"Kephissa Gets Good News" Date: 2/11/02 Intro: After meeting with a small band of travellers while searching for survivors from the shipwreck, Kephissa has returned to the beach. Valnek is still somewhat out of it, and she worries that he's more hurt than she thought. But she's about to get some really good news. Cast: Kephissa Quietharm Her searches fruitless, at least in the finding out what happened to the rest of her people, Kephissa has returned to the small camp on the beach where she and Valnek were brought after their rescue. She tends a fire, with her shipmate sleeping nearby. Every once and while she throws a worried glance his direction, he sure has been sleeping a lot. Quietharm ambulates her way up the stretch of shoreline, her eyes flickering deftly from place to place in a hastened inspection of the beach. Just as she trails up a rise in the gritty sand, a presence coalesces before her from some distance away. Two, actually... one in unmoving repose, the other stirring about. With soaring hope, the dark huntress breaks into a sprint, calling out, "((Kephizza! That you?))" Kephissa looks up, oh its her "friend" from before. "((Quytarm!))" Hey when you're lost and alone, any familiar face is good, and this one particularly welcome. She stands up and brushes her hands on her tunic. She does look a bit puzzled. She doesn't remember teaching Quietharm the words and concepts behind 'That you?'. Quietharm disrupts her quick stride as she comes to cease any further forward motion. Eyes grow large with jubilation at the mere sight of the two humans, alive. Gesturing almost wildly, added to an incoherent blunder of words in elfin, the she-elf finally regains her composure enough to speak in the woman's language. "((Vardeus teach me. Vardeus and Maerro alive! Back on little land with others like me. Vardeus look for you and Valneck. I find you now! Vardeus be happy!))" For one brief instance Kephissa becomes completely still as the flood of Quietharm's words become to make sense. She says slowly. "((Vardeus...Maerro...))" And than her face brightens to absolute joy. "((Vardues! Maerro! They're Alive!))" She thinks she remembers them going overboard when the ship spun in the water. She dances around, even grabbing Quietharm's hands with the intent to dance her around the beach. The tall elfess was certainly animated about the revelation that the two were not dead, as this thought had been edging into both Seafarer and Rafter alike back at the holt. As Kephissa grabs her hands and spins her around, Quietharm laughs with a light heart, exhilarated. "((I take you and Valneck to Vardeus and Maerro. All safe, happy!))" Kephissa stops spinning breathlessly. Bending over with her hands on her knees. She looks over at Valnek. Wondering how much of the language Quietharm has picked up, she decides to try a more complex sentance than before. If nothing else she could repeat it to the captain. "((Valnek not well. Not leave alone.)) She looks at back and forth between herself and Quietharm. ((Heavy. Too Heavy to Carry.)) Quietharm taps a slim forefinger to her chin as the swift run of words fixates in her mind to bring together the central concept Kephissa wanted to convey. "((Valneck no be alone. Valneck heavy, aye.))" Sighing with frustration, Quietharm glances around impetuously. "((I tell Vardeus of Kephizza and Valneck. More <> come, more others like me, to help you.))" She stuck in the word for her people, the human's had to know someday. A short duration of time passes with silence as the interlude, before the elf pipes up again. "((Vardeus say he Captain of Ship. Vardeus no find other Captain, Tiana. You see Tiana?))" Kephissa shakes her head sadly. "((No sign of Tiana. Or Ship. Just Me and Valnek.)) She looks around the beach. Not really seeing it, her mind working quickly. "((Where Captain? Where little land?))" Little land? A small piece of land, or the land of the little people she's met here. Quietharm starts at the sudden barrage of questions, though outwardly the only sign is a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth. "((Little land on big sea.))" She directs her hand over to the VastDeep, raising her high voice over the roar of the tide. "((Out there. We on big land by big sea. Little land out there, alone.))" Crossing her arms against her chest, Quietharm quirks her head to one side, a habit that pronounced a quizzical emotion. Little land on big sea. Ahhh. an Island. The Captain must have washed up on an island where Quietharm's people live! Oh, how wonderful! She jumps up and down a bit, very excited. If the Captain and Maerro survived being washed overboard, maybe others did too. And just landed someplace else. But the question she wanted to ask still isn't answered. "((How far? How long to go to little land?))" Quietharm shields her hand from the last rays of the setting daystar, appearing thoughtful. "((No see from here. Far away. Must)) <>". She walks up to the shallows until she is waist deeps in the surging water, making a paddling motion to demonstrate the elfin word to the woman. "<>, ((and we go to little land.))". Cocking her head to the left yet again, the she-elf raises her attention to the human. Did she understand any of that? Kephissa frowns, some of her excitement dimming. "<> ((Swim?))" She moves her arms in a smooth circular motion of the crawl-stroke. If its that far, isn't it quite a way to swim. She's still not up to full strength, she might not be able to swim a great distance and Valnek certainly couldn't. "((Why)) <>?" She askes, using the elfin word. "((Why Not Raft?))" Quietharm grows silent, watching the frothing veins of pallid foam upon the water's surface lace together in an intricate dance. Glancing up again, she attempts to explain. "((I no have Raft here. You and Valnek heavy for many rafts. Might find big raft for you. I try. You no <>? You hurt bad now? Valneck no go now. Valneck hurt. Valneck need raft.))" The rampant surge of words strung together a bit as she paraded on with new ideas, adding to an endless query. Kephissa nods. Definately. "((Valnek need raft.)) As to herself. ((Kephissa Not Hurt, Kephissa Tired. Maybe not <> far.)) It would be just her luck if she drowned swimming to an island after months at sea and attacks by sea monster. "((Kephissa make raft?))" She makes a paddling motion. She looks around, with the lack of tools she has it might not be that great of one, and take a while. "((Take many days, though.))" Quietharm nods exuberantly at the idea. "((Yes, make raft! I help, too. Bring ...things... from little land. Make raft with... things.))" Things was a new word Vardeus had taught her in their infrequent lessons, and she made sure to put it to use here. Curiousity drives her to her next question. "((Kephizza, where home for you and others? Where Ship 'The Windrider' from?))" Kephissa grins, now that the captain's alive, there's a plan to get to him, all is right with the world. She nods emphatically. "((Make raft.))" Besides it gives her something to do. At Quietharm's words her yes go distance though. "((Home Far.))" She points out in the ocean, a little south. She thinks thats the right direction. She points up at the moons in the sky. "((Travel Many Moons))" She smiles distantly. "((Home called Vrae.))" "((Home is)) <>" What a strange name for a holt. Shaking off the thought, Quietharm nods with a cherubic smile, her dark eyes crinkling at the corners. "((I see. We make raft, big raft... big raft like big ship! You and others go home. Later. Now we make raft to go to little land on big sea for you and Volneck, yes?))" Leaving her place in the waves, Quietharm drags herself up onto the beach, rivlets of sea water dripping to the sand below. "((Vrae))" Kephissa repeats her homelands name in a far off tone. She'd be happy to see any of the cities of Vrae right now. She shakes herself out of her reverie. Time to mourn when the survivors are together again. ((Little raft now. Go to little land. Kephissa and Valnek see Vardeus and Maerro.))" Plans are good, work is good. "((You tell Vardeus we go?))"" Quietharm nods quickly and agreeably. "((Aye, I tell Vardeus. Vardeus and Maerro know when I go to little land. Vardeus and Maerro be happy! No more worry.))" Laughing easily, the she-elf casts a few looks up and down the beach, and then down to the slumbering Valnek. "((You and Valneck have food? I get food for you if no.))" She surely wouldn't want to be cast off here on this hot beach if it were here. They would need all the provisions available to them. Kephissa looks back towards the fire and their meager supplies. "((Have food. More food would be good. But Vardeus worry.)) She doesn't want Quietharm to worry about feeding her and Valnek if it will delay returning to the Captain with the news. "((Enough food for now.))" Quietharm straightens up, extending her hand to pat Kephissa's arm. "((No worry. I go now, tell Vardeus. Be safe.))" A short smile, and the elfess is running back toward the water, wherein she dives into it as naturally as any dolphin. She's soon out of sight as she vanishes beneath the depths of the waters, racing back as fast as her limbs would take her. Kephissa blinks and nods. Definately a raft. She doesn't think she could keep up with Quietharm swimming. Not even when she's in top form. Okay, raft time. Collect driftwood, find some seaweed or other rope like stuff. Keep from bouncing on Valnek to tell him the good news. So much to do. And the faster she does it the sooner she gets to the Captain.