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Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 13, 2023 17:19:08 GMT -5
It had taken Thalia weeks upon weeks to get to the Dragon’s Cradle. She stumbled upon a lot of friendly and unfriendly faces in her journey, but she was more than happy to finally be where she needed to be. Thalia couldn't help the relieved yet somehow manic laugh that escaped her when she realized that she was staring at the smoky mountains themselves, tall and majestic in their arches. She had never seen mountains as tall as these where she was brought up, so this was quite a surprise for her.
Contrary to what she really wanted, Thalia bit the bullet and decided to hire some help, hopping in a caravan to make her way to Sky Peak Village. This trek also took a couple of days, but Thalia didn't mind. She almost didn't sleep, trying to take in every small sight and sound that she could so she missed nothing. By the time she arrived in Sky Peak Village, a little over a week had passed.
Now came the hard part: finding work.
Money wise, Thalia was broke. She usually had just enough money to make it through the next day. She didn't mind not having money when she was on the road, but transportation and food fetched a pretty penny when she was trying to see the sights. Thalia also knew that if the Dragon's Cradle was the best place for money, she'd have to be smart about her funds.
Thalia found a swift solution for her problems the day that she had decided to take a walk, searching for minerals hidden betwixt the sand and gravel that surrounded the village. She caught ear of a few farmers complaining about earthquakes going on in the massive valleys of the Dragon’s Cradle at a bar. Considering it was a mountainous region, the farmers knew the dangers of earthquakes, but they were thoroughly inconvenienced. Thalia had pulled one to the side after breakfast, and in the process she learned that a lot of their livestock had gone missing after a harsh tremor rocked open the gate and scared away his cattle. Sensing opportunity, Thalia volunteered to help, a massive smile on her face.
It would take her ages to actually catch up with her debt, but Thalia was fine with that. So long as she got some form of payment out of it.
So there she was, wandering around a barn outside of Sky Peak Village, scanning her surroundings. A lot of cows had escaped, along with goats and some other animals that were roaming freely about a half a mile away from the actual barn. Thalia wasn't excited, not the biggest fan of animals, they were unpredictable and weirdly shaped, not to mention the smell the things carried with them. This was going to be a long day. Regardless though, Thalia tied her hair back, fists on her hips. No time like the present to get started...unfortunately.
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Post by Shitakibo on May 13, 2023 21:54:56 GMT -5
Returning home after a long day's work across the Isles, Taki marveled at the stack of messages waiting for her. Rina had nearly filled the message box, and said they'd all come from the same messenger earlier in the day. According to the adorable Flitten, the rider had come from Sky Peak with a pile of messages for the shaman. Apparently her recent work in the area had earned her more jobs of a similar type. Another group was coming to the realization that their livestock was short, fences were damaged from the quakes recently shaking across Charon.
Shuna, Shion, and Kamina gathered with Taki, loading into a basket that served as the second seat when traveling on Keiga. A green blue pattern that mimicked the ocean waves ran the length of the large Tidal Serpent. This would be a fine journey to test the shaman's ability to navigate by both landmarks and the stars.
The group spent their days traveling through all sorts of weather, hugging coastlines to shelter from the harsh waves. It took longer than expected, but the group arrived safely after stopping at several landmarks. Making their way inland, they camped out beneath the stars. Dawn warmed the rocky area, waking the group who ate a modest breakfast and broke camp. Today was the last day and Taki did not want to miss the deadline for helping.
Hopefully they'd get to work with someone else again, which was always a pleasure. After meeting with the owners, Taki set out to mend the fences, her companions scouting along the perimeter and helping the farm hands rebuild enclosures.
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Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 15, 2023 13:15:38 GMT -5
Thalia wasn't the gentlest, evidently. As someone who grew up in Eclipse City, the most interaction she had with farm animals was through books and illustrations from her childhood. She liked animals, truly...from a distance.
So when Thalia approached one of the cows from the side and it turned to look at her, the woman shrieked. The cow barely even paid her any mind, turning back around to look for something to munch on. Thalia let out a heavy, shaky sigh. Were cows always so...big? She didn't know how to do this without either angering or frightening the animal. She frowned deeply, letting out a groan as she realized that this would be harder than she thought.
Thalia could try to scare them. The elf regarded the creature up and down, her eyes landing on its strong legs and shrinking backwards with a look of horror. "Oh hells no."
It was then that a shadow casted over her and the cow, flying by above her and startling her. Thalia looked up, her hand acting as a visor over her visible eye and squinting as she searched for the source of the silhouette. It was...an owl? A white one at that, one she certainly wouldn't have expected to find around these parts. Her anguish forgotten, Thalia curiously stared up at the bird, fascinated. It was pretty warm out, so the fact that she was seeing a snowy owl only meant one of two things in her mind: one, she was dead, or two, it belonged to someone.
"Prettyyy..." She whispered, watching it circle in wide arcs across the sky. Thalia's trademark grin stretched its way across her face, nearly forgetting where she was for a moment. Did it belong to the farmers? They didn't seem the type.
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Post by Shitakibo on May 20, 2023 5:04:55 GMT -5
Taki strolled into the field, paired with her companions as they followed Yukina's guidance overhead. Attention was drawn as the owl followed the fence line. Shuna and Shion spread out, approaching the spot from several angles with the shaman. Hoping that the snowy owl had spotted a wayward farm animal, the serpent woman steadied her breathing and reached out with her senses. While the cow was little surprise, a person was unexpected to say the least.
She let out a soft pair of whistles, signaling to her companions to keep a perimeter while she approached the situation. Entering the clearing, Taki did her best to survey the details while she approached the elven woman and the bovine. With a soft chuckle, she reaches into a pouch on her side and pulls out a chunk of beet. Offering it to the lady, she smiled.
"Go on, try this. The way to most animals' heart is through their stomach... or stomachs in the case of most bovine. Take it slow and if you struggle or get scared, I'll step in and help you. I'm Shitakibo, and things like this are among my usual tasks when I'm not out adventuring." She said, her hissing accent the least of her strange features. Her garb this day was simple, covering her in breathable fabric patterned in earthen tones that were a stark contrast to her bright scales.
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Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 21, 2023 1:07:52 GMT -5
Thalia turned around, jumping slightly at the appearance of another person. Her guard slowly lowered though upon seeing the beetroot being passed her way, blinking. Oh right! Cows like food, duh. Thalia hummed, taking the root with an unfurled hand. "Ah, thank you!" Thalia gratefully sighed. She didn't miss that last comment about the stomachs, wanting to ask but far too immersed in the fact that the thing was looking at her now. She nearly cringed away until she realized what it was looking at.
"Okay...okay. Well met, Shi-ta-ki-bo." Thalia takes a moment to sound out the woman's name, testing it on her tongue. It was a lot to remember, but after mouthing it a few more times, she was able to get it. "Shitakibo. Yeah, sorry if I like, butchered your name. My name here and everywhere else is Thalia, Thalia Fellst-AAHH!"
The cow had gotten closer without Thalia paying attention, sniffing heavily at her hand with the food in it. The woman shrieked, taking several steps back from the creature on impulse. She quickly regained her bearings, moving a little closer towards Shitakibo with a fearful smile. "Sorry, should I like, guide it or something? I've never seen one in person before. You could probably tell, though."
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Post by Shitakibo on May 23, 2023 7:30:41 GMT -5
Stepping aside, Taki smiled and chuckled softly. "Walk over into the field, then give the cow the beet. It'll take them a good while to munch through it all so we can fix this segment of fence." Walking around the pair, she called her companions over and started gathering all the various pieces of fencing. Poles were unseated, leaning over as if bracing against a constant gale wind. Boards were split, or torn out by their nails and bent away at odd angles. Still, the shaman and her companions brought it all together, keeping it organized and roughly where she thought it all belonged.
Shoving the posts back into place, she repacked the ground with a touch of elemental magic. With the help of her companions, the group put the boards back into place. Using Mend Object, she stitched the fence back into place one part at a time. The soft munching of the cow not far away made Taki smile. As the group finished mending the fence, she turned to Thalia.
"Not so bad is it? Cows are pretty gentle creatures, it's only their size that can be intimidating. Of course, like all creatures, one should exercise caution during mating or rearing young... Some parts of animal handling are intuition and talent, but the vast majority is a time earned skill that anyone could learn if they want to." Taki said, trying to encourage the girl to experience as many different things as possible.
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Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 23, 2023 14:56:05 GMT -5
“Um…yeah. I can do that.” Thalia nodded, cautious, but allowing herself to focus on the task at hand. Okay, lead it into the field, feed it, hope to the gods above and below that it doesn’t touch her. At least, that’s what she thought Shitakibo said. In all honesty, Thalia wasn’t sure if her anxiety was filling things in. Animals were great from a very far distance, this was a lot for her. Unfortunately, you could take the elf out of the city, but not the city from the elf. Was that even a saying? It was somewhere, close enough.
Still, Thalia took a deep breath – despite her mind mentally pleading for the strange woman to come back – and with a sigh she began doing as instructed. Luckily this wasn’t too difficult a task, the cow seeming awfully patient despite its hunger. It was absolutely massive, but somehow gentle, and once Thalia had made it to the field, nearly tripping over her undone bootlaces, it was done.
“Oh…that was easy.” Thalia marveled. She had more or less been speed-walking backwards, swinging her unoccupied hand around her backwards to make sure she didn’t bump into anything behind her. This was somehow even more nerve-wracking now that she was half blind, she wondered briefly if this was any easier with two eyes.
Thalia held her hand out, the beetroot almost falling out of her hand. “Here…cow. Please don’t lick me.” Of course, the poor bovine, who was thoroughly annoyed with Thalia’s crap at this point, did not care about her panic. It sniffed her hand, and pulled the root into its mouth, laving its tongue across her palm. Thalia was absolutely shivering, cringing away from the feeling and taking several steps back.
“G-Great! Okay, one down. Yeah, just really not used to them I guess.” Thalia laughed nervously, holding her hand up in barely concealed disgust. She crouched to the ground, wiping her palm on a mostly spotless patch of grass. She didn't want to look disrespectful, but she really, really couldn't help her expressions today. Thalia did want to learn, she was just painfully bad at it. “Geez, I can’t even imagine. Do you help with calving and stuff? Sounds absolutely nerve wracking.”
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Post by Shitakibo on May 27, 2023 16:16:41 GMT -5
Drawing the last of the fence together, she turned to answer the young lass. "Of course, calving, tending fields, mending the sick and infirm, fixing up fences and canals... Many farms and fields need tending to, and often there's few people willing to put all their hard work and effort into something so mundane yet vital as farming. It seems so simplistic on the surface, but is actually a complex and difficult way of life that requires hours of hard work, battling the elements, and all manner of natural phenomenon."
Taki checked the fence repairs, making sure the posts in particular weren't moving around again. Once satisfied, she walked over to Thalia. "Would you like to work together to finish corralling the stray ones and fixing the broken sections of fence?" Asked the shaman, who was giving her jungle cat a treat. She looked overhead to see Yukina circling tight over something in the distance. After a few moments, the snowy owl banked and climbed, taking a wide circle higher into the sky to scout more. There would always be work like this available, and it was valuable to be willing to do. While she rarely discussed why she was capable and willing, it gave her a sense of belonging and participating in a life greater than just her own existence.
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Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 29, 2023 17:20:11 GMT -5
Thalia nearly went dizzy at the sheer amount of things that Shitakibo listed, her mind going numb at the sheer amount. And she had to do that every day? Thalia couldn't have lasted the past 10 minutes without her help in the first place. She couldn't help but admire a person like that, or really anyone with different lifestyles for that matter. The worst part about leaving home to become an individual out of pure spite was learning the lay of every land you ventured to, oftentimes the hard way. I mean, she had even gone through the Ash Lands and met Del, who is a lovely lady but was quite put off by her first appearance.
This was a whole other can of worms, metaphorically. And it was utterly fascinating to Thalia. How many more people would she meet on her journey? Would any of them go through the same things that Shitakibo went through on a daily basis? How fun would that be?
“Yeah, I can do that! Or, at least I can try.” Thalia quickly amended her exciteable statement, not wanting the other woman too get the idea that she was overly confident about this. Because she wasn't. At all. “Are you from these parts? Is that why you know it so well?”
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Post by Shitakibo on May 29, 2023 17:37:01 GMT -5
"My kind come from the Crescent Isles, and that is also where I call home... though I do not live among my tribe anymore. I'm familiar with the area because I've been here before, and many other places like it. I also have a small advantage..." As her voice trailed off, she summoned Keta to her side. The spirt guardian manifested in a swirl of glowing, misty magic. About the size of a large wolf, the feline spirit looked up at Taki, then to Thalia.
"I'm here miss, how can I help?" She said, her voice hauntingly beautiful. An observant individual would notice her mouth need not move to speak.
"We're mending fences, corralling the wayward animals, and I wanted to introduce Thalia here to you. She wanted to know how I've gotten good at this kind of work."
"Oh, hehe, that's easy Miss. You've put in tons of work, and have an innate talent for seeing and interacting with the spirit realm."
"Not everyone is aware of such things, and fewer seek to understand the spirit world... even those with a talent."
"Hmm, that's fair. Also, it's nice to meet you Thalia." Concluded the feline spirit. By the time the short exchange had finished, Keta's aura had refreshed their stamina and healed any scrapes, cuts or bruises they'd acquired. Taki looked for Yukina overhead, who was still circling above. The snowy owl was gliding in a wide, slow turn over a wide area.
"Let's follow the fence, check the perimeter of this pasture, then we can call this task completed Thalia."
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Post by Thalia Fellstar on Jun 2, 2023 12:28:09 GMT -5
The last thing that Thalia was expecting (though she supposed that she should have by now) was the appearance of what looked like a big cat spirit materializing out of thin air. She shouldn't have shouted as loud as she did, but this was very new to her and Thalia was already on edge.
Thalia managed to greet Keta with the most awkward wave she could muster when it addressed her, before it was gone in a puff of air. What a strange woman. Frowning, Thalia dropped her hand that was still in an awkward waving position, before looking at Shitakibo.
“Huh? Oh yeah you're right, duh.” Thalia quickly returned to herding the animals, checking the perimeter and doing her best to guide them back to their home. She herself was a user of magic, though not exactly by choice. Her magic came from situations in the past that had wounded her in more ways than one, which is why she felt that she didn't exactly understand natural magic. As she walked, Thalia was deep in thought, running her fingertips along the newly mended fence and only stopping when she saw an animal out of place.
“There really is so much that I just… don't know.” She murmured, mostly to herself. She was getting slightly better touching and guiding some of the animals back, though she wasn't exactly comfortable.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 2, 2023 16:00:41 GMT -5
As the group worked across the pasture, one by one they gathered the animals and mended fallen fence posts. The girl had seemed startled and unsure at first but was quickly overcoming it with experience and effort. Along with the now summoned Keta, Taki made short work of getting the fence back in order. As the sun began to fade from the sky, they could see the barn house over the hill. They'd come full circle, and done so before the day was out. She really was quite grateful for the help, and glad she could expand the horizons of another. Perhaps in the future, Thalia would be more accustomed to the adventuring life and just how mundane it could be at times.
"I do think we've done all we can do Thalia, well done." She said as the group were crossing the last bits of field to a large, low gate that swung out towards the barn. She held it open for the others to pass before securing it in place and following. 'Until next time' she thought to herself, sure there would be a lot more mended fences and wayward animals in her future. Checking in with the farmer and his family, the man was exceptionally grateful. While not a large operation or ranch, the animals they kept were no less important to their way of life.
Waving goodbye, Taki walked out onto the wide porch and greeted her companions again, waiting for Thalia to catch up. Unsure if she were traveling back to a town or port, it would be nice to accompany the lass if they were going the same direction.
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Post by Thalia Fellstar on Jun 2, 2023 16:34:13 GMT -5
She didn't know when it had happened, but before Thalia knew it all the animals were back where they belonged, right as she apprehensively scratched the back of a particularly sluggish cow. It was still very strange for her to pet animals, but she was alright with it for now. She would probably feel just as weird in the future touching one, but for today any progress was progress.
When Shitakibo told her that they were done, it was a bit of a surprise. Thalia looked around, blinking in surprise as she saw no more animals outside of the barn. Oh… that was fast. In reality it probably wasn't, as the earthquake had frightened quite a few of the animals even further beyond the perimeter than they initially expected, but Thalia couldn't find it in herself to care. Success was success.
Seeing the shaman waiting for her, Thalia allowed herself to be surprised for a total of 5 seconds before catching up to her. “Thank you for your help by the way. Also sorry for like, being super inexperienced about all of this. Where’re you headed right now?”
Like Shitakibo, she was a little curious on where she was headed. In all honesty, the only reason Thalia was in town was for money, but she as she recalled her debt she realized she would probably be in town for a good while longer. Meeting as many friendly faces as she possibly could wasn't exactly a must, but it was good to have. Knowing herself, Thalia was most likely going to find herself shacked up in a tavern, scrubbing the grime off of her and indulging in drink until she finds her next job.
If Thalia calculated properly, it would take about a year for her to go back to Eclipse City with all of the money she needed.
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