"Lessons and Discoveries"

Log Date:
	2/22/02

Log Cast:
	Coralfire, Vardeus, Quietharm

Log Intro:
	At last, Vardeus has recovered from the injuries he sustained in
the assault upon his ship -- though the method by which it has been achieved
has shocked him greatly. He had seen Shay'la alter the shape of rock, and
her former tribesmate Tamaris alter the shape of metal... but not until
Splash set her hands upon him did he realize that the elves also had the
power to mend wounded flesh. The experience profoundly unnerved him, for his
healing was far more painful than he wants to admit to _anyone_... but now
that his pain has passed, his thoughts have swung inexorably to the need to
be reunited with his people. Kephissa and Valnek are overdue... and the
Captain does not want to wait much longer, now that his strength has returned.
	In the meantime, though, he must find out from what allies he has
on the Raft Elves' island how best he can go about that, and find out at the
same time something startling about the woman of his own kind who has come
to visit the place, the woman called Coralfire....

----------
Raft Beach - Shoreline - Raft Holt(#10028RJLS)
        Truly magnificent and unique in its beauty, Rafter's beach unfolds 
  before you. The sand is soft yellow, verging on golden, patterns of black 
  sand trickling through the monotone coloring. The soft rushes of the waves 
  playing upon the beach is accompanied by the light breeze which stream 
  through the palm trees further into the cove. There you have it, rising up 
  on either side is majestic cliffs with reefs and rocks underneath. The 
  cliffs rise further, forming a lush green ridge formed as a giant U, which 
  surrounds this secluded area. At the mouth of the U, there is only 
  blue-green ocean to be seen with exception of the tribal gathering raft 
  dipping on the waves. The tide washes out to sea, clearing the beach to show 
  as far as it can. 
        Daybreak and the sun chases the moons beyond the horizon. The early 
  fog disappears quickly as the daystar climbs the sky. The starry outlines of 
  the Human Hunter fade into the glare of morning as light fills the cool 
  autumn skies. The rising sun dancing attendance.
Contents:
Coralfire
Obvious exits:
Fire  Camp area <N>  East <E>  Swim <S>

The midday sun is warm enough that Coralfire is not liking the clothing she 
  came in. She has taken off what can be removed and still remain decent, 
  though her standards have changed somewhat since she left the Raft and found 
  the Olbar. She is actually on a rock, with her feet in the water, singing a 
  song, in Elvish.

It's the singing that draws Vardeus up the beach, from the little pool some 
  walk down from the main stretch of tents where he's spent the morning 
  exploring, looking at the sorts of options he has for the catching of fish 
  in the shallows, and trying to get an idea of what exactly he has on hand 
  for the building of a raft... though he's dubious of his ability to get very 
  far without an axe. Pleased for a distraction, though he's not exactly sure 
  of how he'll be received if he comes to check it out, the stranded captain 
  comes into view... and upon spying the human woman he's seen on the island 
  before, relief strikes him. And it's with a bit more willingness that he 
  calls out, "Taydes!"

Coralfire blinks and looks up, recognizing the accent first. "Tides," she 
  replies, as one hand raises in a greeting. She worries at her lower lip for 
  a moment, then just shrugs. "Vardeuz is good?" she asks. Hey, she doesn't 
  know where the language comprehension might have gotten too. As you get 
  closer, you might notice there's a basket on the other side of the rock, in 
  what little shade there is. It has some paints, but not the balls, rather, 
  this is material for making art.

Coralfire
        Tall and slender, the woman before you is a definite athlete. She has 
  the lean lines of a swimmer, body muscled and toned, while leaving the 
  feminine curves that mark her as female. Her complexion has been tanned a 
  rich golden brown by the sun. The coppery waves that spill down around her 
  face have been bleached to a lighter fire red and even touches of blonde in 
  places, lending highlights and depth to the gentle waves. Her features are 
  fine and delicate, set in a heart shaped face. A hint of natural rose colors 
  her upswept cheekbones and full lips. Her odd, slightly pointed ears can be 
  seen as normally she she wears her waist length hair back into a functional 
  braid down her back. Her bright blue eyes have the barest of slants, lending 
  an exotic appeal to her face. 
        She is wearing clothing made of a combination of styles. Green leather 
  breeches hug to her slender, shapely legs, going down into sturdy, but 
  supple leather boots of the same color. Both breeches and boots have some 
  slight mottling to them to lend better camouflage. Tucked in the top of her 
  boots are a pair of knives for protection. Her top is a mottled brown and 
  green tunic made of softer sea elf fabric... though the style is definitely 
  wolfrider. It is made for camouflage.

The man, too, is scantily clad, wearing nothing but the heavy belt on which 
  ride his weapons and the black pants he's managed to get from Shay'la; for 
  the rest, he's shirtless and barefoot, windblown, and wet. And irrationally 
  pleased to see a face of someone of his own kind, even if his ability to 
  understand her is limited. "Vardeus... good," he hazards, though from his 
  restless, pensive expression and the way he lifts his hand to waggle it back 
  and forth as if to say, 'more or less', that's not exactly the word he wants 
  and he knows it. Still, he goes on, with a small lopsided grin, "Hear 
  Koorelfaer sing."

Coralfire chuckles a bit. "I like singing," she says, then turns a bit, 
  wishing she could understand more of your language. Or you hers. "Teach?" 
  she asks. Either way will work, won't it?

"More words," is Vardeus' agreement to that, as he comes up close enough for 
  comfortable conversing. Some of his attention seems on the waves; he casts a 
  restless glance out across the water even as he draws near. But the rest of 
  it is now upon the woman before him. "Kooralfaer give elf words?" His brows 
  go up, inquiringly.

Coralfire shakes her head and laughs. "Yes." Sure, why not, if she can figure 
  out what you want to learn? She crosses her legs, and turns to face you, 
  bringing her wet feet into the sand. "We trade? Elf word for Vardeuz word?" 
  Is she getting closer to the right pronunciation of that name? "Vardeuz 
  teach too?"

"((Aye,))" the sailor rumbles. His word for 'yes', apparently, if the way he 
  nods his tousled head is any indication. What to offer for words, though; 
  that's the question. "Kyethaerm give Vardeus... little elf-say, Vardeus give 
  ((Vraeyan)) --" Ah, there we go. That's a start. "Vardeus-say, Vardeus 
  words... ((Vraeyan)). Vardeus come ((Vrae)), say ((Vraeyan))."

Coralfire takes in a breath and opens her mouth to speak. She pauses, and then 
  she shakes her head. "((IY?))" she tries. "Yes?" Well, that sounds 
  relatively straightforward. "And ((Vrae)) is Vardeus home?" Which would make 
  ((Vraeyan)) the language, maybe? Coral mouths the words again, and then 
  practices them out loud. She can't quite get that accent, but she manages to 
  not mangle the words too badly. "Coralfire say little elf-say and 
  human-say." She just uses elfin though, not complicating things with a third 
  language.

Quietharm wades up on the beach, water droplets trickling down her body.
Quietharm has arrived.

Close enough for the Queen to get her job done, as they say back in Shalros. 
  Vardeus smiles a bit, though at the word 'home' his gaze goes again out to 
  the water. "Vardeus home... ((Vrae))," he affirms, before glancing back at 
  the woman who sits on the rock. "Where Koorelfaer home? Nae here--" With one 
  big hand, he gestures back behind himself to indicate the island in general. 
  "Nae huimins here. Vardeus, Maerro, Koorelfaer... nae more."

Coralfire nods her head. "Coralfire home here." Okay, now how does she explain 
  this one? "Coralfire lost - Moonfall found baby. More humans at Dancer 
  Beach. across big water." Well, she'll start with that, and see where it 
  gets her. "Coralfire has two homes." And that's one of the things she still 
  has trouble figuring out herself sometimes.

Quietharm winds her way along the beach, curving a more crooked path in the 
  sand than that of a newborn sea turtle. She easily sees two others ahead, 
  given their tall stature. Not too long ago, had she even glimpsed two humans 
  upon the shores of the raft holt, she would have panicked. Now she bursts 
  into a sunny smile, hurrying to catch up. Raising one hand happily, she 
  calls out, "((Hello, Vardeus!)) ...Tides, Coralfire!"

Blue eyes blink, as Vardeus tries to digest this. Some of those words he knows 
  -- just enough that he can try to make a guess overall. He tilts his head, 
  asking in surprise, "Koorelfaer... Muinfell baby?" But before he can get too 
  much farther, Quietharm arrives on the scene and he looks up alertly at her 
  approach, calling out in that carrying baritone of his, "Taydes, Kyethaerm!"

Coralfire glances up too. "Calm tides, Quietharm!" she says. There's a bit of 
  relief in her tone, though really, it was fun to learn. "((Aye,)) Moonfall 
  is Coralfire mother." Yeah, go figure that one. She chuckles a bit, as she 
  raises a hand. "I'm just trying to explain why I'm here, and how come I 
  speak Elfish."

Looks like Vardeus can do tricks, too. Still wearing that silly grin, the 
  elfess looks from one human to the other before investigating just how much 
  elfin the male knows. "Did Kephizza and Valneck arrive yet? What were you 
  two talking about?" Snippets of conversation had been gleaned as she had 
  approached, but it was mainly Coralfire's patient explanation a a bit of 
  stutter from her comrade. "I see. Has it been going well?" Appraising eyes 
  settle on both, curious.

Vardeus blinks a few times, part of his brain still trying to mull over the 
  startling notion -- if he understood Coralfire correctly -- that she might 
  have been raised here by the elves. From what he's been able to tell so far, 
  they're less than enthused about his kind in general... and yet, a woman who 
  surely can't be all that old has been raised here? Before he can really say 
  anything further about it, though, Quietharm's mention of his crewmates 
  sends a reminder of restlessness and disquiet winging through him. His face 
  falls a little, and he casts yet another glance out to the waves. "Nae 
  Kephissa, nae Valnek. Kephissa, Valnek nae come, Vardeus go, Vardeus find."

Coralfire hasn't met Valnek, though Kephissa briefly. She experiments a bit, 
  since she heard Quietharm's greeting. "((Hello?))" It's a tentative testing 
  of the word, feeling it on her tongue. Then she looks over at Quiet. "I'm 
  not at all sure. I think I managed to tell Vardeus that I was raised here by 
  Moonfall. Maybe." She chuckles a bit, as she then listens. "They shouldn't 
  be too hard to find. Kephiza was with Shelbor and Xhosa, last I saw her."

Quietharm turns large, unwavering brown eyes on Vardeus. "((You sound like me 
  in your say, now.))" Quirking an uneasy smile, perhaps trying in vain to 
  ease the sudden gloomy transformation that spreads over Vardeus' 
  countenance, Quietharm pats the man on the shoulder. "Don't worry." Her arms 
  cross against her chest in silent resignation, as if unknowingly relaying 
  that she is growing weary of keeping up hope, too. Flicking a look to Coral, 
  the smile grows more genuine. "Hmm.. other humans? I know of Xhosa, but who 
  is Shelbor?"

"Vardeus nae hurt now," the big sailor insists, gesturing at his bare and 
  bandage-free ribs. "Vardeus ((captain)), ((captain)) find ((crew))--" He 
  cuts off, though, startled at this suggestion that Kephissa is with someone 
  else. "Kephissa find huimins?"

Coralfire isn't entirely sure how to answer Quiet, but Vardeus' question is 
  easier. "Yes, Kephisza find Coralfire, Xhosa and Shelbor," she says, then 
  she chews on her lip while she thinks. "Shelbor is a friend, Quiet. One of 
  my relatives sent him along to look after Xhosa." Not Coral though, she 
  doesn't need anyone looking after her. "They both speak some elfin."

Quietharm remains silent, unmoving. A meandering mistral picks up, throwing a 
  small blast of sea air into her face. The slightest corner of one eye 
  twitches with faint retaliation, but that is all.

"Kephissa nae hurt?" This comes out of Vardeus with great insistence; from the 
  furrow to his brow and the sharpness of his voice, this is obviously 
  important to him. "Others... hilp make raft, Kephissa, Valnek come?"

Coralfire shakes her head. "Kephisza not hurt," she agrees. Well, not badly 
  anyway. "Coralfire and Kephizsa walk to big water." She just went inland a 
  bit, that's all. Of course, she doesn't know the answer to that. "I don't 
  know if they're making a Raft." Oh, stingerfish! "Humans know how to make 
  rafts. They help Kephisza."

Quietharm begins to chew her lower lip, still caught up in her reverie. 
  Otherwise her stance remains the same, as if she fears moving at all. At 
  Vardeus' query, however, she slowly brings her head around to regard him 
  before remarking, "Yes. We help. I recently brought Kephizza and Valneck 
  some supplies for the raft they plan to make; I have yet to see their 
  progress." A pause, and then she adds, "I should have done so by now, I 
  apologize. The mean a lot to you and.." Wow, she's getting too far ahead of 
  herself, here. Again, she falls quiet, hence a root of her namesake.

Vardeus looks between the two females, the human and the elfin, his brow 
  furrowed and his eyes full of stormy consternation. When he speaks again, 
  it's with barely concealed restlessness, and it's turned his voice gruff and 
  husky. "Vardeus... nae wait big. Nae hurt, nae sit, nae rest. Kephissa, 
  Valnek, others nae come, Vardeus go, Maerro go. Vardeus make raft, find 
  others." Then his gaze comes to rest on Quietharm specifically, and to her 
  he appends, "Elfs good, give Vardeus, Maerro tent, food, water. Vardeus get 
  fish for elfs."

Coralfire guesses that nobody mentioned to Vardeus that he could hitch a ride 
  with one of the scouts, right? Well, if he could find one who would trust 
  him, that is. "Vardeus no borrow Raft? Elves have rafts," she tries. Why 
  make one, if you can find someone to help? Well it seems a good idea to her. 
  "I should go see where Xhosa and Shelbor are too, soon. I left without 
  telling them where I was going."

Quietharm balls her hands into tight fists. Was it just her, or was Vardeus 
  speaking of leaving them? Well, she'd figure as much. She takes a brazen 
  step forward, directing her gaze straight to Vardeus' and announces, "I will 
  go with you, then." She made sure to speak in such a way that she hoped 
  would brook no argument. After Coralfire speaks, she nods in return. "Borrow 
  our rafts. We may need to modify it a bit to support your weight, but.." 
  Assenting to her own words, she nods once, curtly. "It will work."

[We had to end here, as Vardeus's player was unwell. End log.]