Solo A Visitor To Syka

[Tazrae]

Timestamp: 60th of Fall, 520 A.V.

When The Veronica pulled into the harbor, she sailed right by Tazrae’s place on her way to tie up at Randal’s main dock. Taz was out on her own dock pulling up her crab pots and rebaiting them, trying to win something either in her lobster traps or crab pots. Both, luckily, had the start of a haul which Tazrae pulled and rebaited the pots to go back in the water. She’d return in the night to see what the stinking fish drew. Tazrae saved all her fishheads and guts that didn’t go into making stock in covered bucket on the back deck which she used to then reset the traps and pots. Having her own deck was so handy that it helped with her clients, food collection, and almost everything else.

But The Veronica was here! That might mean potential new guests, and surely the Settlement would need help with the ship unload. She herself even had a few things ordered from James that she’d gladly go collect if he’d managed to bring them back.

Bree, sleeping in the shade of the deck with Creature in her forearms lifted her head and snorted. “Should I come along?” She asked and Tazrae looked thoughtful.

“He promised to bring you a harness next time for pulling…. Something in Riverfall made more to your specifications… I think he wants you to help unload the ship when you can along with the ashta.” Taz said, but then looked thoughtful. “It’s your choice though. You can stay or go. I know he’d appreciate the help. I would too if I have a lot to carry back. I ordered some more linens for the rooms and some cushions for the deck chairs.” She added. She’d also ordered honey and some fruit as well as canning jars. She wasn’t sure The Founder had been able to get her whole list, but she’d be happy enough with what he managed to scrounge up. James was good for doing that. He had connections all over and agents waiting at the docks in Riverfall when The Veronica landed.

Bree nodded and Taz laughed as she gently dislodged Creature who yawned, stretched, and wagged his tail as if sensing an adventure though he missed the passing of the big ship. “You can come too…” She said, knowing the Imperial Watcher would stay close and not be a burden on anyone. With that, she put the crabs in the cooler in a small cage designed to keep them cold but still alive, then grabbed her pack and set off with her two companions. Once on the cobbled path, Bree dipped a shoulder and Taz took it as an invite and jumped for her back, sliding into place without her tack on. She stroked the lizards smooth scales and the tuffs of fringe on her neck and smiled.

“I’m going to get fat with you around… carrying me everywhere.” She added, then laughed as Creature jogged along beside them and began to wag his tail with excitement as he realized the ship was docked and people were starting to gather. The trip was relatively short, and Taz found herself sliding off Bree’s back before more than ten minutes had passed. She stowed her backpack at the base of The Commons behind a stout support pole, and joined the others flooding out onto the dock to help James begin to carry things to the Community Events Center where they’d be sorted and redistributed.

Along with the others, Tazrae soon found herself hauling crate after crate, sometimes carrying bags or even cages of chickens from the ship to the Events Center. They had tables there were things could be laid out and Captain James Chaliva could sort things easily. Tazrae nodded to Juli who showed up in short order to start the sort after confiscating his manifest. Juli smiled back as Taz left what looked like two giant sacks of onions on a table that held other fresh produce.

James stopped her at one of the cleats The Veronica was tied to with another man at his side. “Tazrae, this is Tegan Darsul. He’s going to be in Syka for the rest of the season and maybe a bit longer. He’d rather stay at an Inn than rent his own place. I told him I’d introduce you.” He said, standing back and gesturing to the man beside him.

[Tazrae]

Tazrae offered him a smile. “Hello Tegan. Nice to meet you. I run The Protea Inn… and we’d be glad to have you. Once the ship is unloaded, I can show you to the Inn and help you with any luggage you might have.” She offered smiling at him. Creature picked that moment to walk up to Tazrae and glue himself to her side. She automatically reached down to pet the dog and the half-grown pup wagged his tail in response. He did not, however, leave Tazrae’s side. She glanced down at him and laughed.

“This is Creature. He also lives at The Protea.” She added, then smiled and moved to collect another load to haul from the ship to the events center. “You can relax at the seating area over in the Events Center or you can help us unload the ship. Here in Syka, all the residents help Captain Chaliva unload his ship because hes bringing most of this stuff back for us.” She added, picking up crates of what looked like living plants double stacked and began to carry them back to the Events Center.

Tegan joined her shortly, his arms full of luggage that looked to be his own. The man was handsome in a roguish way. He had dark hair and green eyes that were prone to a grey hue. His well cut jaw had a shadow as if he hadn’t shaved in a day. He had a fast smile and a charming demeanor that was not lost on Tazrae. When she turned to pick up her burden, she noted he ran his eyes up and down her form briefly. He turned away quickly, but she caught the slight upcurve of his lips and wondered what made him smile.

He had a mischievous air about him and she relaxed in his company almost immediately.

There was something familiar about him. She couldn’t place it, but it was almost as if she’d seen him before. Had he stayed with her parents? Tazrae wasn’t sure… it was only a vague … ‘he looks like someone else’ rather than a ‘I know him…’ feeling. Making conversation, if he was open to it, wouldn’t be hard. Innkeepers always asked the same questions. She didn’t hesitate now.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to Syka?” She queried in a friendly tone. Perhaps he was visiting to check out the settlement or like her last guest, to write an article on it for a circulation in Riverfall. There could be any number of reasons why he was here. She couldn’t guess just by looking at his things.

“I am a wanderer by nature and I’m interested in poisons and their cures. I’ve been successful at helping victims of snake bites elsewhere heal their wounds by developing antidotes for them out of the venom snakes have. I thought maybe I would be able to come here and see what snakes were around, work on some antivenom, and perhaps find out what other secrets the jungle might have. I’m a bit of a plant buff and like wandering the wilds. Syka seemed like a good fit once my work finished elsewhere.” He added, offering Tazrae a charming smile. So far, he’d followed her without complaint to the Events Center where she sat her burden down on one of the empty tables a little further from the main grouping. Tegan was then able to set his own luggage down relatively close as well, yet separate from the cargo.

“That’s a lot of luggage.” She added, thinking it would be far more than she’d be willing to travel with… especially when someone showed up with a large steamer trunk that also seemed to be full. The youth carrying the burden was one of James’ sailors that Tazrae said hello to. He tipped his hat at the Innkeeper and then set off for the ship again with a nod.

[Tazrae]

“I need to carry a laboratory with me. Labs include lots of equipment and chemicals. I might even need to lease one of your rooms extra – if you have one – to keep my things in and set up a portable lab. Would that be possible?” He asked, curious. Tazrae nodded. She only had two other guests at the time and she wasn’t overbooked by any means. “Of course. I can put you in two rooms that will give you quiet privacy.” She added, and seemed surprised that he opted to follow her back to the ship.

Tegan was easy company indeed. They spent the afternoon in companionable proximity hauling load after load from the ship. He didn’t complain and seemed to enjoy the labor, talking to all manner of people and asking everyone’s names. Somewhere in the middle of that, Randal had convinced Bree to don a harness that James had procured for her and had her hauling a small cart back and forth across the dock without making the dock sway like the Ashta were prone to do with their significant weight.

It was something Taz smiled at, especially since Randal made a loan of the harness and cart after they were done unloading The Veronica. It was something Tazrae was happy about since she had a multitude of things to carry back to the Inn along with all of Tegan’s luggage and his trunk. Bree didn’t complain about the load, which surprised Tazrae, until the Ixam explained to her that the wheels took much of the weight and the cart actually wasn’t a burden like that amount on her back would be.

Tegan stared at the Ixam at first, especially when Tazrae introduced Bree and Bree had said hello with a clipped hissing accent. Even Creature, tired from spending the afternoon chasing some of the other dogs in the Settlement and following people back and forth between the ship and the events center, wanted to go home. So the four of them left promising to return in the evening for the evening meal.

“It will be a group affair… since we all unloaded the ship. The people that didn’t help unload the ship will be cooking all day… so for once I get to eat without cooking the meal myself and I don’t have to help clean up since I helped unload.” She explained to Tegan, and then laughed as he asked if he’d have to clean up too. “Nope… you helped unload as well. You’re welcome to food and relaxation.” She said, taking the time to unload Bree’s cart then unharness the lizard with the help of Bree herself guiding her on which buckles came loose.

Once she had Bree free and the Ixam escaped to go play in the afternoon waves, Taz took Tegan to show him the set of rooms off to one side of the Inn that had a bit of privacy. She gave him the furthest one to the end, and promised to have the room she was currently staying in cleaned out so he could have rooms side by side for his lab. She simply moved into one of the other ones in the block of four, promising herself that maybe this season she’d get her second story apartment done.

As for her two other boarders, she pulled out the crabs she’d captured earlier and set them to boiling on the stove. She took her day-old bread, lit her fire, and crumbled it into a sheet pan to make it into croutons. Then, once her bread was done, the crabs were cooked and she took a moment to clean the meat out of them and set the shells aside for a soup base later. She left the meat in her icebox to be cooled.

Then she took out eggs, mustard, oil, and vinegar and began to mix up some mayonnaise. Once she had the mayonnaise mixed up, she took out celery and an assortment of herbs to chop on her cutting board. Once that was done and she was sure the crabmeat had cooled fully, she chopped it up and combined it with the mayo, herbs, and celery adding a bit of mustard in until she had a nice crab mixture. Then she took her croutons, crunched them up, and added the breadcrumbs into her mixture, forming the crab mix into crab cakes.

[Tazrae]

These she fried for her guests in a thick cast iron pan on her stove. Then she served them on platters with a light salad and fresh squeezed fruit juice. They had a thick fresh loaf of bread to dive into if they wanted too. And she left the entire thing out for them to help themselves with after she rang the dinner bell. They had a banana pie for dessert that she’d made that morning and had left to chill in the icebox. The two current guests were invited to the settlement feed, of course, but both declined going since they hadn’t helped unload the ship and didn’t want to be obligated to help clean up. She didn’t blame them but it had meant she had to cook. Which was disappointing to say the least. She’d hoped to have the night off along with everyone else who’d helped unload the ship. No such luck though.

It was even worse luck when Bree and Creature, curled up together, declined to head to the feast. Tazrae sat upon the steps petting the big half-grown puppy and scratching an itchy spot on the lizard’s cheek when footsteps joined her pity party. She looked up, offered Tegan a smile, and then frowned when his return smile looked so familiar.

“You remind me of someone... exactly like someone. I just can’t remember who.” She said thoughtfully and shook her head.

Tegan frowned, rubbed his chin a moment, and then looked thoughtful. “No one in my family has ever visited Syka, before Tazrae. I’m sorry… I have brothers that look almost like me and we all definitely look like our father Tegath.” He said with an amused smile.

The name was what she needed to put the pieces together. “Your father was Tegath? Tagath Darsul? I know him. He visited my parents Inn in Riverfall just before my father passed. He was a nice man.” She said thoughtfully. It had to be the connection. Tegan looked exactly like a younger version of Tegath… at least as she remembered the kindly older man. “How is he?” She asked, not certain if it was a good question or not. At that comment, Tazrae rose and beckoned for Tegan to join her. She scooped up her mandolin which was in its case and slung the instrument over her shoulder.

Tegan laughed. “My father is doing well. And I remember his trip to Riverfall. He spoke highly of his accommodations so I bet that was your parent’s place. Are they still doing well?” He asked curiously, offering her a smile as they started the short walk to the Commons where the meal was being prepared.

Tazrae frowned a bit then shook her head. “Well, my father passed shortly after I met your father. He had raspatory issues. My mother is well though… she’s since remarried and has started another family. I came here to start a new Inn. When my father died, my mother lost our Inn in Riverfall… she just couldn’t make the bills go away. But I’m doing well here. It seems Syka needed an Inn more than Riverfall did. There… was lots of competition here. Whereas here… I’m the only inexpensive six rooms to rent for miles.” She said with a slight smile.

The man laughed, gave her a grin, and nodded. “Your building is beautiful. So too is its location. I’ve been to Riverfall and while its stunning with the waterfall, there’s something about your place with the flowers and birdfeeders… and the sea. It’s truly relaxing. It will be a good place to work.” He said, looking thoughtfully at her. “And… well James told me you had an incident with a eyelash viper on the trip over… that you almost died. You might not mind me doing my work at your place. It’s very convenient.” He said thoughtfully.

Taz shuddered. “Yes, I don’t recommend getting bitten by a pit viper to anyone. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. But surly your work will keep you here a while. I have been out snake hunting and they aren’t easy to find. In fact, I’m working with Randal and we are going to breed a type of snake and encourage it to hang out in and around Syka just to keep the other snakes away. This type is a beautiful black snake that’s almost iridescent in the sun and it eats vipers and other poisonous snakes. It would be a real benefit to the settlement to have a healthy population of them around not only to eat other snakes but to keep rodents down.” She added as Tegan listened.

[Tazrae]

The man had a charisma about him that she wasn’t unaffected by. He made her want to tell him things. He made her want to trust him. She recognized that about him but it didn’t bother her. Some people were just like that…. trustworthy, charismatic, and charming. Tazrae remembered Tegan’s father Tegath being just like that. Her father had spent hours talking to him and debating world happenings from the Valterrian to modern Riverfall politics. Would Tegan be that way too? Maybe he’d bring some entertainment to the Inn at night. Taz often felt like she did most of the cooking cleaning and all of the entertaining. The mandolin case thumping against her bare back reminded her of that.

“You play?” He asked, gesturing to the instrument.

Tazrae nodded. “I do. It was my father’s mandolin. I’ll probably play or sing a few songs after the meal today. It’s kind of expected, even though I’m not that good at it. I’m getting better though. And the Founders here are kind enough to remind everyone that armature music is better than no music whatsoever.” She said with a smile.

Tegan laughed. “Surely you aren’t that bad?” He asked, smiling as they walked into the Events’ Center proper and joined the line of diners grabbing plates and utensils and running through a few tables of buffet-style food.

“You can be the judge when everyone finishes the meal.” She said, laughing and beginning to load her plate. Tazrae took advantage of the barbequed pork and took a healthy helping since she rarely prepared pork that way and had heavy seafood meals at The Inn. “They sure know how to cook around here.” She added, bending over to sniff at her plate. Her barbeque smelled delicious and had the tang of roasted pineapple coming off the crispy piece of pork skin she’s snuck onto her place. There were slices of fruit, salads, and a whole bunch of side dishes made of all sorts of things.

Tazrae ate with Tegan, namely because she wasn’t stolen immediately away by anyone and didn’t want to leave her guest alone knowing he didn’t know a single soul in Syka. Then, as people began to seat themselves around the pair, she introduced him around. She quietly ate as conversation flowed around her. Exhaustion was carefully creeping up on her and she yawned over her clean plate. Excusing herself, she cleaned plates up and refilled juices for both herself and several people around her. Then she got called up to the dais to play.

She played a few rounds with several of the Founders and other denizens before everyone quieted and she took the center of the stage for a solo with her mandolin. She carefully laid the instrument across her chest and thought a moment before she started.

“Happiness is bathing in glorious, golden sunshine,
absorbing the beauty of sunsets deliciously divine.
Dancing through cool droplets of silvery rain,
feeling cleansed, refreshed, and reborn again.

Happiness is inhaling the enchanting perfume of a riotous rose,
enjoying tropical beach sand trickling and tickling my toes.
Stroking in wonder my newborn baby’s silky skin,
celebrating life with all my loving kith and kin.


Happiness is gazing in awe at a twinkling, star-studded sky,
questioning, seeking truths, wondering how and why.
Taking slow deep breaths of intoxicating oxygen from the air,
praising and thanking Kihala in fervent, silent prayer.


Happiness is waking up to my beloved’s caress and kiss;
hearing how much he loves me is just pure bliss.
Finding real happiness is like discovering coveted treasures,
and I continue to find it in simple everyday pleasures.”

She finished, her voice soft and sultry, a feathery alto more untrained than naught. But she played with joy and put her heart into the song and the crowd was silent afterward. The musicians beside her struck up shortly after she finished the solo, and she quietly begged off playing more and instead choosing to escape home.

She found Tegan in a crowd of people all talking to him. When he saw her he offered her a smile and said… “I enjoyed the song.” His eyes softened and crinkled at the corners like it was a secret that he’d just shared with only her.

Taz waved it off with thanks and quietly said… “I’m heading home… it's been a long day and I need to get up early to make breakfast for all your guests. You are more than welcome to stay here and enjoy the party. They will undoubtedly be dancing in a few and the liquor will be free-flowing.” She offered… wanting him to fully understand the Inn had no curfew and he could come and go as he liked.

“I’ll escort you… It's been a long day for me as well.” He added, and Tazrae found herself escorted back to the Inn. It was nice… for once, not returning home alone.

Thread Count: 3720

[Tazrae]

Grading

Riding +1, Body Building +2, Persuasion +1, Interrogation +2, Hostessing +3, Planning +2, Cooking +1, Mandolin +1, Singing +1, Performance +1

Tegan Darsul: Looks, Mannerism, Personality