Journey in search of Hendry, the boatman

When Zula finally arrived to Sindri's Cove around noon, she stood by the entrance and taking in the view of the small fishing town.

"So this is Sindri's Cove," said Zula. She was glad that she was able to find it without getting lost because she knew she wasn't good in direction like her adoptive father, Aeolus, who already left for another journey. She took out a letter of acceptance from her pocket and reads it again:

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

"Hmm... so now I have to find "Barabal Traven" at Southwest towards the sea and look for Sir Hendry." Zula carefully fold the letter and tucked it inside her pocket for safety and walked Southwest as the letter directed. Her nose was greeted with the smell of the salty sea as she slowly approached a line of buildings facing the beach. After she counted until the third building which is painted blue, she stood outside the door which read "Barabal Traven".
"I wonder how Sir Henry looks like..." Zula thought to herself, she reached out to grab and turns the door handle.

As if on cue, the old Barabel door burst open sharply just as the girl had reach the handle. It slammed roughly into the blue outer wall of the tavern and wobbled and creaked from the stress. Standing in the now open doorway was a man who's want for height was more than made up for by his confident air of harsh disapproval. Clothing sanded and worn by years of salty ocean gusts fluttered as such a breeze drifted past the pair and into the open tavern. The man's gaze is as rough as the graying and uneven stubble on his square jaw as he eyes the girl in front of him, either considering her presence or not seeing her at all.

He was still for what felt like a very long moment before his frown deepened and he finally moved past the student. The door gave way to another press of wind and slowly eased shut in the absence of the boatman.

The man tugged on the front of his cap to shield his eyes better from the rarely benevolent sunlight, and shifted on his heal so that he was half-facing the girl. "Yer letter?" One hand extended expectantly.

"W-woah!" Zula was startled when the door burst open, as if her body moved on instinct, she took an unstable step back and end up falling on her back. She look up to see the man looming over her while he stood on the entrance of "Barabel Traven" who extended his hand expectantly toward her asking about a letter.

"L-letter?" Zula stammered. When she looked closely at the man, she noticed he wears a worn brown coat. "Could he be Henry, the boatman the letter mentioned?" Zula thought to herself.

She quickly stood up and took out the letter of acceptance from her pocket, placing the letter into the man's palm. While she waited for his reaction, in a small voice she asked him. "Are you S-Sir Henry?"

Taking the letter in hand from the young girl that stood before him, he cleared his throat as if to say something then stopped. He looked down at her and shook his head before adjusting the brown hat on his head. "It would be wise to know how to say the name of who ye war addressing correctly. The name is Hendry, not Henry. If you were dandering then aye I am the boatman..." His voice was deep and at this point was a little raspy from the long silence he had managed to keep prior to entering the tavern. His expression remained the same as he pulled out the letter from the envelope. He looked it over carefully as he made sure to look for any errors. The staff at the Castle would never make a mistake and he knew it. After a moment he sighed slightly and nodded. "Aye tis is real, and yer Zula are accepted to ride with me." He turned heavily on his heal towards the door again and he looked back and nodded his head towards the direction he was facing, letting her know to follow.

Heading out the door he didn't look back to see if she followed, but only hoped she did as he didn't feel the need to have to find the young miss. Its not as if he didn't care, but he had a long day of many boat rides across the way. It would just be annoying to him at this point. His boots hit the ground and they pushed up dust from the earth as he made his way down to the docks.

"Ack!" Zula thought, she wished she could have kicked herself for being silly because she called the man "Henry" instead of "Hendry", which is extremely embarrassing. "So much for first impression," she thought to herself.

"I'm really sorry for addressing your name wrongly," Zula apologized, she was worried that did she upset him?
When Hendry said she was accepted to ride with him, she slightly let out a sigh of relief that she have found him. As Hendry walks towards the dock, Zula followed him from behind a few steps from him.
Looking at the back or Sir Hendry, Zula wondered how long have he worked as a boatman and why he's still wore that worn out brown coat.

(( sorry for short reply D8 and silly me for missing a "d" on Hendry name >A< ))

Hendry listened as the light footsteps of his follower had stayed a short distance behind him. He lightly smirked to himself, thinking he might have scared the little lass. Reaching the docks, Hendry stops an turns towards Zula. He pointed to the boat that was just a few feet away from them. He took a moment to take in a deep breath of the salty sea air, as he was getting a little tired. The day looked like it would be coming to an end in an hour or two, and he figured that he would need to get Zula to the island. He didn't want to to be walking the rest of the way in the dark. Though the forest was searched for anything dangerous and came up negative, he couldn't help, but worry for her.

Slowly he stepped down into the boat and it rocked lightly under his weight. Walking to the far end of it he pointed to the seat opposite of him and nodded, "Young lass, may I ask that ye be seated. We must depart for island afore nightfall comes." He asked as he was ready to loosen the ropes that had held the boat to the docks. He looked down at the boat then up to the sky. He felt the breeze roll in and though he didn't show it he was smiling on the inside. The wind would be in his favor on this one. Looking back at Zula he adjusted his coat, "Ready lass?"

((Its alright for short posts no worries ^^ we all can't write novels ever time right? XD))

"Ah o-okay," said Zula as Hendry told her to, she carefully stepped down onto the boat which rocked gently and sat on the seat Hendry told her. She noticed that Hendry was looking at the sky, and she looked up too.

"Maybe he was checking the weather?" Zula thought to herself as she felt the breeze caressing under her hair.
When she heard Henry spoke, she look back at him and nodded. "Yes," she answered. She wondered what kind of person she'll met once she reached her destination, she can feel the excitement stirred within her.

((yeah xD ))

To say Lunie was in a rush would be a great under exaggeration. He was sprinting across the fields, with his mind focused on only one thing: I’m going to be late!
Every now and again, he’d check his letter, then double check it, even if he could only understand aprts of it.

Dear Student,

We are pleased to ____ you that you have been accept__ for __roll___ at the ______ at Lillegard Castle. Below are very ____ instructions on how to reach Lillegard Island. Please follow them as carefully as you are able.

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

Do NOT lose this letter. There are only two ways to find the island; the ______or by ____. Since by _____could take a while, we _____ you follow these ______well.

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

_____,

____ Everly
Dean Kale
Dean ____


Even after rereading it many times over, it still didn’t make sense. He had to find a Southwest fishing cove in Scotland, whatever that was. It was no wonder he’d spent most of the day lost, unable to decipher the strange script that humans often wrote. But somehow, by an unusual stroke of luck, he soon rested his eyes upon a small dock, and two people…

….Wait, were they leaving without him?!

Too frantic to consider the scenery, he dashed towards them, half tumbling, half prancing. “H’HEY!” he yelled, waving his arms about, although it’d probably sound like a faint whisper from their position.

At a closer look, he saw them both on the boat, which only fuelled his depseration. Finally tripping onto the dock in a less than dignified manner, he couldn’t stop the stream of apologies that flows from his mouth. “I’msosorryIwon’tbelateagaindon’tgowithoutmeIdidn’tmeanit…!” Gasping for breath, he feebly waved his letter about, smiling sheepishly. “….Please…?”

Zula turns toward the source of the sound and saw a figure coming towards them. When it finally reached the dock and kept apologizing something about "late", waving his letter about in his hands.

Zula couldn't help but think that this being looks adorable in her point of view. "Could he be a student too?" Zula thought to herself. "I hope I can be friends with him." She looked at Hendry to see what he's reaction toward it.

Hendry nodded as Zula stated that she was ready to ship out and began to loosen the ropes on the dock. The wind was still in a good set, but he knew it wasn't going to last long. Placing the rope into the small compartment in the boat itself Hendry began to kick off of the dock, when he notices Zula's attention towards the little thing that approached the boat. His hearing wasn't what it used to be and he probably would have left the little thing, if Zula hadn't done anything. Wrapping the boat back up as that they didn't drift off, he took the letter and read it over, "So yer name be Lunie? Nice to meet yer. Lucky be you as I was aboot to ship off. Hop in laddie..." He said as he grabbed the ropes again. "Now yer knowin my name be Hendry and I tis, the Boatman. Welcome and aye, I be takin yer to the island." Now ready to ship out he placed the ropes where they needed to be and turned towards the dock once more. This was going to be in interesting ride, but it would hopefully be the last of the day, already so many students had come one after another and he was wondering if it would ever come to an end. "Aye hurry hurry, tis the wind, she be diein soon!"

Zula moved to a side of the seat to give Lunie some space. "Nice to meet you, I'm Zula," she said as she smiled to him.

((Argh D8 sorry for super short reply because I don't know what to type again ))

Lunie perked up immediately at his acceptance. Luckily for him, they didn’t appear to be angry at all, despite their strange, strange appearances. “Thanks so much! I’ve never met a Boatman before, but you’re still the best one I’ve ever met!” It wasn’t odd of Lunie to exaggerate everything completely, but there was a sort of sincerity in his voice as he said so.

He laid his eyes on the tauren, who looked all the more unusual, but much less daunting. “Aww, that’s so nice of you!” he chirped, clambering on board, and squishing up close to her on the seat. Despite how awkwardly close he was to her, he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable. In fact, he seemed to revel in every second, eyes taking in the new, foreign scenery. “Zula’s a really pretty name, by the way,” he thought he’d add, coyly making circles on the deck with his toe.

(( so... we wait for the boatman to reply and off we go to dirt road? ))

Watching the two convers, Henry began working his magic with setting the mast to his boat up. He pulled out a long sail and clipped it into place along the pole and its many rings. Looking to the two once more to see if they were seated, and then they would be off. Happy with how they had already been looking for some sort of friendship in one another, he puled the rope and open swung the sail. He looked up at it and realized now how old it had became over the years of use and abuse. Being tossed here and there when Hendry really didn't care for the well being of things. Then again he was still pleased with how it got him to where he needed to go. The sail filled with air and he cracked what looked to be a smile, but could barely tell, as they took off from the docks. The wind was powerful that day, but not harsh. The sea breeze felt like nothing on Hendry's adaptive skin. The thickness of it was just what he needed to not feel any of the annoying salt particles dash past his face. Usually to some it would be a small sharp little pain if not used to it, but looking at the two he figured they would be fine. He couldn't wait to see how the day would end today. Perhaps a nice fish on the campfire would be just what he needed for his old tired body.

((sorry for the late response you two had a lot going on today.))

"Thank you," Zula replied to Lunie with a smile. As she turned to watch Hendry pulled the rope and swung open the sail, she too can see that the sail have been used a lot of time because it looked old. She was amazed that it still can be used. The wind made the boat they're on rocked slightly as they drift off toward the island, while Hendry maneuver the boat. Zula shivered slightly to the cold sea breeze.

While he was sitting comfortably in his seat, in less than a moment from the ship’s movement, he leapt up onto his feet, looking rather alarmed. “What’s going on?! Why’re we - We’re on boat?! On water?!” He was probably unaware of the fact he’d just ruined a peaceful sail for Hendry, or that he probably should have known the obvious a little earlier. Nevertheless, he suddenly clung to the edge of the boat and peering over at the daunting sight of water. His legs seemed to lose all will, slowly slumping to the ground ‘til he was on his knees. He eyed Hendry cautiously. “Y’know, I really hope that you’re actually a Boatman and not some… robber… thing.” Despite his wonderfully eloquent manner of speaking, he gave Zula a sort of fearful look. And not the nervous kind, more of the-worlds-going-to-end-if-we-don’t-do-something kind.

Hendry was enjoying the relaxing boat ride as it seemed his passengers were quite well mannered. Unfortunately that didn't last to long as Lunie began to freak out. He face palmed himself and sighed heavily. "See here, I am the boatman and tis is me boat, either stay or jump and fight the waves back." He said a little annoyed now. He was actually enjoying everything too. Looking at the face of Lunie he shook his head and then shrugged. He ignored the boy and continued to look ahead for his way to the island. He knew they were getting close and he was happy that they were. Then at least the little creature in his boat could find land to call home for awhile. Then perhaps he could relax for a little before heading back to bring the other students who he was sure to come.

((Sorry for short reply, had to get off so I was in a hurry))

"Maybe this is the first time he ride on a boat?" Zula thought to herself, judging the way Lunie's reaction and the way he gave her a sort of fearful look. And she could also tell by the tone Hendry spoke to Lunie that he was annoyed.

"Don't worry," said Zula to Lunie. "I don't think Sir Hendry is a robber because he seems to be a good person." She also wanted to assure Lunie that Hendry will bring them to the land safely but she doesn't really know how to put the words right.

When they arrived to the island, Zula carefully climb out of the boat. "Thank you, Sir Hendry, for giving us a ride," Zula bowed to him in a polite manner.

Almost as quickly as he started panicking, he quickly calmed down, slowly sliding back into his seat. “Oh, okay,” he nodded. His panicked face was replaced by a cheerful grin, and one could wonder if it had even happened at all. Of course, he was scared of water, and had been since a young age. But he wasn’t about to call these guys liars, could he? If they said the boat was safe: it was safe.

Lunie probably would’ve spent the tedious journey chit-chatting about almost every topic that would cross his mind. “Hey, how high do you think seagulls can fly?” “That cloud is shaped like a snake!” “Why don’t we play charades?!” Even if his conversations would be met with reluctance, Lunie would’ve faced it all with relentless enthusiasm. There was quite possibly no way to shut that ever exuberant mouth of his.

Even at the end of it all, he’d still be going at it. “Pleeeeease, Hendry, come with us, it’ll be so much fun, I know you really enjoyed yourself, so please please please…!” He was literally on his knees, hands clammed together, staring pleadingly up at the man. How could he let him go on a lonely sail back home? It would be barbaric.