"Coralfire's Dilemma" Log Date: 7/21/2002 Log Cast: Vardeus, Coralfire, Shelbor, Kephissa Log Intro: The Vraeyans and their allies among the elves and local humans have been moving slowly eastward ever since the attack upon them by magically changed beasts. And as they've traveled, Coralfire, a human woman raised by the elves, has found herself courted by both Shelbor of the Olbar tribe and Torgan of the Vraeyan sailors. But Coralfire is anguished about hurting the feelings of either man, and so she turns to a third man for advice--Vardeus, the first of the Vraeyans she'd ever met, in the hopes that the captain might be able to help her decide what to do.... ---------- Vraeyan Camp(#1655AJae) This is a sizeable camp of approximately two dozen humans -- impossible to miss from afar, regardless of one's race. There are simply too many of the Tall Ones, and they are too noisy as well, to make stealth much of an option. Obvious, too, are the impromptu shelters and cookfires they have created for themselves in this camping place, and the smells of burned wood and sod and cooked food, along with the general aroma of humankind, override any subtler scents in the area. More astute observers, however, might note that the camp is not occupied by humans alone -- for there are the scents of elves here as well, and their smaller footprints intermingle with the bigger ones of the humans on the ground in and around the campsite. For that matter... perhaps most amazingly... the elves in the camp seem to be dwelling here as equals to the Tall Ones, and not as prisoners. Contents: Shelbor Shelbor's tent Coralfire's Tent(#1669AJe) Coralfire Yellow Raven's Tent(#6222Je) "((.... draaaaaank sixteen tankards f'r th' price of one... tryin' t' find th' courage t' talk t' th' one...))" The company has been moving less speedily than Vardeus would like. Ice on the river during the winter, slowing down the rafts; mudslides along the river, during the spring, throwing trees and other detritus down into the water and making certain that the Vraeyans, at home on the oceans but novices at rafting, get immediate instruction on how to navigate up a flood-swollen river. And if this wasn't enough of a challenge, just travelling cross-country with a pack of sailors unaccustomed to such a trek, including one extremely pregnant Dharce, has been more than enough to put a crimp in the speed Vardeus would have liked to have achieve... especially now that Dharce has in fact finally needed to stop and deliver her second son. "Shelbor Nefis," she's dubbed the boy, plaintively murmuring to her crewmates that she wishes to honor the Olbar man who's stayed with them long enough to help them all... and to honor the husband she's lost, as well. As for Vardeus, though, he's taken some comfort in the fact that the monsters have not made a repeat appearance. Today, therefore, as he works on patching a loose board in one of the wagons that's been lashed to the rafts, his baritone can be heard rising up idly as he sings. Coralfire has had less trouble with this trek than some of the Vraeyans, and she's used that excuse to avoid answering either Shelbor or Torgan. More or less. Both have no doubt been good as gold, yes? But she's been avoiding them anyway. Xhosa has been no help, as big of a tease as that minx is. So, Coralfire has been rather lost, all in all. She pauses as she spies Vardeus, ears having no trouble picking out his singing, and she makes her way over towards him, carefully trying not to catch the attention of anyone nearby. Including those women who seem to think she needs to be holding that newborn babe! "((Vardeus?))" she greets, and perhaps her unease can be heard in her voice? "((Do you have time to talk?))" Vardeus' singing is almost as impossible to miss as Arnos'; what the Captain lacks in mastery of pitch and smoothness of tone, he makes up for with vigor and volume. What flaws _are_ in his voice tend to be roughly pleasing, giving it a kind of character, and it carries with all the strength of a man who's been used to bellowing out orders on the deck of a ship for years now. He cuts off, though, as Coralfire hails him and draws near, swinging his ocean gaze around even as he scoots around the corner of the wagon, crouched down there on one knee to best get a look at the work he's been doing. The nails will hold... good. It's anybody's guess when they'll be able to make more. As he looks up, though, he blinks and then offers a crooked, assuring smile in greeting. "((Aye,))" he answers easily. "((Summat I c'n help ye with, Coralfair?))" Coralfire continues to move forward, crouching down beside the captain, and she closes her eyes for a moment with a bit of a laugh. It's more that she's uncertain just what to say, or even if she should say anything, but she's working on it. "((I just - you're a chief, and you're married besides. I'm confused, and I need to talk to someone. Xhosa is no help. And the other women are all busy with that babe - I don't want to distract them.))" She hesitates, looking around as though making sure she's not about to be caught out. "((It's just - I don't know what to do.))" This is certainly the strangest thing that anyone has said to Vardeus in many days, and the widening of the Captain's eyes proclaims as much. But he sees the hesitation fairly pouring off of her, and even though he can't imagine what must have put her into such a state, he nods to her as patiently as he would to any member of the crew bringing a delicate problem to him. Plopping down to sit with his back against the wagon, he mops one hand across his brow to get rid of the sweat that beads there over his tanned skin; with the other hand, he pats the ground beside him in invitation. "((Well, ah, if it's summat I c'n help ye with, I'll do me best,))" he offers, then grins sheepishly. "((If it makes ye feel any better I dinnae much ken what t' do wi' th' bairns, m'self.))" Coralfire flashes a smile at that last comment, and then she settles down on the sand, crosslegged in front of you. She reaches one hand to her braid, patting her hair gently, and then she just blurts it out. "((It's just both Torgan and Shelbor said they want me to be their mate, and I don't know what to do about it.))" Vardeus blinks once. Blinks twice. And then has to physically clack his mouth shut, as he actually feels his jaw drop in his surprise. Abruptly staring at Coralfire almost as if she's abruptly sprouted a second head, or perhaps changed into an elf before his very eyes, the Captain has to take a few seconds to shake off his surprise before he can blurt at last, "((I... I, ah... I c'n see where this c'n be after causin' ye... ah, some bafflement. But I'm nae sae sure why ye're askin' _me_ about this...?))" Coralfire already told you, but helpfully she repeats. "((Because you're Captain. and You're married. Happily. And you're here and I can ask you. What do I do about it, Vardeus?))" She's been keeping this slight panic to herself since the boys said their piece, but now, she lets it out a bit, as she gives you a pleading look. "((There must be something I can do to fix it all.))" Coralfire isn't the only one beginning to feel nervous here -- after all, Vardeus might be Captain and he might be married, but this doesn't make him an expert on affairs of the heart. He begins to say as much, but as soon as that slightly panicked gaze is turned upon him, his expression turns softer, for all its awkwardness. "((Well, uh...))" Oh, Skyfather, she isn't going to cry or anything, is she? "((Do ye, um... love 'em?))" Does she love them? Well, you know, they never asked that question. Coralfire thinks about it for a moment, a slightly surprised look on her face. "((I don't know. I never thought about it. I mean, they're both good friends, and I don't want them to be hurt.))" Which of course means she doesn't want to hurt them either. "((If I choose one, the other gets hurt. If I choose neither, they both do. And I think even if I were to try something unusual like choosing both - the elves would do that, but it's not so frequent with humans, I think. Is it? - but even then, I think they'd both be hurt.))" Gods, but a lot of this sounds familiar; after all, this is the man who spent months on the Raft Elves' island, anguished over the potential of hurting Tiana because he thought that he would have to deny his love for her, because of a promise made all unknowing to the exact same woman. Vardeus blows out a breath, reflexively lifting a big hand and shoving it back through his shaggy hair, which only succeeds in disheveling it further. With a sigh, then, he undoes his ponytail and begins to bind it back up again, the better to keep the heavy weight of sun-bleached golden brown off his neck. And as he does he says gruffly, "((Well, lass, 'tis all well an' honorable t' worry on whether ye'll hurt 'em... but to my thinkin' ye'd best decide first if ye c'n see yerself happy with either, as yer man. Do ye, um....))" Now, as he attempts to figure out exactly how to say this, a noticeable blush creeps across his tanned cheeks. "((Fancy either of 'em?))" Yellow comes wandering in to camp, tail wagging lazily. He catches Coral's scent and changes direction and speed, trotting towards her. Coralfire is seated beside Vardeus. She's crosslegged as she talks to the captain having gone over to ask for his help. She wrinkles her brow as she sees him blush, and then she ponders the question. Which is enough to have her own cheeks go just a touch pink. There's a question, to be honest. Now then, what is the answer? Are you holding your breath yet? Coralfire glances down the river, towards the Olbar village, and then she answers slowly. "((I hadn't really thought about it. I - Xhosa was telling me I should hurry up and have children, but I want what you and Tiana have. If it's just to have children, I don't want them that much.))" Ooh, a romantic. But she does switch languages now, without even thinking about it. "And as for fancying them, well, how would I know?" Oh good grief -- a woman grown, and she doesn't even know how to tell if she fancies a man? It's a good thing Coralfire's attention has wandered off along the river, because Vardeus has to struggle to keep from looking distinctly panicked, now. It's quite akin to the expression he first got when Iletya presented him with Dharce's firstborn and informed him that it was his bound duty as Captain of the crew to christen the first baby born to their number... but now, unlike then, Vardeus doesn't have a tiny infant in his grasp, to worry about breaking. Just the challenge of trying to figure out exactly what to say to an obviously troubled young woman on a topic entirely out of his depth. _Skyfather!_ "((Er, um... well...))" A deeper, redder blush now, coming in under the Captain's tan. "((Do ye, uh, find 'em pleasin' t' look on? Handsome?))" That's a start, isn't it? Shelbor comes trudging into camp, hauling a fresh-killed buck on a makeshift travois. He looks for Yellow, and scowls at seeing him pestering Coral and Vardeus. Some day, he's going to figure out how to get the big dog to help haul, as well as hunt. For now, though, he drags the field-dressed deer towards the cookfire. Hopefully, some of the others will help him finish cutting it up. Coralfire glances back at Vardeus, a slightly odd look on her face. And then she nods. "((Well, aye, they're nice to look at, I should think.)) It's got her thinking a little more anyway, as she tries to decide what to do. Yellow catches her attention briefly and she reaches a hand out to the dog automatically. "((Is that all there is to it then? Just whichever one I think is most handsome? How did you know you loved Tiana? ))" Dogs. Dogs are a nice distraction, and Vardeus readily reaches over to give Yellow a thorough scritching behind the ears. He hasn't stopped missing the dog he had in Shalros; who knows how many litters his family's dogs have had, since he last laid eyes on them? For a moment he lets himself be distracted by the resolution that he is really going to have to find himself a dog in this new land, if he and his are going to be here for what is beginning to look like the rest of their lives... but his own conscience won't let him off that easy, since Coralfire is still beside him, and still obviously upset, though her next words seem to reassure him a little. Now _this_ is a topic he can talk about. His chin comes up a bit, and though there's still a bit of a blush under his tan, his eyes brighten and his expression turns almost boyish. "((That depends,))" he answers steadily now, "((on whether ye mean, when I kenned it wi' me heart, or when I kenned it wi' me head.))" Yellow sighs contentedly. Lots of nice people in this pack. Shelbor is caught up on the chore of cutting the meat into cookable packages and not really playing attention to other camp activities. He does wonder what Coral and Vardeus are looking so serious about... Coralfire pauses a moment. "((Well, I obviously don't know any such thing with my head,))" she says, a little ruefully. "((Maybe both? But start with when you knew it with your heart? Did that come first?))" She grins at Yellow. Course, where Yellow is, Shelbor usually isn't far behind. Which has Coral a little more nervous than before. She glances to see if there's a sign of Shelbor, or maybe Torgan. They're both good at being quiet after all. Kephissa walks back towards camp, obviously having found a spot to take a nice bath. Her hair is wet, and she carries the damp cloths she was using as towels. Still lightly scritching Yellow -- and Vardeus has made an extra special point of being good to the dog, ever since he found out from Tefin that the monsters that had attacked the camp were dogs horribly changed -- Vardeus grins now, crookedly, at Coralfire. "((Knew I wanted 'er, from th' moment I laid eyes on 'er climbin' up th' riggin' the first time, on th' ship. Hair like fire an' eyes like springtime itself... an' she turned out t' be a fine second, too, after th' storm got us lost an' Heldes went overboard.))" For just a fraction of an instant, Vardeus' face goes solemn again; he _had_ loved Heldes like a brother. A bit of that solemn memory remains in his face, even as he goes on, "((I... think I kenned it, though, just before we got _here_. I'd been on me feet f'r... four days. Maybe five. Didnae sleep. Tiana made me get t' bed, when I was all sure she was after takin' th' ship from me.))" Shelbor wraps the portion for the Wolfriders in fresh leaves and puts it asside. The rest goes in pots of fresh water, to which he adds rock salt and some ground herbs, to marinate for a while before time to start cooking. He glances up at Coral and Vardeus again, frowning. What _are_ they being so serious about, for so long? "Oh, hello, Kephissa. Have a good swim?" Kephissa glances at the Captain and Coralfire before grinning at Shelbor. She nods. "It's nice to take baths in freshwater for a while. Sea salt has a tendency to build up." She rubs her hair with a towel. "Looks like you had a good hunt." Coralfire chuckles a bit. It's good to be able to understand the stories that are shared now, isn't it? "((But I can't say I want either of them,))" she says softly. "((Does that mean I don't want either one then?))" Well, she's certainly coming up with the easy questions for Vardeus, this full grown and very confused woman. "((Or that it just becomes something more difficult?))" Maybe it's Tiana she needs to talk to, but then, Tiana is busy. Vardeus is here. Shelbor says "Fair. Game hasn't been hunted much around here, recently. It's not man-shy yet." Shelbor chuckles wryly. "Hope I don't lose my touch before they do get wary."" Vardeus tries, oh yes he tries, very hard not to laugh. He can't help it... though it's a charmed, gently amused sort of laughter he has to struggle to repress. More or less, he succeeds, though a bit of it kindles in his ocean eyes. No, it just wouldn't do to say anything to this oddly innocent creature about his reactions to the fact that a woman he'd swear isn't that much younger than himself not comprehending whether she fancies a man or not. "((There's, ah...))" Whoops, here comes that blush again, and a bit of gruffness to his voice that suggests he's trying to phrase his words delicately -- and delicacy is not a skill generally exhibited by Vardeus Alirreus, whose way is generally far more big and broad and rough. "((Ways t' tell if ye fancy someone. Um. Physical ways, I mean. But ye, uh... may wish t' talk wi' one o' th' women, on that.))" Kephissa shrugs. "Well, I expect we'll have moved on before they get to used to being hunted." She glances around. "Its weird, but its been a long time since I've been this far inland. At least this far inland to a place as unsettled as this. Takes getting used too." Shelbor pauses, something Kephissa said triggering a thought. "I wonder how long it has been since humans have hunted here? There are signs of elves in the area, but not fresh." Well, it's like this .. the elves raised Coral, and their cues aren't quite the same. And besides, with no human males around, especially during her teen years, Coral just sublimated all those physical reactions into hunting. Which is why she's now a very good hunter, but has absolutely no clue what to do with Shelbor and Torgan. She gives Vardeus another of those pleading looks. "((If I go near them, I'm certain they're going to hand me that babe and leave me with him.))" "((I'll tell ye what,))" Vardeus offers, trying to soothe as best he can, his deep rough voice taking on the comforting warmth of a woolen blanket, "((they give ye wee Shelbor, or his bigger brother, ye come an' find me an' I'll mind th' bairns f'r ye. I think I c'n manage it, long enough f'r ye t' speak wi' whichever o' th' women ye c'n best talk t', hey?))" Well, it's not like Kephissa wouldn't know the answer to that question. So she asks one of her own "There seem to be elves everywhere, but few humans? Why is that?" Shelbor starts a bit, the question calling him back from deep thought. "Oh, I suppose it's because most humans stay in or near their villages. Hunting is only a small part of the food a village eats; most comes from gardens and small animals in the village. From what I've seen, the elves not only don't have gardens, they eat more meat." Coralfire takes a breath, and one single tear manages to squeeze out and slide down her cheek. Then a second dangles on her eyelash, but she wipes it off, a little angry with herself. No, she's not going to go that route. "((Can't you just tell me? I suppose I could try and ask Xhosa again.))" High Ones, where's Jacynthe when you need her, hmm? Coral's sister might be able to help out. But she's back at the Village. "((but she wasn't very helpful last time I tried.))" Oh... oh dear. Vardeus does not miss those hints of tears, and consternation slashes across his face at the sight of them. "((Ach... hsst, now, Coralfair, dinnae cry,))" he pleads, sitting up a bit, his brow furrowing anxiously. "((I'm... it's just that... I-I-I dinnae know if I c'n... describe it right.))" Given that, well, he's a MAN and all. Kephissa hmms and while that doesn't quite answer her question, she lets it go for now. She jerks her head towards Coralfire and Vardeus who still seem to be involved in conversation. "What's up with them?" Shelbor says "I don't know. They were like that when I got here." Shelbor looks off into the distance again, still picking at whatever was distracting before. "I wonder... we won't see it, or our children, or even their children, but most of the elves now alive might. Our village is growing, slowly. What happens when that growth pushes into the hunting lands?"" Coralfire wrinkles her brow, and then she sighs. There's a sort of defeated look about her now, as she looks down towards the sand. "((I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bothering you, I suppose. Maybe I can figure something out.))" She glances back down the river towards the vast deep, not that she can see it, but she knows where it is. "((Or I suppose I could go back to the Raft. It was less complicated there.))" Kephissa nibbles on her thumbnail. A student of history she's familar with similar situations. They rarely end well. "The elves might move on to other hunting grounds. You might learn to live together, bartering for what the other has." She pauses. "Or one side will try to force the others to leave." If there's anything in the world with which Vardeus is less at ease than a burbling baby, it's the sight of a disconsolate friend. He swallows at Coralfire's dejected air, before reaching over to gingerly clasp her shoulder. "((Dinnae fret about talkin' t' me,))" he says earnestly. "((I... may nae be sae good at this kind o' thing, but I'd like t' help, somehow. Ye're me friend. An'... because ye're me friend, Coralfair, let me tell ye... any man or woman among us'll be happy t' help ye, wi' all th' help ye've given us. But nae matter what we c'n say t' ye... it's _ye_ an' nae other'll who'll have t' decide what ye want. I cannae speak f'r Shelbor or Torgan... but I know they're both good men. And if they both love ye... they'll want what's best for _ye_. Even if that means ye must choose one over th' other. Or even if it means ye must leave. But dinnae leave 'em hangin'. Let 'em know what ye feel.))" Shelbor shakes himself. "Wouldn't matter. Unless there's some great disaster to kill many of us - which happens occasionally - humans alone would spread too far, eventually." Kephissa sighs. "Eventually Civilization always wins." Shelbor tosses a lump of bloody fat in the fire, looking disgusted. "If you can call that winning." Coralfire takes a deep breath, and then she nods to Vardeus. "((I won't - I won't leave without telling them, but - ))" Oh, how she'd like to. "((Thank you for your help, but I still have to figure out what it is that I feel.))" She turns and heads away from the river, looking for the nearest tree so she can climb it and mope there, hopefully well away from babies, cooing, and even men. At least for a while. The Captain does not stop Coralfire, but he does watch her go, frowning plaintively to himself, before he finally rises to his feet and gathers the tools he'd been using to mend the loose board in the wagon. "((Prob'ly botched that good an' true, sailor,))" he mutters to himself in an annoyed rumble, before closing his eyes for a moment and firing off a prayer to Skyfather and Seamother alike that Coralfire might find an understanding about the state of her own heart. [End log.]