Of course, he had been welcomed with great pleasure. It meant money in the coffers to have a new face interested in the temple. Worshipping the immortal of commerce held some degree of worship of nel and its many benefits. He marveled at the architecture, something within him suddenly uneasy. Thys had never seen such opulence; only heard of it. But it made all too much sense. And he'd been robbed of it because his mother had been greatly misled. Why should the child suffer the sins of the parent if this was what it meant; living like a dog rather than as the noble he could have been. His fists balled at his side, tucked into his pockets immediately lest someone see. Brows furrowing and face contorting, he had to keep his head down to make sure no one saw too much. Perhaps they would question it, but he had his doubts about that.
The man that had greeted him was feathered. Thys had seen individuals like this before, but had never been closer than a sparse interaction to buy wares. An Avriel, he thought they were called. This one had colorful feathers that almost seemed to rise as he walked. Some were a brilliant blue that shone almost like the coins he saw in the palms of the devout as they entered. The mortal born wondered if that was because he took good care of them or because he was given some special endowment. Regardless, there was an air of importance to the man as he walked -- no; strutted. He didn't know the name for the bird the man most likely was related to, but it was something almost comical to see such avian confidence reflected with human characteristics.
The man turned to him briskly. "Yes, right, I did forget to ask you your name." Oh, he'd been speaking. Thys had been caught up in other things to notice. He pondered the possibilities of Bae's easy distractability crossing over to him in the moment. His fingers tingled as he schooled his features into something resembling the friendliness of the other personality.
"Thysbae, but -- please -- you may call me Thys." He gave a short bow, thinking it appropriate. When he looked up next, the man had a brow raised.
"Well, you may refer to me as Jaya. Unfortunately, our chief priest is not in at the moment, but we do have one of our more...acclaimed worshippers available to speak to. I could certainly give you all the information you need, but I fear I might ramble on and provide you with little clarity." Understandable; there were shorter ways of saying that you wished not to do such a low job as informing a newcomer of how things worked. But to each their own. Thys smiled along and nodded in understanding. The other smiled back, stepping forward to tap on the shoulder of another man.
This one was another bird. Short white hairs -- no; more feathers. There was a hint of black in the feathers closer to the nape of his neck, and he was taller than the man beside him, before him, and Thys. Long lashes, little red smudges along the edges of his eyes. Pretty. Most of the birdkin he had met had been pretty, and the pattern upheld itself.
They did not speak, just the passing of gestures and the quickest of glances in Thys' direction. He felt smaller than he was, shrinking into some sort of obscurity as the two conversed silently and turned to the third man. He half-expected to encounter another bird, but instead, he was met with a human with neatly clipped black hair and eyes that bore into the mortal born. He didn't wear a smile, much like the taller man beside him, but he spent a moment longer looking Thys up and down. The appraisal was not unusual but felt particularly more...thorough.
A grin spread over the man's face, and Thys' stomach rolled uncomfortably. Perhaps this would be the man that would lead him to the answers he needed, to certainty. Or he would endure the rigors of appeasing the contemptuous for nothing. Regardless, he felt an immediate dislike of the man that would not be shaken.
"Hello, there, little one. Ekne Scouse, at your service. You'd like to know of the Patron of Coin, would you?"
"Thys"
"Other"
