(RP) Moxie Moves in

[Moxie]

After being in Paz for 13 sundowns Moxie had finally gotten enough scraped together to purchase a field. With the field came a home. Not bad for an outsider. Her wheat field was in the process of growing so she had time to tend to her home. Though normal people would have had a home made of wood or stone, Moxie wasn't normal. Her home was a dug out cave in the side of a hill.

She had found the cave when exploring after buying the field. It wasn't all that big, but she knew she could fix it. She'd worked most of the last two days expanding the cave to the size she wanted. There was room for a bed, a table and a fire pit. The table was a piece of wood she found in town, she had set it on a large rock pile she had made. The table was almost level and sturdy. Her bed was ...well, it wasn't a bed so much as a mat on the floor over some evergreen boughs. The table and bed were more made to function, not be pretty. In time she would put together better ones. The fire pit was the one thing in her home she had taken great care and pride in building.

About three feet round it was the perfect size to heat the small cave with minimal effort. She had dug a hole about a foot and half down and filled the bottom with river rock and placed them around the sides as well. With some of the rock she had mined out of the cave while expanding it she had created a perimeter of about eight inches in height. She found three pieces of drift wood on the beach and had made a tripod over the fire for cooking. Driving the driftwood into the ground for stability.

The fire also gave off the only light in the cave, it was enough for now. In time she would get some lanterns for extra lighting, for now all she did was sleep and eat here. The door to the cave would never keep anyone out. It would however keep the wind out. She had fashioned the frame out of saplings and twine she found. She wove some evergreen boughs into it and than covered it with the wheat sack she had left over from planting her field. With some steady work and clever crafting she had notched the cave opening so that the door frame pivoted open and closed. She also crafted a latch so it would not blow open in the wind.

All and all she was proud of her little home.

[Zachrin]

Zachrin saw a light appear in a cave formerly unoccupied. With a motion of his staff, Zachrin conjured up a kettle made of steel to be a gift. Knocking on the cave for, Zachrin waited to see if he should leave the gift.

[Moxie]

*Knock. Knock. Knock*

The sound almost caused Moxie to jump out of her skin. She had not expected company. She wasn't even sure anyone had noticed her take up residence in this cave. She quickly crossed the span of the cave, all 20 feet of it and opened the door.

"Greetings good Sir." She said to the man standing at her door. "Please come in."

As the man entered Moxie scurried to the wood pile and found a stick of wood sufficiently sized for seating on. She carried it to the table and indicated that the man should take the 'almost' chair. She waited for him to seat himself, wondering all the while who he was.

[Zachrin]

Seeing the offer of a seat, Zachrin nodded and sat as requested. "Greetings, my name is Zachrin. I see that you have moved in and wanted to offer to you a house warming gift. Please enjoy this kettle," Zachrin stated. Zachrin offered the kettle up to Moxie.

Looking around, Zachrin saw the cave and it provided warm memories of some of his other visits to other creatures over time. It wasn't every day he had the time to visit, but he always enjoyed meeting and talking with the different creatures that inhabited Secfenia.

[Moxie]

"Thank you. I am Moxie, I have only been here for a few weeks." She takes the kettle and admires the workmanship of it. "Having a kettle for tea at home will be lovely. I mostly go to the tavern for tea."

Moxie notices that her guest is not at all shocked by her choice of a home. "I see you are comfortable in cave homes. I sense you have been in some before this night." She smiles softly. Though she has grown up in caves and never considered living in a wooden house, she has begun to notice that some feel it is odd to choose to live in such a place. It is nice to see someone who finds them as comforting as she did.

Taking the kettle to the pail of water by the fire, she fills it and sets it to warm in the rock of the fire pit. "Tea?" Moxie asks "I have some bread and cheese as well, if you would like."

[Zachrin]

Zachrin nods at the offer of tea. It had been a while since he had been able to enjoy a nice cup of tea with someone. He remembered long ago nights in the tavern with creatures drinking tea. At some point, he would have to revisit the taverns again. Maybe he could get to do it sometime in the next few months.

"It is nice to meet you Moxie. I think you have a lovely dwelling. There is an old saying... Home is where the heart is. I've always believed that it doesn't matter if it's made of rock, steel, wood, or straw, as long as it's the place you love. Some creatures just can't appreciate a good cave," Zachrin says with a light chuckle.

"There was this one Ent I chatted with that lived in a cave. They thought he was mad for living in the cave and I couldn't quite understand why. He wanted protection from the elements and to have something tall enough for his kind. It is a very pleasant memory as we shared quite a few stories by the firelight. I think, in time, you may have that with others in this beautiful cave," Zachrin stated.

He gently put his staff down next to him. The staff glowed blue for a moment and then the color shifted back to it's original.

[Moxie]

As the kettle heated up, Moxie busied herself finding cups and preparing the tea. She poured the hot water over the herbs and carried them to the table.
She placed a cup of tea in front of Zachrin as she seated herself opposite of him. She looked around slowly at her home, "I'm not sure about that saying, it sounds good though. The Ayundai have always lived in caves, since the days of creation. I wouldn't feel right living above the ground. Home is here. I feel more welcome and accepted here than I have since Dame and Sire left."

"In time I will make this a home that others will find to be acceptable, regardless of it's location. Now I am working to make sure I can provide for my basic needs." Sipping her tea Moxie gazes at Zachrin's staff. "You seem to be a busy man. I met a mage, some days ago, who told me a bit about what you all do around Secfenia. I can't say I envy your position."

[Zachrin]

Zachrin lifted the cup and let the aroma fill up the area around him. "This brings back good memories in the tavern with a young lady who always loved to make me tea," he said taking a sip of it.

"I am always busy, but I've learned that sometimes you just have to slow down and enjoy the little things in life. After all, if we are always running, you forget the simple pleasures in life. Think how many simply can't appreciate a cave or even a simple cup of tea, which is very delicious. I hope others will come visit you as well and you can share the experience with them," he said.

[Moxie]

"Dame was always busy. When Sire was with us a Pendulum Depth he would chide her to slow down and enjoy things. We would go for strolls through the cavern and he would stop and admire every rock, moss patch and water drip." Moxie sighed at the memory of her parents. "Dame would be so upset at the start of the walks, by the time we returned home she would be happy and smiling." The memory brought a tear to Moxie's eye. For an instant she could feel the presence of her grantors, she could hear her Sire asking questions in his deep baritone, 'What is this rock? How come this moss patch is a different color and growing in such an odd way? Oh look at that, this moss has tiny flowers in it!' Dame would sigh and answer him, at first with an air of annoyance in her voice, 'It is just like the pyrite near our house. I don't know why you find it so fascinating here. That's Twilight moss, it is a different color because the light of twilight is the only light it sees. The moss with little flowers is Beggars Delight, it is edible.' Dame's voice would have it's normal lilting quality by the time the walk was over, she couldn't stay mad at Sire for long. Their love was deeper than any Moxie had seen since.

Moxie rummaged through her bag and pulled out some cheese, bread and some bruised strawberries to share with Zachrin. "After Sire was gone, Dame and I would talk about those walks. At times I could get her to go one, they were different without Sire."

"Dame was a magic user. An Andowe of the Fourth House. I wonder is being busy the nature of all magic users? Shaping the world, creating new bits, and battling those that come to destroy it. Dame was required to travel a lot, she was an expert in her field and often had to go to different places to deal with issues I never understood." Looking at her guest and his staff against the wall, Moxie ventured into questions she wasn't certain that she should "What is it that keeps you so busy? How can one learn to be a magic user in this place?"

[Zachrin]

Zachrin nods at her words. "It sounds like they were an interesting pair. Complimenting each other in their own fashion," he commented.

"You are probably right that a lot of us Magic users tend to be busy. Fighting against destruction or creating can be quite time consuming, but the rewards are often ones that we enjoy," he says. He looks at the bread and strawberries with interest.

Hearing the question, Zachrin replied. "It's often handling the things that make this world turn. Deal with issues internally and protecting those who need protecting. Magic is something that some learn in the universities or from a master. It can take many years to fully grasp and understand the complexity of magic"