Closed [The Patchwork Port] What Luck! (Jay Darkcrest)

[Karin]

2nd Winter, 515 AV
15th Bell

Autumn had passed but two days ago and Karin was walking the familiar, winding streets of Alvadas, her heart light and her eyes smiling. It was a pleasant day, and the light winds ruffled through her blonde hair as it lay about her shoulders. The reason for her good cheer was her decision, just moments ago, that she would head down to the beach for the remainder of the day.

Work was done for the day! She didn't need to be at home! There were no arguments, or bad thoughts lurking! What could be better than a swim and a relax in the shining rays of Syna? Plus, she thought, it would be nice to escape from the oppressive, always-having-to-look-over-your-shoulder feel of the city. So, she'd headed home to pick up her swimming clothes, her cloak to dry herself with and some bread and cheese to eat later.

The distance from her house to the Port changed everyday, for that was the nature of Alvadas, but today was taking longer than usual. She was constantly having to double round and she seemed to be encountering more dead-ends than she would appreciate. But the girl wasn't going to let the city dampen her mood.

Some long chimes later, and she seemed to have escaped the worst of the dead-ends she had been plagued with. There had been a moment where an illusion, a purple frog, had landed on her head and she'd almost lost her cool, but it had passed. In fact, she had just reached the Bizarre, and she hesitated a moment, trying to think if she needed anything.

It was whilst she was umm-ing and aah-ing that her gaze was distracted by a somewhat familiar face. The entrance to the Bizarre was busy with people going in and out, but... yes, there! Karin was right, she had espied who she thought she had. A man was walking up ahead of her, and that man was Jay from the mountain.

She wasn't sure if he'd seen her yet, but with a surprised laugh, she stood on her tiptoes and waved her left hand in the air, hoping he would notice. If he didn't she'd walk with intent through the pedestrians until she reached him, a genuine smile on her face as she greeted him.

"Hi, Jay! How are you? I wouldn't expect to see you here!"

[Jay Darkcrest]

After finishing work for the day, Jay strapped his daggers to his belt, put a piece of leftover bread into his pocket and left the inn to go exploring. For the past season, that had been his favorite pastime as the city never failed to entertain. He learned that through roaming the streets with no particular destination in mind, he always ended up in interesting or useful places. Alvadas seemed to have a mind of its own and, if he handed over control, usually led him exactly where he wanted or needed to be.

Winter had come with no significant change in temperature or weather. There was a certain chill in the air, but that was it. Jay could still run around barefoot and that he did, feeling the cobblestone, grass or whatever else the ground fancied to change into under his calloused soles.

Wandering aimlessly, he came to a narrow bridge of wood and rope between tall houses. As he began to cross it, the weathered steps creaked under his feet and he could see passersby milling about in the street below. The drop wasn’t steep, yet he stopped in the middle of the bridge to enjoy the view and watch the people under his feet. Lifting his gaze, he got a glimpse at the lit entryway to the huge indoor market everyone called the Bizarre.

Just when Jay bent down to get a closer look at a familiar face, however, the bridge vanished. For a moment, he felt as if stuck in mid-air, waving his arms comically, before he dropped into the street with a muffled cry. Fortunately, people shuffled out of the way in time, but he still landed hard on knees and hands. “By Zulrav, is that your sense of humor nowadays?” he grumbled in Fratava, then got up and frowned at his scraped palms. He wasn’t even sure who he was addressing, the Storm Lord or the local patron of illusions, and it didn’t matter.

Taking a tentative step, Jay felt his bones still ached from the impact, but were otherwise whole and intact. With a sigh, he turned towards the Bizarre. If the city had led him to its entrance, he might as well spend some time browsing vendors and wares.

Once again, he didn’t get far, but this time the distraction proved to be more welcoming. A waving hand emerged from the crowd, then a familiar face and waterfall of blond locks. Jay grinned as Karin reached him and lifted a hand in greeting, accidentally revealing grazed skin. “Eh, why not? Anyway, it’s good to see you again! I’m well, and you? Are you shopping?”

[Karin]

The man waved, and the girl tilted her head a little cautiously. "You've scraped your hand..?" She quickly and surreptitiously checked her own palms- yes. Mine too. She'd forgotten that she'd cut herself on a shard of shell a few days ago. Quickly looking up again, she nodded in the affirmative, before hurriedly shaking her head again, a brief flush of embarrassment spreading over her cheeks.

"Oh, no I'm not shopping. I was planning to go down to the sea for a bit." She glanced at the sky, seeing it to be clear and blue for the moment at least. "What about you, are you going to be shopping?"

They were standing still, near to the entrance of the Bizarre but still a little bit away, but the two started walking in a roundabout way, closer to the buidling. Karin found that she was surprisingly eager for his company. It was nice to be able to bump into someone and talk, without feeling overly awkward or indeed wary.

For an introverted girl this was unusual, but she knew each and every reason why. This man was a Svefra. He may even be a friend, in one way or another. She'd essentially broken down in front of him, and he hadn't betrayed that trust, at least not yet, not that she knew of.

She shrugged physically and mentally too, brushing off the past and the ever-present thoughts that clamoured for attention. Suppose she continue where they'd left off, at the foot of the mountain.

"Ah, so... have you got used to the city yet?" They'd now reached the entrance to the Bizarre, and the girl lingered, a little unsure what to do. She was determined to swim, but maybe... maybe Jay would like to come too?

She didn't know. So she just stood there, waiting for a response, tearing off a length of vine that clung to the stone.

[Jay Darkcrest]

Jay shrugged, still grinning. “Just an accident. Hey, you did too. Is it bad?” His dark eyes went from her face to the palms she was examining as he noticed that they were injured in a similar fashion. Apparently he wasn’t the only one the city was treating badly recently. Discovering that only added to his concern. Jay knew he shouldn’t ignore those signs, yet he would happily avoid dealing with or even thinking about what they meant for all of them. He’d never been good at interpreting omens.

There was nothing he could do anyway. So when Karin mentioned the sea, his eyes widened slightly and began to sparkle. His grin brightened further as excitement tugged at the corners of his mouth. “No, just walking around. Do you know that if you start without a goal, you arrive at the most interesting locations? Maybe Alvadas wants me to go shopping.”

Jay brought up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. They had continued walking and were nearing the shadowed entrance of the Bizarre. He’d never been inside, but he also wasn’t particularly interested in shopping. Looking at things displayed in dim booths and stalls didn’t appeal to him. Unless those things were fishing or traveling gear, he guessed. Or weapons. Maybe he would enjoy looking after all…

Going down to the sea would always be a better idea though. In fact it was then that an idea began to form in Jay’s mind that combined the Bizarre and the shore of the Suvan in a most enticing way.

They had reached the entrance and came to linger near an overgrown wall. Jay glanced at Karin as his sharp ears picked up on the strain in her voice. Apparently she wasn’t ready to get back into the easy companionship they had shared on their little hiking trip. Maybe not yet. He didn’t like that, he wanted to spend more time with her and get her out of that shell again. She didn’t remind him of Jalaal anymore, she was just Karin. So Jay shoved his hands in his pockets and replied in a casual tone. “A little. I heard a phrase at the bar yesterday… a system to the madness? It feels like there is one now. The city is like a person, one that changes moods a lot. It’s kind of fun.”

Chuckling, he shot another glance at the indoor bazaar. People were milling about, carrying food, tools, blades and other interesting things. “I don’t have plans for the rest of the day and by Laviku, I want to smell salt water again. Can I come or do you want to go alone?”


OOCThings we learned today: 1) Jay isn't good at subtlety. 2) He tends to go with the flow rather than initiating things. Or does he?

[Karin]

She glanced down at her hands again, bemusedly. She'd almost forgotten already that there was even a scratch. "Oh, not really. I'm always getting scrapes and bruises." A small shrug, and that was that. Jay's scrapes seemed fresh, but she didn't ask how he got them, content with what he told her.

But there was a certain glimmer in Jay's eyes, which intrigued the girl. And when he asked her if he could come along too, she smiled. To be entirely honest to herself, she had hoped that he would like to, and assumed that he would, but it was still nice to hear the confirmation.

The prospect of having someone else there with her down by the beach was a strange one, though. The only other time had been with the woman named Illisha, but that had been a strange night, and she hadn't been a Svefra. In a way, she almost felt more apprehensive about Jay being there than Illisha, simply because she saw him as a 'pure' Svefra, unlike herself.

But curiosity got the better of her, wanting to know more about his life and his culture. And indeed the god Laviku that he praised in his speech. "Of course! I... I would enjoy that."

Adding the words on after she had initially trailed off, the girl said, "I'm used to being by myself, but it would be fun, I think." She took a quick glance through the entrance of the Bizarre, and thought of the cool ocean... But her stomach grumbled loudly and she ducked her head in embarrassment, her hair falling over her cheeks.

"I guess I should probably get something to eat first. Are you hungry at all, would you mind if we quickly went and got some food?" Now that they had a plan, the call of the ocean was growing stronger and stronger and the temptation to just run through the streets down to the sea was a little tugging nag. But equally she knew that swimming and being active on an empty stomach was a recipe for disaster.

"So, aah... do you go down to the beach often? Do you have a favourite spot? I don't, not a favourite spot, that is. The entire ocean is my favourite spot." She offered a smile again, half-worried that she was talking too much. But on the other hand, it was surprisingly easy to talk to him.

[Jay Darkcrest]

Jay frowned a little. Despite his taste for adventure and new experiences, the thought of someone being clumsy never entered his mind. If you ventured into the wild, you had to make sure you could defend yourself against its dangers. That was how he survived and also how he imagined everyone else did. As a result, he wasn’t sure what to make of her reply.

When Karin smiled, however, he was delighted. The hesitation in her voice still didn’t escape his ears though and he tilted his head in a half question. But her explanation seemed reasonable enough, so he ended up returning the smile. “Great!” Then the smile turned into a laugh as her stomach protested. While Jay had eaten during his break, that had been several bells ago. When Karin mentioned food, he realized he was actually hungry or, more precisely, on his way to ravenous. The bread in his pocket wouldn’t last long. “Sure, we can buy some food and other things to bring down to the water. We could make a picnic… or wait, a real party. With a fire and drinks and food on sticks. Just for us, aye?” Once Jay started explaining the idea, his grin widened with every word. The last of those parties had been a long time ago… but he didn’t want to think about that now, shoving it into the back of his mind.

If Karin led the way, the Kelvic would follow her into the Bizarre. Once inside, he was hit by a myriad of sensations at the same time, sounds and scents that he couldn’t begin to place. Then the throng of people opened and they were wandering between stalls with a good view on various wares. One offered daggers that shimmered in the flickering light of torches, another bows and arrows. Another was praising fresh meat in a loud voice. A third stall had all sorts of spices neatly displayed in small glass bottles and labeled with paper tags he couldn’t read. At some point Jay believed he smelled chili. When they rounded a corner, that smell turned into tobacco. Soon enough, he knew, his head would be spinning and his ears ringing from sensory overload.

For that reason, he hoped Karin knew her way around and let her lead the way. Keeping one hand in his pocket, he ran the other through his hair. “No, I don’t know many places. Since arriving, I was at the port twice and that’s it. You have to show me where you swim! Are there beaches? Nice ones? If we make a fire, we need to have a good spot.”

[Karin]

The inside of the Bizarre was just that: bizarre. But Karin wandered through it as easily as she usually did. It was a marvel, that was obvious, but not a marvel that greatly interested her.

Or at least, not all of the time. She'd enjoyed it's wares on previous occasions, but didn't often come here with someone else. With that someone else now talking, she quickly assessed what he meant by party.

The term slightly filled her with dread, or assessed least a mild apprehension
But the sound of fire and food was good. The fact that she hardly knew how to cook was irrelevant at that point in time, and her complete lack of knowledge on how to start a fire also didn't matter. They didn't even cross her mind as the first of the food stalls came into view, and smell.

"A picnic fire party sounds great. What goes well on sticks? And as for favourite places and beaches... I don't know! There is one a little north of the Port, within walking distance that I go to most of the time. I think it would be a good place."

They were now approaching a stall stocked well with fresh bread. The smell was heavenly, and Karin breathed in deep. Her stomach grumbled again, this time in anticipation. But the question of what specifically they could put on sticks was nagging at her, along with the slow realisation that she didn't know how to cook.

"If I buy some bread, what shall we have with it?"

[Jay Darkcrest]

Jay had to laugh a little at how she renamed their endeavor. Of course, he couldn’t expect her to know how Svefra partied – but that also meant that she could be taught which was exactly what he had in mind.

While his left hand was still fiddling with the gold coin in his pocket, Jay tried to blend out their surroundings as best as he could to focus on Karin alone. “If you think, I believe you. As for food…” By then, they had been swallowed by the bazaar, drifting here and there. Also, they had taken so many turns, passed so many different stalls that Jay had lost his sense of direction completely. In the wilderness, under the blue sky and with Syna to guide his steps, he could always tell east from west, but between four walls and a ceiling, he was nearly helpless.

Still trailing behind Karin, Jay tried to think about her question. That proved difficult, however, as he couldn’t help but listen in on conversations going on nearby. A man was haggling with a weathered crone. A girl was begging her mother for candy. A group of sweaty travelers were debating what kind of weapon to buy. A young woman was asking questions about some herbs.

Shaking his head, Jay willed himself to concentrate. The heavenly smell of fresh bread hitting his senses aided those attempts somewhat. “Bread! Aye, is good. And fish, obviously. Do we hunt or buy?” Leaving it to Karin to pick a loaf, he scanned the stalls nearby with fresh determination. When a flash of red caught his eye, he took a few steps and discovered a fruit stall. After picking up a few bananas and oranges, he returned to Karin. “Fruit is good too. Just not over the fire. Do you see fresh fish anywhere? And anything to drink?”

Of course, he had a very specific ‘anything’ in mind – once again, it didn’t occur to him that Karin might be oblivious. They hadn’t known each other all that long, but to Jay, she already felt like an old friend, someone who just knew… and so he didn’t elaborate.

[Karin]

The bakery they stood before had just brought a batch of fresh loaves out of the oven, and Karin's stomach rumbled in anticipation at the smell. It wasn't hard to find a small loaf, and she picked it and paid for it by the time Jay had come back, with some fruit in his hands.

So... bread, and fruit, and fish and drink? Aahm...? The combination seemed unusual, but she guessed it would work. On the other hand, she definitely didn't know how to cook fish, having never even eaten it before.

She looked around in confusion. The Bizarre seemed extra-specially busy today, full of the hustle and bustle she usually tried to avoid. So she stretched up onto her toes to look over heads, scanning the wares for a fish stall or a.. drink stall.

But she couldn't see anything that fitted Jay's hurried, lacking-in-information description.

"Um... Jay? Hold on a tick. What are we doing, exactly? What do we get to drink, and how are we even supposed to make fish to eat?" She trailed off a little. "You know I haven't really ever been to a party before, right?"

Now that she said it, she had been to parties before. But they had been large, sprawling things, filled with Speakers and a grand variety of other gestures and activities. Karin wasn't used to smaller, friendlier things like this.

But she wanted to enjoy it. The unwritten rule, there and then, was that she would make the most out of this time, and try and be as open as possible. Friendship... was valuable. So with renewed vigour, and without properly waiting for Jay's reply, she strode forwards, calling back, "But... I'll find the fish and you get the drink and I'll meet you outside the Bizarre?"

After half a chime, the smell of fish was lingering under her nostrils as she bought and paid for a small box of silvery, unnamed fish, which would probably feed an army if she stopped to think about it. The loaf of bread was tucked under her arm, and sunlight was filtering through from somewhere, and she was feeling like she could do anything.

With a spring in her step, she walked to the entrance, and looked around for Jay. If he was nearby, then they could carry on. If he wasn't then, well... she was happy to wait- with whirling, excited thoughts at the fact that they could be on the beach soon, doing things that Svefra do.

[Jay Darkcrest]

They didn’t find any stalls that had what they were looking for. Apparently there was no choice but to venture even deeper into the scented and stuffy bowels of the bazaar. Before Jay could move, however, Karin spoke up. He could hear confusion dancing between her words and question marks. With a half-grin, yet definitely more serious than before, he turned to face her. “No problem, you’re fine. I know how to do it. We have a fire, aye? So we hold the fish over the fire until it’s… eatable? We can also make bread warm and tasty over the fire. Alright?”

He hadn’t ignored her question about drinks by accident, in fact he didn’t know how to explain to her that Svefra liked a little alcohol running through their veins. Being used to drinking a handful shots every now and then, most of his relatives knew their personal limit and stopped before crossing that line. Of course, things could escalate – but in that case, the person in question simply leaned over the railing (or was supported by others), sat down and ate something before rejoining the party. Jay didn’t know how Karin, raised and educated as an Alvad, felt about rum and didn’t know how to convey the harmless fun it brought to every party in the common language.

While he was lost in thought, however, Karin took control and disappeared between food stalls. Nodding to himself, Jay set out into the other direction, allowing his nose and ears to guide him through the chaos. He tried not to get distracted, but still failed magnificently, lingering by a stall full of archaic metal jewelry and then by a mediocre, but extremely charming weapon smith.

Eventually he stumbled upon a hunchbacked man with a box full of liquids. After prodding and sniffing bottles for several chimes, Jay concluded that the rum smelled almost like the stuff he was used to and bought it. Shoving the fruit into his pockets, he tucked the bottle under his arm and slowly wandered back through the crowd. Strangely, but not surprisingly, he found the entrance in a different place that saved at least fifteen chimes.

He was still late when he stepped outside into pale sunlight. Blinking, he spotted a mop of blond hair and walked over to Karin. “You got fish? Nice! Looks like trout, tasty fish. I got the drink, so we go to beach now, aye?”

Again, he trusted Karin to lead the way through the streets. In the time they’d spent indoors, a faint pounding had developed behind his temples, but Jay was taking deep breaths and wide strides, trusting that fresh air would help. As they navigated the city, Jay stole a glance at Karin. “If you want to know anything else about Svefra parties, you can ask. Maybe you went to other parties, for people on land? What are they like?”