+1 Shadow fren

[bridgecrosser]

Krobus is trying so hard to be inconspicuous, but it's difficult when you have literally no idea what you're doing. The hat seemed like a good idea, and the trench-coat, but given that he's colorblind he grabbed the first ones that fit and the vivid purple makes him look more like the pimp in a 70's-era exploitation flick than anything else.

Hey, at least the sunglasses match. And they're coming in handy, it's awfully bright out here.

Behind him, the gateway he came through is cool and smells damp and musty. Fortunately, the scent of the sewer doesn't cling to him. He's got the faintest burnt-toast smell, with an edge of ozone, the smell of space.

"So, uh..." wow there are a lot of humans here! "Anyone want to buy an iridium sprinkler?"

A nervous pause, followed by an attempt at a smile, which is a little strange to look at because his skin, such as it is, is a lightless void, and his mouth is blank and white beneath it.

"I'm a traveling merchant." Normally he doesn't travel much, but he is today and that's what's important. "I have a special on pepper poppers, too! They're nice and spicy and cheesy and I...don't really like them, but humans usually do, so maybe you'll enjoy them."

"...not that I'm not human or anything. I'm totally normal. What, don't I look like a human?"

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[bridgecrosser]

There were elves in the Valley once, but it's been a long, long time. Krobus finds himself looking at this stranger thoughtfully from behind the silly dark glasses, and remembering.

After a moment he bobs his head sheepishly and tips his hat with an amorphous upper-limb. "It's for watering plants," he explains. "Iridium is the strongest metal we have where I come from. It has some magical properties, too."

Huh! No one's ever asked for a sample before, but Krobus sees no reason to say no. He picks up one of the pepper popper plates (say that ten times fast) and offers it out. "Sure, why not? Try one."

There's a little blush after that. No one's ever called him dear one that he can remember. How nice! "My kind come from the void. It's hard for a lot of other species to understand or accept us."

[starfreckles]

The dark elf can understand what Krobus is feeling, on some level...not that they ever thought it would be a feeling directed at them. Still, they smile at him, carefully taking one of the treats from the plate, making sure not to knock them off. "I see! That sound like a little more than what can fit in this Drow's pocket..." And chomp! Into Tar's mouth goes the spicy, cheesy fried ball.

Oh.

Oh no.

To their credit, Tar doesn't cough, but their face is quickly turning purple-red and they start fumbling for a waterskin somewhere in their robes. "Ah! That is spicy! The cheese is doing well to dull it a little...it's all together good...mm! Just a little much for me!"

Now, just excuse them while they are chugging down the cold water as fast as possible, tears in their eyes from the burning sensation from the peppers in the poppers.

[bridgecrosser]

Drow? Drow. An underground elf! Here he thought they were only legends; the last time he saw elves, they were wood-elves. Krobus can't help but be a little excited; this is like meeting a fairy tale. He beams, all friendly good intentions, and--

Oh. Oops. Oh, dear. That looks like it didn't go down so well.

He tugs his hat down and fans them with it on the off-chance it helps the heat. "Oh goodness! I'm sorry! I didn't realize they were that hot! I don't think I taste things the same way other people do."

This is a guy who eats giant chunks of wild horseradish. His idea of spicy might be a little off. "But it's okay not to like them! I didn't cook them myself, I bought them to resell from someone else so you aren't hurting my feelings."

Begs the question of what kind of cooking-oriented non-human creatures he hangs out with, doesn't it? "Uh...will you be okay? Actually, here, I have some goat's milk, maybe a little sip of that will help--"

[starfreckles]

"I think so! It's just too hot for me! It's really not terrible! My tongue is just a little weak!" They are trying their best to laugh it off, though their voice is still a little harsh from the ordeal. And they are also all out of water. "Mm...I may take that goat milk. Goodness!"

Another laugh, this time less pained from their little experiment and more back to their usually lilting tone. "You are sweet. I'll pay you for the milk at least. Like I said, I'm just weak to spicy things. I like the cheese though in it, so you can pass my compliments along on that, dear one...I'm just not good with hot peppers. Perhaps it's just because we don't have much of them in the Underdark. Makes it hard to deal with."

And yes, when given the goat milk, Tar will happily drink it like nothings off. They do have dairy goats back home after all.

[bridgecrosser]

He hands over a bottle of goat's milk helpfully. It's very cool, as if it came straight from the refrigerator, so there's probably some kind of preservation magic in the stand he's selling from. "Well, I'm glad I didn't hurt you. I've never met a Drow before. There used to be elves above ground where I come from, but they've moved on to other worlds, I think. Maybe there were Drow, too, and they moved deeper underground."

...that'd be so cool, actually. Exploring, maybe finding other friends deep in the caves.

"What do you eat in the Underdark?" He's curious now, because if it's anything like the food he favors, maybe he can bring something they'd like better next time. "I have void eggs, but I've never known anyone other than shadow people like me to enjoy eating them. They're pretty good scrambled, I think."

[starfreckles]

They almost are humming with delight as they finish up the goat milk, letting themselves breath as they fish around for some gold coins in their pockets before they continue. "Maybe. It's hard to say really. I only know my worlds history, and only a very little bit of it. At one point all elves of all kinds lived aboveground...some even in the sky! But...now it's hard to say what our real history is. I don't know of any elf alive who can properly say what happened in even their most recent past life, and Drow may not even have that luxury."

They reach out, very gently patting Krobus on his shoulder. "Nothing like void eggs... Lets see, I remember meat, different fungi and mushrooms...occasionally surface vegetables and fruits made their way down, but that was for the rich. My father and mother did bring me some on occasion though. That's what I got to eat when I still could live there."

[bridgecrosser]

In their most recent past life. Krobus hums his understanding happily, eyes squinting half-closed like a cat's. Shadow-people come from the cosmic Void, and death isn't quite the same thing to them as it is to other species. It's nice to hear how others operate. "I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable not to know, but somethings things get forgotten on purpose, too. Maybe moving forward is better in this case!"

"I don't usually eat meat, but bacon is pretty good." People don't touch Krobus a lot, but he doesn't seem to mind. He feels strangely soft, like candy floss or wool, except his shape holds to the touch.

"I've eaten fried mushrooms. They're pretty good. I guess I like salty and crunchy sometimes?"

[starfreckles]

"It's more...it makes having a context for others feelings harder. It makes them harder to understand." And Tar surely wants to. They want to know more. They want to better connect with the wonderful upper world they live in.

Ah, but still, Krobus is nice to touch. Like a sheep or moss...just...not the same? It doesn't matter. They still laugh. "Oh, I understand. Mushrooms are one of my favorite things to eat. And they can have such cute shapes! At least, I think they do."