That's what this trip to Luluhawa amounted to for Briar; the little magi, emblematic of all the excitements and adoring perspective Blue Pegasus was known for, taking polite advantage of his guild's connection to the beautiful island along with a small gaggle of other members. Vesper had been unavailable due to schoolwork, leaving Briar to promise to enjoy himself a double super lot for the both of them -- and bring him back a trinket or two, as was customary for tourists. Which he was now! Touring a whole new world!

He hadn't had the chance to do something like this yet. All trips outside of Southern Fiore had a clear, concise goal - an adventure, a quest, a mission of sorts - and this would be his first chance to enjoy another location without the weight of a job to do. Still, he'd hold himself a little busybody. It took effort and multiple rejections of his help to stop offering to every service worker he'd pass by, eventually moving to fret instead over minor messes he'd cause and go beyond to keep his areas clean and his tumbles managed. It looked like it'd take more than a new setting to have him relax entirely ...

They had checked in with guest services, relatively acquainted friends bound more by their love for their guild then much time together, and then split to secondary locations for whatever interested them most. Offers were exchanged to join each other, or at least meet up later, but the small group differed in where they wanted to start and ultimately would have to take the first day scenic. Briar's initial passion was the simplest, if a little characteristic: he wanted to compare the ocean at this beach to that of Hargeon's port, maybe collect a few samples for Raina back home, & research some of the Luluhawan undersea flora ... He was alone in this, a sheepish grin replying to playful looks with ease. Yeah, he knew he was a little silly.

This is how he'd end up on Mahalo Beach between lunch and dinner alone, content to enjoy his time with the tides and shy feet to meet them until the evening came with its orange hue and called him back to his group. An 'aloha!' would be offered enthusiastically to all passersby between the flush of elated red cheeks, the atmosphere hitting him like a cloud - soft, fluffy, lifting - and relieving him of his remaining tensions in such a new, unknown landscape; because people were still people, and he was still him, which meant all strangers were just friends he hadn't met. The water, too, pooled around his ankles just like home. He'd crouch, studying each wave and the foam that came with it between soft 'hmms', mumbles and the fishing of little vials and labeling tools out of his comically too-big pack.

"Ah, maybe Ves would ... if I brought a lil' coral home ... mm ... ehe?"

Karstaag had travelled extensively, stricken with a wanderlust that was ever sated in his time as a pirate sailing the seas and little changed in the aftermath of that chapter that defined his life so wholly. One of his favorite places was Luluhawa Island and the beautiful beaches that it was blessed with. Karstaag was a hedonistic dwarf, relishing every chance he could to drown his worries in alcohol and laze about as the sun gently kissed his rustic frame. He was absent his thick chainmail and heavy boots, opting to wear an open button shirt that was customary to the area (allegedly) and swimming trunks. He was in good spirits today and just as deeply under their influence, a mug of a drink he's already forgotten the name of swishing around with every swirl of his hand as he's sprawled out beneath the shade of an umbrella.

There wasn't really ought to do in the meantime besides relax. Momo had scampered off, leaving Karstaag to enjoy this mini vacation all by himself. He enjoyed the reprieve, but also longed for a little bit of action; excitement. Karstaag departs the sanctuary of his little island trailing along the beach in search of entertainment, uneven footprints outline the sand and wash away with the incoming waves. The water feels cools his feet, sizzling against the rough bulk of his ankles that causes his ears to flit and wag with the wind. He hoists his sails and rises with the wind, following its lead wherever it guides the tipsy dwarf.

The afternoon sun shines rays that gleam and reflect against the effervescent sea, the sight a beauty to behold in molten eyes. Karstaag almost doesn't see the boy slumped over in the water, softly humming and speaking to himself in hushed murmurs that are drowned by the cacophony of seagulls and other beachgoers. The first sparkle of a gem, completely out of place, working hard on a beach intended as respite from such trifles. Curiosity got the better of the dwarf, a slow waddle into slightly deeper depths with water that pools above his broad and stubby thighs. "Aye, lad! What're ya doin' out 'ere all by yer lonesome? Are ya havin' fun wit'... whatever tha' is...?" His nose scrunches, and brow furrows with a fleeting hint of interest that's quenched by the rise of his cup to his lips. He exhales a grunt after the indulgence and chuckles at the boy, bulky frame heaving with each jolly, rhythmic laugh.

Briar was too absorbed in his busywork, humming in varying happy or curious tones and musing half-mindedly about what he might bring home from the trip for everyone - Vesper, most of all, but he had promised his parents trinkets and it'd be nice to bring something pretty back for Miss Yu and the Guildmaster ... aaah, as a thank you! He hadn't thought of that until this moment, shooting up with a little gasp; unbeknown of the approaching figure. Where had his head been? He had to show his gratitude back to the guild for this trip! Would they like ... seashells, seashells maybe??? Alisa could come here any time she wanted already ... what did you get someone that looked like they had everythin --

"Eeeeeeiiaaa!" Briar stumbled over from his precarious crouch in the waves with a relatively unimpressive splash, intensifying in flung water from the immediate flail of startled arms and an erratic burst of terrified breaths. He wheezes, finding the footing of his hands digging into sea-earth and his eyes to land wide on the source of his momentary shock. A. A ... dwarf? "G-golly goodness gracious gee WILLIKERS Lord Almighty, s-sir! I- I'm sorry!"

He stumbles out of the churning depths he himself had contributed to, swaying on unsteady feet and instead falling back in the other direction with another yip. His vials lay scattered, floating on the wake, and he's completely drenched within moments. He simply bobs there for seconds longer. It stretches in stunned silence, splayed out on his back, and he runs through his last few hyperventilated breaths before he can come up with a real response. "Briar!" He squeaks, coming between big breaths. He slows it down ... exhales long and soft ... and then tries again. "I-I'm ... B-Briar, mister. Briar ... Caidh. Real -- real sorry. Oh gee. I was - uhm - I'm - there's just -- uhm, I'm with Blue Pegasus! I ... th-the water! I was sampling it!?"

His eyes were a dizzied violet, spiraling off. "A... are you enjoying your vacation???"

It was simply a passing whim that he acted upon. Karstaag wasn't sure what the boy's response would be to his uncouth, blunt invasion. A teetering shyness, perhaps? A stunted, boring response? There was nothing that could have prepared the dwarf for reality. The boy tumbles, splayed out with a rippling splash in an unfathomable display of clumsiness. The dwarf was deep in his cup, unprepared for the spectacle and he swallowed the fluid just a little wrong, a short coughing fit wracking his body. The boy would swear like a sailor if filtered behind a whimsical childish filter that purified such cursed words.

"What'd you jus' say, lad!?" He billows a wave of laughter, ferrying a helping hand outstretched to salvage the boy from the shallow depths. "Golly gee willickers, was'it?" A sneering grin creases his lips, a playful maw pulled open to poke a little fun at the outlandish choice of words. "I didn' mean ta frighten ya or nothin', boy. Water samples, eh? Didja get the short end o' the stick or somethin' with yer guild?" Karstaag would swivel his tankard, the swirl of murky spirits within spilling over the brim slightly. Karstaag was intrigued by whatever this creature was; a spectacle in a gleaming treasure flaunting fine amethysts that spiral as awkwardly as the stammering boy.

Karstaag would flit his ears and a tilt of his head to feign the vaguest consideration for the question that squeaked so softly. "Am I enjoyin' my vacation? Mhm Mhm~ Aye, Old Karstaag can't complain about nothin'. And the day sure did get amusin' out o' nowhere." He'd laugh again, a growl permeating the heave of every chest movement and a paw raised to stroke the beard of the jolly dwarf. He's plastered already. Easily amused, but there was a glint of something foreign just behind his rough exterior shining through.

"D'ya need any help, li'tle Briar? I ain't got nothin' better ta do, and i find you charmin', lad~"

His abject embarrassment was in no way assisted by the dwarf's jovial response, a slant to each of the boy's watery little eyes burning his cheeks red back in quiet shame. "Awh, boy," he mumbles, clasping both small hands around the coarse, offered one. He slinks out of the roiling tide until they still again in the shallows where they stand, finding his height to just barely overtake the other figure even once his footing steadied. "Th-thanks, pally," he bumbles, moving to rub the back of his head only to find his hair loosed from his ribbon in the chaos and disturbed to flow in its own unkempt wave down his back. It stuck to his neck, drawing a wrinkle to his nose, and he takes a moment to bask in his sequence of blunders.

"I - uhm. Haha ... ehe." His laugh, while half-hearted, rung true with the shake of slight shoulders, his eyes sympathetic on Karstaag only to roam out and scan the nearby waters for his -- ah, there's his ribbon. His vials would have to be collected over time, wading and talking to get his things back together. He shimmered along with the foam, the midday sun beating the playful red of his expression and glittering down his hair. "S, sorry, again. Ehhheee ... I'm, uhm - I've been told I can be a little bit of a goofball, I have. I hope I did'n disturbed your day any, sir -- Karstaag?" His mouth had to feel around the name, focused so as not to offend. He chewed on it, tugging his bottom lip, and clasped wet hands behind a dripping waist to smile back over at Kars and renew his introduction. "I was jus' all caught up in my own lidl world, ehe. It's - it's nice to meet you, Mr. Karstaag! I'm Briar, like I said, of Blue Pegasus! This was actually more a, aauuhh - an interest of mine? Of some friends of mine, too!"

He continues on, sloping a little with tired laughter. "Honest, I'm big on the environment and sea-life 'n stuff like that'all, an' I was hopin' I might find some things to take back to my friends, and --," he had to catch himself, scrunching his face in commentary toward himself. "And there I go, all rambly! Boy howdy, my head's all over today, sir. If you would'n mind, could you grab those vials next to you? I'll get these over here, a-and I'll pay you forward! Anythin' you need! It's ... it's my pleasure 'n my duty!"

He found a way to bow as the water licked his knees, tilting his head up to grin back through the stick of his hair down his face. "I-I think you're real neat, too!"

It was impossible to not be swept up in the boy's innocence shining so vividly in the the foamy spaces between each rippling wave. A buoyancy that lets you float above it all; the worries and troubles that plague the world. Briar flounders a bit searching for the ribbon that had wandered away in the scuffle of his slapstick act, floating gently to the side in the calm that followed. Karstaag released a small chuckle, careful steps to wade further into the water to pluck the drifting vials of his own volition. Briar was too busy investigating the case of the missing ribbon, yammering on and on with a cute pitch to his stammering words. Karstaag didn't want to sully the moment; his pleasure at the cost of Briar's mild dismay.

"Oh no, lad~ No apologies needed. I'd say meetin' ya 'ere 'as done more to brighten me day than anythin' else 've done." Karstaag continues to salvage the vials, an eyebrow furrowed as he steals glances at Briar still happily yapping away. Karstaag enjoyed noise and chaos in totality, but there was a pleasant melody in each word spoken in the country boy accent that chimed a little higher than he was accustomed. He relished in every lyric sang and the affability he exuded was a refreshing change of pace from his usual consorts. "I'm not one to real'y put any thought inta these sorts'a things, but y'know what, lad? Aye, I love the sea~! Spent most o' me life out on'it!" He'd bellow out a boisterous roar of laughter, the heaving of his body sending vibrations throughout the waves.

Karstaag would extend his hand for the boy, a bundle of vials tumbling about with the soft rattle of glass in his stout paws. "'ere ya go, lad. And don't worry yer adorable lit'le head about no ramblin'. 'Mr. Karstaag' has taken quite tha fancy to it." His eyes would erupt fiercely with lava and a misshapen smile would twist along the edges of his fluff accompanied by a hushed snarl emerging to peek out from the depths. "I tell ya what, son~ If you'd care fer it- I could take ya out on a boat so ya can rea'ly get to take in all the sea has ta offer~! Who knows, ya might get to see somethin' y'ave never seen before." Karstaag would puff out his bare chest, hands propped on each side as if he were a hero arriving just in time for the climatic rescue, and a huff of steamy vapor in each motivated breath.

It was a touched heart that led Briar to his relief for his companion - despite all of his silly little fumbles, the man that had approached him out of his own curiosity held no ill will and, if anything, seemed more easygoing than anybody Briar was used to save -- Fei Yu? Maybe that was a quality beholden to those closer to Earthland? Dwarves were kind of like fairies, weren't they? Up close, Karstaag didn't look any less magical. Briar wasn't so closed off from the world - with Hargeon being a port town and all - to not have seen his fair share of the freefolk before, rare but extravagant smiths and merchants. He hadn't known any to venture into the waters, though. For some strange intrinsic reason he assumed it wouldn't agree with them.

"Golly, Mr. Karstaag, you're real friendly-like. I'm grateful. I know I've been a little bit bumbly, ehe. Let me get m'self all sorted abouts, okay? Lesse here ... phoooey ... if'n I could just ...," and he wrestles with his ribbon around his wet hair, giving up on the sticky threads to let the end of it dip into the water again on the dejected slinking of his body. "Buuuwaahhh ... maybe later, I'm thinkin'. Hahaha. Oh! Thank you, sir! Gee!" He lit up as the vials were passed back into his waiting little hands, peering them over for any trouble other than the complete desensitization they suffered. He'd have to come back for unspoiled samples another time; besides, he wasn't one to turn down this company. It was all too easy to fall into a happy camaraderie with people like Karstaag, beaming his way.

"R-really now, mister?" He managed his disbelief away from disrespect, careful to navigate any mentality that might seem problematic and leaning more into what came naturally to him; awe, that is, with starlit amethyst and an eager gasp. "Honest, I just do volunteer work for pollution control, 'n help some out feedin' or fishin' on little boats. I helped out to handle some pirates a bit off from the port, once, but I've never ... Mm, aside from the Academy, I don't think I've ever just ... ventured!" He couldn't help his little hop, splashing a wave and almost sending him spiraling again until he caught himself with flailing arms at either side. Uwaaaa.

"What do you like so much about it, mister? I-if you really wanna do a little sailin', I think they offer that around here!" His excitement was barely constrained, shaking in tiny porcelain fists.

There was a trace of mischief in the way the dwarf chuckled with every utterance that escaped the little half-elf. Karstaag had met plenty of elves and their branching kin in his travels across Earthland and the seas that encompassed her, but there was a distinct optimism, or whimsy that was unique only to Briar. Karstaag was infatuated, positively smitten by these quaint little quirks. Animated in a way that seemed plucked out from a children's storybook in his clumsy, yet profoundly earnest personality.

Karstaag would posit a few suggestions for devilry and shenanigans, but restrain himself for now at least as the boy collects himself. Molten eyes scrutinized every movement, the klutzy way he attempted to fetter his hair back into a ponytail before acquiescing to the oppressive nature of water. A flit of his ears, shining a toothy grin that sparkles with a silver mosaic that accompanied the usual ivory lacquer.

Karstaag listened to Briar prattle on in response to his proposition, a hand gently brushing his beard in wide strokes as the tide foamed at his wide legs, displacing waves like still logs. He almost bursts at the seams hearing that the boy had run-ins with pirates in the past, a revelation better left in secret for now. "Well, lad... It sounds like ya got a genuine love o' tha sea! And yer a young lad, aye? What bet'er time to go out fer an adventure!? There's so much y'ave never seen before on the high seas. Ya couldn' even fathom 't!.... I'd love ta take ya out to get yer feet wet."  How long had it been since Karstaag just went out and ventured himself? He couldn't recall in the haziness of his drunken memories, but it must've been ages, no?

"Wha'da I like about tha sea?" He'd tilt his head, wrinkles atop his head scrunching up together to mirror his nose. A huff of air, rippling the fluff that swathed his entire face. It an easy answer. "Aye, tha freedom! Jus' take a look upon tha horizon, Briar! Nothin' in sight, but tha open air and smell o' tha sea! Every time ya see a new piece of land, ya dream o' what could be! Mystery, tha thrill of the unknown and the treasures tha' await! Aye, an adventure.." Karstaag was oddly lively, a display of motions that posed to be as dramatic as possible as he described his love that had blossomed long ago, forgotten in the passage of time and cynicism. He was genuinely excited for the first time in a long while.

"Ahem... Righ' ye can rent a boat..." He was already resolved to steal a boat for the little elfling if needed, but perhaps it would be best to not make him an accomplice to a crime. He'd offer a hand to assist the boy and swivel his head to hobble back to the beach in search of a vessel for their voyage. "What're ya waitin' fer, lad!? 'Venture awaits!"

Ingenuity. There was nothing terribly unique about the way Briar stood among the seafoam, each wave a lap against quivering knees and the slight swimwear that kept him cold in the breeze but warm in the ocean, and his eyes - consistently shining, starstruck within a few words from his new friend and the unsprawling adventure before him - were as ever bright, as ever eager. Maybe there wasn't anything breaking ground; and, still, the pitch of his voice in its stammered excitement, cracking through his throat and from flushed lips, sung a song of such enamoration it must have been the first light of a dawn. A little sunbeam slant across the garden. His every joy was unique in and of itself, and Briar Caidh could never fall over himself enough times to share this elation with others.

"Oh boy!!" He exclaimed, a hop immediately registering itself as a bad idea when his feet sunk into the seabed and buried his toes in its softness, teetering his arms for a balance Karstaag was sure to help him find again; and just as surely, a bashful smile on the young boy's face and the giggle to accompany it. "It's just, uhm ... gosh, Mr. Karstaag, you must've seen and done so much, you must've! I couldn't ... I reckon I couldn't imagine such a life! I-I'm real happy in mine, o'course, a-an' everythin's great over here and my guild and my friends and my garden 'n all but -- but!! A whole world ... a whole ocean! A-a whole ocean over a whole world I haven't seen! That must be so neat!"

"There's gotta be lots of real cool things out there, and - and treasure an' the like," He was dazzled, laughing a bit less restrained and a little clearer through the swim of his head and paddle of his feet out of the dirt. He'd begin his way out of the tide along with Karstaag to set out on this little spontaneous event, an odd coupling with their hearts already drifting to sea. "I sure do love mystery and adventure, mister!" He'd cheer along, hopping the last step onto the sandy beach again and wiggling to-and-fro until the last of his belongings were back in his possession. "Oh, but, uhm -- we gotta be back before dinner, I think, 'cause my guildmates will worry! A-an' I'm sure you've got people that'd wonder where you got off to, too, sir!"

He'd flash another innocent smile at the boisterous figure, glinting under one last afternoon ray. "Thanks for this, mister! It'd be pretty scary to do alone, honest, but you look like you know your way around this kinda thing real well! I know I'm in in good hands, Mr. Karstaag! Please look after me!" Ever formal, even in their dispatch and the ease of access to the sailboat they'd be looking to requisition. He'd even bow, a little shake from nerves and anticipation jolting down his shoulders. "And I'll do my best to help out too, if'n you'll teach me!"

"Don' worry, lad. You'll be back in time fer supper. No problem~" The dwarf would puff out his chest with the declaration, eyes bubbling with passionate zeal and the wanderlust of adventure once more. The lad seemed to be just as excited scampering, rushing to gather his belongings before departing for the docks to acquire a boat. They were truly an odd pairing. The rough exterior of a burly dwarf and the soft daintiness of an elvish boy. Complete opposites in every way, but Karstaag hovers closely to Briar, a strong sense of duty in the temporary guardianship. He was like a doting and overprotective parent and would have been confused for such if not for their wildly contrasting appearances. "Ya wanna learn about sailin' do ye, boy? Aye, I could teach ya a few things. How ta navigate, hoist tha sails, tie knots an' the like." Karstaag was buzzing, a billowing laugh that would ripple the waves beneath their modest vessel.

He'd hop down to the boat, a wavering hobble before his balance becomes accustomed to the steady rocking of mild swells of the sea. "Alrigh' c'mere, laddie~" Karstaag would raise his arms, beckoning the boy closer before scooping him up, tugging him closer across the boundary of stable ground and the chaotic sea. The elf would float, and twirl with thick fingers that would grasp and envelop the boy's waist with a covetous grip. There would be no possibility of dropping the boy in the short passage, but the surf roils, surges a wave that would crash against the hull of the hip. His grip strains, unwavering and steadfast as he yanks the boy towards his stout frame, but his foothold slips and their bodies collide against one another. A bad idea for one as tipsy as he was oft to be. Briar was splayed out against the dwarf, a durable cushion for the fall to say the least, and Karstaag heaved out a rambunctious roar of laughter, eyes blinded by the sun's rays that shimmered so vividly. His ears flicker and blink and his tepid, breath kindles in the distortion. Dizziness was his affliction.

He'd wiggle back to his feet, stumbling a bit with a delicate attention placed on Briar and returning him back to his proper place. "Aye, apologies, lad. Seems Old Karstaag had a few too many, Harhahar! No need ta worry yer pretty lit'le 'ead though. I've sailed under far worse conditions!" Karstaag waddles over to the anchor, a foot pressed into the hull to hoist the hunk of iron back up and unfasten the rope that bound them securely to the port. There was only one thing left to do and he would leave that task to his little companion

"Ya see tha' rope o'er there, Briar? Tha one underneath tha sails? Be a good lad an' give it a tug, aye? Ye can 'ave the honor... let loose tha sails fer our grand 'venture! First Mate Briar~!" He'd snarl a boisterous, hands fixed on the helm to navigate them to a little island he spotted just off the coast. There was likely nothing to be discovered there, but he wanted to instill the love of adventure within the young lad.

A navigator ... a navigator! Something about it felt right, pinpricking a curious light in the center of each of Briar's eyes - and it built, and it grew, and it shown too brightly for him to see until he had to close it against the dazzling summer rays. "I'd... I'd like that very much, mister Karstaag! A proper sailor ... why, by George, I could hoist all day! Oh boy! It's excitin'!"

He was flushed with premeditated enthusiasm, burgeoning with each step until he was practically bounding across the sand with ecstatic thrown limbs. He'd giggle, airplaning his arms and running little tracks in front of Kars and on their way; until his foot tumbled over a crab, freezing the frame of him falling over and rolling through the beach with an 'uwehhh -- oof!'. He returned to his feet and their adventure after his stars had faded.

It was nerve-wracking, in a gratifying sort of manner, as he found himself with wobbly feet on the deck of this ship. He had only been on anything bigger than a rowboat a handful of times. Once as part of a force of legal mages handling a minor pirate excursion, with every other time being for school and the subsequent back and forth to Amaforth. He was more used to airships at this point, if anything, thanks to Blue Pegasus - it was always new being out at sea, and even moreso without some kind of ... purpose? Supervision? He had Mr. Karstaag here, beaming at the dwarf with a shuffle of his feet, only for their following antics to ensue and him to find himself sprawled about the floor - and his friend - ... and he was starting to get used to the sight of the sky from the earth, he was.

He could only laugh after hurried apologies, waving his arms in a frantic sense that devolved in light-hearted giggles. His voice came like the blow of bubbles, more foam for the sea, and he an oyster peeking too shyly with those violet pearls. "I-I think we're both just real excited, Mr. Kars! That's all alright! Haha! Thanks for your help, m-matey!" He'd pump his fists, stumbling back to his feet with the other and resting a hand to squeeze his shoulder with that same lackadaisacal expression. "It's all just so ... so wow, isn't't? The breeze an' the smell ... it feels so free. Wowie zowie."

He sighed out in bliss, taking careful steps to the bow and looking over the railing of their sailboat to the peaceful waters and their playful lapping against their ship. He giggled, again, pulling in his arms to hug his chest; and his ears would twitch, flutter, and bound his happy gaze back to Karstaag on declaration. "A ... aye, aye, c-cap'n! First Mate ... hehe ... Briar Caidh, reportin' for duty, matey..!"

He truly did swing into the role, wobbling a little in a combination of thrilled fluster and blossoming sea legs; and he made his way to the flagpole, remembering back to how it was done in previous company ...

And he pulled, unfurling the sail with a gust of wind and a take off to sea in giddiness' wake. "H-heave ... 'n ho to starport!? Yahoo!"

And they were off. The gentle palpitations of the tempestuous mistress known as the Sea seemed to guide their vessel with an idyllic grace. A kind breath of the coastal breeze beckoning them toward fruitful adventures and the treasures that could possibly dwell on the tiny unsettled isle. Karstaag was already paid in full for his service, the child's smile and companionship on this voyage were more than sufficient for the vagrant sailor. His heart almost seized within his chest, a tint of red shining dimly beneath the thick fluff of his beard. To be called cap'n so excitably by the picture of innocence was enough to warm the cockles of even the most stubborn of dwarves. "Ahem... That's righ' First Mate Briar. Hard ta starport!" He'd swivel the wheel and brace for the abrupt turn that cleaved through the firmament of foamy waves. He didn't have the heart to correct him; that there was no such thing as 'starport'

A surge of laughter, heaving at the helm with enough force to capsize the small boat and the eyes fixed forever on the horizon. "C'mere, lad." His hand would beckon his First Mate, and find itself firmly rested on his shoulder. "Harhar~! Ye see that, laddie? There's tha isle where all yer wildest dreams could come true! Ye ne'er know, aye? That's the beau'y o' adventure! Who knows what treasure we coul' find there!" He'd jostle the boy, burly fingers digging into the softness of his skin with the voracity of an overly enthusiastic dwarf, roaring in elated laughter the entire while.

He would show off his navigational gear in the moments before they reached the promised land, explaining the simplicities of the equipment to the boy with a degree of patience that felt strangely endearing to himself. Was this softness always in the dwarf, or was it awakened by the brilliance of this little elfling and the dazzling exuberance that percolated with every flitting motion? He'd take Briar's hand and hold out his compass, urging him to snugly envelop it within his grasp. "'Ere ye go, Briar. A little somethin' to make sure ye never get lost, aye?" He'd wrinkle his nose, a flap of his ears as he waddles over to prepare the anchor. They were fast approaching their destination and the old dwarf would shy away from any added sentimentality. It felt right to pass on a memento, a relic of a bygone era in his life that could potentially endure in the spirited hands of a young lad who burned so brightly.

The skiff would rock along the shoreline, sandy beach visible under the pristine blue that refracted the afternoon rays. They still had plenty of time for their antics and thrills. Before supper was the deadline so they would have to be swift to scour the island for treasures. Karstaag would whistle to get Briar's attention, a nod of his head with a wry grin peeking behind his beard. "Aye! Help the cap'n wit' tha anchor. It's 'eavy, but don' worry- I got ye, lad. Heheh~ It's a good feelin'- Liberatin' to drop such a 'eavy burden..."

The two would release the hunk of iron, tethering their ship to the grainy seabed, and take their first steps into uncharted territory with the waves bubbling at their ankles. "Land~ Ho~!"