Suvan Bound (Gabrielle)

[Avadyr]

The 17th day of Spring 512 AV On the Kalea side of the border between Kalea and Taldera, Avadyr rode in sleepy silence on the back of his Avanthalian steed. The soft clopping of hooves on earth lulled him to an even sleepier state, as if his lack of sleep was not a burden enough. He sat, gently jerked side to side as he rode. His eyes were shut, though he remained awake and sitting up, his katinu had been folded and placed between him and the saddle, and he was bare chested in the fading sunlight, his hair taking on an orange tint to give it an almost burning flare as the slight breeze blew strands about. The dull light that had been glowing through his eyelids was going fast, and this woke him up. Looking about, he could see the Suvan, but only barely. Pushing himself into a firmer position, he kicked the horse into a run, as he was determined to get to the northern shores within the hour. It would be there that he would camp, and wait. He hoped to find a ferry of sorts to get him across the expanse of sea, and was willing to wait weeks for it, as taking his steed around would be even longer. It was not a grand horse, and it was not a poor horse. It was older, but it would get the job done. Should the ferry not have room for it, he would set it free then and there. It was not a creature he was attached to, and not one he wished to go through the trouble of transporting. But he was thankful for its presence now, as he would be nowhere near his current location had he not received it in a trade. Avadyr thought the time away with wonders such as women and war. It was not in his native culture to ponder over war and violence, but he himself was intrigued by the idea of it. He felt it would be an adventure, but was not so naive as to assume it would be a joyous ride through a field of flowers. As for women, he thought of women he had never met. Dark haired and light alike. Porcelain and obsidian the same. Passing time wasn't easy, as he grew paranoid of the impending darkness. It was the farthest he had ever been from Wind Reach, and the darkest. The stars that bled through the thinning blanket of daylight sky gave him comfort as they guided his path to the sea and he was upon sand within the hour. He unpacked his bedroll and the gear wrapped within it. With the gear was the collection of tinder he had accumulated along the way, and in the bedroll itself were several larger logs. Tying his horse to boulder in the sandy shore, he set out to collect rocks, which he used to make a solid circle in the sand for the fire. He placed the tinder, and untied the string on one end of his bow. Placing a thing, flat piece of wood under the tinder, taking the shaft of an arrow, and wrapping the string of the bow around it once, he created fire from the rotation of the shaft. He kept the fire alive, and set his equipment out, his bow and full quiver sat by his talon sword in the sand, the hilt of the blade glowing in the fire light while Avadyr sat in the heat, covered by his black takinu, his hood over his sanguine locks while he meditated on his future, and waited for as long as he would have to for a way across the Suvan.

[Gabrielle Seawind]

The Suvan Sea was a horrible place to be in at the moment. Gabrielle Seawind had spent all her life in it, and sailing through it now, it was as if she knew nothing about it. She couldn't even call it her home anymore. She was at the north western part of the sea, somewhere near the border of Kalea and Taldera. A worried look was on her face. The last time she had parted with her mother and sisters, they said they would sail to the Eastern coast of Kalea. Gabrielle was already at the end of the said coast -- and she hadn't seen her pod yet. On her way there, she had passed by many shipwrecks. No survivors were in sight. An intense feeling resided in the pit of her stomach -- where was her family? The storm had been terrible. She couldn't imagine how anyone out at sea at the time could have survived it. Maybe her pod was able to find a safe haven, just as she did? Gabrielle had been out at sea when she first heard the message from other Svefra she had passed. A terrible storm was coming. The closest place she could go to for refuge was Kalista Island. It was just an island; most people would say it was the worst place to be in during a ferocious storm. She had no choice, and also, she somehow knew Laviku would protect it. The storm had pounded dangerously everywhere around them. Many stranded and fellow Svefra had sought refuge in the island. They prayed to Laviku, desperation in their eyes. Gabrielle had never been so scared in her life -- but Laviku had saved her life, along with all the others on the island. Even a large number of the boats were still intact, including hers. The first thing she did when the storm was over? Lower her sails and travel as fast as she could to find her family. This was the first time Gabrielle found herself believing so much in optimism. Because if she didn't, there was a good chance her family didn't survive. The girl had no choice but to fight back the frightful thought. She was determined to find them. She sighed, tiredly running a hand through her hair. They weren’t there, and it was time to go back to land. The sea wasn’t safe. Gabrielle was about to sail to the nearest city, Alvadas, when something caught her eye. There seemed to be a person making camp on the coast. If Gabrielle made her best guess, she would say he was an Inarta. His fiery red locks said it all. What was he doing out here in such a dangerous time? Rumours were that all sorts of creatures were creeping up from the oceans. The Svefra breathed in deeply, gathering all her strength. "Hey!" yelled Gabrielle, waving her hands in the air to get his attention. She was out at sea, but not too far from the land. There was a good chance he could hear her clearly. "Hey, have any other ships passed by here lately?"

[Avadyr]

By his count, he had only been there for several hours, and the voice startled him at first, for the ship it came from blended with the night sky behind it.He lowered his hood and strode closer to the water, his bare feet sinking into the wet shore. He assumed it was a sailor of the Svefra, but he could have been wrong. After all, he knew little of them. As he observed the ship, he took notice of the emptiness of it. A single woman manning a ship to herself? He wondered if it was rare. He knew of the Svefra and their "pods" and figured that if she was in search of something, it very well may have been other Svefra. He remembered the storm and how terribly it had affected his people. The destruction it had caused, and the depression following were two of the main factors in his departure. With no hope of gaining himself an Eagle of his own for years to come now, he knew that there was no progress to be made for himself in Wind Reach, and here was his first shot at something new, a wandering ship. Avadyr called out, his hands in front of his mouth to maximize the distance of his words. "You're the first I've seen! Where are you going?!" Should she have not had the time to come ashore, Avadyr was more than willing to swim to her, so he removed his cloak and sat down with his back to the fire.

[Gabrielle Seawind]

The fire illuminated the man's frame; that plus his scarlet hair against the darkness of the rest of their surroundings somehow made him look like he was somehow aflame as well. The Svefra watched the man from afar, judging him. Gabrielle thought about it for a while. Her initial and impulsive decision was to sail for Alvadas -- but she realized now that in a time of turmoil, her family would not sail for the city of illusions. That, and she had already sailed through the coast. The next location that made sense to her was Syliras. Her pod liked Syliras the most, and would seek comfort in it. She had passed by the docks of Alvadas and seen the shipwrecks along the coast. She didn't recognize them as any of the Seawind ships, so perhaps they had sailed far from the coast of Kalea by now. "I'm going to Syliras!" yelled Gabrielle. Would he be going with her? She was not one to seek comfort in others, especially those not of her race, but someone to speak to in a time like this would do her good. "Are you seeking transport? I have room for you and your horse, but I don't know how you can get him aboard. I cannot come any closer, as the water is shallow. You'll have to approach on your own."

[Avadyr]

With a certain joy in his step he stood and went back to his fire. Kicking sand over it with his bare feet. It left a pile of smoldering wood, and as he packed his things, he remembered the horse. It would be tedious to put the horse on board. He didn't even know if it could swim. He took a moment to speak to the horse, thanking it for its obedience. It would be the horses first time without a master, as it was born into the ownership of his previous rider. Untying the rope, he slapped the horse and watched it ride off. It slowed near the treeline to stare at Avadyr in a waiting and patient manner, but Avadyr turned his back on the creature. He strung his bow over his torso along with his quiver. His katinuA cloak split up the middle in the back, worn by the Inarta. was folded around his Talon sword, and held tight in one hand. He wasn't an experienced swimmer, but he figured he could handle it. Striding back to the shore, his boots back on his feet, he stepped forward into the water and pushed himself forward in a swim. The water was cold and it wasn't easy moving through it with the weight he carried, but he wasn't about to drown. He smiled through the water, the salt splashing against his lips and face as swam awkwardly to the side of the ship. "Apologies!" He sputtered. "I'm not exactly in my element right now."

[Gabrielle Seawind]

Gabrielle was surprised to see that the man had not attempted to bring the horse along. Due to her lack of knowledge about the lands, she had no idea what kind of horse it was, but she knew that most horses amounted to a reasonable amount of money. "Oh..." said Gabrielle as she watched the man swim to the ship in an awkward manner. She often forgot that most races were not as adept as the Svefra when it came to the sea. The man looked quite funny though, and she couldn't help but give a soft chuckle. Gabrielle moved near the side of her casinor where the man swam to. She said in his response to his statement, "Yes, and I see that!" Stretching out a hand, she helped the man up. He was drenched, his skin cold from the icy sea. She got a good look at him now -- he had the common characteristics of an Inarta: scarlet hair and a strong looking stature. Gabrielle was distrustful by nature, but seeing as he wasn't familiar with the sea, he probably wouldn't be dim enough to do something rash. He wouldn't be able to survive out on the sea on his own. "You might want to dry yourself, nights are extremely cold out in the Suvan sea," she muttered to him as she moved away. "My name's Gabrielle. You're going to have to help me keep a sharp eye, there's no telling what we'll run across. There have been terrible rumours about the sea these days." She looked at him from head to toe before moving to prepare her sails. The voyage to Syliras would take roughly fifteen days, and there was no telling what they would find once they got there.

[Avadyr]

Taking her hand and taking stand on the deck was a new grounds for him. He'd never been on a ship before, and the unpredictable nature the ships movement seemed to put him at ease, as it reminded him of the heavy winds atop Wind Reach. He smiled as she made introductions. She couldn't have been a day over twenty, yet she seemed as independent as one who'd been on the seas for at least three decades. On her suggestion he removed his gear and boots to dry in the coming day's sun. "My Name is Avadyr. Thank you for picking me up, Gabrielle." He spoke out while her back was turned on him. His common was good, but it was obviously not his typical tongue. As she readied the sails, he took the time to examine the casinor as well as Gabrielle. He could easily respect a woman well versed in the toils of sailing, and he did already. He wondered what sort of state the rest of the land was in, remembering the storm that shook the Wind Reach and killed the eagles, deforming some and leaving the eggs to ruin. "So long as I'm aboard your vessel, I am yours to put to work." he offered as the best gesture he could give. "Though I'm new to sailing, I'm sure you can find me useful."

[Gabrielle Seawind]

"Avadyr..." repeated Gabrielle under her breath. The name was foreign to her. The man spoke with an accent she wasn't familiar with. If she remembered correctly, the Inarta lived atop a mountain -- very different from the seas. "Don't worry about it, Avadyr, this ship only needs a crew of one." She was done putting down the sails. Gabrielle steered the boat towards the direction of Syliras, though she knew she had to keep as close to the coast as possible. They were sailing against the wind, and the sea had been more violent as of recent. The ship swayed more than it was supposed to, making Gabrielle sigh. She hoped it would be a safe journey. "But like I said, you can help keep a sharp eye... there are a lot of... well, shipwrecks," she said the last word with difficulty. "We have to stay clear of those. I'm glad you're here though, it's difficult to get sleep when you're alone on a ship. We can take turns, and just wake me up if something seems off, or if the wind changes." She took a seat on a nearby barrel across from Avadyr. The Svefra held a careful eye on the horizon. Lanterns illuminated the ship; some lights could be directed at the sea if needed. However, the only guidance nature gave them was from the light of the moon and stars. It wasn't difficult to know if they were going to hit something, though -- just watch for things jutting out of the water.

[Avadyr]

He nodded in response before she came sitting across from him. He sat, cross legged and child like in front of her, staring up as he examined her face closer. He was fully aware of his childish mannerisms, but they were not something he worried about. He had always had a certain aloofness about him. That combined with his insatiable curiosity and seemingly constant lack of responsibility or worries created the twenty-two year old child, Avadyr. In time though his stern side would come out in a time where responsibility or worry was necessary. Until then, it was only the two of them on what he considered an enthralling, sea faring adventure. Though he was sure she was more than accustomed to a situation such as the one they were in. He rolled onto his back, and through himself onto his feet, stumbling slightly with the rocking of the casinor. He chuckled, regaining his balance before walking to the... bow? Stern? He wasn't sure, but he was at the front of the ship now, peeking over the side into the obsidian waters with parted lips that dripped curiosity as it manifested within him and flowed like the water beneath his feet. His jaded eyes could only take in so much of the water, and he was driven to wonder just what world lay beneath the surface. He was so enthralled with his surroundings, that he had almost forgotten to socialize with his hostess. He turned, facing her as he leaned his weight against the ship. "What brought you out here, Gabrielle? I expected to be on that beach for a week atleast." In that sense he thanked her with his eyes, she was certainly an early blessing, from which god? he did not know.

[Gabrielle Seawind]

Avadyr seemed to be in his own world as he looked over the side of the ship. The Svefra wondered what he could possibly be so interested in. Was he taking his assignment as seriously as he could? He seemed to be so immersed in his thoughts that everything else, or anybody else, was now unimportant. Yawning to herself, Gabrielle listened to the way the water hit the side of her boat. She watched as the shadows slightly danced on the decks as the lamps moved around at every sway of the casinor. Perhaps it was time to turn in? The man seemed serious in his task that Gabrielle was sure he wouldn't let any mishap come. She was just about to call out to him when he turned around to face her, asking her a question. "Well, I..." started Gabrielle; it was not often that she found herself at a loss in words, but this was one of those few moments. The heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach was back. She thought about brushing off his question, but then she thought better of it. "I was looking for my pod. We went separate ways before the storm, and I haven't seen them again after that." She had a look of stress on her face. Her eyebrows creased with concern, her lips pursed with worry. Battling with this feeling was harder than she thought -- 'Damn...' "And what about you?" she asked him, changing the topic. Gabrielle looked at him with puzzlement. "What would a man be doing camping out on the coastline at time like this?"