Dreaming is free (Arch)

[Niello]

Summer 6, 514 AV The cool water slipped along his sleek sides, the slightly warmer temperatures of the season notable to his sensitive hide, despite the layer of insulating blubber beneath. Niello swam effortlessly, fairly dancing among the docks of the bustling harbor of the great walled city. He didn’t care so very much for the water here, littered as it was with the refuse of such a populous place. There were many times when he would make the journey beyond the walls, by virtue of his feet, to reach the coast further north, or south, before sliding into the cleaner waters there. Shifting into his torpedo-like seal form, he would head out – right out – into the Suvan, swimming for hours, days even. With each passing season, the kelvic roamed further and further from his home, exploring this other world that was also his home, learning its way, sharpening his hunting skills, navigating its currents. Each such trip, such exploration, served only to whet his appetite for more, and it wouldn’t be long, before he paid heed to the call and left Syliras, to discover what lay beyond the setting sun. But, not today. Today, he’d been sliding in and out of the water, delving only as deep as the juncture of pylon and sea bed. It was here that the crabs scuttled. Where the fishermen above dumped out the heads and tails and entrails of the catch of the day, before transporting same to the market, the spindly legged crustaceans waited below, for the manna from heaven to trickle down to their nimble claws. They were easy pickings, and in his strong jaws he’d snatch them up, one at a time, swimming swiftly back to the dock, to deposit them in a basket dangling from one of the piers. He’d split the final take with the fisherman who came round every half hour or so to haul the basket up and empty it into a larger one, before finally he would drag the catch, fresh and clicking, to his barrow. Niello had been at it for about two hours or so, and as he surfaced, great black eyes blinking in the light, nostrils expanding to catch a new breath of air, his colleague signaled that he’d caught enough. The dock being too far above the water line for Niello to haul out, he instead shifted in the water, one instant a seal, the next a boy, scrambling up pegs set in the stone of the pylon. Reaching the top, he climbed over and stood for a moment, looking into the basket, hands on hips, counting. He tried to be careful not to let his business associate short change him. Learning to read and write had little appeal for him, but he had a good head for numbers. Satisfied, he bent to reach for his abandoned clothes, pulling on the simple trousers and shirt, leaving his feet bare. It was summer, and inside the walls of the city, the temperatures were mounting. Already, he regretted the loss of the cooling liquid on his skin, and he contemplated going for a swim just for the pleasure of it. But he’d promised his mother he’d be back within the hour, to help with some of the chores about the residence where he lived, in the kitchen, and his parents served as domestics. So instead, he opted to sit, legs dangling over the edge of the stone pier, gazing down into the water, dreaming of the day when he would once again slip beneath the surface, and really take off, on the adventure of a lifetime.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

Some days, Arch would be left to train or explore for himself. He would be allowed to explore the city - which mostly involved going straight down to the Fighters Pits and training with Hammer Fist in his Py-Ken and his other weapons for those days that he would need all the training he had with him. Or, he would be allowed to look after his various pages - making sure they followed their duties respectively, and even ordering around some of the other ones. It made him feel like a father to some of the pages that had entered as orphans. Or, he would simply be free to explore the place of his growth and younger years, where he had first developed his squirrel-like body, and his squirrel-like personality; the Bronze Woods. Today was anything but one of those days. Today he would be on patrol for most of it - alongside his patron, Ser Iros. The crimson Akalak was, as usual, atop his humongous Destrier and the squirrel was atop his smaller riding dog, Xarex. One would never even consider relating the two unless they dug into the deepest corners of the Syliran records and checked there. The two didn't look like patron and squire.. and neither did they act like it.

"Aren't there plenty of ships and knights out there stopping insurgents and pirates from attacking the city?" Once again, Arch simply couldn't believe that there was a good reason that he needed to ride his dog along the edge of the docks, on a patrol to make sure that no malcontents would infiltrate the city via the docks or the connections with the sea. Even though Ser Iros had given him several hundred good reasons within the last bell of patrols, the squirrel stood by his statement - no good reason. "And besides; if, through some miracle, insurgents do arrive to this city, on this day, at this bell, by ship, ready to storm the city... what are two members of the Order, a squire and a knight, on the back of a dog and a horse respectively, supposed to do to stop an entire boat from storming the city..." It wasn't that Arch was a particularly passionate squirrel.. he was just lazy and bored. Arguing was the best way to keep himself with something to do, and it meant that he might get the rest of the day off if he either managed to find a good enough reason to go home... or if he annoyed Ser Iros enough.

"Don't be silly. We're not here to patrol for an entire enemy vessel. But that doesn't mean there might not be trouble here. Remember, we're not just here to protect the city from invaders. We're here to keep the peace, between citizens." Irritatingly for Arch, the Akalak seemed completely calm as he spoke. The man was becoming more and more adept with dealing with the squirrel.. it made it even more difficult to find something fun to do. At the same time, it was quite a bit of a relief. The two of them often had... communication issues. And the squirrel could tell that if he never managed to get along with his patron, he'd never understand some of the key features he needed to know about the city as a whole that would be mandatory for his advancement in the Syliran Knights. He wanted to be a knight, after all.. he didn't want to get stuck, washed-up as a squire for most of his life. The other squires might be happy with it, but he wasn't!

"Fine, fine.." Eventually he gave up and set all concentration on his riding dog - waddling steadily between the squirrels thighs, and held in sturdy check through the reins wrapped tightly around the squirrels wrists. One step out of line, and the squirrel was getting quicker and quicker in checking it and correcting it. Soon enough he'd have this casual walk all sorted. Not that Ser Iros seemed very concentrated. A flick of the reins and he'd broken out into a trot - easily passing the squirrel and setting him several feet back in a large dust cloud.

[Nightmare]

Archailist :

Skills	Amount
Skill
Socialization	+1
Riding	+1
Observation	+1
Rhetoric	+1

Lore

Patrolling is to keep the peace

Niello :

Skills	Amount
Observation	+1
Swimming	+1
Sea Navigation	+1
Hunting	+1

Lore

N/A

Additional Comments: Another thread too short to award much. Please enjoy what I did manage to find!

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