[Open] A Woman At Work

[stitch_witch]

WHO: Lark, Open
WHERE: Ul'Dah - Weaver's Guild and Markets
WHAT: Working as a weaver, looking for escort into the wilds
WHEN: During Eorzea event.
WARNINGS: None
NOTES: Unless otherwise noted, Lark will be wearing This

I - A Good Loom Does All | Ul'Dah Weaver's Guild | [Open]

The words were there on the paper, and Lark could not resist. Where there was a guild, there were people selling tools to the guild. Every morning she rose quickly and dressed herself. And then it was off into Ul'Dah.

The guild had everything she needed. It took little effort at all to prove herself suited to the crafting, and to be given the tools for starting the trade. The woman could not have been happier.

Which was why she was there now, sitting in one of the front rooms of the guild house, humming to herself as she took an afternoon break in her weaving to sip at her tea and enjoy a light lunch. Though when she looked up and saw one of her He Row compatriots, she looked very shocked.

"Good day," she said. "Have you come to learn? They are quite lovely here at teaching."

II - Market Day | Ul'Dah Markets | [Open]

Truly this was a lovely city, unlike anything she had known before. Yes, she had known many cities back home, but never one in a place like this. And never so loud of one. But, well, it made her feel a bit like home. More than Temba, more than the illusion created by young William, this felt like home. Perhaps it wasn't the blessed wonder of the Circle, but it was familiar.

Perhaps that was why Lark had adapted so quickly. To the clothing she had found herself in, to the working with the guild, and of course, to this. The bustling of the market. Lark moved happily through it, smiling to everyone she met, talking with merchants and discussing sales of the cloth she carried with her and purchasing of other supplies she would later take back to the ship.

Mostly, though, she looked happy as she tucked a stray hair back under the edge of her cap and she stopped by a vendor selling little cakes of dye.

"Oh what vivid colors!"

III - Questing Along | Ul'Dah Outskirts | [Open]

Raw materials were, at the end of the day, what any weaver or spinner needed. And those materials, Lark had been told, were in some cases to be found out in the wilds. There were plants that needed harvested, creatures that needed defeated, and things to be gathered. Only one problem.

Lark stood just outside of the gates, sighing to herself. Her basket at her side was what she was supposed to fill, and she wasn't certain how to go about it. It wasn't like her magic was suitable to combat, unlike that of some of the children, or perhaps Niko. No, this wasn't something Lark could do herself.

"Which leaves the question as to what I should do..."

Comments

[owneroftheworstroom]

"Lark, I- I need your help!" The request is blurted out hurriedly before Bruno can even think about returning the greeting he has received from his friend. Though the pleading look he gives her along with the fretting of his hands may be a decent indicator for how urgent this inquiry is. At least to Bruno.

He casts a quick, nervous look around before turning back to Lark. "Please!"

[stitch_witch]

Well, she wasn't expecting that statement out of Bruno's mouth instead of a proper greeting. The woman set aside her work and held her hands out toward Bruno.

"Come here, sit, tell me what is wrong."

[owneroftheworstroom]

Bruno hesitates in ceasing his fidgeting, but then accepts the offered hands to ground himself somewhat as he accepts the offered seat. "I... I was at that place- The loud one. With the lights and the music and-" He has to take a breath. "-I won their lottery?"

Help him, Lark. Money is not a thing in his little home town and he has been trying his best to get a hang on dealing with what little allowance the Agrii have provided each of them with.

[stitch_witch]

Lark squeezes Bruno's hands before he sits and she offers a soft look. Better to listen.

"Lottery? I don't know what that is. What did you get for winning?"

[owneroftheworstroom]

"W-well, you- You select a few numbers and- And then they pull numbers. And if they match... You win? Y-you know, this... This currency...?" He releases one of her hands to pull a bag from within his ruana. It's heavy and filled with a sizeable amount of Gil. Easily enough to buy a house or two in one of the cities.

"What am I going to do with it?!"

[stitch_witch]

Huh. She... wasn't expecting that. Lark stares. That's... Something.

"Well, if you want my opinion, you help the needy. And set some aside for getting creature comforts for the return to Agra-10."

But she can figure it out too.

[owneroftheworstroom]

Help the needy is another concept Bruno has no real reference for. Not after growing up in a town where everyone supports one another until he's coming along to ruin their day. Helping he understands. And he wants to help where he can. But he doesn't even know anyone here, so how would he know who needs help and how is any of this money going to help them?

"Y-You know..." And he takes one of her hands, turns it palm-side up and places the bag in it. "You know more about this than I do, Lark. I'll just leave it to you!"

[stitch_witch]

Wait, what?

"Bruno, please," she said, even as she takes the bag, "you will want some of this money. To buy food and clothing for yourself here. To buy things you want."

[owneroftheworstroom]

"Lark, I am wearing more clothes right now than I owned back home." Bruno points out, but then has to admit: "...but I guess you're right about the food. I just... I never had to deal with..." And he's gesturing vaguely at the bag, indicating the money within.

[stitch_witch]

"I can show you," she says, rising to her feet with the bag. "Let me help you, Bruno. Please. It is not often I can teach people things other than weaving, and you and I have a very different experience of life than most people back on Agra-10."

Because that was just who they were.

[owneroftheworstroom]

"...would you?" It feels like a silly thing to ask the moment the words have left his mouth. Of course Lark would. She is that sort of friend that will genuinely help where she can, so Bruno just nods at his own question and drops his hand with a soft chuckle. "Of course you would."

[stitch_witch]

Yes, it was a silly thing to say, so she just smiled patiently as she tucks the money securely away in her bag before making her way toward the door. "Let us start with a bit more clothing?"

[owneroftheworstroom]

"More clothing?" He winces and clearly doesn't sound too excited about having to go and find even more to wear, but Bruno follows along regardless, nudging the large hat he is wearing up a tad. "Do I need more of these as well...?"

iii

[tsundullahan]

There was just too much to see and without her usual method of transportation, Celty felt a little lost given the expanse of the places they'd been set out to explore. It was overwhelming.

At least she didn't draw much attention- given the ostentatious attire that some of the locals wore, she felt hers at least a little more subtle, even with the strange glowy bits that hung from the lengths attached to her belt. What were they even for? Decoration, she assumed. No one looked at her twice with the hooded headgear she'd topped it off with, although when she'd caught her reflection she thought she looked considerably more imposing than she usually did. Cat-eared motorcycle helmets were somehow friendlier.

For the most part the Dullahan had been wandering. How were they supposed to find anything the Agrii wanted them to? She had no idea where to even begin! Finding herself suddenly at the city gates, she'd wondered how she'd gotten herself turned around. Easily, she thought bitterly, about to turn back when she caught sight of what looked like a familiar person. She was sure she'd seen the woman on the network a few times.

Celty approached a little hesitantly, perhaps even looking a bit awkward. It helped to offset any menace that a stranger with a covered face might carry, anyway.

[stitch_witch]

Oh. A stranger. Lark looked... nervous to see someone approaching. But perhaps they are a friendly local. Someone who was willing to go and render assistance to her. The question was how to best ask? She wasn't familiar with how to make others feel awkward.

"Excuse me, hello. You look like a very experienced adventurer. Might I ask for your assistance?"

[tsundullahan]

An experienced adventurer. Celty couldn't help for a silent chuckle. She held up a hand, reaching into a belt pouch to pull out some paper and a pencil. Being without her communicator was an annoyance, but at least she wasn't left completely unable to speak with others. She wrote small to save space before offering the paper to Lark.

𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑎, 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛'𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢? 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒. 𝐼'𝑚 𝐶𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑦. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ?

[stitch_witch]

Oh, what a relief. Another He Row. Lark turns more fully toward the woman and offers a relieved smile. She reads the paper and offered a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"I am Lark, and I need to go out to gather some things. However I'm not a combatant."

[tsundullahan]

Celty felt a bit of tension ease from her at the confirmation, or at least what she assumed was confirmation. Lark hadn't told her no, and the smile suggested enough.

Combat... She could see how that would be inconvenient for someone who had to venture out beyond the city. The creatures of this world seemed more hostile than the ones she'd seen around Temba. Then again, she did remember the particularly nasty beast that had probably meant to make a meal out of one of their number. Celty considered for a moment before putting pencil to paper again.

𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑑 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝐼'𝑑 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑝 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑔𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟.

[stitch_witch]

"What is a motorcycle?" she asked at a whisper. "Would I have seen it around Temba?"

She definitely didn't know just what was meant by it. But hey, there's someone willing to help her and that's nice.

"I fear if we rode we might miss what we are seeking."

[tsundullahan]

Lark might have seen it. Celty rode around quite often, just to get to know the streets and areas of the city better. She tapped the pencil against the paper pensively before drawing a crude rendition of her beloved vehicle. At least the two wheels were identifiable enough.

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟? 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛.

[stitch_witch]

It was interesting, to look upon it. But Lark hadn't even seen a bicycle, so she didn't really understand it.

"It looks like half a wagon. It looks as if it might fall over."

Still, there is work to be done.

"There are local creatures that have very fine fleeces suitable to weaving. We are to go and collect this fleece."

[tsundullahan]

𝐼'𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘. 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒.

She hoped so, anyway. Only mildly embarrassed at her drawing, Celty let the subject shift. There was no helping it if Shooter wasn't even here in the first place. She wondered if she'd have been able to bring him if she'd only remembered how or if she could summon him back after sending him away.

Lark began to describe what she was meaning to find on this outing, and Celty nodded thoughtfully as they started to go along.

𝐹𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑐𝑒... 𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑝?

[stitch_witch]

"I shall look forward to this. And while I do not believe it is specifically sheep, yes, that is how I am given to understand it."

Given there are chocobos instead of horses here, among other things, she wouldn't be surprised if it was more complicated than that.

"Perhaps we shall discover our answer to that together, if you would be glad to join me then."

[tsundullahan]

The woman nodded. It seemed there was a lot to discover here either way. She didn't think it necessary to write out her next response as she simply gestured. They wouldn't find anything out standing here, and they didn't want to waste time.

Who knew what lurked once things got dark?

[stitch_witch]

The gesture was more than enough. Lark started along the path, following the little map she had.

"It is intriguing to me, that this world is filled with creatures that might attack people on sight. This is not normal in my home. What of yours?"