Explorations Pt I [Tazrae]

[Alric Lysane]

He listened as he set about getting the food out, tentatively peering into her backpack before pulling out what seemed to be the right things and taking them into the kitchen area. He had a few items there himself that he had procured earlier, though he hadn’t put them onto platters or anything. He wasn’t the most able at table presentation, or food presentation, but he did his best as he knew what she had done had likely taken something from Taz. It was a small way of showing his appreciation, but it was something he could do for her in the current moment as she relaxed upon the couch. “That was how I met Taz,” he said as he brought what she had brought with her upon a few plates and dragged the table closer to the couch with his foot before placing the plates down, “she found out about it as we played a card game, the stakes being question answered truthfully. She dropped what she had planned to help me, going on a journey of her own along the way. That was how we found out about Florentin Arcadius and my being dumped at the Sunberth orphanage. Now Sunberth is my home, has been, as I don’t even know where I was actually born, except possibly in a cave somewhere perhaps” He returned to the kitchen and gathered further plates bowls and glasses, filling them with what he had brought – bread, cheese, butter, sliced meats alongside candied dates. He wasn’t a cook, so all had been procured from local establishments, most of whom were likely less expensive than Sunberth given they dealt with the exotic daily. He placed them all upon the table and left what he guessed was some kind of dried meat to one side, not knowing what to do with it as Taz hadn’t mentioned it. He poured two glasses of wine and left the bottle upon the table, returning to his chair and regarding his work critically. “I’m no innkeeper but it’s within arm’s reach. No doubt the expert will have much advice to give upon my awful placement,” he said, sipping some wine and looking at them both thoughtfully, wondering how much Bree would even find interesting, “your food looks delightful as always. You tuck in first, you likely need it more than I. As for my memories Bree…I don’t know. I am…dangerous to her Grandfather, as well as wanted. It is possible my memory was removed to hide me, though it is also likely that I was just crippled until someone wanted me found once more. I’m sure whoever it was will be quite surprised should they run into me again” he grinned, picking a few candied dates and throwing them up to catch with his mouth. “We’ve made more strides than we thought we would, I think,” he glanced at Taz to see what she thought of that before moving on, “but either way we will be found eventually. It would be irresponsible not to assume as much. So, we prepare as much as we can. Magic and blade. I never liked magic you see Bree, Sunberth doesn’t and it’s taken Taz much effort to…what was it Taz…get past the horns of my stubbornness?” he asked with an innocent look. He tilted his head at her question about trying Hypnosis, thinking upon it for a few moments, wondering whether he should. Its description had warned of it having quite the high incidence of dangers, but she had also proven that it was useful in her revelation of some of his memory. He supposed, on balance, that he should probably give it a go but then he’d run up against the wall of them knowing and he didn’t have a voice worthy enough to lull them into relaxation to work his own magic. He sipped his wine and put an apologetic look upon his face as he pursed his lips. “I’m not sure I should, I am quite crazy enough as it is. The world might implode should I get even more so. I’m sorry” he said, the last words an apology for any deception he might try, though it would sound like an apology for the lack of attempt. He, instead, looked at Bree as he thought Taz would know him too well and read his eyes, and pulled upon his Djed as deeply as he dared, letting it flow into his mouth, tongue and throat as the book had seemed to suggest were the mediums. He focused upon something small, something foodwise perhaps for the Ixam as most creatures seemed motivated by such things and she wasn’t eating at present and so wasn’t hungry. “Are you sure you’re not hungry Bree? It’s been a long day after all, I mean a mighty creature such as yourself surely needs quite a bit of sustenance to remain so…mighty” he suggested, trying to implant the idea of eating some of the meats from the platter upon the table into her mind, Djed flowing into his eyes towards the end as he met the Ixam’s gaze. “And Taz, you must be starving after doing that for me, you should really try these walnuts that I brought, they are absolutely delicious I eat them all of the time these days given how much I practise” he laughed, sweeping his fingers over a bowl that was actually empty, as he had yet to get them and pour them in, but trying to implant the suggestion that they were actually there with the mound shape his fingers made, wondering it that were even possible but finding the idea of her reaching for nothing amusing enough to give it a try, turning to look her in the eyes finally, not entirely sure either of them would fall for what he was selling but at the very least he had tried upon those that wouldn’t immediately murder him for failing and getting caught.

[Tazrae]

Taz leaned over and snagged a random plate, smiling her thanks at Alric. She was pleasantly surprised with the additions to her lobster sandwiches. The cheese, butter, and extra bread with sliced meats were welcome. She also loved the candied dates. The Innkeeper was busy nibbling even as Bree reached over and snagged a bit of the dried meat – Tapir – and began to thoroughly chew on one end of it. The slices were huge and the Ixam was able to hold one end in her clawed paw and gnaw on the other. Bree had been dozing, but woke up at Alric’s recounting of how he and Tazrae met.

“What’s an Orphanage?” Bree asked, curiously.

Taz supplied the answer while Alric was still getting out foodstuffs. “There are times children have no parents. They either die or don’t want the children. An orphanage is someplace that takes children in that are homeless and without kin. Alric found himself at one in his eighth year. We humans are still kitlings at that point. Some rare industrious and life-hardened children might make it on the streets at that age alone, but it would be very rare.” Taz explained.

“Ahh. Is that where Syka is going to get the children to intern at? Orphanages? I knew I’d heard that word before, and now I think its what Mathias said they were going to do.” Bree commented dryly, glancing at Alric. “Syka has no children. None at all. Its just young settlers like Tazrae here. And the Founders want children around. So, they are going to import small people and match them with craftsman to learn trades if they want to come. Give them a place and a job so everyone that lives there just doesn’t grow old and die without leaving another generation behind.” Bree said candidly.

“Tazrae likes to pretend Syka is perfect, but it really isn’t. There’s just not enough people there for the Settlement to thrive yet. I’ve seen freefolk camps in the jungle bigger than that Settlement. Do you know I’m the only Ixam?” Bree snorted, then went back to gnawing on her dried tapir, shaking her head in disgust.

“We’ll get more of your kind, Bree. I keep telling you to be patient. Somehow… somewhere… we will find more Ixam for you.” Taz promised then shook her head. “Its true what Bree said though. They want to recruit young people, especially orphans and people that don’t have anywhere else to go, to come to the Settlement and start a new life. There’s lots of food and land, so the Founders think it will appeal to outsiders. It will be nice… I think… having children around.” She said thoughtfully, though in truth as a Guardian, she was worried. More people meant more risk. More risk meant more people would potentially be at risk. “But its good that some of the craftsman can pass on their trade. James was even asking me if he needed to look for me some help for the Inn.” Taz added, shaking her head.

Taz continued to nibble off her plate. Each time she liked something she’d hold it up to Alric and nod her approval as she munched. She’d loved the nuts he’d brought and the dates were excellent. At his words she laughed.

“I don’t care to make the food pretty. I care to make it tasty so no one cares if it’s a serve yourself night. And I am hungry… moreso than I thought I would be. The magic, I think, doesn’t help. It feeds gluttony. The whole ‘we can’t create or destroy djed’ thing. Hunger just causes us to transform it.” She said with a grin, then popped another candied date in her mouth.

A chill creeped up her spine at Alric’s words. She didn’t want to be caught. She didn’t want to be found. And though Alric was right about it being irresponsible to assume they wouldn’t, Tazrae still hated it. She hated the thought of somewhere out there being a powerful man who wanted Alric in his grasp.

Bree lifted her head, abandoning her chewing for a moment, and studied Alric. “You never liked magic? Why then do you positively glow with it? I can sniff it on you from here. One look at you and any self-respecting Ixam who has half a brain would see you were a mage.” Bree narrowed her eyes. “Is that why the Grandfather wants you?” She asked, more and more convinced there was something else involved, something that they weren’t seeing. She’d have a quiet word with her rider later. After all, Bree had more exposure to these types than Tazrae ever hoped for.

Taz felt Alric give his attempts more than she heard them. Bree was already eating though and just simply wolfed down her chews at a faster rate with Alric’s gentle nudge. Taz was starving after her attempts at magic, but she knew she was and he knew she was, so his words and his power didn’t actually affect anything in her actions other than a quirked eyebrow wand a quizzical look directed his way. Bree, however, rather than gnaw on her dried meat just kept eating down the jerky like it was candy.

The young Innkeeper sighed dramatically. “I’m saving the walnuts. We don’t have any at the Settlement and I can add them to a dozen things to make what’s just ordinary food transform into extraordinary.” Taz said thoughtfully. But she had nibbled quickly, sampled a bit of everything, and polished off one of the lobster sandwiches before he attempted his magic on her. She could feel the power behind his words and could feel the need to comply… to eat… to be starving… but it wasn’t backed with a strong enough resolve… Alric didn’t seem to want to subconsciously prod her, and for that she was grateful. Alric wasn’t overbearing and bossy. He was an alpha male by nature without proverbially crawling up a pile of bodies to win some sort of leadership positions… perhaps a King of the Corpses… as Sunberth would enjoy.

She met his gaze and smiled apologetically. “Wait for me to do something that I don’t realize I’m doing… like say scratching a patch of itchy skin on my elbow or something… and then suggest something having to do with that when I’m busy tracking a new guest or watching for a ship sighting. It will work easily then. I can feel it. Its just too obvious now.” Taz said smiling apologetically.

The young woman set her now-empty plate aside and leaned back a moment. Then she went over to her pile of things, skipped over the backpack for once, and picked up a hardened leather case beneath the table where she’d set it when they’d all come in.

“You brought your mandolin?” Bree asked curiously. “Will you then sing?” She added, hopeful. The Ixam loved Tazrae’s singing and often hummed along in almost perfect harmony. She was musical without being inclined to peruse it. It actually made them the perfect team.

“I brought it because I’ve been thinking about death a lot lately… what happens when you die… what the afterlife might be like. I wonder if my uncle is happy there.” Taz said, opening the case, pulling out the mandolin, and strumming it softly as she worked on its tune. It only took a few moments of random strums and plucks to get the instrument back into optimal tuning. “Mathias taught me a new song. It’s sad but hauntingly beautiful. Would you like to hear it?” She asked the room, not waiting for anyone to really object. Alric was eating, and Bree was gnawing on her last dehydrated strip.

Then the Innkeeper turned bard resumed a seat on the couch, cradled the mandolin in her arms, and began a slow haunting tune.

“When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget. “

The chords were simple, with very inexperienced music written for the piece. Taz only knew two verses, though there was probably more by far.

“I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.”

Taz nudged the Encyclopedia with her toe and shook her head. “Too bad there’s no information in there about the afterlife,” Taz said dubiously. The volume remained stoic where it lay and Tazrae wrinkled her nose at it. “What do you two believe happens?” She asked… “I mean after you die… I really would like to know. I’m sure most people would too.” Taz added, full now, content by the fire, and with her two favorite people in the whole of the world. She snuggled back in the cushions and set her mandolin aside for the time being.

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[Alric Lysane]

As he settled and began to pick at the food before them, dragging his chair closer to them so as to make the atmosphere closer and more companionable. He listened to their talk about children with curiosity, wondering why they were having such discussions. The idea that there were no children was an alien one to him, Sunberth had so many that he had heard some argue that there were too many. He suspected that there would be many willing to sell their children to Syka, though he was not sure Syka would go for that arrangement. He eyed both Bree and then Taz, the obvious question either having been asked so many times already or not asked at all. “One would think that young settlers could make their own children, surely? Do you have no couples there? No new families instead of single people?” he asked, curious but gentle in tone, not wanting to poke any uncomfortable spots of conversation given the relaxed mood, “if Syka has abundant food, and a reasonably safe area to live in, it would seem easy enough to solve that problem yourselves with enough time. Kihala doesn’t strike me as a Goddess that would demand a vow of celibacy” he noted with a slight curling up of the lips. “Still, perhaps my life would have been different had such a scheme existed when I were younger. I would imagine, though, that implanting your Sykan ideas into young wards will be harder than into children of your own. Hopefully your Founders are careful enough that they do not take in those who would pay lip service and undermine in the long run. But…I suppose I don’t get a say, nor should I. So, I wish you well with the endeavour, in both adoption and hopefully a sudden outpouring of…affection for each other” He looked at Bree for a time, eating and being fed by Taz who wouldn’t always take no as an answer for trying something she thought was particularly delicious. He was thankful he was quite active in general or there would be a danger of growing outwards from the middle. But she was a good judge of taste and so he usually tried whatever she suggested, but his mind lingered upon Bree – a sole Ixam, with sentience no less. It must be hard for her, not seeing her kind but also being able to fully reflect upon that. “Do you get lonely, Bree?” he asked, giving her the opportunity to share if she so chose. “If only I didn’t glow, I’d not be such an easy target to find,” he said with a snort of amusement, “no I never did like magic. Sunberth has old hatreds for mages. The story goes they were miner slaves for old Alahean mages and then there was the whole Obel the Mage taking over and terrorizing everyone…suffice to say Sunberth has its reasons. And so, I had mine. Apparently fate has dictated that I have no choice in the matter, so I learn now. Honestly without Taz I’d probably not have, I never liked fighting…but this seems something too big not to fight” he finished, briefly wondering where that other Alric had gone, the one who’s only problems were where he’d get some food and fun from. “It is nice to know that I smell magical, though, I shall remind you of that when I’ve been exercising for a day,” he grinned, “no her Grandfather took my mother and father...for their magical bloodline. He wants me, no doubt, for much the same reason. How it helps him I have yet to figure out but his children’s children no doubt would become substantially more…powerful” he shrugged, he disliked the memories such things brought back and, in the end, it didn’t matter too much. Either way he was going to try to put a stop to it all. He merely chuckled at his failed attempts at Hypnotism, he hadn’t truly thought they would work, and he wasn’t naturally inclined towards the discipline, he thought. He understood people well enough, but he never liked the idea of forcing people to do things, it always seemed antithetical to the last shavings of Sunberthian morals that were within him. The person should be inviolate, he thought, and so his attempts at undermining that had little heart behind them. Bree, he noted, ate what he had suggested but there was no way of knowing whether she would have done so anyway. So, he nodded at Taz’s word, grinned and continued to eat – it had been worth a try. Instead he took the failure on the chin, tucked the advice away for another time, and continued to eat as Taz set herself up with her instrument. He smeared some butter onto a thick slice of bread, topping it with cheese, meats and then a squashed down lobster sandwich, eating happily and somewhat messily, enjoying the feast that was a rarity, even these days. The song was haunting and emotional as she had promised, the words hanging in the air and almost begging to be considered. It was a thoughtful song that way, he thought, encouraging one to almost begin asking the questions Taz asked afterwards – and clearly seemed to be upon her mind. He wasn’t sure if she had used her special Audius to enhance the song but he supposed it didn’t matter, she sang well regardless. He put his plate aside for now as this sort of conversation required a pipe – which he put together and puffed away at thoughtfully, not answering her immediately. "You always were beautiful," he said simply, "and a lovely voice. Sad song made all the sadder by the contrast" he leaned back and puffed a few times thoughtfully. “Rules…some rules can’t be broken. Djed is transformed, not destroyed you said. Then perhaps we transform into something else, continuing to live after a fashion, before then transforming again, and again. Perhaps we are all just someone else come around again and again, for whatever reason not having earned a true rest…wherever that might be. Or maybe that’s the point, things don’t have an end, they aren’t meant to. All we are supposed to do is try to enjoy what we find and make the world better, before the end and then return back to try for a bit more another time” “But it would be too easy to just know, I think. The not being certain is more important, perhaps, as it means we can never be sure if this is all we will have. It drives us to need to find purpose, to celebrate more strongly, to love more fiercely and fight more bitterly. If this were the only life we get then why would we not seek out such things? To not do so would be a half-lived life, arguably” “Not that I am a paragon of such virtues,” he said with a snort, “but I am sure of one thing. Your uncle would no doubt be proud of you, for who you have become and what you have done. That, if he is aware of us here and now, would make him happy I’d think” he finished. It was something he had thought of often, even before learning of Arcadius and meeting Taz. Seeing too many corpses for looting tended to make one think about death and its related matters. Life was cheap in Sunberth and he had once believed that life was just about suffering, shouldering the burden and then hopefully a reward of relaxation after death. Since meeting new people and learning new things his position had changed drastically, towards the one he had just expressed – that life was about…life. And that death was, perhaps, just another return to a similar kind of life but…somewhere else, perhaps. Because what type of afterlife could be better than the life they already lived? For all of its darkness the things he had come to appreciate and love, they shone more because they might be lost to him one day. At least, it made sense to him but he simply leaned forward to squeeze her shoulder before leaning back into his chair to listen to what they thought.

[Tazrae]

Taz liked the whole atmosphere of the apartment when both her and Alric were there. She knew Alric used it far more than she did, being busy back at the Inn. But it still made her happy knowing there was a place they could call their own together… even if that time together was somewhat stolen. But she frowned when Alric asked his question about the children. Bree looked over at her and they both exchanged an odd glance between them.

“He doesn’t know.” Tazrae said softly.

Bree nodded. “Ah. I wondered.” She hissed, and shifted so she was more stretched out by the fire, actually laying instead of lounging.

“Alric…” Taz started out softly. She furrowed her brow not sure how to break this to him. “Just how big do you think Syka is?” She asked curiously. “The entirety of the settlement consists of… lets see. Three Founders, two of which are elderly. The third is younger, but he lost his wife through death and still mourns her. Then there’s Indigo who’s a native, Uta a botanist, and one of the founder’s daughters Juli. Then we have Stu who runs the Tidepool Bar, Jansen who runs the Panacea, and Rainmere our resident firedancer. Artik is our blacksmith. Duncan is a resident mage, Buraga runs the Rangers, and Tony and Dawn grow Isuas plants and make weavings. Nesra is a potter and then Lars operates the sawmill. That’s it. We have a few wandering people that are there seasonally like Xander, An’un, and Tegan but they are hardly residents. That’s sixteen people, eighteen if you count Oralie and myself. Tony and Dawn are the only couple and they are in their fifties and just got married. Then we have ten Verusk, but I don’t think any of them are matched up and they aren’t human. That’s it.” Taz explained quietly. “We might be getting another weaver Naadiya – she’s staying at the Inn at the moment, and I heard rumors there might be an apprentice blacksmith for Artik, because well… Artik is a drunk and rarely actually works.” Taz added with a rueful smile.

“Just how big did you think Syka was?” Bree asked softly, her lips peeled back to reveal teeth in a reptilian form of a smile. “Because whatever you thought…. you thought wrong. It’s not big at all. There’s probably less than a handful of women that could even reproduce, Taz included, and they have no desire to start a family at the moment. At least I’m fairly sure Taz doesn’t have those kinds of aspirations.” Bree added.

Taz interjected. “Why do you think we have tenday celebrations? It’s how we keep track of everyone and remain in contact with those of us that are outside of the settlement, which are one or two people I didn’t mention… but no more than one or two. Indigo is practically feral and lives more in the jungle. She doesn’t even have a home in the Settlement. Rainmere likes women. And then there are rumors of inhuman monsters out in the jungle. I have personally seen Sawtooth myself… which is a giant Kelvic crocodile… something that shouldn’t exist but does.” Taz added gently. “That’s why we want to invite new people to come and give unwanted children opportunities to come to Syka and learn a trade.” She added.

Bree jumped back in. “It’s a quiet place. Of course, I get lonely. But I have Tazrae and she does a lot for me and with me. We go for a run in the jungle at least every day and we often swim in the evenings when it’s cooled off and the waters are calm. I would have never thought that humans could be good company. I always thought they were oppressors since I broke my shell. But now I know differently. And now I have you too, Alric. And Oralie. I like her.” Bree added, smiling wishfully. “I wish there were other Ixams, but as I am now, I might find their company lacking.” She said almost forlornly. “I was glad to get invited to come tonight… especially since Taz said she was planning on staying the night. Besides, I wanted to meet you.” She affirmed, then flicked her tongue out as if tasting the air.

“Tazrae comes home with a gleam in her eye and a secret smile after she’s spent time with you. Now I understand it a bit more. Our guests chat with us, but it is not as we have talked here… open, honest, with a sincerity. You two study in secret together. You are growing in power together. That sort of work binds you together. What Tazrae lacks, you will make up for. I can already see it. And you have failings she will negate. And she will teach you to look up from your now and think to the future which is hard for those alone to do. From what I see of you, there is no future beyond a certain point in your mind. But you are wrong. Tomorrow is the future. The day after is the future. And the future becomes our past, so day to day we can mold it as we see fit. Tazrae and I are making a happy past in Syka by planning the future and carefully controlling it. You can do the same thing, Alric.” Bree said softly, then reached up with her clawed forepaw and used a talon like a toothpick to work a bit of the dried meat she had chewing on earlier out from between two teeth.

“He’s teaching me things too, Bree. I’m learning so much about how to think through problems. I was very linear in my thinking before I met Alric. He branches his thinking out, concentrating on multiple scenarios and probabilities. I don’t think he would describe himself that way, but he shows me to look at things in multiple viewpoints. I think that’s how he survived in Sunberth. He’s also taught me about being rich in spirit with minimal possessions and status. He’s taught me how to be brave and to do something in the now instead of add it to some sort of list I have in my mind that I check off later.” Taz said softly. “I think Alric has made me more appreciative of my own life too.” She added… then smiled.

They practiced magic and she sang for the other two before they got back to the discussion of djed and the afterlife. Tazrae was glad for it because Alrics words just before he brought up djed were almost enough to make her cry. The man made her feel appreciated and well… more. She wasn’t sure she was ready to clarify in her own mind what that more really meant.

“I think we pass through the world multiple times living multiple lives. Sometimes when its quiet and I’m stretched out in the warm sand watching the sun set and digesting dinner… I remember things. Other times, other places, that feel like other lives. And once, yesterday, I wondered if one day I’d be someplace completely different wearing a different form and remember being a jungle ixam lounging on the sands of Falyndar in a city lost to time.” She said wistfully. “And it felt right to me… like it was something that would eventually come to pass.” Bree added.

Taz studied her thoughtfully, her eyes moving between Alric and Bree, curiously digesting what they’d both said. “I wonder what would happen if that Dreamwalker took us along our Chavi like he did… into our pasts…. past our birth.” Taz said thoughtfully. “Then we’d know. Remember how they looked, Alric? Spiraling off forever… no end, no beginning… ” Taz finally settled her stare on Bree. “I think you have the right of it.” She added, then reached over and refilled her wine. Taz was working on her second glass, but only sipping it slowly, savoring it after dinner like a dessert.

Alric’s next words surprised her at the depth of his insight. He repeatedly called himself a street rat and had her sometimes thinking of him that way, but the truth was he had a sort of bottomless wisdom that came out in quiet contemplative moments like this one. It was in times like this that Taz was reminded why Florentin Arcadius wanted him so badly. He was right about knowing being too easy… and that the fear of life being ‘all we have’ was driving us to love more fiercely and fight more bitterly.

“You’ve seen a lot of death, haven’t you?” Taz said softly, already knowing that was true but the realization of just how rough Sunberth must be striking her hard. “I’m sorry… for that. A child should never be alone and should never have to navigate the world without support.” Tazrae said softly, somehow thinking that despite staring at the grown man curled in his chair next to her position on the couch… he still had that child inside himself somewhere… alone, angry and afraid.

“He’s not now though, is he?” Bree said absently. She was more than half asleep by the fire. “He has us.” She added, interrupting whatever she was going to say next with a massive yawn that caused her to relax even further.

Alric’s next words surprised her too. He thought her uncle would be proud? It was even deeper more meaningful than him saying she was beautiful … especially her singing voice. “Thank you Alric. That means a lot to hear. I loved him deeply, even though what he was to me was a lie. He made my childhood the best it could be. I would really like to think he’d be proud.” She said softly.

Tazrae leaned forward, plucked another candied date, and popped it into her mouth. She had a sweet tooth a mile long, but she was unusually restless for a woman so it never managed to lodge onto her hips like weight did with some people. Alric was trim as well, that’s why she didn’t mind shoving treats at him. Besides, she could tell good food was a pleasure for him as well. She could tell because he always ate a specific way. She’d never once saw him bolt down food.

Food was a good distraction to think of to take her mind off what Bree was saying and what Alric was asking. Both topics were a sore spot with her… Bree being one-of-a-kind and Alric thinking life ended with her Grandfather’s death.

“I don’t feel like any more magic tonight. I know we need to study, but its been a long day. What about you? Do you have a suggestion… maybe taking a walk and letting Bree sleep… or do you think we should turn in early and catch up on some sleep?” Taz asked, tired, but not exhausted, and just needing to perhaps take a step away from the magic for a few moments. Her duties at the Inn kept her busy, getting up early and often going to bed late. But in this moment, that restlessness she had always suffered from was hitting full force.

“A walk to one of the gardens… maybe the Night Garden or Venkra Park wouldn’t be unwelcome. Or… there’s….” Tazrae hesitated to say this, but she had overheard a conversation that left her longing to visit one of the Outpost’s locations. But she didn’t really want to visit it alone. “Have you ever heard of Vision Water from Mirror Lake on Mura? The Konti have it… its what gives them their sight and seer’s powers. They have a fountain here with imported water from Mirror Lake on Mura. You can take sips from it and possibly see the future. I fully want to spend a long leisurely night sleeping here away from distractions and bad dreams… I haven’t caught much rest lately. But I’m not ready for bed yet… and I think a walk over to The Abriske Courtyard where that fountain is might be … educational.” She said softly, knowing Bree would be perfectly comfortable remaining by the fire. The Abriske Courtyard wasn’t far from their apartment, and it would be a long enough trip to get Tazrae’s restlessness under control, and yet close enough that if they both experienced visions, they could return here easily enough without incident to discuss what they saw.

“What do you think?” She asked, wondering if he was game for a late night outing.

OOC: If you don’t want to go for a walk, that’s fine. We can wrap up this thread with heading to bed. But we can start another thread with the trip to the fountain if you’d like.

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