The Truth You Might Be Running From Is So Small (Alyria)

[Gossamer]

Timestamp: Early Fall 516 AV

Randal had seen the girl around. But he had assumed, rightly or wrongly, that she was Svefra due to her manner of dress, the blue eyes, and her complex tangled hair. In a way, she was a ghost to the city, living on the outskirts, rarely speaking to anyone, and putting walls around herself. He'd watched from a distance, curious, but still didn't quite understand what drove the girl. She hadn't needed his housing. A small battered casinor served as her berth. And while there was nothing wrong with it, he worried for her and had discussed the situation with James and Mathias.

They both agreed he should approach her, see if she'd let him get to know her a bit, and find out what they could do to gather her closer into the fold. All three of the triad worried that she'd be lost to the jungle or the sea if she was on her own too long. Mizahar was like that, notorious for its viciousness and definitely not an easy p lace to survive.

So armed with wine that had more of a chill on it than naught, a plate of fresh cookies courtesy of Mathias, and a can-do attitude, he sought out The Commons and boldly took a seat across from where the young Svefra was sitting. He wasn't sure she was going to be there that evening as the sun set across the jungle. But he took a chance. Something of a creature of habit, the evenings drew her closer to the minimal civilization they had going, even if she rarely joined in.

He set the plate down between them and then rested two horn cups on the rough hewn table she was sitting at. "Hello there. I'm Randal. I thought it was about time we said hi and talked. Mathias baked cookies. Have a few. They are sweet bars with fruit baked into them. Not half bad. I also have wine." He said, sitting down across from her but being sure not to crowd her.

Randal was dressed casually, barefooted, and look like he'd worked most of the day. His hair, however, was still wet from what must have been a swim to cool off. And he had a pleasant grin on his thirty year old face. She would have seen him around the settlement for sure.

"You don't mind the company do you?" He said after presenting all the food. If she didn't look like she was about to flee... he'd pour her some wine. It was a Riverfall vintage from the Steele Vineyards.

[Alyria Riptide]

It was quite a sight, Syna sinking over the jungle skyline, Her brilliant fiery hues casting an orange glow over the foliage that seemed to burn everything it touched. Peeking over the trees, She was brighter than ever in that moment where Her celestial body met the horizon. It was a captivating sight, the rays breaking through here and there between the branches. Finally She was gone from sight, but her daily legacy remained in the breath capturing violets and pinks that reflected in the sky, a fleeting moment of perfection before the night suddenly absorbed everything. Jungle shadows became darker, deeper...more dangerous. Hidden things came out of their hidden places to spy with hidden eyes...waiting for the next meal to come just that hair too close.

Alyria sat at a table close to the side rail, musing over the sunset as she thumbed the edge of her old folded map. She had brought no fare tonight, her days fishing yielding only a spattering of spinner crabs and a sea cucumber. Not enough to trade, but enough for her dinner. Finishing her meal, the blonde had made her way to the Commons, something of a habit now. She listened to the chatter and the children playing, keeping to herself. It would not be a late night tonight, no fare meant no trade. No trade meant no wine. No wine meant....

A figure suddenly appeared at her table, presenting a plate of baked goods and cups. Blinking and turning her head sharply from the sunset, Alyria looked at the man who had seated himself across from her with a little bit of surprise. He was of broad stature with dark curls wet from what could have been an ocean dip. Glancing at the cookies, the young svefra mix felt her stomach growl. Sweet things of grain and fruit and not fish.

Sometimes even a fisherwoman could tire of fish.

Turning her blue eyes back to the man, now known as Randal, the blonde saw his smile and couldn't help but smile back. His mention of wine didn't go unnoticed. Turning to face the table rather than the railing, she nodded in greeting.

"Well met Randal, I am Alyria. Admittedly I haven't had a cookie since I was very young, so you've captured my attention quite soundly. Besides, company is never unwelcome when they bring wine." Pausing, she narrowed her eyes a little in thought, gesturing a finger at him as she spoke.

"Have I seen you before? Around the settlement? You're a builder, yes?" It was an assumption, she did recall him helping to set up housing for those who needed it, watching from a distance in her rickity boat as she scaled fish over the rail.

[Gossamer]

Randal smiled when she readily gave him her name. He had a charm when he wanted to use it and this was one of those instances. He'd like to think it was that over the bribe of wine and cookies, but he really wasn't fooling anyone but himself.

So he filled her horn cup with wine and gave himself some as well. She had questions for him which was a good sign. Maybe she wasn't as skittish as he'd first thought and the other two founders had assumed. He offered her another roguish smile and picked up a cookie. He bit into it appreciatively and then answered her questions.

"Indeed, Alyria..." He said her name with care, as if trying out its pronunciation and taking a moment to swallow the bite of cookie he was working on. "Odds are you've seen me around. I'm the one that does the grunt work for James and Mathias... the other two founders of this community. They pay me in cookies. It's a good trade-off. I like building things - houses, walkways, even this community center - because they will be here long after I am gone if I build them strong." His words were thoughtful, unrehearsed and honest.

He took another bite of his cookie and his penetrating gaze met hers for a moment. "The three of us know everyone in the new community so far except you. You've kept yourself aloof and we've been worried about you. Svefra are skittish by nature but by the look of your casinor we've some worry that the first blow might see you in some trouble. It's seen better days. Was it belonging to a member of your family pasted down?" He wasn't meaning to be more forthright than she might be comfortable with. "I wanted to let you know if you ever needed some help... we can always haul it out of the water and do some work on the hull to shore it up, restain it, and scrape it down. We've done it before for some of James' smaller ships and other Svefra friends." He added, getting to the point.

Community was about helping each other. That's what he was offering her.

"I know you wouldn't be comfortable on land being Svefra, or at least that's my assumption, or I would offer you a bungalow. I have six done but I'm about three days out from being done with the seventh. It's still unspoken for." He said, knowing it was highly unlikely she'd accept the offer.

"I also wanted to ask you about your fishing. We could use some fresh fish available at the Mercantile. James and Juli run it but they'd be glad to buy some fresh fish from you. Juli can always preserve the overage. We were wondering if you'd like a formal arrangement?" He asked, knowing he was free to speak for both of them. A lot of the founders had permission to speak for each other.

"Frankly, acquiring fish is easy, but there's a lot of construction going on in Syka and people are busy building instead of finding food." He said, finishing his thought with a bite of cookie and continuing to chew. He took a sip of wine and leaned back, knowing he'd thrown a lot at her at once. But it was necessary. Frankly the girl was hard to pin down. Most Svefra were.

[Alyria Riptide]

Alyria took a sip of the wine, appreciating the subtleties of the beverage as they played out in her mouth, flavours unique to the region of Riverfall no doubt. Whilst the blonde was no connissiour, she had drunk enough wine to taste the differences. This was one of those drinks that you didn't just pass around the table whilst playing dice...unless you were particularly generous.

She glanced over her cup at Randal, catching his smile before he bit into the baked good. It would be ridiculous to say she wasn't a little caught up in the whole package. He was quite the attractive man, easy on the eyes and a delightfully rougish smile. It was hard not to smile back.

Listening to him speak about his trade and the reasoning behind it had the woman intrigued. It was, if a simple answer, quite a profound one. The founders, all three of them, weren't just building a community or helping people. They were securing a legacy. In wood and stone and...baked goods. Alyria raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement, as though she agreed with his sentiment.

As he continued, his gaze locked with hers, and the blue eyed fisherwoman felt a slight twinge of panic. The three of us know everyone in the new community so far except you. It was true, she kept to herself. It wasn't as if she was an old hand at this solo travel stuff. The whole concept of integrating felt foreign to her, ironic for a half-breed in a race of people known for their ability to travel and trade. Alyria blushed a little, tearing her blue eyes from his and instead focusing on the wine in her cup.

As he pressed on, the young svefra born smiled wryly, knowing her rickety casinor was about as up to scratch as driftwood. The offer to fix it up caught her slightly offguard, eyes drifting up again as she sipped more wine. She listened to him intently, taking in the whole of his words with a serious face. When Randal brought his offer to a close, Alyria mimicked his movement, leaning back in her chair and turning her face to look out across the ocean with a thoughtful face. It was so much to offer, to fix her boat whilst also suggesting she could come and live ashore instead. A job, Gods an income!

It was everything in a neat package, presented by a charming man with wine and cookies. If she was prone to fanciful thoughts, the blonde would think she was dreaming. To be accepted by strangers, when she was barely tolerated by her own kin? Finishing off the wine in her cup, Alyria stood from the table and moved to the rail, resting against it with her elbows and pursing her lips.

"My boat," She began, gesturing to the now dark water, knowing it was moored somewhere along the coastline.

"I bought it, for practically nothing, before I left-." The young woman chuckled to herself, shaking her head and stopping herself short from her "woe is me" tale to a man she had just met.

"It was an act of desperation, and I've managed with it for this long now that I don't really notice how bad it is. It keeps me afloat, for now, and somewhere to sleep." Glancing back at him over her shoulder, the blonde made a face.

"I don't think I could sleep without the rocking of the waves." Alyria crossed her arms as she turned to face the dark haired founder, her blue eyes serious and holding something else. Mistrust? Fear? Even she couldn't place it.

"You offer these things, wonderful things, but...for what in return? To provide seafare for the community? Forgive my...questioning Randal but...I feel like you're getting the poor end of the deal here. Fix my boat, offer me a job...all for a little fishing?" She laughed and shook her head, thumbing the corner of the map still pressed into her hand.

"I don't mean to offend, aye, it's taking all of me not to jump at your offer. I just...I just want to be sure I've got this all right first." The young fisherwoman smiled, almost shyly, hoping she hadn't just ruined everything