Hi-Ho! Hi-Hay!

[Kai']

35th of Summer 515av
Syliras City
Dawn

　

　　A sharp gasp escaped his tightly clenched jaw as the young Svefra bolted upright within his swinging hammock. His bare, glistening chest heaved as his oceanus gaze cast about the still dark cabin. The Puer Lavinium rocked gently with the lapping waves of the salty Suvan sea, every now and then softly bumping with the wooden pier to which it remained firmly attached. Leth's moon was just giving way to the rising morning gleam of Syna, allowing him to make out the shadowed shapes of his humble abode. Cupping his face in both hands, Kai took a moment to let his awakening mind grasp onto reality and let the frightful feeling of the nightmare escape into the furthest recesses of his mind.
　　Every night. Every night he suffered the same dark dream. Every night he awoke drenched in sweat. Yet never once had he ever remembered any of it, not even the glimpse of a simple image. His mind felt disjointed. Almost like the mind and memories of the life from his childhood took hold only when sleep overcame him. Yet when he was to wake it would retreat out of his yearning grasp, taking all those memories with it. Leaving him with nothing more than the terrifying feeling that he was in danger and a gaping hole he itched to have filled.
　　Taking a moment to calm himself, the young Svefra straightened his muscular back, letting both his hands fall to rest in between his spread legs as he attempted to clear his mind. Taking control of his breathing, Kai inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, his eyes closed. His heart beat followed the gradual alleviation of his panicked mind as he listened to the comforting sound of the undulating waves against the hull of his personal Casinor.
　　Once he felt collected, the young Svefra turned his mind onto the day ahead. Distracting himself from the nightmare was the only way he knew best to overcome its lasting effects. Today was to be exciting for sure, if not a little nerve racking. He had been able to secure himself a job working in the fields as an extra hand. The day before he had been given the details. He was to report to the field master as soon as he arrived in the Mithryn Outpost, where he would be given further instruction as to the nature of his job. He had no idea where this outpost was, having scoured every inch of his city map of Syliras to no avail. However taking initiative, he had found through inquiring with one of the neighbouring naval ships that the outpost was a day's walk South of the city.
　　The young Svefra had been disheartened that he would have to venture further inland and was nervous about navigating so far across land, yet he knew that the journey would hold far greater prospect for adventure than the destination, so his gut churned with excitement. Chucking his blanket to the side, Kai hopped down out of his rocking hammock and set to collecting his things together. He would be gone for several days so had purchased some basic food rations for the journey. After swiftly dressing himself, he packed the simple dried food stuffs into his rugged backpack, along with a full waterskin, extra clothing, toiletries, some of his personal effects such as journal and ink, before finally remembering to pack some of his medicinal creams and quickly grabbing his ivory short-spear - just incase. One could never be too prepared is what his adoptive mother always would say.
　　As the young Svefra hopped over the side of his Casinor and onto the pier, he doubled checked that the knots of his mooring ropes were doubly secure before leaving for the main gates. He didn't want to come back after working in the fields to find that his only connection to his kin and his home had accidentally floated away in his absence. He was hesitant to be astray from the sea for so long, he knew he would miss Lexa like crazy, but one must work if one was to eat. Turning his aching heart away from the Great Harbour, Kai instead pushed his thoughts to the positives and excitement of all this adventure would bear as he made his way towards the main throng of the City of Syliras.
　　Flipping out his map of Syliras, he paused mid-step at the end of the pier to first acquire where North was in relation to his position. Glancing upwards Syna was just beginning to break over the horizon, casting oranges and yellows across the cumulus dotted sky. Figuring that the sun arose in the East here the same as it does in the Southern Suvan Sea, Kai therefore determined from there where North was in relation to his position. Turning the map in his hands around so that the painted compass upon the parchment would reflect the directions in reality.
　　He was still new at learning how to read the complexities of a map, but was beginning to gain at least a simple understanding of its workings. With trusted map in hand, the young Svefra felt confident he could make it through the maze of the paved and cobbled streets of Syliras to reach the main gates. From there his map would do him no good and he would instead have to rely on his wits to get him to the Mithryn Outpost.

　

[Kai']

　

　　With the rising of Syna's light, the city of Syliras began to stir and slowly awaken, with only a few reisdent and merchant wandering the mainly barren streets. Without the usual mad hustle and bustle of bodies on the paved streets or the racing of horse and carts on the main roads, Kai found the morning quiet of the city easier to traverse. He could concentrate more fully on following the direction of his map and not so much on having to avoid collisions with the native residents of Syliras.
　　Following the main road, Kai left the Bittern District and found himself skirting the edges of the Great Bazaar as he begun to round a corner into the Dyre District. According to his map if he continued to keep on his course tramping along the main road, he could easily slip by the outskirts of each of the city districts and therefore improve his chances of not getting lost in the vast labyrinth of streets and alleys of Syliras. However after following the main road on a straight for some time, Kai found that the road began to curiously merge with the same cobble stoned roads from many other directions. All of the avenues seemed to converge at a peculiar circular obstacle, all connecting to each other and blending into one. Kai found himself completely stumped at this circular obstacle. The road to which he had clung to, now sprouted off into every direction.
　　To his nearest right however he found the cobbled trail of the main road opened up into what Kai could only see was a vast open square of some kind. Peering to his map for guidance Kai was unsure as to which direction he was to follow. Referring to the map's key he took a moment, standing negligently in the middle of the street, to study what he could see around him to what should be on the map he held in his hands. To his right in the distance he could make out a large collection of houses, all nestled tightly together. Regarding his map, the words Travellers Row were sketched across various square drawings. His eyes seemed to collaborate what his map was telling him, so he turned the parchment in his hands while at the same time he turned to his right. His map now faced the same direction he was now walking, keeping himself paralleled with the parchment as the old book keeper had taught him.
　　It was not long before the intimidating sight of the Main Gates of Syliras sprouted into view. Their craftsmanship and attention to detail was unlike anything the young Svefra had ever laid his seaborne eyes upon. The splendor of the gates grandeur caused Kai to nearly miss a step as he approached, his mouth hanging slightly agape in awe as he folded and tucked away his treasured map into his back trousers pocket.
　　Edging his way closer to the main entry point of Syliras, Kai suddenly noticed dark shadows high upon the ramparts overlooking the city and the roads leading up to it. The sheer number of Knights was enough to discourage any sort of larceny or ill intentions towards the city. The young Svefra's deep sapphire gaze quickly identified that the Knights marching atop the gates, had quivers and bows slung across their backs, while those that patrolled the ground carried swords, axes and maces. The young Svefra almost felt as though his simple ivory short spear was an inadequate tool for the purposes of defense, compared to the weapon choices of the Knights clad in their shiny armor. He was almost too intimidated to approach them himself, however he reminded himself that they were there to protect their residents, not to impose brute force without cause.
　　As he neared the first set of large, double wooden doors that enclosed the city, a Knight noticed his approach and came to intercept. Lifting a hand in an authoritative gesture to halt the young Svefra, he was gruff, but not unkind in his questioning, "Halt. Where do you travel to?" Kai returned the Knight's kind question with a simple, warm smile, "I have work in.. how do you say.. Outpost, the.. Mi-Mith-" The Knight nodded along the moment Kai mentioned the outpost and graciously intervened when Kai clearly struggled pronouncing the Mithryn Outpost in Common,
　　 "The Mithryn Outpost aye? That's grand, you can move along."
　　Before complying, Kai thought it would be best to ask the man for well needed direction, considering the main gates was the furthest boundary his map reached, so he would now be travelling blind. "Excuse, you couldn't directions? Please?"

　　"Aye, about a day's walk on the South Kabrin Road. Just follow this main one here leading out of the gates. It goes straight for most of the journey, you'll come to a fork in the road early on. Keep going straight, past that fork. Near the end of your day's journey you'll come to another fork, the Mithryn Outpost is the road on the left, but by then you can't miss it."
　　With his earnest thanks to the Knight Kai grinned, he was now confident that his travel to the outpost would be relatively easy since it seemed to be on a mainly straight stretch of road. With new found oomph in his step, the young Svefra couldn't contain his enthusiasm and nearly raced off through the second set of grand, wooden doors as they easily swung open to grant him leave of the city.

　

[Kai']

The South Kabrin Road

　　The young Svefra hummed softly to keep himself entertained as he marched down the South Kabrin road at a steady pace, noticing as he travelled the ever persistent presence of the Sylirian Knights all along the dusty track. Though he surmised that since the Mithryn Outpost was infact still within the Knight's domain, they would want to keep it well protected against bandits and the such. Not being well versed in the use of his ivory shortspear nor in the ways of combat itself, the young Svefra found great comfort being under their protection.
　　To keep himself occupied, the young Svefra swung his ivory shortspear around in his fingers, humming hearty Svefra tunes to himself. As chimes droned on into many bells of steadily paced walking, Kai's deep sapphire gaze cast about the road as he studied the native landmarks lining either side of the well trodden path. Trees were plentiful, lush green and blooming wildly in the midst of the summer season. Flowers of every kind and colour dotted the thick grass either side of the dusty road.
　　Along his journey the young Svefra passed several caravans, Knight patrols, farmers and the like. The continuous presence of people, no matter how far you travelled in the grand domain of Syliras never ceased to amaze the young Svefra, who was so used to the empty, sparsely populated region of the Suvan Sea. It made Kai feel somewhat swamped and insignificant in the vast populace of the world. Yet also made him marvel at the wondrous spark of life, at how each and every person he passed on the road had many stories to tell. Each and every one unique to that singular person.
　　The very thought made Kai smile as the complexities and mystery of life still evaded his complete grasp of understanding. As the day reached its peak, the young Svefra did not want to pause in his journey to quench the hunger of his groaning stomach. Instead he simply tucked his shortspear under one arm and ate on the go, feasting on his travel rations; a cut of cheese, dried, salted meat and a travel biscuit or two. He was too eager to reach his destination and was cautious to keep up a good walking pace so as not to arrive late.

　　As late evening approached the young Svefra's sturdy legs began to feel the draining effects of the days walk. His thighs burned, his feet began to ache and his shoulders felt the struggle of holding the load of contents in his pack. Yet he fought the cries of his tiring body and soldiered on, refusing to let up on his momentum. Fearing that if he did, even for a moment, that he would not be able to pick it up again.
　　Kai's torn mind was distracted when he suddenly heard the now familiar sounds of horse hooves and cart upon the road behind, the horse snorting as it laboured away at pulling the cart full of supplies. Moving closer to the edge of the path to allow the cart room to pass him, the young Svefra began to wish that he knew how to ride himself. For as he began to tire with the failing light of Syna, Kai suddenly realised he would have this arduous journey to make again on the way back to Syliras - after days of hard labour.
　　His spirit sank at the thought, but again he forced his mind out of the dark depths of despair and told himself to think back on the beautiful sights he had seen. The trees in full bloom, the flowers and their bewildering mixture of floral aromas. They were land sights and smells he was not all too accustomed to experiencing and were such that he would not soon forget.
　　As he felt his spirit renewed with positive energy, to his left Kai began to spot the dotting of lamp lights far in the distance in the growing shadows of late evening and then yes! Just up ahead he finally saw the final fork in the South Kabrin road that the Knight had spoken of. Turning left onto a smaller, less well attended path, the young Svefra found a new source of energy spur his legs into a hastier pace. Whether it was the excitement of arriving - finally - at the Mithryn Outpost, or whether it was the prospect of being able to find a bed in which to fall into, the young Svefra couldn't say as he raced through the daunting, towering walls of the Outpost.

The Mithryn Outpost

　　The fortifications of the Mithryn Outpost were certainly as grand as those surrounding Syliras City, however Kai noticed the craftsmanship of the structure of the boundary was built purely for practicality over that of beauty and so lost some of the grandeur that the walls of Syliras City had instilled in the Svefra only this morning. Though as his sapphire gaze fell upon the many towers watching over the village, Kai saw the fluttering flags bearing the Windoak crest of the Sylirian Knights and found that they imbued a sense of authority and a simplistic beauty all in itself.
　　Passing through the open main doors of the Mithryn Outpost, the hamlet - to Kai's glee - of what he could see appeared to be closely built together and so should be easy to navigate. Each building appeared to be basic in its nature, yet Kai found that elegance could be found most in the simplest of things. Though it was clear that in the construction of the Outpost aesthetics were given secondary consideration to that of practicality.
　　Once through the doors to the Outpost, the young Svefra was approached by a woman clad in heavy shiny armour. Her face mostly obscured by that of her helmet, though the young Svefra could tell even beneath the thick layers of her armour, that her posture was slumped, yet tense and at the ready despite her awkward pose. She greeted the young Svefra casually, clearly foretelling that she did this often and on a daily basis. "What's your business this eve' at Mithryn?"
　　"Hello. I am to work the fields. Er, must report to the field master. You wouldn't know where to find?"
　　"Farmer Driscoll? He's finished in the fields for the night. You'd probably find him grabbing dinner or drink at the Fool's Errand, just that way." The young lady Knight gestured casually with a thumb over her metallic shoulder. In the distance behind the soldier, Kai could see a quaint little cottage with a wavering sign above its singular door. With a warm smile and a nod in thanks, the young Svefra made his way across the muddy expanse of the hamlet towards the local Inn.

　

[Kai']

The Fool's Errand
The Mithryn Outpost

　　Closing the creeky, old, oak door behind him, Kai was instantly buffeted with the smells of sweat, ale, candle smoke and cooking foods. The roar of chatter and laughter was overwhelming and took a moment for the young Svefra to adjust to. The local inn was as simplistic as the rest of the Outpost. The main tavern being one large room, housed a few tables and chairs, filled with local patrons all relieving their daily stress with drink and games. Some playing dice, others cards on a few tables here and there. Most though stood or sat jesting and chatting with their friends and work colleagues. A bar was nestled on the far right of the large room, with stairs further to its right, leading up to rooms for rent.
　　The young Svefra's deep oceanus gaze cast around the bustling, tightly packed room as he made his way, weaving around stumbling patrons, to the middle aged man housed behind the long wooden bar. With a mane of wild brunette hair and deep, dark eyes the man's smile was a betrayal to his harsher appearance. As the fresh face of the newly arrived Svefra approached, the man planted both hands firmly upon the wooden perch of the bar. "What can I get you? You look like fresh blood to the 'post, here for work I take it?"
　　"Aye, that I am. Was wondering if you could point to the field master? Uh, Farmer Driscoll? I am here to work the fields for a few days. Could also do with a room, if you have any?"
　　"We do indeed! Singles and doubles, they aren't much but they have the basics. 5sm for a single per night. 8sm for a double per night. Food is extra."
　　"I would like a single please, for 6 nights if able? I do not need food, as I still have some travel rations to keep me."
　　"Of course, that's 3gm total. Here's your key, take the room up the stairs, third door on the left. Should you need anything my family and I all work the inn, most bells of the day and night. Your field master is that gentleman at the far back corner. The man with the scruffy beard and straw hat, see?" The Innkeeper reached over the bar, pointing past the Svefra to the far left corner of the tavern. Sat at a table of maybe four others, Kai spotted the man the Innkeeper was pointing to.
　　"Thank you muchly for your aid," Dropping 3 gold as payment into the palm of the Innkeeper and accepting the old, crudely made key to his room, the young Svefra edged his way through the crowd towards the drinking fieldmaster.
　　Approaching the table of heartily laughing men, noticing all their strong, muscular builds, Kai assumed they must be other laborers already working the fields. Though the man the barkeeper had directed him to was of a much more wiry build. His greying hair taking on the orange glow of the candlelight, his skin rough, tanned from a life working in the open fields of Syliras. Clearing his throat to catch the attention of the scruffy farmer, Kai interjected into their conversation, "Sorry Excuse. I am speaking to the Field Master of Mithryn Outpost? You are Farmer Driscoll?"
　　Squinting suspiciously up at the tall Svefra, the field master turned in his seat to better appraise the young newcomer. Resting a hand on his old hip, he took a quick swig of his drink before nodding, "Aye I am he. Who might you be?"
　　"I am Kai TidalWave, you have requested more hands to work your fields? I believe the Syliras Employment agency spoke to you of my arrival?"
　　Realisation dawned upon the harsh features of farmer Driscoll as he suddenly remembered the letter he had received only yesterday. Instantly Kai saw the shift in the man's body language, as he smacked his knee and grinned, "Oh yes! You're the Svefra right? Right, right. Aye, good to see you've made good time. Sit, sit and I'll talk you through your job."
　　Kai was surprised that the man was straight to the point, foregoing proper introductions and usual chitchat. He didn't know whether he liked that the man was blunt and straight to it or not. Then again, the man probably went through this exact conversation several times a day every day, so the young Svefra could understand the man's want to negate usual social etiquette.
　　The young Svefra scrounged around the busy tavern for a seat, luckily finding one empty he quickly shuffled it over to the field master's table. Plonking down his rear on the hard wooden chair, Kai almost groaned in relief as his weight was finally taken off his aching legs and feet. It had certainly been a long day and Kai was glad to finally have time to rest.
　　"Alright, every morn we start at Dawn. You make your way to the fields and you meet your field team at the barns, got it? If you're late, we dock your pay, simple as. You'll be assigned a mentor, someone who has worked the fields for years. They'll take you through the training and will make sure you keep up with the pace of the game. You work hard and do good work, you won't have any problems. However, if you cause trouble among the men or slack off, then me and you will have strong words and trust me you don't want to be speaking to me again, unless its for your pay at the end of your assigned time, right?"
　　More than slightly intimidated by the man's strict approach, Kai quickly nodded his understanding. He felt as though he were a young boy again, back on his Lia's ship. Though having grown up on the harsh seas,where one wrong move or if you simply didn't move fast enough, could cost someone if not the whole crew their lives, Kai was familiar with and completely understood the need for the harsh enforcement of the rules. If he didn't feel at home this far in land, then at least the young Svefra would feel completely at home with the way things were run. That thought alone, eased Kai's mind.
　　As Kai nodded his comprehension of the way he ran things, the field master eased into the back of his chair, content that he had a good worker sat before him, "Alright then, we understand each other. You get 2gm a day pay and since you've no experience working in the fields before, I've put you with Ceryl, hay-making. Should be simple enough to start off with. If you have any questions or need anything else, you ask Ceryl, he'll meet you at the barns in the morn. After your long journey here, I'd suggest you get some rest, you got a hard day's work ahead of ye."
　　At the very thought of a bed Kai certainly wouldn't argue. His whole body ached from the day's travel and he wanted nothing but sleep. Thanking the field master for the job, Kai shook the man's hand, assuring him that he wouldn't let him down. The field master responded with a simple grunt, before returning back to his drink and merriment.
　　After returning the wooden chair back to where he had found it, Kai scurried off up stairs, counting til the third door on the left. Entering his simple, single room, that he would now call home for the next week, the Innkeeper hadn't been wrong when he had said it came with nothing but the basics. With a single bed, chest, hearth and a single table and chair, Kai found the room to be adorably quaint. Too tired to care though, Kai was a simple man, with simple needs and was not one to regard highly the need for material possessions.
　　His body feeling as heavy as lead, the young Svefra stumbled over to his bunk, dropping his backpack and spear carelessly onto the floor on the way. Tumbling onto the hard mattress, the young Svefra lay sprawled on his stomach, not even bothering to undress or even untie his boots. As soon as his rugged, stubbly face hit that bed - the young Svefra had already drifted into a deep and well needed sleep.

　

[Kai']

36th of Summer 515av
The Sylirian Fields
Break of Dawn

　　Arising for the crack of dawn was a torture to Kai's already aching body. His legs heavy from the previous days travel, his shoulders more than tense, but he had managed to at least arouse his groggy self up in time to make it to the fields. The Knights of the Mithryn Outpost were quite friendly and helpful in directing the young Svefra to where he needed to go. Luckily the Outpost was certainly smaller than the large City of Syliras, so Kai found his way around quite easily. Leaving the confines of the sturdy walls of the small hamlet, the young Svefra had tramped his way haphazardly to a bulky collection of crudely, but effectively made barns and stables in the midst of the wide expanse of the Mithryn Fields.
　　In a large group of men and women alike, all stood yawning and chatting among themselves, Kai spotted a man that he had seen sat at the field master's table the night before and hastily followed him around to another barn that looked more like a storage house, than a barn for animals. Feeling completely out of place, the young Svefra began to miss the comforts of the sea and his kin. Though curious at heart, Kai looked to the day ahead and found himself keen to learn the ways of the land lubbers.
　　As a goodly sized crowd of laborers, local and foreign, gathered around a random crate placed in the open before the barn, Kai grinned at all the faces around him. Gauging first impressions from those who smiled warmly back, compared to those who simply looked away, he began senseing out who he might befriend. Everyone's attention was suddenly grasped, followed by the hush of chatter when farmer Driscoll himself stepped up onto the positioned crate. As was per the man's mandate he began straight into sorting the laborers into groups and assigning them their chores for the day, jumping straight to what needed to be done. In a way Kai already respected the man and by stealing a glance at all the faces around him, the young Svefra could see that he was not alone in his feelings.
　　The young Svefra's ears suddenly jumped to attention when he heard the name Ceryl fall from the fieldmasters tongue. That was the man the fieldmaster said would be his mentor. Kai's oceanus gaze swiftly scanned the faces in the crowd gathered round, trying to pick out the man the fieldmaster had spoken to. Alas though, the crowd was dense and too many sternly set faces looked upon the fieldmaster for Kai to pinpoint the man.
　　"Right, get to it! Let's go, got a lot of work to get done." With that the chatter instantly begun once again among the crowd as they murmured closely to each other. Slowly the crowd dwindled as the laborers found their groups and started off in different directions, disappearing into the dense maze of the Mithryn Fields. Awkwardly not knowing where he was to go, the young Svefra remained firmly planted, watching the others disembark as he rocked on his feet. Luckily Kai spotted a mat of curly brown locks bob up and down as they made their way through the dispersing crowd towards him, a sigh of relief almost escaped the young Svefra's lips, almost.
　　The male walsting towards him; tall, lanky, with deep set, brown eyes, that seemed a tad off skew. From the look of his nose, Kai couldn't help but assume he was a fan of a good fight. Nonetheless, the broad smile etched across his stubbly face betrayed his otherwise off-putting appearance. "You must be Kai? Hi! I'm Ceryl Tewel, you're come'n with me today and we're guna be start'n the hay-making. C'mon we gotta keep up with the other fellas." Before Kai could even voice a word, Ceryl waved the young Svefra to follow him as he almost raced off down an ill-trodden path into the labyrinth of green.

　

[Kai']

　　 The sight was a beauty to behold. Indeed the young Svefra stood wide eyed scanning the lush, dew covered field for as far as his cerulean gaze could see. Ceryl insistent as ever that he keep up, waved eagerly for Kai to catch up. Just down a gentle slope, a group of men had already set to work. Falling in step behind Ceryl, the man reaching an inch or so above the tall Svefra, greeted a fellow fieldworker along the way.
　　 As he passed he was given two odd looking devices that Kai had never seen before. The plush field of grass all around them tickled the young Svefra's waist as he waded a path through the sea of green after his mentor. The collection of field workers had appeared to have ordered themselves into parallel lines, running in several rows across the pasture. Falling into two open spots, which must have been intentionally left for them, Ceryl handed Kai one of the odd wooden contraptions.
　　 With a long wooden stem, nearly the height of the young Svefra's shoulder, the device looked much like a rounded sword. A large blade, sharp, pointed, curved at one end, at the other two hand holds jutted out from the core of the device. The young Svefra held the piece of equipment awkwardly, his face a picture of unhidden emotion. Ceryl turned to peer at the novice farmer and exploded in a bout of laughter, "Aye, you're probably wondering what you're to do with it ae? Alright, alright, alright, watch me. Ya hold it like this -" The mentor placed both his hands on each of the hand holds, taking a wide footed stance, bracing himself while facing towards a stretch of long-stemmed grass.
　　 Eyeballing the man's posture, Kai quickly followed suit and duplicated Ceryl's standpoint; gripping both handholds firmly within his calloused fingers and spreading his feet into a sturdy position. Clearly delighted with Kai's keenness to learn, Ceryl moved on. "Good, now these are what we call Scythes - we use 'em to cut the long grass, down here at the base. Now ya don't need no lot of force to cut it, that's why they built the way they are - I guess. What ya do, is twist at your waist right round, like this yeah?
　　 Now I'll move slow for the next part. When starting, have your weight on your right leg for more control, then as you move shift onto your left. Bring the pointed edge of the scythe around in an ark like this, pushing forward from your right elbow and bringing back on your left, so that your blade slices through the grass and you finish an almost circular shape. See?" As he explained each step, Ceryl pointed to and emphasised his words with a hand or a finger or a bounce on a leg. As each step was explained Kai watched the man's body like a hawk, mentally taking note of each movement the man made.
　　 "One more time?" Having witnessed it, Kai believed he was now ready to attempt to follow the man's movements with him as he showed them once more. "Ae, ready? So here we go-" Within the same tempo of his mentor, Kai cocked back his scythe, twisting around to his right at his waist.
　　 "And forward..." Slowly, the two moved in unison as they brought forward their grass cutters in a wide ark, mimicking a slicing motion at the base of the grass stalk. "Alright, alright, you're a fast learner Svefra. You'll be gliding through the meadow in no time. Alright time to cut for real, I'lla step back over here. We work forwards through the field that way, yeah? Ok, just follow us and try to stay within the line - and to keep up. Just leave the grass lay'n there, we'll get to that tomorrow. "
　　 With a grin eager to start and a nod of his head, the two men set to work. Kai still felt clumsy with the strange instrument in his hands, the balance of the contraption was off-putting and unnerving. Especially when the young Svefra attempted to follow through on the movements of scything more quickly to achieve a cut. His first attempt; the scythe glided over the grass, the stems bending under the weight of the blade, before bouncing back to life almost as if gloating to him of his failure to tear them down.
　　 Brow bunched in annoyance, the young Svefra shuffled a tighter grip upon the wooden instrument. Perhaps more force and a quicker arking motion? By the time Kai went to make his second attempt the line of workers running to each side of him, had stepped forward at least five steps already. The young Svefra was flabbergasted at their pace and knew he had to quickly get a hold of the motions of the scythe if he was to keep up and earn his wage.
　　 Determination set the young male's jaw tight as he twisted around wildly. One, two , three! Pushing his weight from his right leg onto his left, pushing the same at his elbows, the young Svefra spun the scythe around in a wide ark. Back bent, so as to cut at the base of the stalk - a large clump of dew spotted grass slumped to one side in a heap. At last, he finally made his first cut!

　　A few bells later, with each arking attempt and the cascading blade falling towards the gently rolling sea of green, Kai began to feel more comfortable with the farming tool, gripped in his slick hands. In a race to catch up with his fellow laborers, the young Svefra hastily slashed his way down the field. Syna's summer heat grew with each passing bell, her unforgiving gleam shining from above. As her rays beaded down upon the workers, sweat trickled in rivulets down the young Svefra's spine, his simple white shirt sticking uncomfortably to his moist skin. Most times, in his urgency to keep up, he infact took longer. For trying to move more quickly resulted in him missing his cut first time around and so he would have to make several attempts for the same cluster of grass.
　　Twisting, slashing, leaning. It was a repetitive motion that was becoming easier to fall into. As he worked to make up the time he had lost, the young Svefra found that his body instinctively fell into its own groove. Peeking up every once in a while to glance at how the workers to either side of him slid through their area of grass with ease, Kai realised they had this odd, stepping, walking rhythm going on. As soon as they finished with the motion of a cut, they stepped forward, while at the same time twisting to the right at their waists. That was how they were gliding through the pasture so fiercely. Though until he was comfortable with making a successful cut first time round, the young Svefra decided he would simply have to be slower than the rest - at least for the time being.