The Surveyors [Hadrian, Faraluun, L'orlei]

[Cachet]

Important notesOk set aside 3 days for this thread and among yourselves figure out what days this will be. Also make your way toward Wave Runner Boats along the West coast.

After the storm there was much left to do. And to do so quickly most of these ocean going tasks were to be done in Konti Longboats. And the only place to obtain these Longboats was Wave Runner Boats along the West coast. Ilavin had been working almost non stop to make more longboats since most of them had been destroyed in the storms. Flyers had been sent out asking for volunteers to be sent out on ocean going voyages to survey and help repair any damage that had been done to the reef as well as the wildlife.

They were in need of anyone really. But especially in need of able bodied men of any stature and nationality. The Konti didn’t mind doing heavy work themselves. But they were not built for such things and found at times it was much easier to innocently seduce the men to do such things. But first the boats would have to be worked on and finished. And there were flyers out for that as well. Ilavin was seeking anyone willing to help her mend a new fleet of boats since none of hers had made it successfully through the storm.

There were plenty of Konti making their way to the shop to help Ilavin. These boats would be needed if they were to quickly survey the waters to see if any ships had been lost to the storm. The women were anxious to set out to clear the shipping lanes since they hadn’t seen a supply ship in many days…which was unusual. But debris had been washing ashore for many days. This was not a good sign. The debris had been washing up for many days now. From what appeared to be many different ship types as well. But nothing would be known for sure until scouts were sent out to see what was going on out in the sea.

[Faraluun]

47th-49th of Spring, 512 AV
Location: Silverwood

Sitting with his legs crossed in the cool grass, Faraluun looked up from his notes to examine the tall tree in front of him, being careful to note the curious thorns that adorned its surface before scribbling hastily on the page once more.

Notes on trees of the Silverwood
Time: 47th of Spring, 6 bells into the day.

Some of the trees of this wood present a rather unusual appearance, though whether this was caused by the storm, or they have always been this way I do not know. From a distance, all the tree's I have so far examined appear normal, but upon closer examination I noted a few of them had thorns covering the smooth bark of the trunk, and branches. The thorn's are long, thin, and mimic the color of the bark on the tree they happened to be found on. It is not known to me as of yet whether this defense is belongs strictly to only one type of tree, or has spread to others yet, more expansion on this after I have inquired with someone more knowledgable of the forest. As for the extent in which these tree's vary from what is normal, aside from the thorns present, I have yet to note anything else.

Sighing he closed the book cradled in his lap before replacing it back into his pack along with the vial of ink and a quill. It was time's like these that he wished he'd spent at least some time at Zeltiva's University studying the subject of nature instead of immersing himself entirely in study of the arcane and philosophy. There was nothing to be done about it though so he neglected lamenting a fact that he simply couldn't change. Reaching into his bag he pulled forth a unremarkable scroll case, and stood up as he removed it's lid. Though he certainly couldn't glean anymore by himself by simply examine the tree, he could bring samples back that perhaps people more knowledgable than he could inspect.

Careful not to prick himself on a thorn, he gathered a few of the curious barbs adorning the trunk using a light hammer to knock them free into the scroll case. Most he had to use leverage to break free, and when he was certain he had gathered enough, he secured the cap back on the scroll case before replacing it and the hammer in their respective places, and turning around he started back towards Mura. Perhaps it would be his luck to find the a konti of the city receptive of his findings.

* * * * *

1 Bell Later

The sun was yet early in the sky when Faraluun left his camp, his horse seen to and supplies successfully secured. He'd decided to pass on scouring the city for someone knowledgable of the Silverwood in favor of getting cleaned up and rearmed back at camp. Now that he found himself refreshed, and his belly full he headed towards Opal Temple to see if they had any work for him. After all the work wasn't going to do itself.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian only had a week in Mura, and he was trying to make that week count, experiencing as much of the place as he could. He appreciated the reverence given to Laviku, to whom he had begun sharing his thoughts. If he wanted to drink an ocean of vision water, well, he didn't want to offend his lovely hostesses either. But when he saw the flyer asking for help, he ignored the fact that it was probably a call for physical labor, which was not his strong suit, in order to participate in something larger than himself. He wore his loosest clothes, and as he walked, he slowly fed djed into his muscles, causing them to grow. This sort of thing would have been vanity for anyone else, or even for him, perhaps, at any other time, but between the false physique and his ability to Flux, he was sure he could be of some help to the Konti seers. He was a competent practitioner of the ancient art of morphing, and about the same with the Flux, though he had never meant to use it for martial purposes as did the wizards of Suva. If his manipulation of body and its capabilities did not seem entirely plausible, well, there were always Ionu's illusions to add to the effect. And so there was an added purpose to his walk toward the coast where the Wave Runners were said to await such men as he or, at least, such men as he could pretend to be.

[L'orlei]

L'orlei had just finished up with one of her medical lessons at the Opal Temple and was about to head home to gather her supplies for her shop. She hadn't been on the docks yet that day and she needed to at least try to earn a few mizas before calling it a night. On her way out she noticed a flyer, something she hadn't seen before. As it was, Ilavin needed help down at Wave Runners. L'orlei had heard about the work before and had been considering checking it out. She really wanted to get out to sea and check on the reefs. There was just so much plant life out there for her to study, and with the reports of all the debris washing in, perhaps she could be of use if they found any survivors out in the water. Hmm.. work.. or go save people and see the reefs? ..yeah, I think I'll go see what I can do to help. L'orlei mused silently to herself as she headed for the exit to the temple, finding the decision to help quite easy. She did want to be a healer of the Opal Order, after all, so she might as well start being of use. It wasn't like she didn't have any mizas at all, her shop could wait a bit. On her way out L'orlei spotted a man she had never spoken to before, though she couldn't recall if she had seen him or not. As always his name rung in her head. Faraluun Normally L'orlei would probably have just walked on by, usually being too shy to approach a random stranger unless it was to sell him a balm or remedy of some sort. In this case, however, she noticed that Merida had left her post momentarily, perhaps to grab a bite to eat. Since the man wasn't a Konti and she didn't know his face, he was probably new in Mura and likely would need some help. Stepping into his path, though not so close that he would smack right into her, L'orlei greeted him with a nervous smile and a string of soft words in the common tongue. "Hello Mister Faraluun, welcome to the Opal Temple. Merida is busy right now, did you need help with anything?"

[Faraluun]

The ethaefal's eyes flickered up at the woman who spoke his name, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise when he failed to recognize her, something he was not accustomed to doing with those he had exchanged names with.

"Ah, seems like many are busy in these times" Faraluun spoke simply considering what to do in that moment, and how best to trouble the woman for her name which he seemed to have forgotten. His thoughts also went out to Lym and if she was similarly busy, and recognizing the time of day for what it was, he figured the same might be true for most of the people at work in the Opal Temple. "Lym is similarly occupied I suspect?"

"My apologies, I fear I don't remember your name" He added without waiting for a response, his arm extended in formal greeting. Faraluun had yet to understand the social customs in Mura, but in most places a arm clasp seemed to suffice as proper introduction he had found in his travels. With that introduction out of the way, he would politely bow before meeting eyes with the fair konti once more, his arm's crossing over his midsection idly.

"I seem to be without purpose for the moment, do you mind if I know where you are bound for?" Faraluun asked quietly, still mulling over what to do now that it seemed he wouldn't be working at the Opal Temple as early as he had planned. His lack of knowledge about other portions of the city didn't much help, and he was hardly one to sit around and do nothing when there was time in the day to be spent doing something worthwhile that would keep his mind sharp and muscles toned.

[L'orlei]

"I'm not sure what Lym is up to right now," L'orlei responded as she hesitantly reached out to grasp his arm. The man seemed strong, and he was certainly attractive, but it wasn't him L'orlei was looking at as she seemingly stared into his eyes. Her mind was filled with whispered names and flashing faces of every person he had ever met, starting with the most recent. Some she recognized, those he knew from the island itself, but many she did not. She broke contact a bit roughly, her face flushing red with embarrassment as the tide of names stopped. She smiled nervously at the comment about not remembering her name and she stumbled over her words as she tried to explain. "Oh, I'm so.. s.. sorry. I always forget not everyone is used to Mura. We've never met, but I know your name. I know everyone's name. It is my gift from Avalis." Hopefully he would not be offended that she had used her power to discern her name as she had. It wasn't something she could control, but sometimes people didn't like it and seemed to think she was using her gift to pry out their secrets. Some people preferred anonymity, but with L'orlei that was virtually impossible. Not that a name by itself was really useful to her. People can be named anything, but it didn't mean she would recognize it or know anything else about the person. "Oh, I was heading down to Wave Runner Boats," she said in response to his second question, "I found this flyer. They need help surveying the reefs and looking for people lost in the shipwrecks. I was going to go see what I could do to help out. Um... I can show you the way if you like." L'orlei was nervous around new people, but she was still willing to help. A strapping man like himself could probably do a lot more than she could to help, so even if she turned out to be useless, at least she could bring someone along that wasn't. If Faraluun agreed, she would take him straight to the place and seek out Ilavin or whoever was running the operations when she got there.

[Hadrian]

If he had learned anything in his years of practicing magic, it was delicacy, always honing his control moreso than mere power. The power always seemed to grow with time and familiarity, but skill made exponentially better use of whatever power he did have. And so his limbs were ever so gradually gaining muscle he hadn't earned in the traditional sense, but then they were only temporary, and he would inject pure power when the time to prove their worth came about. But on the way, he recognized his old roommate from years and leagues away and conversing with the Konti herbalist who had pulled his name out of the chavena just two days ago... A moment wouldn't be wasted saying hello, and on the island of Avalis' blessed, it seemed that coincidence would not exist. Best to take hints from the Ukalas when they came. But he was a quiet and polite one, so he was close before he spoke, before they noticed him. "Hello," he said, hoping he wasn't interrupting anything.

[Cachet]

The temple was indeed not all that busy right now. And when it wasn’t teetering on the edge of chaos it was dead quiet. So quiet you could hear a hair drop on the ground…but only if you were listening close enough. Even the padded footsteps of a few healers making their way to WaveRunner boats could be heard. They were quiet, light figures by nature. Never making much noise wherever they went; yet always making a statement with their appearance. They were treasured abroad for the wonderful fortune telling skills and untold beauty.

As the gathering of Konti moved past one of them took a special notice of Hadrian. She produced a delicate smile and then spoke to him stopping at his side. “Please do tell me you plan on coming to help us at Wave Runner Boats. We could definitely use a few more men around here.” She looked over to L’orlei with a laugh and then spoke again.

“Please tell me you plan on bringing these men with you.” Joking like sisters, something that all these women were well aware of. All of them daughters of Avalis, related deeply. It was like a huge family here in Mura, everyone knew everyone else. And L’orlei would know this woman was named Y’sta one of the many members of the Opal Order here in the temple.

“Because if you aren’t I will certainly tag this one along with me.” She said interlocking one of her smaller more feminine arms with Hadrians large masculine ones. It was clear that Hadrian would be coming one way or another. And it would likely be more beneficial to come willingly. Especially when interlocked with the arm of a beautiful Konti woman.

She stared up at Hadrian with beautiful lavender colored eyes, her long blonde hair braided some in the front to keep the long tendrils from falling in her face all the time. The braids were then gathered about the back of her head to help hold the loose hair on the back of her head. “So darling you coming with me?”

[Faraluun]

Gingerly he returned her clasp, cautious about accidentally hurting the woman. With her lithe frame, and pale skin she and her kin looked beautifully fragile, though from his travels across the breathe of Mizahar he knew appearances could be deceiving. That wasn't to say he was willing to test his notions.

Scarlet raced briefly across his cheeks at the break of contact, and more than a bit unnerved Faraluun took a hesitant step back, his teal eyes studying the beautiful konti while his mouth twisted into an awkward apologetic smile. "Apologies, I'm not so familiar with the isle or your customs" He replied softly, arms crossing down to his sides. It wasn't often people lost their composure around him, rarer still that he was the cause of it and he didn't much like the feeling of being at fault. Despite his misplaced guilt, his curiosity still tempted him to question her though. "Do all of your kin bear this power?" A bit of awe coloring his tone. While completely different then his own unique talents, the exposure of such a skill made him feel a bit more comfortable around the woman. There was still much to the world kept from him.

As she spoke further he settled down more, casually stroking his chin in thought while he considered he words, wondering as to the depth of the matter. It certainly explained why much was empty around the places of Mura. "It would be a pleasure to accompany you, and help how I may. It is the least I could do in turn for your kins' generosity" Faraluun spoke before turning to follower her along to Wave Runner Boats.

* * * * *

A familiar voice sounded from behind him, and turning to look at a face from ages smile, he found an unexpected smile gracing his lips, bittersweet memories of a not so distant past filling his mind. "Hadrian, I see you at last saw wisdom keeping your body as fit as your mind" Faraluun spoke with a fleeting sense of humor in his tone, his arm reaching out to clasp Hadrians'.

"How have the years seen you?"

[L'orlei]

"We are all gifted in some way or another, but none of us are exactly the same. I am the only one with my gift, that I know of." L'orlei was glad that the man wasn't offended by her power, instead proving to be curious. She was fine with curious. L'orlei had never been secretive about her gift, or any Konti's, really. Anyone visiting Mura was bound to find out about them anyway, so why bother hiding it? Or perhaps she was just naive. L'orlei knew so little about the wide world; she never imagined that someone might be interested in her gift for less than honorable reasons. Luckily, Faraluun was not one of those people, however, and L'orlei was perfectly safe with him. After he agreed to come with her she led him away from the temple, making sure she took the land routes to the boats since not all the outsiders to Mura were born swimmers like the Konti were. She was quite surprised when Hadrian appeared out of nowhere to say hello. Recognizing him instantly, even without the help of her gift, L'orlei smiled at the young man and returned the hello. The magic Hadrian placed on her not to reveal his name never came into effect when, much to the Konti's surprise yet again, her companion seemed to be old friends with him. "Nice to see you again, Hadrian," L'orlei said shyly after the two men shook hands. The socially awkward Konti was more than a little relieved when Y'sta appeared, hooking arms with Hadrian and joking with the three of them like they were old friends. L'orlei didn't know what she would have done if she'd been stuck alone with both men. It was hard enough for her to come out of her shell with just the one, but Y'sta evened things out. "I was just taking Faraluun here to the boats, actually. What do you say, Hadrian, do you want to come with us?"