Letters From Abroad: The Second.
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:21 amAnother day, another courier, another envelope, -- the lives of many are filled with variations of such tiny repetitions. Some of those repetitions, however, are more profound -- and/or have more potential -- than many might suspect.
The envelope was addressed in the same fashion as its predecessor, and when Ari or Quincy opened it they would read the following in the same simply legible hand.
Hello again!
I realized after I sent my first letter that I didn't make very clear how long it would take to reach you. "Several weeks," I wrote, but that's not quite right.
I wrote and sent the first letter in the second week of August, if that helps. You wouldn't believe how rarely ships came that far north. I was lucky: it was a group of whalers. They didn't really enjoy seeing me suddenly appear on their deck, but I convinced them that drawing their weapons on me was a bad idea. A ship does need its mast to sail, after all. On most ships, the mast helps hold the whole thing together. Isn't that good to know?
After enlisting the whalers to deliver the first letter (and stealing a bottle of ink from the captain's quarters), I found Logan and killed him just a few days after I sent my first letter, so I wrote this one shortly after that. As luck would have it, the same ship was traveling south due to running low on supplies. I can't imagine how that happened, either. I guess sailors sometimes just have the worst luck.
I was tired, so I chose to sail with them instead of Travel to the mainland -- until I was rested, anyway. These rowdy men weren't exactly friends, after all, and I think I might have made them slightly mad by "suggesting" they deliver my letters. They promised on their lives to deliver them, but that doesn't really mean anything. A sailor's promises last as long as it takes them to get to the nearest port dive and get drunk. The captain politely asked for some sort of payment, seeing as how I'd interfered -- "completely destroyed" was a better choice of words, but like I said, he was being polite -- with his making a profit on this journey. I agreed, and I asked how much a truly profitable journey like this would line his pockets. He told me, and I told him I'd pay him double the amount, as well as pay his crew's wages.
That got his attention. He was very content to deliver my letters at that point.
I told the captain how to get a hold of me, and then I Traveled back to the mainland.
Once I'm comfortable in Amasynia -- well, comfortable in the room I'm going to rent at an inn -- I'm taking a long bath, shaving, and paying the innkeeper for a full night even though I plan to stay for just a couple hours. I think I'll talk him into selling me a horse, too. Then I'll be on the road toward Northern New Dauntless.
I'll bet that got your attention, Ari.
More in the next letter!
Hoping for happy hunting,
Coran.
The envelope was addressed in the same fashion as its predecessor, and when Ari or Quincy opened it they would read the following in the same simply legible hand.
* * * * *
Hello again!
I realized after I sent my first letter that I didn't make very clear how long it would take to reach you. "Several weeks," I wrote, but that's not quite right.
I wrote and sent the first letter in the second week of August, if that helps. You wouldn't believe how rarely ships came that far north. I was lucky: it was a group of whalers. They didn't really enjoy seeing me suddenly appear on their deck, but I convinced them that drawing their weapons on me was a bad idea. A ship does need its mast to sail, after all. On most ships, the mast helps hold the whole thing together. Isn't that good to know?
After enlisting the whalers to deliver the first letter (and stealing a bottle of ink from the captain's quarters), I found Logan and killed him just a few days after I sent my first letter, so I wrote this one shortly after that. As luck would have it, the same ship was traveling south due to running low on supplies. I can't imagine how that happened, either. I guess sailors sometimes just have the worst luck.
I was tired, so I chose to sail with them instead of Travel to the mainland -- until I was rested, anyway. These rowdy men weren't exactly friends, after all, and I think I might have made them slightly mad by "suggesting" they deliver my letters. They promised on their lives to deliver them, but that doesn't really mean anything. A sailor's promises last as long as it takes them to get to the nearest port dive and get drunk. The captain politely asked for some sort of payment, seeing as how I'd interfered -- "completely destroyed" was a better choice of words, but like I said, he was being polite -- with his making a profit on this journey. I agreed, and I asked how much a truly profitable journey like this would line his pockets. He told me, and I told him I'd pay him double the amount, as well as pay his crew's wages.
That got his attention. He was very content to deliver my letters at that point.
I told the captain how to get a hold of me, and then I Traveled back to the mainland.
Once I'm comfortable in Amasynia -- well, comfortable in the room I'm going to rent at an inn -- I'm taking a long bath, shaving, and paying the innkeeper for a full night even though I plan to stay for just a couple hours. I think I'll talk him into selling me a horse, too. Then I'll be on the road toward Northern New Dauntless.
I'll bet that got your attention, Ari.
More in the next letter!
Hoping for happy hunting,
Coran.