(124-05-19) Blessings and a Bath
Blessings and a bath
Summary: Loryn and Miranda go sailing
Date: 19/05/2017
Related: Festival Stuff

The Dolphin Festival, this year known as "where have the effing dolphins gone?"-festival is in full swing. It has drawn even more visitors to Oldtown, curious about the dolphins and the lizard lions. Ser Loryn Tyrell, scion of the Reach's foremost familiy has fled mayhem and preparations for the big ball at Garden Isle to train for the tourney. But now he has taken some time off (frankly, his backside was sore) for a stroll along the riverside with his lady to enjoy some festival atmosphere.

Miranda has been keeping involved in the planning as much as she's able, which is to say mostly sedentary with things brought to her. The future Tyrell inside her grows larger every day and her gowns now reflect that; loose laced silks with comfortable flow to them. "It's been so odd with the lizards. I mean, they're about the opposite from dolphins as you can get, aren't they?"

"They are definitely more rapacious, but I do not believe the rumour that they have eaten the dolphins. Surely the search parties who went to sea will return soon with good news…" He falters and his hand begins to move to the sword at his side when someone emerges from the crowd to approach them. But it turns out to be a middle-aged woman in a frumpy grey dress, venturing closer shyly, holding a wrapped package in both hands out towards Miranda.

The superstitious woman rests her hand on her holy star. "I pray they are safe. It would be a terrible omen if they aren't," she says nervously. The peasant woman is greeted with a small warmer smile and a curious tilt of her head. "Seven blessings, good-woman. What's this?"

"Fer ya, Milady.", the woman explains nervously, trying to manage the feat of bowing deeply at the same time as handing over the parcel. As soon as it has passed into Miranda's hands, she takes a few steps back, mumbling "Seven bless you" and is soon off into the crowds. The whole thing makes Loryn arch one brow. "It seems you are a popular, my dear." The parcel, once the cheap wrapper is removed, turns out to be a knitted baby jumper, made of cheap scratchy wool, with a crudely stiched Tyrell rose on the breast.

Miranda says, "Every day when I go to the sept in my litter I make sure the curtains are drawn back and that the little ones are given a few coppers as we go by. Or flowers from the garden. We who have should share freely with those who do not, as the Mother's love requests of us." She holds it up and giggles. "Very sweet of the good woman. If a bit scratchy for a baby's skin.""

Loryn wrinkles his nose at the sight. "Looks more like an instrument of torture than clothing.", he comments and shrugs. "Though I suppose she means well…" He leaves it up to Miranda to decide what to do with it, his attention already straying towards the quays, were several boats are bobbing in the water. "We could row out ourselves and see if we spot dolphins?", he suggests.

Miranda tucks it in one of her broad sleeves. Hidden pockets. Likely she'll save it as a momento but wouldn't dress their baby in it. "Oh please? I love to try to touch them. Have you ever? It's so… odd. Like solid silk. "

"I remember a few years ago, after I had just arrived in Oldtown, we went out to sea with Garvin and a little dolphin leapt into the boat by accident. I can't remember what it felt like… except that it was very slippery and put up a lot of a fuss until we could get it back into the sea. We almost fell into the sea ourselves, Garvin and I." For a fleeting moment he looks sheepish as he seems to remember how he chased Garvin out of the country. He quickly walks along until he finds a solid-looking vessel with a sail and oars and gets into a negotiation with the skipper about renting it.

Miranda rests a hand on Loryn's arm at the moment of regret and smiles softly. She folds her hands over her stomach as she waits, looking to the shore and then boats beyond.

"Yes, yes, I know how to sail a boat.", Loryn assures the skipper. Famous last words? The skipper gives in with a shrug and holds out his hand into which soon some coins are dropped. Loryn looks back to Miranda with a smile. "Shall we take a little nourishment on board?", he muses, "Some drinks? Food?" He looks around. Because of the festival, the whole embankment is filled with stalls selling everything edible under the sun.

Miranda settles on apple cider and fruit, with a few of the sweet cakes he so loves. "Something light. And perhaps sardines to throw to the dolphins? They do smell a bit though," she says honestly.

"The sardines or the dolphins?", Loryn muses with a little smile, "Either way I do not mind if it helps to lure the dolphins out from wherever they are." Sardines are bought and wrapped as carefully as possible, then Loryn walks his wife to the boat and helps her to step into the wobbling craft. The skipper had meanwhile been so thoughtful to bring a blanket for the lady to wrap herself into or use as something to sit on. Once Loryn has taken the oars, the skipper removes the rope from its fastening and off they go out into the river.

Miranda is a wobbly thing with that big baby belly. She sits, blanket under her to keep the wood from snagging silk. "Do you think the lion lizards will try to eat the sardines? I'd hate to get close to one."

"Well, they must feed on -something-, mustn't they?", Loryn muses, "I am not sure what they eat. Sardines? Dolphins? Something else? Either way, I'd be interested in seeing them…" All of this comes out with long pauses in-between as he tries to navigate the heavy traffic near the shore until they out in the middle of the river. While the current carries them easily towards the sea, Loryn begins fiddling with the single sail. It is obviously that he has barely the faintest grasp of what he's doing and once or twice he looks like he'll topple over into the water.

Miranda watches in admiration as he tries to do sailor things. "Remember when we saved those fishermen? You were so brace," she says fondly.

"It was quite the day.", Loryn smiles. His wife's adoration is balm to his soul as he starts feeling rather foolish. But finally the sail is hoisted properly and he can sit down again. "So…", he begins looking around, "Where are those fabled lion lizards? And where are the dolphins?" Right now all he can spot is a plank of wood bobbing along nearby, probably lost by a ship at some point.

Her hand over her eyes, Mi scans the horizon for lumps and bumps, biting on her lips. "Usually the pods are this far out. I thought the lizards were closer to the shoreline?" She shrugs, uncertain.

"Are they? I hear the wildest tales about these lizard lions, so I'm not sure what to believe. We could try getting closer to the shore… He eyes the shore. He eyes the sail. He eyes the shore again. There's a moment of hesitation, then he begins tugging at one rope in the hope it will make the sail catch the wind at exactly the right angle to bring them closer to shore. "Well, we can have our little picknick here and see if we spot dolphins too… where's the cider?" Anything to distract her from his sailing.

Miranda produces the bottle and lays out their little repast with care, leaving the salt fish aside. "We can call to them and pray they come visit. It'd be a lovely blessing to touch one while carrying the baby," she says wistfully. "Think though, next year we can show them to the little lordling."

"Indeed, we can." After describing nearly a full circle, the boat is now finally drifting closer towards the far shore. Loryn sits down again to pick up one of his beloved sweet cakes and munches while squinting into the distance. "Is that a dolphin?", he muses a few seconds later, though it is most certainly just the shape of the waves further out to sea where the swell is bigger. "We could catch one for our garden ponds.", he suggests then. Anything to make her happy!

Miranda says, "Oh no, they'd not want to live in the garden. They like the oceans and to travel. Not be cooped up in one place all the time." She sighs wistfully as she looks to the horizon, running her hand over her stomach again. "Oh, what's that grey thing, is that a fin?" She starts to stand up but stops herself as she rocks the little craft. "Or a fish."

"I hear that fish with fins can be dangerous to the point of eating a grown man.", Loryn points out, "I think fins may be bad news…" He takes a swig of cider as he scans the horizon as well, trying to spot anything between the ever changing waves further out. Then suddenly something takes a big leap ot of the water and it is very obviously a dolphin… two even… then three… hopping out and diving into the water as dolphins do. "THERE!", he shouts out happily, leaping up to point. This makes the little vessel rock something ferocious and Loryn starts flailing about… until he goes overboard with a big splash.

Eyes wide with delight, Mi points along with him as she starts to cheer and laugh. That quickly turns into a scream as he topples over. Rope. Rope. She scrambles to find the line.

Loryn is not a dolphin, but at least he can swim decently enough to hold himself over water… for a bit. He utters a few choice words generally not meant for a lady's dainty ears as he scrambles for either the boat's edge or the rope, while not losing sight of the dolphins. "In old tales, the dolphins would save people from drowning… maybe they'll come over…", he muses between splutters.

Miranda says, "I would rather not leave that up to them!" She grabs the line, making a rough Oof noise of exertion, and throws it into the water. "Grab it!"
<FS3> Miranda rolls Body: Good Success.

Loryn manages to catch the rope and holds on to it with one hand, while he uses the other to propel himself back to the boat. "It's COLD", he mutters as he ropes himself back to the edge and finally grasps the boat itself again. Trying to somehow climb back in without rocking it so badly that it will toss his darling wife and future heir into the water in the process.

Miranda moves to the opposite side of the little dinghy to try to balance the weight, leaning back with the rough rope in her hands. Luckily she has a few calluses from riding and her gardening, so the rope doesn't cut or burn. "Water is cold, yes! You can have the blanket, love. Climb up!" She tries not to be worried.

The soggy Tyrell finally flops into the bottom of the boat like a dolphin himself, panting heavily for a bit. "No no, you keep the blanket, my dear, you must keep yourself and little Hawthorn warm.", he insists, pulling his dripping feet into the boat as well at last. Finally he sits up and brushes some wet hair from his face to look around. "So where are the dolphins?"

He may decline the blanket but Mi still wipes his wet face and hair with her silken sleeves to fuss over him. "Praise the Gods," she says thankfully as he's not drowned. "I think they went that way?" She points, more carefully now. "Shall we throw them the fish? Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine… sun's out, I'll be drying soon.", Loryn assures her, trying not to chatter his teeth too much. He scans the horizon again and hms. "We could try that… not sure how far away they are and if they can spot the sardines… or if those will attract lizard lions… but yes, go ahead and try…" He wiggles his fingers to get the blood flowing again then reaches for the cider. Wishing quietly it would be stronger stuff, but it will have to do.

Miranda stands, more carefully than before. She unwraps the sardines and calls out, "Here! Come have some!" And she flings the little fish away into the water. "Please come share lunch with us!"

For a while nothing can be heard but the cawing of gulls floating across the sky. But suddenly there's a big splash nearby as a dolphin hops up in an elegant semi circle, one of Miranda's fishes still in his … snout? Beak?

"Look, look, look," she calls in delight. "It's eating it!"

"So it is…" Loryn is still busy drying, but he changes position to pick up a fish and waggle it about in his hand in an attempt to lure the dolphin in close enough for Miranda to touch it. "C'mon, sweety, come here to papa…." It's not very convincing as a chat-up line but the fish in his hand does the job. After a bit the dolphin (or another one, who can tell?) sticks his snout out of the water and ventures close enough with a happy squawk to accept the fish from the man's hand.
<FS3> Miranda rolls Presence + Animal Handling: Failure.

Miranda leans over to try to pet it as the silvery dolphin comes closer but her long sleeves brush too close, spooking it away- but not before it grabs the fish from Loryn's outstretched hand. Miranda is still delighted to be that close.

Loryn has actually held his breath while the dolphin approaches and only exhales slowly when it is gone again. "Too bad…", he murmurs and manages a smile for his wife, "But I'm sure he has appreciated the gesture and given us his blessing, mhmm? Do you want to wait and try again?"

Miranda wrinkles her nose a little. "I would love to touch one myself, but we should get you changed into dry clothes, love."

"I don't mind waiting a little while longer.", Loryn offers, "We've barely finished our repast. Or we could try again some other time… even after the festival." He eyes the sail warily, knowing that the monumental task of turning the boat around and sail it back to Oldtown against the current lies ahead.

Miranda has a few grapes before she takes another fish. Carefully, leaning on him, she rises to her feet and leans forward. "Another one, my dears? Pretty silver children of the Mother." She glances back at a Loryn with a sunny smile. "We should make this a family tradition. Us. The children. No falling in, though."

"Yes, we can do that. Without the falling in.", Loryn agrees, "We could get a boat for ourselves. There should be a Tyrell boat here anyway, bearing our sigil on the sail and everything.", he muses, while he watches her try to lure another dolphin in. It gives him a chance to munch another cake, the first one's pleasure shortened when he went overboard.

Miranda says, "We should host a swimming contest. When, ah, the lion lizards aren't around…" she spies a silver-white flash and waves the fish over towards it to lure it in. "Oh look here's one. And over there, a calf! Oh what luck!" She leans forward more, holding the edge of the boat tight to prevent a replay of earlier. "Come here! Come meet us."""
<FS3> Miranda rolls Presence + Animal Handling: Good Success.

Loryn sees the dolphins approach and chips in, picking up the last two fish to wiggle them and catch the dolphins' attention. Soon enough they approach the boat eagerly. The little calf especially has had no reason yet to be wary of humans and offers them something akin to a smile before it snaps at the fish Loryn is holding out.

Miranda keeps very still and reaches out to touch the mother lightly on the head, fingers brushing the watery surface. "Mothers love be with us both," she says reverently. The baby is given a pout of adoration. "It's so precious!"

Even Loryn can't help being touched by the contact and his wife's words. He manages a very brief stroke of the calf's snout as it picks up the fish but then it's gone again and its mother soon following. "Well, as omens go, it couldn't go better than this, mhm?", Loryn smiles at Miranda. He makes a move as if wanting to hug her, but luckily remembers his wet clothes.

Miranda doesn't mind. She hugs him all the same, starting to giggle. "Did you feel that, slimy but not! And it's a sign, yes. We're doing what's right, for our family. For the Reach." She gestures back to the Hightower and the Sept. "The Mother is smiling in all that we do."

"How could she not?", Loryn grins, drawing her tight against him and his wet chest, so he can kiss her. "It is a truly beautiful sign though…" He holds her a while longer, but as the current begins to carry the boat further out towards the open area, he knows it's time to get some proper sailing done. "Let's bring this baby 'round…", he murmurs and gets to his feet.

Miranda tosses a cake to the dolphins just to share sugar with them and then sits back down so he can get them home. "Such a beautiful view from here. This really should be a family traditions- beyond the big barge and servants and all."

"Yes… yes…" Which is all the answer Loryn is capable of while he struggles with the rope and the sail, trying to bring the small vessel round. "I may miss the tourney tomorrow if we're blown all the way to the Summer Isles…", he mutters and then adds something more quietly under his breath that suspiciously sounds like "Should've hired the skipper…"

"I doubt we'll be that far," she says reassuringly. "I love watching you ride though. It reminds me of our wedding joust and how perfect you were."

This brings a big smile to Loryn's face despite his present hardships. The wedding joust of legends. It is marred though by some more muttered foul language until the sail finally catches the wind from the right side and flaps around. The boat describes a nice semi circle and sets course back for Oldtown harbour. "Whew, made it.", Loryn announces, trying to not sound too relieved.

Miranda politely ignores the sailor's talk. They are in a boat after all. "What fun. We should do it again before the festival ends," she says cheerfully. "The rocking of the boat put the baby to sleep I think. He stopped doing backflips."

"We should, yes. Bring more food and fish for the dolphins and maybe the skipper, so we can concentrate on nicer things…" Although that would also require giving up their privacy. "I might take some sailing lessons.", he adds thoughtfully as he tugs at the rope to try and change course a little bit. "Perhaps in two days, before the Ball… relatives have already started arriving and the house is going crazy…"

"Which is why this is nice. You and I, sun and waves, the peacefulness of the harbor…" she smiles. "I love the business of your family though. And all of them gushing over how big our baby is already. And making wagers one when he's born."

"Which won't be all that much longer now, will it?", Loryn asks, a question he asks about three times every day. "They will all come back then to rightfully cheer the arrival of the new Tyrell heir… I guess we should cherish the time we still have left to ourselves…" He places a hand gingerly on her rounded bump, but refrains from tapping with his finger tips to not wake the kiddo up again.

Miranda says, "The maesters suspect one to two months more, though should he be born early, Mother forbid, he'd likely be fine if a bit small."

"Ah, let's hope then that he will take his time.", Loryn smiles, "We'll want Hawthorn to grow into a strong knight, don't we? OI!", he shouts at a bigger vessel that is crossing his path into the harbour, only narrowly avoiding a collision. "I have no idea how to get back to where we took the boat.", he admits then.

Miranda umms. "Perhaps someone can row out and pull the line in?" She glances about for any other sailors who might be able to help.

"I suppose so.", Loryn murmurs. But he doesn't do anything. Men cannot ask for directions and they most definitely cannot admit that they need help being towed back to the quay. Instead he makes some half-baked movements with the rope and shakes a fist at the departing bigger vessel whose wake makes their little boat wobble.

Miranda stands and waves towards the docks. "Halloooo! Can someone help us sail in?" She smiles cheerfully. "To make sure the boat isn't damaged when we dock," she says in an attempt to salvage male pride.

Loryn grimaces when another boat approaches quickly, glad for a chance to get into the Tyrells' good books (or at least into Miranda's). Soon enough they're safely back to where they started and the boat is once more tied to its moorings. Loryn sheepishly drops a few coins into the helpful sailors' hands and climbs onto dry land before offering a hand to Miranda to help her disembark.

Miranda needs the help, with her added weight. "Well home safe, now to get you changed and dry dearest."

Loryn is by now only slightly damp but he is also fairly tired after his struggles with the sail. So he is quick to nod in agreement and wraps his arm around Miranda's substantial waist to walk home together to Garden Isle.
