Return of the Orchard Artificer

Alexandria market district, late afternoon.

It had been some time indeed since Schara had been back in Alexandria. So much so that the majority of the summer had passed her by.

Hopefully, Slatesteel would understand the extended absence.

The time spend was not wasted, however, as the artificer covered completely in armor had a few extra packs laden with baked goods of all sorts. Hopefully they would help smooth things over with people she knew as she took a walk through the streets.

Warrick was also out of Aelxandria, but not nearly as long, having only stayed at Schara's family farm for a couple of days before needing to head back home. He had returned some time ago.

Said man could be easily spotted speaking with a merchant at a stand, his blackened scale mail and helmet on the trade table with sizable holes and breaks in the metal, as well as the helmet having been shattered open. "I understand I won't get much for it now, it's scrap," he tells them.

Schara did not have any particular plans for the time being, which was to say, the artificer was caught completely off guard by the guard. All of the armor was still quite loud and more than a bit creakier than usual as the elf made her way over to the stall.

"Hello Warrick! What are you doing with your armor today and it is very good to see you and I hope the months have been pleasant in general." The artificer half rambles in their familiar fashion.

"Best I can give you is a hundred gold for it," the merchant frowns, putting their hands on their hips.

"That shall suffice-" Warrick turns, cut off from the sounds he hears. His brows shoot up. "Ah, Schara!" he smiles. "Good to see you again. You seem to be in a good mood."

He gives his armor a side eye. "It did its job and its time to retire it," he mentions, patting the chest of the scale mail. Several pieces of metal break off from a hole in the ribs. "Going to visit Slatesteel later to get something new fitted out. Glad to see you're back."

"Would you give him more gold if the metal was already processed for you?" Schara wonders out loud. "Anyways that's not important even though it is important you receive a fair price for your wares. I am in a good mood since I am back in the city and I just met a friend I haven't seen in a while which makes plenty of sense."

The artificer pokes some of the armor. "I am glad to be back as well as much as I enjoyed spending a lot of time with my family." She replies. "I should go and speak to her and I hope she is understanding. I hope her work load has not been too much with my absence."

"... it's already been processed enough," the merchant grunts.

"One hundred is fine," Warrick cuts in, taking the coin from the merchant and pocketing it before turning to Schara. "Worry not of the price, the fact I get anything for it is enough considering the beating it took."

He smiles a bit at that. "I'm glad to hear all of that. I hope they're doing well?"

The armor crinkles a bit under the poke. Looking at it, it seems like the armor endured a plethora of cuts and impacts, the worst being the helmet, as it looks like it took a something so strongly head on that it shattered.

He shrugs. "She isn't upset. Family business is family business, she knows that pretty well. I told her I was going to help you with it, and she said, and I quote, 'as long as Schara brings me somethin' tasty as fuck I don' give a damn'." He chuckles. "I've had to be absent several times for similar reasons, so she gets it."

Aelwyn wanders in from the markets as well - wiping at his face, whilst carrying a lantern off his spear. It was usually easy to spot the not-so-tall ruddy sith-makar - usually something was on fire, regardless.

"Brass! Crossbow!" The draconian greets with a flash of his teeth. "This one is glad to see the mysterious walking armour back in town and in good condition." He tells Schara with a flicker of his tongue. "Recovered from the trip?"

"Oh, well that is good, but I don't like being unreliable. But that seems sorted, and I have enough food to share with most people I know. Thankfully the harvest was quite good and there is plenty for all of you. Would you like some now or should I wait until later? Of course Cinny is welcome as well."

The artificer drops any haggling (probably for the best), and instead turns to see someone else familiar. "Sir Aelwyn! That is what I am supposed to refer to you as now yes? I saw some announcement somewhere of that sort. I am not in particularly good shape, and I do not know if I am recovered, but that is alright and I'm doing okay."

Warrick turns to the voice that calls out, offering a bow of the head and a wave from the hip. "Aelwyn, good to see you."

He glances towards Schara. "Unreliable means you don't communicate. It has been communicated-" Blink. "Oh, yes, certainly. I'd like whatever your family harvest. I can have some now, and drop the rest off at home for Cinny."

Oh yes. That's right. Aelwyn was knighted recently. Warrick wasn't sure how to feel about that yet. "It's alright Schara, these things take time to come to terms with. Anything we can help with?"

Aelwyn makes a gracious bow, stretching out his leg, before he straightens and lazily hangs his hands over his glaive. "Yes, Cavalier of the Order of the Cockatrice." He flashes his teeth. "Though this one prefers the one who dances with fire."

Returning to the conversation, Aelwyn turns his head towards Schara. "Ah, this one does not know all the details - but regardless, the sun shall rise tomorrow. And it shall feel warmer then." He offers, and pats the brass armor.

"Yes, but I wasn't expecting to need to spend so much time there." Schara admits as she reaches into one of her rather large bags. "I have apple pies with and without other ingredients, apple turnovers, apple fritters, apple dumplings, cinammon apple cakes, and freshly harvested apples of various cultivars, so please take your pick out of them."

"Alright then, though The one who dances with fire Aelwyn is a bit long for an honorific and I don't know all the details. I'd rather not focus on it for the moment now, but I would probably like help in the future. Much of my time back home was spent trying to help with decades of apprehension and villification, regardless if the cleric in question was proven to be wrong."

Warrick glances to the side, as if he's thinking about something. What kind of knightly group would bestow their honor upon the fire dancer? He blinks. Oh. Of course. The Cockatrice. Everything makes sense now. He chuckles to himself.

He turns back to Schara, brows raised. "That is certainly quite a lot. I'll take a fritter, and some harvest apples and couple of pies for later," he requests.

There's a bit of a frown at the vilification. "That, I think, will simply take time, but I don't mind helping clear the air when the dust has settled some more so to speak. But I don't know when that'll be." A pause. "Considering lifespans."

Aelwyn glances towards Warrick. What, which knightly group wouldn't want the fire dancer in their midst? There was a _queue_. Then his eye turns away from that chuckle and he flashes his teeth again, before twisting his lips. "One who dances with fire is not _too_ long. It is too short, in fact." He clicks his teeth.

"Ah, but the sands shall smooth down most ails. And in the end, all debts will be repaid regardless." He offers to Schara. "This one feels her family has all the opportunities in their hands, now." Then he grins. "And what is more, this one also feels there is a cause to celebrate one's return - which is most important in the now."

One moment, and the artificer pulled out several full sized pies wrapped in waxed cloth, a pair of donuts as one is offered to Aelwyn, and, a pause. Schara was left rummaging in another bag for some time. "I'll need a moment to make sure I pick out some of my favorites that you will like. There are many different types on the property and you should try out these new ones my father grafted on to some of the experimental trees." She states. "I hope it won't take too long, but opinions take time to change, even if they realize they were wrong as it's difficult for people to admit as I am well aware."

Eventually she manages to pull out several apples that are handed over to join the growing pile with Warrick. "I don't know what there is to celebrate about my return, but celebration is good."

It takes Warrick a hot second to realize, as he's getting more apples, that he's going to need to bag all of these as the mountain grows in his hands. "Woah, hah, alright, this is a lot!" he chuckles, shimmying his bag off and carefully placing the fresh apples in. "I look forward to trying them out," he grins, biting into the fritter as the pies are held up with the other hand. There's a pause. "Oh. Wow. This is really good. I can see why you're addicted to your family's orchard!"

He looks over to Aelwyn. "I think our friend coming back after a long while is plenty enough reason for celebration, yeah?"

Aelwyn accepts the donut, eyes it for a moment, then throws it into his maw and chews it few times. Then swallows. "Good." His grin widens in a near predatory fashion. "One must not question celebration." He pats Brass on her shoulder. "Therefore, this one feels it is only appropriate TarRaCe shall be place to celebrate her return."

And then he turns to look at the apples. "... and this one feels the cook has been hoarding inordinate amount of apples as of late, in case her family has extra."

"It is a lot, my mother made sure there would be enough to give her thanks to everyone involved. Even my sister helped out and she despises baking regularly." Schara answers, hoisting the bags again. "If you would like more food Aelwyn you are more than welcome, as you did so much to help as well. And I should get in touch with Shaman Harkashan due to his assistance as well."

"Why would you not question celebration? If you don't know why you're celebrating what if you're celebrating something bad?" Schara asks. "Going to the Tarrace would be nice though, I missed their baths. If the cook there needs more fruit I would be happy to see what I can arrange, as there is plenty being prepared for storage that could be sold."

"I'm not ready to get into it at the moment again as it is a pleasant day to meet friends again, but I will just say that I wanted to thank you both again for everything. It means a lot in many ways." She admits, patting Aelwyn and Warrick on the shoulder.

Warrick manages to get everything except the pies into his once-empty armor bag, him carefully tucking them under an arm, quietly chuckling to himself as Schara voices her thoughts aloud. "Agreed. We can do that in the near future at the TarRaCe."

He bows his head slightly at that. "Of course. Thank you for relying on us, Schara," he says, returning the gesture and (carefully) clapping her shoulder. "Swing my my house later if you want to drop off anything else. Cinny's in a hungry mood as of late. And I better get these to her before she hunts me down in town and drags me off to some noodle stand that I don't have the guts for at present."

He gives a wave. "Good seeing you two. And welcome back Schara."

Hefting his bag of apples and pies with a half eaten fritter in his mouth, Warrick ambles off in the direction of his home in the Trades.

Aelwyn makes a face at Schara. "If the celebration is good, is that not cause enough for celebration?" The draconian asks, with a tilt of his hip. Then he makes another face when the word 'near future' is mentioned. "Ah, but let us not dwell too much on the word... side of things," He rumbles, "So let us have that celebration, and one shall consider less on the specifics."

Then he makes a bow at the thank you. "Worry not, Brass. For that is what those who stand next to one are for." He flashes his teeth, and then makes another bow. "Enjoy one's return, we shall meet soon." The sith-makar then turns and starts heading out deeper into the market.

"But if you're celebrating with a cult, isn't that bad regardless of how good the celebration is? Or what about a celebration for Charn or something?" Schara wonders, not willing to let that lie. "But a pleasant celebration is good, yes."

"I still really appreciate it, Aelwyn, and thank you for the welcome, Warrick." Schara agrees. "I have a lot of work to do, but it's good to be back and I hope I'll see you both around soon."

-End Scene-