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Jan. 18th, 2009 04:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagas_isaTitle: Take me home
Word Count: 1325
Rating: PG
Summary: Mier's not so triumphant return to Aurelin
The return to Aurelin was not what Mier hoped it would be. If he were to be honest with himself, he would have liked some sort of recognition for going to Sadir and becoming a full-fledged Shadow Hunter, or a full-fledged anything.
"It's cold up here." Natalia clutched her heavy cloak around her shoulder, but she still wore her light southern clothing, even to the point of having an exposed navel.
Mier shook his head. The wind nipped him a little bit, but he had dressed for the weather and grown up here for the first nineteen years of his life. "It gets a lot worse in winter. I'm sure we can find some warmer clothes for you somewhere."
Natalia glared at him. "I am not that cold, to wear your clothing. Let's find an inn and a fire." She put her spear back in formation. "Lead the way."
Mier did so, walking down the main path of Aurelin. "We could--" he started to say, turning the opposite direction, to the woods in the south. It would be faster, and the three packs on his shoulders had been wearing on them all day. Only, he didn't want to introduce Natalia to his parents, or his parents to Natalia, and he hadn't left on the best of notes.
"We could, what?" Natalia glared him. The cold, though it was actually warm for Aurelin at this time of year, made her crankier than usual.
Mier headed towards town again. "We could find an inn in town, much more convenient. It's closer to the ocean."
For a moment, Natalia's lips pursed and she seemed about to mention or pursue something further, and then she rolled her eyes and turned her head away so that her long brown braid whipped around in the breeze. "Then don't hesitate. By the Warrior, this is horrible!" Her knuckles turned pale around the pole of her spear.
Mier led on, the damp and grey of early fall doing nothing to lift his spirits for homecoming. Few people walked the streets, and only those who needed to work or shop. Almost no one recognized him as the Forest's youngest son, and even if they had, Mier doubted they would welcome him. Whenever anyone gave them a second glance Mier averted their eyes, and prayed they were looking at the strangely and inappropriately dressed Natalia.
At least Natalia had worn boots. If the cold mud from the streets had gotten on the sandals, Mier was sure she would have been arrested for disturbing the peace. Then his family would have surely gotten involved.
Mier hefted the packs that were starting to slide down, and pointed to the Red Trap in. "That's the cheapest place in town, and the closest to the sea. Not the best part of town."
To her credit, Natalia managed a laugh. "I think I can deal with your northern thugs." She tightened her grip on her spear. "We should send out an advertisement. See how many of them I can wound before I get winded."
Mier opened the door for her. "Let's not. I'd like to keep a low profile, if at all possible. You get the rooms. Please." He dropped five chops, rough copper coins in her hands. "That'll buy us three nights. We should know by then if we need to stay longer."
Again, Natalia glared at him, and pursed her lips as if to speak. "That man, there?" She pointed to an older man behind a counter, the golden light shining against his bald head, and his beard and mustache giving him an intimidating presence. Mier tried to remember if he had been a friend of his father's.
"Him." Mier waited in a corner where the weak lamps couldn't reach and kept the hood of his cloak pulled forward. "I'll wait here."
He couldn't hear the exchange, although the innkeeper's mustache and brows twisted in irritation. Natalia stood firm, pressed the five chops in his hand, and stormed back to Mier.
"Upstairs, now." Her nails dug into his forearm as she dragged him to their room, unlocked the door, and managed to shove him and their bags inside. She closed the door, locked it again, and turned on him.
"Explain. Now." Her brown eyes gleamed dangerously, and her Casarran accent grew thick with her anger.
"I don't know what to explain." Mier turned to look for an escape, as one might with a provoked bear.
"Why am I doing servant's work for you?" She put her spear down, at least she had enough control to remember to not threaten people with weapons. "Why am I dealing with the disgusting Aurelin people, when you are Aurelin and my servant."
He wanted to correct her. Second to her first, or not, Mier was a partner, not a servant. Thinking better of it, he averted his eyes. "I'm making this easy for us. I did not leave Aurelin on the best of terms."
Natalia narrowed her eyes. "Are you a criminal here?"
A quick shake of his head denied that statement. "I'm just not welcome. I'm unlucky, as the proverb goes."
"And bad luck makes you unwelcome?"
"It makes me not want to deal with people. You aren't Aurelin, so at least they won't care so much. If anyone recognizes me, I'll have to answer questions and explain to my parents why I'm back. In addition to being a bad omen. So it's easier you see."
Natalia pointed to the fireplace. "Go light that. Then you may unpack the bags." She sat crosslegged on the bed. "I will figure what our first course of action will be. Do you believe that man had the nerve to comment on my clothing?" The cloak had come off, and if Mier hadn't seen what she usually wore at Sadir--a band across her breasts and knee length pants-- he would have thought her clothes today, which at least had sleeves and the illusion of a neckline, was too revealing.
"You'll want warmer clothes. We can't take the fire everywhere we go." Mier stacked the logs and lit the kindling. Flames rose from the paper, and started its jump from paper, to twigs, to sticks to the full logs. He watched for a few moments. Satisfied that the fire had indeed started, he went over and began unpacking the bags, while Natalia laid back and closed her eyes.
"Say, what is the proverb that makes you unlucky?" She asked after a few minutes.
Mier paused. "The first son takes the father's hammer. The second serves his father's country. The gives the father pearls. The fourth brings the father's misfortune. Fourth son. Want to hear the one about daughters?"
"No. That's enough. You say my people are barbarians. At least we treat children as blessings no matter if they are first, fourth, or forty-fourth." Natalia picked up one of their maps. "Do you have any clue where this vent might be?"
Mier dug through his memories. "Two places, I think. I can check the Gray Man's Oracle myself tomorrow. It should be easy. The other one, we'll need a boat and some diving gear. It's an underwater cave to the southwest." Mier looked over her shoulder, and pointed respectively to each of the places. Then he turned back and put away Natalia's clothing.
"We can rent a boat?"
Mier shrugged. "Maybe. If a captain is in port doing repairs, we could probably ask for a lifeboat pretty cheap. If not..." he trailed off.
"If not?" Natalia raised an eyebrow. Her hands folded and unfolded their map of Aurelin and the surrounding areas.
"We could always jump off the cliff and hope we swim."
"You can do that. Anything else?"
Mier saw what Natalia was hinting at. "I'd rather not."
"What's the point of having family here, if you won't even ask them for tiny favors?"
"If it comes down to it." Mier grimaced.
Word Count: 1325
Rating: PG
Summary: Mier's not so triumphant return to Aurelin
The return to Aurelin was not what Mier hoped it would be. If he were to be honest with himself, he would have liked some sort of recognition for going to Sadir and becoming a full-fledged Shadow Hunter, or a full-fledged anything.
"It's cold up here." Natalia clutched her heavy cloak around her shoulder, but she still wore her light southern clothing, even to the point of having an exposed navel.
Mier shook his head. The wind nipped him a little bit, but he had dressed for the weather and grown up here for the first nineteen years of his life. "It gets a lot worse in winter. I'm sure we can find some warmer clothes for you somewhere."
Natalia glared at him. "I am not that cold, to wear your clothing. Let's find an inn and a fire." She put her spear back in formation. "Lead the way."
Mier did so, walking down the main path of Aurelin. "We could--" he started to say, turning the opposite direction, to the woods in the south. It would be faster, and the three packs on his shoulders had been wearing on them all day. Only, he didn't want to introduce Natalia to his parents, or his parents to Natalia, and he hadn't left on the best of notes.
"We could, what?" Natalia glared him. The cold, though it was actually warm for Aurelin at this time of year, made her crankier than usual.
Mier headed towards town again. "We could find an inn in town, much more convenient. It's closer to the ocean."
For a moment, Natalia's lips pursed and she seemed about to mention or pursue something further, and then she rolled her eyes and turned her head away so that her long brown braid whipped around in the breeze. "Then don't hesitate. By the Warrior, this is horrible!" Her knuckles turned pale around the pole of her spear.
Mier led on, the damp and grey of early fall doing nothing to lift his spirits for homecoming. Few people walked the streets, and only those who needed to work or shop. Almost no one recognized him as the Forest's youngest son, and even if they had, Mier doubted they would welcome him. Whenever anyone gave them a second glance Mier averted their eyes, and prayed they were looking at the strangely and inappropriately dressed Natalia.
At least Natalia had worn boots. If the cold mud from the streets had gotten on the sandals, Mier was sure she would have been arrested for disturbing the peace. Then his family would have surely gotten involved.
Mier hefted the packs that were starting to slide down, and pointed to the Red Trap in. "That's the cheapest place in town, and the closest to the sea. Not the best part of town."
To her credit, Natalia managed a laugh. "I think I can deal with your northern thugs." She tightened her grip on her spear. "We should send out an advertisement. See how many of them I can wound before I get winded."
Mier opened the door for her. "Let's not. I'd like to keep a low profile, if at all possible. You get the rooms. Please." He dropped five chops, rough copper coins in her hands. "That'll buy us three nights. We should know by then if we need to stay longer."
Again, Natalia glared at him, and pursed her lips as if to speak. "That man, there?" She pointed to an older man behind a counter, the golden light shining against his bald head, and his beard and mustache giving him an intimidating presence. Mier tried to remember if he had been a friend of his father's.
"Him." Mier waited in a corner where the weak lamps couldn't reach and kept the hood of his cloak pulled forward. "I'll wait here."
He couldn't hear the exchange, although the innkeeper's mustache and brows twisted in irritation. Natalia stood firm, pressed the five chops in his hand, and stormed back to Mier.
"Upstairs, now." Her nails dug into his forearm as she dragged him to their room, unlocked the door, and managed to shove him and their bags inside. She closed the door, locked it again, and turned on him.
"Explain. Now." Her brown eyes gleamed dangerously, and her Casarran accent grew thick with her anger.
"I don't know what to explain." Mier turned to look for an escape, as one might with a provoked bear.
"Why am I doing servant's work for you?" She put her spear down, at least she had enough control to remember to not threaten people with weapons. "Why am I dealing with the disgusting Aurelin people, when you are Aurelin and my servant."
He wanted to correct her. Second to her first, or not, Mier was a partner, not a servant. Thinking better of it, he averted his eyes. "I'm making this easy for us. I did not leave Aurelin on the best of terms."
Natalia narrowed her eyes. "Are you a criminal here?"
A quick shake of his head denied that statement. "I'm just not welcome. I'm unlucky, as the proverb goes."
"And bad luck makes you unwelcome?"
"It makes me not want to deal with people. You aren't Aurelin, so at least they won't care so much. If anyone recognizes me, I'll have to answer questions and explain to my parents why I'm back. In addition to being a bad omen. So it's easier you see."
Natalia pointed to the fireplace. "Go light that. Then you may unpack the bags." She sat crosslegged on the bed. "I will figure what our first course of action will be. Do you believe that man had the nerve to comment on my clothing?" The cloak had come off, and if Mier hadn't seen what she usually wore at Sadir--a band across her breasts and knee length pants-- he would have thought her clothes today, which at least had sleeves and the illusion of a neckline, was too revealing.
"You'll want warmer clothes. We can't take the fire everywhere we go." Mier stacked the logs and lit the kindling. Flames rose from the paper, and started its jump from paper, to twigs, to sticks to the full logs. He watched for a few moments. Satisfied that the fire had indeed started, he went over and began unpacking the bags, while Natalia laid back and closed her eyes.
"Say, what is the proverb that makes you unlucky?" She asked after a few minutes.
Mier paused. "The first son takes the father's hammer. The second serves his father's country. The gives the father pearls. The fourth brings the father's misfortune. Fourth son. Want to hear the one about daughters?"
"No. That's enough. You say my people are barbarians. At least we treat children as blessings no matter if they are first, fourth, or forty-fourth." Natalia picked up one of their maps. "Do you have any clue where this vent might be?"
Mier dug through his memories. "Two places, I think. I can check the Gray Man's Oracle myself tomorrow. It should be easy. The other one, we'll need a boat and some diving gear. It's an underwater cave to the southwest." Mier looked over her shoulder, and pointed respectively to each of the places. Then he turned back and put away Natalia's clothing.
"We can rent a boat?"
Mier shrugged. "Maybe. If a captain is in port doing repairs, we could probably ask for a lifeboat pretty cheap. If not..." he trailed off.
"If not?" Natalia raised an eyebrow. Her hands folded and unfolded their map of Aurelin and the surrounding areas.
"We could always jump off the cliff and hope we swim."
"You can do that. Anything else?"
Mier saw what Natalia was hinting at. "I'd rather not."
"What's the point of having family here, if you won't even ask them for tiny favors?"
"If it comes down to it." Mier grimaced.
