Some tea can be sweet

Sohalia's genuine interest and excitement about his job was a lifeline to the usually-grumpy courier. She made it easy to think about something better and brighter than his Extremely Unfortunate Adventure with the Glotter that day, and her sincerity was a balm to his surly soul. He perked up, happy to share his travels with such an attentive audience and Boreal huffed quietly to herself in amusement and lay back down beside his chair, curling under the table to stay out of the way of the Fae servers fluttering past.

He hadn't expected his simple question to bring on a hand-wringing blush, and the awkward courier immediately felt bad for asking, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with a faint grimace of regret. The young woman's sweet admission was anything but silly, however, and he relaxed a moment later with a relieved grin. "I'd rather be on a skyship than a boat. All that water..." He shuddered and shook his head, but the grin didn't fade much. "But y'might be in a bit o' luck. If you're interested in tryin', I mean. I'm captain of a skyship, as trim and nimble as a little falcon. She's only got room for one passenger but..." He shrugged, clearing his throat and looking up the ceiling of the teashop self-consciously. "If y'wanted, we could go just a little ways. Not too high up, o'er the Greatwood a ways an' then right back. So you can see how safe it is."

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

Skyships. There was just something about all that wood and metal being airborne that made Sohalia's insides squirm.

It was different when she was shifted. She was in control of where she went, and how high, and how fast. Being trapped in an airship... well, if it crashed, she was afraid there would be no way out. It wasn't the flying so much as the lack of control, but explaining all of that to a stranger felt like too much. Tal had been kind, but he couldn't possibly be that interested in Sohalia and her problems.

Tal grinned and leaned back, and Sohalia flushed with embarrassment, at first misreading the grin to be laughter at her admission. But then the courier offered her a place on his very own skyship, and she couldn't help but stare at him with astonishment. "You... own a skyship?" she squeaked. "Oh! What am I saying, of course you do. How else would you do your job?" she added with a self-deprecating laugh.

Then she paused, looking down at her hands in her lap, suddenly self-conscious. It was a very kind offer, and she was unlikely to find a better opportunity to see how a skyship worked up close. Still, she felt as though she were already in his debt. After all, he had allowed her to join him at his table, and to monopolize his time with her chatter. "I - I would love that," she said after a moment's hesitation. "But I don't know how to repay you."

She paused, then her face lit up. "Oh, I know!" she said. "I know you have Boreal, and you probably don't need it, but I could help you deliver something!" She watched Tal eagerly, the desire to be useful clear on her pretty face. Now that the opportunity was upon her, she was excited - and hopeful that he would say yes.

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

"I used t'do it by walkin', an' it took forever," he admitted, glad those days were behind him. He hadn't been too proud to take the portals before the War, but afterwards, well, he'd made learning to fly a skyship and getting his hands on one his top priority. The Peregrine was the finest little ship of her size in all of Caido, and he'd fight anyone who said otherwise.

But no one was disparaging his ship now, and he puffed up a little with subconscious pride as Sohalia seemed to agree--

And then brought up the mention of payment, reminding the suddenly-embarrassed courier that only an idiot did things for free. "Um," he agreed noncommittally to her suggestion, ducking his head and sipping his (empty) teacup in a desperate bid for a moment to think. "I don't have anythin' at the moment. But..." Beneath the table, Boreal crooned softly and nudged his ankle. Tal took a slow breath, his bravado falling away as he stared down into the bottom of his cup as if something very important were written there.

"Actually... I don't s'pose... you know how to... swim?" The words were dragged from him reluctantly, his whole body tense with discomfort as he asked his payment.

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

Sohalia couldn't imagine delivering packages across Caido on foot. The world was so big, and people were so small. Her estimation of Tal, already high, rose a few notches. It was one thing to travel the world at one's leisure, as she was doing. She had no timelines to get anywhere, and it suited her just fine. But she was sure that people expected their packages to get where they were going quickly, and she shuddered to think how much Tal would have had to put up with to get them delivered on time.

When Tal declined her excited offer, Sohalia momentarily deflated. She didn't blame Tal in the slightest, but she couldn't help the disappointment. She was almost as sad that her offer of help had been declined as she was that she wasn't going to get to experience skyship travel for the first time. She liked to be useful, and the thought that perhaps she couldn't be was an unpleasant one for the young woman.

But then Tal stared at his teacup as though his life depended on it and took a deep breath, and hope sprung in Sohalia's chest. Perhaps there was something she could do for him after all!

And it was something so simple - he wanted to know how to swim. She smiled, relieved and elated. There was no judgment from Sohalia - after all, she could shift into a snowy owl, and she was still afraid of skyships. Her fear was certainly sillier than Tal's inability to swim. "Yes!" she exclaimed, her face alight with glee. "I can swim!"

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

There had, indeed, been adventures - and misadventures - aplenty in those days when the skyships had been fairly new and their routes far more limited than they were today. Honestly it was a wonder that the courier had survived long enough to get a skyship of his own.

If he hadn't been looking so hard for answers in his teacup he might have seen the mirrored rollercoaster of delight and dismay and rekindled hope that his tablemate was experiencing. Instead he heard only silence until he finally started to sneak a glance up from beneath his dark fall of hair--

Just at Sohalia's happy exclamation. He breathed a sigh of relief that maybe wasn't quite as subtle as he intended, straightening up and relaxing a little - and only a little, because this meant that he'd be getting back in the water sooner rather than later - to return her bright smile with a lopsided grin of his own. "Well, there y'go. I'll trade a skyship tour for some swimmin' lessons. Whenever y'want for the skyship ride-- but we can hold off on swimmin' til it's warmer." The current Deepfrost chill made getting back in the water absolutely horrifying, but Flowerbirth was right around the corner...

And he didn't have much faith at all in Sah being able to teach him anything. Better if he could get at least the basics from someone else first!

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

Tal's smile made Sohalia's heart soar. This, finally, was her chance to conquer her fears and make her dreams a reality. If she saw how a skyship worked, then surely she'd no longer be afraid, and then she could go wherever she wanted! She could go see the Oerwoud for herself! Maybe - in the summer, when the cold wouldn't be as biting - she would even go and see where Tal was from. She'd never felt particularly drawn to the icy region, but knowing now that it had produced such a kind person, she wanted to see what it was like.

Whenever she wanted for the skyship ride - Sohalia almost asked if they could go now, but she supposed that might be a bit rude. After all, Tal likely had other plans for the rest of his day, and she could wait a bit longer for her ride. In the meantime, she would have to give some thought as to how to teach someone to swim. It had been a long time since she'd learned, and she couldn't remember much of her lessons as a child. Still, she was excited to give it a try - and to see Tal again.

"It's a deal!"

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

They were both going to be facing fears and becoming stronger... hopefully. Tal was reserving the right to panic halfway through his lesson and make a fool of himself if it meant not drowning, but he was too proud to admit it outright. Instead he managed a shaky grin and stuck out his hand across the table, managing to avoid the delicate tea services.

"Great! I can spend the night here, an' we can meet at the port tomorrow mornin', weather permittin'. Long as it's not too windy or snowin', I can take you out as far as you want." Boreal snorted under the table and Tal grinned down at her. "We could go if the weather is bad, too. The Peregrine is fitted out for Halo Deepfrost, an' she can handle anythin' the Greatwood can throw at her. But maybe not for your first skyship ride." They wanted to help Sohalia get over her fear of flying, not make it worse!

~Fin~