Well now, this is confusing. [Road to Rathess]

Akara liked Chaing-Dav. Hell, he liked the East. It was unashamedly ALIVE, and never lacked for duties that an ambitious young man who enjoyed his work might get himself involved with. That, and people tended to be a more reasonable height. Akara was sick of being an underfoot squeak of a lawgiver in the North, and things were somewhat out of his control in the South.

Akara had not, and would not, visit the West, for obvious reasons. Dereth reasons.

The spirit's voice hissed and crackled, not unlike the sound of roasting chestnuts buried in gravel. "Thissss is an UNacceptable state of affairs!" The spirit was unhappy, clearly. It had every right to be. The self-appointed guardian of a single family, the vibrant, colored snake-with-wings had been sadly left behind when it's family had - as some families do - forgotten about it. Somewhere just above a little god and a forgotten nobody, Kwatyl had petitioned heaven for But gotten lost in the wheels of bureaucracy.

In his tiny wrath and angst, the guardian spirit had taken to haunting the strange family that had moved into the estate once built by his chosen family. They'd sought a exorcism, which Akara - ever passionate about such things - had answered.

Sitting on the tall wall that marked the edge of Kwatyl's self-appointed territory, Akara extended his hand so the tiny flying snake could wrap itself unhappily around his wrist. They were isolated, the Dereth had little concern that a mortal might wander by and see such a beautiful little creature. "How could they simply...forget?" Kwatyl lamented sadly, it's hundred-shade feathers ruffled with misery. Once they had been huge, vibrant wings - but prayer was life ands sustenance to such a creature. "For generations, I watched over them."

Short of finding the little spirit a new family to watch over - No easy task - Akara was at a loss. Kwatyl was upset, and it's mood lept between mourning and fury with little warning. For now, he decided, it was enough to simply hear the thing's story and offer a caring ear. Which is what he had been doing, for nearly the days. Sitting on a wall.

He was beginning to feel like a guru. A very hungry guru. "Perhaps we would have more luck searching for a... branch member of your family?"

"And leave MY terrITORY?" Kwatyl hissed indignantly. "Why, it woULD be ovERRun in MINutES! With VAGRantSS!"

Kwatyl reacted quickly and, as far as Akara was concerned, rudely. The winged snake, curled around his wrist, bared it's fangs and whipped around Akara's body like an incredibly cross tempest - eventually settling around Akara's neck and shoulders like an upset and scaly scarf, tiny fangs displayed. "BegONe, water-head! ThisSS wall is mine! All THAT lay wIThin it belONGs to me!" It warned furiously. "YOu cannot TAKe mY PLAce!"

Akara shushed the upset spirit gently, carefully stroking it's flared hood. Was it patronizing? Maybe a little. But he was very tired, very hungry, and only a little sick of Kwatyl's apparently limitless rancor. There was a special place in Akara's heart for snakes - his first pet in childhood had been a little sand-serpent - and spirit or not, old habits died hard. "She means you no harm, friend." Akara promised quietly. "See her gesture of politeness? She means not to climb your wall, unless invited." If this were just a curious mortal, perhaps he'd have given a different excuse. Ventriloquism, perhaps. But the woman was busy as foreign as he was, clearly, and carrying a blade of no doubt glorious make. That, and she was apparently unphased by the presence of a talking bird/snake.

Kwatyl gave it'ss therapist/climbing post an incredulous look, then seemed to deflate slightly. "She mAY not clIMb my wall." It grumbled unhappily. "SHe isss aRMEd." Even petty control was still control. "HEr accENT is unplEASAnt." It added as a final barb.

Akara offered the woman a smile in apology. "Please forgive my friend. Lovely young women have made it's life very complicated." He offered in an attempt at a compassionate and conciliatory tone. Kwatyl slithered through Akara's volumes of hair, only emerging to shoot Kira the occasionally mistrustful look. "My name is Akara. I hope we have not soured your opinion of us with an unpleasant reception, beauty of the waves." It never hurt to compliment somebody upon first meeting. And Akara's understanding if the West was that women from there were used to being slaves or treasured objects - So flattery was either a rare treat or casual conversation.

Kwatyl narrowed it's eyes suspiciously, write comfortable doing so from the lofty perch of Akara's shoulders and the wall. Akara, for his part, re-folded his legs into a slightly more comfortable lotus and gave the unhappy spirit an 'I told you so' smile. "We are well-met then, Kirasath." He decided warmly. This was neither the time or place to explain what a Dereth was, so Akara didn't bother - he was used to being thought of as a woman by people who didn't have a way of knowing better, and something told him that his business with the blue-haired woman sitting on the street would extend farther than just today.

Kwatyl, for it's part, curled around Akara's now-extended arm again to peer down at Kira without leaving it's domain. "MOrE dIRe than yoU kNOw, water-head Dravere." It grumbled.

Akara lifted the spirit to her face and blew softly to chastise it. Kwatyl hissed in reply, but did not bear it's hood. "Being rude will not earn you the friends you need." He reminded it gently. "I propose a deal - In lieu of an apology for your rudeness..." An apology he was sure the winged snake would bungle in it's grief, leading to resentment it was not equipped to handle. "...Why don't you invite this helpful woman up onto your wall, and in exchange, I will tell her your story."

Kwatyl looked unconvinced as it mulled this over, feathers shifting as it tight long and hard. Akara took this to mean that the spirit wanted to agree, but only if it could preserve it's diminished pride somehow. "Perhaps she can aid me in helping you, Kwatyl - being only flesh and blood limits my utility." He pointed out.

"VERy weLL!" Kwatyl declared, flying a small circle around Akara's head to express it's magnanimity and beauty for both of them to appreciate. "SHe may sEEk reFUGe on MY wALL. DO NOT make me REGRET my GENERous NaTURe, water-head!" It warned, before wrapping around Akara once more, seeing refuge in the confines of the Dereth's yellow gi. Akara seemed not at all bothered by a cross serpent slithering around his cleavage and waist for protection just in case Kira turned out to be an invader.

Pride was a selective and funny thing. Akara offered the western woman an inviting smile, patting the layered, red shingles of the wall beside him. At one time, they'd been as multicolored as Kwatyl himself, but age had reduced the terra cotta to dull red atop stone bricks, almost as though the wall were fashioned after something from Lookshy.

As Akara suspected, the woman wasn't some random, curious mortal. Interesting, but she seemed well intentioned - and even if she wasn't, Akara was not worried about handling threats to his person. Kwatyl, peering out from the confines of Akara's sleeve, narrowed it's eyes suspiciously to remind the woman it was watching her, before retreating back to nest somewhere above Akara's sash, around his abdomen. Akara didn't mind. Kwatyl was upset, and perhaps resting somewhere dark and warm would do it's mood some good. It HAD been materialized for some time.

"A warrior built this estate for her family back during the Shogunate era." Akara explained, his tone carefully measured with compassion and respect for the spirit fussing and twisting about in his clothes. "For her bravery and kindness, Heaven blessed her large family with a guardian spirit - who would watch over their home in exchange for prayer and respect."

From atop the wall, Kira could see that the land behind them was both walled off, and beautiful - Ancient trees, flowers and grass as lovingly cultivated as a garden over centuries, with a beautiful temple-estate atop a distant hill. If the family that lived in such opulence did not rule a city, it was only because they did not wish to. "Kwatyl guarded the boundaries of its family for generations. It watched over their sons and daughters, comforted their sick." Akara explained. The fussing of the winged serpent grew conspicuously silent, as Kwatyl listened to it's own story. "Fires and incense were lit in the family shrine to honor it, and even these walls were as multicolored as it's scales."

Akara leaned back slightly and covered his mouth, turning away to politely hide a yawn before continuing.

"Unfortunately, the family diminished over time. Fifty years ago, they were struck by illness. The last son of the family left to seek his fortunes elsewhere." Akara explained, resting his hands on his knees. He wouldn't insult the spirit by comforting it with a stroke while it was hiding/resting. "Another family has recently taken up residence here - a couple of them, actually. And they don't have any interest in the spirits of this place." Akara noted with some distaste.

"They sought a thaumaturge to 'intervene' for them." Akara explained, stressing the word 'intervene' to imply the way a farmer might get a cat to 'intervene' with the local mice on his behalf. "I felt compelled to investigate, and Kwatyl has since been regaling me with stories of his family. He misses them a great deal."

Under all that anger and bluster was simply a member of the family who'd been forgotten and left behind - like a guard dog no longer wanted. Akara could no more drive away such a proud and once-caring creature than she could destroy it. The question was convincing the current residents to pick up the contract, or finding the proud little spirit a new family that might match his ego.