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[staysail]

Comments

[staysail]

Really?

[hassaran]

Which part are you finding difficult to believe?

[staysail]

S'ppose it's the part where you didn't think of that detail until just this moment.

[hassaran]

[ That does seem like a thing that she would have thought of sooner, doesn't it? Unfortunately her foresight is limited by her player's. ]

I was attempting to be spontaneous. You see now why I don't.

[staysail]

[no shade very enjoyable oversight by both cee and darras

To wit--]

I love it. I love you, come to think of it. And you're in luck, 'cos I do happen to have Riftwatch colors that I can fly. Your spontaneity won't be wasted.

[hassaran]

Come to think of it. [ She repeats as if offended, despite the obvious smile in her voice. ]

Good. Let me know when you arrive. We can meet at the Harp & Harpoon, it's a tavern on Sail Street a few blocks north of the harbor.

[staysail]

And is that where we'll be staying as well, or do we have accommodations elsewhere? While I'm, y'know. Thinking of it.

[hassaran]

No, we have accommodations elsewhere.

[staysail]

Surprise accommodations, or is the guess I've got in my head going t' be correct?

[hassaran]

I would guess your guess is correct. That's a bit of a surprise, isn't it?

[staysail]

It is. And I'll not ask anything more about it, or else I might ruin the rest of the surprise.

[hassaran]

Good.

[ In the meantime, ]

Does your crew know about me, now?

[staysail]

They know enough. I couldn't find a way to tell them I was named vice-admiral of Riftwatch, and, as vice-admiral, was going t'be signing us up to work with Riftwatch, and living in the Gallows without also mentioning you.

[The background noise has changed throughout that response, from exterior (open air, voices in the distance, the sift of the ocean against the ship and the snapping of the sails) to interior, further limited by the sound of the cabin door closing.]

D'you hate that?

[hassaran]

A little, [ she admits, but she sounds more like she's rolling her eyes at herself than anything. ] I assumed you might have to tell them something to explain it.

[ Her background noise is minimal, the occasional voice or clop of hooves loud enough to sneak, muffled, through a window. ]

Now they might understand you turning down other women in port. I don't hate that.

[staysail]

Oh, now, I always got out of that easily enough. After a certain hour of the night, no one's paying any mind to anyone but themselves and whatever they've found as their amusement. And that's the perfect time to leave the tavern.

Though I admit, this way's a bit more straightforward. Involves less walking through alleyways.

[hassaran]

Mmm. [ The tone of this sound in the back of her throat hasn't forgotten that for a number of years he did not always get out of that, but is willing to otherwise let it go. ]

Cleaner boots. How far out are you? Should I make plans for dinner?

[staysail]

[babe pls that was so eight years ago]

We'll make Hercinia before nightfall if the wind holds. Too late for dinner?

[hassaran]

[ eight, five (four?), what are numbers anyway ]

Not at all. Would you rather eat in or out? How badly do you need a bath?

[staysail]

Well, now, would we be eating at the surprise location that'll be revealed to me once I'm ashore? 'Cos if so, I'd have to say in. As for baths, I could stand one, but I'm not horrible. Yet.

[hassaran]

Alright. In then, at the surprise location that remains a complete and total mystery.

There are a few places nearby I like. I can put in an order on my way to meet you so we don't have to suffer my cooking. Are you in the mood for anything in specific?

[staysail]

[He sighs, wistfully.]

Not fish. Squid or shellfish, something of that sort, that'd be fine, but no fish. Nothing dried. Hot food, lots of flavor and spices--not the sort that covers up how there's no taste to what's underneath, but proper spice, all the way through--do they have that in Herencia?

[hassaran]

[ She laughs a little, surprised by such a detailed answer. She'd half expected him to say he didn't care. ]

Yes, we can do that. It sounds good on such a dreary evening, though I am fond of the fish.

I need to run a few errands before you arrive. I'll see you in an hour or two?

[staysail]

I've got nothing against fish, only that I'm tired of it. Bring it to me in five days and I'll be all for it again.

[He's very pleased to have made her laugh, though--a sort of reward of its own.]

I'll be there, aye. Enjoy your errands.

[hassaran]

Another time, then.

[ She meets him outside the tavern when he arrives, stepping up from behind to slip her arm through his and turn their steps down the road. The Harp & Harpoon is a bit on the rowdy side for her taste, just a convenient landmark, she explains.

The day is grey and blustery and growing greyer by the minute as the sun sets, but what little light there is Hercinia's whitewashed buildings reflect, glowing softly in the dusk. The city spreads up steep hillsides, but the streets she leads them down wind more gently upwards, and into a neighborhood just alongside the noise and grime of the port--bustling more quietly and cleanly. A covered basket is collected from a small restaurant with a pretty view and an older woman who smiles at Yseult with recognition. Another block or two upwards, and she stops in front of a neatly whitewashed building several stories tall, flowers spilling out of groundfloor window boxes.

She passes off the basket and brings out a set of keys, flashing Darras a quick little smile as she shoulders open the heavy wooden door to reveal a sturdy wooden staircase. ]

I'm at the top.

[staysail]

[Darras, having taken a step back to look up at the building, taking in its face, is still within range to take the basket from her when she offers it--and to smile back, when he catches sight of her smile.]

Is that a warning or a challenge?

[He's much as when he's come home to the cottage fresh from the sea, smelling of salt and damp, less trimmed in his hair and his beard--but the same underneath it all, especially in the little glint that his smile makes.]