On the Way to Lillegard

Lyrica made her way to the clearing in the forest. Enormous trees and thick brush all wearing shades of green surrounded her. It would have been easier and faster for her to fly there, but sometimes she took a small pleasure in being able to see things from your average person's point of view. She continued on and soon the clearing was in sight. With the view of the clearing close by, she quickened her pace.

Once Lyrica pushed through that last bush, she was finally at her destination. She took a small moment to fix her appearance, brushing stray twigs and leaves off her dress and then approached the tree stump in the middle of the clearing- her stage. As usual, there was no audience, but the show must go on anyways. While warming up her voice, a small owl had flown down to Lyrica and landed on her shoulder, holding an envelope in its beak. "For me?" She asked as she took the letter from the bird. As the owl flew away, she opened the envelope and read the letter placed inside it.

Dear Student,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for enrollment at the Academy at Lillegard Castle. Below are very specific instructions on how to reach Lillegard Island. Please follow them as carefully as you are able.

Travel to Sindri's Cove, Scotland. Sindri’s Cove is a very small fishing town located North of Balchrick. Walk Southwest towards the sea. You will soon come upon a line of buildings facing the beach. The third building is painted blue with “Barabal Tavern” written above the door. You should go inside, where you will be waiting for an old man that goes by the name of Hendry. He is short and stocky and usually wears a worn brown coat. You may have to wait a while. When he arrives, present him with this letter, and he will ferry you across to Lillegard Island.

Do NOT lose this letter. There are only two ways to find the island; the boatman or by accident. Since by accident could take a while, we recommend you follow these directions well.

Good Luck, and we look forward to having you at the castle.

Sincerely,

Headmistress Everly
Dean Kale
Dean Odqura

"...Lillegard Castle..." The young night sparrow didn't know why she had been accepted, yet she felt great excitement. Even though she lived in this forest all her life and loved it so much, she wanted something new. A new beginning- at Lillegard island. Perhaps she would even find someone who wished to hear her songs. Or maybe not, but she would never know if she didn't go. So, she folded the letter and tucked it into her bag. After getting a running start, she soared into the sky- off to Sindri's Cove.

Thanks to her wings, it didn't take long to reach the small town. She landed gracefully at the entrance to Sindri's Cove and decided to go the rest of the way on foot. Following the directions in the letter, she moved southeast to the sea. The damp air on her wings irritated her on the way there. She tried humming a simple tune while examining the buildings around her to help keep her mind off it.

Soon, Lyrica had came across the buildings facing the beach. She counted "one, two, three," and stopped at the third building. It was painted blue and had the words "Barabal Tavern" written over the door. "Ah, this must be it~"

The night sparrow stood at the entrance and searched for a man that fit the description given.

(This is my first time trying forum and novel based rp, so I apologize in advance if I'm a bit awkward or bad at it XD;; )

Hendry grunted and slung his fish-filled net over his shoulder. The twisted wire was wrapped around in scaly bodies and salted weeds, and as it settled, it hit against the back of square shoulders. The old worn coat was damp and weighted from the recent trip out to sea. His tread was heavy and his boots thudded against the ground in a rough and lazy manner. A calloused and leathered hand tugged a cap down tighter over grey hair.

The man made his way across the sandy ground, wind rushing past him, beckoning him back to the familiar waters. Coming up to the Barabal Tavern, in a mood for a strong scotch, the boatman had to stop. A young girl was standing at the entrance, looking around, and blocking the path to drinks. Dark eyes narrowed under furrowed brows, irritation clear.

"Oi, lassie, yer in the wey. Muve."

(( Don't worry, it was a great first post. :] ))

Lyrica felt as though she had been standing at the entrance for hours on end. Yet, it had only been just a few minutes. Patience was a virtue she had yet to learn.

Soon the pungent smell of fish filled her nose and she heard a man speaking to her with a thick accent. Somewhat startled she exclaimed, "Oh!~ I'm terribly sorry, good Sir!". She quickly hopped out of his way.

He was the first person she had seen enter the building. Could he have been the one she was looking for? She took the acceptance letter out of her bag and read the description of the man again- trying to see if it matched this man's appearance. "...Short and stocky with a worn brown coat..."

Lyrica looked from the letter to the man and back multiple times. After seeming to have come to some sort of revelation, she pointed to the man in a dramatic fashion with a large smile planted on her face.

"Aha!~"

((Oh, that's good to know. Hopefully I'll get used to it as I go along. C: ))

There was never any worry of thieves in a place as small as Sindri's Cove. So Hendry didn't think twice about it before he dropped his fish-filled net on the walkway next to the tavern door and continued in past the girl. The bag made a slapping sound as the fishy bodies hit the stone, splashing up small sprays of seawater.

He continued walking, his mind set on getting a drink in. It had been a long day, and he had a deep ache between his shoulder blades. He walked steadily, heavy boots thudding against the tavern's wooden floor. He was almost to his usual stool on the far side of the bar when he heard the exclamation of the girl behind him.

He turned towards her, thick eyebrows raised in question. He didn't respond, but instead simply stared at the girl, waiting for her to continue.


((I love her response! "Aha!" XD))

She stared at the man until she had realized he was looking at her as if she said something strange. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she stopped pointing at him and coughed.

She continued to stare back at the man- meanwhile the moist air and smell of fish nearby was really getting to her.
Just to be sure she looked at the letter and to the man before her one more time. "Erm, you wouldn't happen to be Sir Hendry, would you?"

If you looked closely, you could see the corners of Hendry's mouth curl up slightly in an almost smile. He let out a small chuckle which was very low and raspy. Any form of jolliness was unusual for the boatman, but there was something about the girl standing before him that he found amusing.

The other people sitting in the bar who had known the boatman as a regular turned towards him at the sound. Noticing their stares, Hendry cleared his throat and turned his body so he was fully facing the girl.

"I micht be. And who's askin?" He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her answer.

Was he laughing at her? Lyrica didn't understand what was so funny. She coughed at the sudden awkwardness and looked down to the floor for a moment. She shifted her feet a little, kicking up a small amount of dust.

She stared back up at the man before her once she heard him ask her a question. "Oh! How rude of me not to introduce myself!" She exclaimed. "I am Lyrica. I come from a forest far, far away from here and I am trying to Lillegard Castle."

Lyrica held up the paper to show the man and let her mouth curl into a big smile once again. "If you are Sir Hendry, then I am supposed to show you this. Correct?"

All traces of his moment of laughter had gone. He still wasn't sure what had come over him. Perhaps simply the long day was taking its toll. There was something about this girl that seemed to light up the room.. She was just so,... happy.

The boat man shook his head, another student. It looked like he wasn't going to get that drink he had been hoping for. He sighed, better to get this trip done quickly. He took a step towards Lyrica, hand extended towards the piece of paper she was holding. The palm of his hand revealed years of age and callouses. The lines were deep, casting dark shadows in on themselves.

"Aye, hand it over then," he said.

Stepping forward, the young girl delicately placed the letter in Hendry's old hands. She noticed all of the callouses- believing it was a sign of how hard he worked.
A small giggle could be heard from her as Lyrica stepped back and eagerly waited for his response.

As rough fingers closed around the parchment, Hendry's lips quirked up into a half smile at the girl's giggle, but it was quickly squashed. Frowning throughly once more, the man carefully unfolded the letter, studying the contents. The elegant writing and design were ones he had be acquainted with for some time now. Dark and beady eyes under a creased brow aged by time flicked up to look over the girl's face once again, scrutinizing, still holding the letter in front of him. Grunting irritably, he looked back down at the proof of enrollment. The thing was definitely genuine, which meant he now had to go back out and get this girl across the water.

"Here." He handed the note back to the girl. "Hit seems iverthing is in order. If ye ar ready than we best be aff." He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder in the direction towards the dock, where his boat was tied.

As she took the parchment from Hendy, Lyrica could feel the excitement building up within her. This was real. She was going to Lillegard.

"We'd best be on our way then, Sir Hendry!" She happily skipped past the man, going in the direction he was pointing to. The letter was still tightly gripped in her hand.

((Sorry for all the short replies. Can't seem to find much to say. ))

Hendry was amazed by how happy this girl always seemed. Not even his grumpy demeanor seemed to phase her. He grunted again, following the girl as she walked in the direction of the ferry boat.

The sky looked clear today, and Hendry hoped that the ride would prove both smooth and quick. As they got to the end of the dock, Hendry motioned the girl into the small boat that looked like it could fit about five people comfortably. "Take yer seat," he grumbled, determined to remain distant.

Hendry stood still for a moment, observing that the wind was indeed heading in the correct direction toward the island, which would make for a quick trip. "Leuks like we'll be gettin ye to the island in no time." He waited for the student to take her seat in the boat before he pushed them off to sea.

((No worries ^^ I'm kinda struggling with posts atm anyways. OTL))

Lyrica cautiously stepped onto the small ferry boat. Taking her time, for she believed that it would tip over the moment she got her full weight on it- dumping her into the water. However, the boat swayed much less than the sparrow had expected. She stood there completely still for a moment until she was sure that the boat was stable.

Pleased that she wouldn't be falling off it anytime soon, Lyrica took her seat. "Hehe~ I've never been on a boat before..." She laughs nervously, feeling as though her hesitation may have irritated Hendry.

Hendry waited patiently for the girl to get in the boat. He wasn't sure why he didn't get irritated. Perhaps it was because he got the feeling that she was not trying to irritate him, or maybe it was the fact that she kept smiling through her trials. Once she was seated, Hendry let loose the tether and dropped it in the boat. He climbed in himself, boat rocking slightly under his movement.

As soon as the boatman raised the white, yet faded sail, the wind took home in the folds, billowing the fabric forward and setting the small boat and its passengers on its way.

The sky was relatively clear, though still a bit cloudy, and the wind blew at the passengers' hair. It was a chilly, but pleasant wind and Hendry took a deep breath of the fresh air. He looked back at the girl seated pleasantly in his boat. He wasn't usually one for conversation, but the ride would be a couple hours, and he wasn't in his usual mood for silence. "Is a nice day for yer first boat ride," he said in his gruff voice. He had never been very good at being social.

The wind blew at Lyrica's hair, causing it to lightly tickle her face. She quietly took a ribbon out of her purse and tied her wavy hair back into a short pony tail. Spreading her wings a little, she let the refreshing wind blow gently against them. It was lovely weather, indeed.
"I agree, Sir Hendry. This weather should be perfect~"

(orz I keep giving you late responses, so sorry.)