IceAndWave/Departures
Departures
In which a home is left, fears are allayed, and an artificial warmness is engendered...
The 20th Day of Resplendent Air, Realm Year 764
The rumbling voices of the gneisson mark their agreement to Sian's bargain, only to be interrupted by the sudden exclamation of a group of children who were, presumably, looking for somewhere to play out of their parents' sight.
Sian blinks at this, naturally, and turns away from the elementals to see who it is. He just sort of looks at them, waiting for some other reaction.
The children just stand, eyes wide and mouths open, looking at the huge elementals. One of the gneisson moves slightly, shaking sand from its back, and the children bolt, disappearing with a chatter that seems halfway between frightened and excited.
Aia gently shakes a shoulder, "Venia. Venia, wake up..."
Venia opens her eyes slowly moing them over to look at Aia and nothing else. "Let me go back to sleep... wake me when the nightmare is over."
Aia shakes a little harder, "We're nearly ready to go, Venia. Is there anything more you want to pack up?"
Venia is surprisingly light as she is shaken back and forth. "No. Leave it all here,.. don't deserve it." She blinks, sitting up, "Wait... I need to write a letter... can I do that?"
The catgirl nods, "Sian keeps brush and ink with him, it's..." she thinks and then points, "In that box on the side."
Venia rolls over, pinning a piece of paper to the wall and scribbling out a short missive, very carefully replacing it and folding the letter before collapsing back down onto the bed. "There. Done. I will send it when we leave."
"We're leaving as soon as Sian gets here, I think. He said that he was almost ready," she looks around, "I think we'll need someone to carry all this stuff, though."
Venia nods. "Mmm... good. I hope he gets here soon, he has something of mine..."
Sian picks this moment to knock lightly, and look inside to see how they are. "All packed?"
Venia nods, curling up. "Yes. I have a letter, though... did you bring what I asked for?"
"It's on the wagon."
"Mrm... I'll get it from you soon, ok?"
Cassia arrives a short while after Sian, with a bag on her back.
"Once we get moving, yes." Sian stands to the side to let Cassia in.
She steps into the room, "I was packing, sorry."
"It's fine." He picks up a couple of suitcases. "We'll get our stuff loaded, then get the girls, okay?"
Venia nods, swinging her legs off the bed and taking up a suitcase with both hands, "Whatever you decide is fine."
Aia pulls the last of the bags shut, drawing its strings tightly. She looks around and nods, "We're done, Sian."
Sian nods slightly at the trio, and leads them out.
Descant is waiting at the base of the stairs, and bows deeply, "I am sorry to see you leave, Lord Sian."
Sian offers brief directions to the Guild compound, before stopping to speak with Descant. "And I am sorry to be going. I expect I will return eventually... just not anytime soon."
Descant nods slowly, "I will likely still be here if you do. Good fortune in the future, Lord Sian." He bows again.
"You too, Descant." He bows in return, as best he can with the suitcases.
Descant sees Sian to the door, while everyone else waits outside.
Sian offers a final goodbye, before returning to leading the group to the waiting wagons.
At the Guild enclave, the wagons stand ready and waiting. The gneisson have been yoked to the massive constructions, two to each, and the girls are visible as shadowed faces peering out through the backs, variously nervous or excited.
Venia stays quite close to Cassia the entire way there, only breaking off once to flag down a messenger and arrange for her letter. Beyond that moment, she might as well be a ghost following them.
Sian watches her worriedly, nonetheless. He directs Venia and Cassia to the second wagon, while he and Aia (along with Oriel) occupy the first.
The gneisson are restless, shoulders shaking repeatedly, and small mounds of sand have formed around their feet. The Guild merchant who sold Sian the wagons stands to one side, looking at the massive elementals, "I... I see what you mean about animals. What about the drovers?"
"The elementals are intelligent; they need none."
Cassia guides Venia into the wagon, helping her climb up to the second floor, carrying her suitcase up with obvious effort.
Venia sits down quietly, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting in the corner of the room.
Cassia watches her, worried.
Venia shrugs at Cassia. "Don't worry... I'll be over it soon."
"Ah..." the Guildsman's eyes look over the spirits again, calculating slightly, before he shrugs resignedly, "I wish you luck on the Road, winter will be here in earnest soon."
"Mm, I know, and thank you."
The Guildsman bows slightly, and departs for the main enclave building. The gneisson shift again, rumbling their impatience.
Sian returns to the front wagon, making sure all of the girls are settled in properly as he goes.
Most of the girls are resting in the hammocks that have been set up inside the wagons, while a few peer out of the windows and openings, looking at the city around them, or the giant elementals that will pull them. Mika and Ani provide assurances that everyone is looking forwards to the journey.
Sian is glad of this! He takes his seat at the front of the first wagon, and signals for the gneisson to move.
The elementals begin to move, the wagons following them smoothly as the massive spirits pull. The edge of the city is passed in a few minutes, and then everyone is on the Old Road, heading west at first as it skirts the edge of the Fell.
The wagons trundle up the Old Road, the gneisson fully capable of managing them without human assistance, something that causes more than a few open mouths from the opposite direction. Most of the girls have settled down now, the miracles that surround their rescuers becoming almost commonplace, but sometimes solitude becomes a necessity...
Sian has visited each of the caravans at least twice, Cassia and Aia are sleeping, Venia is at least resting, and the gneisson seem content. All the supplies are still secured, and the wagons have yet to cease being in good repair... he has nothing to do. So, he finally finds time to break out the letter delivered to him by his elemental messenger, sitting up on the driver's bench to read it in peace.
The letter is a single sheet of fine paper, as smooth as the finest silk, carefully folded over to hide the contents from prying eyes. In fine Old Realm characters, his name is written in dark ink, the brushwork obviously that of Sliding Joy, while the letter itself is sealed with wax and the mark of Whitewall. There is also an indefineable essence about it, that without sorcery-trained senses he would have been unable to notice.
Sian just hrms at this, breaking the seal with practised ease and taking in the contents of the letter.
The letter reads:
- "To our trusted servant Sian Nerivus, greetings,
- "We trust that this missive finds you in good repair, and that the requested monies served the desired purpose.
- "We require your services in a delicate and timely matter, and therefore ask that you return to our city forthwith, no later than six weeks after your request. There is a matter of some urgency and great import, to both ourselves and Whitewall, and your attendance is crucial to its successful completion.
- "Should you be unable to return within this time, we can arrange for more alacritous transportation at need. We must reiterate the importance of this matter - many lines converge on this point, and to fail would be to invite disaster on us all.
The letter ends with the abstruse sigil that the Syndics use to convey personal messages, although the body was obviously dictated to Sliding Joy.
Sian folds the letter up again, and rests his arms on his knees, looking out at the snow. Six weeks... with the time taken for the trip, that's only two or three weeks of time to settle the girls in. Not long, but manageable. He doesn't bother contemplating the reason for the deadline; it'll only cause him stress.
Sounds surround him, filling his hearing; the cawing of flocks of birds pecking out the last creatures from the grass, the rhythmic stomping of the elementals, the creak of wood and metal, the gentle cough of a girl beside him...
Sian blinks a bit as he realizes the last, and turns to see if Aia has woken.
"... hello," it is Mika, the girl from the ship, and peering around her is Ani, "Are... are you... busy?" She gestures carefully at the gneisson, as if scared they will notice.
Sian shakes his head at this. "No, just sitting. Is there something you need?"
"Um... we, me and Ani, were wondering... do we have to go with someone when we get to Whitewall?"
"Hrm? Well, no, I suppose not..." He turns around in his seat a little more, arm resting over the back of it. "If you think you can handle it, I'm sure we could find some places for you to live by yourselves."
"Oh no!" Mika says quickly, "We... want to stay with you, if we can. We can cook and clean, and you'll hardly know we're there... unless you want to..."
Sian pauses at this, a little lost for words. "Um... well, why?"
"We..." Mika jerks slightlty and looks back at Ani, "We want to thank you for saving us." She looks down slightly, "We... we can please you, if you want us to."
"You don't need to do that... I didn't expect anything in return for helping you." He shakes his head, climbing out of his seat to stand before them. "You should save that for someone you care about."
"I do care about you!" Ani says suddenly, "We both do! I... don't want to be married off or sent somewhere! Don't you want us?" She pulls her top open at that, revealing her breasts, "Am I ugly?" Tears well up in her eyes.
Sian gently closes his hands around hers, holding the shirt back together. "No, you're not ugly. Far from it. But my house is small... and besides, Aia would kill me." He offers a careful smile, trying to cheer her up.
"Aia?" Mika says, "The girl with the tail and the...?" she cups her hands up by her head, to make ears.
Sian nods slightly, and gestures to the large bundle of blankets in his bunk, which, when looked at closely, appear to have a tail poking out of them, slowly brushing the floor.
"... oh," Mika and Ani both look downcast, and then Mika says, "Can... can we stay with you anyway? Please?"
"You'll be nearby to my place, okay? If you need anything, you can visit whenever you like. And if I'm not in the city, my mother runs an inn, and she'll help with anything she can."
"And we won't have to marry anyone, or anything like that?"
"You won't have to marry anyone, or anything like that."
The two girls hug Sian tightly at that, and Mika sneaks in a quick kiss before blushing, "Sorry... Thank you."
Sian just smiles a bit. "You're welcome. Now go and get some sleep... it's late."
The two girls nod quickly, and then walk back into the wagon, not entirely happy, but neither completely downcast.
Sian puts the letter away, and works his way into the blankets, to relax with a purring catgirl.
Venia carefully knocks on Sian's wall, clad only in a loose shirt that ends just below her butt. She paces slowly back and forth, chewing on the nail on her pinky finger in agitation.
Sian looks around the edge of the wall after a few moments, shirtless. "Venia... can I help you?"
Venia nods, "Ah, about that thing, that I asked for... back on the ship... Is it ready?"
Sian just nods slightly, expecting this. He turns back into his partition, leaving Venia to watch the snow swirling out front.
She continues to fidget, holding the hand with the chewed-on nail down at her sid, other arm holding that elbow. She takes a deep breath, finally managing to settle down.
Sian speaks quietly. "Here... come and lie down." He's tidied the bed a bit, and is now slowly stirring the contents of a small measuring cup.
Venia does so, spreading arms and legs to point them at the bedposts.
Sian doesn't say anything as he draws her arms back to her sides. "Feeling any better?"
She nods, blushing slightly at her mistake. "Yes, some."
Hr just nods slightly, still stirring, "Eaten anything?"
"No..."
"I'll find you something after this, then." He taps the stick against the side of the cup a couple of times, then reaches under the bed, coming back with a fine silver syringe and a length of string.
Venia watches him, belatedly realizing just how naked she is and crossing her legs. She offers her left arm to him, being right handed.
Sian makes no comment as he moves around to that side of the bed, looping the string around her arm and tying it tight. "Flex your arm a bit..."
Venia does so, no longer looking at him, eyes closed as she tries to remain still and calm.
Sian reaches across for the cup as she does, dipping the syringe in and drawing the contents out. He flicks it a couple of times and waits for it to settle, before nodding a little, and looking down at her. "You sure?"
She takes a deep breath and nods, not really trusting her voice.
Sian nods back, and lifts her arm carefully, resting the needle flat against her skin. It only takes a moment for him to align it with the vein, another to sink it in, and before she even realizes it the drug is injected. He slowly draws out the syringe, and undoes the string, sitting back to watch.
Venia remains still, or at least tries to, a slow shudder wracking her body, low moan as she covers her face, a deep breath as her eyes dilate, almost solid black for a blinding moment before they return almost to normal.
Sian puts the various tools away, giving her a moment before he speaks. "How do you feel?"
She blinks a little, her old Realm accent back in her voice now that she's no longer paying attention to how she speaks, "Wonderful... You should really try it, it's like walking on clouds..."
Sian just nods a little, expression unchanged, "Would you like something to eat?"
"Doesn't really matter now," She smiles prettily at him.
"I'll find something. Just rest." Not that she likely can. He rises, and wanders back to find the food supplies.
Venia is still where she was when he left, apparently enthralled with the very slow bleeding of her arm, a drop every few heartbeats as she watches it trickle down her wrist.
Sian puts the small plate of food to the side, and finds a cloth, carefully wiping up the blood.
Venia pouts momentarily at him, focusing and getting it to stop.
Sian takes a seat, watching her. "Food is there, when you want it."
She nods, watching the steam rise up from it and finally reaching out to take a bite, langourous slow movements as she eats a bit.
Sian seems content to wait, and observe.
"I think this will do. Feel so much better... not so nervous." She turns back to smile at him, unconsciously posing for him on her side, shirt barely retaining her modesty and leaving him thinking about just how far that snake tattoo goes.
Sian offers the faintest of smiles in return, "Next dose in a couple of days, okay? Just come see me when you're ready."
Venia nods a little, returning to eating for a bit before blinking and turning back. "Why two?"
"Because otherwise the supplies won't last."
"Mmmm... That's a shame."
"It's just a temporary respite. Don't depend on it." He finds an old coat, and covers her lower half with it.
Venia blinks at the gesture, slow to realize why, another soft blush, very odd to see on her. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking..."
"It's okay. And keep the coat... you don't have many warm clothes, I've noticed."
"It's not like I don't deserve to be a little cold." She takes his hand anyway, a little clumsy as she kisses it. "Thank you anyway. I appreciate the thought... Walk me back in a few? I feel all wobbly...."
"You can stay here, if you want... I don't use the bunk, and Aia is checking the girls."
Venia shakes her head. "No, I need to get back. Get used to it now, while I'm still warm and content."
"Mm... okay." He doesn't release her hand.
Venia seems content with that, eating with one hand and occasionally checking to see he's still there, finally finishing it all and letting go to pass him the clean plate, oddly enough seeming to look for aproval from him.
Sian doesn't seem to disapprove, at least. He puts it to the side. "Ready to go?"
She nods, sitting up and swinging her feet off the bed to stand, slowly pulling the coat on.
Sian helps her with that, arms around her as he does a couple of buttons up.
Venia leans back into his chest, nuzzling his cheek wordlessly with eyes closed. He kisses her temple lightly. "Come on... let's get you back."
Venia nods, reaching down to settle his arm around her waist and let him lead her.
Sian proceeds to do so, going slow and letting her get used to walking like this.
Venia is still oddly graceful, but it's a grace disconnected with the world, slow sway of her hips occasionally causing her to bump into him, unclad feet slipping her and there and making her brace against him.
He releases her waist as they get to the steps, going down first and catching her when she stumbles off. "Careful."
She nods, mumbling a quiet sorry, not particularly moving to get out of those arms, turning her head and listening to the beat of his heart contentedly.
Sian just accepts this with a slight sigh, carrying her through the snow, back towards the second wagon. The gneisson pay them no mind as he carries her up, finding the space she has claimed for her own. It is empty but for a small crate and a hammock, totally blank and bare without even a candle waiting to be lit.
He shakes his head at this, placing her carefully in the hammock before going to raid this caravan's supplies. He returns momentarily with a couple of candles and an extra blanket, in case she needs it.
Venia is still in the hammock, though has managed to slide out of the coat, still buttoned as she clutches it to her chest, curled up into a ball in the center of the hammock. The rocking motion of the wagon sways her slowly side to side.
Sian lights a candle, and checks to see if she's still awake. She is, just sort of slow to respond. He crouches beside the hammock, and looks at her face, vaguely worried. "Want me to stay?"
Venia shakes her head no, "Yes."
Sian decides the voiced option is probably safer, so settles onto the floor to watch over her.
Venia closes her eyes, repressing the urge to go to him, the physical presence, and sniffs the coat instead, dreaming up vague, simple images of the pair of them. She finally opens her eyes again, looking at him over the edge of the hammock. "You should go. Aia will be worried, I will be fine."
"Mm... if you want. I'll ask her to check on you later, if you like."
"Whatever pleases you most, Sian," She gives a lazy little wave, again closing her eyes and burying her face in the coat.
Sian arranges it around her a little better, and offers a quiet goodnight, briefly checking to see that that the girls are sleeping before heading back up to his own caravan.
The hammock and its occupants sway from side to side, the night sky and a few stars visible through the small window above. Aia stirs against Sian, lying unsleeping as usual, and mrrrs quietly before waking. "Hey," she whispers.
"Hey. Sleep well?"
"Mostly," she stretches impressively, "once you get used to the ropes." She twangs the hammock slightly, and twists her neck to work the kinks out.
Sian gives her a light kiss after. "Mrm. Guess I'm just used to it... travelled on Guild caravans before."
The catgirl shivers a bit and snuggles up against Sian, "It's cold out. Good thing I have someone here to keep me warm."
Sian just smiles. "As I keep saying, it is the North. But yes, having a warm someone is good."
"Mhmm..." she snuggles in closer, "You're doing a good thing, Sian. With all the girls, I mean."
"Mm, I know. Just hope I can help them all." He idly scratches her ears, something he does without thinking.
"Mrrr..." Aia shivers, happily this time. Then she rolls over, to lie on Sian's chest. "Are... are the nightmares getting any better?" she asks.
"They only happen once a week... I don't need to sleep more than that. So yeah... in a way." He settles his arms around her.
Aia closes her eyes and rests her head on Sian's chest, "I wish I could do something about them. It scares me when you wake up screaming like that."
"Not exactly what I call fun, either." He half-smiles at her. "You're doing enough. I'd probably have broken down long ago if it wasn't for you."
"Mmmm..." she smiles and listens to Sian's heartbeat, "Do you have any plans for when we get to Whitewall?"
"The Syndics want me for something... didn't say what. But I'm going to find the girls places to stay, first. The wagons are fine for them to live in until I can."
"I guess," Aia says, "They do well enough for the Guild, even without the gneisson to help."
"Mhm." He kisses the top of her head. "That will probably occupy most of my time."
"Just have some for me, OK?"
"Of course. I've been neglecting you a bit... gotta make up for that."
"You've been busy, I know that. I've just... missed you a little, recently."
Sian just nods slightly, and holds her a bit closer. "Sorry."
Aia lifts her head and shuffles up a little. She kisses him gently, "I love you."
"You too." He returns the kiss, drawing it out for a long and satisfying while.
"Mmmm..." Aia smiles afterwards, then yawns a little, "I'm going to go back to sleep. If... if you need to, I'll be here for you."
Sian nods slightly. "I can last a few more days... but thanks."
"OK," already sounding drowsy, Aia closes her eyes and falls asleep, still on Sian's chest.
Sian draws the blankets up to cover her, and just rests quietly, gazing at the ceiling.
