Cowboy Cae

You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” ((How do you respond?)) Cavaris glances between the seat and the old lady, before sitting down with a small simper. “I don’t think I should go about telling strangers my business,” they spoke, shifting in their seat, “So I’ll introduce myself first. Despite you knowing me. Supposedly. Elderly woman I just met.” Silence. “My name is Cavaris Sagevale, and I plan on establishing a tavern and inn north of Urguan. Eventually. I have things to do before then.” When the tent fell quiet again, Cavaris twiddled with their sleeve, visibly uncomfortable. “Well, usually that’s where you would introduce yourself, but since you’re so chatty, I’ll just have to rudely interrupt you to get a word in.” They clear their throat and begin, “Maybe it’d be best if I start as early as possible. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved people. Animals too, but more on that later. Why we need to do things in a certain manner or fashion, or what’s the origin of a particular custom. I remember making a ‘rude’ comment at a funeral when I was 7? Somewhere around that age. There were a couple gasps and rude stares,”—they squinted— “but no explanations as to what I did wrong.” Staring at the ground, they avoided eye contact with the old woman. Something felt off. “So I began my studies. If no one would tell me the in’s and out’s of social navigation, then I would teach myself. It started with staring at people from my window. Which, now that I think about it, may have been a mistake. All it did was unnerve my neighbors. That was lesson number 1: Staring is bad. Fine by me, because I have difficulty with looking people in the eye anyway.”