Adriwyn fidgeted, adjusting how she was leaning against the pillar, starting to chew on her lip as she pondered. ‘Eh. I ain’ sure if’n this really be one thin’, or no… but I’d change to … well, to be able to see what others sees in me. I ain’ sure if’n tha’ means ‘avin’ more confidence in m’self, or jus’ wha’ – but tha’s what I’d change.’
Tag: character development
Letters Toward Reconciliation
The small, white-blonde woman ducked as the snow owl struck at her head, barely in time to avoid injury, warned by the flow of the air being displaced, and cursing under her breath at how silently owls can fly. As it wheeled around for another pass, she saw the message-band on its leg, and swore again as she started leading it on a chase through the alleys of Salma, ducking as needed, until she got close enough to her current home.
As she neared the manse, she gave a triling whistle and then a trio of caws at different, specific pitches. Two ravens fluttered off a nearby roof, rather lazily, until they spotted the white of the owl. Their added calls brought five more, and then Adriwyn slapped the leather of her boot, and pointed at the owl’s leg. A few more corvid cries, and they started harrying Halcyone until one of them got the message cylinder. The black birds flew down past her, showing it off, and up to the rooftops.
After a quick wave at the owl, the leather-clad waif ducked inside the servants’ entrance of the Valenwright manse, securing the door behind her. She quickly grabbed some of the “treats” from the butcher shop she kept, usually for her cat, but this time to pay off the ravens. Making her way up the stairs and through the attic, she emerged on the rooftop, and laid out the chopped-up bits and waited for the estate’s messenger flock.
Playing about, teasing the woman, the ravens snatched at their treats for a bit before finally dropping the tube at her, which she caught, flashing them a grin. ‘Thank y’ so much, y’ darlin’ imps.’ She chuckled at their answering caws while she opened her letter.
Scion 89, 1327
Dearest Adriwyn,
I hope this missive finds you well and in good spirits. First of all, I’d like to apologize for the delay in my response. I know it’s no excuse, but I’ve only heard of its existence this evening. Secondly, I’m sorry you feel the way you do and that certain misunderstandings led you to believe as much.
You need to understand that I do -not- think of you as a ‘lesser’ being or anything of the sort. In fact, I don’t think of anyone as lesser. Not only is that sentiment against the spirit of the Roses’ mission, it’s also a personal belief. I’ve never thought it fair to think of anyone of being lesser than anything. And it hurts me to think you’d think that of me, having known me for as long as you have.
Tyria is a big world, and we’re all part of it. The blossom is brother to the weed, as Ventari would put it. And I don’t even know who the blossom or the weed is most of the time.
Yes, measures had to be taken, and rules had to be passed. Unprecedented by Rurikton Roses’ standards. But they were not there to attack or single out anyone. There were placed so we could restore the order and resume our -job- as an organization and a charity. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have on the new rules and provide any clarity you wish.
Believe me when I say I didn’t like having to do that, the rules. But at this point, I had little choice. If you’d wish to speak further on this matter, please let me know. I can arrange for a time for us to meet and discuss this further. I don’t want you to leave us. I think you’re a great asset to the organization and I know you’ve a lot to give in general. The Roses can help you fulfill your desire to give back. We just need to communicate.
You know how to find me. Send a bird to me, don’t leave it in the lock-box. My sister probably has a concussion or something, I don’t know. Just…send me a bird. We’ll talk soon.
Until then, may the stars light your path,
~LS
Starting to shake with relief as she finished the missive, she ducked back inside long enough write out a reply.
Scion 89, 1327
Dear Lady Lux,
I was very glad to get your letter. I am eager to discuss the matter with you at your convenience, in both time and place. Please accept my apologies for any unintended insult brought about by intemperate wording in my previous letter to you.
Yours,
Adriwyn
Sealing that letter in an envelope much as she had earlier, she then rolled it carefully into the tube, and went back onto the roof.
‘A’igh’, y’ beau’ful bits o’ th’ nigh’. Which o’ y’ wants t’ earn y’ all some more treats, eh? Numi? This needs t’ get t’ Lady Lux. Don’ look at m’ tha’ way – y’ knows who she be. It be ‘er perfume on tha’ other letter y’ jus’ fetched me. Aye, I though’ y’ migh’ know.’
She carefully tied the cylinder to the raven’s leg until her efforts met with his approval. With a quiet kroop, he took off into the night.
Volunteer Teacher Day
Collecting the relevant books from her storage trunk, Adriwyn paused to look around her room, and make sure of where everything was placed. The maids had learned quickly to leave her things alone, but Dela liked the challenge. Satisfied, she closed and locked the trunk and put her references into her carrying-bag. She didn’t really need them, but she thought it helped the children to see them, and to see her reading. Besides, they know what my way of talking means, most of them. They’s surprised to find out I even can read.
Donning her greatcoat and taking up her bundle, she left her room and the manse, and started down the hill, keeping mostly to the shaded alleys to avoid the heat that even this autumn day brought in the sun. She crossed the broad avenue into the courtyard of the orphanage, and waved to the waiting priest. For all that I’s sure he be a good man, I never could’ve come back here iffen he’d been on staff back when. Maybe the Six really were watching over me, like Priestess Johaina said, despite all of what happened.
There was the usual chaos as she was escorted inside, brought about by too many children of a large spread of ages, and having to try to teach them together. Even with a royal endowment, there just weren’t enough rooms, at a minimum, to do things right. Shaking her head a little, the small blonde was glad once again that she’d been able to donate gold at the last fund-raiser.
She was early on purpose. She watched the children as she waited, glad in a way to see fewer familiar faces this time, and sad to see that there were just as many new ones, even now. Unfortunately, though as she expected, there was one particular familiar face among the older children. I needs to have a chat with the headmistress about teaching self-defence again – iffen only so the other childer learns to be safe from Tomas’s bullying. That one will wind up in jail and conscripted iffen he be lucky – but probably come to a much worse end, and cause plenty of misery on his road to the Mists. Well, that be for later, anyways. Just watch for now, Adri, and don’t go borrowing trouble ahead.
Reflections over Bitter Canthan Red Tea
Slipping into her room in the manse unobserved, the small, tow-headed woman re-locked the door behind her, and wedged the chair against it for good measure. She wanted to get some thinking done, without even the usually-welcome interruption of unconventional adoptive family.
Readying herself for bed and settling into her nest of bedding on the floor, she leaned up against the chimney, thinking back on her conversation an hour or two earlier at the tea shoppe.
Lady Vic had asked her, as the first customer, to pick a general flavour theme for the night’s special. She remembered choices of bitter, sweet, and plain. She was pretty sure there had been a fourth option, but her answer had been ‘Bitter, like my love life been o’ late.’ Blaming it on her love life had been an attempt at socially acceptable misdirection, but she was concerned at allowing even that much of her frustration to slip out so easily.
It had been a slow night, so Victoire had had the leisure to ask just what she was talking about. Adriwyn thought over her answers to the progressive questioning, hoping she hadn’t given too much away – and thinking that, for once, she probably had.
‘I had to leave an organisation that has some of my sweethearts in it, on a matter of principle.’
(“What principle?”)
‘The principle of not being treated like a lesser class of being, but like a person.’
(“How so?”)
‘There be new rules posted, what has rejection of a state of my being – and not just my behaviour – in a section saying it’s about behaviour.’
(“What is that about?”)
‘I has … more than one sweetheart at a time.’
(“And many people don’t like that. I get it. And your sweethearts would leave you over this?”)
‘Not on purpose – but they is there, and now I ain’t. And it been long enough that it don’t look like they wants me back.’
(“What organisation?”)
‘I’m not comfortable with saying, m’lady. They’re a good organisation elsewise, and I wouldn’t want to detract from the good they do.’
At least I managed to cut things off there. I just hope Lady Vic don’t know enough about me to guess, and it don’t get back on the Roses.
She sighed heavily, shaking her head at herself.
Why do I seem to think I have to answer such things at all? Why couldn’t I pass off the initial comment as just a joke? That would have been the right thing to do there! Priestess Johaina always told me I were blessed by Kormir. Maybe I were really cursed by her instead.
Ah, well. At least the tea and the raspberry cheesecake were good.
“Why don’t you just stop? Why do you have to do this?”
The small blonde paused, letting out a small, soft sigh that barely reflected her much heavier mental one. ‘I gets asked tha’ a lot o’ late. Dependin’ on jus’ wha’s botherin’ you abou’… “this”, there be a lot o’ answers.’
She turned to face her questioner, leaning lightly against the arm of the settee. ‘Firs’, mos’ o’ wha’ I does ain’ no more dangerous ‘n any other form o’ travel. Sure, I travels alone, an’ sure, I’s covered in scars. I din’ get th’ scars from travellin’ – an’ I ain’ got many new scars in quite a while. I’s got a lot better at th’ thin’s I does. M’ travels is near all through centaur country – by which I means Krytan lands they’s disputin’, no matter wha’ th’ ‘istory migh’ be – an’ I knows them lands by now. I knows where th’ centaur camps is, I knows there they patrols, I knows where I can ‘ide… an’ I knows ‘ow t’ kill centaurs if’n I needs t’. I tries t’ avoid it, mos’ly, since I ain’ real sure they ain’ been wronged – but genocide be too much their answer, an’ I don’ ‘old wi’ tha’, so I don’ try too ‘ard.’
She ticked off another point on her fingers. ’Nex’, m’ mos’ recen’ scars be from gettin’ kidnapped out o’ th’ Reach while actin’ like a civ. I din’ get ‘em workin’. Stoppin’ don’ jus’ magically make life safe. I reckons I’s safer in wha’ I does ‘n mos’ construction workers is in th’ Reach. I’s jus’ more hones’ abou’ m’ dangers, ‘cause I ain’ ‘idin’ from ‘em in m’ own ‘ead.’
Ticking on another finger, she continued. ’Third, an’ related, be tha’ I’s tryin’ t’ plan f’ th’ results o’ such danger. I don’ got skills – or no’ much o’ ‘em, anyways – wha’ works when crippled. Some I migh’ be able t’ adjust, given time, an’ dependin’ on jus’ ‘ow I were maimed, but they ain’ th’ ones wha’ pays th’ best. An’ sure, I got friends wha’ says they’s goin’ take care o’ me if’n anythin’ ‘appens. There be two thin’s wrong with tha’ off’n th’ top o’ m’ ‘ead. One be tha’ thin’s can ‘appen t’ other folks, too, not jus’ me. Bein’ took care o’ ain’ no more certain than m’ curren’ life. An’ th’ other…’ she trailed off for a moment into a sigh, her voice resuming in a more introspective tone.
‘Th’ other be tha’ I ‘as a awful lot o’ ex-lovers f’ someone so young. An’ they’s ex-friends, besides. There be only one thin’ I finds t’ be in common wi’ all them failed relationships – an’ tha’s me. Jus’ because someone says now tha’ they’s goin’ take care o’ me if’n some’at ‘appens don’ mean they ain’ goin’ get real tired o’ me if’n it come down t’ doin’ so. One thin’ I learnt growin’ up be tha’ charity jus’ ain’ reliable, anyways. Mebbe y’ circumstances changes after y’ tries t’ be takin’ care o’ me, even aside from gettin ‘urt y’self or startin’ t’ resent m’ as a whingy burden wha’ ain’ th’ same girl y’ took on. I jus’ can’ count on tha’ sort o’ ‘elp.’
Her arms crossed in front of her chest as her voice regained its earlier confidence. ’An’ finally, it come down to it, there be two more basic reasons, an’ I ain’ sure even in m’ own mind which be more impor’an’. Th’ one be tha’ I growed up bein’ a leech on society, an’ while I reckons tha’ weren’ no fault o’ mine, bein’ one again jus’ migh’ be, if’n I could prevent it. I don’ wanna be no leech on m’ friends’ charity. Don’ matter ‘ow willin’ on their part – I needs t’ feel like I’s useful t’ society in some way… even if’n it ain’ Krytan society in specific. An’ related…’
She shifted her position slightly to relieve the discomfort her oh-so-casual pose was causing her, thanks to the hilt of one of her hidden knives poking her in the backside. ’One way I contributes t’ society be tha’ I’s real good at wha’ I does. Other people doin’ wha’ I does… don’ come back, or no’ in one piece. When I goes ou’, th’ job get done. If’n I don’, others gotta try – an’ people dies tha’ way. Tha’ be why I gotta go ou’, an’ why I can’ jus’ stop. By goin’, I’s savin’ lives. If’n I chooses t’ stop… I’s chose them deaths. I don’ claim t’ be no perfect li’l angel, but when it come time f’ me t’ face Grenth, I needs t’ be able t’ look ‘im in th’ eye an’ know I done m’ best.’
With that, she straightened and pivoted, her greatcoat flaring about her legs as she resumed her interrupted progress out the door.
“If you were given a chance at gaining a noble title from the Queen for doing something, how excited would you be? Would you even care for such a title, Adri?”
‘If’n by “excited” y’ means “terrified”….’ The small blonde sighed heavily. ‘As thin’s be now, I’s a … retainer, a ‘irelin’, even betimes called a “pet”, but I ain’ th’ same sort o’ target in noble politics as a noble be.’ Her nervousness at the implications of the question showed in the fact that she started pacing. ‘There be a lot o’ similarity ‘tween th’ gangs an’ th’ nobles – not tha’ mos’ nobles’d ‘preciate ‘earin’ tha’ – but there some big differences, too. An’ I understands th’ world o’ street gangs, but I don’ understand th’ world o’ nobles. Makin’ me a noble… ‘less’n I ‘ad a … mentor f’ bein’ one, an’ one powerful ‘nough t’ look out f’ me while I learned… well. Jus’ makin’ me a noble wouldn’ be much better’n throwin’ me in th’ sea wi’ th’ Risen sharks. ’Ceptin’ wi’ them, I’d ‘ave a chance.’
(♨) Aleyanna would be hard at work grilling up some eggs for Adriwyn. Near the grill would be some lean cut bacon and a few slices of sourdough toast. There was also a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Aleyanna at this point would turn to Adriwyn. “I hope you enjoy this healthy and hearty meal!”
Blinking in shocked surprise, Adri would deposit herself suddenly on the nearest available seat. Her lower lip would start trembling, and tears would start leaking from her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. Cursing herself for her reacions, she would stammer out, ‘M-m-m’lady, wh-why… I ‘opes y-y’s ‘avin’ some, t-too… tha’s more’n I eats in two whole days!’
After biting on her traitorous lip, she’d realise some of how that might sound, and would hurriedly add, ‘I’s grateful! I… I jus’ ain’ used t’ Ladies doin’ f’ me… specially no’ ones I don’ know so good….’
“Well of course I’ll be partaking in this meal! A nice delicious breakfast is an excellent way to boost morale,” Aleyanna remarked as she set a plate of food by Adriwyn. She placed another plate of food for herself and before she started in, she remarked, “Well, since I’ll be here with the Roses for a while, I figure I should do my part to show that I’m more than a proverbial trainer who goes by the book. I want to show a more casual side to everyone, that is, if you approve.”
Nodding slowly, not trusting her mastery of her voice again yet, Adri looked dubiously at the amount of food in question. She took up a fork and started making a go of it, suddenly stopping short at the addendum. ‘I… I don’ reckon it be f’ me t’ ‘pprove or disapprove, m’lady.’ She looks at her fork and finishes getting the bite into her mouth.
(♨) Aleyanna would be hard at work grilling up some eggs for Adriwyn. Near the grill would be some lean cut bacon and a few slices of sourdough toast. There was also a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Aleyanna at this point would turn to Adriwyn. “I hope you enjoy this healthy and hearty meal!”
Blinking in shocked surprise, Adri would deposit herself suddenly on the nearest available seat. Her lower lip would start trembling, and tears would start leaking from her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. Cursing herself for her reacions, she would stammer out, ‘M-m-m’lady, wh-why… I ‘opes y-y’s ‘avin’ some, t-too… tha’s more’n I eats in two whole days!’
After biting on her traitorous lip, she’d realise some of how that might sound, and would hurriedly add, ‘I’s grateful! I… I jus’ ain’ used t’ Ladies doin’ f’ me… specially no’ ones I don’ know so good….’
A Pre-Dawn Delivery
Re-reading Lux’s missive for a fourth time, the diminutive blonde shook her head with a heavy sigh. ‘No matter how I try,’ she thought to herself, ‘I can’t make that fit being something that ain’t telling me I ain’t a fit human being.’
Making her way carefully back out of her temporary hiding place, she scooted across the fields and made her way back to Lion’s Arch, and down to the Roses’ headquarters building. Her steps slowed as she approached, and she stood near the wall for a bit, looking off across the water, trying to marshal her thoughts and her feelings.
As she stood there, listening for threats with the help of the shadows while her gaze was otherwise occupied, she started to overhear bits and pieces of discussion. Enough of it was discernable that she could tell it was about Calialiel. Then she heard Lux’s voice, referring to ‘that captain that was here’ and then to ‘maybe a friend, and not a “friend”’ – with the figurative quotes quite obvious in the tone. Her head jerked almost as though she’d been slapped, and it took her a few moments even to wrap the shadows around herself and slip away, no longer considering it a useful thing to go inside.
‘I reckons it be just as bad as I read it after all,’ came the thought as she transported herself across the water, making her way around and south.
Later, long after nightfall, she found a lit corner in the fort on Stormbluff Isle, and started drafting a letter. She used scrap paper for the first two, then cheap but clean paper for the third, making sure she had a clear copy that was properly grammatical and properly spelt. Finally, then, she copied that version out onto proper vellum, and sanded it after she was done. When she was sure the ink wouldn’t run, she placed it in an envelope, and sealed it. None would recognise the seal, of course, but it would still serve the usual purpose of wax seals. She burned the drafts in the candle flame, and gathered the ashes, scattering from the bridge into the water on her way back to the headquarters building.
As was her intention, she arrived in the pre-dawn gloaming, just as the landward breeze from the harbour was dying away. She let herself in with her key, and held the mechanisms to slow motions as she eased in, shadows wrapped around her, deadening her already minimal noises. She padded down the stairs, slipping the letter, her pin, and her key into the lockbox, not particularly caring that it had been locked – and was again once she was done. Hiding her picks away again, She ascended as quietly as she had come down, proceeding to the roof.
After a look around, and a further gathering of shadows, cloaking her from sight, she activated the electrostatic device in her greatcoat. For once, the fact that she had trouble keeping shadow magic out of her illusions was an advantage, as four shrouded waifs leapt from the roof, gliding in different directions, both ways along the beach, and two different paths across the water, and finally completely out of sight.
1. How does your character bring in money? Are they employed, “old money” or something seedier?
The small blonde quirked a brow briefly at the question, mostly because it had been a while since anyone had seemed to care about that. It drew back down as she replied.
‘I works as a scout an’ a courier. Now, wi’ even wha’ li’l I knows abou’ you an’ y’ family, that ain’ enough t’ answer y’.’ She smiled wryly. ‘I’s s’prised ‘ow many does jus’ take tha’ answer, really. So. I’s a Magister in th’ Priory, an’ I still does some field work. I still ‘as a commission in th’ Pact, bu’ they ain’ curren’ly payin’ me. Mos’ly, though, I’s a self-employed courier. I buys gems from small mines wha’ don’ got th’ volume t’ afford th’ big caravans, an’ I sells ’em t’ various gem-cutters an’ jewelers wha’ also ain’ real big. An’ lately, I keeps some f’ m’self, since I ‘ad t’ learn th’ trade jus’ t’ keep from gettin’ cheated on wha’ th’ stones is worth. I ain’ opened m’ own shop or nothin’ yet, but I been thinkin’ about it.’
Adriellyn's Wandering Home 