Making The Most Of It IV [Solo]
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:21 am
1 Searing, Year 122
[Closed, Solo]
[Out of season thread approved by Rune]
[Continuation of Part III]
She heard her name as soon as she saw them, and she was pleased to see the familiar faces that she had traveled with amongst the sea of life that made up the desert’s capital. Hayima’el needed little nudging on where to go, heading for the herd that he had known most of his life, and Hilana did have to guide him out of the way and into the shade, slipping off of his back to land in the sands once again. “Down, Hayima’el,” she urged him, and the big bull lowered himself, settling. Tiaz had to be lifted from the hood of her cloak so she could remove it, letting the brightness of her skirts show now that what she had needed to accomplish was done. The python was returned to her shoulders, his tongue flickering, and she fell into line with her team. Her pack. For what was very likely to be the last time for a long time, if ever again. She had had to learn to be lonely, to accept it, and while she had become comfortable with it... she missed having a pack to run with. People that understood her and accepted that Wildness that was part of her. Temporary. Just temporary.
They had already been making good time with unloading the goods, considering the transport team had been working together for quite a while. Hilana had participated in it before being hauled into Tertium a few years prior, so she too knew the drill and knew her place in it, but an extra set of hands just made things flow a bit faster. She was never afraid of getting her hands dirty or working hard, despite her appearance and the long skirts she chose to wear. She had used to wear shorter ones in the Sands, and while the ones she had worn in Tertium were closer to the same length as what she wore now, what with her father’s expectations of reforming her image and attempting to make her look compliant and modest, both styles had had a lot less fabric. But the days were gone in which she had the freedom to wear skirts that all but exposed her thighs. These clothes were situated enough to the work she did while still being fun enough for her and satisfying familial expectations... and with as much fabric as these skirts contained, if she ever needed bandages for something? Well, she had plenty because she was wearing them. She could see the benefit.
The convoy’s camels were stripped down of their tack and the gear was set aside to dry out for the rest of the day until they hit the road at night to make the trip back to Tertium, and then back out into the sands. But for now, they could break in the shade and eat, and Hilana settled herself in their midst and got started on the tea. For some onlookers, it might have been suggestive of another role for her, and she had gotten enough looks before. But being secure in the pack had its own advantages, as food was passed around. Bread, cheese, dried meat, and prickly pears... as good a meal as any. They would all disperse into the bazaar later to resupply and enjoy something that was already cooked for them before it was time to go once the stars were lighting the way back along the well-traveled road to Tertium.
She passed around the cups of tea, accepting her bread and cheese in kind. “Did you get everything taken care of, Hilana?” Asher asked her, ripping off a piece of the loaf of bread.
“I did. Lodgings taken care of. Job set up. Asher, do you think you can get my father to release my racing saddles?” the girl sounded dead serious, but it got a round of boisterous laughter from the group as a whole. She laughed with them, but all the same...
“Girl, crocodiles are going to fly first,” one of them managed between chuckles. Hilana crossed her eyes at Linus, another Vastii her age, which only got more laughter.
“He’s not going to give them up, Hilana, you know that,” Asher sighed. “They’re Warded. He’s not going to release them for anyone. It doesn’t matter who he picks for you, or even if that last one had gone through, he is going to hold on to those things. You could get selected by an Elf here and he still wouldn’t release those saddles as a wedding gift to you. Don’t start, you know exactly why. Let them go. Be happy he didn’t burn them like he threatened to.”
“It was worth a shot,” she sighed before laughing, shaking her head, and letting the subject change. Camel racing was dangerous enough, and without the right saddle... she had to admit her father played that one well. Modest. Demure. Compliant. And it was not something she was supposed to be doing. But all the same... By the time the meal was over, Asher got the rest of the workers to the cleaning up before he offered Hilana a hand, and she took it. He pulled her easily, and one by one, they said their goodbyes. She would still see them when they came back, with luck. But the convoy members changed on the regular, depending on who was needed where... so there was a chance that some of them, she wouldn’t see. Not for a long time.
“I’ll take you home. I’d like to see where you’re staying,” Asher told her, and Hilana nodded. Hayima’el was easily able to carry both of them, and the two Vastii left Port Vasta to head to the Antiquine District. It was a quiet ride for both of them, and they got the camel settled in the stable, groomed and with fresh water and food. “He’s going to get fat in here,” Asher chuckled, and Hilana poked him in the side, though she was laughing too, before they went upstairs. He helped her carry up what little she had brought with her for this adventure and put it away while he had a look around, and Hilana got Tiaz settled in his terrarium for a little bit of a break. Apartment 406.
He looked her over, now that they stood in the living room. She was like a little sister to him, in some ways almost a daughter, and compared to the hell she had raised when she had first been tossed to him and the other herders, she made his own children easy when he was home with his wife and family. Hilana looked up and back at him, knowing he was going to say something by the look in his eyes. She stayed quiet. “Keep your mouth shut here, Hilana. There are many rules for this place, and the safest way to abide by them is to say nothing. Keep your ears open and your mouth closed. You’re not amongst your pack anymore. Saying the wrong thing in this place could get you killed, or worse. You don’t know who is watching and who is listening. Avoid the nobles and the elves, but don’t cross the streets to avoid them unless everyone else is doing it. Keep your head down and blend in with the crowd. Do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do. Your Wildness will not serve you well in these walls. They won’t understand it, and you’re going to offend people who aren’t used to it or you. Offend them enough, and there’s going to be trouble that you’re going to have a hard time getting out of… and we are not here to help you. Attention in this place is not a good thing.”
She searched his face, biting the inside of her bottom lip. Quiet it down. Just like she had in Tertium, quiet it down. Be who you have to be, not who you are. She threw her arms around him in a hug, burying her face in his tunic. He squeezed her back, looking down at her. In many ways, he still remembered the slender child that had been deposited in front of him by the servus from Lebaoth’s house with a note that basically told him to try to keep her alive. But she had grown into her whiskers, and it was time for her to hunt, too. “We all wear a mask, we all play a role. The only true freedom we have is who we are within,” she whispered before pulling away, looking up at him. He squeezed her shoulder.
“It’s only for now. Just keep it quiet a little longer, and do what you came here to do.” He smiled down at her, and pulled lightly on her braids before letting go. “Remember who you are. If you lose yourself... your courage will follow. Keep your doors locked at all times, no matter what time of day it is. Try to get some rest. Learn the city, learn where you can go and where you can’t go. Learn your neighbourhood, learn the district, learn your escape routes if something goes wrong. Don’t get sloppy, and stay safe,” he headed for the door, Hilana on his heels to see him out. “I will check in on you again next time I am around next season.”
“Be well, Asher. Safe travels. And I will see you when you come back,” she smiled up at him, watching him go down the corridor, staying in her doorway until he was out of sight. Once he was gone, she closed and locked the door as he bade her, looking around the apartment. For the first time… she had someplace to call her own.
And she had to make the most of it.
[Closed, Solo]
[Out of season thread approved by Rune]
[Continuation of Part III]
She heard her name as soon as she saw them, and she was pleased to see the familiar faces that she had traveled with amongst the sea of life that made up the desert’s capital. Hayima’el needed little nudging on where to go, heading for the herd that he had known most of his life, and Hilana did have to guide him out of the way and into the shade, slipping off of his back to land in the sands once again. “Down, Hayima’el,” she urged him, and the big bull lowered himself, settling. Tiaz had to be lifted from the hood of her cloak so she could remove it, letting the brightness of her skirts show now that what she had needed to accomplish was done. The python was returned to her shoulders, his tongue flickering, and she fell into line with her team. Her pack. For what was very likely to be the last time for a long time, if ever again. She had had to learn to be lonely, to accept it, and while she had become comfortable with it... she missed having a pack to run with. People that understood her and accepted that Wildness that was part of her. Temporary. Just temporary.
They had already been making good time with unloading the goods, considering the transport team had been working together for quite a while. Hilana had participated in it before being hauled into Tertium a few years prior, so she too knew the drill and knew her place in it, but an extra set of hands just made things flow a bit faster. She was never afraid of getting her hands dirty or working hard, despite her appearance and the long skirts she chose to wear. She had used to wear shorter ones in the Sands, and while the ones she had worn in Tertium were closer to the same length as what she wore now, what with her father’s expectations of reforming her image and attempting to make her look compliant and modest, both styles had had a lot less fabric. But the days were gone in which she had the freedom to wear skirts that all but exposed her thighs. These clothes were situated enough to the work she did while still being fun enough for her and satisfying familial expectations... and with as much fabric as these skirts contained, if she ever needed bandages for something? Well, she had plenty because she was wearing them. She could see the benefit.
The convoy’s camels were stripped down of their tack and the gear was set aside to dry out for the rest of the day until they hit the road at night to make the trip back to Tertium, and then back out into the sands. But for now, they could break in the shade and eat, and Hilana settled herself in their midst and got started on the tea. For some onlookers, it might have been suggestive of another role for her, and she had gotten enough looks before. But being secure in the pack had its own advantages, as food was passed around. Bread, cheese, dried meat, and prickly pears... as good a meal as any. They would all disperse into the bazaar later to resupply and enjoy something that was already cooked for them before it was time to go once the stars were lighting the way back along the well-traveled road to Tertium.
She passed around the cups of tea, accepting her bread and cheese in kind. “Did you get everything taken care of, Hilana?” Asher asked her, ripping off a piece of the loaf of bread.
“I did. Lodgings taken care of. Job set up. Asher, do you think you can get my father to release my racing saddles?” the girl sounded dead serious, but it got a round of boisterous laughter from the group as a whole. She laughed with them, but all the same...
“Girl, crocodiles are going to fly first,” one of them managed between chuckles. Hilana crossed her eyes at Linus, another Vastii her age, which only got more laughter.
“He’s not going to give them up, Hilana, you know that,” Asher sighed. “They’re Warded. He’s not going to release them for anyone. It doesn’t matter who he picks for you, or even if that last one had gone through, he is going to hold on to those things. You could get selected by an Elf here and he still wouldn’t release those saddles as a wedding gift to you. Don’t start, you know exactly why. Let them go. Be happy he didn’t burn them like he threatened to.”
“It was worth a shot,” she sighed before laughing, shaking her head, and letting the subject change. Camel racing was dangerous enough, and without the right saddle... she had to admit her father played that one well. Modest. Demure. Compliant. And it was not something she was supposed to be doing. But all the same... By the time the meal was over, Asher got the rest of the workers to the cleaning up before he offered Hilana a hand, and she took it. He pulled her easily, and one by one, they said their goodbyes. She would still see them when they came back, with luck. But the convoy members changed on the regular, depending on who was needed where... so there was a chance that some of them, she wouldn’t see. Not for a long time.
“I’ll take you home. I’d like to see where you’re staying,” Asher told her, and Hilana nodded. Hayima’el was easily able to carry both of them, and the two Vastii left Port Vasta to head to the Antiquine District. It was a quiet ride for both of them, and they got the camel settled in the stable, groomed and with fresh water and food. “He’s going to get fat in here,” Asher chuckled, and Hilana poked him in the side, though she was laughing too, before they went upstairs. He helped her carry up what little she had brought with her for this adventure and put it away while he had a look around, and Hilana got Tiaz settled in his terrarium for a little bit of a break. Apartment 406.
He looked her over, now that they stood in the living room. She was like a little sister to him, in some ways almost a daughter, and compared to the hell she had raised when she had first been tossed to him and the other herders, she made his own children easy when he was home with his wife and family. Hilana looked up and back at him, knowing he was going to say something by the look in his eyes. She stayed quiet. “Keep your mouth shut here, Hilana. There are many rules for this place, and the safest way to abide by them is to say nothing. Keep your ears open and your mouth closed. You’re not amongst your pack anymore. Saying the wrong thing in this place could get you killed, or worse. You don’t know who is watching and who is listening. Avoid the nobles and the elves, but don’t cross the streets to avoid them unless everyone else is doing it. Keep your head down and blend in with the crowd. Do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do. Your Wildness will not serve you well in these walls. They won’t understand it, and you’re going to offend people who aren’t used to it or you. Offend them enough, and there’s going to be trouble that you’re going to have a hard time getting out of… and we are not here to help you. Attention in this place is not a good thing.”
She searched his face, biting the inside of her bottom lip. Quiet it down. Just like she had in Tertium, quiet it down. Be who you have to be, not who you are. She threw her arms around him in a hug, burying her face in his tunic. He squeezed her back, looking down at her. In many ways, he still remembered the slender child that had been deposited in front of him by the servus from Lebaoth’s house with a note that basically told him to try to keep her alive. But she had grown into her whiskers, and it was time for her to hunt, too. “We all wear a mask, we all play a role. The only true freedom we have is who we are within,” she whispered before pulling away, looking up at him. He squeezed her shoulder.
“It’s only for now. Just keep it quiet a little longer, and do what you came here to do.” He smiled down at her, and pulled lightly on her braids before letting go. “Remember who you are. If you lose yourself... your courage will follow. Keep your doors locked at all times, no matter what time of day it is. Try to get some rest. Learn the city, learn where you can go and where you can’t go. Learn your neighbourhood, learn the district, learn your escape routes if something goes wrong. Don’t get sloppy, and stay safe,” he headed for the door, Hilana on his heels to see him out. “I will check in on you again next time I am around next season.”
“Be well, Asher. Safe travels. And I will see you when you come back,” she smiled up at him, watching him go down the corridor, staying in her doorway until he was out of sight. Once he was gone, she closed and locked the door as he bade her, looking around the apartment. For the first time… she had someplace to call her own.
And she had to make the most of it.