Hydaelyn Role-Players

Late afternoon, Andrea finished the work she'd set out for herself: walk the chocobos the residents around the Lavender Beds that hired her had stabled, feed them, make sure the stable itself was still clean... After that, Andrea always found herself with more free time than she knew what to do with. Leaning against the last of the stables as she stepped out of them, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, glancing around the area. It was all still mostly clean. There was nothing for her to do now. She wasn't of the mind to begin cleaning up where she wasn't sure she was welcome, so that left that out of the question.

There wasn't anything for her to repair or build either. Since she knew really no one there, and she had no real place to call her own, she had no projects. It was take care of the chocobos and their stables, and that was it. Just sit on her haunches until she found something that needed doing, or someone came along to chat with her for a bit before going on their way again. There didn't seem to be anything of that sort today--she'd seen not a single person in the last few hours, and it wasn't typically busy in the few taverns she knew of that time of day anyway so that left her lost, mind drawing a blank on what she needed to do.

At least until her thoughts wandered back to Gridania. Ever since she'd first 'stepped through' the aetheryte with the woman that had brought her through, she'd been entranced by the Shroud's capital city. Given it was her first time it was a fairly warranted reaction, but to Andrea, she'd never seen anything more beautiful. To the girl who'd seen nothing but the dreary browns and yellows of Thanalan her entire life, the vibrant green all around her was, at first, a shock, then breathtaking. When she had been lead through Gridania toward the Lavender Beds, she'd been able to do naught but look around in awe, humbled by the city's brilliance. It was much of the same when she arrived at the Lavender Beds, but she soon began to realize she'd not chosen to explore yet. There lay an entire city for her to take in, but she'd done little about visiting it once more.

Deciding to change that, Andrea entered the home she had been allowed to stay at and went inside the room that had been given to her for rent, changing out her warmer-climated outfit for something that most in the Shroud might consider better for winter seasons and, remembering also to bring an umbrella to combat the apparently all-too-frequent precipitation, exited the home once more to take the journey back towards Gridania. Despite getting lost briefly a couple of times, Andrea managed to retrace the steps she'd taken to follow her guide through the Lavender Beds and eventually found her way to the ferryman who, after brief exchanges of pleasantries, quickly sent Andrea back across the lake to the city in question.

The whole scene, just as everything else had been, was utterly beautiful to her. The lake was almost crystal clear and she felt like she could just reach out and touch the bottom, despite knowing full well she shouldn't even try. The trees on the edges of the lake were ancient but sturdy, and unlike anything Andrea had experienced before. Even as it began to rain--typical--and she opened up her umbrella to keep her dry, it only seemed to add to its beauty. The ripples of the water as the droplets came down hypnotized Andrea, holding her attention until the next thing she knew the ferryman was telling her they'd arrived. Blinking and looking up, Andrea breathlessly took in the view of what of the city she could see from there before nodding her thanks to the man and leaving the boat.

Not knowing where to start, Andrea simply walked up the hill, head seeming to swivel every which way--to the brightly colored canopy covering the pier, to the gigantic tree she could see off in the distance, to the seemingly just as large building off to her right... This kept up until she reached the gate the hill lead to, where she saw a small group of green armor-clad soldiers participating in what looked like some sort of drill or exercise. Curious, Andrea took to leaning against the fencing as she watched the men and women swing and thrust their lances in a fake combat scenario, all while the rain continued to pour down around her.

Andrea couldn't have said how long she sat there against the gate, under the umbrella shielding her from the downpour around her, just watching the Wood Wailers practicing with their lances. Time flew for her, and before she knew it the Wailers were being dismissed and each went their own separate way, simply leaving her there with an active, racing mind, and a couple of intriguing thoughts bouncing around her head. She remained still for a moment longer before becoming restless. Deciding a small walk around the city might help her think, she pushed off of the fence and just let her feet carry her forward while her mind traveled elsewhere.

The first thing Andrea thought of, was that she'd realized she hadn't seen anyone using those lances while on the back of a chocobo, and she couldn't figure out why. It seemed to her like something that would be incredibly effective, especially with a rider and bird trained well enough together. The second thought she had was that the lance didn't seem all that much different from a pitchfork. It was a long pole, with a metal head on one end. She'd had plenty of practice with them, using them to better clean the straw in chocobo stables. So, she figured, she was already at least somewhat familiar with the weapon.

The third thought she had was that she could do both of those things. She could learn to use a lance, and she could learn to use it while riding her destrier. It would be something tailored to her, to encompass both her love for chocobos, and her lack of skill with other weapons. It would be a fighting style that she could make her own, instead of having to rely on what other people told her should be how she should work. These thoughts left her practically shaking with giddiness and excitement as she imagined the many different opportunities that would open up for her, if she could become acquainted enough with the weapon. No longer would she struggle with funds, or have to worry about being bullied into things she was scared to do, or went against her own moral standing. If she did well enough, she began to realize that she'd even be able to start traveling, and see much more of the world that was still foreign to her.

Time sped by once more as she let her feet take her wherever they wished to go through the awe-inspiring city, until finally she found herself back at the lancer's guild, and the gate back to the ferry docks. She silently looked between the two directions, torn between simply going home, or heading inside to ask about joining. Finally deciding that nothing better was waiting for her back in the Lavender Beds, Andrea moved to enter the guild so she could join, a feeling of slight anxiousness and uncertainty hidden beneath her excitement to hear what all it would take for her to become like one of those soldiers she had seen an hour or two before.