Solo Learning on the Job

[Saul Sticks]

Learning on the Job 22nd of Winter, 515 AV Saul was on the deck of a ship, carrying goods down to the harbor docks where businessmen took stock of what arrived and directed the workers where to take it. The ship had arrived the evening before with just enough light to dock, and the sailors and the captain barely gave themselves enough time to moor the ship properly before they were off to spend what money they had on stout drinks and the warmth of a partner in bed. They had been late coming back to their ship, it the efficiency of the dock workers and businessmen made their presence a convenience. The captain himself was a man Saul knew well. On occasion, Saul even slipped up and called him a friend. His name was Malachi, and he seemed as much born to the water as any Svefra or Konti. When Malachi showed up in the afternoon still half hunger over but looking on top of the world, Saul knew exactly where he had been. Malachi had a thing for Saul’s little sister, Sasha. After the first night he had spent with Sasha, Malachi had been boasting how he had found the most gorgeous woman in Syliras to anyone on the docks who would listen and talked about how amazing the night had been. When Saul revealed Sasha was his sister, Malachi shut up real quick. For nearly a year, Malachi had tried to keep his visits to Sasha quiet, but Saul always knew. Sasha was Malachi’s addiction, and every chance he could, Malachi got his fix. Finally, unable to take Malachi’s pathetic attempts to hide his love life, Saul let the sailor know that he knew and that he was alright with Malachi’s relationship with his sister. Saul was just happy someone was giving his sister consistent business. Malachi saw Saul working on the docks and immediately pulled him over to work on his ship, The Red Albatross, so named because it was brown. Malachi found Saul fascinating, though Saul was unsure as to why. He thought himself a fairly boring individual. Still, Saul relished the chance to practice his Fratava. He knew enough to get by, but it wasn’t impressive by any means. Whenever he and Malachi spoke though, they conversed in Fratava, Malachi correcting Saul whenever he misspoke something. Saul was busy carrying some square wooden crates, the contents of which would remain a mystery to him. For as small as the crates were, they were quite heavy. Whatever was inside had to be dense. Saul bent down, gripped the handles on either side, and lifted with his legs. He started down the gangway while Malachi made conversation. “Petch! I’m never touching that crap liquor again. So cheap, I couldn’t help but keep buying more.” “Yeah. Liquor do that to you.” “Will do that,” Malachi corrected. “But that don’t matter. Last night would make any hangover worth it. And waking up next to that beautiful face made me forget the hang over.” “Well, if you forgot the hangover, why don’t you grab a crate?” Malachi suddenly remembered how terrible he felt. “I best not push my luck, Saul. I’m already feeling a bit light-headed.” “Of course you are.” “Still, Saul, you’ve got to find a girl who can make you feel the way your sister makes me feel. She’s learned some new things since the last time I was in town.” “Spare me the details.” “You should have seen this one thing she did while she was-” “Spare me the details,” Saul growled again, setting the crate down where he had been directed and facing Malachi, “or I break your jaw.” “Will break,” Malachi corrected. “Will break,” Saul repeated, trying to solidify the grammar in his head. He motioned Malachi back up the gangway. “Don’t think I won’t.”

[Saul Sticks]

Saul continued to work through the afternoon while Malachi followed him about. Soon after Malachi had brought him aboard the ship, Saul had finished off the stack of crates. Moving on to some bolts of cloth, Saul looked about before he started them. “You seen Brat?” “Have you seen,” Malachi corrected again. He took a quick glance around and pointed across the ship. “There she is.” Following Malachi’s finger, Saul found Brat standing next to a sailor who was leaning over the ship’s edge and vomiting into the sea. She patted his back when he was finished and said something. The man shook his head. Saul could only imagine Brat was lecturing the man. He had had plenty of those lectures himself. “That reminds me,” Malachi said. “I’ll be back.” The captain quickly found his own rail and followed the example of his crewman. Shaking his head, Saul went to work. Tipping one of the bolts on its end, Saul muscled it over one shoulder. With the cloth balanced and his shoulder acting as a fulcrum, all Saul had to do was support the weight with his back and shoulders and keep the bolt from tipping backward with his arms. Stepping out on to the docks, Saul scanned the gathered businessmen in hopes that one of them would recognize the product and tell him where they wanted it. He stood for several minutes until the weight of the bolt became too much for his shoulder. Making his way quickly to the dock master on duty, he nodded to the bolt on his shoulder. “Any idea who this belongs to?” The dock master looked at the bolt and shrugged. “What ship did it come from?” “The Red Albatross.” “Malachi’s ship?” Saul nodded. A look of annoyance came over the dock master’s face. “This delivery of theirs has been a royal mess. Half the manifests are missing, and no one’s been around to help get things sorted.” “Malachi’s back, but he’s indisposed at the moment.” “Figures. That’s alright. Navia Druva was expecting a cloth shipment.” Saul thanked the man and turned back to look for Nuvia Druva or any of her associates. He eventually identified a man he knew made frequent deliveries to Nuvia. With the burn building in the muscles of his shoulder, Saul moved quickly across the docks to the man. “Is this yours?” “Finally you lot get it here. I’ve been waiting all day.” Saul didn’t care how long the man had been waiting. “Where do you want it?” The man didn’t appreciate Saul brushing off his attempt to show his irritation. He tried again. “Honestly, I thought I’d have to wait until next week. What have you been doing all day?” Saul ignored the man’s displeasure once more and spotted an open wagon nearby. Unloading the bolt from his shoulder and into the back of the wagon, Saul turned back toward the boat to retrieve more. “Hey, that’s not my cart.” “Then move it to the right one, and I’ll put the rest with it when I bring them.” He continued on toward the boat without bothering to wait for a reply from the man. With the docks as busy as they were, he didn’t have time for everybody’s complaints. He was a worker, and he had work to do.

[Saul Sticks]

When Saul came back to the ship, Brat was now over patting Malachi’s back as he finished vomiting. Saul called out across the deck. “Brat, leave Malachi alone.” “I ain’t being a bother, Uncle Saul.” Malachi looked back over his shoulder. “Yes, she is. Make her leave.” Brat shook her head and smiled, shrugging innocently. “He don’t mean it. He’s just bitter, because I’m right. He don’t really want me to leave.” Malachi looked like he was about to object, thought better of speaking, and turned back to vomit again. Saul motioned for Brat to follow him. “Come on, Brat. Leave him be.” She motioned back, gesturing to all the items still left on the deck of the ship. “Stop wasting time, Uncle Saul. They don’t pay you to stand around and talk. Besides, I’ll look after him. He’ll be okay.” There was a good reason he had named her Brat. Still, she was right, as she always was. He was being paid, and arguing with Brat would only stop him from being productive. Waving her back to what she had been doing, Saul went back to the bolts of cloth. Hefting another bolt up to his shoulder, he made sure to pass by Brat on his way to the gangway and catch what lecture she was giving Malachi. “… really worth it? You felt good for a few hours. Who cares? Now you get to feel like shit for a full day.” Maybe she swore too much for an eleven-year old. He’d have to talk to her about it. Or not. She was good at it. He caught a little more as he walked out of earshot. “Wouldn’t it be better if you spent that money on girls? Imagine the look on Aunt Sasha’s face if...” Saul shook his head. She would admonish drinking but promote prostitution. He was pretty sure she didn’t understand she was promoting prostitution but would be appalled if she understood the concept. Shaking his head again, he let it be. Brat enjoyed her lectures, and he wasn’t about to take that away from her. He made his way back across to the docks, and the man met him along the way, directing Saul to the right cart this time. Saul noticed with a certain annoyance that the cart was empty. The man hadn’t moved the first one Saul had brought him. Looking around as he made his way to the ship, he spotted the first bolt exactly where he had left it. That put him in a foul mood, but he passed by Brat and Malachi again. Brat was still lecturing away. “So you like the taste of beer. Do you like the taste of vomit?” Saul beamed a smile. This was a familiar lecture. He had heard it plenty of times before. It was one of her points that he had to admit was right. It still didn’t make any difference to a drunk. Logic never did. Drunks operated on their own logic. Which generally only involved how to obtain more liquor. Malachi’s hangover had hit him hard and had done so with a vengeance. He wanted to tell Brat to can it, but he didn’t have the time or the willpower to do so past the vomiting. With his spirit lifted by Brat’s attempt to better the world, Saul made it through the next half dozen rolls of cloth with minimal effort, and the annoyance he felt every time he saw the first roll exactly where he had left it was not enough to bring him down again.

[Saul Sticks]

Malachi finally met back up with Saul as he was returning to the ship. “Gods! Brat can be annoying.” “But she’s persistent.” Malachi nodded. “And I admire her for it. I just wish she’d be persistent with someone else.” “It’s only because she cares.” Saul lifted a bolt up to his shoulder. Malachi helped to steady the heavy roll of cloth while Saul got his grip on it. “I could do with a little less care. Still, she made some good points.” “Don’t let her talk sense into you. I can’t have you turning into a decent man who makes good decisions. You be so boring.” “Would be so boring,” Malachi corrected. “You would be so boring,” Saul repeated himself. “Sasha might get sick of you.” “She’s too sweet to get sick of anyone. Speaking of which, your sister asked this morning if I had seen you. She was speaking Common. You know that shit sounds like gravel to me.” Saul winced as Malachi said shit. It didn’t sound the same in Fratava. It didn’t spit off the tongue the way it did in Common, didn’t have the same venom. Saul shrugged. “You should have asked her to speak Fratava. She would spoke it like silk. She’s good with language.” “Would have.” “She would have spoke it like silk,” Saul corrected himself. It was true. Sasha had a gift with languages. That probably came from growing up in a city that revolved around its port. That and spending most of her nights with sailors from all across Mizahar. Still, she seemed to pick it up faster than anyone Saul had ever met. “Did she say what she wanted?” “No. She just wanted to see you.” Saul shrugged. He’d be happy to see his little sister any time she wanted to visit him. It had been a while since he had last seen her, especially since both were busy trying to get their feet under them after their move to a new city. When Saul and Malachi arrived at the cart, the man gave Saul another glare and Malachi an even more disgusted one. Malachi noticed but didn’t say anything. Had it been any other port and had he not been as hungover as he was, Malachi may have tried to start a fight with the man. As it was, he wasn’t feel up to a fight, and even if he had felt up to it, Syliras wasn’t the place to do it. There was a good chance the Knights would get involved, and nobody wanted that. As they walked away, Malachi whispered to Saul. “What’s his issue?” “I don’t think he liked having to wait on you.” “I’ll make him wait again next time.” “Of course you will.” Malachi eventually had to leave to get things in order for his next shipment out of Syliras. Continuing on his current job, Saul finally delivered the final bolt of cloth. When he saw the man still hadn’t moved the first one over, Saul somewhat grudgingly did it himself. The day was getting late when Saul finished unloading the last ship. Walking back up the gangway to Malachi’s ship, Saul found Brat about to catch a latecomer of the crew who looked worse off than any of the others had. “Come on, Brat. It’s time to go home.” Brat immediately forgot about bettering the world and ran off to join him. Saul was worn out from his hard day’s work and was quiet on the way home. He let Brat chatter about what she had done all day long and took the time to ruminate. Mostly, he was thinking about what it was Sasha wanted to see him about.

[Saul Sticks]

On their way through Stormhold Castle, Brat complained about the stench. She always did, every day on their way back from Saul’s work. Saul didn’t blame her. She had liver her entire life in the busy, teeming city of Zeltiva where the Bonesnapper seemed to be the city’s very breathing. Now, she had been brought to this lifeless, unbreathing stone fortress where the air seemed to smother someone as easily as it gave them life. Here, in the castle’s depths where there were no windows to bring the air off the port, Saul had to agree with her. As they turned the corner in the hall that contained their apartment, Saul spotted someone waiting in front of their door. “Aunt Sasha!” Brat sprinted down the hall way and jumped into the young woman’s arms. Sasha was a brunette with deep brown eyes, the kind men seemed to lose themselves in. She had true beauty, something the rest of her siblings had been unable to find. Catching Brat, she lifted her up. “Petch, Brat. You’re growing like a weed. Come a few more months, I ain’t gonna be able to carry you anymore.” Brat was beaming like she seldom had since their arrival to Syliras. “Don’t let Uncle Saul catch you saying that word. You’ll get a lecture that don’t make any sense.” “Is that so?” Sasha looked at Saul with a look of mock shock. She looked back to Brat. “Your Uncle Saul’s a petcher, ain’t he?” Brat nodded. “Yeah, but he’s our petcher.” Saul glared at Sasha but directed his displeasure at Brat. “Brat, what have I told you about that word.” “So I get a lecture, but she don’t? How’s that make any sense?” “Because she’s grown up, and she isn’t living under our roof. Now go inside and get dinner started.” As Sasha set Brat down, Brat gave her aunt one more quick hug and rushed inside to start a meal. Left alone, Sasha smiled ruefully at Saul. “Hey, big brother.” She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek and tried to pull away, but Saul caught her in a massive bear hug. She began laughing as she tried to squeeze out of his arms. He was going to laugh with her, but worry filled him when he felt her ribs against his torso. Setting her down, he held her at arm’s length and took a closer look at her in the weak light of the torch farther down the hall. Normally, she was slender, but now, she was skinny. Slender suited her; skinny did not. “Shit, Sasha. Have you been eating?” She looked down the hall, mostly because that meant she didn’t have to meet his eyes. “I’ve had to skip a couple meals.” “A couple? Damn it, Sasha. You weren’t even this skinny as a kid.” “So maybe it was more than a couple.” “Have you been getting paid? Don’t tell me you’ve been giving it Malachi for free.” Sasha glared up at him at that accusation. “It’s my business who I give myself free to. But no, I ain’t. Malachi paid me in advance last time, because I was already struggling back then.” “Why didn’t you come to me? “What do you think I’m doing here, Saul?” She looked away again. “It ain’t easy asking people for money, you especially. I’ve always looked up to you with how early you got a job and provided for yourself and the rest of us. And here I am, full grown, and I ain’t supporting myself, not all on my own.” Saul shrugged. “If it’s difficult to ask, then don’t.” “I need the coins, Saul.” “You still don’t need to ask. Just show up. Whenever you do, I’ll give you what I can.” Sasha met Saul’s eyes again and smiled. She leaned against him, giving him a long hug, and Saul could feel her exhaustion. “Why are you so good to me, Saul?” “Because I can be, and because you’re my little sister. Any time you need anything from me, I’ll do what I can. Now come on. Let’s go inside and help Brat with the meal. You don’t want to taste whatever concoction she dreams up when she’s left alone.” Laughing, Sasha led him into the apartment. The three helped each other prepare the meal. Saul did most of the cutting as he was the most comfortable around a knife. When it was finished, the meal was nothing impressive, just some soup and bread Brat had bought between her many lectures. There wasn’t much flavor to it, but it was filling. That was all that mattered. The food may not have been good, but the company was. Sasha brightened when she was around Brat, and Saul was pretty sure Sasha was Brat’s favorite person. The two chattered back and forth, every once in a while inviting Saul to share his opinion. He didn’t mind being a major part of the conversation. Brat and Sasha kept the conversation interesting and cheery, and there was plenty to laugh at along the way. At one point, Brat asked Sasha what Malachi had meant when he said that the night with Sasha being worth a thousand hangovers. Sasha gave a long, extremely detailed account of the night that so full of innuendos that it all went over Brat’s head. Saul understood every bit though and got all the details Malachi had spared him that afternoon. This particularly conversation was one Saul had been hoping to never hear. Sasha smiled at him. “I ain;t making you uncomfortable, am I, big brother?” “Sasha, if there’s one thing I don’t want to hear about, it’s your night life.” She laughed and went back to talking to Brat even more about the night.

[Saul Sticks]

By the time they had finished cleaning up after the meal, it was late. Sasha looked at the door. “Thanks for keeping me for dinner.” “Any time you wanna come over, Aunt Sasha, I’ll make you a meal.” “Thanks, Brat. Well, I should be going now. I probably shouldn’t be out too late.” “You should stay the night,” Saul suggested. “Brat’ll be happy to see you in the morning.” Besides, he didn’t want her wandering the city alone at night. Syliras of all places was probably the safest city for a woman to wander alone with the constant patrol of the Knights, but Saul didn’t trust men to keep their hands off his sister. Especially since it was her job to get their hands on her, for a price of course. “There’s only the one bed.” Saul shrugged. “I’ll sleep on the floor.” Sasha shook her head. “I ain’t gonna do that to you.” “Please stay, Aunt Sasha,” Brat pleaded. “Don’t worry about Uncle Saul. He’s old, but he ain’t that old.” “I am hardly old,” Saul objected. Brat smiled a victorious smile. “See? It’s all good.” Sasha could think of no more excuses and, in all honesty, wanted to stay with the people she cared about. She and Brat stayed up late, whispering back and forth to each other, convinced their conversation was their own little secret, but Saul heard it all. Whenever he came up as the subject of their quiet conversation, pride filled him as they only had good things to say. Eventually, he fell asleep to their whispers. When he woke up the next morning, Sasha and Brat were still deep asleep and didn’t wake up as Saul got ready for the day. Sasha had a protective arm around Brat who was sleeping with a contented smile on her face. He wouldn’t wake them. Saul smiled. It had been good to see Sasha again. He left ten mizas in the pocket of her coat and headed out the door for another day of work.

[Devi]

Your Grades have arrived! Saul Skills: Socialisation: 5 Intimidation:1 Linguistics: 2 Bodybuilding: 3 Endurance: 2 Interrogation: 3 Observation: 1 Persuasion: 3 Teaching:1 Lores: Bodybuilding: Lifting with your legs Brat: More intelligent than she first appears Malachi: Good business for Sasha Teaching: Teaching Brat good manners Sasha: Sturuggling Financially Comments: Lovely thread - it's nice to hear about Saul's family and start to build on the relationships he has with the people in his life. A pointer for future threads, if you are interesting on bolstering your skills a little more, would be to expand on some of the actions Saul takes. For example when he is lifting something heavy, how does he do so? Which parts of his body is he using? Does it tire him out? Adding a few sentences here and there can both boost your skills and make your posts a little more descriptive to boot. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback. Don't forget to edit your post in the Grade Request Thread to say it's graded and leave a link in there for the Storytellers. Happy Writing!