Just A Small Slice of Home (Karyk)

[Shiress]

76th Day
Summer 517

Outside the single window of the Sullin's cottage, the morning dawned grey and clouded. Mist hovered above Lake Ravok, giving it a haunted look. The sight of it made Shiress shiver, as she moved away from the window.

Clad in a deep copper toned, cotton dress, belted loosely at the waist, the slave's bright colored clothes was stark contrast to the window's gloomy view. Her similarly colored, chestnut hair was pulled back from the sides, in thin braids, and clasped to the back of her head, the length flowing in waves down her back.

Shiress had risen early this day, completing her many chores, long before dawn peaked through the horizon. Sleep alluded the girl, of late, her thoughts constantly engaged and laden, with questions, given answers, why's, and what if's. The thoughts of home, of Zeltiva, her parents, her brother. Thoughts of him --of Karyk. The bearded drunk had unknowingly shaken the slave to her core, just by answering a few, simple questions. Shiress wondered if the man truly knew and appreciated the gift he had given her. She doubted it. How could he? He was just a simple man, from a simple, port city.

A smile slid across the girl's face at the thought of home, then grew broader, eyebrows inching upward, as the thought migrated back to Karyk, causing a little skip of a heartbeat, a slight hitch in breathing. Color raced to her cheeks, as the slave realized she was attracted to the bearded man from Zeltiva.

Slave

Shiress' thin shoulder's slumped, as she rested her hands in her lap. She ran the tip of her thumb along the hard and raised skin beneath her wrist. Glancing down, she turned her hand over, revealing the scar as a slaves brand. 'Shiress' it read. Her name, a simple thing, but it's meaning was so much more. Old it may be, but it still spoke truth.

"You're a slave, Shiress" she told the empty room. "Who would want a relationship with a slave." She was silent a tick, studying the scar, before mumbling, "Even if the feeling happen to be mutual he wouldn't want a slave. No one would.."

Lurching herself from the chair she had been sitting, Shiress made it three steps before angrily slamming her fist against her thighs. "God's be damned, I just want to go home!!" she said, the words spewing up like vomit. The slave didn't know where they had come from, she instantly regretted saying them. Or maybe it was just from moving too fast?

Pressure formed and spread throughout Shiress' head, at the same time a wave of nausea hit her gut. She swayed in place, willing her breakfast to stay put. It did, but frustration ignited her ire once again. Pivoting on a heel, she slung herself around and crossed the floor in a huff. Yanking open the door, she stomped over the threshold.

A brisk walk would cool her down.

[Karyk]

Karyk handed over the two golds to Tarsin's wife, who stared on with a grumpy visage, but was not one to turn down honest money. After all, the man just wanted to bake a cake, apparently. Sharay sat on the large preparation table in the middle of the kitchen, since she had helped her mom more in the kitchen than Karyk had. But this cake was special, for it was for the Zeltivan woman who'd helped him get his head out of his ass. Just a special something to give thanks to her, by bringing her all the best parts of Zeltiva. So Karyk grabbed a bowl, and the four ingredients he'd need, most of which he had to go buy earlier this morning. "T'ree eggs Uncle. Gotta crack 'em an' beat 'em til they's frothy." Karyk nodded and grabbed one egg in his large, calloused hand. Holding it firmly he struck it against the edge of the bowl, and the egg shattered into a stick mess in his hand, and a swear escaped his lips. He rinsed out the bowl into the slop bucket while Sharay kept on giggling. "Do it against the table, not the bowl, ya barnacle." Karyk scowled at the little red head and grabbed another egg. Holding it firmly once more, he struck it against the table surface, a bit more gently this time. He felt it crack. "Pull it open at the dent." Karyk turned the egg over, and got his fingers in the dent and pulled the egg apart, the contents dropping inside to the bowl. Smiling, he repeated the process twice more until he'd had enough. Sharay handed him a fork, "Mix it up lots 'til its all foamy." Karyk nodded and stuck the fork in there, and began rapidly beating the eggs, watching for the foam. It didn't take long until the bubbles showed themselves. "Keep stirrin' while I add the 'oney." Karyk nodded, stirring, watching as Sharay slowly, gradually poured in the honey. The egg and honey mixture grew thicker and thicker as Karyk continued to stir. Sharay then began adding the special Zeltivan ingredient. She tore chunks of the leftover dried kelp from their travel rations and tossed them in the mix. "'ere comes the 'ard part. We gotta fold the flour in." She gently poured some flour in, then handed Karyk the spatula. She pointed at the back of the bowl. "Cut t'rough there, down to the bottom, then drag to the side. Turn the bowl a bit, an' repeat." Karyk gingerly stuck the spatula into the sticky mixture, until he struck the bottom of the bowl. He pulled it toward him and watch the flour disappear into the mixture. Then he turned the bowl a quarter turn, and repeated the process. Once he was satisfied, he pour the cake into the cake tin they were borrowing. Then he took the tin to the hearth, and set it down in the red hot embers, and lit a candle to judge the time. Once the candle wore down, it would be done. Karyk grabbed the mixing bowl and spatula and took them to the wash basin. He dunked them down in the water, and using his hand, scrubbed away the goopy mess. He then set the dishes on the table to dry. "Let's get the rest ready lovebug." Karyk and Sharay returned to their apartment, where the twins were busy drawing in their books. Sitting down in a chair, he handed Sharay his razor and soap. She used a bowl of water to make a soapy froth, and applied it to the edges of his beard. "Bout time ya cleaned up ya oaf. Ya 'atchets don' cut close enough." The twins giggled at this, as Sharay took the razor and scraped away the excess hairs on the edges of his beard, along the neck, behind his ears. She then moved over to his gear, and picked out his cleanest, least hole ridden shirt and trousers for him, and the man dressed. He began packing a basket, one that used to hold cherries and apricots during the caravan journey, with bread, cheese, smoked salmon, a wine skin and a water skin. Karyk killed some more time getting Sharay and the twins ready, and then they all went down to the kitchen, picnic basket in hand. The candle was nearly burned down now, and when they examined the cake, it was darker, a hair more on the edges than it should be, but it was done. Using a thick cloth, Karyk pulled it from the oven, and Sharay decorated it with swirls of honey on top. They stood around a bit while it cooled, before Karyk gingerly removed it from the tin with a spatula onto a plate. He put a wooden cake cover over the whole thing, and handed it to Sharay to carry it, which she did happily. A quick ravosala ride later, and Karyk was standing before the door to Shiress' shared home. He moved to knock on it, when the door swung open suddenly, leaving Karyk with a particularly dumb and surprised look upon his face, fist still raised to knock. And there she was, with her dark hair and a particularly frustrated look upon her face. "Ah... 'ello Shiress. I, uh, came by to see if ya were 'ungry. We made a special Zeltivan treat for ya. My thank ya for 'elpin' us." But noticing how frustrated she looked, "But if ya're busy, I can drop it off. Thought maybe ya'd like a bit of a picnic or somethin'." Sharay and the twins behaved, beaming up at the woman, awaiting her response, just as he was. Receipt : -2 GM, kitchen use -1 SM, Honey, 1 pint -2 CM, Flour, 1 lb -1 SM, Chicken Egg, Dozen

[Shiress]

A big, broad chest - that's what greeted Shiress upon flinging herself through the doorway.

Catching her breath with a gasp, the slave fumbled a step backward, eyes trailing up the figure, as a familiar voice spoke. It took a chime for the voice, and the face she stared dumbly at, to register. Then, a hesitant smiled parted her lips.

"Karyk!" She said, clearing away the shock with a shake of her head. "No..no, I'm not busy at all. I'm just a little.." she waved a hand dismissively in front of her. "..irritable this morning. You know, maybe I didn't sleep well, or something."

Of all the people, of all the days, he could show up on my doorstep...

Taking in the man's traveling companions, her smile broadened. "Sharay, you look beautiful, sweetie." She said, giving the young girl a one armed embrace.

Turning to the twins, Shiress tousled both boys hair, grinning. "You two aren't quite as beautiful, but you are quite dashing." she teased.

Returning her attention back to Karyk, she scooped away stray hair from her face, planting it behind an ear, as a slight blush warmed her face. "I would love a picnic with you guys, Karyk." she squeezed his arm, thoughtfully. "I'm free.." she began, but rethinking her choice of words, she cleared her throat, beginning again. "I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day."

Pulling her cloak around her shoulders, Shiress closed the door, making it clear that she didn't want to remain at the cottage, but hoped it came across as an assumption that they would picnic elsewhere. She hoped they would picnic elsewhere, anyway. If they didn't..well..she would have to cross that bridge, eventually, she figured, but the thought of Sayana and Karyk having a conversation, or Karyk finding out that she was a slave, made a shiver run down Shiress' spine. The very thought of it made the slave struggle to keep the smile on her face.

Shaking the thought, she reached out, taking the twins each by the hand, while grinning up at Karyk, excitedly. "So, where shall we have this picnic? And, please, tell me about this Zeltivan treat!"

[Karyk]

Karyk grinned just a bit more at Shiress' dumbfounded surprise, clearly not expecting his arrival. Chuckling at her recovered reply, noting that she wasn't much of a morning person, unlike himself. Karyk's smile shifted to a softer, warmer one as he watched Shiress talk with his niece and nephews. She was so good with them. Truly a proper Zeltivan woman. And he had no doubts if they acted up, the Zeltivan Tempest, as it was called back home, would come forth. The Tempest was the name they gave to the raging tempers that came from Zeltivan women, particularly mothers. When she said she was available and would join him, his face lit up, "Perfect! Glad to 'ear it." Patiently waiting for Shiress to ready herself, wrapping up in her cloak, "I got the perfect place." Karyk thought about asking how her roommate was, Sayana the Eypharian, with the almost elegant ravosala. But he held his tongue, preferring the current line of questioning. "Well, the treat is a recipe me mum used to make. Sharay 'ere 'elped me get it righ'. Zeltivan 'oney cake. An' we even 'ad some of the good kelp lef' for it, though not as fresh as I'd've liked. But tha's for dessert." He purposefully avoided saying where the picnic was, and he waved down a ravosala. He paid for all of them, asking to go to the proper docks to the south. Sitting upon the bench in the small boat, with the twins choosing the floor, and Sharay right next to him, he faced Shiress smiling, "So 'ow ya been? Not 'avin' more faintin' spells I 'ope?" The twins were busy punching each other playfully until Sharay snagged them both by the ear. The ravosalaman was a quiet one, much to Karyk's pleasure. The jaunt was short, a mere two platforms down, when they pooled up next to a large double hulled Water Glider. Karyk stepped off first, picking up the kids out of the boat first, before offering a hand to Shiress. Slipping his arm through her own, he led her toward the gangplank of the craft. He paid the ten golds for them, and led the way up onto the platform. He set the picnic basket down next to a bench, "Sharay, watch the boys please. An' no eatin' yet. I mean it." Sharay smiled and nodded, as Karyk steered Shiress toward the steps at the back of the platform. Smirking, he released her, and jumped down off the steps, to what many might assume to be the water below the ship. The man fell, bounced into the hammock like net between the hulls, and bounced forward before rolling to a stop in the dead center of it, laughing heartily. He looked up toward where he'd come from, waiting to see if Shiress would join him. Propping himself up on his elbows, he just smirked and waited. The boat would depart in a few chimes, and would take about two bells to travel to the shore. That gave the two of them a nice while to relax just a foot above the water in the cool air, together.

[Shiress]

"Zeltivan honey cake" Shiress smiled broadly as the memory surfaced; countless bells bellied up to the kitchen table, watching with anticipation as her mother prepared her own honey Cake, the aroma of it baking, the laughter as she and her family sat together eating it. Shiress recalled her and her brother attempting to make their father a honey cake for his birthday -it had turned out hard as a rock and was the subject of many rounds of laughter for seasons to come.

The slaves smile lost some strength, but gained admiration for the man before her. He was bringing Shiress home, back to a place she could never go, without having to set foot outside of Ravok. Karyk was a Zeltivan gentleman and he made her heart ache, delightfully.

"I've been good." Shiress replied, settling down into the ravosala. She, in fact, had not been good, but Karyk had no need to know that. Sleepless nights, endless worries, tending to her injured Mistress, Shiress had been anything but 'good', but right at this moment, she was very good and she went with that.

As Karyk's eyes wandered, Shiress took the chance to really see the Zeltivan, eyes studying his features closely. The last time she had seen the man, he was past deep in his cups, but now...his face had color, a good 'sober' color, with rosy cheeks. His eyes were bright and beamed happiness, his posture reflecting the same. She smiled, he had done it, he had taken the step and sobered up for his sister's kids..his kids.

"You look great, Karyk, she reached over and laid a hand on Karyk's knee, squeezing gently, " and so do they." Shiress nodded her head in the direction of the boys, then smiled at Sharay, before returning her attention back to Karyk, smile widening. "You did good.

Pulling up to the huge glider, Shiress gawked, missing Karyk's proffered hand. Glancing down, she caught it, then returned her astonished eyes back to the water glider. She had seen the type of boat before, but never thought she would have an opportunity to be on one. Seeing Karyk hand over a handful of gold coins, eyebrows arching, she doubted she ever would again.

Stepping past Sharay, she gave the girl a doleful look, as she let herself be led away. Watching the man intently with anticipation, Shiress let out an involuntary gasp as he fell away from her, disappearing into a net. The hand that had rushed to her chest in shock slapped across her mouth, covering a toothy grin as the Zeltivan rolled into the suspended netting, obviously waiting on her to join him.

deciding on a more feminine approach, the slave pulled her skirt tight against her thighs and sat down, scooting her bottom over the edge until her feet met with the edge of the net. Letting her skirt fall back into place, she lifted a foot to take a step, and promptly toppled forward, landing in a tangle of chestnut hair. Shiress laughed, clawing long locks from her face with one hand, as the other assisted her in crawling, awkwardly, across the net to Karyk.

Settling next to the bearded man, she glanced around, head shaking, mouth smiling, and eyes bright, as ears took in the calming sound of water lapping against the glider, her body swaying rhythmically with the sway of it.

"You've outdone yourself, Mr. Southwind."