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A Road Less Traveled [Closed] - Printable Version

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A Road Less Traveled [Closed] - Edda - 07-06-2015

The letter arrived promptly, as Edda expected it would. Though it possessed none of the usual acerbity she had come to expect in missives from home, the fear of what lay beyond the letter was enough to give Edda chills. The map Jancis had provided was neat and legible, and Edda had arranged for each item on the provided list to be readied and waiting for her arrival in Gridania. A simple cane made of oak, and a set of clothes tailored for outdoor use, but not devoid of the lavish quality she was so used to. An array of her belongings had been sent ahead to Fallgourd, where she planned to stay, as she had before for the brief intervals she visited the Shroud. Where Jancis planned on taking her first Edda was unsure, but a core of trepidation sat in her chest as the airship made its way to Gridania.

There is little to fear, Edda repeated to herself as the ship landed and the apprehension ran cold through her veins all the way to her fingertips. An attendant at the landing had her requested cane, and holding it awkwardly in both arms Edda found the mantra in her head did little to assuage her fears. Eying the comings and goings of the natives, and the few Wailers that stood watch, Edda felt very much the fool, and took a seat at the curved bench across from the landing.

Surely there had been some mistake regarding her abilities? Though she had not received the care and attention her brother had for his talents in conjury, the arcanist that had taught both her and her sister was well-respected. Her training had been brief yet specific, and it was through Edda’s own studies that she came to apply what she had learned beyond mending scrapes and bruises. Edda furrowed her brow as she watched the airship begin to board for its next departure, the sound of the inn drifting down the winding staircase. Who was she to doubt? An unnerving thought, but she was not accomplished in the art by any means, and there were few she knew that were as skilled and knowing as Jancis.

Turning her gaze downward, Edda glared at the polished wood floor, her grip tightening on the cane resting in her lap. Her father would assuredly be disappointed if he knew. The look of reproach that would bloom on his face was pictured clearly in her mind’s eye. Her uncle and his family resided in Gridania, and Edda knew special care would have to be taken to avoid attracting their attention, however lax it may have become since the passing of her great aunt.

Edda bit her lip and lifted her head to look towards the stairs. Surely Jancis would be arriving soon, and so she waited, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind.

RE: A Road Less Traveled [Closed] - Jancis - 07-13-2015

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In the bustle of people going down to the departing airship overwhelmed the amount of apologies and courtesies the conjurer extended to everyone as they moved on before everyone departing could step off the airship.

But Jancis had arrived as promised, regardless of how long Edda had to wait. A bright smile came to the conjurer's face as she closed the distance to the bench. She was dressed in something different than her typical leggings and button-up shoes. Wrapped boots and leather pants hung underneath a basic tunic with her own staff strapped to her back.

"Lady Edda," A warm voice beamed as much as the smile. "I am so happy to see you once more." Sadly, she wasn't leaving much room for a reply. "Staff, clothes. You are very much prepared. I did try to look through what I could find at the Still Shore before departing. More on, ah, tenant life. Curious. Forgive me, is only curious to my eyes for it is something of an unknown. But the day does not linger we can speak on the way."

Jancis continued, not leaving a lot of room as she beckoned Edda to pick up and come with her, traveling up the long staircase, out of the tavern, and down the paths that made the roads of the Hedge City. They made way for the ferry to travel eastward.

"Suppose it is not completely unknown; merely different. Walls are constructed out of materials as much as words. Expectations that were set by another. Really, is folly to take them into your heart without invitation. 'The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.'" She smiled again, voice warming as she recited the quote.

Finally on the ferry's docks Jancis took a better look at the woman she regarded as a good friend. She was trying to predict what to anticipate, and she realized at this point it was beyond asking for a little lesson. Her plans were darker, literally, and her eyes shone honestly with a concern that she might ask more than Edda was willing to tolerate. More than that trained smile would bear. Or bare.

"Do you have any expectation of our time together?"

RE: A Road Less Traveled [Closed] - Edda - 08-01-2015

It had been some time since Edda had been in Gridania. The thick canopy of trees, the sound of nature, the tranquil air of the city – it all struck a sharp contrast with Ul’dah and Limsa Lominsa. She was not so familiar with the Black Shroud as she was with other regions, though she supposed she was as much a stranger to Thanalan and Limsa Lominsa as she was to Gridania, despite her time spent there. The chaos of population still managed to awe her.

Jancis led her through the city with as much practice as a native would. It occurred to Edda that she knew little about the kind woman, even through their many conversations and encounters. She was a skilled conjurer, that much was certain, so it was understandable that she knew the area. Her mannerisms and way of speaking were different, though not in a jarring way. Despite the trust Edda placed in the woman, it felt odd to realize she was a near-mystery. Not an entirely unwelcome feeling, but a strange one, as if she herself had missed something somewhere, or committed some type of wrong. It was silly, and Edda brushed the feeling aside with a small shake of her head.

Jancis continued to speak as she led her down to the ferry. Truly, the way she spoke was perplexing, her voice light and cheerful, yet full of a learned wisdom. Though a response to the woman’s eager words escaped her, Edda felt herself smiling in a response to the woman’s own expression. Perhaps this was not so bad an idea after all.

“Do you have any expectation of our time together?”

This was an unexpected question, and one that made Edda think. She paused as the two boarded the ferry.

“I am not so sure,” Edda began, slowly. “It has been some time since I received any sort of lessons in this regard. Most of what I remember was being taught to channel and control my aether in a variety of different ways.”

And there had been plenty of that. A focus on conjury for her perceived natural talent, a dabble in thaumaturgy, and a brief overview of basic arcanima. The lessons had been as much for the benefit of learning those magicks as it was for the family profession. If she could not control her aether, she could not work.

“I am confident that both you and I know that I do not need training in such basics,” Edda said with a sheepish smile. “Beyond that, I am not at all sure what to expect. I imagine us traveling to the Shroud serves a purpose - but what purpose, I could not say.”

Edda turned away as the ferry made its way across the Whispering Gorge and towards the East Shroud. The scenery was unlike anything she had ever seen, with massive trees growing out of the placid water, the streaks of sunlight beaming down through the breaks in the canopy. Edda breathed in the clear air, and sighed. Even now, it amazed her that she could feel such peace.

The ferry arrived at Sweetbloom Pier and the two women disembarked onto the docks. Edda turned to Jancis and smiled nervously. Judging by the map she had provided they still had a ways to walk.

RE: A Road Less Traveled [Closed] - Jancis - 08-11-2015

“I am confident that both you and I know that I do not need training in such basics. Beyond that, I am not at all sure what to expect. I imagine us traveling to the Shroud serves a purpose - but what purpose, I could not say.”

That smile again. It was growing on Jancis like a habit; different than the nurse-like one she herself would wear in front of a patient in a few respects. Not mimicking it, she gave Edda a bold almost childish smile in return as she replied honestly.

"I do not know what to expect or the grand purpose, either. it is nice to spend time with you regardless."

The lovely groves and blossomed fields faded as they got further from the river into the brambles of the thicker Shroud, large thorn vines and thickets creating arches over the worn path they still stuck to.

"You understand many different sides of aether; calling upon it, manipulating it, from within and without. The affinity might even place you in blue robes quickly at the Fane. It is more so that," Jancis' tone took on a concerned note, "every time I have experienced your use it has harmed you greatly. You grow sick and weary beyond fatigue and headache. The strength in the burst of power that comes from you at once. I have sat and thought about why and how."

"Forgive me, my guess on the matter is that you have braided it into compounding the energy and using yourself to draw from primarily. If you do not, then what is external you bring within to mix and empower," The conjurers hands spun around like a generator in example. Not looking where she was going, heading towards a bridge over one of the strong rivers cutting through the landscape, Jancis directed her eyes solely on Edda with an empathetic look. "You can not trust anyone or anything else enough to do otherwise."

"So staying out here for a couple suns might help with that to rely on the elements about you as friends and allies. Or, be I wrong, it will give you a large immersion the estate could not and a lot of practice to feel comfortable with."

They didn't bring any real supplies beyond clothes and basic travelling gear. There was no camp gear, food rations (beyond whatever snacks or sweets Edda might have). It was still the path, even though it was breaking up and other more energetic animals and animal-like plants could be heard in the not-so-far distance. The steady roar of the white river below required voices to be loud enough to go over the sound, and the two were halfway across the bridge between the road often traveled behind them... and less.