Ocean Lullaby [Sa'Flora]

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

27th Fall 511AV The lullaby of the ocean gently lulled Serrif’s ears. However the warmth of the sun woke him even though the sounds of the ocean were struggling to keep him under. He opened his eyes and saw the top of his somewhat large tent. He didn’t mind having the room to himself; however it made him think. There sure was a ton of room in here. He also knew winter was coming. And he would likely need to find a better source of shelter. Maybe he could finally put up for a house. He toyed with that idea in his head and shrugged. He didn’t see why not. He had a job here, one helping Lym at the temple. And well he couldn’t see any reason why he would leave this place in the near future. Yes; Mura did seem to be where he wanted to be. He stirred some and eventually came out of his tent. He stretched some greeting the morning and decided he would take up some practice. Ildin had instructed him to do some self-practice for a few days. He figured this was to help him get better acquainted with his bow and how it fired. He stretched out his sore muscles some and then reached back into the tent and grabbed his bow and quiver. The bows power was shown by the fact that the bow still retained some of its shape even when it was unstrung. It was indeed a much larger bow than most Konti could manage; standing at a six foot height unstrung the bow boasted a decent amount of power behind it. He also noticed that his accuracy had improved slightly because of the grooves in the handle acting as guides for his arrows. He strung his bow and decided that today he would just practice some. He wasn’t sure how he would practice or what he was really going for. But he did know that Ildin did expect him to practice some. And he would do exactly that. He knew that he could improve himself with simple practice. He walked down toward the beach, not wearing shoes because he liked the feeling of the sand. He had actually gotten quite used to it over the past few seasons. He had gotten accustomed to the smell of the oceans spray, and the sound of its never ending rolling rhythm. A rhythm that put him to sleep at night as his tent was indeed pitched about 20 feet from the end of the beach sand. He had gotten to know the ocean in a way. He had gotten used to its sounds lulling him to sleep at night and waking him gently in the morning. It was a wonderful sound that washed away everything around him and plunged him into sleep. He was beginning to really listen to the island now. He could hear her breath every breeze gently reminding him he was here. Her pulse flushing the wonderful blue liquid all around her. He was beginning to really see the island for what it was; an escape. It was more than that for him though. It was an escape from his past, from those that would have him harmed. It was a detachment from what awaited him off this island. The brutal truths of the world were suppressed here among the fine blond haired Konti women. He rolled up the baggy sleeves of his black shirt and focused himself some. His quiver was attached at his side in his belt. He reached down and felt the butts of the arrows. He was indeed ready to start practice today. He looked out. And could judge wind by the sand being kicked up down range. He saw in some places it varied greatly. He didn’t want to chance it and fire an arrow too far away; and maybe accidentally hit someone. That would be unpleasant. So instead he would keep his arrows within his viewing range. That way he could keep an eye on things. And he could better predict his shot group. He wanted precision and accuracy. He only recently began to understand the difference between the two. Precision was how close the arrows were together. Meaning how close they were in relation to the other arrows he fired. Accuracy was how close the arrows were to where he wanted them; like how close they were to the center of his target area. It was important to have both precision and accuracy; or you would find yourself useless as an archer. And well he knew there was improvement to be made in both areas for him. So he brought an arrow to his bowsting and knocked it. He then brought his bow up and thought to himself. How far did he want to shoot these arrows? Maybe about ten to twelve full length paces; that would put them a good distance out. Still within sight so he could see how he was shooting and far enough away to put his skills to the test a little. Also it allowed him to navigate a few wind currents and such. Adding a little difficulty for him at the same time. He brought the string back and held it for a few seconds adjusting the arrows path to match with the wind. He then let it loose gently. And the bow propelled the arrow forward. It lurched and an unexpected gust of wind pushed it off course changing where it met the sand drastically throwing it off course to the right a good distance by the time it hit ground. He shrugged. Well that wasn’t where he wanted it to go…but it was what he had to work with. Now in his mind the first arrow would function like the center of a bulls eye, and help him determine accuracy.

[Sa'Flora]

The ocean called to Sa'Flora. Its gentle waves and soothing sounds were her comfort. Laviku, her Father, He was calling to her. The feeling of emerging into the sea was one of Flora's favorite; she became someone else, in a completely different world. So, it was today that she decided that she would go to the ocean's shore, and send praises to Laviku. She lifted up prayers to Avalis daily, but it was on rare occasions did she speak with the great Father of the Seas. So she got dressed, grabbed her lyre, and headed to the beach. The walk was somewhat long, but she didn't mind; it was a cool day in Mura, and she liked the exercise. The trees were golden, painted in the colors of Fall, and there were pumpkins with different faces placed all throughout the city in celebration of their bountiful harvest. Sa'Flora did plan to help out with decorating, or perhaps performing a song in honor of the gods, for their many blessings upon the city. Finally, she had arrived at the beautiful seashore. She simply sat upon the ground, brought her lyre to her lap, and began to play. The song was a light melody that the wind carried for quite a distance. Someone could have easily heard her, but Sa'Flora didn't mind. She began to sing then, letting her soft soprano voice lift to the Ukalas in praise. God of the Sea, Oh, power and mercy, You are with me, so I see. Laviku, my Father... She continued to sing, closing her eyes and worshiping the sea. Anyone within twenty feet could have heard her, her soft voice floating in the wind accompanied by the sweet lulls of the lyre. That is what Serrif would hear, if he listened carefully: the sound of the Konti's praise.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He focused, the wind was going to be unusually unpredictable today it seemed. He had waited for a little time before releasing his arrow. So he could get a reading of what the wind was doing this morning. But it seemed that none would be able to predict it perfectly. So now he had an off center target to hit. He shook his head some bringing himself to composure as he readied himself to fire another arrow. He adjusted his sweep so that he would hit the supposed new target area. The truth was the wind was going to be as unpredictable as ever. Especially here on the beach; the fact that he was shooting across the stream didn’t help any either. The wind would just push his arrows around like playthings. This was something he was going to have to get used to. As he was readying himself for another shot he heard something unusual drift through the wind. He discarded it at first and concentrated on what he was doing. He gauged the wind and waited. It was calm now. He knocked an arrow and pulled back on the bow. It wasn’t going to get any calmer than this. He made quick adjustments and then loosed the arrow. It sailed just like he planned and hit very close to his first marker arrow. This was good, now he needed to replicate these results. His block came down and he heard the sound again. He looked about and noticed a Konti sitting near the water. She had something in her lap and was singing. He could only barely make out the sound of her voice at this distance. He was intrigued; he had seen all kinds of things at the beach. Painters, artists but never a musician…until now. He watched her but didn’t draw any closer. He wanted to give her the space she needed. He then decided he would just continue while listening to her. That seemed like the logical thing for him to do in this instance. He took wind measurements with his eyes. Every slight movement of the wind was captured by his visual perception. He smiled and had found his vision getting very sharp. Almost nothing escaped them. He knocked another arrow to his bow and again watched carefully the wind. He noticed the gusts came and went. And with the amount of time between them being sporadic there really wasn’t a way he could plan to shoot between them. ..mostly because he had no clue how long they would last. Well that was just part of it. Brought his bow up and pulled the string back evenly. The wind was acting up. The gusts were varying in strength greatly, so much so he was sure accuracy and precision would suffer. He waited for a low gust and then let loose the arrow. Again it sailed and was a bit off from the second shot. Well so much for that. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea for this morning. Maybe… He turned around and looked at the Konti practicing. She intrigued him. What was that she had? He had never heard an instrument like that before. Mostly because he had never heard an instrument before. He sighed and stretched a little. He was just beginning to wake up and come to with the sun. It was odd how his schedule revolved around morning and night. He didn’t much care for doing anything but sleeping at night. He found this to be true of most of the people here in Mura. They kept normal schedules. A big change from the camp.

[Sa'Flora]

Flora had kept singing for another five minutes or so, until her fingers were somewhat sore and her throat dry from the cold hair. She then opened her eyes and looked out to the sea. "Thank you, Father," she said in final prayer. She got up from her seat in the sand and dusted herself off; sand was messy, and she didn't particularly like messy. She held her lyre under her left arm, and put her right hand on her head, holding her hair back. The wind was blowing it in her face and tickling her nose. She sighed heavily and looked around the beach, and spotted the man in the black shirt, and was startled by his watching her. Her eyes grew somewhat large; she wasn't used to seeing males in Mura. And he was watching her. What did he want? She simply raised her hand and waved, trying to convey a sign of friendliness. Surely he was not a threat, and it had been many days since she had had any company other than her mother. "Hello!" She called out in the common tongue. Her common wasn't the best, but she figured she could at least carry out a conversation.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Serrif watched her stand and brush the sand off of her dress. He nodded, she was indeed a good musician. Although he wouldn’t know much in the way of music. He had never really had the time to enjoy it. She waved to him and he waved back. He could tell from her hello that common wasn’t her first language. This would make things interesting for him. “Morning.” He called back to her. He didn’t know what she was going to do now. But if she walked off he would likely train more with his bow. But if she came toward him well he guessed he could easily carry on a conversation with her. “Beautiful music.” He said as almost a test to see how far her understanding of common went. He couldn’t begin to imagine how essential learning Konti was going to be if he was going to stay here any length of time. His bow was in his far hand from her. But she would easily see it, it’s length was exactly six feet with wonderful cold steel work done to it. Obviously Konti in make, that could be seen from the sea shell art the cold steel formed along the length of the white bow. It was made out of some naturally white wood, he still wasn’t sure what. But the entire bow was more than ornate to any who looked at it. It was a work of art in itself, what the user used it for….well that was another story. He noticed like many Konti he was much taller than this woman. He had gotten used to this, standing a tall six foot five really made him stand out…if being male on an all-female island wasn’t enough. He indeed stuck out like a sore thumb here in Mura. But he was getting more and more used to it. He was actually starting to like standing out so much among these people.

[Sa'Flora]

Starting a conversation with the strange man made Flora somewhat nervous; her Common wasn't the best, and she was a tad bad at interacting with others (even her Konti sisters). "Thanks you," she replied in a loud voice, hoping that it would reach him on the other side of the beach. .. did I say that right? Her Common was obviously bad. But she needed to be polite, so she walked up to the man. On her way over to him, she really began to understand how huge this man was. He was, to say the least, massively tall. Like a tree, Sa'Flora thought to herself. Tall as a tree. Finally, she reached him. He was even taller up close! "Hello," she said in her awkward, high-pitched voice. "My name ish Sa'Flora." She felt as if she was pronouncing something wrong, but she wasn't sure what. So she just ignored it. "Thanks you for the nice words. My Common ish bad, so sorry if it ish hard to understands me." She looked down at her feet, feeling a tad embarrassed, and then looked back up to his face and attempted a smile.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Serrif looked down range as the woman approached him. The wind was being a tad bit unforgiving to him right now. It seemed he wasn’t really going to get anywhere anytime soon with the wind as strong as it was. He wasn’t used to trying to adjust his arrows for two crosswinds. That was a little more interesting. It also effected the overall range of his arrows. With the wind messing with them so much they didn’t go as fast and as he wanted them do. On a clear day his arrows went a good distance without him doing anything special or having to adjust for anything at all. But now with one wind about twelve feet from him and another about a good thirty or so feet it was making things a little more of an art than he had first estimated. But then again this bow was new, and far stronger than the bows Ildin had him using from the pavilion. So it was possible that it could power through these winds a little easier if he were to take full advantage of it’s massive draw. As he pondered this she came up to him and spoke again, drawing his attention immediately as he smiled. Her common was pretty good. She was making minor mistakes that he mistook for just an accent or something. “Your common is better than my Kontinese.” He said with a smile reassuring her that she was doing a fine job. “I see we both came out here to practice our arts.” He said as he looked to her instrument. He had no idea what it was since he had really never seen one before; much less ever heard one played before.

[Sa'Flora]

Sa'Flora laughed when he said that her Common was better than his Kontinese. He was a handsome-enough man, and he seemed nice. "Well, ifs you would like, I could maybe teaches you the Koninese one days," She told him with a polite smile. "And yes," she continued, "I did sees you practicing with your arrows and your .." She wasn't exactly sure what to call the bow in Common. ".. your cannon? I am not so sure that ish the correct word..." Well that surely didn't sound right. She let out another nervous giggle. "I was only practicing my worships to the gods, singings and praisings." She held up the lyre that she held in her left hand and plucked the strings with her right hand, allowing the music it made to fill the air. She then played a small scale, somewhat forgetting that she was in the middle of a conversation. She stopped suddenly, realizing how rude she could be considered. "I am apologize," she said in her broken Common. "Do you plays any items of music?"

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

She brought a smile to his face. Her command of the common language was admirable, but she did miss a few places. But again it was far better than whatever he had learned in Kontinese…which was nothing. He really did need to take up the language if he was to live here and learn here. He didn’t see any reason why he wouldn’t take up permanent residence here. He loved the people, he had a job, and above all he thought he had found his calling. He was to be a healer, a herbalist, an archer. He was to be all this and more he was sure. But he didn’t know what the fates had in store for him, and how could he? That was half the fun, he didn’t know what the fates could have in store for him. “Bow.” He said supplying her with the correct word once she had paused to let out a giggle before she explained she was practicing her worship to the Gods. He listened and he figured he was honoring them as well. He listened to her play her lyre and he focused. It was absolutely beautiful. It was the first musical instrument he had ever heard before. And he liked it; it was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It lulled him and he honestly didn’t want her to stop. When she did and apologized he shook his head. “No reason to apologize, it was absolutely beautiful.” He said as he then mulled over her question in his head. “You could say I play something of an instrument. It has a string like yours only the tone is a little different. Let me play for you.” He said as he then took a step to the side of her. Parallel to her so she could watch him while he ‘played’ for her. He dropped a hand to his side as he looked out over the sand. The ocean breeze was indeed playing on the beach but he could almost sense that it would stop here soon. His dropped hand to his right hip where his quiver was. There the long quiver nearly touched his knee but he felt the knocked crowns of the butts of the arrows with his fingertips. In his left hand he felt the engraved handle of the six foot compound recurve longbow. He watched the winds and pulled his choice arrow from the quiver. There was really no science to it for him; there was just sometimes a feeling of what arrow he thought he should put out. He watched the sand for signs of the wind. It began to die down. If he was going to do this he would have to take quick decisive action. This was becoming muscle memory for him at this point. He took the arrow and knocked it against the bowstring. It was now that she would see something interesting if she was looking. There was radial scarring on his wrists…both of them. Deep horrible scarring that was only one clue into this man’s past. There was also matching scarring around the base of his neck as well…shackles…it had to be. But there was also secondary scarring from what could only have been torture equipment…she definitely wouldn’t want to touch this man. His past…his saddest moment had to be absolutely horrifying.He pulled back against the massive bows pull. He made last second observations and just like he though the wind died down and he would be able to put an arrow downrange easily. There out on the beach about fifty five feet or so, ten or twelve paces for him. He made adjustments for drop and he then committed, allowing a smooth and even release against the bowstring. It recoiled and propelled the arrow from the bow. There was a very low audible sound made, so low that Serrif barely picked up on it. He wasn’t a musician, but Sa’Flora was. So she would definitely pick up on it. The arrow sailed through the space closing in on the shot group easily; especially without wind. It landed in the group almost ontop of his first arrow. “Accuracy is getting better…but precision could use some work.” He said speaking Ildin’s words as if they were his own critiquing himself. “A good try I suppose. But did you hear the note?” He asked as he looked to her.