Cast: Cabaletto (Iron) and Kiera (TC)
TLDR:
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April 20, 2018
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TLDR:
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[10:31 PM] Avocado Pet: Waves lapped in gentle rhythm as Cabaletto stalked the shore's edge under one of Maufi's many piers. The day was overcast, yet warm enough to ward off any chill lingering in shadowy areas. The Heron's hands were laden with an array of interesting seashells and polished bits of glass that had washed up onto the sand. He didn't have any particular plan in mind for them yet, but the activity was a soothing way to occupy himself while he worked out the lyrics to a new song he was working on. As he walked and plucked trinkets from the beach's grasp, a quiet, soft ditty escaped his lips:
"Whilst the sky calls to birds
and lands call to herds,
the sea hast captured my heart.
For so wild and free
her sweet song calls to me,
Wish I were we never apart.
How I yearn for her salty caress..."
The music trailed off as Cabaletto muttered unhappily. "What rhymes with caress? Dress? Mess? No, I can't use that." He leaned down to pick up a round chunk of blue glass, worn smooth at the edges by the action of the waves, still running through ideas for a rhyme.
[10:32 PM] TastyChicken12: Kiera was busy playing in the waves nearby when she heard Cabaletto's singing. It was... familiar...
She turned back and waved, "HIII!!!!"
[10:44 PM] Avocado Pet: The abruptly shattered silence startled the Heron badly, causing him to loose his tentative grip on the piece of azure sea glass. It took advantage of its restored freedom to go rolling down the shore into the waiting embrace of the waves. The man straightened with a shaky inhale and looked in Kiera's direction. Her broad-shouldered form was quite familiar and, though annoyed at the fright, he was glad it wasn't anyone dangerous.
"Salutations to thee as well, Kiera," he offered. "I didst not see thee there."
[10:47 PM] TastyChicken12: Kiera rushed up to meet Cabaletto.
"Cabaletto! I don't reckon we've gotten a chance to talk!"
[10:55 PM] Avocado Pet: Well, she's certainly not one for subtle pleasantries, is she?
"Nay, I do not believe we hast had a chance to formally meet." With his free hand the man removed his felted hat from his head, stepping effortlessly in his signature sweeping bow. "'Tis lovely to finally make thine acquaintance. To what reason do I owe the pleasure of your presence on the beach today?"(edited)
[10:58 PM] TastyChicken12: "... uh..."
Kiera pondered for a bit, unused to his "accent."
"Well, I was just playing here," she said, looking down at her seawater soaked self.
[11:21 PM] Avocado Pet: The ocean had indeed left its mark on the Beorc woman. Her brown hair was thick with salt and her clothing was appropriately sodden, proven by the trail of water across the sand. "I can see that," he observed. I hope she intends to wash herself afterwards. That's going to itch when it dries.
"It strikes me as too cloudy a day for frolicking amongst the waves. Art thou not cold?"
[11:25 PM] TastyChicken12: "Eh, not really. I'm just havin' fun s'all, since, I love this area! And besides, I need to enjoy myself outside of fightin', y'know?"
[1:02 AM] Avocado Pet: Cabaletto found her statement rather absurd because there were certainly ways to enjoy oneself without getting sopping wet, but he kept that to himself. Instead, he opted to nod agreeably as if he understood.
"I too enjoy a selection of pastimes whilst mine blade need not be wielded." He ticked off one by one on his fingers: "Singing, fishing, playing mine pipes, and indulging in a tale of heroics, to name a few. I wast actually working on mine latest composition before thee arrived." His lips lingered on the word arrived, conveying some remaining annoyance at being interrupted, though it was subtle.
"'Tis a confession of longing for the sea. Mayhap that is something thou can relate to?"
[9:16 AM] TastyChicken12: "... um..... yer confusin' me."
[1:33 PM] Avocado Pet: There was a moment of pause as he took in her statement. A heavy sigh followed, accompanied by an equally heavy look of conflicted comtemplation on the man’s face. He stroked his temples with his free hand.
“I suppose if that is the case, I can ... tone it down a bit,” he resigned. “But I would appreciate it if you could not mention that to the others; it’s bad for my image.” All traces of Cab’s accent were gone, replaced by the normal pronouncations expected of one fluent in Millo.
“Now, as I was trying to ask, do you like the sea?”
[2:20 PM] TastyChicken12: Kiera blinked a few times in wonder.
"I sure do. I didnt grow up near the ocean, but I'd always heard of how much fun the beach is... now I know they weren't lyin'!"
[11:30 PM] Avocado Pet: The concept of growing up away from the ocean was as foreign to Cabaletto as not having wings. It was an ever-present force on the Isle of White: lulling Herons to sleep with the rhythm of its waves, ushering in the clammy morning mists, permeating the breeze with the unique stickiness of salt. He had spent many early hours down on the rocky beaches during his fledglinghood, teaching himself how to fish when no one else could. The sea was an old friend in that regard.
"Indeed, they were not." He took a pause and looked out at the rolling waves in thought. If she's never been to the beach before, perhaps . . . no. She'd think that silly. Wouldn't she?
"Kiera, have you ever made a sandcastle?"
[11:33 PM] TastyChicken12: "Uh-huh! I made a sandcastle the other day with the help of our... new magic person! Namaka her name was, I reckon. She's Ayzer."
[10:19 PM] Avocado Pet: Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief. The idea had been a bit of an embarrassing one - Cabaletto the Courageous, hero of the Isle of White, building sandcastles on the beach like a child? - but at the same time he felt disappointed. Maybe it was the nostalgic memories of stacking stones on the shore himself that made the thought of helping someone build their first sandcastle appealing.
"I can't say I've met Namaka yet," he mused. "Did you enjoy it?"
[10:25 PM] TastyChicken12: "They were nice, and I reckon I had fun building the castle. Say... yer a Heron Laguz, seems like. Where're ya from? Ain't seen or heard of someone like you from Ramalia. Back home, I mean."
[11:33 PM] Avocado Pet: How did she not know that yet?
"Yes, I am a Heron. I come from a place called the Isle of White, off the western shore of Alaros. Most of my kind live there, which explains why you've never heard tell of us."
[11:37 PM] TastyChicken12: "I've heard of ya! It's... I ain't imaginin' that Herons live in Ramalia, as all. I've just been wrong about what group someone was a part of, before," she says while scratching the back of her head.
[2:36 AM] Avocado Pet: "In that case, I think the chances of seeing one there are relatively slim, yes. As far as I know, the few Herons that choose not live on the Isle or with our kin the Dragons reside in the north in Pteryga Peaks. That's quite far from Ramalia," he explained. "Farther than you've ever travelled, I assume?"
[9:54 PM] TastyChicken12: "This's as far I ever travelled. I've... never been to another town aside from Manx. Stayin' close to home. Explored the outskirts a whole bunch, at least!" she said with a shrug.
[12:29 AM] Avocado Pet: How could someone spend their entire life in one town? The Isle of White was no sprawling continent to be sure, but it was hardly as tiny as some of the Beorc villages they had come across. The concept sounded downright claustrophobic.
Incredulously he asked, "You never visited other towns? Not even for trade? Didn't that get boring?"
[12:33 AM] TastyChicken12: She looked up and away for a few seconds and then opened her mouth to respond.
"It did get kinda dull, yeah. I had always wanted to travel but never got my chance. 'til now, I reckon. Ain't meaning to say that my home is bad... just ain't too much there, y'know?"
[11:07 PM] Avocado Pet: The slight hesitation in the young woman's response did not escape Cabaletto's attention. "What stopped you from venturing out earlier? Surely you had some opportunities, no matter how trivial."
[11:14 PM] TastyChicken12: "I'd work to do in the village," she half-lied and half told the truth.(edited)
[12:00 AM] Avocado Pet: "Oh. You were employed?" he pressed. "In what craft do you ply your trade?"
[12:04 AM] TastyChicken12: "I reckon I wasn't 'employed.' I just did whatever job they wanted to teach young'uns. By 'they', I mean, the village elders."
[1:36 AM] Avocado Pet: "You were a teacher of sorts then? Surely passing knowledge to the younger generations is a cause noble enough to be proud of!" She certainly didn't seem proud though, the black-haired man noted. In fact, Kiera seemed almost unsettled by the topic and he was compelled to find out why. Maybe with the right nudging...(edited)
[10:04 AM] TastyChicken12: "Er, no, I was the one bein' taught, 'c-cause Im only eighteen," she admitted while biting her lip.
[10:26 PM] Avocado Pet: The Heron arched an eyebrow. The way she said it - the hesitation, the stutter, the lip bite - implied that this was something she was ashamed of.
"Yes, and?"
[10:45 PM] TastyChicken12: "W-well, I was just explainin' that I was just a journeywoman..."
[1:12 AM] Avocado Pet: "Yes, I understood that," he responded calmly. "Is that something you are embarrassed by, Kiera? You do seem a bit flustered."(edited)
[11:29 AM] TastyChicken12: "I guess a li'l bit. But I'm an adult now, I ain't gotta worry about that phase anymore..."
I do, though...
[10:47 PM] Avocado Pet: He nodded agreeably. "Of course not. It's all in the past now."
Or at least, she'd like to believe it is. It's plain as day that she hasn't moved past . . . whatever it is.(edited)
[10:52 PM] TastyChicken12: Kiera smiled incredibly innocently with all her teeth.
"Yep!"
[11:00 PM] TastyChicken12: Hoping to divert attention away from her (fearing that her secret might yet be spilled.... again), Kiera looks about frantically. Afterwards, the young mother asks, "So the Isle of White? What's it like there?"
[12:09 AM] Avocado Pet: Cabaletto offered a polite smile in return, though his was not nearly so enthusiastic. She's a terrible liar.
"It is a peaceful place, full of life and song. No matter where you are on the island, you can always hear music drifting on the wind. Most Herons spend their days participating in the arts or tending to the community gardens where we grow our food. I suppose you could say it's a simple life, really."
[1:40 AM] TastyChicken12: "That don't mean it's a bad life. Sounds pretty swell, if ya ask me. Maybe a bit slow for me, but eh, we all like different things."
She tapped her foot a little.
"I'd like some music playing where I live."
[1:28 AM] Avocado Pet: His eyebrows arched in surprise. “The people of your hometown do not sing or play instruments? Ever?”(edited)
[4:54 PM] TastyChicken12: "They do, but that's usually for festivals or when bards swing by, y'know? We have festivals oft'n, but I reckon... not as often as I'd like," she explained.
[5:26 PM] Avocado Pet: "And how often would that be?" he inquired further. "Every few moons?"
[5:27 PM] TastyChicken12: "... whaddya mean by 'one moon', exactly?"
[1:26 AM] Avocado Pet: The man made a circular motion with a finger. “You know, one cycle of the moon that starts and ends on a full moon? About thirty days? I thought that was a commonplace term.”
[9:12 AM] TastyChicken12: Kiera shrugged.
"A month? Alrighty."
[1:13 AM] TastyChicken12: She averted her gaze slightly. The fact that many of the team members, from: Sally, the woman who read Saarva's letter, Seed, the one who loves writing for fun, Suleiman, the dutiful clergyman who loves reading for fun, Mars, a mage, Nyrandisa, another mage, and Cabaletto the fancy talker, knew not only how to read/write, but also to use language to a great, new, extent made Kiera feel empty inside. As if she were unqualified as a soldier here.
Maybe she was.
Kiera thought about it some. Admitting that she is illiterate is a lot less humiliating than admitting being a teenage mother, since, illiteracy is common among Beorc and Laguz (a fact that Kiera is well aware of). Didn't Seed say something about teaching her?
"I'm so sorry. I ain't... I ain't good with language."
[2:32 AM] Avocado Pet: The woman looked troubled for a moment after her response. There was a slight furrow to her brow that indicated she was mulling over something uncomfortable - or at least that's how it seemed to the Heron.
The revelation hardly came as such. After all, he'd had to adjust his manner of speech for her to even understand him. Therefore, he simply waved a hand dismissively in response.
"My dear, think nothing of it. It was my fault for using such," His thoughts skipped for a beat. "fanciful language."(edited)
[12:55 PM] TastyChicken12: "I reckon it's that most of everyone here's good at using language, and I ain't. That's my problem," she clarifies.
[1:42 AM] Avocado Pet: "I do not believe I ever called it a problem," he countered. "I would surmise that you are lacking in a formal education?"
[10:44 AM] TastyChicken12: "Well... I didn't accuse you o' nothin'... um... well, I didn't go to school, no. I was taught other things. Writing ain't that important in my hometown, but I ain't happy that it's that way. I wanna know how to write and read and all that," Kiera says while keeping her hands folded and her head down.
[12:54 AM] Avocado Pet: "I did not attend a school either. We Herons value literature as an art form and so I was taught to read and write by my mother when I was still a fledgling. The only thing you've lacked is a suitable tutor in your life," he observed. "As you have noticed, you have several candidates among your compatriots here."
[1:07 AM] TastyChicken12: "Yeah, Seed, you, Suleiman. I reckon that Seed is going to teach me, eventually. Uh..."
Kiera paused for a moment. She reasoned that telling Cabaletto her little secret wouldn't be the end of the world. Suleiman recovered from his initial shock quickly, Seed had no shock at all, and Himaya seemed thrilled to hear about Kiera being a mother (though, given that motherhood was celebrated in Manx, Kiera thought it would be normal for a Ramalian outside of her town to feel the same way).
Maybe it's time I should be braver about mentioning this. What's so bad if they know about Casey? They're not going to hate a fellow soldier for this. Naw, if I can fight against shifted Laguz, lyin' Shamans, and hardcore Mercenaries, then I can be brave enough to tell Cabaletto.
"Can I tell you a big reason I wanna know howta write? Promise that you won't laugh."
[7:50 PM] Avocado Pet: "You have my word."
[7:51 PM] TastyChicken12: "I have a baby," she says bluntly, much unlike her normal demeanor (of either confusion or cheeriness).
[8:01 PM] Avocado Pet: Cabaletto was confused. An infant didn't particularly seem like a laughing matter in his mind. The expression reflected plainly on his face as he considered it.
"I'm sorry. Why exactly would that be funny?"
[8:03 PM] TastyChicken12: "... it isn't, just that folks have laughed at me for being a teenaged mother before. That hurts; it ain't even like my life is easy or nothin'. I reckon they oughtta take a step back and crawl in someone else's boots for a day before they get out there and laugh at me like that... I... sorry."
[8:03 PM] TastyChicken12: She says this all while pacing back and forth and shaking her head. Her hands wave back and forth in frustrated, erratic motions.
[8:34 AM] Avocado Pet: In contrast to Kiera's pacing, the Heron remained still, his feet planted firmly in the sand. This girl certainly has a lot of things she's worried about: her home, her illiteracy, now a child?
He cleared his throat gently. "We have a saying back on the Isle of White: 'Self-confidence is the oil that allows criticism to roll off your feathers.' It seems to me that you'd do well to be a bit more confident in yourself."
[9:57 AM] TastyChicken12: ".... oil... roll... oh, I getcha. It's kinda hard to have that confidence in the first place when people mock ya like that. So, I dunno if other Ramalian Tribes do this, but back in Manx, we got a ceremony for expectin' mothers. Every time a girl's havin' a baby, we get out some tables in the town's center-square-thing an' we throw her a big dinner and party and everyone in town is invited. It's awesome, but some people asked the elders if they couldnt host one... for me. 'Cause I was only fifteen when I was first pregnant, see? Said that people who break tradition like that oughtta not get a celebration," she explains, bluntly, hoping that Cabaletto understood these bizarre Beorc customs.
"They let me have the celebration, though. Not as many peopled showed up... hurts."
[10:27 AM] Avocado Pet: "How did you 'break tradition'?" he enquired further. A celebration for new mothers didn't seem like anything unusual to Cabaletto, even if they did not partake in a similar tradition on the Isle. Beorcs did have shorter life spans, after all; they tended to mark occasions such as this more pronouncedly.
[10:36 AM] TastyChicken12: "???"
Kiera was a bit shocked by that sort of response. But, despite her now pouting, she intended to explain.
"Beorc ain't considered adults till they're eighteen, but I had a child at sixteen, and I did so without bein' married. So it's 'cause I... forn... fornicated, and am an underaged mother."
After saying this, Kiera's eyes widen as she taps her chin.
What if Cabaletto ain't got no stigma for this sort of thing?
[1:12 AM] Avocado Pet: So that’s the crux of the problem. For all the Beorc tales and poems of romance he had read, the age of the lovers involved was rarely mentioned. Kiera had been old enough to bear child, but apparently that’s wasn’t the only prerequisite as far as her village was concerned. Maybe expecting authenticity from works of fiction was a bit much...
“I see. Herons mature slower than you Beorcs. Our concepts of adulthood and physical maturity are one and the same, unlike yours apparently are.”
[9:18 AM] TastyChicken12: "I... see. So that's why you dont find my position shockin' or nothin'," Kiera muses.
[12:46 AM] Avocado Pet: “Quite the contrary. From my position, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.” He shook his head slightly. “Were you a Heron however, you’d just be at the cusp of childbearing age now. In that regard, I can see why it was a ... shocking matter to have one sooner.”(edited)
[6:55 AM] TastyChicken12: "... I see," Kiera said while scratching her head again and unconvincingly smiling.
[2:01 AM] Avocado Pet: “But!” he continued. “That is neither here nor there. What’s done is done, is it not? I do believe you Beorcs have a saying: don’t cry over spilled milk?”
[10:42 AM] TastyChicken12: "Naw, that just means that you shouldn't get upset 'cause of somethin' small that happened. I reckon you're lookin' for 'live n' learn'. But really, I gotta thank ya for bein' so kind about this. I came here expectin' folks to be disgusted when they heard that, so it's a huge relief."
[12:49 AM] Avocado Pet: The Heron shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not particularly any of my concern if you are a mother or not. But for what it is worth, you are welcome."
[12:50 AM] TastyChicken12: Kiera smiled and chuckled a little.
"Er... yeah. I was wantin' to learn how to write so my son could one day. I wanna read to him books and all that."
[7:40 PM] Avocado Pet: "I have fond memories of my mother reading to me as a child," he commented with a small smile. "I'm sure it will be the same for him."
[8:58 PM] TastyChicken12: Kiera smiles warmly at Cabaletto.
"... same. Listen, uh, I gotta go. My clothes are way too damp now," she whines a little.
[9:08 PM] Avocado Pet: The woman certainly was still damp from her frolic in the sea - it would be rude to keep her longer. "Of course," he nodded. "And, uh, I trust thee shalt remember not reveal mine . . . secret to anyone else?" He gave her a meaningful, and perhaps a bit pleading, look.
[9:15 PM] TastyChicken12: "... your speaking. Right. Won't mention it. Long as you lemme tell everyone else about Casey," she responds.
[1:21 AM] Avocado Pet: “I shalt refrain from doing so,” the Heron promised. “We both hast our secrets to keep.”
He tipped his hat gently in farewell. “‘Twas a true pleasure to make thine acquaintence, Kiera. I pray that our paths will cross once again.” And with that, the black-haired Laguz continued on his path down the beach, intent on collecting more baubles.
[6:53 AM] TastyChicken12: She waves and then walks off to change clothes.
[8:46 AM] Avocado Pet: ==END RP==
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