Located on the sandy, rocky beach the sounds of the sea are ever-present in Hakirrash. Colorful flowers bloom around the land, and of recent years, potent spices grow as well - their exotic and luxurious scents drifting through the village, riding the slightly salty coastal air currents!

---

A young lady bounces up and down in her seat, working at the loom. She has gotten almost no work done today, but she just cant help it! Her eldest brother Joura is likely to return today, and though it is early, she already knows she is going to be distracted all day!

She wonders what he will bring back with him from his latest expedition! Her father - the village chief - doesn't know this, but she has stowed away a couple times on Joura's boat! He had been enraged the first time, and kept her in the crate she had squeezed into as punishment. It had been suuuper boring, but Joura had apologized later so she guesses it was okay.

After she did it two more times, Joura gave up and just started letting her run around on the ship. Despite his clear disapproval, he hadn't said anything to her father, clearly, or he would have put a stop to it. Her old man was even worse about letting her go too far from the village to play then Joura had been, after all.

Asherah loved life. She found it so much fun! Even when it wasn't, it was okay, she felt. Sure, work was boring, though the colors were pretty - but as long as she got all her work done her mum and dad let her play all she wanted.

Asherah was almost an adult now though, according to village customs, and so her nag of a mum had been trying to get her to act more mature for her age. Her father felt it was pointless, he clearly thought of Asherah as a blessed soul who would seemingly forever have that spark of childlike wonder that so many lost...

She harrumphed remembering that. At the time it had been really wholesome but also embarassing, but now she thought he was just an idiot who didn't realize how womanly and awesome she was.

Asherah snaps out of her recollection, hearing the sounds of shouting outside, coming from the harbor area, being carried upwind to her family home, which sits closest by the beach.

Her brother is back! But... she still has work. Should she jump up and greet him, anyway?

What will Asherah do?

Asherah would, of course, leap up and head over to welcome her brother. In the time it would take for her brother to make it home Asherah wouldn't have completed much more work. So technically going and greeting him now would be significantly more productive. At least that was her logic.

Asherah would trip once her twice in her excitement but still make it there pretty quickly. Once there she'd eagerly look around for her brother.

Asherah quickly spots her brother Joura. The man is tall, with bronzed skin and the darkest hair in the family. He is quite handsome, except for the bags underneath his eyes from nights spent contemplating many things.

Noticing Asherah, her brother smiles and waves her over with open arms. "Little sister," he cries out, "I have missed you dearly!"

Asherah notices an unfamiliar individual is standing beside Joura. He wears a strange mantle, made of colorful feathers and painted in inks. His lower half only has a loincloth, and his features are foreign.

The man gives her a polite smile but ultimately is not focused on her, but on Joura.

The rest of the sailing vessel's crew are cheering as they roll around on the deck of the harbor. The few veterans who have made the trip to the Credi Isles quite a number of times show more restraint, but do still seem clearly relaxed by the presence of solid, dry land.

Your father is also present, directing local laborers that are just wandering around the area to help unload the contents of the ship's voyage. A close eye is being kept on them, but you do catch it as your father and eldest brother exchange a short look, followed by an acknowledging nod. They would probably celebrate later, once the trade goods had been counted and sorted.

You get the feeling that the gleam that passes through their eyes helps them to communicate the quality of their loot, but it's too intricate and quick for you to do more than notice. Hopefully the results were good.

Asherah would rush over to Joura and allow herself to be enveloped by a hug. "I missed you as well brother! Wha-" Asherah had been about to ask what he had brought back from his expedition but caught herself. As blunt and brash speaking as she was, even Asherah knew better than to discuss profit in front of a client.

Once she relinquished her brother she'd turn to the strange man. "Welcome sir!" she'd say cheerily. She'd give the unfamiliar face a sort of deep head nod; more then a nod, not quite a bow. "Might I inquire what kind of birds those feathers came from?" She'd ask, her voice laden with curiosity. She had always enjoyed the fauna part of harvesting ornamentation for the Village's artistry. She thought it strange that he was just wearing a lion's cloth though. Didn't her village trade clothes with the islanders? What if he was from a newly discovered island? This got Asherah very excited, enough so that she'd look up at the stranger and meet his eyes.

Joura accepts Asherah's hug, and pats her back affectionately before they separate.

When Asherah speaks to the man, he seems slightly surprised. But, he returns her nod exactly as she gave it. The gesture is a bit awkward coming from him, but he carries himself with enough grace to make it work.

The man cocks his head at her question, and looks to Joura who gives a wry smile to them both. Joura gestures for Asherah to wait a moment, before signaling their father to hurry up and come over. The patriarch of the family grumbles but hands the duty of overseeing the unloading to an elderly gentleman - the father to one of Joura's original crewmates, and a man with good sense. He'll do.

As your father - Nahur Sha-hakir - approaches, the foreign man looks up and bows deeply to the man, instantly recognizing him as the top dog of these lands. Your father has a gently imposing presence about him, which is surprising given his rather unassuming height and built. His face however, is one of great seriousness towards all but members of his family.

Short cut white hair neatly frames a wrinkled face of deeply bronzed skin, wildly arrayed with age spots like a painter had flecked the dye off their brush and onto him. Unlike most of his family members, his eyes are a dark, stormy gray, rather than the soft brown of most Jakedis that live in and around Hakirrash.

With straight shoulders, Nahur nods at the foreign man before turning to his son. Only after he looks away does the foreign man raise his head.

Your father speaks in a stern but not unkind voice, "Joura. You have brought a friend from the Isles, I take it? What is the identity of this man?"

Joura responds with his father's formal title, "Yes, Sha-hakir. This man is Maunao Ha-o-toko, the Senior Elder of the Yellow Feather tribe. His people occupy several islands with the Credi Isles"

Nahur seems slightly surprised by the man's identity, and gives the man a longer and deeper look. For his part, the stranger stoically allows himself to be analyzed by the village chief, the Sha-hakir.

When he seems satisifed, Nahur nods his head and bows more deeply to the man, signalling their equal status. The stranger's eyes widen a little at this, but he quickly schools his expression.

"Joura. Why has Senior Elder Ha-o-toko come here?" your father inquires of your brother.

Joura looks to the man and speaks liltedly in a language you have never heard, "pahai no ha ... -ka ta-tal ... aka ?"

The man takes a moment to respond, but when he does so you are surprised by the sound of his voice. Despite his apparent age, his voice is as smooth as the richest honey. It brings warmth to those who merely hear it, "Tatalaka wapa ba-hai yalay kipeteha wi wak ma na patale"

Joura has a concentrated expression on his face while he parses the words before nodding and turning back to Nahur. "Senior Elder Ha-o-toko says that he has come to strengthen ties between his tribe and our village. He also wishes to visit the north and witness the Kingdom of Ghanbar"

Nahur appears slightly overwhelmed by all this, but closes his eyes and nods solemnly. He takes a deep breath before opening his eyes and commanding Joura in a clear voice, "Tell him these things can be arranged. However, it will take some time before all is ready".

Joura nods and begins formulating an explanation to translate to the important visitor.

Nahur sighs one last time and turns around, walking away before stopping briefly. He turns back and says to Joura, slightly interrupting his attempts to handle the new language he has picked up pieces of. Nahur says, "When our honorable guest has settled, come to the house. I would be pleased to greet my eldest son back from his voyage" and with that he gives a light smile, erasing some of the formality from the atmosphere, which had made everyone ever-so-slightly tense. Nahur's eyes also settle on you and he speaks as he turns around, "Asherah, my dear, please leave your brother to handle his affairs. If I'm not mistaken, you should still be working on your tailoring at this early hour? Don't tell me you've become bored of it, already?" there is a hint of amusement in his eyes as he teases his daughter, but there is also a clear indication that Asherah and Joura may need to catch up later, as Joura has important and difficult work to do.

Asherah would offer a soft giggle. "My, whatever do you mean Father? What if, I was sooo excited to look on my brother once more, I finished alll my work in the wee hours of morn?" She'd ask, hands behind her back. Both of them knew full well that would never happen, but that didn't stop Asherah from pointing it out.

Of course, before heading out, the brash teen had one more item on her agenda. "Joura!" she'd shout, probably interrupting something important. "Ask about the birds!" she'd say flapping her hands for emphasis. As soon as that emphasis gesture was done, Asherah was out of there. She sprinted off the dock and to her house [yet again tripping here and there during her rush] in the hopes that she could get away unadmonished.

Her antics left her brother and father giving her a total glare, but the visiting chief from the Isles seemed to have a fond smile on his face, despite the disruption.

Returning quickly to the family home, Asherah scurried into the room and sat down by her loom... On second thought, that had been maybe a little too silly, given that she did not know the character of the stranger... She felt that things would be fine, but her father was clearly unimpressed.

There was still much work to do, and Asherah was left alone to complete it. Her mother would not be back from the dye garden for at least an hour... Asherah would also be scolded quite a lot if she hadn't finished at least a fair bit of cloth before then...

Once seated Asherah would set to work. Working the loom had become second nature to her, so only the most intricate designs needed her full attention. This left her with her own thoughts and the internal rhythm of the weave when crafting easier pieces. She thought on her earlier actions today and had just an ounce of regret. It had been rather rude of her to interrupt business. The stranger hadn't known her and while Asherah thought most social rules were dumb, the importance of first impression had never been lost on her. She had just dearly wanted to know about the birds!

If Asherah was informed of these creatures, she could use some of their feathers next time a particularly 'unique' dressed was order from Ghanbar. While the feathers might be a bit exotic for their taste, it had always been a dream of Asherah's to set a trend with her own work. Asherah would then go on to imagine the different ways she could style a dress with feathers. Eventually, even this train of thought would peter out, causing Asherah to work the loom in a sort of mindless stupor. She would continue her work, unaware of the passage of time, until disturbed by a physical touch or particularly loud noise.

Her rhythm was not interrupted, even when her mother came and went, completing her own work in a similarly mindless way.

Her work was over as soon as she knew it, and the sun had passed the center of the sky. In a while, it would begin to set and the day would come to an end.

Asherah's stomach makes an embarrassing noise... before then, it will soon be time for dinner!

Leaving her workplace after cleaning up, Asherah left the large room used by her and several other of the village's men and women. Her family home was just around the corner, and it was the nicest one in the village... well, they were all pretty colorful, but hers was the largest!

Even before entering inside, Asherah can already smell her mother's cooking! Pushing past the beaded curtains, Asherah feels the warmth from the cooking pot and gets a better whiff of the lovely stew!

Her two younger brothers, Asher and Mourn, lounge inside, as does her older sister, Kiyana. They all look up from what they're doing to greet her, but quickly go back to their activities.

It seems her brother and father have not returned from their day's work yet.

Her mother notices her then, "Ah, Asherah, you finished up then? And I bet you're hungry... Good, dinner will be served in twenty minutes. Go play outside or send your brothers to go fetch Joura and your Father. I don't want them to miss dinner and they should be done by now"

Asherah would nod. "Okay mother!" Asherah would head for the beaded entrance to grab some driftwood when she remembered a certain conversation. "Oh, mother were you informed that a guest will be joining us? Joura brought home some islander chieftan and father invited him to dinner." Asherah said/inquired, like any village women, her mother took her cooking quite seriously. Cooking was no priority in the village and nobody in the village was particularly skilled at it, yet it was considered an important role of one parent to provide the family with nourishment, and the other parent to provide shelter. This was a big reason Asherah's people traded for spices; the spices flavor helped make up for their lack of skill.

With her mother informed, Asherah would then exit through the beaded entrance. Only to quickly re enter with a skinny piece of driftwood. Why the driftwood? Why, for poking younger siblings of course! Asherah would the begin to poke at her younger brothers. "Up! Up weeins'! Go fetch Joura and father. If you do it quick enough, we might get to squeeze in some shell hunting!" Asherah would exclaim excitedly.

Your mother informs you she is already aware of your father's plans, and has prepared accordingly.

Asher and Mourn groaned at their older sister's prodding, but ultimately they rolled over and scurried out of the house. The younger of the two, Mourn stuck his tongue out at Asherah and blew a raspberry before running out the house.

--

Soon, the stew is ready, and your mother enlists your and Kiyana's help with setting the table with your finest tablecloth and knitted coasters. As your mother brings out her cooking pot, you notice she has made the stew in the expensive painted ceramic that your father had brought back from Ghanbar for his wife, a few months ago.

She has rarely used it since, saving it for just such an occasion! As you see it in use for the first time, you are shocked to notice that parts of the painted ceramic are actually slightly glowing, due to the presence of a hot liquid inside! Incredible! What kind of dye had been used to accomplish this? What an amazing centerpiece for the table!

Your mother also takes out the softest, fluffiest bread in her cabinet. Your village has always traded for most food that isn't from the sea, which is shown in the quality of your meals. A large bass has also been prepared. It is cooked well enough, though you can see it is slightly uneven

Your mother is one of the better cooks of the village, and was actually taught by your father during their first year after their Medi-Soniarast (ceremony of unification). In his youth, Nahur was a renowned fisherman pined after by many young women.

Despite all this though, the skills of your people in the field of cooking pale in comparison to the quality of goods you trade for.

Fortunately, the mediocrely-prepared fish is mostly covered up by an abundance of spices that compliment each other fairly well and are not overdone. You remember when you first starting trading for spices with the Credi Islanders, there were a few times you and your siblings nearly choked on a serving of fish you thought was crusted with something, but was actually just utterly caked in spices. It is one of the funniest memories in recent years, but your mother always gets annoyed when anyone brings up her past mistake.

---

After a dozen minutes, you hear commotion outside. It seems everyone has returned for the feast! Out of the corner of your eye, you notice your mother returning with a strange glass bottle filled with a dark violet liquid... Where did she get that from? You've never seen that around the house before... Your mind starts to race with the exciting possibilities that maybe there is still somewhere in the house that your parents have hidden things from you!

Then again... that time you found a chest in your father's room, and had managed to open it by spending an hour unbinding all the ropes keeping it shut... The things inside were really interesting, but you hadn't had long to look before your father returned and put it away... after had been one of the few times your father had ever truly shouted at you. He kept saying something about how dangerous it had been, and that the things in the box were there for a reason, but you only remembered the worry in his eyes and the fear you felt...

Maybe if your parents wanted to keep something hidden, it was for the better that you let it be... then again... you are very curious about what it just might be!

---

As you all take your seats, the table is crammed with extra seats easily borrowed from your neighbors.

OOC: The following section was difficult to describe so I learned how to use HTML tables and made an illustration for you

You sit in the middle of the entrance-facing long end of the table. Next to you on your left is your brother Asher, and to your right is your brother Mourn. Across from you is your older sister Kiyana. To her left and your right is your mother, and to her right and your left is Joura.

From your perspective, your father sits at the rightmost short end of the table, while Senior Elder Ha-o-toko faces him from across the largest dimension of the table.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎	Joura	Kiyana	Mother	‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
Guest	XXXXX	XXXXX	XXXXX	Father
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎	Asher	[[YOU]]	Mourn	‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

---

---

As dinner begins, your mother sits down last after pouring the unfamiliar liquid from that bottle. One for your father, and the other for the guest. None for the rest of you... Hmph!

You might have been a bit annoyed, but then the acrid smell hits you and you are no longer so interested. You don't know what it is, but it smells a bit like stinky grapes, not that you've ever smelled stinky grapes.

After you all sit down, your father, Nahur speaks up.

"We welcome you to our village, Senior Elder Ha-o-toko. We hope you have found your accomodations satisfying. Today, we will eat with my family as a show of good will and future collaboration. Please, enjoy my Medina's cooking."

After your father speaks, Joura spends a few moments doing his best to translate for the foreign guest. When he is done, Senior Elder Ha-o-toko nods and responds to your father, though his words are in that same foreign language only Joura seems to have a grasp on.

After he is finished, Joura translates his words, "I am happy to be here. I... no- the... the Yellow Feather tribe is pleased to... make relations with your village." the translation is tough, but Joura pulls through in the end. He clearly isn't yet fluent in the tongue used by the visitor, but he is making a valiant effort.

Nahur nods, and then gestures to his utensils, which the guest Elder picks up without hesitation. Nahur uses his knife to cut a large slice of the fish, and places it on his plate. Then, he nods to your mother, who catches on, slicing a large piece of fish and leaning over so Joura can help place it down on the elder's plate.

Nahur then speaks simply, "My Medina will serve the rest. Let us eat, and talk after, once the children have retired for the evening". Joura translates and the Elder nods, seemingly agreeable.

With that, your mother begins to serve the rest of you, while your father and the elder eat in silence, watching each other intently but not overbearingly. Joura occasionally asks the Elder a question or two in the foreign tongue, to which he gets simple responses.

Is there anything you wish to do during the dinner proceedings? Or will you just enjoy your stew, bread and spicy fish?

OOC: Medina basically means wife, or the equivalent in your culture. Do not be confused that this is your mother's name

Ashearah would return Mourn's raspberry without hesitation. The only difference being Asherah would puff her cheeks and squish them when she blew her raspberry.
__

Asherah would obediently help set the table. True, she had originally had plans to play a bit before she had to suffer through the stuffy dinner, but duty called. Of course all of the 'agonizing minutes' [moments in reality] were worth t when to pot came out. Asherah's eyes would widen as she moved around the table examining it. Her mind wondering what could cause that subtle light coming from the pot. Was it really from some sort of dye? If so what?

Asherah wondered if she'd receive such gifts when she was older. Of course, she always thought the idea of becoming some man's Medina was disgusting ever since she was given 'the talk'. But often joked she'd do it if the man in question showered in her gifts like that pot.

She would indeed giggle when the fish came out, reminiscing on her mother's first attempt at spicing fish. Despite the memory of the original mixup, Asherah couldn't help but lick her lips at the sight of the fluffy bread and fish. Her mother was easily one of the best cooks in the village and it was clear she had broken out the good stuff for this dinner.
__

After what felt like forever [plus some added hand smacks from her mother], Asherah heard a commotion out side. She'd rush to the beaded entrance to see if it was her brothers, father, and their guest. It was! She'd shoot the group a smile and scurry back inside for dinner.

Asherah was exceedingly curious as to what the liquid was and why her mother was hiding it. Why would one hide liquid? Was it bad? Or dangerous? If it was dangerous why was her mother pulling it out now? Asherah knew better than to ask, so she made the executive decision to figure it out later. When her father was distracted, of course.
__

Since her mother served the liquid it became clear to Asherah that it must not be dangerous. Otherwise her mother wouldn't be serving it to such an important guest. When Asherah wasn't served any she opened her mouth to protest. She immediately regretted her decision when the smell hit her. This smell was worse then the weird stinky medicine her mother passed around when the village or the animals came down with something. Thankfully, it was better than what Asherah had smelled when she had found a slug's corpse while harvesting dye on the rocks. With that, Asherah scraped any plans that had been formulating to find out what the liquid was, or drink it.

Asherah would sit through the dinner with an openly bored face. She enjoyed the food but had expected the dinner to be... more lively. She had been impressed with the islander when he didn't even flinch upon trying her mother's infamously spicy fish. Then again the spices had come from the Credi Isles, maybe their food was even more mouth scorching. Asherah licked her lips at that thought, she adored spicy food.

When 'the children retiring' was mentioned Asherah would raise her eyebrows. "Does that include me Father?" Asherah would inquire, curious and hopeful.

As the food had been mostly finished in good time, Asher and Mourn quickly retired. Her sister Kiyana also gracefully bowed out.

At Asherah's words, Nahur gave her a considering look. Her mother opened her mouth as if to speak, but her father held up a gentle hand... Her mother looked worried but decided to wait and see what her Memed [masculine equivalent of Medina] had to say on the matter.

Nahur takes a moment before deciding. "Hm. I suppose you can be allowed to listen in on this. Behave yourself and show respect to our guest, my Asherah" At that Joura seems quite surprised, but a knowing glint passes through his eyes... before he lets out a small, soft smile.

Her mother looks slightly concerned but ultimately lets out a short sigh before giving Asherah a hard stare.

the Senior Elder is the first to speak, "Wakapa palal te ha-ki-o wa. Te-ku la-pa hausan, moa moa witi-lai!"

Joura struggles for a second before his eyes brighten up, and he simply says, "Senior Elder compliments 'the matriarch's cooking'," a small smile appears on Joura's face at the term of address, while your mother has a very slight blush. Joura then finishes the translation with, "He asks what you first would like to discuss. The relations between Yellow Feather and Hakirrash, or the logistics of introducing them to Ghanbar"

Asherah would grin and bounce slightly in her seat. This would stop as soon as she realized that was what her father meant by 'behave yourslf'... among other things of course. She would think of the best way to keep calm while listening to the conversation then remember the bead basket her mother usually tucked away in the kitchen. She could work on some beading while she listened!

Of course, Asherah received the smile from her brother and the firm stare from her mother before getting up. She'd give her brother a cheerful glance and her mother a look of feigned, innocent confusion. With her non-verbal response done, Asherah would set off on her search for the beading basket while the conversation began.

Asherah would find it, retake her seat and begin braiding some strands together with beads on them. She would weave a pattern on them that her grandmother had claimed represented protection. Such faith had shattered and fallen out in recent years but hey, at least it looked pretty!

Her interruption is politely ignored by her father and the senior elder, though when she returns Asherah gets the sense that this may have been a more rude thing to do than she had imagined... Even Joura is looking at her a bit uncomfortable, while her mother gives her a withering glare like she had only ever seen a few times before.

While she kept her hands busy while her mind was on task, Asherah hears the conversation between the Senior Elder and Nahur, with Joura as an intermediate.

---

"Let us first discuss the future of our cooperation, if it pleases him. Hakirrash is already in good relations with many tribes of the Credi Isles. How much awareness does Senior Elder have on the matter?" Nahur initiates.

The Elder has a slightly stiff expression at this, "He says he has heard rumors of such, but he is curious to what extent Hakirrash has made allies within the Credi Isles?"

Nahur's response is calm, despite the slight tension from the Elder, "You can tell him about our deals with the other tribes. Also briefly describe the agreements we made with each of them"

Joura does so, and you see the Elder's brow become slightly creased at certain points. You think you hear several proper names in there, but its hard to distinguish within the sounds of an unfamiliar language.

The Elder takes a deep breath before he responds, "The Senior Elder would like to apologize. He came under the mistaken belief that Hakirrash had not already established such treaties"

A moment passes before Joura continues, as the Senior Elder rises from his seat.

And bows.

As the man sits down, Joura's face is very surprised, and he stutters out a translation of his next words, "The Elder, no -- He called himself 'I, Ha-o-toko' this time -- says he... he would be satisfied with the same deal as given to the Red Feather and Blue Feather tribes. He would also wish to return with an alike offer to the Green Feather and Purple Feather tribes"

Nahur's face is stoic, but you see a sense of ... something cross across his eyes, almost impossible to notice if you were not his daughter, "Tell him that any may come in the same manner as he, and that I will be willing to offer them the same deal once I have seen them with my own eyes."

The Elder responds obediently and just nods at that.

The other four people at the table sit quietly and slightly awkwardly for a while, the Elder Ha-o-toko clearly thinking deeply.

Eventually, he speaks and Joura translates in kind.

"The Elder thanks you for your patience, and is ready to discuss the possibility of meeting Ghanbar"

Nahur nods at this, approvingly, then speaks, "Tell him it is not difficult to do, but he will have to follow our lead - at least until we are in the city. Let him know it will likely be impossible to meet with the War King - Raz Kubir, on any given day. If he is even in the city we travel to. Instead, we will likely be able to stay for a few weeks to arrange the meeting with a royal delegate of high station."

The Senior Elder chews these words over before nodding, and asking another question through Joura, "What in your opinion will he need to prepare?"

Nahur responds quickly, "We have enough supplies for two of mine, and two of yours. We can leave anytime before the winter. We will stock the caravan ourselves. There is no way for us to provide protection for the caravan, so we will all have to do without."

Nahur waits to see if the Senior Elder objects to this, but besides a brief cynical look on his face, there is no other negative response.

Ha-o-toko clasps his hands as he stands, and speaks a few words. Joura translates them as, "I wish you well, elder of Hakirrash. I shall retire for the night, before returning to the Isles tomorrow."

Nahur nods, with either understanding or granting permission.

The Senior Elder gives a brief glance to your mother and... surprisingly to you, before speaking a few things to Joura and being on his way.

Once the Senior Elder has left, Joura whispers something into his mother's ear which makes her blush slightly.

Nahur raises an eyebrow, though he has an amused smile on his face.

Joura and Nahur share a look before the two slump back in their seats and let out deep sighs.

"Father, that was exhausting" Joura remarks

Your father responds, "You did well, Joura. When did you pick up the Credi tongue? If my ears don't mistake me, that was a different dialect than the one of the main islands?"

Joura nods, "Indeed. There is much I have learned from my most recent expedition"

Asherah would shrink under their gazes, she definitely felt guilty about this one too. She would continue to weave beads, albeit with great unease. The conversation was sadly more boring than Asherah had expected. So the terribly rude interruption hadn't even been worth it. "I think I'll be turning in now, thank you, Father, for allowing me to be present." Asherah would say then head to her room.

She'd toss and turn for awhile, until, at last, she gave up on sleep. Asherah would sneak out her bedroom window, heading down to the beach in hopes that the crashing waves and moonlight would help sooth her.

Her father nods, not too upset with her, but only because because he knows she is not as aware of the etiquette as her older brother or sister.

Joura visits her a little later in the afternoon, acting slightly strange (for some reason?) with a slurred speech and poor balance. Must be tired, poor fellow. Though that doesn't explain the somewhat familiar acrid smell...

He neither scolds nor comforts her about her mistake during the meeting, but simply tells her (after some stuttering) that he had asked the Senior Elder where the birds on his cap came from (as she had requested to know), and the Elder had told him it came from some of the breeds of Moa that inhabit the tribes of the Hoku Archipelago, one of the three main groups in the Credi Isles.

He is too... unfocused... to tell her more at the moment about those lands, and simply leaves after that.

---

After slipping out of the house, as she is wont to do, Asherah arrives at the soft sandy beach. The moonlight is beautiful as it dances against the waves, and is made more serene by the fresh smell of night wind in the air.

Sitting down and squishing her toes into the sand, Asherah gazes up at the sky and seeks comfort in the embrace of nature's tranquility.

Her eyes eventually feel heavy and she dozes off...

...

Asherah starts as something thumps down next to her. She turns over, but it is too dark to make out. A hand lands on her head, and she immediately calms. She recognizes the presence of her father.

"My treasure, why are you out of bed at night. You will catch a cold, like this." his voice is soft, but hesitant as if in contemplation.

Eventually, he sighs, and speaks his mind "Daughter, you are almost of age. It is time that you decide what path is right for you. You need to choose between a life of labor, or a life of leadership." he thinks for a while, and it is then you notice he is carrying a strange-smelling bottle.

Nahur takes a sip from the thing, which your eyes - that are just now adapting to the light - can make out as that same bottle from earlier!

"From what your mother has told me, you have been satisfactory in your studies as a tailor, and your skills are enough for you to begin working outside the family workshop. But tonight, I was surprised. A little offput, but also delighted, by your request to stay and entertain our guest."

He looks at you, and his deep blue eyes - almost black in this light - can barely be made out by you as he takes a look at you. It is hard to tell if they hold pride, disappointment, a mix of both, or nothing at all. As a man and village leader, Nahur is incredibly hard to read when he wants to be... "I am not going to explain to you your mistake. You are already aware of it, but I will tell you why it was wrong... You sat down at the table, albeit with my permission, without knowing the practices or attitudes of the parties present."

He takes another drink, and you are hit by a slight acrid smell which is quickly washed away by the wind, "In other situations, this could have been disasterous. Of course, I had already got a read on the man before he ever entered my home, and Joura would sooner perish ashore then bring a threat back from the islands, but that does not excuse the behavior. It makes me realize, we, your mother and I, have been too lax in your education... As the second daughter of the Sha-hakir, you have the privilege and responsibility to decide whether or not you will claim a role in the future of Hakirrash"

There is silence for a while, but not an inviting one. Now is the time for quiet while he ponders his next words.

Eventually, your father continues, "You may have already noticed, the bright girl you are, but Joura and Kiyana have already made their decisions... Joura chose long ago, at a younger age then I thought wise, but which turned out to just be a sign of his strong nature. His choice was to be groomed into the next Sha-hakir. He has done admirably, and his voyages with his friends have brought us unprecedented bounty"

He shifts for a moment, and you feel the air grow slightly tense. "Kiyana made a different choice. She decided she would enter a life of labor. Her skills as a tailor were not up to par, so for the last few years your mother has been directly educating her about the lifestyle of a Medina, something I am unfamiliar with and thus unable to provide her wisdom about."

He sighed and look off in the distance, his tone melancholic, "She will probably have her Union Ceremony within at most one cycle. It is sad to see her leave the house, as I believed she had great prospect as a diplomat. However, her choice is her own, and clearly she was not fated for the life of leadership. She will be happier this way."

A bit more time passes, before Nahur steels his nerves and sits up straight, looking at you.

For the first time in many, many years, you feel a sense of great pressure coming from the man. His eyes seem to look right through you, and his voice is as deep and powerful as the ocean. "Asherah. In the coming days, I will be sending you away." the words hit like a strike, and frigid ice shoots through your veins.

His next words bring clarity and peace, but the pure shock of his initial statement lingers... the phrasing had been terrible, but your father seems unaware of the impact on you... no, wait... maybe he had said exactly those words for that very reason? To get your full attention?

"You will be heading with Joura and Senior Elder Ha-o-toko to the local city of Kuracos, within the Kingdom of Ghanbar. During this trip, you will rely on your brother, who will teach you what you need to know about the life of a community leader before you return."

Your father hesitates, but only momentarily, before his words continue with even more conviction. "The Elder's business will not last the whole trip. He will return to Hakirrash, and then to the Isles when he is finished with his work there. You two will stay." he takes a last drink, before tossing the empty bottle into the sea. Your eyes follow it as it sails and is lost beneath the crashing waves, seeming to move sluggishly as if as dazed as yourself.

"Asherah. You will live in that city, and learn the Ghanbaran way of life. You will ingratiate yourself with our contacts, and you will have a chance to explore the wider world." he takes a shaky breath, more stressed than you have ever seen your father before.

"Joura will stay until the year's end, or until he believes you are ready to return... If by the year's end, he deems your teachings incomplete... "

Nahur is quite for a long time, all silence seeming to have vanished from the world.

"He will leave you. You will stay alone. Until you can return on your own two feet." his voice is almost impossible to hear.

Nahur stands up, and you feel the world move with him, "Do not take this as punishment, daughter. This will provide you with the opportunity to explore so much of the world. You will surely find fulfillment in the wondrous first experiences you will have there. But this is not a leisure trip. You are there to learn what you need to know, before you can make an educated decision about your path in life... I- this is tradition among the family of the Sha-hakir, and I have faith you will overcome the obstacles and return with your brother before the years end. You have a good head, and a passion for life that is all too rare in this world. But you are untempered. Your attitude is still that of a child, and you need to understand the ties that bind us all"

Nahur gives a sad smile his eyes catching the moon's light, before he reaches out a hand for you to take. "Come, Asherah. We will return to the house, and I will help you to bed. The future is not something to be scared, if you have the tools to approach it. This is what I hope to offer to you, but it is up to you to have the intelligence to grasp them and wisdom to apply them."

OOC: Feel free to respond to as much or as little of this as you like. It was a long one. I went for a different vibe than I originally planned, but this conversation (or at least its essence) was long planned. Indeed, your prologue is nearing its end :-) - be ready for the game to open up beyond this little village quite a bit!

"Because the Waves sooth me father-its like the rhythm of the loom I hear in my head." Asherah would giggle. "Remember when I would fall asleep weaving the loom?" She remembered waking to her Mothers disappointed face almost every other line of weave.

Asherah folded in on herself a bit as what she did wrong was discussed; but she digested it none the less.

...

The words were like an arrow to the chest. Asherah sat up straight, it felt as if her heart was beating louder than any crashing wave during a storm. "Wha-" Asherah began to say but cut her self off. Despite hating stupid 'social standards' Asherah held a few of them close to her heart since they simply made sense. One of these were first impressions should be the best impression you can make. Another being don't interrupt others while they're talking, especially father.

Later she would review everything her father said as if she had been paying attention the entire time. But in the moment it was as if everything was in one ear and out the other.

When it was at last time to head in, Asherah would shakily take her father's hand. She would teeter, gripping his hand like a rope pulling her back onto a water craft. It would take her a few tries until she re-gained her voice. "M-may I at least t-take my small lo-looom with me?"

---

Asherah found herself lying awake at night, yet again. I was true, Asherah wanted to see the world and everything it held. She wanted to explore every where possible and find new dyes, new arts to use to paint her proverbial canvas. She also didn't want to leave her village. The occasional voyage was okay cause she always knew when she was going home and that it would be soon. She loved her village, in her eyes the land was perfected nature. True, she'd seen no other land except for that at the Credi Isles, but that was enough to convince her no village had it better than hers.

There was also the problem of what path she wanted to take. She didn't want to become someone's Medina, but she also didn't want to spend all her days 'playing the customer' [kissing up to people]. She knew that being a diplomat was more than that but it was certainly a large part of it. Were these really the only two paths? Asherah would love to just continue making wares for the village, but she knew that simply wasn't enough. Everybody helped with the wares so they must help with something else as well, whether it be expanding the population or diplomacy. She guessed she could stay in Ghanbar and start a tailor shop there, but then she'd be competing with her own village and if she didn't complete something while she was away would Father still welcome her home.

Asherah worked her self up with her wild thoughts till the point she was too exhausted to continue.

Nahur gives a curt nod at her one request.

After arriving at her room, he places a soft kiss on her forehead before turning and leaving her in her lonesome.

---

Asherah's thoughts torment her for a long while, but just before the morning sun rises, she has worn herself ragged and falls asleep before she knows it.

---

The sound of rain wakes up Asherah, as she looks out the window. The sky is gloomy, reflecting her mood.

Quickly, the young tailoress realizes it is late in the day. She momentarily panics that she will get scolded for missing her work, but then realizes if nobody had come to wake her it must have been intentional to let her rest.

---

How will Asherah spend this day, and the next couple - since they may be the last ones in Hakirrash for quite a long while.

Asherah would change into fresh clothes and head down to the tide pools. Collecting slug slime was usually the children's job but it was too dangerous for them when it was raining. Plus, Asherah had planned on visiting her squishy purple sweethearts before she left anyways. And so most of the day was spent collecting from the slugs. The rest, Asherah spent figuring out what personal projects she could finish on the small mockery of a loom she was allowed to bring with her, the answer was one, maybe two.

She spent the rest of her days saying goodbye to those in the village who were close to her. She spent an entire day helping Mourn and Asher with their chores and playing with them. Asherah made sure to talk with her elder sister about the upcoming ceremony, wishing that her older sister find happiness. Asherah also set aside another day to say good bye to all the critters she'd grown so fond of. Each moment either spent in pure joy, or sheer dread, there didn't seem to be a between for Asherah.

Throughout these days there was one person she didn't share these last smiles and happy moments with. That person would be Asherah's father. Asherah effectively gave him the cold shoulder. Of course, she listened when he told her to do something, but it was with a very curt "Yes, sir". She also refused to smile when he was around.

Nahur wanted her gone, so Asherah made sure from that night on, for him, his treasure was gone.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:55, Wed 24 Jan.

Asherah's last days in the village of her birth are spent doing odd chores, and saying her farewells.

The little purple slugs seem oblivious to her emotions, they just wriggle about and climb up her forearms. The same as usual. That could make Asherah feel better, or maybe worse.

Her talk with Kiyana started off with a surprise. Kiyana hadn't know Asherah had known. Then again, she quickly figured it out. Kiyana basically whisked Asherah around for the whole day, moving all over the place and telling her about things Asherah hadn't heard before and didn't really understand. It was nice.

Kiyana had always been the most quiet of all her siblings, yet that didn't mean she wasn't intelligent. In fact, she was perhaps the brightest of them all. However, she was a gentle person and an introspective one too. Perhaps that is why she chose the life of a Medina over the lives of leadership, or labor.

On behalf of her interactions with her father, they are few. Nahur only came to see her once before the day she would set off, and it was to check in on her. Asherah was so curt as to be unresponsive, and so Nahur quickly left. He seemed unfazed.

Later in the night though, Asherah vaguely heard a strange sound from her room. If she pays close attention, perhaps leaving through her window again, or just straining her ears to the limit... she will begin to make out the sound of a man sobbing. The voice was... unfamiliar but also not.

It definitely couldn't be her father. Nobody had ever heard or seen him cry before. Maybe it was Joura, or some random villager who wandered close to their family complex.

---

On the day of her departure, everyone is there to watch her go. Her whole family, several important figures in the village, and even Senior Elder Ha-o-toko, who had brought a number of other less-decorated islanders with him.

Her mother had woken her up early in the morning, telling her to put on her nicest clothes and eat a large breakfast.

Even her little brother Mourn had come over and handed her a sealed clay jar. He said there was a juice inside that would help calm her down if she got upset.

It was a weird gift, but Asherah treasured it.

---

A short time after the sunrise, dawn has passed and the sun is moving towards it's place in the center of the sky.

Nahur clears his throat once, and the assorted chatter immediately vanishes, in a wave of cascading silence. Nahur stands up tall and moves to the middle of the crowd, which flow as if to make room for him. Your father had always had almost unbelievable charisma, but now that you were seeing it (and even feeling it) more and more, you began to notice just how beyond the normal it truly was.

Something was exceptional about him, Asherah cannot help but realize for the first time. Perhaps, given the hurt she feels against him, this causes her to be suspicious, or perhaps she is just awed at his unusual prowess. Maybe she is too tired to bring herself to care.

Nahur speaks, his words as smooth as honey and just as rich "Visitors, friends, family. We have all gathered here today to send off our guests, the Yellow Feather Tribe of the Hoku Archipelago. Accompanying them, is my youngest daughter, Asherah, who we now witness as she begins her journey to the Kingdom of Ghanbar. This journey will decide her future path. I hope she returns in good health and spirits, with an elevated mind and heart. To provide assistance for both these important journeys, my eldest son Joura will be accompanying the caravan. While he is away, trade with the Credi Isles will sadly have to stop-"

Several murmurs breakout, instinctive protests against the change. Nahur's brow scrunches and he looks into the crowd. Immediately, as if shocked, the voices vanish. Several people in the crowd can be seen hanging their heads in shame at their outbursts.

Nahur continues, as if never interrupted, "Due to the fact that the expedition leader will be otherwise occupied. Now, the wagons are already loaded. Let us send off our new friends and my family, with a show of well wishes."

As if it was predetermined, the villagers start to chant something in the old beliefs. They carry little sway in Hakirrash anymore, but they sometimes are used for ceremonial display like this, or also as certain archaic proverbs.

With that, the Senior Elder Ha-o-toko and a few other Yellow Feather Elders begin to board their carriage. After they have, Joura takes Asherah by the arm and guides her to their own carriage for the two of them.

Once all are settled, Asherah feels a momentary pause as the short procession has ended. But, before awkwardness can set in as people begin to wonder how the oxen will be spurred, Nahur simply raises his voice,

Onwards

The words barely register in your mind and they are hard to focus on. But, as if they have been frightened, the Oxen let out brief snorts of shock, before quickly striking their hoofs into the sandy beach and immediately beginning a trot.

The journey begins

This message was last edited by the GM at 15:22, Sat 13 Jan.

>>Kuracos

Asherah let out a sigh as she at last stepped out of carriage. She inhaled the fresh air, savoring the way air should smell. her legs wavered with sudden overwhelming joy. She was home! She wanted to run to her family, but she couldn't muster the energy, so she settled for a wobbly walk. People greeted her as she walked by, welcoming her back. Despite this, there was a bit of pain that there was no crowd or celebration upon her return. She knew it was because there was work to be done and they simply didn't have the time for these things, but that didn't stop her from wondering if it was because nobody had actually missed her.

At last, Asherah made it to her house. She felt a slight unease as reached up to knock. Would they be happy to see her? would they welcome her home and ask to here all about her trip? Or would they give her the same passive hellos? Would she immediately be asked to do chores and life would simply continue on? Asherah wasn't even sure which of those she wanted to happen and which of those she didn't. She raised her fist to knock once more. What about father?

That single thought stopped her dead in her tracks. Before she had been mad that he was just shipping her off out of the blue like this; No preparation what so ever. She'd been even more hurt when he seemed to not have a care in the world when she left, no tears, no nothing. She felt something tighten in her chest. No, no she would still give him the same treatment, this entire trip was his fault, good and bad. But... what if he had regretted his decisions later on? What if she gave him the same treatment and he doesn't deserve it now? She'd think on these things, knowing if she didn't decide now she might make the wrong decision in the heat of the moment. I'll let him make the first move. If he seems excited to see me again, I'll forgive him. If he seems indifferent... well that's his fault.

Resolve at last in place, Asherah would knock on the door.

Joura followed Asherah at a bit of a distance, but ultimately let her approach their home alone. He had already been back once during the journey, and he was used to prolonged absences from the village. Thus, she saw him stray off into the distance at some point - seemingly in the direction of a small distillery only the two of them knew about.

A half dozen years ago, when she was quite a bit younger, she stumbled upon him in that little alcove, drinking with his buddies. He had asked her to keep it a secret, since this was the place he went to rest where his father couldn't find him. She had obliged easily back then, but now she realizes it probably was very meaningful to him that she kept her promise all this time.

Everyone needs to unload once in a while, huh?

It is a happy thought that Joura is probably still hanging out with those same buddies in the same place, except now he is all but confirmed to be the next Sha-hakir, and those buddies have probably been part of his sailing crew since he started heading journeys to the Credi Isles, a few years back.

Shaking off the memories, Asherah knocks at the door.

Footprints can quickly be heard from inside, and a familiar figure appears. It's Asherah's mother, Tarisha. Though, of course, it was improper to call her anything but 'mom' or some variant.

Immediately, Asherah is struck by a wave of deeply-rooted sentiment, bursting upwards into her surface consciousness as if from a geyser.

The emotions nearly make her stumble again, and tears threaten to form in her eyes.

The gentle, caring smile of her one and only mother in this world is there to greet her. A pair of calm, soulful eyes welcome her along with open arms, offering a loving, comforting embrace. Clearly, she was being expected.

Regardless of how she greets her mother, accepting her warmth, or rejecting it, Asherah is welcomed inside the building right away.

Already, she feels as if she never left, seamlessly melting into that familiar rhythm as if everything outside this place, this little slice of paradise, had been a dream, and she was still a young girl living a carefree life on the pleasant beachside.

Of course, deep down she knows that isn't true, and that time lost can never be regained. But, in this moment, she is able to almost believe it.


Why in life must it be,
Our most precious memories,
Are only seen to have been such,
Once they've passed by through our touch.

In the river of time,
I pan water for a rhyme,
For the reason it is so late,
The past we can appreciate.

---

Besides Tarisha, the house is empty. Asher and Mourn are out playing, and Kiyana is away preparing for her ceremony.

The former is to be expected, but he latter hits Asherah like a truck. Though, she knows, she should have seen it coming.
It seems Kiyana has decided to live the life of a Medina.

A Medina's life is one of devotion. Devotion to the family and to the house. Between Hakirrash and Ghanbar, Asherah has learned there is a greater cultural difference than one may think on the exact role and expectations of a Medina.

In Hakirrash (and some of the other Coastal VIllages), being a Medina is an honorable task. One who is ready to be a Medina must know many things, especially if they are anticipating to undergo Unification into an exemplary house. Medina's are given great respect and consideration, second only to the head of the family, usually a man. In rare cases where a woman is the head of a family, she may take on a Memed, the male equivalent of a Medina - though training for such positions are not common, and so it is not easy for a matriarch to find a fitting suitor.

In Ghanbar, it is very different. Though both societies draw from the same cultural roots as ethnic Jakadim, after Ghanbar was founded by the Wise King Hajim, all the tribes which had very different views on the Union Ceremony and related practices, mixed together and eventually a distilled, milquetoast version of these amalgamated beliefs became the norm.

That is to say, being a Medina in Ghanbar was nothing special, and the title bore no weight, especially among the lower class. A "trained" Medina in Ghanbar was nothing more than a regular caregiver - and in fact, nobody really cared if a woman who hadn't technically gone through the necessary steps called herself as such. The term basically became synonymous with 'spouse' and the line between personal celebrations of interpersonal intimacy and the Union Ceremony became blurred - with most people not understanding there once was a difference between the two.

From what Tarisha told Asherah, Kiyana's proceedings were going smoothly, and she was very happy to soon be Unified into the family of the man she had been courting.

By now, Asherah realizes that something is strange. Her mother hasn't mentioned anything about where her father is or what he is doing. Also, Asherah has not sensed Nahur anywhere around the house. She and Tarisha are alone here.

Perhaps he is out, but that is something she would expect her mother to mention... Curious.

How will Asherah respond to reuniting with her mother, what questions (if any) will she ask about the family's matters while she was away, and will she make any preparations for meeting the rest of the family, whenever they return home?

Asherah would hug her mother. Drawing warmth and comfort from the women with a trembling sigh of emotion. It was somewhere between a content sigh, a sigh of relief, and the intake of air one made when they where about to cry. Asherah felt those tears threaten but never come, she had cried herself dry these past few months. After what felt like forever but was still too short her mother let go, and Asherah was gently ushered inside. "I-I missed you mom." Asherah said with a trembling voice.

Asherah opened her mouth and closed it. Then let out a breathy laugh. She didn't know what to say, just eight months and she had forgotten how to talk to her mother. "H-how have things been here? At home? I-I hope Asher and Mourn haven't been too much of a handful with me and Kiyana gone." Asherah would smile feeling much more at ease after making the joke. She would wait for her mother's reply. Keeping up whatever small talk came up until Asherah noticed her father's absence.

She would of course wait for her mother to finish before asking "...where is Father?"

Her mother returns the hug, clearly happy to have her daughter back. Upon Asherah's making of conversation, she insists that things were fine, and though Asher and Mourn were a pain to handle she has plenty of ways to deal with them by herself.

She also gives a short explanation about Kiyana, telling how Asherah's old sister was actually scheduled to have her Union Ceremony a couple months ago, but she wanted to wait for the whole family to be back together.

Thankfully, her partner and his family were kind and understanding people, so they managed to push the date back. Kiyana will be back soon, since as soon as Nahur heard from Joura that Asherah was returning, he had already sent the information to Kiyana.

To fill the time between then and her Union Ceremony, Kiyana briefly left the village to undergo some additional training and rituals. She was already basically perfectly prepared to undergo the Ceremony, but Kiyana felt it would be rude to waste the additional time she had been allowed, so she went above and beyond.

Funnily enough, this means Kiyana has had more official preparations than even her mother had undergone back when she was decidedly courting Nahur, before he became Sha-hakir. Your mother seems amused by this, but it is actually quite a bombshell, considering it is open knowledge among your close family that your mother had gone through extensive pre-Medina customs, since she would be marrying into literally the highest station possible.

Tarisha was actually originally born in another village along the Southern Coast, but she rarely talks about it. It is generally tactless to speak overmuch about one's previous affiliation, once one is Unified into another family. Especially one as elevated as the family of a Sha.

Your mothers actual words are not this long, this is all mostly background context known by Asherah.

So, it is not a long pause after her brief description of Kiyana's activities before Asherah notices and remarks on her father's absence.

Her mother responds clearly, though Asherah can tell there is some sort of complex emotion behind her words. Her mother is too hard to read, though.

"Your father will return home shortly. He is av-... no, nevermind. Let's just say he is on business. He'll be back for dinner..."

With these words, Asherah realizes the emotion that her mother is concealing is displeasure. Nothing exterme, but significant enough to peak through her standard manners. This would mean it's close to being described as 'severe' if it can have such an impact, even if Tarisha's defenses are completely down since she is around her family right now.

Tarisha has some last words for her daughter, "...as will everyone else. Make sure, if you're going out, to be back before then, and no later" before this journey, Asherah may have taken her words to mean "don't stay out too late" but now she is mature enough to understand in this instance, Asherah is required to be here on time, or even earlier if possible. It also surprises Asherah - but only for a moment - that her mother clearly knows that she knows the difference. Perhaps is is true when they say that a parent can always read a child of theirs, like a book.

Throughout the whole discussion so far, if Asherah allowed it, her mother would try and brush her hair, hoping to calm her daughter down - who was clearly feeling the weight of her experiences now that she had returned to comfort and safety.

Regardless of her cooperation, what else does Asherah wish to talk about, or perhaps she has other activities she wants to do before dinner?

Asherah would take a seat as her mother began brushing her hair. This action greatly soothed her. Asherah didn’t know how exactly, she never liked brushing her hair; it would often give her a headache. This, though, didn’t and it felt like somebody was smoothing out her soul.

“Mother” Asherah would say with gentleness and mock exasperation. In it contained the statement ‘you can tell me’. If her mother didn’t catch her meaning or refused, Asherah would ask upfront. She was curious now and there wasn’t much that could stop her when she was curious.

Indeed, Asherah feels refreshed by the simple action of having her mother attend to her in such a way.

However, even with her insistence, Asherah's mother seems resolute that she should wait until dinner to hear it from her father directly. Asherah can tell her mother feels a bit bad about speaking negatively of her Memed, even though she managed to catch herself before saying what was on her mind.

When Asherah decides to directly ask upfront, her mother gives her a disapproving look. "Darling, I know you're relaxed now that you're back home, but please don't forget the manners you learned in Kuracos already... When I refuse to tell you something, it's for good reason. Besides, you'll be hearing it soon enough, so just be patient."

Perhaps for her daughter's benefit, Tarisha then adds, "It's worth nothing, anyway. I'm just griping. But, I do appreciate you trying to take care of your mother so... Even if you are many years too early to be worrying about such things. You're young, be selfish!"

Her tone is a lot lighter, and she seems sincere in everything she has said.

Asherah would immediately sit up straight and place a hand to her chest and bat her eyes in astonishment when her mother said be selfish. "Dear me, Mother! Pick one, Kuracos manners or self-fish?" Asherah would chuckle and shake her head. For this part she'd put on her best 'young woman' voice. "As the daughter of the Sha-Hakir it is my duty to be selfless in all my doings now that I have come of age. I must not be selfish so that my community and all who come after my prosper because of my choices; rather than suffer." Asherah would say in a stiff, yet almost soothing voice. She'd wait a momment, give her mother some time to react. Then burst into a squeal and a giggle fit. "I love you mom"

Asherah would stay and continue talking with her mother until her hair was brushed and they'd run out of things to say. If this happened before dinner Asherah would visit the tide pools quickly and say hello to her squishy darlings. Afterward she'd head home a few minutes before dinner.

"I love you too, and I'm so proud of you. I'm sure your father feels the same" her mother then insists Asherah stay quiet so she can focus on braiding her hair, though it's clear she is trying to hide how emotional she is at having her daughter back, and all grown up to boot.

Though visiting the tide pools was tempting, mother and daughter instead opt to spend a good chunk of quality time together.

Soon, dinner has arrived...

--

Asherah is sat at one end of the table, a place that is clearly meaningful.
The rest of her family (sans Kiyana, who won't return for some days yet) sits around her, now just waiting for Nahur to return.

Asher and Mourn were super excited when she returned, and Mourn even began bawling his eyes out. Fortunately, Asherah managed to calm them down through any number of her tricks. Asher has grown at least four inches taller since Asherah last saw him, and he seems less like a tiny child, and more like a young boy. Mourn is the same as she remembers, and seems to be getting on his brother Asher's nerves more than before...

Joura is present (and to Asherah, he seems a little sloshed), but mostly satisfied to just sit and watch with a smile as Asherah gets harassed by their two younger brothers. Obviously, the two of them have no reason to miss each other as Joura has been with Asherah for most of these last several months. Joura also greets his mother, who frowns when she smells alcohol on his breath, batting at him annoyedly to which he just shrugs and smiled bashfully. Clearly, he was out having fun as soon as he got back.

Oh- That reminds Asherah, she actually kept that clay jar Mourn had given her before she left. She had opened it once out of curiosity, but grimaced when she saw it contained that strange purple liquid the adults were all drinking when the Yellow F-

**CLANG** A bell goes off in Asherah's head. She realizes the nature of the liquid... alcohol! Had... had she really been so young when she left, that she hadn't even known what alcohol was? She obviously learned about that on her trip...

Wow. That really put things into perspective. What a strange, powerful feeling... Though perhaps it doesn't touch Asherah, or maybe it does.

Regardless of her thoughts on the matter, it is only a short time before Nahur enters. He pauses only for a moment as he looks at you, and you see a smile tug at the corner of his lips, but first he takes off his shoes, puts them away, washes his hands, and then comes to sit down.

Joura and your mother both roll their eyes at his actions, clearly lovingly exasperated at how he always performs such little rituals, without fail. He is definitely a discplined man, and some would say he is too much of one.

Finally, Nahur sits down opposite of you, and his eyes meet yours. The table is set.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎		Mother		‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
Father	XXXXX	XXXXX	XXXXX	[[YOU]]
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎	Joura	Asher	Mourn	‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

---

In the end, Nahur is unable to keep a big, happy smile off his face, though you can sense some nervousness behind his eyes. Clearly, he's either unable to school his expression from you at the moment, or he's letting himself be free for just a moment.

His voice speaks up, it sounds the same as you remember it. "My dearest Asherah, tell me of your travels."

You are home.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:07, Wed 07 Feb.

Asherah dwelled on the strange feeling, reveling in it. She would have to ask Joura about it later. Her father was iffy when it came to forth coming answers and Joura was sometimes as well, but now that he'd had a few drinks... it was significantly more possible. Asherah also wondered how mourn got his hands on the stuff. Did he even know what alcohol was? If so how? Or what did he think it was?

At first Asherah is wary. He barely smiled, which was still a lot, it just didn't feel enough to justify her. Asherah would at last feel her core unwind when he grinned at her. Asherah would begin excitedly talking about her travels. She did her best to tell them everything that happened as it did, except for the intentionally left out parts. She left out the part about the hag who name she refused to recall and simply said Joura accidentally picked some one who disagreed with the Hakirrash ways as her first mentor [which was still true]. She also left out that the girl's job was to stop them for her training. Asherah would of course tell her father or mother all this later upon asking, but she despised the idea of giving Asher and mourn night mares.

After re-counting everything Asherah suddenly felt nervous. "Soo that was how it went. I suppose-if I keep working at it, I could be a good merchant and help the village that way, but-" Asherah took a deep breath, hoping what she said had no repercussions. "I-I don't think being a merchant is the path for me. W-with all due respect!"

Nahur listens attentively to the story, an aura of pride radiating off of him, and his eyes filled with acknowledgement for his daughter.

He doesn't touch his food. Because of that, nobody else can either. Even Asher and Mourn hesitate to dig in, perhaps sensing the serious atmosphere, or perhaps just being conditioned to only eat once the head of house has started.

When she finishes her story, Nahur stands up from his seat. A wave of stillness goes through the people at the table, ending at Asherah.

He slowly moves towards her. Asherah feels incredibly tense. Why isn't he saying anyth-

Nahur lunges forward, hands outstretched -
- and grabs Asherah, embracing her in a tremendous hug!

"I'm proud of you. You've done well."
He is silent after that. Not saying anything else, but his few words mean so much.

Asherah knows in her heart, she has proven everything she has needed to, and for that reason, her father will not push her to live that life.

Still, it's hard to understand.
Why would you make someone learn to do something they hate, if you aren't going to demand they ever use it again?

What is next for Asherah?

OOC: I tried to capture the feeling of tension you get when waiting for an answer to a hopeful question, but I think Nahur came off a bit more aggressive than I was going for. Oh well, I'll just leave this note here.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:13, Sat 10 Feb.

Asherah knew her father would never hurt her. He was a sound man that never gave into fits of anger, but that didn't stop Asherah from feeling nervous as he lounged for her-and gave her a big hug. Asherah would immediately relax, hugging her father back, burying her face into his chest as if she was nothing but a child again. After a moment he said the few words that sent her heart soaring. He was proud of her. This was rather confusing but Asherah decided to just savor the moment.

When they pulled apart Asherah would take a deep breath, a little more at ease but still afraid to ask questions of this kind."W-why father? I mean, I passed, but only barely... I thought you'd be upset." Asherah would ask, meeting his eyes. She needed to know this before bringing up the other, bigger question.

Nahur goes back to his seat, not lingering long in the hug. He seems even a bit embarrassed by his "outburst". He's not a particularly touchy-feely person, so it makes sense.

After sitting back down, and fastidiously reorganizing his cutlery, he calmly answers Asherah's question.
By this point, Asher and Mourn have been sent away by your mother, along with their meals.

"In truth, my daughter, I knew in my heart from the moment I sent you away that you would not exceed in this lifestyle, nor would you ever come to enjoy it"

He speaks back up quickly, as if preempting any interruptions, "The purpose of this journey, for your case, was not to test your mettle as a merchant, as a leader nor as a diplomat."

At this point, your mother returns and sits back down gracefully. Nahur waits until she is seated to continue his speech.

"I sent you away for two reasons. Firstly, so that you could mature into your own. Secondly, because it was my fated duty, from the moment of my birth."

Nahur repositions slightly, and takes a sip of his beverage before placing the clay mug back down onto the colorful, patterned tablecloth and speaking again. "One can scarcely avoid the incessant nature of time. It erodes everything about a person, in some cases revealing gemstone beneath, but in others leaving them dull and unfeeling..."

Continuing, your father goes on, "As you are young, there was little danger of you becoming truly jaded as such, especially as your brother was more than capable of preventing any of the greater threats from reaching you..."

He stops for a moment, before giving a dangerous glance at Joura, "Though, from what I've heard, he met partial failure in that endeavor." Joura shrinks back a little under his father's intensely unhappy gaze, sobering up in an instant.

Nahur's eyes linger for a moment before he clears his throat, and returns his expression to the familiar placidity of a calm ocean.

His words continue in his usual tone, once again implacable and unaffected by the world around him, "Regardless, I am slightly rambling. The essence of what I am trying to impart you, is that even if we both knew then and know now that the specific nature of your trial will not serve your future, it was of utmost importance that you underwent one, whatever it may be..."

Your father hesitates before eventually saying a bit more, "If this had been an attempt to find your true calling, obviously it would have been a different matter. But, simply put, this was so that you could build your foundation."

He leans forward slightly as he looks at you, and says his final piece, "Asherah, you are my beloved daughter. You are the second daughter of Nahur Hakirrash, Sha-hakir, Son of Omar, and Soul-Prince of The Twin Seas. Because I love you, I want your foundation to be solid. As solid as it can be. I want you to become not just unbreakable, but unshakeable. I am imperfect, I have flaws and faults, cracks that run down to my very core. So, I want you to inherit only my best qualities. It is my duty as a Lord, and my truest desire as a father"

With that he goes quiet, his eyes shut slightly in contemplation. Sweat pours down the sides of his face. Joura's head is bowed... perhaps in... respect? reverence? solemnity? It's hard to know. Your mother has a soft smile, but her face is slightly pale and her eyes waver slightly.

It is only then that you notice your hands are shaking. And they have been since he uttered his fourth title... one you have never heard before.

A part of you feels different, and it's hard to know why. You feel like you have been entrusted with something. Something invaluable.

The atmosphere has quieted down, but it seems there is still space for you to speak further, without discounting anything that has come before. If you so wish, or perhaps you'd rather retire for the night.

Asherah's eyes would light up despite her trembling, but due to the gravity of the situation she couldn't bring herself to interupt. Even some minutes afterwards she only got out a whisper "...soul-prince?" If her father was a soul-prince then who was king?! what were the twin seas? How are seas twins? Obviously if her father was a prince then she wasn't a princess but what did that make her? Would Joura become a or the soul-prince when he became Sha-hakir? or was this a sperate more special title? Did the village know about this?

Questions raced in her head. Asherah practically felt like she would burst with all of this. She desperately wanted to ask her father if the previous exchange meant she would get to live her dream of being a simple tailor or if there was another path she needed to explore. But all the aforementioned questions seemed like the most important. Even though he just wanted to know what lied ahead.

Her mumbled question is quickly glossed over by Nahur, who doesn't respond. It seems information on this won't be forthcoming. Somehow, it is so much like your father to drop such a mystery and then refuse to elaborate.

Regardless, Nahur speaks up after a short period to let your thoughts wander as above. As if reading your mind - or perhaps just your expression, he begins to speak on a topic important to you.

"As for what comes next... it's uncertain. There are countless paths one can take in life, and only a few of them I have laid out before you to choose from. You could, of course, pick anything else, but I hope you would consider the dignity of your family before making a choice."

Clearing his throat, Nahur seems slightly tired, and so he leans back and gestures to Joura.
Your brother immediately picks up on the cue and sits up, sharing a glance with his father before nodding and turning to you.

"Currently, we have prepared some opportunities for you. You could take over the position of managing textiles from mother, you could go on a lone journey to explore the world, you could accompany me on a voyage to the Credi Isles... or you could begin training to become a Medina"

Joura waits for a moment before saying in a strong voice, that is a little melancholic. "The choice is yours. The family will no longer guide you unless you come to us. For all intents and purposes, you are an adult member of Hakirrash."

Hakirrash doesn't really have any 'official' ceremony or rites of passage, but that doesn't celebrations or events are not sometimes organized over the matter of reaching adulthood. Your mother would probably be the person to talk to about this.


How will Asherah respond to these options as listed? Do any of them tickle her fancy, or are some particularly odious? Does she have other plans?

Asherah drew in a breath. She had thought finally being recognized as an adult would feel different, make her feel different. However, she felt the same. She felt... hollow. Exhausted. She was simply too tired for her mind to whir with the usual questions. Asherah did her best to stifle a yawn once her father finished.

Asherah would rub her eyes as Joura talked. Come on, I need to stay awake and get answers from Joura. Asherah would angrily think. Thankfully, or sadly I suppose, Asherah wasn't too tired to scrunch her face at the suggestion of Medina training. If there was any of the paths that she found odious, it was that one. She quickly smoothed out her face though and gave a weary grin. "I hope to take over the position of managing textiles from mother." Asherah would reply, excited but tired.

All three of Asherah's family members sitting around the table nod along, likely having predicted what choice she would decide to make.

Your mother speaks up now, "Of course, I'd be happy to take you as my apprentice!"

She stands up and walks over to where you're sitting, "Tomorrow morning, come visit me in my office in the building the outside workshop. I'll show you how I organize everything, and we'll make sure you don't have any gaps in your knowledge. You've just got back from a long journey though, so I'm sure you're ready to start helping out with this kind of work, at least."

Tarisha pats her daughter on the shoulder, "Now, it's been a long day for the family. Finish your meals and then go to bed, when you wake up you will feel refreshed."

With that your mother leaves to another room, probably having some work to do or just excusing her self to rest.

Asherah notices that her mother didn't explicitly say she would give Asherah the job... maybe she plans to hold onto it for some time? Asherah was never that invested in her mother's work, she remembers sitting on her lap as a small child as she looked through ledgers, though...

Well, these are all questions that are best asked after a good rest.

---

As the meals are finished, everyone goes their separate ways.

If Asherah has anything else to say to the meal, it may be dicussed here.

Joura finishes first and excuses himself to his room. He seems ready to drop. Nahur stays at the table for a while, staring off into nothing, clearly content with his own thoughts. He has always been a pensive person, so this is not an unusual sight.

If anything, it means he's relaxed enough to let his mind wander.

---

What else - if anything - will Asherah try to do as night falls? Or will she rest, and get up in the next morning?
(OOC - If you want to skip to morning, feel free to start off with any activities you want to do on that new day)
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:12, Sat 02 Mar.

Asherah would finish her meal and stumble over to Joura's door. He had looked as exhausted as her but maybe that meant he'd be more forthcoming? Plus if anybody was going to forgive her for falling asleep on the spot, it'd probably be him. Asherah would knock on the door softly. "Joura can we meet outside real quick?" She'd say this quietly, as not to disturb her father.

As much as Asherah wanted to sleep it sounded like she had a busy day tomorrow and she simply couldn't wait that long for answers. What had been that crash in he mind? what were the Twin seas? How could father be a prince and them never hear about it once?

She hears mumbling beyond the door.

If she puts in a few more attempts, or enters to physically wake Joura - she will eventually rouse her older brother.

Should she do so, she will be met with his haggard face saying, "Yes, yes... just... let me get cleaned up, a bit, alright?"

--

Following that, Joura will find Asherah outside of their home, by the calming shore, in the moonlit night. After about ten minutes.

It is dark, but she can already see he looks better. Though, he's still a little drunk, and more than a little tired.

"What's the deal, Asherah? It's late, you know!" he sounds mirthful, but his eyes twitch slightly with minor annoyance. Clearly, he was banking on getting some sleep.

Asherah would nod, rubbing eyes for the millionth time. "I know, I know. I actually want to sleep too but I need answers." Asherah would say, her voice not quite desperate. It was hard for her to fall asleep with out answers. "I know your probably not going to tell me how dad is a prince and what the twin seas are but I'm going to ask anyway. How is dad a prince and what are these 'two seas'? Also something weird happened tonight and I was hoping for an explanation." Asherah would relay to her brother what had happened with the wine and the loud clang noise. "I decided to wait till morning to question Asher though. Also please give me some answer or I will tell mom where you go to drink." Asherah would give Joura a mock glare after that last sentence.

She didn't see blackmail as bad. Asher and mourn had once caught Asherah picking flowers instead of doing her chores [which were no longer flower picking] and Asherah had no choice to give them her dessert. Between siblings, blackmail felt more like something inevitable thing that would come to pass then a crime.

After Asherah says her peace, Joura thinks for a moment - seemingly unfazed by the blackmail (likely, this has happened many times before, in various iterations) - before looking at her strangely.

"You heard a bell in your head? When you figured out that Asher had given you wine before you left? No, it was about the fact you realized you hadn't know what alcohol was last year?" He gives you a funny look which makes you feel a bit annoyed, "Dummy, that's called 'having a realization' - must have been a pretty big one if you imagined sound to accompany it!" he snorts a few times, somewhat good naturedly but also a bit offensively.

Continuing, he says, "Ha! That's pretty funny, actually. I wonder if father and mother know that Asher got his hands on that stuff! Man, he'd definitely get a smack! Haa... I wouldn't worry about it, though. He probably didn't know what it was when he gave it to you. Honestly, it's kind of funny. Asher's adorable, sometimes" with 'sometimes' being the key word. Perhaps, "agree to disagree"?

Clearing up Asherah's rather silly question, Joura's demeanor changes quite a bit as he lets out a soft sigh and speaks about her other question, which is a very serious one.

"I'm not sure what father has planned by telling you about that... It would be better to ask him, if you have to know. I don't know how much I can tell you."

He leaves it at that. It's clear that blackmailing him would be pointless, because this isn't the sort of thing he can tell you just because you pressure him. It's a serious matter, or so it seems. Whatever it is.

Also, it seems that Joura has heard a lot of things from Nahur, that Asherah has not been told... Does she feel jealous? Ashamed? Curious?

What else does Asherah wish to say or do, tonight or tomorrow morning?

Asherah felt a little stung when Joura laughed at her naivety. It had felt... different. She knew what having a realization felt like. It didn't have strange gong noises accompanying it.

Asherah would openly make a face at Joura when he said Asher was cute. Sweet sometimes? Definitely, but not cute.  Though she could imagine how others could see the little bugger as cute. So she kept her mouth shut.

Asherah would cross her arms and stop her foot. "Its not fair!" She'd practically growl under her breath. "I know people aren't telling me things and that'd be just fine if they didn't keep hinting at them all the time! Just tell me things or don't! its that simple!" Asherah clearly was directing this more at the at then at Joura. However since he was there, there was still a possibility he would take it personally. As Asherah said those words she'd start out sounding furious. But frankly she seemed more sorrowful then anything as she spoke.

She'd rub her eyes, hoping to hide the tears that had started forming in the corners of her eyes. "S-sorry Joura... I think I should head to bed." Asherah wouldn't make eye contact with Joura as she said this, and unless stopped, Asherah would head to bed.

Joura's face becomes stiff with Asherah's outburst. He doesn't react to her words, and he doesn't stop her as she leaves. Once she's gone, she hears a sigh as Joura's footsteps head back to his own room.

In her room, Asherah goes to bed. Confused, tired and upset.
Hopefully in the morning she will feel better.

---

As morning comes, Asherah wakes up and prepares herself for the day.
She has to meet her mother today, at the workshop.

---

In the workshop, Asherah realizes that it feels slightly alienating to be coming here for a different reason than usual.
Perhaps this is just part of growing up. Familiar things becoming unfamiliar, and unfamiliar things becoming familiar.

Regardless, she is soon waved at by her mother, indicating her daughter to come meet her in the separate room just outside the workshop.
Without looking back, Asherah follows Tarisha to her office.

---

Asherah looks around the place, feeling a bit nostalgic. Some of her oldest memories are in this room, being bounced on her mother's lap while the Sha-hakir's Medina did her work.

Of course, she's been here at least a few times since infancy, but ultimately this has always been her mother's space. Until now, at least.

It's strange to have a place so close to home be slightly unfamiliar... A flash of memory briefly skirts along Asherah's mind, of finding a strange chest and her father being quite angry-

But, the recollection quickly ends as Asherah is pulled back to the present by her mother's voice,
"Now, dear, how about you sit down in this spare chair, and help me figure this mess out" she gestures to her desk, which just at a glance seems to have a lot going on

"Show me what you've learned. If you need anything, ask. Let's get to work"

Without further ado, Tarisha sits down, grabs a piece of charcoal and a sheet of lapir, and begins to read.

OOC: Lapir is basically papyrus. Had a bit of trouble deciding what tech level to go with. Hopefully this doesn't contradict any of the settings I've already made for Hakirrash.

OOC: This was very short on my part. I didn't have much to directly respond to. Let me know if you want me to edit the post to continue in the morning, with you getting trained by your mother for your new job.

30/3/2024 - Edited
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:28, Sat 30 Mar.

Asherah would ponder on why she was reminded of the chest now. Hadn't she found it in her prents room...? Or maybe her father had just taken her there to scold her. Asherah, much to her disappointment, decided to push her thoughts away so she could focus on the task at hand. Still sitting with that feeling of unfamiliarity.

Asherah took a seat and began reading the Lapir. She made three piles with the papers, material requests, orders, and misc. She then organized the material request pile into urgent, not urgent, and unreasonable piles. Putting the urgent on top and the unreasonable on bottom. The Orders came next, she organized those into custom and bulk piles, Custom going on top. Lastly there was misc, papers with too much jargon for Asherah to understand or papers from ages ago [figuratively] and didn't seem pertinent now.

Asherah would then point to one papers with lots of jargon. "Mother what are these? It has a few too many words that are foreign to me."

As Asherah works, her mother occasionally glances over at her piles and nods with her organizational skills.

Eventually, Asherah has a question and Tarisha responds to her daughter,

"These ones? Oh, these are actually Caerish loan-words. This file is all about Kuracos' right to resell the dyes we trade to them, off to the Twin States. Abarion city is actually a co-correspondent here, since they have existing agreements with most of Ghanbar's cities. That's why they are so damn wealthy."

She flips through a few sheets of lapir before pointing to a page you hadn't seen yet. "Read this, instead. It has the same content, but properly translated to Ghanbaran. This wasn't done by us, but by the people who sent us these letters"

The day's work continues...

OOC: I'll leave it up to you how much to go on with this. If you want me to just skip to the next 'thing' we can do that too. Roleplaying doing our taxes is almost comedically boring - but I'm not entirely against it either, XD. I don't know if I've explicitly said it yet, but the next thing to happen soon is that Asherah is going to be sent to Abarion for some reason or another. Now that you're apprenticing, it's probably going to be a work related thing.

Asherah would nod and start checking the papers in the Misc pile for their translations. Even with the translations they were hard to understand, but she pushed through, making another pile for general trade. The bottom layer being existing trade agreements, the second for negotiations, and third [the top layer] for requests. Asherah would work with this much diligence and precision throughout the day. Overjoyed that she was, at last, back in heart element.

OOC:Yeah that'd be great if we could move to the next thing, I've got some hankering for adventure! And sorry this isn't terribly long, I couldn't think of much bc well taxes.

OOC: No problem lol

Asherah works diligently. It's not particularly interesting work, but she is just happy to be spending time with her family again, back in her hometown after a grueling journey.

She had changed in many ways in Kuracos (and later Benashter), but she is also quickly rediscovering her roots back in Hakirrash. Finally, she has hope for the future and is excited to face the coming days!

---

After all the work has finished, Asherah and her family have dinner. Perhaps a bit surprisingly, the dinner is totally normal. No mention of strange titles, or strange feelings. Just a calming, jovial dinner with her family. It feels like she never left.

Once dinner has finished, Asherah goes to sleep.

---

A couple weeks pass like this. Asherah spends time revisiting her old childhood haunts, and they are just as she remembers them. It has only been a year after all, and she hasn't particularly grown taller. Still, it helps her feel like her old self.

During these weeks, Kiyana returns. The happy reunion between sisters is quite short, as Kiyana is quickly taken away by Tarisha to prepare for her union ceremony.

Just several days later, the union ceremony is held. The customs have long been familiar to Asherah, but she also understands a lot more of the context of them, now that she is aware of how it is done in Ghanbar. Definitely, it's a much bigger occasion in her village. The man's family has come over from a local village, as well.

After the traditions pass, a party is held all across the village. This is owing to the fact that the Sha-hakir's eldest daughter has married. Kiyana's partner turns out to be a handsome young man from a nearby village. He is the second son of that village's Sha (leader).

Perhaps Asherah is disappointed or relieved to know that Kiyana will not be entirely absent from her life from here on out. It turns out, part of the deal between families was that the unified pair would spend time in both villages. This fits the man well, as he seems to enjoy traveling. Kiyana accepted this, seemingly because she has love in her heart for both families.

The morning after the party, the man leaves back to his village with his family. It will be a couple months before they return.
As they leave, Asherah catches a glimpse of the other village's Sha bowing and kissing the hand of her father. Nahur waves it off and pats the man's back. She feels like she has seen something she shouldn't have. The other Sha is clearly grateful to Nahur to the point of denigrating himself... Nahur seems a bit embarrassed, but not surprised... Is her father used to this kind of treatment?

From her understanding of regional politics, all Shas are roughly equal. Hakirrash is one of the more prominent villages sure, but not to such an extent. It's getting to the point where Asherah wanders if the War King Raz'Kubir himself would come and bow to her father!

That's definitely not possible, though... No way

Eventually, something out of the ordinary comes up. Joura has to leave for another expedition to the Credi Isles. Asherah has sailed with him before, but she has never been allowed to leave the boat. Joura says that if she wants, she can definitely visit the Isles for real with him next time. How exciting!

The reason she can't go with him this time, is her mother and father have a task for her. With their other mature children away, they need Asherah to head to Abarion to settle a trade dispute. They would go, but are both busy with their own thing. Her mother just tells her to think of it as part of her training to take over her work.

As if presuming Asherah may be curious how the family managed before their kids were old enough, Tarisha smiles and tells Asherah that actually she was away a lot when Asherah was younger - but Asherah just never noticed. She made sure of it.

Just before her journey, Asherah gets her mind turned upside down and inside out as her mother proceeds to recount several times where she was gone for months on end, and Asherah was kept in the dark. Apparently, the thing her father and mother used to do back then was whenever Tarisha had to leave, Nahur would simply keep Asherah busy for days on end, by directing her towards 'interesting' things...

Asherah may be a little embarrased by how easily she was tricked... but children are like that, aren't they?

Regardless, a caravan is soon prepared for her. Hopefully, Asherah doesn't feel as bad about leaving again - as this time she is free to return as soon as she finished her task - which should be a rather simple one. She won't be gone for more than a month, and most of that time will be spent travelling in all likelihood.

OOC: Feel free to make a post here with anything you want to respond to from what I've wrote. If you don't have anything to add, just LMK and I'll make a post in another thread for you to respond to!

Asherah quickly eased back into her lighthearted self as the weeks went by. Even getting in a few pranks that she was quite proud of. Only now she was mature enough to do it with an odd of air politeness and not pull anything on the day of her sister's unification ceremony. Asherah also took to her work like a bee to honey or an Ox to, I don't know, something that's a plant and fluffy? Ferns? Yeah we'll go with Ferns. Asherah took her work like an Ox to ferns. Feeling very chipper once more.

Asherah's sister's ceremony was unsurprisingly boring. Before hand, Asherah had grilled the man with questions and did her best to make it seem like she wasn't grilling him. Afterward, in private, Asherah told her sister that she approved of the man and hopped they would be happy together. Asherah was so happy she even took part in small talk with the other people there. While regretting this action and trying to get away from all the people she noticed the exchange between her father and the other Sha. At first, Asherah was curious, but then something twisted inside her. Asherah wasn't exactly one for anger, but all these secrets were getting her twisted in a knot.

One night Asherah awoke, bed drenched in sweat, panting. As great as Asherah had been lately, she still had nightmares about her time with that old woman. Asherah told herslef it hadn't been that bad, but that didn't stop the occasional nightmares. Tonight even had a few Zajamurs. Asherah decided to take a walk to give her bed some time to dry out, while climbing out her window she had idea. The chest. She remembered it being in her parents room... but she'd remembered it, in the room her mother began her training in. Maybe. Just, maybe-Asherah knew she was to leave for Abarion in a week, but she had to know now. Asherah would go to the room and search. Quietly, making sure to put back everything as it was, she'd do this for maybe an hour. If she didn't find anything, she would head back to bed.

Asherah did her best to behave herself during her sister's ceremony. She did well, in fact. However, it was draining on her - especially since she wanted to return to her old childish ways, now that she was comfortable at home.

Eventually, she decided to take a break from the small talk and investigation of Kiyana's new partner, who seems like an earnest young man.

However, when she comes across the strange show of subordination towards her father, she is reminded again about how many secrets are being kept from her... it feels like a knot in her chest. She fears she doesn't really know her own family.

---

One night, Asherah awakens from some nightmares about Raba Jamazi. She tells herself it could have been much worse, but that doesn't help her feel less traumatized by the whole ordeal.

At some point, her nightmares morph into scenes of herself being ripped apart and eaten by Zajamurs. She wakes up in a cold sweat, and decides she cannot keep sleeping if her mind is going to be this unsettled.

A thought strikes her at that moment, to go explore her mother's workshop, where memories of the chest in her father's room had come into her mind unbidden.

---

Asherah spends a half hour carefully looking through the workshop, but she doesn't find the chest. However, she finds many other things in this room, that is only half-familiar to her.

Many secret compartments are discovered within the room, hiding documents written in strange codes. She doesn't have time to decipher them, but she becomes a bit scared when she begins to think that maybe she shouldn't have disturbed these things.

She tries to put everything back exactly as she found it... But soon, fear grips her heart.
In her half-tired, half-manic state, she hadn't realized it... Her stomach feels like it's trying to escape her body. She might be sick.
The hidden compartments where she found the strange papers... each one of them have thin, almost invisible strings. But, they've been split by her intrusion. Leaving behind evidence of her passage.

In fact, as Asherah backs off, an immense feeling of paranoia grips her.  This whole office... She had though before it was a bit disorganized, but that it followed her mother's system.
But that was all a front. This entire room is an intricate trap, like a spider's web. A trap for any intruders.
Like herself.

Swallowing heavily, Asherah looks over to the piles of lapir she had herself organized just the other day. She hadn't realized until now, she had thought they were the same as she had left them when retiring to bed.
But they are not.
The corners of the lapir, separated into the same layers she had left them, have been turned. Asherah doesn't know if her mother turned the corners after her daughter left, or if she had made small, unnoticeable adjustments while they had worked - to the point Asherah hadn't even noticed things progressively moving towards that specific alignment...
Perhaps, it could be her looking into it too much... But the corners point towards all the secret entrances she has found.
... And the remaining pages point in other directions.... Asherah's heart is racing in apprehension as she traces a line from the corners to a random crate strewn about...

Her entire body tenses as she arrives at a random crate the lapir's edge had pointed to. She opens it up, and it is empty... She feels momentary relief, hoping it was all in her head.
But remembering the fact that there could be a secret compartment, Asherah's hand moves forward, looking for a false bottom.

...

She finds one.
Another secret compartment, containing more encoded sheets. Worse, another nigh-invisible string she has torn by opening the compartment.

...

Another half hour passes, and Asherah has found all the remaining secret compartments. Over two dozen encoded papers, and as many little threads she has broken, revealing her presence.

Furthermore, Asherah also discovers that the encoded pages are themselves bent in strange angles. They point in random directions, but they don't lead anywhere. Perhaps this is a secondary form of code?

...

Asherah does her best to put everything back as she found it.
She isn't confident that she's done even a remotely decent job.

It is way too likely that there is a third or even fourth layer of traps that she hasn't noticed... But still, she uses her shaking fingers to carefully re-tie the torn threads... She tries to place every piece of lapir in the same orientation, but she wasn't paying attention at first and wouldn't have thought to memorize such a small detail unless she had been specifically aware of it beforehand.

It's like going on a walk on the beach and talking about philosophy with someone for hours, and then they turn around and ask you how many times they made slight turns in their course. It's something you could potentially answer if you had been watching their footfalls, but if you were focused on the scenery and conversastion, you would have no idea!

...

As she backs out of the room, hoping even as it seems unlikely that she hasn't left any evidence of her intrusion.

Just as she is about to leave, her heart skips a beat and her breath catches.
Thump, thunk. Thump, thunk.
Heavy footfalls can be heard.
Approaching this building.

She thinks of hiding, but it's impossible. Even crouching under the desk wouldn't really obscure her.
Run away? Not possible, without causing a lot of noise.

Frozen by indecision, Asherah grows more and more tense as the sound approaches.
Thump, thunk.
Thump, thunk.
Thump, thunk.

...

Silence.

The footsteps have stopped. From her estimate, just outside the door.

In that moment, the door opens. Asherah holds back a cry of terror as -

...

Nobody.
It was just the wind.

She must have left the door open when she came in.

Ha. ha.

Definitely.

--------------

As Asherah returns to her room after re-shutting the door to her mother's office, she lays in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Nothing feels familiar.
She has had this feeling a number of times now.
But all these secrets... she's felt like she changed since returning home. But now, she wonders if the reason things feel so different is not because of her maturation, but because she is finally seeing things she could not see before.

It terrifies her.
This sense of unease, of the familiar becoming unfamiliar.

Just as her eyes are about to close, sleep taking her away from this terror...

"SOMEONE IS RIGHT THERE!!" Her thoughts are chaotic.
She had been half-asleep, but now she is wide awake. Her eyes are still shut tight, though.
She doesn't know how she knows. But someone is standing right beside her bed. She is absolutely sure of it. She can almost feel their breath, staring down at her. Their eyes boring into her own...

Unable to resist, she opens her eyes.

The familiar ceiling.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

Phew... she definitely needs to sleep.

Asherah gets up to grab a drink of water, before returning to bed.

And she hits her foot on something that cannot possibly be here.

A familiar chest, adorned with gold and sea-green inscriptions of dragons, swords and crowns.
It is open, and a blood-red light is pouring out.

Asherah's eyes roll back into her head and she faints on the spot.

---

---

The golden sunlight of the seaside village pours in through her windows' shutters.

Asherah stretches, waking up with a content expression.

She feels extremely rested. The last thing she remembers was having nightmares about Raba, and some Zajamurs.
Asherah also vaguely recalls getting up at some point to do something - probably just for a drink of water.

Looking around, Asherah wipes the sleep out of her eyes. Her floor is empty, as usual.
A tiny sense of incongruity fills a corner of her heart, but she barely notices it as she goes about her day.

Today, she has to head off to Abarion. She hopefully won't be away long before she can return.

Truly,
There is no place like home.