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NEAR THE EAST GATE - MORNING
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Dorri walks alongside of her new student. Maybe apprentice? It's too soon to tell at this point, but the markhor and the yak have been getting on well enough in a teacher/student dynamic at this point. "So you're really sure you want to come along on this trip? And help me rebuild the observatory? I mean, that magic outpost or whatever it is might still be out there somewhere for ya."
Yengrisk shakes their head a bit. "Yak still wants to learn magic, true, but helping the town has to come first, yes?"
Dorri chuckles a bit. "Well, still not sure that I'd consider me or the observatory part of the town really, but close enough I suppose. And I will teach you all that I can, I promise. Stars and magic and what have you..." She smiles a bit as she looks up at the target yak. "You're a good egg, Yengrisk. Don't think I would've been so generous with my time and sweat at your age... or even now..."
Yengrisk blushes a little, though you'd have to be really familiar with yaks to recognize it. "Yak is young, yes, but... the world calls out, yes? There is only so much Yengrisk can learn staying in one place."
Dorri spots the caravan amassing just outside the gate and nods. "Indeed. And you have the curiosity to learn it all, I think. You already have a good handle on the basic constellations and celestial bodies, and it's only been what? A week?"
Yengrisk smiles at Dorri. "Yes! Yak finds this all pretty fascinating!" They glance over toward the caravan curiously, though.
Dorri smiles. "Life is fascinating in all of its forms." The walk with Yengrisk through the gate, but pauses just outside it as they look for a very specific person. "Where is he, then?"
Bracvar is tending to his cart, binding the heavy cover down over his return cargo, now more important to offload than ever. He squints against the bright sunlight, favoring a clearly injured eye, though it doesn't seem to be dampening his smile any. He spots Dorri and an unfamiliar yak from his position at the back of the caravan line, grinning widely (though his tendril beard hides most of the expression) and waving to the pair. "Excellent! I wasn't sure you were going to remember!"
Dorri motions Yengrisk in the crab's direction as she walks over, smiling at the crustacean. "Yes, I'm so very likely to forget that my home has fallen over." She laughs a bit, then looks between Yengrisk and Bracvar. "Brac, this is Yengrisk. Yengrisk, this old shell is Bracvar."
Yengrisk tilts their large head at the crab. "Hello, Bracvar. It is good to meet you, yes?"
Bracvar laughs heartily with Dorri, giving the rope one last tug before turning to meet Yengrisk with an extended hand, though he opts to mirror their nod instead. "It's good to meet you, too, friend! Will you be joining our little journey?"
Dorri nods. "Seems so. This one can at least mostly keep up with me on the mountains and I can teach them a thing or two about stars and some other things."
Yengrisk nods as well. "Yak is a good climber! And lady goat knows a lot of neat things about the sky, so yak wants to learn, yes?"
Dorri: The sky will never lead you astray if you know how to read it...
Bracvar chuckles, nodding to their statements. "Excellent! I'm glad you've found someone to give you a hand with rebuilding after all. "
Dorri laughs a bit. "Indeed." They look to Bracvar's covered eye and frowns. "Feeling any better yet or are ye still half blinded?"
Bracvar shifts the thin cloth he's using as a shade, showing the still slightly off color eye underneath. "It's getting better, I think I can see actual colors now. Besides, I have no choice but to leave, staying at the Minnow completely drained my coffer!" He turns to Yengrisk after dropping the patch back in place. "Have you ever taken the trip to Bairnell's Foothold before, Yengrisk?"
Yengrisk shakes their head sharply, this one enough to dislocate the glasses in their mount. Before they speak, they magically adjust the glasses back into position. "Yak has not! But yak has travelled a lot. It shouldn't be too rough of a trip, yes?"
Dorri blinks. "No? Then where did you land on Aephix? Not many ships going elsewhere from the north." They look over Bracvar's cart and then back to Yengrisk. "It's flat and the road is well established. Only the heat to really worry about."
Bracvar tilts his head, curious as well. "Well, there's a road that leads North-West from Bairnell, but I have no idea where it goes, never needed to travel that way."
Yengrisk ahhs.. "Well, the trip in didn't quite go according to plan, yes? Had to make landfall down south, and made way up from there. Yak was lucky, met some frog folk who know the area, and yak is good at following directions."
Bracvar looks at Dorri, tilting his head. "Is there a port to the South? I had no idea!"
Dorri cocks their head. "Ah, I'd heard something about frogs, but I never saw or met one." They shrug a bit. "So what are you hauling back to Folly?"
Bracvar glances at his cart, accounting his cargo. "Ah, nothing particularly special. A lot of small trinkets, some salted meat, a case of odd nails." He grins at Dorri, "All on delivery contract, I don't have to wait around and sell anything!"
Dorri looks to Yengrisk. "Not sure when we're supposed to head out, but it should be s--" She's interrupted by the sound of a loud bell ringing from the front of the caravan. The line starts to lurch into motion.
Yengrisk starts a bit at the sound, but then grows excited and even claps a little. "Oo, it looks like it's time to go, yes?"
Bracvar turns toward the sound of the bell, scuttling toward the front of his own cart. "Well, I hope everyone is here." He crouches under the bar at the front of his cart, gripping it and beginning to push the load without much effort.
Dorri smiles at Yengrisk. "Just don't fall behind, calf." She laughs a bit as she scurries to walk a little ahead of Bracvar. "Been a while since I made this trip. We'll get there around sunset, right?"
Yengrisk follows after, and oohs at Bracvar pulling the cart. They get a little closer, even crouch-walking to get a closer look. "Crab guy is strong, yes!" This one is not phrased as a question.
Dorri blinks. "Wait, no... sorry.. haven't been anywhere but Respite and my mountain for too long. Closer to a week then?" They shake their head. "Dammit Dorri you old hermit..."
Bracvar grins, trying not to blush at the compliment. Once the cart is moving along he stands upright behind the bar to be a little more comfortable while pushing. "It depends on every variable in the universe. If the weather stays nice and we manage to go from sunup to sundown, could be as little as five days, depending on the slowest mover."
Yengrisk walks alongside the cart. "Yak will try not to be the slowest, yes?"
Dorri laughs. "Same, though my legs are shorter than most here. I suppose I can hop up on the cart if I get tired. I doubt Bracvar would mind too much." She gives him a saucy wink before brushing a stray strand of wiry red hair out of her eyes.
Bracvar nods, looking ahead to match the pace of the rest of the caravan. "Aye, you could. My usual load is much heavier than this one due to all the ice, if you get tired."
Yengrisk stands back up and keeps apace easily enough.
Dorri trots along without any signs of tiring. "Doubt I'll need to, but thanks." She looks to Yengrisk. "So, tell me more about these frogs?"
Yengrisk walks along with Dorri, and excitedly tells her about the strange amphibian folk they met along the way.