aterat | into the unknown

Entry tags:

into the unknown

Who; Drizzt Do'Urden and you
What; Drizzt spends a quiet night on the beach while contemplating things (and possibly planning on exploring those shark rumors)
Where; The Beach, tables
When; Late July, evening
Warnings; none has of yet

It wasn’t until the sun was drifting toward the horizon that the lithe figure dared venture to the sands. The sun glaring overhead during the day was much like the shine upon fresh snow, and while he’d attempted visiting earlier, the headache that had resulted was far from worth it. And so, he instead journeyed to the sands as the sun was setting. They were colors he’d also found beautiful, and clad as he was in thin leathers, having left his long cloak behind and pulled his long silver hair back with a thin leather thong, he looked to be ready to stay a while, as the stars began to wink into existence.

Things like the boardwalk were alien to him, though only slightly. Many cities had similar markets and harbors boasting goods from around the surrounding lands. Most often, Drizzt was forced to sneak into those cities, and never was he allowed to visit leisurely. In that respect, Aterat was something of a haven, fraught with just enough danger to keep him interested, and enough new experiences to hold his attention. On the boardwalk, they served cold, sweetened treats to ward away the lingering heat of the day, and he found a seat at a table still within sight of the shops to enjoy it as he watched the tide roll in. After a while, he pulled a small, leatherbound notebook from his pack as well as a pencil, a rather clever invention he’d found here, and began to write.

The pack to his side seemed fuller than usual, and the quiet Drow wound smiled politely to anyone who investigated, and offered them a snack he'd procured from one of the street vendors from his pack: boiled salted peanuts.

“Good evening. There is plenty to share.” And he wasn’t sure how he felt about these ‘peanuts’, though everyone else who’d been buying them seemed to be excited about them. Those who join him may notice the page of his notebook is titled “the Unknown”, and may also notice to spite his lack of armor, he is wearing two swords, belted at his waist, and that his pack tinkles slightly when it is moved, as though a fine chainmail may be stored there with his wares.

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Llewellyn wasn’t known to wander later in the day as much as he was during the afternoon, but his work had taken him a little further that day and he was only taking the long way back to the neighborhood near the market district. It seemed like a nice enough opportunity to walk along the shore while it was a little less crowded with beach goers, and enjoy the sounds of the waves along the shore while he let his thoughts for the day sort themselves and see if anything particularly important made a connection or rattled into place that he could note down for the next day.

Thus far the extent that he’d accomplished was remembering he should probably pick up something for a late supper at home, and that he really needed to gather supplies for making Pretzels food for the week again. So not particularly valuable as far as investigations went, but no less important in its own way.

He did find himself easily distracted, though, by the sight of a familiar figure sitting at a table on the new boardwalk, and altered his course slightly to stop and say hello. It had been a while, after all. “Good evening!” He commented, setting his hat on the side of the table and leaning against a chair curiously. Eyes finding their way to the notebook and it’s a rather interesting title written across the top of the page.

Although the detective was soon distracted by the offer of peanuts, Llewellyn rather liked them as far as snacks went. He’d been scolded for bringing them to a play once, though it wasn’t entirely his fault he’d stumbled and spilled the bag a little. “Ah- well, thank you for sharing.” He added with a smile, snagging a small handful as he returned his attention to the notebook. “I hope I’m not interrupting you, though? Putting thoughts to paper is mm… An important task, in my experience.”

As the sun moved toward the horizon, Drizzt pulled a small candle from his pack, ready to light it and provide himself meager light by which to write. He may be able to see the infrared spectrum but that did little to trace pencil on paper. He looked up when his friend approached, a light smile spreading across his lips as he did so.

"Good evening, Llewellyn, and you are most welcome." He still hadn't decided whether or not he enjoyed the peanuts, but he was more than willing to share regardless. "You need not apologize. My thoughts will wait. I trust you're well?"

Well, if he wasn’t going to be a disturbance? Llewellyn pulled out one of the other chairs to sit on the edge of, leaning his arm against the back of the chair as he considered the question before he nodded. “Mm… I believe I am, yes.” He added with a smile, he felt far more stable than he had been in the prior month and was actually starting to feel a little more like his usual self… Or at least the usual self he had felt like in this particular world and life.

“What about yourself? I hope you’ve been well of late?” He added with a curious tone, knowing it had been a little while since they last bumped into one another after their little excursion to the Academy. He’d actually been meaning to see about getting in touch, though one thing led to another and all that.

In Faerun, in Icewind Dale, Drizzt's friends were accustomed to his coming and going months at a time, sometimes only returning to the shelter of his mountain, or the mountain of Kelven's Cairn, when winter reared high and to chance the open tundra was the taunt death. That wasn't to say he wasn't touched Llewellyn asked after him, but it was simply different than his norm.

He nodded at the question. "I've been well, yes. You, however, seem to doubt yourself." It was a casual observation. He hadn't known Llewellyn terribly long, but they had spent time together, time enough to note tension in a friend's eyes.

Llewellyn was like that, Drizzt would learn. Not seeing a friend for a long period of time tended to be a small concern, considering how people had a tendency to disappear on him. He at least had the security here in knowing that it was easy to tell if they were gone when a name disappeared from the tellphone director… But he was still thoughtful enough to ask how the other was doing when it had been a while. "I’m glad to hear. I had heard you followed up with a group at the Academy and had been meaning to see how you fared.”

“Oh- uh…” His brow wrinkled lightly, not having expected Drizzt to notice and ask that either. That said, he supposed he had made himself more scarce when it came to socialization since he returned. He was trying, of course, but the stark differences between his world and this one had been a bit jarring to adjust to all over again. Perhaps he was still carrying that more than he realized, or more than he allowed himself to think. “I am perhaps a little less certain than I like to be… But I am adjusting- it would seem two years in one place so different from this one has some lasting effects. But! Today I am well enough, and glad to see a friend.” He added, eating a couple of the peanuts as a distraction. "Especially at this curious new beach that seems to have sprung up."

"You did?" He wondered who spoke of him, the others, perhaps. He had trouble thinking of himself as notable, and the others were just as useful, if not more so, in the battles waged in the Academy basement. "Ah, there were beasts, there, some of which I have never seen, but nothing too dangerous. The shard, it seemed, opened a rift when it exploded, eons ago."

"Two years?" Was the implication his friend had left? He should pay more attention to the network, it would seem. He cast his gaze across the sands and the waters beyond, giving Watts a nod. "Indeed. You know, it is the first coast I've seen, at least with such beaches. I have heard of sands like them, but never before have I seen them firsthand."

“Mmhm, a few people from where I work went on one of the teams as well.” He had not, due to being rather tied up with a few things and… Again, not particularly himself, he was quite sure he would have been more of a liability and hindrance than help. Someone needed to stay behind and man the fort as it were, anyway. It was practical, and Llewellyn was only glad that things had turned out well. “I was glad to hear that it went as well as it did. One never knows with this place?”

He ducked his head in a slight nod. “Yes, it uh- seems this place is capable of sending us back to where we came from for varied lengths of time without warning. I was in my own world for about two years, while here it was only a week.” He responded, rubbing the back of his neck lightly as he explained it. So it wasn’t surprising if someone hadn’t noticed his absence. It hadn’t been that long in this world.

His brow rose, though, to hear that Drizzt had never seen something like this before. “It’s quite the beautiful sight, and one that I expect most people will be enjoying their summers along now that it’s here. There’s a beach at least sandy like this where I’m from, near the lake.”

"I see." He smiled at the note Watts made, nodding. "It was an adventure." And by the tone of his voice, it's obvious it was a most welcome one. Drizzt, when idle over-long tends to get bored, and when bored, becomes more and more volitile in his demeanor. He doesn't become violent, really, or at least no more violent than usual, but he's more prone to bad decisions and unplotted courses.

"I've only seen such large lakes in the tundra, hardly a summer's frolic. What do...people typically do at a beach? I know of fishing and the like, but you sound as though you speak of holiday."

“I can well imagine it was, though you all came back victorious, which is certainly good to hear.” He added with a smile, because sometimes things that happened in these places didn’t always end in such a way, and it was hard to not worry about one’s friends. But at least Drizzt seemed to have come back no worse for wear and seemed quite pleased to have gotten to have the adventure. He really did seem suited to such things.

The question got a small hum as he leaned back in his seat and considered the shoreline itself for a moment. “Indeed, I do, used to take my brothers by the beach when we were young.” He responded with a lighter tone. It was free entertainment and no one ever really bothered them there as long as they minded where they wandered if tents and shows were set up. “People do a number of things, though mostly the same it does appear it can vary depending on the year and world.” He gestured to the shore where a few remains of sand castles could be seen, slowly being eaten up by waves lapping against the shoreline. “They play games with balls, swim, build sand castles and sculptures… And uh- sometimes in my world there would be small attractions or contests set up for people to take part in.”

"Sadly, little knowledge was to be gleaned from the archives. Much was damaged during the explosion, and that which was not was subsequently ravaged by the creatures brought forth by it. I believe my first theory is sound, though, that whatever happened with this Voidcryst ripped pieces of this reality into other planes of existence. For more specifics, I fear we would need a wizard knowledgeable in the machinations of this place." It was a sad state of affairs, really. They were so close to answers, but like two parallel tunnels bored into neighboring rock, separated by far more than cloth.

He smiled as Watts recounted his time spent with his brothers in their youth. Until this very moment, Drizzt hadn't been aware his friend had siblings, but then, he hadn't shared similar information with Watts, either. He had few fond memories of his own childhood and he didn't want to darken the mood with those tales, so instead he would live vicariously through his new human friend. "What sorts of games would one play in the sand with balls?" He remembered one human family he'd watched an entire summer after he'd risen to the surface. They'd played a stick and ball game that had been incomprehensible at the time, but it'd seemed quite fun.

It was as shame that so much was damaged between the explosion and the creatures that had overrun the place… But perhaps there would still be interesting developments to come of it now that it was cleared out and free of the more dangerous inhabitants thanks to Drizzt and everyone else who had gone to deal with the situation there. He hummed lightly at the comment with a small frown. “You’re probably right, which is unfortunate… But perhaps there will be someone one day, like when that uh- curator at the library appeared. Or perhaps one of the more magically inclined of our arrivals might discover something in time?” They could only hope, really.

It was rare enough that Llewellyn spoke of his brothers, really. They were, at one time, a well guarded secret even in his own world. He had cared for them dearly over the years, and they were more family to him than his birth sister had ever been. But he was trying to be a little more relaxed and open these days about them, with a little encouragement from a few people who knew. “Oh-!” He paused, blinking at the question. “Well, it’s a little newer in my world, but I’ve seen some people playing it here… There’s a game called volley ball with a net. People split into two teams after they set a net up in the sand and they kind of… bounce the ball over the night and try to get it past the people on the other team. I think… I’m not particularly knowledgeable on that one. I have a few colleagues who play, though. As for building castles and sculptures with sand, you pour water on to make it easier to mold and form shapes with. It’s something a lot of kids, or even adults, enjoy.”

"There are many tomes in the academy that may shed light on things, but research is not my strength." He grew too anxious when left in one place. Even in his studies at the Academy of Menzoberranzan his mind would often wander to his weapons lessons. "I hope you're right and a scholar joins us, though I believe there is a young woman who means to open the academy for students, now that it is safe."

"And this is a game?" It sounded like one that would require agility, speed, and accuracy and, well, color him interested in it. "I wonder if we might find a net. Would a fishing net suffice?" As for sculpting, that he could follow. Many artisans of his homeland prided themselves on their sculpting ability, though it was for the glory of Lolth, and out of stone with magic.

He might have to take a trip back to the Academy now that it was safe now to have a look around. He was rather good at researching and studying things, though that tended to be limited to things of his interest and he could only sit for so long himself. It was perhaps an endeavor best left to someone who would know what they were looking at and how to spot something of value… But still, worth the look! Though he tilted his head slightly with interest at the mention of the Academy being set up to be what it was meant to be again. “Mm, that so? That actually sounds like a wonderful idea… There seems like a lack of those around here, and I’m sure many would like the chance to attend if given the opportunity.” So, he found himself hoping for both someone more knowledgeable on the subjects necessary and people to bring the place back to life for those who could use it.

Seeing the interest on his friend’s face, he nodded to confirm it with a small gesture. “It is! It’s uh- supposed to be good exercise, from what I recall Doctor Hart saying when she mentioned it.” Rubbing the back of his neck lightly, he considered what might be needed. “I believe a fishing net would probably work if you found a way to string it up on sticks.”

"It does, and I look forward to seeing what she does with the place." He's uncertain whether or not he would attend himself, though he most likely will, at least for one or two sessions simply to satisfy his curiosity. He'd never met the young woman who would run the place and it would give him more insight into her than simple questioning would.

He grinned, as preparing this court sounded like a challenge in itself. "Shall we find us a net, my friend?"

“I certainly would like to see myself. You’ll have to let me know what you think if you do see it before me.” He had a feeling Drizzt might see it before him, if only because Llewellyn still had some house repairs and work to be done alongside his actual jobs. As intrigued as he was, he probably would be a little slower than some to visit the academy properly.

The question gets a surprised hum. He hadn’t expected Drizzt to suggest setting something up now! He really wasn’t the kind of person one picked to join in on a sport, after all. But… Well, how could he say no to his friend’s eager tone? He was the one who vaguely knew how this all worked, so it would be a shame to not at least help set things up and show him how the game worked based on his conversations with Doctor Hart. “A net can’t be too hard to find, I expect? There must be an old one around somewhere.” He responded with a nod, pushing himself up from the table finally.

"Indeed." He nodded, content that the topic of the academy, interesting as it was, was tabled for the moment for something more present, and he stood from the table, journal, bag of peanuts, and everything else being moved into his pack with deft precision. "Perhaps the shops? They seem to mostly traffic novelties, but surely there is a fishery among them. Shall we?"

“That is a good place to start, especially the ones nearest to here.” He responded with a smile, not having anything to gather up himself aside from the bag he usually carried home from work. Slipping the strap over his shoulder and scooping up his hat to plop back on his head.

Moving away from the table once Drizzt was finished packing up, he hummed and glanced around. “I would think there should be some store for supplies and like for those who happen to be in the business of fishing, and there must be some considering the location.” He added with a smile, there was usually fresh fish to be found at the stalls in the market. Had to come from somewhere, caught by someone… Right?

"Perhaps there is even a shop that supplies the items necessary for this game of yours." If it was a common sport in some world, which anything was possible, it may well exist. If not, they would simply have to improvise.

"What shall we use as a ball, if there is none available?"

“Perhaps? This place does tend to have an odd knack for having a new shop or something of that nature concerning things that appear.” He responded, rubbing at a cheek lightly as he started walking.

The second question gets a light frown, though, because he really doesn’t have an answer. His description of the game really had only been to share what he knew of the beach. He didn’t particularly know much about procuring the items. “Perhaps we can… find something light enough that would take its place? Or perhaps someone at the shop might have some advice. I’m afraid I can’t say I know for sure beyond that.”

"I suppose we'll have to see when we arrive." Which, by the sound of it, sound perfectly fine with the Drow. Perhaps it was silly, enjoying the learning of a new game, but he was always keen for new experiences and not all had to be high-flying adventure.

"And you say you've never played? Have you played any other games?"

Well, Llewellyn was at least happy to try to teach. It was just a pity that someone like Violet or Effie weren’t here to do the teaching given they were quite good at it, well… Violet was, Effie less so if the grumbling of one of their teammates had been anything to go by. The question that followed as they continued towards a shop was met with a small shrug. “Mm… Nope, I have not played this one as yet.” He shrugged. It was a fairly recent addition to activities in Toronto, and he’d been rather occupied.

“Haven’t had a lot of time for games in my life as it’s been thus far, and I admit I have always been a bit clumsy on my feet for sports. My brothers and I would sometimes kick a ball around a bit, but that was probably the extent of it.” That wasn’t to say Llewellyn didn’t know how to have fun, it was just that his fun was often more along the lines of his odd hobbies and travelling. “Oh- though I did learn to skate in the last world I was.”

That was… perhaps an embarrassing thing to admit, given all his colleagues in his own world had known how to skate. But his balance was truly abysmal and someone had been kind enough to try to help him improve upon that at the Sphere.

It all seemed rather reasonable to Drizzt, why he hadn't participated in sports. He'd traveled with Watts and the physical was not the man's strong suit. He was curious in whatever Watts might introduce him to, though, and he stopped, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"Skate?" He understood the meaning of the word in a certain context, but in this, it was lost on him.

Llewellyn offered his friend a curious smile at the question. It seemed he’d stumbled on another thing that was not common where Drizzt was from… Or at least maybe not from his culture; the detective supposed. “Yup! It’s uh- actually fun when you aren’t falling down.” He gestured slightly as he tried to think of how to explain it well enough. “Back where I came from, once the lakes froze in the winter time people would go skating on it. There are these shoes with blades on the bottom that you wear, makes it easier to glide over the ice, though keeping your balance is tricky. I was never much good at it until someone helped me out in the last world I was.”

He probably still isn’t much good at it, but he also hadn’t really had an occasion to see if he retained any of the lesson he’d had to know for sure.

"Ah!" So he was familiar with the act, only not as a pastime! "Fishman on the lakes of Icewind Dale use similar specialized shoes to fish in winter, when the lakes freeze, though I have never known them to use the blades for sport." Now that the idea has entered his mind, however, he wants to give it a try.

"Though now I anticipate the winter's coming in Aterat all the more."

Llewellyn smiled a little to hear that there was at least something similar to where Drizzt was from, if slightly more practical than it was where he was from. “I see! Well, I do believe that skating is something that happens here too.” He added, reasonably sure he saw something of the sort back during the winter he arrived here, even if he hadn’t gotten a chance to see if he retained any of his lessons.

“So once the winter does arrive, and the lake freezes solid enough, I’m sure you’ll have a chance to, uh- try it out.” He might even join, if only for the amusement of others who liked to watch him fall down if he did forget how to keep his balance.

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