That’s Not a Fish (Astrolabe)

[Warden Thrice]

“Magic,” he said eagerly. “Morphing and glyphing specialy, perhaps medicine and philtering, and practice srkaa.” Eorar looked down after a moment, embarrassed once again. He had meant coral manipulation, but didn’t know the word for that either. Eorar had made a point to learn all the Common words for the different magical disciplines, and was proud to show his knowledge, as it was probably one of the only things he had focused on in his studies. Astrolabe asked another question, and Eorar nodded, though he was a bit uneasy. “Not walk too far. Not meet too many people. Not yet.” As they made their way towards the cloak, Eorar nodded again to Estrolabe’s other question. “Fine for few hours,” he assured him. “Before dark is good.” Another question struck him. “Do you… think you may help me enter University?” he said rather softly.

[Astrolabe]

The retrieval of the cloak was managed without any incident, and as Astro wrapped himself in it, he immediately felt warmer. But even so, he was soaked to the skin, and he knew he needed to get somewhere inside, preferably close to a fire, and ideally somewhere that he could change into dry clothes. There was definitely a place he had in mind, and it wasn’t far actually. Certainly not as far as his own tiny set of rooms at the university. Given Eorar’s wobbly pins, the place he was thinking of would be a much better choice – if Andy was there working. Eorar still had his forearm braced on Astro’s, his webby hand gripping Astro’s wrist. The human gave him an encouraging smile. “You sound much more enthusiastic about studying than I ever was. I’ve studied both glyphing and philtering – can’t say as I’ve learned too much of either though. But the philtering has come in handy, recently.” He didn’t want to bore the Charoda with what he himself found to be so fascinating about the art of metalsmithing, so he decided to save that until some other time – if there was going to be another time. He hoped so. If Eorar was serious about wanting to attend the university, then it seemed they could continue to learn something about one another, and their respective cultures. That sounded much more interesting to Astrolabe than studying dry, dusty tomes of accumulated magical knowledge. “I’d be happy to take you up there – to the university. Show you around, help you get registered. When your legs are up to it.” He grinned. “Meanwhile, I know a place that’s pretty close – just over there a few warehouses down.” He pointed in a direction away from the foundry. “Pretty much right at the end of the docks.” Private and with few people to be nosing about – just the way Andy preferred things to be. “I could introduce you to a friend of mine, if you like – and if he’s there. It’s his little office.” And if Astro wasn’t mistaken, there was at least a dry shirt there that he might have left at one point. He looked at the hoop now resting on the ground a meter or so away. He frowned slightly, then said, “I suppose I can just leave this here. Charlie will be back any minute.” His gaze went to Eorar. “The, uh, tadpole.” His eyes then moved to the direction of the foundry. “You, um, probably don’t want to meet him right away. He’s a bit – energetic.” And highly nosy and with a big mouth and entirely incapable of keeping things secret or discrete, he thought. “For a first time up on land, he might be a bit, uh . . . much.” Astro looked again at the Charoda. He looked so delicate on land – but Astro wondered how much more at home he would seem in the depths of the ocean. “It’s up to you. If you prefer, we can just have a walk around. I’d take you to where I live but I don’t think your legs would carry you that far. Not this time. But once they’re a bit stronger, I hope you’ll come visit me – often.” As a random after thought, he asked, "What's skraaa?"

[Warden Thrice]

Eorar clung like a miser to a miza as they bent to pick up the cloak. His eyes were wide and his feet were planted firmly, and when combined with his determination to not fall he stood fairly stable. Astrolabe had said something. About glyphing and philtering. Eorar had never been too sure on what philtering was, but that was a mere straw on his wagon of questions. "You not sound like you enjoy studies," Eorar commented softly, not sure if Astrolabe had heard. Whether he did or didn't he continued. "N-no!" he said, shaking his head. "Not today. Day after tomorrow. I will walk by then. Then I meet your friend, and we see University. But not today." Eorar looked at the sky, then quickly away and shielded his eyes. This had been enough for one day, more than enough, and he didn't think he could handle doing anything else. His grip slowly started to loosen. He didn't want to remain until the tadpole returned, which Astrolabe said was due to happen quite soon. "When I walk, I come see you. Perhaps you not even know it is me," Eorar said with something resembling a grin. "What's skraaa?" That caught him off guard. His smile faded as he sank into reflection, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "Srkaa? Is..." he made a rolling gesture with both hands, knowing that it would do nothing to illuminate the matter, "... growing tsek." He made a frustrated motion, not knowing how to indicate what it meant. He thought hard, then reluctantly spoke. "When I good student with much time, I will have much srkaa tsek, and I show you. No words for it." He looked out to the harbor, then back to Astrolabe. "We meet here, day after tomorrow, when the sun is highest, and I will walk. Meet later if you wish, but not before. Agree?"

[Astrolabe]

Astrolabe felt the ripple of uneasiness go through Eorar, and he could easily see how the goals that the Charoda wished to achieve needed to be approached with small steps, and slowly. He nodded, smiling. “Sure. I understand. It’s a lot to think about – a lot to tackle.” He patted Eorar’s oddly but beautifully colored arm in a friendly way. “I’ll come back, day after tomorrow, at noon. When the sun is highest.” He looked down at the hoop lying near the them and said once more, “Thanks for your help. You’ve made one little boy very happy.”

[Warden Thrice]

"Good," Eorar replied, slowly stepping away. He looked out to the sea, a strange and unidentified feeling flooding him at its sight. Was this his home now? It seemed that way. Zeltiva was the city of fortune, of the future. Time would tell if it would, indeed, become his city. He took an excruciatingly slow step, then another, and another, making his way slowly to the end of the pier. He stopped and turned. "Too many people to count both hands on both hands here. Good to know I have friend." He made a little half-bow, then turned and dove into the bay.

[Oracle]

Name: Eorar Nevenon

XP Award:

• Swimming +1
• Investigation +2
• Socialization +3
• Observation +2
• Walking +1

Lore:

• Arriving in Zeltiva
• Zeltiva - Docks
• Ships are Hollow
• First Face to Face Encounter - Human
• Practicing Common
• Learning to Shake Hands
• Learning to Walk
• Falling Up
• Not all Humans are Violent
• Making a Friend

Name: Astrolabe

XP Award:

• Child Care +1
• Negotiation +1
• Socialization +3
• Observation +2
• Interrogation +1

Lore:

• A Child's Logic
• A Sudden Cold Dip
• Meeting a Charoda
• Confusing Common with Char
• Charoda Greetings (basic)
• Making a Friend

Notes: Wow guys, I love the writing here. Really great storytelling. Your words paint a vivid picture of what is happening. One of the most entertaining social threads I have ever read.

I think the city holds a grand future for you. I hope to see more threads soon.

In your first post, Astro, I belive you are referencing Alchemy instead of Philtering. Philtering is potion making and Alchemy is the transformation of one substence to another. Just wanted to point this out so you knew which skill you were building . If I simply misunderstood let me know via PM.

Last thing: I tend to be lore crazy, some of it is useful where as some of it is not. I like to give lore for any memory that will stick with you, like falling in the water there , because memories are very important to me and really flesh out a character. To show where they have been in life. Some people don't like that and only want to keep the practical lore, I completly understand if you feel that way. That is why I wanted to let you know that if you feel it's too much or not helpful, feel free to pick and choose among the lore and only keep what you want.

If you have any concerns with this please PM me and let me know.

A.S. Oracle