• PM To Join • The bored ward snored, Faith sawed the gorde. Good Lord!

[Faith Augustin]

56th Vhalar, 716

She had come into work and had been told what was wanted, what the client had asked for. Two specific things. Then, she had been told that she needed to get on with that quick smart and Faith's jaw had dropped nearly to the floor. She had never even heard of these two ingredients, let alone had any idea about how to get either one of them. But, she considered as Gerard, her boss, pushed her out of the door and told her to 'deal with it, dear heart', that she was going to have to find out quick smart. She wanted to splutter and tell him that she had no clue what he was talking about or anything. But she could not do that and, beside, she was out of the door and said door was firmly closed before she had a chance to argue.

So, she started the trial with a question. It was a fairly simple one and it was one that she had heard children ask of each other whilst involved in a game "Animal, vegetable or mineral?" she wondered. With a deep sigh she headed off to the library, where she might find the first answer of what she was sure would be quite a number which she needed. There was something relaxing about going to the library for the young slave. She liked it there, she felt at home and relaxed and more herself than she felt almost anywhere else. So, off to the library and she spent a break there finding out everything she could about the creature in question, and the flower too. She would have to deal with this stuff one at a time and so, she made notes on the Dragonsnap, where it was found and how to harvest it. There was a sketch of the bright yellow flower that Faith did her best to copy and then she focused on the creature. She found quite a lot of information and made notes, knowing that if she was going to be successful, she would need as much knowledge as possible.

Armed with that knowledge, she knew that there was no way on Idalos that she was going to be able to do this and the earnest young slave breathed a prayer of thanks to Famula for a fact which was at once both simple and amazing to the young woman. She had a friend. In fact, she had more than one but in this moment there was one in particular that she was thinking of. Nir'wei, her friend who worked at the Skye Verath Lodge. He would know what she had to do, she was sure. So, she closed up the books, put them back on the shelves (she never left them in the neat pile for the librarians to put back, that would be rude and ungrateful. They had grown used to her ways now, and smiled in gratitude as she did it, thn checked that she'd done it right when she was out of sight) and made her way out of the library. From there, she headed towards the Skye Verath Lodge and, once she got there she breathed in.

It was stinky.

But, she was not easily deterred and so she walked up to the first person that she saw, a young woman who had a ready smile and who Faith took an immediate liking to and she dropped a polite curtsy "Hello, I am sorry to bother you this trial. I am looking for my friend, Nir'wei. He is... if he is not busy, could you please ask him if he might have time to speak to me? I am not hurt, it is not urgent but my name is Faith and I am" she considered and then said, most seriously "I am in need of someone to help me hunt a gorde and I was hoping he might help me" she said and then stood, waiting to see what the friendly young woman might say.

[Nir'wei]

Being a handler meant taking the good with the bad. Some days were good - grooming, working with the little baby Volareons in the nursery stalls, playing to keep up their strength and mental functions. The days that made visitors dream of becoming a handler. Other days, most days to be fair, weren't as good. Today, Nir'wei was monitoring a sick Volareon with a very bad case of diarrhea. She'd been immediately isolated from the rest of the herds, put into a stall entirely separated from the others on the far end of the building. If she had an infection, it needed confirmation and immediate treatment befor it had a chance to spread to the others and potentially ground an entire wing of servicing Volareon and their riders by proxy. If it was down to the food, they needed to either change her diet and make note of it in the future, or alert the nearby authorities - after all, the meat and grain had to come from somewhere, and if Volareon were eating it, humans likely were as well, and who knew what could happen to them. The gravity of the situation was lost somewhat for Nir'wei though. All he could see was the slog of Volareon crap he'd have to clean up as he stood in front of the stall, staring at the chart labelling all the meals that the other handlers had fed the Volareon over the past trials, including the weight of every meal and where they'd come from. It was all such a mess, in more ways than one.

Poppy glided in silently. "Any improvements?" He shook his head mutely. "Have you paid attention to the... the colour, the texture, the smell of the excrement? It could, well, it could help narrow down the possibilities." He could only trust her better judgement. If anything, they could both spend all day looking to the various books written on the healthcare of Volareons, including the private notes kept by the Lodge over the scores of arcs and the various experts that followed its lineage. If Poppy couldn't narrow it down, there was very little chance that someone else could fill in the gaps, but they were all there to at least try. Even if it took all trial, and the next trial, and the trial after that. This wasn't something that could be swept under the rug, the Volareon was in a constant state of discomfort and frequent bouts of pain that made it impossible to fly, sometimes to even walk, and sorting this mess out was a top priority.

She could see the strain on his face however. He'd thrown all he could think of into this, and yielded no more reward than anyone else. "By the way, there's a young woman at the door asking for you." Now that was odd. Visitors were common, but visitors asking for him were virtually unheard of. "Her name's Faith, and she--"

He wheeled around on the spot, all lingering focus on the Volareon forgotten. "Faith's here?" He nearly barged Poppy out of the way as he moved for the main entrance but an iron grip around the nape of his shirt caught him and swung him back around before the small girl with surprising strength.

"She wants you to help her hunt a Gorde. Explain." He couldn't. His jaw flapped open and closed several times before he caught himself and shut it for good. Having a visitor was one thing, Faith visiting in the early sunrise was another since he had no doubt that her Master must have wanted her for something at these breaks, and needing his help in hunting a Gorde of all things? Eventually he just shrugged his shoulders and Poppy sighed internally. "Go on, I guess. It doesn't look like we're going to make any progress with this anyway." She cast a longing glance back at the Volareon as it gave a low groan and squirmed on the spot. He felt for her, he really did - he felt for them both and wished he could help more, but he just didn't know what else to say or do at this point. "By the way, before you go! There's a book you can borrow if you need to, at the desk. You'll know which one it is. Just make sure you return it when you're done with it." Somewhat reluctantly he left them both, for now at least, and half-jogged across the complex to meet Faith at the Lodge's main entrance.

Gods she looked nervous, but Nir'wei, surprisingly clean today, smiled warmly as he approached. "Faith! It's good to see you again!" he laughed. "Even if you only turn up when you need my help hunting down one of the creepiest-looking creatures anywhere in Rynmere. Why on Idalos do you need to kill a Gorde... you've got some explaining to do, on the way." She was lucky he kept everything with him. His bow, arrows and other equipment were still in the saddle-bags and backpacks stored away with his horse just inside the Lodge, at one of the spare stables. Gaspard didn't seem to mind if he took up one of the rarely-used surplus stables to keep his things while he was working, as long as he cleaned up the place afterwards. "Oh, which reminds me!" Poppy had mentioned a book as well. In the middle of shouldering the bags, Nir'wei jumped behind the counter that dominated one corner of the room and reached into the shelves beneath, flicking over the various hard-back book spines littering it until... wait, surely it couldn't be!

"Ha! Well, this'll come in handy." It seemed as though at some point, the Lodge had looked into training and raising Gordes as another type of battle-mount alongside the Sarkin, Volareons and Jacadons they currently worked with... since they had a book on Gorde physiology, which at first glance, could help a lot in their journey. He slipped it into one of the bags and hefted it over his shoulder roughly. "Alright, come on then. Spit it out."

[Faith Augustin]

The sight of Nir'wei caused her nervousness to flee from her and Faith gave him a most genuine smile of delight "I am so pleased to see you!", she said and that much was obvious. She had been standing still with her back straight but the tension was nonetheless evident to any who knew her. Slight movements were very clear signs of Faith's mood and state of mind, and she was of the opinion that she was in a whole world of trouble "I am so very sorry to bother you in work. Oh, thank you!" she beamed when she realised that he was going to help her. She had not doubted that he would help, if he could, but whether he could or not was quite another matter. But he could, he would and in fact he was, so Faith shot a smile at him and watched as he moved around, gathering this, that and just about every other thing that he might conceviably need. He was prepared, she considered and she nodded her head in response to his directive to 'spit it out'.

"I work as a chef, as I think you know" she began, moving to walk with him "We cater for functions as well as have the restaurant. We have a function in a few trials and it's for a very wealthy customer, some noble Lord or another, they don't tell me. It's his ward's birthday and he wants everything perfect. The boy is bored, apparently, of the sort of menu that we usually provide and he wants a number of very odd ingredients, including, but not limited to, roast gorde" She shrugged with an expression of almost defeat "The boy is a child of a higher up family, but he has been the ward of this man and his family for a few arcs. He'll be going home after this party, so the Lord wants everything perfect so that his family is not embarrassed. Apparently." She didn't roll her eyes, but it was a close call.

There was more to it and she glanced at Nir'wei with an expression which told that she was not overly impressed with the whole thing. "So, my boss is in a state of panic and because of the food shortages, the chance of getting the gorde he's ordered is slim to none at all. Therefore, he decided to do the most sensible thing and order the slave to do the impossible. But, I'd like to do it, to prove my worth. Plus, I've never cooked with gorde and it would be interesting. I could write a book of recipes on it and the other ingredients he's demanded."

She walked with Nir'wei and smiled slightly "I have a book too, but not all on gordes, you win on that one. Are we.. can I sit on the back of your horse or do you have a spare one?" she wondered and she patted the bag she had with her. "And I stopped by and picked up my gladius, but I don't know any ranged weapons. Do you want to teach me the bow as we're going, I'm sure that I'd be excellent at it", she added the last bit with a twinkle in her eyes as she nudged him gently. However, the next words that exited her mouth were clear and very heartfelt "It felt, and feels, very good to be able to think that I have a friend who will help me. Thank you, Nir'wei". She wasn't supposed to use his name, but this once she knew that it would mean more to him and she felt that Tristan would agree that, for the help he was providing, he deserved her to do as he wanted her to.

[Nir'wei]

He scoffed. "Don't worry about it... honestly, I'm more surprised that it's you bothering me at work. Don't you have any work yourself?" It'd never occurred to him, of course, that hunting down a Gorde could actually be a part of her work. He'd never known of any slaves forced into such ridiculous labour, except for tales of those who fought in stadiums for nothing more than the amusement of their masters and others who paid to watch the spectacle. One glance up and down Faith confirmed it couldn't be that. Small, unimposing, one couldn't blame him for dismissing the thought of Faith hunting down animals and fighting them with her bare fists as some form of regular competitive sport.

Then again, she'd never mentioned any of her jobs at all, so that showed just how little he knew about slavery as a whole. "Alright," he interjected, "First off, I didn't know. You've never even mentioned that offhandedly before." If she had, he certainly couldn't bring it to mind now. "Second, frankly, you can go and tell that boy if he's so bored with the menu, he's more than welcome to go out, hunt down and roast his own Gorde. I'm sure it'll be a very stimulating experience, because I've never heard of roast Gorde... I didn't even know these things could be hunted down and considered a delicacy. The most I've seen or heard of them is when they're used to ride around as some kind of cheap and angry substitute for a horse. It's like eating an oversized and disfigured dog." He'd never heard anything specific about them from either Gaspard or Poppy, but a few of the stable-hands and handlers seemed to have some previous experience... and it was never good. "Honestly, the more I hear about some of these noble-born families, the less I understand about any of them." For some, it was like they weren't even human beings anymore.

Well, whatever. They had the money to back up their demands, he supposed. "So, he wants you to just go out and get a Gorde for him, but he doesn't really expect you to return with one." The thought of Faith walking back into that kitchen, dragging behind her a whole freshly-slaughtered Gorde brought a very wry smile to his face. As a matter of fact, it almost made inevitably risking his life to see it worthwile. Almost. The real reason was because, well, he owed Faith for her help. She'd risked her life and done the impossible by fixing his dirty wreck of a wagon. Now he must do the same. "Hah, you make it actually sound rather nice. Think that I could grab a little chunk once we've taken it down? Just for a sample. Gotta make sure that his royal majesty isn't poisoned by some of that meat, you know." If they were big enough for people to use them as mounts, he doubted anyone would mind if he pinched a few nibbles of hindquarter for his personal use.

With everything packed he begun following the narrow streets out towards the northern roads of Andaris... and glanced her way with a little sheepish smile. "Well a gladius will certainly come in handy if I don't manage to nail it from a distance, and I can show you what little I know about using a bow. As a matter of fact, hah, give me a couple of trials and I can make you a bow of your own, if you want. It's not the finest little thing in the world and they're never that durable, but hey, it'll be something you can practice with by yourself." It'd been a while since he'd actually attempted to fletch together a full bow, he'd mostly just stuck to arrows for the past seasons, but perhaps Faith was just the kick he needed to start getting back into the swing. "As for the horse, you're welcome to take a spot behind me, but know in advance... I'm still kinda new to the whole 'riding' thing. Until I lost the wagon, I'd always just strapped this fella up and driven him from the cabin. Never got on his back."

[Faith Augustin]

Her face illustrated her amusement as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Begging your pardon, but I don't think I can tell him that. I would be flogged", she pointed out the simple truth of it. "And I didn't know they could be, either, but it is what the young Lord wants and I must do as instructed." She looked at him with a slight smile at his consideration of nobility and what he thought of them "They are people, just that. With strange ideas and unusual desires and they have the money and the time to make them happen. You or I might have read about a Gorde, or seen one or something and thought in passing 'I wonder if...'. The difference is that they can pursue that wondering." She smiled at him and considered that it was probably a way to stave off boredom or some such for them. Or a way of ensuring that slaves were never bored, she supposed.

"I think that about sums it up, yes." Her expression told him that his suggestion on what was expected by her boss and, in fact, there was more to it. "Also, I get to be his excuse for why it's failed, if we do, and he can reassure the lord that said slave has been suitably punished. It gives him a backup and a fallguy", it was clear enough and not the first time, nor the last she was sure. As for his request for part of the beast, she nodded her head "Half each, of course. You can cook, though, yes? Otherwise, I could cook it for you. I would be very sad if you were to get ill", and the truth of that was evident in her expression, "especially if it was because of something that I caused." Earnest eyes watched him to make sure that he wasn't about to start killing himself. She would happily, after all, cook it for him.

When he said he would make her a bow, Faith's eyes lit with pleasure and she looked at him with delight on her face, "Really? I would be. That is, are you sure?" She realised that no one had ever made anything for her before and she almost bounced with excitement. "I would be delighted, but please don't go to any trouble. And of course. We'll muddle through on the whole riding thing." She shot him a grin and then did, indeed, climb up behind him. "So do you just aim and let go?" It seemed to make sense to her and she added, with a very real upbeat feeling coming across to her voice.

"So it says in the book I found that they are found in Gawyne and Endor. Are they far?"

[Nir'wei]

He barked out a loud laugh. "Begging your pardon but he can damn well try, I'll send him back to his mother with newfound appreciation for what teeth are left in his mouth." He'd never condoned violence, especially against children, but the sheer absurdity, the audacity... it was rather obvious that someone needed to sit the boy down and teach him a short, firm lesson on the benefits of respect. "I'll tell you what, I could never do what you do, Faith. If anyone asked that of me, I'd tell them to shove those instructions straight back down his throat and choke on them; and I'd be damned if anyone tried to force me into going through with them, either." Perhaps that was just his open mind and open mouth, though. To be subservient, to follow orders even knowing there was something wrong, without even speaking out against them, wasn't in his nature. For better or for worse. "There's a difference between strange and unusual desires, and simply bonkers ones. I'm all for strange. It was strange of me to stay here as long as I did, but I've done it, I continue to do it, and I don't regret it in the slightest. Strange is good - but the line between strange and unreasonable, or even mad, is a thin one. There are unusual urges that we have, that is true... but we know there are those that should not happen." Another example of why some nobles didn't seem human anymore. They'd lost their inhibitions. What was right and wrong, when you could do wrong and still be told you're right?

But he'd rambled along for far too long. "Ugh. It's all so neatly arranged so you get to take all of the blame for when everything goes wrong, and he gets all the reward for if it all goes right." Of course they'd organized it just so. "I've half a mind to give them a smack as well. These people... no shame." He shook his head and tried to contain his disappointment and anger that they could take advantage of those below them for none other than the simple fact that they could. What a coincidence; this arrogant idiot of a noble had arrogant, idiot staff working for him as well. With the exception of Faith, obviously. "Matter of fact, if I didn't know that the blame would be shifted to you, I'd poison the meat before you handed it over." He glanced over with a cheeky smile. "Not enough to kill, obviously, I'm not a bloody monster. Just... enough to make him think twice next time he decides to try something so 'exotic'. You never know what adverse side-effects these monsters bring about when you try to cook them and eat them as delicacies... just sayin'."

"Half? Goodness, I couldn't take half. Just a nibble. I mean, technically, I don't know how to cook, but it can't be that hard, right?" He smiled sheepishly. A wannabe hunter that couldn't cook. Or make good bows. Or fire good bows. Or survive anywhere outside a mile of the city walls, and even then, not without a small mountain of supplies. He sounded like the worst survivalist in the history of outdoorsmen. Little more than a scruffy hobo, really. "Wouldn't want to take up too much of your time, but if you're offering, you cook and we'll share it. You're hunting it and cooking it - so you deserve to taste what you've made. Haha, something truly yours, huh?"

The look on her face when he offered to build her a bow was all the payment he needed. "It's no problem at all. Making bows is actually a good way to pass the time. It's like sewing, I guess. Just the simple joy of making something from nothing - a relaxing exercise." He barked out another laugh. "It's a little more complicated than that, but, yes. You draw back, aim and let go. It takes practice, getting used to the bow, working out how much you need to pull it back to make it go as far as you want it to go. You can't just pull it all the way back every time... the further you pull back, the harder it is to aim, so you need to strike that perfect balance."

"Endor? Gawyne?" His smile disappeared and turned his mouth into a flat, thin line. "How soon do you need that Gorde again? 'Cause riding as we are, 'bout six trials minimum." Then again, that was with competent riders. With Faith on his back, Nir'wei was really struggling to maintain a decent grip on his horse, making it sway in a zig-zag pattern as he tried to tighten his grip on the reins and tug them close. "Come on, easy. Easy!" He really didn't feel very comfortable trying to keep a lid on his mount while Faith sat behind him. If they reared, she'd break his fall... and probably break herself too.

[Faith Augustin]

She looked, when Nir'wei said that he would harm the young lord in what she considered to be quite an imaginative mutilation of his teeth, truly horrified. He couldn't do what she did and would argue? She smiled and shook her head "That is because you were born free. You could not more be a slave than I could... not", although if she was honest, truly honest, these trials she did wonder. Could she? It was all confusing to the young woman, though, and she was where she was an who she was. "You respond to that as someone who has been an independent free spirit all his life. I respond to it as someone who was taught to thank the man who whipped me for the lesson he gave. It is a different perspective, that is all." She wasn't angry at that truth, far from it, she accepted it as who she was and who he was. But there would be no casual thumping of anyone on her watch.

Her delight at him making her a bow was unashamed and she hugged him in a brief and fierce hug. "I am so pleased you are my friend. Thank you." She said no more than that, there was no need to, but it was nonetheless something which she valued very greatly. However, even the usually chipper and positive young slave's face dropped when he told her how far away those places were. "Really? Oh, I... oh."

She looked at Nir'wei and her expression was first concerned, then upset and then, finally, she smiled "Oh dear. Well, we could still go, but then I would get into a whole world of trouble on all sorts of levels. I mean, my owner would not be happy, my boss would not be happy and the lord whose party I did not cater for would not, I imagine, be happy. Oh."

She gave Nir'wei a beaming smile then and said, in her usual tone of quiet amusement "Then I guess, I'm just going to have to go to plan B", what that was she did not know but she would, she was sure, think of something. Knowing Guiseppe, her boss, then he would buy some beef, season it and claim it was Gorde, or something. "I think, perhaps, I have wasted your time and I am sorry. But it is very good to see you"

Nope. A twelve trial round trip just wasn't possible so, plan B it would have to be.

[Siren]

Name: Faith

Knowledge:
Location: Rynmere: Andaris
Location: Rynmere: Andaris: Library
Herbalism: Dragonsnap
Herbalism: Dragonsnap: Yellow flower
Location: Andaris: Sky Verath Lodge
Nir’wei: Doesn’t think highly of nobles
Nir’wei: Wants to sample Gorde
Nir’wei: New to horseback riding
Nir’wei: Can make bows
Mount: Horse: Riding with two people

Loot: Please deduct the supplies from your ledger if you haven’t already.
Injuries: N/A
Fame: N/A
Devotion: +1 praying to Famula

Story: 5
Collaboration: 5
Structure: 5

Name: Nir’wei

Knowledge:
Animal Husbandry: Volareon: Nursing babies
Animal Husbandry: Volareon: Isolating the sick
Animal Husbandry: Color, texture, and smell of excrements help diagnose
Faith: Chef
Faith: Catering event for a noble and his ward
Faith: Is her boss’s scapegoat
Mount: Horse: Tightening the reigns
Mount: Horse: Riding with two people

Loot: Please deduct the book from your ledger (10gn) and your other supplies if you haven’t already.
Injuries: N/A
Fame: N/A

Story: 5
Collaboration: 5
Structure: 5

Comment:
What a cute thread. Nir’wei and Faith are very adorable as friends together. With him such a free spirit and her a slave, it is an interesting interaction with their conflicting viewpoints. Great story and collaboration. Few minor structure errors, nothing worth noting really.

If you feel that I've missed anything or have any questions or comments, please PM me!