[Tale] Oh Hey, It's Family (Shea/Eurig)

[Painted Moose]

Tale was both home to Eurig, and yet as strange as the stories told by his elders. He spent half the year travelling the Savanna with his father; learning, exploring, and talking with the local scholars. His life here was a different as night and day compared to the one he led in Jauhar. There he was much more physical; more hands on, more secluded and hidden from the shifters he'd once called friend. And...at least in Tale no one thought he was 'strange'. All they saw was Odhran and his boy, looking over a map as they stood off to the side in a little village, covered by the shade of a market stall's awning.

"I think if we take this road here, the one that cuts up through the mountain, we can see Zena before you go back to Jauhar."

"....is it possible? Won't that take too long?"

Odhran grinned, and shook his head. "We won't get to stay long, but we'll see mammu without missing our deadline."

That brought a smile to the preteen's face. He'd always wanted to see the thing called "snow", and Eurig wondered if they would go far enough north to actually see it.  

[Heras Box]

Painted Moose

After meeting some interesting people, but not the ones he was after, Shea headed toward the Jauhar border. It wasn't much but it was a place he'd not been to in a while. Perhaps in his absence his cousins had gone there without knowing it? He could only hope. The young man was growing weary of walking all over the place in search of family he wasn't even sure existed. Or was alive.

With his sword strapped to his side he toyed with the talisman that was wrapped around the hilt. It had been his mother's necklace when she was alive and now it was his good luck charm. So far it hadn't worked in his attempts to locate someone but it did work when he needed to defend himself.

As he neared a man and his son Shea took a deep breath. It was unlikely that he would have any luck with them as well but he'd come this far so asking could do no harm. "Excuse me, I wonder if you might be able to help me." He lifted one hand in a wave to show he was friendly and less threatening.
 

[Painted Moose]

Heras Box

Odhran was the first to lift his head, dark green eyes taking in the stranger before Eurig lifted his own, the exact copy of his mother and grandfather's eye color. For a moment he noticed how his father took a half step forward, a slight shuffle really, just enough to partially block his son while seeming friendly. It wasn't until he did that that Eurig noticed the sword at the other leafling's belt.

Even though the other man seemed nice enough the entirety of his family had warned him long ago about false appearances.

"What can we help you with?" Eurig questioned. "If it's gold you're after I'm afraid we don't have much to spare." He said it nice enough that one might think he was ready to give it if the stranger just asked for it. And honestly, he might have, if he truly thought that the man actually needed it. He didn't look to be ailing, but who knew if he had a family that needed it or not!
 

[Heras Box]

Painted Moose

As the older man seemed to step in a way that half blocked the younger Shea stopped where he was. It wouldn't do to give them the wrong idea. However, when the younger one spoke up it seemed the wrong idea had already been taken. "Gold? What -- ? No. I don't need.." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm looking for my cousin. Her name is Ujana." Since it wasn't likely that he would get a lead he seemed to turn his attention to the landscape. Where would he go next?

Mentally he was pulling up a map of Tale and trying to figure out which way he should go to reach another town. Shea figured he'd have better luck with larger villages than the smaller ones. Then again, he wasn't sure if his cousin was the social type or not.
 

[Painted Moose]

Heras Box

I'm looking for my cousin.That didn't sound something a bandit might say, which prompted Eurig to step a little closer. He placed a hand on his father's shoulder to calm the man's nerves, edging himself to his papa's side as he spoke. "Do you know anything else about her? My mother has the same name, but I don't want to get your hopes up."

It was beyond strange. If this man was actually family then he would be the only member of his mother's family, beyond his grandfather and Aunt, that Eurig had ever met. She spoke of various members while he grew up, but none had ever bothered to come visit, though from the way his grandfather spoke it seemed as if he might be better off....

"Can you name her parents? What she looks like....? Even if it isn't the same woman then we could at least help you if we had something to go on."  

[Heras Box]

Painted Moose

Did he know anything else about her? Shea shook his head slowly. He'd only just discovered that she existed. It was part of the whole reason he was looking for her. Of course it never dawned on him that there would be more than one Ujana in the world. Though it shouldn't have surprised him at all since he'd come across another Shea or two on his travels. Then the boy mentioned that his mother's name was Ujana. It was enough to make him look a little closer at the kid.

"I'm afraid I only recently learned that I had a cousin. The only thing I know is her father's name." Being that he had spent little over two years searching for the man it was hard to forget about him. "My Uncle's name is Uquin, that would be her father." When he mentioned his mother's brother he didn't seem too pleased with him. Clearly there was something there that needed to be dealt with but that was for another day. "I'm looking for him too as it happens.."
 

[Painted Moose]

Heras Box

Eurig stayed close to his father, even though the empathetic part of his soul wanted him to get a little closer to this man. The lack of information obviously bothered him, and yet, he was still trying. Yet, Odd's look of caution weighed on him; how much evil had been put into the world to make his papa look that way?

"My grandfather's name is Uquin." Eurig piped in, eyes widening as things started to click into place. "And my mother has a sister named Padma. I think my mother is the woman you're looking for..." His voice trailed off, quiet a little in his surprise. He looked to his father, but Odhran was at a loss for words. What were the chances he would come in contact with any of his grandfather's family? He may have passed a few in the streets, but if this...this cousin hadn't spoken to him then maybe they never would have known!

Odhran furrowed his brows. "Ujana never mentioned any cousins on her father's side..."

"But grandfather does have a sister. I think her name was...Isaya?"  

[Heras Box]

Painted Moose

-did not lose this rp. NOPE.- >>;

He thought that his mother was the woman that Shea was looking for? It took the man a moment of shock to fully comprehend what was just said. Had he found his lost family finally? Could it be that easy right now? "I'm sorry, did... Did I just hear you right?" Shea stared at the boy for a long moment then he heard the boy's father chime in. Ujana never mentioned any family..

Well no, she wouldn't would she? If he had not known of her then she would not know of him. Or at least that is what he assumed. Shea was about to say as much when Eurig spoke again and this time his jaw dropped. "Y-yes. My mother's name was Isaya. Uquin is her brother." So he had found this boy, the son of his cousin, after searching for a long time for his uncle Uquin. It wasn't the man himself so he couldn't rant and rave about the worry he'd caused Shea's mother but there was a shinning light to it all. Shea wasn't alone in the world anymore. He had cousins who had children! Proper leaf children at that!
 

[Painted Moose]

Heras Box

"That means you're my second cousin, and my mother's first." This was insane. What were the chances of meeting any of Uquin's family so randomly? As far as Eurig knew they were just names that hadn't been spoken of in years, but now it all seemed so real. Standing in front of him was the son of an Aunt he knew so little about, and maybe...maybe he should have pressed his grandfather about it earlier in life. Maybe he should have asked more, even when he was shut down. Uquin wouldn't have known about Shea, sure, but at least then Eurig could have known about Isaya...

"You said her name was Isaya. Does that mean she's no longer living?" Of course his papa would be the one to catch that; Eurig certainly hadn't been able to. For a moment he looked back at Odd, who seemed abashed, at least, but he wasn't really annoyed with his papa, just...sad for Shea, if that was the case.

"Does that mean you've been wandering all this time? Or do you have other family to go back home to?"
 

[Heras Box]

Painted Moose

A small smile lit his face as he looked at Eurig. He could see some of the family traits and they stared at him. However, when the boy's father asked if his mother was no longer living he lost his smile. "You are correct. My mother passed..." He paused to think of the time. Shea had been about to say only a few months ago but it was much longer than that. Her death felt like it was still so sudden but he knew he had been looking for Uquin for way longer. "A long time ago." To give an exact time would force him to sit and think about it all and he just did not want to do that at the moment. As Eurig asked if he had been alone all that time he nodded his head in a sharp motion. The question that followed had him going still before shaking his head. There was no one else and no home to go back to.

"I apologize for interrupting your walk. Would it be alright if I were to speak with your wife sir? I would very much like to meet my cousin." Shea was hoping to learn more about his family.
 

[Painted Moose]

Heras Box

Odhran paused, and gained a sympathetic look to his face, one that mirrored his son's. Eurig wasn't sure what to say to that; 'I'm sorry' didn't seem appropriate, given it was a parent's passing, and yet, he wanted to say something. It didn't seem right not to, especially when it still affected this man like it did.

And then there was that admission....he'd been on his own? Eurig couldn't imagine what that must have felt like. In Jauhar he was swamped with family, and while, at times, in Tale it was just he and his father he was never really alone. How long had he ventured from place to place after watching his mother pass away? Honestly, Eurig couldn't imagine anything worse than that.

Odhran furrowed his brow before shaking his head and holding up his hand, "I'm sorry, but his mother and I aren't married; we never were. Ujana lives in Jauhar with her girlfriend."

"I come to Tale for half the year, to spend time with papa." Eurig answered simply, his voice soft with the slight twist of a smile to his lips. "But I could take you to her, if that's what you want. I'm sure mama would love to meet you."

It would mean leaving his father earlier than scheduled, but a quick look at Odhran showed the man's reluctant acceptance. If need be he could always spend a few extra weeks in Tale to make up for it. After all, it wasn't every day you came across long lost relatives, especially ones that had no one else to call family. Eurig couldn't just leave him out here like this!

"We'll both go." In that, Odhran was firm. Eurig furrowed his brows. Didn't he trust Shea?