Closed Map Nerds (Fallon)

[Pulren Marsh]

Well, she was getting dressed anyway. Progress.With a grab of a coat and a brief swagger, it seemed to be time to go. This was even more progress, which Pulren appreciated. Standing alongside his former boss, he nodded. "I understand that we won't be joined at the hip. I could just use your real world expertise against the lore in the books." That pretty much summed it up. He hoped that the two of them garnered some kind of bond or nurtured what bond they had a bit. If not, however, he could as easily accept the information he required.

Picking up his own journals and quills, he followed her outside and back into the salty sea air of Zeltiva. The duo began walking toward the direction of the University and its library, the conversation continuing. " I want to know about the places that I may go in my life. I don't want to just read about places. I want to visit them and be a part of the world, not just a bystander. How I do it, I'm not sure. Those are things I have to work out. Books can only tell me so much, though, You have been to these places, so with the lore I read and you, being a person who has been there, I can distill the truth about where to go and when. Make any sense?" She had pushed to get answers from him. Direct answers to direct questions. He was giving them to her now and hoped that they would lead them both to a more direct direction.

[Fallon]

"I see," Fallon spoke quietly then. Pulren had not exactly answered the question, but instead listed his intended desires - it did not help in limiting down the potential routes of research. Not that he seemed particularly bothered on whether or not she actually sat down and helped him anyway. No, all he wanted was her knowledge and her skills it felt, and there was the distinct feeling of an attempted buttering up of her ego. She let her eyes rest ahead, the spring air being more pleasant than the warm interior of the home. It was that she set her mind upon, while tallying up a mental list of things she needed to look into and research. An inhale of salted air, the refreshing of her lungs, before the long exhale.

"Bystanders have more of a chance to see things change, to be able to record history accurately for one location, one city," her lips gave a small twitch, "Everything has its pros and cons. But, it is good to see and experience too - visit the world, explore the exotics far away, live the tales instead of hear them. Yet, it is even better to always come home to a place that will always have you, no?" It was merely a philosophical point, one to consider and one that left a lingering bitter taste in her mouth. She had no home, no place to truly welcome her back with open arms. Such foundations were never laid to her. Her mind quickly produced a lighter thought; it did not matter where they were as long as she had Zandelia by her side.

The streets changed as they continued their steady pace, the crowds and bodies growing as they hit the main routes of traffic. Fallon's hands gave a rest within her pockets, the eyes flickering back and forth as she considered what she needed. Books, in particular on Zeltivan traditions. And of course more information on sailing - perhaps she could try and find a copy of the circumnavigation, she pondered briefly. Her lips pulled into a line, the eye lids narrowing as she spotted the library entrance in the distance. With a nod of the head she began to get closer, she taking the small rise up the steps to the large doors, it was with a push that she looked within and felt herself reminiscing back to simpler times. Studenthood, spending times talking literature, piecing her life back together - it was strange how Zeltiva seemed to have that effect on her.

"So, books," she gave a gesture to the numerous shelves that graced the interior of the library itself. She took the lead, slower steps taking this time as her eyes darted between the ends of shelves - it was there that the topics were listed, and it was the one that had Geography scrawled there that she pointed down, "There, Geography stuff. I'll be right back." Fallon took off quickly, steps firm as she dipped into the more cultural aspects of the library. From there her fingers simply ran along the book edges, lips silently twitching out the words on the spine until it paused on the back of a slender tome - labelled Matters of the Heart: Mother R. Lovegood's Guide to Traditional Marriage - and drew it out. It was with only a quick dip back that she returned to Pulren, already flicking through the contents.

[Pulren Marsh]

As the odd pair walked through the awakening streets of Zeltiva, Fallon posed a kind of question to Pulren. As he was on his way to the hallowed halls of the University, he felt that he should give it the weight it was due. Remaining quiet for a moment, he really focused on it. Of course she was right. He wondered if he had even insulted her by not paying attention to her own plight. Even worse, he hadn't even considered her own viewpoint, being completely enamored with his own perspective. "I have to admit, I was often homesick when I was in Sunberth. I enjoyed parts of the city, but it would never be Zeltiva to me. Its poor excuse for docks, the smoke of the heap blocking out this sky we enjoy. So, yes. It is always better to be in the home town that you are used to."

Pulren chose not to dig into her own origins. She seemed the type to tell when she was ready. He decided he would be more available to her, however, should another opportunity present itself to be more open. Once inside the library, he looked around, inhaling the smell of the paper. It was a good smell; the smell of knowledge. Following her lead, he followed the movement of her head as they had arrived at a shelf about Geography and the lore he sought. Then, it seemed, she wanted to seek out something else. It was fair enough. He had been warned, after all. A simple nod and smile and he headed down along the books, his fingers tracing along the dusty edge of the shelf until he saw something of interest.

A large flat binded volume, loose because it read on the front simply Maps of the Sylira Region, Various. His eyes alight, he slid the large stack out and looked for a nearby table. Finding a spot, he placed it before him and opened it, finding first what appeared to be a map of Zeltiva and Mathews Bay. Opening his own journal next to it, he could clearly see the familiar shape, but saw a greater amount of detail in the larger local map. Taking a seat, he opened a new page and an inkwell, his quill at the ready to make a copy of this map for himself.

[Fallon]

In the time that Fallon had been away it seemed as if Pulren had already gotten to work with what he desired to research. He had proffered his own volume and writing equipment on the subject of geography and maps. She merely raised her own eyebrow as she peered into the contents of her own book, a flick through the pages as she tried to find what she actually wanted. Yet, despite the look of focus that fell across her features, Fallon could not help but feel the sensation of burning cheeks. Embarrassment perhaps, she could not quite place the emotion outside of it being a subject she was blindly walking into. Uncertainty and the unknown would perhaps be the better description, but she could not help but feel the sensation of dread rest within her stomach.

With a follow after Pulren to the table he had chosen within the library, Fallon took the steps to the other side and placed the book down open at the start of one of the chapters - something about symbolisms within the ceremony - and instead focused on the map. It took her a moment to register it as Zeltiva, her eyes narrowing down as she noted how built up the city was. While not showing buildings on an individual level it showed the streets that lined up closely to the waters' edge, the small units and named establishments written in clear and steady hand. Her own right gave a twitch then, the scar tensing and then easing off.

Her eyes gave a flicker to the shapes, watching him begin his copying of the piece down to the best his hand could manage - she had doubts it would be an immediate master piece, but it was a start for whatever it was he wanted to achieve. Still, she had cause to cock her head to one side in thought, "So, copying maps now? Planning to be a cartographer?" She paused then, "Or just for the reason of why not?" Fallon begun to move around then, sliding into one of the empty chairs and promptly perched in it, "Guess it allows you to annotate where you desire though, no?"

Fallon turned her gaze back to her own book then, eyes scanning the first few lines about what was perceived as common features in the eyes of the author - white shash, blank books, a sand dollar, each held their own meanings. Purity, faith and the light within the union, the story that is yet to be written, the freedom and prosperity that the union would bring; they were interesting concepts to say the least and something Fallon would have to muse over. A slither of humour escaped her voice as she read, "So, Zeltiva hmm? What are you searching for Mister Marsh? Buried treasure within your home city?" She hummed then, "Imagine that, so much waiting to be found just beneath the surface - itching to be uncovered and revealed to the world."

[Pulren Marsh]

She soon returned with her own studies as he suspected she would. His hand followed the lines of the Bay and he did his best to mimic those lines, to make them as correct a copy as he was able. He smiled when she mentioned him being a cartographer. Dipping his quill into the ink to continue the action of copying, he answered. "Well, not as a profession, though I have always loved maps. I find them fascinating. I want to travel, as you know, and I will probably go places that don't have libraries, so I figure I should know how to make my own maps of the areas I find." His hand moved slowly and without tremor as he focused on the work.Agreeing and nodding again, he added, "Yeah, you never know when you might find something interesting and want to come back and check it out when it makes sense to."

Looking up, he saw that she had joined him and he peered over to the book that she brought, though he couldn't make it out. Judging the area of the Bay as it was drawn, he tried to guess at where the Trial rock would be located. He would have to decide on where to place it so that he could then also mark the location of where his diving space would be located, once he had all of the necessary tools for it. Fallon started speaking again and Pulren took time to place the quill aside and listen to her as the ink dried on the page. Looking thoughtfully at the rows of books as he pondered her question, he picked up on her light ribbing. "There very well could be treasure. There's the wreckage of various ships and the aftermath of the 515 storm. The sea snakes brought treasure to Sunberth, so there could be some here as well. I enjoy diving as a hobby and actually finding treasure sites or other places of use in the Bay would be a nice extra merit."

Looking down, the ink appeared to have dried a good deal and he took his quill back up and dipped it in the ink again, working his way toward the open ocean with his rendition of the coastline. Not looking up, he kept the conversation light and friendly. "What did you bring to study? It's not maps, but you seem interested. Another why not?" His grin grew.

[Fallon]

"A good reason if I've ever heard one. Not sure what sort of equipment you'd need to make maps, but I'm sure with research you would be able to work it out," she merely offered the words, her eyes occasionally glancing back down to her chosen book. Her finger occasionally traced the line, pressing down and reading the few words that had been put there, "Still, sounds like a good project to work on in any free time you may have." She stuck to simply listening for now, there was no need to make true notes on supposed events and common events. It would not surprise her that there may be wreckage lying in the bay itself, and the snakes of Sunberth was something to consider. She wondered, briefly, if they had come to Zeltiva too - but quickly pushed that thought aside for what she was here for.

It was carefully she pulled the notebook out from her coat pocket, placing it firmly on the table and flicked through the pages of scrawled text and folded papers that were tucked in. She really needed to organise it again, it was just a matter of time of settling down to do so. Her gaze only lifted when Pulren posed his own question, the woman still in the process of flicking through the pages onto a blank set and locating where she may have placed her quill and ink with a pat.

"A book about marriage," Fallon finally answered. She paused for a moment, "Mainly on Zeltivan traditions. I... well. I'm getting married in the Autumn." She shrugged, and turned her gaze back down to the page and ran her finger across the line, "I have things I need to work out for it. Invitations to send. Events, people... important things. Once I have numbers, plans can be made accordingly. Booking maybe a venue, get things in and so forth." She shrugged after that, "But, it's all in the planning stages right now. Hence, the book."

Her finger tapped the edge of the page, the summoning of her ink and quill out of one of the inside pockets, before she placed them down upon the table. Uncorking it, she dipped the nib into the ink and begun scratching notes upon the page.

Wedding Planning. Need to acquire:

• White ribbon
• Sand stone or shell
• Blank book (nice one)

Consider fish roasted, lots of alcohol - nice wine?

She paused, reading back over the script and then slowly begun turning onto the next page of the book.

[Pulren Marsh]

Pulren flipped through the maps, finding that many were of the Zastoska Mountains around Zeltiva, but soon found another interesting one. He pulled it out carefully as he listened to Fallon speak to him about her own book. Shaking the dust off, he was very careful about opening it fully, turning it at different angles to decide what he was looking at. It was missing a legend, a vital piece of information on larger maps, also lacking the generic wavy lines to denote water. No words or letters either to figure out how to simply turn the paper. He would distract himself while he casually looked at it by reacting to his study partner's news.

Fallon was getting married. He only knew of Rick persoanlly as being married. It seemed that family life brought Sarge some kind of peace or sense of wholeness. It was lost on Pulren, really. He couldn't see himself getting stuck with one woman, but to each their own. "Married? Well, that's great, Fallon. Congratualtions." He smiled when he said it and he genuinely meant it. Just because he felt differently didn't mean he didn't wish well for his friend. It wasn't a stretch to wonder to whom she was dedicating her life to.

"Web, right? I mean, just a guess, since you two seem to be a unit for as long as I have ever known you two." He looked closer at the map before him, noticing a commonality. The Trial Rock. Its shape and position to the shore made it clear that the larger map was of the open ocean as if approaching the mouth of Mathews Bay. He turned it to face the other map, effectively stretching the scene out into a larger image. "I remember when I first met you that you spoke of sides of a coin and Web being the edge. I liked that. I hope I get an invite." He did. Though the two occasionally seemed to rub each other wrong, Pulren felt a bond with Fallon and he hoped she did too, to whatever degree she felt things.

[Fallon]

"Web, otherwise known as Zandelia, yes to her," Fallon looked down to the page, digit gently tapping the surface with thought, "There will be invitations to go out, to yourself included. Though, we haven't finalised when it will happen yet." The woman waved her hand and bushed the thought to the side, "But plans first. And research." She allowed herself to fall into silence, quietly watching him as he tended to his notes. Her chin rested in her palm, the orbs flickering about the various individuals that flittered between the shelves. It lasted only a moment before she returned to the book before her. The new page gave her more information on the subject. She scanned it briefly and prepared to take more notes.

In a traditional arrangement, the father of the wife and the groom's mother often officiate the match. On the day of the ceremony the father often walks the bride and offers her over to the groom. The groom there accepts, and once this is done there is the questioning on if there any objection. If there is not, the bride and groom exchange vows, their wrists wrapped within a white ribbon and - should their vows be true - receive their cheva marks.

Fallon pulled a face then and tapped beneath the word, trying to almost put a meaning to the name. Cheva, marriage, mark; she flickered to the back of the book and looked upon the index. Scanning it, she found the word she was looking for and turned to the marked page. Brushing out the corners she turned her attention to reading once more and released a hum. Gingerly she took up the quill once more, fingers being stretched as she prepared herself for writing down notes.

• Cheva is the goddess of love, passion, vows and marriage.
• Responsible for marking couples who make true vows only to each other and become one. Love and true devotion must be present for marks to manifest.
• Cheva Marks are a universal sign of marriage throughout all cultures and races.
• Each set of Cheva marks are unique, often meaningful to the couple - always appear on left side of neck beneath ear.
• Only disappear through divorce, death or deliberate breaking of vows.

She paused, and drummed her fingers on the surface with thought. It was slowly that she spoke, "Pulren. Where would one get possible wedding stuff in Zeltiva? Like, I don't know, suits, or whatever they may have at weddings."

[Pulren Marsh]

It was good to know that his suspicions were confirmed with it being Zandelia. Her name had almost completely slipped his mind. He mainly knew her as Web. It had taken as much time for Pulren to remember that Fallon's name wasn't Bitzer. They had all had plenty of fun with their aliases. Now they could just relax and be themselves, a pleasantry in itself. He was happy that he would be receiving an invitation. Now he had to think about what kind of gift he could get them. Sitting back, he gently fanned at the papers that he had drawn upon so that the ink could dry, revealing the partial coast and Bay picture he had been working on.

Rolling his neck, he took the turn of standing guard while she did her own research. Nothing to guard, of course, besides the possible doldrums. He took the time to fold up the maps that he had and place them back where he had found them, careful not to fray the edges or mar them in any way. When he returned, he watched as Fallon wrote her notes. Leaning in from the other side of the table, he watched as she finished the last sentences, presumably about Cheva. He then took a seat and inspected both sides of his own papers before slowly closing them up. His face picked up when Fallon chose to ask his advice about something. Something, anything. It was exciting to be seen as a friend and a peer.

"Well, I would probably suggest the Saville for the suits and Yvette's for the dresses. They are high end, superb tailors and seamstresses. You guys owned the Quay, though, so it should suit you perfectly." he drummed his own solo on the journal with his fingers before adding, "I had a look there at your notes. If you want to know more about Cheva marks, you know Rick Maze has them. He's always trying to push that family life stuff on me. Might be able to give you more insight than I can." He was getting a little thirsty, but he couldn't tell if it was for water or wine.

[Fallon]

Fallon tapped her finger against the page, her brow creasing as she scanned her notes once more. Within her mind the ideas were beginning to be slowly worked through, the beginning trembles being formulated into thoughts. What possibilities, what could they do? A celebration of course, a small or big affair though? Probably one where they invited friends - what family could they include when neither had any? She paused, where could they host it? Maybe they could rent out a room somewhere? With a hum over the names of the places they could go Fallon simply let out a nod, "I'll keep those in mind. And yes, we did once." The idea of what they lost in Sunberth left a bitter taste in her mouth, "I'm sure Zandelia and I will work out arrangements around our own plans."

"Rick Maze?" She paused and drew the connection to the quiet Ricky that joined them for celebrations previously. She did not distinctly remember seeing a Cheva mark on him, but the whole event and times they had met fell into the haze of unimportance - each occasion had a more pressing issues to contend with. With a hum she nodded, "As long as he doesn't push it all over me then I shall keep it in mind - along with his behaviour." A shrug, and she turned her gaze back down to her notes. Dress, location, produce, the act of making it a joyous occasion - it swum about in her head again before she pushed it sharply to one side. She would need to sit down and talk with her partner about it. The quill moved, and quickly wrote down an additional collection of notes.

• When Cheva marks vanish a Lacun mark remains to represent the loss - take on how individual felt about the relationship.
• Cheva marks cannot be covered by makeup, but can be by clothing or long hair.
• No priest needed, marriage can be private though most are held in front of friends and family.

With a pause she looked back to Pulren. Her brow gave a raise to him, another pause as she lowered the quill and scanned the book once more, "Are you done then? Got all the information you need? I mean, packing your books away and that," Another pause, "Going to be moving on? I might be a while, I think I may have accidentally taken a trip down the rabbit hole - so go ahead if you like."