For Want of a Boat

Log Info

• Title: For Want of a Boat
• Emitter: Aryia
• Characters: Aryia, Aya
• Place: Alexandrian Shipyards
• Time: March 20th, 2022
• Summary: Aryia is looking to buy a boat, but is having bad luck in finding one. Most are out for fishing season due to spring coming in. This frustrates the mul'neissian sailor to no end. Thankfully, Aya finds the mute before she could grow any more annoyed. She inquires Aryia about insight onto where a prey might be, and Aryia gives some suggestions through a mental connection using an item. This exposes some raw emotions, which they work through happily before Aya recruits Aryia for some hand to hand hunting. They strike a deal, and Aryia decides to throw hands (signs) at a poor sailor at there being no boats available.

Alexandrian Shipyards, Midday

"I still find it right fuckin' weird I get what you're flailing at me."

"Okay? Does it matter? Is it for sale or not?" <Handspeech>

Upon the docks of Port Alexandria, a scarred mul'neissa woman in a verdant buckle jacket is gesturing towards one of the sailors: a half-oruch man that's been tanned heavily by the sun. He grunts and crosses his arms. "Loo'. Ya drop off for gods only know how many months and come back lookin' to buy the damn thing?"

The mute woman gestures back, though her pantomime is somehow understood, like a master mime. "Did I stutter? If you aren't going to sell, then do you know who is?" <Handspeech>

He blows out a gout of air and pinches the bridge of his nose. "... I'll ask 'round, alright? Rada's tide, girl," the sailor grumbles before turning and slowly walking off.

Aryia silently groans and rubs her temples, mouthing some choice expletives to herself.

Aya was aware of Aryia's work about the docks. Arriving at the docks led her to the yards, proper, and she witnesses the tail end of the exchange. Predominantly Aryia massaging her temples to aid in disgorging the expletives. "A productive dicussion?" Aya inquires as she nears. She may not be able to simply appear while within the city, but that does not mean that she cannot keep her steps light and unobtrusive.

The lack of 'sudden-mul-syndrome' has the mute off guard, and she flinches like before. Aryia recovers as best she can, smiling lightly at the presence of her sister, but shaking her head and putting her hands on her hips.

She spits off to the side before gesturing with one hand. "Not really. Trying to find someone who will sell me a fucking boat. But since the season is changing, fish are migrating, which means big hauls." <Handspeech>

"Do you intend to go fishing, yourself, or simply sail the high seas?" A brow arches with Aya's inquiry. "In any case, I hope that you will not venture soon or for long."

Aryia shakes her head. "Neither. I want a boat because I can. Going to get tired of this city eventually. I got... I don't know, what, five centuries left in me? Got shit to see, things to do, you know?"

She tilts her head to the side, using both hands to flit about now. "What, are you wanting to go on a boat trip?" <Handspeech>

Aya ahs softly and nods. "Of course. I would not expect you to remain here for the next half-millenium." As to the question, she shakes her head. "Not specifically, though I shall be leaving the city soon, for a time. There remains a fiend to hunt. It is about that I sought you out here."

Aryia is not the best at hiding how she's feeling, so the expression of worry flicks across her visage, followed by old sensations of fear and longing. After a beat, she sloughs it off and rubs at her face. "Right," she gestures off to the side. "The thing with that thing tell you to do the thing with the thing...." <Handspeech>

Aya may not be any help in easing her sister's concerns as she scowls at the vague response on the side. Though... her eyes shift left and then right... perhaps caution is warranted, or it is merely a reminder of old habits formed for a reason. She shifts her conversation to gestures and keeps them small, physically between them. "I was told I needed to, yes, but that is not all of it. Daechir mends, but ... I- IT haunts his dreams, sister, as well as my thoughts. We must both be free of it. For that, first we must find it. Do you have any knowledge of where ... it was, in my absence?"

Aryia softly sighs and puts her hands in her pockets. Lips purse, and glowing gaze drifts from moving hands to the dock stonework beneath them. She's rifling through her memories.

A hand raises. Then lowers. Then raises again. "I think...-"

She stops, then levels her gaze at her. "I might know. Is it alright if tell you more, erm, directly?" she inquires, tapping an ivory band on the side of her head. <Handspeech>

Aya's brow lifts anew, now with some confusion. She may not fully grasp Aryia's innuendo or intention... but perhaps that is not required. "Whatever means you feel is best, is best. What do you have in mind?"

The mute gives a subtle nod as she shifts to a back foot to rest on. The onyx and quartz of the band glimmer faintly as Aryia squints at her sister.

There's a nagging sensation some moments later that's more like an erroneous thought. One that could be easily swept away, especially for the honed shadow walker.

But, a voice breaks through. Soft in cadence. Firm in tone. Proper of inflection. But chock full of- "Yeah so that was the most annoying shit to track down."

Nothing less should be expected.

Now the mute gesticulates like she's talking, but no signs or words are mouthed. "Every time we tried to trace you, you were popping all over Charn. But, apparently that thing in you was circling back to some temple or temples of Taara. I don't know the specifics, but think Cesran might know more. Maybe they ran away to that shit to recuperate I don't fuckin' know." <Telepathy>

The first thoughts apparent from Aya are worries: of Daechir, both for his own well-being and future, and, secondary, of Aya's continued role therein. The second batch is surprise as she 'hears' Aryia's voice between her ears. This is accompanied by a blink that subsequently focuses more firmly upon her sister.

Her mouth opens, but she pauses the reflex before speaking aloud. Instead, she merely considers the words. "You can sense this? He had at least one tower in Charn. They would be the first to serve anything that would offer power, so it surprises me not."

Aryia was aware of the nature of the device looped around the back of her noggin, hence she doesn't comment on her sister's worries. But it does spring a bit of a soft smile on her lips to see that Aya found something to anchor herself with.

She shakes her head. "No, can't sense it. Cesran used some spell or whatever to try and track you. I just told him shit about you to help with the tracking. Learned it was your body we were following, but it was impossible to pin down."

She looks off to the sea, now no longer needing to speak visually with her hands as she shoves them into her pockets. "Either there's probably one tower left, or a remaining one, and its gathering itself there. I'm sure it didn't like getting ejected out like that. With me punching your soul back into you and what not."

She snorts at that, a little grin pulling at her lips. <Telepathy>

Aya's thoughts were not clear with 'this,' and referred to whether Aryia could sense her thoughts, but confirmation enough was givn. If Aryia expected any negative thoughts concerning her revealing information of Aya to Cesran, she is disappointed. Instead, there is recognition, an echoed flash of humor with Aryia's choice of words, and then ... a flash of true realization, and an overwhelming surge of affection. Gratitude. Love.

With Aryia having turned away, it might even be enough to warn her before she is enveloped in her sister's embrace. Perhaps she never realized (aside from a sororital and chastising punch), just how much Aryia invested on her behalf. Even moreso that Aya previously never received, much less expected anything even remotely of that magnitude. If not for her Aryia...

Well, it is clear that Daechir is not the only one Aya owes an immeasurable debt to.

Aryia's eyes close as she lets her head hang. The sensations coming from Aya were parsed as she keeps 'talking' to her sister through the mental link. "You know, I was really fuckin' terrified I'd had to beat your ass. Then I fought you a little bit and I hit you. I /hit/ you! After fuck off how long I jus-"

Mental connections mean unfiltered thoughts. "Huh? What's u- ACK"

And now the mute was enveloped in an all encompassing hug. She blinks foolishly, understanding the emotion behind the gesture but not the whys. It's returned readily, and just as firmly.

"... you good, sis?" the mental voice tests softly.<Telepathy>

Aya just maintains the embrace, and the connection. "You overcame that fear, and stopped me. Saved me. Found me before that." To have slapped her soul back in she had to have had it, first. That part she had some knowledge on, but not the whole picture. "You were not bound to do any of those, yet you did."

There is a slight pause before she answers the question. "I am far better than I was, because of you. I will be good, soon, once this is done." The last thought is more hopeful and optimistic than certain, but it is enough. Finally, she relaxes the hold to release her. "I owe you more than I repay, but I will use the next centuries to attempt to, sister."

Aryia softly sighs and rests her head on the other mul's shoulder. Without missing a beat, she says simply, plain as any undeniable fact. "I did because I love you, dumbass."

She gives a little shake of her head, Aryia lifting to gaze at Aya proper as she pulls away slightly. "You don't owe me anything. That debt was repaid when I decked your face as hard as I fucking could. I hope you still feel that decades later."

It's mostly a tease. And partially a 'don't-do-that-again' chastise.

She simply smiles. "Your best repayment is to just be happy. That's all I could ever ask for." <Telepathy>

Aya meets her gaze. "It is a blow I will never forget." There is a flicker of thought, unbidden, to another blow struck; upon Daechir and from the striker's POV. It is fleeting and buried almost as quick as it appears, however.

"Thank you," Aya voices aloud. "I am, and strive to be so for the future. I will speak with Cesran. If it went to the same place multiple times before, it may well do so again."

Aryia's mental voice quickly steps in. If she didn't answer her sensing thoughts before, she clearly does now. "Inflict that on the demon instead," she mentions before stepping off it.

She bobs her head once. "Yeah. Might be a good place to hunt." A pause. The mental connection was clearly favored in one direction, as whatever thoughts flicked behind in the mute's mind solely and privately. "Well. If you do manage to figure it out, please kill the fucking thing into hundreds of teeny tiny pieces, stomp on the pieces, then drop holy water on it just to be safe. Bury it with the rest of the past."

She slugs Aya in the arm with a grin. "Then fucking retire or something, you've done a shit load and could use a few decades of a break, for fuck's sake." <Telepathy>

Aya catches the reference, the slug, and the grin. After a flash of someting at the first, she returns.. just the last by echoing the grin. "I will ensure that it is destroyed permanently." That much she's certain of... or nearly so. "After that, I am done. My time will be for you and Daechir. My family."

A moment or two passes before she asks, "Would you accompany me? It -must- be destroyed. If I fail, someone must do it. There are few I trust, and fewer still that are as strong as you."

The idea of Aya taking it easy afterwards settles Aryia, her relaxing and resting on her back foot. "Good. You deserve- and need- to rest."

The question makes her perk up. "Ye-" Just as brisk as the answer comes, it halts, and she takes the moment to be more wise about it and ponders. Weighing things. Effort. Energy. Stress. Her once-cut throat bobs once.

"The... thing that tasked you with this. I dunno how it feels about me tagging along. But I'll help you."

She holds up a finger. "If!"

It points at Aya. "You live. Shit goes sideways, we run. You aboutta die? I'm dragging your ass out. I am NOT going back to the Grey Halls again. And the next time won't be to get you back, it'll be to beat the shit out of your soul."

She sticks out a hand to shake. "Got it?" <Telepathy>

Aya considers that caveat. Would she prefer to not die? Certainly. More than that, though, that is now two who have made that a condition. That there is a sudden flush of concern for Daechir reveals the other. She looks to Aryia for several moments before she dips her chin in a nod. "I accept your terms, for Daed's benefit. The ... spirit, angel, whatever it was, gave me freedom to recruit whomever I wished. There is none more capable who I trust more than you, Aryia. You have already proven that you are stronger than I. Still, I am not doing this for it, but for the future."

"Deal." Even without a hand to shake, Aryia closes that gap and grabs Aya's hand, sealing it. "You recruiting anyone else? Or just you and me? I know demons can teleport, so... dunno how I'm gonna lock it down. Know some people who could do that though. Up to you, since it's your task."

There's a brief mental image of a grey fist colliding with a boulder. "Gonna have to get back to training."

A beat, then she softly smiles. "... glad you trust me. Glad I could not be useless anymore," she intones mentally, that affectionate feeling bleeding over. Harking back to all the way when they first met.

She glances over her shoulder. "Who knows, maybe I'll have a boat for us to stash away on by the time we get moving. I'll stock it with booze so we can celebrate at sea." <Telepathy>

Aya shakes the hand, even if she was too slow on offering hers. She then snorts. "You were never useless. That was your worry, not others'. I don't know who else to ask, yet. Cesran, perhaps, as he may be able to better track it. He might be able to pin it down."

Aryia bobs her head once, letting go of the hand to elbow Aya in the side. "Not a bad idea."

She lets out a languid sigh, an ear twitching once as she hears the half-oruch sailor coming back from the distance. "Thanks for chatting with me, sis," she hums in her mind, stealing a brisk hug. "I gotta wrestle some more people to find out who the fuck is selling a boat. Seriously. A whole fucking major port, and not one person selling that's not stupidly overpriced! Absurd!" She throws her hands up into the air.<Telepathy>

Following the brief hug, Ayarolls one shoulder. "After you asked one, perhaps they let all others know you are interested to buy? Now they can all raise their asking price and profit at your expense?" It is just a thought, albeit one based off of certain less-than-polite- practices. "I look forward to speaking with you again, sister. Best of luck in finding your dream boat."

"If they try that, I'll kick their ass. I have /some/ reputation here at the very least," Aryia fires back. "Thanks. Love you." <Telepathy>

"Hey uh, Aryia. So... there's no boat here-"

"Oh for /fuck's/ sa-!" the mental connection severs before the mute pivots around to address the man, her hands starting to fly. Thankfully not to punch.

-End Scene-