abraxaslogs | WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

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WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

Welcome to Solvunn! Bright suns and merriest of welcomes to you! The portal opens in a vast field on the western side of town surrounded by cattle, with a distant view of the bustling marketplace. The first impression of the settlement is one of idylic, country charm. There are no looming structures or crowded streets. Instead, there are cozier houses on wide streets and community buildings made of stone and wood. A gentle breeze rolls across the field and the sun is high in the sky.

There's not as much magic here as in other locations, but it's there. No one will be stopped from entering Solvunn, though suspicion will be cast upon new arrivals. Citizens will be friendly and welcoming, but curious about their new visitors. It isn't often that they welcome new folks- especially not so many at once!

With tensions between the other communities, Solvunn will not be keen on ratting out those who fled Thorne, but with the knowledge that sanctuary will not be given for free. Everyone does their part, whatever that part may be.

Asking questions will result in being told to find Rowan March, one of the council members, somewhere in the marketplace.

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[It's the oldest boys, barely more than ten who looks up first at the cheerful voice, and immediately he ducks behind Martin's bulk, which makes the man himself look up.

Before he can reply, though, two of the girls, one detaching from Martin's leg and the other dragging a boy barely out of babyhood, rush towards Himeka with cheering choruses of "Yes please!"". The last boy detaches himself from Martin and follows, not wanting to be left out, and Martin gives the girl a grateful smile as he approached himself, the oldest boy staying hidden.]

Now- all of you, only one piece each or your mother's going to paddle me when you don't eat dinner. Gwenh, help Vance with his, alright? [This gets a few giggles, but the energy is a bit more polite from then. The oldest girl takes a second piece, tucking one into her pocket before she picks up the not-quite-a-baby.] You too, Devon, or there'll be none left.

[And the nervous boy sneaks around to take one too, still watching Himeka with wide eyes and a pink face under the dirt. Martin takes a more full-sized piece and gives her a nod.]

Appreciate it. You must be having a good run of it, if your worst problem is too much bread. [His tone is warm, the conversational amusement of someone who's not sure how familiar he's allowed to really be.]

He nods hesitantly, knowing that he should be grateful for that much, no matter how it happened. That Relena was safe after he feared the worst, that all who wanted to managed to escape. They didn't have to pick and choose who to escape with. As of now, they are all free - or at least as free as they can be, when kidnapped away from their homes.

He feels her touch against his back and arm, and relaxes into it. He's already feeling better - it wasn't the most severe injury, and her magic has already gotten it to a more comfortable state.

"Though blind luck or otherwise," he says. "And now, we survive long enough to see what comes next."

There's more he wants to do, beyond wiling his days away here. But to do that, they'll need to be healthy, and they'll need a place they can return to.

Hmm.

[He leans against the bookshelf. He did come here to look at books, but he's been thoroughly distracted at this point.]

I can only fathom what it might mean, to be 'liked' by a man like that. Truthfully, I've only seen him grow angry once - during a moment when he misunderstood my words, thinking I was judging 'humans' as innately lesser than our own race.

[And odd that had been, given that Estinien considers them to be mostly the same thing.]

[He can't help a quiet scoff.]

I hardly see how that's my fault, it's not like we got a docket on the place saying [in an overblown tour guide voice:] "Welcome to Solvunn, we've got goats and not much else". And even then I probably would have picked it anyway. After the last couple months I've had, it rather feels like a holiday.

[Even if he only truly picked it in as much as Jon didn't. But it's still comforting to be staying somewhere where no one's trying to kill him or set him up for failure.]

Yes?

[ Link's voice rises slightly in a show of surprise to have been so immediately identified, apparently unaware that his pointed ears are a dead giveaway that he is not native stock - even though he's since given up his Thornean tunic for something more appropriate to this part of Solvunn. The people here in the tertiary settlement do not wear much silk, and that suits him fine.

The man is observant enough to ask if he made the trip alone. Link's little shack isn't too far removed from the older couple that was kind enough to lend it to him, but other than the enormous amount of stew he's made, there is no indication that anyone else lives with him.

It doesn't bother him. He's made most of his journeys alone. ]

I did. I'm glad to be near the sea.

[ Rowan watches him repeat the action, looking pleased. ]

Oh, there are gods for every aspect you could think of. Some of 'em have names, some of 'em don't. Maybe they do and we just haven't been deemed worthy to know it yet.

[Estinien glances towards the coastline, which he's already seen from the air at this point. It's certainly not the nicest seaside view he's ever seen, but he can appreciate the sentiment. His home nation is about is landlocked as they come, doing most of their business by airship, but touring the Far East has given him an appreciation for the coast.

He grunts his understanding. He supposes there doesn't need to be a better reason to come down here. Estinien would be traveling alone, too, if there wasn't anyone he needed to be caring for.]

Well, if you're offering, I'll take you up on it. [He nods towards what Link is cooking.] Saves me finding a place to eat... if there's really enough to spare.

[The last part is said with the dry implication of it being a joke, given the vast quantity that's being prepared.]

Well, I can't be too sure about having earned their graces already, but we certainly try.

[ With everything about their way of life in service to the gods, Rowan likes to think they've earned favor. That doesn't mean they're going to stop or change traditions and risk finding that the opposite is the case. It's worked for them plenty so far. ]

Blessed days to you, Nero. [ He holds out his hand for a shake. ] If your intent is to help, I'm certain we can put you to work somewhere.

[ It's no Zora's Domain, but it'll do. Link doesn't know much about pirates and hooligans, but he knows that the ocean will always be rich in resources - as evident by all the seafood, potatoes, and wild vegetables bubbling away in the cooking pot. More importantly, he can also recognize a community in need of a helping hand when he sees one.

Link misses the dry humor, judging by the lack of any shift away from his genial expression. He could and would eat this all himself, but he's happy to motion to the stump across from him and scoop some of the soup into a bowl for Estinien anyway. ]

Of course. Welcome to Link's Soup Shack, you're my first customer.

[ He passes the bowl over to the other elf along with a spoon, brimming with a subtle kind of excitement. He hasn't gotten the opportunity to cook for other people too often, and it's kind of fun to think he finally gets to share a skill beyond his swordsmanship. ]

The grue more than stands out. Even only coming out at dusk, he sticks to the edges of things, just as intimidated by the number of people here as he was in the much more crowded castle. He's quick to smile and mimic her wave, even if he doesn't recognize Himeka, only glad to see a cheery face.

"Yes, I didn't want to stay behind," he answers, the words coming from the upper or lower mouth seemingly at random, two slightly different voices speaking as one. Not when the Thornians had forced him out into the sunlight only to watch someone die.

It's just past sunset, and something is watching Martin herd his charges home from under the long eaves of a goat barn, too many eyes reflecting the blue light of dusk. Some stares, yearning, covetous.

He misses his own charges with a heat that presses uncomfortably outwards in his chest, and drapes himself over a trio of hay bales, chin resting on three crossed arms as he simply stares, as if that could feed the hollow space inside.

Martin's well accustomed to the feeling of being stared at, but the gaggle of children makes it a little difficult to worry about when their presences - and therefore, hazards - are a lot more immediate. Still, he gets the six of them home safe, and once everyone's gotten settled in their beds he takes his usual evening leave.

The light pollution Martin's familiar with from London doesn't exist here, and it's jarring to look up and see an entirely different series of galaxies than he's used to. Even if he's learning the names of some of them already; he's actually come out with a lantern and a book, open to a page of artful constellations to get a better understanding of them for himself, and he gets settled against a stone fence opposite the goat pen. He hasn't noticed Some yet.

The book, and the general non-threateningness of the human, lures Some closer, despite the lantern. He grips the edge of the eave as he ducks out from under it, his too-long fingers stark against the faintly reflective thatch.

"May I see?" he asks, voice soft, when he's still over a body-length away from the human. Looming got him smacked by half a dozen servants at the castle before he learned not to do it, now he's corrected in the opposite extreme, all but crouching to make himsef smaller.

[Phoenix has been hard at work trying to get a good enough place to settle in for a teenage girl and her ~~dad~~ guardian. Working in the fields to try to help the older families' farms and get into their good graces (and not doing well at all, but apparently sincerity goes a long way) until they gave their recommendation that he be allowed to stay and get a job as a clerk in the town hall. It's not exactly exciting work, but now he and Kay have a home and he has a job, so it's something.

But after he's handled those immediate problems, he's been asked a favor by a friend. He hasn't really met Martin yet, but it's a small town and it's pretty easy to track him down. Phoenix goes to the library, hunting through the (frankly minimal) stacks before finally coming across a man who fits Martin's description.]

Hey there. [He smiles, waving to get Martin's attention.] Martin Blackwood, right?

[Martin is, as expected, very easy to find. And he deeply appreciated this polite stranger actually giving him a light heads up before calling out to him, because apparently very few people in this place do. Something about camaraderie and familiarity tends to blur the lines on when it's appropriate to just come up and slam a hand into Martin's back and he's already a jumpy person to begin with.

He gives Phoenix a confused head tilt, sliding one last book into place on the shelf before he puts the remains of his stack down on a nearby table.]

Right, that's me. I, um. I'm afraid I don't know your name, though...? [It's an awkward trail off with a polite, questioning smile.

[ Link is, naturally, completely oblivious to the other man's distress. Nero may be a touch nihilistic and weird in a way that Link couldn't and wouldn't hope to wrap his head around, but for now, the older elf hasn't given Link any overt reason to be wary of him.

Link raises a hand in a friendly greeting for a familiar face - an increasingly rare commodity, now that they're all spread out throughout Abraxas - though most of his attention remains on fish bait. ]

Kingdom life didn't suit me, after all.

[ And that's all he has to say about the mild trauma of being nearly forced to witness an unjust execution. ]

You too?

[ Leaving Thorne, sure, but something about 'peaceful neutral commune' doesn't seem to vibe with Nero... at least as far as Link can surmise. ]

Link. [He repeats the name to himself, with the intent of remembering it.] I'm Estinien Wyrmblood.

[Estinien takes the food, pushing it around in the bowl with his spoon a bit, seeing more closely what it's made of. He can see the look on Link's face, and it's one he recognizes well. He has a few friends that also like to cook, and they always seem interested in what he thinks. Tragically, he's never been particularly good at giving commentary on this sort of thing.

He eats some of the soup. He likes it. Seafood is something he's gained a taste for since he started finding cuisine more interesting, though he's also found his preferences leaning towards thing more unusual than fish, at least for his homeland. The best expression of him enjoying it is probably just how quickly he eats it.]

Phoenix Wright. [Phoenix dips his head in greeting.] I'm a friend of Jon's. He asked me to find you.

[And take you into a magical dream land where you'll lose your memory and maybe get powers, but Phoenix isn't going to say it in so many words.]

Did anyone tell you about the Horizon?

O-oh!

[For some reason he feels just a little conflicted about hearing that, despite how relieved he is that someone here actually openly likes Jon.]

Yes, actually, uh. Jon told me quite a bit about it, while we were, uh. W-while we were in jail, so. [He lifts a hand to rub his neck.] He hasn't really shown me how to get there, though, it. Well, it was a bit of a stressful time, a-as you can imagine, we didn't really get much of a chance to... meditate, as it were.

Yeah, that's what he wanted me to talk to you about.

[He puts his hands in his pockets, straightening up.] I'm not exactly an expert on meditation, but I have a connection and I can try to bring you there. It'd make it easier for you to talk to him again, at least.

Really? [Martin lights up a little, despite himself.] Honestly that would be an amazing help, I-I-- we said we'd meet each other there to keep each other updated on our research, but, um. Well.

[Here they are.]

I-is there anything I could do for you, to- to repay you?

Don't worry about that. [Phoenix waves the question off with a small smile.] Just happy to help. But we should probably wait until you're done with work to try. I should let you know, it's pretty unsettling when you go for the first time.

Yeah, Jon did warn me about that, actually. [But he appreciates the warning regardless, and his tone is grateful as he moves around the table.] I'm actually free now, this is entirely volunteering. I finished maybe an hour ago. So really, I'm free if you are!

It's the motion that catches Martin's attention first, and he almost thinks it's just a trick of the shadows from his lantern. But then he sees the glowing eyes, and he instantly shoots to his feet as the thing approaches, and...

...talks to him. Quite politely, in fact, and it somehow both takes the wind out of his panicked sails and makes him much more viscerally anxious. Michael had started polite.

"U-um-- you, uh, d'you mean this?" He holds the book up, the light flickering off its worn leather bindings. It's not particularly well made, even before generations of grubby children got their hands on it, but he claps it quietly shut and offers it to the creature.

At full arm's length, ready to pull back again. He's got some self preservation.

Well he certainly doesn't think highly of his own race. Calls the lot of them pretentious, warmongering bastards. [Which, again, was a worrying statement as to Nero's character when he had gotten exiled from all that.

The sight of the other elf leaning on the shelves gets a slight frown.]

Do be careful there, the shelves aren't all that stable sometimes. They overbalance pretty easily if you're not careful.

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WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

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Re: Martin Blackwood | The Magnus Archives | Empress

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