A Tale Of Truth

{1} Iron and Blood.

DANTE 

Greed: Intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

Loud yelling mixed in the air, the shouts of drunken men filling his ears. He scowled, eyeing the door on the far side of the crowded tavern. The smell of sweat, mead, blood, and other more unpleasant smells filled his sensitive nose and his distaste with the small building and all of it's inhabitants grew. He tapped his long, tapered fingers against the wood of the table, avoiding the iron bolts, glancing at the girl sitting across from him, a nervous looking girl with a cinnamon colored skin and wide kaleidoscope eyes. She sat, ignoring the plate of food in front of her, twirly a lock of minty green hair around her fingers. His own stomach grumbled as the scent of the gross, but sustaining, mortal food ruled his nose. How many days had it been since he had eaten? Since he had left Nympharum? He had to be careful where he ate, for there were many worlds who's water was ridden with traces of iron. Even a faint glance of it in his system could mean pain and sickness for weeks.

A clattering startled him out of his own thoughts and he finds a plate of steaming and gross smelling food in front of him. As much as the thought of eating mortal food revolts him, his mouth watered and his stomach rumbled with an aching hunger. Ignoring his disgust, he grabbed for his fork. Unfortunately, like many times before, he swore and dropped it, clutching at his burning hand. Iron. They used do much of the blasted metal in this godforsaken world. He glared at the offending piece of metal, which lay on the table a few inches away. How in the bloody hell was he supposed to eat his meal without the correct utensils? With his hands, like a barbarian? Though, many in this world seemed to do that, he noted as he glanced around the tavern at the many eating mortals.

Though, not everyone was mortal. He could spot a few of Faerie Folk among the many mixed races of people mixed in with the crowds. It was easy to pick out newcomers and ones that had never traveled between worlds before. They sat stiffly and uncomfortably, eyeing everyone around them and acting with particular distaste. Few of curious and eager people tended to linger in taverns like this, especially on occasions like this.

"Here," A soft, lilting voice said and his attention was again brought back to the table. The dark skinned girl curiously watched him, and the wooden fork that now lay in front of him. Eyeing her, he plucked the fork up and twisted it between his fingers. It was cool and clammy against his skin. Shrugging, he used it to scoop food from his plate into his mouth. The slimy rice slides against his tongue and down his throat and, through his disgusted shuddering, his hunger gets to him. Despite his usual pristine manner and disgust, he shovels the food into his mouth, only stopping when he notices the girl studying him curiously, her mouth pulled into a nervous smile. 

"Wh-" He paused, swallowing the food in his mouth with a gulp, "What?" She looked startled and caught, making him smirk. 

"You, uh, you're not from this world either, are you?" Her voice was quiet and hesitant in the rowdiness of the tavern. He shrugged, scooping another forkful of food into his mouth. 

"You aren't?" She arched an eyebrow at him, leaning away from the table a bit. Silently, she gestures to herself. His eyes scanned over her oddly stripped and billowing dress, over the feathery earrings hanging from her ears, over the metal hoops filling the tops of her ears, over the many strange necklaces and bracelets hanging off her body. Her wide kaleidoscope danced with markings and looped tattoos that stretch lightly across the dark skin of her cheeks. 

He gives her a wry smile, shoveling more food into his mouth. He didn't care how barbaric he looked at the moment, for he was so hungry that that was all he could think about. Not the girl in front of him, or even the reason he had come there that day. All he cared about was filling his stomach, regardless the usual disgust with the mortal food.