Avana's Journal

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Adelene
Posts: 48
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 2:46 am
Location: Mevwan

Avana's Journal

Post by Adelene »

Wavemonth 12, 37

This morning, we made port in Sanborg, Lant. It's still about the same as the last time I described it (so long-time readers may want to skip ahead): The buildings are mostly 6 or 7 stories tall, with flat sides and windows but no balconies. Most of them are painted bright colors, but some of them are grey or white. The streets are made of a kind of artificial black stone that's very flat and has holes in it every so far to let trees grow through. Most of the people use a kind of small trackless train-car to get around on the streets, even though they have plenty of trains here, but some people use a smaller wheeled machine without an engine - they actually push with their legs to make the wheels turn. (There are no psions here, and Telolura says it's hard for her to perturb things at all in this telluric field, though she can still push the ship, of course.) The shops are like giant storage rooms, with shelves and shelves of things and nobody around to ask about them, but mostly the things are in boxes with descriptions printed on them so that you know what they are, or have moving pictures nearby to show you. The shopkeepers usually stay by the doors, and most of them don't like to talk to their customers at all - even if you try to ask them about something they have for sale, they usually just say that they don't know. There's not much point in looking in the shops for interesting things for Lalinyo, since all the bulk trading is done by appointment here, and I usually can't sell anything I have, but there are usually a few interesting things to buy.

Lalinyo says we're going to be in port for a week or two, so I decided to go exploring a bit and see if I could find any interesting new places. Last time we were here, I found a corner where three of the four shops were empty, even though it was on a major street. I checked back there, and two of them had new owners: One of them has clothing, and the other sells electric and regular toy machines, including some electric toy trains that I plan to go back for once I've changed some of my kuo for pon. I also found a new art gallery that mostly had paintings, but also had some interesting abstract stone sculptures by someone named Agneta E. Forssell, who the owner said is a new local artist - I'll go back for one or two of those, too, since the price is good and I'm sure I can sell them somewhere or other.

After lunch, I went to visit one of my pen pals, and we went to a "movie", which is something like a play, except that instead of actors on a stage, it's done with giant moving pictures. The story didn't make much sense, but Max Jensen seemed to enjoy it, and when I asked him about it afterward he said it was about a game that they play here, which also seemed strange since none of the characters were playing any kind of game. I didn't get a chance to ask him any more about it, because he had to go home for his dinner, but maybe I'll have some time to see him again tomorrow and ask.

Adelene
Posts: 48
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 2:46 am
Location: Mevwan

Re: Avana's Journal

Post by Adelene »

Avana glides through the late-afternoon sun, her flight-basket slung below her, headed to Towie's shop, a few streets inland from the dock where the Kwandoyo has made port. She spots the familiar multicolored banner, and steadies the large basket as she maneuvers to a neat landing at the shop's entrance. Once inside, she quietly sets her basket down behind the counter, and browses the shop's displays while her wing-aunt finishes haggling with her customer.

"Avana! I wasn't expecting you until morning; you must have hit a good wind coming in." Towie greets her with a kovwi, and then sets her basket on the counter. "Did you bring anything interesting?"

Avana lollops to the counter and rummages around inside the basket, taking things out of it as she speaks. "Yes... let's see... dried flowers from Teekara - some whole ones, plus I got a few bags of petals that might make some nice specialty paper... jewelry, of course, I have some nice pendants this time... colored ink, most of that's back on the ship though, I didn't want to fly with it and the other things... some new glow paint, from Xalt... maps, especially of Galinomai... and I have some electric toys from Lant again, since that last batch sold so well, but those are on the ship, too. I can bring them by tomorrow morning. Will the usual commission be okay?"

Towie examines the items on the counter. "I'm going to have to start setting aside another shelf downstairs for you, soon, aren't I?" she grins. "You've got a good eye. Yes, the usual commission will be fine. We can dicker over prices for the paint and the flowers tomorrow, though; there's something I think you'd like to see, tonight. They've been working on a new kind of ship design, and they've been testing it in the evenings. What do you say?"

"A new ship? I didn't see any new ships at the port."

"It's not at the port," Towie grins mischievously. "Let me get Yivin to watch the shop, and I'll show you." Without waiting for an answer, she lollops out the back door to get her wingson. Avana harumpfs in mock-annoyance, then chuckles, and spends the few moments while Towie is gone tucking her goods back into the flight basket and stowing it under the counter. "...and if anyone asks for me, just tell them I'll be back shortly after nightfall," Towie instructs her son as they re-enter the shop. "Shall I bring you back something from Lanyi's?"

"Nightfall, got it," the adolescent Zaee agrees, setting a thick stack of papers and a pen on the counter. "And... a prinka cone, from Lanyi, with ivril and green sauce." He writes this last bit on a scrap of paper and hands it to Towie. "And if you're going by Beya's at all, I could use some more ink."

"All right, I'll see what I can do. Ready, Avana?"

Avana nods, and Towie leads the way, not toward the beach, but inland, toward the setting sun. After a short flight, they turn slightly north toward an empty field with a building that looks like a large, hastily-constructed stone barn at one end. They approach the barn, and join the half-dozen or so other Zaee on its roof.

"You're pulling my tail again, aren't you, aunt Towie? Nobody would test a ship here - even if they wanted to test how it handles perturbation, there's not enough room. What's really going on?"

"Just you wait," Towie is grinning so widely that it's obvious that she's up to something. "It looks like we're just in time; they'll be starting any minute now. Hear that?"

Avana perks her ears, and hears the sound of running water, along with a strange hissing, from inside the building. She looks questioningly at her aunt, who gestures at her to be patient, and after a few minutes of hissing, she hears the metal doors of the barn being opened, and sees what looks like a giant half-full cloth sack rising into the air on that side of the building.
Avana's journal wrote: Duskmonth 5, 37

Airships!

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