Arc 718, 30th of Ymiden
Being cooped up inside the giant house today was not as bad as Rynata had been prepared for. The outside was pouring buckets, and so it was nice to be completely sheltered from the rain. Even if the business of settling the new office was hard work, there was a simplicity to it that the sailor didn't mind. Drag this here, stock that there, sweep away the dust, and wipe down the surfaces. Wisteria Hall, or so the building was called, looked more and more like it would have done when people had actually lived in it. The couches were set in the lounge and made beds welcomed anyone who opened a bedroom door upstairs on the second and third level. Still, as Rynata was the only one treading the halls, Wisteria Hall remained echoey and silent.
However, the entire premises itself wasn't exactly lifeless. She had settled Caravel into the large garden situated at the back of the house, leaving him to explore his new home after putting him under a leafy tree. Boat life had not suited the tortoise who had looked more and more cross each time he was offered the same dried cabbages and roots. Thankfully, the soil and greenery of the Gunvorton home seemed more to his liking as he had already started waddling around the garden before Rynata had taken shelter from the rain. He was welcome to snack on any herbs he might find scattered around the flower beds. She had considered bringing Oriand into the house as well, but as the cat had grown possessive of the Gilded Siren, Rynata had elected to keep her aboard the ship. Besides, she had already promised the black cat plenty of fish and high seas adventures. Someone else would have to haunt these halls with her.
Part of what made her work easier was the fact that the building was already in good shape when its ownership had been transferred over to her. The Housing Agency had seen to that. What little that needed to be taken care of was perhaps the kitchen, and it was there that Rynata was cleaning when sharp knocks echoed from the front of the house. With her sleeves rolled up past her elbow, she answered the door, using an elbow to coax the door knob into turning since her hands were rather dusty from the top shelf in the kitchen.
Under the awning of the entrance way stood a woman in a stylishly cut, waterproof jacket still dripping from the rain showers. She lifted her hands to let the hood fall, revealing dark brown locks framing a pretty face. Well, 'pretty' was not the right word for it, Rynata thought to herself as she nudged the door open a bit wider. The stranger was, to put it simply, an enigmatic beauty. The way she tilted her head coyly upon coming face to face with Rynata suggested that she wasn't so naive as the local flower girl. The large traveling case set down by her feet probably meant that she wasn’t even a local, either.
"Hello?" Rynata said, curiosity echoing veins of spring green into her eyes. She wasn't expecting visitors today, as was probably evident from her informal appearance of having just dashed out of the kitchen.
"Hello, darling," the other woman started in a honeyed voice. She wore a smile that hinted to Rynata that the stranger knew more than she was letting on and was quite happy to keep it a secret. Though what she knew or was hiding was beyond the biqaj. "I'm looking for Ms. Ki'Oriq. Is she home?"
"That would be me," Rynata smiled and gave a small nod in greeting. "Can I help you? Actually, why don't you come in?" Rynata stepped aside, allowing a clear path into the lounge and out of the rain.
"Oh?" A look of uncertainty and something like disappointment crossed over the woman's face, but she eyed the mist gathering around the sailor's hair and seemed to realize something. Striding into the building regardless of her initial doubts, the stranger seemed to regain her previous confidence. There weren't many reasons Rynata could think of as to why that was. Perhaps the woman had thought she was someone else.
"I'll be just a moment," Rynata called, pushing the door closed and heading to the kitchen to wash up and get something to drink.
Tea shouldn't be hard, she thought as she stared at the simmering water. She had had it a few times at the Scholar's Nook and therefore at least knew what it was supposed to look and taste like. Steeping a dash of randomly selected tea leaves in the hot water, she poured two cups and walked back toward the lounge.
The woman had wandered over to and was examining the empty fireplace with mild interest. Her jacket was draped over the coat hanger and she was now dressed in a simple but flattering tunic dress. The heavy looking baggage had also been left by the doorway. Balancing the tray with the tea in one hand, Rynata gestured to one of the couches and settled the drinks on a low table. The stranger joined her and folded herself into the couch opposite Rynata.
"I expected the place to be busier," she said while pouting. "I was hoping to offer my services to your company, but are you even hiring?"
Rynata pushed the cup of tea towards the woman. "I don't know what you've heard, but it's just me at the moment," she said a little apologetically, though she didn't know what she was apologizing for. The business had barely kicked off and she was surprised to see someone looking for a position so soon. Had word gotten out? If so, that was good for her. "But I would be happy to welcome you aboard if you’re looking for work," she added. “I have rooms as well, if you’re in need of one.” Rynata nodded toward the case sitting by the door. She took a sip from her own drink, taking in the leafy aroma. A shade of watered down burgundy floated across her mind's eye, reminding her of the other little strangeness she had picked up from the trip through the Sweetwine.
The woman seemed to consider it, but eventually waved a hand as if to fan away her own reservations.
“How very kind of you. I think you’ll find I can be very useful. But from the look of things I suppose you’ll need help in here, running the business."
Rynata sat there listening to the other woman, but soon realized that though she spoke a lot about what she could do, she never revealed much about herself. What little that managed to slip through was her accent, which definitely wasn't Scalvish. Rynata thought it sounded similar to one of traders she was familiar with. That man had said he had sailed from Etzos, so the woman could have been from that western region. However, there was the chance that the tones were faked.
"Alright, some conditions as to my wages are...” Here the woman held up several fingers to indicate an amount and smiled. “A woman has to make a living, you know?”
Rynata couldn’t help but smile back. The stranger drove a hard bargain and was perhaps more than a little pushy, but she had to admit that the woman was interesting to watch.
“I can promise this much,” Rynata returned, holding up one less digit than the woman, adding, “and I’d also like a name. I think you already know mine, and you can call me by whatever suits you.”
The woman sighed, but it wasn’t a defeated one. It was more like the purr of someone who had gotten exactly what they had wanted.
“That’ll have to do for now, I suppose,” she said. “And it’s Inora Sintih. I expect you’ll soon be able to judge for yourself that I’m worth having around, but I wouldn’t worry about being disappointed.” She said this, standing up and adding, "Oh, and you'll have to tell me about your mission to the Sweetwine. I've heard all about it, but I'd like a first hand account, you know? I just love adventure stories."
"Dicam"
Being cooped up inside the giant house today was not as bad as Rynata had been prepared for. The outside was pouring buckets, and so it was nice to be completely sheltered from the rain. Even if the business of settling the new office was hard work, there was a simplicity to it that the sailor didn't mind. Drag this here, stock that there, sweep away the dust, and wipe down the surfaces. Wisteria Hall, or so the building was called, looked more and more like it would have done when people had actually lived in it. The couches were set in the lounge and made beds welcomed anyone who opened a bedroom door upstairs on the second and third level. Still, as Rynata was the only one treading the halls, Wisteria Hall remained echoey and silent.
However, the entire premises itself wasn't exactly lifeless. She had settled Caravel into the large garden situated at the back of the house, leaving him to explore his new home after putting him under a leafy tree. Boat life had not suited the tortoise who had looked more and more cross each time he was offered the same dried cabbages and roots. Thankfully, the soil and greenery of the Gunvorton home seemed more to his liking as he had already started waddling around the garden before Rynata had taken shelter from the rain. He was welcome to snack on any herbs he might find scattered around the flower beds. She had considered bringing Oriand into the house as well, but as the cat had grown possessive of the Gilded Siren, Rynata had elected to keep her aboard the ship. Besides, she had already promised the black cat plenty of fish and high seas adventures. Someone else would have to haunt these halls with her.
Part of what made her work easier was the fact that the building was already in good shape when its ownership had been transferred over to her. The Housing Agency had seen to that. What little that needed to be taken care of was perhaps the kitchen, and it was there that Rynata was cleaning when sharp knocks echoed from the front of the house. With her sleeves rolled up past her elbow, she answered the door, using an elbow to coax the door knob into turning since her hands were rather dusty from the top shelf in the kitchen.
Under the awning of the entrance way stood a woman in a stylishly cut, waterproof jacket still dripping from the rain showers. She lifted her hands to let the hood fall, revealing dark brown locks framing a pretty face. Well, 'pretty' was not the right word for it, Rynata thought to herself as she nudged the door open a bit wider. The stranger was, to put it simply, an enigmatic beauty. The way she tilted her head coyly upon coming face to face with Rynata suggested that she wasn't so naive as the local flower girl. The large traveling case set down by her feet probably meant that she wasn’t even a local, either.
"Hello?" Rynata said, curiosity echoing veins of spring green into her eyes. She wasn't expecting visitors today, as was probably evident from her informal appearance of having just dashed out of the kitchen.
"Hello, darling," the other woman started in a honeyed voice. She wore a smile that hinted to Rynata that the stranger knew more than she was letting on and was quite happy to keep it a secret. Though what she knew or was hiding was beyond the biqaj. "I'm looking for Ms. Ki'Oriq. Is she home?"
"That would be me," Rynata smiled and gave a small nod in greeting. "Can I help you? Actually, why don't you come in?" Rynata stepped aside, allowing a clear path into the lounge and out of the rain.
"Oh?" A look of uncertainty and something like disappointment crossed over the woman's face, but she eyed the mist gathering around the sailor's hair and seemed to realize something. Striding into the building regardless of her initial doubts, the stranger seemed to regain her previous confidence. There weren't many reasons Rynata could think of as to why that was. Perhaps the woman had thought she was someone else.
"I'll be just a moment," Rynata called, pushing the door closed and heading to the kitchen to wash up and get something to drink.
Tea shouldn't be hard, she thought as she stared at the simmering water. She had had it a few times at the Scholar's Nook and therefore at least knew what it was supposed to look and taste like. Steeping a dash of randomly selected tea leaves in the hot water, she poured two cups and walked back toward the lounge.
The woman had wandered over to and was examining the empty fireplace with mild interest. Her jacket was draped over the coat hanger and she was now dressed in a simple but flattering tunic dress. The heavy looking baggage had also been left by the doorway. Balancing the tray with the tea in one hand, Rynata gestured to one of the couches and settled the drinks on a low table. The stranger joined her and folded herself into the couch opposite Rynata.
"I expected the place to be busier," she said while pouting. "I was hoping to offer my services to your company, but are you even hiring?"
Rynata pushed the cup of tea towards the woman. "I don't know what you've heard, but it's just me at the moment," she said a little apologetically, though she didn't know what she was apologizing for. The business had barely kicked off and she was surprised to see someone looking for a position so soon. Had word gotten out? If so, that was good for her. "But I would be happy to welcome you aboard if you’re looking for work," she added. “I have rooms as well, if you’re in need of one.” Rynata nodded toward the case sitting by the door. She took a sip from her own drink, taking in the leafy aroma. A shade of watered down burgundy floated across her mind's eye, reminding her of the other little strangeness she had picked up from the trip through the Sweetwine.
The woman seemed to consider it, but eventually waved a hand as if to fan away her own reservations.
“How very kind of you. I think you’ll find I can be very useful. But from the look of things I suppose you’ll need help in here, running the business."
Rynata sat there listening to the other woman, but soon realized that though she spoke a lot about what she could do, she never revealed much about herself. What little that managed to slip through was her accent, which definitely wasn't Scalvish. Rynata thought it sounded similar to one of traders she was familiar with. That man had said he had sailed from Etzos, so the woman could have been from that western region. However, there was the chance that the tones were faked.
"Alright, some conditions as to my wages are...” Here the woman held up several fingers to indicate an amount and smiled. “A woman has to make a living, you know?”
Rynata couldn’t help but smile back. The stranger drove a hard bargain and was perhaps more than a little pushy, but she had to admit that the woman was interesting to watch.
“I can promise this much,” Rynata returned, holding up one less digit than the woman, adding, “and I’d also like a name. I think you already know mine, and you can call me by whatever suits you.”
The woman sighed, but it wasn’t a defeated one. It was more like the purr of someone who had gotten exactly what they had wanted.
“That’ll have to do for now, I suppose,” she said. “And it’s Inora Sintih. I expect you’ll soon be able to judge for yourself that I’m worth having around, but I wouldn’t worry about being disappointed.” She said this, standing up and adding, "Oh, and you'll have to tell me about your mission to the Sweetwine. I've heard all about it, but I'd like a first hand account, you know? I just love adventure stories."
"Dicam"
