Who

Linden, Nathanael

What

Linden comes to see Nathanael off after first meeting.

When

The day after Misdirection.

Where

Southern Docks

OOC Date

 

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Docks

In dark morn and dusky eve fog lies grim and humid against the still waters of Azov Sea. Only the noontime sun burns away the concealing clouds of man's height, revealing that which lies beneath the mist- an awe-inspiring stone pier that stretches far into the inland sea, to the east of the line of orderly boat-slips for the locals and larger, open spaces for transport ships. Fishermen are often as common as seagulls upon the pier's length in particular, ill-concealed and ill-clothed in the loose dun homespun of Southern's natives.


The docks are busy this early in the morning, with the fishing boats coming back from their early morning run and others getting ready to set sail. Nathanael is in the thick of it, helping this last time on the Southern docks, before setting out to go up river and meet his boat to head to the mainland. More than a little bit of joking and conversation is going on in the bustle, the sign of a group clearly happy to be working.

Linden is cleaned up, washed up, clothing was delivered by his father, he's scrubbed his knot clean, and he looks like a proper Candidate. Loose clothing meant to breathe is being worn (Ista prepared him for the weather at least) as he walks down to the docks to see if he can't see his friend off during his rest hour.

Nathanael tosses a rather large chest upwards to be caught by a man on a boat, then pauses to wipe his forehead of sweat. That's when he catches sight of Linden wandering about on the docks. "Sal, ye mind if'n I'm takin' off t' be sein' some'un?" He calls out, and when the journeyman on deck waves him off he trots down the dock. "Hey! Linden!"

Linden perks up when he sees his friend, lifting a hand in a wave. "Hey! Nathanael. Came to see you off on your next journey, and to say thanks again for not letting me get eaten by felines." He holds up a small wrapped parcel. "I brought you food."

Nathanael laughs at the quip from the candidate. "Common' o'er 'ere." He directs the way out of the pathway of industries sea men, towards a pile of crates just waiting to be climbed upon. That packet of food is eyed, of course Nathanael is hungry. He's always hungry. "Don't be worryin' 'bout it. Sorry I wasn't able t' be findin' ye bags. Sucks t' be losin' ye stuff."

Linden wanders after, casting curious looks at the goings on. Climbing up on the crate, Linden settles and pulls out his own food parcel with a grin. "Nah, it's fine. My folks sent over new stuff." The perks of being the son of a gold and bronzerider. Silver spoon and all that. "So which boat - ship - is yours?"

Nathanael folds his legs under him as he sits, more than comfortable atop whatever fishing gear is stowed in those crates. "They be quick!" That bag of Linden's is opened and a pastry is plucked out. A few bites (heaven thy name is food) before he uses that food hand to point at a boat with a flat bottom. "That'un, 'n meetin' 'e other up where 'e sea meets 'e ocean proper." The pastry is held up, "'careful've 'e cream filled 'uns."

Linden nods, "Yeah, I sent them a letter." They were very quick. Linny was pissed, D'ren more amused. Curiously peering at the boat, Linden nods. "What's her name? She got one?" He shifts the pastry in his hand, and then shoves it all into his mouth at once. Won't lose a single drop of cream that way.

At least it doesn't have a center of anchovy? Using his sleeve Nathanael wipes crumbs from his lips and chews (and swallows!) before answering. "That'un's 'e Donna, 'n I'm takin' 'e Nifiki up on 'e ocean. Hails outa Ista, but they be hittin' Nerat afore headin' home."

Linden smiles at the mention of Ista, nodding his head. "Sounds good. How long is the trip? Where are you going after you get to the ocean?" Feet swing, heels hitting the crates gently as he eats more food and chats.

"Few weeks if'n we be takin' it slow. 's Winter up north, so mayhap some storm's'll be comin'." Nathanael doesn't sound particuarly excited about that by the way his lips thin a bit. "Can't be no worse'n Southerns tho' any'un told ye it rains almost straight f'r two months?"

Linden's nose wrinkles. "Two months of rain?" He looks skyward as if savoring the last bits of sunshine. "Shards. That's…no fun. What do you do in storms? Just…hope the boat doesn't tip over?"

"Boat's're still goin' out, just 'e seniors 'n up tho'. LOTS of cleanin." Nathanael's nose wrinkles a bit at that, getting left behind is ZERO FUN. "But, means I got lots've time t' be explorin' 'e weyr. Ye heard 'bout them dead bodies yet?"

Linden tilts his head a bit, a little confused. "Seniors?" He peeks down at the boat. "I heard rumors, but haven't heard any…like…any actual facts or anyone who /saw/ anything. Have you?"

Oh Linden. "OH AYE!" Nathanael's hands are going to get all sorts of involved in the telling of this story. "Southern's haunted. See, there was them riders livin' 'ere, 'n then they got int' some bad firestone. Somthin' happened to them dragons," see, this may or may NOT be 100% true, but it makes a good story, "what caused 'em to go CRAZY. People was shuttin' themselves 'n 'e weyr 'n starvin' t'death. 'e Weyrleader found this wall what wasn't lookin' right, so we was pullin' it down 'n 'e skull fell right int' me lap from this dead guy what was 'n 'e wall!"

Linden looks startled. "Bad firestone? Dragons went crazy?" He shifts uncomfortable. "How do you avoid bad firestone? They starved?" His eyes widen. "Shards! You had a body fall into your lap?"

"They ain't lettin' no'un mine 'e firestone 'ere. Ain't you heard 'bout 'e shortage?" Apparently Nathanael thinks these things are just /common knowledge/. "Aye! Just 'e skull tho' 'e body fell on ma'am Yules 'n Arianne."

Linden shakes his head slowly. "There's a firestone shortage?" He just got here yesterday, give him a bit of a break. He twitches again, shuddering. "Wow. Are all the bodies gone?" Or is there a chance one could possibly fall on /him/?

"Aye, them rider's're keepin' it way quiet, but ye can be hearin' some've 'em talkin' if ye be in the right place." Which means eavesdropping. Not that Nathanael EVER does that on the grown ups. Just look at him, those blue eyes and blond hair are just too innocent for that kind of thing. "Ain't sure! They was just findin' a bile''ve bones at 'e new Hold, so probably not. Just be keepin' ye eyes open, mayhap ye'll be findin' some!"

Linden shakes his head and whistles softly. "Shards. Without firestone…" Uh, yeah. "I want to find a body!" Because it'd be so /exciting/, right? Right.

"Aye, Pa 'n some've 'e others've been real worried 'bout what'll happen t' 'e docks if'n their ain't no stone." At THIS Nathanael actually does show some signs of worry. "'e grubs're protectin' everythin' else." He shrugs off that worry though, it's not something that is going to be able to worry him much longer. "See if'n ye can hang with ma'am Yules. She's like…. a body magnet."

Linden looks at the wood they're sitting on, and the wooden docks, and he winces. "Yeah…stone docks? Should start building them now maybe. Would that even work?" The teen laughs. "Yules. She's the rider of the brown who won, right?"

Nathanael bends over to look downwards at the stone and PONDERS. Then he shakes his head. "'e ships'd get dashed t' pieces when 'e storms 're bad. Wooden docks 're able t' be movin' a bit. Aye, ma'am Yules Desmeth's one've 'e best. Ye know he wears hats?"

Linden ahhs, nodding with a small frown. "Wait. The dragon wears hats? How…are there even hats that big? Or are they just tiny ones with reallllly long strings?"

"'s 'e coolest thing. She goes 'n talks t' 'e weavers 'n they be special makin' 'em for him. I got t' make a hat band f'r him."

Linden laughs, shaking his head. "That's…that's really strange. Never heard of that before…" But the teen is amused by it, no doubt.

"Southern's 'e best place. Ye're gonna love it." Nathanael sounds slightly wistful.

Linden grins, and then his expression falls a bit. "Aww, hey." Reaching out, he gives the other teen a nudge. "You'll come visit…right?"

Nathanael returns the nudge, though with a bump of his fist gently to the teen's shoulder. "'course. S'yn promised t' be visitin' when'er he could. 'n ye could be comin' too once ye impress!"

Linden grins, rocking with the fist bump. "S'yn…he's younger than us right? And a rider?" Then he blushes a bit, but grins. "Yeah, 'course I'd come visit if I Impressed! We'd fly all OVER Pern!"

"Aye 'bout six months." A broad grins spreads across Nathanael's face as he thinks of his friend. "Awesome I can be showin' ye 'e caves at Nerat. Ain't got no dead bodies, 'but 's sure 's pretty."

Linden nods with a grin. "Hope I meet him then. And oh, yeah! Caves are the best. So many things to see, and do…get lost and then get out. They're great. Never been to Nerat."

Someone out on the docks calls out to Nathanael, and his lifts his gaze towards taht ship he had been helping out with. The man is waving for Nathanael to come back, so the teen jumps down from that pile of crates. "I gotta be gettin' back, Thanks f'r comin' t' say g'bye."

Linden extends a hand to his new friend. "Happy to do it, and get to say thanks, again. Have a safe trip okay? I'll see you around sometime soon I'm sure." Or…y'know. In a few turns.

"F'r SURE!" With one last backwards wave, Nathanael trots back up the docks, scooping up a bundle as he goes to be able to toss it upwards and onto the boat.

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