• Closed • [Venora] Wagon Woes and Friendly Foes

[Nir'wei]

13th of Saun, 716.

"It's not wobbling." It was definitely wobbling. Archailist had denied it fervidly over the past half-break but even over the smoothest sections of road, he could feel the front-right wheel wobbling left and right, straining its bearings against the axle with horrible creaking sounds. They'd argued back and forth and it'd only grown worse. If they kept going any longer, he was seriously worried they'd end up breaking something... and since they were all in a hurry to make it back to Andaris with little delay, this was hardly the time to break apart their primary means of transportation. Nir'wei could ride the horse, of course; he was just terrible at it, he didn't enjoy it and he also struggled to carry all of his possessions in the three pockets his outfit provided. Which meant that when he said he could ride the horse, he said it with a very strained voice and fingers making little quotation marks in the air.

Still, they'd trundled along, regardless of the impending collapse. Until the wheel had caught on a jagged peak of upturned rock stuck out in the edge of the road and, with an ear-splitting groan, sheared away from the bearing and come inches away from splitting away and toppling over completely, taking Nir'wei, his horse and all of his worldly possessions down with it. He pulled hard on J'athius reigns and forced them to a jarring stop, nearly falling head-over-heels from his own cabin. Together they shared a moment of agonizing silence, feeling the wagon sway, waiting for the inevitable buckling... that thankfully never came. Although there was a good deal of juddering as the three other wheels strained with the effort to bear the remaining load, and the front-left wheel started creaking suspiciously, it all settled after a few moments.

"Alright, so maybe we should take a little break and investigate further." Nir'wei appreciated the icebreaker to the tense silence, but really, this could have all been avoided if they'd stopped earlier and fixed the problem while it was small and manageable.

To be fair, it didn't look that bad. The entire wagon was pretty worn anyway. Edges gnawed away by weather and damage, scars and splintering in the wood, wheels missing the occasional spoke and misshapen nails sticking out of the corners of the trough. The broken wheel in particular however, had a cracked edge that had nearly sheared straight through the outer casing of the wheel... and although the axle was fine, the wheel itself was hanging off without any real support. "Ugh, I don't know a bloody thing about fixing wood. How did this stuff even hold together before?" The best he could do was unhitch J'athiu and let the horse wander off to graze on some nearby patches of grass while he knelt in the dust and struggled to roll a thick stump of wood under the axle, so the wagon wouldn't tumble onto its side while he tugged away the wheel and tried to get a closer look at the joints that had fallen apart in his neglect.

Archailist's ethereal voice hovered over his shoulder. "I think you need to find a carpenter." Oh boy, how he loved having the obvious stated to him. Arch picked this up rather quickly, because he was soon capitalizing on the niggling annoyance, as if focusing on it would make all the other annoyances piling up around him disappear. "Because you know, I think the wheel is supposed to remain attached to the rest of the cart, if we want it to move forwards. Maybe we should try sticking the wood onto the other wood in a way that would make them stay together?" Although he didn't turn around to see the squirrel, in his mind, the mental image of a cheesy grin plastered all over his smug little face was being branded against his skull like he'd been reduced to damn cattle.

"I swear, when the carpenter arrives, I'll let him use your head to hammer the nails in!" he yelled to the empty road in his native tongue.

[Faith Augustin]

It was an opportunity to collect up some herbs for the supply she had back home and Faith had asked Master if she might go and do so. He had been happy for her to do so and so the young woman had made her way out of the estate and into the roadside, at least a little. Because on the way here she had seen some growing and she had noted them. The young woman who walked out in the roadside on this particular trial wore a long pale yellow dress, well made and fitted to her small waist, held tightly by a corset. She had long black hair and pale skin with silver-grey eyes which were so pale as to be almost impossibly so.

The paleness of her skin and the light colour of the dress meant that her long hair was striking but more than that, the slave brand on her upper shoulder was stark in contrast. She had, on her right shoulder, an old brand which was so old and faded as to be almost unnoticeable compared to the other two. On her neck, a much newer one, probably not half an arc old. But the Rose of House Venora which was branded on her left upper shoulder was a burn probably not even ten trials old. She wore flowers in her hair, twisted in and the sorts of things that a child might do, rather than an adult and in truth the young woman was somewhere in between being child and adult.

She had been taking the opportunity to sit, in the soft grass, knees pulled up to her chin and arms wrapped around herself when she had heard the sound of a carriage... or something like it. Looking up, she had seen the thumping noise belonged to a very, even from this distance, beaten up carriage sort of thing. She stood slowly and made her way over, walking to where she saw a man dressed unlike any other she had ever seen. As she grew closer, the decorative slave collar that she wore, with a chain attached which linked to both of the bracelets that she wore glittered in the sun. She walked with careful, considered steps, not rushing and not wasting energy.

When she judged that he had seen her and that she was able to talk to him, for he was not busy with anything else, Faith spoke quietly "I am sorry to bother you, but you seem to be in some trouble. Can I help you?" she asked. Her voice was low and almost a whisper ~ a voice better suited to libraries and funeral homes in truth. Her face was friendly and she smiled at him with what appeared to be a genuine offer of help. "My name is Faith" she said, by way of an introduction and her silver grey eyes watched him carefully.

[Nir'wei]

Nir'wei must have looked a state from the perspective of others - although, to be fair, he never really cared what most thought of his appearance either way. His long, dust-caked hair was thrown back over his shoulders, left loose for the day since he'd not found the time nor the motivation to tie it back. His chest was covered by a simple cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a few buttons missing or simply not pinched shut; his trousers were covered in a mixture of mud and Volareon shit, and were still slightly damp from when he'd tried to wash them out in the river on the way. He'd never been one for personal grooming, nor even personal hygiene, but then again, bouncing between forests and the outskirts of the various territories he bounced between during his odd jobs hardly gave the time nor the opportunity to sit down in front of a mirror and clean the grime from his teeth and the bugs from his hair. Plus, no matter how well he might trim and prim himself in the style of Rynmere, he knew the nobility that seemed to be swanning about in every corner of the island would still look down upon him.

The sound of soft footprints and a quiet voice brought Nir'weis attention up from the wagon's wheel and straight up to a slave-girl who was even better groomed than he was. If one could avoid staring at the red welts of ownership, at least. He was no stranger to slavery, unfortunately - it seemed a rather common practice in Rynmere, if abhorrent. It didn't make it any easier to talk with the victims of it, though. There was always an awkward pause as he glanced to the brands pressed into their flesh, the collars and chains that bound them. Surprisingly, this one - Faith, she'd called herself - didn't carry a soulless gaze, as he'd seen in some. That didn't make it any less awkward as Nir'wei turned away after a moment and stared down at the road. "I, uhm." She seemed so sincere. "Wheel broke. Old thing, hah. Needs woodworker, err. Carpenter."

He'd not answered her question. If he was completely honest with himself, he didn't want to accept her help. Not because he thought he was in any way above her! She just... well she probably had much better things to do and he didn't want to get her into any trouble. Besides, he just really didn't know what to say. Desnind didn't have slaves and Nir'wei had grown through all of his childhood hardly knowing they existed beyond imaginary stories and one or two of the tales told by others after they'd ventured into the world to find their spirit familiar. All he could think of was breaking the chains and taking this poor girl away. Giving her back the freedom she deserved, but... but he couldn't. He wasn't a smuggler, and besides, who knew what else was happening to her? Did she have a family, children, held hostage in the same household, made as slaves and threatened whenever she misbehaved? Would they be beaten, tortured, killed, should she try to escape? What horrors did she go through on a daily basis, what hid behind the pleasant smile and soft eyes?

Gods above, his face turned white. "I, well, yes. But only if you wish. I don't want trouble. I mean, I don't... I don't want you to get into trouble." He swallowed a small lump in his throat and felt it crush a few butterflies in his stomach on the way down. "Afraid I don't know much about this. Hah, no tools, either. Oh, yes. I am Nir'wei. Pleasure!" He flashed a slightly-nervous smile, managed to make eye-contact for about half a trill, then immediately fixed his stare down on the broken wheel as he crouched down next to the slope of the wheel-arch and stared. "You, erm... have any experience in woodworking during your..." he mumbled off, trying to think of a way to avoid saying 'slave', "... profession?"

[Faith Augustin]

She looked at him and she saw a person. Not someone who had bugs in his hair or had not cleaned his teeth. She did not notice the state of his trousers, she saw a person in front of her and she smiled as she did. It was worth to note that as it was a genuine thing, she was not deliberately not noticing anything. Instead, she saw him, she accepted that this was him and she was pleased to meet him. And in truth, he was probably a damn sight more honest than any of the people who hid behind wigs and powdered faces, so she was doubly pleased to meet him.

Of course, his gaze lingered on her brands. Making his judgements, no doubt, decided how he would treat her and whether this branding meant that she was worthy of his time or attention, whether he would speak to her or dismiss her. Any of those was fine with her, it was his to choose as the free man, after all. And then he turned away from her. Could he not even look at her for the abhorrence that she was? She was more used to that and her gaze dropped automatically. Since being bought by Master, after all, she had begun to make eye contact because Master liked that, he told her that she was a person. Maybe she had met someone more of Jamal's stamp, she wondered but then he spoke and his speech was hesitant, unsure. "The wheel? Yes. I have some skill with wood, if you wish it?" she replied. Her voice was soft and almost gentle. He was nervous and uncertain around her, he looked at her and his face paled.

"You seem pale. Are you alright? Do you need to sit?" she asked, kindness the over riding tone of her voice. It was the brand, of course it was and how foolish of her not to see such "It is new, but it is not painful now like it was. It is done. Are you alright? I am sorry, I am forbidden from covering it, or I would do so for you" the sight of burnt flesh was such that she knew it upset people. She would reassure him if she could that it did not matter, she was just a slave, but he knew that and somehow, she was coming to the conclusion that he would not welcome that as an argument.

But, he did not want to get her into trouble? She smiled and nodded "That is most kind of you to consider. I promise you, it will not get me into trouble to help someone. Master is happy for me to do so as long as it does not interfere with my duties. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir" she said, softly when he introduced himself. "It is always nice to meet a friendly face on the road." and she knelt on her haunches next to him. "Before Master bought me, I was owned by an undertaker. I made coffins so yes. I also fixed the wagon when it inevitably broke" she said and she sighed slightly. "And I have seen corpses with more hope of moving than this thing" she shot him a grin. Frakly, as far as Faith was concerned, it was a miracle that it had gotten as far as it had. What had he been doing with this thing?

"No tools, a completely broken wagon, a stranded man and a slave? I would say that makes for an interesting few breaks, wouldn't you? Alright. I need a good flat stone, that I can use as a hammer. Some wood - there are trees over there if you have none, or I can use some from the sides of the wagon, as a stopgap. How long before you can get this to a carpenter with tools and more skill?" she asked, looking at him with a smile. And then she raised an eyebrow and looked at him with something akin to horror "Please, please tell me that you are going to somewhere where there are people with tools and more skill than me?" she asked, as though the thought was horrific to her.

[Nir'wei]

The way she spoke, so soft and calm; he couldn't tell whether it was a natural progression when one became a slave, or whether she genuinely wanted to help. If it was all just a facade, she was an incredibly talented liar. Her eyes, her smile, they all seemed so honest and open, when he could find the strength to face them. "Yes, please. Your skill would be... aha, muchly appreciated." His thoughts slipped for a moment. "Oh! Erm... dẹọdọ's anou ìlva kọv ke’ua ipanukan. Greatly appreciated." His grasp on common tongue was fragile, even after spending nearly a whole arc in the company of common-speaking folk on a regular basis. In situations like these, with his attention diverted, it sometimes snapped altogether. It was actually almost a miracle that Faith could understand everything he said from underneath a thick accent showing its true colours in his nervousness.

Something that only grew when Faith, of all the things she could have done at that moment, focused the conversation entirely on the source of his discomfort. "I... no, don't worry. Covering it would... would do no good now that I know that you have it." Even though he knew that there would be trouble for saying what he wished to say, it blurted out almost on accident - or by instinct. "You should not have it at all. To... to suffer such pain, I-- sorry." He'd lost himself in the moment, but Arch reached over and grasped his concentration by the reins, tugging them back in the right direction. Nir'wei mentally thanked the spirit-squirrel. "Let's not dwell on it, shall we?"

The less he focused on the chains, the brands, the signs of ownership, and the more they talked, the less he saw her as a slave at all. She was just another person. A little softer-spoken and more calculated than he, but a person nonetheless. For now, between the two of them, neither was property. "Haha, good. As long as you're not in trouble. And know what you are doing! I wouldn't want your help to end up losing me a second wheel!" he jabbed in a joking tone, even laughing quietly at himself while he stood back up from his hunched squatting position to stretch his back. She even had the audacity to jab back! "Oh-ho, if you have fixed wagons before, you should take this as a challenge." Just for emphasis, he knocked on the side of the wagon, hearing the hollow thud and creak that echoed back. "Trust me, it is not as bad as it looks. Just needs a bit of... erm. Don't know. But not as bad as it looks."

It'd been serviced before. The closer one looked, and if they had an eye for it, the more apparent the new joints became. New wood, mostly bad quality, thrown onto the wagon with varying degrees of quality in the joining process. In one case, a slab of wood had simply been nailed over a previous hole. He'd struggled many times over to find a way to replace or repair different parts of the wagon with limited success... and in the few times he'd entrusted repairs to skilled workers, they'd only been able to do so much. In the end, the wagon was just old and worn-down, mouldy in some places, damp in others. Soon he'd abandon it, but until then, he could at least use it for mobile shelter to sleep under. "Flat stone, yes... wood, I will find some." He turned around, about to head into the nearby outskirts of the road to find the tools, but was stopped by her question. "Errrr..." Well, there wasn't actually a carpenter coming. "I'm going to Venora. If repairs last until there, I can get real woodworker to look over it. Then off to Andaris."

Nir'wei disappeared behind some of the skinnier trees lining the edges of the dirt road and returned, after much scuffling, with some thin twigs, thicker branches and a surprisingly large yet mostly-flat stone to use as a hammer. "I would cut down the trees, but no axe." The best he had available was a small knife, and even that was rather dull after many hbreaks whittling away at branches to make substitute bows.

[Faith Augustin]

She looked down at her brand and smiled at him as she nodded her agreement with his words which said that it would not help if she covered the brand now that he had seen it "That is often the way of it" she replied without malice or blame in her voice, but then when he said that she should not have she looked at him and tilted her head to the side, a querulous expression on her face "But then, how would people know I am a slave?" she asked. That was a strange thing to think, she considered but then he said that it was better that they did not discuss it and she nodded "As you wish. I think this needs more of both of our attention anyway, don't you?"

Because, like him, she was much more comfortable kneeling next to the carriage and inspecting it. "Lose you a second wheel? I don't want to look over on the other side in case I faint from fear" she teased and then she wondered at that ~ she was not usually so at ease with people so quickly. It must be his manner, she decided. He was very calm and relaxed and it made her feel the same. But, there was no time for calm and relaxed, this wagon was definitely about to keel over. But he went to get what he could and then came back almost empty handed. "May I see your knife?" she asked and she sighed at the sight of it. Sitting on the ground, she looked up at Nir'wei and her smile was most genuine.

"So, to further clarify. We have no tools. No knife worth speaking of. Therefore, very little wood and no carpenter on the way?" she chuckled deeply and shook her head "You must be blessed by the Immortals to be so woefully unprepared to mend this rickety barge. Well, we need wood, so lets start there" she said and she crawled under the wagon, inspecting where the worst problems were, what she could jury rig or steal from what. And it was not just the wagon that she would steal from, if needs be. "How attached are you to this bit of the horses rigging-attachment-thing?" she asked, for example, and if he would permit her (she asked first!) she would have a rummage around in anything he had on there which might help.

"Alright." she said, a quarter break later, having clambered around and under the wagon. "These are our resources and a sorry bunch they are. We need more wood and we need some things that we can use in place of nails. Not many, I can re-use a number of them that are holding bits of wood in which are no use. But still a few. Belt buckles? Small bits of metal? I can work with most things...." she said and then stood. "We need more wood. Good wood. So if we do not have an axe, we will have to break branches off with our hands. I'm stronger than I look" good job, because she looked scrawny. "And I'm used to hard work. So, we find some good sized branches and then either you lay on them and I right this rope so that I pull you, and the branch, down, or you do it to me. Whichever you prefer." Looking down at the pile of (frankly) rubbish they had, she shot him a wicked grin. "We can do this. It is a beautiful trial and we are blessed to be alive. And besides, I think if you lay across the branch, or I do, we can get a branch good enough to hold this thing in place for some time"

Standing, she shook the dirt off her dress and gestured towards the forest, almost as though she were a lady at a ball and she was suggesting that he led the way. Of course, as they made their way, she had to go and add "If we're lucky, it'll stay whole for one, maybe two breaks" and even though he wasn't looking at her face, her smile was evident. But soon enough she found a tree that she deemed acceptable for this particularly vivid plan. "That branch there. Am I laying on it and getting tied up while you pull, or are you getting tied and me doing the pulling?" she asked with an impish expression.

[Nir'wei]

Nir'wei pinched his lips tightly but refused to say what was really on his mind, regarding her brand... and her ownership, for that matter. He didn't need to tell her that she shouldn't be a slave at all, she likely knew that already, and, short of finding her owner and outright buying her for a considerable amount of money that he didn't own, there was nothing either of them could really do to change that. "Yes, I think so too." Better to engage in something a little more light-hearted.

Light-hearted it was; he had to stop himself from laughing out loud when she even dared to mention how the rest of the wagon must have been coping. Long-story-short, it wasn't. "Opening that can of worms, not advised. No no." It was nothing short of a miracle that the entire wagon had lasted as long as it had, given the amount of repairs it'd sustained... and the amount of battering it'd taken over the seasons he'd owned it. As a matter of fact, he'd bought it all the way back in Ivorian, if he remembered correctly... yes, he'd not known at the time that Ivorian was an island back then. He'd bought it thinking he could go out across the region on the back of his wagon, searching for Archailist... and instead taken one big loop around the island, landed straight back where he'd started, and promptly hopped onto another boat with bright-red cheeks and a lot of laughter from the passers-by. "Hmm?" His knife? "Sure." It wasn't much. Worn at the handle and the blade, slightly chipped towards the tip. Not really worthy of the title.

"Heheh... yeah, erm. Guess you're right." When Faith decided to lay out the situation flat, it looked rather horrendous. "Well, could be worse. Could be stuck out here without you, too." Better to look on the brighter side. After all, it was easier on the eyes. Plus, he did have a good point. Faith had her head stuck on straight, because she worked straight down the source of the issue and in little time at all, had a plan written out and ready to execute. She didn't screw around, this one. "Well, erm. If we use that, there's no way to move it. Needs a horse to be pulled. But without a wheel, it's not moving anyway. So... hrm. Best keep that." If worst came to worst, he'd find another way to hook the horse up to the cart and they'd work from that, anyway. "Wait! I have wood. Firewood, was saving it. Little wet, but, should be good. You can see what else works in there, too," he agreed, giving her free reign over the sparse little 'living quarters' with barely a few lengths of rope, sleeping bag and a crude fishing pole to offer.

At the end of it all, laid out bare once more, it wasn't much better than what they'd started with, it was true. Their resources were limited to essentially what they could gather with their bare hands and little more. At best, they'd make a temporary solution that would last until they arrived in Venora and a real carpenter could create a new wheel... or he could sell the wagon to them for scrap and spare parts. "Alright. So, wait." He knew they were desperate but as she explained her plan, his stare became more level. Nir'wei searched through her impish grin for some sign of actual humour, revealing the grand joke, but there was nothing there. Somewhere off in the corner of his vision, Archailist was slapping his palm against his own forehead.

"I... really?" She had to be insane. "You want me to... upe azuk av snatxärem... grappling skxiri?! Sure!" He threw both arms in the air. "I'll just climb up that tree, attach myself to that nice thick branch right there, let you pull me until I tear into two pieces, and then, when the branch breaks... I can fall down with it and it can crush me." His voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. "Nuh-uh, that's crazy. We need something else. I don't know what else, but anything else." It was difficult to tread the line between trying to take the idea as humorous and coming out as downright offensive but in the moment, he tried to laugh it off. "Let's try this. Instead of climbing the tree, we tie the rope to the branch and we both pull from here on the ground. And to make sure it comes off... I'll tie the other end to my horse. Better?"

[Faith Augustin]

"I would say that is a big can with many worms" she replied, poking her head out from under the carriage and giving him a grin. "But we will persevere and we will be victorious. When the bards write songs of our great victory here, this moment will be key" her lips lifted in a quirked and rather lopsided smile, almost as though she was trying to persuade herself it was true. "And granted, that might be worse. But that is yet to be decided. History will be my judge, yes?" she added as to whether her being here was a help or hindrance. But she looked at him and laughed a little when he admitted it. "You have wood? Perhaps that would be helpful, yes" she smiled at him and she wondered for a moment about just how relaxed she felt. She never felt this way, not around other people and she most certainly did not speak in such a... flippant manner with others. But, she decided after a moment's rumination, it was impossible to be tense around this man.

So, they had their resources, which were not enough, and Faith knew that she needed a longer bit of wood than they currently had. Therefore, her plan formed and she voiced it. And he looked at her. And then he looked at her some more. Like perhaps she had sprouted some awful...something out of the top of her head. Or like she was mad. And then, without further ado he started gesticulating wildly and speaking in that strange language again and Faith looked at him with a level gaze. "Am I to infer that you do not approve of this plan?" she asked with an entirely straight face but, as he continued to explain why it was an utterly ridiculous plan she did in fact have the good grace to blush and looked a little shamefaced. "I didn't...well, I didn't mean to tear you in two. I have no excuse except I have never been in a woods before" she explained and she looked at him with a mixture of contrition and humour in her eyes and her expression. "I assure you, I am not here as some sort of strange assassin attempting to murder you with rope and a tree. Nor am I entirely mad... I hope. Although, of course, if I was I probably would think I wasn't. Oh, maybe I am.."

And then, an entirely different plan. She looked at him and smiled, ever so slightly. "In an attempt to pretend that I do not feel foolish, which I do, I am going to pretend that this is fundamentally the same plan as I cam up with. I trust that is acceptable?" but it did make much more sense and her gaze was earnest and honest as she continued "And I am sorry. I have not ever done this, as I said, and I was just trying to think about putting weight on top of something you wish to break. Or.. perhaps I was not really thinking at all. Yes, that is a much better idea" she nodded and she would help him to set it up. As they worked to tie the ropes and so on, she asked, with an expression which told of more than she even knew herself to have "Have you travelled and seen lots of other places? Like... forests and oceans and lakes and so on? What is it like to travel?"

[Nir'wei]

Nir'wei met her with an even stare. "Oh yes, I'm sure the bards and actors will write great tales of how a slave and a stableboy changed a wheel on the side of the road." Despite his best efforts to remain emotionless for the sake of comedic value, a smirk cracked the facade and soon he was struggling to contain the laughter threatening to bubble back up through his throat. "Ahhh, gods. I could end up stranded here, I'd have to sleep on the ground and carry all my belongings on my back like a turtle... only less green and more handsome. Why is that so funny?" Perhaps it was just the fact that he had another person to laugh with it about. Travelling alone had its perks and its downsides, but really, when you spent so little time around others, spending a little more time without them didn't seem so bad. Spending time with Vivian, Faith, a handful of others had reminded him a little of what he was really missing out on when he lived in the woods and never found somewhere to settle.

The firewood he had to offer wasn't much, really. Just some chunks of wood, mostly thick branches that he'd picked up from the woodland floor and snapped into manageable pieces. Bark still clung to the parts that he'd not managed to tear off with his knife, knowing that the bark might make for some good kindling. "Told you it was a bit damp," he added as he pulled it from the back of the wagon and tossed it down onto the moss next to Faith's foot. "Still workable, I think. Less sturdy though. Soft. On second thoughts, maybe not as workable as I thought..." Just feeling the stuff was enough to figure out that trying to nail soft wood into the wheel would just make the thing sag down again. They'd still have to find their own. Even if they did ignore her outrageous plan, it was easier said than done. Even breaking off some of the thicker branches from the trees, which would likely splinter much of the length and leave some very unclean cuts in the wood, they'd have to break the larger pieces down to size. Lacking tools, the only way to cut would be finding some large flat surface, most preferrably a rock, and slicing down the middle with nothing but a sharp jab of pure force.

Nir'wei closed his eyes and shook his head as another small smile creased the corners of his face. "Ahh, don't worry about it. It was... an..." he paused, trying to think of the right words, until it hit him, "... an interesting suggestion, yes. Let's call it that." The smile grew. "Yeah, on second thoughts you're right, let's just forget it ever happened, you came up with this plan and I'll just carry out the hard parts." Mainly which consisted of finding a way to wrap the length of rope around one of the branches overhead without climbing the tree itself. There was a rather long thick branch hanging down almost directly above the wagon itself, twice as thick as Nir'weis forearm and laden with smaller offshoots covered in leaves. "That one." The branch was sagging under all the extra weight of the leaves... all he needed to do was tip it over the edge with a well-timed tug. As a matter of fact, looking over the wagon and then the branch overhead, he got an even better idea!

"Hey, Faith, come over here," Nir'wei suddenly announced as he jumped up onto the back of his wagon, putting a little extra strain on the other three and making the entire wooden contraption wobble unsteadily. "Grab the other end of the rope too and stand right on the edge, over there," he said, pointing down to the ledge at the back of the wagon. He grabbed his own end of the hemp, swung it up and over the top of the branch - after two or three embarrassing failed attempts - and caught it again when it swung back down. "Alright, on the count of three, we both jump." Both of them combined, jumping off the wagon, holding either end of the rope currently wrapped around the branch... he wasn't any good at maths but from a cursory glance, it should be enough to at least put a good dent in the wood. He'd have to wrap it around the branch a few more times to make sure that it didn't slide around and break the rope, but otherwise, it could work, right? If not, there was still his horse plan to fall back on.

"Travel? Yeah, I've travelled. It's... stressful." Just thinking about some of the voyages he'd jumped aboard brought a shiver to his spine as he continued, "It's stressful and it's dangerous and it's exhausting and at times it makes you feel incredibly lonely and... and miserable." That was the whole truth, there. "But," he added after a pause, "I'd never travelled, never even considered it, for twenty arcs. Then I did one season of it and now I do it every day. I travel every day and I never consider going back." That was why he'd not bought a house when he arrived in Rynmere... and why he wouldn't buy one in Desnind, or Ne'haer, or any of the other cities he planned on visiting in the future. "I grew up in Desnind for most of my life, a big kinda jungle, kinda forest. Then I sailed up to Ivorian, a fishing village with streets that wound around like snakes and walls so tall you'd swear they disappeared into the clouds during the storms. Now I'm here, and soon I'll be somewhere else." Nir'wei shrugged his shoulders and stared off at a small point on the ground for a moment, completely lost in thought. "I haven't seen much, admittedly, but travelling and seeing just a glimpse of the world around me, it makes me want to see more. Hah, makes me want to see it all, honestly. I'm guessing you haven't travelled a lot, have you?"

[Faith Augustin]

"Well they might, you never know. That is all I am saying" her response was almost sassy as she wondered about bards singing. They might, after all, and as she saw Nir'wei's laughter bubble up, Faith shot him a cheeky grin which bordered on a chuckle. But then he talked about carrying his things on his back like a "What is a turtle?" Faith's expression was one of genuine puzzlement. It was not a race that she had ever heard of. Was there a race in Idalos with green backs who were nomadic and insisted on carrying all they owned on their back? Maybe there was, Faith reasoned, and she stored the information in her mind. "I do not think you should carry the remains of that on your back. You would topple over backwards" she explained, with a most serious expression for a few trills before the laughter escaped again.

She made no comment on his notions of "workable" in terms of the wood he had, but her expression said plenty. she would have let it go, too, but then he spoke and Faith looked at him with her hands on her hips and total incredulity in her gaze "You'll carry out the hard parts?" she was rather shocked and it showed, but she was still amused too. "Is that the hard part of helping me fix the wagon you busted up?" she wondered and pursed her lips. "Do the hard parts, indeed. Which hard parts? The knowing what to do or how to do it? Maybe it's the very..." and so her grumble continued as she half tromped, half stamped over to the woods themselves. But he called her back and she trotted back over, looking at him with interest as he wobbled. "Oh that's good. Make it worse. And if it falls to pieces, you might get injured too. Be careful, please?" she asked, the last bit as sincere as the first half was teasing. But she clambered up, with a lot of care, and she watched with a raised eyebrow as he threw the rope. Badly. If she was inclined to such, she'd ask him if he was considering missing as a profession, but that would be too far for the young slave.

However, there was the new plan. Plan C, if she was counting correctly and Faith nodded. It made sense, certainly and so she considered it and then nodded again, this time more forcefully. "That is a good plan and it is all yours" it was only fair to acknowledge it as such after all. So, yes, wrap the rope around the tree and jump together. That should work she considered and she counted out for them to do just that. And when the rope cut through the branch, almost cutting it through, she beamed at him. "Again?" she asked and raised an eyebrow.

However, as he described where he had been and what he had done, the girl with him looked at him with wistful silver grey eyes. "You must have seen so many wonders" she could not even conceive of most of them, she was sure. Streets like snakes and buildings touching the sky. But her? She shook her head, telling him no and then explaining it more "I was born in Athart. I do not know who my parents were, but I was a slave from my first breath. I stayed there, being trained until just over an arc ago. I had four owners. They, and the other slaves, were the only contact I had. Then I was bought by a man who brought me to Andaris. I know it was a long journey but I don't know really how long as I was not allowed to see for most of it" she was completely matter of fact about that, not at all concerned or even sounding like it might be a surprise to him. It was all she knew, after all "He owns an undertakers in Andaris and I worked there finishing his training of me. I was not allowed out for an arc, but then I was and it was astonishing. It is, it still is. I met Master and he bought me. But... there is so much wonder right here, wherever I am standing that I sometimes think I could live a hundred arcs and not see everything even if I stood still for every trill of it" such foolish flights of fancy she had and she shook her head to clear them.

" Lets try and get this branch broken. It's nearly there and then I can get fixing and you can get on with the hard, manly stuff" she smiled at him as she said it, her eyes showing the mirth she felt.