campaigns:taika-daagru:2021-07-10
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campaigns:taika-daagru:2021-07-10 [2021-07-24 01:44] – Today's contributions pinkgothic | campaigns:taika-daagru:2021-07-10 [2021-09-04 22:10] (current) – This weekend's stuff pinkgothic | ||
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It was not a cheerful morning, nor would one come for a long time. But it //was// morning, and that was cause for celebration enough. All the windows of the inn were boarded and bound with half-rotten rope, and the bitter wind outside made them clatter savagely. Indeed, only the last vestiges of winter torpor would allow any 'ikra to sleep in that building and retain her sanity. Still, a faint bluish light blew in from the north when the cracks and fissures happened to align. | It was not a cheerful morning, nor would one come for a long time. But it //was// morning, and that was cause for celebration enough. All the windows of the inn were boarded and bound with half-rotten rope, and the bitter wind outside made them clatter savagely. Indeed, only the last vestiges of winter torpor would allow any 'ikra to sleep in that building and retain her sanity. Still, a faint bluish light blew in from the north when the cracks and fissures happened to align. | ||
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A sound could be heard from outside, above the clattering window boards and the babble of the sleepers. This inn just outside Yakak' | A sound could be heard from outside, above the clattering window boards and the babble of the sleepers. This inn just outside Yakak' | ||
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Still, a podocarp planted for next year doesn' | Still, a podocarp planted for next year doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri wasn't oblivious to the tone the question had been delivered in, but knew no remedy but for a frank response: "I do not expect we would be gone for more than ten days, even if poor luck should plague us along the way and during the measurements. If we are quick to progress, we might be back in as few as five." It took her a moment to catch on to the possible subtext, however, and add: "We will both need our strength, which is why some of what needs to be carried are the provisions. We're of no use to anyone if we starve to death." | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | The full list of provisions had been rewritten and trimmed to a minimum back in Chaatai. Enough dried food -- dried mushrooms, smoked penguin, canned blubber -- for twelve days, with many recommendations not to dally; an alcohol stove and its fuel; very little water, on the assumption that the alcohol stove would suffice to make it from gathered snow; a single change of heavy coats, mercifully waterproof; a single rifle, which should be useless if there were no large theropods around, and useless in a much less pleasant way if there were; plus whatever Kukri would purchase along the way with her own money. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the right season, Yakak' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The woman jutted her head forward and up at once, perhaps to infuse some dignity into her posture while fearing to offend Kukri by being too impudent. Her countenance become more solid and her gaze more direct, as if she'd found something to look forward to for the first time in many days. "Have you got your stuff already? I can carry it", she said. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | The whole thing was manageable; a bit tight for two, perhaps, but manageable. If indeed they did have to go a day or two without food due to a run of bad luck, it would be somewhat miserable, but hardly life-threatening. And if indeed their bad luck was such that it became a problem, it was likely that fate would have made any reasonable amount of provisions insufficient, | ||
+ | |||
+ | The bigger problem from Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Still, rebuking the woman' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Now that Kukri could see her in her entirety, Giya did not seem maimed or terribly weakened by her present state, although Kukri resolved to allow her more than her share of whale blubber. Some interest in her surroundings had even appeared in her eyes. Giya studied Kukri from head to boots for several heartbeats, as if to make sure that it wasn't a hallucination or a mocking dream. But she must have been anxious to prove herself useful. "Where must we go? I can leave right now. I'll carry everything for you". | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri allowed some friendly amusement to leak into her body language. "If it were such that a single 'ikra could carry it easily over the stretch we must cross, I would not have been looking for aid," she pointed out, but made sure to keep her tone encouraging. Then followed a pause, in which she considered whether 'right now' was a time she wanted to leave - her tiredness said no, but she doubted retiring for a few hours would fix it. Ironically, she suspected that she would sleep better once she was on her way, wherever they first paused to rest. | ||
+ | |||
+ | There was really no reason not to be frank about it, establish an honest working relationship. "Do you //want// to leave now? In all truth the start of our journey is still flexible by several hours. On the one hand, I too am anxious to get going, to the degree that it has interfered with my rest. On the other hand, it has interfered with my rest." | ||
+ | |||
+ | She paused to look Giya over. "If it is all the same to you, I believe we would both benefit if I were to show you the path I've charted on my maps - and I would enjoy if you might tell me of your life, to the degree you are comfortable speaking of it." A bit of socialising in the relative warmth of the inn. A bit forced, given they were strangers to each other, but bound not to be too unpleasant - unless, of course, there were unpleasant truths to uncover. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yes, yes," answered Giya, with an eagerness almost untraceable to desperation. But she said nothing more until they were inside. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Crossing the threshold, squinting in the sudden wavering lamplight, Giya cast a discreet glance at the innkeeper, who however seemed to be drifting between sleep and wake. Alone, she obviously couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | All of Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya slowly swiveled her head around to absorb the whole scene, and whispered: " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | "All the more reason to spend some time in one, then," Kukri encouraged, herself feeling as though she were thawing out a little from her little excursion. The smell of the place - having briefly assaulted her as they had come in - honestly didn't seem quite so bad as it had earlier, in part owed to the luxury of knowing it wouldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | For a moment, she let her thoughts drift visibly across the room and attach to the papers she'd consulted earlier, stepping toward them with fresh lamplight, as though perhaps hoping to spot something she'd overlooked earlier. It took her a moment to incorporate Giya in her musings: "Here you can see the planned route." | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya contemplated the path in silence for a few heartbeats. Kukri believed to have seen some relief in her posture: she must have expected a much longer journey. A short path, however, was not necessarily an easy one. With the sheaf of maps were bound etchings and engravings of the terrible polar landscape: tooth-like rows of ice blades, brutally bare granite cliffs, caravans of astrapotheres whipped across blinding snowstorms, chaoses of cracking, shifting ice concealing tar-black lakes. These scenes were romantic exaggerations, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Still, Kukri found herself wandering whether the pictures should be hid, or pointed out as the fancy they were, for the for Giya's peace of mind, and for Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya gave no comment, besides following the little colored line with her muzzle. The guest spoke little, and when she did, it was only to offer agreement to any request. Was there anything concerning in that silence? Should Kukri attempt to probe further? | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I see it doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Take a look at the gear we'll be taking along," | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya stepped toward the jumble of provisions, and started rummaging in it. She followed her nose to the packets of smoked meat, and later to the bottles of raw alcohol for the lamp, only to recoil in apparent disgust at the last moment. She pulled the battered rifle from the tarp, pawing at the freshly polished barrel with excitement. She did not pay as much attention to the boxes of gunpowder and bullets. At that, Kukri felt a fleeting shiver, but Giya did not free the rifle enough to even attempt to use it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | After she had examined the baggage to her satisfaction, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri was a little disappointed in Giya's response. // | ||
+ | |||
+ | She did notice, however, that she spoke only of her father. It wasn't inherently unusual, but in the present context began to suggest something. "I don't doubt your ability." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Perhaps the right way to go about it was to first volunteer more about her own life, but for the moment she was going to try the direct route, remind her unlikely assistant that she wanted to know more about her. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | There Kukri turned all her attentions when the world of mortal 'ikra felt pettier and crueler than usual. Once she thought she'd found an exception, one fragment of ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Did Giya feel the same? Some of Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya was quiet for a while, and then said: "I was born in Yakak' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | There was, perhaps, not much of a way around it now. "And what of your mother?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | At the last word, Giya flinched, as if bitten by a gadfly. She shied away, her head moving back and up, and turned toward the moldy wallboard. Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't know", she answered, studying a particularly continent-like patch of mold, "I was only with my father and my siblings. We never heard of her at all". | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | It gave Kukri pause. Perhaps this wasn't the entire explanation for Giya's plight, but it seemed as though it was quite likely to be a large component in what had put her into her miserable position - however the details of it might manifest - in the first place. | ||
+ | |||
+ | For one, it wasn't as though Giya could have followed in her mother' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Several questions immediately came to mind - had Giya's mother died? Had she simply abandoned her family in pursuit of some nebulous goal? Were Giya's siblings still alive and how were they faring? Did they help each other? | ||
+ | |||
+ | But all of those questions seemed poor form to ask. | ||
+ | |||
+ | After quite some time of polite silence, Kukri said: " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya's posture lost some of its tenseness, her head sinking back into the ruffled feathers of her chest. She looked again around the smoky room, into the flickering shadows and the overflowing bags. She scratched her muzzle with a claw, and quietly tapped her tailfan against the floor, though she stopped suddenly, as if she feared to draw attention on it. Finally she spoke: "It is what it is. I live here, I work, I go with you. My father and brothers will wait, I hope not very long". | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Again Kukri lingered in some silence, considering the information that had been presented to her. Why no one had yet to employ Giya, who was clearly desperate to work and at least willing to promise following through with whatever the job demanded of her, was something of a mystery. Even by the most cynical standards, surely someone was at least willing to //exploit// her desperation, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri began to check their travel equipment, ensuring that it was either adequately bound or in the process of being made so. She had a few changes in mind in how her supplies were arranged, but none of it would take too much of their time. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She took the opportunity to be frank about her curiosity: "What happened to your previous occupation?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya drew a deep breath. "I can't be too long away from the nest. My father and brothers, some are very young, I have to take care of them -- not enough sisters, now -- I would stay here to work on the feast, or go to Chaatai, but I must be back, I must always be back -- let's not be away too long, please --" | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | 'Not enough sisters, now' painted a grim picture. Either they had perished or abandoned their family. But a practically-minded 'ikra would try to get the older brothers to help with the care of the family as well. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The greater concern came encoded in the phrase 'some are very young' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri paused in her preparatory work to look at Giya with concern. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri didn't look forward to speaking to a man who could not keep his base instincts in check, but she supposed it was only right to accompany Giya if they were to announce the quest, make it credible - especially if there was a chance that other young women had abandoned the family. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the best case, Giya's father had accepted to take care of eggs whose parents had neglected to recover them. In the middling case, he had placed undeserved trust into lovers who had later abandoned the household. Perhaps then the eggs had hatched already, or he hadn't found in himself to toss them in the snow. Either way, there were worse sins than an excess of trust; but poor judgment was one of these, at least in the eyes of ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya's countenance gave a sign of surprise. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri had not agreed to feed Giya's family and there was a risk that if she did, there would be an expectation of doing it again - her instinct was to decline as politely as she could. But on reflection, it was likely only one less meal, given they were going to be gone for the next couple of days, and it was a cold one by now, to boot. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri regarded her future assistant with gentle scepticism. There was no use not being honest about it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You may - but I would like you to understand, my provisions cover only the both of us, and I am unfortunately not so handsomely paid as that I would not be cutting it close. I would like to say otherwise, but going forward, I will not be able to also care for your family." | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | The light in Giya's eyes dimmed somewhat, but not as much as it was a hundred heartbeats before. "Yes. Yes, I-- understand, of course, madam, yes". She did not pick up the bowl yet; she'd probably want to take up the food outside, in the discretion of the shadows. There was still energy in her posture, an impressive amount, in fact, compared with the sullenness of her speech. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She was now muttering something that could have been more thanks, more for her own benefit than Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | If nothing else, Giya was polite. Kukri just hoped the politeness would maintain itself and not give way to disgruntlement and aggression somewhere in the middle of the journey. Giya did not seem the type to adopt such a mood easily, but it would be wise not to rule it out entirely. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Still, as much as it was appropriate, | ||
+ | |||
+ | It was a charming fantasy for them to be at all ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri made no effort to stop Giya from taking a new look at the notes. "Do you happen to have any experience with the specific terrain we'll be crossing, or know enough to guess at a good first location for a camp?" she asked, trying to make it clear with her tone that she expected ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yes, of course, yes. Ah..." Giya did not quite bring herself to utter Kukri' | ||
+ | |||
+ | For a while all sounds came from outside, whistling wind, and wood falling on wood, and quick-paced chatter among the workers. Finally Giya said: "There is much wind, strong wind, always. We must keep on the coats, and we must rest between rocks. Else fire will die, and we also may die. People in caravans sleep in the center with all the astrapotheres around, but we don't have them, no? We must also burn all our dung, so specters cannot find us, because they burrow in the snow -- burn it and let the wind carry the ash far away..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | The comments Giya made came as what was in sum a pleasant surprise to Kukri, having expected none at all. The remarks on coats, winds, fire and rock might be common sense, but it was better than a noncommittal grumble by far, and indeed suggested some familiarity with the terrain, at the very least cognitively. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She had no idea what a ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I appreciate the advice," | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Giya's mouth opened and snapped shut again, perhaps seeking a way to fix her host's dismal ignorance without offending her. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | **pinkgothic**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kukri kept her body language neutral while the superstitious tale was told, nodding along politely. She did respect the story - she could imagine there being something to it, that there were predators out there that sought out their prey by smell, preferentially picking off people as they slept. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She kept her interpretation to herself for now; there was a chance that discussing it might become relevant eventually, but she was happy to defer to Giya as a local guide in this matter unless she thought the fancy might threaten rather than assist their survival. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "They indeed sound as though best avoided," | ||
+ | |||
+ | And it was //just// vague enough that it did not even inspire fear. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Concavenator**: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Between her general apprehensions and the fears she must have relived as she spoke, Giya's temperature must have risen uncomfortably, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Then she slightly shifted her stance, bringing one eye to level with a slit between two wooden boards, and peered deep into the bluish expanse of snow. Was she actually looking forward to leaving this dismal city for a while, and return to the harsh but purposeful travels of her youth? Or was she simply hoping -- and she was hardly blameworthy in this case -- to be back quickly with some relief for her family? | ||
+ | |||
+ | It was time to organize their leave. The guild would give no funds for even one wasted day, and Kukri had more than just herself to manage now. Neither party would linger in that inn for longer than needed, and the horrors of the Polar Fields called, strangely inviting for once. |
campaigns/taika-daagru/2021-07-10.1627091097.txt.gz · Last modified: 2021-07-24 01:44 by pinkgothic