Private Tales Equestrian Escapades

[Artemisia Delias]

Artemisia gave a smile as she bit into the cheese alongside tearing a small piece of the bread off as she nibbled. She used her hands to screw the top off the wine bottle, although with a slight struggle before she got it off. A nice, long sip with a content sigh as she placed it on the ground.

She gave a small nod with a smile. "Sounds good," she commented with a another little nod as she continued to nibble on her food. Although, her brow perked as she watched Faurosk pull a piece of chalk and... Drawing runes? "What are you doing?" She asked, intrigued but confused. She wasn't really sure what all the symbols meant. Alright, she had no idea what they meant.

But, at least Nota was happy. Artemisia carefully scratched his ears, calling him all sorts of cute and adorable. "Such a good puppy," she muttered as she rubbed the middle of his head.

The next thing she knew a wagon was appearing out of the ground. Artemisia's blue eyes simply blinked as she watched the scene unfold. "How..." She stared, nearly agape at such an amazing feat. "That's amazing," she muttered after the shock finally began to wear off a little. "That was... Are you okay?" Magic came with a price, right? That's what she was always told.

He did look a bit more tired, but that price could be paid in many different ways. "That is... Incredible. It'll make carrying so much of this sooo much easier," she exclaimed with excitement, "Thank you."

 

[Faurosk]

The mage gave a short, tired shrug, slumping further down against his rock. The cold stone felt nice on such a warm day, and the sensation helped soothe the minute ache that rattled his spine at the use of arcane energy. Transmutation was undoubtedly the young wizard's forte, but animation- even on such a small scale -was a tough feat to pull off. "Oh, no need to thank me-- Like you said, I can hitch a ride when I'm tired, so this is basically just for me." A smirk cut its way across his face, barely visible beneath where the man's arm still laid slung across his eyes. "Nothing altruistic to it."

Nota gave a sharp yap, leaning into the centaur's petting. His foot idly kicked at any scratches that fell to his shoulder areas, and it would seem that Artemisia had found the dog's preferred petting locale. Faurosk, meanwhile, placed his hands on the ground at his sides before wrenching himself back upwards. The faint bags under his eyes were just slightly more noticeable, then; He was quick to remedy this, though, drawing his waterskin upwards from his side and taking a long draw. Hydration, he found, was the key to successful spellcasting.

"Sorry, I, ah-- I didn't answer your question before. Ritual type spells tend to take a lot of focus, is all." Faurosk gave his new friend a sheepish smile. "That was just a touch of transmutation, is all. Turning things from one form into, well, another." His free hand made a swinging motion towards the cart and the whole from which its materials were pulled, and the mage used the moment to take another, deeper drink. "Just need to know what you're using and keep a firm image of what you want it to be in your mind's eye. And, yes, I am very familiar with dirt. Family used to farm it back in Alliria." The cheeky smile across his face meant he was probably joking, right? In any case, the mage tucked back into his meager food, hoping to have a somewhat fuller belly before they would return to the road.

"So, any places in particular you want to see while you're out and about?" His words came out around half a mouthful of jerky, but he thankfully swallowed before continuing. "I remember back when I first started, the Spine was at the top of my 'to see' list."

 

[Artemisia Delias]

Artemisia was a little worried, in truth. It seemed to have taken a lot out of the wizard. But, she knew he knew his limits and his strength. He was the expert at those things, and so Artemisia decided to try not to worry about it. "That's true," she said with a chuckle as she took another swig from the wine bottle. "I can carry a lot, so don't hesitate to hop on if you need to."

In the meantime, she continued to give Nota all the loving she possibly could. Absolutely adorable pup, in truth. "You got an itch?" She commented as she used her hands to rub that part of his shoulder extra hard to help him get the itch.

She gave a nod as he explained the ritual. "It was extraordinary," she said with a warm smile. "I have never seen or heard of that kind of magic, honestly," she admitted after a few seconds of thought. He explained how it worked, but... She didn't quite understand the mechanics. She could just imagine what she wanted something to be and it would absolutely never change.

She perked a brow at his... Joke? Hard to tell. Her shoulders shrugged lightly, "I really want to see an ocean. The beautiful waves, the far off shoreline, the sandy and clear water..." She cleared her throat. "I've never seen an ocean. But the spine would be beautiful too, I bet," she said with a small nod.

 

[Faurosk]

The adolescent pupper gave a few fitful groans, leaning its shoulders up into the centaur's hands as she scratched at his shoulders. The mage gave a pair a look, eyebrow raised. "Sorry if he's being a bother. Always gets like this with new people around, and all."

Faurosk nodded slowly, understanding dawning on him as Artemisia explained her ideal view of the ocean. He folded his gloved hands behind his head, padding the back of his skull against the somewhat jagged stone as he gave a high whistle. "Well, I can't say the ocean is anything to be scoffed at. If I were you, I'd try to see it before you get to any of the port towns-- People have a way of, ah, stinking the sea up when our towns get too big." His shoulders gave a sheepish shrug, but his smile stayed in its place.

"We're a bit far from any oceans at the moment, but finding one wouldn't be too difficult. They're all encompassing, after all; Should even be able to find a ship to ride, if you know where to look and who to ask." The mage cocked his head to the side, giving Artemisia an examining look with refined interest. "Favor yourself something of an explorer? I remember countless ships sailing off on expeditions and voyages, back in Alliria. Granted, I was never that in-tune with the shipyards and ports, but it's something you might like to think about."

 

[Artemisia Delias]

Artemisia shook her head as Faurosk apologized for Nota. "No, I love it," she replied quickly as she carefully scratched and petted the adorable pup. "He is absolutely adorable, I love it." Indeed, she was just glad she was finally able to give the pup some attention.

"I have some images, and some of the travelers who pass through my village have described it - it sounds so beautiful," she said in an almost dream-like stance. What could be better than clear water that seemed to go on for miles and miles away? It had to be so beautiful. There was, of course, rivers and the like that she had seen and even been in.

But nothing could compare to the descriptions of the ocean. A slight frown crossed her lips, "This is true. Even in small towns," she commented, at least with her knowledge of one of the nearby rivers. "I'll do that!" She said with a final nod.

She paused, thinking about how question. Was she an adventurer? Did she want to be an adventurer? Her gut said yes. The wanderlust that permeated her mind seemed to think so. "Maybe... I would love to explore some far off place, though. It sounds so thrilling, perhaps even if it's dangerous," she confirmed her thoughts after a moment.

 

[Faurosk]

Faurosk gave a quiet laugh, subdued only thanks to another bite off of his measly gathering of glorified snacks. "Well, I hope you find whatever it is that'll take you to where you want to go. Like I said, there's always voyages heading this way and that." The mage wagged a pointed finger in Artemisia's direction as he took and swallowed another bite. "Once we're set in Eipara, I could point you in the direction of Alliria. Big city, port-type trade-- If there's an expedition heading to some far-off land, it'll be leaving from there."

Nota, being the sweet pup he was, walked a lazy circle before yawning deeply and laying down at Artemisia's side, right within an arm's reach. He'd been committed to staying awake throughout the break, but going off of how heavy his eyelids were growing, the pup may just doze off if his the centaur kept up her petting.

"I'll admit, seafaring and daring aren't really my forte, but that city's renowned for just such things. If you're yearning to see the ocean and travel far and wide, then you'll find something worthwhile in Alliria." Faurosk gave two self assured nods, finally wrapping up his snacks in their wrapping of cheesecloth before relaxing once more.

 

[Artemisia Delias]

Artemisia gave a little smile at his laugh. Another sip of wine, another bite of cheese and bread. "I hope so, too," she commented after a moment's thought. She didn't really know what she wanted, though, did she? Besides the basics of exploration, adventuring, and seeing the world, she had no other goal in mind.

"That sounds like a lovely idea," she confirmed with a small nod. "I've never been in a big city," she commented after a moment. "Can you tell me about them?" She tilted her head slightly, one long ear moving slightly.

She continued to pet the sweet up as he laid down. It was practically second nature by this point. She had no intention of stopping, not until they were on the road again at least. She gave a nod, "To be fair, I'm not sure if I'm a boat and exploration person. But, who knows." She shrugged a little as she too finished her snack. A last sip of the wine to wash down the food. She offered the bottle to him. "Want a sip?"

 

[Faurosk]

The wizard blew out a long breath before speaking, using the time to gather his thoughts. How could he sum up what it's like to be in a city? Hell, he grew up in one of the world's biggest, and he hadn't the faintest idea of where to start. "Well... As you might expect, there's lots of people. It's really easy to get yourself lost or turned around, too, and you've got to be mindful of the dishonest types-- Charlatans, pickpockets, that sort of thing. Aside from that, though, you'll probably find the best and worst humanity has to offer in any city you go to."

He nodded slowly, realizing that he'd described the basics a great deal better than he would have thought possible. Slowly, his smile solidified its place across his face once more. When she offered him a drink of wine, he only grinned more, taking the bottle in hand and downing a minute portion. He handed it back to her, savoring the taste a moment before swallowing. "And that's just one of the things you'll need to figure out, friend-- Like me, for example. I'd never in a dozen Ages use a boat to get from place to place, but, hey, to each their own!"