Completed Boxed In (Garland)

[April Windweaver]

She was still recovering from her embarrassment when Garland started to remove his equipment. Stories, hunh? Well, she had more than enough to spare. Memories surfaced of her younger life, just barely a teen. She remembered adventuring and sailing the ocean with Leo.

Her chest stung at the thought of him, and she had to focus herself back on her guest.

April blinked. Her eyes fell on his torso, tracing the shape of his muscles with her gaze. She followed the curve of his abdomen all the way up to his chest. There was quite a bit to gander at. It wasn't to the point where he was obnoxiously muscular, but he did look strong enough to rip through the side of her boat if he needed it.

"No Girlfriend, hunh? That's surprising..." She idly nibbled on her fingernail as she studied him. She didn't expect the man inside all that armor to look quite like this. He was certainly... big. Maybe not as tall as some other knights around the place, but he managed to stand a good two or three inches taller than April. And his mass certainly made up for it. Looked like he stopped growing upwards and started growing outwards.

She caught herself and shook her head. "Uhm... anyways... Yeah... uh..."Her brain tried to recall what they were talking about. Something about stories.

"Oh! So you said you wanted to hear some stories, right? I've got loads and loads. Storms at sea, lost ruins, dangerous forest treks, setting myself on fire underwater, the list goes on" Her feet were tucked underneath her as she sat in her hammock.

[Garland]

"No Girlfriend, hunh? That's surprising..."

"What's so surprising about that?" He said and tugged on his shirt, trying to loosen it a bit. "When they see a knight, people mostly think 'Hey, a knight. Probably an uptight no nonsense soldier, don't bother talking to him' or something along those lines." He said and looked at April exposed scar. "How did you get that scar? It looks like it would have killed any lesser man... or woman in this case."

He stretched his legs and rolled open his sleeping roll. It was a bit dusty, but he didn't mind. He sat down on his sleeping roll and looked up at April. It seemed like she was lost in thought or something. Luckily enough she snapped right out of it.

"Oh! So you said you wanted to hear some stories, right? I've got loads and loads. Storms at sea, lost ruins, dangerous forest treks, setting myself on fire underwater, the list goes on"

"That sounds a bit extreme... Setting yourself on fire underwater... You should teach me how to do that. It would be fun!" He smiled and crossed his arms, thinking about what the pranks he could pull.

Getting a crowd to see him on fire and then jump into the sea but still be on fire would be just amusing to see their reaction. He took finished up his little meal, and ending with a large belch. "Sorry about that." He blushed and covered his mouth.

He thought for a moment. "Umm... Do you have a boyfriend, April? It would seem weird if you didn't." He said honestly. He could see a lot of flaws in April's character, but they were not major, and she was fun no matter what. "'Cause I think that whoever is going to get you will have to be pretty skilled and very lucky then."

[April Windweaver]

"This scar? Heheh... well, this one's one of my newer ones. I got it in another town. I was... kindly asked to leave after getting in a fight. To be fair, they were trying to rob me, but since I've Svefra I'm automatically a threat, so the guards pinned it on me. Because, you know, that's fair. But anyways, I opted to just sail out of there. Unfortunately, that band of merry thieves came back to bid me farewell. They even gifted me with some arrows. Several of them. One of them cut me deep, and I had a hell of a time trying to keep it clean while at sea. As you can probably tell, I don't have alot on hand at the moment. Main reason why I need to save up for equipment."

She took to finishing up dinner, scarfing down the jerky and taking large bites out of her apple. April was famished, and after a long day of work it felt nice to have something in her stomach. When she was finished she turned her attention back to Garland.

"No... no boyfriend. Once. But uh... he's gone. Resting." She scratched at her arm. "Under the waves..." She felt another pang at her hear, and it made her shudder.

"It's... hard to imagine myself finding another person." Her voice was quiet. "I've... heh, sorry. I know you probably don't want to hear all this. Don't get me wrong, I've had some blossoming romances in the past but... my line of work doesn't lend to friends." She frowned, gripping the bandage on her arm again.

"Maybe one day. I might meet someone brave and kind, strong in heart and fun in nature. Someone who isn't afraid to bend the rules. Yeah... I'd really like that." She smiled and looked up at Garland. There was a sincere kindness in her eyes.

"But I promised you a story. So, let me tell you the time I was stranded off the coast of Avanthal and managed to catch fire underwater. It was early in the morning, two summers ago, and I was stuck at sea..."

The wind was howling like a wild dog, the waves throwing Tosca and her solitary crew back and forth across the sea. Barrels and baskets flew off the deck and into the dark waters below. April tried to find footing on the boards, but the rain had turned them slick. Her feet gave out and she was sent sliding across the portside and thrown off the side of the ship. She threw out her hands in panic and managed to grasp a length of rope dangling over the side. The sea roared and rumbled below her as it tried desperately to drag her in.

It hissed and spat with fervor unlike anything April had seen. Inch by inch she was sliding down the rope, her hands too wet to cling on for much longer. She turned her face up into the sky and was immediately struck by a volley of sea spray. The rain came down hard onto her face and it took an enormous amount of effort to see past it. Her vision filled with water, but through it she could see the railing just an arms length above her.

With a heavy groan, she reached up. Up, up she stretched with fingers trembling and hands shaking. She could feel it against her fingertips. So close! Further, further, but to no avail. The sea bashed against the ship and broke April's already fading grip. With a squeal, she fell into the abyss.

As luck would have it, an upturned barrel was close at hand and allowed some amount of protection from the elements. She ducked underwater and reached around frantically until it came into her possession. Upon resurfacing she found that the inside of the barrel still had a pocket of air. It would give her some time to catch her breath.

She cursed herself for setting out to sea in such poor conditions. She should have heeded the advice of the dock-hands. Strong winds meant strong storms. Stupid, stupid girl.

She pulled out her matchbox. It was by some miracle that it had remained sealed shut and the matches inside were unsullied. She lit one. As much as she enjoyed the protection of the barrel she could not stand being in pitch black. But it didn't take long for her to realize her mistake.

At first she did not realize that the water was black and sparkling. Or that the inside of the barrel itself had a coat of black tar-like liquid.

Oil. A barrel of oil, spilled out across the water.

"Oh... petch"

FWOOSH! In the blink of an eye, the barrel and the surface of the water around her burst into flames. Her hair became a radiant ball of fire as she screamed in terror. Even the water offered no salvation, as the fire was spread out over several meters of sea. Now she was trapped underwater during a raging storm that was ON FIRE.

Every time she tried to resurface she was assaulted by flames. Every breath she took was filled with smoke. Her limbs were breaking down, their strength fading into the roaring rapids. She couldn't hold out for much longer. She had to think of something, quick.

With all of her remaining energy she swam under the tossing and turning waves towards her ship, which was thankfully far enough from the fire to be spared. Her arms were covered in light burns and made swimming much more painful that it should have. But through sheer determination she succeeded in catching up to the drifting ship.

Her hand gripped at the barnacles on its underside and lifted her head above the water for a few precious seconds before diving back under. She moved to the side with the rope and broke the surface in syncronization with a giant wave. It slammed her against the side of the ship high up enough for her to grab on. Spurred by the desire to live, she clung on for dear life as the waves pushed her closer to shore.

It was a good hour before they hit land, and all that April remembered after that was wading onto the beach and collapsing onto the sand.

[Garland]

"It seems like you're full of adventure." He said with a smile. "The most exciting thing that happened to me is the attack on Syliras last Fall. That's about it, a few Yukmen skirmishes and one bandit attack. Other than that, its pretty normal around here." He said, with a slight longing for adventure, but in he knew deep inside that he wouldn't last a week alone out there.

"No... no boyfriend. Once. But uh... he's gone. Resting. Under the waves."

It must have been a sour subject. He was about to apologize but it felt out of place with her still talking and all that. Besides, it might seem a bit disrespectful. So he just sat there, and let her vent out a bit. He studied her face as she did so. She had that look on her face, it was hard to describe, but he was almost captivated with her face.

He didn't find it beautiful, though it had a certain beauty to it, most others would probably not even consider her face in the slightest as beautiful. Strangely enough, Garland just can't take his eyes off of her.

"Maybe one day. I might meet someone brave and kind, strong in heart and fun in nature. Someone who isn't afraid to bend the rules. Yeah... I'd really like that."

He snapped out of it. "Well, I can't think of anyone that fits that description. Most of the other squires or knights are either one or the other, not both." He said, trying his hardest to think of anyone appropriate to what she was looking for.

He couldn't think of anyone he knew that was both of those though. Maybe Nivel, but unless April was into female Pycons she wasn't really an option.

He can think about that later, but right now he was slightly more interested in her story.

-A while later-

"Really? Really? By the gods, you're either one of the luckiest people I've ever known or the unluckiest." He laughed a bit, though he really shouldn't, April almost died and here he was laughing at her misfortune. "S-Sorry, it's just so unbelievable, and unlikely. Anyway... I'm glad you're alright, it must have been some Hai you've been through." He said after his initial burst of laughter, there was a bit of concern in his voice as well.

He laid down on sleeping roll, happy to be at least out of the rain, but he was really happy because he was staying the night with a friend. "Well... I think we should hit the hay, unless you have something else to talk about." He decided to keep quiet about the fact that he preferred to sleep naked, and he was uncomfortable with his clothes on.

[April Windweaver]

She was happy with Garland's reaction, his excitement fueling her growing ego. It was by far one of the more mild stories she had, but it seemed to be enough to get the squire interested. If she had the energy, she would spend all night telling stories.

April puffed out her chest proudly. "Adventure's my middle name. No matter the challenge, no matter the risk, you can bet that April Windweaver, Proud Svefran explorer, will be there willing and able! I've got a motto you know. 'Life's for the living, so live it, or you're better off dead' "

She blinked slowly, starting to feel the effects of her curse. A wild nature like hers had to have a counter. And for April, it was sleep. At nightfall her body automatically began to shut down, her senses dulled. It was like she was being switched off. And it was already taking effect.

"Yawn... I think I'll save the others for another time. Maybe the one with the smugglers and the barrel full of bread. Or the ancient ruins with the spinning ball puzzle. Or the hngugh... bruh..." And she was out like a light. The hammock bounced as she collapsed. With one arm hanging out and her foot curled under her other leg, April fell into a deep, soundless sleep.

[Katelyn Marks]

Due Rewards

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

― Philip Pullman

 

April

Skills
➢ Bodybuilding +1
➢ Socialization +5
➢ Observation +5
➢ Endurance +1
➢ Acrobatics +1
➢ Investigation +2
➢ Seduction +1
➢ Hostessing +2
➢ Rhetoric +3
➢ Storytelling +1

Lores
➢ Location: The Great Harbor
➢ Garland: Syliran Squire
➢ Garland: A Prankster
➢ Garland: Possibly a Lecher?

 

Garland

Skills
➢ Body Building +1
➢ Observation +5
➢ Socialization +5
➢ Investigation +2
➢ Rhetoric +2

Lores
➢ Location: The Great Harbor
➢ April: Has Crazy Hair
➢ April: A Casual Smoker
➢ April: Possibly a Pirate?
➢ April: Fun Sized
➢ April: A Svefra
➢ April: Lucky or Unlucky?
➢ Aunt Tosca: April's Casinor

Shield Points: +2 for helping a stranger

Great thread you two! I really enjoyed the both of you in this. If you have any concerns or questions about your rewards please feel free to send me a message. Also, please edit your original grade request and mark it as graded. Thank you and enjoy!