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Post by Aagha "Pack-Runner" on Aug 1, 2023 22:50:39 GMT -5
Aagha felt offset for not the first time in his life. He had chosen to heed the words of his three companions and attempt to 'broaden his horizons' as they said. Aagha, the meek young adult with sandy brown hair and tan skin was wandering about sol city at a time of great celebration. The city was bustling with activity of people from all walks of life and all locales as the summer festival was in full swing. He had no real inkling as to why he had felt so drawn to the capital; it could've been so much as a whim. Here he was covered toe to base of neck in cream cloth pants and a green shirt that was perhaps a bit tattered from activity as of late, but not so much so that it shouldn't have been worn. Sitting on his cloth garments were various bits and pieces of brown leather perhaps intended more for fashion than any sort of true honest to the gods protection. He was a tall and lanky looking individual who carried himself perhaps as though he didn't truly feel he belonged anywhere. Beneath his soft brown eyes were circles starting to take root from the recent stress of hunting and trying to organize his three companions with one another. Just because he was an animal handler did not mean his knuckleheads were easy to handle. He offered a soft sigh at the thought, lowering both his arms to his side as he gently shifted left and right to avoid oncoming members of the collective within the streets.
His eyes were caught by what appeared to be a stall selling masks and jewelry. What had caught his eye is that each and every piece was intricate and seemed to have a life of its' own. He observed them gently one by for one for some time appreciating the artistry. He took a step away still looking at a mask and this resulted in his bumping into someone. For any normal person the situation wouldn't have been too bad, but Aagha had managed to be knocked back a bit and onto the ground. Sure he was a bit tall, but he was thin and didn't seem to be particularly made up of much. Aagha hit the ground with a gentle 'oof' and looked up to who he had bumped into. He began to profusely mutter apologies while hurrying to get himself up off the ground and brush himself off trying his best to make it appear as though nothing happened.
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Aug 2, 2023 0:56:14 GMT -5
Javal was walking along the city streets of Sol City here to enjoy the festivities of the Charon Summer Festival. This was going to be his first year being able to enjoy it by himself since the few times he had come it had been alongside his large former crew. He felt a bit sad and nervous to come alone but his retainer Nadia and his employees told him it would be a good way of relaxing and having a good time.
And So Javal here Javal was looking over the various stalls and shops scattered across the streets, he stopped and took a look at a few observing some choice wares he noticed.
So far he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, just run-of-the-mill potions, mildly magical items, and just straight-up scam artists.
Javal’s attention was piqued when he saw a stall showing off some cool weaponry he was drawn to a large sword the cart had on the side.
He was about to jog over there and immediately pay for it when suddenly he felt something crash into him. He didn’t get knocked over. Of course, few things could knock over the towering fellblood; he felt a slight pain in his abdomen like someone accidentally elbowed him.
He looked around looking for the source of this and saw a human-looking fellow getting up from the ground and a large aviankin woman standing around. Javal smiled earnestly and offered his hand to help the man up but it seems like he didn't need it.
Javal chuckled and said, “Are you alright there sir? Are you injured? Would you like to be my friend?”.
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Aug 4, 2023 16:54:47 GMT -5
Why an I wandering around in a summer festival instead of summering in Frost Gale like would probably be good for my health? I'm not sure. Though I don't think it's too bad for me- one interesting thing I've noticed is that I slowly change if I'm somewhere too hot. I've been gone for the comforting cold of the north for about two weeks now, and I've lost A LOT of feathers. My wings hardly have down in them, the feathers have receded up my face, the feathers on my chest are gone, and my head is less consistently poofy, and a little more spiky looking. The only reason I wasn't worried was that this wasn't my first summer down south.
I wandered the streets listening to others of my trade, watching the pop up players, and taking notes. Festivals were often held for a reason, to celebrate some natural occurrence or deity, and often came with stories to match. Even if end-of-summer festivals were celebrated all over Charon, they were done in different ways and for reasons, which was great for my ever-growing archive of literary works and tropes.
Unfortunately, the mask on my face wasn’t the most breathable material, and I could feel my skin sticking uncomfortably to the bone. I wandered around a bit longer before finding what I was looking for- a shop selling masks. There already was a customer admiring various wares there, and just as I stepped up to inspect a reed woven mask that seemed to fit the aesthetic I was gunning for, I heard a startled cry from beside me. I instinctively pressed my wings against my body and turned to face him, mindful that I didn’t bump into anyone else.
“Oh, Ginma, sorry, did I bump into you?” I asked, my voice overlapping with that of the tiefling who’d already helped him up.
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Post by Aagha "Pack-Runner" on Aug 6, 2023 21:58:08 GMT -5
“Are you alright there sir? Are you injured? Would you like to be my friend?”
Aagha had managed to get himself up, begin dusting himself off, but receiving attention from both the other two had brought forth a gentle blush to his face. He tried to act cool catch his breath and entirely play it off as though he weren't flustered at all. "O-Oh.. Y-Yes.. I'm friend fine mmhm." managed to come forth and the blush worsened. He reached instinctively for a hood to pull over his head, but there was none there which only made matters worse.
The young man too in a shallow breath then bowed slightly. "S-Sorry for inconveniencing you both. I'm fine. Uh. Yes. We can be friends. I'm a little.. shy. Sorry." It was different from his interactions with others before where he was being paid to interact. Now he was on his own and had to do his best to figure out how not to make himself a laughing stock and it was clear he wasn't very good with people. This is why Aagha simply wasn't fit ever to truly be royalty. This time a heartier breath followed by a long sigh was given forth.
He looked up finally to the other two and reached out a hand. "U-Uh.. I'm.. Aagha. Aagha Inilti of the plains. It's nice to meet you." He looked a bit flushed still, but it did seem the overwhelming fluster was passing now. He looked at the other two carefully to gauge their reaction to him. He was silently hoping he wasn't too much or too crass. "And I'm.. pretty confident I just bumped into the both of you. Not the other way around. Sorry again."
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Aug 7, 2023 2:15:28 GMT -5
Javal smiles earnestly at Agha hoping that the embarrassed fellow was okay after taking that fall, he then looked over to the aviankin woman he saw earlier and said, “Hey there are you alright miss?”.
Javal smiled earnestly, hoping the fellow was okay. After taking a fall he looked over to the aviankin woman and asked, “Are you alright there, miss?”.
He then turned to face Aagha, noticing the fellow looked a little red, “Maybe he has a skin condition or he’s allergic to something? I’ll have to ask him later if he’s alright”, he thought to himself.
Javal stood tall and had his hands at his waist and said, “It’s an alright new friend no worries the ground can be a bit tricky sometimes and I am not shy”.
“Hello there Agha Iniliti of the Plains”, Javal said as he held his hand for a handshake, “My name is Javal Zarrias, president of the Drakon Security Company, former Dragon Prince of the Black Dragon Pirates, and student of Ser Ronrik Emeraldcutter”.
Javal then turns to face Natsunats and says as he holds his hand out, “Hello there what is your name would you like to be my friend?” he then introduces himself with his titles once more.
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Aug 11, 2023 1:05:10 GMT -5
The man I'd bumped into was rather petite, but seemed to have a fair amount of strength, if the heavy duty hunting bow on his back was any indication. When I got a look at him, I was somewhat surprised that he'd been the one to lose his footing and not me, as he was taller than me, and my bones were hollow. He's probably a novice, I thought to myself. This thought was reinforced the moment he opened his mouth. He managed to squeeze a response out of stuttering lips as the other tiefling bombarded him with questions. I stayed mostly stayed quiet, not wanting to overwhelm the young man more, only murmuring a gentle "No worries," whenever he apologised.
Then came introductions, which I hadn't seen coming, but sure, why not. Javal, in particular, seemed well connected, what with all the titles he allegedly had, and Aagha reminded me a lot of myself when I was flying from the nest. Shy, stutter, wiry adventurers had to stick together, and if he would fall over at a small push like this, what if I-. I banished thoughts of 'pranks' that would probably break his bones. At least formerly shy and stuttery I thought to myself wryly. I think I liked myself more when I was shy and stuttery. Regardless, spending some time with these people probably wouldn't hurt, it's not like I have anything on the agenda aside 'cause chaos as Frostale', and if it turns out they are unsavoury folk, then running and screaming is my specialty.
When the attention turned to me I hesitated a second to double check what I was going to say, before introducing myself. "Hello, please call me Frostale, and if you'd like to be my friend, then I'll be in your care," I said nodding to the both of them before tacking on a conversation starter. "Are you familiar with this area?" I asked as I picked out the mask I'd been gunning for and left the appropriate amount of coin on the counter. I put up my cowl to obscure my face before wiping my face of sweat and switching masks. I internally gave a little sigh of relief as solid bone was replaced with the more breathable fine straw and put down my cowl once more. Fugitive's Cloak Just enough bard magic to hide the horns
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Post by Aagha "Pack-Runner" on Aug 12, 2023 17:05:04 GMT -5
"I-It's a pleasure to meet the both of you." Aagha managed to say as his face finally began to return to it's usual color and he bowed slightly as was custom for his people to strangers. He then looked around at a few of the other stalls that held various products of the capital for a moment before turning to the two again.
"No I'm actually not familiar with the capital city at all to be honest with you." Aagha let out a bit of a long sigh. In truth it was the first time he had been so surrounded by people in quite some time. He really was one for the wide open plains and places significantly less inhabited than this one. He was making note of some people he saw. It was very easy here to pick out the differences between those who held significant wealth and those who didn't. Yet another thing that made him uncomfortable.
"My... familiars.. keep insisting that I make my way about and get to know more people rather than just animals. I'm trying my best but.. this is.. a lot." He softly rubbed his arms just above his elbows and crossed his arms over his chest. He was supposed to know how to stand tall and proud among those he was unfamiliar with, but instead all he found was that he was shy and vulnerable. His eyes were still wandering about quite a bit until he noticed that it seemed just as much as market stalls, they had games and entertainment going on along the opposite end of the street.
Normally such trivial activities wouldn't have garnered much attention from him, but there was one in particular that looked like it involved firing arrows or throwing knives at targets. Something he was comfortable with was here in this city after all. His eyes lit up slightly with hope suddenly as he watched the person at the game now missing the center of the target.
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Aug 13, 2023 1:14:53 GMT -5
Javal smiled at the two people and said, “It is a pleasure to meet you two Frostale and Aagha, those are names I shall not forget especially since we are friends now”.
Javal glances around the area around them and says, “I am familiar with Sol City. I'm not as savvy as a local but I know enough to get around. Do you two want to get some lunch together perhaps?”.
He smiles softly at Aagha’s explanation for why he’s here, “Well that’s a good thing for your familiars to do! Where do they know if you don’t mind me asking?”.
Javal then noticed that Aagha was eyeing an archery competition area and said, “How about we try that game over there together and get some food after? I am no archer but it seems like a fun way to test your archery skill".
He then led the way to the game after hearing their responses he stood and waited in line two people were before them. Once the three were called up they walked a small set of stairs to a wooden podium across from it where twelve archery targets four for each contest as only three people could go at a time.
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Aug 14, 2023 15:10:10 GMT -5
For Aagha, it seemed like he was a hermit of sorts coming out of seclusion, whereas Javal was more than comfortable in the city- familiar with it too. Which was good, as I rarely made my way to the capital, and basically only know the big roads and the places I frequent when I do come here. Upon hearing their replies, I nodded, and added my own two cents “Just lets us know if it gets too loud for you, Agaha, and we can probably find somewhere quieter.” I said as a form of reassurance. Unfortunately, as always, my brain put a morbid twist on silence, but I shooed it away. “...I’ve been here a few times, but I’m not really too familiar with the city, and it doesn't help that it looks quite different now with all the decor. It seems Aafha and I will be in your care, Javal”.
I noticed the way Aagha was looking at the archery competition, but Javal beat me to it. I didn’t really know how much of a test of ability it would be though… While Aagha might be more familiar with recurve bows like the one on his back, I’m not too sure how much difference in skill it would take to compensate for the fact the ones used in the competition were straight bows. A test of strength wasn’t even in the question- I could probably draw those even with my stick-like arms. Either way, it was all fun and games, so I agreed. “Sure, I don’t know how to shoot, but it seems like fun,” I said as we made our way over, once again having to battle thoughts of shooting live targets.
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Post by Aagha "Pack-Runner" on Aug 18, 2023 19:10:23 GMT -5
"A-Ah.. They're just outside the city hunting most likely. The three of them tend to do as they please around cities like this. They.. were a little less than friendly about a hell hound trekking through town and the other two didn't want to leave him.. I suppose if I wanted I could've snuck him in, but he doesn't do well in the scroll so.." By now Aagha had himself started, and so he simply continued to talk. "It is difficult traveling with three animal companions sometimes. They all tend to be moody from time to time and can be rather unpredictable. The hell hound is the most sworn loyal out of all of them, it seems to be something about the scroll. Some sort of weird connection created through our bond I guess? I don't know the whole thing was really weird and Ignis was really stubborn at first but he has really tapered off for some reason or another. The dawn lion was a gift from a spaceman who said there was somewhere else he needed to be. He even gave me a necklace so that I could understand animals. After he placed a hand on me he said I seemed to have some sort of talent for taming animals. That whole thing was weird. The dawn lion was depressed for months. The wolf was a family gift. He's a bully. I don't really talk to my family anymore and ever since I stopped that he seems to be more satisfied."
After a few moments of rambling Aagha finally managed to stop. He stared a moment at the two of them then gulped. "I got carried away didn't I? Please forgive me." With that, he brought himself back to silence. He continued walking with them. "Uh yeah.. do you know anywhere good to eat? Around here an the game sounds like a lot of fun. I do.. I like to use a bow and throwing weapons yes.. whether I'm talented or not is debatable I think. I'm certainly not as good as some others."
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Aug 19, 2023 2:14:19 GMT -5
Javal nods, understanding the reasoning for Agha's pets having to be left outside the city while the festivities are going on.
He then says, “Woah there Aagha it seems you have many pets, I have a couple of my own that are resting on my ship”.
He listens intently and when Aagha apologizes for speaking for so long he responds with a big smile, “Don’t worry friend Aagha you did not get carried away. I love animals myself and can talk about my own for hours so I know the feeling".
Javal says, “Let’s go and shoot some targets, mayhaps we can even win a prize if they have any. We can do the archery activity and then get food after so we rest and relax our bodies from this event”.
He then looks a bit nervous as he makes his next request, “Hey Aagha can I meet your animal companions someday?”. He smiles and bows down at Frostale's remarks and says, “I shall make sure that you two have a good time and enjoy the festival to the fullest. I shall promise you and swear on my honor that it shall be made true”.
Javal then leads the group toward the archery game and talks to the person running the game.
He looks lazily at the group and sighs and says, “Hello welcome to Bullseye, there can only be three people in a game at a given time. The goal is to shoot the target that has been set straight across from you on a log. If you need to be supplied with a bow and arrow let me know if not you are welcome to use your equipment. He then motions for their pockets and says, “Alright wanna get started, hand over 50 solars and then line up at your lane”.
Javal reaches into his coat and grabs 50 solars, handing it to the man before turning around and saying, “Do either of you need me to pay, let me know and I’ll do it”.
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Sept 8, 2023 12:40:59 GMT -5
I listened quietly, content to keep to myself as usual, though I almost did a spit-take at hearing what kinds of familiar he quiet, inconspicuous Agaha had. A wolf, a Hell Hound and a Dawn Lion. I’ve seen ravens, dogs, horses, pixies and once even a Hell Hound, but they were rare, and Astrid was very obviously not a normal person. Seeing as he got most of them as gifts, this guy must have some crazy connections in the exotic familiar industry. I’m not sure what a “spaceman” is but they must be pretty impressive to be able to casually give away a Dawn Lion because they had somewhere else to be. His own skills in handling his familiars were nothing to scoff at either. It’s probably made easier with the necklace artifact, but traveling with three big predators and maintaining some sense of order definitely meant he had “some sort of talent”. And that was vastly understated.
The more he talked, the more it seemed less like he was shy, and more like he was clueless. He came off as shy because he didn’t know how he was supposed to conduct himself in a city, and he didn’t realize how skilled he was because he didn’t have any point of reference. I’d bet he’s a fair marksman too. I let him know once he’d finished and Javal had put in his two cents “To be able to earn the loyalty and companionship of so many powerful beasts, and to have them travel with them all together is impressive.”
I nodded as Javal brought the topic back to the archery event and we approached the stall.
“Hello welcome to Bullseye, there can only be three people in a game at a given time. The goal is to shoot the target that has been set straight across from you on a log. If you need to be supplied with a bow and arrow let me know if not you are welcome to use your equipment. He then motions for their pockets and says, “Alright wanna get started, hand over 50 solars and then line up at your lane”, the stall owner said listlessly.
I winced. 50 solars… I’ll probably have to hit up the taverns early if I don’t want to be camping tonight, and then busk tomorrow to resupply before I leave... It was only around noon and I was planning to stay for a week anyways, so it should be fine, but seriously? Why was a carnival game the same price as a small house?! Ideas of how I would haggle (threaten) down the price flashed through my mind. Then I watched as Javal casually pulled out the money and offered pay for us too. He did mention owning a ship and pets…damn he must be rich. I debated the offer for a while. I’m going for inconspicuous, and pulling out that much cash would be shocking, and I wouldn’t want Agaha, who seems new to city life, to develop a weird money sense like this guy has. On the other hand, I didn’t like being indebted to a stranger if I could help it. At the same time, the rich should share the love right? and he was offering. In the end I compromised with (normal) haggling. "Good sir, we're bored, you're clearly bored, why don't we knock it down a bit for entertainment on both sides. We're just ordinary fellow trying to have some fun, not buy a house" I said I stepped in front of Javal and pushed his hand back into his pocket in a vague attempt to hide the cash. Haggling was a lot harder when the opposing side knew you were rich.
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Post by Aagha "Pack-Runner" on Sept 20, 2023 10:08:50 GMT -5
Aagha coughed a bit when the man stated it was 50 solars for a round of a bullseye game that he knew all too well only took them a few minutes to get set up. Even if the targets were handmade, if they were proficient you were talking a few solars at best. He had thought his family were the greatest conartists to ever live but hearing this almost had him choking. He would much rather not even spend the solars on the event as he doubted anything they could provide as a prize or token of participation was worth anywhere near that. He had the money, but on principle he wouldn't even participate if the man dared charge such a hefty sum.
This was what the capital was like? He had seen peddlers and beggars alike. Where were the standards and expectations set? Was something like this even legal? Perhaps this jovial man before them was simply a trickster in disguise aimed to entertain even before you stepped up to fire toward the targets. Boromir certainly would never let Aagha live it down if he told the lion the amount of money the game costed and told him he had agreed to partake still. Cane would probably give him a hard time as well telling him there wasn't a need for him to behave so brashly as the rest of his family since he had chosen to walk a path separate from them.
Aagha wasn't the best haggler so he would observe as the other began this practice. He needed to learn some how. Perhaps this was his chance to learn early on and he could ask the man later for a more detailed explanation on what he was saying and why to the vendor. This would be a valuable asset for the shy boy later on.
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 20, 2023 13:54:52 GMT -5
Javal stood solars in hand about to give his portion to the gamemaster before stopping to hear Frostale’s proposition of lowering the price of the game.
“Hm, am I being mistaken and taken advantage of by some more vendors, gods Nadia and Meryl would kill me if they knew this was going on”, the fellblood nervously placed his solars back into his pocket as he stepped back to have Frostale negotiate.
He was never very good with saving or haggling in his life; he just felt wrong to do so in his experience. His family and friends constantly scolded him for it but he always waved them off. He had just grown up having boundless amounts of treasure on his old crew’s ship so now that he was earning his own money it was hard for him not to just pay full price.
The lazy fellow yawned as he said, “Fine, fine ya got me you guys seem money savvy. How about thirty solars just for you fellows?
He was tired and bored and didn’t want to have to deal with this damned hassle. His father, the owner of the stall, left him in charge and left him with no direction so it wasn’t like it was his choice with the price.
Javal turned his head towards Frostale since it seemed that she had the most knowledge if the price was reasonable or not.
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Sept 24, 2023 0:09:43 GMT -5
"Hm, am I being mistaken and taken advantage of by some more vendors, gods Nadia and Meryl would kill me if they knew this was going on" I heard the full-blood mutter behind me. Yes, I wanted to say, yes you are, and who ever you're talking about has every right to murder you if they're concerned about your purse or whatever your rich-guy business expenses are. Of course I didnt say that and kept a friendly, negotiable face towards the vendor.
I knew there was crime and corruption everywhere but dang, at a festival in broad daylight. No wonder this guy was bored- hardly anyone would pay that much over market worth. If this guy could lose twenty solars on his first counter offer then he must've had quite the margin. Of course, I wasn't expecting to be able to get in free- an archery range took up quite a bit of space, he probably had to pay for the right to set this up, especially in such a crowded event as a festival- so I put down what I thought was a reasonable offer.
"30 for all three of us and you have a deal" I said. "We'll even help you rope in more customers." I added to try and gloss over the fact I'd cut his offer down by two thirds. "Aagha, Javal, how showy do you think you can get?" I asked, as I took a feather and started to twirl it. I feel a little bad, I thought watching the two for their reply as the feather danced across my knuckles. I should have asked them their opinion first. Agaha was shy and Javal mentioned not being too good at shooting. I only thought it up on the spot because I could hack the game by using my mind-controlled feathers as arrows. I resisted the urge to take a nervous breath. ...Whelp, if they say they can't, then I can think of something else, like putting that feather arrow in his skull, or just hope he's okay with the price of 10 solars a head.
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