A Novice Vagrant [Open]

[Victor Lark]

Victor gulped as Reaver's train of thought lead him to the wrong conclusions, but at the same time it thrilled him to be trusted with the head of such a powerful object. He would not have accepted the responsibility if he knew that it might replace his lesson in medicine, but he was too excited for the moment to consider the future. He loosened the ravosala's ties and dumped them in the boat. Then he took the pole with less hesitance than he probably should have, testing it under his grip. He kept his eyes ahead. Speaking with a terrible impersonation of a terrible actor, he said sardonically, “My name is Victor Lark. When I die, tell my mother?”

He moved the pole around in the water for a moment, but could not find a hold in the mud below. The vehicle jerked against the side of the canal begrudgingly. It caught the meager current but did not go very far, at first. “Is there... how do I make it go?”

[Reaver]

Reaver was, caught off guard. He hadn't thought the boat would have been a problem. "Try using the surrounding structures. It isn't long enough the bottom of the lake out this far. If we were further, I might suggest swimming. Sadly, I've been bitten by more then fish under the waters here." Reaver decided to sit himself on the bottom of the boat instead. A little water never hurt anyone. He just knew he had to warn this, Lark. Did he say mother? "I don't think asking around for a family of Larks' would be interpreted properly. So, don't mess up badly, and be sure to use excess force on the push intended to get us across the lake." We'll be fine, unless he swims as well as I do.

((Hopefully he doesn't read minds. XD))

[Victor Lark]

With a nod, Victor bent over to lift the pole from the water so that he could push the dripping thing against the sides of buildings. He laughed at Reaver's continuation of the joke, but could not immediately think of a clever response. He kept quiet, intent on the task at hand. At least the canals were relatively empty at this time of day.

Minutes passed and he was making progress. In his sheltered former life, he had always taken Reaver's seat, but now he was finding a knack for driving the canals. Perhaps it was in his blood: the whims of the slowly moving water and the balance of the boat. He at least had experience with the structures they passed, for not once did the pole slip into a window or lack a an edge to push against. A grin settled unconsciously on his mouth, unfaltering as time went on.

But when the edge of the city was in sight, the Lark's face twisted into a frown of concentration. Their speed began to build. As the pole made contact more frequently with the canal's sides, the ravosala ricocheted against a few stationary boats. It wasn't enough to hinder the their momentum, though. With one last push, they were thrust into the outskirts of Lake Ravok and Victor's aching arms held his instrument horizontal. The breeze pushed his hair back and cooled his brow.

"Ha!" He yelled proudly at the approaching coast.

[Reaver]

Reaver was content to sit in silence, letting Victor do all the work for him. He finally felt he had some understanding as to why the rich would always higher people to transport them, but still felt lacking in why they'd spend the money on it. Reaver even managed to see a fish, they normaly evade his eyes. A fine day. Maybe the sun won't be my enemy.

When Victor began to start building speed, Reaver noted his choice to sit at the bottom of the boat was a good one. His excess weight kept the boat from rocking around as much as some of the targets Victor hit. A bit of concern began to cross Reaver, but then with a final shove-off, they cleared the docks with speed to spare. "Ah, well done. We won't need nearly as much swimming to reach the shore."

Reaver was content to let the boat coast along until it was traveling rather slow. He resisted the urge to try and paddle it along, on account of his boat no-longer being empty. He double-checked the seals on his ink and pends, to make sure water wouldn't damage them. Content that they were in place, he put them back into his bag. Not much later, Reaver was confidant the rope was long enough for him to guide the boat the rest of the way. "Can you keep a secret, Victor Lark?"

[Victor Lark]

Victor carefully crossed his instrument in front of himself and sat with it in his lap. There he remained silent as his rushing heart slowed. Satisfaction in his own accomplishments, together with the sway of the boat, lulled him into a heavy stare.

When Reaver interrupted it, Lark was quick to recover. “No, probably not,” he answered, “But who would I tell? I'm leaving this old, petty city. I'll probably not cross anyone who knew you for a long time... unless your secret is that you are not from here!” He laughed, trying to convince the doctor to share despite his honesty.

[Reaver]

"Leaving the city? Could be quite dangerous. Do you know how to hunt? How to find safe shelter? Do you know how to tell what is and isn't safe to eat? I'd rather you not go out unprepared. Healing is nice and all, but none of the skills I have would be enough to keep me safe out there." Reaver contemplated this individual carefully. Trying to decide if he really could do all that. "If not, perhaps you need to consider employing someone with these skills to help you. What is it you dislike about this city so much?"

[Victor Lark]

He did not appreciate the list of doubts; he had thought about leaving for a while, had considered it longer than he typically considered most things. And he had already decided he was ready, though even he knew that his own judgement was not the soundest. Brow furrowing, he figured he should guess what the doctor wanted to hear, so as to avoid the topic's persistence. It was only a stretch of the truth. “I feel confined here. I need to see something else. Something more. Besides, I've food, and was about to invest in a tent, and things.” His gaze moved away from Reaver and to the edge of the lake. “I'll be fine.”

He probably did not allow enough time to lapse before he asked again. “Nevermind me. What is your secret, Reaver?”

[Reaver]

Reaver considered carefully, he was unlikely to see this person again. "Well, you'll need to keep it secret I fear. It's, more of a horror story then a secret." Reaver paused, unsure as to if this was a good idea after all. He relaxed after a few moments, confident that this lad wouldn't be able to find him should he decide to hide. "All the same, I'd rather no-one heard it. People get very sensitive to this sort of thing. I'll tell you in a minute, but for now I'll be getting the boat to shore. Hang on tight."

Reaver grabbed onto the rope up front where he sat. He carefully stood up, or as best he could. The boat still rocked a lot, but not as much as he'd normally do. Being sure to wrap the rope around his left wrist, he then held it with both hands. "And you might want to move to that side for a short moment." He used his arms to direct Victor to the side of the boat, as he moved his weight to the other. He breathed in, then out, stopping his breath. Holding that a moment, he then fell back wards into the water.

Looking up as he fell, he did his best to see if the boat flipped over. Not seeing any shape beyond the boat, he assumed it did, and proceeded to walk along the bottom of the lake to the shore. He tried to look for anything interesting, but it hurt his eyes, so he stopped, and closed them. He slowly and carefully kept his pace. Shortly after, he felt the pull of the boat. He continued this way until he reached the shore. Rising out of the water he kept his eyes shut, as to not let the water assault them further. Once he felt the tug of the boat hitting something, he'd stop. Reaver opened his eyes and moved the hair away from the holes in his mask. Looking back, he finally got to find out if Victor was still attached to the boat.

[Victor Lark]

"It's, more of a horror story then a secret."

Victor's eyes widened in intrigue, a smile curling his lips. It faltered for only a second when Reaver warned him about a moment of impending tumult, but with a nod of assent he gripped the side of the boat with one hand and the handle of his trunk with the other. He leaned when he was told, already quite familiar with the nuances of balance. The boat rocked, but all remained afloat as the man became submerged. Victor sat in quiet stillness for a moment, perplexed. A long minute passed before he felt the tug of Reaver's guidance.

Lark laughed. He was certainly confused, but he expected to be briefed in due time. His knees bounced with anticipation.

The boat sloshed into the lakefront's sand-dirt soon enough, but Victor only disembarked once he was certain that he would not be pulled any further. Possessions in hand, he stood and stepped and jumped from the bow onto dry land. He turned to look at the city for a few seconds before breaking the silence, “So, doctor. Is this a pleasanter place to fall?”

[Reaver]

"I'd prefer the water, but you couldn't teach me down there. Yes, the sand here will do nicely. Brace your mind, yes?" With that line, Reaver took his time removing the things hindering his learning. Walking back to the boat, he took off his wig, his actual hair quite gone, and wrung the water out of it. Placing his stuff in the boat, he continued. Next his cape was removed, and with some time and effort the water was drained to a simple damp. Next was his mask, which he wrapped carefully in the cape. With his head now exposed to reveal his nature much more clearly, he turned to Victor and spoke softly. "I'd prefer if you didn't scream."