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 Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:16 pm
Aquor Hold was deep in the southern jungle along side a deep strong river that flowed to the ocean. It was deeper in then Ursol, deeper in even the Trine Weyr itself. There nestled into the heart of the mass of green growth, carved out among the jungle and surrounded by the strange wonders of the southern continent lay Aquor hold.
The air typically heavy with heat, only cooling the tiniest bit from the nice breeze the river offered today was being filled with voices. A caravan had recently come up river bringing with them fresh goods and a market had been set up beneath the gaze of Aqour hold.
One benefit of living this far into the southern continent was that the people were used to strange things, odd things, things that go bump in the night and can't always be explained. Making it the perfect place for the tiny little ancientcraft hall that had been set up a stones throw away downwind of the hold. It's usually studious and typically less then social members taking a small break to come out of their hall and try their hand at interacting with their fellows and looking to see what new supplies had come in.
As the many figures darted about the market with their goods, wares, and wearing their favorite clothing, one figure in particular was easy to pick out among the crowd. Niyx, a acrobatic, catlike girl that wore light leather work gear and the brightest red clothes most holders had ever seen. A more traveled person would note that they were actually harper troupe clothes. The girls copper colored hair had been cropped short and was held back from her face by a red cloth headband that had a thick pair of goggles strapped ontop of it. This of course didn't stop the wild mop of hair from spiking every this way and that, getting out of the hairband as best it could. The girls ears were pierced multiple times and she wore very tiny copper hoops through them that glinted in the sun along with her goggles as she darted through the crowd.
Her errands done for the day Niyx was currently searching for the caravan leader. Born holdless herself, the girl hoped to hear news of her ever traveling family. Being a caravaner or any sort of traveler these days was risky without a dragon to sear thread and she was banking on whoever lead the group to maybe have had a run in with her own. If not that she could at least possibly get a few good stories out of the leader, the roaming folk tended to be close and seeing so many traders filled her with a sense of nostalgia.
Though there was no contest, her crafthall was her home now. For all it smelled like chemicals, had random explosions, and was filled with all sort of crazy things and eccentric people she loved it there. Sides many a witness would easily site that Niyx herself was most certainly one of those 'eccentric people.' That is, when you managed to pry the girl kicking and screaming away from her work or caught her during one of her extremely rare social moods like the one she was in today.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:25 am
Have you found anyone yet?
V’al sighed through his nose since his mouth was full of a pastry he’d bought from one of the merchant stalls. The young rider was leaned against the side corner of a closed stall. In the midevening sun, it provided a scant but serviceable amount of shade from the uncomfortable southern heat he had always known. He had spent most of the afternoon scouring the stalls for leathers and dyes, but he’d also spent a fair amount of time eyeing other goods as well. Aquor Hold may have had a port to the river and out to sea, but it was a long trip for trade to Iteos at the river’s mouth, and it seemed Aquor was fairly self-sustaining deep in the southern jungles. At least, their stalls showed varied goods, and while V’al was typically a spendthrift, he’d taken pleasure in strolling the market to see what was to be had though he had no practical use for most things he saw. Still, he had managed to weigh down the bag he’d set on the ground, and even with the muggy heat he’d worked up enough of an appetite to purchase a snack.
<Woken up, have you? I told you though, we’re not here on Search. We’re just here for leather for your next harness and odds and ends that I can’t track down in the weyr.> V’al brushed his gloved hands together to scatter the crumbs to the ground. It wasn’t very practical to eat in gloves, but this wasn’t the weyr and he attracted quite enough stares by simply being a rider. There was no need to go showing the scoring on his hand as well, not in a place that considered thread only a vague and worrying threat.
His dragon was silent for a moment and V’al had the impression of Lerath yawning and unfurling his wings along the bank of the river where he’d taken his nap. I remember, but you have not stopped being a Searchrider just because there are marks in your pocket.
V’al grinned despite himself. It wasn’t a common expression for him. The somber young man had gained turns, muscle, height, and a tan since first going to Trine Weyr, but never had his penetrating and calculating dark eyes and the serious set of his face changed. If anything, he only seemed more somber now that he was decked in riding leathers and a certain pride or awareness of his status put a rigid hold on his posture. Still, if there was anything that could crack his grave visage, it was the curious wit of his dear lifepartner. <That’s true enough. I haven’t seen any younglings of interest though behind the counters or I would have woken you.> As she spoke he sent the thought he glanced along the patrons wandering the market. Even though he was further away from the bustling core of the market and not far from an area more loaded with caravaners’ carts and stored stock than items presently for sale, it was a noisy, busy place.
You’re done shopping aren’t you? You should look around for a few minutes just in case.
<Alright, alright. If nothing else maybe I can find a strong lad to help me bring some of my purchases to the wall so we can get you loaded and go home quicker.> He’d bought a few good rolls of leather and left them at the stalls sine they’d been too heavy and cumbersome to cart around all day. Scanning the holdfolk milling about, he lifted his loaded sack and stepped away from the shade of the empty stall. For lack of options, he waved at a young woman passing by to catch her attention. She looked too busy and old to be interested in earning a little coin running errands for him, but she was about the youngest person he could spot right away. “Pardon, I’m looking for a youngster to help me haul around some purchases I made today. Do you have a kid brother or know someone I could use?”
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:49 am
A motion of movement just to her right caught Niyx's eye as the girl skidded to a stop shifting her balance on the balls of her feet to spin to look at the man who seemed to be trying to get her attention. After a few brief moments of just watching him she determined that yes indeed it was her he was waving over. Then with a light bouncing trot she wandered over.
Her attentiveness paid off, the man was a rider! In his gear too! Just the sight of him elicited so many questions in her mind that she could almost hear her thoughts buzz. His question though snapped her out of her thoughts as she zeroed in on his words with rapt attention. "I'm an only child that I know of sir. I could probably get you a strong lad later on to aid you, but right now what boys we have are out manning the river docks." The girls voice was a light alto, bordering on soprano with an odd accent from the other normal holders he'd seen so far siting her as an outsider.
Glancing around the stalls for a moment Niyx decided to let her curiosity help her take a leap. "I'm not on call right now Rider and am stronger then I look. If you don't mind I'd be happy to help." She added with a grin, straightening from the slightly crouched stance she had held before when she'd been ready to spring back off to her task. Right now though she had no plans on going anywhere. Wait until the Masters heard she'd met a rider! Maybe she could even ask him a few questions if she was polite.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:41 pm
Idly, V’al wondered if the girl was fatherless like herself. It wasn’t as acceptable a status in a Hold, but now was no time to go asking about that. His interest was more piqued by her willingness to forward her service so quickly. He wasn’t surprised by her interest of course – most children either were curious about Riders or even hoped to be Searched – but he hadn’t quite expected the tiny girl to offer her assistance for manual labor.
<Is she lying about the boys being at the docks?>
I’m downstream from them just now, but I saw quite a few earlier when I winged by and I can hear a number of young men from here. Did you think she would lie to stick herself to you out of curiosity?
<Maybe. It might have been interesting to catch her out on it.> To the young woman, he gave a slight nod and gestured for her to follow with a neutral expression. “That’s well enough. I just don’t care to make two trips. We just need go to down towards the docks and my dragon can meet us there. Have you seen one up close before?”
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:07 pm
"No sir. Only the watch dragon and only from a distance. I usually don't wander far from the hall. We don't have many apprentices so the masters and journeymen usually always have a task for the few of us there to do." She explained politely as she picked up her pace to follow him. The girl was of average height and had a very lean dancer build, built more for speed then anything else. From the careful way she placed her feet though hinted at possible harper training.
"Was it very hard to land on the river bank? I'm guessing that's where you landed. It's where the watch dragon typically likes to set down to avoid getting his dragons wings snared in the trees." Niyx asked keeping up a brisk pace along side the taller rider as they moved through the market.
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