Superstition Brings Bad Luck

[Vega]

30th
Saun
718

"So d'ya know anythin' about this place at all?" Vega asked, leaning against Arlo as they looked at the harbour of Yaralon as they floated up towards it. Neither she nor any of her family had been there before, which was odd for that lot she'd said, but her cousins had said it just hadn't been on their list, they were happy to go, but just never had. Her father had told her the truth - it had a reputation among the clan as a dangerous place where ghosts and spirits walked, where bad luck reached out its hand and all sorts of strangeness occurred. It was strange, though, Vega's father Jo'qan usually was very positive to and about Arlo. He saw what a difference to his daughter the young human Sojourner had made and he called him son; there was no greater acceptance. Yet, when he had warned about the dangers of Yaralon and Vega's eyes had widened with delight and intrigue, Joq'an turned to Arlo and said, quite clearly. "It is you I blame. There was a time when she heeded her father's words."

"When?" Huw, her eldest cousin asked and roars of laughter erupted. The whole clan of them had been sitting on the deck at the time, Huw with his wife, Fi and his twin brothers Reese and Schon with their wives, also twins, Lily and Sian. Or Useless 1 and Useless 2 as Vega called them. At Huw's dry question there had been laughter and more ribbing back and forth. Vega looked at Jonas, Arlo's father and she said, with very earnest eyes, "They're jus' pickin' on me, Mr Creede, you don't need to worry." But her expression to ld that she didn't think he'd minded. That had been four or five nights before when they'd finally decided that was where they were going. Jo'qan had not been keen and he was clear - he was staying on the boat. Vega had simply grinned at him, sitting on a hammock with Arlo and swinging back and forth and had spoken what she now, these trials, knew to be the absolute truth. "Come on, Papa, you wouldn't 'ave me any other way, would you?"

That was then, but on this trial they were standing at the prow of the ship and looking. They'd packed up their things ready and were going to explore a bit. "You know, Papa's considered superstitious, even among biqaj, so I wouldn't worry about it. The useless twins were funny, though, weren't they?" Lily and Sian had gasped in horror at the very thought that someone would want to go somewhere that might be dangerous. "What do you want to go there for?" Lily had asked, genuine amazement on her face and Vega had swiftly come to an inescapable conclusion. "I don't think yer gonna get it, love."

Now, they were more or less there and Vega turned away from the unusual sights in front of them for a moment and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You a'right? Mr Creede'll be fine while we're gone, but if you wanna 'ang around here, we can. You know that, yeah?"

When, however, they were almost there and Vega and Arlo had agreed that yes, they were going, Vega kissed her father on the cheek. "Try not to worry, Papa, will you? We'll be fine." Jo'qan rolled his eyes and spoke in his deep baritone voice to them both. "One trial, I pray that you have children of your own. If only that you remember this moment when one of them says 'try not to worry' to you when they are outside of your sight. " Vega looked at him and shook her head. "I'm not gettin' into the babies conversation Papa. Nor the weddin' one. We've had enough weddin's to last at least ten arcs an' this lot'll be poppin' babies out all over the place soon enough. Not me." Grinning at Arlo she added, "though I've recently been told I've got th'hips for it." Jo'qan shook his head and Vega turned to Arlo, much more serious. "A'right. Domain bags packed, Harmony for you an' Melody for me," their swords, a pair which worked together, bows, arrows, knives an' yep. Everythin' we need for a romantic few trials. Get a wriggle on, Creede, there's adventures waitin'"

"Just be careful, Eva," Joq'an said, wrapping her in a hug, and Vega nodded. "I will Papa, but it's all jus' silly superstition. An' superstition brings bad luck. You know that."

It appeared that the eldest Lei'nox gave up and he turned to Arlo, the last vestiges of hope in his eyes. "Look after her?" He said, as he hugged Arlo, briefly. "Look after both of you."

"Will you boys get on? Arlo quit lollygaggin' an' lets go before someone has a feelin' an' we need to call a medic. Famula's knockers yer a right bunch of old women come on."

[Arlo Creede]

30th Saun, 718

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Arlo had been forced to admit it. He knew as little as Vega did about Yaralon. Which in essence, was nothing at all. And that meant that ultimately all that either of them knew, had been told to them by Vega's father. Of course when the blame for her supposed recklessness was leveled at him, albeit a good-natured criticism, Arlo had the good grace to put on a sheepish expression. That was then however and once they were alone at the rail and he'd admitted to his ignorance, he'd grinned and bumped her shoulder. "There's a world of unknowns for us both over there," he said, looking towards the shore. "Whatever they are, we'll discover them together, side by side."

As for the teasing, several nights before then, Jonas had only sat quietly through it all, puffing on his pipe but with a particular gleam in his eyes. When Vega had told him not to worry, he'd only smiled just a little. "It's alright Vega. If Arlo had had any sisters, he'd have tormented them to distraction." Of course Arlo had denied it, but ultimately Jonas prevailed by reminding him of the extent to which he'd teased the little twin girls down the road when he was a boy, not much older than them. They'd gone home crying more than once when he'd pulled their pigtails, and sure enough, a trial later, their mother would show up at the farmhouse door. He'd get his ear cuffed, he'd be made to apologize and the cycle would go round once again.

"Superstitions always come from somewhere or something," he said when Vega explained her father's tendencies. "No matter how small or how big. Same with fairy tales, legends and so on. And you shouldn't torment them so much," he seemed to scold her in regards to the twins, once they'd rallied on deck with their belongings, ready to go ashore. "It's too easy. Like fish in a barrel," he added in a whisper, an amused sparkle in his eye. But Jonas would be fine. They'd all be fine, Arlo said, and he was eager to go ashore. He was coming to enjoy life on the sea, but in measured doses. He was keen to get his feet on solid ground again.

Of course he distanced himself as much as possible from the topic of children, in case it was somehow contagious, and instead focused on making sure that Jonas would do alright, and asking him was there anything he could bring back from shore. Meanwhile, Lyova was impatiently swirling around, eager to get to shore herself and see the sights. But of course they'd be well armed for a trip ashore, no matter how ordinary or mundane their plans. You never knew and with them, the unexpected had become, well, the expected. Harmony was strapped to his hip. One bow to his back, in his sack, and so on. "I've been waiting on you," he insisted when Vega told him to hurry.

Always, Arlo told Jo'qan when the man embraced him and asked him to take care for them both. Always, and yet though he didn't say it, he was fairly sure Vega's father was letting his imagination run away with him. In either case, Vega's welfare rated above his own, and always had. Vega fussed again, Arlo gave a pat to her father's back and then ducked in front of her in order to disembark first. "Now who'd lollygagging?" he called back over his shoulder.

[Vega]

It had been nice, she had to admit, sitting together as a whole family on the deck of the Wanderlust and teasing each other, laughing together and simply being. She'd been quite content sitting there with Arlo, his arm draped around her shoulder or her hand in his, depending on the moment. It was a good feeling, a pleasant evening and they'd slept beneath the stars on deck together. As he bumped her shoulder and said that they'd discover all the unknowns together, Vega grinned at him. "This isn't one of those ports where you're gonna 'ave to go visit your girlfriend, then?" She teased him with her words, but her smile, and the colours in her eyes, told of how happy she was.

"You want me to tease you more?" Vega asked, with a grin, when he defended the twins. "Steady on, now, don't go bein' nice to people of a female persuasion who'v got the hots for you. They haven't got the knockers to allow it, so jus' cut it out before it starts, a'right?" She was eager to get ashore, too; Vega was of the opinion that too much time spent anywhere was a bad thing, be it on a ship or in a city. Besides, there was another aspect to it for her. "Any'ow, I'm bored of that lot. I love my family, but they're right irritatin'. " She was quick to assure him that this did not apply to Mr Creede. "Come to that, it don't apply to Mr Creede junior either." Bumping his shoulder back, she made her way.

Vega hugged her father, but rolled her eyes and then when Arlo snuck in front of her she let out a guffaw of laughter. "Traitor! Sneak! I'm gonna 'ave you, Creede!" Jo'qan looked at Jonas and shook his head as the pair of them made their way. She fell to more serious almost as soon as they were off the boat though. This place was a dangerous place, there was no doubting it. Vega had grown up on boats and she had been to a lot of docks and harbours over the course of her life.They had a feeling to them, each one and this one was a clear feeling of danger. "Hmmm," was all she said, but her hand fell to her belt, her thumb hooking there. Nodding to the obvious, she glanced at him.

"I'd say we're gonna go that way, yeah?" There was a caravan like thing of goods in front of them, but that was where they went. They got to the gate and there, Vega had to admit, they were faced with a very strange thing. Now, a lot of places had levels of citizenship, but the guard who spoke to them explained, clearly, what would happen. The first question was how they'd got here, and that was easily answered. That apparently, gave them a silver circle. It would be marked on them, if they accepted it and was from a plant. There were people around and nearby with them, so she shrugged and agreed. "A'right. Top of my leg, if you don't mind." She had no issue with hitching her skirt so long as it was her doing it. Besides, Arlo was there and if she was any judge of character, he'd be hovering around and shielding her modesty.

There was a tax to pay, which was also fine and then, finally, they were in the city itself. "Wanna explore, qau'ma?" Vega asked, slipping her hand into his and grinning.

[Arlo Creede]

30th Saun, 718

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"At least a half dozen of 'em," Arlo shot back over his shoulder when Vega evoked some sailor's notion of a woman in every port. Nothing could be farther from the truth and they both knew it. Not only was Vega all that he wanted, but she was plenty to handle, all on her own. "I've been eating more of my vegetables than usual, just so I'll have the strength to visit them all." That last bit was added, only once he was outside her reach in case she tried to pinch or thump him.

As for Vega's sisters in law, well it was hard not to feel badly for them wasn't it, he'd asked her. If smarts were porridge they seemed to only have a half bowl to share between them. Without them smartening up somehow, they'd never be long for the world. Vega should be more kind to them therefore, Arlo insisted. "They love you is all," he added, regarding her father and cousins. "Their way to show it is to torment you...and to get a rise from you." Which they all did to great success, he thought.

Still, he'd beat her down the plank coming off the Wanderlust and onto the busy dock. Lyova, always excited to see someplace new was already off and swarming the area, calling back to him excitedly when she saw something interesting. There beside Vega however, Arlo paused, frowned and gathered a sense of the place. "Feels a little different doesn't it," he suggested. "Something in the air that's not so jolly and welcoming as other places we've been." Not that any place had been especially jolly seeming. But by contrast? Maybe a little bit after all. It felt downright ominous, right were they were standing at least.

He wasn't discouraged though. In fact, as one of Cassion's...a traveler, explorer, adventurer, it was all the more intriguing. Besides, he was armed well, and so was Vega and between them they had plenty of skill to call on should they need it. If any of it was a mystery however, standing around wasn't going to solve it. As it happened, the direction they needed to go, was where Lyova was already hovering around, wondering aloud about what the guards at the gate were up to. So far as Arlo was concerned, when they got there, it was curious, maybe even dubious business.

He didn't care for it even a little. Not this marking business, and definitely not Vega hitching up her skirt for it. Suffice to say he made of himself a shadow, hanging over the man that had applied the mark. As for himself, he'd take it on his right forearm, and rolled up his sleeve to receive it. Pointless business so far as he was concerned, but there it was. "Of course," he said, grabbing Vega's hand one they'd gotten past the guards. They'd need a place to stay, he figured, and they might want to spring for a room at the inn this time. "And back there while we were waiting at the gates, I heard a man say that there's a shrine to Cassion, somewhere nearby," he told her.

[Vega]

When he said that there were half a dozen of his girlfriends, Vega had guffawed, but when he'd then gone on to talk about having eaten his vegetables she turned to him and, since he was beyond her reach she moved forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling herself close to him, kissing him possessively. "Steady now," she whispered, "don't make me go an' pound half a dozen women. You're all mine." Grinning at him, she rubbed her nose against his. "I'll dump all my other boyfriends, if you like. Or most of them. Can I keep stinky-cheese?" Stopping, suddenly, she looked at him as a realisation hit her. "You were jealous. You were totally jealous." She grinned, pleased at that. Though, in fairness, she supposed, at least he had the good grace to be jealous of a real person rather than the girl in the university she'd made up in her head. But still.

She snorted derisively at his take on her family. "Two points. I love them too, but it don't mean they aren't flibbertyin' my gibbet so I'm glad to see the back end o' them for a bit an' they're your in laws too, those girls. Papa calls you son." That made him as related to them as she was, she pointed out, her hand in his as they made their way. It had been some days now since they'd argued, standing on an island which was uncharted and Vega had to acknowledge and admit that she felt more relaxed, more herself than she had in a long time. Things were better with them, too - Vega hadn't realised just how on edge Arlo had become, until he wasn't any more. With a glance at him, she grinned and her eyes were vivid emerald green with flecks of orange; and more than that, they were still, not shifting constantly.

"Yeah, you get the feelin' this lot aren't a right barrel o' laughs, don't you?" She grinned at him, though, it wouldn't put them off not at all. If anything, it would do just the opposite. She looked at him and rolled her eyes when he hovered around her. As they walked off, she explained. "There's a small docks we used to stop at quite a lot, round Ne'haer way, and they stamp your hand. Reese told me it'd make my freckles worse, but I didn't believe him." Yet, she said, that was the summer that her freckles had gotten worse than ever. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she shrugged slightly. "My leg's all scarred an' stuff anyhow, so if I'm gettin' more freckles, it might at well be somewhere no one sees. I don't trust it. It' might be a freckle-producin' device."

But there was a shrine to Cassion? Vega looked at him and a wicked grin crossed her face. "You're not bothered about that, then? Not wantin' to go? Stay here an' learn knittin', shall we?" She tugged at his hand, eagerly. "Which direction?" They asked around and found that it was in a place called Bastards' Grove. Vega shrugged and looked at him, once he'd gotten directions for them. "Nice. It's outside the city bit, shall we camp there?" If it was suitable, that was. Either way, they had more than enough time to make their way. As they approached, though, Vega nudged him.

"Is it jus' my deranged imagination," she wondered, apparently calmly, "or does that tree have a screamin' face?" Giving him a playful shove, she shook her head. "You're such a romantic, Creede. You bring me to all the best places." With a very serious expression, she added, "an', no. This does not count as a date this season, which is still your turn cos you didn't bother last." Her lips pursed in mock-annoyance and she motioned to the screaming-face tree. "Come on then."

[Arlo Creede]

30th Saun, 718

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She was his, and he was hers. There was no denying that. But when Vega accused him of having been jealous? Even in the wake of an embrace and a passionate kiss, Arlo snorted and teased her. "Jealous? Never been jealous a trial in my life," he said. He had of course, but wasn't going to admit that to her. Or even to himself. "I only look after you is all, and it might mean knocking heads together now and again. Best I be prepared for it." Jealous? No, not him. Not ever.

As for her family, or his own, theirs as the case may be, Arlo liked them all. Even loved them. But much like Vega he was glad to be off on their own again. And he was a traveler besides. He'd never been content to be cooped up with a crowd for any sort of time running. And besides, things had been much better with them lately. Since they'd stopped off at that island, Arlo guessed. They were more at ease with each other. Even the silences were easier and more harmonious ones. Arlo had sensed the change in Vega, and in the way they were together as well. It had been a fight he hadn't wanted to have, to be honest. But now looking back, he was happy they'd had it.

But no, even though they'd only been off the ship for a few bits, the people of Yaralon didn't seem to be a very jovial lot. And there was just something in the air, though Arlo couldn't quite put his finger on it. In any case, he didn't appreciate much, how long it seemed to take the guard to put the mark on Vega's bared leg. And before anyone else could do it, he took it upon himself when it was done, to reach in and put her skirt back down. "I doubt it's a freckle making thing," he scoffed, smiling again and teasing her as they walked away. "I think it's more an opportunity for the guards to get an eyeful. I mean are you going to have to be hiking your skirt every time a guard, merchant or shopkeep wants to see it?" A reasonable question, so far as Arlo was concerned.

And of course he wanted to visit Cassion's shrine. The sooner the better and by virtue of what it was, a shrine to the Immortal himself, then surely it would be a perfect place to camp. And bastard's grove? Aptly named, maybe, considering what Cassion had told him about all the children he had scattered around. Out of wedlock ones, most certainly. "Let's go," he said and eagerly took Vega's hand, once they'd gotten directions. It was a ways to walk, to get there. But once they had, there seemed to be little doubt in Arlo's mind, they'd come to the right place. A screaming face? Vega's shove and retort brought a grin to his face, and he came back with an arm wrapped snug round her shoulder. "That bit's a little unconventional, I have to admit. But Cassion likes a good story. Even the scary ones I guess."

But why wouldn't this count as a date, he teased? "I'd bet it's even candlelit in there, should anyone manage to get in." The man in line at the gate had told him a few things about the shrine, Arlo told her. Those pillars or obelisk's on each side of the door, for instance. She could tell a story to one, and it would store that tale for centuries to come, and share it with others. Or, she could ask a question of the other one, ask for advice, and it would answer her by sharing a story told by someone else before her. "He said that there's a legend about the door, that if you're the best sort of storyteller, or if you're marked by Cassion or one of his mortalborn children, that the doors will open right up for you."

Of course the man had said whether or not there was something else that needed to be done, before that could happen. "It's worth a try, maybe?" Arlo suggested and took Vega's hand, leading her towards the door of the shrine. Before they got there of course, he offered up a silent prayer to Cassion and a vow that here in this place, each step he took was in the Immortal's name. And at the least he placed the palm of his hand on the door to see what might happen.

[Gangui]

ALRO AND VEGA

Renown:

5

Points:

15, no magic

Comment:

I enjoyed reading this thread. They way that yall write about the npcs seems to flow well. Its natural and seems real, and I like it. The relationship between Vega and Arlo is definitely something that flows well. Also reading this helps me get primed for coming to Yaralorn myself. I enjoyed this, thanks!

[Aegis]

This completed thread has been reviewed by a Yaralon mod.

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