Closed Missing Sails

[Alija]

23rd Winter 517

The woman shook the dirt that had lined the bottom of her cloak and pulled it around her closer, hiding the ramie tunic she wore underneath. It wasn't as if she was cold - the climate in Ravok was far too warm than it should have been, and by now she was accustomed to the cold that came from living with the undead - but she felt uncomfortable in this city. There wasn't even an obvious reason, not like Sahova. But she trembled anyway and tried to focus on whatever it was she was doing.

Oh yes. Going to buy something to eat for the next few days.

The platform veered off sharply towards the right, not where she was headed, and Alija took a quick glance before deciding against it. There was a collection of those armed men at the end, discussing something harmless, but she still didn't want to bother them.

"Interested in having a ride?"

Her attention snapped towards the boat and the man standing in it. He was dressed nicely, wielding a long pole in one hand as he waved towards her. The woman debated for a moment, before wondering why she was even doing that. Lifting her cloak up for a moment to avoid tripping on it, she stepped off the edge of the platform and onto the rather sizeable Ravosala. It shuddered as she stepped, but she quickly sank into the seat facing towards the man.

"Where are you headed?" he asked as he started to propel himself from the floating platforms around them.

Alija thought for a moment, uncertain of the name but not wanting to betray her inexperience with the city. "The market," she finally stated, deciding that sounded like any Ravokian could say, "I'm out of food." The addition was important, she believed, if there were several. This way, he'd take her to somewhere she needed to be.

"I'd recommend the fish- would you mind another passenger with you?" The sudden change was prompted by the appearance of another person most likely searching for a ride of his own.

Alija shook her head quickly. "If they don't mind me."

Slowly, they slowed, allowing the additional passenger to join if he decided to.

oocAnd that'll be you!

[Andral Mydrafi]

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"I would recommend the fish..."

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Andral didn't know which was more stupid.
To try and eat a whole pound of season-old fish pickle, or to actually buy a pound of pickled fish in the first place.

His strong stomach had endured valiantly, but today it finally fell, giving way to a nasty stomach ache, and probably an ulcer.

Andral knew a simple home remedy for it though.
Some mint here, a bit of ginger there.
Grind it all up with some warm salt water added and eat a spoonful of the paste.

Easy-peasy.
Except he was missing some ginger. And peppermint. And a mortar and pestle.
Sigh

Andral needed the mortar and pestle anyway, since he'd be working at the healing hand.
And having some Ginger and Mint on hand was never a bad thing.

So Andral stood at the bank of the canal, arms flagging down a Ravosala, head looking down at the water as he tried his hardest to endure the unpleasant sensations in his stomach.

'Uggh. Take me to the Market. Or wherever they sell Ginger and Mint.
Does any shop sell charcoal in bulk?'
Although not strictly a herbal remedy, adding a little charcoal is said to calm an upset stomach, Andral remembered.

Then, as he looked back up, Andral realised there was another passenger on the boat.
Great.
The Ravosalaman he could deal with, but alot of people tend to... behave differently around outsiders.

And nothing screams outsider louder than a man in a tattered brown cloak, wearing faded clothes and boots that look like they've trekked around the world.

Andral groaned internally. Leaving just because there was another passenger seemed a little impolite.

So he put on his best smile and greeted the lady.
She seemed nice anyway. The dirt on the bottom of her cloak suggested that she was a working woman, and not the daughter of a high class beaurocrat or something.
Which would be just his luck wouldn't it....

'Good morning. Where are you off to?'

Good starter. Andral mentally patted himself on the back.
Hopefully, He'd get there before the rocking of the boat turned his stomach into his mortal enemy.

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[Alija]

Alija turned as she heard the voice, not quite certain that she recognised it, but the thought was strong enough to get her to try figure it out at once. As she took a look at Andral, with his tall and lean build and those tattoos - those scars - she realised she must have seen him before.

"Do I... Have we met?" she said politely, gesturing for him to join her. He was a shabby looking man, in terms of clothing. Everything was tattered and faded, perhaps why she couldn't recognise him. Had he been wearing something else?

"Anyway, I am off to the market myself. So it works out well." Alija smiled, wondering if she knew anything about the charcoal. If she could suggest a location, her position in the city would look like it existed, rather than her just being a foreigner. But the only place she could think of - a blacksmiths - was the place she knew didn't have it. Charcoal was only for those who had nothing better to work with.

The ravosalaman being to propel the boat away from the platforms, the gentle shaking causing Alija to subconsciously grab onto the sides of the ravosala to steady herself.

In the following silence, in which Andral was allowed to reply but any of his statements or questions would be met with a nod or cropped answer, the ravosalaman decided to start the conversation up, and make the journey a little more enjoyable.

"Like I was saying, there's some good fish there. My neighbor's a fisherman..." the man frowned a little to himself, before his face brightened again, "My neighbor's a fisherman...he says there's been boats not returning to the shipyard. Sounds weird to me, I mean... it's a lake with no rivers. Where are they going? I'm sure those navy sailors know a thing or two but they don't think much of us ravosalamen so I ain't got no answers."

Alija nodded in simple response, her mind already churning. "That is... strange," she finally managed in reply, thinking too hard to say much else.

All she knew about Ravok was that strange things kept happening. Still, it didn't mean her curiosity wasn't peaked.

[Andral Mydrafi]

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'Met? We've never....'

Andral stopped himself. They had met before. It was at the dinner party wasn't it?

'Ah. Aha! Wait! You were at the mage party too. I-Im Andral!'

Agh. Goddamit. Andral couldn't remember much about this woman at all. Fiddlesticks, this stomach ache isn't helping either!

While Andral tried to recollect anything he could about this woman, the boat suddenly lurched forward, which snapped him back into reality.

The Ravosalaman was saying something about a fish and a shipyard. Andral had tuned out most of the conversation, but decided to listen just so he doesn't look disrespectful.

"My neighbor's a fisherman...he says there's been boats not returning to the shipyard. Sounds weird to me, I mean... it's a lake with no rivers. Where are they going? I'm sure those navy sailors know a thing or two but they don't think much of us ravosalamen so I ain't got no answers."

Andral didn't really think much of this until Alija said:
'That is...strange'

Hmm. Chances were that this was just a measly old rumour.
But Andral was resigned to seek out adventures and opportunities in Ravok.
An odd case of ships dissapearing? Sounds right up Andral's alley.

'So...can you take me to the shipyard afterward then? I've never been there myself and now that story's caught my interest'

He also really wanted to go and track down the missing ships himself, but he decided against saying that out aloud.

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