AVftS-13

AVFtS: Night to Day

Part of a series of archived posts in AVftS
AVftS-13
Author:	Emily
Date Posted:	March 17, 2019
Forum Post:	Linked!
Word Count:	1,238
Characters:	Síne, Talamaeus Laeraxius, Osin, Leeva, Rizali Corvus
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In all her cycles living in Ceadaichte Mòir, Síne had never known of an empire butting up against the city limits, nor had she met this man who claimed to speak for it. She did not claim to know everything and everyone, but she certainly had expected to know everyone within a wide berth of the village. It was a rush of excitement in her heart to experience this feeling, this introduction to a strange and exceedingly unknowable man. Her conversation with him had gone better than with most new people she met, and she assumed no small part of that success was in the extreme effort she had practiced in holding back her excitement. She had a tendency to ramble on and on, and people would become bored of her quickly.

When the man before her finally stood up, showing more trust than she did from behind her eternal boulderesque shield, Síne let out an internal, silent cheer of success. He was comfortable with her! It was nice to make a new friend, and she couldn't wait to come back and talk to him again. Even with his farewell, "We thank you for your concern, but issues related to Fyrom domestic disputes are handled internally by The Emperor. We bid you good day, as well as safe and pleasant travel in the opposite direction," he radiated class and maturity. In a village of woodsmen and dung farmers, that was the only thing she needed. She wondered if he had any good books, or needed to borrow any good books. It wasn't like there were any she was reading at the moment- at least not until the traders came in the morning with their new supplies.

The woman turned to express her joy to Leeva, but to her disappointment the sprite seemed to have disappeared. Her face fell, but only for a second, as an apparent reason surfaced. “Oi! Síne! Don’t ye ken yer nae supposed tae play wi' fire?”

Síne turned to notice Osin approaching, and felt a pang of panic in her chest. The man who spoke for the emperor of Fyrom had expressly stated he didn't want any visitors, and she wasn't sure how to keep that from happening at this moment. It would be best to keep further conversation away from the borders; after all, even though the two of them were very obviously friends now, she couldn't just bring outsiders into the realm! That was presuming far too much on his hospitality... especially if he was the one who could make the aforenoticed explosions and the like. Instead, she hopped up from her position leaning against the boulder, and approached the elven woodcutter. "Oh, Osin, silly me. I was coming out to investigate the sound of the explosion, but couldn't find anything over here. Maybe we should get back to the town, see if Eoin is awake. He'll know what to do, and we shouldn't act on any thoughts without consulting him. After all, he is the mayor. I'm quite tired, and I'm afraid it's past time for me to sleep. Maybe we imagined the sound. Wouldn't that be something! Goodnight!"

She quickly sprinted away from the towering sentry.

---

After the merchants had packed up their camp that morning, Rizali had chosen to walk the last leg of the journey. It was only a handful of miles to reach the treeline and the tiny village that was said to exist on the edge of it, and he was if nothing else curious to see it. As they closed the distance, his mood soured to match the smell that seemed to surround the village. The scent of damp, fetid leaves drifted out from the forest, a strange experience as there had been no obvious signs of rain elsewhere. That mixed with cedar and a hint of body odour as the mayor came out to greet them. The sorceror stood at the head of the first wagon, appearing to examin the cleanliness of his fingernails as he examined their surroundings. The houses were quaint, the people even quainter. He didn't know why this was considered the last bloc of civilisation before passing through the forest, but that was neither here nor there.

"And these are our guests," he heard the caravan leader say. Letting out a sigh, he looked back to his hired man, Lyndh. The hulking barbarian wore the same stoic expression he had every single day since they'd met, as grim as one might expect of someone wielding a massive, two-handed kora sword. Taking nothing from their brief interaction, Rizali turned back and put on his best smile, stepping forward to take the extended hand of this goat herder. Did they have goats here? It didn't really matter. "A pleasure, master Eoin. My name is Rizali, and this is my hired man Lyndh. He doesn't speak much, but don't worry- I speak more than enough for the both of us." He shared the old man's laugh.

The mage wore a fitted, button-down red shirt under a dark golden cloak, with the hood pulled up. His pants were heavy cloth, picked specifically for their reliability during long-range travel, and his boots were durable, unstained leather. He appeared very much a high-class traveller, which made his pairing with the barbarian all that more strange in appearance. The larger man wore an animal skin across his shoulders, with a leather strap across his chest and under his right arm keeping it from falling away. His scabbard to hold the sword, enough leather to suggest the use of an entire herd of antelopes, hung horizontally across the back of his waist, resting against the heavy fur pants and boots he wore. He let out a grunt and a nod, but did not extend his hand. The kora rested across his shoulders, always drawn in case of surprise attack. They'd need it, if the rumours of this forest were to be believed.

Rizali had travelled with the caravan for protection, though he had no interest in their final destination. The village was a stopping off and restocking -if possible- point before traversing the Kingfisher Forest. The rumours surrounding the forest were extreme- it seemed to be an unbroken line of trees on an exact vertical line across most maps, from as far south as the land went to as far north. It was incredibly magical, even from where he stood the mage could feel the energy radiating from the trees. Though he hoped to keep as many secrets as possible from these bumpkins, the mage wasn't entirely certain how he would sneak out of their sight and into the forest during the day. He would very much prefer not to leave at night if he could at all help it. He would miss the ability to talk with some of the traders though, even if they weren't the brightest men and women. Lyndh wasn't much for conversation, much as he might look it.

"Might there be a place we could get some food and sit down for a moment, mayor Eoin?" Rizali asked, gray eyes peering from beneath the hood before being pointed toward the largest building in the village. Of course, the town hall, he'd be a personal guest of the mayor and his wife, and be treated to the finest food they could offer. Dryly, he wondered if that was to be animal dung and leaves.