Closed Piecing Together

[Sophia Sunshore]

33, Summer, 519 a.v.

Sophia stood on the beach, squinting out at the rancho style structures of the Tidepool Bar. Just days prior, a storm like she had never experienced in Syka before had hit the shores, damaging most everything in its path. Sophia’s own home had been battered, the screaming winds having ripped the canvas sides from their ties and thrown her furniture about the place. Thankfully she didn’t own many possessions so they were easily recovered, and her business was still being built so there was not too much loss there besides needing to add a few more days onto the construction timetable.

The Svefra had made what essential repairs she could to her own dwelling in the days following the storm, mostly righting furniture and figuring out what was still useable. The roof needed some fixing, and she was not good enough at stitching to fix the canvas yet, but she had done what she could temporarily. Other structures in the settlement had fared far worse than her own, and they were much more important, and so today she had come out to help with the community repairs.

She was dressed as appropriately as her small wardrobe allowed in a short tan skirt with an orange scarf tied round her bust, soft leather boots adorning her feet. Her hair had been piled on top of her head so that it wouldn’t get in her way and a delicate gold necklace sat at her collarbone.

There were already a few people starting work on the Tidepool. The Bar sat out over the water, so the wooden structures had received the brunt of the storm. The thatched roofing had been ruined, walls were damaged and the pier and docks broken. Materials had been bought over from the sawmill to help with the repairs and anyone with tools had bought what they had for everyone to use.

Sophia made her way out onto the pier, being careful to avoid any broken or missing boards. Stu was helping someone fix a part of the wall to the main bar area. He seemed to be in good spirits as usual, though the Svefra suspected that some of it was for show. Sophia called out as she approached the man. “Stu, how can I help?” Stu smiled as he saw Sophia, and after a brief conversation she ended up back on the pier that led from the beach to the bar itself. The roof couldn’t be worked on till the walls were secure, and Sophia didn’t want to get in the way of anyone working on the main structure, so the pier was a logical place to start.

She had been asked to try and remove the most damaged boards so that they could be replaced with new ones. A long metal bar had been handed to her that would apparently help to pry the boards up and away from the supports they were nailed to. Despite helping Randal with her own home, Sophia was definitely far from being a competent builder but Stu had insisted that she would be fine.

She started at the end closest to the beach, locating a board that appeared to have been broken through something falling on it, probably thrown by the strong winds. It had splintered near one end, and Sophia crouched on an intact board next to it, the metal bar in her hand. One end had been flattened so that she could ease it underneath and in theory prize the board up. With nobody around to offer her direction, she managed to wriggle the end of the bar underneath the board near some of the nails that held it down. Gripping the bar with both hands, she pulled on it to try and lift the board away.

She had chosen to try and prize up the smaller piece that had broken first, but even that was harder than she thought it would be, and the board hardly budged. Disgruntled, Sophia stood to enable herself to put more weight into the motion. Standing just to the side of the metal bar, she pushed down on it this time, and to her satisfaction the bar moved slightly. She pushed again and the wooden board made a creaking noise as it started to come away from the supports it was nailed to. Her aim was not to remove this piece completely just yet but to lift it up enough so that that when she moved onto the other side and then the middle, the whole board could be taken off in one go with the least damage possible, allowing most of it to be reused elsewhere.

Sophia continued to push down on the metal bar, lifting the board until she was satisfied it had come up enough, and then moved over to the other edge of the dock to start lifting it from there.

[Ines]

wc: 1,031

During the storm, Ines had taken shelter with Lars and the Ashta. The kelvic was lucky enough to have been working at the time, and with the help of the small elephants' sensitive ears and her own Nura, she and Lars had had plenty of time to prepare. Taloba was far enough inland that hurricanes never hit the city, and the remnants of rain that made it to the center of Falyndar were no different than the rest of the rain and floods typical of the season. Aside from some uncharacteristically bloated rivers, one would never guess that a storm had hit the shore. The Ashta, however, knew something was wrong much before the air smelled unfamiliar, sterile and sharp, and the horizon darkened with the storm clouds. Still, Ines didn't know what the animals were upset about until she had brought it up to the millwright. They had spent the next few hours nailing down ropes and oiled tarps to protect the wood before hiding out in an inland cave system. The bat was lucky enough to have had her camp nearby, everything easily and haphazardly packed into a large chest and dragged by one of the Ashta into the cave where they waited out the storm.

Now, three days later, the sawmill was still in shambles, pieced slowly together by Lars with the few spare parts he had in the shed. Svefra from Riverfall were due any time today, but for now, they had to make do with what they had. The kelvic had been working from morning until the last reaches of light left the sky at night since the storm had ended. Nearly all of the lumber had to be dragged nearby, where the beach was a half-mile wide, and spread apart to dry in the sun into a useable state. Only then could they be carted off to the rest of the settlement and fuel further repairs. A few of the piles had been in serendipitous spots and survived the hurricane nearly unscathed, only barely damp and fully dry by the time Ines reached the center commons. Getting the mill in working condition again was second in priority only to getting lumber to where it was needed, a role Ines was more than happy to fill.

The bat had her hands full with collecting, loading, and transporting lumber as it had dried - and every trip back meant that more was ready to be taken out. Her meals for the past few days had been jerky and water, nibbled on Ashta back or while riding in the cart, holding onto net or rope to stop logs from slipping out of loose knots she had tied in haste to keep things moving.

The current and final load, (until repairs on the mill could be completed) was a light wood of a color that could only be described as "strawberry blonde". Ines couldn't remember the name of it for the life of her, even though just 10 chimes earlier Lars told her the name and destination. She remembered she had to go to the Tidepool Bar, but in her haste, the actual name of the lumber had fallen from her brain and out her ears.

She was dressed in her usual work outfit, a long sisal tunic over a much smaller ramie shirt and nothing else besides her tall leather boots and a red bandana that looked striking among the rest of the undyed cloth. Hooked on the side of the cart she was riding in was a bag holding today's meals and a waterskin, and a loop holding the witch's prized machete. The kelvic was entirely inexperienced with driving, but the ashta were smart enough to figure out where to go with the help of Nura and the mental nudge and visualization of the Tidepool Bar. When they had arrived, the bat jumped out of the cart, leading the Ashta and wagon right up to the pier before undoing the knots attaching it to the beast. This was perhaps the only instance of her taking her time. Even days after the storm, the smell of dead, rotting fish, seaweed, and stirred-up seafloor muck coating the beach was overpowering.

As soon as the big bull elephant was free from his confines, he slowly approached the woman on the docks. He watched with interest as she maneuvered the metal bar around the plank. The bull had reached his trunk and wrapped it around the crowbar, pushing it down with enough force that the half of the plank the woman was gently prying up instead broke in half and flew off onto the beach. Ines realized what was happening too late. By the time she was finished rehydrating, the bull had claimed the bar as his own, waving it around like a trophy after stealing it from the poor woman who was only trying to help. It was only after she fully noticed the woman that she saw Caiyha's gift on her arm, the most vivid thing in her vision and depicting a scene of swaying grass and sky she had never seen before.

The ashta's trumpeting snapped her out of her tunnel vision, and she caught his eyes, commanding him to give the woman back the crowbar and retrieve the lost plank. The bat then ran to meet Stu, who had by then noticed the commotion and was already outside of the bar. Ines confirmed that he knew the lumber was there - it was cedar! - and asked how she could help now. Stu gave her another crowbar and instructed her to help the other woman - Sophia. Jogging back down the pier again, she stopped next to the only other Caiyha marked woman she had met so far.

"I am helping you now. I am Ines." The witch held out her right hand, showing off her Phylonura marked forearm. Near the treeline, the bull sulked, clearly being dramatic from the witch's earlier chastising. She couldn't help but think the reason he had tried to "help" Sophia was because of her gnosis, even though it depicted a land much different than the one they were in now.

[Sophia Sunshore]

The larger piece of board proved to be harder to pry up. Sophia had managed to ease the flat end of the bar under it near the nails as before, and she was pushing down on it as hard as she could. The Svefra wasn’t feeble, but she wasn’t exactly very strong either - something she was now resolving to somehow change. With a disgruntled noise, she half-jumped her weight through the bar in an effort to dislodge the plank, only to hear a cracking noise as she did so. With a grimace, she stopped immediately, relived that the board still seemed to be intact.

Sophia heard the swish sound of a cart being dragged across sand from somewhere behind her. She did not turn to look, still focusing on removing the damaged board, but she was relieved that more lumber had apparently arrived. Repairs on the Tidepool were progressing well, and she had noticed when she had arrived that the piles of wood they had to work with were quite small.

After a few more chimes of unsuccessful wriggling and pushing on the metal bar, the sound of slow, heavy footsteps reached her ears. Before she had a chance to look round, a long trunk snaked past Sophia and wrapped round the bar below her hands. The Svefra didn’t let go, but turned her head slightly, and her vision filled with the sight of the huge Ashta standing over her shoulder. The bar suddenly moved downwards, nearly pulling Sophia over as the Ashta pushed down with its trunk. The animal had well over ten times the force she did, and with a great snapping sound the piece plank flipped away from the deck, flying well over the heads of Sophia and the Ashta to land somewhere behind them.

Sophia let out a noise of surprise, distracted enough that she accidentally relinquished her grip on the bar. The Ashta raised it like a trophy, far above where she could reach, apparently having a grand time with it. She had never connected with one of the Ashta before, but Sophia met its eye and thanked it for helping her, but she needed the bar back. The creature barely registered her plea, just wanting to play.

Its gaze slid away from her, fixing on another point off to the side. The Ashta stilled, lowered its trunk and dropped the metal bar at Sophia’s feet before moving off towards the broken plank further up the beach. She reached down to pick the crowbar up, turning to look behind her, wondering at the Ashtas sudden change in demeanour. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary, she turned back to the broken section of pier and knelt to remove the piece that had been left behind. It came away easily now, and she threw it off to one side where there was a pile of smaller pieces of wood that may or may not be useable.

She stood to look for the next broken board, pausing as her gaze fell on a figure jogging lightly towards her from the Tidepool. It was a woman, much shorter than Sophia with dark eyes and short dark hair. She stopped in front of Sophia and in the pause before she spoke, the Svefra had a sudden, strong feeling of familiarity. It was almost as if there were some sort of connection between the two, similar to how she felt when she was actively using her Phylonura gift.

"I am helping you now. I am Ines."
Sophia glanced down at the proffered hand, her eyes falling on the vivid mark that wrapped around the other woman’s forearm. It was unmistakeable as a mark of Caiyha, though it depicted a scene not dissimilar to the jungles that lined the beaches of Syka. How curious that she could feel this woman’s mark as well as see it.

Sophia smiled and flicked her gaze up, bright blue eyes meeting the deep browns of the other. “Ines. I’m Sophia.” She tilted her head and reached out to shake Ines’ hand. “It’s good to meet you.” The Svefra let go of her hand and gestured to the pier with the crowbar. “We need to find and remove all the damaged boards so that they can be replaced.” She noticed one a few steps away and moved over to it. “Like this one here.”

Sophia crouched next to the board to examine it, and when Ines joined her, she would glance at her again, curiosity in her eyes. “It was you who told the Ashta to give me back the bar, wasn’t it?” Sophia wondered what it was like to be connected to the jungle in the way that this woman was. Sure, she was more connected than most folk here, but her domain was still the grasslands. She knew that there would be more to know, to feel, if only she could earn a jungle mark too. Sophia smiled. “I’ve never met another Witch before.”

Carefully, she eased the flat end of the crowbar underneath the damaged plank, motioning for Ines to do the same from the opposite side. It would be much easier to remove them intact with a little help from another.

[Ines]

wc: 562

Compared to the freshly cut planks that she had brought from the mill, the wooden pier looked faded and sea-worn. Still, a lot of it held up during the hurricane. The kelvic positioned herself across from the other witch and mimicked her actions, using some of her body weight to help with the leverage. "I did." She pushed a bit harder, and the board loosened some, ready to be nudged out of place.

"I met others. They like jungle better than city." she said, prying the board from its place and handing it to Sophia to toss into the pile. "I did tell him to give it back. I hope he listens even if I did not have the mark, or he would get no banana!" Ines laughed at the end, then stood up and looked for a new spot to work on.

"Where is your mark? There are no lands that look like that here." She paused, adding, "Except elephant graveyard, which has long grass." The fact that the other witch's mark was missing the huge skeletons of the Tskanna that went there to die was enough to disprove that theory, however. There were also strange animals crossing the mark, with weak, spindly-looking legs but strange, powerful bodies. "And what is that animal?" she asked, pushing down on the crowbar with one arm so that she could point at the creatures.

Ivas, the bull she had taken for the haul, was off behind them, reveling in the destruction of the storm. Split trees, torn up plants, and loose branches - some even holding fruit - were scattered near the treeline, and he decided to entertain himself by gorging on the leaves and hitting a tree with a huge fallen branch. Disheartened by the lack of attention that he felt he deserved from the two witches, the Ashta snuck up near the shore, filled his trunk with seawater... and soaked them both with the mix of snot and spray.

Ines jerked her head towards the offending bull, squealing as the water hit them, and yelling "Naughty Ivas!" in Myrian. He just trumpeted at them in response. It was her fault for deciding to hook up the most mischevious of the bunch, but the cool water did feel refreshing after sitting in the heat and humidity. Even if it was mixed with elephant snot.

The Kelvic wiped off her face with her bandana and stood up, looking down at Sophia with purpose writ on her face. "You want play with him? We play, he will behave after." She set the crowbar in the sand near the dock. "He does not know you, and that is the favorite type of person to play." She held out her hand to help the blonde woman up, then jogged towards the tree line to find a suitable branch. Holding it in both hands, she shared eye contact with the bull and told him one thing - playtime. He picked up a large fallen frond, and Ines called to Sophia.

"Hit the leaf with the stick! It is more hard than it looks." The game commenced, and Ivas held the frond at Ines-level, only to pull it back or up when she tried to hit it and then scampered a few steps away with a glance back to make sure that the witch was still chasing after him.

[Sophia Sunshore]

Sophia watched as the newcomer pushed down on her crowbar to help ease the plank from where it was nailed to the deck. Slowly, she leaned her weight through her own bar, and together the pair of them managed to pry the board loose. She set her bar down again, taking the wood from Ines and inspecting it for cracks. It seemed perfectly fine for the most part, so she placed it with the rest of the wood that could be repurposed.

"I met others….”
She knew other Witches? Sophia wondered where they could be. She hadn’t seen any in all her time on Mizahar. Perhaps if they did all like the jungle as Ines said, then that was the reason why. But her own mark called her to the grasslands, so then again, they couldn’t all be located in the jungles could they?

Sophia was so lost in thought that she almost missed Ines’ comment on the Ashta, chuckling as she realised what the dark haired woman said. She retrieved her crowbar and followed Ines, eyes scanning the pier for the next damaged board. Once they had found one, she crouched down again to set the bar underneath it, glancing at the mark on her arm when Ines spoke again.

”Oh, it’s for the grasslands.” Sophia motioned out to sea with her free hand. ”On the other side of the ocean there is a land called Cyphrus, which looks like my mark.” She tilted her head slightly at the mention of graveyards for… elephants? She had never heard of such a thing. Before she could enquire however, Ines had asked a further question.

”Oh, they’re horses. They run wild on the grasslands, but there are people called Drykas who live there and ride them.” She paused, glancing up at Ines. ”What is an elephant graveyard?” Surely it couldn’t be literally what it sounded like?

Sophia was too busy listening to her fellow Witch while also concentrating on prising the plank of wood away from its nails to notice the Ashta meandering back over to them. She let out a squeal as the water soaked her shirt and hair, still managing to shoot a curious glance Ines’ way through the water dripping down her face.

She squinted up at the dark haired woman as she stood over her, drawing a hand across her face to try and displace some of the water. Sophia was not entirely sure how one would play with a huge bull Ashta, but she took the proffered hand all the same, and let Ines pull her to her feet.
”Okay, lets… play.”

She set her crowbar down near the other and trailed up the beach after them, watching curiously as Ines unearthed a large stick and brandished it at the Ashta. Sophia watched for a moment as the game started before searching around for a stick for herself. There were plenty up near the playing pair, remnants of the poor trees that had been battered by the winds, and she had soon found one that she thought seemed suitable.

Sophia clutched the stick in both hands and moved over to where Ines was chasing after the Ashta. The bull held the leaf down at her approach, enticing her in to try and hit it. She sprung forwards and swung the stick down at the leaf, only for the bull to pull it away to the side, causing her to stumble forward with a laugh. The Ashta waved the leaf at the pair of women, skirting round them as it did so.

”How did you make up this game with him?”
Sophia stepped quickly over to the Ashta again, trying another swipe at the leaf with her stick. It was clear to her that Ines had a much stronger connection to the bull than perhaps even Lars did - she had never seen the woodcutter even hint at playing with the massive animals. The Ashta flapped the leaf just over the heads of the women so that they would have to jump if they wanted to try and hit it. Sophia shot Ines a curious glance just before she tried it.
”What language did you speak to it back on the pier?” Sophia had never heard anything that sounded like the tongue the brunette had used before.

WC: 720