Land By the Lake (Open)

[ParisArkw]

Though Robin lived in a small village, people came from all over in order to buy potions from her uncle. He wasn't necessarily well known, but when people got wind of his reputation there were some that were desperate enough to seek him out. Often times, however, they never even found him. They found Robin.

Robin dealt with the people. She took their requests, passed them on to her uncle, and sometimes, not rare enough, she'd come back apologizing, saying that there was no potion for such-and-such a thing. And often times that was a lie. Robin's uncle had made the decision to remain a good man and to never deal potions that could be dangerous, hurt someone or were intended for unfavorable uses - for the blame would ultimately land back at him. Telling people there was no such potion for something was the easiest way to get them to give up, no matter what their offer.

Yes, very few people ever met or saw her uncle. He was quite glad for Robin, actually. With her to work for him, he hardly had to step out of the house. When he wasn't busy brewing something, he was anti-social, and usually rested on his own. Today, however, he was busy as a bee.

"Stir!" Her uncle exclaimed, and Robin hurried over to the pot over the fireplace, where she began to stir. He grabbed a small wooden bowl and ran around the table, quickly picking up pinches and scoops and handfuls of various ingredients. It was a painfully hot day, and still, their chimney choked up smoke. Some potions had to be made on hot days.

This particular potion was a clear muddy-purple in color and had the consistency of water. After a few moments of stirring, a giant cloud began to flow from the pot. Her first time working with this potion, it had startled her and she thought it was ruined, but it was supposed to do that, apparently. In a matter of minutes, the whole room would be filled with this white, odorless cloud.

The potion was routine. She could count the seconds to the point that her uncle would take up the stirring for her.

10...9...8....3...2...1.

Her uncle appeared out of the cloud and scraped the ingredients from the bowl into the large pot. Once he took over the stirring for her, she knew what her job was next. She made her way to the door of his kitchen.

"Any ingredients today?" She asked over the noise of the boiling and her uncle's mumbling. She picked up a basket by the door and waited for his reply, which was a gruff "no."

"'Kay, bye!" She responded cheerfully, opening the door and bustling out with a large cloud that puffed out the door behind her. She was sweaty, dirty and had a rag wrapped around her head to contain her hair.

She closed the door behind her, trapping the cloud back in the house, and continued on her way. She was but a few minutes from town, which was where she was headed. In the basket she carry were several bottled potions, and her first stop was one of the inns, where a foreigner awaited the delivery.

[HoudiniDerek]

Kerodi strode purposely into town, anxious to conclude some business and happy that his travels had ended so quickly. He figured that he would be staying for the night, so he went to one of the more secluded inns of the village and purchased a night, complete with meal in the connected tavern. It was a place he had stayed before on his journeys to the lake region and he was certain that its reputation had not dimmed any.

Kerodi went to his room and left some of his pack behind before departing for a merchant he knew in the small village. He took a gift with him for thanks and was back within an hour, work completed and happy at the prospect of what he had learned. He spent the next hour or so writing in a journal he carried before heading down to the tavern.

It was not quite time for the final meal, but he gathered himself to a table in the far corner where he could see both doorways and made himself comfortable. A young girl, barely into her teens, made her way over and smiled shyly. "What can I get you, sir?"

Kerodi smiled kindly. "Ale please. Ma'am?" He waited until her green eyes looked up at him hesitantly. "When they make the dinner meal, would you please get me a plate of that too? I know I'm early." He winked and she hurried away. He sighed to himself and wished all of his life could be like this...

[ParisArkw]

Once Robin got to the inn, she marched purposefully up the stairwell to the second floor. Third door on the right, room 16, she stopped and gave a few sturdy knocks on the door. She waited, idly swinging the basket back and forth. She had knocked on enough doors to have little patience with polite knocking and knocked again, loud enough to wake anyone if they happened to be asleep. With still no answer, she trotted back down the stairwell, skipping the last step with a small hop and followed another hallway that led to the tavern. She’d never actually staid in the inn herself, but had made enough deliveries there to know it well. She and her uncle much preferred not to have to ask the innkeeper to give the parcel to the customers absent during delivery, which was the last resort. If they weren’t in their room, sometimes they were beating off the wait with a drink.

At the hallway’s entrance to the tavern, she paused, glancing around. The tavern was nearly empty except for a few faces, and she saw the one she was looking for almost immediately.

“Ah, sir,” she waved cheerily, greeting a man at a table. “I have your delivery,” she said, withdrawing from the basket a small glass bottle that was wrapped neatly in a small cloth, concealing the remedy inside. The fee was taken care of before the potion was ever made, so the man owed her nothing. She talked with the man politely for a few minutes before wishing him well on his journey home. Upon turning to make her way out of the tavern, she couldn’t help but glance at another. He looked like a foreigner, too, but for not having much time to spend in town she wasn’t sure. She hesitated, almost pausing to look at the man, and despite the girl saying “excuse me,” Robin didn’t hear, and moved forward, colliding with the girl who was carrying the ale drink.

“Oh!” Robin exclaimed, sounding of a commotion in the otherwise quiet room as the drink toppled to the floor. “I’m sorry! So, so sorry! I didn’t see you - I was distracted,” she pleaded, almost stuttering as her face turned as bright as her hair. Nobody else seemed to think it was that much of a problem, but Robin seemed almost mortified at her blunder. The girl merely went on to clean the mess, and Robin apologized a couple more times. She glanced back over to the man the drink had been headed towards.

“I suppose that was your drink I just spilled?” she said in a tone that was still helplessly apologetic.

[HoudiniDerek]

Kerodi was musing silently when the young lady came in and made her way to one of the other few patrons in the bar. They seemed to know each other and to be expecting the rendezvous. It did not appear romantic in nature to Kerodi as the girl quickly turned to depart.

He saw the serving girl head back towards him and saw that the delivery girl was going to run into her. He couldn't get the words out of his mouth before the two collided and the drink fell to the floor. Kerodi grinned ruefully as the serving girl cleaned it up and the other one seemed to be babbling apologies incessantly.

"No worries, ma'am," Kerodi said. "She can always pour another. It's not like we are in the Dermun and that was my last chance." He smiled happily and indicated a chair across from him. "Will you join me for a meal?"

[ParisArkw]

Robin looked hesitantly reassured by everyone else's calmness and even managed a distracted smile at the man's comment. The Dermun Dessert, she noted, an interesting mention - she had never been there herself and briefly wondered if this man had. At his request for her company, she glanced at the basket in her hand - safe from the collision, thankfully. After a quick moment she decided on spontaneity and looked back at the man. She nodded, mumbling a "sure." She had a couple more deliveries to make, but they could wait for now. Without having to get more ingredients for her Uncle today, she could spare the time - not to mention, still mentally recovering, she didn’t feel to be in the position to say no.

She plopped down somewhat clumsily in the seat the man had indicated, and set the basket down at her feet.

"Thanks," she said, still seemingly distracted. Just then, the girl returned with a fresh ale and Robin politely requested a water. Not entirely used to socializing, Robin said nothing more, but merely smiled awkwardly.

[HoudiniDerek]

Kerodi watched as the girl shyly accepted the offering after checking to make sure her wares were okay. The serving girl returned with drinks for them both and had wandered off again before Kerodi ventured to speak to her again.

"You don't have to be so nervous," Kerodi said, smiling. "I'm not planning on hurting you." He winked at her and sipped at his ale. "My name is Kerodi."

He set his ale down and studied the girl. She appeared to be about his age and rather well-toned in the arms. He wondered what she did for a living. Kerodi knew you didn't get arms like that walking around delivering goods for a living.

"Do you live around here?"

[ParisArkw]

"Oh, no-no-no, I'm not nervous, I'm just-" she stopped, realizing she was babbling. She understood a lot of people often percieved her as nervous. She supposed she was nervous, but it was a certain kind of nervousness - one she was used to. She had difficulty controlling it at times and mentally cursed herself for it now.

"Sorry." She apologized in a tone of finality. "I'm Robin," she continued, composing herself a little. "Yes, I live on one of the farms, just outside of the town." She spoke as though thinking quite intensely on what she was saying, in a steady, almost slow speech. Really, she was trying to keep from letting the words flow out of her mouth in a jumble of slurred sounds. It's what tended to happen when she was nervous or excited.

"It's the one just past the lavender field, if you know it. Well, I was actually born elsewhere, but all I have a memory of is this place." She nodded, a look of processing in her expression. "Are you from around here? You mentioned the Dermun Dessert - have you actually been there?"

[HoudiniDerek]

Kerodi watched as the girl composed herself and began to speak slowly and directly. She seemed confident in her own way, but unassured of herself at the same time. It was an interesting contradiction. Kerodi nodded politely to her when she mentioned her name.

His brow furrowed when he heard where she lived. Just past the lavendar field? Why did that sound so familiar? He was lost in his revelrie when he noticed that she had asked him a question.

"Yes, I have been to the Dermun many times. It's a wondrous land, full of beauty and majesty, but lies fraught with dangers. Many of its denizens live on the edge of the desert and there are a few nomadic tribes that know it well. If you know your way, you can usually get by, but it is still hard to try, especially alone. Sandstorms can be very powerful and can actually pick a man up and take him away. It's easy to get lost and disoriented too."

Kerodi stopped his narration of the Dermun and smiled at Robin. "I take it you have thought of going there?"

[ParisArkw]

Robin took slight notice to the look on Kerodi's face and wondered if maybe he did know about the farm past the lavender field, but forgot anything of it as he answered her question. She appeared truly allured as Kerodi spoke of the desert, leaning forward against the table in interest. But when he faced her with a question, she sat abruptly straight-backed as though she'd had ice dropped down her neck.

"Goodness, no!" She said with wide, horrified eyes. Tilting to her right and her left, adjusting her seat, hands folded tightly in her lap, she continued.

"If I were to venture out of this little town on my own accord, it would not be to seek my death!" She spoke as though Kerodi had a hint of crazy in him to ask her such a question. "I've heard mention of that desert," she continued a little more calmly, but her pace still quick, natural to her. "Seldom, but...I've heard it." She nodded, and unfolded her hands to take a sip from her water that would leave her chin wet.

"What sort of business brought you there!?" She said in a hush, as though in an afterthought, the shock reclaiming her. "And more than once?"

((OOC: I just realized I've been spelling desert as dessert. I feel stupid. D: And I have a whole theory of remembering their different spellings! Ack.))

[HoudiniDerek]

Kerodi smiled when Robin sounded incredulous about his questioning of her desire to see the Dermun. He laughed at her question about his business there, especially more than once. She was a very charming lady in her own way and she was quite attractive too. Kerodi did not meet many women, especially those who seemed to be engrossed in conversation with him while still scared of it.

"I'm a student of history, Robin," Kerodi said. "I have traveled all over Valear many times and learned a great deal about the past and present of Valear. It gives me hope for the future of the land and the people." He drank some of his ale and continued.

"The Dermun is home to some of the most ancient cultures of Valear as is the Blaze Mountain. I have spent a great deal of time in both places, although I was not really born near either. My life has been constant study and travel. It can be lonely, but exhilirating as well."

He took another drink and set down his glass. "Now tell me about you. What do you do with your life? Do you plan to live around here your whole life?"

[ParisArkw]

((OOC: Sorry it took me so long to reply. I didn't have internet access for a the while.))

Robin looked almost baffled as she learned about Kerodi's fascination with the history of Valear. She found it interesting, it was without a doubt very intriguing, but she had never heard of such a life the way he chose to live it. She had difficulty imagining going through with such a drastic lifestyle and felt some sympathy at his mention of a lingering loneliness. Her look of bafflement increased when he asked her about her life.

"I never really thought of life like that," she said after a moment. "Right now...I'm working on the farm. I'm an apprentice to my Uncle, who is a potion maker," she went on, wondering if this was an obscure idea to Kerodi or not. She didn't usually mention in casual conversation the potion business going on in the little house on the farm. "It wasn't really a decision I made, though, to spend my life doing such." Thinking it through, she ended with a light-hearted smile. "It's just what happened."

"I do want to go and see what's out there, though. I've had my share of travels out of this town, but they've all been to get ingredients for the potions." She hesitated for a moment. "I've had a certain place to go with a certain time. You know, never anything very free or adventurous."

"I definately see the lure of adventure, though. I'm not one to wander too closely to danger, but, maybe something else," she added, staring dreamily at the table in apparent deep thought. Snapping out of her muddle she shook her head brashly and looked back at Kerodi.

"I believe I will always call this place 'home', but I don't know that I can plan whatever else might come along the way. But I don't know that there's anything I'm really looking for. Where do you think your search for knowledge will take you next?"

[HoudiniDerek]

"A potion master?" Kerodi asked thoughtfully. He wondered if it was the same potion master he had dealt with before. Of course, there could be more than one out this way, even past the lavendar field, but he doubted it. Of course he had never heard mention nor seen a niece before. She sounded as if she had lived her for quite some time, but Kerodi had never seen her.

"How long have you lived with your uncle? Does he do business with people when you are not around?" It was an idle question, but it would be neat to know. Curiosity was definitely one of Kerodi's weak points.

"I recommend seeing what is out there, Robin. The world is a large place and you can learn much...even in ways that could help your uncle. I doubt all of his potions are made from ingredients native to this area alone." Kerodi winked at her conspiratorally and continued.

"I am not sure where I shall go next. I had planned on leaving tomorrow and maybe heading home for a while to study on what I have learned this trip. Sometimes familiarity breeds insight." He smiled again and sipped at some more of his ale.

Impulsively, he looked at her. "Would you tell me more about yourself? I spend my life in the past and in lives long since gone. I would love to hear about your life and get to know you better." He smiled tentatively and waited, nursing his ale with both hands to steady himself.

[ParisArkw]

Robin became interested at Kerodi's look of potential recognition of a potion maker and a farm. She was thoughtful for a moment, thinking of the clearest answer she could give.

"I've lived with my uncle my whole life," she nodded. "I've been working for him for most of it, but when I'm away he can't stop business for me, so I'd say 'yes,' he does do business with people when I'm not around. He just prefers not to," she finished with an amused grin at the thought of her anti-social uncle. "Have you met him?" She asked interestedly, wondering whether it would be a good thing or not if he had. What were the chances that a random stranger had actually done business with her uncle? She mentally shrugged, but Kerodi was here and if he'd been here before then it might not be that obscure of a chance.

"You might be surprised as to how much I've seen out there. I've been around a few areas more distant, but it is usually always the same areas, so I've become accustomed to them. They're not new to me, and though I'm always excited when the time comes to go back out there, there's not all that much sense of adventure in it. Before me, my uncle did this on his own, so he has the journey mapped out very clearly. In the urgency to return as soon as possible, I don't really get to explore," she finished, thinking Kerodi might not be satisfied with that in response to "seeing what is out there".

As Kerodi explained his future plans she listened with much interest, though without much expression reflected on her face.

"And where's 'home' to you? How long have you been here? I'm sorry to have met you when you'll be leaving so soon!" She said in a tone of lamentation.

"I can tell you more about myself," she said with some hesitance. "But if you'd like, I have another delivery I need to make," she glanced at the basket on the floor. "If you'd like to accompany me, after that, I could show you my home, and the barn. I'd much rather show you who I am than talk about who I am." She gave a small smile.

[HoudiniDerek]

"I might know of him. What is his name?" Kerodi was now certain that he had dealt with this particular potion master before, but there was always the chance that he was mistaken. The description of how meticulous the journey to get the potion ingredients and everything with an eye towards a haste return suggested the man that Kerodi had known most of his life. The man was definitely a recluse, but a genius at his chosen profession.

"I currently live in the Ularian Ridge. It's a long journey...about a week's travel from one of the farthest inland trading posts. I enjoy the solitude that the mountains offer, including the peaks." Kerodi smiled, momentarily lost in thought. "I was born and raised on the edge of the Selkia where the forest and the Ularian meet. I moved when I was still a young man." He smiled sadly as though life had already passed him by.

"I have been here for a few weeks studying different ruins and ancient artifacts. The Lonea is a treasure trove of history, but most of it remains buried due to the nature of the rains and runoff in the area. It can be tedious, but rewarding work. I had planned to leave tomorrow, but I have no pressing engagements."

Kerodi smiled and drank the last of his ale. "I would love to accompany you and learn more about you. It would be nice to see if your uncle is a friend of mine too. If it would not be too forward, I would enjoy escorting you on your errands and home." Kerodi signaled the serving girl and handed her some money for the drinks.

"I will not need the meal, my good lady, but I will keep my registered spot for the evening all the same." The serving girl nodded and headed off. "Shall we?"

[ParisArkw]

Robin nodded and stood from her seat, picking up her basket as she did so.

"My uncle's name is Mendel," she replied as they exit the tavern. "Do you know him?" Walking along the neatly cobbled road, she had her route mentally mapped.

She was curious as to what kind of need this man had for any potions, but she thought it too prying to ask. He sure seemed to have some stories, and of what she'd heard so far, she was sure there was one that could call for the aid of some potion.

"Mh, the Ularian Ridge, I've been around there. My uncle has an old friend that lives nearby, we trade with him. Saves me the trouble of climbing one of those mountains to get it myself...and the time," she added with her uncle's purposes in mind. She turned a corner to cross through an alley, the walls on either side of it shading it from the sun.

When Kerodi said he had planned to leave the following day but didn't necessarily have to, Robin couldn't help but ask, "Why do you study the things you do? There's no reason you should have to change your plans, I'm sure we might meet again. But do you not have a cause that demands this knowledge?" She, too, enjoyed learning, but to go so out of one's way to study, she had to imagine it was for a reason...

She turned at the end of the alley onto a cobbled road that was more worn than the previous, slightly more narrow, too. It made the buildings look crowded. Halfway down the block was a simple iron gate. Behind it was a small walkway, so small it was hardly necessary. A few feet and it led to the wooden door of a building that sat further back from the road than the surrounding buildings. Robin stopped outside it and peered between two of the bars. There, the window on the right of the door was cracked open.

"Mrs. Hammond!" Robin yelled, almost fiercely. Maybe she had a twinge of impatience when it came to this customer. "Mrs. Hammond!" She yelled again, not even waiting to see if there would be a response. The front door swung open where a stout woman stood, looking gruff. She was a shoemaker. But she had children loose about the house, which is why she was red in the face and sweaty on the brow. Robin's stern expression faded into a smile.

"Mrs. Hammond!" She said, cheerfully surprised. It usually took a lot more yelling before she was answered. "Your draft," she said in a sing-song voice, raising her basket. The woman waddled to the gate and Robin quickly passed off the small glass bottle to her through the bars. Basket in one hand, Robin grabbed Kerodi's arm with her free hand and began forcefully down the road. "Good day to you!" She yelled back at Mrs. Hammond.

Once on their way, she let go of Kerodi's arm, looking relieved. "Phew, sorry about that. Feisty woman, she is! She always tries to observe the potion, she always seems convinced it's the wrong one or there's something wrong with it. Why she continues business with us if she's so paranoid..." Robin finished with a glance back in the direction of the shoemaker's place. "Only one more delivery and then we can go to the farm."