[Well! He doesn't need to be praised like a student, he'll thank her to know, but he keeps his comments to himself in favor of pulling a carefully written list from one pocket.]
Seeds and cuttings of a particular variety of eastern rhea plant...and stone samples from several locations, for the purpose of comparing aetheric densities and mineral composition.
[One corner of his mouth turns up slyly.]
I don't usually have reasons in my orders, just plans for preservation and transportation. Someone must have known you were coming. And, if there's anything else I find that I deem worth study, I'm always welcome to bring it along.
[Gleaners are experts in properly moving samples and specimens from all across the realm to Sharlayan. Erenville seems to remember who his present company is and he raises his eyebrows.]
I’m familiar with a number of areas here where rhea grows wild— I’m certain we’ll be able to find the right variety in no time.
[The rocks, as well, seem simple enough, though mining has never interested her as much as botany, personally. The result, she’s sure, of growing up in a Gridanian apothecary.
She smiles at him in turn, quickly averting her gaze and fixing it on the road ahead.]
Within reason. Honestly, I have no idea what you could be implying.
[... she does tend to pick up strays, here and there, and there are all sorts of interesting creatures out on the Steppe.]
On that note, have you ever seen a purbol seedling before?
Aye, I have. I've seen their Eorzean cousins as well. It was not face-to-face, though, not without several layers of glass between us, and I shouldn't enjoy something more experimental this far from home.
[His eyes are quite fixed on Amri for a moment. In his short time in her acquaintance, what he has learned is a penchant for utter unpredictability. For the good of the star, usually, but...
She might be serious.]
This time, "within reason" means I must be able to carry it, safely, all the way back to a suitable port, and then by ship home. Few are the captains of passenger ships who'd permit anything noxious on board...that they were aware of having.
['Unpredictable' is certainly right. Good-natured and often level-headed, but still full of surprises, if she thinks a particular whim might bring about something worth their while.]
A purbol seedling would be able to fit.
[She's not necessarily arguing for that to happen, but it does fit the criteria... mostly.
'Safely' might be a tough sell.]
Maybe we'll find something else that might be looking to see the sights beyond the Steppe. Halgai are very cute.
[Forays such as this require a measure of pre-departure education, so much like "purbol", Erenville is aware of "halgai", what they look like and how the species generally acts as a matter of course.]
You may ask one, but I'll not have anything releasing surprise spells in my pack, thank you.
[Since it would be rather inhumane to put a creature like that in his pack in the first place, she should be able to tell how serious he is about it.
The road ahead of them is opening from close, cliff-shadowed path to something that feels vast even at this distance. Erenville takes a quick breath; he can smell the wind in the grass, the fertile dust and open sky.]
Perhaps I will— we'll just have to see what they have to say on the matter.
[She doesn't remember seeing anything like them down in Labyrinthos, but even so, the suggestion is more of a tease than not— they are here for a specific purpose, and as fun as it may be to play at bringing wild creatures back with them without rhyme or reason, in truth, she's no gleaner.
Her pace slows a bit as they approach the pass into the Steppe, and even from where they stand:]
It smells like I remember.
[She smiles, closing her eyes for a brief moment before she gently seizes his wrist and proceeds to pick up speed until she's at a brisk walk.]
[Regrettably, there is nothing in the section of Labyrinthos Amri visited that even remotely resembles the environs of the Azim Steppe. Perhaps-
Erenville makes a startled sound as the Hero of Etheirys grabs him by the wrist and pulls him along the path with her, out of the shadow of cliffs and into full sunlight. The expanse of it stretches before him, gently curved here and there, dotted with tents in all manner of colors. In the distance sits a raised bowl structure, ringed in brilliantly-hued flags and stones that suggest the hands of the earth itself sought once to close around it.
He can't help it. A bit of wide-eyed amazement. Other gleaners have been this way, but he has not, and no Sharlayan scholar can ever resist the thrill of learning and discovering something new.
After a moment he masters his own reactions again, though his ears continue turning to and fro, listening to the wind and the soft sounds of wildlife nearby.]
This is impressive. [There's warmth in his voice and he hasn't managed to bury his smile completely.] I can see why you wanted to come.
[Never let it be said that the Hero of Etheirys is the picture of grace and decorum. She is neither; wanderlust calls to her as surely as it does any other adventurer, and she is eager to share the sights that have come to reside so fondly in her memory. Looking back over her shoulder, her smile pulls wider as the scene brings a sense of wide-eyed wonder to his expression— him, who is certainly as worldly as any Scion, having gone all over in the name of serving Sharlayan.]
It's quite something, isn't it? You should see it at dawn.
[Hear it at dawn, when so many of the tribes across the Steppe sing for the rising sun.]
Reunion isn't far from here, but we can take our time getting there, if we like. It's early, yet.
[Far, far in the future, there may come a day when Erenville no longer feels wonder at the vastness of the world. On that day, he's promised himself he will recognize it is time to retire. Worldliness is no excuse for complacency.]
Well, unless you intend to rush me about and magically complete my tasks in the space of bells, we will be here for several sunrises.
[He looks east, though the sun has long since passed the horizon and sits in a sky of deep blue with only faint wisps of clouds to interrupt it. Again he tries to take it all in, and can't quite: the soft wind stirring the long grass, the sound of a nearby stream, the necessity of turning himself physically to see anything close to the whole place. At times, things like this make his island home seem impossibly small.
More recently, he's been beset by the terrible knowledge that they might have lost all this. Permanently. It would have become a pale memory, at best.
Erenville shrugs up his pack again and takes a few steps down the gently worn path leading out of the pass.]
Were it not for my understanding of the dangers of the local fauna, I would be content to let my feet take me where they will for some time.
[There are far worse things than an extended stay on the Steppe, and while she's here to offer him her assistance in whatever way she can, she's not about to rush him through his business. It is best, really, that they take their time and enjoy the sights and experiences this place has to offer.
She falls into step beside him easily, her own bag of supplies slung over one shoulder.]
Well, you do have something of an advantage in that department— if you'd like to wander, I'm more than capable of ensuring you don't come to harm.
[Not that she believes gleaners to be slouches in their own right. They're a capable sort.]
[He isn't sure whether to find it amusing or troubling that the vaunted woman walking beside him has only a small pack of supplies in comparison. Then again, she isn't made to carry several varieties of each sample set, nor preserve their life and quality where such is warranted...
No gleaner is ever released into the wild without being somewhat able to defend himself. Nevertheless, he'll be glad not to need to, whether due to caution or company.]
Reunion ought to serve, for the time being. Regardless of my feelings now, somewhere I can get my bearings is the best initial destination.
[While he suspects the giant stone bowl will be his best point of orientation for the tasks ahead, knowing in what direction sanctuary lies on the ground can only be useful, too.]
I look forward with regret to your realization that a gleaner's work will seem quite unexciting when compared to your usual assignments.
[Part and parcel with the job is knowing and recognizing when an Adventurer, the sort who claims this as sole employment, is also up to something in his vicinity. He's not at all unfamiliar with Amri's sort, in all their questionable variety. So, couching his view of her profession in stricter terms should be fine.
Then he seems to recall who he's with, exactly. The stories he has heard - some of them from her closest companions directly.]
[A base of operations, as it were, and at his warning, she laughs.]
I could do with some 'unexciting,' all told. I've had enough excitement to last me a long while— but given the destination, I think we'll be anything but bored.
[There's always something happening on the steppe. They'll not want for entertainment, but Amri finds the location and scenery satisfying enough on their own.]
... I'll do my best to help keep things sufficiently dull, however.
[She knows trouble does tend to follow her, whether she likes it or not.]
[The terrain slopes gently toward a stream as they walk, and Erenville finds his attentions drawn toward the wildlife as they often are. Vilekin, large and small, zip and glide at varying heights above the water and the lush grass nearby; frogs (which make him smile, for a second, fleeting and genuine) sing from their hiding spots near a slow section.
Some unexciting, she says, and he hums assent at the memory of...well, of how Amri looked when the Scions returned from the edge of knowledge and memory.
With the flags of Xaela life fluttering off in the distance, and an exceptionally rotund seedkin or three lumbering about in range of his sensitive hearing, Erenville can only hope the extent of the excitement is in food and socialization. At least for today.]
I understand many of these people came to your aid in the endeavor with Garlemald.
[Somehow, this is not the understated description of the year. The world has shed its cloak of impossibilities so quickly, and in silence for all but those who knew when to look.]
[It's interesting to watch the way his gaze moves across their surroundings, the way he subtly takes notes of the creatures that have made their home here— it makes sense to her that all gleaners must be keen-eyed, to be able to identify precisely what it is they need to find or study while out traveling.
At his observation, she nods, a fond smile pulling at her lips as she, too, looks towards the Xaela flags in the distance.]
That they did— and I remain infinitely glad for it. I'm of the opinion that friendship is never to be taken for granted, but if it ever needed proving, I think their aid in Garlemald would have taken care of that quite thoroughly.
[They had come quite a long way to assist, as had so many others.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Seeds and cuttings of a particular variety of eastern rhea plant...and stone samples from several locations, for the purpose of comparing aetheric densities and mineral composition.
[One corner of his mouth turns up slyly.]
I don't usually have reasons in my orders, just plans for preservation and transportation. Someone must have known you were coming. And, if there's anything else I find that I deem worth study, I'm always welcome to bring it along.
[Gleaners are experts in properly moving samples and specimens from all across the realm to Sharlayan. Erenville seems to remember who his present company is and he raises his eyebrows.]
Within reason.
no subject
[The rocks, as well, seem simple enough, though mining has never interested her as much as botany, personally. The result, she’s sure, of growing up in a Gridanian apothecary.
She smiles at him in turn, quickly averting her gaze and fixing it on the road ahead.]
Within reason. Honestly, I have no idea what you could be implying.
[... she does tend to pick up strays, here and there, and there are all sorts of interesting creatures out on the Steppe.]
On that note, have you ever seen a purbol seedling before?
[Just curious!]
no subject
[His eyes are quite fixed on Amri for a moment. In his short time in her acquaintance, what he has learned is a penchant for utter unpredictability. For the good of the star, usually, but...
She might be serious.]
This time, "within reason" means I must be able to carry it, safely, all the way back to a suitable port, and then by ship home. Few are the captains of passenger ships who'd permit anything noxious on board...that they were aware of having.
[He isn't without a little mischief of his own!
But they're not bringing a purbol home.]
no subject
A purbol seedling would be able to fit.
[She's not necessarily arguing for that to happen, but it does fit the criteria... mostly.
'Safely' might be a tough sell.]
Maybe we'll find something else that might be looking to see the sights beyond the Steppe. Halgai are very cute.
no subject
You may ask one, but I'll not have anything releasing surprise spells in my pack, thank you.
[Since it would be rather inhumane to put a creature like that in his pack in the first place, she should be able to tell how serious he is about it.
The road ahead of them is opening from close, cliff-shadowed path to something that feels vast even at this distance. Erenville takes a quick breath; he can smell the wind in the grass, the fertile dust and open sky.]
no subject
[She doesn't remember seeing anything like them down in Labyrinthos, but even so, the suggestion is more of a tease than not— they are here for a specific purpose, and as fun as it may be to play at bringing wild creatures back with them without rhyme or reason, in truth, she's no gleaner.
Her pace slows a bit as they approach the pass into the Steppe, and even from where they stand:]
It smells like I remember.
[She smiles, closing her eyes for a brief moment before she gently seizes his wrist and proceeds to pick up speed until she's at a brisk walk.]
Come on!
no subject
Erenville makes a startled sound as the Hero of Etheirys grabs him by the wrist and pulls him along the path with her, out of the shadow of cliffs and into full sunlight. The expanse of it stretches before him, gently curved here and there, dotted with tents in all manner of colors. In the distance sits a raised bowl structure, ringed in brilliantly-hued flags and stones that suggest the hands of the earth itself sought once to close around it.
He can't help it. A bit of wide-eyed amazement. Other gleaners have been this way, but he has not, and no Sharlayan scholar can ever resist the thrill of learning and discovering something new.
After a moment he masters his own reactions again, though his ears continue turning to and fro, listening to the wind and the soft sounds of wildlife nearby.]
This is impressive. [There's warmth in his voice and he hasn't managed to bury his smile completely.] I can see why you wanted to come.
no subject
It's quite something, isn't it? You should see it at dawn.
[Hear it at dawn, when so many of the tribes across the Steppe sing for the rising sun.]
Reunion isn't far from here, but we can take our time getting there, if we like. It's early, yet.
no subject
Well, unless you intend to rush me about and magically complete my tasks in the space of bells, we will be here for several sunrises.
[He looks east, though the sun has long since passed the horizon and sits in a sky of deep blue with only faint wisps of clouds to interrupt it. Again he tries to take it all in, and can't quite: the soft wind stirring the long grass, the sound of a nearby stream, the necessity of turning himself physically to see anything close to the whole place. At times, things like this make his island home seem impossibly small.
More recently, he's been beset by the terrible knowledge that they might have lost all this. Permanently. It would have become a pale memory, at best.
Erenville shrugs up his pack again and takes a few steps down the gently worn path leading out of the pass.]
Were it not for my understanding of the dangers of the local fauna, I would be content to let my feet take me where they will for some time.
no subject
[There are far worse things than an extended stay on the Steppe, and while she's here to offer him her assistance in whatever way she can, she's not about to rush him through his business. It is best, really, that they take their time and enjoy the sights and experiences this place has to offer.
She falls into step beside him easily, her own bag of supplies slung over one shoulder.]
Well, you do have something of an advantage in that department— if you'd like to wander, I'm more than capable of ensuring you don't come to harm.
[Not that she believes gleaners to be slouches in their own right. They're a capable sort.]
We can go wherever you like.
no subject
No gleaner is ever released into the wild without being somewhat able to defend himself. Nevertheless, he'll be glad not to need to, whether due to caution or company.]
Reunion ought to serve, for the time being. Regardless of my feelings now, somewhere I can get my bearings is the best initial destination.
[While he suspects the giant stone bowl will be his best point of orientation for the tasks ahead, knowing in what direction sanctuary lies on the ground can only be useful, too.]
I look forward with regret to your realization that a gleaner's work will seem quite unexciting when compared to your usual assignments.
[Part and parcel with the job is knowing and recognizing when an Adventurer, the sort who claims this as sole employment, is also up to something in his vicinity. He's not at all unfamiliar with Amri's sort, in all their questionable variety. So, couching his view of her profession in stricter terms should be fine.
Then he seems to recall who he's with, exactly. The stories he has heard - some of them from her closest companions directly.]
We hope.
no subject
[A base of operations, as it were, and at his warning, she laughs.]
I could do with some 'unexciting,' all told. I've had enough excitement to last me a long while— but given the destination, I think we'll be anything but bored.
[There's always something happening on the steppe. They'll not want for entertainment, but Amri finds the location and scenery satisfying enough on their own.]
... I'll do my best to help keep things sufficiently dull, however.
[She knows trouble does tend to follow her, whether she likes it or not.]
no subject
Some unexciting, she says, and he hums assent at the memory of...well, of how Amri looked when the Scions returned from the edge of knowledge and memory.
With the flags of Xaela life fluttering off in the distance, and an exceptionally rotund seedkin or three lumbering about in range of his sensitive hearing, Erenville can only hope the extent of the excitement is in food and socialization. At least for today.]
I understand many of these people came to your aid in the endeavor with Garlemald.
[Somehow, this is not the understated description of the year. The world has shed its cloak of impossibilities so quickly, and in silence for all but those who knew when to look.]
no subject
At his observation, she nods, a fond smile pulling at her lips as she, too, looks towards the Xaela flags in the distance.]
That they did— and I remain infinitely glad for it. I'm of the opinion that friendship is never to be taken for granted, but if it ever needed proving, I think their aid in Garlemald would have taken care of that quite thoroughly.
[They had come quite a long way to assist, as had so many others.]