Drink the Sea [Open]

His talk with Adam had finally galvanized him into gathering his courage and stepping through the portal again, this time taking the step that would lead him towards the newest region to have been reached by the Voice's children. He gripped his Guardian Sphere firmly, a grim set to his expression as he stepped out into the bustle of the Port. No stranger to busy towns, he'd simply gone with the flow at first, taking in the hawkers and merchants and other customers.

There was a strange tang in the air, a saltiness he'd never encountered before, and eventually his feet had taken him to the edge of the port where sand stretched from the edge of green jungle down to...

Blue.

The setting sun struck dancing sparks from the waves as they broke a ways out and then lapped gently up to the shore. He stepped out into the sand, feeling the shift of it beneath his boots, and stared speechlessly at the sight of the endless water as far as his eyes could see. Mesmerized by the sound and taste of it as much as the vision of dreams and nightmares, he drifted to the edge of the damp sand, drinking down every novel assault on his senses until he was intoxicated by the novelty of it all. For once Isuma perched silently on his shoulder, as awed as her companion and content to sit and watch their first ocean sunset.

Of course Arialla headed to the beach as soon as possible -- before she'd really gotten her feet in Caido, really. She'd spent her entire childhood playing on the sand; it ought to feel like home. It ought to, but it didn't. She could scarcely believe, as she stood on the wet sand -- a hand covering the horrified O of her mouth -- that even the ocean was different in Caido. She couldn't put her finger on what was off, exactly -- the color of the water, the coastline, the smell in the air -- but it wasn't home. It would never be home. She would never be home.

She sank to her knees in the sand, folding in on herself, letting out a low keen of pain. It felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach, as if the strange sea had killed something inside her. Tears ran down her face, a more familiar form of salt water. Praying felt like the only good response to this discovery, but she couldn't find the words. Instead she just moaned, hand over her mouth, gasping for breath. She swayed back in forth in total misery, completely unaware of anyone else nearby. If she'd realized someone was watching her, she would have felt deeply ashamed of the mess she'd made of herself.

No peace for the wicked, as the saying went. Instead of being allowed to enjoy the beauty of his first sight of the ocean, a woman soon followed him out of town and began to wail, drawing the attention of others passing by - enough that they gave her a wide berth, avoiding eye contact. Jigano took a tentative step towards her, wondering if she had been hurt, perhaps, but he could neither see nor sense anything physically wrong with her. Whatever had caused her pain seemed to be emotional - a husband lost at sea, perhaps? Or a sister or a friend. From what he'd heard the sea didn't discriminate when it took a ship to its depths.

Whatever the cause it seemed to be a deeply personal moment, however, and one he had no right to interrupt as a stranger. None of the other local natives seemed to be stopping to help, so perhaps this was normal? Open grief was to be respected, not trampled, and he hesitated only a moment longer before turning and walking soundlessly away, not wishing to draw further attention to the woman when he knew he wouldn't appreciate an audience to his own misery. Reaching up to stroke the feathers of the small white gryphon on his shoulder he turned his face instead back to the ocean as he headed away from the port and up the coastline, trying to catch the sights he had missed and hoping not to disturb anyone else's mourning ritual as he walked along.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Arialla got her emotions under control. It wasn't that she felt better, really; she just couldn't, physically, cry anymore. She couldn't focus on her sorrow any longer; she just felt hollow.

Looking around, she realized now that she'd been observed -- one particular white-haired man had just turned on his heel and walked away, an action that she interpreted as expressing his disgust at her shameful display. And he was right to be disgusted; he had, presumably, been having a nice evening on the beautiful shore and she'd come along and spoiled it. Rubbing at her face, which burned with embarrassment as well as recent tears, she tried to imagine some way to rectify the situation now, if it wasn't too late. No, she'd just make more of a fool of herself if she tried.

Instead, she hauled herself to her feet and walked down to the shoreline, hoping she could find some semblance of the enjoyment she'd always had beach-combing at home. Finding a perfect flat stone, she picked it up and winged it across the ocean's surface. Her technique was perfect, well-honed: it skipped one, two, three -- eight times, before sinking into the endless blue. That even brought a smile to her face.

Now if only people had watched that, instead of her tears.

The town near a cerulean ocean was impossibly crowded, so much so as to be annoying when one was in search of a particular person amidst the rough and tumble. Kal already felt a little out of sorts--making time to turn in reports for the guild was not his favorite use of sunlight hours, but the benefits of being a member of the guild outweighed the occasional inconvenience, he supposed.

As Kal left the town boardwalk and came onto the stretch of sand before the ocean shoreline, he paused and took in a beautiful array of colors that stretched over the waters and made them look like blood in the dying light of the sun. A smile pulled at Kal's lips. He had seen the ocean of Instrahla and the Crystal Bay of Mal'Serrine, but the Ahi Coast held its own beauty that he felt he could take the moment to appreciate before continuing his search.

Kal passed by one woman with distinctive red hair, and he thought of the people of the eastern Borderlands of his home, those who bartered with the Catfolk. They were all short and fair-skinned and often had such brightly colored hair. How curious to see it here. Kal wondered if this girl could be of his own homeland--but he did not have time to dwell on it, for Kal caught sight of a flash of white and recognized the person he was here to find.

"Provost Jigano!" Kalynd called as he drew closer. He hoped that he hadn't mistaken some other man with white hair as his guild's Provost, as that would be more embarrassment than he cared to deal with in his already frazzled state.

Upon hearing the messenger's call, Arialla's ears burned to realize that she'd humiliated herself in front of not just any random man, but the authority figure Sam had recommended she seek out. Great. Now what was she supposed to do, just avoid him forever? Never speak of this again? The idea of never facing her embarrassment appealed -- it really appealed. But if this man could help her get home ... She couldn't afford to abandon that possibility just because she felt embarrassed.

She walked after the messenger and the man, waiting till she got close to call, "Excuse me, Provost Jigano? I don't want to interrupt" -- she nodded at the messenger, who seemed to have more urgent business than she did -- "but Samuel recommended that I speak with you. I'm ... sorry for disturbing you."

With a jerk of her head back towards the spot where she'd had her little meltdown, she indicated that she wasn't apologizing just for the current interruption, but for her previous actions as well.

Jigano hadn't gotten far before the sound of his name in this unfamiliar place stopped him in his tracks, turning to look curiously back to see who was calling him. It took a moment's recollection to realize it was Kalynd, a face he'd seen far too infrequently and who hadn't expected to find here in Torchline of all places!

...Or perhaps he should have. Kalynd had a voracious mind and an itch to see more of the world that had made him a perfect fit for the Loreseekers. Jigano realized ruefully that his surprise was entirely misplaced; just because he had been too busy to venture into this new region earlier didn't mean his other Loreseekers had been similarly distracted! It was what made them work so well as a guild, after all; many eager minds could all go in different directions and learn different things and then meet up again to share them later.

"Kalynd? What is it?" he called back, stopping to wait for the young man to catch up to him while Isuma chirruped a bright greeting. He was surprised to see that the auburn-haired woman had ceased her tears and was following in his guildmate's wake. She had calmed down and presented a more dignified appearance now, and he nodded gravely at her in greeting.

"Sam sent you? Of course... let me hear what Kalynd has to report first, and then we can see what the guild can do to help you." He raised a hand to forestall her apology, giving a slight shake of his head. "It's alright. I didn't want to intrude on what looked like a private moment, that's all." He smiled reassuringly, then turned his attention back to Kalynd and arched the iconic brow with an encouraging nod for the Loreseeker to continue.

Kalynd was somewhat gratified that the Provost recognized him. He knew that he kept to himself a great deal, even after joining the guild officially, but it was his nature to never be still. Ever since he'd left the palace and the capital city to explore his homeland, he'd experienced an acute wanderlust that he expected would be his constant companion for the rest of his days. Not that he minded. But it did make it difficult to engrain himself in the memories and good graces of the guild, he imagined.

Before he could address Provost Jigano's question, Kalynd heard a voice behind him and looked to see the red-headed woman had followed. His eyebrow twitched a few times as a wave of irritation washed over Kalynd. He had clearly been trying to signal to the man standing before them, and yet this woman had swooped in and interrupted him before he could make his report. Kalynd might not be the primary expert on social graces in the guild, but even he found this an affront.

Kalynd was gratified when Jigano asked him to speak first. He straightened up and reached into his satchel to pull out a rolled up stack of parchment tied with a ribbon. He passed the stack to the Provost.

"I heard that you were in the area, and I wanted to make an official report to you," he said. "I've completed a simple survey of Torchline and have documented a few of its creatures, geographical landmarks of note, and I've made a rough map of the area with as much detail as I have been able to acquire." He hoped that some of the notes and sketches would be useful, as he had found little else groundbreaking enough to return to the guild to report.

Seeing the messenger's irritation, Arialla tried to offer him a placating smile as she stepped back, content to let the provost finish his business with the messenger before she tried to talk to him. It was the least she could do, after making a show of her "private moment," as Jigano had politely termed it.

She nodded to both Kalynd and Jigano, not wanting to disturb Kalynd's report again, and then moved back a few feet to give them a bit of privacy for their conversation. While she waited, she turned her attention to the line of seaweed and debris washed up by the tide, idly checking for interesting shells or other objects.

Jigano accepted the sheaf of papers with a smile, reaching for the ribbon almost automatically, eager to see what they contained. He stopped himself before he could come across as too rude, he hoped, instead tucking the precious bundle into his satchel for safekeeping until he could return to the Guild - and where a stray sea breeze wouldn't blow any of the pages away. "Thank you," he said gravely, but with a smile in his eyes. "I'm looking forward to reading this and learning more about this place. And I'm glad to see you again. You should come by the Guildhall more," he coaxed gently. "Get to know some of the other Loreseekers. It would be good to know who your friends and allies are out here." Not least in case he needed a little help with either the local people or fauna.

He didn't intend to ignore the young woman now that she had approached him, either, so once Kalynd had responded he turned to her with a smile and a half-bow in greeting, Isuma balancing with the ease of long-practice on his shoulder as the pale little owl-snowleopard gryphon watched the goings-on with cheerful curiosity. "Madame, you have me at a disadvantage. It seems you know my name but I don't yet know yours. This is Isuma," he reached up to pat his companion, who chirped a greeting. "And one of my Seekers, Kalynd," he nodded at the young man who had brought the report. "Who might you be?"

"Oh." Arialla turned back, surprised to be addressed again so quickly. She moved to curtsy and then, realizing she wore pants, turned it into a clumsy bow. Then she moved on to her introduction, suppressing the urge to apologize again. "My name is Arialla. I only just recently arrived here in Caido; Samuel told me you were in charge of the Outlanders." That wasn't exactly what Sam had said; he'd used the word "Advisor." But that was how Arialla remembered it. "I wanted to ask if ... if you know how I can get home."

She tried not to sound as nervous about the question as she felt, even though her whole life rode on it. Since her arrival in Caido, she'd thought of little else. If Jigano couldn't tell her ... Well, praying still might bring her some answers, but she'd found herself strangely anxious about it, considering that it was literally her profession. The thing was, if even the gods couldn't answer her plea, where did she go from there?

A smile formed on Kalynd’s lips when he noticed the way Provost Jigano touched the ribbon before politely deferring. Part of the reason Kalynd had joined the guild was to find likeminded people, and it testified him to see someone excited about his research.

“Yes, I have been meaning to return to the Guildhall,” Kal said, his expression sheepish. “I find it very easy to become distracted by new discoveries.” He had been this way in his own homeland, too, far too consumed with his scholarly pursuits to develop true relationships. He hoped that the Provost did not think him standoffish or unsociable because of his passion for exploration and new discoveries. Then again, if anyone would understand Kalynd’s disposition, he supposed it would be the Provost of the Loreseekers.

He bowed his head respectfully and took a step back when Provost Jigano beckoned the lady closer again. Though he debated moving away to give them privacy, his Provost introduced him as well, so he supposed that made him part of the conversation as well for the time being. He listened to the woman’s introduction, and at her last statement felt rather bad about his initial irritation with her behavior. Her concern was warranted and far more pressing to her than his own mission had been to him. Kalynd gave her a pitying look and turned his gaze to Provost Jigano to hear what he would say in response.

Jigano chuckled at Kalynd's admission of curiosity, but was glad the young man didn't apologize for it. It was that very quality that had made him a natural for the Guild, after all, and it was nothing to be ashamed of. "I understand, and if I didn't have so much paperwork to do I'd be right out there with you," he agreed with his guildmate, smiling at him. "I do like hearing from you, though, and knowing that you haven't been eaten by one of those new discoveries. Perhaps I should arrange another mapping expedition of the Underground back in the Hollowed Grounds to lure you back?" He was teasing, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do exactly what he said if he could get the guild together and see what people were interested in pursuing.

He turned to the young woman, keeping a straight face as she curtsy-bowed awkwardly, and nodded as he memorized the name. The mention of Sam brought a rueful smile back to his face and he chuckled for a moment at the promotion he'd gotten to being charge of all outlanders. Somehow he didn't think Deimos would be amused by that... But her next words wiped the smile from his face and his solemn mien returned. "That is not a question with an easy answer," he said gently. "Or rather, not an answer that is easy to hear. The portals that bring people here are one-way, from all that we've discovered. They open briefly, capture a soul or three, and then close again and move on to other worlds. Sometimes they might open several times on the same world... but never in a way that would let us return through them the other direction. Many have tried to return, but as far as I know, no one has succeeded."

He shook his head regretfully before glancing to Kalynd with an arched brow. "Unless you've found something new here in Torchline that would allow it?" It was possible, given that this was a new land to those from the Hollowed Grounds, but from what the Voice had told them of how her portals worked he doubted that his fellow Seeker would have any better news for Arialla.

"Ah. I ... I see." Arialla's jaw clenched as she tried to hide the depths of her disappointment. She definitely wasn't going to cry in front of Jigano again. Instead, she took a couple deep, ragged breaths to settle herself, then turned politely to Kalynd, though she didn't really expect him to have any news.

If he had found something as important as a way home, surely he would have led with it -- or considered it too secret to speak in front of a stranger, and asked for a private consultation with Jigano. No, she knew Jigano was just trying to humor her, to keep her from despair. Part of her almost wanted to resent that kindness, but she pushed that down, forcing herself instead to appreciate it. He cared about her feelings; that was better than disregarding them.