We Got This, Together

JP with Voah and Gonyaul:

Voah had a long journey to prepare for and she made sure to gather enough supplies to last the two of them for at least a week. Tarmen slept most of the day and Gonyaul helped both of the women prepare for departure. Voah sent a letter by pigeon back to Bootlegger’s Pier, informing the Purger of her coming.

Voah put a pearl in Tarmen’s belongings with a vague letter regarding information on the creed. It was sort of a personal thank you as well as a voucher that could clear him of any sort of suspicion. She also gave two pearls to Alexis in case she needed to make a trade or bargain in the mountains. She also got her hands on the loot they had recovered from the ruins so that she could study them and see if they had any magikal properties.

Before saying her final goodbyes, Voah paid a visit to Nicolaus to thank him and have her bandages checked.

The parting was not as difficult as it might have been as Gonyual was prone to keeping thoughts hopeful and their last night in Aquilo was as calm and pleasant as it could have been, considering the situations that had occurred over the last few days. Hunter and Islana hadn’t shown, but it made sense as they were originally expected at Maru.

Now Voah and Litany were riding next to Gonyaul and Amu northeastward into the plains toward Bootlegger’s Pier. She was equipped with her sword and a new, less impressive sheath, and the bow and arrows he had recovered from the Odonine archer during the attack on Aquilo.

Gonyaul looked back longingly to Aquilo, hoping to see Alexis one more time; however, they were already out of range. In parting, Alexis told him he is her little brother (bràthair beag) and that no distance will change that. This made him feel very special. She also taught him how to call her big sister (piuthar mhòr) which he engraved in his heart.

Alexis cautioned him to look out for each other, remembering him telling her there is some trouble with his people and the inquisition. She made it clear that whoever summoned Voah will likely not be as open minded as her. So he should tread carefully- for the sake of both of them.

Gonyaul could still imagine feeling the long hug they shared as they parted. He asked her to please be safe, find Islana, and return to him at their place in Ostarium. And with a sign of <I love you dearest friend> shared back and forth between them he left.

In addition, Gonyaul smirked thinking about her reaction when she went to retrieve her horse and found that he vauxian braided its mane and tail so that she would have something to remember him by on her travels.

It was a beautiful morning. Kupen had graced the heavens with an armada of giant billowy clouds of white that sailed through the sky.

Voah was used to getting what she wanted but this was slightly different. She both wanted Gonyaul to be with her, but simultaneously did not. She was nervous about the how the two of them would handle survival together. They were headed into territory unknown to them in more ways than one.

The sat quietly for a while, enjoying the vista as they moved down the foothills and into the plains.

Finally, Voah looked to her beau who was always smiling, “So Rabbit…” She smirked. “You have skills with crops. Are you an experienced hunter as well?”

Gonyaul had a splendiferous enthusiasm in regards to the journey they were about to take together. It was a beautiful day with the kind of clouds that invited imagination. He saw all sorts of creatures in the sky, one cloud even looked like a baby Naylmo; they were much nicer in the sky than underground. In addition, he began to write the lyrics to a song in the back of his mind. He didn’t know it yet, but if he ever had a child, these lyrics would become their bedtime song.

He hoped that Amu would be so kind as to make him look as good as possible in the saddle. He had been getting slowly better but he was still a beginner. Fortunately the terrain was rather simple and they could take things at their own pace.

If the view up above he thought beautiful, it paled in comparison down below of the view of Voah on her horse Litany. He cherished every chance he had to capture the details of her presence and transforming them into fond memories when she wasn’t watching.

He needed to come up with a nickname for her he thought as he heard his pet name; the way she said it melted his heart. Taking a break from daydreaming, he replied,

“Yes crops.”

He thought for a bit through his experiences at home, abroad in Helias and in Arcadia.

“I use trap and net on land and water. Good at find things to eat, no good like Islana when hunt on move.” He had never used a weapon, or a bow in his life. Though some Vauxian dancing props could mistakenly look like weapons to those that didn’t know they were for performing ceremonial dances.

“That’s welcome news anyway. I don’t know the first thing about skinning anything other than a chicken or fish.” she chuckled lightheartedly.

“But I’m an expert at short ranged throwing and I have begun to have a fair hand at archery, though I still need to work on hitting a moving target.”

It seemed like a perfect pairing so far.

“And what about shelter? …I’m afraid I am no survivalist, though I have made due with very little in the past. Thank the Pillars.”

She thought back to the sweltering jungle and biting mosquitos of Sentinel Island and the cold nights sleeping in the rocky crooks in the mines of madness. It made her shudder.

Her skills were indeed good news based on the type of terrain and their need to keep traveling. “I know how prepare food.” He had skinned and gutted all sorts of things.

“You skills are be good for here I think.”

Now shelters he knew a lot about. He had practically created his own sustainable haven just outside of Ostiarum prior to meeting any of them.

“I much good at making home all places.” Of course he was referring to the places and concepts of those environments he had been before. But Gonyaul had a knack for engineering up with creative solutions.

“No worry, I make sure you take care of.”