Lyam tries to regain his mentor's trust after having deeply decieved her.
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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]
Lyam raised his head from the bottles and flasks he was labelling and came toward Nadya.
“Dyou need some help?” he gently asked.
Since his accident on the mountains, Lyam had been the perfect apprentice. Afraid to lose his job and Nadya’s friendship, he was even more workaholic and tidy, never complaining and always obliging. Thanks to his herbalism classes and Paul’s help, he was also filling his herbalism journal in a way Nadya enjoyed.
“Kind of. I need you to go and find this.” she answered while giving him a parchment where five nouns of different plants and flowers were noted. “I wrote you where to go in the city to buy each of them, but it’s not sure they will be all available. If not, just come back and don’t try to find them in the mountains!” She had smiled while saying her last sentence, but Lyam was sure that for once he really had better to obey. “I warn you young man, if you’re coming back with any injuries, I would glue you to a tree and let your blood attracting predators… or I would use you as a bait to capture some glassbeaks; some say their feather have some curative property.”
Lyam hesitated a second; was that a joke or…? But before the serious gaze of Nadya, he just nodded and took the money she gave him before going out in the streets.
It was almost the middle of the morning but still the streets were empty. Since the storm, people just feared to go out or had a lot to do by them: to fix the root, to replace a window… Lyam read the first line of the parchment and went towards the high place where he found easily the little florist.
He pushed the door open and heard some little bells ringing. Immediately, a big boy of about his age came and greeted him.
“Hi. I’m looking for a very specific flower I was told you have.” Lyam asked.
The boy looked embarrassing when I read the parchment but did not recognize the names.
“Er… let me see.” he said before disappearing in the backyard.
Lyam did not wait long and soon the shop owner came to serve him. “Morning boy. You’re Nadya’s apprentice, eh?”
Lyam nodded, stomached.
“Aha, I was sure about it!” the florist said, “There is only Nadya to ask for such plants in the middle of the Spring! Sorry boy, I don’t have that summer flower. But if you want I can sell you the second in your list, I’ve just got some of them this morning.”
Lyam smiled and accepted the deal. Four left, he thought.
Last edited by Lyam on April 16th, 2012, 6:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Exams period, sorry for all the people who are waiting for me!
Lyam walked through the whole city but found the third store of the list without any problem and bought there the third plant. Two places left where he hopped to find the three last ingredients. He peered at his parchment to read what Nadya had written and first did not understand. There was only someone’s name, without any location.
“Great!” he sighed “And how am I supposed to find that…” he read the parchment again “Pletuvia Gasper?”
Some people gazed at him strangely, hearing him speaking alone in the middle of the street. Lyam shook his head and went back to the main place: if anybody knew where she was, he would find there.
There was a bit more agitation than an hour ago as the daily market was now set. A bit shy, Lyam went to the first stand before him and asked the old woman that held it “Er, sorry Madam, may you know where I could find Pletuvia Gasper?” Hearing the name, the old lady opened big eyes of fear and incomprehension and violently shook her head. Astonished, Lyam tried to learn more about her reaction “Well er… is there any problem?” But the woman remained on a stony silence. Lyam shrugged his shoulders and went away.
He chose his next informer more carefully: a man about forty, strong, smiling. If he would not answer, nobody would. Lyam repeated his question, wondering what could be wrong with the woman he was looking for. The smile of the man suddenly disappeared and he asked in return “Why dyou ask?” Lyam explained gently he had to find a plant she may got.
“Hm… Are you sure boy, no other choice? Well you know, she’s a bit… weird.” the man finally answered.
“I have been sent there, I think she is the only one able to help me.” Lyam said, wondering if it was a test of Nadya to know if he would go toward a possible danger or just come back with empty hands.
“Well… I think I’ve seen her on the docks when I arrived, try to search there.” the man said.
Lyam nodded and smiled to the guy. Then he thanked him and turned on his heel. He barely heard the merchant's last advise over the market noise “Don’t look at her straight in the eyes!” Lyam frowned but did not stop, what was wrong with that woman?
Exams period, sorry for all the people who are waiting for me!
Lyam went to the dock lost in his mind. He did not understand what was at stake with the woman he was looking for. Was she a kind of witch who scared the Zeltiva people with some incredible tricks? Or just an old lady that had once maltreated someone and the other would have never forgotten? Or was she so ugly that one could not look at her straight in the eyes? Lyam frowned; he had no answer and if he knew now where to find the woman, he still not knew what she looked like. He should have asked before, how would he do now?
But Lyam had no reason to be worried about that. Indeed, when he arrived on the docks, something unusual caught his attention; next to the bigger ships, where there used to have lots of agitations, there was no one. Not a single mariner to lade or unlade the boats. Instead, a young woman covered with a lightly white dress was standing and waiting there, perfectly immobile. She seemed to shine from her deep inside and Lyam could have thought about an illusion if his wolf’s sense had not claimed him that something strange was before him. There were no more doubts: she was the one he was looking for. Gathering some courage to face a potential danger that an entire crew avoided, Lyam stepped forward. However, he kept his gaze on his feet, remembering very well the last advice of the merchant. He knew he was very rude like that but for once he would rather be careful.
“Good morning Madam ” he first greet “Are you Pletuvia Gasper?”
“It’s quite rude not to gaze at someone you’re speaking.” she simply answered with a crystalline voice. The sound was very pleasant and during few seconds Lyam was about to raise his head to look at her but he resisted.
“I was told not to. I’m really sorry.” he apologized.
“Really?”
Lyam did not answer as he did not know what she was speaking about: the advice or his apologize?
“I’ll give you what you want only if you gazed at me.” Pletuvia added.
Lyam’s heart accelerated. First, how could she know he was looking for something? Because nobody never comes to her. You should have a reason to come, she just guessed it, his mind answered for him. But was the plant worth the risk? Lyam thought about Nadya, about her warnings.
“I won’t eat you, you know.” she added, vexed.
Lyam raised his head before he could think more. And what he saw was amazing. His first impression was the right one: the girl was shining from her deep inside. She was like a little sun and her eyes… Lyam closed them less than a second after having crossed her gaze. His eyes were burning terribly, deeply hurt by the pure light that had taken the place of her eyes.
“What are you?” he asked without thinking about his rudeness.
“More than you deserve to see.” she enigmatically replied, with a tip of bitterness in her voice. Anyway, Lyam continued to speak without thinking before:
“You’re… beautiful... I mean, you’re shining and…”
“Shut up.”
The order was implacable. However, her voice showed she was not indifferent to his words. Lyam clearly noticed it.
“Why are you so?” he dared adding.
She did not answer but took his hand and left there a curious plant out of nowhere.
“How did you…?” he stammered, stomached.
“Go now, great Nadya for me and come back soon. It’s a pleasure to speak with you.”
Completely lost, Lyam did what she said and turned on his heel, the plant on his fist.
Exams period, sorry for all the people who are waiting for me!
Lyam went on the two other shops without being real careful. Fortunately the plants he was looking for were available and he even found by the last florist the flower he missed. When he finally pushed the door of Nadya’s shop, his gaze still seemed empty and lost and Nadya immediately noticed it.
“Oh, you found her.” she just said, amused.
Lyam looked at her and smiled like an idiot “Yes…”
Nadya laughed and took Lyam’s bag to put a hand on the plants. “Great, you get them all!” she exclaimed.
“Yes…” Lyam repeated.
Nadya laughed at him but did not add anything and just went on her lab. Lyam remained alone on the shop during few minutes, immobile, smiling for no reason until his mentor came back with a little glass full with a strange orange potion. “Drink that boy, you’ll be better.”
Lyam took the glass and did so, unable to think by his own. But the very second the potion touched his tongue spitted all. “What the… ?” he shouted first but he soon stopped and gazed around him, lost. “Nadya?” he asked rhetorically “What… I was on the docks and…” He frowned, unable to remember how he came there. Nadya smiled.
“You’ve been looking Pletuvia straight in the eyes, haven’t you?”
“I… think so.”
“She makes that kind of effect to the men.” she explained “I’ve never seen a male capable of sustaining her beautiful eyes.”
She seemed amused of Lyam disorientation. “She’s not very… human.” she added with a tip of mystery on her voice.
“Oh, really?” he ironically asked, vexed. “Seriously, Nadya, what happened?”
She just laughed but did not answer “One day, you will understand.”
“This is not an answer!”
“This is all you will get. Now go back home, you need some rest.”
“No, Nadya, please… tell me!” he begged.
She smiled but repeated with strength that it was out of the question. “It’s a secret she would may be reveal to you one day. But I wouldn’t.”
Lyam sighed but abandoned the party. He had enough from one fatal woman in the day.
Exams period, sorry for all the people who are waiting for me!
Lore: Errands for Nadya Pletuvia Gasper: Eye Contact
Well, this thread got me thinking until the end. I'd want to know who and what Pletuvia is. Is she a ghost? Your descriptions were vague, but just as long as you abide by the lores of Mizahar (races, etc), then it's okay. To be honest, it sounds like a good mystery. Also, just as a tip, if you had described the plants that Lyam went looking for, you would probably have gotten some points in Herbalism. Great thread, but don't be scared to be more descriptive!
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me!
by Lyam on April 14th, 2012, 2:22 pm 
