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[valdyr]

WHO: Ubbe Ragnarsson and YOU
WHEN: June 26th to the 30th
WHAT: Settling in
WHERE: Gazin and slightly beyond
WARNINGS: None yet but will update
NOTES: Locations where you can find the Viking are in bold.

It had only been a couple of days since they set off from Kattegat to sail to the new land that Floki had found. He spent hours thinking about what it might look like and wishing the winds would favour them a little more so that the boat would go faster. Perhaps not knowing where he was going was why he ended up where he did, under a sign that bears a name that he has never seen before.

Due to the kindness of one stranger who had arrived in a similar fashion, Ubbe was able to get some kind of understanding regarding this new and unexpected journey he found himself in. This was no doubt the Gods doing and he had spent far too long questioning them. So, he decided to let things unravel as they were meant to, at whatever pace they were meant to unravel.

Luckily, he's a patient man.

Over the course of the first four days, Ubbe mostly watches. The town of Gazin reminds him slightly of Winchester, in Wessex. Though there are far more buildings and structures here that shame the small settlement in many ways. Still, Ubbe takes his time, stopping at the stables and market. He passes the apothecary before taking the dirt road past Gazin's gates and eventually ends up back at the inn.

It will take some time to get used to, but Ubbe craves new experiences and this is definitely one such situation. He only finds himself sorry that Torvi and his daughter could not be there, too.

Comments

For Cass

[valdyr]

[ Carried over from here. ]

"I have," Ubbe cants his head to the side some, looking her over boldly. Another trait passed down from Ragnar. However, it was far more fun to push boundaries than force them. He may currently be underestimating the woman and her skills, but it was also fun finding out the hard way sometimes.

Eyes lift back to hers. "And no one has been able to give me answers that make any sense."

[ofwovenstone]

He looks her over bold as can be, and she just arches an eyebrow at him and smirks, unfazed by his attention. Instead she steps in, closes the distance between them. Not quite challenging but not not challenging, either. “Just because they don’t make any sense doesn’t make them any less true.”

[valdyr]

His lips spread into a smile, finding her confidence to be quite telling of the kind of person she is. Ubbe can tell she doesn't frighten easily and that plenty of men have tried to intimidate her before. Still, he doesn't move when she steps closer and his smile slips, though the glint in his eye still says he's amused.

"I am a cautious guest here," he tells her, leaning in slightly. "You cannot blame me for that, hm?"

apothecary

[radishlobbyist]

With it being summer in Gazin and the weather quite nice, Wen Qing is putting up a table in front of the apothecary to lure in some more customers. She is just building a stack of satchels filled with nice-smelling herbs which help relieve headaches when she takes notice of the man taking his time to look around like he is new to Gazin.

If there is a traveler, there is a chance to have him restock his medical supplies in Gazin, which would mean good business. There’s also something off about his clothing, something which sets him apart from the locals though she can’t quite pinpoint it since all that hard-boiled dark leather mostly still looks the same to her, even if the people come from completely different lands.

“Can I interest you in some teas, Young Master? We have teas for all kinds of ailments,” and with a wry quirk to her lips she adds, “even if it is just to make a hangover pass more quickly.”

[valdyr]

Ubbe slows to a stop, vivid blue eyes taking in the woman's face before lowering to check out the presentation of what she was trying to sell. At first, it may almost seem like the Viking hasn't heard her or doesn't understand. But that was it - he did understand. This was a new world and every new place he'd been, both as a young man and as an older one, had a language he did not know.

"Teas," he repeats, looking down again. "Is one of these teas able to send me back to where I come from?"

Ubbe is normally calm in the face of stressful situations but his voice carries an edge of sarcasm that helps point out that he's new.

[radishlobbyist]

Oh, it's not that Wen Qing doesn't appreciate bad temper when someone is stressed - but she has plenty of experience with tall, intimidating men who get scathing when they are stressed, and thus all it earns him is a very unimpressed look clearly asking are you done?

Outwardly, she just picks up one of the small satchels holding a tea with herbs known for their soothing, calming attributes and holds it out to him, "No, but this one might get you to become a little bit more pleasant about my lack of miracle cures."

Yet then she pauses, thinking back to what he'd said. Where he is from...

"Tell me where you are from and how you got here and maybe I can help," she offers. She's been studying maps for months now, if he is from somewhere around here she should know the place.

Apothecary

[thebrideoffire]

Her early mornings were spent in the woods, collecting the herbs that were needed and in short supply. Apothecary Martin was too old to venture far and his joints were apparently inflamed, especially during mornings where the mist was heavy in the air. Daenerys didn't mind this chore, it allowed her to stretch her legs and test herself with everything she learned from Martin. Simply smelling the damp woods and wet earth beneath her helped alleviate the remaining tension that she felt day to day, whenever she woke and realized she wasn't in Meereen. This was simple work, but it was honest and the sort of life she had imagined for herself.

When she finally finished, it was already near midday and the street was crowded with various people, some going to their own work and others purchasing wares. Careful to weave through the crowd, balancing the heavy basket at her hip, Daenerys side stepped past people, finally arriving back at the shop. She was in one piece and nothing had fallen from her basket.

She doesn't even notice Ubbe until he's in front of her, recognizing him as the man she helped. "You seem to have settled in well."

[valdyr]

The market is much cleaner than the one he frequents in Kattegat. Many of the things being sold were the same as what he would find back home and some of the people even seem oddly familiar to Ubbe. But now that it's crossed his mind, all traders and merchants had a similar look to them.

Except for Daenerys, whom Ubbe recognizes almost immediately. Shoulders lift in a shrug, and he hums a note of indifference before shaking his head.

"I would not say that," he replies. "But I have accepted I am here until I find a way back."

[thebrideoffire]

"Acceptance is not contentment at least. There will be a time when we can return, whether it is something we seize or they simply send us back." She would never fully accept, but only bide her time.

But these are darker thoughts that she doesn't want to dwell on. "Have you found something to your interest in this market?" She asked him. "It has been a few days since I saw you last."

[valdyr]

Ubbe casts his bright blue eyes to look around, looking at nothing specific but thinking about what she has said. It is true. Acceptance seems to often intersect with reluctance and being forced to go somewhere against your will with no way back (that he knows of) hits both and results in both.

The Northman hasn't spoken it aloud but he wouldn't be his father's son if he doesn't at least try to find a way back.

Eyes return to the display in front of him and then back up to her.

"I am looking for certain herbs," he answers her finally. "Ones that I take with me when I go into the woods."

[thebrideoffire]

"You are in luck," she pointed to the shop behind her, uncertain if he could read the sign. It had a picture of herbs, along with a mortar to help the illiterate. "I only just came from collecting a new batch. Perhaps I have what you are looking for here?"

She held out the basket for him to inspect. A few were tied together, as she had been taught. The roots had been wrapped in cloth to preserve its dampness, but the rest were strewn about, a fair collection of flowers, stems and leaves.