OOC: Tags to
@selkie -----------------
How long had they been on the roads? The entire country was too long a burden to cross, and although he was quite sure it wasn't a year (for the seasons remained to hold, that much he was certain) but it was nearly half of that, or so his log books, that he so diligently penned, had indicated. At least they were nearly there, for the evidence was all around them- in the air that now smelled like the salt of the sea, and the dirt on the grounds beginning to mix with sands.
His grand father had been a worldly man, Guhn'tao Inawa being respected by many, and personally invited by most. By to Oska Inawa, his grandfather was more of a legend than a figure in his life- an idol. Most talked about him, but it was on rare occasion that the young man had ever interacted with him. Those moments were seared deepest into his memory, for not only did it instill respect for the man, but a certain fear as well. There was a reason the Inawa family continued to prosper in the world wide market- one that Guhn'tao navigated as if with the natural ease of breath itself. And with it...
Oska realized he had big shoes to fill... for initially his father was to inherit the family business. But Hwanma Inawa would never live to see that day. He had been ruthlessly trained since Oska's youth, and in so- his father began to become less and less apart of his own life, and focusing purely on the trade. Except the one year when Oska had first joined him to learn the ins and outs of the family trade...
Everything had gone perfectly.
But all good things come to an end. And now- he knew many whispered at his inexperience as he was to take on the reins of the Inawa fortune. And too many times during this damned journey did it torment. To think back to that day...
when the earth swelled... and he had been trapped... his father, unable to help and....
He closed his eyes, slowly breathing- in and out...
in and out...
in...
and out.
When he opened his eyes again he lifted the drape from the carriage and noted the fine silhouette of the towering city of Cerenis on the horizon.
'Finally', he thought, with a sigh as she sat up a little straighter within the carriage. He adjusted his suit coat and rapped on the side of the carriage wall. The wheels soon ground to a halt.
"Yes, Master Inawa?" came the coachmen's reply.
"We will rest up here. We should make it to the city before night fall but I'd like to stretch my legs."
"Very well."
He heard the man jump down from his perch, then stepped along side where he moved to pull open the heavy side door and held it open for his lord.
He stepped out with silent grace, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun that glittered in harsh lines through the trees. He peered once over at the horizon, towards the city, and the trail before them before turning away to take in the sandy grounds and long, squat, old trees.
This area was hot, sticky and humid with trees that, while tall, had branches hanging low and thick to the grounds and tended to be heavy with ivy and other vining plants. The tops grew out wide, wider than those trees to the north of here, which stood tall and thin- like daggers towards the sky. He always found this interesting, and noted a small grove of trees tucked away from the road, but lit by the dancing goldness of the sun's rays.
He motioned to this staff he was going for a brief walk - and when asked for an escort, he waved off the notion. They obliged, and he was walking alone, deeper into the forest paths and taking in the great old trees all around him, whose branches and old tangle of vines swayed in the late afternoon breeze.
He was far enough away he could no longer see the carriage, but he had made note of how to get back. He was now nose deep in some notes, producing an ink well and pen and resting the small well into a knot in the tree and began to scribble in his journal. He often took notes of places on his journey, making detailed descriptions of trees and fauna, animal life and the weather. But then something caught his ear and he turned, straining...
Water? There must have been a stream nearby. He plucked up his inkwell and tucked his pen into his book and strolled deeper, following the sound curiously. It was a bit unlike him to travel this far on his lonesome, but he was itching to just
move and he was hardly that far away from his carriage that a good few shouts ought to carry up from the valley floor he was walking through.
But the noise seemed to be further than he thought, and soon he was hearing a much loud roar of water-
Falls, and slowed his approached and he paused to take note of the way he had come. He scribbled, with now fading ink, inside his book, a few key markers on which path he had taken- then tucked the pen away and moved towards a large hanging drapery of interwoven vines laced in moss. It was... something awe inspiring to be sure, even for a man such as he, it was like some magnificent tapestry of earthen greens, and he paused a good moment to take it all in, wishing he had the ability to draw such a view. But instead, he pulled back out the ink well, nearly spilling it before setting it amongst the rocks near his feet, and dipped the drying pen into it, which thirstly took in more dark ink and he scratched away all the details he could.
There was a reason he wanted to be alone- for as much as it was wise to have men at his side at all times...
It meant less privacy and he just wanted a moment to
be.. be anywhere else but here. And in these forests, so old and ancient...
He was reminded of those books he read in his youth, the ones he tucked away and still read in secret, today- before tapping the pen aside and tucked it within the pages again and staring at the large moss and ivy mass before him. He craned his neck up to see where it came, but it was hard to deduce just where and which set of trees it had began.
But the sudden snap of a twig drew his attention elsewhere. He glanced around, saw nothing, but then recalled the bubbling roar of a waterfall beckoning on the other side. he peered around, then behind him, making notes of the area one last time, before stepping through the veil of green and into the darker, deeper woods beyond.