On Calmer Tides

The Ferry set sail around midday. A chilling breeze ran across the water from the north. 

Ariana wandered about the ferry with Ellie. They saw many people fishing off the side of the boat, and they seemed to be catching mostly fronds of brown kelp. She was unsure if that was intentional or not, because there were also some people with long nets scooping algae from the water's surface as they sailed by. Perhaps they were trying to scoop up fish. 

Ariana watched a fisherman try to free his hook from the kelp tangle. "Oh!" She realized what kelp was and walked over. Her hands rolled around, over, and past one another, and her magic pulled away the kelp from his hook. The man looked confused. He looked at her. She smiled at him. He seemed unsure what to do in response, but nodded anyway and kept fishing. 

Ariana returned to Ellie. Ellie glanced at the fisherman. She looked out over the water and thought about what she could do with the kelp. Ellie looked it over. "I think... I think that's sugar kelp."

Ariana turned to her. "Sugar kelp? Can you get sugar from it?"

Ellie thought for a second. "I'm not sure... maybe. I know it's a sushi kelp."

Ariana pondered the kelp. "I wonder if they have sushi in this world."

"They have fish, they have kelp, they might have rice."

Ariana picked up a bit of the kelp. She observed its long leaves and deep brown-red color with hints of green. She looked out at the water as another fisherman tossed some kelp back into the water. She noted how it stayed afloat. It seemed like it could be useful, so she committed the idea of kelp to memory for later. 

She heard some fishermen talking about the catches they'd made or that got away, one of them claiming that he'd fought a sea serpent in these very waters. It was dismissed as a fisherman's tale. 

She saw some children running about; they were swinging sticks at each other as if playing swords. She was concerned for their well-being, but it was also heartwarming to see them playing. 

She saw some demonfolk about as well. They seemed less somber than others she had met. They must have been glad to be going home. 

One had an odd string instrument like a narrow violin with three strings and a waxy wheel. He thumbed the wheel to one side or the other and fingered pleasant chords. There were times when the instrument groaned, but most of the time it sounded like it had a voice all its own. Something about the way it was played reminded her of a cricket. The tune he played was bouncy and almost invited those around to dance, like it was built to be clapped along to. 

One of them offered her what was described as smoked mushroom jerky. She was initially wary because the mushroom looked poisonous, but she saw someone else eating a bit of it, and remembered that demonfolk are resistant to poison. She accepted and gave it a try. It was tough to bite into, but it was packed with intense flavor she'd never tasted before. The strong spiciness made her cough a bit. It was a bit much for her palette. 

Ellie tried some, unfortunately ending up foaming at the mouth, and collapsed against Ariana. Ariana panicked, but the demonfolk around her just gave a hearty laugh and offered a more black-looking jerky. She cast some water magic to flush out Ellie's mouth and pushed the black jerky in. After a minute or two, Ellie was back to normal. Spooked by the event, but healthy otherwise. 

Ariana learned more about Indrock from them. According to them, it was a land of ice and snow that rarely saw sunlight. Food was scarce, and every day was a struggle, but surviving that struggle was a great point of pride for them. Most demonfolk understood fire magic, but very few used it for more than lighting things, keeping warm, and cooking meals that consisted mostly of mushrooms, fish, and pines. Ariana was shocked to learn that wood was edible.

Things had been better than usual in the eight years before the Demon Lord's arrival. He promised glory and conquest, but it seemed more like he was sending everyone away from the homeland in these two years he's been in power, even the warriors, despite the border mountains being where the majority of battles happened. Many seemed unsure of what they'd be going home to. Many believed that they were going home against his wishes. 

Close to nightfall, Sophie found Ariana and Ellie. The demonfolk all took out wick lanterns and snapped them to light with a spark. Ariana saw a child trying to spark up his lantern, and a woman sat next to him. She showed him how to hold his fingers. She snuffed her lantern with her bare hand to show him. She held her two fingers and thumb close to the wick, and with a snap, it sparked once more to life. The child tried a few times to do as she did, and finally, it lit. The bright looks on their faces were almost too cute to bear.  

A few more demonfolk brought out instruments that seemed more familiar: a flute, a drum, and a rounded guitar that Sophie identified as a lute. They played a song. Ariana danced with them. Sophie and Ellie ended up joining in the dance. She spoke with them on the woes of magic exhaustion, and they taught her a handful of tricks for sparing her magic more efficiently. They shared some cooking tips with her, one even giving her a bottle of a fish sauce they called graum. It had an extremely potent briny flavor.

The night went on and on, like a birthday or a wedding for a large family. She remembered her neighbors in Loomholm. They would celebrate like this following seasonal harvests and hunts. She missed them and hoped they were well. It wouldn't be much longer until she and Alex could go home. 

But then she thought of the companions who got her this far. She looked to Sophie and Ellie, who were sick from some food and being tended to by a nearby demonfolk woman. She thought of Hayden. She looked to see if he was anywhere in sight. She spotted him leaning against a nearby mast, just quietly surveying the area. She smiled. She would be glad to welcome them into her home and her life. 

Eventually, things settled down with the moon high in the sky surrounded by stars. The water was so calm and wide, it was impossible to tell where the sea ended and the sky began. With night fully enveloped around them, there was no better time or place to rest one's eyes. 

So they did.