• Closed • One Small Basket of Sev’ryn [Na'liya]

[Ae'garn]

One Small Basket of Sev’yrn [Na'liya]

5th of Cylus, Morning
The Bread Basket, Andaris

B

akery, next stop on the list, by the smell he was already drawn toward it, twenty paces away. His sensitive nose directed him to the door. Ae’garn was less keen for baked goods, because they were not fresh fruits of the forest, unless there were baked fruits too! Oh Syroa, now he was alittle hungry.

Less people were around in the morning, it helped keep him from feeling too crowded, a good time of day to be moving about. Hopping down from the nearest wall, that was the other reason he was enjoying himself more walking around now, Ae’garn had taken to walking along walls or rooftops, just to avoid the busy streets. In the dark of Cylus hardly anyone saw him up there, he hoped.

Dressed as always in blue down to his boots, his weather clothes on, carrying a rucksack, knife, quiver, bow, and a shopping list from the priest made out on parchment. Ae’garn was having trouble reading the older man’s writing, of all the things he was teaching him, thankfully writing wasn’t one. He squinted to see if he could make out exactly what he was to buy.

Bakeries, the priest this morning had prepared him for queuing, bread, and how to conduct himself. Coming inside with a clear plan on what he needed, if he could make out the list. The small stranger waited not saying anything, not sure if he should or had to. Hands in his pockets, he scrunched up his nose, wiggling it. Too many good smells to take in. There were baked fruits ooooh! His feet soon carried him past anyone in the shop, to wherever the cherry pies were located. Not cutting in line, just standing there admiring the offerings as close as he could, in his own mini heaven while everyone else went about their business.

In fact after queuing for a little while, he walked back out of line, so he’d have longer in the shop, milling about for another five bits. Maybe Ae'garn hadn't quite got this whole queuing thing down right yet. Whoever walked up to this silent Sev’ryn hovering in the shop first, would be met with a soft, probably embarrassed smile for his enthusiasm, and a “Cassion alone couldn’t call himself full here,” eager eyed, he hadn’t picked anything up, careful not to disturb anyone or anything around him. Was this another ritual or way of indulging an immortal, yes it was, each had their own requirement of him. At a busier time of day people might have even missed him, he was that kind of guy to many, nobody really saw him that much even if he was there.

[Na'liya]

The snow outside seemed to have brought in a bit more people during this time. She wasn’t complaining about it so much. She really wanted to take a break. The snow was starting to thicken up a bit this morning and with much urging from her familiar, she left earlier than she usually do. In no means was she mad about leaving early; it was just she didn’t get as much sleep as she wanted.

A tap on the shoulder made the young woman focus on her job again, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that,” she asked the older woman to her side. The woman looked annoyingly at the young employee and huffed out her response again. “I asked if there were any more white bread,” the woman seemed to space her words out to make sure the other heard her clearly this time.

Na’liya looked over her shoulder and saw that there were two left. “Yes, would you like to have two,” the nineteen arc asked while walking over to the bread. She heard one from behind her and took only one of the two. “Would you like it⎯,” the woman interrupted her with a yes. The young Sev’ryn stared at the woman for a short trill before moving along to the counter to wrap it up.

“There you go,” Na’liya smiled towards the old lady who took the bread. The woman scuttled away in hurry. A giggle came out a little as the woman made her way to the other counter to pay. It was an interesting walk. Maybe she could try to walk like that. Would someone laugh too if she did? Wait⎯maybe she shouldn’t have laughed at the woman. Laughing someone is considered rude. Pouting slightly, she walked back over to the line of customers. “Na’liya can you get a slice of blueberry pie,” one of the baker’s daughter kind of yelled over to her. The teen was in charge of collecting the money and couldn’t quite leave with the line of people awaiting their orders.

Na’liya nodded and swiftly made her way to the area where most of the pies were. She noticed that someone was already looking at them. Well the cherry pie to be precise. The man seemed to be fully focused on the pie. Ah! Maybe he wants a slice. With a smile she was going to ask if he did but remembered the task that she was supposed to do. She brought her focus on taking off the lid of the blueberry pie and packaging the slice. With energy that she was sure wasn’t there before, she continued to go back and forth getting most of the customers orders until there was just one left. “You can take a break now if you want,” she heard from behind. A grateful smile came to her lips as she turned to go sit at one of the tables before noticing the man from earlier looking at the pies.

He didn’t want a slice? Tilting her head ever so slightly in thought, she decided that she’d talk to him. “Don’t you think you should leave him alone,” Roshin suggested to her. Looking down at her familiar whose tails flicked slightly in a comforting way. “Why should I do that,” she asked out loud. Not caring so much for the few stray glances aimed at her. “Well maybe he doesn’t want to be bothered,”the fox said plainly hoping to discourage his other half. That hope fell flat when he saw her nearing the man. I tried.

Na’liya bounced over to the man before coming to a stop behind him. “You didn’t want a slice of pie,” she asked with wide smile and tone full of energy.

[Ae'garn]

“I didn’t a want a pie? That’s terrible, I’m so sorry. I am new here, do I owe you anything?”

A

e’garn fumbled around for his coin purse, putting a couple of coins out onto his palm, offering them over. Thinking he’d upset a custom of the bakery, he bit a coin first to make sure it was genuine. Would you believe it, just the other day someone had mistakenly given him metal bits instead of change, he didn’t want to make the same mistake!

Smiling brightly back, bobbing his head, “I hope I can still buy another too, else the priest might go hungry. Is that alright? He said he wanted…” Ae’garn pulled out his parchment list, squinting at the bad handwriting. “Hmmmmm, three loafs of bry and prassed, do you do bry or prassed bread?” Bry, maybe he meant cheese? Waiting patiently he smiled brightly, in a world of heaven right here in this scent smith for the soul. On the list out in front of him, it actually read dry and pressed, if someone could make it out. If they had anything for travellers to take with them, dry and or pressed bread lasted a very long time when prepared well.

Waiting for her to look or make sense of what bry or prassed bread was, he silently stood there not saying a word, for as long as it took until she was ready. Hands back in his pockets, seemingly with endless pockets on his blue clothes, you might think they contained lots of small trinkets, one day they would, but for now they were waiting for the opportunity to hold secrets of adventures to come.

Waiting, at least till it was too much, “just between you and me, I really would like some cherry pie, I mean, if it’s alright.” Ae’garn tiptoed up and down, a bit excited at the thought. Deciding to introduce himself, happy to see another Sev’yrn, because of their invisible friend he could tell she probably was one. “Oh silly me, my names Ae’garn, happy to meet you and y’know who.” Giving a little bob of his head. He didn’t expand on what he meant by y’know who, not that he could see y’know who, he was just used to people speaking to y’know who out loud back home.

That little bit of banter zipping on by, he looked around the shelves, leaning his weight on the back foot, in a dreamy world of his own. One that included fresh pastries, baked fruits, and cherries for trials. Every so often his nose would try and take him off on another tangent, or adventure, he didn’t even need to move a muscle to find it here. She was so lucky to serve people here.

[Na'liya]

Na’liya was a bit thrown back by his nervous chatter before she started to laugh. “You don’t owe me anything. It’s just I saw you staring at the pies and I wasn’t sure if you had actually ordered one,” she looked him up and down to see if she was mistaken, “I was going to ask if you wanted one back then, but well...I was a bit busy.” Her eyes started to wander about the bakery, not really keeping eye contact on him directly.

The action of him pulling something out caught her eye. She shifted her focus on to him as he read off his list. Bry? What is bry? Do we have bry bread? Well we have Rye bread? Did he mean that? Na’liya started tilting her side to side in thought. As for prassed, she had no idea what that is. “I don’t think we have bry, but we do have rye bread if that is what you meant,” she clamped her hand onto his shoulder in excitement. “And,” she dragged out, “we have more than three loaves I believe,” she turned her head over to the other wall looking at the variety bread. “We can get those if you want. But that isn’t what you asked for is it,” she brought her arm back and pulled on her short hair a bit. A part of it came out of the ribbon that was luckily holding the rest back.

She started to think over what should be done, but nothing would come to mind. Slowing she started to rock back on forth on the balls of her feet. The foxtail at their side bounced slightly as they rocked. A wide cat like grin etched itself onto her face when the other asked for some pie. She knew it! He totally wanted some. “Of course ya can have some,” she almost yelled out. “Nice to meet you too Ae’garn. My name’s,” she paused after she thought about what he said. What did he mean by and y’know who? Blinking once, twice, and thrice it didn’t come to her of who might he be talking about.

“He must be talking about me, you doofus. This is one of the reasons why I tell you not to talk out loud. Some might think you’re probably crazy,” Roshin circled around the man and Na’liya. Both tails seemed not to move at all as he moved about the two. The young Sev’ryn’s eyes widen, as she understood what the spirit said. Finally the fox stopped near her feet and sat, “just talk in your mind, I’ll still hear you.” She pouted and crossed her hands, “well I don’t want to. I like speaking out loud to you,” she added an hmph to her statement.

“Anywaaay~My name is Na’liya. Well you could call me Nana, or just Na. On second thought don’t call me Na. That sounds odd a bit don’t it. Nana does sound better though. Oh! Sorry for rambling. Now let’s get you that pie or maybe the bread too,” she smiled brightly before leading the man over the glass domes. “Oh,” she turned around quickly towards the man, “you said that you was new here earlier. So you’re not from Andaris? I’m not either. I’m from Desnind,” she smiled while walking backwards.

[Ae'garn]

R

elieved he hadn’t broken a bakery custom or rite, he recalled the day he had mistakenly interrupted the preparation of a sacred deer for a harvest festival. The deer had died a natural death, on that very morning, so it was deemed it had chosen itself the ceremony. In Ae’garn had walked, after the deer had been prepared for an entire morning and afternoon, spilling a soup pot all over the prized offering. Nobody had spoken to him for three days after that!

His uncle had tried to tell him a lot of others outside of home didn’t have, y’know to talk to, so Ae’garn had naively thought that left many which still did, assuming half of everyone he came across would have an invisible companion. It explained yesterday’s old, ill beggar speaking to himself or the man cursing his luck when playing dice. Sadly Ae'garn had yet to find that part of himself, he would, he felt he’d find that missing piece, but not yet.

“Oh bother, I don’t know if he likes rye, can you read it?” He offered over the old shopping list to Nana. It was on clean but old parchment, the writing scrawled as if someone had taken great care, to make a terrible mess of it! Standing to her side while she might look over it, he again waited very patiently while she looked, not saying anything till she did.

10 x B(d)ry Pra(e)ssed Bread
1 x Wal(t)erskin~
4 x Sa(e)rvings of ~dry La(e)ntils
1 x Gift ~ for Famula
1 x Hand Lotion, Foot Lotion, Hand Herbs, Knee Salve, More Foot Lotion ~~~
And Please No roof Running, you know how I worry!

Being told pie was available was enough to draw out at least another nose wiggle, and eyes which said what are we waiting for! “About the pie, who should I offer thanks, ceremony or prayer to?” Ae’garn was unsure of himself, expecting to dedicate the gift an immortal or spirit, this was after all his first time in a bakery. Hopefully she had an idea of whose domain the bakery was part of, or which spirit would be best served by the gift of communion.

As she introduced herself, Ae'garn offered what he could, “Nana, may Xiur always give you hope, Thetros Sanctuary, and Ashan free your path.” Very serious, he spoke in reverence, deeply contrasting his smile which came back, “I like speaking out loud to you too.” Ae’garn said happily, bobbing on his feet, bursting with energy himself. Considering she was being friendly, oh immortals did she just flirt with him? A brief pause, which in Ae’garns time meant a heartbeat. This time he’d missed she was speaking to her familiar. Ae’garns hands slipped inside another set of innumerable pockets which lay across his coat, something he did to occupy them, and to settle himself when he was uncertain of something.

“I lived not far away from Desnind, in the southern forests,” in the city Ae’garn was homesick already, and by the way his emotions ran so freely, today from energetic to homesick, made this easily evident on the young Sev’yrns face. “Do you miss home?” When she moved, he would follow her to the ends of the Idlaos! Well at least as far as the blueberry, cherry, or anything fruit pie was. Counting out a few coins, he’d need to control his fruit cravings, good thing he wasn’t honouring Syroa today, he only had so much to spend.

[Na'liya]

Na’liya turned back to the front and looked down at the list that Ae’garn gave her. Her Common wasn’t perfect but she understood what it was. Looking down at the list, she caught what he meant by Bry. A slight frown came to her lips as she stopped into front of the glass domes holding the pies. “I don’t think we have this,” she pointed to the first item of the list. “You could perhaps find it in the marketplace,” she said in a hopeful tone.

Looking at the pies, she remembered him talking about the immortals after she introduced herself. She didn’t know much about the different immortals nor did she have that much in them. Of course, growing up her parents taught her about Moseke but even then she didn’t put much thought in it. She didn’t call anyone wrong. It was simply that she didn’t focus enough on those that don’t intervene in her life or at least in her eyesight.

She looked up at Ae’garn he asked about her. Did she miss home? It has been two years since she last seen her family. She bit her lip not really knowing how to answer. “Well I don’t necessarily miss Desnind….But I do miss my family. Well mostly my parents. I don’t know where my sisters are. Oh they’re twins! They don’t really look alike though. Well I don’t know if they look the same now. I haven’t seen them in a while….Oh one of them have red hair. Which I think is really cool. It’s pretty to-,” Na’liya cover her hands over her mouth. “Sorry I got off topic,” she wrung her hands slightly. “I tend to babble a lot or get off topic. So um why are you are you in Andaris,” she opened the top of the cherry pie container. “Do you want a slice or a full pie,” she asked.

[Ae'garn]

N

a’liya was fun! “Thank you, do you know any traders there who do bry?” Ae’garn said gently, and appreciatively. Tilting his head slightly, hair falling down one side of his face. His pointy nose was one of the most prominent features on his angular face, and almost seemingly never settled with where it was, least of all here.

“You have sisters who are twins! Did they gang up on you?” As casually as you like, he could talk for hours and often did, finding small stories fascinating, the little details. “My big sister teased me every day, I loved it.” He smiled happily, remembering the tricks his foster siblings used to play on him. “Once she put a frog in my boots, I was hopping about,” showing her animatedly, “until I took them off and one shoe started bouncing around the room! Scared our nanna so much she ran out of the house and woke the neighbors!” He chuckled, homesick again, geesssshhh.

“Babbling brings out fun stories,” Ae’garn smiled brightly and pushed a stray strand of hair out of his eye, king of babblers, or so someone told him once, while babbling to him! Mhmph. What was he asking for, oh right pie.

Slice or a full pie, hmmm, choices, choices.

“Could I have three slices, one for my friend, one for me, and one in case I get accosted by hungry pie brigands on the way between here and home. Or y’know, just get hungry.” Tiptoeing up and down, his hands swept behind his back as quick as you could blink, finding snug pockets at the rear of his coat, hopefully no cakes had gone missing! But it was difficult to be sure, he was quite quick, and often fidgeting unless talking or praying.

Ae’garn lent in like he was going to tell her something incredibly important, “I love your job,” he whispered, very secretively, hand to his face. Acting like it was biggest secret in the world, he put a finger to his lips. Then outloud told her why he was here, clearing his throat, his voice was gentle again and carried a more serious tone to it when he spoke. "To recover Famula's relics, we are chasing a thief." There was more to it than that, he'd joined the priest when he'd found him robbed in the street, now on an adventure that was taking them across Idalos!