1st Ashan 721
They had not long arrived in this place called Hopetoun - less than 10 days ago. She had literally, moments ago, found Arlo and told him that she was pregnant. That they were expecting a baby was a source of absolute delight to the young woman - and more than a little abject terror. So, she'd come down to the shoreline to look at the sea. She had always found a peace and serenity while doing that, and it was something which she enjoyed. However, her cousins were there moving things, Vega saw, and she didn't really feel like chatting at the moment.
So, she turned and started to walk around the settlement. To see where they were, and who was here. There was a lot to be learned, Vega knew, even by the expedient of looking at the ground. That was what she did, as she made her way around the settlement. It told her a lot about the people.
Vega was very used to hunting and she had learned to tell the movements of animals and their habits by their tracks. The people here were no different. At a brief glance Vega saw a multitude of footprints, each one telling her something about the person who made it. They didn't have children here, Vega quickly concluded, since all the footprints were adult-sized. But there were men and women, there were people whose strides were long and whose footfall was heavy, but there were also those walked swiftly, those who moved more slowly, some were lightfooted.
As Vega examined the ground of the settlement, in her minds eye she could see what it was like here, during the peak of the trial. The people walking and stopping to talk. It told a lot about the place, and more than simply the numbers, or the likely gender or weight of those who walked. There was a scene unfolding in front of her, and Vega liked what she saw. People here moved with purpose and in a similar direction; there were often small groups going here or there. Then, there were moments where people stopped and stood together. Her mind's eye saw them talking, chatting. That gave her the impression that what she had already seen, what they had already experienced, was not new here. The people here were a community, a clan. Vega liked that a lot; it fitted in with her way of thinking, her way of being.
She touched the ground, where she was standing, and she smiled slightly.
"It's a good place, Papa," she said and her father chuckled.
"I was trying to sneak up on you, Eva," Jo'qan said. Vega grinned. "I know. But you have a distinct way of walkin' an' I can smell your tobacco. "
Holding his hand out to his daughter, Jo'qan smiled. "My sharp-eyed child." Vega didn't bother arguing that neither of his 'tells' which led to her knowing it had been him approaching had been anything to do with her eyes. He was speaking generally.
"What are you doing, Eva?"
Vega considered it, what was she doing? Glancing at her father, she smiled. "I'm celebratin' Ashan's Dawn, Papa."
So, she turned and started to walk around the settlement. To see where they were, and who was here. There was a lot to be learned, Vega knew, even by the expedient of looking at the ground. That was what she did, as she made her way around the settlement. It told her a lot about the people.
Vega was very used to hunting and she had learned to tell the movements of animals and their habits by their tracks. The people here were no different. At a brief glance Vega saw a multitude of footprints, each one telling her something about the person who made it. They didn't have children here, Vega quickly concluded, since all the footprints were adult-sized. But there were men and women, there were people whose strides were long and whose footfall was heavy, but there were also those walked swiftly, those who moved more slowly, some were lightfooted.
As Vega examined the ground of the settlement, in her minds eye she could see what it was like here, during the peak of the trial. The people walking and stopping to talk. It told a lot about the place, and more than simply the numbers, or the likely gender or weight of those who walked. There was a scene unfolding in front of her, and Vega liked what she saw. People here moved with purpose and in a similar direction; there were often small groups going here or there. Then, there were moments where people stopped and stood together. Her mind's eye saw them talking, chatting. That gave her the impression that what she had already seen, what they had already experienced, was not new here. The people here were a community, a clan. Vega liked that a lot; it fitted in with her way of thinking, her way of being.
She touched the ground, where she was standing, and she smiled slightly.
"It's a good place, Papa," she said and her father chuckled.
"I was trying to sneak up on you, Eva," Jo'qan said. Vega grinned. "I know. But you have a distinct way of walkin' an' I can smell your tobacco. "
Holding his hand out to his daughter, Jo'qan smiled. "My sharp-eyed child." Vega didn't bother arguing that neither of his 'tells' which led to her knowing it had been him approaching had been anything to do with her eyes. He was speaking generally.
"What are you doing, Eva?"
Vega considered it, what was she doing? Glancing at her father, she smiled. "I'm celebratin' Ashan's Dawn, Papa."
