Completed Show Me The Way

[Jehu]

Jehu

17th of Summer, 519 AV

It was Jehu's fifth day in Syka. It had taken only a couple forays a few yards into the rain forest for Jehu to realize he lacked one tool necessary for jungle travel. He had employed a machete on the two expeditions he had accompanied before arriving in Skya, and found the forest around his new home similarly difficult to traverse, once you left the few available trails. Such a tool would be vital for him to fulfill his new role as a hunter for the settlement.

Jehu made his way from his tent to the mercantile, munching on a mango. He wore no shoes or shirt, just a pair of green pants with a handful of miza's in his pocket. A black feather was tied into his raven-colored hair. At the shop, Jehu searched through the supplies and found a good heavy knife that would be suitable for hacking through brush, as well as coarse chopping of meat. It was simple but sturdy, with a bone handle and steel blade.

knife (kopis) :

As he examined the machete-style knife, Jehu pondered another necessity. A better understanding of the plants in the surrounding jungle. He knew the most basics of flora, fruits that were good to eat, a few spices, and several obvious poisonous plants to avoid. Enough to get by if he had to survive a few days in the jungle. But if he had a better understanding of what he might come across that would be useful, he could forage as well as hunt.

Jehu mentioned his curiosity to Juli Chaliva, who was helping him find the sheath for the knife. She suggested a woman who knew a lot about plants named Sophia. Juli pointed in the direction of the herbalist's house near the beach, describing her as 'dressed like a Svefra with a tattoo covering her left forearm.'

The Chaktawe thanked Juli, paid for the knife and went to seek the herbalist. Arriving at what he believed to be her home, he stopped and called out. "Sophia?"

purchase :

Kopis = 4gm
sheath = 2gm

Words: 344

[Sophia Sunshore]

17th Summer, 519

Summer had always been one of Sophia’s favourite times of year. On the boats it had always meant endless parties, bountiful feasts and time to relax under the warm golden glow of Syna. In Syka, the summer was indeed warm and there was food everywhere you looked, but this year the Svefra could not afford to relax and enjoy it as she otherwise might do. Sophia had spent early every day so far doing one thing or another to prepare her business to open in the Fall.

Today she was sat on the edge of her home, legs dangling over the side. The building had no solid walls, just canvas to tie down, and she had taken to positioning herself on the lip that ran around the entire outside edge. Her journal was in her lap and she was methodically writing out a list of all the things she needed to purchase or otherwise find and make over the coming days. On the steps next to her a little seabird was sunning its wings and dozing in the morning light.

Sophia set the journal down to one side, and then pushed herself off the edge of the house. The drop was tiny, the floor was only raised just above her waist when she was stood next to it. Her feet sunk into the warm sand and she savoured the feeling for a tick before heading over to the other half of the building.
There was an empty platform in between the main house structure and another, smaller one that was still only half built. The floor was in, along with supporting beams and the back wall closest to the top of the beach but that was all. She pulled herself up and onto the structure to examine to work closer. Randal had mostly been doing this one by himself as it was much more technical, while Sophia had been continuing to work on the platform.

“Sophia?”
The Svefra stood straight at the sound of her name. The voice was unfamiliar to her and was coming from the other side of the wooden wall. She moved over to the side of the building and stepped lightly off the edge, landing in the sand once more. She smoothed out the skirt of her strapless lemon-yellow dress and made her way round to see who had called out to her.

The man standing behind her house was not a person she recognised. He was dressed for Syka; that is he was hardly dressed at all, and Sophia ran her eyes over him as subtly as she could. His bronzed skin told her he had lived under the sun but it was his eyes that were the most striking. They were entirely black, and Sophia fixed her own bright blue gaze on them for a moment. She had never met a Chaktawe before, but she knew who they were from the stories of other lands that were so often told aboard Svefran ships.

After a couple of ticks, Sophia smiled brightly at him. Her head tilted to one side just a fraction, long blonde hair falling over her shoulder with the motion. ”You know my name?” Her voice held no accusation, just cheerful curiosity. ”Can I help you?”

[Jehu]

Jehu

Just a few moments after he called out, a woman rounded one of the home's platforms. She fit Juli's description, donned in a light dress as bright as one of the tropical flowers lining the jungle's fringe. Brilliant blue eyes and lithe, lean figure fit Jehu's understanding of the Svefra, from the few he had seen in Riverfall. The tattoo inked into her tanned forearm confirmed the woman to be the herbalist Juli described.

Sophia's smile was broad and welcoming, and it did not waver in the few ticks in which she stared into his eyes. Seemingly unfazed by their curious appearance, her lilting voice responded.

"Hello," his smile widened in a reflection of the beautiful woman's, "... I am Jehu. I have only been here a few days." The Chaktawe began, his accent thick. "Yes, the woman at the mercantile.." his hand waved back towards the outfitters, "...she said you knew a lot about plants. I am interested in learning more about what grows in the jungle, what is good and what is bad. if you are willing."

If anyone understood the importance of community and helping others in Syka, it would be a Chaktawe. In cities like Ahnatep or Riverfall, people seemed to take care of themselves, or charged others money for help. For tribes in the desert, there was not the luxury of letting someone else take care of things. The desert was harsh, and daily survival meant everyone pulling together to do their part, to help one another. Jehu soon found out it was the same in Syka. Survival meant doing your part and helping others, like a tribe.

"Since I just arrived, I don't have anything to offer you in return, but I would gladly help you in any way you need." Jehu added sincerely. His gaze drifted to her home. It looked comfortable. Like others in Syka, it lacked the hard walls of the city houses. He didn't like those, they felt confining. Though a tent had walls, they rolled up easily, like the canvas of Sophia's home, alleviating the claustrophobia of stone and wood dwellings. He knew there was a waiting list to have the man named Randal help build a home. So he would be content in his tent, until the time came he could have one built, or he learned enough to do it himself.

Words: 395

[Sophia Sunshore]

The man’s accent was heavy and Sophia listened carefully to make sure she could hear exactly what he was saying. Sophia watched him while he spoke, noting how difficult it was to tell where he was looking thanks to his seemingly completely black eyes. They did not unnerve her, for she had met many curious people during her time on the seas, but if she saw him often they would take getting used to.

Her smile widened, crinkling the edges of her eyes. She nodded her head slowly as he explained Juli had sent him her way. She was mildly surprised that he hadn’t been directed to Uta, but then again everyone knew how busy Syka’s main botanist was at the moment. ”Jehu, it’s good to meet you.” Sophia was glad that more people were gradually making their way to Syka. While she loved the small and tight-knit community they had here, there always seemed to be something cropping up that nobody had the skills to help with.

While Sophia always placed herself under Uta in terms of botanical knowledge, over the past few seasons she had learned enough to get by largely on her own when it came to jungle plants. There were hundreds that she did not know, but then again even Uta discovered things on every trip out. But the Svefra could certainly help out a newcomer. She wondered just how much Jehu knew. While Sophia was not totally certain what his home was like, she understood that it was very, very different to the jungles of Syka.

”I’m sure I can help you out. We haven’t discovered a lot of it yet, but there are a lot of things that we know to be helpful” She smiled again and waved a hand at his next words. ”Don’t worry about it, you can help me out another time when you’ve settled in properly.” Sophia’s gaze drifted over to the nearby treeline before she spoke again. ”How much do you know about the jungle here? Or the plants you can eat?” She didn’t want to tell him things that he already knew, as that would be a pointless exercise for the both of them.

Sophia waited for his answer and ran her eyes over him again. She could just tell him all the things he wanted to know, or she could take him into the jungle a little way and try to show him. If they didn’t go too far in they should be okay, especially with the pair of them looking out. He was however, very underdressed for any sort of trip into the trees, no matter how far they went. ”Were you hoping to go into the jungle to learn? Because I can’t take you like that.” She gestured vaguely at his un-shirted torso. ”You will be eaten alive by the insects. And there are many poisonous things that will hurt you if you just touch them.” She had however, noted the knife he carried with him, which was a positive sign. ”I see you have a weapon though, which is good. You will need to take one with you whenever you go in there.”

The Svefra had not planned for a trip into the jungles today, as would be evident by her own state of dress, but her pack was always ready to go. ”How would you like me to teach you then?”

[Jehu]

Jehu

The woman Sophia was welcoming, and Jehu appreciated that she didn't seem bothered by his black gaze. He noted the small lines at the corners of her cerulean eyes when she smiled, a sure sign she did so a lot. He already felt good about meeting the Svefra. Not only friendly, Sophia was pleasing to look at, but Jehu tried not to stare. And like most people he had met in the few days since arriving in Syka, she was more than willing to help him.

"It is good to meet you too. I am grateful for your help." Jehu grinned and nodded slightly as Sophia continued, asking him about what he already knew. Her eagerness to begin only proved she was sincere. "I have been in the jungle a couple times, before coming to Syka, on expeditions. I learned about the more common things you can eat like coconut, bananas, mango, papaya. Also some spices we collected like cinnamon and vanilla bean." Jehu had accompanied the trade expeditions as a laborer, but his employers benefited from his ability to locate fresh water. Jehu adapted his natural ability to the rainforest. On the short trips, he began to learn what he could forage and hunt to survive if necessary. "I don't know what I should stay away from, or what else might be useful."

The wind blew a strand of hair in Jehu's eyes and he brushed it aside. "I would like you to show me, in the jungle. If that is alright. I know I am not ready now, but I can be ready whenever is good for you." He looked down at his new purchase, turning the sheathed kopis over in his hands. "I want to hunt to help provide food, and if I learn what else is good to bring back, all the better." The Chaktawe looked up and smiled.

Words: 319

[Sophia Sunshore]

Despite his eyes, which could be perceived as cold, Sophia thought that Jehu was friendly enough. He returned her smiles easily and seemed ready and willing enough to learn and help the settlement. Sophia liked him immediately.

The Svefra listened carefully as he explained the things he already knew, nodding slowly to show she was paying attention. It seemed he had a good grasp of a lot of the edible fruits around and a few of the less common ones too. ”Okay well that’s a good start. We’re quite lucky that a lot of the fruit trees grow right at the edges of the jungle.” She gestured behind him where a fruit-laden mango tree stood. ”I definitely don’t know everything, but there are general things to look out for that will tell you what to keep away from which I can show you. And I can give you some tips I’ve picked up about staying in there for a little longer if you need to, though I wouldn’t recommend it unless it’s necessary.”

Jehu wanted to head into the trees to see for himself, so Sophia nodded again. ”Okay, well the sooner we go in the better I think.” It was still morning, and if they went now they would be back well before dark. ”I assume you have the right clothing since you’ve been in there before.” She smiled. ”And make sure to bring water and some dried food, insect repellent if - buy some if you don’t have it - and your weapon.” Sophia paused for a moment. ”I also have a tarp, hammock and dry tinder in my pack at all times, I find it best practice to carry them in with you just in case. I don’t imagine we will need them today but it won’t hurt to bring them if you have any of those things too.” She had no idea if she was telling him things that he already knew, but it was always better to err on the side of caution when it came to the jungle.

Sophia’s pack could be clearly seen propped up against a beam in her house and she pointed at it. ”That’s my pack ready to go. I can meet you at the Mercantile shortly if you like, once I’ve changed my clothes?” She offered Jehu another smile for his final comment. ”Well, I have no idea how to hunt anything at all, so perhaps you could show me that in return sometime?” While meat was caught to share with the settlement as a whole, Sophia thought it would be a good thing to learn how to get it herself just in case she ever needed to.

If Jehu agreed to meet her at the Mercantile, she would hop back up into her home to dig out her Isuas cloth jungle clothes and give her pack a final check over to make sure she had all the things she said she did before setting off.

[Jehu]

Jehu

Sophia seemed pleased that Jehu knew something about jungle plants, Jehu as happy when she agreed to give him some education. He readily agreed to return the favor with some hunting tips. With the agreement to meet her at the Mercantile. The last thing Sophia and he agreed upon was a guide. Jehu would find someone willing to lead them into the rain forest.

He stopped again at the Mercantile. Juli had been helpful before, pointing him to Sophia while Uta was out. Jehu again asked the young woman to suggest a guide. Juli reminded him that most Skykans had tasks that they had to tend to, but recommended an individual who most likely had nothing to do, if he was in a useful state.

Jehu made his way to the Forge. It was unoccupied, but near it was a man in a hammock strung between two palms. He was practically naked, a loin cloth about his waist, a coconut cup in his hand. A mop of blondish hair was strung over his face, stuck to the sweat that covered him. The man was asleep.

"Artik." Jehu spoke. "Artik!" He voiced again, louder, nudging the Sefvra's shoulder. The man awoke startled, then grumbled. Seeing the haunting black eyes of the Chaktawe, Artik flinched and nearly fell out of the hammock, the cup falling from his hand and spilling into the sand.

"Aw damn. What do you..." The man began to ask, then changed his mind, "What are you?"

Several chimes later five gold mizas and the mention that Sophia would be accompanying them convinced the mostly sober Sevfra to take them 'a little ways' into the jungle. Artis agreed to meet the pair at the Mercantile.

Jehu then went on to his tent to prepare. A pair of brown pants tucked into boots and a long-sleeve tan shirt were donned, but only after a thorough coating of insect repellent. He packed his backpack with the tarp, knife and thin coil of rope from his hunter's kit, a day's rations, the insect repellent, a torch, flint and steel and a hatchet. He also strapped the kopis he had just bought to the pack. Though it had only been a few days since he last drank, he slung a full waterskin over his shoulder. One of his companions may need the water. Finally, he took up his main spear.

Jehu returned to the Mercantile to await Sophia and Artik. The Forgekeeper arrived, dressed for the jungle, his pack ready. A wide brimmed hat kept his untamed hair in place. Jehu was relieved to see the man's eyes looking clearer than before.

"Well, where is she, day ain't getting any younger." He asked, scoffing a laugh at himself as he swung around looking for Sophia. Jehu moved until he could look up into the Mercantile, seeing Juli looking down with a smirk. He quirked a brow at the girl. She waved a 'you'll be fine' gesture at him and disappeared.

"She'll be here..." Jehu promised.

payment to Artik = 5gm

Words: 498

[Sophia Sunshore]

As Jehu turned away to head back in the direction of the Mercantile, Sophia rounded the shell of her lab and hopped lightly back up into her home. She quickly located her jungle appropriate clothing - tan Isuas trousers and a cream Isuas cloth shirt. She rolled the sleeves up to her elbows for now, though she knew she would have to wear them long in the trees. Knee-heigh boots were pulled onto her feet and she tied a piece of ribbon around her wrist so that she could deal with her hair later.

The Svefra then moved over to her pack, checking over the contents before slinging it onto her back. The hammock, tarp and rope were stashed neatly in the bottom, and a full waterskin, dried food,a small knife and a pouch of coconut fibre tinder sat on top of those. She gave herself a dousing of insect repellent before adding that in too, and she placed her journal on top before closing the pack up tightly. Finally, Sophia attached her cutlass to her waist and stepped down from her home to make her way to the Mercantile.

Sophia wondered who Jehu would manage to persuade to accompany them into the trees today. The pair had agreed to add a third person to their party, since between them they didn’t hold enough knowledge to safely move past the fringes and it was unlikely much teaching could be done there. As she walked, something blue caught her eye and she stooped to pluck a piece of smooth seaglass from the sand. She ran a thumb over it before pocketing the glass, and then instinctively scanned the beach for some more.

After several chimes where she wandered the beach in a very roundabout way to reach her destination, the Mercantile came into view. Sophia could see two men there, one clearly Jehu, but the other had their back to her and she couldn’t tell who it was. She wondered briefly how long they had been waiting while she had been beachcombing, and smiled at the Chaktawe. “Sorry, I got distracted…”

Sophia trailed off as she realised who the other man was. Beneath the hat, she met the surprisingly clear eyes of Artik and did her best to hold back a sigh at his mumble of “About time.”. While she hadn’t had a lot of interaction with the Svefra, she had had enough for him to be decidedly off her list of favourite people. She slid her gaze to meet that of Jehu’s briefly, though she suspected the man didn’t know quite what Artik was like on a normal day.

She could feel Artik watching her already, so she turned to him, gesturing at the treeline as she spoke. “Thanks for helping out Artik, why don’t you lead the way so I can show Jehu some plants.” The man didn’t move, so Sophia beamed at him, hoping to catch him off-guard. After a brief pause, Artick turned almost grudgingly, and started to head in the direction of the trees. Sophia followed after him, tying her hair up with the ribbon from her wrist and checking to see that Jehu was coming too.

“I assume the jungles you’ve been in before are much the same as these! I’ll do my best to point out things that might be useful, or that you should do your very best to avoid.” As they drew near to the trees, Sophia took up her cutlass into her hand and fished out a spool of bright red Isaus ribbon from her pocket. She held it out so that the Chaktawe could see it. “I learned this tip off another settler. If you cut up and tie this stuff to the trees, you make yourself a little trail to follow back out again.” Sophia still was nowhere near as comfortable in the trees as the woman Nya had been, but the Svefra did her best to always remember the knowledge she had shared.

Artik called back to them then, wanting to know where exactly they were supposed to be going. “Just lead a trial in a loop back to the beach. I guess we want to be in here for maybe a few bells?” She glanced back at Jehu briefly to see what he thought, adding on a comment for him too. “If you see anything that interests you, let me know and I’ll see if I can enlighten you.” As they walked, Sophia started to cut pieces of the ribbon and tie them at regular intervals to branches of the trees they passed. Even though they were still in the fringes, the gloom was already starting to close in and the bright red of the ribbon stood out starkly again the foliage.

[Jehu]

Jehu

A smile stretched across Jehu's face at the sight of Sophia. She was dressed and geared for a jungle trek as well. The Chaktawe noticed the bight smile she shared with him faded as their guide turned to face her. Jehu was a little disappointed when it seemed the Svefra woman didn't seem impressed by his choice of guide, her azure gaze swinging back to Jehu as if questioning his judgement of character.

Jehu was barely aware of the awkward exchange between Artik and Sophia. He did seem to be a bit grumpy, and the newcomer wondered why anyone would not be happy to be accompanied by someone as pleasant and pretty as Sophia. Maybe he had a headache, Jehu was pretty sure by now that the man drank a lot.

The trio slipped into the jungle, the calls of so many birds surrounding them, punctuated by the cry of some unseen creature. It was so very different than the desert. The surly Svefra took the lead as Sophia suggested, leaving her to interact with Jehu. "I have been in jungles similar to this, a couple times, along this same coast by many, many miles away." He replied, nodding as the woman showed him the technique she used to keep track of their progress. The crimson ribbons were quite visible amid the vibrant, thick foliage. "That is a good idea, I should get some ribbon."

Artik continued to lead the way, finding a small animal trail to follow to make his job easier. He had a long stick in hand that he used to part overhanging leaves and branches, or to prod the ground. He had little interest in the educational session going on behind him. The man had been paid though, and assumed Jehu would expect a heads up when a teaching moment presented itself. Artik belched, startling a brightly colored bird with a long tail overhead. It called out in protest and fluttered to a higher branch in the dense canopy.

Jehu, walked behind Sophia, using his spear to move aside flora she he could pass. He often reached with the butt of the spear over the botanist to push aside an obstructive plant for her as well. "And I learned that the less some of the plants touch you, the better. I don't know much about which ones are more dangerous around here. Are there some common traits about plants that are dangerous to touch?" Jehu asked. He kept his eyes moving, watching ahead where Artik was heading, behind them to see if they were being stalked, down to make sure he didn't trip on a root, and at Sophia as they conversed. But he met her gaze every time, to ensure her that he was attentive to their discussion.

Words: 465

[Sophia Sunshore]

Sophia loved being in the trees. Even though most of the things one could find here, animal and plant alike, could probably hurt or kill a person, there was still something magical about being surrounded by the dense foliage. As the trio moved along a trail Artik had found, the canopy grew thicker above them and the ground became more uneven with roots and vines. Sophia could hear the life around them, birds chattering from the branches above, and what she thought were likely monkeys calling to each other somewhere far off.

She nodded her agreement at his comment. ”Juli will be happy to give you some if you ask for it. I think she keeps a stash behind the counter at the Mercantile.” She cut and tied another piece of the red ribbon to a slender branch as she passed. Artik barely registered the conversation between the pair, and Sophia sincerely hoped that the man was paying proper attention to where he was leading them. She had been told before to stay off game trails, though this one appeared a little smaller than others she had seen, so hopefully it was a lesser used one considering they were still fairly close to the shore.

As they were following a trail, there weren’t too many plants obstructing their way, mostly just the vines that snaked down from the canopy above. Sophia moved anything at arm height with her cutlass while the taller Chaktawe did the same above their heads. While she mostly kept her eyes to the ground or the path ahead, she would make sure to turn her head a little as Jehu spoke to show him that she was listening. When the trail occasionally widened, she would pause a step to walk almost next to him to make conversing easier.

At Jehu’s question, Sophia tried to accurately remember the information Uta had given her on one of their early outings together. ”There are actually. If you can see that a plant has fine hairs or thorns it’s reasonable to assume they will be, at the very least, irritating to the skin. Um, plants that grow umbrella shaped in general or have umbrella shaped flowers are also best avoided. If you can see any sap leaking and it’s milky white or yellow definitely avoid that. Plants with yellow or white berries are also likely to be skin irritants and also super poisonous to eat.”

She paused to let him take in the information before continuing. ”Generally those things are irritating to the skin, but there are also some that are okay to touch but will still poison you if you eat them. Uh, shiny leaves, seeds that are podded and plants that have an almond scent are generally signs something is poisonous when eaten. Oh and never eat the fungus you find here unless you know exactly what it is.”

The canopy above them rustled as a small group of monkeys travelled overhead. Sophia motioned to Jehu to look, and she watched the primates make their way from branch to branch. Their hair was black, aside from their bald faces, and their eyes were ringed with white. The monkeys had incredibly long limbs and they moved with a grace Sophia hadn’t seen in an animal for a long time. Artik had also stopped to see what they were looking at. “Spider monkeys.” Sophia glanced at him, faintly surprised that he knew what kind they were. She had always had the impression that the Svefra didn’t care to know about anything.

The monkeys soon disappeared, being swallowed by the canopy. Sophia smiled and turned once again to step after Artik up ahead. The air grew more humid as they went and sweat started to bead on the back of Sophia’s neck. ”When you went into the jungle before, did you have to camp there? I still don’t know too much about staying out here for any longer than a few bells.” Sophia’s smile was closer to a grimace. ”I’ve been too distracted to learn properly. Bad of me, I know.” Her gaze fell on Artik up ahead of them. ”I wonder if Artik knows much about it?”

They passed a fairly small, shrubby tree adorned with large spiky green fruits. Sophia motioned to it. ”That’s a soursop tree. Contrary to what I just said about spikes, you can actually eat those. Though they’re an acquired taste.” She gave Jehu a wry smile, remembering her own experience with the lumpy fruit. ”If you’re ever brave enough just avoid the seeds, they are poisonous.”