Ashan 19th, 710
Okay. Maybe the half-breed had forgotten that the terrain in the area was a little hard to walk on and it was late evening instead of the afternoon by the time she got to the river. The world was starting to be bathed in that crimson light by the time she saw water, though she'd heard the babbling a long time prior. The sigh was a relieved welcome considering just how much longer it had taken in comparison to her original estimation. The terrain had definitely thrown off her plans by a good deal. And part of her worried if she left Icarus waiting for too long he'd come up with something even worse to do. And that was a terrifying thought indeed. The mind of Icarus was a horrifying place full of monstrous thoughts that manifested in terrible ideas that caused Nightshade nothing more than grief. And yet she loved this deranged madman like a second father. It wasn't like she was forced to either. The number of chances she'd been given to just leave was about as insane as the man himself. She supposed she dealt with it because his insanity wasn't truly insanity, ironically enough it was the most normal she'd gotten in the last 10 arcs or so.
But none of that mattered because she'd finally made it to the river! The crystal clear running water danced and she kneeled down next to the surface, taking a rest for just a moment. It looked clean enough to drink and Icarus surely would have warned her ahead of time if it wasn't. Insane, yes. Sadistic, not so much. The water tasted clean and fresh on her tongue, washing away her fatigue for just a moment as her head became more clear. Awash in the amber glow of the dying sun she almost felt peaceful. She would have loved to sit for a while longer by the river but she really needed to keep going. She didn't have supplies to waste, unfortunately, so she really needed to catch up with Icarus who took literally everything. Standing up was something of a difficulty, to say the least. Her desire to rest easily made it twice as hard as it should have been and her body cried out in protest. The amount of time she'd spent walking over difficult terrain had easily fatigued her enough to let her sleep soundly in the middle of the wilderness. Of course, her logical half kept her struggling to stay awake understanding just how terrible an idea that could possibly be.
It was only luck that would protect her if she really did decide to lay down by the river and take a nap. And Chiren had a laughable distaste for the half-breed.
Continuing to follow the river up a little way she took notice of an interesting sight. There was a small boat chained to the side of the river. It was nothing more than a fishing boat, but by the looks of it, there weren't any fish. A man rested against a tree not to far away, a couple of paddles at his feet. He was leaned back in a leisurely position, seeming content to enjoy the last couple moments of dusk. His face was covered in grizzled gray whiskers, and his head was no better off. At least he had hair, that was more than some men his age could say. She couldn't tell from the distance if his eyes were closed her shut. The half-breed glanced at the river quickly. The boat itself looked to be up the river, the direction she herself was heading, so she'd have to pass by one way or another. It was perhaps worth the effort to try and make a good impression, even if most weren't fond of her kind wandering about. She didn't look half dangerous. Half dead maybe, her clothes being a mess from wandering through thickets and her overall expression just being generally worn to the point of near collapse. Maybe if she asked really nicely he'd take pity on the poor woman and offer her a ride!
She progressed farther until she was within hearing the range of the man. "Greetings," she called out as to not spook him. The man didn't rouse in the slightest. Hesitantly inching a little bit closer she continued to watch him carefully for any signs that he was awake or that she might startle him into attack her. He looked to be awake judging by the pattern of his breathing. Maybe he was deaf? But if that was the case why in the world would a man nap somewhere that wolves or bandits could potentially get to him? Inching a little closer the man sniffed and she wondered if it was an acknowledgment or just a cold. "Sir?"She asked quietly.
"Aye?" He returned her question with another question, but at least it was some kind of acknowledgment.
"Am I on the right track to Etzos? I'm supposed to meet a friend of mine in the morning at the outskirts of the city, and he'll be rather cross if I'm late. It would be terrible if I managed to somehow get myself lost. Even though his directions would be to blame," she asked carefully, muttering her last comment mostly to herself. It was good to ask for directions if she was feeling hesitant. Even if she wasn't, the confirmation would be good to have.
"Aye," he said with a small nod. "Keep headin' up this 'ere river and you'll get there eventually. Though maybe not tomorra on foot," he said. Finally, he cracked an eye open and the half-breed easily recognized the shock on his features. She supposed most avriel didn't approach civilly, let alone with soft voices and meek greetings. The woman was a little nervous approaching a stranger, so, of course, she didn't act like her more obnoxious kin.
"I see, thank you very much, sir. I appreciate your kindness," she said with a warm smile. Her expression fell quickly as she sighed. "Though he really will be cross if I don't show up sometime tomorrow at the very least." Her comments were more for herself as she thought about whatever Icarus might have in store after being left to his own devices for so very long. The man frowned as he watched her silent musings.
"Ya know, if ye had a boat it wouldn't take ye much longa past noon tomorra," the said drawled carefully as he watched her reaction.
"Yes, but I really wouldn't want to impose. And I don't have anything to compensate. My teacher and I live out in the woods. Neither of us has a job and we hunt our meals. He's truly a hermit. I myself haven't really seen many other people since I was about 16 and started living with him," she said with a small shake of her head. She didn't know why she was spilling so much information, but there was something calming about the older man the made her feel like talking. And it wasn't like she was spilling anything particularly important.
The man seemed to weigh his options carefully for a moment before letting out a long-winded sigh. "Get in the boat little miss, I'll take ya up the river," he said as she stood up carefully. His elderly bones and muscles seemed stiff from his nap and he was slow to get up, pops following just about every movement. "Besides. Ya look like a half dead varmint the wild dogs leave on mah porch. Ya won't survive that walk ta Etzos without any supplies ta speak of. What kind of mean teacher ya got?" He shook his head and tutted as he glanced the half-breed over. She really didn't look all that good. "You can sleep in the back o' the boat. Not vry comftable, but it'll do ya," he said with a small nod as he motioned for the half-breed to get into the back of the boat.
Not really seeing much of another option, let alone a better option, she went along with the old man. Perhaps it was foolish or overly trusting, but she needed the rest and it didn't seem like this man was too terrible news. It's not like he could really do much to her while he was paddling the boat. Flawed logic as it was fortune would thankfully be kind to her this time while she was still learning not to so openly trust.
As she stepped into the boat she quickly realized she’d never actually been in a boat before. It felt terribly uncomfortable the way that the wood swayed under her body and threatened to tip. She hadn’t been comfortable on water ever since what happened with those boys who thought it would be fun to throw her into the river as a child. This was at least a bit more comforting considering she was on a boat and not in the actual water. But what if it tipped? She’d deal with it for never. And never admit she was scared of water to Icarus. Unless he gives her more reasons to be.
