaguely, something along the lines of Father Daniels. The Savannah native sat in a basement lounge with some long-time friends who had got the entire shindig together in the first place, kicking back in a brown bean bag chair with a glass blunt in hand. The mood in the basement was much more calm and easygoing than the main function upstairs, some people finding themselves going in-between settings to give themselves a breather of either or.

The air in the basement had a strong smell of pot, evident by the twelve people huddled in a circle sitting in bean bag chairs. You heard the occasional pull on a blunt and the ever present sound of giggling as someone told an extravagant story about what happened to them the previous week, or some embarrassing event that happened years back. A tan-skinned woman with green hair and an orange dress that barely held her chest from spilling out and her ass from being exposed passed out from getting too lit, her head laid down on N'Umoya's lap as he sat hunched, taking a long drag from the glass blunt he finished packing moments before. The vibes made the not-so-young man wonder where his life was really heading, considering this was the third party he had been to for the night with two more possibly before the sun rose. The humidity fogged his glasses a bit, but he had no issue seeing through them either way. He had his dreads kept in a ponytail of sorts, in case he got too lit and light his own dreads on fire. It had happened before and he wouldn't be too thrilled to have to regrow back that one lock.

"N'Umoya," spoke a man who had just came down to the basement from two floors up. The young man was dressed in clothes that N'Umoya probably wouldn't remember the next day, but the older man knew who called out to him. His name was Post, or rather, that's what he knew him as. He was N'Umoya's weed man, and someone who could be trusted to an extent. N'Umoya gave a grunt of acknowledgement as Post walked closer, grabbing the Savannah native's shoulders before dropping himself into the bean chair next to him.

"You need another dime bag before I head out for the night?"

"Nah man, I'm alright for the week. If I see someone else who's lookin' for a dealer Imma hit your line up."

"Good looks." Post and N'Umoya fist bumped before the former made his way upstairs and out the house, his destination yet another house party to see who would be willing to buy his product. N'Umoya scratched his head before realising that it was two in the morning. The others in the smoke circle were talking about high school days, something N'Umoya couldn't relate to. He vaguely kept his attention to the conversation until someone took out a clear bag from their pocket. The contents: magic mushrooms. Hesitant at first, N'Umoya realized that he had on the lavender purple band, and decided that if he was going to risk it all that night, it would be something new. Not another body, but one of the many shrooms being passed around the circle.

Ianthe didn't know what she was doing here. She could feel the music that played, in her chest and it made her anxious. The thick smoke in the air made her feel light headed and awfully confused. She didn't know anyone here and she couldn't find the one person she came in with, who she honestly didn't know all that well to begin with. Holding her wrist with the purple glowing light she looked around for the red haired girl she walked into this place with. The girl in question told Ianthe her name was Becky and that she needed someone to just come to a party with her. Ianthe didn't know what a party was but she went along anyway, because the girl kept on asking her while she tried to eat her food at the Inn hours ago.  Upon walking in with Becky, the red head slapped this band on her wrist and told her she would be right back, that was at least three hours ago and in that time Ianthe found herself wandering aimlessly around.

Ianthe was getting slightly annoyed as she had been wandering around the house for hours with no rest. The brown haired beauty was on the verge of giving up until she was found by Becky. " Ianthe! Where ya been love? I've got something fun for us to do, let's go. " Ianthe couldn't get a word out as she was pulled along by the overly excited red head. Becky was a beautiful girl with pale skin, a petite build, and pixie cut crimson hair. She wore a black mini skirt and what seemed to be piece of fabric over her breast leaving her midriff exposed. Ianthe on the other hand was dressed quite modestly compared to the rest of the crowd. Wrapped around her cocoa skin was a white sundress that didn't do much to help her curves. It did a good job at covering them but the dress was a little on the snug side, causing much cleavage to show. On her feet were some white pumps that she had a hard time walking in, but no one really noticed that in this darkened house.

"Come, sit and open your mouth" Becky's voice cooed as she patted the couch she sat down on next to a man with dreaded hair and glasses. Ianthe took a seat and hesitantly opened her mouth, allowing the red head to place something in it. Go on. eat up girl and have some fun oh and drink this you must be parched. " Becky handed Ianthe a purple liquid and she drank down the contents while swallowing whatever was put in her mouth. Ianthe was too afraid at this point to ask what she had just eaten and drank and whispered thank you. " Oh! I forgot my purse, you stay here now and no wandering. " Ianthe nodded as she watched Becky leave and once again she was all in a house full of people she didn't know. The question would pop into her head once more on how she got here but things were starting to change and she couldn't dwell on the question too long. The sounds around her began to slow and her own breathing felt weird. Her green orbs looked around her and fell on the man with the glasses who Becky was sitting next too. She kinda wanted to say something, to feel anchored to the world, but whatever she took was taking her somewhere else.

Taking the shrooms brought upon a sensation similar to smoking pot but there was an extra kick in the back of the brain that brought on a sort of primordial sensation of alertness and hyperawareness. N'Umoya seemed to simply melt back into the couch he sat in and enjoy the experience that was about to unfold. Fortunately for him, the green-haired woman had made her exit from the basement after realizing the group she came with had exited the premise half an hour prior. The vacant spot was soon taken up by a woman with dark skin matching N'Umoya's own, although that was all he had cared to notice as he became more mellow with each passing moment. The woman's compatriot left her to mellow out after giving her lean and magic mushrooms to intake, and judging by the woman's sheepishness it didn't look like she was used to the environment or what she was just given to digest.

Sounds around Urion seemed to distort and contort and his perception of senses dulled and became lackluster. Truly, this was the experience of being under the influence of magic mushroom, and N'Umoya could say that the experience so far was shaping up to be an experience he wouldn't mind trying out again. Fixing himself, he finally took notice of what he came to the function wearing: black jeans, a near form-fitting burgundy colored t-shirt, red and black Chucks with the laces to match, and a modest jacket over. He slipped out of the jacket, revealing the seemingly innumerous scarring lumps that littered his forearms and what looked like the rest of his arms and torso. N'Umoya would go for his glass blunt but noticed the woman in the white sundress place her vision at him, so he looked back at her with an inquisitive look to his demeanor.

Her skin was radiant and dark like the Queens of Savannah that ruled long ago in a time that seems mythic. Her hair framed her heart-shaped face, lips plump much like her apparent chest. She was curvy, no doubt, an hourglass bombshell of a woman. She appeared to be irresistible and ready to risk it all, given her band color and the way she dressed. However, that was the motive N'Umoya was trying to deter himself from taking and took the opportunity to at least try and get to know the woman better, at the least. Her friend would be back to probably take her away, no doubt. N'Umoya didn't see that many dark-skinned people around in Fiore, and he had no clue whether this woman would be the last one he would see for only the gods knew how long. In a way, he was going to shoot his shot, but not to get freaky. With the loud music of upstairs being muffed out by the ceiling and the low-volume music playing, N'Umoya would give a soft smile and a wave.

"Hey, what's up? I don't see that many people with skin like mines in these parts."

She was melting, no sinking? Colors meshed and sounds echoed, her body felt tingly and hot and she could feel her mouth drying. The material on the dress started to annoy her and she really wanted to take it off and go sit in some cold water, but she couldn't move. She took in a deep breath and it felt like the biggest loudest thing in the room. Anxiety was kicking in hard and she wanted to cry so badly, her eyes stinging and watering up. Ianthe couldn't make sense of anything and the only thing in focus was the man she kept staring at, literally the only thing that kept her anchored to the room and not sinking into the depths of couch. She wanted to touch him only to see if he was real or if she could even feel him. Her mind wandered to Becky and where she could have gone, it didn't take this long to get something did it? How long was she even here for? What time was it? Her train of thought kept cycling and she couldn't answer and of the questions she posed.

" Me either..."
Her voice trailed off and she for a moment didn't realize the voice was coming from the brown skinned man next to her. She took the time to focus in on his clothes, his physique, his whole being before licking her plump lips. " I feel weird..Thirsty...Hot...Am I suppose to feel this way?" She sounded like a lost child, she couldn't place her finger on what she was feeling and couldn't tell if it was bad or good. Her body sank into the couch a bit more until she was sitting back, her head resting and her eyes closed. She could still hear the things around her but she just needed to try and collect herself. Ianthe didn't know if the man had taken the same things she had and she didn't know if she was suppose to enjoy it, but soon her body started to relax and the music stopped sounding so loud. She let whatever it was that was trying to take over do so and soon she found a suitable breathing pattern that didn't make her feel like she was going crazy.

The woman seemed to let the magic mushrooms consume her and let her mellow out into a conscious state of bliss and tranquility. She appeared to be worried on whether her condition was having some sort of ill effect, given her expression of slight panic and overall confusion. N'Umoya gestured for a friend to grab a bottle of water, which was beamed over to the Savannah native who caught it as it was about to sail over his head. Uncapping the bottle he would hand it to the dark skinned woman who sank into the couch as the magic mushrooms relaxed her body on the cellular level. The least N'Umoya could do was to make sure she was going to not have a full on panic attack and ensure a comfortable experience.

Tapping on her shoulder to get her attention, N'Umoya would gesture for her to take the water. Hydration was key after all. In hoping that she took the water bottle at the least, N'Umoya would slide just a little bit closer to the woman to make sure she was alright at the least. He noticed others taking care at those who were taking the mushrooms for the first time and knew it would be best to do the same. His eyes couldn't help from looking at her for some reason, and if she looked back at N'Umoya she would see the keen interest in his eyes.

"However you're feeling is all natural, just sit back and chill. Relaxation is the key to having a good time right now."

This was really starting to feel nice besides her growing thirst and now her body wracking hunger. It was hours since she last consumed something and nowadays she would hardly let that happen. Ianthe let her mind drift to the last thing that she ate that was actually a meal.  Her mouth watered as the memory took over her mind, she could see a plate of mashed potatoes smothered in white gravy,  three thick and juicy steaks cooked to perfection, steamed vegetables and a jug of ice tea. The thought of the iced tea actually made her lick her lips but she was soon pulled from her own thoughts as a tap on her shoulder caused her to turn towards the man she shared the couch with.  In his had he held the life saving liquid known as water,  and he was handing it to her. A smile came to her face as she took the water while giving a universal thank you nod.  This man might as well be a godsend to Ianthe as she opened the bottle and seemingly downed the refreshing drink. In her barbaric haste some of the water spilled, hitting the top of her bosom and soaking into her dress a bit.

"Oh! " The water on her skin was a welcomed surprise and she found herself wiping her mouth with the back of her hand while giggling a bit. The water made her feel leaps and bounds better. Setting her eyes on her savior she realized that she didn't know his name, something she should have obviously noticed earlier. Sitting up and turning her body towards him, she gave her full attention to this man and let the rest continue to melt away. " I'm sorry I never thought to ask your name. I am Ianthe, It would be nice if you could forgive how rude I've become. I just, this whole scene is new to me." Looking down at the empty bottle in her hand she moved it around her a bit before turning her attention back to the company she was keeping. He was a very handsome man and now that she could gather herself she could see that he did indeed have the same skin color as she did. The short amount of time she spent wandering around this land she hardly met anyone like herself, so this was wonderful in a way. Ianthe wouldn't be so bold to give credit to a otherworldly being or destiny bringing her to him, but whatever it was she was thankful. She felt a little less alone in the room now as their warm toned skin created a bit of familiarity and a doorway to deep conversation, something that she has....Never had before.

Ianthe made no mistake of turning down N'Umoya's offer of drinking water to quench her profound and insatiable thirst. The magic mushrooms and the lean were responsible for her current physical state, but also in part to the fact that it seemed as if this was her first time having the two items digested at all, let alone simultaneously. The colors of the room began to run amok and intertwine themselves without delay; the walls seemed to melt, the shadows of people seemed to dance along the floors and ceilings independent of their anchored physical bodies. But yet, N'Umoya found the energy to focus, taking a lighter and lighting up his glass blunt for another toke. Smoke filled his lungs and he exhaled away from Ianthe calmly before capping the blunt and keeping it in his jacket pocket. He couldn't afford to break another one so soon.

N'Umoya studied Ianthe as she spoke, quickly trying to piece together whether he could discern her origins without having to ask. With her voluptuous, hourglass figure and mocha-dark skin, it was no lie that she had the blood of Savannah coursing through her veins. Her sharp eyes and eye color alluded to another element in her genealogy. Desierto, maybe? It was too hard to tell as most colors in N'Umoya's vision began to distort into godforsaken nonsense. Ianthe quickly apologized for an apparent sense of rudeness, which struck N'Umoya a little odd. Parties weren't known for people showing their apologies for a lack of manners. However, under the influence, who knows what could come out of one's own mouth? N'Umoya laid his left arm on the edge of the back of the couch and turned himself to face Ianthe, showing her that he was very much interested in starting a conversation.

"Please, there really isn't a need to apologize." With a cool nod to her name he smiled, taking off his glasses with his right hand and holding it for the time being. He took back his left hand and began cleaning his lens as he began speaking, checking his glasses as he cleaned to be sure he didn't apply too much pressure and crack them. "My name's N'Umoya. Trust me, these parties are a mess one way or the other." Satisfied with the clearness of the lens, N'Umoya put his glasses back on and placed his left arm back on the edge of the back of the couch. Perhaps Ianthe would still be anticipating to look back into N'Umoya's eyes, as he secretly was as he looked back up to gaze at her appearance. "Where are you from? You remind me of the women of my home country, Savannah."

"Savannah...." Something clicked in her head like a movie reel come to life. She saw her mother but not her physical form, more like the essence of her and it made her chest warm as tears welled up in her eyes. Another reel stripped away that memory and in turn bits and pieces of the day she was put in a box and taken away flooded her mind. Her hand tightened around the empty water bottle as tears began to stream down her face. It was the first time in a long time since she heard the name of her home, so long that she thought she had forgotten it. " I'm sor- * hic *. I'm sorry... It's been su- * hic * such a long time since I've heard that name. * Hic * I thought I had forgot- * hic * forgotten about it. A-And you say you're from * hic * there? please tell me about it, it's been so long * hic * since I've been home... " Her voice broke with each hiccupping sound, it could have been from whatever she was drinking but she was known to hiccup during crying too. Her emotions were raw and the things she consumed didn't help but her cry was a quiet one besides her hiccups as the tears continued to wet her face. Her attempts to wipe them away proved to be useless as they kept falling.

Looking down from N'Umoya she began to scoot back from him almost instinctually. "I'm sorry..* Hic *, please don't hit me..." Her eyes closed tightly as her body flinched in preparation for an attack. She was no longer having such a good time and all she could think about was the thick rope of the whip across her back. It took a moment to realize that she wasn't a slave anymore, and no one was gonna hurt her, but she was already afraid. Crying always came with punishment and that fact was all too true for Ianthe. She couldn't get it together fast enough and now her mind was clouded with dark thoughts of her time in hell. She wanted so badly to just run but fear rooted her. The smoke in the room swirled into angry figures before disappearing and the meshing lights became a hellish landscape, the man in front of her that kept her anchored all this time was now something that she feared. It was becoming too much for Ianthe and she didn't know what to do.

It would seem that the mere mention of the motherland and all of her bountiful, welcoming nature for her children invoked some sort of primal longing within Ianthe, who's now changing mood was evident that something about Savannah shook her to her core. The feel of the magic mushrooms began to dwindle very rapidly, leaving only the alertness of someone who has been smoking pot for a decade. Colors came to be, although sounds remained muffled around N'Umoya as his attention broke from having a good time to making sure this new woman wouldn't freak out. She reeled and cowered away from the Savannah native as if he were an oppressor, an abuser, a slave master. N'Umoya's father did tell him that many parts of Fiore employed the enslavement of Savannah natives and performed all sorts of atrocities on them. Was this woman one of those lost children?

"I definitely won't be hitting you or anything." N'Umoya would take the water bottle from her hands and put it down on the floor in a way to show that he truly meant her no harm. There would be so much for N'Umoya to tell Ianthe about the homeland she never really knew as it seemed. She seemed as if she needed the space to recuperate, so he didn't bother to move in closer to her. Some traumas are meant to be played out the way they come back into memory. It pained N'Umoya to see that the woman before him had it rough being enslaved in Fiore, his mind unable to comprehend the pain and sorrow she must have endured. All of the physical and mental and sexual abuse that he heard so much about, inflicted on innocent people just because more powerful people had the ability to do so without being stopped or checked into place.

"Hey, if it would make you feel better... I'll tell you anything you want to know about Savannah." It would be rude to ask the woman of how she came to be in her current condition; asking personal questions like that to new strangers was always a no-no. However, N'Umoya kept it in the back of his head the notion that this woman was, or still is, enslaved to the higher powers that be for some selfish reason. "I know talking about home calms me down when I get riled up, maybe it might be helpful for you." N'Umoya would make it appear that he was only trying to make Iantha feel welcome in his presence, gesturing for her to move in closer to him if she wanted to keep the conversation going. If she stayed where she was that would be fine; N'Umoya would still be willing and happy to relay to Iantha the information she seemed so thrilled to discover.

N'Umoya's reassuring voice caused Ianthe to calm down a bit, her hiccupping persisting but the tears stopped and she lessened her grip on the water bottle so her could take it from her. She was hungry and exhausted, the sound of her stomach growling caused her to wrap her hands around her mid section. She wanted more than anything to listen to N'Umoya but the sensory overload from the things she had taken was still with her. Ianthe had gotten a small headache from it all and she just wanted to leave this place. " It would be * hic * nice for you to just speak about it, doesn't * hic * matter where you start * hic *. But I've been here for so long, I don't know * hic * what time it is. I'm starving and my feet hurt... * hic *. I have no idea where Becky is or if she is coming back * hic * " Wiping her face she tried to compose herself even if she wanted to cry again she tried her best not to. Even if she were to gather the courage to get up and leave right now, Ianthe couldn't remember where the Inn she was staying was locate.

Looking at N'Umoya she found herself moving a bit closer to him once she noticed his gesture. She felt better around him in a setting like this, and even more comfortable because he wasn't going to hurt her. She wondered if he had gotten kidnapped from their homeland as well, but she wasn't so sure. He didn't seem like the type that would have gotten captured but maybe he was just dealing with it better than she was. She didn't know and now she had more questions, less about Savannah and more about him. Laying her head down on the back rest of the couch, she stared into N'Umoya's eyes and took a few deep breaths. She was deathly exhausted and tonight was just one long ride that she didn't ask to get on. " I wanna * hic * go home..." The words were a hushed sound under her breath. She was free now and she could go back to Savannah, but she didn't know where it was. The thought of it was too much right now and she rather. Right now all she had the energy to do was to give the man in front of her, all of her attention once more, because nothing else in this place made sense.

It never crossed N'Umoya's mind that perhaps Ianthe was hungry after ingesting the magic mushrooms. Thinking about it made the Savannah native aware of his own innate hunger craving. There wouldn't be any way for N'Umoya to cook at the house but he did know that there would be food and the kitchen wouldn't be filled with many people, if none at all. The drugs surely wore off and their good time feelings gone with them, prompting N'Umoya to ball up his jacket and rise up to his feet. In the light it would be more clear to see the defined quality of his built chest, but more noticeable the scarification bumps on his forearms. With a smile he would gesture for Ianthe to take his hand as he would lead her to the kitchen two floors up.

"There's a kitchen upstairs where we can get something to eat. If anything I will make sure I'll get you home safe when you're ready to head out."

The kitchen was small and kinda cramped, which figured given the fact that the house was owned by two people. There was a modestly sized island in the middle with a bowl of not-so-fresh fruits, adjacent to a stocked fridge. N'Umoya remembered that Ianthe griped that her feet were in pain, and without another thought he hoisted her up to sit on the island while he sifted through what was available. In earnest nothing in the fridge was worth warming up to eat, but given the munchies anything looked good to eat at the time.

"I can take off your shoes if you want. And to start things off, Savannah is absolutely breathtaking. There's some desert but it's really flatlands and some jungle. My tribe came from a canyon region near a jungle. The Jakande tribe."

Taking N'Umoya's hand Ianthe steadied herself as she stood up, her legs a bit wobbly as she felt a force hit her like a wave. The room itself spun causing her sight to become distorted. She was nothing but thankful to have N'Umoya there and latched onto his arm to get better footing. " Thank you, I've yet to meet someone as kind as you. I also haven't been out in the world long enough to really do so. " She chuckled a snortish kind of chuckle at her own naivety and realized her hiccupping had stopped, something she was also thankful for. Ianthe  was a walking wreck and instead of being taking advantage of she was lucky enough to find someone who would help her in this god forsaken place. It was decided that she wasn't very fond of these things. It was probably better to be with friends but she didn't have any and coming with a stranger was one of the worst things she did. The heels she wore were too tall and she walked slowly, carefully all while looking like a newborn fawn. Upon reaching the kitchen Ianthe found herself being lifted up and sat down onto the area where a bowl of fruit sat. Once the offer to have her shoes removed were brought up she was already in the middle of kicking them off, letting them hit the sound with a clunking sound. Her hands found their way to the bowl of fruit and she began picking them out one by one and smelling them to check for their freshness. They didn't look to bad but she also didn't want to get sick, something she was already feeling with each sniff of the fruit she picked up and let drop to the ground upon it causing her to feel nauseous.

" Are there a lot of people in Savannah? Like in Fiore? Is it hard to get to Savannah? What's your tribe like? " She let her words fall into a clumped mess as she removed her attention from the fruit and rested them on N'Umoya. In the light she got a good look at the man and the scars on his forearms. Fear set in her eyes once more and without noticing her arms went out to touch them but of course she was not close enough to do so. " What happened to your arm? " She at first thought that he had come from Savannah recently to Fiore by the way he spoke of it, but now she wondered If he was a recently freed slave like she was. The scars on his arms made her wonder just what kind of torture we went through.

N'Umoya took some time to question whether Savannah was as crowded as Fiore, taking a few seconds to sift through memory. His tribe was massive, some two thousand, but he had always heard of larger tribes scattered throughout the country that numbered in the tens of thousands to even hundreds of thousands. Whether this was true or not N'Umoya got around to confirming it. It would be nice to say that the population of Savannah easily exceeded ten million, but that would be all that N'Umoya knew off the top of his head. N'Umoya couldn't help but see how cute Ianthe looked, meek and eating fruits to her lonesome. Hopefully, she had a stable means of living.

"Ah, Savannah easily hits ten million people and possibly more. There are tribes scattered far and wide; some are easily accessible, while others are purposefully hard to reach." Closing the fridge with the conclusion that nothing edible or quick to eat was in there, N'Umoya walked back to where Ianthe was and leaned back to the counter opposite her so they were face to face. Noting that she had inquired about his scars, he stretched his arms out to her for her to feel them. They weren't something that N'Umoya was uncomfortable talking about, as he embraced them and showed them off whenever he could while still coming across as modest.

"In my tribe, at the age of eighteen, there is a ritual that all boys must perform to be considered a man to the tribe. If you ended up passing, you are given ritualistic scars all over your body, and I mean all over." Of course, the very last part wasn't true. Only N'Umoya's torso and arms were scarred, but it didn't mean he could invoke some sense of excitement to the ordeal. It was more brutal than what the man lead it on to be.

She didn't really know how many people were in Fiore, so she couldn't sit here and compare them in her head. She decided that it didn't really matter but with her questions being answered even more questions sprouted from them. Her lack of education contributed to her not knowing what tribes were or what a ritual was and many, many other things. She would be embarrassed about her lack of knowledge but she wasn't because it was something out of her control. All Ianthe could do was learn from now on, and any information on anything pleased her greatly.

" Tribes? Ritual? " A slight yawn slipped from her lips as her words came out. Her hands caressed N'Umoya's arms, letting her delicate fingers move over the bumps slowly as if she were handling something fragile. Once she had gotten her curiosity sated she pulled her hands back and placed them on her lap. Her eyes stayed fixated on the scars for a moment too long and pulling her sight away she allowed her green jeweled orbs to rest on His brown ones. She could be here all night with questions but she was still hungry and she was very tired, but she didn't complain anymore in fear of being annoying and just out of respect for N'Umoya's company.

" I'm sorry if my questions come off as um basic? " She wasn't sure if she was using that word right but that didn't matter because before she could get another word out two men came tumbling into the kitchen. One of the men was quite tall with white hair and crimson eyes, while the other stood a bit shorter with blue hair and blue eyes." Hey hey we came for food and found a nice bite of chocolate. Come here sweetie and lemme get a bite of that ass. " The two men howled in laughter at the line the white haired man made. Ianthe felt uncomfortable but kept her eyes on N'Umoya as the two got closer to them. ." Hey I know you heard my mans princess. Come on with us, you'll have a lot more fun, we guarantee it. We got weed, shrooms, lean, anything ya little heart desires. You can leave this scrub now sweetness. " The short man spoke this time and Ianthe was immediately disgusted with them both. She wouldn't speak and she wouldn't look at them, only keeping her attention on N'Umoya. She didn't enjoy the fact that the two were getting so close and she found herself scooting closer to the edge of the island. Just when she thought things were going well, things like this happened.

"Basic is the least of your worries. You lookin' pretty bougie to ask basic questions." Something resonated in N'Umoya about the short conversation he was having with Ianthe, something akin to friendship. This probably would be the last time they would cross paths, but N'Umoya would leave with great certainty that things would kick off for Ianthe in finding a sense of identity with her roots. The calling for bed was ringing in the man's ears and he was more than obliged to meet those demands, but Ianthe kept him drawn to her for the time being. He studied her not out of carnal desires but to figure out who she was as a person. She seemed a bit naive, but in a more innocent sense, like she really didn't know better. But there was space for strong character development. Lingering on the thoughts as Ianthe would speak, some men would enter the kitchen.

As the last guy uttered his last sentence N'Umoya got to his feet, towering over the two men. Without much to say other than a quick apology to Ianthe, the Savannah native hoisted the two men by their throats and threw them out the kitchen. It seemed too comical to have actually happened, but nonetheless, it did. Their heads would bang against one another in such a strong display of physical force that they fell unconscious. A blonde woman who had too much to drink stumbled on them and threw up on them. With a good laugh had for the night he returned to Ianthe, standing across from her and reaching his arms out as a sign for her to take his hands.

"It's been lovely meeting you. I just might head back downstairs when we find your friend, probably smoke the night away." If Ianthe would allow it, N'Umoya would do the one thing he seldom did, because he found it silly. He would kiss the back of her hand, and look back into her eyes, biting his lips as if overcome with something more than just familiarity. Now of course Ianthe probably wouldn't get the hint that he was trying to put out there, not that anyone ever did. He was feeling pretty good and wanted to smoke some more before heading home. "When we find your friend I'll give you my address. Stop by if anything. If you want to talk I'll most likely be home on the weekends and weeknights. I cook, so come with an empty stomach, free of charge!"

Ianthe didn't know what bougie was but shrugged It off, besides she was much more interested in the fact that he took care of those two men with ease. Taking N'Umoya's hand thinking he was helping her down onto the floor, instead she watched as he placed his lips on the back of her own hand. She didn't know how to feel about what he just did, she didn't know what she was suppose to feel. " Thank You? " Her obvious confusion made her terribly uncomfortable as she slipped down to the floor herself and slipped on her shoes. Instant regret set in as she realized how horribly uncomfortable they were. " I'll follow you all night it seems.. That girl is not my friend. The only reason I ended up here is because I couldn't really say no to her request to come.. I pretty much followed a stranger here. Besides if she hasn't popped up by now who knows where she is. I don't really remember which inn I was staying in and at this point I'll check myself into anyone of them if I felt safe leaving this place alone, and to be honest I don't. " She hoped he had caught the hint and offered to at least walk her out of here, if he hadn't she would find a way.

There wasn't more to understand than what was already present. The night was dragging on and it got to a point of uncomfortable realization; people were leaving the house to go home or to another venue. N'Umoya would ask Ianthe to wait for a minute as he rushed downstairs to grab his jacket and head back up to meet her. Seeing as the house was flooding out with people ready to wrap things up, N'Umoya thanked his friends for the invite and gestured for Ianthe to lead the way as they exited the house. It was a strange night, given the fact that the Savannah native had met someone who was the product of a dark aspect his home country was dealing with and felt bad that he had to meet the woman under such unfortunate and not idealistic circumstances. It seemed that Ianthe was dragged to the occasion out of the whim of a woman who turned out to be nothing more than a stranger.

"Alright Ianthe, let's get you to where you need to get. At least the air outside isn't as cold as it should be for this time of year."

Truth be told N'Umoya missed the warm embrace of the blazing sun, bringing forth a sense of longing for Savannah that had not been felt for quite some time. However, his mind wandered from those thoughts to more personal thoughts. What would be the agenda for the next day? Would he have an assignment to perform? Would he, in fact, find food that wasn't bland Fioran food?

"I wish these Fiorians knew how to cook with something aside from salt," he would mumble to himself.

Ianthe was very happy that she wouldn't have to walk alone. She figured she would remember which inn she stayed in as the two walked, once fresh air got into her system and cleared her brain. Ianthe enjoyed her short if not turbulent conversation with N'Umoya and his confident aura put her at ease. It was a bittersweet sort of moment because she didn't know if she would find this man again, or anyone like him. Remembering for a moment that he said he would give her his address melted her doubts away. Ianthe would remove her shoes once more as the two got outside and away from the home, her feet thanking her with a sigh of relief. The cool ground was welcoming and so would the hot shower be once she got inside. A roll of thunder boomed and soon heavy rain drenched the two, Ianthe laughed at this sudden change of weather and looking at N'Umoya she let go of his hand. " Any other day I wouldn't mind the rain but, as you can see I don't have the clothes for it. Let's have a race, to the nearest Inn! " The rain almost immediately soaked through her clothing and she took her running, her thickest parts shaking as her feet hit the floor. Running her hands back through her hair, pushing the brown locks from her face. She felt free, laughing as the rain soaked her. All in all tonight was something good for Ianthe, maybe she wouldn't feel it now but something changed in her something small but significant.

- exit -

Understanding that there was not much else to be done with the night, given the starting of rainfall on the town of Oak and the onsetting sleepiness and longing of falling into bed, N'Umoya decided to wrap things up after letting Ianthe run off to her place of living. N'Umoya wondered why he even came out to the party in the first place, the high of his weed fading away as the rank smell of the party left his nose in place of the smell of rain dew. Ianthe made it to her place of residence fairly quickly, leaving the Savannah native with the opportunity to walk home while the rain started to come down hard. Heavy rain was a sign of washing away of something old to be replaced by something new and uncertain. Rains brought him back to a time of sitting on the porch of his father's hut inside the kraal, watching the heavy rain pour down without letting up. N'Umoya's father saw that the rain was too severe to let anyone work for the day, a rare case. N'Umoya's mother was busy braiding his hair while he let the falling rainwater hit his hands. Smiling at the memory, he proceeded to head home.

-exit