[Tarz] Let's go Fishing! (Adelais and Selene)

Subject: [Tarz] Let's go Fishing! (Adelais and Selene) Wed Jul 23, 2014 3:02 pm

With a groan, Selene tried to raise her head from the pillow it was resting on and decided that it was a bad idea to move. Where was she even? Ah yes… Tarz… And how long had she been here?

Everything just seemed blurry at that moment and Selene’s head felt like it was about to fragment into a million pieces. ‘Just don’t move…’ Groaning some more, she buried her head in the pillow again and hoped that the next time she woke up would be more pleasant.

No such luck. Obviously.
With a bang loud enough to make her ears jump off her skull, the patron of the little inn she was staying in knocked on her door. “Selene! Selene! It’s almost midday and I haven’t seen you yet. Are you alright?”
All she wanted to do was yell at the woman to go away and leave her in peace, but Milly had been so nice to Selene that the girl just couldn’t do that. Wincing when the world started spinning around her, she got up, clutching the bedsheets around her and mindlessly dragging them off the bed with her, she shuffled to the door where Milly was once again asking if Selene was alright, if she was even in.

“I’m here,” she whispered once she had unlocked the door. “Would you mind lowering your voice?”

With a heart laugh, Milly ushered Selene back into the room and proceeded to open wide the shutters and windows, letting the sunshine and fresh air stream in. “You need to go freshen up, drink lots of water, eat a hearty breakfast and get some fresh air. After that, you’ll feel much better again!”

Selene’s stomach heaved at the thought of food but she made a noise of agreement, knowing better than to contradict Milly. “And you shouldn’t really be drinking with our regulars. They won’t stop until you end up like this.”

“Good to know for next time,” Selene mumbled. She had never been drunk before and she had definitely never had a worse night than this, despite some definitely crappy nights. None however had ever been spent hugging her little basin for the majority of the time. It spoke volumes of Milly’s experience and gentil personality that she had not uttered a single word with regards to this, especially the smell such nights indubitably generated. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh nonsense, my dear. Go freshen up, I’ll take care of your breakfast. And,” pointing at the basin, “you will want to scrub that while you’re at it.” Selene nodded simply and did as she was told.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A short while later, Selene had done as Milly had requested; she was based, her waterbasin scrubbed, she’d had breakfast – without throwing up – and now she was on her way to take a walk outside of Tarz proper, hugging a waterskin.

She tried to recall what the drinking had been all about but she was fuzzy on the details. All she knew that it had somehow involved a lot of nonsense and talk about an invasion of Dragon’s Cove that was happening in the West and that apparently more and more people from the East were banding together to join the prestigious – uhuh.. – Defenders of Dragons’ Cove as they rose to stand against the invaders.
Whoever had come up with this nonsense had been a damn good storyteller. That was for sure.

Tarz was living off of these kinds of rumours, cut off from the rest of the world as they sometimes were. Then again. Selene had travelled quite a bit already despite being fairly young and she knew only half as much as they seemed to know, so maybe living this way wasn’t exactly stupid either. ‘And maybe, just maybe,’ the voice at the back of her head was nagging, ‘there was a little more to these rumours than she wanted to admit.’

“This looks like a nice resting place,” Selene muttered as she, still somewhat miserable, plonked herself down next to the riverbed, overlooking the landscape, which she only now came to realise was actually pretty beautiful. Not too far away from her, a woman was standing in the middle of the river, with something in her hands, though Selene couldn’t say for sure what it was.
Squinting against the sunlight, she tried to take a better look but the concentration in combination with the sunlight just made her feel horrible again and she leaned forwards towards the river, hoping that she would not throw up. It would simply not do to soil the water when there were people in it who could notice.

Instead she just groaned and cursed herself for thinking it was a good idea to get into a drinking contest with the regulars. Milly was right, she should have known better.

Another morning alone. That was all Adelais could think as she lay in their bed for just a little longer than she should have, hand outstretched where Symon should have been. This was another morning wherein her husband could have been lost, captured, dead, or a medley of other things that weren't 'in their village building ships' like it should have been. It was another morning Adelais pondered whether she'd made the right decision letting him go or, even more so, whether she should have gone with him. Of late her rationality had been giving away to this lurking feeling of doubt, too easy to acknowledge. Still, moping in bed would not feed her hungry belly, and the sun was shining in through their small window. The world would go on, at least for now, and Adelais was going to be a part of it, one way or another.

After a quick meal of bread and water (a staple, particularly when the other option was always fish) Adelais went out to the river to start her day. She never fished directly in front of their cottage, and never fished the same spot twice in a row. Still, the river was clear in both directions, giving her plenty of room to be discerning in her choice. Where the grass turned to mud and rocks, she took off her shoes and stockings and left them where they wouldn't get wet. Then Adelais hiked up her skirt and pinned it just above her knee; she loved the feel of the air against her bare legs, but loved more that no one was around to judge her for it. Basket and net in hand, Adelais walked out into the middle of the river to begin her work. The fish were relatively plentiful, in both size and number-- this would be a good day and a good catch.

Adelais was not nosy by nature, but it was hard not to notice the woman sitting hunched by the river. She was groaning and mumbling, after all, and the only noises Adelais had heard for the better part of an hour had been splashing water and chirping birds. The new presence was out of place. The stranger wasn't someone that lived in her small community, and people from Tarz proper didn't usually hunker down here by the river. This was different, so it could have been interesting.

"Hello!" Adelais said, dropping a fish in her basket and draping the net across the edge. There was no noticeable response from the stranger. Perhaps she should have let it go and continued about her day, but she couldn't. Maternal instinct, perhaps, or Adelais was hoping this would bring some sort of excitement. So Adelais couldn't help but call, louder, "Are you all right there?"

At first Selene was sure her head was just playing tricks on her and making her imagine a voice talking to her, but then the voice rang out again and it sounded almost like someone was asking if she was alright. A female voice. There was a woman in the river, wasn’t there?

Selene slowly lifted her head and looked towards the woman, who was still standing in the water but seemed to have approached her a little, or maybe that was just an impression.
Nodding feebly, she called back: “Peachy!”

Considering however that the woman had actually made an attempt at looking after her and Selene really was starting to get on her own nerves by behaving like a miserable heap, she forced herself back on her feet. She then proceeded down the riverbed a little so she ended up facing the woman who had addressed her with just a bit of mud and water separating them. Hopefully that would mean there were no more raised voices.

“Thanks for asking.” Selene attempted a smile. “Unnecessary word of advice: don’t ever get into a drinking contest with men who can hold their liquor. Worst night of my life.”

Shaking her head, but instantly regretting the motion, Selene looked at the other woman and slightly cocked her head to the side, eyeing the way she was dressed and the basket she was holding, where there seemed to be a fish in. “What are you doing? Fishing?”

Adelais had stepped forward ever so slightly, balancing on the slippery rocks with her strong, rough feet. She felt more comfortable here in the water, where things were familiar and she had the proverbial high ground. Adelais knew the river and it knew her, was part of her. The river was her home, so of course she could welcome this stranger to it. Adelais did not feel threatened.

"Are you certain?" Adelais knew that look, all squinting eyes and pale skin. She'd never been particularly drunk herself, but Symon had come home from enough nights out in Tarz that she'd become acquainted. "Do you need more water?" Adelais motioned to the waterskin, voice lower now that she knew more about the situation. Inside the cottage they had a pail of relatively fresh water, and it wouldn't be a problem to go in and get some more. Adelais thought charity and kindness was important, if it could be easily given. She liked to help. "I didn't ever plan to enter any sort of drinking contests, but thank you!" Adelais laughed slightly.

She pulled her wimple forward a bit, so to more sufficiently shield her eyes from the sun. Then Adelais stepped so that the basket was between her and the stranger and dipped it forward so that the inside was visible from the shore. "Fishing indeed. It's my livelihood." And one of her loves, sometimes, on days like today. Barring her self-pity in the morning, Adelais' day had been pleasant. She levelled the basket carefully, placing the net over the top so that no fish could jump out when she wasn't paying attention.

“Yes, I’m sure, thanks,” Selene replied again, grateful for the woman’s concern but definitely not wanting to bother her. Heck, she bothered herself. It was about time she got up and did something other than sit around and hope this disgusting feeling would go away on its own.
Never again…

“I come from a small village smacked up in the middle of nowhere with only a well and small water resources. I have never actually seen anyone fish, come to think of it. Not even up in Tarz itself. Though I haven’t been around very long yet either. Would you mind showing me?”

Selene didn’t actually wait for a reply, sure that the woman would go back to work one way or another, and whether she was sitting on the shore observing her or standing in the riverbed herself… Cold water over her head had done her good, maybe splashing her feet had a similar effect. Either way, it was better to do something, it almost didn’t matter what it was as long as it was quiet and peaceful. It would take her mind off of her own misery.

Stripping up the legs of her loose pants, she folded them upwards until they came up to her knees, and she hoped they would remain stuck just above it because she didn’t have anything to pin them with, but after a small test, it seemed as though they’d hold.

“Maybe I can even give you a hand,” she started chattering while fiddling with her clothes. “I mean, I may not know what it is exactly that you’re doing but I could at least hold the basket for you, if you want? Not that I want to impose myself but…” Selene grinned at the woman once she was done and ready to start splashing around, and shrugged. “I’m Selene, by the way.”

This newcomer was awfully open and talkative! Not that it was a bad thing, of course, but Adelais very rarely met someone so willing to converse about things like this. It was usually simple 'how are yous' and 'how's the work coming ons,' nothing so... personal. It was out of the ordinary, but especially of late, Adelais was intrigued by it. Besides, the last real conversation lasting more than five minutes she had had with her younger brother a few days previous, so talking to a new woman was definitely a step in a different, more interesting direction.

"No rivers at all?" Adelais' eyes went a bit wider at this statement. She wasn't ignorant: she knew there were places out there that were unbearably dry and barren. Places called 'deserts.' Places without a constantly flowing river that literally provided life for the residents huddled around it. But Adelais knew nothing but the river. So far, there had been no other world for her. "I'd shrivel up and that would quite be the end of me!"

Adelais grabbed the net again as the other woman prepared herself to climb into the river. It would be nice to have companionship (from a woman wearing trousers, no less!), but there was something Adelais had to put out in the open first. "You're certainly welcome to help, but I can't pay you," she alerted. It felt rude, but Adelais and Symon had encountered vagrants looking for work on multiple occasions. Plus, now, Adelais had to feed herself. There was no time for charity. "But perhaps I could give you a few of your catch, if you'd like." No time for charity, perhaps, but Adelais couldn't help but offer. It was her way.

She motioned so that the newcomer would come into the water with her. "I'm Mrs. Binart." A beat, then, "Adelais." She grinned, shaking the net out to its full length and looping her hand through the knotted rope attached to it. Adelais had taught Symon to fish many years ago, and had always assumed the next person she would teach would be her child. Still, this was something. "Like so." Adelais put her finger to her lips so Selene wouldn't talk, and then waited for the water to calm again. She then threw the net, still attached to her arm, out into the river, watching the weights on the ends quickly take it to the bottom. Less than a minute later, Adelais yanked her wrist toward herself, the net raising slowly in the water as she grabbed it and pulled it in. Once the net was within reaching distance, two or three fish splashing just beneath the waterline, Adelais turned to Selene and smiled. "And then we put them in the basket." It was only a practice throw, but it was a start.

“Nah, pretty much a dry land down that way. I mean, Plurith is...,” Selene paused for an uncomfortable moment, fighting against memories she did not want to have surface now, “... was at the edge of the desert. There were a few small streams and sources of course, but nothing nearly as large as this. It’s quite nice actually. I never figured I’d like water so much.”

Laughing at the woman’s comment, she nodded: “I guess imagining a life without a river is pretty difficult for someone who’s grown up with them. But then again, you can get used to quite a lot of different things if you’re either willing to try or just quite simply forced to put up with it.” When she was warned about not being paid for her help, Selene waved the comment off with a smile. “Don’t worry about it; I have a decently paying job. And don’t worry about the catch – it’s all for you. I’m merely curious.”

It was good that at that moment, the woman – Adelais – proceeded to explain the various elements of fishing in a quiet and soothing voice, keeping from Selene to keep talking like a waterfall and from feeling a little embarrassed that Adelais had thought that she wanted to take away the earnings from her hard work. She had never noticed just how much of a headache she could create for herself, in more ways than one, by chattering endlessly. Funny thing, that.

The time spent with Adelais was peaceful however and the young woman very much enjoyed the experience. Feeling the cool water splash around her legs was a lovely sensation and Selene found herself carefully observing the fisherwoman’s every move, trying to absorb the information she was presented in this manner.
When it was her turn to try on her own, she messed up a few times but soon started to get the hang of it even if the actual catching part wasn’t going as well but it was the joy of the experience that made her day more than anything else. She tried one last time before she handed the net back to Adelais and offered instead to just hold the basket for her. Too much movement was still making her feel a little woozy but Selene was feeling a lot better now than she had most of the day.

“So this is what you do for a living? Every day? Do you like it? I mean, sure, you said living without a river nearby would do you in, but is that true for fishing as well?”

Adelais noticed the awkward pause when Selene talked about her home, but didn't comment on it. It wasn't her place, and Adelais didn't want to show her ignorance, anyhow. There was something in Selene's (recent, she thought) past that she wasn't comfortable with, and Adelais wouldn't press it.

The comment about getting used to various situations did strike home, however. Of course Adelais thought of getting "used" to living here, alone, without her husband, but she was also slowly getting used to the idea of leaving... "It can be unfortunate, being forced to put up with something against your will." While she couldn't be sure, Adelais had a hunch this comment applied to both of them. "But yes, you can learn change. I just haven't." She shrugged a little. "What is this job you have, then?"

The work went on slowly. Adelais didn't catch nearly as many fish as she would have were she working quietly alone, but the companionship was worth the loss. A few fish she tossed toward the basket as Selen held it even flopped away back down the river, but that was okay. Adelais was really out working today for something to do, anyhow. A small pang of anger hit her in the chest--she'd not been angry at him for weeks now, but the feeling returned momentarily. Adelais frowned.

"This is my living, indeed. My husband is a shipwright--" then she motioned vaguely down the river, toward the docks, where Symon's friends would be working at that moment-- "but I fish when need be. I grew up doing it." Adelais leaned in toward Selene a bit, grinning like she was telling some sordid secret. "Though I'm quite sure I could give it all up, provided I still had a quiet place along a river. The fish wouldn't miss me too much."

Selene laughed out loud. “Yeaaaaah, I know all about giving up your old life.” Shaking her head, she grinned at Adelais, starting to really take a liking to the woman’s easy-going manner. “I’m sure that could be arranged for you somewhere, somehow, if you really wanted it.” There were many more questions Selene wanted to ask with regards to this particular topic but she didn’t want to pry. Curious as she usually was, this wasn’t something that was discussed with naked legs in the midst of a river. It didn’t seem an appropriate setting. Then again, what was an appropriate setting to delve into the privacy of another person?

“Oh, I work at the inn in Tarz. Milly was kind enough to put me up with a roof over my head in exchange for filling in for her barmaid who just recently stopped because she is about to have a baby, though I forgot her name again. Haven’t actually met the woman. I don’t get much for a pay other than bed and food but it’s better than nothing and Milly’s an extraordinary cook. It’s an easy job in any case as long as the drunks don’t get too pushy or aggressive but,” Selene shrugged, “it could be worse for sure and it’s at least something I can do. The only other thing I know how to do is manage a household but only because my mother insisted my sister and me learned. I hated it though. Still do. Guess my bedspreads are never quite straight either which is why Milly as stopped hassling me to play cleaning crew for the rooms she rents.”

Sobering a little, Selene added: “I know. It isn’t really funny. A woman my age should know how to properly do household chores, but I have just never been able to bring myself to care enough to do a good job with it, you know?” Probably Adelais didn’t know; she seemed diligent, but Selene was willing to just let that slip. It felt good to just talk to the woman, even though she had never been one to just open up to strangers like this. Maybe that was what happens with hangovers.

“What are you planning on doing with your catch? You’re certainly not going to manage to eat it all by yourself. Do you have regulars you sell it to?”

The openly-discussed idea of leaving behind her old life made a flushed color rise high beneath Adelais' eyes; she thanked the stars her skin was already darker there because of her sun exposure. "Of course it's possible. But giving up your old life isn't a decision to be made lightly!" She was unnecessarily flustered, so decided to throw the net out and bring it back in before she said anything else. It wasn't as if Selene was openly announcing that Adelais wanted to leave her life and follow her husband! It was just a comment--Selene wasn't privy to her internal debate. Adelais was known for having a cool head; she couldn't let this, of all things, bother her.

When Adelais finally dumped two fish in the basket, she looked up at Selene and grinned. "Work in an inn quite explains your... issues with hard-drinking men, doesn't it?" And it explained her lack of household skills, but again, not Adelais' place to comment. People came from different places, different roads. The only path she knew was her own. "I must say, though, I'm only so useful in the home because I've been a wife nine years. Marry a shipwright--they won't notice your bedlinens aren't straight." Adelais winked, completely oblivious to the fact that maybe Selene wasn't ready for marriage now or ever. Men and women deserved equal rights, or something akin to it, but didn't all women end up wives eventually? That was just what happened, even though not all of them were as lucky to find men like Symon.

Carefully, she took the basket from Selene and dipped it into the water so that more water could flow in, but the fish couldn't escape. This would keep them alive for longer. Then she dropped the net over the top and looped it onto some hooks on the side of the basket. "I eat more than enough fish, thank you!" she chuckled. "I'll dry some of the catch with salt--after preparing them, of course. The rest I sell to a stall in Tarz proper once a week." Originally, today was going to be her market-and-fish-selling day, but now, maybe not. Still, it was worth it to have the conversation. It kept Adelais' mind busy and not contemplating her future. This was (in general) thankfully easy so far.

“The men really do pose a bit of a problem sometimes but at least they’re not too rowdy – unless they try to get me to drink. I still don’t even know how they managed to get me to agree. Or I might just not remember. Some parts of the evening are just a tad blurry. Ah well,” Selene laughed, waving the whole incident away. “I’ve learned my lesson and they’re going to leave me in peace now, safe in the knowledge that I cannot hold my liquor.”

When Adelais joked about marriage advice, Selene merely grinned. “I shall keep in mind if I ever do feel inclined to bind myself in such a manner.” A bit of an edge had crept into her voice at the thought of being trapped in the hole she imagined marriage to be, but she quickly realised that she wasn’t the only one present here and that maybe such a comment could be taken much the wrong way. While Selene hadn’t always cared about such things, the past few months had taught her a lot, and antagonising people for all the wrong reasons was something she needed to stop doing. “I mean, no offense, but I don’t think I’m cut out for the married life.”

She watched the woman refill the basket with some water, and wondered at the simplicity of the act. It seemed so logical to add water when there were more fish so they wouldn’t die but Selene wouldn’t have thought of it. Stupid really, but it just went to show her that there was a lot in this world she still had to learn, starting with the easiest lessons of all.

“If you have other things to take care of,” she suddenly said, “I don’t mean to keep you.” The woman had her own life to carry on with even if Selene’s was currently floating in the aftermath of a hangover. Plus, she had mentioned being married. “I don’t want your husband to be worried about you staying out with some random stranger in case he’s expecting you at home.”

Adelais had never been in an inn, let alone spent enough time to have a drink in one, but the idea still made her smile. The outrageousness of it all! Selene was just obviously... different than she was. Different values and all that. Still, Adelais saw this as no reason to be rude or even not progress this conversation into friendship. "You do not think they'll take advantage of your poor drinking skills? That would be my concern." Perhaps they could both learn some things.

'Binding' was not the world Adelais would have used to describe marriage, but she bit her tongue. This was a learning experience! She had to remind herself that. Not everyone was so lucky to have a husband like she did (when he stuck around, at least). Maybe one day Selene would come around--and if she didn't, well, that was no business of Adelais' to judge. (Still, she couldn't help judging a little, in her mind. It was how she was raised, after all.) "Such is life!" she said in response, giving a familiar squeeze to the ring around her neck but then letting it go again. "You're quite capable of making your own decisions. You're a grown woman, and I respect that." It was the most Adelais' could say, but it was true. Selene's wants and desires were no less valid because she was a woman. She would believe that always.

She looked down at the basket and the fish flopping around and shrugged one shoulder. "They'll be fine here for now. Perhaps I'll go into town later." Adelais efficiently dragged the basket a bit closer to the shore, but kept it in the riverbed. "They'll stay cooler until I move them again." Maybe she would go later in the evening and venture into an inn. There was a world of possibility in front of her, and Tarz was just the first step.

"My husband, however," Adelais continued, shifting the basket a bit so it was even in the river mud, "isn't here at present." She went to the edge of the river and sat on the rocks, careful to not get wet, and motioned Selene over to join her. "He's heard rumors of some invasion in the west of here, and he thinks he's off to help." They'd both heard the rumors, of course, and Adelais was very much of a mind to believe them, but she stayed outwardly blasé. "A bit ridiculous, really."

“Oh, no, frankly, I’m really not too worried about that. They’re scared of Milly for the most part and so far they all seem very genuine.” Selene was quiet for a moment before she continued: “But of course, first impressions are sometimes very misleading and I will make that concern of yours one of my own. I wasn’t planning on letting them get me drunk again anyway. I have come to realise that I do not like it at all. And mind you, I’m not just saying that because I am hungover,” she added with a mischievous grin.

During that little moment of companionable silence between the two women, Selene put the waterskin to her lips to freshen up a little, when Adelais suddenly spoke up again and Selene almost choked.
“What?” Selene blinked a few times as she contemplated the other woman. At first, she wasn’t quite certain she had heard right but then a slow smile crept onto her face, though her eyes held a glint of sadness. “That’s kind of you to say, and it is the truth – most of the time at least. Though you’re the first to actually admit it. If my mother knew what I was doing, she’d have a heart attack.”

When she joined Adelais on the shore, she couldn’t help but feel a little pang when a hint of sadness snuck its way into the fisherwoman’s words, though she played over it. “I’m sorry,” Selene said, feeling it was unnecessary to elaborate. Looking out over the peaceful landscape, the beautiful day presenting it at its best, she could hardly believe though that there was a grain of truth in them.

“You know, sometimes I wonder whether these rumours are true or not. When I look at this,” she waved at the view before the two of them, “I cannot believe that any harm could ever come to such a beautiful place as this. But then…” Selene paused for a long moment, before she cleared her throat and spoke again. “But then I remember the pillars of smoke that rose from where Plurith used to be and I cannot think that there may not be more truth to them than any of us would like to believe.”

"And I'm sure your mother would feel the same about your trousers, then?" Adelais grinned. That poor woman would catch her death with Selene's antics, Adelais was certain. But again, that was Selene's life. Adelais had no room to make judgments or assumptions--particularly because she was also sitting on the side of the river, feet bare, skirts pulled up nearly to her knees. Adelais was no social saint, to be sure. But she was poor, so she figured it was fine anyway. "I've not been hungover, though looking at your reaction to it, I'm glad I've not been." Of course she'd drank, having ale whenever they could find it, but never enough to get drunk and then hate herself the next morning. Adelais was, frankly, glad of that.

Adelais leaned back on her elbows, keeping one eye on the fish basket at all times, just in case. It'd been engrained into her brain long ago. It wasn't Selene that Adelais didn't trust--the woman seemed unconventional, but not unsavory--but the world at large. When she was young it had just been silly, petty thieves and children looking for a quick meal, but now, who knew what was out there? Who knew what could happen? The sun was shining and glaring off the river, the birds were chirping away, and there was laughter in the distance. Adelais wanted to believe that this was how things would be forever, but she just couldn't. She didn't know much, but it was enough.

"I'd like to think it would stay as beautiful," Adelais agreed. Perhaps she'd not like to be here always, but there was no reason for her home and her family to suffer. "It's always been this way: my family and I on the shore." Only recently had it changed with Symon's departure. Only recently had the world been turned upside down, and Adelais didn't know whether she needed to keep holding on.

Quietly, she asked, "Did someone... did something happen to your town? To Plurith?" Obviously it had, and Adelais hoped the question wouldn't upset Selene. She was just curious--something had happened, and therefore the other woman obviously knew more about this "invasion" situation than Adelais did. A sort of morbid curiosity welled in her. Adelais wanted to know what she would be getting into (if she decided to go, of course), what Symon had faced. Something was happening. It was hard to deny any more, even for a lowly peasant like Adelais.

Selene laughed out loud – not even regretting it quite so much. Luckily the hangover really seemed to slowly fade away with the fresh air and the constant supply of fresh water into her stomach. “Yeah, she would definitely not like the trousers. Not like that has ever stopped me.” A grin on her face, her eyes far away, Selene replayed more than one such argument over in her head, before she shook them off. Dwelling on the past wasn’t going to do her any good.

Though the past didn’t escape her, not ever, not completely. Even less so when she brought up the topic of the invasion and the occurrences in the west. “You could say that,” she replied, her voice dropping lower as Adelais asked if something had happened to Plurith. Hugging her knees to her chest, the young woman tried to figure out how to best go about telling her companion what had happened without hurting herself too much over it. Seeing no real option for that however, she just took a deep breath and went right on ahead and said it the way it was.

“It was burnt to the ground, though I’m not quite sure as to why or who by exactly. There were more than just the invaders in place at the time apparently, but I’ve only heard rumours. Dead people don’t talk and there was only one boy who survived the torching. A little boy called Dax. I took him under my wing, and Milly is actually quite fond of him. He’s currently in her care because she thinks I’m too young to handle a child – which is probably true. Though I’m guessing the real reason is because she thinks I’m just not the right kind of company for an impressionable young mind. She’s looking into finding him new parents and I’m hoping she’ll succeed. He lost everything that day. We both did. All of our families, those who were in Plurith at the time, which was mostly everyone, died. None were left alive. The bloodshed in the ruins was horrible.”

Shivering slightly, Selene hugged herself tighter but her eyes remained dry. She had long since stopped crying over it, after having cried herself to sleep for weeks on end. Tears didn’t solve problems and they didn’t bring people back to life. They didn’t erase the regrets, or the guilt, nor did they bring hope. They were futile, in every way.

Adelais was glad to make Selene laugh, even if only temporarily. Being upsetting was never her goal; Adelais just liked being rational, and sometimes rationality and friendliness didn't go hand-in-hand. Selene seemed to brush it of pretty well though. And maybe, just maybe, if Adelais went off to fight this war, she'd get herself a pair of trousers too.

The laughter didn't last long, however, and Adelais got the reaction she'd anticipated: Selene shrank a little, lowered her voice. This was serious. While Adelais didn't regret asking, she did wonder if she could have done it a bit more tactfully. "I'm sorry," she said after a time, not making eye contact. "I'm sorry for all your losses." Her home, and, more importantly, her family. Selene said she had no idea who or why it had happened, but Adelais immediately assumed the worst. This was obviously no accident. She clutched at the ring around her neck, focusing on a spot on the horizon. Assuming the worst meant she was also assuming the worst about Symon's safety. It was hard to be rational when there was so little to work with, after all.

Still, Adelais had to press on. There was no reason to think her husband was doing anything but travelling and being particularly bored... but maybe there was more reason to go after him. "The boy-- he's quite lucky." And Selene was quite lucky to have, for all intents and purposes, a child, but these thoughts went unspoken. Adelais was almost constantly reminded that it wasn't her place to judge, and definitely not a situation of which to be jealous. "How old is he? Such a pity to lose so much so young."

“Oh, thank you.” Selene paused awkwardly for a bit before she continued. “It actually is liberating to talk about it even if it doesn’t fill me with joy.” She looked at Adelais and considered reaching out her hand to put it onto the woman’s arm or shoulder in a comforting gesture but seeing how Adelais clutched at the ring on her neck and the look she had on her face, she wasn’t sure it would do any good.

“He’s twelve,” Selene answered, voice still lowered. Only now that she was actually talking about it did she realise just how hard this all must be for the poor little boy. He always put on a brave face and even though she knew that it wasn’t easy for him, speaking his age put it all into a completely different perspective again.

“I guess he’s lucky, in a sense. I think he may not have completely realised what all this means for him. Or maybe he’s just much braver than I give him credit for. I’m used to silly younger sisters, not younger brothers.” A sad smile flickered across her face at this. “I hope Milly is going to find a good home for him. I don’t want to drag him around with me; it wouldn’t be good for him. I’m not sure how long I’m going to stay here, and in general, a family would be much better for him. Take away the edge of the pain, hopefully.”

Looking back at Adelais, she asked in an attempt to ever so slightly deviate attention away from her: “So what have you heard of these rumours? Something reliable must have gotten through.”

Talking about this would probably do the both of them good, though it was fairly obvious neither woman was really keen on it. Selene and the boy had lost so much more than Adelais had, and she was grateful for that. Still, even if it hurt both of them, it was nice to learn, to discuss. Certainly things weren't going to be any different if they just kept sitting and being silent--which is perhaps why Adelais was contemplating following Symon so seriously.

"Twelve? Quite a tricky age, even without all of this." It could go either way, really: the boy could still be young enough to put all the death and destruction behind him, or he could be old enough to let it ruin him forever. In this strange situation, Adelais hoped it was the former. "I've got mostly sisters as well, though my brother was always older than he should have been." Even now the boy was planning a marriage and a life that everyone hoped was actually possible, if the world they knew still existed in a few years.

At the mention of the rumors, Adelais let out a breathy laugh and shrugged one shoulder lazily. "We've heard things. My husband, mostly. That there are villages being attacked in the west by people from far off." Now, unfortunately, she knew this to be definitely true. "There's allegedly an army amassing to fight them off. Symon heard that and--he's gone away because of that. But nothing too reliable." Whether fortunately or unfortunately.

Adelais leaned in closer again, even drawing her feet up closer so that she was in a smaller shape. For some reason, this all still felt secret. It wasn't certain. "You must know more, don't you, Selene?"

“Very tricky age, indeed,” Selene replied, contemplating Adelais’ words. “I’m not quite sure yet how he is going to digest this in the long term but it seems that he is trying hard to just forget what happened even though grief is threatening to push him over the edge.” She paused briefly to take a deep, calming breath. The fate of the boy worried her more than her own. “I don’t know what will happen to him in the long run.”

When Adelais explained the sort of rumours they had heard in their little village, Selene nodded along. It sounded true enough; it was what she had heard and partially experienced herself, though she had always tried to just shove it away somewhere else in her mind. She didn’t want to see, hear or know. It would be better that way. If she kept her head stuck in the sand long enough and ignored it all, it might just go away.
Just that she knew very well that it wasn’t going to work that way, and she was already beginning to feel the twinges of anger and the need for revenge poking at her, though for now she still ignored them.

“Yes, I do know a little more,” Selene agreed when Adelais prompted her. “What you have heard is correct. Though it is a little worse than the rumours seem to have told you, which is surprising. Rumours generally tend to do the opposite. Racksom has been taken over and it appears that Quinsilla has been torched to the ground, just like Plurith.” If she kept her voice distant enough, she wouldn’t start crying over it.

After taking another few deep breaths, she continued: “Prince Atleon, it seems, has passed through Tarz a while ago and asked people to join the cause of the people of Dragons’ Cove, the Defenders as they call themselves. Apparently he became quite the laughing stock and there was more than one person accusing him of not really caring and having run his people into certain death. But you know... None of them have ever had to lead an army. None of them have ever had to carry such a burden. What do they know? None of us do. Petty fights and family feuds and such aren’t nearly the same thing.”

Shaking her head, Selene grinned as she looked at the woman next to her: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to turn this into a rant about people and a praise of the prince. Though I have heard that he is rather fit.” She winked at Adelais as she added that last bit, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Boys are strong. He'll manage, I have no doubt." Adelais' boy hadn't lived long enough to be strong, but she was certain this boy, Dax, could do it. He'd seen so much and survived so far. Adelais hoped that Selene would keep being there to support him, but didn't comment. Hopefully, things would work out in the end, whenever that may have been.

Adelais listened as Selene told her about a recruitment drive of sorts that had passed through Tarz. Prince Atleon himself had been in her little town and she had no idea. But perhaps it had been those recruiters that influenced Symon and encouraged him to leave with them. Perhaps it had been them that turned the world upside down for the Binart family. Adelais found herself almost getting angry--how dare they? What gave them the right? She had been happy, but now she, like her husband, was too smart to ignore the change. Now, even Adelais was thinking she had to do something.

"Many here don't believe it. Some force themselves not to. My father, for example." He wanted to live out his remaining few years in peace, which wasn't an obscene goal. But it was from him that Adelais got her rationality. He knew better. "I worry that soon, pleading ignorance won't be a help." She shrugged heavily. "I wonder, though, what can be done?"

At Selene's comment about the Prince, Adelais nudged her gently and then covered her own mouth with her hand to hide a laugh. "Perhaps you ought go after them, then? You could see yourself queen of this place!" Queen would be quite a job, particularly in times such as these, but the people needed strong leadership. But first, they needed to believe any of it was happening at all, and that was the hardest part.

Laughing out loud, Selene waved off Adelais’ joke. “Queen? Me? He’d never do that to himself, or the island for that matter.” The idea was just too hilarious though not to laugh at it, but really, Selene as queen would not do the trick.

“But no, soon it won’t be,” Selene replied quietly, sobering up again. “Pleading innocence will only get us all killed or subdued to a stranger’s will. They say the foreigners are lead by one man. A king of some sort. I’m not sure I should believe it but there is definitely far more to this than most people would like to believe.”

She was quiet for a while, contemplating her own words as well as her thoughts. She was a bit of a hypocrite by saying that pleading innocence would get everyone killed in the end when it was something she more often than not caught herself doing. How much easier would her life be if she didn’t know any of this? How much better would her life be if all of this had never happened?

Shaking herself, she forced herself once again to face the facts. All of this had happened. Her parents and sisters were dead. She had no idea where her brother was, or if he was even still alive. Dax was secretly devastated. All of this was real, more real than anyone could hope, and it angered her that half the people didn’t even believe it. But then, who was she in the grand scheme of things? A nobody.

“What there is to do? Not to hide, not to ignore and actually do something to prevent someone else to take over that which belongs to us. But when there’s so many idiots yelling above everyone else who tries to be heard, it’s hard to convince people of how real the threat actually is.” She knew she now sounded bitter but it couldn’t be helped.

Adelais was also a hypocrite. Pleading ignorance, being just the stupid peasant, was one way she'd learned so much about the war in the first place. No one paid any attention to a woman with a basket of fish. But for how much longer could that go on? Whether or not her innocence was faked, soon, she feared it wouldn't matter. Soon there would be riots and violence in the street, and a woman with a basket of fish would be just as much a victim as a man with a spear. If villages were being burned down, why couldn't cities as well?

She sighed heavily, letting her shoulders relax as best she could. All of this was happening, somewhere, and there was no way to stop it. But life was still mostly peaceful here in Tarz--were they supposed to sit around and wait for something to change? Symon hadn't, but he was a man and he was foolish. "I don't know what to do," Adelais finally admitted, more to herself than to Selene. "That's the first time I've said that. It's... it's a lot easier admitting it to a near stranger than to myself, I find." Adelais liked being in control, liking rationality and solidity, and there was none of that. Perhaps that was what scared her the most.

“These things are always easier to admit to a stranger than to oneself,” Selene commented dryly, but not because she didn’t care but because she spoke from experience. She had always found it easier to tell someone else that she was angry or sad or scared, but she rarely wanted to admit these things to herself. Well, she also rarely admitted it to others, even less people she knew – of whom there were practically none left – but admitting any kind of emotion or failure to oneself was never easy.

“If it’s any consolation,” Selene smiled briefly at the woman, “I don’t know what to do either. It’s all nice and well to tell people to stop being ignorant and to start doing something, but then.. do what? Mount defences, I guess, but who would let a woman help with that? Now, it’s the men who count and nobody pays any attention to the women. Afterwards, it will be left to us to pick up their messes and play clean-up.”

She wasn’t quite sure what exactly she had been talking about there but it seemed to fit to almost any kind of scenario. She had witnessed it at home and it seemed to be just as true for war. “If the drinking yesterday has shown me anything, it’s that women are valued far below men. Then again, I hadn’t actually needed last night to remind me of that all too well-known fact.” Selene sounded bitter, but she had witnessed this too often to just swallow it. She had never adhered to the wishes of others, not even those of her parents. Why would she adhere to those of the general public? Women were worth something as well, and they could help just as much as men, if in different ways.
“Bloody men...”

» Adelais Binart -- just a fisherwoman. mostly. maybe.
» Selene---KNOCKED UP IN A HAYSTACK YEEEAHHHH
» The Forest of Tarz (Exxor x Eldarwen)
» {Grimm} Adventures in Tarz {Katz}
» {Artemis and Eldar} Flowers in Springtime {Ciqala and Selene}