Sweaty Brows, Calloused Hands

[Red]

Ymiden 32, 719

Red had slept under her cloak, hidden away behind some crates in a dead end alley. She could've afforded a single night at a tavern, but she had to be careful with her limited coin. She wanted to eat, though she knew she didn't need to do so. Still, she needed to keep up appearances, if Immortals and their followers weren't welcome here.

She left her alley, seeing a new stain upon her dress. But she cared not, she couldn't worry about such things right now. She needed to find work, and her hands itched, they needed to do something. She looked down the road toward the docks, seeing people beginning to work, when she saw the ship she'd come in on. The Starchaser. She saw the tatters of the sails, the damaged ropes, the broken boards.

And she remembered the captain. He was a reasonable, practical man. He kept an eye out for all those on his ship, and he'd navigated the storm incredibly well. Red tied up her hair into a ponytail with a piece of cloth. She made no attempt to hide the color, it was a pointless effort anyways. She didn't know if Aukari or redheads were as hated here as they had been in Rharne, but at this point she no longer cared.

When she died, everything changed. And when she came back, everything changed again. She would not be that frightened woman from before. Not again. So, she marched her way up the street with determination in her eye, approaching the ship. The gangplank was in place, and she moved up it, and the captain walked over to greet her. She smiled at him politely.

"Wha kin ay do fer ya, miss Red?"

She looked him straight in the eye, "Give me a job. Your ship needs fixed."

He laughed, "Ay ma' na' know much, lass, bu' ay know ya ain't a shipwrigh'."

She laughed with him, "You're not wrong, but I'm good with my hands, and with a forge. I will learn everything I need to learn. And I'll be loyal to you and you alone. This ship will be my priority."

The captain studied her for a long moment, "Ay 'ave anot'er ship ay'm leavin' out on. Off to t'e ass en' of t'e worl'. Ay'll let 'arbormaster know you work for me. Be done with me ship when I return."

With a clasp of a hand on her shoulder, he made his way down the gangplank, presumably on his way to the harbormaster.

[Basilisk]

When Auya turned to watch the captain descend the gangplank, she felt a strong lurch and found herself staring at the trunk of a large tree that had most definitely not been there before. When she looked around, she was standing in the middle of a large forest, the likes of which could not be found on Idalos. Thick with trees and a dense canopy, and yet the sun shined through the branches fairly easily, giving the place a warmth that dense forests otherwise often lacked. However, one thing that Auya definitely might not find warming was the woman that was leaning against a tree behind her.

"So you are the newborn." she said, tilting her head like an animal who just found something curious. She was dressed in brown furs, with brown hair and eyes and tanned skin. Auya would be able to feel something from her though, an echo of the power Auya now had, though much more vast. "I am Karem, the Immortal of The Hunt, Survival, Wolves." she said, inclining her head in greeting. "You and I need to speak, Immortal of Heart." she said, her voice neither a threat nor a comfort. Karem was, however, rather relaxed, not looking like she was going to attack Auya or otherwise make a move against the other Immortal.

"You are...new. Entirely new. You are Immortal, yet what happened to you has never happened before in the vast history of Idalos. By all rights, you are impossible." she said, pushing off the tree she was leaning against and approaching Auya, giving that quizzical tilt of the head again. "But all that is, for this moment, completely meaningless. All that matters is one thing. What will you do, Auya Trueheart, with your newfound power? After all, the world is a plaything to the Immortals, yes?" she asked, a weight behind her words. Karem may have appeared merely curious, but her tone made it clear that she was after something with her questions.