Ursa: Fly Away Home - Chyril 27, Early MT

[Quinlan Corodin]

Lieutenant Quinlan Corodin was up slightly before the sun. For him, it was a relief that the day was about to begin, and work to do along with it. Nighttime on Terra Nova was not restful, and felt like a blight more than a necessary respite. Sleep was in short supply as he lie waiting in the dark, listening for Cryer cries and other dangers, reliving all that had gone wrong for the expedition. He knew that even when he was in a proper bed with familiar surroundings, it would be some time before he slept as well as he used to.

He stood just outside the entrance to the kanthrop's inn. Once again in full uniform, he waited for enough light to show in the sky to justify waking the rest of the group.

With the start of the morningtide, they would attempt to take their airskiff and leave the company of the natives, something both parties seemed to look forward to. It seemed the best option thus far. There was no way of knowing how long before World's Mouth might send help, and his troupe was rather poorly equipped for a hike over the mountains that walled off Terra Nova.

The previous day, Quinlan and the Condotierre men had returned to the landing site of the Tal'Fea. What supplies and belongings remained were loaded onto the vessel, and the ship was thoroughly inspected for, among other things, soundness. It would be no mean feat to sail her, as the crew and captain had been butchered days before. The lieutenant considered himself to have a cursory knowledge at best of airships and their sailing, and so depended almost entirely on his remaining soldiers to be her skeleton crew.

As he waited on the sun, it suddenly occured to him how absurd it was that the kanthrop, whose leadership was mostly inhospitable thus far, would even have such a thing as an inn.

[Brytan]

"Good morningtide Quinlan."

Behind the Condottiere lieutenant a male voice sounded. Quinlan recognised the voice as that being the one of Jerin, the innkeeper of the Threed Fox Inn. He and his wife ran the establishment and had been quite hospitable to him and his party, regardless of how the elders and other villagers had treated them. Good food and lodgings had been provided for in the dormitories of the inn, without so much as asking for payment.

The bulky shape of the man, muscular and broad stepped up next to Quinlan, his deep brown eyes gazing out over the village as the other man was. "Word has it you are leaving this day." The man's deep voice carried the words in a friendly tone. "It is a good day to travel. The weather promises to be good."

[Quinlan Corodin]

"Hello Jerin." Quinlan looked over his shoulder at the innkeeper. He had to remind himself sometimes to count Jerin as kanthrop after all.

"It's true." Quinlan glanced up at the sky at the mention of weather. "I suppose it might be a nice day today. I certainly wish that was the biggest concern." He anxiously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "The men that flew our ship here didn't survive the Cryer attack," the lieutenant explained, not remembering whether he had mentioned it to Jerin before.

The subject of how well the remaining men could fly the Tal'Fea hadn't truly been broached. At least, not by Quinlan. He decided they had to try one way or another, so it wouldn't do much good discussing how able of sailors they all were or weren't. In short, I don't want to know.

"I don't suppose our currency is worth much to you, but I hope you will let us know if there's a way we can... repay the village for our stay," he said after a moment. "If we had camped in the wilderness outside... well, it wouldn't have been very comfortable at all."

[Brytan]

"Repay? Nonsense." The innkeeper laughed heartily and made a wide gesture with his right arm, spanning the entire village. "Our people have come from far and wide to stay at this inn, resting here from long journeys to leave their young in our care. They never have been asked to pay and nor shall you be."

He looked out over the village and noticed a young boy sitting on a tree stump, a wolf resting beside him. "Despite what some of the elders may think, despite what anyone thinks, you are my guests and under my roof you will always have a welcome fire and a good meal my friend. You saved some of our kit from harm, at the sake of your own men. It should be us repaying you rather than you us."

The innkeeper glanced sideways for a flicker, as if he had heard something and then shot a meaningful smile at the Lieutenant. "Don't look now, but I think one of our younglings is trying to have us on." Indeed, there was some movement behind a brush at the foot of the hill, a darting figure crouching low, only visible for a flicker before disappearing again behind a tree. Had Jerin not spoken, Quinlan would not have noticed.

[Quinlan Corodin]

Quinlan smirked, and his eyes couldn't help but flick over to the subtle movement. The kanthrop were an extraordinary people indeed. Seemingly so attune with nature, and even the children were well on their way to being expert scouts. How Jerin could even tell it was a youngling below was another wonder.

Jerin's words gave Quinlan a warm little smile - in itself it was something of a relief.

"Thank you, Jerin. I believe you might be only the second of your village to express anything like graciousness." Quinlan turned his head to the innkeeper. "Not just over that attack, either." Quinlan folded his arms, and thinking once again of the Cryers quelled his smile.

"It's just as true that even more would have died if your people hadn't warned us." Maybe we all would have. "Perhaps we saved each other that night."

Something snagged at the lieutenant's interest, something other than sneaky little tribals. Some small thing pulled at his intellect like a child on mother's dress. See here, mister Corodin, it is odd for there to be an inn in this one village... unless...

Quinlan raised his eyebrow at Jerin.

"From far and wide, you say?"

[Brytan]

OOC: So fast, I've not finished reading and there's a post Let's continue then.

"Yes, well..." Jerin replied to Quinlan's comment on graciousness. "The Council is very conservative when it comes to the outside world. I myself can not and will not afford myself that luxury. Travelers are my bread and butter, or for lack of payment, the joy of my work."

The man seemed to enjoy talking about his inn, a warm smile appeared on his face, which disappeared almost as fast when mention of the Cryer attack came up.

"Think of our people what you will Quinlan, but above all else we revere nature's creations. Had we not warned you about the Cryers, we might aswell have killed you ourselves." A short pause. "The Mother would never approve."

Jerin's gaze flicked briefly to another movement at the base of the hill, a fresh smile playing on his lips.

"From far and wide, you say?"

"Oh yes. This isle was once the only haven for our people, but there are other tribes out in the world. Valley Village here belongs to the Goldenback tribe, whereas I am a member of the Steelclaw tribe. Though it has been long since I have seen my home, I pride myself in welcoming my kin when they visit with their younglings."

[Quinlan Corodin]

OOC: Oh yes, I was ready this time.

Interesting." Quinlan nodded along in earnest. "I certainly wasn't given the impression that the kanthrop had spread, well, even beyond this land. In that case, it seems a little strange that we would be such a... curiosity as we seem to have been." Quinlan followed Jerin's look, but it was difficult to tell what was youngling and what was just bush moving in the breeze.

"I must confess, there is much I don't understand. Much I wanted to." Quinlan shook his head. Jerin's demeanor, the easy manner in which they spoke, it put him at ease.

"'Conservative' is right. Tch, it's a shame you weren't present when your leader took me to her meeting in the clearing. Other kanthrop come from far and wide, but noone else has even seen this land before. And the nature of that fact seems to be as grave an insult as anything I could've said." Quinlan planted his fists on his hips. As he wasn't so much on the defensive, it suddenly seemed easier to find the questions he couldn't manage to broach during that meeting. "And what are Cryers?"

Quinlan sighed through his nose.

"I'm sorry. Seems it's a bit late for that sort of thing." Quinlan paused, watching the spot where the native child supposedly crept. In a deep tone he uttered, "I hope your people can stamp them out."

[Brytan]

"Many who reside here have never left the isle, and our young can not leave until they..." A somewhat unnatural pause followed, as if Jerin had wanted to say something he wasn't supposed to. His face contorted somewhat to emphasise that idea. "...until they come of age. Also, it is not so much yourselves that are the novelty, but rather the fact that you came here. The walls of this land have long protected us from outsiders and none but those of our people could enter and leave at will. Your...visit...caused quite a stir as such."

Jerin burst into laughter at Quinlan's meeting with Oni. "Oni can be as rigid as the feathers of the sea hawk. They bend in the wind, but can cut like razors when she is on her guard. She told me of your meeting, and of Cat's intention of leaving the isle with you. She is a wise and noble leader to my people, but she as many here are rather trapped in their sacred hovel. Some of our young are more...entrepenuring."

The manner in which he spoke did not at all seem to be condescending or disrespectful towards his fellow kanthrop. If anything this man seemed to know a lot about the people in the village and judged them on their qualities rather than their vices. His eyes did not often leave Quinlan out of their sight, suggesting that he was judging him aswell as they spoke.

"What are Cryers? Mother if I know. After the Collapse they just showed up, killed a good many of us before we figured out how to ward them off. Poor Analor..."

The man placed a friendly hand on Quinlan's shoulder. "It is never too late to ask questions, for answers only come when called for. I too hope we will find a solution, before our own walls do us in."

[Quinlan Corodin]

The subtleties of their otherwise casual conversation were not lost on the officer. But, without any context, it bore many similarities to the words of the kanthrop since day one.

Simple words, signifying complex ideas.

"I can only imagine what madam Oni had to say about that meeting. I... should've performed better. I do not believe my head was in it." Quinlan seemed to make the comment to himself more than anything. Turning to face Jerin, he decided to change the subject. It didn't seem polite to talk with Jerin about Oni in such a way..

"I suppose I should be quite happy that this Cat has chosen to come along. I was sent to explore after all, and to have a real representative of this place on the return trip... well, let's just say it has to be better than my simply reading off some notes." Quinlan furrowed his brow.

"Yes, I should be quite happy." The puzzled tone almost made it sound like a question. "I don't intend to let any misfortune come to her, but, mm... I hope she truly knows what she is doing."

Quinlan glanced up at the sky, gauging the growing morningtide light. Talking with Jerin, though, he was in a little less of a hurry than burns before.

"'Collapse', eh? That's when others besides kanthrop could freely come and go, I take it?" Quinlan rubbed his chin, rough with the first thin hairs of a blonde beard since he'd been staying in the village. "Doesn't sound too long ago. Did they... cause this 'Collapse?'"

[Brytan]

Jerin looked a little flabbergasted when Quinlan asked him of the Collapse.

"You mean you weren't on Pan's Isle when it hit? Our scouts reported it being visible from the far reaches of the isle..." He seemed to contemplate his words for a few flickers before continuing. "Guess there's no point in being mysterious about it now...The Collapse is when our island crashed down from the sky. It used to be all the way up high in the clouds. That's why it was once called Ursa Etheria. Now we just call it Ursa mostly. For the lack of air around it you see."

He grinned.

"No one knows who or what caused it, but we do know that the Cryers showed up in the wake of it. Must have been...oh...I don't know...three moons or so ago?"

[Quinlan Corodin]

OOC: Some late edits on this one, but I felt like it needed more meat.

"I see." Quinlan grinned back strangely. "The sky. Heh." He shook his head. Jerin was trying to have him on, of course, like the youngling below. Several moments passed as the idea sunk in. Quinlan grinned less and less, and Jerin never did seem to laugh.

"You... aren't kidding, are you." He pushed a hand through his hair. "But that's unbelievable."

It did add up. The way the land seemed to be absent one day and there the next. Our ships can take to the sky. That was unbelievable at one time.

"But an entire island?" Quinlan completed the thought out loud. "How?"

The kanthrop were more mysterious by the mark. Much about their nature seemed to hint at deeper things beneath the surface. Their eyes, their synergy with their surroundings, the way they lived. This tale that Jerin was relating piece by piece was the biggest discovery thus far. That the island would have fallen three "moons" ago, it matched up with what Captain Durmore had said when Quinlan was first assigned to the expedition.

Deep down, Quinlan knew it had to be an incredible explanation for the land's appearance. It would be silly to think that the world had simply been overlooking the place all this time. But, that didn't make it any easier for him to wrap his head around.

"Well, uh, the Cryers must have had something to do with it, then. There's no way it's coincidence."

[Brytan]

Jerin laughed. The odd stranger was a fascinating being to be around. The past few days they had spent in his inn he had observed a lot of alien behaviour which fascinated him beyond compare. Ofcourse he had done his share of traveling but that had been when he was younger. For yahren his wife and he ran the Threed Fox. It felt refreshing to hear how these strangers contemplated the normalities of their daily lives with such awe. Refreshing and somewhat strange. "But that's probably how we come across to them aswell..."

"Kidding? No. Why would I joke about something like that?"

The innkeeper gauged the lieutenant's reactions to this apparently odd tidbit of information. Had he divulged to much? Hardly. It wasn't like the isle was going to lift up of itself again.

"How? I just told you we don't know how...oh...You mean how can an island fly? It was a gift of the Mother. Granted to us by her children. Other than that it's one big mystery my friend. As are many of the wonders the Mother grants us."

Inside the inn, sounds of another waking being came and shortly after the innkeeper's wife came out through the doorway with two large water skins in her hands. She was barely dressed, wearing a kanthar similar to her husband's, with no top which had caught a few of Quinlan's men by (pleasant) surprise. Even more so because even though she was rather strongly built she was not at all unattractive to look at. Aside from that she had proven to be quite a strong woman in physique aswell as word when addressed. The kanthrop women didn't lack for strong minds and were anything but docile.

"Good morningtide dear, morningtide Quinlan. Slept well?" She kissed her husband pashionately on the lips and winked at the two men. "Just going to get some water by the lake. Breakfast should be ready in a mark. Don't miss out, I'm cooking grain pancakes."

And with that she walked down the hill towards the lake that bordered the village.

[Quinlan Corodin]

"Ah... the Mother." It was hardly the first mention of this "Mother" since the expedition had arrived, indeed, more than once in this single conversation. It was often on the lips of the kanthrop people. A person? Some great mage? No, the way they talk about her seems more like their goddess.

Quinlan didn't doubt Jerin's word that the kanthrop didn't understand it all, and therefore weren't responsible themselves. The tribe hadn't practiced any magic that Quinlan saw. Truly gifts from the "Mother," then? Who, if not their goddess?

The teachings of Dominicus, the diety of choice in World's Mouth, held that he was the only god. It was the origin of one of the other names often used by the church, "the One." But then, the lieutenant had never really been an orthodox worshipper. He was exposed to the One religion more than any other while growing up in the Western Kingdom, though his family wasn't terribly observant. He had certainly offered up a word of prayer now and then, but he never felt prepared to totally deny the existence of any other. What makes my faith different from others? What makes it right where all the others are wrong? he would think. It was a dilemma, and most of the time he preferred not to think about it at all.

He didn't think about it this time, either, thanks to Jerin's wife and her breasts.

"Eh, yes, madam, thank you," he answered sheepishly. Quinlan turned his head and averted his eyes. He hadn't actually slept well, but of course it was just a greeting.

The forthright and bare nature of kanthrop women was something he could usually ignore, at least, particularly since they were so different from the women he might've been used to. They were certainly far different from women he imagined he would be attracted to. But this morning Jerin's wife was especially bare, and being stared in the face by her peaks of fertility was just a little more than Neave Corodin's little gentleman could handle at the moment.

She kissed her husband, and the Condotierre's cheeks began to blush. As she left to fetch water, he gave a little sigh of relief.

"Pancakes. Yum," he said, giving Jerin his best nonchalant smile.

[Brytan]

Jerin noticed Quinlan's discomfort, laughed and slapped him on the back.

"I've never seen a man get flushed over the offer of my wife's pancakes before." Though the tone which carried the words implied he knew very well what made Quinlan uncomfortable. He had seen Carlotta, who always dressed thoroughly and immaculately. "I wonder how their women bare to dress so heavily in this lovely weather." Time for him to ask a question.

"Let's go in and give the wife a hand setting the table for you and your men then. Maybe in the meantime you can explain to me what your land is like. It must surely be very cold where you live." A sly wink followed as he walked into the inn, waiting for Quinlan to follow.

[Quinlan Corodin]

"Oh, uh... yes, of course." When he first got up, Quinlan had figured on a quick breakfast - if any - before making for the landing site straightaway. But it seemed wrong to protest. With the rest of the day sure to hold trials, a table breakfast with the good innkeeper sounded more appealing than the lieutenant would've first guessed.

Quinlan followed Jerin's lead, helping to arrange the area for the meal.

"I wouldn't call it very cold," Quinlan said, seeming to barely acknowledge Jerin's friendly jest. "Not very hot, or very cold usually." He worked in silence for a flicker or so. Describing a place like World's Mouth to someone who had never seen it was a challenge.

"Miss Serafini is a good example of the ladies of the city, with fine and elaborate dresses. Sometimes they wear, eh, frames underneath that make the skirt sort of billow out." He held out his arms, trying to mimic the shape of a bustle. He grinned a little at himself, sure it must have seemed comical. "You'd never see a lady about the city without her finery." ...and to see them out like your wife would be nothing short of scandal.

"There are many... many people. The city is quite large. You could spend all day trying to walk from one side to another. Maybe longer, but I've never tried it myself, you know." The young man tried to imagine his first time in the city, and what the first things he noticed were.

"The buildings are made from wooden beams, bricks, and carved stone. Some are taller than trees. The Turcotte has trees inside it, even." Quinlan glanced up at Jerin. "The Turcotte is the main government building of the city. They grow from great pots in the entrance room." It seemed like months rather than days since he had passed through that grand foyer on his way to the portal.

"I think if you had a view of the city like a bird, you could divide it up... like a pie almost. One section is dedicated to politics and trade. Markets and offices. People buy and sell anything you could imagine. Another part of the city is dedicated to learning, with a grand library of books, and no less than three schools of magic. And then there's the eastern piece where the crafting is done." The Seams could be a destitute place, but Quinlan had little desire to go into those details. "There they craft metal and metal tools and weapons. It's also where airships like the Tal'Fea are built at the Nashorne Institute."

The institute was one of the few reasons Quinlan had ever went to the East End. He avoided it as much as he could. As primitive a life as the kanthrop perhaps lead, they seemed strong and healthy, and their needs appeared met. It was more than the legionnaire could say for the pitiful masses there, staving off Blacklung and drinking from the Scillus. The villagers knew nothing of tainted air or water. Life was good after all. Except for one thing, anyway. One big, black, evil thing. Even so...

"I think someone from your village would probably hate it there," he said wryly, maybe even a little dejected. "Nature has little to show for itself within the city. But, the people there have some fantastic achievements."

[Brytan]

Jerin listened as he continued setting the table in the large central room for his guests. Wooden cups, stone plates and a variety of simple bone, wooden and stone utensils were placed on the table along with a variety of baskets containing bread and other common foodstuffs the kanthrop seemed to enjoy, like honey. Jerin and his wife seemed especially fond of the stuff.

Teladriane returned while they finished setting up and started to bake her pancakes after she had dressed in a kanthar similar to her husband's. As Quinlan detailed the layout of World's Mouth to the innkeeper, Carlotta joined them in the common room.

"Good morningtide Lieutenant, Jerin, Teladriane." She greeted the three present cordially. "Good morningtide dear, sleep well?" Teladriane responded while whipping up batter for the pancakes by the fireplace. "Oh yes, thank you." Quinlan detected a little hesitation in the woman's voice, which may have something to do with the fact that the inn did not have seperate rooms and she had had to sleep among his soldiers for the past two days without any real privacy. Something she clearly was not accustomed to.

"Sounds like something I may want to see some day Quinlan, though I must admit you may be right. Then again, all the Mother's creations are beautiful. Even the smallest flower can be a treasure if appreciated. Especially in a place such as you describe."

[Niamh Windwalker]

The doorway, suddenly, found itself fuller than it had been mere flickers before. The kanthar that encircled her followed the style before a hunt, compressing curves without much care for the skin revealed. The fabric twined up and around a neck before criss-crossing about her torso, one lost the line of cloth there, as it twisted and crossed in a manner that ended up as some manner of tight trousers.

"I am seeking Catherine." The rich, melodic tones of her distinctive voice rolled into the room. Her hawk-like gaze snapped out from deep-set eyes, trailing across those assembled around their meal. The smells of food sent her stomach churning, after her discussion with Oni, she had departed for a farewell flight, knowing that such moments would be few and far between. The thought stirred an echoing restlessness within, and she accepted it as her own, then suddenly grinned, as what she had taken for the grumblings of her inner spirit, turned out to be the all-too audible grumblings of an empty stomach.

"But I suppose I have just to wait, wherever you are she will come to be." Revealing as ever, her face could not contain the vague puzzlement of the statement. While she and Catherine had never precisely gotten along, she simply could not understand what was so fascinating about these strangers. Attention shifted to the food-laden table, and she stepped a few paces nearer. If I am inflicting myself with their presence, I will have to get used to them sooner or later. "You are leaving today?"

"Tela... I don't suppose..." despite the mature tones of her voice, there was something inexplicably young about the half-question. The other Kanthrop shouldn't misunderstand the request - Niamh had always been half crazy over the various nuts and seeds the older woman had used in the pancakes of her choice as a kit...

[Quinlan Corodin]

Setting a table has a way of making one anticipate a meal, and Quinlan was looking forward to seeing how the cakes turned out. He had found most food the villagers prepared to be simple and hearty. If Teladriane's turned out the same, then at least the day would be off to a good start.

Quinlan smiled and inclined his head to the cartographer as she joined the growing breakfast crowd. He paused from arranging kanthrop flatware to pull a chair out for Carlotta to sit. Thankfully, Jerin's wife had more thoroughly covered herself. Somehow the embarrassment would have been worse with the expedition's female member joining them. Nevermind the other soldiers.

"Good morningtide, Miss Serafini." She had beared the past few days with much dignity, something the lieutenant doubted many Mouthie women would've been up to. Of course, she had hinted at being an experienced traveler before the party had left - something about Bois Noir and orcs, as he recalled - but he was impressed nonetheless.

Another figure entered, and gave Quinlan pause. He looked at her a little strangely as she stood in the doorway, much like someone who noticed an uncommon bird in the sky might stop and stare. He recognized her from before, when they had first arrived. One of the first natives they had seen, though he couldn't think of a name.

"...wherever you are she will come to be. You are leaving today?"

It seemed the kanthrop were nothing if not direct. The legionairre smirked to himself and resumed assisting the innkeepers as he might.

"We intend to, yes. I'd imagine Catherine would be along soon," he stated without looking back up. With the arrival of the tightly wrapped huntress, Quinlan and Jerin's conversation felt ended.

"I suppose I will make sure the men are getting up and ready, though I'm sure the smell of your lovely food is already doing the job, madam," he said lightly. "Excuse me a moment."

Private Sergio Zullo was checked on first. After the loss of Sergeant Ardigo, the officer took Zullo as second in command. As one of the two legionnaires who had served with Quinlan before, the decision hadn't taken much thought.

"All right gentlemen. Let's have some polish. Our hosts are preparing breakfast," he entreated as he roused those who might not have been up already.

[Brytan]

Teladriane smiled at Niamh as she entered and asked if she could join them. "Ofcourse Niamh, plenty to go around. Perhaps you could help me bake a few of these? Lots of mouths to feed today."

Quinlan in the meantime went into the dormitory where his men would be. As he entered the men sprung to attention as they were dressing themselves already. Zullo was halfway in checking his own pack when Quinlan addressed them, leaving it open on the cot where he had slept as he and the other remaining soldiers stood at the end of their beds as they listened to Quinlan's words.

"Sir, yes sir!" Was their chorus answer and they hopped to getting the last things in order before following their commander back into the common room.

[Quinlan Corodin]

We will shine this morning, at least.

Quinlan admired the other legionnaires a little more each day. They had fought well and worked hard, never complaining that the lieutenant knew of. Maybe some among them didn't exemplify the more genteel Condotierre ideals, but they were soldiers. It was something Quinlan wasn't able to attribute to himself.

He took a moment to make sure his own belongings were in order as the men snapped to. It only took a moment, since he had never unpacked. He hadn't even taken out most of his toiletries, of which his stubble and dull hair were evidence. Besides, it wasn't as if he had been able to find the kanthrop washrooms.

He felt distaste looking down at his belongings, and his lip curled slightly. He had spent little of his officer's salary, and there was little for him to call his own when he returned. It was an empty feeling, or maybe it was simply Insula Ursa continuing to take its toll.

Quinlan shrugged it off - with no more success than before - and led the way back to the common room. Breakfast and more company with the one couple of amiable tribals would be good. If their demeanor hadn't changed with the arrival of their fellow villager, anyway. With a little huff, he eased into a seat near Carlotta, a reasonable cue to the other men that they could do the same. He waited with his hands in his lap for the meal to begin, idly wondering if their kanthrop passenger would show at the inn for breakfast after all.

"I, eh, hope you've had time for some interesting observations, Miss Serafini," he said to her after a moment.

[Brytan]

Both Jerin and Teladriane didn't seem at all different with the arrival of Niamh, and went about their way preparing breakfast for their guests. With the help of Niamh, who was not nearly as adept at making the perfectly round pancakes Teladriane made, soon the most delicious pancakes found their way to the different plates on the table, where honey and ice cold lake water added to the delicious meal that was ahead of everyone. At the mention of Catherine joining them, Teladriane made sure there was an extra plate set, just in case.

While the men dug in and praised their hostess for yet another lovely meal, showing their appreciation by eating a lot faster than healthy for them, Carlotta took it slow and responded to Quinlan's query by showing him her notebook, which had the bookmark nearly at the end.

"It is a shame we can not stay longer." She spoke, her voice toned below the noise of people chatting and eating, keeping the conversation as private as possible considering the situation. "There are so many things I haven't seen yet. These people are fascinating in every way. They live without economic or political worries. They seem to have a social structure that is very much like the Amun Rah families, or even the Gulanadur caste system. There's a number of religious aspects however that I can't wrap my head around though...quite complex and foreign. They say they worship the Earth Mother, but their manner of worship and the icons they have chosen aren't like anything I've seen in similar religious cultures. Fascinating..."

She took another small bite from her pancake.

"And their food is excellent." She commented a bit louder, nodding at the innkeeper's wife, who smiled.

[Quinlan Corodin]

"I suppose it is a shame," Quinlan said. "But, it isn't so much up to us." He ate in relative silence, listening to Carlotta's short report and the chatting of a few of the others. Perhaps they used to live without economic or political worries.

"By the way, thank you Miss Serafini. I think your observations will be one of the most positive things to come out of our expidition."

The lieutenant seemed to eat as though it were a job, a task to be competed. He didn't appear to dislike the taste, but he took bites at nearly regular intervals, working across his plate. Once in awhile, he looked up at the doorway, or at some of the faces around the table.

---

"Thank you for the meal. The hospitality of your inn... will be remembered," he said afterwards, scooting to the edge of his seat. He had finished a burn or so before the others, and waited for the rest of his people to finish eating. "Now, I suppose it's time we were off."

Quinlan took up his bag and led the way out. He didn't look at any villagers who might have watched them leave, as he expected some would. As he passed the gates of the village, he wondered whose relief would be greater.

Just outside the village, Quinlan halted everyone and turned to face them.

"We haven't spoken about it up til now, but I won't waste words. The Tal'Fea is in need of a crew to take her home. Can we do it?"

(OOC: Time to wrap it up, I suppose. Brytan, if you'd care to put a bow on it?)

[Brytan]

The rest of the meal continued without any further interruptions, and by the time Quinlan was done with his meal, most of the others were also finishing up. The pancakes seemed to fall in good liking with most of the men, and they got up and gathered their belongings in a cheery manner. As they stepped outside the weather was good and more people were also enjoying breakfast around the various fires in the village below.

As they walked through the town, they met with a lot of gazes and stares from both kanthrop and animal that happened to be around. A number of birds of prey aswell as a random assortment of feline and canine creatures sat along the kanthrop by the fires and were being fed just like everyone else. Expressions ranged from curiosity to downright hostility, yet no one halted them or spoke as they left the village and made their way to the path leading to the grounds where the Tal'Fea was still "parked".

Upon Quinlan's question the men seemed uncertain. Most if not all of them had served on an airship of one kind or another in the not too distant past. Some with Quinlan. Most of them were soldiers however, not sailors, and they knew that. Often did they joke about the men that piloted the ship, monkey swinging through the rigging and maintaining the lift orbs in dark and cramped quarters. Yet they knew all too well that those men were vital to a ship's flight.

"It...well..." Sergeant Zullo replied first, speaking for his fellow soldiers. "Sir...I reckon we could fly the ship if we tried. It's not a long flight and it's not a big ship. But, if you do recall; the winds around those peaks were harsh and unforgiving. Without them we could make it with a little time to practice I'm sure...but now..."

The others seemed to nod in agreement, mumbling something about crashing into rock and pushing buttons on the steering console. "It is your call sir, ofcourse." Zullo added to his previous statement, snapping to attention to emphasise he did not want to seem out of line.

[Quinlan Corodin]

The confidence of the men was less than inspiring. But Quinlan couldn't exactly fault them, since he had felt similarly from the moment he realized the original crew of the Tal'Fea was gone. Besides, it was better for the men to be honest with him, especially now. False bravado or unfounded confidence only achieved ill ends.

"I understand," he said after a moment's consideration. "Believe me, the last thing I want is to end up impaled on the mountains of this... this place. I seem to remember that taking the skiff over was a tricky thing. But abandoning our ship is second only to dashing it on the rocks."

Quinlan sighed through his nose, pacing a few steps and looking toward the sky.

"I don't want to even step back aboard if we don't entirely believe we can do it. It would be foolish. But if we took our time? Circled above Terra Nova as many times as necessary to get a feel for her? Scope the mountains?" The lieutenant turned toward the group, watching their reaction.

[Brytan]

"And what if you fly the ship higher?"

Carlotta's voice sounded soft and contemplative as she seemed to rummage through some of her notes and drawings.

"Now I'm not an expert, but didn't the Warrant Officer say that the Tal'Fea was specially built for speed and altitude? It has a similar amount of lift orbs as the larger ships but is lots smaller...so..." She scribbled a few calculations on an empty corner of paper. "...with the right velocity and angle you should be able to clear the mountains with space to spare. if we have someone to pilot the thing..."

Her eyes shot involuntarily at Guido, who had kept a rather low profile ever since the attack on the base camp three nights prior.