RP:Faith and Doubt

Part of the What You Leave Behind Arc

Summary: Celaeno seeks out Khitti and finds her on the Tranquility. Khitti gives the half-elf an impromptu, and unfortunately short (due to the fact that Khitti can't get up and down those damned ladders right now!), tour of the ship before bringing her to Khitti's favorite room: the library. There, Khitti explains that she no longer has access to the dark magic she once wielded and has placed herself on a different path and Celaeno shows off a new book she's been translating for Barnabas.

The Tranquility, Cenril Wharf

Interspersed with Celaeno’s adventures in Frostmaw, she had also found herself involved in some non-bakery related mischief in Cenril, around the docs with a mysterious and foreboding ship that had been parked on the wharf recently. The shenanigans with that ship’s captain aside, it had made the half-elf far more familiar with how to find the docks, which came in handy when she stopped at the bakery to find Khitti and found her employer nowhere to be found. Her next try brought her to the Tranquility, after asking a few busied faces which ship was which. She hovers in front of the gangplank, or where it might go if one was set up, biting her lip as she glanced around the deck for any crew swabbing she could call out to and ask.

Thankfully for Celaeno, Khitti was on her way out of the double doors that lead down into, and out of, the ship’s belly. And she was… talking to herself? “Seika, I won’t be able to improve my balance much until this baby’s born. I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve got to work with right now. It shouldn’t be too much longer though. I’ll need to work off some of this baby weight anyway, though not too much. Most of it won’t go away anyway what with all these sweets I eat.” She turned towards the gangplank, giving an awkward cough, and likely getting some response from whomever she was talking to that no one else could hear. It’s then that she saw Celaeno, looking indecisive and hovering about, “Cel?” It was the first time she’d acknowledged the younger female by a more personal nickname--she didn’t even think to ask about whether or not it’d be alright. Celaeno had proven herself time and time again that she was trustworthy and was certainly making her way up that chain of friendship that Khitti kept close. “What are you doing here?”

The girl’s tense shoulders sag with relief as she catches sight of Khitti crossing toward the gangplank. Her slightly pointed ears perk, however, as she picks up Khitti’s one-sided conversation from afar. Glancing about and spying no others around the very swollen woman, her mouth quirks up in wry grin. How funny, she had been doing that exact same thing day in and day out since she performed a certain ritual. At the moment, her own voice stayed relatively quiet, calmed by Cela’s mental transmissions of the sights, sounds and smells of the wharf with its ships bobbing over the calm waves. Noting Khitti addressing her by a shortened nickname rather than the whole mouthful, Celaeno finds a warm bubble growing in her chest rather than the usual offense others would earn. This provokes a few questions from the spirit in her, but they went unstated by the half-elf as she stays firmly planted on the dock. “Is the right word for this setting ‘ahoy’?” she starts, an attempt at humor before she falls back on old habits and bows her head. “Seeking you out, Miss Khitti. Are you available for a visit?”

Khitti tilted her at Celaeno’s attempt at being funny, a smirk lining her lips. “Is it? I’ve never bothered. Most people know to get out of my way right now and let me on the ship.” She snickered a bit, then nodded, “We definitely can have a visit. Come on.” Khitti motioned towards the set of double doors on the top deck. “I won’t be able to give you the grand tour just yet though. It’s, uh, a little difficult for me to get up and down the ladders right now. Brand was convinced for a while that he was going to devise some sort of pulley system for me. His carpentry work for the baby gates and crib, and captaining, and his skills as a warrior mage are all fine and amazing, but I’m… a little unsure about his engineering. Imagine if this lift he was going to make broke with me on it! I’m not as tiny as I used to be anymore.” Khitti peered down at her stomach as she moved towards doors, opened one, then headed down the stairs to the library. “He calls me his ‘gorram mermaid’ but I know I’m a seacow.” From the outside, the brigantine known as the Tranquility looked like… well… a normal brigantine. On the inside, however, it was practically a galleon. One might say it’s even… bigger on the inside. Sometimes mage technology was crazy. Khitti stopped just in front of the door to the library and squinted at Cel in mock skepticism, “Are you ready?” For the library. A library on a ship. A ship that was bigger on the inside.

“I figured I should attempt to pick up the...sailor’s vernacular if I’m to help a captain with his new ship.” She pauses her cheeks heating up some. “I have news, by the way. But when we’re inside, first.” Operating the gangplank was an interesting challenge as she balances her way across, both arms held out as she kept her full attention down on her boots as she traverses it. A triumphant smile blossoms on her face for the simple accomplishment of stepping onto the deck and following after Khitti toward the belly of the Tranquility. The half-elf’s eyes nearly bug out of their sockets as she stops in her tracks, both at the shrill squeal sounding through her mind and the objectively impossible way the dimensions of the inside in no way matched the rest of the boat. Already her gears started to work, gaze darting everywhere as she attempted to find any glowing runes, sensing any spells. “How…?” But then Khitti offered the temptation of something further. The wit behind the comment flew straight over her head as she stares at Khitti with a wide-eyed gaze of both trepedation and childish eagerness. “Ready? For what?”

Khitti wouldn’t process the mention of ‘helping a captain with his new ship’ until they got into the next room. There’s a grin though, for Cel, as Khitti just shook her head, “Can’t give up the Captain’s secrets, can I?” With a twist of the handle and a push to open the door, it’d give way to the library. Tall shelves of books were on the left and right sides of the room, with a sliding ladder on both to get to the higher levels. And the one wall across from them? It wasn’t even a wall at all. It was the centerpiece of the whole room, a magically reinforced window pane that gave a view half above and half below the surface of the water. It was Khitti’s favorite spot and Cel would soon know that by how much pride was practically oozing from her. There was a decent-sized table for eating and studying on one side of the middle of the room and on the other were comfortable armchairs, a couch, and a coffee table for when you really want a cup of cocoa or tea while you’re reading. “There’s an armory that’s also a training room, a huge galley, enough rooms to comfortably hold all hundred or so crew members.” As she listed off the places, she kept track of them on her fingers, “A situation room, me and the Captain’s quarters--which we’re not using right now because it’s down the ladders--the first mate’s room, cargo hold…” She squinted a bit in thought, “I’m sure there’s something I’m missing…” And then it hit her, “Oh! And a room for our Tikifhlee, our giant cats from the Shadow plane, and my spider-son Francis! He’s as big as a cow. Kind of looks like one of those Huntsman spiders? Except he spins webs. It’s so odd.” And then something else hit her, “Wait… ‘Captain and his new ship’? What captain?” Cel had definitely been blushing, though it hadn’t occurred to her why, “Sheesh… you really are a lot like me.”

“Oh come now, Cari always gossiped to me about her lovers. I have good practice keeping—” The half-hearted protest was cut short as Khitti leads her into the library. Her attention almost stayed glued to the wall with all of the shelves as she leans forward, squinting to better assess all of the titles, too many to take in all at once before she swivels around to find the study lounge section and she stares at Khitti rather dumbfounded. “This...is all yours? Really?” It shouldn’t have surprised the girl, one person owning that many books and that much space. “This single room is bigger than our entire cart was!” Then she started listing off the rooms of the ship and Celaeno scurries to tug out her journal and stylus from the side pocket of her pack and jot down notes in a somewhat more slanted script than her usual straight lines, nonetheless neat but not following the straight lines she was used to. While she continued jotting down her shorthand, her eyebrows pinching together at mention of the giant cats, of apparent man-spiders? Both perked her interest up from the notes as she jotted down the last room she remembered. “The Shadow Plane has giant cats? And is this spider...Francis, have a human part attached or is he merely a sentient spider? I saw the former a little while ago, actually.” It did take a moment as the petite enchanter processed the latter part of Khitti’s final statement as she blinked and stared at the very pregnant woman. The meaning ultimately flies over her head as she twists around and begins digging through her pack again, an excited grin quirking her mouth anew as she pulls out yet another book. Made of metal, even the pages, it had quite a few runes and sigils seemingly engraved inside as she opened it to show off the contents to Khitti. “Mister Barnabas asked me to help him decipher what this means. He and this oddly...charming small blue woman found a ship with half of its hull eaten out by decay, but it still floats and there’s undead crew already on it, but there are living ones too. From what I’m reading, it can think!” Apparently she was having a love affair, though more with the odd little spell book that came with the captain’s vessel rather than the captain himself.

Khitti snickered softly at Cel’s wonder at the ship, “Of course it’s mine. Well, it’s Brand’s ship--but… you know. Technicalities.” She shrugged, then grabbed the half elf’s arm to pull her along towards the lounge area as Khitti answered her questions and Cel found that strange metal book. “Eight foot tall cats that can blend into the shadows--even their rider too! They love to run around and proclaim ‘Mowrowr!’ to the world, like we’re supposed to know what that means. Surprisingly, even though they’re big meat-eating cats, they really like kibble too. Oh, and catnip. Lots of catnip.” Khitti blinked a few times at the thought of Francis being half-man, half-spider. “Oh gods no. Francis is just a huge spider, but he’s really more like a dog. You know that thing dogs do when they’re really happy? The butt-wiggling? Francis does that. He likes being walked on a leash and is the best watchdog you’ll ever find. Unfortunately, he can’t go home now… but I’m determined to find him a mate here.” She frowned at the thought of him having to leave his spider-wife and spider-children behind, but thankfully, they weren’t the type of creature to mate for life. “That reminds me--” But, she’s cut off and decided to tell Celaeno after she goes over the metal book, “That’s wonderful. I’m sure you’ll decipher it entirely soon--especially with as much as you know about runes and sigils.” Before Khitti sat down, she loosened the strap to the katana that was fixed to her back and slipped it over her head. The sheathe had the mark of Cyris on it, and while its aura was usually rather bright, right now it was not so much. The dull gold glow it gave off shone against the wooden coffee table, the sword itself floating just above the surface. “I’ve never met this Barnabas though, strangely enough or a blue woman. You just be careful though, alright?”

Celaeno ’s eyebrows go up at the idea of a wildcat that large, let alone one that ate anything but live meat or enjoyed catnip. “That’s like a horse, isn’t it? It’s good they like kibble. Hunting for them would be rather exhausting.” When Francis is mentioned, she shudders a moment, but her shoulders sag with relief as she reminds herself the truth of the matter. “I...admit I am glad that Francis is a spider rather than an actual dog. Canines don’t seem to like me much. You might try the forest near Vailkrin? There was a rather large one that attacked me there. Perhaps there’s one that would take a fancy to him.” She folds the book shut and shoves it back into her pack with the others. As the sword caught her attention, though, the presence in her own mind starts to ask question upon question until she winces with the onslaught. “Well, what would that be in the sheath? It’s...very nice. And looks like it would have decent balance. And...other assorted weapon related terms. The ritual with Cari went well, by the by, for the most part.”

Khitti grinned, “Funny enough, I didn’t like spiders. But, with my connection to the Shadow Plane at the time, after my magic got better, some spells turned into others and one of them was summoning Francis. And, I think I might, though there was this cute little black widow at that Something Wicked shop across from the tavern. I might snatch her up for him.” Crimson brows knitted together as Cel put the book away, “If you think you might end up needing help with that, you let me know, okay?” The sword was brought into the conversation then, and Khitti noted that wince, “I’m going to assume she’s talking your brain off right now, then. Amarrah did that too.” The former-necromancer frowned a little, but she continued on, “The sword is called Tenbatsu Kaji. It was made by a priest of Cyris. I went to a fight in Craughmoyle. It was supposed to be given to the winner, but… the sword had other plans. It’s sentient. A holy sprite named Seika dwells within it. I’ve, uh, told her about you--good things, I swear!--so that’s why their aura’s not very bright right now. It weakened me a lot before I lost my magic.” Right. There’s that. “Oh yeah… Facilier took my magic from me. The necromancy, that is.”

Celaeno snickers at the image of two spiders, one being a black widow, happily spinning together as she shrugs her pack off her shoulders and sets it at her feet. She rolls the tension out of them a moment, rubbing her eyes on her forearm--using the heel of her hand tended to be too cold. Perhaps it as the difference in lighting, but the dark circles under them seemed more stark, her cheeks a bit sharper than last they’d seen each other as if she’d missed a few too many meals lately. It was subtle enough that it could’ve been a trick of the light though. “Oh yes. And she is also very impressed with this ship and likes that you are not, and I quote, ‘a graveyard lurking psycho.’ Lots of lectures. She’s catching up for lost time.” She leans forward with evident, bright interest as Khitti goes into more detail about the sword. Oddly enough, at mention of the god, her grin brightens. “Oh, Bastion mentioned that, though I had no idea it was under that god. I met a Paladin of him! Very nice, good mind. Such a refreshing philosophy compared to those starched nobles back home.” It did dampen some as she listens to the news, though. Another wince as her sister speaks up, “No I will not ask him to do the same for me. He’s bad, like Papa.” she mutters before she regains her composure quickly enough as she folds her gauntlets in her lap. “I’m sorry, that must be very...jarring. I take it this Seika is pleasant? Are they helping?”

Khitti blinked at the remarks Cel was relaying from Cari, “Well, to be fair, I did do some lurking in graveyards and I was probably a little crazy, but things have gotten better since then. Not everyone that likes to sit around in a cemetery is a bad person. People just have their preferences. Vailkrin was my home for awhile before Brand came along, so it’s only natural that I gravitated towards there.” She nodded somewhat, “Aye, I remember Bastion being there. He was a cheerleader if I remember correctly. And Zahrani! I just talked with her the other night. She’s certainly wonderful.” Khitti’s own demeanor had brightened as they talked, but when Cari spoke up again to Cel, wrinkles of concern would crease Khitti’s forehead as those crimson brows of hers knit together. “Being a necromancer doesn’t make you a bad person, no matter where the magic came from. I don’t give a damn what anyone says. It’s entirely possible for you to do good things with it. Not everyone ends up like Larewen or Facilier. I am proof of that.” Her tone was stern, a frown lining her lips, “It’s what you do with the magic that makes you who you are. If you lose it somehow down the road? Then so be it. You adapt. You stay on your path and you find new ways to fight, in whatever sense of the word you prefer.” Khitti studied Cela for a moment, but it was really more like she was trying to see through to her sister, then relaxed somewhat and leaned back into her chair. “Seika is, yes. They’ve been training me, but it’s slow-going for the most part, because of the pregnancy. My balance is not where it should be and the armor they gifted me fits, but looks entirely silly.” Brand didn’t seem to mind though. “Without my magic, though, I can still train you, if you want. With weapons and without. You just need to get a feel for the somatic components first and then you’ll be able to conjure the black tides without my even summoning a single shadowflame.”

Celaeno nods in firm agreement with Khitti’s remarks, offering her a thankful smile as she plays communicator for a moment and rubs her temple as if getting a migraine. “Yes, they’re quiet and peaceful. Good for studying and testing things so they won’t hurt anyone if they happen to explode. It’s just headstones...” She trails off, fiddling with wrinkles in her robes as she recalls the fight. “I was there as well, by chance, on the other side of everything. However, when the violence broke out, I’m afraid I might have ducked under the stands. There were...far too many people running everywhere, I panicked. And we had a marvelous philosophical discussion. It gave me a lot to think about.” She offers a thankful smile Khitti’s way as she pauses to let her twin absorb the remarks. She smirks as at first there was silence, then it gradually droops to a solemn frown and a sight. “Apparently I’m a little too much like Papa to...merit that benefit of the doubt. He was my ah...mentor. You’re reasonably intelligent, it was probably easy to figure out.” She huffs, shifting her focus toward Khitti’s good news perhaps a bit too eagerly as her posture straightens up. “I hope the armor isn’t too loose when you do have your little one. What are they training you in? Are you going to be a Paladin as well?” The question hung there a moment as she gathered her robe together into a knot and smoothed it out anew. “I would like to learn. I do well adapting theory to action. I’m sure I can pick it up and I need to… It’s dawned on me that I need to advance. Not want, need. There’s helping you, Raevyn, my sister, despite her attitudes. And I’ve lost the luxury of time with all three.”

Khitti shrugged and rested her hands on her stomach, “Throwing yourself into something when you can’t fight isn’t a good idea anyway. There’s no shame in running until you know you’re capable of it.’Live to fight another day’ and all that.” Khitti really didn’t care for the things that Cari was saying about Cel and it showed, “Mentor and father or not--and whether you share qualities with him or not--means nothing. You’re your own person, Cel. And, with respect to your sister, I don’t think her opinion is good for you. But--” She sighed, “--unfortunately, in order to change someone’s opinion like that is to prove yourself and I can definitely help there. All of us do need help, but you need to focus on yourself first and foremost and your sister needs to understand that. Once you’re situated to where you need to be, everything else will fall into place, I promise.” Khitti pushed herself up off the chair and (unfortunately) waddled her way towards the nearest bookcase. Plucking a tome from it, she returned to Celaeno’s side and reclaimed her seat, “This is entirely on the Black Tides. It’s a journal I was keeping on my abilities. I wrote down the gestures so you can practice on your own, but we can certainly do it together as well if you’d like.” A pause. “You work with what you’re given, Cel, and that’s all you can do. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You can be every ounce of good, and a hero, or whatever else you want with necromancy or enchanting or any other magic you happen upon. As for the armor, it’s magical, so it fits me now and will do so after I have the child. I can call on it when I need it.” Then there’s that part about becoming a paladin and Khitti’s demeanor shifted to something a little more uncertain than she was about everything else, “I’m not sure about becoming a paladin. I would like to walk that path, but it’s strict--even Zahrani said as much. I may have to settle for something along the lines of priestess, like Leone of Frostmaw. She’s a priestess of Aramoth, and yet she still fights. Cyris is very different than Arkhen when it comes to paladins and following his code; he is not as forgiving.”

Celaeno hung on Khitti’s every word, leaning forward in her seat with the same starry-eyed hope she’d shown the shelves of books when she first came in. She transmitted every single syllable to her sister and regardless of the reply, her firm enthusiasm stayed put and even turned to her usual eagerness. Unphased by the way the human tottered toward her journal, she took it with careful fingers, as if it were more fragile than it actually was. “I will practice myself, studying. I would appreciate a few lessons, though. You make for pleasant company and I’d like to be sure I’m doing it properly. Besides...having a teacher, an actual one who does genuine teaching who I can trust, is a rather new experience.” Talk of the armor makes her quirk her head, mental gears turning as to how such armor would work, but it quickly became foreshadowed by Khitti’s talk of Paladins and Preistesses. “The gods of this land are certainly interesting, different. I read a bit more about them and I find myself leaning more toward Xalious as well this Cyris, at least for his ideals. From what Zahrani said, he seemed very much about freedom and individuality and such. How exactly do the codes compare, though, in regard to Paladins? I admit, we don’t entirely have them where I come from... Regardless, you give great counsel, so I think you would make a wonderful authority in a clergy. Either seems fitting, with that god anyways.”

“Zahrani told me last time I saw her that: ‘Our potential for exerting power over our fellow mortals necessitates Cyris’ strictness. Power is not inherently good or evil; it is merely your capacity for changing the world as you see fit. But using that power to control others without their consent, to exert our will without giving any thought to the freedom and independence of those we are sworn to serve to Cyris, such actions are unholy. Even if the power comes from something perceived as good.’ “ Khitti sighed as she shifted a little in her chair, a hand coming to her side; the baby was shoving its feet up into her rib cage again. “Sometimes I can be a bit blinded by my ideals. Not zealot-blinded, but I am known to get a bit worked up. I’m just worried that it’d get to be too much and Cyris wouldn’t like it and I’d lose everything I’ve worked for. If I fail with this, then I fail everyone. I feel as if I must be a beacon of hope, to show everyone that we deserve the freedom that people like Kahran or the Larket royals seek to take away. This is not something that I’ve always done. I’ve always wallowed in the shadows, essentially. But, sometimes Lionel falters--too often now thanks to Kahran--and if I don’t support him and everyone else, I’m afraid we’ll lose.” A look is shot towards the sword, a frown and a pensive stare given to the blade of Cyris. “Hush, Seika. I don’t need another lecture on worrying. I’m not like I used to be, but I -am- mortal and it -does- flare up now and again. I’m allowed to worry about whether or not I’m going to lose my family and friends to the darkness again.” Khitti shook her head, fixing her gaze on Cel again, that frown still present, “I’m sorry. This has been rather hard on me, and really only Brand and Lionel has been there to deal with it. Losing my magic was inevitable, but it was what I knew. Attempting to wield something that is the complete opposite of what I’ve known, and trying to do right by everyone, and keep within Cyris’ beliefs is difficult for someone that didn’t believe in gods for most of her life--until I died and came back, that is.”

“It does sound like a weighty responsibility, like you’re a hero from one of those grand stories back home. Even if you were not some holy crusader or official, I feel like you would be up to the task. In the bit of time I’ve known you, you’ve already been an inspiring force to me. I won’t start taking up arms anytime soon, but I had a lot of fear, a lot of bitterness, and quite a few excuses when I first came to Lithrydel, and your openness stripped much of that away and helped shift my attitude to something constructive. Despite everything that has happened in my short time here, I have friends and I’m learning new things every day, going on adventures myself. I’m happier now, and you have been a good part of that. Continue following your instincts, being yourself, and I think you will be fine, whatever you choose. And if you falter, you have quite the network of allies to redirect you to the right path.” She glanced toward the sword and Khitti’s large stomach, the idealistic confidence of her youth shining through. Despite the heavy subject matter, the half-elf seemed to sit straighter and smile easier, her hands resting openly in her lap on top of Khitti’s journal. She doesn’t seem as phased by the other woman’s news that she had been resurrected before, snickering a bit. Her face softens out as she bites her lip in apology. “I’m not trying to make light of it, of course. You’re the second person who’s told me they have come back, and I can’t say I’m surprised with how eventful your life seems to be. The sword chose you, however, did it not? So that has to mean that what you already believed and what it follows had to line up somehow, else I wouldn’t necessarily trust it given the fickleness of ancient magical objects. I’ve never been one to disbelieve in gods, but I’ve never been inspired to subject myself to them either. Divine they may be, but I cannot fathom that they are not also without their faults, no offense meant to your new friend.” The Tenbatsu Kaji is given a small nod of acknowledgement. “It seems like if it so many trust you, despite the weight, then you’re more than able to trust yourself. Those are my two coppers, anyways, if it helps.”

Khitti’s cheeks reddened as Celaeno heaped praise onto her. She found herself unable to say anything at all in response to it, those olive-green eyes wide and searching the table between them, as if her power of speech was just lying there in wait to be picked up off of the wooden surface. Celaeno would turn the conversation elsewhere and Khitti was grateful. Khitti really helped? She did all of that? It couldn’t be true. The redhead mustered a faint smile for the half-elf, “Most people don’t choose a death like that though. I should not have been made into a vampire. I did not acclimate to the change, nor did I enjoy it. Things were even worse after I met Brand and fell in love with him. Most people would want that immortality and the power that came with it, but… I just wanted to be normal.” She shrugged, then patted her stomach with a grin, “I’m still not -quite- normal, but it’s definitely close enough. I don’t think I could ever be the type like my friend Alvina. She just stays at home with the kids all day doing boring mom stuff. That’s not the life I want, but I also didn’t want the ‘domestic whatevers’ to be entirely out of the question ever. I need adventure or I’ll go insane.” There’s a solemn, sagely nod to Celaeno to help get her point across, as if she’s already done the being cooped up in one place for too long sort of thing (spoilers: she has. Multiple times). Khitti let the rest of Cel’s words sink in, and she’d nod again, “I hope you’re right. I’ve never had much faith in myself. I’ve always had faith in my friends and family, and now I even put my faith in the gods, but when it comes to myself…? Nope. That’s out of the question.”

“Normal to a point I can understand. Being able to learn everything there is for the rest of time would be nice. I imagine it would get lonely, though, were there not others around to share the gift of that time with.” Celaeno curled her fingers over her knees, their joints dully scraping together with the motion. She grimaces, her lip curling as she imagines being a vampire of all things, though. “That diet though...not to my taste. As well as the whole...requiring to die first aspect you speak of. It sounds altogether an unpleasant process, anyways.” She smiles as Khitti pats her stomach and talks of her take on her future duties. “Quirks help make fun. Fresh air and variety is important. That was one benefit of having a home that moved with us. I imagine you and your sweetheart’s ship would be very much the same. Not as land-mobile as a cart, of course, but far larger, for certain.” The half-elf’s nose did wrinkle a bit at Khitti’s logic, as much as she perhaps thought the same of herself at times. Of course her self-doubt was warranted, whereas Khitti’s certainly was not. Her case was different, or so she deluded herself into thinking. “Yet if others believe and put their faith in you, why would you not put even some in yourself? Trusting in those others so much and having it returned, surely that must mean something.”

Khitti pushed herself up out of her seat, shrugging once she was steadily on her feet, “Because that’s unfortunately not how my brain works some of the time. I’m working on it, at least.” She offered Cel a smile, “Now, I should probably get back to my ship duties. It’s nothing major, thankfully. I just need to figure out what recipes are going to be made for the rest of the week.” Khitti paused for a moment, a new thought occuring to her, one that she was soon to voice, “Come back here in week and I’ll have the training room cleaned up and you can show me what you can do fighting-wise. It’d give you a bit of time to read over that journal and then I can give you a demonstration of each of the somatic gestures for the Black Tides.” A beat. “And after that, we can have lunch together too!”

“I pray you, don’t set your expectations too high on that front. But lunch sounds lovely.” Celaeno offers a blushingly apologetic smile as she stands and takes a final glance around at all of Khitti’s tomes. She hikes her pack back on her shoulders and swipes the journal from the table, as if it were a treat she was eager to devour once she left the boat. As she passes Khitti with an affirmative nod on her way toward the exit, she pauses a moment, biting her lip as if considering something… Should Khitti not manage to avoid it, the younger half-elf would attempt an awkward, somewhat one-armed side-hug before escaping with a muttered goodbye and thanks, her face beet red.