Arc 718, 11th of Ashan
With the weather finally clearing up from the last remaining influences of Cylus, the travel and trade buisness was thawing out once more. Both the road and the waters were far less daunting than in the colder trials and travelers who were braver or simply pressed for time had started to stir. That meant Rynata had to get a move on. It was about time that her suspicious "friends" also departed for their destination. She squinted up at the skies to get a feel for the day ahead, and though the skyline was still a bit bleary, the air hadn't changed like it was apt to do before a storm. Satisfied with the conditions out at sea, Rynata puttered around the Gilded Siren, checking the lines and making sure everything was in ship-shape. She hadn't managed to procure any cargo that needed to be transported between Almund and Egilrun, and so she was waiting around for any passengers that wanted an early ride. Whenever someone wanted a lift, they'd either post a notice or simply make rounds by the pier, hoping for a suitable ship. If someone didn't come by the time the sun behind the clouds fully cleared the horizon, then she would set out alone. Not exactly the most profitable way to go about things, but she really wanted to get a move on. Besides, it would be nice to sail freely after being forced away from the water for trials at a time.
As she hopped out across the gangplank to untie the ship, Rynata heard footsteps running up behind her. Someone's boots rang hollow across the wooden plank of the pier as they hurried to her position. Turning about, she was faced with a harried looking young man whose honest features still managed to show through his apparent stress.
"Are you taking passengers?" he asked, hands paused anxiously in mid-air as he awaited her answer.
Rynata tilted her head at the man's strange behavior but still nodded. "Yes? Where to?"
"Oh, good!" The man sighed out in relief and went on explaining, "I have to get to Scalvoris Town urgently. There were not ships, you see, and we couldn't take the roads either, not with.... Oh, it's not just me traveling. My mother and father are waiting in the tavern. I'll run and go get them. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" He motioned that Rynata should stay put even as he turned around and raced away.
"Take your time!" she called after him. At that pace, he was liable to slip and break his neck before he ever got back to her. Pulling out the map of the Scalvoris island, Rynata double checked the route to Scalvoris Town. There was a short cut along the river, but she wasn't entirely sure about its situation immediately after Cylus. There could still be spots that were iced over or volatile from the melting snow. The best bet was probably to follow the coast line. There was little worry of getting lost and that tactic was a relatively simple standard in terms of navigation. Though Scalvoris Town wasn't her destination, Egilrun, it wasn't that much of an awkward detour. The fare she'd generate made up for any minor inconveniences. As she neatly folded up the map and tucked it safely away in her vest pocket, however, another matter demanded her attention.
"Oi, Missy, where's this ship headed to?", a gruff voice asked. An older man had approached her ship and jerked a thumb at the Gilded Siren, staring expectantly at Rynata.
"Scalvoris Town, now," she replied. "But I'm afraid I already promised passage to another group."
"Eh, that's no problem," he shrugged. "I'm also headed to Scalv Town. Fare's the standard, right?" With that, he tried to walk across the gang plank and onto the vessel. Rynata quickly stepped in front of the board and put a hand up.
"What I mean is there's no more room. The ship's full. It's dangerous to take any more people so I'm afraid you'll have to find another ship that'll get you to town." She could go on to explain technical matters such as control, balance, and wind speed, but she doubted the man was the listening type, or that he would care much at all to understand the fine details.
"What?!" The man rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "It's just one more extra and I'm in a hurry. Besides, I don't see your friends anywhere."
"Well, they're here now," Rynata sighed, looking at a point past the man in front of her. Her customer from earlier had returned with what must be his elderly parents in tow. The couple seemed like a cheerful sort. The must have been people who had seen many arcs go by but had managed to aged gracefully. However, perhaps it was the long winter or the prospect of travel ahead, they looked somewhat fatigued and their expressions were muted. The man himself, gave a concerned glance to Rynata as if trying to gauge the situation between her and the newcomer. She beckoned at the small group and gestured that they should get on the ship. The trio walked behind her across the gangplank and the young man helped his mother and father make it across safely.
"Who knows when the next ship'll come through," her angry customer grumbled. "It's still early 'n the season. Like I said, I'm in a hurry. I got it. Time is money, right? I'll pay you double if you take me with."
The corner of Rynata's mouth twitched at that. More gold was a tempting offer after all. However, in the end it might only mean a few extra coins buying them a ticket to the bottom of the sea. She'd only ever want to risk it in the best of conditions and the current weather was certainly not it. The water was still freezing and she didn't fancy taking a dip in it. On top of that, if she were being honest, she'd very much like to leave without the extra baggage of a difficult customer. Still, a job was a job.
“I understand, but the answer is still ‘no’,” Rynata said, keeping her voice pleasant. “Alright, mister, how about this. If you can’t find another ship that’ll take you by then, I’ll be back here tomorrow. And for your patience, I’ll halve the fare. It’ll be safer and besides, one or two day delays are to be expected when the weather’s righting itself. What do you say?”
Time was money, right? Though it pained her to make another round, the man would also suffer lost time, and so the way she saw it, they were even. The discount she offered was a generous consolation and something she hoped would quiet any arguments he had. She would manage well even with the decreased price. There were other business opportunities along the way, after all. Perhaps there would be some artisans eager to get supplies from here to there after nature's blockade. While Rynata could still see some irritation in the man, she could also tell that his will to argue was crumbling away. For that, she was grateful.
“Ugh, well, you’d better be here when I come looking,” he relented, shrugging.
Before he could think better of backing down Rynata skipped onto the deck and made ready to leave. The ship rocked happily as it was cast off from the docks, anchor raised and sails full of Ashan winds.
“The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back,” she chirped in parting. Glancing back at the pier between minor adjustments to the course, she could see waiting figures grow more distant until their faces were a vague blur. One of them soon turned away, probably back to their lodgings until the Gilded Siren returned from its trip once more.
“Sorry, for the wait,” she said, acknowledging her guests as she guided the craft out of the port and turned to follow the shore line. The tricky part of this was not wandering too close or too far. The sea bed closer to land was particularly unpredictable and so she needed to pay attention to the subtle changes in the breaking waves. Too close and they could face trouble from sand banks and rock formations. Too far and they'd lose their guiding landmarks. “We should be there by early nightfall,” she continued reassuring the young man who had wandered up after he had seen his parents below deck.
It crossed her mind that she could probably leave that man stranded in Almund and a mischievous chuckle escaped her throat. There would be other ships and others willing to get him where he wanted to go. There was also little guarantee that they would ever run into each other again. However, they had come to an agreement, and the last thing Rynata needed was any unsavory rumors circulating about how she went about her job. There was also the fact that she liked to keep her word when she could. The world was already uncertain enough without an extra deal breaker.
As she hopped out across the gangplank to untie the ship, Rynata heard footsteps running up behind her. Someone's boots rang hollow across the wooden plank of the pier as they hurried to her position. Turning about, she was faced with a harried looking young man whose honest features still managed to show through his apparent stress.
"Are you taking passengers?" he asked, hands paused anxiously in mid-air as he awaited her answer.
Rynata tilted her head at the man's strange behavior but still nodded. "Yes? Where to?"
"Oh, good!" The man sighed out in relief and went on explaining, "I have to get to Scalvoris Town urgently. There were not ships, you see, and we couldn't take the roads either, not with.... Oh, it's not just me traveling. My mother and father are waiting in the tavern. I'll run and go get them. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" He motioned that Rynata should stay put even as he turned around and raced away.
"Take your time!" she called after him. At that pace, he was liable to slip and break his neck before he ever got back to her. Pulling out the map of the Scalvoris island, Rynata double checked the route to Scalvoris Town. There was a short cut along the river, but she wasn't entirely sure about its situation immediately after Cylus. There could still be spots that were iced over or volatile from the melting snow. The best bet was probably to follow the coast line. There was little worry of getting lost and that tactic was a relatively simple standard in terms of navigation. Though Scalvoris Town wasn't her destination, Egilrun, it wasn't that much of an awkward detour. The fare she'd generate made up for any minor inconveniences. As she neatly folded up the map and tucked it safely away in her vest pocket, however, another matter demanded her attention.
"Oi, Missy, where's this ship headed to?", a gruff voice asked. An older man had approached her ship and jerked a thumb at the Gilded Siren, staring expectantly at Rynata.
"Scalvoris Town, now," she replied. "But I'm afraid I already promised passage to another group."
"Eh, that's no problem," he shrugged. "I'm also headed to Scalv Town. Fare's the standard, right?" With that, he tried to walk across the gang plank and onto the vessel. Rynata quickly stepped in front of the board and put a hand up.
"What I mean is there's no more room. The ship's full. It's dangerous to take any more people so I'm afraid you'll have to find another ship that'll get you to town." She could go on to explain technical matters such as control, balance, and wind speed, but she doubted the man was the listening type, or that he would care much at all to understand the fine details.
"What?!" The man rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "It's just one more extra and I'm in a hurry. Besides, I don't see your friends anywhere."
"Well, they're here now," Rynata sighed, looking at a point past the man in front of her. Her customer from earlier had returned with what must be his elderly parents in tow. The couple seemed like a cheerful sort. The must have been people who had seen many arcs go by but had managed to aged gracefully. However, perhaps it was the long winter or the prospect of travel ahead, they looked somewhat fatigued and their expressions were muted. The man himself, gave a concerned glance to Rynata as if trying to gauge the situation between her and the newcomer. She beckoned at the small group and gestured that they should get on the ship. The trio walked behind her across the gangplank and the young man helped his mother and father make it across safely.
"Who knows when the next ship'll come through," her angry customer grumbled. "It's still early 'n the season. Like I said, I'm in a hurry. I got it. Time is money, right? I'll pay you double if you take me with."
The corner of Rynata's mouth twitched at that. More gold was a tempting offer after all. However, in the end it might only mean a few extra coins buying them a ticket to the bottom of the sea. She'd only ever want to risk it in the best of conditions and the current weather was certainly not it. The water was still freezing and she didn't fancy taking a dip in it. On top of that, if she were being honest, she'd very much like to leave without the extra baggage of a difficult customer. Still, a job was a job.
“I understand, but the answer is still ‘no’,” Rynata said, keeping her voice pleasant. “Alright, mister, how about this. If you can’t find another ship that’ll take you by then, I’ll be back here tomorrow. And for your patience, I’ll halve the fare. It’ll be safer and besides, one or two day delays are to be expected when the weather’s righting itself. What do you say?”
Time was money, right? Though it pained her to make another round, the man would also suffer lost time, and so the way she saw it, they were even. The discount she offered was a generous consolation and something she hoped would quiet any arguments he had. She would manage well even with the decreased price. There were other business opportunities along the way, after all. Perhaps there would be some artisans eager to get supplies from here to there after nature's blockade. While Rynata could still see some irritation in the man, she could also tell that his will to argue was crumbling away. For that, she was grateful.
“Ugh, well, you’d better be here when I come looking,” he relented, shrugging.
Before he could think better of backing down Rynata skipped onto the deck and made ready to leave. The ship rocked happily as it was cast off from the docks, anchor raised and sails full of Ashan winds.
“The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back,” she chirped in parting. Glancing back at the pier between minor adjustments to the course, she could see waiting figures grow more distant until their faces were a vague blur. One of them soon turned away, probably back to their lodgings until the Gilded Siren returned from its trip once more.
“Sorry, for the wait,” she said, acknowledging her guests as she guided the craft out of the port and turned to follow the shore line. The tricky part of this was not wandering too close or too far. The sea bed closer to land was particularly unpredictable and so she needed to pay attention to the subtle changes in the breaking waves. Too close and they could face trouble from sand banks and rock formations. Too far and they'd lose their guiding landmarks. “We should be there by early nightfall,” she continued reassuring the young man who had wandered up after he had seen his parents below deck.
It crossed her mind that she could probably leave that man stranded in Almund and a mischievous chuckle escaped her throat. There would be other ships and others willing to get him where he wanted to go. There was also little guarantee that they would ever run into each other again. However, they had come to an agreement, and the last thing Rynata needed was any unsavory rumors circulating about how she went about her job. There was also the fact that she liked to keep her word when she could. The world was already uncertain enough without an extra deal breaker.
1521 words
