Open I was only 19

[Yuri Lehrer]

4 Spring 514 A.V.

Yuri awoke in his tent, a little sore in his side from his rather unfortunate eel bite on the 89th of Winter, barely a week prior. Thinking to himself Well... today's the day, I'm finally Nineteen... the only problem is, how will I celebrate? Whilst thinking this, Yuri got up, raised his shirt to check his injury and prodded it to see how painful it was, discovering that the pain was rather minimal, Yuri proceeded to get changed into his 'day' clothes and put his armour on Just because it's my birthday doesn't mean I can slack off on my job... This was Yuri's reasoning for wearing his armour, but he knew, that due to his injury, he wouldn't be doing many jobs for the time being, and that he was wearing the armour as protection for his injury.

Regardless, Yuri decided that he was going to celebrate one way or another, so he therefore went out to his horse, Theophanes, mounted him and rode out of the glade down towards the city of Zeltiva, smile on his face and wind running through his hair. Now, what to do today? Was only the first of three questions which rebounded through Yuri's skull the other two being Where to go and should I meet up with anyone? Whilst the questions were still resonating through his mind, Yuri decided that he wanted to try to meet some new people and wander the city.

As he approached the city, astride Theophanes at a canter, Yuri had been looking around at the mountainous terrain and the occasional glade admiring the beauty of it all, when Theophanes stopped suddenly, concerned Yuri focussed around the ground, looking for a threat, only to realise that they had reached their destination, a small secondary encampment which Yuri had set up to house his horse during the day when he was in the city. Dismounting and tying up Theophanes to a post, Yuri gave him an apple from his pack, patted him on the head and said "Be a good boy Theophanes, I'll be back soon." With that, Yuri wandered into the city to begin celebrating his 19th Birthday.

[Dallen]

Yesterday, on his birthday, Akia, his best friend, whom he might have feelings for, gave him a dark blue vest, which she sewed herself. It fit nicely, which was expected, for they'd known each other for... twelve, going on thirteen years now. Admiring it, he locked the door and left his house.

Dallen, spotting Yuri walk alone, started towards him. The mercenary had seemed nice enough in their last encounter, so it was only common courtesy to see what he was doing now. Dallen was wearing the vest over a light gray shirt with rolled up long sleeves, and atop his head, was his familiar wide-brimmed hat. Moving briskly towards him, he held a small painting in his hand, the one that he had painted of the harbor a few weeks prior. Although he walked with a sense of purpose, it wasn't filled with any kind of urgency, so Yuri wouldn't get the wrong idea about his approach. "Hey there, Yuri! What might you be doing in the city today?"

[Ricky Maze]

Well now today was just going splendid for everyone, a fine and wonderful start into the new year, and everything already looked to be promising for Ricky. Yes that’s right. For once he no longer had to worry about being involved in a horrid love fest between two women, didn’t have to fear the chances of being assaulted by vengeful pirates, nor even have to worry about the Denvali staging another Coup for that matter. All of that was gone, left behind in the previous year, and in Ricky’s book it could’ve have been written any better. That is… if he really were writing a book about everything. He’d thought on occasion that the idea to chronicle down events would do him well, considering he somehow found his way into trouble one way or another. Yet today though he couldn’t help but soak in the cool moist air that kissed the bare skin of his arms, Gods did he miss wearing short sleeved shirts in the midst of a weather change.

Today both he and Martin was in their comfortable outfits today, the boy dressed in a white tunic his mother bought for him a while back. Ricky still kept to keeping one of Martin’s small blankets with the child not out of habit, but due to the fact even if the air felt warmer compared to winter, the slight chill that hung in the air was still enough to induce a young child sick. Maybe not as bad as he’d thought but still he preferred to eliminate all possibilities, besides the baby was just too damn cute to not bring his blanket along anyhow. A ‘undred an’ four days ol’. He remembered with a proud fatherly grin on his face, blue eyes absorbed in the same beautiful paled hazel gray eyes passed on from the child’s mother. Such a wonder it was to see something so pure and innocent created and born into this world, there wasn’t a single doubt in Ricky’s mind that the boy was precious to both his mother and father. A treasure to have and hold and to love and cherish as he would grow. Yes in time Martin would grow up before their very eyes, and so it was important for Ricky to cherish every single moment spent with him while they lasted.

Though he knew some moments weren’t to last, Ricky knew well enough that his role was to guide their baby. Raising, teaching, showing, everything that would be a first experience for the child his parents would have to be there, be responsible enough to make sure that they taught every important lesson life had to offer. Thus there was the hope Ricky held for a normal life, now that he’d finally seemed to settle down. That generally happens when one started a family after all; they’d settle down and raise their kids. Yet no matter how much or how hard he wished to ensure it, somehow he felt that the life he and his family were to live… would never be normal. Thus he hated it, the feeling that life wouldn’t be normal. Too much had happened to him, and between him and those he loved. Life was never normal. It was an out of control monsoon that would throw everything bad to him or those around him, thus his reason for just wanting to live normally felt justified. No… he would see to it that both Telion and Martin got to live a normal life, by any means necessary he would do what he could to make things simple. Easy.

Yet could he manage to pull such an idea off? That remained to be seen, so far though nothing seemed to happen… yet. Nothing apart from his training and workouts, which those were strictly for personal purposes he kept within. Whereas now he took the opportunity to enjoy what free time he had, before he would start another long period with training and exercise. "Yew’s gonna be just like yer pa when ya get ol’er, fishin’ an’ swimmin’ ‘bout all de time." He enthused with a few chuckles to follow, Martin watched him exclusively thus smiled big when his father spoke to him. It was encouragement from both ends as father loved to give son attention, and of course son showed he loved his attention from father too. Yet just as he was on the walk through the midway between East Street and West Street he encountered someone, two people actually and both held familiar faces all the same. One was the face of Dallen the artist from the docks last season, and the other was… well Ricky couldn’t recall the name off hand but he knew the man by face well enough. It was the man Ariann had helped just a little while back, a man who’d made the stupid decision to go out swimming while it was still cold outside.

"Ain’t dis a wonder now, who’da t’unk Oi’d run int’ ye two on a brilliant day like dis." He cheered with a bright smile and humble attitude; Martin’s eyes had looked from his father’s face to those he’d spoken to out of curiosity. By now that’s how the child recognized people he knew, although only several faces were significant to him at this rate. Still the child was young and growing; in a short manner of time he’d not only know faces but names of others too. Eventually even speak. Again that was all in due time, for now though Ricky had to focus on the present rather than continuously think on the coming future.

[Yuri Lehrer]

Yuri had been wandering Zeltiva for a while, looking around at some stores, deciding on what to get himself Perhaps a cape or a cloak? Yuri had been thinking to himself while walking around the city looking at some of the tailors in the city, but remaining indecisive. When he had eventually decided to get himself a cloak, Yuri had made his way back to a tailor which had displayed a cloak which fit the mental image he had decided on, a black cloak with a red trim. Yuri walked into the shop and asked the owner how much the cloak was, the shopkeeper replied by telling Yuri "Five Silver Mizas." Yuri deposited the appropriate sum on mizas on the counter and put the cloak on, it fit almost like a glove, and with that Yuri continued to wander the city once more.

A few chimes later though, Yuri heard a familiar voice call out to him "Hey there, Yuri! What might you be doing in the city today?" The voice was that of the artist Dallen, whom Yuri had met last season just outside his happy little piece of a glade, drawing up a picture which Yuri hadn't yet seen. Regardless, Yuri was happy to see the man, because he had seemed quite amiable when they had met, and so Yuri reacted accordingly in his greeting, drawing a deep breath and calling back "Oh, not much just trying to celebrate my nineteenth birthday." By the time Yuri had finished his greeting the two men were only a few meters apart.

Yuri had barely any time to properly greet Dallen before another of his acquaintances, Ricky Maze, the person whom he had met when Ariann had saved his life, wandered into the scene with his son Martin "Ain’t dis a wonder now, who’da t’unk Oi’d run int’ ye two on a brilliant day like dis." Thinking about the event which had caused him to meet Ricky made Yuri wonder how Ariann was, because although Ricky had been shocked, to say the least, on the day the trio had met, Yuri and Ariann had quite unexpectedly found themselves in a relationship. Thinking about that specific incident made Yuri remember that Ricky had been a little upset, so Yuri tried rather unsuccessfully to avoid Ricky and Martin, then almost sheepishly turned to face them and greeted them "Hey Ricky, Martin how're you? anything new happening?"

[Aoren]

Riddled With Rewards Yuri Experience Skill XP Earned Riding + 1 EXP Socialization +1 EXP Lores • Lore Earned • What To Do On My Birthday? Ricky Maze Lores • Lore Earned • Observation: Spotting Dallen From A Distance • Observation: Spotting Yuri From A Distance Dallen Experience Skill XP Earned Observation + 1 EXP Lores • Lore Earned • Observation: Spotting Yuri From A Distance Notes : If you have comments, questions or concerns please approach me at your earliest convenience. Don't forget to edit/delete your request in the request thread!