Settling

After the adventure that I had with the others upon arriving in Alluminos, it was with glee that I awoke to find a gentle rain falling upon the land. The others did not seem to appreciate this blessing as much as I, but others rarely do. After my morning meditation I made my way down to the lobby of the Bitter Salt, seeking Mister Malopher. I found him near the bar. I was informed that a shipment of coffee had arrived that morning, and I gladly accepted a cup of it to enjoy with breakfast.
 
A Half-Elven woman, Miss Avalissa, had apparently invited Priestess Sophia out for an excursion. I have only spoken with Miss Avalissa in passing, but she seems to be a charming young lady. I was not aware that Priestess Sophia had any previous dealings with her, or to what end the invitation was placed. Whatever business it is that the two have with one another, Mister Clem and Mister Marlowe were allowed to tag along. The two ladies would surely appreciate the muscle, though I have confidence they can handle themselves.
 
As for Mister Malopher, Miss Stonetell and I, we all had business at the docks. Mister Malopher returned to the Aunt Hare. I came with him, while Miss Stonetell went about her own business upon our arrival. Captain Siesko seemed to be happy to see the two of us, and after some pleasantries, Mister Malopher asked if I could give the two of them some privacy. I, of course, acquiesced to this request. When Mister Malopher exited the Captain’s quarters, he gave me an opportunity to speak with Captain Siesko as well. I had told Mister Malopher previously that I had business with the Captain.
 
To my surprise, Captain Siesko informed me that he had received a Sending from Sensei. He had apparently praised me in his response, and informed me that he had another sending that he could return to her, inquiring what he might say. I must concede, I was so thoroughly caught off guard that I could not think of a thing for him to say, though now of course my mind rushes with all manner of things that I might have liked to share with her. Instead, I informed him that I had written Sensei a letter, and I asked if he would be willing to deliver it to her. He agreed to do so.
 
I expressed my apologies that I would be unable to accept his offer of employment, as I had my own dreams to pursue on land. He understood and asked me to make attempts to befriend Mister Malopher. The Captain seems to be concerned that people may not wish to do so due to his brusque demeanor. I assured the Captain that I believed that Mister Malopher and I ought to get along very well. It seemed to put him at ease. He offered me a drink, which I politely refused. With no further business, and no further pleasantries for the time being, we parted ways. I do hope that it is not the last time we speak to one another.
 
When I left my meeting with Captain Siesko, I found Mister Malopher using some hay bails to engage in some archery practice. I watched for a bit, but soon Miss Stonetell had found me. Apparently her affairs fell through, and so she invited me to go with her to meet with the others. We bade Mister Malopher farewell for the time being and sought to meet the others. Priestess Sophia, Miss Avalissa and Mister Clem passed us on their way back to the Bitter Salt, and so we walked together. Afterwards, Priestess Sophia excused herself. Mister Malopher returned in time for dinner, and Miss Avalissa joined us as well. It seems that there is some tension between the two of them. Of what nature, I cannot say. Priestess Sophia, meanwhile, seems to have mastered the ability to call upon a familiar. Her familiar is an adorable kitten. After all that we have been through, it was a sight to warm a weary heart.
 
Miss Avalissa is apparently going to be taking the same train out of town that Priestess Sophia was planning on taking, so it seems that we shall be seeing more of her. She offered to pay us as bodyguards. Though I would not classify myself a stalwart defender, we are nonetheless heading in the same direction, and I would be unable to turn a blind eye to peril were it to befall Miss Avalissa. As such, I informed her that I would consider her offer, though I warned her that I am not much for such work. Priestess Sophia told me that I was underselling myself. Perhaps she is correct. In matters such as these, however, I prefer to err on the side of caution.
 
 
After dinner, Mister Malopher and Miss Avalissa left together to speak privately, leaving Priestess Sophia, Mister Clem and myself together. I took this opportunity to ask Priestess Sophia more about herself. It seems that Priestess Sophia and I are of the same rank within the church. She told me that her denial is romance, and when I told her that I had chosen the very same denial, she seemed to be quite curious about it. I told her that depriving myself of romance has been effortless on my part. I informed her that my studies have been quite fruitful in its absence and that it is a useful tool to deter would be suitors. Priestess Sophia seemed to agree, though I could not help but get the sense that she was not entirely pleased with the circumstances. I feel it would be inappropriate to pry further into the matter until we are better acquainted, if she ever feels like volunteering such information at all.
 
Eventually, Priestess Sophia left and Mister Clem asked me why it was that our group was traveling together. I told him that we all certainly had our own reasons for being in Morado, however, Priestess Sophia was offering rather generous compensation for us to accompany her. He asked if I followed her due to the tower dream. I informed him that I was familiar with Divination, the school of magic through which the future can be seen, and the concepts of destiny. That being said, I have elected to travel together with the others for practical reasons and place little stock in the value of destiny. If our dreams are indeed prophetic, their meaning will become clear to us in time, but I have no intention of purposefully discovering their meaning. I told Mister Clem that we are all born in our own unique set of circumstances, with our own tools to work through life with. Leaving the course of events to fate is allowing one’s circumstances to define you. It is possible to use those circumstances to find one’s own meaning, however, and I told Mister Clem that I intended to do just that.
 
I asked Mister Clem if he had ever seen a tower such as the one in the dream, to which Mister Clem answered that he had not. When I asked him if he recognized the architectural style, it seemed that something had occurred to him, however. Mister Storyteller was nearby, and so the two of us went to sit with him. Mister Clem and Mister Storyteller spoke for a while in Akacheta before Mister Clem eventually excused himself. Mister Storyteller asked me to watch out for Mister Clem, to which I gave him assurances that I intended to do so. He then inquired about my hair color, but was rather enigmatic when I informed him that my hair has always been this color. I suspect the man knows far more than he has let on, but doubt that pressing him for details would have been very fruitful. Ultimately, I decided to excuse myself and retire for the evening.