Fever Dream?

[Kayleigh]

Fever Dream?

Searing 89, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

Kayleigh had it rough ever since she'd arrived within the Imperium, denouncing herself from her own family before moving within the Northside alone. One would think that a family was supposed to stay together in times like this, but after everything she'd seen, well, the girl just didn't have the heart to stick around her own mother anymore.

Which was fine. Even her older sister had done the same, though, for whatever reason they both wanted to live in the Southside. Probably to bear some close semblance to their previous lives in Zaichaer, even though nothing much likely remained of the Wintoic fortune at this point. Not that it mattered to Kayleigh anyway, she wanted no part in her family's affairs now that she had her own place. Her wave hair bobbed in the breeze as she walked on the street it was located now, her prior appointment to yet another meeting left her vaguely with the interpretation that she might hear from them later.

Honestly, she'd thought she'd chosen appropriate attire for the interview, a sharp dress of Imperial fashion where the white color was patterned with squares of teal. Ever since what happened within Wintergarten Circle, she couldn't help but notice how Gel'Grandal was treating outsiders lately. The refugee exhaled a weary sigh as she reached her front door, the loose strap pulled back over the shoulder when she reached into her satchel for the front door key. She had to jiggle the lock a couple of times before it finally turned with the twist of the key, and allowed her to enter the safety of her new home once she popped the front door open.

At last, she could kick off these uncomfortable shoes! When she slipped the heels off her feet the tile beneath them felt cool, compared to the warm temperatures outside, and the bookworm quickly moved to her bedroom door to get a change of clothes. She wanted to be out of this dress and into something else comfortable, likely going to pop open the next chapter of the book she had been reading. Kayleigh had been intending to research things about Gel'Grandal and its customs, only, her life had dramatically grown busy ever since her arrival; so it all boiled down to a bit of management in her personal schedule.

Once things were settled and she had a source of income here, she would be more than fine or so she told herself. When she went for her dresser drawer, she pulled the first one to retrieve a few articles of clothing, then the second drawer for a few more. If there was one thing she'd come to appreciate here, it was that the Imperium had far better showers than Zaichaer ever would. When she closed her dresser, however, and carried her clothes toward her bathroom, Kayleigh noticed that something had been different about the door.

She stopped. Eyed the structure for its obvious change in quality. As shoddy of a door, as it was before, Kayleigh remembered the lighter color in the wood before, whereas it was dark and certainly not up to date on locking mechanisms to boot. "What the?..." She placed her clothes down on the kitchen table for a moment, inspecting the difference with the door once more as though she had lost her mind. When did... Who did the change to her bathroom door?! The gall! The handle didn't even twist on this damn thing because it was that old! Had someone pranked her?!

Kayleigh reluctantly reached for the handle to give it a grip, so far nothing out of the ordinary occurred other than holding the door. But when she opened it? A room that clearly wasn't her bathroom awaited on the other side, and Kayleigh's heart leaped in her chest as she briefly shut the door with a few steps taken back. "What the hell??" She asked herself with wide eyes upon the door, as she noticed the smell of salt in the air now. Was this... magic? Her heart drummed in her chest now as she nearly froze, her thoughts spent on figuring out where exactly it had come from. This wasn't just a prank but a magic prank now?

Curiosity flared in her mind, and she reluctantly approached the door again, opening it again to greet the smell of the ocean from the other side. Of all the times she only wanted to undress, wash, and unwind with a good book; she had found a magical door in her own fucking bathroom apartment. When she crossed the threshold and the door shut behind her, she realized she was in a different room with dismal lighting, to say the least. She had never been to the sea by any means, merely read about it, but somehow she was convinced she'd literally walked within some kind of fever dream.

A table with two chairs was centered within the room, as somebody looked to have been seated in waiting for her. "H... hello?" She greeted apprehensively as her bare feet walked across wooden planks now, her eyes briefly taking in the room once more before she looked at the man specifically. Pointed ears suggested him an elf and the tattoos, clearly, a ruffian or perhaps just a sailor, either way, the sound of his voice made him seem foreign and exotic. "Kayleigh." She responded when asked, still, a little overwhelmed by what she had seen.

Then the man grinned at her and insisted on being surprised, garnering a raise of her eyebrow as the lady couldn't help but briefly chuckle. "I'm sorry, what?" Surprise? What on Ailizane was she going to do that would surprise him?! She was the one that had been shocked by all this, hell, she was still half convinced that this were only a dream by this point. "I don't think I understand. Could you... tell me what's going on?"

"Dialogue" Thought
"Common" "Kathalan"

"Keep your hopes up high, and your head down low."

[Aegis]

A kind smile was offered the slightly confused and stressed young woman. "Of course. You're been invited to a job interview, of sorts. Not by me, I'm just the intermediary." He sniffed at the air, "Gel'Grandel? It smells like it, can't hide those residual aetheric tinged fumes of the Imperium."

His hands spread wide before him, "I'm asking for you to surprise me, to see how you will respond to such a request given in such a fashion. Afterwards, I'll give a very brief tour, present you my offer, and then send you on your way back home. You're not in any way obligated to do anything, to commit to anything, and you're not being held against your will. If you wish to leave, the door is behind you and it will never appear to you again. It's really as simple as that."

He laughed, "Not many ever think to ask that I explain what is going on." He grinned widely, hands slapping the tables, chuckling more now, "Maybe that's why I give that 'air of mystery' request at the onset?" He leaned back in his chair, slouching, relaxed, "Anyways, wanna give it a go? I don't mean to rush you. Or well," he smirked, "I do, I just have many other interviews to conduct. My partner was very eager this go around." He cast his eyes slyly to the ceiling.

"But perhaps, if you'd like the entire rest of your life explained to you, Gel'Grandel is the place. Follow the law, do your duty, pay your taxes, praise be the almighty Emperor."

A devilish grin, eyes sparkling, a slight tilt, "Or maybe you'd like to surprise yourself?"

[Kayleigh]

Fever Dream?

Searing 89, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

The scholar watched the Elf before her with suspicious awe in her eyes, the sailor's words meriting a narrow of curiosity in her gaze shortly after. A job interview? Had she just not gotten home from one? Her logic questioned the sanity of all this, but then again, she had already had her experiences with the nature of magic before. It was no strange consequence that the thing she'd been taught to fear, now somehow flung her ever which way the fates decided she go. And Kayleigh didn't even believe in the Gods, maybe not as much as she probably should.

Sharp nose and a sultry tone. This has to be a fever dream. She wanted to argue with herself, and yet, she couldn't deny that she had plain as day entered this same room through a different door. Her mind wracked for answers now and she could only smile politely, and listen to Kynne as he elaborated on what he'd requested of her earlier. So she wasn't as daft as she'd thought herself went, the man seemed truly intent on setting her up for this alleged interview. She felt relief knowing she had a choice in being here, and that if so she did, her departure would result in never seeing this place or its magical door again.

Now a sensible person might've considered that on the fly, yet, Kayleigh didn't quite feel so ready to just leave either. "Just a surprise?" She quirked her head toward him before her eyes lowered to consider what exactly could suffice. Kayleigh's parents already kept her busy at home or with schooling, until she became of age to start exploring her own interests. That was when dear old mother wanted to doll her up for potential marriage proposals, but none of that relatively gave her any particular talent to show off. She had only been good at reading and, well, there was one little thing she'd learned as a young girl.

Kayleigh honestly had no idea how she'd handle it in this dress, but it was at least worth a try considering the odds. I mean what harm could there have been right? And obviously, he seemed inclined to carry out his task of interviewing her, quick-like too seemed preferable, as well as the other candidates that this 'place' had chosen. The scholar's eyes somewhat narrowed when she noticed that particular remark, as she folded her arms with a fingertip resting at the corner of her chin.

He certainly was a mysterious character to her, like a character fresh out of the adventure novel she was about to read. "Oh, believe me, I'm well surprised." She declared with a bit of an amused grin now, her eyes still briefly averted before she looked at Kynne directly. "Alright fine, mind you, I've not done this since I was twelve." She warned before casually turning to stand on her feet, neverminding the fact her legs still felt a bit like jelly. The quickening in her pulse excited her though as she walked barefoot a few feet away from the table, and stood at an angle in the room where she'd have the most distance to cover.

Mother would kill her for trying this, that is, if Kayleigh didn't do it herself by attempting it in her dress. The lady turned to where her shoulders were lined, and her posture loosened, before she tucked up her dress to reveal her ankles and shins. With just a few steps into a run, she dropped the fabric clumped in her hands, moved her arm out to where she propelled downward and performed a brief cartwheel for the Elven sailor to witness. In one brief motion, she felt each palm touch the floor before her toes allowed her heels to catch her back on the floor once more. And somehow, she didn't get all tangled in her dress, though there indeed were many extra wrinkles and creases in it now.

"Does that pass?" She inquired with a tilt of her head while she rested an arm behind her back, gripping the base of her other bicep for moral support as she waited to hear the man's judgment. Kayleigh had to admit she wasn't quite as eager to return back to her new life in the Imperium anymore.

"Dialogue" Thought
"Common" "Kathalan"

"Keep your hopes up high, and your head down low."

[Aegis]

A sly grin crossed his face as he watched the lass break out of her shell a bit and perform a cartwheel. He could see the wheels that had turned in her mind, the weights of expectations upon her, yet still, she had done it. "In a sense, though it's not really pass fail. Not in the way that the Imperium might oft try to define things."

The man smirked, always taking an opportunity to jab at a government, any government. A modest lass, brought up prim and proper. Interesting selection by the Duck. Part of him thought he might give her the tour down through the ship's baths, just to see how she was with discomfort, but he suspected another area would be more suited to drawing out more of her.

A door opened up behind him.

"Shall I give you a quick tour?"

He stood up, turning to the door, offering an elbow just as a gentleman caller might. Back straight, proper stance, a genuine showing rather than simply a mockery of traditional customs. Through the door, a dry, bit dusty scent wafted out. Captain Kynne led the way into a quiet, dimly lit archway that opened into a great hall. Upon the walls were shelves and shelves of books, scrolls, manuscripts, extending all the way to the ceiling high above them. Rows of shorter shelves stood perpendicular to these, and there were clusters of tables, lanterns sitting up on them, in the empty spaces. It was warm here, and there were chairs for comfortable reading, as well as those providing the space to study and work.

There were a handful of people here, the closest of which being a large ogre, standing on his tiptoes to pluck a book ever so gently from a shelf. He turned, smiling at the Captain and Kayleigh, before heading off to find a chair, the cover of his book titled 'Three little ducks.'

"This is our little collection. We try to add to it every time we're in port. Works of fiction, books of histories and names, and maps through the generations. One can truly lose track of time down here." A soft chuckle, "I sure have. Please, explore, I'll follow and talk."

He gestured outward for her to take the lead now, "The Duck is a very special ship, and she's not from anywhere you know. I might be the last one left that knows her home too. And she's been gone from it for so terribly long. She mourns for it, and longs to go home. And that's why I've been building a crew. For that singular task. To get her home. And it will be a most dangerous of journeys, one where we might all end up dead. And there's no promise for reward, even if we succeed."

He was speaking quietly, for this was a library after all, "But I promise that you'll never experience anything else like it. My life before the Duck wasn't so different from yours now, but in helping her, I found I was helping myself. Becoming who I wanted to be, rather than who others wished me to be, or expected me to be. Made my own way in the world, made my own choices."

A soft smile, "And you can too, if that is something you desire. And if not, you can spend some time here, then the Duck will send you back home." A bit of a nod of the head, "On Ash the first, a door will open to you, for the final time. If you accept it, you agree to this and there's no turning back. If not, the door will disappear and never bother you again. It's as easy as that."

A broader smile, "Your life is your own and the choice is, of course, your own."

[Kayleigh]

Fever Dream?

Searing 89, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

As far as she could tell Kayleigh had achieved the task well enough, though, from what Kynne had said she could only wonder the purpose of such a task then. While it was understandable that Gel'Grandal had quite the standards, the reader never really thought of herself conforming to them conventionally. Perhaps it was just so ingrained in their culture, that not even she noticed it had been part of her lifestyle. So then why? If the intent to surprise Kynne didn't require an actual surprise, then why put her and these other 'candidates' on the spot like this?

Regardless of her ponder Kayleigh grinned. Whatever game Kynne was playing, she'd have to go along with it for now, if she wanted to know more about this mysterious Duck that she'd stepped aboard. Her attention moved to the opened door behind the Elven man, before her eyes moved to him once more when he'd risen from his chair. He was actually quite tall. Something about that intrigued the reader, but when watched him offer his elbow like an official guide, she couldn't hide the widening of her lips as she accepted the offer. "I'd like that, actually."

Kayleigh had to admit for a sailor Kynne knew quite well how to carry himself, especially in the presence of a lady, something about that nearly made her swoon if not notify that for later. He was still a stranger after all, and though his motives seemed mostly genuine, she couldn't shake the feeling there was something more to this than what he might let on. But then they walked in through that door, and the smell of dried tomes and dusty parchment permeated the air. She was actually quite surprised to realize quickly that this vessel had a library, even more so when that area seemed filled with shelves and shelves of books.

From the base of the floor all the way up to the ceiling, her eyes widened as they looked ever higher. It was enough to make her heart skip a beat when she saw it, all the splendor and wonders that rested within every shelf and case storing them. A large ogre they passed reached for just one book slightly out of reach, before the humble creature pulled it down with a quiet joy in his marred features. She had never had the pleasure of meeting an Ogre up close, though, had seen a few of them within Gel'Grandal in the month she'd spent settling in. But from the awe in her expression, it was plain to tell she had already been captivated, lost within a new world as she walked slowly with Kynne to follow her.

"It's wonderful." She whispered in return with enthusiasm in her tone, the wonder still prevalent in her eyes as she walked down an aisle. Works of fiction. Articles of the world so well preserved. This was surely heaven for someone such as her, the sheer equivalent of a fever dream if she'd ever stumbled in one. After having been told to take the lead she nodded politely, before looking to her right to perform a quick browse of the tomes already closest. There were a couple of tomes on sailing, as well as a couple of tales of knights, the one of Florian having been her favorite to read. There were also cookbooks with varying recipes, from exotic places in Karnor and even Atinaw no less.

She wanted to read so much already that Kayleigh nearly rolled her eyes, baffled by the ungodly amount of options that awaited her while she listened to the man. From the way he explained things it sounded as though the Duck was a living ship, something straight out of a myth no doubt, and the vessel had a home that it wished to return to as well. Granted the scholar hadn't quite figured out just how necessarily, it wasn't her say on whether one could deny a ship had feelings or not. "So then, I would be a part of this crew if I joined." She didn't have a tone of inquiry as it was just a matter of observation, from what she understood of the opportunity that had presented itself.

Kayleigh gradually moved down the aisle into another, and passed a brown-haired Gnome with pointed ears, as the guy carefully hiked up the mobile stairwell he used to reach another section of the bookshelf. She ran her finger along the spines of each book she walked past on her left, and felt the brush of dried leather under the pad while Kynne expressed the dangers involved. An absolutely dangerous adventure to find the home of a living vessel? She had seen her own home go up in smoke before her family fled from Zaichaer, and while she had mourned the losses that uprooted her life, Kay had been determined to build herself something better and new.

Maybe... if the Gods weren't so fickle and brazen as the Teachings belligerently suggested, then perhaps this was their way of showing the scholar what that opportunity might look like. Danger? Sounded terrifying. Death? Nothing that Kayleigh hadn't seen within the passing summer. Reward? Why, the girl already knew where her bounty lie as of now, besides, it wasn't like the journey itself wasn't meant to be rewarding enough. If what Captain Kynne had to say held any weight of truth in his words, then Kayleigh certainly had quite an important choice to make within the next few days. She'd likely never see home again, her new home anyway, nor the broken family she so desperately wanted to get away from.

Would her father be okay? And her older sister? "If the Duck is alive and he, or she, has elected to choose me as part of the crew..." She slowed to ponder at the dark-skinned Elf, a slight narrow in her eyes as she reflected on everything she grasped. "Then that means he, or she, has the potential of seeing something in others they don't see in themselves." She reasoned before walking in front of another shelf, her finger then pointed along the spines of those books also, though she looked at them far more attentively than before. Mythological Creatures of Atinaw, A Bestiary On The Clockwork Wastes, Dragons of Ecith, and more but none of it was enough for her.

As much as she wanted to read them all, Kayleigh would have to spend probably her entire life on this vessel. She couldn't help but wonder. "What would I need to learn for this journey? Obviously, personal experiences weigh in, but conceptually, what skills should I study up on to make the journey easier for everyone?" It was a genuine and honest question the longer she thought about it, the desire for a home sympathized for the vessel as she wanted to do what she can, even if that didn't seem like much as she currently was. Kayleigh was confident though that she could learn, and with a bit of study, she could be a very helpful asset to the Captain and his would-be assembling crew.

The scholar very much would like to meet the rest of them when that time came.

"Dialogue" Thought
"Common" "Kathalan"

"Keep your hopes up high, and your head down low."

[Aegis]

REVIEW TIME

Captain Kynne grinned, "Learn to have the confidence in discovering that for yourself."

Kayleigh

Lores: 8 Skill Lores

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points: 15, may not be used for Magic

Comments: Sorry for the long overdue delay