| Diving for Seaweed |
| Summary: | Mistress Dania runs into Justin out at the cove while he's out riding his grey gelding. It turns into splashing each other and diving for seaweed. |
| Date: | 01/June/2012 |
| Related Logs: | Rebuffed! |
| Players: |
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| Rocky Cove, Terrick's Roost |
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| To the west of the path leading down, the beach extends below a cliff face and takes a turn inland where the terrain above has collapsed down to be claimed by the pounding waters below. It has formed a small, almost private cove with jagged rocks in the water at the cliffs while the ocean has relaimed most of those from the beach. Due to the elevation of the cliffs, the top of the tower to the north is just barely visible despite the relatively short distance. |
| June 1st, 289 |
Late morning finds the day to be almost perfect, some sun but also plenty of clouds rolling by large and fulffy upon the wind as if dancing in like giant ships coming in from distant waters. The wind is not hard, but pleasant, gulls whirling over like children's kites and shrieking much like their laughter. Below on the cobbly beach Justin walks his grey gelding, riding but without saddle. As it is Justin's nameday, he has his boots, doublet and sword off and is dressed in a lightweight pale grey tunic with charcoal grey trousers with the pant legs rolled up. The gelding is bridled and seems to be enjoying the water, pausing occationally to paw at it and make playful splashing with his front hoofs, nostrels flaring as he arches his proud neck as if he were a stallion. The dark haired young Terrick lord smiles fondly and pats the horse's neck as the tide slowly swells in.
The need for seaweed brings her here. Dania has on a chemise and what looks like her brothers old breeches. Underneath her arm she is carrying a large wicker basket. Her hair has been braided and forms a crown around her head. She is barefoot and is carefully making her way over the cobbled beach. On occasion she will be pick up a nice round rock that catches her eye. Spotting Justin sitting on the familiar grey she raises her hand in greet. "Good Morning, Lord Terrick, Happy nameday!" She calls out to him. Her cheerful voice is loud enough to be heard over the roar of the waves.
The waves aren't particularly roaring today, more like sighing softly against the stones and sand. It's good water for swimming and damp as his clothes are, Justin likely already swam this morning. That or his pawing horse simply keeps soaking him, as the grey seems intent to do this very moment with enthusiastic water pawing. Getting a nice spurt of seawater up into his face, Justin laughs, "Enough, you beast!" He tugs lightly on the reins to bring the grey's head back up and tightens his legs with a slight forward shift in his weight to urge the horse to walk up the beach a few steps and out of the water. The grey blows out through his nostrels, a loud sigh of his protest. Justin turns his head around when he hears Dania's voice, twisting his body where he sits to better see her until he turns his horse also. "Good morning, Mistress, and thank you."
"I hope you are having a good one, do not let anyone even speak to you of politics today." Dania tells him with a cheerful grin that lights up her eyes and makes her face more animated. She moves towards them. "Lovely is it not, but not good for seaweed. I am thinking I may have to swim out into the water." She tells him. "What is on your agenda for today?"
Justin turns his head around yet again, this time to look out towards the fingers of rock that extends out into the water from the edge of the cove, "You need seaweed? Unless there's storm to wash it up, aye, you'd need to go dive out there to get it." He strokes his gelding's shoulder to quiet the animal as the grey starts pawing sand and pebbles like a green two year old, when he's a far older and more seasoned horse than that. "Actualy, today's politics have a brighter outlook than yesterday's … should the Groves abide by their offer and not try to renig on us now. Soon there will be food a plenty in the Roost and morale should rise back up considerably." It seems that Justin's already has, somewhat. "I intend to ride, perhaps hunt a bit, and later go to the Rockcliff and drink too much before …" He hesitates. Dania may not be a noblewoman, but she is a woman and while Justin isn't knighted, he was raised all his life to think about how a knight should properly act. So he amends what he was about to say to say instead, "Retiring for the evening, preferably with pleasant company."
That said, Justin then glances back to the rocks and throws a leg over his grey's whithers to dismount suddenly, "I'll go and get you your seaweed."
"Lord Terrick it is not proper for to you to help on your Nameday, besides I do not mind the swim." She offers him an impish smile. "As for the other who is the food coming from and what is the cost?" She asks him. "Who's hand will be sold in marriage?" She is curious as this is not something that she normally gets to hear or learn of until after the fact. "How much and When and why would the renig on the offer." She is moves closer to the ocean as they talk.
Oh, and now she presses him for details after saying no discussion of politics? Justin arches a dark brow at her, "The details are yet to be decided. I'd rather not spread word about until contracts are signed. There is no need to dissapoint should there be … complications. However, when it is done it will be worth celebrating that our people will not have to see their children starve." Now standing holding his horse's reins, Justin looks Dania over with her hair all braided up to crown her head, "Are you a strong swimmer?" Her coming from Seagard doesn't guarantee it, "If you are confident you can, you certainly may. I can stand by and watch, should you have trouble." He turns to start leading the horse towards the rocky spur where he can ground tie the animal and be ready if she needs assistance. Justin's dark hair blows about in the wind coming in from the sea, "There is something I mean to ask you, goodwoman. Something we need to find out that I thought you might be admirably suitable to help with, should you be willing?"
"I would be trying to swim out there no matter what Milord." She tilts her head to the side and looks at him as she stops in her tacks. "You know I am willing to help those that are here. What is it that you need done?" She asks with a another warm smile. The water from the incoming waves teases her feet as the water reaches out to nip at her. She moves a few more feet into the water. Her bask now resting on her shoulder. Sunlight dances around them as it filters through the clouds. She takes a deep breath of the sea air and smiles again as she looks up at the sky then she looks back at him. "You know I will give you some potions to have the woman take when you are done with them this evening."
Justin drops the reins of his grey and leaves the horse to walk out bare footed upon the rocks. He motions for her to hand him the basket as she starts to wade out into the water, "The sea is calm enough. I've swum out there many times. I used to be a very good swimmer, though I've not had the practice in years. I'd not attempt it if the water was rougher and neither should you on such days." He starts to walk out, hopping easily from one large stone to another, they being dry from the tide having been out earlier in the morning. It's coming in well now and higher. Justin pauses to wait for her, "My lord father believes there must be a blackmarket for stolen goods in the area. Grain taken from wagons, or from other farmer's fields might be getting sold at dear prices. While I suspsect any such grain is actually being consumed by those who thieve it, it is worth checking in the hope of giving us a trail to follow back to those who are predating upon shipments. It was my thought that you, on your travels to tend to the sick or birthings, could pretend to be in some dire need of grain yourself. Perhaps for less fortunate families, and see if some might point you in a useful direction. Should you be willing?"
The basket is handed over to Justin. Dania looks at him thoughtfully and she is serious for a moment. "I can do this but I best not have an escort. Folks will be more willing to talk if I did not or if I do that person needs to appear to be a poor farmer or someone who is not well known in the area." Wipes her hands on her chemise, "I was not born yesterday and I do know what you are planning tonight. The potions will prevent pregnancy."
Justin actually laughs at her, "You are a silly woman. Prostitutes already do such things." He shakes his head and moves out onto the rocks a bit further, "It does not concern you." Since she so clearly rebuffed him already. But he nods, looking out at the water, "No, I intend that if you will look into this, I will do my own investigations elsewhere. I trust it's safe enough." Justin looks back to her, "You would only be asking for the information, not going to meet such a seller."
Dania eyes him clearly not bothered by the rebuke. "I will do this, it will help. I will see what I information I can learn and perhaps you and the knights will be able to clear the woods of the bandits. I will make it be known as well that I will help anyone and everyone and just keep my eyes and ears open. I will be sure to do this on my own. Just keep my brother occupied." She says to him as she wades into the water. It is now up to her hips. She looks over at him as she continues to wade into the cold water.
"I don't oft see Ser Keelin about. He keeps himself well occupied." Justin eases partly down into the water himself to take a seat on a large slanted stone. Dania's basket is perched on top of a lower rock she can easily reach when she comes back up, him being further out than she's gotten yet. Justin looks out over the water and down into it, watching for signs of sea life before he lifts his pale eyed gaze to study the cliffs and bluff with the tower rising in majestic watch.
"Good, you will be able to help keep him out of my hair then." She offers him a sweet smile before she dives into the water. She is not the greatest swimmer but she does swim which is better than most she is gone for a little bit as she allows herself to be embraced in the waters salty arms. She comes back up with the seaweed she was looking for. Her head bobs to the surface and she makes her way to towards him and the basket. Dumping this load into the basket she goes out to get more but not before she splashes him playfully.
<FS3> Justin rolls Reaction: Good Success.
"Hey!" Justin protests at being splashed! He's certainly not above instant retaliation, going from trying to duck the water that is flung at him to splashing her back heavily! Not that Dania isn't already soaked. He laughs, then raises his baritone, "Be good or I'll throw your weed back into the sea to make you fetch it and your basket both!" Justin snatches up the basket and makes to throw it off the /other/ side of the rocky spur where she won't be able to reach it without climbing out and diving off after it. There is playful mischief in his own eyes, laughing even if he isn't voicing it. He does smile, more at his ease than he's been in a long while. The meeting must have gone well, last night.
"I will because I am lazy." Dania laughs merrily as she goes to dive back under the waves. She is gone again for a spell as swims underwater. More seaweed is gathered. Coming up to the surface she fills her lungs with air greedily. She swims towards him and the basket again. "Ahh hold it down so I can put this in it." She tells him with a laugh. "Why not come and swim?"
The basket is duly held out for Dania to put her handfulls of seaweed into, and at the last, he dodges it out of her reach a couple of times before relenting his torement to let her fill it. "Perhaps I will. I'm doing whatever I like, today." Justin glances back at the beach, the quiet cove where he left his gelding to stand quietly, the bluff overhead topped with tall, windblown grasses and the visible tower top. By his wariness, you can tell he knows he should not swim with her. Justin sets the basket down and pulls his tunic off over his head to toss it up out of Dania's reach on the rock before dropping down into the water himself.
"I will not bite you." Dania says to him as she moves dive down into the depths of the water again. Once again she has more seaweed. When she surface again she grins. "Keelin will say that I do bite, but I was seven and there were three of them and one of me. My pride was at stake." She laughs and then wipes the water from her eyes as she blinks rapidly. "I think you are going to be sleeping very well tonight." She swims back to the basket and puts the seaweed in there. "So why should you not swim here with me. I am clothed still in a fashion."
Oh, that sounds like a dare and his eyes twinkle with his checked retort for she escapes him to dive again ere he might say something. When she comes back up, Justin has a low, throaty laugh, "I might like it more if you did bite." So he shoves water in Dania's face instead, then ducks beneath the water himself to see if he can reach the bottom and some of that seaweed.
Dania sputters and coughs as the water hits her face. She quickly follows him down into the dark water. She reaches out to tug on an appendage of his if she is able to, before she surfaces. When she does she is laughing. Her laughter rings out and is rich and full of vitality. She bobs there in the water and as the soft waves rock her. She is just waiting for him to surface.
Justin breaks the surface and shakes his head to clear hair and water from his face. He reaches up to wipe his eyes, then shoves another wave of water brutally towards her! He laughs also, "You are a brat! Reminds me of swimming with Lucienne, when we were children." He's not a bad swimmer, though his left side is yet stiff with scar tissue from the axe wound that left him so marked. Justin didn't manage to get any seaweed on that dive since she distracted him. After getting a few breathes, he drops down to swim for the bottom again and lingers down there as long as he might before rising with long, dark streamers of the weed she gathers.
When resurfaces again, she laughs. "That I am, I have three brothers Lord Justin and for the sake of us just being in the water may I call you Justin?" She lays on her back and floats there in the water. She really has lost some weight since coming here. Beacuse she has been working in the fields and traveling hard. This is a morning of rest for her just as much as it is for him. Her blue eyes stare up at the clouds. "That cloud over yonder looks like a thunder head. I think we will have another spectacular storm by the end of the day."
"Yes, you may." After all, he has more than once merely called her Dania. Justin tosses the seaweed up into the basket, some of it falling to land on the rock. It can be gathered up later all the same. He pauses there on the rocks, half out of the water and looks back to her floating. Dania's thin, wet chemise certainly isn't concealing very much of her figure at that angle and his gaze lingers over her. He licks his lips, tasting the salt water upon them before Justin looks up at sky, "Possibly, it if grows warm enough. If it does, you'll be able to gather more from stormwack upon the beach after."
She is unaware about how charming her figure and how revealed it is in the light and because of the wet chemise she is wearing. She closes her eyes and basks in the warmth of the sunlight that is dancing around them on the water. "True I will be able to do that. I wonder how many of the bandits are displaced locals or are from out of this town. Do you think it is possible they are in the pouch of another house?" She muses. "We have been lucky so far with the summer sickness. So Dysentery." She remains floating in the water.
How she can hear his reply, muffled with water in her ears as she floats, he doesn't know. But Justin hauls himself up out of the water and grabs his tunic to dry his face before he drags it back over his wet skin, "I think they are locals. But we shall soon see, I hope." He gets himself up and starts to walk back towards the shore, balancing carefully upon the rocks, "I'll leave you to your enjoyments, Mistress." It seems his horse has taken to wandering a bit and distracted Justin to go and fetch him, as well as his doublet, boots and sword he has hidden by the cliff. It's just as well that he not linger to watch Dania. So he heads for the shore.
He does not get a response instead she continues to float in the water relaxing for a few more moments before it is time to for her to get back to work. The waves as they roll into shore cause her to bob up and down gently as if they were rocking her.
