Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Thank you, Taka," Skon said with a smile as she accepted the cup of steaming fire-blossom tea. The young d'jinn smiled back and nodded.

"You're welcome, Miss Bris. Always a pleasure to have you in here for your twenty-seven minutes of lunch," he said with an amused grin, thin arms crossing over his chest. The earthen d'jinn was smaller than most his kind, but he was young yet, Skon believed he would start filling out before the summer was over.

She chuckled as she sipped the tea, savoring the fiery punch of the delicate tea. "Twenty-seven minutes? Am I that predictable, Taka?"

Taka chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at another customer. "Miss Bris, I could set my sand-counters by your arrival everyday. Pardon me, duty calls." Skon shook her head in amusement as she began flipping through the parchments on her clipboard, sipping at her tea.

It had been a busy day, but then again, it always was when dealing with the other races that visited the capitol of the fae'jinn lands. Skon Bris had known that someday she'd always be a political adviser to the Queen, though she'd be the first to admit the Social & Cultural Adviser was the last thing she'd have thought of. She enjoyed the job, meeting all the fascinating races that move through the city, be it for trade, treaty, or simply to cause trouble.

Still, there were times she wouldn't mind a day off.

Skon looked up as she heard the sounds of flute and drums drift through the cafe. She smiled, recognizing the sound of the street performers, and quickly finished her tea. Leaving her usual tip for Taka, she waved to him before slipping out the door and into the sunlight.

The streets bustled with kats and d'jinns, and she could hear the good-natured arguing as vendors plied their trade and buyers acted insulted at such 'outrageous' prices. The scent of cooking meats and exotic spices danced through the air, caressing the nose and making the tongue salivate in promise. A busy energy infused the area, bringing it alive with the clink of coin and the rustle of fine fabrics.

Ah, yes, this is why she loved her job. The sights, the sounds, the energy that fed the city with new people for her to meet and learn about.

Skon smiled as she slipped through the crowd with ease, making her way towards the music. She had a few minutes still before she needed to check on the party of Vikings that had roared into town the day prior. She only hoped they were more sober this morning than they had been the afternoon before.

She made her way to the musicians just as the music shifted from a light, airy beat to something more dance-worthy. Bris saw the reason immediately as she broke through the crowd, one eye-brow arching up in surprise and curiosity.

A d'jinn the adviser had never seen before was dancing slowly before the performers, the last faint wisps of her smoke trail disappearing on the wind to reveal legs obviously toned from countless hours of dancing.

"Well well, what's this?" Skon asked under her breath, curiosity piqued as she watched the dancer begin her routine.

Skon stood to the side, her face showing nothing more than mild interest as she watched the d'jinn dance. Though she never played poker, more than a few Palace guards had commented on the exceptional poker face she possessed when dealing with others. Inside though, she found herself being amazed by the dancer's skill and grace, the adviser felt like she was watching the music come alive through the pale d'jinn surrounded by a growing crowd.

There was a murmured gasp as she took the sword, and even the pickpockets working the crowd stopped to watch. The dancer's spin was exceptional, the blade barely moving from it's spot. As the music came to an end, so did the dancer end up on the ground.

There was a second of dead silence before the crowd exploded into applause, the thunderous roar catching Skon off guard and making her jump from the sound. Smoothing her hair down, she watched as the crowd dispersed, a small shower of coins hitting the dancer's collection basket and those of the musicians. The adviser bide her time, waiting to make her move.

As the dancer stood up, Skon made her move. Moving forward on her smoke trail, she picked up the basket before the dancer could react and held it up to her with a smile. "Quite impressive, my lady. May this humble adviser buy an aspiring dancer a meal for such an inspiring performance?"

Skon chuckled softly as she handed the basket to the d'jinn. "Pardon my forwardness in picking up your basket. Such a performance deserves such small services though." She reached into her coin purse and dropped a few gold pieces into the dancer's basket, then a few coins into the musicians'.

She nodded toward them with a smile before taking the dancer's elbow and guiding her through the crowd towards the cafe she'd exited earlier. "Tsk, where are my manners? My apologies, your performance as obviously addled my wits, else I would have introduced myself by now." She smiled as she stopped and offered her hand. "I am Skon Bris, the Social & Cultural Adviser to The Fae'jinn Queen."

Skon arched an eyebrow as she watched the dancer tuck the coin purse down her cleavage. Interesting, she thought as they walked down the street, clearly not even a thought as to the movement, second nature for her. She has the look and feel of one who's traveled, possibly quite a bit.

She smiled as she shook the dancer's hand, then resumed their walk. "Yasmeen, a fine name for a fine dancer. You must be new to the city, else I am sure I would have heard of you before now. Few with your level of skill and talent escape my notice."

As they stepped into the cafe, wiry Taka appeared, a look of confusion written across his boyish features. "Ah, Miss Bris, welcome back! I trust everything is okay?"

Skon chuckled and smiled. "Relax, Taka, nothing bad has happened. Tell me, does your father still make the Dancer Special?"

Taka blinked in surprise, then noticed the lithe d'jinn standing next to the adviser. He grinned in understanding and nodded. "Aye, dad still make it, though it ain't as popular as before. Not many dancers around lately since the studio closed."

"'It's not as popular'," she automatically corrected with a smile, "If it's not too much trouble, would you bring one Special and a-"

"Pot of fire-blossom tea?" Taka said with a grin.

Skon laughed and nodded. "Yes, you scoundrel. Now shoo, you have customers waiting."

She shook her head with a smile as she led Yasmeen to her table and sat down, hands clasped as she watched the dancer with a calculating smile.

Skon smiled and nodded. "I figured as much. Pardon my curiosity, but you have the air of one who's traveled, and seen much in her life. Unless I'm mistaken, some of your moves seem like they may have come from other cultures, other races. Ah, thank you, Taka." The young d'jinn smiled as he set a steaming pot of tea on the table and disappeared. Skon poured them both a cup and sipped hers with a small sigh of enjoyment.

"You're right, this cafe is a particularly favorite place of mine. Their fire-blossom tea is particularly strong, so if you're not used to it, I suggest using a cube or two of suger to tone it down a little." She smiled as she sipped her uncut tea. "As for the Dancer Special, there used to be a small dance studio a block from here. Alas, the owner turned out to be a less-than-savory character, and disappeared one night with the studio's funds. I was saddened the day I found it closed, I enjoyed watching them practice on occasion."

She chuckled suddenly and shook her head in amusement. "Ah, but I'm getting off track. The Dancer Special was what the owner of this restaurant created for the students. Delicate cubes of turkey, chicken, and pork marinated, strips of vegetables and peppers, all tossed together and pan-seared with herbs, spices, and a dash of red pepper. Very filling without being a heavy meal, and the herbs, spices, and peppers he uses gives one a bit of pep in their step during practice."

Skon smiled as she poured herself more tea. "It may sound a simple meal, but the flavor is exquisite, worthy of the Queen herself, if I may say so."

Skon nodded as she listened to Yasmeen. "I haven't seen the traveling troupes in the Capitol in quite some time, but I remember seeing them in my village quite often. It was always quite the treat for us when we were children." For a split second, there was a break in Skon's demeanor, the smile of a little girl creeping across her face as she remembered. "The singing, the dancing. There was one troupe that had a faegoat who would dress up like a woman. He billed himself the 'Manliest Woman Alive!' and would march around the village striking silly poses."

She shook her head and sipped her tea, and the little girl within disappeared as Skon brought herself back to the present with an embarrassed smile. "Pardon me, I'm usually not so unprofessional." The adviser smiled as Taka reappeared carrying a silver platter with skewers of grilled meats and vegetables. The young d'jinn smiled and nodded before slipping away.

Skon fell silent as they fell into eating. After all, it was rather impolite to discuss potential business with a mouth full of food.

Skon smiled as she watched the dancer eat. She herself ate in a quick, efficient manner that left a handful of skewers piled neatly on the platter. After asking Taka to remove the empty platter and replace the tea, she settled back in her seat, pleasantly full. It'd been a while since she'd had the special, and was pleased to see it was every bit as good as she remembered.

"Ah, Taka's father does make a fabulous meal. I'd tried to talk him into working in the Queen's kitchen, but alas, I fear his curmudgeonly attitude would have gotten him cross-ways with the rest of her cooks." She chuckled while sipping her tea. "And he very bluntly stated that he would rather share his cooking with the common folk of the Capitol than a bunch of spoiled royals. He certainly has a 'unique' view on diplomacy." Her eyes twinkled in amusement as she leaned forward.

"Anyways, enough about that. If I may be so forward, Yasmeen, may I ask what your plans are, now that you're here in the Capitol?"