A Fisherman's Tale: Dorian Drake Chapter 5 - Samheen 3

Post by **Shaeliana** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 11:36 am

Wet dressed exchanged for a dry one, Maranda sat by the fire combing out her hair while the fisherman told about his day and cooked. The hot food stilled the lingering shivery chills. Listening to him talk about the rising cost of food and his unwillingness to raise his prices, she smiled and nodded.

"It's what I'd expect from ya and one of the reason's I married ya, Dorian Drake. Your a good man and I'm lucky a lucky woman," she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Went by to see Marta," she said. "She lost her last helper... girl moved ta Roque. She said business is like ta be slow here for a while and of course, pay is based on how much sewin' ya do, but she said I could come and work with her. Couple a weeks and the nobility should be comin' back and things should start pickin' up again."

The girl chattered on about her visit to town and hurting misplaced people as the rain came down in earnest outside, large drops pelting against the roof in accompaniament to the blowing wind.

"Did you and the boys have fun?" she asked snuggling close and laying her head on his shoulder. "They seem ta like ya very much."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 11:27 pm

Dorian Drake nodded. "They were all right. Didn't get into trouble." he said of the boys, and quite happily accepted an armload of Maranda. "Told the family if the weather got truly bad, they could cram themselves in here, but they said they'd go into town. At least they have dinner tonight. And my boat is patched....glad my traps are here, not on the water, I'd lose them in this." he tilted his head to listen to the storm. "Getting into storm season now. I'll have to mind the skies."

He wasn't used to voicing his thoughts; life with Old Drake had been pretty quiet. "So, tomorrow the water will be high and rough - I will have to be careful where I throw my nets." Storms raised hidden things from the bottom. He'd brought up an ivory map case once, and sold it, for it was salvage and to go onto land was foolish for him. And he'd also brought up Drowned and lost his nets (still a very sore point with Mr. Tightwad Fisherman). But there could be Salvage....you never knew. He'd rise early as he could to see what the storm kicked up onto shore, too.

"Shoreline may yield up some salvage tomorrow." he said. "Storms stir up what's below, bring it up. You never know what you'll find, with a storm." Old Drake had found him during a storm. "Maybe I'll wake you and we can go hunting salvage," he added, with a wicked smile, "Instead of tucking you back in all soft and cozy." And he kissed her.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Sat Jun 21, 2003 3:03 am

"Salvage?" his wife sat up suddenly and turned to face him, eyes dancing with glee.

"You mean like treasure? Stuff from wrecked ships? Pearls and fancy silver swords and secret stuff?" Grinning widely, here eys were wide.

"Of course I will go looking with you," she giggled, then gave a little squeal as she hugged Dorian followed by a soft mmmmm as he kissed her, returning the kiss passionately as her arms slipped around the man she loved.

"I like those! Treasure will wait for tomorrow," she purred softly as the kiss ended. "Can I have another please?" she pleaded softly and nibbled on his bottom lip ever so softly.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 12:03 am

Dorian smiled. "Salvage can be nothing more than firewood." he said. "Don't forget, the Mer have the first pick. But sometimes, there's something worth selling."

He responded to the kiss warmly, holding her close. Soon his lips were wandering all over, and his hands too. The fire went into a deep low glow, casting red light over the bare flesh of lovers, entwined in passion and oblivious to the storm outside.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 4:42 am

Outside, a brisk stormy wind pelted cold rain against the small house. Inside, warmed by the small fire and the passion of their love, the newly weds enjoyed one another as the sky darkened and black of night decended on the landscape. The gray cat slept curled up near the fire. Passions spent, Maranda fell asleep nestled in her husband's arms, content and happy.

Outside, the rain came and went while the wind stayed gusty and wild. With no where to go in the still water sogged land, the rain ran in thick rivulets out of the city and into the lake. As eveningtide faded into gravetide, the fury of the storm abated, slowing into drizzles which had stopped entirely by the next morning.

Almost as if on cue, the couple was awakened about a mark before sunrise by the gray cat walking across them, purring. Maranda snuggled close to the fisherman.

"Morning," she purred feeling very cozy and happy herself.

Outside, the skies were still gray but the wind was light and there was no rain. Up and down the beachline debris had washed up on the shore.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 23, 2003 2:52 am

"Morning," Dorian managed to rumble out, with a sleepy, satiated smile, then his eyes snapped open. "The storm's over. Let's go !" In a mad dash for his sandals, shirt and breeches, took his gaff and bucket, and jumped up and down impatiently waiting for Maranda to sort herself out. Time to go hunting for treasures ! He was hoping for a new cookpot; a nice one to cook soup in for favourite, but beggars couldn't be choosers. At the very least there would be firewood for a while. But he did try not to step on the poor cat.

He all but bolted down to the shoreline, pausing on the run to see if his boat was still tied up or not, and then after seeing it cast up high on the beach, dashed off down the sand, looking for goodies. The gaff could fish them out of shallows, or be used to prise open crates. It was a gift-giving day, when you found something you didn't need and you knew someone else did, and he absolutely loved a chance to make fast money with a good find. Winter was coming; even a storm had its value. And his traps were still in the shack, so he hadn't lost them. Bonus all round.

He left no bit of wood unturned, and went along the shoreline as if a treasure chest of gold was awaiting him. "C'mon, Maranda, we won't be alone here for long !"

Post by **Shaeliana** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 1:31 am

Energized by her husband's excitement, the blonde jumped up, rolled the bed up and dressed for the day, running her comb through her hair quickly but leaving it down. Peeking outside, she rummaged in one of the wooden chests she'd brought and drug out a dark emerald green wool shawl and drew it across her shoulders, ready for the morning chill.

Following Dorain outside, she ran to keep up with him as he made his way up the beachline, leaving no stone or stray piece of wood unturned and there certainly was a lot of wood. That and long strands of lakeweed that had been washed up littered the sandy shore as far as she could see.

A good way down the beach there was a large knot of green wet weed wrapped around wood and other items that looked metallic as if the deep had tried to hold onto the treasure and lost the fight. Entwined in mesh, a long pole stuck up out of the sand, one end resting on what looked like the keel of a small boat that had broken off and lay half buried in the sand.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 2:09 pm

Dorian gravitated to the metallic stuff, hoping it had Resale Value, and used the gaff to move it to try to sever the tangling weed. You never know what it might be. He had a grin on him like a child on his birthday, and avidly looked to see what he was getting into, without reaching in with curious fingers, using the gaff. He was a cautious salvager when it came to personal injury. Sharp pointy things were dangerous to handle.

"And that looks like a good heap of wood, what used to be a single-masted boat," said Dorian of the half or whatever of a boat, "Shame I've no hatchet to take it apart with. Can you see if it's broken or not ? I found some metal, but it might be sharp stuff." He wasn't about to lose a finger on a rusty old sword and die of blood poisoning. "And see if that netting's any good, please, dearest. It might be my nets I lost earlier this year." Probably not, but anything that could be useful, you had to look and evaluate.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 9:53 pm

The tangle of lakeweed, worn ropes and metal drug up easily onto the sand. On the other end of the long wood pole, was the metal head of a harpoon with two barbs, the metal dark and tarnished some, but not rusty yet. A bit more sifting through the mess turned up what was left of an arm, the hand clasped tightly around a fairly new looking dagger, the blade nearly as long as the fisherman's forearm.

Meanwhile, unused to salvaging, Maranda was gingerly picking at the lakeweed attempting to pull it away from the nets or ropes without touching it any more than absolutely necessary. A face of disgust accompanied her actions as she freed another strand of weed with the tips of two danty fingers and tossed it aside. Pulling on another strand, something fell out landing at her feet with a thud followed by squirming movements. A loud squeal accompanied her sudden movements backwards away from the creature, steps which carried her into a couple of boards laying there.

She fell backwards onto her bottom with another squeal, skirt flung up and legs splayed not very gracefully before she planted them back down and started scooting backwards again, fleeing the small many legged sea life with large pinchers aggressively warning off anything that got near.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 12:08 am

Dorian was a fisherman; not a job for the squeamish. He was in the process of prising the knife out of the dead hand when Maranda's squeal caught his ears. "Eh ?" He asked, looking around, and saw his wife being menaced by his breakfast. With a quick move, he hurried over, snatching up crabs by their backsides and dumping them into the bucket. "You all right ?" he asked, grinning at her, and offered her a hand up. "Found some metal, I did, but you found a meal."

He then considered that maybe his wife, since she was afraid of crabs, might take seeing a man's hand amiss. "Best you not go over there," he said. "Want my gaff in case there's more crabs ?" The knife should fetch a good price, and the harpoon he might keep, to hunt tuna. He looked to see if anything else was in the mess that she'd disturbed, and also kept an eye on his prizes, a little ways away.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 10:16 pm

Still screeching and scooting backwards as best her skirt would allow, the blonde was clearly relieved when her fisherman came to the rescue, capturing the evil persuers and caging them in the bucket. Taking the offered hand, Maranda blushed and kissed Dorian's cheek lightly. Looking at the offered gaff, she nodded her head.

"Thank ya love," she smiled at him and headed back to the mess of weed and ropes with the fisherman beside her carefully eyeing the sand for anything that moved.

"There was something shiney down there... in the weed," she mumbled as she gingerly used the gaff to lift the tangle of weed and hemp. It had been a very long rope and perhaps a very new rope given its still good condition after having been water logged for who knew how long. As the girl continued to drag back weed and rope, the silver color of metal showed up once again. Dragging a bit more weed out of the way, a fancy silver tea pot lay tangled up in dark green lakeweed.

"Ohhhh," the girl breathed out. "Look at that wouldya! Isn't that pretty?" Smiling, she looked up at the fisherman. "Would ya mind reachin' in for it? In case there's any more of the crawlies down there?" The wind had picked up and a fine mist began to blow off the lake again. Down the shore a bit further, gulls clammored over something washed up on the beach.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 2:41 pm

Dorian fetched out the teapot, upended it with a shake to remove any residents, and handed it to her, with a grin. "The crawlies taste good boiled. Something up on the beach - I'll just have a look."

He kept an eye on the harpoon head and knife, and would pick them up on the way over to Whatever. Probably a body. "Shoo !" he told the gulls, slinging a handful of sand at them, to see what they had found.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 5:24 pm

Broad smile on her face, Maranda took the fancy tea pot and began brushing the wet sand from its sides, murmuring softly about how fancy it was, nodding at the fisherman's departure down the shore to investigate.

Already partially sated, chasing the gulls away from their breakfast wasn't hard and the noisy birds flapped away, most of them settling some distance away, watchful of Dorian. Face down in the sand, the man's clothing had once been rich and expensive, the dark blue velvet doublet fit the now cold form perfectly and looked to still be intact and in good shape. The gulls had made grizzly work of the legs, but he'd been dead long before they got to him and thus it wasn't a bloody sight.

One arm was stretched out over the man's head, almost as if the dead body had clawed it's way onto the beach. It was lavishly adorned with three rings, all made of gold, the middle one also set with a red stone the size of the fisherman's thumb.

Impatiently, the gulls had been walking back towards the body hesitantly. Now, a couple flew back over in an attempt to reclaim their meal.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 2:44 am

Dorian waved his arms, clapping loudly to startle the gulls, then called back to Maranda. "Don't come over here !" he said. If little crabs scared her, this would send her off screaming. Well, this was a nobleman, to judge by the rings, and as such was supposed to be taken to be properly buried. But this was also a body not in the best of shape, and his plans today did not include ferrying a corpse to the Church. He flipped the body over as gently as possible, to try to get an idea of the man's face and see if he wore anything like a badge on his clothes, that might show what noble house he was from.

Drowned men was an occurence not foreign to one whose livelihood was on the water. But someone would come asking about this man, more than likely. Dorian considered the rings, wondering if he ought to take them to give that person when he showed up; they were worth a lot, those rings, but the amount of trouble it would cause if he sold them was endless. He looked at the dead man and considered his options.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Sat Jul 12, 2003 7:53 pm

The handsome face didn't look any older than Dorian himself, perhaps younger. Vacant dark brown eyes stared sightlessly into the sky, the mouth agape as if in surprise. There were no marking or emblems on the man's clothing, the expensive velvet cloth rent in three places on the midrift and stained dark with old blood.

"Why, Dorian? What have you found that is so interesting?" his wife's voice moved closer as she approached him, eager smile on her face.

In fact, the only possibly identifying mark on the man was a gold ring set on his index finger with a crestlike design raised up in the metal. Fine detail defined a stag leaping through the air with some writing underneath the animal figure.

The light misting had increased, turning into a blowing drizzle that was quickly wetting everything. Maranda pulled her cloak tighter around her as she approached, holding her teapot like a treasure.

"Did you find more pretties, Dorian?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jul 12, 2003 11:05 pm

"Maranda, don't look, it's a dead man." he said, memorizing the face before flipping the body back over, and checking for anything in pockets or tied to the belt. Then he took the rings off. "Some kind of Lord, it looks like. I'll tell the Church he's out here, cover him up in some sand, but the tide's coming and I'll be out fishing today."

He cast a glance back at Maranda, then went to hand her the rings. "Keep 'em safe." he said. "If no one claims them from his family, they're ours. They might not ever claim them. Someone stabbed him in the belly."

With that, he looked around the beach again, to see if there was anything else to be found or looked over.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Sun Jul 13, 2003 11:27 pm

Once handsome, the face held no distinguishing marks. Dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, tanned skin and a unremarkably ordinary nose were set in the masculine face with a jawline that was neither too square nor too round. The full set of slightly yellowed teeth were not chipped nor were any missing.

Stopping suddenly at the fisherman's words, Maranda peered around her husband's body to catch a glimpse as he turned the body back face down in the sand.

"Stabbed? Robbers d'ya think? Or maybe he was killed during the battle here?"

Dorian's search produced nothing in any pockets. The man's purse was gone, the only thing remaining on his belt an empty ornately decorated leather scabard for a dagger or similar knife. Otherwise, the only thing remaining on the man was the three rings which the fisherman managed to work off the stiff swollen fingers and hand to his wife. Looking at the one with the stag, she gasped.

"I've seen that b'fore. Don't remember where though..." her voice trailed off as she tucked the rings into her pocket.

"You're goin' fishin' t'day? In this?" She pulled her cloak closer around her and shook her head, water droplets spraying off her now wet hair. Dorian's scan of the beach detected another small something a good ways on up the beach, but nothing in the immediate area.

"Too bad we can't drag what's left o' the boat back with us. It'd make good firewood once it dried out," she shook her head again, dislodging droplets of water from the now lank tendrils.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 2:31 am

"Dunno who stabbed him, or why," said Dorian, matter-of-factly. "If it were robbers, they'd have had the rings. If it were Drowned, they'd have kept the body." He eyed the object further up the beach. "I"m going to go see what that is," he said, "but then, I'll be wanting to put the boat into the water to catch us dinner. The fish rise after a storm, looking for food. Those little fingerling crabs aren't enough to eat today." Not enough for us and a family down the beach, he reflected. "But I'll see about dragging the ship along, at least some of it, for firewood, first, after I see what else there is to salvage, and covering up his dead lordship against the gulls. I don't own a hatchet."

He carried the harpoon head along, leaving Maranda the gaff to defend her against scuttling pincers. A dead man was a dead man, as a live one he still had a need to get salvage to use, trade or sell. Time to see what else the tides had brought along.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 3:51 am

Keeping her distance from the grissley sight, Maranda nodded and headed back towards the small boat remains and the bucket of crawlies, still holding her prized shiney pot tightly, head ducked down against the wind blowing the stinging drizzle into her face.

The waves were kicking up again, to match the wind and rain in a temper tantrum it seemed. Once Dorian got down to the next obvious gnarling of treasure, the spot his wife had returned to was out of sight. There was a good bit of driftwood here and an abundance of lakeweed washed up on the sand. Poking among it, the fisherman did manage to find a large metal ring bolted to some waterlogged wood, a wooden oar that looked as if it were nearly new and a much dinted pewter mug.

The sky had turned gray and dark, limiting the fisherman's vision down the shore. Dark upcroppings of what might have been similar groupings washed ashore loomed just out of clear sight, even of the fisherman's sharp eyesight. As if on cue, the sky cracked open with a bright flash of light followed by an explosion of sound and the drizzle turned into a downpour.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 1:57 am

Dorian tried tugging up the ring, and definitely took the oar and the mug. He didn't mind being wet, but he figured Maranda would be very displeased, so he then legged it along to find her and get her back to the shack. It was a bloody shame - it looked like he'd be scavenging mussels off the pier for dinner tonight.

"Maranda ! Let's go !" he called.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 4:15 pm

While the fisherman couldn't get all the wood off the bolted ring, enough came loose it wasn't cumbersome to carry. Arms full of his assorted treasures, Dorian made his way back to where he'd left his wife. Rounding the curve of beach, the lump of washed up debris came into view but there was no sign of the blonde. As he drew nearer, he could see that what was left of the bow of the boat had been drug up further ashore away from the waves and propped up. Nearby, the bucket, gaffing hook and a small mound of assorted scavenged goods sat waiting.

It wasn't til he got close that his hollering produced a response and a blonde head poked out from under the ruined boat bow, wet hair plastered to the pale face, eyes blinking water away.

"I see ya found some more goodies," she replied, her voice shaky and uneven. Another bright flash of lightening was accompanied by a violent crack of thunder and the girl pulled her head back under the boat, out of the pouring rain. The dark clouds out over the waters were alive with streaks and flashes of light as the thunderstorm displayed itself proudly.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 5:39 pm

"C'mon, let's get home," he said, "The storm's cut my fishing time today, I'll have to pull mussels off the pier later. Wrap your findings in my shirt." He shucked it off, oblivious to the water, and took up the wood and the gaff, with the bucket hung over it and the dinted tankard and harpoonhead in there with the crabs. Time to get under cover. He made sure not to be touching metal, too; he wasn't stupid, just a bit slow, and the lessons of Old Drake had stuck with him. And at least he'd tied his boat up well yesterday.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and the waves will break up the wood for us," he added, hurrying Maranda along back to the shed. He wondered if the storm would have bad tides; in which case, there might be more salvage. Or Drowned. Vexing.

Post by **Shaeliana** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 1:04 am

Reluctantly, the blonde crawled out from under her makeshift shelter, lips faintly blue and shivering. Rain drenched hair and clothes clung to her body, making movements more awkward. Taking Dorian's shirt, she looked at him questioningly.

"Ye'll freeze ta death," she said but stooped down to retrieve the length of rope and nails she'd pried from a piece of wood, wrapping them in the shirt along with her teapot. Standing to her feet, she hugged it to her chest and took off with the fisherman, head down against the blowing rain and bright flashes, skittering at the occasional really intense flash and defeaning clap of thunder.

Back at the shack, she stood outside the door and looked around the beach before looking back at Dorian.

"If we go in all wet like this, we'll get everything inside wet. We really should shed the wet stuff out here." She looked around the beach again. "It's not like there is anyone ta see," she shrugged and started to peel out of her clothes which she wrung out as best she could before dashing inside and grabbing a blanket, her teeth chattering with the cold. A gray flash of damp fur streaked from under the shack and followed her inside.

Shivering, the girl quickly snatched up a blanket and wrapped it around herself, dried off her feet and dove into the bed which she'd not taken the time to roll up before they had streaked out into the morning cold. Cat sat over by the dead fire, cleaning it's damp fur.

OOC: Check out the Birthday thread in Banter to find out how to spend your Taz Happy Day *s!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 6:40 am

Dorian shrugged and put his stuff inside, before shucking off his breeches and rope & tar sandals, and set about starting up the fire again. Cold he paid no more heed than wet; it had to be mighty cold to bother him. "Fire'll be up in a bit," he said, once the spark had caught and began glowing in the dried lakeweed starter. "Keep an eye on the storm, too. Floods." he shrugged, and put away the things they'd found, heedless of being naked, too. Old Drake had struggled hard to keep the young Dorian in clothes.

He had a procedure for floods; load the cash in the bucket, take the nets, the gaff and the knife and bugger off for high ground. He set the bucket outside for a bit to get enough water to boil the crabs, and surveyed his damp wife, then set some driftwood into the grate. He knew the sound of a storm, the sound of waves on rocks, the roar from beneath the waves, and this one was a nasty one. The wind was harsh now, and the thunder deep and strong enough to shake the shack.

But the fire was up, and throwing out some light and heat. He looked outside to check on the bucket, eyed the water, and the sky, then ducked back in. "It's a bad one," he said. "We might have to leave in a few hours. If the tide comes too high."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 4:32 pm

Thanks ! for my Tazlure happy day, I'd like to put a star in fishing, a star in nat. craft repair nets, a star into sailing, and 4 stars into swimming.