Personal Logs, Late November
It's been good to be working fully again. I feel useless if I ain't doing much, and it's been fun to sit with a pole and chat one on one, but it's so easy it don't feel like work no more. We've been bringing in some good hauls, and I missed my crew terrible.
Landis was real useful to have on board; really afraid he was gonna be too lazy to help, but all the fish he wanted was good enough to spur him on, and his ability to fly was real useful. We went as far as Nirva with him, and while that was as far as I was gonna go, I decided last minute I needed to make sure Falena was in one piece for some reason, so I made sure he got passage back north, and I hope he's gotten back to Budehuc safely.
The Sunset headed on for Estrise after I sent word I'd be heading down that way, and some of the old folks went and met me there. Have to say, part o' me did wonder if anyone'd show up--I am the one who left all those years ago--but then, how could anyone not miss me? We had enough time to go by land to go meet the rest of the fleet, and there was lots of food and bickering to be had. Only stayed for a couple days--a long journey to just stop in and say hello, but I can't sit still for long, I find. Would've liked to visit Sol Falena, maybe pay my respects at the memorial to Arshtat and Ferid, as I never did before. But suppose I will in my own way; just no time to make the physical trip. On a whim, sent a letter to the Prince. Who the hell knows if he'll even get it, but young Prince berated me for not keepin' in touch. Who knows if the now-Prince even remembers me, but at least I've tried, now.
I got a chance to chat with Kisara, busy as she is, about Budehuc. I think she believes all I said about it, but I don't know. I decided after talking about it and thinking some more, that I would head back north again myself after all. Something's going on there, and as I told Eileen, someone from the here and now ought to keep an eye on that place.
So now that I've gotten some work done and ten pounds of paperwork sorted out---accounted to the maritime council and the marine commission what happened, made sure any longstanding contracts were in good order and transferred to another company if need be. I had already filed a request with Zexen for permission to fish their waters; by the time I get back up there they should've verified my Master's ticket and granted me local mariner's license, hopefully. 'Course, the whole masquerading as Shoon thing might come to haunt me, but I hopefully have worked that out well enough.
We're heading north at top speed and should be docking at Budehuc soon enough, weather permitting. It's getting a mighty windy up that way. Got to remember to pick up cold weather gear. That's be something new. But the hands we picked up in Zexen know how to prepare the ship and us for it, so they say, anyways.