A Dream and A Sol
--==New Scene: The First Morning After Arriving in Sol==--
Aylu burst onto the street at the crack of dawn; for awhile she watched as the sun rose above the mountains, as captured by the scene as she was the peaks she was anxious to soon climb. She watched the streets begin to wake up with commotion, the people with a million places to go but no patience to enjoy the journey. Eventually she climbed down from her perch atop the inn she stayed in and began the most exaggerated stretch and yawn that could be heard from several streets over. "Alright Aylu! Money," she tightly grips her sleeve of gold. "Check! Mmm... that's about it. Now, where was that person who could help me out?" The Halfling takes a few looks in all directions the street before her goes, then suddenly turns around, heading into the inn. "Bassil, I need your help!" she rushes through the building to find her comrade, in the least subtle manner possible. Bassil had spent most of the night in quiet contemplation. This was his first night spent in a major settlement. Ever since he left his home, he had been sleeping almost exclusively in tents and small caves out in the wastes. Between wondering about the identity of the mysterious benefactor and the noises of the outside world, Bassil has barely gotten any shut-eye. When the local populace started waking up and causing a commotion, the man decided it's about time to get dressed and try to blend in with the locals. He donned his armor, grabbed his sword and carefully secured his money pouch onto his belt. Just as he opens the door, Aylu's face pops up on the other side, startling him. "Ah!”he yelps before regaining his composure. "Aylu! Wonderful to see you! How are you?" "Oh, me, I'm doing alright. I hope you slept well, or slept at all," she turns away from the door. "I dunno where anyone else is so you should join me in my errand today!" "Actually-- Oh. Alright," Bassil quickly remembers that objecting is futile and begins following Aylu. "What is this 'errand' ?" The Halfling begins marching straight back to the street, keeping her gaze forward while she talks. "I decided that I needed a few things before I can begin my climb, including comfy clothes, and a better weapon." She pulls the old, wooden sling shot from her waist and turns it in her hand a few times. It's clear its seen years of wear, and one could even wonder how it's still holding up. "No precaution is too valuable!" The streets remain busy during dawn. Those first hours of light are when the cold winds of a desert meet the first rays of warm sunlight. Porters transporting goods from caravans and warehoused stocks onto the market can be seen with carts. One such common folk pass by, carrying freshly tanned leathers in a cart. "You want to go to the mountains, right?', Bassil turns his head towards where he believes the mountains should be as he speaks. "So what are you buying? A javelin, a crossbow? A ballista?" "That's always been the dream," her voice was quiet, sincere, then brightens up again suddenly. "I've no trainin' with any weapons at all, maybe Ol' Chipper at best. But I have years of practice with this slingshot, so I want to try and make a new one, hopefully made of something better than this waste wood." Aylu glances at the leathers, thoughts jumping in a new direction. "But even though I have so much money, everything costs so much. I couldn't even afford new clothes yet, this comes first. So I guess I'm stuck here for a bit longer than I wanted," she sighs, looking down at her many layers of tattered clothing, self-conscious for a moment. "Back in my village, our craftsmen used to say that every journey begins with a single step," proudly announces Bassil. "I don't know if you say the same thing here. Regardless, maybe you want to have a look here." Bassil approaches the aforementioned merchant and begins inspecting the contents of his cart. He gently places his hand on the leather and traces the texture with a perplexed look on his face. "Such curious skins. It is quite rare to find things like this in the west. If you cannot afford to buy leathers for a new..." he pauses for a brief moment, searching for a word in his head. "Jacket, jacket. If you cannot afford to buy a new jacket, maybe you can afford to buy a few strips for your new sling's grip. Perhaps you want to give your 'Chopper' a new grip, too." "Grip? Grip, grip..." she trails off, searching her memories, glancing at Bassil's sword, then to her calloused hands. "I guess the thought of more comfort on my weapon has never crossed my mind." She steps up the cart, standing on the tips of her toes to get a better look. The feeling of them intrigues her immensely, to the point that she hovers her hand over her sleeve of gold before exclaiming, "Wait!" She springs back, dropping the bag hidden beneath her bright red hair. "Do you think I have enough of the Worg pelt for clothes and extras like the grips?" Bassil snaps his fingers, as countless possibilities spring to his mind. He briefly sizes Aylu up and down and then speaks up. "The worg pelts! I am no leather man-- Leatherworker, I don't know if they're good or not. But you are small enough to wrap yourself up in it two times over," he chuckles. "Have you ever been in this place before?" appears to move at a similar pace to Bassil and Aylu, informs as they start perusing the products he is being paid to deliver, "Ya ken ask dem." The cart the porter hauls isn't large by any stretch, but the porter is a simple layman who moves a product from storage to market, market to storage. The 'Them' in question being the merchants as the porter breaks to start putting his haul into the crates near a stall selling leather and furs. Leather Workers are already there looking over today's deals. "I've never been outside the Wastes before, just between a few small settlements in the sand," Aylu responds, far more grounded than normal. She turns to the porter, then the stall he's dropping his haul at. "I don't know, should I really take a detour for clothes again?" "You're in charge, but let's make a plan of action," Bassil runs his fingers through his bushy beard. "You will need a jacket eventually, but there is no harm in focusing on the task at hand. So where do you think we can find a... A fletcher, is that the word?" The man smiles, recognizing that talking to Aylu is a perfect opportunity to improve and practice his Common. He had learn it from tutors before, but needing to use it on a day-to-day basis an entirely different beast. Aylu aggressively taps her foot on the sandy ground, arms crossed with a hand on her chin. An audible hmm is heard until she decides. "Clothes later yes yes yes. But I found a craftsman willing to make me a new shooter towards the end of town! And it's gonna be metal," her tone shifted to one of awe and flaunting for the final word. She then begins to walk again, immediately at her full walking speed, throwing a 'Thank you!' to the porter as she goes. "A fletcher works with wood? No, arrows!" she corrects herself. "An old guy I used to know was super good with wood and apparently was a fletcher at some point in his life." She continues walking and talking, not thinking to look back if Bassil was keeping up with her. The porter, having long since delivered his goods, is on break in the morning shade. He chats up an Order monk. It is a nice monk who shares part of her date-like fruit with the man. The sweetness goes well with a skin of water as they talk about the importance of tracking market stocks. Bassil continues walking behind Aylu without letting her get too far lest he risks losing the tiny halfling in the crowd. "Why are you so insistent on using a sling? Why not train with something like a crossbow or a--" , he continues talking before he almost walks straight into a man carrying a sizeable wooden barrel. "Whoa! My apologies, friend!" The man keeps walking and quickly adjusts his head wrap before catching up to the speeding halfling. "And why are you going to the mountains anyway? Are you seeking some kind of training, or spiritual enlightenment?" "Mmmmmm because it's special to me. It just feels right to stick with it no matter what." She dodges through a few people, ducking into a quieter side street. She hears the following question and immediately spins on her heels, turning to directly face Bassil as he catches up. "Because I want to see the world from the highest point. I want to reach the peak, and be able to see the beauty stretched before me in a million different ways that I could never see properly anywhere else. And because I want to touch the clouds and the bright shining stars hanging above everything. I made a promise to myself and others that I'd do something no one else from the Wastes has, and that's getting out of that sand pit and chasing my dreams." The halfling stares at Bassil, silently, for several seconds, her expression serious and body completely still for once. Her eyes drill into his, like his question was a challenge to her, and for those moments she stood taller than anyone around through her passion alone. Then her eyes close, and the energy in her voice fades, "Too many of the people I grew up around have just accepted a life in the Wastes like that's the only life out there." She spins around once more and continues walking, though noticeably at a pace Bassil could keep up with. "We're nearly there, another turn or two." Bassil remains quiet as Aylu explains herself, seemingly shocked by her drastic change of tone. Her words resonate within himself, causing him to think back on everything he's experienced over the course of the last few months. He had been so busy running that he never stopped to look at what's ahead; His life had left him an aimless wanderer. The man remains quiet for a few more minutes after Aylu's speech. Just then, he speaks back up again. "Do you plan to make this journey alone?" "I certainly don't plan to stop whether or not anyone is with me. Everyone has their own plan, I'd rather not interrupt that. But if anyone does come along with me, the company could be nice," she continues walking without looking back to regard Bassil, her tone still serious. Faint chinking from Bassil's armor reveals that the man is in fact keeping up with the halfling. His eyes darted around the narrow street, from the ground all the way up to the sun-touched rooftops of the nearby buildings. Just as they're about to reach their location, the man addresses Aylu. "I would like to join you," he says sheepishly. "I think I need this as much as you do." Aylu stops at the end of the street, looking both ways, her foot quickly tapping. "Left, and we're there," she whispers. Her head slightly turns, just enough to see Bassil out of her peripherals. "What will the climb get you?" she takes a step, nearly disappearing in the tide of people. The man keeps pushing through the crowd, using his wide frame to push through the people and his height to see the halfling before she completely disappears from his view. "I need-- Sorry, sorry," he almost yells while trying to dodge out of the way of the incoming people. "I need to see what is up there, beyond what we see; I need to know that there is more to life than just existing and fighting for survival." His voice grows slightly somber as he hesitates to continue talking. "There is someone, back home, whose eyes I need to open. The first step in achieving that is opening my own." The little red head weaves through the many people, kicking up plenty of dust in her hurry before bursting out in front of her destination. The stone building is unassuming, surrounded by plenty of stalls and other shops. Smoke pumps out from the roof in massive plumes of occasionally abnormal color. A group of three people draped in nicer clothing come out of the shop together, discussing something amongst themselves. Aylu turns and waits for Bassil to catch up once more, then motions for him to come down to her height. Bassil eventually catches up and takes a moment to catch his breath. After noticing Aylu's motioning, he approaches and squats in front of her, his eyes finally being on the same level as hers. Aylu taps the man with a single finger, leaving it directly in the center of his forehead. "So long as you're sure this is a good step in your greater journey," she pulls her hand back, a small smile returning to her face. "A wise person told me that once. Or closer to a dozen times. I lost track at some point," she shrugs, then grabs the sleeve of gold from her pack and shakes it to be sure it's all still there. She turns and walks into the shop, "Time to make another step in mine!"
Aylu burst onto the street at the crack of dawn; for awhile she watched as the sun rose above the mountains, as captured by the scene as she was the peaks she was anxious to soon climb. She watched the streets begin to wake up with commotion, the people with a million places to go but no patience to enjoy the journey. Eventually she climbed down from her perch atop the inn she stayed in and began the most exaggerated stretch and yawn that could be heard from several streets over. "Alright Aylu! Money," she tightly grips her sleeve of gold. "Check! Mmm... that's about it. Now, where was that person who could help me out?" The Halfling takes a few looks in all directions the street before her goes, then suddenly turns around, heading into the inn. "Bassil, I need your help!" she rushes through the building to find her comrade, in the least subtle manner possible. Bassil had spent most of the night in quiet contemplation. This was his first night spent in a major settlement. Ever since he left his home, he had been sleeping almost exclusively in tents and small caves out in the wastes. Between wondering about the identity of the mysterious benefactor and the noises of the outside world, Bassil has barely gotten any shut-eye. When the local populace started waking up and causing a commotion, the man decided it's about time to get dressed and try to blend in with the locals. He donned his armor, grabbed his sword and carefully secured his money pouch onto his belt. Just as he opens the door, Aylu's face pops up on the other side, startling him. "Ah!”he yelps before regaining his composure. "Aylu! Wonderful to see you! How are you?" "Oh, me, I'm doing alright. I hope you slept well, or slept at all," she turns away from the door. "I dunno where anyone else is so you should join me in my errand today!" "Actually-- Oh. Alright," Bassil quickly remembers that objecting is futile and begins following Aylu. "What is this 'errand' ?" The Halfling begins marching straight back to the street, keeping her gaze forward while she talks. "I decided that I needed a few things before I can begin my climb, including comfy clothes, and a better weapon." She pulls the old, wooden sling shot from her waist and turns it in her hand a few times. It's clear its seen years of wear, and one could even wonder how it's still holding up. "No precaution is too valuable!" The streets remain busy during dawn. Those first hours of light are when the cold winds of a desert meet the first rays of warm sunlight. Porters transporting goods from caravans and warehoused stocks onto the market can be seen with carts. One such common folk pass by, carrying freshly tanned leathers in a cart. "You want to go to the mountains, right?', Bassil turns his head towards where he believes the mountains should be as he speaks. "So what are you buying? A javelin, a crossbow? A ballista?" "That's always been the dream," her voice was quiet, sincere, then brightens up again suddenly. "I've no trainin' with any weapons at all, maybe Ol' Chipper at best. But I have years of practice with this slingshot, so I want to try and make a new one, hopefully made of something better than this waste wood." Aylu glances at the leathers, thoughts jumping in a new direction. "But even though I have so much money, everything costs so much. I couldn't even afford new clothes yet, this comes first. So I guess I'm stuck here for a bit longer than I wanted," she sighs, looking down at her many layers of tattered clothing, self-conscious for a moment. "Back in my village, our craftsmen used to say that every journey begins with a single step," proudly announces Bassil. "I don't know if you say the same thing here. Regardless, maybe you want to have a look here." Bassil approaches the aforementioned merchant and begins inspecting the contents of his cart. He gently places his hand on the leather and traces the texture with a perplexed look on his face. "Such curious skins. It is quite rare to find things like this in the west. If you cannot afford to buy leathers for a new..." he pauses for a brief moment, searching for a word in his head. "Jacket, jacket. If you cannot afford to buy a new jacket, maybe you can afford to buy a few strips for your new sling's grip. Perhaps you want to give your 'Chopper' a new grip, too." "Grip? Grip, grip..." she trails off, searching her memories, glancing at Bassil's sword, then to her calloused hands. "I guess the thought of more comfort on my weapon has never crossed my mind." She steps up the cart, standing on the tips of her toes to get a better look. The feeling of them intrigues her immensely, to the point that she hovers her hand over her sleeve of gold before exclaiming, "Wait!" She springs back, dropping the bag hidden beneath her bright red hair. "Do you think I have enough of the Worg pelt for clothes and extras like the grips?" Bassil snaps his fingers, as countless possibilities spring to his mind. He briefly sizes Aylu up and down and then speaks up. "The worg pelts! I am no leather man-- Leatherworker, I don't know if they're good or not. But you are small enough to wrap yourself up in it two times over," he chuckles. "Have you ever been in this place before?" appears to move at a similar pace to Bassil and Aylu, informs as they start perusing the products he is being paid to deliver, "Ya ken ask dem." The cart the porter hauls isn't large by any stretch, but the porter is a simple layman who moves a product from storage to market, market to storage. The 'Them' in question being the merchants as the porter breaks to start putting his haul into the crates near a stall selling leather and furs. Leather Workers are already there looking over today's deals. "I've never been outside the Wastes before, just between a few small settlements in the sand," Aylu responds, far more grounded than normal. She turns to the porter, then the stall he's dropping his haul at. "I don't know, should I really take a detour for clothes again?" "You're in charge, but let's make a plan of action," Bassil runs his fingers through his bushy beard. "You will need a jacket eventually, but there is no harm in focusing on the task at hand. So where do you think we can find a... A fletcher, is that the word?" The man smiles, recognizing that talking to Aylu is a perfect opportunity to improve and practice his Common. He had learn it from tutors before, but needing to use it on a day-to-day basis an entirely different beast. Aylu aggressively taps her foot on the sandy ground, arms crossed with a hand on her chin. An audible hmm is heard until she decides. "Clothes later yes yes yes. But I found a craftsman willing to make me a new shooter towards the end of town! And it's gonna be metal," her tone shifted to one of awe and flaunting for the final word. She then begins to walk again, immediately at her full walking speed, throwing a 'Thank you!' to the porter as she goes. "A fletcher works with wood? No, arrows!" she corrects herself. "An old guy I used to know was super good with wood and apparently was a fletcher at some point in his life." She continues walking and talking, not thinking to look back if Bassil was keeping up with her. The porter, having long since delivered his goods, is on break in the morning shade. He chats up an Order monk. It is a nice monk who shares part of her date-like fruit with the man. The sweetness goes well with a skin of water as they talk about the importance of tracking market stocks. Bassil continues walking behind Aylu without letting her get too far lest he risks losing the tiny halfling in the crowd. "Why are you so insistent on using a sling? Why not train with something like a crossbow or a--" , he continues talking before he almost walks straight into a man carrying a sizeable wooden barrel. "Whoa! My apologies, friend!" The man keeps walking and quickly adjusts his head wrap before catching up to the speeding halfling. "And why are you going to the mountains anyway? Are you seeking some kind of training, or spiritual enlightenment?" "Mmmmmm because it's special to me. It just feels right to stick with it no matter what." She dodges through a few people, ducking into a quieter side street. She hears the following question and immediately spins on her heels, turning to directly face Bassil as he catches up. "Because I want to see the world from the highest point. I want to reach the peak, and be able to see the beauty stretched before me in a million different ways that I could never see properly anywhere else. And because I want to touch the clouds and the bright shining stars hanging above everything. I made a promise to myself and others that I'd do something no one else from the Wastes has, and that's getting out of that sand pit and chasing my dreams." The halfling stares at Bassil, silently, for several seconds, her expression serious and body completely still for once. Her eyes drill into his, like his question was a challenge to her, and for those moments she stood taller than anyone around through her passion alone. Then her eyes close, and the energy in her voice fades, "Too many of the people I grew up around have just accepted a life in the Wastes like that's the only life out there." She spins around once more and continues walking, though noticeably at a pace Bassil could keep up with. "We're nearly there, another turn or two." Bassil remains quiet as Aylu explains herself, seemingly shocked by her drastic change of tone. Her words resonate within himself, causing him to think back on everything he's experienced over the course of the last few months. He had been so busy running that he never stopped to look at what's ahead; His life had left him an aimless wanderer. The man remains quiet for a few more minutes after Aylu's speech. Just then, he speaks back up again. "Do you plan to make this journey alone?" "I certainly don't plan to stop whether or not anyone is with me. Everyone has their own plan, I'd rather not interrupt that. But if anyone does come along with me, the company could be nice," she continues walking without looking back to regard Bassil, her tone still serious. Faint chinking from Bassil's armor reveals that the man is in fact keeping up with the halfling. His eyes darted around the narrow street, from the ground all the way up to the sun-touched rooftops of the nearby buildings. Just as they're about to reach their location, the man addresses Aylu. "I would like to join you," he says sheepishly. "I think I need this as much as you do." Aylu stops at the end of the street, looking both ways, her foot quickly tapping. "Left, and we're there," she whispers. Her head slightly turns, just enough to see Bassil out of her peripherals. "What will the climb get you?" she takes a step, nearly disappearing in the tide of people. The man keeps pushing through the crowd, using his wide frame to push through the people and his height to see the halfling before she completely disappears from his view. "I need-- Sorry, sorry," he almost yells while trying to dodge out of the way of the incoming people. "I need to see what is up there, beyond what we see; I need to know that there is more to life than just existing and fighting for survival." His voice grows slightly somber as he hesitates to continue talking. "There is someone, back home, whose eyes I need to open. The first step in achieving that is opening my own." The little red head weaves through the many people, kicking up plenty of dust in her hurry before bursting out in front of her destination. The stone building is unassuming, surrounded by plenty of stalls and other shops. Smoke pumps out from the roof in massive plumes of occasionally abnormal color. A group of three people draped in nicer clothing come out of the shop together, discussing something amongst themselves. Aylu turns and waits for Bassil to catch up once more, then motions for him to come down to her height. Bassil eventually catches up and takes a moment to catch his breath. After noticing Aylu's motioning, he approaches and squats in front of her, his eyes finally being on the same level as hers. Aylu taps the man with a single finger, leaving it directly in the center of his forehead. "So long as you're sure this is a good step in your greater journey," she pulls her hand back, a small smile returning to her face. "A wise person told me that once. Or closer to a dozen times. I lost track at some point," she shrugs, then grabs the sleeve of gold from her pack and shakes it to be sure it's all still there. She turns and walks into the shop, "Time to make another step in mine!"
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