Gull takes a staycation

[Gull]

[Timestamp: the days following July game]

Monday: Gull lies on his back amid the wildflowers in the field and watches clouds with Kez. When Kez falls asleep, Gull amuses himself by seeing how much stuff he can put in his friend's hair before he wakes up. Several days later, Kez will still be finding blades of grass tucked deep in his curls.

Tuesday: Gull places a piece of cornbread on the pathway in front of the inn and watches ants carry the crumbs back to their nest. He gleefully informs anyone who will listen that they got the entire thing in three hours, which is impressive because they're so small. He insists that Ceridwynn write down his observations of the ants to pass along to the Bestiary Guild. It's hard to tell whether he means it.

Wednesday: Gull takes the mouthpiece off of his recorder and spends the afternoon at the forest's edge, trying to recreate bird calls. He isn't very successful but he seems to be enjoying himself. He asks Hunter to rate his attempts, then needles them into getting their own instrument out and trying too.

Thursday: Gull washes bandages in the stream, scrubbing extra hard to remove all the stains and any stiffness. On the way back to the inn, he gathers petals from the newly-blossomed roses along the path and places them in a basket. He steeps the petals in hot water until the gentle fragrance fills the kitchen, then soaks the bandages and leaves them to dry in the sun. In the late afternoon, he hands Rosco and Rudi each a carefully folded bundle of clean, soft, lightly-scented bandages.

[Will add in the coming days, if I remember]

[Gull]

Friday: Gull has a tea party with Ryn and Sebastian. He brings along a small jar of maple sugar he purchased in Applevale during tapping season and puts three heaping spoonfuls into his peppermint tea, then eats another straight. The trio sits in the shade at the Hanged Man, fending off a pair of brazen whiskeyjacks who attempt to steal their biscotti.

[Gull]

Saturday: Gull gets a back scratch from Lilly and naps the entire afternoon.

[Gull]

Sunday: Gull polishes Dimitri and Lexicus's armour. He takes a piece of soap and draws a few simple designs on the metal: a heart over the left breast, a chain of daisies around the neck, his bardic symbol on each of the bracers. A swipe of the cloth renders the images invisible, but Gull smiles to himself as he hands the armour back to its owners, knowing that his drawings will reappear in the rain.

[Gull]

Monday: Gull takes a handful of dried beans and a dozen small dishes from the kitchen, and uses them to set up a makeshift game of mancala in the back corner of the inn. He challenges anyone who comes by to a round. By evening, it has become a drinking game wherein the loser has to down a shot of old brandy from a barrel Gull found forgotten in the back of the inn's cellar. Gull was not particularly good at mancala to begin with and he only gets worse the more he drinks. This suits him perfectly fine. The evening ends with Gull and Bikbun playing an extremely long round, both trying their hardest to lose. Eventually, Gull falls asleep (or possibly passes out) on top of the game, scattering the bowls and beans. Bikbun finishes off the brandy, hauls Gull to his bunk, and tucks him in with his waterskin set nearby.

[Gull]

Tuesday: Still mute but for sporadic whispers, Gull seeks out Z for advice on silent communication. The lesson stalls when Gull is unable to read Z's explanatory notes so they recruit Dog to read them aloud and to help clarify any confusion. It isn't the world's most effective lesson, but there are a lot of laughs and Gull feels a little more capable of getting his ideas across by the end of it.

[Gull]

Wednesday: Gull sleeps in until nearly noon, stumbling out of Kez's bunk groggy and disheveled. He nurses a bowl of soup for the better part of an hour before making his way to the field, which is still resplendent in its summer bloom. He gathers an armload of daisies, stems left long, then takes them to the Lysander's Grove. He braids the flowers into long chains, returning to the field several times to pick more. When the light grows too dim to work by, Gull drapes the chains over his neck and carries them back to the inn. He winds them around the posts of the deck until there are blossoms everywhere one looks. He saves a couple lengths and loops them into two crowns. He places one on his head and tosses the other to Kez before turning in early, back in Kez's bunk.

[Gull]

Thursday: Gull goes around town and requests his marks back from some of the townsfolk. Once he's gathered a half dozen or so, he digs deep into his bag and pulls out a tangled fistful of long ribbons, as well as a tiny drawstring bag containing the clappers he had removed when he first enchanted the bells. He carefully replaces each clapper and gives the bells a cursory polish, then begins to braid them onto the ribbons. He whistles tunelessly as he works and before long, he has remade the belled anklets that he once unraveled when in need of marks. Jingling with each step, he pulls Rudi into the field, giggling silently. Gull takes his friends' hands as though to begin dancing but realizes belatedly that he can't recall any steps, burnt out as he is. Undeterred, Rudi spins him in a clumsy circle and they dance a stumbling, jangling waltz until they trip over each others feet and tumble onto the grass, breathless with laughter.

[Gull]

Friday: Gull takes a walk in the forest and notices a patch of deciduous trees. Grinning, he finds one with a bottom branch low enough for him to grab. He clambers onto it, then onto the next branch, and the next. About ten feet off the ground, the billowing fabric of his pants catches on a snapped-off twig as he attempts to make his way higher, stopping him short. The smooth leather soles of his boots slip and Gull plummets to the forest floor. He breaks his fall his hands but his face still smacks into the hard, dry earth. Unable to call out for assistance, he limps back to the inn, blood streaming from a broken nose and a gash in his calf. Fortunately, Rosco is more than able to stitch him up while Lilly repairs the tear in his pants, though they both chastise him thoroughly for performing foolish stunts in his current state.

[Gull]

Saturday: Gull enjoins Kez's assistance in writing a response to Francis's letter. They sit at the Fire Circle where it's quiet enough for Kez to hear Gull's thin whispers. The resulting letter isn't a masterpiece of writing, but it's honest, and that's a big step in and of itself.

[Gull]

Sunday: Gull slips out of Kez's bunk in the early morning, while there's still pink in the sky and dew on the grass. He tiptoes to his own bunk and retrieves his merlin guitar and songbook, untouched these last two weeks, then makes his way through the field and past the treeline, sure to keep the field within sight but not earshot. He tests his voice, as he does every morning -- still nothing. No matter. He opens the book and runs a finger across the prints on the inside cover before flipping to a page of lyrics -- unreadable. Fine. Gull sets the book aside and takes a long breath that trembles on the exhale. He settles the neck of his instrument in his left hand and positions his right over the strings. He hesitates a long moment before plucking each one in turn; the notes hang in the morning air and Gull has no idea whether they're in tune. His hands shake and he takes a several steadying breaths. He fingers a chord, near as he can remember -- discordant, muted. Abruptly, he sets the instrument aside, half-dropping it onto the leaf litter, and presses a fist against his mouth to muffle already-silent sobs. He returns long after the breakfast service, scrubs the dishes with an intensity bordering on rage, and curls up in his own bunk for the rest of the day. When Knife brings him dinner in the evening, he thanks them but leaves the meal untouched, falling asleep soon after.

[Gull]

Monday: Gull approaches Ceridwynn, who is cross-referencing personal notes with the text of the bestiary before setting out to visit Ariadne for the day. Through a combination of gestures, whispers, and puppy eyes, he convinces them to read aloud to him from the book before they go. They read the section on alpha strain creatures, adding their own commentary throughout, much to Gull's delight. When Ceridwynn departs for Ariadne's territory, Rudi notices Gull's disappointment and offers to tell some Arluru stories. He accepts eagerly and the pair settle in on the porch. Rudi's a good storyteller, even if she does lapse into Arluru every so often. As the afternoon wears on, several others join in with tales of their own: Dimitri recites an Imperial folktale, Theo regales his audience with some saucy tavern stories, and even Z pantomimes his way through an account of his woodland adventures.

[Gull]

Tuesday: Gull stirs honey into a dish of soapy water, altering the ratio of ingredients until he achieves the desired results. He twists the end of a thin, springy twig around itself to form a hoop. He spends a lazy afternoon on the steps blowing bubbles across the field. Z, Knife, and Bikbun entertain themselves by trying to strike the bubbles down as they float erratically in the breeze. Hunter even manages to shoot a couple, garnering cheers from those nearby.

[Gull]

Wednesday: Gull wakes to find himself achy and feverish. Out of concern for Kez's health, he returns to his own bunk to sleep it off. When Rudi finds him ill, she looks him over and determines that he's not in any danger and will recover with a day or two of rest. Together, she and Rosco ensure that Gull has a steady supply of tea and soup, for which he is both embarrassed and grateful.

[Gull]

Thursday: Gull, much recovered, scrubs the floors of the inn until they shine, or as close as these old floors can come to shining.

[Gull]

Friday: Gull draws a stick figure on the chalkboard. When Bones passes by, he tugs his sleeve, hands him the chalk, and gestures at the open space. The two take turns adding figures to the drawing, with contributions from other Holdfasters who happen by their scene. They end up with a rather poorly drawn but delightfully lurid battle scene depicting the defeat of Nephila.

[Gull]

Saturday: Gull spends most of the day ensuring that the people of Holdfast are kept cool and hydrated. He places damp cloths in the ice box and ensures that cold water is available for anyone who needs it. When he isn't needed for such tasks, he tucks himself away in pleasant darkness of the cellar, pressed up against cool earth between barrels of ale and sacks of root vegetables.

[Gull]

Sunday: Gull finds the well nearly dry so he goes to the stream and hauls two bucketfuls of water back. It isn't nearly enough, but the heat precludes a second trip; his skin is already flushed and his head pounding. Thankfully, Knife and Theo work together to bring back the rest of what is needed. Between the discomfort of the heat and his frustration at his ongoing muteness, Gull is moody and snappish. He shoots a corrosive glare at Morty and is immediately ashamed of himself as the man seems to wilt. He apologizes, thoroughly mortified, and makes sure that Morty gets the best cut of the roast that evening.

[Gull]

Monday: Gull, very conscious of his upcoming journey to Ner Batin, sets out along the road to Applevale early in the morning in order to get a sense of what it will be like to travel a significant distance in the heat while burnt out. He plans a six hour jaunt: three out, three back, home in time for lunch. It ends up being two and a half hours: one out, one back, and a very necessary half hour of rest in between. He's grateful that the heat conceals the flush of embarrassment on his cheeks as he slinks down to the cellar to cool off.

[Gull]

Tuesday: Gull's second attempt is somewhat more successful; he manages nearly two hours of walking before he's forced to rest in the shade. Unfortunately, he's trembling with exhaustion by the time he returns and pukes up his breakfast the moment he sits down. He tells himself his stamina will improve, but he knows that's unlikely to happen until this burnout is resolved.

Wednesday: Gull asks around about the nature of kickstart while Kez is busy.

[Gull]

Thursday: Gull takes Rudi on today's jaunt. The company and the cooler weather make for a marked improvement, especially since Rudi reminds him to pace himself and drink water. They walk for about two hours before turning back and don't make it quite as far as Gull had the previous day, but he's in much better shape upon arriving back in Holdfast and feels much more optimistic about the trip ahead.

[Gull]

Friday: Gull stargazes with Z in companionable silence. The summer meteor showers are just beginning and they manage to catch almost a dozen shooting stars before they head inside for a bit of warm cider.

[Gull]

Saturday: Gull packs his effects for the trip. It isn't much; he's leaving his instruments in Holdfast and he doesn't have a whole lot in the way of clothes. Everything he brings with him can be either worn or carried in his satchel: a handful of bandages, a potion of regenerative sleep, his money pouch, his belled anklets, his waterskin, his cloak, and his chaperon. He's also sure to bring his book and a pen despite still being unable to read, since some of the notes may be of use to the others. Aside from packing, there's not much to do in preparation for the journey. Gull is sure to turn in early to be well-rested in the morning.

It was a good staycation. Time to get back to it.

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