Log: Meeting Aubri
RL: May 13, 2008.
VR: Day 11, month 5, Turn 16, of the Interval. It is a spring morning.
(Original log from Aubri)
Leova meets Vijay trader Aubri and gets a lead on an embroiderer.
Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
This shoreline marks the edge of the freshwater lake that fills the southeastern portion of the bowl. The gritty dirt of the bowl gives way to smooth sand.
Across the lake, the bowl wall rises high into the sky, its face dotted with weyr entrances. A few dragonlengths above the water, glimpses of a level cliff can be seen amidst boulders lining the edge. Just south of here, a smaller pond of water is divided from the main lake by a natural bridge of land. A path leads across the bridge and up to the diving cliffs, winding through a dotting of small boulders on its way.
The morning is clear, and the sun shines with a few small clouds floating past. There is a strong breeze that creates ripples upon the lake.
This far into spring, the lake is more and more commonly frequented by swimmers, even though they're still usually of the draconic variety. Especially this time of morning. A young olive green is splashing in the thick of things, warbling at the flock of firelizards that swarms above her, while a larger brown all but snoozes at the shore, his rider nowhere in sight. The green does have her rider in attendance, however, if the woman's knot is any indication: sitting on a boulder, whittling, now and again stifling a yawn that goes poorly with sharp knives.
The Vijays have been at the Weyr long enough for the novelty of the spires reaching for the sky, the immense bowl, the view of the lake to have dimmed at least a touch. It's still not uncommon to see one or two sneaking stolen glances at a looming dragon, or ambling along the lakeshore, especially as the weather warms. A blonde woman is doing the latter just now, stretching her legs and swinging her arms with an aimlessness to her gait. Now and then impractical heels sink into the sand and she shifts her path out from sand to the firmer grit further away from the water's edge. Dozing brown and splashing green bring her up short, and one hand shades her eyes as she takes in the sight. "Pretty as a picture, she murmurs half to the whittling woman but more to herself. "Can't quite seem to get used to seeing dragons at rest and play."
The greenrider glances over, taking in the other woman's fine clothes and yes, those boots. For a little while it's as though she isn't going to say anything, particularly when she turns back to her work. But then, not looking up but with humor in her low voice, "Still haven't gotten used to watching her, myself."
It's not hard to catch that assessing once over, particularly if one is waiting for it. Aubri accepts it with the slightest lift of her chin, settling one slim hand into a pocket with a strange mix of arrogance and nonchalance. "Is she young?" The trader flicks a sideways glance and spots a boulder for herself, nearby but nestled in the harder soil that will keep her from misstepping. A few strides brings her to it and she settles herself easily, leaning back on one propped elbow. "I admit I can never tell unless the rider wears a weyrling knot." A flick of green eyes suggests the greenrider's own more complex knot.
"Wore one of those not so long ago," the greenrider says by way of both comment and answer, carefully peeling away shavings from what's currently still mostly a block of wood. "That's Vrianth, by the way. I'm Leova. How's it been, overwintering here? Compared to other places."
A nod accepts comment and answer, and Aubri takes a second, slower look over the olive-toned green. "Well met," is offered apparently to the dragon out in the water, but then paler brighter green shifts to Leova and a smile finally curves the trader's mouth into a smile. "Both of you. Leova and Vrianth," with the air of committing both names to memory. "An I'm Aubri. It's," she trails off thoughtfully, letting her gaze dance over the view of the weyr she can catch from her boulder perch. "Big for one. And of course a lot nicer over the summer than the winter from what I gather." Amusement touches eyes and mouth with the hopes of reciprocation. "But we've quite enjoyed the Weyr's hospitality."
"Aubri." Leova keeps working. Vrianth keeps splashing. It's Leova who looks back at the trader, though. "She doesn't mind your watching. Aubri." And only then does her smile slip free. "Summers, you got that right. Or at least the last one was good. What part do you play, in the trader group? Keep meaning to get down to the camp. While it's still there."
Aubri's eyes flicker a bit wider and she flicks another glance at Vrianth. "Well that's gracious of her." That amusement continues to run through her words, an undercurrent that hints to the words being a tease just short of sarcasm. "Summers though. Winter here was awfully cold. Not that Nabol and Tillek don't have their own share of snow and ice, but I'd rather overwinter somewhere down south if weather's the only consideration." Which obviously, it wasn't. She crosses one leg over the other at the knee, loops hands around it. "I'm a midwife. But I do my share of trading as well, working the tables when we have them out. You should come down." Now the glance is less casual, more keen. "Anything in particular you might be looking for?"
"It is," and Leova's smile deepens with her comment, not avoiding teasing back. She even sets her little knife aside, with a nod that grants the warmth found elsewhere. "Don't look like the usual midwife. Don't think that's a surprise, either. As to what I'd be looking for? Nothing in particular. Maybe a surprise. Something your clan won't be wanting to carry on with you. Something I can afford." She angles her chin to point out her knot all over again.
"Features or fashion?" For not looking like a midwife Aubri retains her smile, warmth beginning to change the curve of it into something more genuine. A sweep of her hand takes in her outfit and with a wry note she shrugs. "I wouldn't wear this to deliver a baby obviously, or while travelling either. Strolling through the Weyr with time for leisure seemed like the perfect reason to wear my favorite boots." A glance to the sand brings a second, smaller shrug. "A stroll not on the beach might have worked better, as it turns out." The mention of something they wouldn't want to carry on brings up a fine brow, but it's a brief shift of expression. "Well, most less expensive items don't take up much room. But I can scout around a bit. You don't strike me as the pretty ribbon or scarf sort."
"Both. Do you think of yourself as being... motherly? Or is it just the delivering," Leova asks. She angles her own boots for view: heeled, but broadly so, less likely to bury themselves or be caught in something. And, "Struck correctly. Though friends are. Don't hold it against them." That smile sparks into a grin, just for a moment.
The answer just deepens the smile and Aubri glances down at herself. "Really? I didn't think midwives looked like anything particular. But... I suppose I'll take it as a compliment." Not so much because it was meant as one, from her tone, but because she's decided to do so. She obliges Leova with a once over of the heel, dips a nod. "I'll try to keep that in mind next time." And then she slowly nods, considering with a hint of seriousness. "Well then, those things we have a lot of, some pretty unique, and they'd fit just about any budget. I'd suggest a nice carving but it looks like you've got that covered."
"Sometimes good to have an example," Leova says mildly, relaxing her feet back again. "Carvings. Or what have you. A klah kettle that never ever leaks or drips. Things like that. That shirt of yours: weaver-made?"
Suggestions help. Aubri brightens a bit and nods, mental notes taken without evidence. "Most good klah kettles should fit that bill I would think. We have a nice carving set right now if you're serious about it, not just whittling." One brow arches in question, the query's tone less judgemental than the words themselves. "Liquor and sweets seem popular on this stop too, if you care to go with the flow." She pauses to finger her shirt and quickly shakes her head. "The shirt itself isn't even that well made. The embroidery is the result of too many quiet nights in a trader wagon I imagine. A friend did it for me."
"Don't know that I have time to be too serious," Leova admits after a headshake for going along with the rest. "And this here's journeyman stamped, lasted me a good many Turns. Could stand to have another knife, different size, but easy enough to go to the Crafthall if it isn't a bargain." She stretches, hands in fists to her sides, then flattened to reach up to the sky before relaxing again. "Choice stitching, anyway. Dresses the shirt up real nice."
A tsk, a soft cluck of tongue to teeth, and Aubri shrugs one slender shoulder. "That's too bad. It'd give you other things to trade next time we pass through. Good carvings that /aren't/ Craft stamped are hard to come by you know." The knife is meant with a beat of scrutiny, lashes narrowed as she looks it over. "Hard to say from here, but it looks like a fine blade. We have a decent selection of knives but they're all pretty... common if I remember right. Nothing too spectacular, but a bargain compared to something from the Crafthall. Depends on what you're looking for." Rare honesty from a Trader, or maybe she's just looking to lure Leova to the camp. Then again she just might not be in Trader-mode, running fingertips over a bit of the embroidery with a pleased smile. "Well thank you. She might have a few embroidered items for sale too, I can check if you'd like."
"Does she do custom work at all?" Leova asks. "If she's spending time working on it anyway, might as well go with something that's just right. If I can afford her." Her turn to lift a shoulder. "When it comes to knives, rather go with something that will last. Even if it means saving up. Can borrow the Weyr's when I have to, it comes to that." She wonders further, "You yourself raised on the go, with the wagons? Seems like it would be hard to keep track of kids, but if people do it, must be do-able."
"She does. And it's cheaper than a weaver because she's not one." Aubri glances over her shoulder in the general direction of the camp, as though she could somehow see it from here. "Bring something buy, or buy something we have and ask her for a price. I can't say what it would be." Absently, she kicks a foot up and balances it on the edge of the boulder, bringing her knee up to her chest. "I forget the Weyr likely has better stores than the little holds we travel through, so you're probably best going to the Craft at that. Unless we've recently taken in something nice, which is possible." Her rambling trails off to quiet at Leova's question, and her first reply is just a shake of her head, wispy strands of hair floating. "At Southern Weyr. I've been with the Vijays for about two turns now. And... they raise their children a bit differently, but I don't worry about that too much. I just help them arrive in the world, and parents and nannies take it from there."
"What's her name?" Leova follows up. "Might be able to get a little decoration on a shirt I already have, that would be good." She tilts her head then, though, and never mind the splashes to one side that are coming closer, Vrianth leaving the water at last. "Two Turns? Why join up, what's the attraction?"
"Espell," Aubri returns quickly. "And do mention my name if you swing by, maybe she'll give you a deal." Or owe Aubri a favor, but that remains unsaid. Vrianth's approach distracts for a moment, and then Aubri brings a purposefully light smile to her lips. "Adventure, wealth, travel, all with the safety of a seasoned group of Traders to keep you out of Thread's way. What's not to love?" The comment is a bit too easy, flippant and rotely recited to be the sort of answer Leova likely sought, but the smile lingers.
"Thanks. And if you put it that way," Leova says dryly, but she leaves it at that. Especially since it would just become wetly, what with damp Vrianth coming over for attention, the dragon giving the trader a long look before settling in. And since that trader's from a Weyr and all, the greenrider gets to work without more than a tacked-on what-can-you-do wave.
VR: Day 11, month 5, Turn 16, of the Interval. It is a spring morning.
(Original log from Aubri)
Leova meets Vijay trader Aubri and gets a lead on an embroiderer.
Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
This shoreline marks the edge of the freshwater lake that fills the southeastern portion of the bowl. The gritty dirt of the bowl gives way to smooth sand.
Across the lake, the bowl wall rises high into the sky, its face dotted with weyr entrances. A few dragonlengths above the water, glimpses of a level cliff can be seen amidst boulders lining the edge. Just south of here, a smaller pond of water is divided from the main lake by a natural bridge of land. A path leads across the bridge and up to the diving cliffs, winding through a dotting of small boulders on its way.
The morning is clear, and the sun shines with a few small clouds floating past. There is a strong breeze that creates ripples upon the lake.
This far into spring, the lake is more and more commonly frequented by swimmers, even though they're still usually of the draconic variety. Especially this time of morning. A young olive green is splashing in the thick of things, warbling at the flock of firelizards that swarms above her, while a larger brown all but snoozes at the shore, his rider nowhere in sight. The green does have her rider in attendance, however, if the woman's knot is any indication: sitting on a boulder, whittling, now and again stifling a yawn that goes poorly with sharp knives.
The Vijays have been at the Weyr long enough for the novelty of the spires reaching for the sky, the immense bowl, the view of the lake to have dimmed at least a touch. It's still not uncommon to see one or two sneaking stolen glances at a looming dragon, or ambling along the lakeshore, especially as the weather warms. A blonde woman is doing the latter just now, stretching her legs and swinging her arms with an aimlessness to her gait. Now and then impractical heels sink into the sand and she shifts her path out from sand to the firmer grit further away from the water's edge. Dozing brown and splashing green bring her up short, and one hand shades her eyes as she takes in the sight. "Pretty as a picture, she murmurs half to the whittling woman but more to herself. "Can't quite seem to get used to seeing dragons at rest and play."
The greenrider glances over, taking in the other woman's fine clothes and yes, those boots. For a little while it's as though she isn't going to say anything, particularly when she turns back to her work. But then, not looking up but with humor in her low voice, "Still haven't gotten used to watching her, myself."
It's not hard to catch that assessing once over, particularly if one is waiting for it. Aubri accepts it with the slightest lift of her chin, settling one slim hand into a pocket with a strange mix of arrogance and nonchalance. "Is she young?" The trader flicks a sideways glance and spots a boulder for herself, nearby but nestled in the harder soil that will keep her from misstepping. A few strides brings her to it and she settles herself easily, leaning back on one propped elbow. "I admit I can never tell unless the rider wears a weyrling knot." A flick of green eyes suggests the greenrider's own more complex knot.
"Wore one of those not so long ago," the greenrider says by way of both comment and answer, carefully peeling away shavings from what's currently still mostly a block of wood. "That's Vrianth, by the way. I'm Leova. How's it been, overwintering here? Compared to other places."
A nod accepts comment and answer, and Aubri takes a second, slower look over the olive-toned green. "Well met," is offered apparently to the dragon out in the water, but then paler brighter green shifts to Leova and a smile finally curves the trader's mouth into a smile. "Both of you. Leova and Vrianth," with the air of committing both names to memory. "An I'm Aubri. It's," she trails off thoughtfully, letting her gaze dance over the view of the weyr she can catch from her boulder perch. "Big for one. And of course a lot nicer over the summer than the winter from what I gather." Amusement touches eyes and mouth with the hopes of reciprocation. "But we've quite enjoyed the Weyr's hospitality."
"Aubri." Leova keeps working. Vrianth keeps splashing. It's Leova who looks back at the trader, though. "She doesn't mind your watching. Aubri." And only then does her smile slip free. "Summers, you got that right. Or at least the last one was good. What part do you play, in the trader group? Keep meaning to get down to the camp. While it's still there."
Aubri's eyes flicker a bit wider and she flicks another glance at Vrianth. "Well that's gracious of her." That amusement continues to run through her words, an undercurrent that hints to the words being a tease just short of sarcasm. "Summers though. Winter here was awfully cold. Not that Nabol and Tillek don't have their own share of snow and ice, but I'd rather overwinter somewhere down south if weather's the only consideration." Which obviously, it wasn't. She crosses one leg over the other at the knee, loops hands around it. "I'm a midwife. But I do my share of trading as well, working the tables when we have them out. You should come down." Now the glance is less casual, more keen. "Anything in particular you might be looking for?"
"It is," and Leova's smile deepens with her comment, not avoiding teasing back. She even sets her little knife aside, with a nod that grants the warmth found elsewhere. "Don't look like the usual midwife. Don't think that's a surprise, either. As to what I'd be looking for? Nothing in particular. Maybe a surprise. Something your clan won't be wanting to carry on with you. Something I can afford." She angles her chin to point out her knot all over again.
"Features or fashion?" For not looking like a midwife Aubri retains her smile, warmth beginning to change the curve of it into something more genuine. A sweep of her hand takes in her outfit and with a wry note she shrugs. "I wouldn't wear this to deliver a baby obviously, or while travelling either. Strolling through the Weyr with time for leisure seemed like the perfect reason to wear my favorite boots." A glance to the sand brings a second, smaller shrug. "A stroll not on the beach might have worked better, as it turns out." The mention of something they wouldn't want to carry on brings up a fine brow, but it's a brief shift of expression. "Well, most less expensive items don't take up much room. But I can scout around a bit. You don't strike me as the pretty ribbon or scarf sort."
"Both. Do you think of yourself as being... motherly? Or is it just the delivering," Leova asks. She angles her own boots for view: heeled, but broadly so, less likely to bury themselves or be caught in something. And, "Struck correctly. Though friends are. Don't hold it against them." That smile sparks into a grin, just for a moment.
The answer just deepens the smile and Aubri glances down at herself. "Really? I didn't think midwives looked like anything particular. But... I suppose I'll take it as a compliment." Not so much because it was meant as one, from her tone, but because she's decided to do so. She obliges Leova with a once over of the heel, dips a nod. "I'll try to keep that in mind next time." And then she slowly nods, considering with a hint of seriousness. "Well then, those things we have a lot of, some pretty unique, and they'd fit just about any budget. I'd suggest a nice carving but it looks like you've got that covered."
"Sometimes good to have an example," Leova says mildly, relaxing her feet back again. "Carvings. Or what have you. A klah kettle that never ever leaks or drips. Things like that. That shirt of yours: weaver-made?"
Suggestions help. Aubri brightens a bit and nods, mental notes taken without evidence. "Most good klah kettles should fit that bill I would think. We have a nice carving set right now if you're serious about it, not just whittling." One brow arches in question, the query's tone less judgemental than the words themselves. "Liquor and sweets seem popular on this stop too, if you care to go with the flow." She pauses to finger her shirt and quickly shakes her head. "The shirt itself isn't even that well made. The embroidery is the result of too many quiet nights in a trader wagon I imagine. A friend did it for me."
"Don't know that I have time to be too serious," Leova admits after a headshake for going along with the rest. "And this here's journeyman stamped, lasted me a good many Turns. Could stand to have another knife, different size, but easy enough to go to the Crafthall if it isn't a bargain." She stretches, hands in fists to her sides, then flattened to reach up to the sky before relaxing again. "Choice stitching, anyway. Dresses the shirt up real nice."
A tsk, a soft cluck of tongue to teeth, and Aubri shrugs one slender shoulder. "That's too bad. It'd give you other things to trade next time we pass through. Good carvings that /aren't/ Craft stamped are hard to come by you know." The knife is meant with a beat of scrutiny, lashes narrowed as she looks it over. "Hard to say from here, but it looks like a fine blade. We have a decent selection of knives but they're all pretty... common if I remember right. Nothing too spectacular, but a bargain compared to something from the Crafthall. Depends on what you're looking for." Rare honesty from a Trader, or maybe she's just looking to lure Leova to the camp. Then again she just might not be in Trader-mode, running fingertips over a bit of the embroidery with a pleased smile. "Well thank you. She might have a few embroidered items for sale too, I can check if you'd like."
"Does she do custom work at all?" Leova asks. "If she's spending time working on it anyway, might as well go with something that's just right. If I can afford her." Her turn to lift a shoulder. "When it comes to knives, rather go with something that will last. Even if it means saving up. Can borrow the Weyr's when I have to, it comes to that." She wonders further, "You yourself raised on the go, with the wagons? Seems like it would be hard to keep track of kids, but if people do it, must be do-able."
"She does. And it's cheaper than a weaver because she's not one." Aubri glances over her shoulder in the general direction of the camp, as though she could somehow see it from here. "Bring something buy, or buy something we have and ask her for a price. I can't say what it would be." Absently, she kicks a foot up and balances it on the edge of the boulder, bringing her knee up to her chest. "I forget the Weyr likely has better stores than the little holds we travel through, so you're probably best going to the Craft at that. Unless we've recently taken in something nice, which is possible." Her rambling trails off to quiet at Leova's question, and her first reply is just a shake of her head, wispy strands of hair floating. "At Southern Weyr. I've been with the Vijays for about two turns now. And... they raise their children a bit differently, but I don't worry about that too much. I just help them arrive in the world, and parents and nannies take it from there."
"What's her name?" Leova follows up. "Might be able to get a little decoration on a shirt I already have, that would be good." She tilts her head then, though, and never mind the splashes to one side that are coming closer, Vrianth leaving the water at last. "Two Turns? Why join up, what's the attraction?"
"Espell," Aubri returns quickly. "And do mention my name if you swing by, maybe she'll give you a deal." Or owe Aubri a favor, but that remains unsaid. Vrianth's approach distracts for a moment, and then Aubri brings a purposefully light smile to her lips. "Adventure, wealth, travel, all with the safety of a seasoned group of Traders to keep you out of Thread's way. What's not to love?" The comment is a bit too easy, flippant and rotely recited to be the sort of answer Leova likely sought, but the smile lingers.
"Thanks. And if you put it that way," Leova says dryly, but she leaves it at that. Especially since it would just become wetly, what with damp Vrianth coming over for attention, the dragon giving the trader a long look before settling in. And since that trader's from a Weyr and all, the greenrider gets to work without more than a tacked-on what-can-you-do wave.