"Sharing the Good News" Log Date: 4/18, 4/19/02 Log Cast: Vardeus, Tiana, Starwind, Arnos Log Intro: The word that the Captain and the Second are betrothed is the best news that the lost human sailors from Vrae have received since Vardeus came back to them all, bringing with him Kephissa and Valnek and Maerro as well as humans and elves native to the land in which they've become stranded. No one among the crew is more elated about this development than Vardeus and Tiana, though it might well be argued that Kephissa and Raven, whose kindly interventions have helped bring about Vardeus and Tiana's declaration of their feelings for one another, are almost as pleased as the happy couple. One other who (albeit unknowingly at first) contributed to their union has yet to be told.... ---------- It's been rather amusing, the way that the crew of the erstwhile ship _Windrider_ have been giggling behind their hands at their Captain and his Second as of late. More than occasionally, it's easy to spy the lean, suntanned humans winking and nudging one another, whispering choice bits of gossip in each other's ears, and gesturing meaningfully in the direction of those two redoubtable personages. As long as, at least, the two redoubtable personages in question aren't looking. They've been justified, though. Not a day has gone by that Vardeus hasn't been sighted wandering around with a huge beaming grin on his rugged face and a gaze positively incandescant with joy -- and sometimes smoldering with barely repressed longing, every time Tiana crosses his path. Moreover, much to the apparent delight of all of the crew's survivors, Tiana has given him back his treasured lyre... and he's playing it again. Like tonight, where he's taken a bit of time to himself just a short jaunt down the beach away from the crew's main campsite, and is indulging himself with a thorough loving inspection of the instrument. He might not be as good a bard as Arnos -- but no one can fault the meticulous care with which he tunes it and eventually begins to play, plucking out a steady line of countermelody under the simple sea shanty he delivers in his rumbling baritone, for no other audience but the ocean waves. Just as surely, the crew has noticed that the second in command seems to be smiling more than she has since joining their little family. She too, seems to cast her own longing glances whenever Vardeus passes into her line of vision. There is a certain lightness to her step and a joyful sparkle in her moss green eyes. In the midst of all this, there seems to have been an even greater miracle to occur.. that waspish tongue of hers seems to have been stilled. Even as the moons rise over the ocean and Vardeus begins to sing, she is taking her turn at the watch, walking the perimeter of the small encampment. Stepping out of the travelling elves campsite, Starwind is followed by his wolf who looks eager to get out and away from the camp for a while. Trickle, his wolf, leaps and bounds around a couple of the tents before coming to a halt to look at the humans nearby. Starwind doesn't know what's happened in the human camp, nor should he, since he can't speak their language. Noticing Vardeus out of the corner of his eye, he heads over to greet him, one of the few humans that may understand him. "Heyla!" The singing stills, but the lyre rings on under Vardeus' big hands as he swivels his shaggy head about in search of who's hailed him. "Taydes," he calls back -- that oddly accented rendition he seems to do of the Sea Elves' customary greeting. A smile's already lingering about his eyes and his mouth, as it's done for days now, but at the sight of the elf it perks up a little brighter. "Is time for woolf-elf wake up? Is night, soon." Tiana finally is relieved by the next on watch and goes in search of the first thing that's on her mind almost every minute of the day... Vardeus. She goes to the fireside but, doesn't find him there so, she takes a portion of food and continues her search through the camp until Diarce points her in the right direction, having seen him heading away from the area with his lyre in tow. With that, Tiana is off, practially skipping as she moves away from the campsite, listening for those tell-tale notes that will give him away. Nodding, Starwind smiles back at Vardeus. "It is time to wake, and I feel like hunting tonight." He says, as his wolf comes and nudges at him trying to get his attention. "Trickle is eager, wants to hunt now." He chuckles a little and then notices the instrument. Asking, "What is that?" and pointing to the lyre. "Is ((lyre))," is the Captain's proud reply, as he shifts position on the fragment of driftwood log he'd claimed as his seat on the beach, turning himself as well as his instrument more properly into the elf's line of sight. "Is for... play song. I hear Raven sing -- know elfs know songs. Elfs have things for play songs?" By way of elaboration, those big muscled five-fingered hands of his glide across the lyre's strings, striking out a fragment of the same countermelody he'd been playing before. He doesn't see Tiana coming, not yet, but it's easy for her ears to pick out the sound of the instrument; for the _Windrider_'s crew, it's a sound still quite odd, given they haven't heard it on a regular basis for well over a year. Tiana does indeed catch the sound of the instrument and it hurries her steps a bit as a grin spreads across her features. She tops a dune and finds that Vardeus is not alone but, talking with Stirwand. She chuckles softly and calls out in a voice that is dripping with gentle teasing, "((Howling at the)) elfs ((now are you, carus?))" She lets that thought hang for just a moment before she continues without waiting for an answer, "((I hope they enjoy your playing as much as I do.))" Starwind scritches his head at the word he calls the instrument, and doesn't even try pronouncing it, just nods. "We have some instruments, most elves I know play flutes." He smiles, and listens to the sounds of the instrument, before catching the voice on the wind and turning to see Tiana. "Heyla!" He greets, and tries to make out what he can of their speech, but gets nowhere with that. "In-strah-men..." Vardeus rolls the word around on his tongue, thoughtfully, before he lifts up a suddenly scintillating gaze to Tiana, and a smile suddenly three times as broad to go with it. To Starwind, he says wryly, "She say, I howl at elfs now? She tease." To Tiana, "((Our friend here's come out t' hunt with 'is great shaggy beast, an' come t' say hi, he has.))" And abruptly, with both Starwind and Tiana in the same place, it occurs to him to add to the elf, a trifle ruefully, "You say, other time -- we talk, Tiana, I. We talk." He beams even more at this, and concludes, "We find out, Tiana is one I say, home, be mates to! I not know, Tiana not know, till we talk!" Tiana grins over at Starwind and calls out, "Taydes, Stirwand!" to him as she moves to settle herself near Vardeus. She hears her name mentioned several times in the midst of the elfin tongue and casts a curious glance between Vardeus and Starwind. She wraps her arms around her bent knees and waits. Starwind shakes his head. Vardeus is acting almost as bad as Hummingbird the full-of-thoughts elf from the Grove, excitement does that to people, or so he's noticed. "That's good!" He smiles at Tiana, and then back to Vardeus. "So you are mates now? You both seem happier. I'm glad for you both." He again turns to Tiana, and waits for Vardeus to tell her what was said. "((I, um, I'm telling him what we found out about each other, Ticha-love,))" Vardeus murmurs up to the redhaired woman who's come to join him. "((He wants to know if we're mates now and says we seem happier. I'm after tellin' him we've got t' get ourselves properly wed first, if I can figure out how to say it...!))" Settling his lyre gently against his side, his treatment of it surprisingly tender for such a large human, he lifts up his other hand to reach instinctively for Tiana's. As he does, he turns a smile back around on Starwind. "Be mates soon. We ((marry)), then be mates. Is... big thing, ((marry))." Tiana nods as she listens to the translation then takes the offered hand and beams in her love's direction. She scoots over closer to him and leans her head on Vardeus's direction, "((We only lack the formalities of marriage, carus. As far as I am concerned, we are already mates.))" She grins over at Starwind as if sharing a secret, even though she knows that the elf understands very little, if any, of what she just said. Starwind scritches his head once more, out of trying to understand what's being said, but still knows very little of their language. "This ((merri)) what is it?" Of course he wouldn't know about marriage, either elves are mates or they're not. They're love or life mates, but neither really needs any sort of ceremony beforehand. He quirks a brow at Tiana as she murmurs something to Vardeus, and shrugs a little. "Maybe I wouldn't understand anyways?" Vardeus makes a light face, but it's a good-humored one, as he tries to figure out exactly how to put this into his limited stock of elfin words. "((Marry)) is... man, woman, want be mates. They say friends, say family, say chiefs, say ((gods))... promise words. ((Marry)) words. Say be mates. Is... good." And he turns a fervent, warm blue gaze back onto Tiana, even as he adds to Starwind, "Pick good time for ((marrying)). We get food, get all ((crew)), elfs come to. We say ((marry)) words, we eat, we sing, dance. We have fes-ti-val." Tiana's grin brightens even futher as she nods her head vigorously, "((Oh yes! We'll have to invite the)) elfs ((as well. Without them, I believe you and I would either still be estranged.. or worse...))" At that last, her expression shifts to one that suggests she hates to have even considered that last thought. Starwind chuckles a little and nods. "I see. You say promises before becoming mates. All do this? You must do that in front of your friends?" He thinks a bit more before snickering even more. "I hope you do not mate right after, in front of friends!" He shakes his head as though he doesn't even believe he said that, couldn't imagine those who would do that, but these humans are odd. They have their friends watch them promise to each other. "It will be soon?" Vardeus snorts out loud -- and if the blush that sweeps into his face is any indication, Tiana can doubtless gather Starwind has just said something ribald. Trying to maintain as straight a face as possible, the Captain drawls to his second, "((He's rather startled that we would pledge to one another in public and hopes we won't, um.... seal the union, as it were, in public too.))" Then, squeezing Tiana's hand soundly, he adds to the elfin healer, "Ahhh... nae. We nae _mate_ for all. Elfs, friends, ((crew)) nae see!" Which is just fine with Vardeus, even though thoughts of what everybody in the immediate vicinity will NOT be seeing inevitably reminds him that engaging in that very activity has been in the forefront of his thoughts. His gaze settles on Tiana again and lingers on her, his ocean-blue eyes turning smoky. "Only say promise words for all, share food, share dance, share song. Is little fes-ti-val here. Only two tens ((crew)). Home, is big fes-ti-val. Many come. Many tens." Tiana blushes a bright shade of pink as the elfin words are translated to her. She shakes her head even before Vardeus turns back to Starwind to reply to that. She remains silent for the moment though, just trying to get her blood pressure and the similar thoughts that have been skipping through her mind at the most curious moments. This, of course only serves to turn her a few shades redder before she manages to start getting herself under control. Starwind watches their reactions again, and has yet again managed to turn them a lovely shade of red. He seems all too good at saying the wrong things at the worst times. "Oh, good." He grins a little and watches Tiana turn even a deeper shade of red before calming enough to have it fade. "You will do this here, soon?" He glances towards the camp where the elves are starting to wake and prepare to hunt for themselves. "I don't know when we are leaving for our holt, maybe before then you say promises so I can watch?" A very restless Trickle keeps tugging on Starwind's arm, trying to get his attention so they can go hunt. "Wolf wants to chase ravvits, I must go soon to hunt." Ah, but there's a fundemental difference between this time Starwind has encountered these particular two humans, and the last time. _This_ time, the tension between Vardeus and Tiana is not one born of uncertainty towards one another, or awkwardness, or shyness; rather, it's a tension of a different kind entirely, and if Vardeus's glittering blue gaze is any indication, it's a pleasant kind of tension indeed. "((Aye,))" he tells the elfin visitor, "we do, soon. All elfs come -- bring things, for make songs!" Now, though he hasn't let go of Tiana's hand and even seems to be surreptitiously stroking the underside of it with one thumb, he casts a glance full of only slightly less powerful sentiment down at the lyre he's got cradled at his side. "Share songs. We stay in new land, we learn new songs." Glancing to his wolf, and shooing him off for the time being, Starwind seems pretty interested in hearing about this whole "marry" thing. "You know many songs? I do not, I spent most of my time alone." He grins, and may even want to learn some of these songs that the Seafarer speaks of, but will just at this time seem interested in that. "Teena know songs too? You sing together?" Tiana's own thumb skims along the tops of Vardeus's fingers in a subtle caress that only serves to add to the impression that things are much better between the two humans than the last time that Starwind saw them together. She listens as Vardeus translates the invitation then nods her agreement and casts a smile in Starwind's direction. "We all sing," proclaims Vardeus, his awkward elfin syntax not diminishing his pleasure at relaying this in the slightest. "Big work, ((sail ship))--" And the Captain tosses a nod back at what's left of the poor _Windrider_. For just a fraction of an instant, a fleeting shadow crosses his eyes -- but he doesn't let it stay there, not for long. "((Sail)) is, get on ((ship)), go on water, ocean. Is better, sing while ((sail)). Is big work. We sing, work better. Sing many songs, ((sail)) songs..." Vardeus has to think for a moment or two, looking for words in his limited store to categorize the sorts of songs his crew're likely to belt out. "Drink songs. Mate songs. Nae sing big, lost on water. We here now, we nae dead, we sing more." Now, though his one hand lightly runs across the strings of the lyre, Vardeus' other squeezes Tiana's hand again. "Tiana, Arnos sing best." "We talk best, too." Arnos notes, as he comes striding up the beach, gruff in an amused sort of way. "You're setting a terrible example, really." With a pleasant grin, he greets Starwind, "Hello, there." Then a glance to Tiana and Vardeus, "Glad to see you two are done making moon eyes from afar and driving yourselves crazy." Tiana listens to the elfin words coming from Vardeus but, can't make heads or tails of much. She startles as Arnos joins the conversation.. also speaking in elfish. She sighs and just rests her head on Vardeus's shoulder muttering, "((I'm going to have to start learning more than just)) rawk.. and shell ((soon))." Starwind nods at Vardeus, and smiles. "I would like to hear that sometime, you and Teena should make lovely songs." He looks a little startled as another human comes to join the growing crowd, and offers a friendly wave. "Hello, who are you? I'm Starwind." He offers in greeting to the one he hasn't yet met. Quite willing to give Tiana a shoulder, pleased to have her on one side and his treasured lyre on the other, the Captain shoots his linguist a grimace -- but it's a kindly one. To Starwind, he explains ruefully, "Is Arnos. He... _is_--" And this, just to show Arnos that why yes, he _does_ have a few verbs, it's just hard for him to bend his Shalrotian tongue around the elf-speak. "--((linguist.)) He is one on ((crew)), learn new words, teach our words. He do new words good. I nae do so good." And, abruptly dropping into his native tongue, he adds dryly, "((As ye dem well know, man. I've been tryin' to get the better way of it out o' that Wayfound lass that's been teachin' ye, but she's a shy 'un, she is.))" "Arnos," says the new arrival, with a little dip of his head. "Pleasure to meet you." He snorts as Vardeus speaks, and begins to talk over him, translating, "What he means is, I'm the ship's ((linguist)). I'm the one on the crew in charge of learning new languages, and teaching them to the rest of the crew. I do it well. The Captain, however, does not." Amusement twinkling in his eyes again, he asks, "Well, perhaps I should start giving ((classes))?" It should be noted that he's been pretty much refusing to communicate in Vraeyan with anyone who knows the slightest Elven. Especially those who don't know it well enough to speak it properly. Tiana hasn't really been paying much attention to that fact as she's been much too preoccupied with a certain burly captain distracting most of her thoughts... not that she's complaining about the distraction. She looks between the three males and sighs. She's just not good with strange words.. Perhaps it's a very good thing that she's good with the bow, neh? Starwind smiles at Arnos, finally, someone that speaks his language well enough that he doesn't feel utterly lost trying to figure out the human words. "((Classes))? What're those?" He looks to Tiana, then to Vardeus and smiles. "I'm glad they are not acting like they do not like each other anymore, though anyone could tell they did." He snickers softly, and sifts his feet along the sands as he speaks to Arnos. Vardeus smirks, noting mock-sternly to Starwind, "_You_ nae tease. I get much tease, from Raven, Kyethaerm." Aye, it's quite obvious, comparing his rough syntax with Arnos', that this new smaller, slimmer human male has a much more facile ability with the elfin language than he does, but now just because Arnos is in fact present, the Captain starts working a little harder on his speech. He can play that lyre quite adroitly, he can command a crew, and he can climb the rigging of a sailing ship like he was born to do nothing else -- but give him a new language to try to learn, and the man's struggling for months. But he isn't about to let that on, now. But he also abruptly adds to Starwind, "You see Wayfound? She... ah, ah... _Woolfraeder_? She have woolf, have little... bug. Bug talk, says elf words. She..." Aww, _gods_, he can't quite manage to pull off a proper past tense verb here, and Vardeus' rugged face crinkles up in mild self-directed frustration. "She come... many... _moons ago_!" HAH! To that, the Captain takes on the delighted smile of a small boy who's managed to struggle his way through a difficult problem, and by way of satisfaction he squeezes Tiana roundly and murmurs to her sidelong, "((Arnos' tellin' him he's our linguist and a lot better at the word-teachin' than I am.))" Tiana scoots even closer to Vardeus and slips her free arm about him as she cuddles up alongside him. She smiles at what Vardeus translates and looks up at him to whisper something into his ear. That done, she smiles at whatever it was she said and sighs contentedly. Tiana whispers "((He may be better with word-teaching but, he's not better at netting my heart, carrus.))" "As am I," notes Arnos, "It was beginning to interfere with my sleep." He casts another amused glance in the direction of the couple, shaking his head at some private thought which makes him chuckle under his breath. "((Classes)) are formal gatherings where people learn specific things from someone else." Starwind chuckles softly at Vardeus and nods. "You do well, better than I would trying to speak your language, Vareedus." Obviously, just his pronounciation of the captain's name is not completely right. "Oh, teach them elven language then? So others, like Teena can speak with us. Some elves try and speak your language, but not me. I am no good with languages." He rattles on a bit more since one of the humans here actually has a good chance of understanding him. Arnos nods while Starwind speaks, and says as soon as he's finished, "Yes. Elven. My goal is for everyone to be able to speak each other's language. You should talk to Wayfound if you would like to learn our language. In fact, I was thinking of asking her to teach the ((class)) with me. And open it up to everyone who is interested." He seems pleased to be able to exercise his newfound language, as well. Vardeus is distracted by that whisper, and lyre or no lyre, a significant portion of his attention is ensnared by the fire-haired woman at his side. He shoots her another of those keenly piercing, smoky sorts of looks, and what he does to Tiana's nearer ear has rather more to do with nibbling than whispering, though he does also rumble something into it. Then he squeezes her again, and grins over at the others. "Wayfound is shy," he puts in, pronouncing his syllables with even more awkward diction than usual, just because he's trying to batter his way through a full sentence, and the effect of it is rather akin to turning a wolf loose in a badger den... but at least he gets the job done. "She nae come to all of us, most t... of the time. I think she scared of many here. She is nae scared you, Arnos. I think she like you." Tiana senses "Vardeus rumbles in a voice like the best batch of uzo into your ear, "((Ye keep that sorta talk up, me love, I'll be thinkin' ye have honey on yer lips.))"" Forgotten for the moment, is Tiana's mild vexation that she does not know how to communicate with the elfs. She giggles at whatever Vardeus murmurs into her ear. She offers him a minxish smile then snuggles her head against his shoulder, letting her eyelids slip low. Starwind listens to Vardeus, but shakes his head with a chuckle as he and Tiana act like completely different people than when he first saw them. A longing look of sorts in his own eyes as he thinks about something that happened not even a turn ago at the Grove holt, before shaking his head and returning to the conversation. "I don't know Wayfound." He states matter-of-factly, and adds afterwards, "I'm not sure how long our camp is staying here, and myself, I may go back to where we came from to find someone I miss." "She's a bit shy, but if you smile at her enough she opens up," Arnos assures all. "She's a wonderful girl, if I can call her that. You ought to introduce yourself if you have a chance." He seems very fond of her himself, really, and says as much to Vardeus. "I like her too." Tiana simply sighs and drifts off to sleep with her head resting on Vardeus's shoulder. Funny how things can change in such a short amount of time, neh? Vardeus grins again at Arnos, appending, "Wayfound is smart." Hey, look, the Captain's got an adjective, too! "She nae talk to I... to me many times. But she talks, I see. She very smart. She help us, learn good animals for hunt, good plants for eat. Help us learn elf words." His glance slides aside to Tiana, then, as he senses her going slack there where she's snuggled against him, and something in his expression abruptly gentles. Starwind nods at Arnos and Vardeus as they talk about Wayfound, an elf he's never had the chance to meet. "If I see her, I'll keep that in mind. I have not met her yet, though." He considers why he hasn't met her, and then asks the question that lingers in his mind about it. "Where does she stay?" And noticing Tiana nearly asleep on Vardeus' arm he grins. "Teena falling asleep, maybe you should take her to camp for sleep?" The Captain starts just a little, as if the sound of Starwind's voice snapped him out of a reverie into which Tiana's drowsing face had lured him. Then he smiles crookedly, inclining his shaggy head. "Arnos, you get ((lyre))? I nae carry ((lyre)) and Tiana too." And he isn't about to try to stand up until both of the two things he treasures are safely assured of not falling onto the sand. Very carefully, he leans the instrument over till it rests upon the log on which he and his Second had been sitting; only then does he slip his broad muscled arms around her, one under her knees, one cradling her shoulders. Clasping her against his chest, he then takes even more care to rise. Over Tiana, he says amiably to Starwind, "I gl... am glad, talk with you. My ((crew)) needs elf friends. I hope you come, when Tiana, I ((marry))." Nodding, Arnos pushes himself into action with a small jerk. He'd been getting nicely rutted into place there for a moment. "Hmm. Yeah. Bed sounds like a good idea. It was good to meet you Starwind. I'm sure we'll meet again before you leave." Starwind nods and offers a wave as they get up to move back to camp, the night still young he's going to head out to satiate his wolf's desire to hunt. "I will come if I am here, Vardeos. Thank you for asking me. And nice to meet you too, Arnos." He smiles, and darts off towards the camp to finish gathering his things to go hunt with his wolf. [End log.]