Chapter D2: Getting Familiar

Getting Familiar

He may have only a not entirely comfortable camp bed in a simple tent, and only the most basic facilities but, even so, each morning waking up in Aurora Skies brought a smile to Damien Slade's heart.

The smell of fresh, clean, crisp air.  The distant sound of the majestic waterfalls.  The freedom of opportunity and discovery that was his each new day.  What could ever spoil this?

Poverty and starvation perhaps? Damien knew he had sufficient funds for a good few weeks, but if he was going to stay here he would need a some sort of income.  Perhaps just a part-time job would do, and that would surely also help him start really becoming part of this community.

He may not have a stack of specific skills but he had a good general education, was friendly and enjoyed meeting people so when he noticed an 'Assistant wanted' sign in the window of the Mud Baths and Manuscripts spa and bookshop it seemed the perfect job.


How very 'AS' he thought.  A spa and books in the same shop.  Should get to meet an interesting mix of people!


Having signed up for a trial period Damien headed off to explore some more of the town, heading first to the Wallin Quad Festival Park.

Aurora Skies may be on the far edge of the country and a long way from the big cities, but the unique location, and the tourists that brought, meant it could support a good size festival and entertainment centre.


It was early in the day and the park was almost empty, so Damien got himself an ice cream and settled down to enjoy the open space and view from the eastern edge of the town.

 The entertainment hall provided a variety of amusements, just like any big town. A variety of arcade and video games, modern and traditional pool tables and something he hadn't seen before.  Apparently it was called 'skeeball' and must be popular around here as there were a half-dozen game machines taking up much of one wall of the centre.

However, Damien noticed a woman practising shots on one of the pool tables, so he asked and was invited to join her in a game.

Her name was Iris Ingberg and she lived just a short distance from the park.  It soon became clear to Damien that she had spent a lot of time here, it turned out to be a very one-sided game and he barely managed to get to the table to pot a paltry few balls.

After a very pleasant and sociable day at the festival park, Damien headed out to one of the recommended beach-side venues.

Serenity Sands Beach was a simple café close to a couple of popular fishing spots but it's main attraction was an open-air mudbath and steam room.  It seemed like a perfect way to relax and enjoy the warm summer evening.

Although there were baths and saunas in Riverview Damien had never felt the need to visit them.  They were all indoor establishments so even if he had they couldn't compare to the remarkable setting of this room.  As the steam washed across his body, cleansing and refreshing he could watch the sun going down and the beautiful evening light rippling across the ocean waves before him.

Feeling renewed from the steaming, and heading back to his humble camp-site home Damien noticed a bar set back from the road.

The sign above the door read "Vargo's Tavern" and, recalling his earlier research into Aurora Skies, he recognised the name as that of one of the first people to settle here.  A beast of a man who, according to legend, single-handedly carved out large swathes of the land to create the first settlement that was to evolve in Aurora Skies.

Inside, wasn't quite what Damien expected. Rather than harking back to the primitive wooded landscape that Vargo would have seen, he found a dark, red-lit and rather sombre bar.  Even more strangely everyone was dressed in black.
He wasn't quite sure he was the sort of clientèle that normally frequented this bar but they were friendly and had a nice selection of bar food on offer, so Damien stayed to enjoy another new aspect life in 'AS'.

From the beautiful and lively festival park, the wonderful open-air baths of Serenity Sands, to the strangeness of Vargo's Tavern, 'AS' was quite an experience; and Damien loved it all.   




Chapter D3: A New Skill



Authors Note:  The Festival Park featured in this chapter is from Wallin and can be downloaded from the exchange.