Camping by the Bay (Aela)

[Vaas]

Time Stamp: Summer 31th, 512AV
Location- Secluded Shoreline by Thunder Bay

Vaas excursions to the world outside of the city are far and few between, and this trip will take him all the way to Thunder Bay. He wanted to learn about nature and the only thing he could think of was camping, and his companion on this adventure is his good friend, Aela. As he walked through the gates, he must of looked completely ridiculous to the people walking by him. The tall young man is weighed down by a large body backpack, strapped to the bottom of the pack is a rolled up tent, hanging from the side is two filled water skins, on the top is a small rolled up tent, and perched on top of the large back pack is a proud red tailed hawk, and in his hand, he held his trusty staff to guide his way to the outside world.

As Vaas gets closer to the the Sanikas Gates, he can start to hear the bustle of human traffic, and as the crowd gets thicker, he can start to smell the hot and sweaty crowd around him. He walks through the opening of the gates and he feels the rush of fresh air, and faint smell of wild flowers. He smiles to himself as he feels the heat of the sun on his bare skin. Wiping his forehead, he listens around for a familiar voice of Malvin, a wagon driver, who offered to take them to Thunder Bay for a reasonable price of eight pinions for two passengers. Vaas was able to persuade the drunken man down from five pinions each to four pinions each. Malvarin is a reasonable man when he is drunk, but when he is sober, he is about as crude and stubborn as the oxen that pulled his heavy wagon.

Malvarin noticing Vaas slip through the crowd by Sankis Gate, and forgetting the young man was blind, he waves him over but stops when he realizes the gesture is futile. He decides to rudely yell over the crowd at tall young man. Vaas recognizes the Malvarin voice and walks over to him and says happily, “Fine morning isn't it. The weather seems like its going to cooperate today.” Malvarin looks and raises an eyebrow at the thin young man with all his gear. Malvarin takes the cigar from his mouth, spits on the ground, and asks, “You moving to Thunder Bay, boy, or is this just a social visit?” Vaas smirks and says sarcastically to the wagon driver, “They kicked me out Malvarin, and I am going to start my new life as a fisherman.” Malvarin chuckles, takes a puff on his cigar and asks, “So boy where your girlfriend? I don't have all day. I got to get this seed down to the fields by noon” Vaas blushes slightly and he hears the man chuckle at his embarrassment, “Malvarin, Aela just friend, and she said she was coming.” Malvarin amused by the blind boy says, “OK Vaas... we'll wait for Aela. Hopefully she didn't stand you up. It hard boy.. I know. I couldn't count on my nine fingers. How many times that happened to me.”

Vaas gives the wagoner and crooked smile and says with a hint of amusement, “ Malvarin, I am sorry to hear that I couldn't imagine a woman ever standing a charming man like you up.” Malvarin with a sad face takes a long puff on his cigar, wipes a tear away, and spits again. He looks up at Vaas and says, “I know. I am just a man with so much love to give away.” Vaas holds in his laughter and starts taking off his pack while Wind Dancer flies to one of the posts on Malvarin's wagon.

Malvarin watches for this mysterious girl Vaas was talking about. Personally, he thinks Vaas is just making her up, but he is not one to judge the boy. He is quite well to put it lightly odd, but he has to hand it to the boy, he can take a joke or two and dish it back out. He sits their watching Vaas struggle with his pack. He should help him, but the boy needs to learn to take care of himself if he is out in the wilderness. Malvarin leans on his wagon noticing his cigar is almost gone, frowns at his cigar, and thinks to himself, “She has until this cigar is out, or I am leaving with or without her.” Malvarin looks over to the crowd and notices a pretty young woman walking towards them with a bow about as tall as her. She is definitely petite with soft green eyes. He smirks to himself and thinks to himself, “If I was twenty years younger than I am now. I would definitely ask that girl to dance.”As Malvarin watches the girl approach, he smacks Vaas on the back almost knocking him over in the process and says to him, “Too bad your blind Vaas because the view is definitely splendid today.”

[Alori Sai]

Aela left the Common rooms that morning and headed out to meet Vaas for the trip they had planned. She was dressed in a white Vinati and black Bryda, her hair hung loose at her shoulders, and her quiver was strapped around her left shoulder, and her bag containing essential items was strapped around her right shoulder with her bow tucked in the middle. The equipment felt heavy but, the more she wore it the less it bothered her, or so she hoped. It was a beautiful day out and something that was needed in the eyes of most Inartan. The djed storm and even it's aftermath had taken a devastating toll on the people and it wasn't until recent that things were getting back to normal. Another storm had blown in, but this one was much different and provided a much needed relief from the heat they had been experiencing. As she moved across the courtyard carrying a bundled up sleeping bag, she noticed that the huge boulders had been removed. It was a good sign and meant that there was enough room to restart Market day. She had come to enjoy the event a lot since her first attempt. Mostly because it was a fresh change from the heat in the hotshop but also because she enjoyed selling her wares and browsing others. She had a small window of time in which Perith allowed her to wonder off, and she would take that time to browse the market and hopefully find something she liked enough to buy it. Today her mind wasn't on the market, but on her adventure into Thunder Bay. It wouldn't be her first time visiting the place and she wasn't filled with the unsureness that she had before. The first Djed-mutated creature had been brought in and she raced into the unknowing along with a few others in order to investigate the phenomenon. What they found was odd and fascinating, horrifying yet splendid. The trip she had planned, and her company by chance, but it was an experience that she wouldn't soon forget. As she approached the Sanikas Gates, she noticed the eyes on her but tried to ignore them. It wasn't the first time that people had stared strangely at the petite girl, whose long bow almost rivaled her own size. She had gotten the same look every since she stepped out for her first hunt. While some of the stares gave her the impression that she was being mocked, others seem mournful. As if they were worried that she would go out and get herself killed. She was irritated by both and it made her all the more proud when she returned safely and with a catch in hand. Stepping outside of the gate, she noticed a bulky wagon driven by oxen waiting and a scruffy looking man sitting atop. Her first reaction was to continue to look for her friend, until she heard noises coming from the back of the wagon and saw him stumbling around. She smiled and walked around to the back to see him. A look of surprise spread across her face as she looked at the bundle he had brought. She hadn't expected him to bring so much and wondered if some of it belonged to the man sitting in front of the wagon. "Do you need any help?" Standing there, she remembered the day that he had asked her to go camping. She could tell by the way he spoke that he was worried she'd say no. He was different in that way, maybe his lack of vision played a part or perhaps it was his gentle spirit. She liked it, and found him refreshing and easy to talk too. Much more so than most Inartan guys who sauntered about, showing off their hair and clothing in hopes that it would send the girl into a blush and she would beg to go out with them. "I didn't know you were getting a wagon. Good idea."

[Vaas]

Vaas still struggling with his pack hears Malvarin observation view of the “surrounding terrain”, and looks towards the voice of his companion, smiles in his direction and says in a clearly clueless fashion, “I am kind of jealous of you Malvarin. I sure the weather is making the surrounding mountains quite breathtaking.” Malvarin gives Vaas a confused look because he sure didn't give a damn about the mountains, but he decides stop leering at the girl, and he jumps in front of the wagon. He flicks the butt of his cigar on the ground and quietly waits till they are ready. However, he decides to let the blind man know his companion has arrived, “By the way,Vaas your lady friend is coming.”

"Do you need any help?"

Vaas stops fighting his large backpack that is now half off his back. He looks up toward the sound of Aela voice and smiles, “Glad you made it Aela, and yes if you could help me get out of this monstrosity that would be wonderful.” He stops fidgeting and starts working at straps around his waist and says to her, “I figure once we get to the site, Graven told me about about. We can set up camp, and you can go hunting. He suggested to me that I should pick up a fishing pole and hooks in Thunder Bay and go fishing, so I might try my hand at fishing on this trip too.” He gets the waist strap off and continues, “It should be fun. You can enjoy the scenery of coast forest of Thunder Bay, and I can listens to the ocean and wild life.”

"I didn't know you were getting a wagon. Good idea."

Once the pack is off Vaas stretches out and enjoys the freedom once again. He smiles at her and says jokingly, “If we had to hike from Wind Reach to Thunder Bay, it would probably take us a week getting down there. I don't think I will move to fast down the volcano unless fell and rolled down it.” Malvarin getting impatient by the two chattering youth says without looking back, “If you mind you two, I need to get to Thunder Bay by noon. Both of you take a seat in the sacks of seed and lets get a move on.” Vaas makes a funny face at Aela, and he reaches down and picks up the backpack, tosses it in the wagon, and grabs the sides of the wagon and lifts himself into the bed of the wagon. He crawls over some sacks of seed and makes himself comfortable near the middle of the wagon.

[Alori Sai]

Aela smiled and after she tossed her sleeping bag onto the wagon, she attempted to help him with the load he carried. She glanced up for a moment toward the man who was now standing in front of his wagon and wondered why he hadn't offered to help the poor guy. As he removes the straps that held the bundle of equipment to him, she tried her best to guild it so that nothing broke when he released it onto the wagon. "I see you have it all planned out huh?" She could hear the enthusiasm in his voice and from the preparations he had made, he must have been planning a trip like this for some time. "So, this friend of yours...Does he camp there often?" She had no clue as to why a blind person would want to go camping but Vaas was a friend and that was enough to get her on board. Once he had loaded his bags, she moved closer and pulled her bow from under the straps of her quiver and bag, placing it on the wagon. She turned back to him as he spoke of the travel time to Thunder Bay. His words, while sometimes comical appeared to hold another meaning. Giving him a questionable look, her lips curved upward into a smirk as she placed her hands on her hips. "Are you making fun of me?" Aela suddenly narrowed her eyes towards the front of the wagon when the man began to rush them. She knew that there was something she didn't like about him when she first saw him, and that comment proved just how much. She started to say something rude but as she looked back to Vaas, she saw that he wasn't bothered by the man at all. Instead he made a funny face at her. Aela giggled a bit, mostly holding it in so that the man wouldn't know they were laughing at him. She waited for Vaas to climb aboard and followed behind him. She moved a bit further and collected her bow before she attempted to move over the dusty sacks and find a place to sit. The wagon looked old and was probably used for carrying food rather than people. Aela looked around wondering what was in the sacks and how much he had charged Vaas for the ride. The man looked like a dishonest type of person and she hoped that he hadn't suckered Vaas in. Leaning a bit closer to him, she lowered her voice into a whisper as she spoke. "How much did you pay for this?"

[Vaas]

Vaas feels the wagon start to move down the road, and he looks over to where Aela's voice was coming from, and he says to her grin, “And to answer your questions, I would never ever ever never make fun of you Aela.” He widens his smile and says honestly, “No seriously, I sure you can make it down to Thunder Bay with no problems, but I don't have much experience navigating out side the city.” He pauses and asks softy, “Could you describe some of the terrain to me? It would be a great help. Graven said stick to the shoreline until the agate beach turns to a sandy beach. When the pine bark turns red, head in land until we come to a old loggers grove. Graven said is a good area to hunt, practice falconry, and fish.”

He feels her lean closer to him and whispers, "How much did you pay for this?" He smiles and says without looking at her, “He originally wanted five pinions from each of us, but I was able to talk him down to four. I'll pay him when we reach Thunder Bay, and don't worry Aela, Malvarin will not be camping with us. He is just the transportation.” Malvarin overhears their conversation and looks back at Aela and winks at her, “I can come if you want m'lady. It tends to get cold in the mountains.” Vaas's head jerks up at that comment, and he wipes his head around at Malvarin and snaps with a hint of venom in his voice, “Malvarin I know the only other company at night is your oxen, but I paying you to drive, so drive.” Malvarin shocked at the sudden anger of the blind boy, but he nods in approval at the boys fire. He turns around watches the road with a grin on his face. He says a warning with out turning around, “Besides, with all the strange sighting of creatures in the woods these days. The forest isn't the safest place in the world. I am just saying watch your back and keep your ears open both of you.”

Keeping in mind Malvarin's comment of warning, Vaas turns back to Aela with a frown on his face and says to her, “Sorry, Malvarin is a professional jerk. If he gets too out of hand, we could always give him a whack with my staff,” He gives the staff and gentle tap with his fingers and asks her quietly, “So how does your glassblowing teacher feel about our camping trip?

[Alori Sai]

When the wagon suddenly started to move, it jerked forward and Aela had to quickly grab a hold to the side to keep herself from sliding backwards and under the seat of the man driving it. She looked to Vaas quickly and was glad that he didn't see her almost tumble off the wagon. Leaning forward, she gently pushed his shoulder as he began to stammer. Her comment had been a joke and she hoped that he didn't think she was being serious. She narrowed her eyes toward him, her lips curved upward as she spoke with a jovial tone. "Oh I see, so that's why you asked me to come. I'm here to be your tour guide." She folded her arms against her chest and looked away, trying her hardest not to laugh. "Well if you fall down a hill I'm not running after you." She was about to add to her witty comment when he asked her to describe the terrain. "There's not really much to see yet, but I'll tell you when we're closer." The description he gave her sounded familiar and she thought that she had been there the last time she went to Thunder Bay but she wasn't sure. After they were closer she would be able to tell if she recognized the area. Looking back to Vaas, she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud over his comment about their driver accompanying them on their trip. She wouldn't have agreed to go if he was inviting strangers to come along. If for some reason, he didn't tell her that he had invited the dek-wad, she would have yelled at him and then stormed off to her room. Aela glanced toward the driver and saw the wink that he gave her. It wasn't a surprise or subtle in the least and in that instant she was glad that she had skipped breakfast. Aela narrows her eyes towards him, but as she was about to reply with a wicked retort, Vaas spoke up for her. A look of shock covered her face, followed by a light blush around her cheeks. She was impression with his quickness to defend her and the guts it took to do so. She would have been more than happy to slug the dek-wad, but since Vaas had shut him up she decided to let it go. Her small ears perked up as the man spoke again, and she wondered what filth he was about to spit at them this time. Surprisingly, the man's tone had changed and she bit her lip to hold back a giggle, thinking that Vaas must have set him straight. But he didn't need to warn her, she knew all about the deformed creatures in the wild. It was risky but it was a risk that hunters took each and every time they went out to hunt. Looking back to Vaas, she smiled and lightly tapped his staff as he did. "Well alright Mr. tough guy, whatever you say." His next question caught her off guard and her expression changed from cheerful to almost sad. Looking away from him, she moved her fingers through her hair, pushing it behind her ear and spoke in a softer tone. "He doesn't know.." It wasn't the brightest idea that she had, and she knew that she would be scolded for it. But Perith had already given her the okay to go hunting a few days before and she knew that he wouldn't agree to her going out again so soon. Still, she wasn't a kid anymore and she was free to make her own decisions. Besides, she had already told Vaas that she would go and she wouldn't go back on her word. Aela suddenly perked up and smiled, trying to keep the mood light. "So....how is Wind Dancer?"

[Vaas]

"Oh I see, so that's why you asked me to come. I'm here to be your tour guide."

Vaas gives Aela a smile and says playfully, “As the tour guide of this camping trip, I expect you to give a detail history of the scenery and colorful stories for effect.” He leans back on a sack of seed waiting to get hit by her, and he just listens to the sound of the wheel riding over the stone road. Being out in nature wasn't as bad as he thought, so many new sounds to listen too and having Aela here with him to keep him company took some of the anxiety of the unknown away from the wilderness. Originally Vaas took a interest in Aela because of her glassblowing. She was a artist like himself, and she seem to see the world through the eyes of a artist, but her heart seemed to being reaching for something greater than what she is right now. Vaas can relate and admire her dream whatever it will become. He feels her gently tapping his staff and he looks over at her and grins.

"Well alright Mr. tough guy, whatever you say."

Vaas laughs quietly to her and stand up in the wagon and declares in his best male Endal impression, “Well if I didn't defend the honor of our Inarta sister's person. How could I call myself a Inarta.... I would either be caste out of Wind Reach or thrown from the volcano in disgrace. In your honor, my friend Aela I would wrestle a bear one handed and blind folded if the bear disgraced my Inarta sister in anyway”

"He doesn't know.."

Malvarin glances back and snorts at the young man and says abruptly, “Bump!” The wagon rolls over the bump and Vaas starts flailing and falls backwards onto the sacks of seed. He heard what she said about her instructor Perith not knowing about the camping trip, and from the tone of her voice, she was feeling guilty about disappointing him. Vaas suddenly feels guilty about putting Aela in this situation and says gently hoping to help, “Aela, Glassblowers need to have a little fun once in awhile too. How do you think you get inspiration for your art by sitting in front of a furnace. I believe you get it from experiencing the life to its fullest than taking those experiences and shaping them into glass.” He stops and thinks about the bow. She had hold three years ago, “Remember the remarkable bow you made out of glass. You wouldn't have made it if somewhere in your past you experience hunting or known someone who hunted. “ Forgetting she asked about Wind Dancer. Vaas leans back on the seed sacks and his cloudy green eyes stare into the nothingness above him.

[Alori Sai]

"A detailed history huh? Shouldn't you direct those types of questions to your friend here?" Aela teased, looking toward the man driving the wagon. "I'm sure he's seen all kinds of things." She was sure of that much, it was his job to do so, and if he spent most of that time admiring his surroundings rather than the women he encountered then he might have a few good stories to tell. "Of all the wagons we could have taken, why did we have to get this one?" She mused to herself and leaned back against the sacks in the wagon. He wasn't the choice she would have made but she figured that Vaas was trying. "Hey! Watch it!" Aela said quickly as she ducked the edge of his staff when he suddenly sprung to his feet. She watched with much amusement as he proclaimed in a proud Inartan voice that he would protect his sisters from danger. The speech was a bit over done but she knew that he meant well. It was odd to see, but he was always making wild proclamations and swinging his limbs about, completely unaware of his surroundings. It was a part of his charm, she figured, and others seemed to think so too. Or at least tolerate him to the point where they didn't disappear whenever he came around. "Wow, careful!" She said loudly and reached a hand out to catch him in case he went tumbling off the wagon. She looked to him a bit shocked as he fell on to the sacks in the wagon. "He really is clueless.." Aela leaned back against the sacks and closed her eyes, she didn't want to talk about Perith or glassblowing. She wanted to get away from it all for a day, and enjoy the simple things in life. But she knew that he was right and she did deserve a break and time to enjoy herself and that was what she would do. As she laid there, she wondered why he didn't answer her question about Wind Dancer when he was usually happy to talk about him. She also noticed that the bird had been silent for some time when he was usually squawking about and attacking Vaas. Sitting up, she found the bird perched on one of the posts attached to the wagon. She admired Vaas and her friend Aidara for the relationships they had with their birds. Sadly she still didn't have one of her own although she had a love for them like any falconer. One of the best parts about being an Endal was getting to ride a giant eagle and to do that she would need to understand them. She figured it would be a good idea to learn to handle a small bird before trying her hand at the larger ones. "Wind Dancer, are you enjoying the ride?" She smiled towards the bird and slowly reached her hand out to pet him, hoping that she wouldn't get bitten.

[Vaas]

"Wind Dancer, are you enjoying the ride?" She smiled towards the bird and slowly reached her hand out to pet him, hoping that she wouldn't get bitten.

Wind Dancer perks up when he hears the sound of his name from the female human. He turns his head to her, sits up, and flaps his wing. He turns around on his pole, faces the her, and does a soft chirp to her. Vaas still laying back on the sacks smiles to himself and takes the tatter glove from his belt and hands it to her. He says without looking at her, “Now you gone and done it Aela. Its around feeding time for Windy, and all his attention on you now.” Wind Dancer looks Vaas and squawks and than looks to Aela and does the same low chirp. Vaas crawls over the sacks to his backpack, pulls out a fresh dead mouse, crawls over back to his old spot, and hands Aela the dead mouse.

Vaas remember from the first time they meet in the market place. She expressed a interest in falconry, so Vaas trying to help her jump into her interest. Wind Dancer has always been a loyal friend to Vaas, but his recent conflict with the crows and ravens started to concern Vaas. He needs to get him out of the city and hunt before the streets of Wind Reach are littered with black feathers. He hopes to start some hunting training soon, but he needs to figure out how to go about it. Vaas has been worried that his blindness has been holding Wind Dancer back in his training. This is the part of the reason for this trip to get Wind Dancer exposed into his natural habitat.

Once Aela has the mouse, Vaas lays back on the sacks and stares up into the black sky. He explains to her, “I first got Windy from a the lilac smelling woman. At the time he was just a chick, so it was my job to feed him and take care of him.” Vaas snickers to himself and says to Aela, “Honestly, if I meet her again, I want to ask her why she didn't give me a starter bird like a nice friendly falcon. Part of the reason for his bad behaviors now. When I was younger, I could barely navigate around on my own living area. Let alone take care of a large bird of prey like Wind Dancer.” He pauses and looks over to Wind Dancers continues chirps towards Aela and continues, “When I was younger Wind Dancer would always make a commotion in the morning since he was either hungry, wanted a attention, or both. One morning after I already feed him. He started making a awful racket when I was going to leave to go practice my flute with Selia. I turned around with my flute and just made noise on it at Windy. After about three minutes of us going at it, Wind Dancer stopped when he realized. I wasn't going to give in to his temper tantrum. At that moment I think Wind Dancer and I came to a general respect between each other. We both have certain expectations for each other. I feed him and protect him, and he gives me companionship.”

He looks at her and gives her a reassuring smile, “I learned in the last ten years that Wind Dancer responds to respect, food, and repetition, and since it is feeding time for Windy. I am giving you the honors of feeding his Highness.” He smiles at Wind Dancer and laughs, “Don't worry Aela. He likes you, so you shouldn't have to worry about him biting you.”

[Alori Sai]

Aela smiles as she listened to the bird's sweet chirps and reaches up to softly pet his head. Relieved that Wind Dancer wasn't angered she leaned closer and petted him more. It was easy and somehow she thought it would be a lot harder. "He's being so nice, Vaas did you just...." She paused as she looked back to see that Vaas had taken out his glove and was holding it out for her. Reaching for the glove, she listened as he let her in on a little secret. "Oh...well, here, shouldn't you.." She paused again when he went through his pack and handed her a dead mouse. "Right...ok um..."She stopped again, listening as he told her of the history between him and his fateful friend. It was a funny story but it was just as touching and she could see the rebel in the bird and a bit in Vaas also. That was something they shared and was a part of the bond, and respect they had for each other. "I don't know, I think you were both lucky to have found each other..Even if he is a hand full." Aela looked back to him and smiled before looking down at the dead mouse in her hand and lifting it up. "Alright Windy here's your...Woah!" She jumped as she turned back to the bird as it wildly flapped it's wings, dancing about the post before taking off and flying towards her. "Windy wait!!" She yelped as she threw her arm out in front of her as the bird landed on it, wrapping it's long talons around her wrist. "Oooh..petch it!" She squealed as the pain from the talons sunk into her arm. The bird continued to flap it's wings until it had a good balance and grip on it's fleshy perch. Aela winched and bit back the pain as she brought the mouse towards the bird with her free hand. She watched as the bird pecked at the mouse then picked it up into it's beak to finish it off. Aela sigh, her features softened once the bird had finished and without biting her fingers off. "I guess I won't be needing this." She looked down at the glove in her hand, the one she had planned to put on before feeding Wind Dancer, but he had others plans. She lightly tossed the glove back over to Vaas. "Catch." Aela watched the bird for a moment, the pain in her arm was settling in and she moved her arm just a bit to adjust to the weight of the bird. It was a small marvel in a way, an experience that would help her once she was able to get her own falcon. Another bump on the road interrupted the moment as the bird began to flap it's wings again and took off and found it's perch on the wagon again. Aela looked down at the marks on her arm and then settled back onto the sacks with a soft thump. They rode for a while in silence, Aela stared off into the wondrous blue above them, every so often she'd look up to see the driver looking back at them. The ride was long and seemed slow but after some time they made it to the old loggers grove. Aela noticed the wagon had begun to stop and sat up to look around. "I think we're here Vaas."