Solo A Packed Letter

[Moritz Craven]

23 Summer 522

As Moritz stepped into the outpost, he was once more met with the familiar sensations. The sights, sounds, smells, the noise. Some of it was a bit overwhelming, the strong rustle of traffic as people came in and out of the entrance. Others passed through the large open area where the entrance came out, not coming or going but passing through. It was after all a well traveled area.

Beyond that though he focused in his vision, checking to see who he knew. As always he saw the map man who seemed to work at the entrance, greeting new entrants to the Outpost and explaining things to them. Busy talking to someone he nodded at Moritz as he headed out, Moritz nodding in return.

He did not have any specific plans for this day, simply wanting to look around. Perhaps find a Voril weapon... And so he had packed light. His button up suit, sandals, a pack on his back, and his important items like his coinpurse stored in the magical space on his wrist within a certain charm.

Waving to the map man Moritz headed out slowly, not in a rush as he meandered a bit and passed close to a fountain full of water which was so contrasting to the heat and dryness of the rest of the area.

It was as he inspected the water that he sensed someone coming near, turning to the motion coming close to him to see an unarmed man... Or at least a man not openly wielding a weapon. With the rules of the Outpost he was not overly afraid of attack, but still... Best to be cautious.

He did not recognize the man, though he seemed to be moving along with a wheeled chest. Without thinking he focused for a moment, feeling out his battle presence... Almost immediately he could tell the difference between this man and his own, this mans was stronger. Not as strong as some of his sparring partners in Syka, but still stronger than his own.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

Silently the man approached, not answering right away. Instead he took in Moritz, looking from his hair, to his eyes, focusing keenly on these... Checking each bit as if seeing something within it. "Are you Moritz Craven?" As he said this he stared pointedly at the tag on his chest, which clearly said his name... But even then the man still asked, keeping his serious tone.

"Yes, and who are you? Why do you ask?"

Without speaking the man moved his hand behind him and pulled out a piece of parchment, showing it to Moritz. "I have a package from a sender in Lhavit for one Moritz Craven. It detailed your name, hair, and particular eye pattern, all of which you match. So the contents are yours. I'm just a courier, sent to deliver the contents to you. And that is all I know, so I cannot divulge anything further nor do I know anything more than what I said."

WC: 506

[Moritz Craven]

Hearing the mans words, Moritz frowned in confusion. Someone had sent him a package, or left someone to deliver one to him in the outpost? Who?

From the mans words he did not seem to know who was the sender, or would not say it... Though he had no reason to say no if someone was giving him something, though it did leave him wondering who sent it. Was it his mother? Perhaps his older combat master Kyra? Or someone else from Lhavit? Those seemed the most likely, anyone else who was sending it would have to be someone he did not know. Since that seems the least likely that someone from outside Lhavit would know so much about him the likeliest answer was that it was someone who he knew or who knew him from Lhavit...

"Fine, lets go over here out of the way and I'll take it."

Heading off to the side he moved along with the man following after, trying to find a spot where they would both not be in the way but also not be in such a crowded spot. Privacy was a bit much to ask for, but foot traffic being reduced seemed possible.

Once they were out of the way Moritz turned to the man, who promptly unlocked the case with a key and presented its contents. Inside where several small bundles wrapped in cloth which he went through one by one. Some had notes, and others did not, the first item seemed to be a bit of jewelry. A pair of wrist bangle things. The note with it seemed short, one side noting it was a "Twin Torque", and "for pairs to share. The other side simply said "Wear one and think of the other person wearing its twin". Grabbing these and the note out of the chest he placed it within his pack on his back, making sure to inspect them further later.

With that out of the way he turned to another package, this one small... Opening it he found many tiny objects moving around, knock clacking as they were not tightly bound like when wrapped. These had a note indicating they were "Dreamglaze Gems", and "for meditating or dreaming", and to "wear on a necklace or bracelet". The reverse side had a note on its usage as well, indicating... "wear while meditating, or while sleeping at night."

Tucking these away in his pack Moritz moved to the next package, but picking it up he found a thin letter beneath it. Brushing the cloth aside he found the last package held... A book? Written on it was its title, one he had not heard before. "-Silas’s journals of the mundane- Massage." Unlike the others it came with no notes, though the title seemed to explain it well enough. It was a book about massage. Though why massage, he was curious. He had thought of it of late, there was someone in Syka who did it, but he had not spent much time seeking it out.

With such thoughts he tucked away the book, silently taking out the last item within the chest, which was a letter. Breaking a bit of unmarked wax on one end he opened it, the letter a folded sheet, and began to see what it said. Perhaps it would explain who had sent these items?

WC: 560

[Moritz Craven]

Opening the letter, Moritz found himself more confused than ever. Before anything else his eyes shifted to the bottom of the letter, to the signature... While it was a bit hard to read, the letter not being inked too cleanly, it did seem to say his sisters name. Amelie... Amalie? Wait... Which was it? He tried reading it over a few times, but he realized he could not read it clearly enough to tell. His sister was Amelie Craven, but last he knew of her he was unsure she had learned to write.

Also considering what he remembered of his sister, she often was in a rush and noticeably opposed Moritz own calmer more measured approach to things... She had little interest in schooling, so he was unsure if she had ever learned her letters. And if she did, she seemed the type to not do so legibly. Everything he saw seemed to support what the letter said, that his sister wrote it. But then... Why?

The more he tried to think on her though, the more Moritz realized he knew little about his sister. He had spent a bit of time with her during his first year or so of life, but she had quickly vanished from his circle of people while he was still young even for a Kelvic, which sort of made sense seeing as she was a faster aging breed...

But he had no idea where she had gone, and his mother had not spoken on the topic when she had left his awareness. He had been too young at the time to think to ask, and now he had trouble reaching his own mother and so was unsure how to ask her.

Who could he even ask to check to see if the letter was real? No, logically speaking, there was something else to consider. Who would know to send him this letter? Only a member of his family, or perhaps someone from Lhavit... It did not make sense anyone else would know of his family such to get the few details he could notice right. He would need to look into things more deeply, but what he did see seemed to support his sister being the author...

With that in mind he began reading the letter, but once more had trouble reading it. Not only due to legibility issues, but also the writers meandering nature.

Here was an entire paragraph describing a particularly flavorful piece of cheese. Here a whole section about the feeling of money in ones hand in filling their coinpurse. Here was a bit about watching a building burn, though he could not tell from the bit before if she just saw it burn and did nothing, or had a hand in its burning. It was unclear from the letter. What the petch was going on?

The more he dug into the letter the less it made sense... At least until the end, when she seemed to be in more of a hurry and got back in topic.

"Brother, I need to ask you something. I need some help. I owe some people money, not my fault I swear, but they think I took something I did not... And I need some help paying it back. I'm paying someone to send this letter home, but I am hoping you can explain things to mom and get her to send the money. I came to Sunberth awhile ago, but... Well some things went well, and others not so much. I am going into hiding for now, until I hear the all clear. I have a friend in town who knows the signal, so they will be watching out for my debt being cleared. If I do not get it back to them by the end of the season, I am not sure what will happen. Please, you are my brother, and I need help."

Looking it over Moritz frowned, unsure what to think of things. Was this real? Was it fake? This person said they needed help. Should he help, or not? But wait, by the end of the season...

Looking back earlier in the letter, he saw when it was penned and signed and dated... Mid spring, the season prior. Which meant the deadline had already passed. And, from what the letter said, it was too late to send the money... But he had only just gotten it, clearly having sat in Lhavit for some time before being delivered to him.

With a frown Moritz folded the letter, knowing he had only two choices. Either he went, or he did not. If he helped he would likely need to go to the city to work things out, seeing as the debt deadline had passed... Though who he was paying was a bit unclear.

Though would he feel worse for not going and not knowing, or for going and finding out it was all a trap and a set up?

WC: 828