A New Home

Alternia was a frustrating place to have to deal with, Theiyw thought as he navigated around the hivestems. Moving was inconvenient, to be sure, but having to live in the stressfully overpopulated cluster of hivestems he was currently walking around had probably made it about ten times more so. The stems seemed so clustered together that it was nearly impossible to find a place to pitch his hivetent, which he carried around on an external frame pack on his back. It was relatively large, and kept out any major threats that might pop up during the day. Although it wasn't much of a home, it was large enough to sleep in and to make meals in. Aside from that, everything else he did was outside, which posed a constant threat to him due to largely hostile troll populations.

His lusus stopped at a corner and nodded its head at him - a signal that this was where they were going to be staying. Sighing in an irritated manner, Theiyw set down his backpack. He hoped this wasn't a popular thoroughfare, that would only cause more problems for him. As his lusus slithered off to do whatever the hell he did during the night, Theiyw began to set up his tent, the hammer that had been hanging off his pack clanging loudly as he dragged yards of fabric and poles from the inside of the backpack.

Setting up the tent was easy after so many sweeps of doing it, and Theiyw, had managed to drape the relatively inconspicuous fabric over the frame of the tent without having anything tear or rip. Metal he was fine with, but fabric was another matter. He'd had to deal with a rip in the roof of his tent for nearly a sweep before he finally found someone who could fix it. This was more related to his reluctance to actually ask someone for help, but also because friendly trolls who'd do something for him for free were scarce - they always had been.

Setting down the pillows he used for a sleeping pad, he took out his various possessions. It wasn't too much, some jewelry he'd started making for a friend only to leave before it was finished, a small capsule of sopor-laced lotion that was supposed to help with his sleep, as he didn't have a recuperacoon. He couldn't tell if it helped or not, but the container was relatively pretty, and so he kept it around despite not using it frequently. He'd gotten used to the daymares anyways.

It didn't seem to be nearing day yet, so he pushed aside one of the tent flaps and looked around. The area was nice, or perhaps it would  have been had it not been for all the hivestems rising up around him. They seemed obtrusive, and were unwelcome given that he'd spent the past few nights looking at mountains and forests as he traveled to this new location.

Eisire's feet were killing her.

She had ventured into the maze of hivestems to find some salve for her lusus, who had ripped off several scales in her recent skirmish with a pirate ship. But she had lost her way, each hivestem looking exactly like the rest. Panic was beginning to set in. She stepped into a alleyway to compose herself, taking long shaking breaths. Checking for any passerbys, she undid the buttons on her hood that held it in place (using her horns to latch onto) and let it fall down. Her hair was braided back, keeping her tyrian streaks out of sight, along with her fins. Taking a bottle of water from her sylladex, she pulled down her turtleneck and splashed some water on her dry gills. As she put the bottle away, she felt a chill run up her back. She looked down the alley. She wasn't alone.

Hands shaking, a group of lowbloods walked towards her. She pulled her hood up quickly.

I-I don't want any trouble!

That earned her a couple jeers. Whats a seadweller doing so far from the ocean? Especially a pretty little thing like you. All alone hmm? Her heart lept to her chest. Two held weapons. She stumbled back, turning as one grabbed her hood. She screamed, by pure luck alone wriggling free.

Run. That's all she could think. Her lungs burning, she ran as fast as she could, wondering where she could hide.

A scream echoed through the columns of the hivestems and brought Theiyw back to his senses. He'd been reminiscing about the nature he'd just been in when he heard it. Tensing up, he reached inside his tent and grabbed his hammer. It wasn't very large, although it had quite the effect both on many types of metal and on other trolls.

He'd just armed himself when a panicked troll ran around the corner. He dodged out of her way as she passed him, and behind her she saw a group of lowbloods in pursuit. Great, this was just what he needed, some angry lowbloods about to charge through his camp. Exasperated, he raised the hammer, swinging it around and bashing one of the lowbloods in the back of the head. Something cracked under the stress, and the troll he'd hit crumpled to the ground.

Looking back, he tried to see if the girl was still there. If she had gotten him into this mess, she might as well try and get him out of it. He hoped she hadn't just run off in a fit of cowardice, if she had he's probably be angry enough to just go and find her himself. "Do you mind?!" He yelled back at her as another troll lunged at him. This one had a weapon, and he gritted  his teeth as he fought to keep it away from him. There were quite a few of them, five to be exact, although their number was four now that he'd downed one of them.

Another troll attacked him from behind, grabbing at one of the rings on his horn and yanking it. They were an obvious weakness to those he was fighting, but they were also a death sentence in a way. If someone messed with them, it would probably be the last thing that someone did. Yelling as his head was jerked back, Theiyw kicked the troll in front of him away as he swept his hammer over the other troll's head. Things worked nearly perfectly, and his victim's horns were shattered. The lowblood knelt down on the ground as Theiyw returned to trying to push the armed troll off him again.

It was when she heard the crack she skidded to a stop. She turned, someone was fighting her attackers off. Focus, Eis, come on focus. Snap out of it! Adrenaline coursed through her, and she could feel her other half awakening. Get your crossbow out! Fight her off! Hands shaking, she managed to load a bolt. The armed troll was attacking the one who was fending them off for her. She raised her crossbow, inhaling through her nose. As she exhaled, she pulled the trigger. The bolt lodged itself into the cerebral cortex of the armed troll. She loaded another bolt, feeling strangely calmer.

Her hands no longer shook, the next bolt sliding into place easier. This bolt found its new home in the thigh of a brownblood, who approached her hammer-wheilding hero. She began to take confident steps towards the frey.

If the rest of you know whats best for you, you will leave. Now!

Hm. That sounded rather tyrian, something she found a bit of pride in.

The armed troll was about to gash Theiyw's arm open, and he was shocked to see a bolt sticking out of their head as they crumpled to the ground. Giving his new ally a curt nod, he turned to face a new attacker, only to find a bolt sticking out of their thigh. Deciding to be a little merciful in their demise, he quickly made sure that the brownblood wasn't going to get up anytime soon, ripping the bolt out of their thigh and sticking it squarely between their eyes.

Her speech was a little too eloquent for many of the lowbloods around here, and he gave her a confused look as his remaining opponents scattered, vanishing in the many hivestems around them. Exasperated, he kicked the troll at his feet out of the way as he walked over to the hooded girl. "You're welcome." He said after looking her up and down, tucking his hammer back in the leather loop that hung around his waist. "I'm living here for the next few nights, I leave it to you to get the corpses out of my makeshift lawnring." If there was one thing he was not dealing with, it was corpses being picked at right near his tent. It was disgusting and would not be tolerated. Plus, this all was her fault.

Holding out a hand, he shrugged, expecting her to shake it. "I'm Theiyw, mind telling me why they were chasing you?" She did look somewhat conspicuous, what with the hood and the fact that she was quite good with that crossbow. A little too good, actually, he was somewhat uncomfortable, and told himself to be a little bit nicer to her just in case she got angry at him for trying to make sure his tent wasn't torn to shreds by a horde of angry lowbloods.

When the last lowbloods ran, Eisire felt relief wash over her, mixed with a touch of pride. She'd 'handled' the situation, albeit by running for her life, without blacking out. She had considered letting her other half take over, to deal with the problem, but she never knew how long she was out for and how many she had killed.

Now the hammer-whileder was approaching her, and she knew in her gut this could go very well or very poorly. She put her crossbow back into her sylladex, trying to seem unthreatening. But who was she kidding, he had just seen her shoot a moving target in the head.

"Oh, um," when was the last time she introduced herself? She shook his hand quickly. "I'm Eisire and... um..."

Come on, Eis, think of something! She couldn't outright tell him she was a tyrian blood, who knows he may turn on her for the same reason the lowbloods did.

"I'm, uh, I'm not really from around here..." That was vague enough to possibly work. "Thank you for helping me... and I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I didn't see you or your tent..."

She could feel her hood slipping off of her head, she hadn't buttoned it before running away. She quickly reached up and pulled it into place, then slipped the buttons next to her horns into their holes. Her hair was lose in its braids, something she didn't realize, a little pink curl sitting at the top of her forehead.

"I'll move the bodies as quickly as I can... but... um... any idea where I should take them? I'm, uh... I'm pretty lost to be honest..." She flashed him a shy smile, hiding the panic welling up inside of her. She had no idea where she was, her lusus was most likely throwing a fit out of worry, she still hadn't found the salve and now she had to clean up the bodies. Knowing her luck, the sun would rise before she reached the ocean.

She seemed almost too timid to have just shot a troll through the head, Theiyw thought as he shook her hand. He only realized that something was strange about her by the time he pulled his hand away. She was oddly cold. Of course, for most of the trolls in this area, he too would be relatively frigid, given his place on the hemospectrum, but the fact that she felt cold to him meant that she had to be higher than he was, quite a bit higher. "Yeah, I'm sure you didn't see any of this. You were running like you had a horde of angry lusii on your tail. Seriously, it was just a few lowbloods, with your skills you shouldn't have had any trouble just taking them out." He had been quite impressed with her skills, and  wondered why she'd even began to run when she could have easily dispatched all of them in less than a minute.

His thinking process was brought to a halt as he noticed the curl of hair peeking out of her hood. Things clicked instantly, and he folded his arms, looking at her in a surprised manner. "You're a seadweller. You're a fuschia seadweller. I can't believe this." He shook his head, walking quickly over to one of the bodies and slinging it over his shoulder, taking it a little ways away and dropping it with a thud before he began to do the same with the next one. "I hope you've got a good reason for being here. The entire cluster is going to be wanting to kill you if one of those trolls runs their mouth about this. If you have any idea of the danger you're in - that you just put me in, you'll do whatever it is you were planning on doing as quickly as possible and get out." He wasn't surprised that they were trying to kill her. Seadwellers were targeted more than most on land.

He briefly wondered to himself if she'd have time to get back to the ocean, especially if she was lost. Sighing, he decided that he'd have to finish dealing with the bodies. He'd already started, after all. "You're lost in the middle of a bunch of crowded hivestems. Of course. Well, I just got here. I won't be able to help you get out, if that's what you're thinking." Realizing that she probably was in a great deal of danger, an inner dialogue ensued that was very much simply a debate of whether or not to help her. She seemed relatively nice, at least, bur he didn't even know if that was a good thing. It would only cause him to trust her more, which frequently led to betrayal. Still, she seemed afraid, and at least she'd been sensible enough to try and hide her seadweller traits. "Will you be able to get back in time?" He asked begrudgingly, trying to appear as irritated as possible, although he was somewhat excited about meeting someone new, especially since Eisire was a seadweller.

Eisire's heart sunk. Her hands went to her hood, pulling it tighter around her ears. Her hands shook, her fear rising, her other half lingering in the back of her mind. She needed to calm down. First things first, she needed to explain herself.

"Well... first of all crossbows are typically used at a distance, not when you have someone with a crowbar two feet behind you. And-I'm-not-good-at-hand-to-hand-combat..." She looked to her feet. "I-mean-I-haven't-had-anyone-to-practice-with."

Oh for gogs sake, you're rambling.

She took a deep breath, and began again. "I... I know is moronic of me to be here. But my lusus... She's hurt badly. I needed to find medicine for her. I still need to find medicine for her..." DragonMum's scales fell away often, either as she shed or in skirmishes. But this time the exposed skin had become infected.

She'd gotten herself into a pickle. He was right, she had painted a target on her, and now his, back. Eisire took another deep breath. "I'm so sorry... I never meant to put anyone else into danger. And I in no way expect you to help me. I am in your debt."

She rubbed her arms. Her feet were killing her, not used to walking for such a long time, and she was tired and growing hungry. He seemed to be growing irate, and she considered lying, saying she'd be able to get back in time. But she'd told the truth so far, so why not continue.

"I... I'm not sure... I still need to find salve and then find my way out of the hivestems... I'll probably sleep underneath trees or find a cave on the way back to my hive." She flashed a slightly reassuring smile. "I should go... um... thank you for your help... if you didn't stop those trolls... well.... I'd most likely be dead. I'm sorry that I cannot repay you right now. Perhaps if we meet again, I can find away." She turned to leave, wondering which way was the best to wander.

As Eisire's speech became more rushed, he realized that he'd made her somewhat nervous. The fact that he was able to do that showed to him that perhaps she was not one of the more dangerous seadwellers, at least not one of the more volatile ones. 'You definitely are, but there's no way you can properly repay me if you're dead. So I think your debt is going to rise a little bit." He knew the area around the hivestems was dangerous as well, and didn't want her simply sleeping defenseless under a tree. Some rogue lusus would find her, and as she said, hand to hand combat didn't seem to work too well for her.

He wondered if she knew of a place that even distributed medication in this area, or if she'd simply traveled to a populated area in hopes of finding someone or something that might help her. Judging from her seeming lack of experience with other trolls, he guessed it was most likely the latter. "If you promise not to kill me, you can stay in my hivetent tonight. Aside from that, I suggest we go and find some sort of store that might distribute something such as medicine. Sorry about your lusus." Despite the fact that Theiyw's relationship with his lusus was not the best, he certainly found that whenever his guardian was injured, he made every effort to ensure his survival.

He wondered if he'd made the right decision in trusting her. Seadwellers could be unpredictable, and although he himself had fits of rage, it wasn't comparable to what a furious seadweller could do. Sleeping in the same quarters with someone could be potentially the most dangerous thing he'd ever offered to someone, but he assured himself that he'd make sure he was safe before he went to sleep. He couldn't even be sure she would take him up on his offer, after all.

"I know the way out of the hivestems, I'm quite good with directions. I can show you tomorrow night, if you stay that long." Sweeps of traveling had given him quite a good memory with things such as this, and he could remember nearly every turn he'd made since entering the cluster. It was one of his strongest abilities, and he prided himself on being able to be so watchful and observant.

Eisire's eyes widened. It was rare she was offered help, even more so once they knew her blood colour. "Oh my gog thank you! Yes, I promise not to kill you I swear! I-I'll find a way to repay you I swear! I-I create monsters for a living, maybe I can make you a guard creature or something like that. Or maybe something more sturdy to carry your tent around." Her mind was running with ideas now, as her thoughts slipped into streams of genetic code. She blushed, "Sorry... thank you so much. This is the second time you've saved me from probable death tonight."

She smiled at him, trying to hide the voice slowly growing louder inside her head. You're such an idiot, Eisire. You can't trust him, he could kill you in your sleep, or sell you to a lowblood cult to be tortured then killed. She was laughing, mocking her. That voice so similar to Eisire's own but colder, crueler. What kind of seadweller are you? Relying on landdwellers for safety. What would our ancestor say?

Eis does her best to ignore her, biting her tongue. "I was trying to find a nearby market, I've been there once before. If you need any supplies, I can buy them for you. Just a small favor to repay a tiny fraction of the dual life debt I owe you." Now, to make sure she didn't reveal that deep down she was unstable and part of her was more than capable of cold-blooded and needless murder.

Her enthusiastic thanks were almost too much for Theiyw, and he only shrugged nonchalantly in an attempt to seem somewhat cool about the whole thing. The offer of having something to carry around his tent sounded incredibly intriguing. If she could do that, he might very well be interested. "You can do things like that? Wow..." He looked a little amazed that this troll could create monsters, and wondered if it was a profitable lifestyle.

Nodding when she mentioned the market, he tucked his remaining belongings into the tent before pulling out a trap and setting it in the doorway. It resembled a bear trap, with a gaping metal maw ready to snap on anyone that triggered it. He'd learned early not to leave things unguarded, even if it was a tent useless to anyone but him. He doubted they'd even be able to pack it up correctly; learning had taken sweeps of practice and even more sweeps of having it collapse on him in his sleep. "Let's go then, lead the way." He offered, looking around to see which direction she would take. It wouldn't do to be lost on the way back.

"You might also want to pick up some pillows and blankets, if you can afford them. I've only got enough for one, and I'm certainly not sharing." He added, shuddering a little at the thought of sleeping next to a coldblooded seadweller. Coldblooded in the biological sense of course, as that was the way the hemospectrum worked. He didn't know anything about her personality besides what he'd already seen, and she seemed nice enough from that short exposure, not to mention incredibly capable.

Deciding to take her up on the offer for her to buy him things, he looked down at his worn shoes. He'd traveled quite a while in them, and the leather was starting to crack despite being cared for every time he rested. "Some nice boots would be nice, if you can manage." He really wasn't one to decline hospitality when offered, especially when he was being so hospitable in return.

She needed to calm down, she could tell by the look on his face. Eisire rubbed her arms, she hadn't held a conversation with anyone in ages. "Uh, yeah. My brain is pretty much hardwired for DNA manipulation. Same with my ancestor, so I guess its a thing for my bloodline." She smiled a little, though always nervous to talk about her ancestor. Seadwellers always seemed to know who theirs was, she wasn't so sure about landdwellers.

Eis concentrated, trying to picture the city in her head. She bit her lip. "Um..." She looked down the street a few times, looking for something vaguely familiar. "Sorry, its been a sweep since I was last here. But if my memory is right, its down this street."

She blushed a little at his next comment, "Oh goodness I wouldn't expect you to share! I'll make sure to pick something up." Eisire began to worry a tad, she couldn't remember the last time she slept out of her recoupracoon, much less out of water. Perhaps she should also pick up a book to read, she probably wasn't going to get much sleep tonight. She had taken a quick power nap at her desk a few weeks ago, but even that was interrupted by a daymare. Maybe it was better if she read the entire night and not wake her host with her daymares...

"Oh of course I can manage that." She smiled, trying to remember what kind of shoes boots were again. When she was in the water, she didn't wear shoes, and she was nearly always in the water. Eisire owned two pairs of shoes, both barely worn. She hated them both, mainly because of the blisters they gave her. Or maybe that was just from walking.

Eisire led the way down the street, peering down intersections. After a left and a right, the market was in view. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy she hadn't made a fool of herself by getting the pair of them lost. Closing her eyes for a moment, she caught the scent of freshly baked food. She wished she could come to the market more often, with its eclectic stalls and delicious food. But it was just too dangerous.

When she mentioned her ancestor, Theiyw looked away. He'd heard rumors, of course, one always did with the amount of traveling he did. Some books and lore talked about ancient blueblooded smiths who worked in the forges of long-extinct volcanoes. The stories had been interesting, but he hadn't really spent much time debating whether he had any relation to any of them. Ancestors were more of a theory in most areas he'd traveled, and he didn't see the reason for being dictated by the actions of a troll who'd most likely died before he'd even been hatched. "I'm sure it's an interesting field." He commented, trying to avoid speaking more on the topic of ancestors. Seadwellers seemed to base so much on heritage, and for a troll who didn't even have a permanent home, he certainly didn't fit in with the whole idea of heritage, although the hammer he wielded was supposed to belong to one of the smiths previously mentioned. He only used it out of convenience - it was much better than any of the hammers he'd used before finding it.

Upon seeing the market, decided almost instantly that it was where he'd be spending a great deal of his time. It was exactly the thing he appreciated about traveling - new places always had some sort of bustling shopping area, and he was excited to see what this one had to offer.

Nodding once she agreed to purchasing the boots for him, he started to look around some more, his smile growing by the second. Maybe living here wouldn't be so awful, if he had this kind of place so close by. A vendor called out to him, offering some sort of treat, and he walked over to them, handing them a little bit of money in exchange for what looked somewhat like a doughnut in pretzel shape. Food was always so different wherever he went, and took a bite of it, savoring it before deciding that this one was too good to share. Waving over to her, he held it up to show it to her. "Want one?" He asked, making sure he'd finished chewing the bite before speaking. He was after all in the presence of royalty, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

Taking another bite, he spotted a stall selling what looked to be salves and lotions of various types, and pointed it out to her as he milled around by the food stands. It looked as if the clothing and apparel section of the marketplace was over at the other end of the market, and Theiyw made a note to travel over there once he was finished with the food section. Travel food was never very appetizing, and he found himself eating somewhat stale bread most of the time. Sweets were too heavy to carry around most of the time, and he quite liked them.

She rubbed her arms, feeling bad for making him uncomfortable. Her ancestor had ruled a underwater city and protected the towns along the shore, the ocean she lived in was named after her. Her lusus had practically handed her the chest her ancestor left in the depths. Inside were stacks of books and journals, filled with instructions on genetic manipulation. Some were incredibly old, and Eisire wondered if they belonged to her grand-ancestor. Also in the trunk was the crossbow and a elegant tiara her ancestor must have worn. The first she carried always, the second... the second she didn't think she would ever be worthy enough to wear.

Eisire's excitement rose, there was colour everywhere, and trolls of all shapes and sizes. She wished she could live closer to the hivestems, so she could visit the market whenever she wanted. Getting to the city was a bit of a trek for her. Maybe she would splurge and get herself something. She would definitely have to stock up on food while she was here, ocean plant life was boring to eat. She couldn't eat fish and clams, she was allergic.

She noticed Theiyw waving to her, and she hurried over. He held up some sort of baked good, she'd never seen anything like it. Then again, there was many foods she had no idea about. "It smells amazing, what is it?" Her eyes were wide. She looked at the food stalls nearby, some which contained fruit, another rarity for her. If she was lucky, passing ships would accidentally drop a few pieces into the water. If she was really lucky, a pirate ship would dumb a box into the water as a token for the mysterious force that sunk ships in the ocean. That mysterious force would be her lusus.

Eisire thanked him for pointing the stall out and bought herself a good supply of salves and other first aid supplies. After paying the vendor, she returned to Theiyw. There was so much food, so many wonderful smells. She didn't know where to start. She was, quite literally, a wriggler in a candy store. One stall held fruits and vegetables of all different shapes and colours, another sold meats she didn't even knew existed.

He shrugged when she asked him what he was eating. "No idea. It's good, though." He finished it quickly, perusing around the various stalls for more food. He'd always enjoyed enough money due to his status, and he frequently sold jewelry from scrap objects he'd discovered on the trail. Many trolls valued them, and whenever he'd return to an area he would frequently be greeted by a small gathering of excited customers. He bought some fruit himself, as well as some fresh bread. He didn't particularly like meat - he'd eat enough of it while traveling anyways. When he could get fresh fruit and vegetables he much preferred that.

When she returned he handed her one of the pretzel treats, which he'd bought for her while she'd been over at the medical shop. It had been so good that he'd thought it to be a crime not to at least get her one. He'd have felt rude, not to mention that he'd probably be raving about the treat all day if neither of them managed to get to sleep. He'd grown so used to the daymares that they hardly bothered him anymore, though, so he doubted that would be the case.

Leading her over to the stall he'd seen with a variety of shoes, he spent some time examining the wares until he found something that fit and was a product he thought would be good for him. Handing them to the merchant, he ushered her over to the checkout area. "After this you can call your debt erased, unless you would really like to craft me some sort of assistant in my travels." He briefly wondered whether his lusus would be welcoming to a genetically engineered creature. He couldn't be certain, but he hoped that things would go alright. The tent could get heavy, and it slowed him down a great deal.

He noticed somewhere that appeared to be selling cushions and blankets, and made a note to go over there and see what could be bought for Eisire after they were finished at the cobbler's. He wondered if he could get her to trade her new stuff for his old stuff after she used it once - the pillows were getting a little ratty, and the blanket certainly had seen better days.

As Eisire ate she bought herself heaps of food to store in her hive, putting it all in her sylladex. She had no idea when she would be here next, so might as well stock up while she was. The pretzel treat was amazing, giving her a big stupid grin on her face. Her food was so bland and this, this was the polar opposite of bland. She thanked Theiyw for the pretzel between bites.

As he looked for new shoes, she studied a pair of what must be womens shoes. They looked uncomfortable, pinching the toes together. She wiggled her own toes, wanting to take her shoes off more than anything. She was definitely going to have blisters. She paid the merchant before answering him. "I've barely done anything for you really, I would feel guilty if I didn't create a creature for you. It's the least I can do."

She turned to scan the other stalls, her eyes widening again. They seemed to never end, each one different. Her eyes caught wind chimes made of sea glass. The merchant seemed to be selling all sorts of things with sea glass, something she loved but could never really find. There was so much here, and she wondered how the people who lived here could do anything but explore the stalls.

Theiyw had no idea how a single troll could buy all that stuff. He only bought what he needed, and found that having too much cluttered up his to do list, which was typically pretty short. He had to admit, buying her the treat had been fun, if only to see how happy she was while eating it. Taking the boots from the merchant, he quickly placed them in his sylladex, "These will carry me for quite a long time, I don't see how that's 'barely anything. It's incredibly valuable. However, you still have my thanks. I'm excited to see it, although I'll have to make sure you know where I am. I might not be in the same place by the time you're finished.." He supposed that someone who didn't travel a great deal wouldn't understand how important a good pair of boots were. The last time he'd had a pair of unreliable shoes, he'd tripped while on the run from an angry lusus whose territory he had seemingly intruded into, and had almost gotten killed.

He hoped that her creating a creature for him wouldn't result in her having to travel a great deal to deliver it to him. Perhaps he'd make a detour over to the beach, although he tried to avoid beaches due to the deadliness of most seadwellers that browsed the beaches looking for vulnerable landwellers.

Taking her hand, he walked over to the cushion and blanket shop. She seemed so overwhelmed by the bustling market, and  he noticed her interest in the sea wind chimes. Perhaps she didn't live underwater, then, since one wouldn't be able to hear things like that below water level. Or, at least he didn't think that they would be able to. Perhaps seadweller fins helped them with that. Making a point to ask her should the occasion arise, he took a quick glance at the sky to make sure it wasn't getting light before letting go of her hand. They had enough time to get whatever was needed, and considering how excited she seemed about this, probably a little bit more than what was required.

Eisire couldn't quite understand why a pair of boots were so valuable, then again she didn't wear shoes often. She smiled and nodded, wanting to be polite. "It might take me a week or two, even then the creature won't reach full maturity for a few months, but by two weeks it will be ready to travel with you, but perhaps not carry heavy loads just yet. When we get back to your tenthive, I can give you my trollian name. Then when the creature is ready, you can let me know where you are or when you're near the ocean."

Her face grew warm when he took her hand. She wasn't used to talking to others, much less holding hands. She hoped that he, or anyone else, noticed the blush on her face. Maybe if she was lucky the tyrian in her cheeks would be mistaken for something more rust coloured. She quickly picked out a pillow and blanket, unsure of what to get so just grabbing what looked comfortable. She paid the vendor, taking in the market again. She loved the feeling of the warm air against her face, and the smells that surrounded her. Perhaps when she returned home, she would use the cottage more. It would give her reason for windchimes. When she first went to the surface and discovered the wind, she had made a windchime out of shells she had found on her little island. She smiled to herself, enjoying the happy memory.

As the wind wandered through the street and around the stalls, she fought the urge to take off her hood. The wind in her hair was an amazing feeling, but pulling down her hood would be suicide. She wondered why Theiyw traveled so much, wondering if it would be alright to ask him why.

Either he didn't notice her reaction to the hand holding, or he was too busy focusing on other things. Whatever the reason was, he just continued looking around at the shops. He was done shopping, but wondered if Eisire was planning on buying anything more. "Yeah, I'll be sure to do that. I might be a while, I've only been to the ocean once or twice." For him, that was a very small number of times to have ever been to a region. It was mostly due to the danger of the area, and his lusus tended to avoid it. He hadn't ever found out quite what the migration pattern of his lusus was, or even if there was one. He merely followed along, making irritated faces every once in a while but never actually refusing to go along. He both loved and despised traveling, but no matter what he couldn't imagine living any other way.

Looking up at the sky again, he realized that it seemed to be growing a little light, and the trolls around them seemed to be slowly leaving the area. Perhaps they were going to dayclubs, or maybe just going home. Whatever the reason, it was obvious that day was coming, and he didn't want to be caught outside in a largely populated area like this in the day, half-blind and stumbling around without direction. "Speaking of going back, that's something we might want to think about doing. Unless you're still planning on sleeping under a tree, that is." He joked, looking at the blanket and pillow she'd just bought. He'd had to use a blanket as a tent once, when he'd gotten stranded. It wasn't a good experience, and was definitely one he hoped he would never have to duplicate.

Theiyw didn't have the same problem as Eis with the wind and his hair. Although he enjoyed it, secrecy wasn't really an issue. He was highblooded enough to force some trolls to walk a little faster when he started walking on their side of the road, but he wasn't highblooded enough to become a sporting target. Things were good this way, as he found it easier to make friends with lowbloods when they didn't think it would give them bragging rights for decapitating him.

Upon seeing the lightening sky, Eisire sighed. She would have loved to continue to explore, but she would prefer not to be caught in the sun. Underwater, being out during the day wasn't that bad, since the water diffused the sun's light and heat. She'd heard of trolls going blind in the daylight. "The ocean is quite nice from the surface, but boring as hell once you get to the bottom. If you do visit the ocean, best do it in the next two months, otherwise you'll be there during hurricane season." There was always a hurricane each sweep, always arriving around the same time. It had only taken her three sweeps to figure that out. They always made her very nervous, despite that she was safe in her hive.

She laughed at his joke, "No I would rather not sleep beneath a tree." She watched the sea-glass vendor close down his cart, pondering if she should run over and buy a necklace. The only necklace she owned was the one around her neck with a pendant in the shape of her symbol. It was tucked under her shirt, out of sight. She watched the trolls leave, some in groups some in pairs. She wondered if some of the pairs were quadrant mates, perhaps matesprits returning to their shared quarters. She envyed them, and their lifestyle. Free to roam the hivestems without fear of being killed. Living among others, and making friends. She sighed and hugged her pillow to her chest.

Hurricane season certainly didn't sound like a time he'd want to be near the already somewhat dangerous ocean. "Something tells me I'll be far away from the ocean when hurricane season comes around. Don't worry about that." He wondered if she'd ever got caught in one of those, or if it was even a danger for those who could seek sanctuary beneath the waves.

He spent some time watching the sea glass vendor as well, realizing that it was a nice material to use instead of any normal glass he might come across. Rare stones were, as the name suggests, rare, and so he found himself letting go of Eisire's hand to walk over and buy a small bag of the material. He wouldn't buy any of the jewelry, not when he could make something better himself out of wire and string that he had back in his backpack. The things he could do in his spare time with a roll of wire were a little miraculous, sometimes even to him. Walking quickly back to her, he pocketed the bag, thinking that if he got to know her better, he might even make her something. She seemed alright with doing things for him, and he figured that he ought to do her something in return, despite the fact that he only owed her his life due to her own folly.

Remembering the path to his hivetent, he set out weaving through the crowds of trolls on the way to it. They barely gave the pair a second glance, something he was grateful for. It seemed that so far, the trolls the two of them had fought against had decided against revealing Eisire's identity.

hivetent ref:

Reaching his tent, he pushed aside the defensive mechanism that he'd set before they left. It didn't appear to be triggered, something he was relieved for. He didn't want to have to go track down a thief, especially in the daytime. "I'm afraid it's not very large..." He said, holding the doorflap open so that she could make her way inside. He was glad for once of his height. Although he didn't measure up to many of his fellow bluebloods, at least he didn't have to perpetually crouch while inside the tent.

Eisire smiled at him, "Good. Even underwater the currents can get nasty. When I was very little, the hurricane created a maelstrom, sucking ships down into the trench. I don't remember it, but I've heard tales from sailors passing by during hurricane season." What was it about that stupid trench and the story of the maelstrom? It made you nervous to think about, much less talk about.

She watched him buy some seaglass, wondering what he would do with it. She had finally decided against buying the jewelry. Maybe when she returned to the shore to go back to her hive she might find some.

As they returned to his hivetent she made sure to stay close. If she got separated from him, she'd probably end up lost. Again. She looked around as they walked, trying to take in the sights while she could.

She smiled again as he held the flap open and went inside. She was looking forward to getting her cloak off and unbraiding her hair. "No, its perfect, don't worry. I don't take up much room anyway." She laughed a little. Being a seadweller, she was rather short and young looking compared to midbloods her age. She grew slower, with her lifespan being so long. It was last sweep that she had finally lost her baby fat. She sat herself down on the floor, thankful to be off of her feet, and wondering if it would be okay for her to take off her shoes.

Once she was inside the tent, Theiyw pointed at an empty space that looked as if it could fit a laying down troll. "You can lay your pillow and blankets down there.." Once he was sure she wouldn't have to leave again during the day, he dragged the trap back in its place. As if the mention of pillows and blankets drew him to his own, Theiyw plopped down on his own pile of pillows. Although they were ragged and threadbare, they were still comfortable, and they were shaped pretty much to his body from sweeps of use.

Taking the seaglass out of his pocket, he set it down beside the makeshift bed, unbuckling the hammer-belt he had been wearing and setting it next to his sleeping area as well. It was a well-practiced ritual before he went to sleep, although he didn't know if Eisire wanted to talk beforehand or not. Whatever she had been planning on doing, though, he figured he might as well get comfortable. Kicking his shoes off, he tucked them below where his feet would lay once he laid down, and then he began the tedious process of getting all the rings and jewelry off his body. He'd learned early on that leaving the rings around his horn would lead them to cause small bruiselike dents. After that, he'd been sure to take the utmost care of them. He had perfected this practice too, and the rings were all in an orderly pile next to the pillows in less than a minute. Slipping his necklace off his neck, he leaned up against a tentpole that lay behind him.

Most of the objects he'd removed held sentimental value. The necklace in particular. The first thing he'd ever made out of metal had been a coin, but in a fight someone's armored knitting needle had pierced through its center. Due to the special qualities the metal held that made it similar to his blood color, he'd strung a string through it and set it around his neck, as a sign both of the progress he would make in his metalworking skills in the sweeps to come, and also a declaration of his blood caste. It also was somewhat reminiscent of his sign, which he only represented on accessories he wore while working with hot metal - gloves branded with the sign in a bright indigo color.

Yawning, he leaned back on his pillows, laying lazily across them as he looked over at her. He obviously wasn't completely comfortable with her in the tent as well - it was usually just him and occasionally his lusus, but he tried to not pay too much mind to it. "Fighting and traveling and shopping. Damn, I'm exhausted. How about you?" He looked over at her questioningly.

Eisire put down her pillow and blanket and immediately took her shoes off when she saw he was doing the same. She stretched and wriggled her toes, the transparent tyrian webbing between them momentarily on show. Next off was her jacket, unbuttoning the hood first and then sliding off the rest. She folded it up and put it by her shoes. She pulled her pendant from under her shirt and took it off, wrapping the worn string around her wrist. She didn't want to lose it, but she didn't want it to tighten around her neck as she slept. With her fins free and her shoes off, she felt much more relaxed.

Eisire sat with her legs crossed, knitting her fingers together and stretching her arms, as she would usually do after a long day of swimming. Despite feeling more relaxed, she felt nervous. This was the longest she had ever spent with anyone. She smiled somewhat guiltily at him.

"I'm sorry about pulling you into the first part... And thanks again for saving me and putting a roof over my head for the night." She yawned, her gills flaring as she did. When she yawned underwater, they pulled in extra water, so they flared whenever she yawned. She scooped her braid over her shoulder and took out the hairband securing it. "I am exhausted as well... and my feet. They're killing me, swimming is so much easier than walking." She realized how stupid that must sound, what with him traveling so much on foot. "So, um, if its okay for me to ask, why do you travel so much?"

Despite his travels, the number of seadwellers that Theiyw had met was relatively small. He certainly hadn't spoken to one this long before, and he most definitely had never seen gills up close. They were quite interesting once he had a look at them, although he looked away relatively quickly once he realized that he had been staring at them in a bit of an obvious manner. Looking down at her jewelry on the floor, he cleared his throat, standing up once she mentioned her feet.

He started digging around in his backpack, tossing some random artifacts out of it before finding the object he was looking for. Although he'd deposited a few books and a notebook out on the floor, the thing he was holding looked to be a lotion container. He tossed it over to her once he was sure it was what he'd been looking for. "For your feet." He had no idea what swimming was like, so he couldn't really compare the two. But despite his good shoes, he certainly had his share of blisters.

Sitting back down on his pillows, he shrugged at her question. "It's no trouble, saving your life and all..You don't have to apologize, at least. I really don't mind all that much. You seem nice, and I could use the company." Despite the fact that he would have preferred company that was less dangerous, he found Eis nice to be around.  He thought a little while before answering the question. "My lusus never stays in one place for long. I think he's migratory, or something. That or he just likes giving me a hell of a hard time." He shrugged. Traveling was such an intrinsic part of his life that he couldn't imagine a life without it now.