Constructing a bond (Aeos/Gar support C)

[Aeos]

It was the day after his little foraging mission in the woodlands of this new island. The settlement seemed to enjoy the boar that he and Gar managed to bring back. The boar was carved and turned into a variety of foods stuffs that practically everyone enjoyed. The meats were either cooked over the fire or hung to dry as jerky. The left over bits were ground up and turned to sausage. Bones were boiled and turned into broth which later became soup or stew depending on who was cooking. One of the leather men turned it's skin into hide. And even the hair of the animal was used to make a few finer things like brushes. Everyone seemed to be in better spirits after the meal.

Fresh lumber had been brought in from the few brave lumberjacks who went into the woods to cut down trees and the wood cutters slowly turned each log block into a manageable plank of wood. Now Aeos didn't know much about wood cutting, outside of splitting logs for firewood, but he did know his way around a hammer and nail. So he volunteered himself into helping to construct the walls rather then cut the planks for them. So he and a few others took the finished planks of wood and started to nail them in place. He had a small patch of wall to himself and was working at a moderate pace. Aeos wiped the sweat off his brow and took a seat on a makeshift chair. He took a sip on of water from his canteen and took a moment to appreciate the day.

[Gar]

Gar wasn’t used to the kind of attention he had been receiving after the hunt. It was like he was a small town hero and it was somewhat off-putting. I guess most of these people haven’t had a meal like that since they left the mainland. Gar was trying not to allow the attention to get to his head, but he did enjoy it as much as he thought was appropriate. He told a few stories of valor of him and his new friend Aeos. His crewmates were impressed with the accounts of Aeos taking on a boar that size unarmed. Many of the mates requested Gar to find him and introduce them. Gar agreed and took to looking for the storied man. He walked with a slight limp while he searched through the town. The weight of the messenger bag he carried wasn’t helping. The pants he wore were still cut around his lower leg, revealing a bandage around his shin and calf. Gar began asking around for Aeos. After a few attempts, he was told to search the perimeter of the city.

Gar eventually came upon the long dark haired man, resting in a wooden chair. “Ah there you are. How’s all the attention treating you? My mates sure think you’re something special. Hahar.” Gar moved closer to Aeos and sat on an uncut log. He placed his bag at his side and scanned the wall. Coming along nicely. Gar nodded approvingly “Normally I would offer some assistance with the wall, but Cap’n ordered me to stay off my leg until it’s healed. All I can do for now is run errands. What kind of an adventure is that?” Gar shook his head in annoyance, then sighed.

[Aeos]

"Ah Gar. Welcome to my tiny patch of wall." The nabatan gave the young sailor a warm smile and a nod. Aeos had forgotten that the islanders seemed to have given them extra attention since they brought back the boar. While he enjoyed the meal he shared with Gar and the crew, he was busy spending the night attending to the needs of his own group.

"Well.. I am glad thy crew seems to think I am special. To be honest.. I haven't.. been paying much attention to well.. the attention. My shipmates be on the mend and for that I be grateful we found the boar. However.. on this island.. I cannot seem to focus. I.. feel excited.. like a child with a new bauble. I suppose it might just be to the whole.. new-ness oft the island. Or perhaps the good meal?" He shook his head. He shook his head. Not quite sure if he was making any sense what so ever. Regardless of this he was glad to see Gar in good spirits.

"Ah. Thy captain be a good man. Do not worry Gar. Thy leg needs more attention then these wooden walls. Any adventure be better then no adventure. Even small errands haft their own sense of adventure. After all thou doth..er do.. not know what could happen." He gave the sailor a soft smile before turning to look back at his patch of wall. He was surprised to see how much of it he had accomplished already. It was about noon now and he was already 3/4ths of the way done. He didn't even realize how quickly the morning hours went by.

"So what do you plan on doing once thy leg is mended? I know once this wall be done I plan to take a dip in the ocean. Perhaps some meditation.. which I have been neglecting as of late."

[Gar]

Gar listened to Aeos tell of his excitement, being on a new island and he agreed. " This island is just what the wanderer in people have dreamed of. Uncharted, Uninhabited, It's like a blank slate that anyone can leave their name on." Gar also heard the lecture about resting his leg until it was healed. He had heard it all before, but it sounded different coming from Aeos and not just due to his speech pattern. It was because Aeos seemed to genuinely care about Gar's health and not just his ability to continue working. Gar decided to reach over to his bag and open it. He pulled out a necklace fashioned from a boars tusk. He extended it out to Aeos.


" Here take this. It's a boar's tusk necklace, typically worn as a trophy of sorts. In olden times it symbolized strength, manliness and willpower. I made it for myself, but I think you should have it as a sign of our friendship." Gar smiled at Aeos. " And boars have two tusks anyway so I can just make myself another. And once my leg's better we can always catch another boar." Gar pulled out a second tusk and string from his bag. He also grabbed a hand cranked drill which he placed on the tusk. He began to drill a hole in the second tusk when Aeos mentioned going for a swim. " A swim would be nice, I don't think I've ever meditated though. I mean who has the time to just sit around and do nothing?" Gar paused for a moment, then laughed at the irony of the situation. He was currently sitting, doing nothing while Aeos worked on the wall's construction.

[Aeos]

"Tis true. Perhaps that be it? The prospect of a fresh start.. a chance to make new mistakes.. and avoid repeating thy past. Hmm.." His gaze turned to the sky for a bit. Not that the dragon had any real mistakes he needed to atone for at least none that he really knew about. But yet.. the sailor might have been on to something. Here on the island.. there wasn't any history at least not a definitive one. Here there were only the histories of the people that arrived. But the island had.. no memory of the scouring.. the air was fresh.. the magic was more pronounced.. this island.. was truly something. His thoughts were interrupted by Gar and his gift.

Aeos wasn't quite sure what to say when he was given the necklace. He wasn't used to reciving gifts with out giving something in return. And the dragon in human guise didn't exactly have something nice to give in exchange. He was going to have to find the time to make something later and present it to the sailor. He accepted the gift and quickly put it on. The necklace made of boar tusk was of a shorter string then the necklace he had which held his stone. Which was good it meant that they wouldn't clash together and possibly break.

"Thank you Gar. Ah.. my apologies.. I.. do not have something prepared to give thee in return. But fret not! I shall make something! Though not quite at this second." He put his hand on his chin for a moment as if to think on what exactly he could give the sailor. He chuckled lightly at Gar's comment about meditation.

"Aye.. you be not the first person to say that. I agree that meditation isn't exactly for everyone.. but it be part oft my training. Part oft my life style. Part of the history oft my kin." He paused for a moment.

"Oh you be a sailor that can swim. That be good. I know some oft my shipmates who cannot. Does not make much sense to me.. a man who works hard at sea and doth..er.. does not know how to swim. Or at the very least tread water.." He stretched lightly.

"I was taught how to swim. Father said it was a needed skill." His mind flashed to all the times in his flying practice where he crashed into the ocean.

[Gar]

Gar was a little embarrassed when Aeos gave his thanks. Gar wasn’t really used to being thanked for his deeds, but again, it was nice. He also didn’t expect anything in return, but would accept it of course. "Don't worry about it. I didn't expect anything for that. But if you insist I won't stop you Haha." Gar continued to drill a hole in the tusk as Aeos spoke. He laughed aloud when he heard of the sailors who couldn’t swim. “Really? A sailor who can’t swim? That’s just poor planning. Hahar. Like a bird who hops off a cliff before it can fly.” Gar shook his head, smiling.

He listened to his friend speak on being taught to swim by his father. It reminded him of his own life. “Fathers are smart like that. My old man taught me to swim as well. It certainly is necessary for sea crossing folk like ourselves.” Gar thought back to his younger days, when he clumsily fell off docks and flailed in the water, until someone came to his rescue. He smirked at the thought. Good thing he taught me, otherwise I may be at the bottom of the sea by now.

Gar broke through to the opposite side of the tusk and placed the drill in his bag at his side. He took up the string and continued constructing his boar tusk necklace. “So what do you usually do in your down time? Besides meditation.” Gar looped the string through the tusk and deftly knotted it off at the top of the loop. He placed it around his head and looked at it as it hung against his chest. Gar looked at Aeos' necklace and smirked. I guess were matching now.

[Aeos]

"Hmm.. outside oft my usual training. Well I do like to cook. After all what good be a hunt if thou do not know how to cook the game?" He paused for a moment. He thought back on all the meals he prepared though out the centuries. Everything from campfire meals to hot homemade stews his mother showed him.

"I know it be not the most.. masculine of things. But it keeps me happy and my stomach full." He smiled softly and thought of Bern. The young dragon still needed to finish the rest of Euphemious's apple pie challenge. And the more that he thought on he realized that he still had any pumpkin pie. I wonder if the season for that be over now..

"I have a friend back in Bern. Who told me to try every apple pie fromth every Inn in the country. I do not know if he meant the challenge as a jest.. but I hath took the challenge seriously." He gave a bit of a sheepish grin.

"I travel looking for new things.. new foods to try. Perhaps if thou ever joins me out towards Bern I can guide the around for good pub foods. I know a few places in Nabata that give good drink too if the food hunt not be to thy liking." Ah, yes. Drinks. While the food eating or cooking wasn't exactly the epitome of manliness. He knew drinking kinda sorta was. And the dragon was fond of a good drink. His mind trailed off back to Nabata, back to Locke, and the drink they shared at the little village. A drink made from the rarest bounties of the desert.

"What of you? What do you like to do in thy down time?"

[Gar]

Cooking is an important survival skill. Maybe I should convince one of the cooks to teach me the basics. Gar thought back to the cooks on the ship to discern who would be the most likely to help him. Aeos brought up his friend from Bern and apple pies. Gar chuckled at the prospect of eating a pie from every inn on the continent. "That sure is a quest with it's own reward hahar." Gar slid off the log onto the ground and used the log as a backrest. He tried to think if he had ever made any deliveries to Bern but he couldn't think of any.

"Hmm, I don't think I've ever been, but I would be happy to accompany you there. Especially if you're buying the food." Gar chuckled. "Nabata though. I've been there before. Treasure hunting. That's kind of my dream, you see. I'm gonna gain a fortune and hide it for adventurers all over to try to find. It'll be my mark on the future." There was a bit of a glint in Gar's eye as he spoke of his future goal. Of course I have to make a fortune first. Gar shrugged off the details and began to think of the things he liked to do in his spare time.

" It really depends on where I am I guess. If I'm on land then I'm probably at a tavern, making some new friends or trying my luck in an arena. At sea I spend my time joking and playing cards with my mates. Sometimes I make crafts like these." Gar indicated to the tusk around his neck. " Not much else to do at sea."

"Man all that talk of pie made me hungry. You done with that wall yet?"

[Aeos]

Aeos wouldn't say it out loud. But he was a bit confused on Gar's dream. Treasure hunting... But not spending the treasure while one was living... Or putting it aside for one's future family. And who's to say the next person who found Gar's treasures was going to be honest about the history of obtaining it, thus keeping Gar's memory alive in history. I.. think we are putting too much thought into this. Well part of Gar's dream did come true.

Aeos was a dragon. And he would out live many humans.. but he would always remember his friends. He would write down their names in his journal along with their story so he wouldn't forget it. And even if he were to die prematurely... Then at least those book they could copied or preserved and they would still hold those memories. Damn it.. I can't say that out loud either. Twould be such a nice sentiment.. and A good gift.

"Thy handiwork with the crafts is impressive." Aeos smiled softly and brushed his fingers on his tusk necklace. He then took a moment to stare at the wall. He still had a bit more to do.

"Ah! Right the wall. I shall continue to work on it. I should be finished.. once thou finished thy errands." He tapped Gar on the shoulder. As if to tell him he was getting a bit too comfortable.

"Come.. up now. We both still have work to do." Aeos pulled himself up off of his make shift chair. He grabbed his hammer and a few more nails.

"Find me again once thou finished thy errands. Then we shall get lunch. I hear the fishermen speak well oft this morning's haul."

[Gar]

Aeos complimented Gar again. That was rare. No one treats a pirate with that sort of respect unless they were a pirate themselves. Gar wasn’t sure how to react. Perhaps this man is a pirate as well. Maybe a wanderer. Its all the same as far as I’m concerned. The pirate and the tanned man exchanged looks. Apparently Aeos didn’t agree with his dream.  Dang maybe he will understand in time. No I should try to make him understand my dream. Gar listened further and scratched the back of his neck. Well, this guy seems to know what he wants from the world. I should at least try to understand his reasoning.. That conversation should be saved for another time.

The pirate smirked."Yea I try to be pretty good with crafts." He accepted the compliments from his new friend with a smile. Once Aeos’ hand landed on Gar’s shoulder he returned to reality. Gar had been relaxing too much and needed to continue his work, even on a damaged leg. He heard Aeos respond to his question. Apparently the wall wouldn’t be done for some time. This worked well with thee pirate's schedule because it allowed Gar to complete the tasks his captain gave him.

"Come.. up now. We both still have work to do."

“Aye. You’re right. I should get back to it.” Gar stood up and gathered his messenger bag. “It was nice talking to you again.” The pirate turned to leave with a wide smile. “Make sure you let me know when you head out again. I got your back! Har ha” Gar exited with a laugh and a feeling of friendship.

[Aeos]

"Ah right. I was planning on another trip out into the woods later in the week. But we shall not go anywhere together until thy leg is well. But I also have thy back Gar." He gave Gar a warm smile. It was a nice feeling to know someone had your back. It was also nice to make a new friend. The young pirate left the young dragon. Aeos again stared at the wall for a bit and gave a soft sigh. He grabbed a fresh board from the pile and went back to work. He kept a good pace and was finished with the wall at around one o'clock. He did a quick test of the wall to see how it held. The pikes all seemed to look even. The dragon felt like he had done a good job. The man who was supervising deemed it to be worthy and Aeos was dismissed.

Eventually the dragon found the sailor and the two of them went out for a quick lunch. Afterwards Aeos left Gar's company and set out to do what he wanted to do. He took a dip in the sea, then a light work out, and finally he went to work on his meditation. He was still having a bit of trouble focusing on his meditation. As he often found himself staring out into the woods in silent wonder. He felt as if something was calling him. Or perhaps he was simply eager to get on with the next adventure. The rest of the day was spent doing some light errands and being generally useful around Aurion.

{End Thread}