PM to join A Small Errand

[Eleret]

Spring 49, 513 AV morning One more day. One more sunset, and one more passage of quiet night, before the expedition would depart for fabled Syka. Surely it was fabled, even if only in the expedition members' own thoughts and dreams. Eleret was quietly excited at the chance to cross the world, to explore the past as she hadn't since... since her second period at the University, seven years ago now. It never felt like so much time had passed, until she stopped to count the seasons, and everything which had happened since. The Syka expedition would be different, not least because it was to venture out of explored lands into the wilderness of Falyndar. Which had led to the Konti's next thought, what she might need in such a place. She had given that a great deal of consideration over past days, since her arrival in Riverfall, and come up with a small list. Mathias had promised to buy every tool the woodcarver could need for her profession, so there were no such items on Eleret's list -- but there were some other things she thought would be good to have for herself, even though they didn't relate to her official role. She had debated over them for a while, then finally decided on the final list -- and set off to shop. On her way out through Atri's Place, the Konti had learned she wasn't the only one to be up with the early summer sunrise. The human she had met the night before, the one called Sirroco, had been in the common room as Eleret made her way through, and fell in with the Konti when she invited him along on her errand. She was glad of that; it would be easier to get to know her fellow expedition members outside of the large group gatherings. In her brief time in Riverfall, Eleret had done enough walking about the city to find the bazaar, though not enough to have cemented in her mind a direct route between Atri's Place and that area. She knew it was across the river, though, and so the Konti led her companion to the bridge which spanned the Bluevein just above its plunge towards the sea. Here she paused, as she always did, to pay her respects to the water with a moment's regard. It was less impressive a sight from this side -- but not, in truth, that much less impressive. "I think there is nothing like this anywhere else," the Konti remarked as she leaned against the bridge's rail, scales glinting pale teal in the sunlight, her hair drifting in the wind off the water. "It is very pretty, do you think so?"

[Sirroco]

The Riverian bed had been very comfortable, and very much unlike the hammock in which he usually slept aboard the Misty. Sirocco had opted to stay the evening in the room provided by Mathias, after meet and greet in the garden the night before. Tain had stayed with him, even though the presence of the mischievous otter annoyed the Akalak innkeeper. By the morning, Sirocco's Tavan had had enough of the land bound room and slipped out to make his way down to the docks and the Svefra's boat. This effectively awakened the fisherman, who decided to dress and, after some breakfast, make sure all was set for departure the next day. The Svefra was, of course, well accustomed to sea travel. The journey across the short stretch of the Suvan was not so much the concern. It was the strange, unknown land that lay beyond. He did not know of any Svefra that had traveled to such a place, and he was going to do it without the aid of a pod. He would have to rely upon strangers, and some stranger than others. It was this fact that made the Svefra nervous. As if Laviku sensed his loneliness and directed his path, the Konti he had met the night before had invited him to visit the bazaar. Sirocco readily accepted, and the two of them headed out into the Akalak city. The rush of the water under the bridge seemed to call to the daughter of Mura as much as it did the Svefra, and they paused to peer over the bridge at the rushing Bluevein. Sirocco inhaled deeply, nodding in agreement. "Yes, the cliff city really has no rival in Mizahar. I can't think of any place where practically the whole city looks out upon the sea. And the falls, the sound of rushing water. It makes spending time within stone walls almost tolerable." He turned to Eleret, flashing a grin. Of anyone he met going on the trip, he found a peculiar affinity for the Konti. Even now, as he saw the glimpse of scintillation in her faint scales, the hint of gill slits revealed under windblown hair, the Svefra was reminded that Eleret was a being of water, a daughter of his beloved Sea King. To the simple fisherman, Eleret's presence on the expedition was an omen of good. The petite woodcarver, in appearance, was a beautiful young woman, no more than a teenager, just a few years younger than Sirocco himself. But the Svefra understood how Konti aged, even if he didn't, Sirocco would have suspected a much older woman. Her demeanor was self-assured yet reserved, her words thoughtful and mature. Sirocco tried not to let the dichotomy intimidate him. He turned from the view of the city to the other side of the bridge, and the view of the sea. Peering down, he watched almost mesmerized as the fresh water raced over the edge of the cliff to become one with the sea somewhere out of sight below. It thrilled the seaman's heart. "This is a perfect place to start such an adventure!" He turned to the Konti, brushing a windblown blonde lock from his face. "Why did you decide to come, Eleret?"

[Eleret]

Eleret looked away from the river towards her companion as he replied, and smiled. "Maybe someday you would see Mura. But it is a long way from here. It is in a lake, not the sea," she remarked, "but it is on an island, and the sea is never far." She watched as Sirroco turned his attention to the upstream side, stepping over herself to look down at the swift-moving water. Why did she come, he asked, and Eleret tipped her head, giving that question the consideration it deserved. A slight wave of her hand gestured them to move on, to walk as they spoke -- after all, they weren't just out to sightsee. "I come because I study history, some time, in Zeltiva. It is an interest," she remarked as they walked. "And it is..." The Konti fell quiet for a few steps, in the pensive manner of someone inwardly chasing down the most proper words. "...It is a... making future, yes? To build, to make better. I can help with this. It is not I must, I am not yet Called, but if I can help, then I should. So I am here," she concluded, giving the Svefra a slightly wry grin. The grin faded, and Eleret shrugged one shoulder. "It also is west. I have a sister, she went west, we do not know where. If I go far enough, maybe I will find her. This way, I go with many people, which is good." Though the Konti carried her suvai at her belt, that didn't give her the ability to brave less-traveled regions of Mizahar alone; she acknowledged that truth quite readily. And if Syka was a detour from what she did know of Tanell's travels -- well, if Tanell had been at her last known location, she would have sent more letters. So detours weren't necessarily contraindicated; more the opposite. "But I speak much," she remarked then, breaking with her musings and offering her companion a faintly apologetic smile. "It does not surprise to find a Svefra with ships, but I would not expect land history to interest a sailor. What brings you to the company?"

[Sirroco]

Sirroco's reasons for joining Mathias' expedition certainly were not as noble or taleworthy as Eleret's, the fact ever more evident as the Konti spoke. Hers was, however, fitting for one of such a respected and mysterious race. As they stepped from the bridge back to the flagstones of the Riverian streets, he avoided her gaze, examining instead the architecture around them. "Land history does not interest me." The Svefra confessed. "I am just a fisherman, grand goals and deeper knowledge are beyond me." He hesitated, weighing his own thoughts, measuring what he was willing to share. Sirroco's gaze darted to the ivory-skinned woman, her eyes catching his. Deep green tinted with blue, like the sea at twilight, gave him pause. They were open, honest, and without judgement. A gaze that did not often fall to a one of Laviku's Whalekin, often held in disdain by land dwellers. With some effort, Sirroco tore his eyes away. "I have no pod. We were small, just four. My mate and her sister's mate were lost in a storm. The sister became the Lia, I the pod. But we had a falling out, and we parted ways. I have yet to return to one of my former pods." Eleret exuded such a non-threatening familiarity, that the Svefra spoke as if she understood what he was talking about. "I want a tale to tell. I want an adventure. Maybe to help me forget, I don't know." He shrugged, flashing a hesitant smile at his companion. "Walking away from a Lia is not regarded well among my people." Turning a corner, the market loomed before them.

[Eleret]

The Svefra's admission that history wasn't his interest evoked a small, amiable smile from the Konti. To her mind, it was good that he had other reasons for joining -- if they all wanted the same things, the world would be a far less interesting place. But the look he gave her was more solemn than that, and rather than reassure the Svefra that he didn't need to be interested in history, the Konti said nothing. Rather, she waited, giving the man whatever time and peace he needed to decide if he would speak further. In the end, speak he did, though not before looking away from her, as if the admission was uncomfortable to make. And surely, such a tragedy must be difficult to speak of. "I am sorry, that you lost them," Eleret said with quiet sympathy. The words he used -- pod, Lia -- those were unfamiliar, but she could infer pod to mean family and Lia to be a title, presumably a pod's leader. When Sirroco turned back to her, managing a hesitant smile, Eleret offered him a stronger one in return. "Well, I am glad to have you here. You are the first Svefra I have met." They passed into the bazaar, between stalls with brightly colored canvas tops, all but glowing in the summer sunshine. The Konti was then required to turn her attention to the merchants and their wares, seeking out any which sold the items she desired. After a few moments of this search, working her way down aisles and attempting to peer through into those on either side, Eleret thought to enlist her companion's eyes; if nothing else, he was markedly taller and could see farther. "I look for a shop with... with travel things, fishing, gathering," she said, glancing to Sirroco beside her. "Can you see one?"

[Sirroco]

The Konti's warm smile ensured Sirroco he had not made a mistake in sharing his story with Eleret, and his moment of somberness fizzled in light of the woman's grin. The two turned their attentions to a more mundane task, finding a merchant among the crowded stalls who offered the kind of supplies they sought. The Svefra was more than pleased to help Eleret, though he was at a disadvantage as well trying to look around the large Akalaks that milled about. Finally, Sirroco saw a glimpse of gear through a gap in the crowd. Taking Eleret by the hand, so as not to lose her, the Svefra weaved through the market patrons to the stall. It was a variety shop of sorts, with a good mix of supplies. Sirroco began to scan the tables and racks, questioning Eleret beside him. "What are you looking for? I can let you know if I see anything." The Svefra had already begun rummaging through some odds and ends on a wooden bin. He pulled out an iron hatchet and looked it over before setting it aside, then examining a fish knife in a worn leather sheath.

[Eleret]

Eleret followed willingly as her companion seemed to spot a likely merchant, the two winding their way through the market crowd. She surveyed the offerings on the table, then nodded affirmation, giving Sirroco a quick smile -- this merchant quite nicely fit what she'd wanted. It didn't take her long at all to find the bags of purposed supplies, rummaging through them to find ones which contained what she was looking for. Distracted as she was, it took the Konti a few moments to respond to Sirroco's query, though she did hear and register it. "It is... I think I have some here, but what I do not see yet is... for to fish, to catch fish. We go on ship to another shore, I think it is good to do fishing," she remarked, pausing with her hand wrist-deep in a bag to look at the Svefra. "I could ask Mathias to bring, but it is a thing I... learn, still, so I think I should buy for myself." Finding first one, then a second kit which fit her needs, Eleret set them aside: one with materials for growing and harvesting plants, the other bandages and basic medicines. A long wooden staff caught her eye, then, the carver picking it up and giving its grain close scrutiny through the dark brown varnish. "You live on the sea, you fish, yes? Or does the otter bring you?" she asked curiously, having seen the animal with Sirroco at the gather but not entirely clear on its relationship to the Svefra.

[Sirroco]

Even before she spoke, Sirroco had cast sidelong glances at the Konti as she perused the vendor's goods. To meet a Konti was a blessing, in the Svefra's eyes, but to have a beautiful one befriend you, well, the fisherman must have done something to really please Laviku. Sirroco's heart was even more elated when Eleret mentioned wanting to fish. The man's intent immediately turned to finding some fishing tackle for the ivory woman. He chuckled at her question, finding her accent and broken Common endearing. "Well, I do the fishing, he digs up the shellfish, which he is not very good at sharing." As if on cue, Tain skipped into the stall, chittering at Sirroco as if scolding a child. "Easy!" Sirroco spoke, looking down at the otter. "I told you, I am not leaving without you. We are just shopping." The Svefra made a mock surreptitious pointing gesture towards Eleret, as if hinting to his furry friend that he was with company. "I will look for some gear for you, good stuff." Sirroco chivalrously declared, as he started to rummage through the wares for fishing equipment. "I can teach you to fish with a spear, if you like, then you don't have to wait for them to come to you." The man offered as he moved to the next table, going through a chest under it. He found a jar of hooks, but they were rusty, and the fishing cord wrapped around it was frayed. He tossed them back. Tain helped too, at least he helped himself, digging through a barrel. He found something of interest, and carried it, not to Sirroco, but to the Konti. The otter dropped it at her feet. It was a wood carving of a voluptuous nude woman in a rather suggestive posture. Sirroco glanced over, his eyes widening in horror. "Tain!" He yelped, scrambling on his hands and knees to recover the offending statuette, which the creature snatched up and disappeared under the tables. Looking up at Eleret, cheeks flushed, Sirroco grinned boyishly. "I, uh, he seems to know you carve wood." The Svefra found it more likely that the ornery otter simply wanted to embarrass him. "I'll, uh, find that...stuff." He turned back to the chest, wincing. Tain was in for it.

[Eleret]

Trusting Sirroco to find worthy fishing supplies, Eleret kept one ear on his words and considered her mental list. There was one other thing she thought likely to find here... but no more did the Konti start looking for her last purchase, then a noisy chittering drew her attention away. She looked down to see the otter apparently chiding the Svefra, drawing a smile from the pale woman. She inclined her head politely to the otter, then looked to Sirroco as he spoke. "You can?" she echoed, before nodding once. "I would like to. It is good to try." She smiled to the Svefra, then turned back to the tables, shelves, and barrels, keeping half an eye on the things she'd already set aside while looking for that one more thing... Eleret had found it, too, or thought she did, but didn't quite have time to completely examine the bag before a certain otter appeared at her feet. "Hmm?" She got just a glance at the dropped carving before Sirroco dashed down and snatched it away... enough to make sense of the soy-salt whiff of his mood, combined with the flush of his expression. The Konti laughed. Bright and light and inviting Sirroco to share in her amusement, Eleret laughed, shaking her head slightly. "Thank you," she said to the empty air left behind by the otter, ducking down to peer under the tables whence he had vanished. "But I think I do not need carvings." There was a moment's pause, and then she raised her hands, sketching a space in the air about eight inches by four. "If you find wood, wood not cut, it is this size, I would not mind that." If he wanted to be industrious, Eleret could support that.

[Sirroco]

Relieved of his embarrassment by Eleret's unoffended laugh and bright smile, Sirroco leaned down to shoot one more glare at the ornery otter under the table. The ivory skinned woman seemed amused by his rascally tavan, leaning down as well to speak to Tain with a friendly tone. The otter slunk forward a bit to peer up at Eleret, his whiskers twitching as the animal's eyes seemed to smile back at her. With a chitter, the creature abandoned the erotic statuette and skittered off amongst the tables. Sirocco's sheepish grin turned into a smile of admiration. Eleret had ask for his help in finding fishing supplies, and the Svefra was as eager as the otter to show how helpful he could be. No longer looking for things of personal interest, the fisherman set about his task with skilled ardor. Hooks and lines would be his suggestion. Fishing poles could be crafted out of any tree and bait easy to find. If Eleret did want to learn to spear, Sirroco had plenty of equipment, in addition to the extra spears he requested for the expedition. It was going to be the Svefra's pleasure to teach her either method. Rummaging through box and barrel, jar and bag, the Svefra finally did find a number of decent hooks of varying sizes and a ball of line that was not so tangled. Sirroco did set aside some items as he scoured the offerings, finding a light hammock, leather apron, sandals, blanket and a hunk of soap that did not smell too much like flowers. Finding a small glass jar containing assorted buttons, the fisherman dumped them out and put the fishing hooks inside, then set it with the ball of line next to the supplies Eleret had already picked out. He waited until she took notice of him. "These will get you started, and I can show you how to use them, and fish spears too." He flashed another smile, somewhat proud of his finds.