40 Searing, Year 123
[Closed - Solo]
[Part I]
She roamed a bit deeper still, where it no longer made sense to come up for air. While she was still looking for the sunstars, she collected a couple longer strands of kelp, putting those into a bag so that she could take them home and dry them out and use them at Sweet Remedies. Cutting down the kelp revealed a few more sunstars, only one of which was of a suitable size. Perhaps this spot had already been picked clean? She wasn't finding anymore right then through Semblance, which meant she needed to keep moving. Six sunstars would not be enough for what she needed. Still, the Vastiana was not a quitter, and she was not going home without her project materials. This was an opportunity to continue along and keep on exploring. She boosted herself along with water, propelling herself faster and easier than she could be swimming alone as she scoured the seabed. She found more up ahead, and in her single-minded focus on it, nearly missed the massive shadow that very narrowly missed brushing past her. She realized it was a shark. A big one. Awed, Hilana all but parked herself on the rocky bottom and watched the large predator cruise along overhead. Beautiful.
Without her mask, she would have been in for a world of trouble. Not for the first time, she sent her thanks to the Bride of Bridles. She'd make another offering later. For now, it would be wiser to keep on going and get what she needed done done. A few more sunstars found their way into her bags, and once Hilana had fifteen, she elected to call it quits. Just when she was about to go back up, she spotted some rock lobsters and wasted no time putting a dozen of them into more bags. These couldn't go in together lest they damage each other, ut they would definitely make a nice treat for dinner. They weren't hardly her favourite, but Lia had been partial. She didn't know if she still was, but this was as good a way as any to find out. Lykos would surely enjoy them, too.
She headed back to shore and paddled along, listening to the songs of the wind and water out here. It was a rolling crescendo, and she let them guide her back to land. She would have to get back to wheres he had left her sandals, but the Vastiana was unconcerned. The Atraxian Expanse was her home turf, after all. She was well-used to the sandy terrain, and she knew where she had left her shoes. The coastline wasn't uniform where she had gone in, and those topographic cues were vital to navigating. Solunarium was harder than most lands due to how harsh and inhospitable it was, but Atraxia looked after her own. Today's success was resounding proof of that closely-held belief.
It took quite a while, but she did find herself able to touch the bottom and walked her way in, the waves pushing t her back. This was her mother's element, and perhaps one day it might be hers, too. Lia had encouraged her to sit with the other elements and meditate on them, and let them speak to her. Or perhaps she should acquire summoning net and wait on Kinetics. It was a tough choice, truth be told. When her hands roze and got stiff, Kinetics would have been good to help with rather than fumbling with stiff fingers and aches. They were managed, their effects lessened, but it could be a painful inconvenience at the best of times. She remembered how skillful the kineticist surgeons had been when they had treated Finn and Khyan back in Frost, and she had seen Raithen's elegant finely-tuned work with his little weapons.
But it was something she was just going to have to learn to live with. For now, she just had to get along the best she could. She set off once she was on the Sands, making her way back to where she had left her sandals. She set her bags down to wring the excess water out of her very short skirts, letting the rivulets of moisture trickle down over her long legs. The natural heat, not to mention the Scepter's lights, would help dry her off. She did have to adjust her course slightly, changing her path as sand filled her toes and she neatly avoided some sharper pieces of shell and sharktooth that threatened injury. Neither would be a big deal, but feet were vascular and she didn't want to make a bloody mess any more than she had to.
She knew what she was looking for, and the rocks and shape of the shore were as they had been. She hadn't bothered making some sort of sign lest it attract attention to one of the Praeventores who travelled the skies on their mighty wyverns and patrolled for dangers within and without. Some sort of scorched earth, or darkened stones would almost certainly catch the eye of someone who was well-familiar with these routes and it might trigger some sort of investigation, or at least someone watching. And while Hilana's reasons for being out here were entirely acceptable, it might still cause some sort of issue and she didn't particularly want to deal with that. The earth spirits, though, were all too happy to offer their own whispers of help. While it might have been unnecessary, the Vastiana thanked them graciously and offered them little tendrils of aether, accepting their names and greeting them, and explaining why she was out there in the first place. The water already understood, but the earth was curious, as unchanging and resolute as it may have been.
She guided the sand from her bare feet so that it might stay on its shores, and stepped into her sandals. She bowed to the spirits and the Crystal Sea, thanking them for their bounty, before she opened a portal back to Red Rock Citadel with her elegant pink Ring that had come from Talon and Aoren, and stepped through it. That would be the end of the portals from the Ring for the day, but that was alright, too. The Citadel held dedicated portals, and she was able to utilize those to go back and forth from the Luxium and the Umbrium and back.
When she emerged on the other side, she was just outside the kitchen. She might have portaled into it, but considering how it was usually busy... even though it was pretty late at night... Well. Better to go outside and go in. The sacks of lobsters were put into some larger pots of water with the lids on for the moment until she was ready to deal with those, and the sunstars went into their own little water-tight barrel. Those would need to go to the Umbrium with her tomorrow morning, because considering how late it was... that simply was not going to work. The kelp she just left in the cotton sack; no harm would come to that until it went to Sweet Remedies, too. Then it could be set out on the roof to dry up so that it could be used for whatever purposes they chose: medicine or even fertilizer. Kelp tended to be quite nutrient-rich, and while there were many with different aspects... that helped with the earth and the amount of plants that they grew. But she could also use it for Alchemy, and surely give someone the ability to breathe underwater for some time. She would have to run that but Domina Clelia, but surely it was a possibility.
Since it was just her, Hilana took the opportunity to make herself a cup of tea, and sit down at one of the tables there while the kettle boiled. Once it was ready, she would take it back outside and look out over the evening. The shadows assured her that someone was coming, and within moments, the door to the kitchen opened and Lia stepped in, her dark caftan wrapped around her. "You made it back. Oh, Hilana, you are a mess, though," her elder sister chuckled as she looked her over, touching her hair. "You need a bath, wildling. You smell of the sea. Are you making tea?"
"I am, soror. Would you like a cup?" Hilana offered. "I've got out the cinnamon chai."
"Please," Lia nodded, looking her hair over. She was really going to make her undo her hair from her braids at some point so that it could be washed properly. One of these days, she would convince her sister to spend some money on a servus or two when the time came for a bigger place. One of these days.
But Hilana was content, her excess energy burned and spent from the hours of swimming in the sea and trekking back over the sand to find her sandals, and if she knew what Lia was thinking about, she gave no sign. Nor was she about to protest or argue. She could well guess that her hair was driving her wild, but it was what it was. She would deal with it later, since she'd have to be tidy and presentable when she had to go to work in two places tomorrow, and lessons besides, but that would be later. For now, they could enjoy some rolled date cookies, tea, and each other's company.
[Closed - Solo]
[Part I]
She roamed a bit deeper still, where it no longer made sense to come up for air. While she was still looking for the sunstars, she collected a couple longer strands of kelp, putting those into a bag so that she could take them home and dry them out and use them at Sweet Remedies. Cutting down the kelp revealed a few more sunstars, only one of which was of a suitable size. Perhaps this spot had already been picked clean? She wasn't finding anymore right then through Semblance, which meant she needed to keep moving. Six sunstars would not be enough for what she needed. Still, the Vastiana was not a quitter, and she was not going home without her project materials. This was an opportunity to continue along and keep on exploring. She boosted herself along with water, propelling herself faster and easier than she could be swimming alone as she scoured the seabed. She found more up ahead, and in her single-minded focus on it, nearly missed the massive shadow that very narrowly missed brushing past her. She realized it was a shark. A big one. Awed, Hilana all but parked herself on the rocky bottom and watched the large predator cruise along overhead. Beautiful.
Without her mask, she would have been in for a world of trouble. Not for the first time, she sent her thanks to the Bride of Bridles. She'd make another offering later. For now, it would be wiser to keep on going and get what she needed done done. A few more sunstars found their way into her bags, and once Hilana had fifteen, she elected to call it quits. Just when she was about to go back up, she spotted some rock lobsters and wasted no time putting a dozen of them into more bags. These couldn't go in together lest they damage each other, ut they would definitely make a nice treat for dinner. They weren't hardly her favourite, but Lia had been partial. She didn't know if she still was, but this was as good a way as any to find out. Lykos would surely enjoy them, too.
She headed back to shore and paddled along, listening to the songs of the wind and water out here. It was a rolling crescendo, and she let them guide her back to land. She would have to get back to wheres he had left her sandals, but the Vastiana was unconcerned. The Atraxian Expanse was her home turf, after all. She was well-used to the sandy terrain, and she knew where she had left her shoes. The coastline wasn't uniform where she had gone in, and those topographic cues were vital to navigating. Solunarium was harder than most lands due to how harsh and inhospitable it was, but Atraxia looked after her own. Today's success was resounding proof of that closely-held belief.
It took quite a while, but she did find herself able to touch the bottom and walked her way in, the waves pushing t her back. This was her mother's element, and perhaps one day it might be hers, too. Lia had encouraged her to sit with the other elements and meditate on them, and let them speak to her. Or perhaps she should acquire summoning net and wait on Kinetics. It was a tough choice, truth be told. When her hands roze and got stiff, Kinetics would have been good to help with rather than fumbling with stiff fingers and aches. They were managed, their effects lessened, but it could be a painful inconvenience at the best of times. She remembered how skillful the kineticist surgeons had been when they had treated Finn and Khyan back in Frost, and she had seen Raithen's elegant finely-tuned work with his little weapons.
But it was something she was just going to have to learn to live with. For now, she just had to get along the best she could. She set off once she was on the Sands, making her way back to where she had left her sandals. She set her bags down to wring the excess water out of her very short skirts, letting the rivulets of moisture trickle down over her long legs. The natural heat, not to mention the Scepter's lights, would help dry her off. She did have to adjust her course slightly, changing her path as sand filled her toes and she neatly avoided some sharper pieces of shell and sharktooth that threatened injury. Neither would be a big deal, but feet were vascular and she didn't want to make a bloody mess any more than she had to.
She knew what she was looking for, and the rocks and shape of the shore were as they had been. She hadn't bothered making some sort of sign lest it attract attention to one of the Praeventores who travelled the skies on their mighty wyverns and patrolled for dangers within and without. Some sort of scorched earth, or darkened stones would almost certainly catch the eye of someone who was well-familiar with these routes and it might trigger some sort of investigation, or at least someone watching. And while Hilana's reasons for being out here were entirely acceptable, it might still cause some sort of issue and she didn't particularly want to deal with that. The earth spirits, though, were all too happy to offer their own whispers of help. While it might have been unnecessary, the Vastiana thanked them graciously and offered them little tendrils of aether, accepting their names and greeting them, and explaining why she was out there in the first place. The water already understood, but the earth was curious, as unchanging and resolute as it may have been.
She guided the sand from her bare feet so that it might stay on its shores, and stepped into her sandals. She bowed to the spirits and the Crystal Sea, thanking them for their bounty, before she opened a portal back to Red Rock Citadel with her elegant pink Ring that had come from Talon and Aoren, and stepped through it. That would be the end of the portals from the Ring for the day, but that was alright, too. The Citadel held dedicated portals, and she was able to utilize those to go back and forth from the Luxium and the Umbrium and back.
When she emerged on the other side, she was just outside the kitchen. She might have portaled into it, but considering how it was usually busy... even though it was pretty late at night... Well. Better to go outside and go in. The sacks of lobsters were put into some larger pots of water with the lids on for the moment until she was ready to deal with those, and the sunstars went into their own little water-tight barrel. Those would need to go to the Umbrium with her tomorrow morning, because considering how late it was... that simply was not going to work. The kelp she just left in the cotton sack; no harm would come to that until it went to Sweet Remedies, too. Then it could be set out on the roof to dry up so that it could be used for whatever purposes they chose: medicine or even fertilizer. Kelp tended to be quite nutrient-rich, and while there were many with different aspects... that helped with the earth and the amount of plants that they grew. But she could also use it for Alchemy, and surely give someone the ability to breathe underwater for some time. She would have to run that but Domina Clelia, but surely it was a possibility.
Since it was just her, Hilana took the opportunity to make herself a cup of tea, and sit down at one of the tables there while the kettle boiled. Once it was ready, she would take it back outside and look out over the evening. The shadows assured her that someone was coming, and within moments, the door to the kitchen opened and Lia stepped in, her dark caftan wrapped around her. "You made it back. Oh, Hilana, you are a mess, though," her elder sister chuckled as she looked her over, touching her hair. "You need a bath, wildling. You smell of the sea. Are you making tea?"
"I am, soror. Would you like a cup?" Hilana offered. "I've got out the cinnamon chai."
"Please," Lia nodded, looking her hair over. She was really going to make her undo her hair from her braids at some point so that it could be washed properly. One of these days, she would convince her sister to spend some money on a servus or two when the time came for a bigger place. One of these days.
But Hilana was content, her excess energy burned and spent from the hours of swimming in the sea and trekking back over the sand to find her sandals, and if she knew what Lia was thinking about, she gave no sign. Nor was she about to protest or argue. She could well guess that her hair was driving her wild, but it was what it was. She would deal with it later, since she'd have to be tidy and presentable when she had to go to work in two places tomorrow, and lessons besides, but that would be later. For now, they could enjoy some rolled date cookies, tea, and each other's company.