Flashback [Flashback] A Day On The Water (Gia)

[Theo Coaststrider]

Summer 30, 510. The sound of a fluttering sail and the roar of the water comes gradually to rest as "The Defiance" floats gently into an open mooring. Deftly making his way along the side of the ship a young giant of a Svefra can be seen steering the vessel to rest. With a few efficient movements, performed with a practised laziness, the sails are quickly furled and the man jumps onto the dock to tie his ship to rest. He takes a moment to inspect the ship, a speedy looking and well maintained casinor. 30 feet of cleanly polished timber, topped with a handsome canvas sail. Satisfied with the mooring, he pulls a pouch of salt from his belt and sprinkles a trail along the side of the ship dropping an extra pinch into the see for Laviku to ward off bad spirits and malevolent hands. The Svefra is a young man. His hair falls in a long, curly mess onto his broad shoulders. Dressed in his most splendid finery, a windswept cream cotton shirt with the sleeves ripped away, a supple leather belt and a pair of lightly torn brown cotton pants, he makes his way up the pier to the harbormaster's office. The sounds of gulls overhead, and cursing sailors like music to the young man's ears. After leaving a few silver mizas for the old man behind the counter to keep an eye on his ship, he sets off towards the closest market area. He makes his way through the city streets with a careful confidence moving quickly to appear as a local, cautious about attracting a thief or burglar seeking to prey on travellers. The more dangerous elements of Sunberth will have to find easier prey today. As he rounds a corner, he is startled by an explosion of colour and noise. Banners twirling, Theo is delighted to have walked into a band of street performers. He takes a moment to position himself out of the way of the passing traffic to take in the show. Delighted by the dulcet tones of the musicians he stands back to watch a particularly spectacular display of tumbling.

[Gia]

It was hot – so very, uncomfortably, meltingly hot. The only thing in the world that smelled worse than the streets of Sunberth were the streets of Sunberth in the summertime, during the heat of the day. Sometimes the stench literally made Gia’s eyes water and she would think about the tales she had heard – about the mountains to the west, and the ocean that lay to the east, beyond the dirty waters of the harbor. How often had she longed to go in either direction, to escape the foetid city? But she had neither the means nor the skills to do so – so stuck she was and stay she must - hot, sweaty, and miserable. And of course, she had to keep working too, for food didn’t buy itself. On this hot summer day, she and the rest of the troupe – well, minus one – were performing on a street close to the water – in hopes of catching some slight ocean breeze. Gia had done her standard – playing her lute with the other musicians, singing a bit, dancing – without her favorite partner – and then some juggling. She had no idea where Xadel was, but that wasn’t so unusual. It wasn’t as if he was tied to her skirt – he was very much a free agent and came and went as he pleased. So she wasn’t fussed – not at his absence anyway. She was a bit annoyed that she had to dance with one of the other players – one who seemed to have as many grabby hands as a centipede had legs! She didn’t care to have to try to avoid being mauled each time they came together – it didn’t look good either – unprofessional, in her unschooled opinion. The dancing was done though, and they were doing some tumbling now. Even in her long, flowing skirts, Gia could perform simple front flips and land in a somersault, cartwheels and walking on all fours bent over backwards. But, as sometimes happened, things didn’t go perfectly smoothly. Gia went to run a short distance and tried to do three front flips in a row. She misjudged the amount of space she had, though, and came up short. The crowd that had assembled to watch the performers had jumped back, and luckily she didn’t slam into anyone. But trying to stop herself, she twisted and braked at the same time, and ended up in a heap on the ground, sprawled over half on her side and half on her bottom. Those in the immediate area began to make rude remarks and laugh and boo and do cat calls. Gia sat up, frowning and rubbing her forearm and wrist. “Well, let’s see you do better then!” she muttered, glaring down at a new tear near the hem of her skirt.

[Theo Coaststrider]

Theo lets out a loud chuckle as the brightly coloured dancer flips and tumbles her way into the crowd. Believing it to be part of the act he eases back a couple of folks behind him as the young woman comes to a spectacular, if likely unplanned stop in front of him. His deep, rolling laugh is suddenly drowned out by the sounds of ugly whistles and lewd calls from the crowd around him. As he listens to the escalating taunts a frown begins to spread across his face. It was one thing to chuckle at a misplaced step, but this was entirely different. Cognizant of the dangers of starting a fight with a bunch of strangers in a market of one of the more dangerous cities on the continent, Theo devises a way to disarm the situation, or at least a way to try. Straightening up to his full height and stretching the kinks out of his shoulders he steps forward into the space provided by the tumbler. "See me do better?" He booms, his voice is a rich tenor and coloured gently by a coastal accent. "My folk are better inclined to feats of strength than flittering about like faeries, but I'm sure I can at least match you." Shifting his weight onto his back foot he launches himself forward into an awkward somersault, capped off by inelegant front flip. He certainly wasn't exaggerating when he said his folk where disinclined to acts of a 'flittering' nature. A life of hopping from ship to ship, and the necessary acrobatics of life on the see afforded the young man a utilitarian sort of grace, but nothing that would turn heads among tumblers and acrobats. He hits the ground hard and stumbles forward slightly, drawing mocking laughter from the crowd. Spinning gently on his heel he gives an exaggerated bow and spews a few light hearted jeers back at the mob with a grin. Clearly a bit of a ham, Theo loves the attention and milks every ounce of laughter, and mockery, he can from the collected rabble. "Well, what do you think? Probably not good enough to warrant an invitation to a tumbling troupe..." He whispers gently to the young woman. A note of slight panic in his voice. He had hoped that his little "performance" would disarm the situation and diffuse some of the tension so the troupe could continue. Looking out at the faces in front of him he waited to see how the situation would develop.

[Gia]

Gia hadn’t particularly noticed the man who was actually quite close by. This was possibly the result of her being on the ground and him being so very, very tall. One set of boots looked very much like another, from ground level. But his big, hearty voice immediately caught her attention and she looked up with a start, surprised, and she must have looked a bit gawpy with her mouth hanging open as she stared up at him. Of course, she hadn’t been serious – her little sotto voce muttering had been more to placate herself. She hadn’t really been issuing a challenge to those around her. But it seemed as if the giant was taking it otherwise. Before she could let loose a single thought, or word, the young man with the flying locks had somersaulted into a tumble that ended in a badly executed front flip. Gia had drawn her knees up to her chest, partially for fear of getting stomped on by those incredibly large boots, but he had avoided that potential harm and she just stared at him, wondering if he was drunk, or maybe loony. The spectators gave him pretty much the same reception that they had her – with jeers and slights and one really rude suggestion. The giant, however, took it all in stride and simply bowed – more gracefully than he had flipped – and sent a few well placed but humorous barbs flying back towards his detractors, which seemed to put everyone in a better mood. Gia had to admit – this guy seemed to know how to work a crowd. Then he was directing his comments right to her, and she craned her neck to be able to look up into his jovial face. From the dead fish look of astonishment, her expression shifted and reformed to one of amusement, and she smirked. “Oh, I don’t know…you did pretty good for it being improvisation. I’ve seen far worse.” Those around them were already turning their attention back from the fallen lady and the tumbling giant, to watch the antics of the rest of her companions in the troupe of players. Gia pushed herself up off the ground and shot the guy a smile. “But I wouldn’t quit my day job just yet, if I were you,” she said cheekily, grinning, before she stepped lightly back into the fray of vaulting and rolling bodies. A well executed set of three cartwheels landed her back on the opposite side of the street and when she came back upright, she gave him a wave and another smile.

[Theo Coaststrider]

Theo heaves out a powerful sigh as the energy of the mob begins to shift. He was glad that the assembly was little more than a rabble of day-drunk bafoons. Day-drunk bafoons were Theo's people, he could handle them. As glad as he was to notice the mobs less virtuous tendencies dissipate, he would be lying if he said he didn't miss the attention he had garnered. He'll have to work a tumbling display into his time at the bar later that evening. As the young woman turns to speak with him he gives her his fullest attention, and a beaming smile. With a build as lithe as hers, she must have been born to a life as a performer, he muses to himself. It only took a few moments before realizing that inventing a backstory for a complete stranger was not particularly polite. As she flips and dips her way back to her troupe he turns his attention back to the show at large, happy that they didn't take his little display with offence. With life returning to some semblance of normal, he begins to mumble under his breathe. "You couldn't pay me enough to trade a life on the water for a job in this fetid, stinking hole..." Perhaps fetid, stinking hole was a strong word for Sunberth. While the summer heat had hideous effects on the miserable state of the cities sewer system, and the swelling mob of citizens had a less than ideal philosophy on the merits of regular bathing, Theo had been in worse cities. Certainly, many of them lacked roving bands of brightly coloured and acrobatic street performers. Theo suspected the lack of street buskers must be a product of his people's general lack of streets. He passes the next hour or so occupying himself with thoughts of that nature. Whatever purpose he had carried with him to the market seemingly washed away by his own stream of conciousness and the novelty of the show unfolding in front of him. Stinky and miserable as the city was, it was a pleasure to be back amongst people again. At the very least he didn't have to worry about packs of roving knights badgering him with questions, or some scheming sadist's trying to lure him away to serve as an experiment. In this city the people were free to be themselves, warts and all, and you didn't have to worry about someone enforcing their will via the lash. Just as suddenly as he happened upon the show, it began to close. With a last burst of frantic strumming, flipping, and swirling fire the performance comes to a quick end and Theo is left blankly staring at the group as they begin to pack up their things.

[Gia]

She flipped and twirled and tumbled as was called for in their half choreographed-half freestyle routine, and then Gia danced a bit more with Mr. Handsy. The troupe was building up to their finale and Gia stepped aside to pick up a lightweight sword made of wood and painted gaudily and decorated with paste “jewels” to resemble some precious, costly weapon. While others around her continued to juggle or vault or even to dance with flaming brands, Gia took a knife from her sash and placed the pommel between her teeth. Bending over until her head was parallel with the ground, she flipped the sword up and caught it on the downturn, balancing it on the edge of the curved sword. Of course there was more than a little skill involved here, as well as some chicanery. The sword had a notch in just the right spot, so that, if she caught it just right, the very tip of the dagger would fit into the notch and thus make the balancing act easier. There also happened to be a magnet cleverly concealed inside the wood of the sword, to further strengthen the bond between the two fake weapons. The sword was also carefully constructed to balance just right – but it all looked very amazing – and that was the goal. To wow the crowd, and make it all look magical. Once she had all properly arranged, she began a slow twirl, her head holding very steady as her feet moved nimbly and her body followed their lead. Her arms arched out gracefully and her hands fluttered like dainty birds. Those in the crowd close to her began to cheer her on, clapping in rhythm to the music that she danced to. Bit by bit she lowered herself, ever closer to the ground, crouching, still spinning, until finally her knees were almost hitting the filthy paving stones. The music was building to a crescendo and with a final flourish, Gia spun one last time and bent until her head rested on the ground, dagger and sword still in place, her arms flung wide. The audience clapped and some whistled. A few made lewd comments, but that was par for the course. Gracefully, Gia straightened her upper body and deftly let the sword and dagger fall into her waiting hands. Bringing a knee up to her chest, she went into a front somersault and rose to her feet from it, bowing. The crowd was clapping for all the performers, and a few coins were being tossed into the basket set out for such. The show was over, and Gia was sweating like a pig. Her comrades were beginning to gather up their instruments and various tools and toys. Gia ran the palms of her hands over her eyes and brow, pushing the sweat off and away from her eyes. She fanned her face with her hand but it did no good of course. With her sword and dagger tucked back through her sash, she moved to the side to let an impatient carter get through with his donkey and vegetables. When it had passed, she looked up – and saw the giant who had joined in the fun earlier. He was only a few feet away, and she gave him a smile, though she wasn’t sure if he saw her. Stepping closer, she asked, “What? Was that all you had in you? Now I suppose you’ll want a cut of the take.”

[Theo Coaststrider]

Theo is snapped rudely back to reality by an impatient carter. As the man and his miserable ass spin by, narrowly missing his feet, Theo begins to curse aggresively in Fratava. Gesticulating wildly he takes a swing at the backside of the animal, sending it trotting down the road as the man turns to swear back in some unintelligible dialect. "Motherless dog..." As he mutters under his breathe he hears the pleasant tone of the performer from earlier. Giving her a bashful look, he fully turns to face her. Given the reputation of Sunberth he probably wasn't making a particularly positive impression by awkwardly haunting a woman's performance and staring off into space like some moon-touched nutter. "Considering my show's lack of musical accompaniment and fancy sashes I think I did quite well." He says slowly, following up his simple statement with a wink. Her troupe's performance had been amazing, particularly the sword dancing. Theo hadn't quite been able to figure out how she managed to avoid a particularly nasty dagger wound during her balancing act. He hadn't noticed any visible signs of magic, and he doubted anyone would be willing to expend so much energy on a couple of simple tricks, but the feat was certainly impressive. He had been to no shortage of elaborate celebrations at sea, but never had anyone taken such liberties with a blade. He suspected that a trick like that would end in less applause on a rocking and swaying barge. "Want is the wrong word. Deserve, maybe. I'd even go as far as to say 'feel entitled to'." The spoke with a rolling cadence, taking a joy in each and every syllable. His coastal accent was thick, but he hoped it was still understandable for the young woman. "I'm not fool enough to try and take it though, and the hands-y man you were dancing with doesn't look the type of person who is happy to share." A booming laugh accompanies this statement, the man seemingly very impressed with his own lame joke. Perhaps he had spent a bit too long tucked away on his ship with only a bird to chat with. "I'm much happier with the profits I can make with my ship. I'm less likely to die at the hands of misthrown dagger and my sails know how to keep their hands to themselves." Theo was very clearly enjoying his one sided conversation with the woman and was beginning to ramble. Normally fairly adept at day-to-day social interactions, the journey to Sunberth had been a long one and he was clearly revelling in the opportunity to escape the solitude of his little vessel. "You were very impressive. How long does someone have to train to flit around like that?"

[Gia]

Oh, he was very full of himself, this one – Gia thought, as the man answered her back with such assurance of his own worth as an acrobat. But she found him amusing, and took his words for what they were worth – which was about as much as a painted wooden miza. She could tell he was just having some fun with her, and she found that far more pleasant than the ones who would only offer her a copper for something she’d not do with them for a hundred gold coins. He had a way about him – he was very easy on the eyes and his accent fell sweetly on her ears. He was Svefra – she was sure of it. She’d heard him cursing out the carter and seen his gesticulations. The language of the sea dwellers was about half verbal and half hand flapping and facial grimaces and even body swaying and feet stomping. It was really comical sometimes to see them conversing, almost as if they were part of some performance troupe. So she laughed and said, “Yes, you have great potential. But it’s too bad – our manager is already on his way to the closest tavern.” She nodded in the direction of the older man with a slight paunch who was leading the troupe away – undoubtedly in search of something to quench their thirsts after this steaming hot performance. “I doubt you’ll get your cut, unless you’ll take it in ale.” Gia made a face when her eyes settled on the back of the dancer who had been so free with his hands. At mention of him, she said sourly, “He’s happy to share his treasure – any day, but it doesn’t come in the form of coin, no.” Her gaze came back to the giant sailor and she grinned. “You’re not his type though. At least, as far as I know – but with him, who knows?” She gave the dancer a dismissive shrug of her shoulders. The sailor's talk of his ship immediately made Gia think of the water, and the cooling breezes that were said to be found out on its waves. She pouted a bit and said, “You’re lucky, then, to have a ship to make a living with and no-one to bother you. I wish I could sail away from here, sometimes.” The dancer sighed, but it was no use dreaming about leaving Sunberth – not until and unless Xadel was ready to. Then she would go in a heartbeat. The giant’s next comment, which came in the form of a very nice compliment, and his question, brought a bright smile to her face and a ready answer. “Why thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve been tumbling and dancing all my life, really. My mother was a dancer and she taught me, from the time I could first walk. So – I don’t know…” Gia placed her hands on her hips and eyed the giant up and down with a feigned close scrutiny. “If you started training today, I think we could have you in fairly decent shape by, oh, the Fall?” She grinned again. “I’d even let you borrow my costume – not sure it would fit though.” Giggling she once again fanned at her face with her hand. “Gods it’s a hot as Ivak’s kitchen. I think I’ll walk by the docks – maybe there is a breeze down there.” She looked at him curiously. “I’ve heard it’s lovely, out on the water. Does it never get hot, out there?

[Theo Coaststrider]

She wasn't lacking for confidence, that was certain. It was very nearly disconcerting. He wasn't used to non-Svefra women speaking with such a joyful ease and practised sarcasm. If it wasn't for her relatively diminutive frame, and the shade of her eyes, he might have asked her which pod she was from. "What a shame, I'll have to look elsewhere for companionship. I suppose that isn't a disaster, a man who is that loose with his treasure is bound to carry a couple of unpleasant surprises in the chest." After pausing for a moment, Theo continued. "You're very strange for a city dweller, you know that? Most of your folk are like mice." He hesitated for a moment before saying the word mice, as if he was straining to find the right animal. In the end, he felt he had made the correct choice. In the cities Theo had visited people would shrink away from loud noises and flee if you held their gaze. The only time they had the bravery to approach was when they were in a pack, or if they stumbled upon something broken and wounded. He realized very quickly that his statement would probably be taken with offence, and decided it would be prudent to change the topic. "Normally I would be happy to take my payment in ale, but I don't suspect the local taverns are going to smell much better than the streets. You certainly aren't lying when you speak about the heat. It isn't much cooler on the water, but a good sailor stays with the breeze and that makes the summer much more bearable. I also don't spend the day letting animals shit all over my vessel, which helps the smell a bit." He considered her idea to go walk the pier for a moment. She hadn't explicitly invited him, but unless he was mistaken an invitation had been implied. She was certainly a comely woman, and he wasn't likely to find many folk worth talking to until he discovered which hole in the wall the Svefra of this city called home. He had kept an excellent pace on his way to the city, and he could afford to waste some time now that he had reached his destination. Perhaps this was good a time as any to get himself into a bit of mischief. "If one of my father's saw me in an outfit like that he would strip me and offer me back to the see as a tribute. Well, they would certainly try at least. How about, in lieu of payment for my excellent performance, you walk me back to the pier instead. I'm not so used to the city and I'd rather not find myself wandering these stinky alleys for the rest of my life. I'll even let you see my ship, it's a true marvel of construction that shouldn't be missed."

[Gia]

Gia had laughed outright at the giant’s retort – about her co-performer’s likely “afflictions” which came about from his “generous sharing” of his most precious jewels. Her laugh was light and melodic and merry, and could be quite infectious itself, when the mood was right. But then the Svefra’s ruminations turned to his observations of land dwellers – and city dwellers in particular. Gia was far from offended by his remark, though. She agreed, readily, but said, “Mouse? Hmm…I think I’d choose ‘rats’ myself - that seems more just. Rats that feed off of misery and poverty – getting fat from the leavings of others, and squabbling over even the garbage in the streets? Yes, that described Sunberthians fairly well, I think. But I’ve not had the chance to visit any other cities, so perhaps people only act like that here.” Her brow clouded over for just a moment, as she contemplated her own limited life experiences to date, and again that desire to fly away surged within her. But then the giant switched to the most relevant of topics – the heat – and it was true. The inside of a tavern at this time of day was like to be reminiscent of a furnace – a gross, smelly one at that. Gia grinned at the man’s candid account of the difference between his ship and the streets of this city – it was true. Any and all types of refuse found their way out the doors and windows of the buildings here. One had to be very careful walking – and performing – on them. She was a bit disappointed to hear that the temperatures out on the water weren’t quite perfect, but at least he did mention a breeze. That seemed hopeful. When her temporary companion referred to her proffered loan of her dancing kit, she giggled, though she found part of what he said had fallen quite strangely on her ears. But then he was proposing that he come along with her, if she was going to walk down to the water, and she smiled for that was exactly what she had hoped he’d say. “That sounds like a most excellent suggestion,” she said merrily. “I’ve never seen a ship up close before! It must be a marvelous thing – to have a way to just sail off, whenever you like, to wherever you like!” Truly, the thought of seeing his boat was exciting and Gia’s face beamed, not only with a sheen a perspiration but also with the wonderment of a child about to receive a treat. They began to walk in the direction of the harbor, with no fuss or bother. Gia was typically comfortable in the presence of men, even those she didn’t know. It came with the life she led, and for the most part, she could handle whatever came up. If not, well, she had a few tricks she had learned from her mother, her friends, and even Xadel. Who better to instruct a girl on a man’s weaknesses than a total skirt chaser like Xadel? So she was comfortable with the big sailor beside her, and was able to return to the thought that had puzzled her a moment earlier. “You said one of your fathers?” she asked, looking sideways and up at him. “I thought a man could only have one? How many do you have?” Perhaps, she thought, the children of Laviku really were less human and more weird sea creatures, as some people claimed.