A Sharp Reunion
|| 51st Summer, 514AV || The Storm Shrine || Eleventh Bell. ||
.
|| 51st Summer, 514AV || The Storm Shrine || Eleventh Bell. ||
"It has been a long time, Myrian."
That voice, made from a great mixture of many accents, made Ayatah instantly smile. Her back was to the man who had spoken to her, though she did not need to turn around to know who it was. "Indeed it has, Nuvro. Where have you been?"
She turned to face the short man, whose chin only just met her shoulder as he hugged her tightly. Ayatah had not been hugged for an ego-breaking long time, and she welcomed the physical closeness.
Nuvro Browning had aged in the year since he had last met with Ayatah. His salt-and-pepper hair was certainly more of the former now, and his stubble had also greyed. Heavy lines framed his eyes and mouth, indicating a life spent smiling and laughing. But he had not gained weight, at least not in terms of fat anyway. No: Nuvro was far too active, too busy, to allow himself to ever get podgy.
Though he did like his doughnuts.
"I've bought you a present," Aya said, revealing a parchment-wrapped parcel.
Nuvro snatched it excitedly, tearing at the paper to reveal his favourite sickly sweet treat. "My favourite!" He exclaimed delightedly, biting into the doughnut to reveal the sticky red jam inside. The man made short work of the doughnut; in all but a chime he was sucking the remaining sugar off his fingers and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "And to answer your question, I have been petching everywhere!"
He explained that he and his wife - who Nuvro always liked to as 'The Missus' - had travelled to Riverfall in Spring 513AV to visit their daughter. Whilst they were there, however, a letter informed them that his wife's brother had died, so they left Riverfall after only a matter of days to travel to Syliras to comfort his sister-in-law and their nephew. The newly made widow, a woman who had always been weak and sickly, had begged them to stay for the whole of Summer, and The Missus had agreed, out of devotion to the memory of her deceased brother. Nuvro, however, had been less tempted and took the opportunity to return to his birthplace, which was Sunberth. By the time The Missus had managed to escape from Syliras and join her husband in Sunberth, Nuvro had - rather stupidly, now he thought about - won a ship in a game of poker. As neither of them knew anything about sailing, man and wife had to wait until they could sell the boat, which had taken the best part of Fall. They finally left Sunberth in Spring of the new year, having waited for the cold weather to pass to make their journey more comfortable. They finally reached Riverfall for the second time in a year, but by this point their daughter had got pregnant and given birth, and so The Missus had demanded to stay with their new Granddaughter ("named Bessie, poor little bugger. Who names a kid that? But she's gorgeous, I tell you!").
The entire tale, spanning over a year, summed up Nuvro perfectly; he was a busy and incredibly well travelled little man, with many friends and relatives spread throughout the land. Ultimately, though, his curious nature and desire to explore was harnessed by The Missus; even Nuvro himself admitted that she kept his balls in her purse.
"What have you been up to, Myrian? Have you won a boat in poker?"
Ayatah shook her head, no. She didn't even know how to play poker. "I have been here." She said simply, with a shrug of her shoulders. Her social calendar looked pathetic in comparison to Nuvro's; she had no daughter to visit, no dead in-laws to mourn. All her family were in Taloba, and all other emotional ties she had had when she left the jungle had... disappeared.
In fact, Aya was quite isolated.
Nuvro seemed to pick up on this almost instantly. He eyed Ayatah with concerned curiosity. "You seem different." And not necessarily in a good way, his tone suggested.
"I don't know," she started, shrugging her shoulders yet again, "I came to Zeltiva. I am in Zeltiva. What now?"
That final question haunted Nuvro. He had never struggled to find something to do; if it weren’t friends in another city inviting him to stay, Nuvro would have a sick relative to visit, or a daughter knocked up by some street urchin. There was always something for him to do; the phrase what now? was not in his vocabulary.
"Now, we train." He clapped his hands together, smiling enthusiastically -- but his grey eyes still remained on Ayatah's face.
That voice, made from a great mixture of many accents, made Ayatah instantly smile. Her back was to the man who had spoken to her, though she did not need to turn around to know who it was. "Indeed it has, Nuvro. Where have you been?"
She turned to face the short man, whose chin only just met her shoulder as he hugged her tightly. Ayatah had not been hugged for an ego-breaking long time, and she welcomed the physical closeness.
Nuvro Browning had aged in the year since he had last met with Ayatah. His salt-and-pepper hair was certainly more of the former now, and his stubble had also greyed. Heavy lines framed his eyes and mouth, indicating a life spent smiling and laughing. But he had not gained weight, at least not in terms of fat anyway. No: Nuvro was far too active, too busy, to allow himself to ever get podgy.
Though he did like his doughnuts.
"I've bought you a present," Aya said, revealing a parchment-wrapped parcel.
Nuvro snatched it excitedly, tearing at the paper to reveal his favourite sickly sweet treat. "My favourite!" He exclaimed delightedly, biting into the doughnut to reveal the sticky red jam inside. The man made short work of the doughnut; in all but a chime he was sucking the remaining sugar off his fingers and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "And to answer your question, I have been petching everywhere!"
He explained that he and his wife - who Nuvro always liked to as 'The Missus' - had travelled to Riverfall in Spring 513AV to visit their daughter. Whilst they were there, however, a letter informed them that his wife's brother had died, so they left Riverfall after only a matter of days to travel to Syliras to comfort his sister-in-law and their nephew. The newly made widow, a woman who had always been weak and sickly, had begged them to stay for the whole of Summer, and The Missus had agreed, out of devotion to the memory of her deceased brother. Nuvro, however, had been less tempted and took the opportunity to return to his birthplace, which was Sunberth. By the time The Missus had managed to escape from Syliras and join her husband in Sunberth, Nuvro had - rather stupidly, now he thought about - won a ship in a game of poker. As neither of them knew anything about sailing, man and wife had to wait until they could sell the boat, which had taken the best part of Fall. They finally left Sunberth in Spring of the new year, having waited for the cold weather to pass to make their journey more comfortable. They finally reached Riverfall for the second time in a year, but by this point their daughter had got pregnant and given birth, and so The Missus had demanded to stay with their new Granddaughter ("named Bessie, poor little bugger. Who names a kid that? But she's gorgeous, I tell you!").
The entire tale, spanning over a year, summed up Nuvro perfectly; he was a busy and incredibly well travelled little man, with many friends and relatives spread throughout the land. Ultimately, though, his curious nature and desire to explore was harnessed by The Missus; even Nuvro himself admitted that she kept his balls in her purse.
"What have you been up to, Myrian? Have you won a boat in poker?"
Ayatah shook her head, no. She didn't even know how to play poker. "I have been here." She said simply, with a shrug of her shoulders. Her social calendar looked pathetic in comparison to Nuvro's; she had no daughter to visit, no dead in-laws to mourn. All her family were in Taloba, and all other emotional ties she had had when she left the jungle had... disappeared.
In fact, Aya was quite isolated.
Nuvro seemed to pick up on this almost instantly. He eyed Ayatah with concerned curiosity. "You seem different." And not necessarily in a good way, his tone suggested.
"I don't know," she started, shrugging her shoulders yet again, "I came to Zeltiva. I am in Zeltiva. What now?"
That final question haunted Nuvro. He had never struggled to find something to do; if it weren’t friends in another city inviting him to stay, Nuvro would have a sick relative to visit, or a daughter knocked up by some street urchin. There was always something for him to do; the phrase what now? was not in his vocabulary.
"Now, we train." He clapped his hands together, smiling enthusiastically -- but his grey eyes still remained on Ayatah's face.
.
