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The huntress's eyes noticed a hungry yearning in the eyes of a young boy nearby. Given the naiveness of children..she moderately worried for him. Her sister back home was trying for a baby, and she'd watched the cycle of nature plenty of times...she wouldn't mind raising her own..but then she'd have to meet a male who didn't...

The thought died as fast as it came. "Hmmph..boys." She groaned quietly under her breath and noticed a loose fletching on an arrow. She grabbed a small bottle of what appeared to be an odd syrup and a tiny brush inside that she used to fix the fletching with simple adhesive before stowing it all away.
The bow's taunt wire gave her a crude, primal comfort, but she relaxed it and herself. This sea air didn't agree with her. She wanted to go inland, find a nice spot of land, make camp, and settle down for the night, maybe a few days. How long would they even be here?

Josh looked at the small crowd on the dock until he felt someone looking at him, and then turned to see a woman doing something with an arrow. What was she looking at him for? Josh shrugged, turning away and drawing his sword and pulling a small stone out of his pocket as he rubbed it against the edge of his sword, wonder about the woman, but soon those thoughts cleared his mind, replaced with thoughts and daydreams of treasures he could find here. ((Im sorry if my character seems ignorant or something like that. Some of my characters are shy or independent. Thats how I sometimes put it.))

"Rabbits that run too fast, they never notice the hunter's traps." Bethany spoke in common tongue, hoping her translation wasn't too rough.
She eyed the wetstone in his hand, wondering why a child had a sword as well as the stone. His parents must trust him with it, she assumed. A bow would be better.

Boarding the dinghy for Alavara was a rather uncomfortable thing. She stuck out like a sore thumb in her beautiful blue dress and silver staff among the poorer in rags, and those more like the guards she had brought with her. She sat off to the side, as far from anyone else as she could, but then as many people as were going and as small as the transport was, she was still amongst the crowd.

Varis and Theren sat on either side of her, making a clear showing that they were escorting her so there would be no mistake amongst anyone here if she were alone. It was not as if she was defenseless, and in a way she resented the public showing for that reason. If need be she could defend herself, on this small ship, however it would be more difficult.

Theren eyed the others on the ship, as did Varis. Theren remained quiet while Varis spoke something to Alavara in elvish. Alavara, having not a strong interest currently in those around her, simply eyed forward, only making an occasional glance at the incoming island awaiting their arrival.

The Hanged Man offered the captain a crooked smile and a dip of his chin. Then it was off to the dinghy, which rocked far too much for his taste, and he clutched the side until his knuckles turned white. The dock was a little better. He didn't appreciate the lack of railings, but at least the planks didn't lurch underfoot.

The sound of a whetstone sliding along metal made his head tilt, and he quirked a brow at Josh. "This isn't a good place for that, lad," he said. "You're going to roll your edge."

"Perhaps it is not the waves that have grown, but your perception of them," the elf replied.

That was ... the joke. Elves! Galiena shook her head as Theren headed off after the female elf. She shared a small bit of elven blood herself, her great grandmother had been a elven healer, and Galiena sometimes wondered if that was where her own natural affinity for healing came from. And yet she felt as if she understood so little of their ways and their mannerisms.

As they got onto the dinghy, she found herself toward the middle of the vessel, between a small woman dressed in the colors of the woods and an armored knight. Both looked nearly as queasy as she felt. She surely wasn't going to be the only one that'd be glad to set foot on land again. But there seemed to be a general excitement about the group too, which reminded her of one of the reasons she'd signed up for this journey.

"Looks like the welcoming committee..." she commented, looking ahead toward the shore...

As the small craft approached the island, a group of men were gathering near the shore to greet them. Woman, children, and a few older men watched from further inland, obviously interested in the newcomers, but kept their distance.

Each of the men gathered was armed, though they did not draw their weapons. One man stood out from the others, both in his dress, which was cleaner and of higher quality than those around him, and in his stance that held an air of authority, even though he looked younger than several of the others.

"Welcome travelers!" he greeted as their dinghy pulled along side a small fishing dock, giving them an appraising look that lasted slightly longer on each than was comfortable. "What brings you to Avery's Isle?"

"Huh?" Josh said, somewhat startled at the man who spoke to him. "Oh, right." He put the stone away, and sheathed the sword. "I guess I should be careful with a family heirloom," he said politely before looking at the sky.

"Aye, though any blade that serves you deserves respect," he said to Josh with a smile. Unfortunately, due to the ugly scar on his cheek, his smile was a bit more like a crooked smirk.

The dinghy got close enough to be docked, rocking from side to side as people began to stand up and disembark. The Hanged Man was eager to scramble up onto the pier, which stood mercifully still. Before acknowledging their welcoming party, he turned and offered his hand to his fellow travelers to help them up onto the dock.

Bethany noted others boarding the smaller boat and eventually made her way aboard, still keeping quiet and too herself until she was able to physically touch land..yet...a man decided to call out to them, and she assumed he would know the land. She stepped closer to him and carefully gestured to her bow. "I wish to hunt." She tried to be blunt, sure somewhere she could find gameland and settle down.

Edwin jerked awake on the smaller boat. He must of fell asleep while roaming around the Elfleda. He sigh, knowing that one of crew member's must of drag his unconscious body into the smaller boat. "I need to stop roaming around ." Edwin muttered to himself as he hop out the boat and onto dry land.

Asmaria was silently awaiting for this moment. Her red hair blew in the wind, as the smell of the salt water filled the air around the group. There seemed to be quite a group who joined on the boat. She looked over the others in the group, all varying between races, weapons, and demeanor. Asmaria carried an elegant long bow, and a case which held her lute. To those who aren't used to seeing people with instruments, they would look at the case funny. It was oddly shaped after all.

The small boat swayed beneath the waves. There were a couple men in the group with swords and shields. Asmaria's eyes lingered a bit long at them, since they reminded her a lot of her father, who was a warrior. It wouldn't be too long until they all made it to the shore. She was itching to expand her knowledge of the land they live in. It was interesting to see so many coming to greet them. Although the isle's were not as big as the kingdom back home.

Galiena gave the scarred and armored man a grateful smile, accepting his hand to help her climb out of the small boat, taking half a moment to steady her legs on the unmoving pier. "Thank you, sir." She wondered if perhaps he was a knight, sent on Lord Rolf's behalf and thought to ask him such, but her attention was drawn to the stranger that offered them greeting along with his entourage of armed men.

"I wish to hunt."

Turning to Bethany, the well dressed man hesitated for the briefest of moments, a worried look crossing his face. "Hunt what? I'm afraid you'll find little besides the farmers' sheep and goats roaming the island."

The tension in the gathered group behind him seemed to increase slightly as they eyed the various weapons the adventurers were bringing with them. The observant might notice a few of them shifting their weight, not drawing weapons or getting ready to attack, but certainly staying ready should this group of newcomers prove less than friendly.

As Galiena grasped his gloved hand, she would feel it trembling ever so slightly. He pulled her up with a crooked little smile, and dipped his chin at her gratitude.

The well-dressed man and his entourage drew the stranger's attention. He inspected the man just as carefully as the man inspected him, his eyes lingering perhaps a moment too long. The tension wasn't lost on him, and he too eyed Bethany skeptically. "I have a missive from Lord Rolf I must bring to the Constable," he said, gesturing with the scroll. "Beyond that, I am headed w-west."

A long sigh slithered from the back of her throat as what air in her chest left. She turned around and walked right back to the boat before the ferryman pushed her right back onto the dock for her own good. She slipped her bow's string off carefully and stowed it, before returning to the greeter. "Erm...small...trunks...small trunks, with bowl." She had no clue how to translate mushrooms to the man, or toadstools, but she did her best with hand motions of the long stalks and rounded caps.
(I do believe Bethany might not like this island. )

Varis and Theren both knew better than to offer their hand to assist Alavara, so when standing and even when leaving the dinghy, neither of them did. They of course watched her carefully, however, in case their sudden assistance would be required.

Alavara pulled herself standing with the help of her staff and moved off the small ship, never even looking at the scarred man offering his hand. Varis, who this time took up the tail end of the three, gave the man an apologetic look, feeling in a way bad for her bratty behaviour. He hoped this would not be the way she acted towards everyone on this island in particular. It was the normal behaviour he expected from her when she believed she was dealing with someone who appeared to be 'lesser class' from her perspective.

To make matters worse, she walked right before the welcoming committee and, after Theren and Varis fell in line on either side of her, placed her staff faced forward and jabbed the bottomed of it into the ground, still holding it. She announced in the common tongue her name and title as fourth child if her noble family. The Yllantris Crest was visible at the top of her staff and she expected the locals to acknowledge the likely foreign noble house Crest as if it were held by some kind of returning Queen. Both Varis and Theren noticed this, glancing over at her.

"Vall," Varis whispered over to her, leaning in a little closer. He spoke something softly in elfish then, considering her face closely. She slowly looked over to him, glaring into his eyes stubbornly, then turned her head back to face the crowd.

"I think she's asking for your small trunk, Zar," one of the entourage quipped as he watched Bethany try to get her message across, earning a few snickers all around and a rather nasty look from the greeter.

Turning to the knight, the well dressed man hesitated for the briefest of moments, his worried look intensifying momentarily, then nodded. “I’m afraid the Constable is ill and unable to grant an audience. But he has asked me to tend to his affairs in his stead. My name is Zarrin.”

As Alavara strode up to him with the armed escort, Zarrin straightened and listened until she was finished. But her speech did nothing to ease the tension in the group and several of them exchanged uneasy glances. And whatever the proper etiquette for welcoming elven nobles, Zarrin surely botched it as he gave her a devilish smile, "Right, well, welcome. You must be weary from your journey. Would you all be my guests for a meal before we get to Lord Rolf's business?" His offer included all and Zarrin gestured up the pathway that led away from the small dock and up to the finest of the houses.

Josh watch as the island got even closer from the smaller boat. He was looking at the many building around, amazed at the desgin. Though he came here to find treasure, and if he didn't here, he would move on. Then Josh looked at Bethany as she said something bout small trunks. "What in the name?" he murmured to himself.

When the boat finally reached the island, Josh listen to the dressed man. The man was offering by the sounds of it a nice hospitality, but something seemed off to Josh. Like a little edge in his voice. "Probably from the boat," he said to himself.

Her hands fell to her sides when someone laughed at her, and her resisted a temptation to scowl at the men. As the others continued, she fell in line behind an elf and her guards..quietly trying to think..the greeter said something about food..so maybe that would...that would do. "Älva?" She tried to adress one of the guards.."Forest..man..?" She pulled her hood from off her ratnest of a hair.

The Hanged Man's expression didn't change when Alavara ignored him. He did catch Varis's eye and dipped his chin, seemingly unconcerned with being brushed off.

"Very w-well, Lord Zarrin," he said. The stutter in his voice seemed uncharacteristic. "I shall deliver this to Lord Rolf when he is feeling better. Tomorrow, perhaps." Sharp green eyes flicked to regard the manorhouse, but quickly returned to Zarrin. "I cannot speak for the others, but I w-wouldn't say nay to a meal, lord. Lead the way."