Demesne 362 - Loaded And Ready To Go (Patreon)

With the new cart, we needed to find a route that wasn't so full of people as we headed back to Taeclas' house. Fortunately, the three men accompanying us—Lerri, Aran, and Malbin—knew Covehold's streets well, and had a good sense of what the roadways of the city were like at any particular time of day. With their help, we were able to get back to Taeclas' neighborhood in a reasonable amount of time, though it still seemed to take a little longer than walking would have.

The three men were pleasant enough company , but they tended to get engrossed in their own conversation when they weren’t telling each other of conditions ahead that they needed to push the cart through. Still, they were willing to talk when I asked them about what their jobs were usually like, when was the best time to push a cart through the streets, complaints that the streets were getting more and more crowded again, and their very loud and colorful complaints about those who used living lakimay to pull their wagons instead of dead ones, as was only polite and sensible.

I could understand their point of view. Even the most affectionate, well-behaved lakimay was big enough to knock a man down, and no matter how well-trimmed and sheathed their claws were, a swipe by either foreclaw or hindlimb could be very damaging and liable to break someone’s bones. And just because most had their heads muzzled didn’t mean that there was no threat of injury there, just that it was less likely to be from the teeth and more from the blunt impact of the head on one's poor, defenseless body.

And of course, living lakimay relieved themselves wherever they wanted.

It was always that last which got people annoyed.

We actually walked past several such gifts to the roadway, which wasn't pleasant. Even with Deadspeakers and breeders alter them in different ways since people had started using them as war mounts, wagon pullers and undead, they still had to eat some amount of meat, which made their waste smell particularly vile. And while there were herbivorous beasts, they tended to be big, slow, heavy, and eat significantly more, and relieve themselves an equal amount, which… well, was worse for other road-users.

By the time we got back to Taeclas' house, the pile of wrapped bundles in front of their house was a bit smaller, though the dismantled table was still there, and the pile was now surrounded by several potted plants, being fussed over by the Deadspeaker. She was tying cloths around their pots, presumably to keep the soil from spilling out if the pots fell over. Her wife Rybelle stood next to her, the blue-haired, yellow-eyed woman holding several other cloths and wearing the mildly exasperated expression of someone indulging their spouse about something they didn't think was necessary.

"Hey!" I called as I walked ahead of the cart. "Sorry we took a while, but we have the cart."

Taeclas looked up with a smile. "Oh, there you are! Uh, will we be able to bring some of our vegetables along? They're all newly planted, so they shouldn't take up much room."

I looked at the pots, which numbered about a dozen. About half were small pots easily held in one hand and contained a small, well-maintained leafy shrubs, which were presumably some kind of herds or spices. The others, however…

Bucket-sized pots, full of heavy dirt and holding everything from larger but still well-maintained shrubs, vines and climbing plants supported on trellises, a short and squat sapling-like tree with small flower buds, and what looked like a stump from which grew long pointy leaves so thickly clustered together they looked like solid branches.

"We can probably bring the small ones," I said, "but bigger ones… well, they'd need to be secured on the outside of the ship, and I'm not sure how well they'd survive the trip." The rest of their belongings we’d be able to carry, even the table, though they’d probably need to be placed carefully.

The two women were making mildly nauseous faces. "Does it really need to be a ship…?" Taeclas said.

In hindsight, I should have realized that most of the people who’d come here to the new continent probably remembered only unpleasant experiences with ships. Being enclosed in a mostly dark hold, the nauseating swaying that never ceased, the smell from all the people crammed together, only rarely being allowed up on the deck for fresh and a chance to stretch one's legs, shivering in cold from the bi-weekly washings to get rid of any iridescence growth, the lack of privacy, the occasional incidents of vomiting when someone couldn't get using to the swaying…

Months ago, it had taken me some time to realize the reason for the reticence the men seemed to have when we’d first been learning how to operate the Coldhold. I wasn’t sure if it explained why all the salt boats we’ve been seeing have all been open-topped affairs though. That was probably as much the cost of all the wood that went into it, but most people were probably disincentivized to be on a boat large enough that it had an enclosed lower deck.

I'd already reassured the two women about this before, but I repeated it again to assuage their discomfort. "Don't worry, our ship is completely different. It won't be anything as crowded as the ocean-crossing ships, and you can go up and walk around as much as you want."

"Well, that would be nice…" Taeclas said. "But Rybelle was really sick on the ship…

"Walking around helps with that," I assured them. "I've heard it helps to look at the horizon as you get used to the ship, but since we weren't allowed up often, we couldn't do that on the ocean ships. And unlike the ships, if you're feeling really bad we can slow down and let you walk on land for a bit."

It was that last that had made them agree they were willing to risk the ship again when we I had been recruiting them, and it seemed to work again now. Hopefully they'd come to realize that not all ships were terrible, claustrophobic boxes of suffering.

…

It's only just occurred to me that Lori actually likes being in the small room in the front of the ship, which admittedly still smelled a little ripe since… well, Lori slept there when she had to go to River's Fork and stay overnight. I had to wonder what she'd gone through when she'd traveled on the ship she'd been on.

With everyone's help, we were able to quickly pack up all of Taeclas and Rybelle's things onto the cart, securing the potted plants with some rope that Lerri unwound from the cart's rails. Taeclas and her wife made one last round of goodbyes as some of the older and burlier men crowded me and informed me that the two women were good people, implicitly threatening me with dire consequences if anything happened to them.

I chose to take that in the spirit in which it was intended, which was their friends were concerned about the two women and wished them well. I even managed to be a good sport about how many of the men, some my age with surly expressions when the two women weren't looking, 'volunteered' to accompany us to the ship. It seems like they thought our ship was in the rickets, and were concerned someone would try to go after the contents of the cart.

After some internal debate about whether I should try to dissuade them, I simply shrugged and left the matter alone. Why not let them have some more time with people they knew?

Also, I suspected that some of the men talking to me were part of the local neighborhood gang. Best not to get on their bad side, they might remember my face next time I came by.

It was actually a bit of a mixed blessing, since with so many men to help push the two women were able sit on the cart and rest their feet after the day's hurrying about and trying to get everything packed. Thankfully, Lerri and the others knew how to handle guiding the cart while having such enthusiastic but amateur help, and so they kept everyone in good order as I led the way to Lidzuga's house.

Of course, having so many people with us tended to crowd the street, which slowed us a little as we traveled. We also seemed to pass by a several groups of men who didn't seem to be at work despite it still being early in the afternoon, many with rather surly expressions. Thankfully, no one barred our way, though I half-expected to see a gang waiting in front of us and things degenerating into a street brawl.

"There you are!" Lidzuga called out as we came close. The pile of belongings he had with him was much smaller than Taeclas and Rybelle's, which rested on half of the bench in front of the boarding house. Unlike the two women, the siblings had rather large and well-maintained leather packs, as well as a large leather sack. Judging from the dimpling on the sack's surface, it was beast leather. They had probably been chosen for the ease a Deadspeaker could repair them. Most people would have used canvas, since they could be sewn in the event of tears, and could be darned in negligent washing had allowed the Iridescence to grow enough to wear out the threads. "Did something happen?"

I shook my head. "No, we just had to get a cart to carry everything. Ah, Lidzuga, this is Deadspeaker Taeclas and her wife Rybelle. They've also consented to accept our invitation."

"Tah!" Taeclas greeted enthusiastically.

"Tah," Lidzuga replied, just as cheerfully. "Kuw's inside in the shade. She said it was too hot to wait out here. Let me help you put everything on the cart and then I'll go get her."

It was a good thing I was a trustworthy soul. Putting all your worldly possessions on cart and then stepping away from it to go somewhere out of sigh was a very good way to lose said possessions.

That was probably why Kutago came out running, her gaze sweeping from one end of the street to the other before they fell on me as I leaned on the cart. Relief mixed with the scowl on her face as her brother came up behind her.

"See?" Lidzuga said, the wooden case he had slung over his shoulder and across his chest thumping against his side. "They're still there. You didn't have to hurry."

Kutago gave her sibling a withering look. "Well, you still shouldn't have taken your eyes off everything we own," she said, clearly annoyed.

"What was I supposed to do, shout? Besides, you were napping."

I coughed to get their attention. "Um, it would be best if we can get to where we're going while there's still daylight so we have light while we pack everything up. Perhaps you can have this discussion on the way?"

Kutago gave me another annoyed look, but stomped towards the cart and hauled herself up to sit on the opposite end of the cart from Taeclas and Rybelle, her head turned so she could look over the packs and sack.They'd been put at the front of the pile of , and Taeclas had carefully put them were they wouldn't roll onto the little pots of herbs.

Taeclas immediately engaged the younger woman in conversation, starting from the ever popular 'what's your name' and asking what she did.

As the wary young woman cautiously answered, I started leading the way to the docks again as the cart was pushed into motion, Lerri and his friends following after me. As I walked, Lidzuga fell into step beside me, the wooden case still over his shoulder. "I apologize for my sister," he said softly. "She means well, but—"

I waved him off. "Don't worry, I understand. I have a sister too. Hopefully she'll think better of me once she sees this isn't all an elaborate way of parting you from everything you own and leave you both homeless."

"Well… give her a few days to get used to our new home," he said.

I nodded, and we lapsed in a companionable silence as we walked.

Behind us, Kutago's replies slowly became less monosyllabic and reticent as Taeclas and Rybelle coaxed her with their gentle cheer.