Camping by the Bay (Aela)

[Vaas]

Before Vaas leaves for the stream, he stops when he hears her mention his plan. Honestly all his plan was to get refreshed from the summer day and rinse off the sweat. He tilts his head, and asks her with a questioning smile, “My plan was nothing devious Aela. I wasn't going to try seduce you in the ocean or anything. I just wanted to go swimming and cool off before nightfall. Honestly, I smelled myself before we left, and I figure I do you the favor of not smelling before we shared a small tent tonight.” He feels the salt drying into flakes on his skin, brushes some of it off with his hand, and says to her with a laugh, “Also I think I am turning into a salt lick now. I meet back at camp. See you in a few Aela.” With that he started down the beach towards the stream.

As Vaas walked to the stream, he started to think about to reply to her about her thoughts on how he perceived beauty when he can't see. Aela did hit the nail on the head when she suggested smelling the air and feeling the air on his skin. Yes, it is one way to perceive beauty in the natural environment, but it is broad way of looking at beauty. Vaas was just curious about the details that make the ocean beautiful. Vaas starting to hear the stream and continues thinking to himself as he walks. Aela might not understand, but Vaas would give a kings ransom to see the details of a flower, watch Wind Dancer soar through the sky, or being able to see the smile on his friend's face.

Not wanting to walk back to camp for his soap, Vaas sets down his cloths. He feels around for a dry rock with his staff when his hits a rock near the stream. He unties his undergarment, rinses it off in the stream, and sets it down on the dry rock. After dealing with his undergarment, Vaas walks into the cool stream feeling the agates under his feet. He feels something swim by his foot, and he smiles to himself when he realizes it is a fish. When the water is waist high, he starts to bath in the stream. After Vaas is done bathing, he walks out of the stream and stands there naked in breeze. Letting the wind dry his wet body. When he finished air drying, he puts on his undergarment and his bryda and make his way to camp.

When he gets to camp, he walks in the direction of the fire. He says out loud to Aela as he walks into camp not wanting to scare her, “Sorry it took me so long. I think I had the whole ocean floor on my body today.” He taps around with his staff till he hits his backpack. When he finds it, he sits down next to it and says to Aela, “Remember you said to me that I can experience beauty by smelling the air and feeling the air on my skin, Aela. Anyways what I am getting at is that those ways of perception lack certain details. Yes I can feel the shape of the rock and the texture of the rock, but it tells me nothing of color, or how the rock looks next to the tree.” Because he known Aela for three years and curiosity has taken the best of him this evening, he decides to ask her, “What do you look like Aela?”

[Alori Sai]

After he left, Aela continued to stand in front of the fire allowing it to dry her undergarments. She was confused by his words and found herself wondering if she had upset him somehow. She had asked about his plan because she was curious if there was anything else he wanted to do. She certainly didn't think he had some nefarious plan to devour her purity. She knew that musician's were sensitive, but Vaas seemed a bit more so than any guy she knew. Maybe..I should say something to him when he comes back. Aela was enjoying her time with him and learning more about his life. He was one of the few people she saw as a close friend and he'd never know how much that meant that she thought of him. He understood her dream and that was something that only one other could do. She wanted to be there for him and inspire him as he had done for her, but it would seem at times that their communication skills could use work. When she was done drying her undergarments, Aela redressed herself and started to walk around the camp a bit until Vaas returned. Once he returned, she walked over towards him, but before she could say anything, he had restarted the conversation that they had before he left. She listened to his words and realized that he hadn't been complaining before, only asking her a question. She felt a bit silly and held in a laugh that would have been only at her own confusion. Looking around at the area, Aela smiled and sat beside him as she tried to describe it for him. "Well let's see..The sky is beautiful and bright. It looks almost white at times and seems to go on forever. The sun is..golden, like the eyes of an eagle. It's very bright and it would hurt your eyes if you stared directly into it. But..if you did, the light would surround you and it would feel as if you could .." She paused and shook of an interesting yet odd thought. "The forest is green and some areas like this one are only filled with grass but the forest itself..there is nothing but trees. Trees that are taller and bigger as you get closer to them." Turning around towards the direction she had taken to get to the ocean she crossed her arms to her shoulders and stared out into the opening. "The world is colorful and bright and to see it can take your breath away." Aela turned back to him and smiled. "I'm afraid that my words alone can't really explain it all." She was surprised when he asked what she looked like and found herself searching for the right words. Plain, was the word that came to mind and not many people seem to think otherwise or failed to say so. She was never the prettiest girl in class or at work, and while a few guys had called her cute, she imagined that they were just looking for a quick mount and didn't really find her attractive. "I doubt I'm much to look at Vaas. Um...here." She wasn't sure how it work, but she had heard that the blind learn descriptions by touching things. Aela took his hands gently into hers and placed them on her face. She closed her eyes and allowed his fingers and thumbs to move as they pleased. "See...plain."

[Vaas]

Vaas enjoyed her description of the surrounding landscape. Her description of the sun was his favorite. The golden eye of a eagle. He not sure what golden looks likes, but he knows gold is a precious metal, so gold or golden must be something of value. He really enjoy her description of the sunlight enveloping whatever it touches. He listens to her descriptions of the forest and how tall the trees are around them. He just sits there in silence listening to her explain what she sees around her. Vaas realizes everyone has a different perception of what they see around them, and Aela is really making a effort to paint a picture for him. While she is talking, he starts to wonder how other people in his life see the world around them.

When Vaas asks the question about Aela's physical appearance, he was really surprised that she described herself as plain. Vaas really doubts her actual appearance is just plain, and Malvarin was drooling over her this morning. He might act a pig and boozer, but Vaas is sure. He knows a good looking woman when he sees them. Maybe Aela is just uncertain of her attractiveness because of her uncertainty of where her life is going at the moment. It must be hard being pressured to go in two different directions. Becoming a Endal is a noble goal and a huge undertaking. She will become one of the social elites of Wind Reach, and her duties to provide food for Wind Reach will take her away from the city for weeks. I am sure her glassblowing master must be pressuring her to stay with her art. He knows she can succeed in her dream, and Vaas will be right by her side to support her.

When Aela takes his hands to feel her face, Vaas is kind of unsure of the whole situation because last time this happened. Reila in her mischievous way decided to embarrass him by shoving his hands on her breasts. Vaas realizes Aela was not Reila, and he wouldn't have to worry about such shenanigans from her. As Vaas touches her face with his hands, he notices her skin is silk to the touch. She has soft high cheek bones as his fingers trail down her face. Also he notices her bangs are slightly curled from the huminity. He decides to mess with her and flings her curly hair from her eyes with his finger. Her eyes are also almond like Reila's eyes. His fingers trail down her nose to her lips. He notices they are full, but he doesn't linger there hoping not to make her uncomfortable. He feels down her chin and both hands trail up both sides of her jaw. He pictures her having a oval face. He frowns when she mentions herself as plain again.

Vaas takes her hands, smiles warmly to Aela, and says in a firm tone, “Aela stop calling yourself plain. If I could see you for myself, I would tell you that you are beautiful, but I can't, so I will tell you. What I really see when I think of you. Aela you are radiant. You have a fire inside you that will propel you to obtain any goal you want to achieve. I think you will be a influential part of our society, and I think the Endals will be lucky to have you in their ranks.” He stops talking for a moment and thinks some more to himself. He looks back to her again with a silly grin, “Honestly, Aela with your personality. I am not sure. Why I am not beating off a line of men with my staff. Right now.” He takes his hands back and leans back on his pack, “Never doubt yourself and never let anyone doubt your dreams.” Vaas eyes wander towards the sound of the fire. Wondering if he said too much just now.

[Alori Sai]

Aela giggled a bit as he played with her hair and kept her eyes closed as he moved his hands over her face. The tips of his fingers tickled her skin, as his hands moved over her eyes, cheeks, and nose. She shivered a bit when his fingers touched her lips and even caused her to blush a little. It was an interesting experience having him explore her face in such a way that was clearly personal. But he had asked what she looked like and this was the best way she could explain it to him. She opened her eyes again and watched as he took her hand into his, but was surprised at the firm tone that followed. His words were kind and caused her to blush even harder. He had a way of making her laugh and causing an bright blush to rise in her cheeks despite how much she tried to hide it. "Really? A whole line of guys?" She asked teasingly. She knew that these were just more kind words from her friend, but even in her wildest dreams she didn't see that happening. It seemed more like the type of thing that would happen to Aidara than anyone else. The woman had it all, looks, status, a close family. While some in the city were simply jealous and others envious, Aela admired her. "Well thank you Vaas. That means a lot...." Aela stared at him, a serious look on her face before her features soften into a gentle smile. Vaas always knew just what to say and he seemed to enjoy putting her in the proverbial spotlight, leaving her with reddish cheeks and silenced lips. Aela had no idea how they would do it, but she knew that they would both realized their dream, one way or another. Laying back, she stretched her small figure out into the grass and stared up into the sky above. "Don't ever change Vaas." She meant those words, truly and deeply. The light inside him was so bright that even though he couldn't see, he could still become more than anyone else in the city. Soon the day had turned to late evening and the sun was beginning to set. It had been a nice relaxing day for the little huntress. The ride from the city was somewhat pleasant and once they made camp, she shared a meal with a friend and later went for a swim. It was a nice trip away from the city and the busy life that she was used too. Aela wouldn't soon forget this trip and she hoped that Vaas had enjoyed himself as much as she had. "I think you're right Vaas...We should do this again." With a smile, she pulled herself up and crawled across the ground to where she had left her backpack and started to fumble around in it. Once she had found what she was looking for, she crawled back over to him and sat beside him. Aela reached up gently pulling his hair back and then taking a few thin locks and lightly twisting them into a braid. Holding the braid together she added a multicolored glass bead to keep it in place. She smiled and moved his hair around a bit so that the braid would stand out more. "Keep this, and when you decide to leave and travel the world, you'll have something to remember me." Aela wasn't sure if he still had the glass beaded necklace that she had given him those years ago, but if he didn't he would now have a better crafted gift.

[Vaas]

Vaas listens to Aela's kind words, and once again he is speechless. All he could do is smile and listen to the fire as it consumes the wood. Vaas will most likely never change his personality. He will most likely get more confident and more refined as he learns more about the world. He realizes this might be the only time. Aela and him will ever be equals in Inarta society, and as her status grows her time will be monopolized by her Endal friends and duties. Being a Chiet, Vaas might not get to many opportunities to mingle with Wind Reach's elite. All in all the future doesn't matter right now all that matters is she is here right now with him.

A slight blush starts to creep up Vaas face as Aela as starts to braid his hair. Vaas never care much for his appearance other than keeping his hair brushed and normal everyday hygiene. He was satisfied with his hair being eloquently disheveled everyday. Maybe Selia was right when she said women like a man with a nice appearances. Maybe he should wear his hair back more often. He reaches a hand up into his on to the braid and he feels down it till he finds the glass bead. While she is braiding his hair, she tells him the reason for the bead. It made his heart skip a little in naïve confusion. He swallows, wishing he could see her face right now, he says softy to her, “I'll never forget you, Aela...” The second gift she gave him since she know him. He taps the bead with his finger and says to Aela with a warm smile, “This bead will definitely go good with the necklace you gave me when we first met...I must look so pretty now.” It wouldn't be him without a joke somewhere in the conversation.

This touching moment between both of them is abruptly ended by a dead red squirrel bouncing off of Vaas' shoulder. Wind Dancer lands at the feet of Vaas' and he displays his wing span and starts hopping up and down. In his masters total lack of respect, Windy decides to show his distaste for the young blind man by screaming loudly in his direction. After his small protest, Wind Dancer opens his mouth waiting for Vaas to feed him. Vaas feels around for the fuzzy thing that hit him in the shoulder. He picks up a limp slimy fuzzy rodent with a long tail. He smiles widens when he realizes Windy actually hunted something on his own! He laughs out loud, and not thinking he tries to reach out to embrace his hawk. The bird screams again at Vaas, flies out of blind-man's reach, and decides to give his hand a bite for his indiscretions. Vaas yelps and brings his hand to his mouth. He sucks on the bite mark trying to dull the pain, and tasting a little blood in the process. He takes his away from his mouth and says to Aela, “I think I better feed him now. Should I?” He gives her a smile and reaches into his backpack and pulls out the dried meat with a little bit of fur still left on it. He tosses them to the bird and Wind Dancer greedily gobbles up the dried meat. After Windy is finished with his meat, he flies to his perch on the chimney.

Vaas looks at Aela with excitement showing all over his face. He lets out a long sigh of relief and say to Aela, “It looks like I didn't break my hawk after all.” He picks up the dead squirrel by the tail and waves in Aela's direction. He sets the squirrel carcass down beside him and says to her, “This animal is a squirrel right? I just need to make sure. Now I need him to learn how to catch animals on command. I need to come up with new sound cues for him to learn right away when we get back to Wind Reach.”

[Alori Sai]

"Wait..You still have that? Go Vaas!" She smiled as she gently pushed on his shoulder. She hadn't imagine that he would have kept it for so long. It was hard for her to keep track of small things and she figured it would be even harder for him since he was blind. Aela shook her head at her own ignorance, by now she should have figured out that his blindness didn't hold him back from anything besides seeing colors. Still, the fact that he would even want to keep something so small and insignificant was enough to cause her to blush, and suddenly throw her arms around him and embrace him. "Yes, you look good Vaas, very pretty." She giggled after his joke and started to fluff his hair about. Sitting back, she slipped her fingers through her hair, the light from the setting sun caused a bright hue to cast over her and it looked as if her hair was on fire. She smiled as a wicked thought crossed her mind. If he truly wanted to be pretty, she could lend him some of her clothing and more beads for his hair. Aela giggled at the thought, and just as she was about to speak, Wind Dancer returned and dropped something on his shoulders. "What is that?" She moved closer to investigate and saw that it was in fact a red squirrel. "Look Vaas, WIndy caught something." Aela giggled more, amused and surprised at how the hawk pranced around, as if to boast about his first hunt. She waited and watched Vaas, as he picks up the dead animal and examined it. There was a sudden loudness, a burst of laughter from Vaas and the hawks continuous screeching, brought more giggles from the little huntress also. "He's a proud hunter now." She liked to watch him with the hawk, although the constant biting did cause her to worry. Aela was ready and willing to train a falcon, but being bit so often wasn't something she looked forward too. "Yes, I think you'd better feed him now." Once Wind Dancer had eaten and flown away, she looked on while Vaas dangled the dead squirrel in the air in front of him. It would have looked strange if it had been anyone else, but with Vaas, it was only funny and she was happy that he had taught his hawk something in their time together. Aela admired the way he used his music to train the bird, when most people used their voices. "You and Windy make a great team Vaas."

[Vaas]

Vaas turns around to his backpack, reaches into his back pack, and pulls out his eating knife. He frowns to himself that he doesn't have anything to butcher animals with other than this knife, but he figures it is better than nothing. He looks at Aela and says, “I think I should cook this squirrel before we go to sleep. I will be right back, I am going to try cleaning it.” He walks over to one of the larger rocks at the outer circle and sets the squirrel on the rock. Normally he would bring this back to Wind Reach, but he is not sure if it would spoil during the night, and the trip back to the city tomorrow.

Vaas figures if he can cook the squirrel with the fur on the meat. He can feed the meat to his hawk tomorrow morning. He turns the squirrel over, feels down the base of its neck, down its belly, and to its tail. He takes his knife and slices it slowly down the belly. He feels the wetness of blood trickle up from the crude incursion across its abdomen. He frowns to himself wishing he waited for Aela to help him. He opens up the abdomen and starts dishing the innards out of the cavity with his fingers. When they are out, he tosses them into the forest. Clearly not knowing if he is butchering the squirrel correctly, he figures Windy wouldn't care much as long if it is cooked. After clearing the abdomen of innards, he leaves the squirrel on the rock, and walks to the stream to wash his hands.

After washing his hands and his bloody knife, he walks to a tree, feels around for a breakable branch, snaps the branch with both hands, and walks back to his butchering rock. Once he make it to the rock, he grabs the squirrel by the tail and walks back to Aela and says to her, “I am pretty sure. I screwed up butchering this squirrel, but I figure Wind Dancer shouldn't be too up set with my handy work.” He sets the squirrel on the ground next to him and starts sharpening the stick with his knife. He says to her while smiling with a yawn, “After this cooks, I think I am going to head to bed. It been a long day, but I had a lot of fun. I just wanted to say. I know we are going to get busy in the coming days, but we should spend some more time together in the future, Aela.” After the stick is sharpened, he skewers the carcass of the squirrel on the sharpened stick, and holds the animal over the fire.

[Alori Sai]

"Um..Vaas?" She paused, and just at there. She had thought to offer him the blade that she had used. She had bought it a while back and it was a good knife to use to carve into meat. However, Vaas was already up and heading off to do the job with his eating knife. Guys were like that, there was something about their being, a pride that they had. Something that compelled them to seek out their own means without asking for help, even if it was the harder way of doing things. It seemed that all the guys in WindReach shared that flaw, and even the incomparable Vaas himself. "Oh..okay. Well I'll be here." Aela sat there for a moment and wondered if she should go after him. He seemed capable with most things, but cleaning out dead animals wasn't an easy job, especially for someone who couldn't see what they were doing. She thought it over a bit more and decided not to. She had the feeling that he wanted to do this on his own, and was possibly part of the reason he chose to venture out from the city. "I guess I'll just wait here." She waited by the pit and sat still while gazing off into the purple mist that seem to stretch across the sky. It was quiet and peaceful, a complete contrast to the busy city. The cool breeze from the ocean felt soothing on her skin, a nice retreat from the dry heat in the mountain. Looking around, she noticed the tent that Vaas had set up earlier and decided to investigate it. He had already warned her that he had made the mistake of buying a one person tent, but she had yet to get a good look at it. Standing up, she walked toward the tent and looked it over. The setup appeared correct and everything was in it's right place with the stakes firmly in the ground. Aela peaked inside to see exactly how small it was, and was a bit surprised to see that it was even smaller on the inside. She huffed and shrugged her shoulders, there wasn't much to do about it at, and she wasn't going to force her friend to sleep outside for making a simple mistake. She stood there for a moment, and smiled as an idea began to form. Aela retrieved the sleeping bags and bunched them together, overlapping them inside the tent. Moving inside the tent, she sat down to test the comfort and seeing just how cozy they were going to be. Lucky for him, she wasn't a wild sleeper and usually curled herself up on one side. She laid back onto the padding, and stretched her arms and legs out. She figured that she could at least enjoy the tent alone for a bit until he got back. It was a different kind of serenity, laying still on the soft, padded sleeping bags, the tent over her head, and a welcomed silence in the air. It wasn't long until the little huntress began to doze off, only to be awaken moments later by a familiar voice. Aela sat up and crawled out of the tent to see that Vaas had returned with what looked like a slab of furry skin. "It..Doesn't look....I've seen worse." She said after he admitted to shredding the squirrel. It wasn't a total lost, and the bird wouldn't know the difference either way, plus he still had all his fingers and that was a win in itself. She smiled a bit as he yawned, and spoke of them spending more time together. Aela wasn't sure of how busy she would be, and after skipping out on Perith, he would no doubt make her pay for it. Still, she knew that some way they would find the time to hang out again. "Okay, well I'm going to lay down, I'm feeling sleepy. So I guess I'll see you when you're done." She smiled again as she slipped back into the tent, it had been a fun day and would make for a great memory.

[Vaas]

Still kneeling by the fire, Vaas rotates his cooking stick and starts thinking about the day. He hears Aela announce she is heading to sleep and Vaas nods to her and says, “Good night Aela. I'll be joining you shortly.” Honestly, he doesn't know how long to cook squirrel meat and it would most likely be burnt by the time he is finish cooking it. This is a situation where sight would come in handy. Vaas decides to stand up and starts holding the meat over the flame. Figuring starting the fur on fire would be bad for the meat. He starts turning the stick quickly, so the flames don't have a chance to start Windy's meal on fire. He starts humming a tune to himself while he is cooking hoping this simple act would pass the boredom of waiting. He starts thinking of the day, and the description of the scenery Aela described for him. It was a nice picture for his imagination. Maybe when he gets better with his music. He will have to describe it in song. He smells the meat starting to cook. It is a sweet smell and the smoke from the fire might be adding to the flavor. Vaas takes the meat from the fire and brings it up to his face. He smells it again, and realizes it still smells raw. He places it back over the fire and starts rotating the meat once again.

Vaas starts singing to pass the time. He decides to sing quietly to himself to not disturb Aela. Remembering the song he sang in the ocean, he starts to sing the fisherman song. While he is singing, he starts thinking to himself the ocean must have been his favorite part of the day. He started to think how he felt in the salty water. The waves were relentless as they crashed into him. He felt very alone in the water. With the waves and the way the sand started slipping under his feet every time the under current passes by. Made Vaas feel like the ocean was calling to him. Vaas decided he would definitely have to spend more time down by the ocean during the summer and future summers. His thoughts continue to wander, and he smiles to himself and starts to wonder how Aela looked in the water. His imagination starts to explore this thought for a few moments. He blushes to himself and quickly shakes that vision out of his head. Thinking he better just focus on the meat before it starts to burn. He starts to smell the smell of charcoal and he pulls the meat from the fire. He feels it with his fingers and it doesn't feel flaky like ash, so he figures he didn't burn it too much. He leans the stick on a rock and lets the meat cool.

Figuring it better to give Wind Dancer his reward now, Vaas takes out his wooden flute and decides to play Wind Dancer's attention and feeding song in all at once. Wind Dance perks his head up from his slumber and looks at Vaas. Windy notices the freshly cooked meat on the stick, and he decides to investigate this delicious treat. Wind Dancer stands up and flies to where Vaas is sitting. Once he lands on the ground, he opens his mouth waiting to be feed. Vaas hears his friend land and takes the cooked squirrel from the stick and hands it to Wind Dancer. The hawk eagerly takes his reward from Vaas and starts eating on the ground. Vaas flashes Windy a proud smile and says, “Congratulations Wind Dancer you are a hunter. Enjoy your meal. I am going to sleep.”

Vaas walks to the tent, and he hears Aela quietly sleeping inside. He makes a awkward smile as he trying to figure out where she is located without waking her. He opens the tent door and feels around until he touches her feet. He quickly takes his hand away. Hoping he didn't wake her. She is on the right side, so he will take the left. He crawls into the tent trying to avoid Aela. Once he is inside, he notices the tent is really cramped with two people. He tries avoiding her the best he can, but it is nearly impossible in this cramped situation. He murmurs under his breath, “Sorry.” Every time he touches her. Once he gets into position, he curls up with his back to her and his face squished up into the canvas. Eventually, sleep conquers his ability to stay awake, and he goes to sleep.

[Sphinx]

Thread Award! Character Name: Vaas Skills: Organization +2, Bodybuilding +1, Intimidation +1, Rhetoric +2, Building +2, Gardening +1, Socialising +3, Swimming +2, Cooking +1, Falconry +1, Singing +1 Lore: Always Happy and Always Witty, Defending Your Friend, Vaas' Speech, Location: Abandoned Logging Camp, The Fisherman Song, 'Seeing' Aela For The First Time Character Name: Aela Calder Skills: Observation +2, Rhetoric +2, Falconry +1,Exploration +2, Fishing +2, Cooking +2, Socialising +3, Swimming +2, Singing +1, Lore: I'm Tougher Than I May Seem, Malvarin: An Untrustworthy Individual, Vaas' Speech, Location: Abandoned Logging Camp, Layout of the Camp, Mutated Fish in the Stream, The Fisherman Song, I've been thinking that Vaas and Aela have adorable chemistry. Need I say that I enjoy reading these threads between the two of them? Factor in Vaas' optimism and Aela's eagerness to help out and you have some good times. Vaas- Please subtract from your ledger and list in your belongings a large body pack and an extra waterskin. You have these items in your thread but no proof you own them. Subtract an additional eight pinions for the price of the wagon. Also, the thought of a blind man making a fire when he doesn't know what he is doing bothers me and just seems a little far-fetched. I figured it would be something for Aela to do. Aela- You've obtained an injury to your hand caused by Wind Dancer's talons. It will take ten days to close up and will be tender for another five. Add another three days to both heal and stop hurting if not looked at by a doctor. If you have questions, concerns, or comments about my grading, please don't be afraid to PM me.