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Post by Midori on Sept 3, 2019 18:43:50 GMT -6
"Comfortable.. but boring. I'm not supposed to say things like that. I know I.. am fortunate to have lived in the temple." She took a deep breath in. Sometimes she wondered what her life would have been like had she not been left with monks and sisters. If her grand parents managed to raise her until they passed. Where would she be now? Married? Dead? Perhaps she might have found the clergy on her own.
"We spend the whole month preparing for the events of the festival. The monks take great care to prepare a special ceremonial wine that we use to bless everything. And if we have the resources for it.. we make a large batch to be distributed to the people. That takes so much time.. and the process is so complex. I've yet to learn the entirety of it myself. But, we also need to decorate the temple with.. the appropriate festive decorations. And the people.. so many people visit the shrine during that time.. each wanting their own blessing or wish. It.. can get pretty chaotic." She explained. There was more to that but she decided to let Eqwin's imagination fill in the blanks.
"But, it's a fun kind of chaos." She shook her head a bit.
"Hmm.. now that's a question I.. do not think.. I have a real response too. How does one fuel imagination?" She thought. And thought. She didn't know. She knew that she's always been able to day dream and imagine things since forever. It's how she managed to cope with the periods of severe boredom that often accompanied life in the shrine.
"Hmm.. well I suppose a good way to start is.. to think of the ridiculousness. Think... of funny thoughts? And go from there. For example... try.. to think.. of Sir Argol.. with different hair. Some sort of bright color that is often not seen in people." Says the girl with pink hair. Kiseki chimed in.
"Or think about an event of your past.. that might have ended differently. Like.. your squire.. ship.. What do you think your life would have been like had Sir Argol not.. taken you in?"
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Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
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Post by Eqwin on Sept 5, 2019 18:50:01 GMT -6
Eqwin listened to her describe temple life during a festival month. It did seem rather hectic, with all the brewing and festive decorations, but hearing that it was almost no different from the Etrurian ones he's been too, he was rather happy. He did enjoy seeing people with their friends and loved ones at festivals, but not as much as actually doing the activities. He'd have to ask about something later, she was still talking. Now, she was talking about his imagination problem. Sir Argol with different colored hair? He thought about it a bit. He was called Sir Argol the blue, and wore gold armor, so he thought about it for a bit. He tried to think of Argol with blue hair.. He just.. couldn't? He thought of the color blue, and then Sir Argol, but the two didn't seem to mix. He thought harder about it... and.. He did it! Wait, no, he didn't. He instead imagined Sir Argol with.. Blue skin?! He started laughing softly, then got a little louder, then had to stop himself from bursting out laughing when his imagination just switched his thoughts to the color blue. It was a level of ridiculousness that he hadn't experienced in a long while, and he started crying because of the laughter. He kept laughing for a while until he could recollect himself, then Doreen asked him something.
"Hahaha.. aha.. Oh, hold on.. I gotta catch my breath." He said as he kept laughing a little bit, caught his breath, and wiped his eyes. "Ok, ok.. I think if I wasn't a squire.. I'd be learning what to do in my parent's business.. I think." He said. "Either way I'd still be training for some kind of job. Now that I think about it, I'd be able to help people either way, but it's probably easier as a knight." He thought about what to ask from her and remembered his question from before. "What kind of people attend the festival you were talking about? Only Sacaens, or are outsiders welcomed? Well, at least ones not from countries you're at war with.." He asked.
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Post by Midori on Sept 8, 2019 19:59:15 GMT -6
It seemed that Midori's advice on thinking about about funny things worked. It wasn't long before the young man was laughing so hard he found it difficult to stop. And his laughter was infectious. Enough to make Midori laugh a little with him. But, since she wasn't imagining what he was thinking, she was able to calm herself down quicker.
"My tribe is different. We welcome all outsiders within reason. Festival time.. is especially hectic. As we have little control to who comes through our borders. Long lost relatives of the villagers. Traveling merchants. Performers. Sure.. the town can raise the gates and isolate everyone on one side. But, then people complain.. and we open the gates again." She sighed softly.
"But, yes. I do not think people who.. the country is currently at war with are allowed in. No matter how dire the situation. Though.. the rule may change depending on diplomacy.. or bribes. My tribe is not perfect. For all it's spirituality, it's people are still people. Sus.. Sus.." She struggled on the word.
"Susceptible to basic folly." To sin. She was quiet for a moment. The scent of civilization was carried on the wind. So was the scent of smoke. Wood. And ash. Were they too late? Or were these the normal scents of this town?
"We are getting close." She mentioned it to Eqwin.
"What do you know about the area? Do you know of the village we are going to?" She asked. Unsure if the village up ahead had any sort of specialty to them that would warrant the scent of smoke. Were they a wood cutting community? Did they specialize in metal work? Curator of delicate meats? Midori wanted to keep her thoughts positive.
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Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
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Post by Eqwin on Sept 9, 2019 18:51:26 GMT -6
Eqwin was a bit disappointed that no outsiders were allowed to the Sacaen festival. Sure, it's completely reasonable and he'd be worried if her tribe was that.. passive, but still. He was looking forward to seeing the festival but.. What was he thinking? Of course he wasn't welcome to a festival in enemy territory! Now that he was thinking about it, he probably wasn't even allowed to be talking to Lady Doreen and the rest of this caravan. Well... Maybe.. Was Sir Argol taking pity on him by letting him stay with these people?Doreen was one of his first friends in his 14 years of life, somehow. Was he really that boring of a person?
He snapped out of that train of thought once he heard Doreen asked him about the town. Were they already that close? He smelled around and indeed, he could smell... smoke? Huh? He looked forward and saw a bit of smoke. Hmm... Oh yeah, he remembered now. "It's alright. Sir Argol told me that this village had smoke. If it didn't, then we would have to be a bit worried." He said, then he realized. "Well then.. We're almost at your destination. I can't remember if this village is Etrurian or Sacaen, so I guess it's time for me to depart in a little bit." He said, turning to Doreen and extending a hand for a handshake. "It's been fun, Lady Doreen. I hope to meet you again. But... I have one more question before we part ways." He was curious about this for a while, but whenever he had the chance to ask a question he never remembered to. But now, he had the perfect opportunity. "What's your favorite color? Mine is green."
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Post by Midori on Sept 12, 2019 19:07:24 GMT -6
"I wonder what they use the smoke for.. Charcoal? Barrel Making?" She mused. So it would seem that the scent of smoke in this area was somewhat normal. That eased some of her worry. It didn't change the pace of the horses though. But, Eqwin was right. The duo were really close their destination. Midori looked at Eqwin one more time. She wanted to remember him like this. Like a young squire, still innocent to the ways of the world. Should their paths cross again, she might not recognize him. They may even be enemies at that point. At opposite sides of the battlefield. Regardless of the Chaklai's tendency to try diplomacy and pacifism first. He was still calling her Doreen. And.. She wasn't sure if she should correct him. She hesitated for a moment. Then decided not to tell him.
"Ah Green. Such a wonderful color. Very lively. My favorite color. It's blue." She answered his question. She held out her hand and shook his. Then she wondered if he was expecting a more obvious answer. Like pink. Or red. Which seemed to be the predominant colors that adorned her body. Quite the opposite. The priestess was so used to seeing red, pink, and white, her mind sometimes tuned out those colors entirely. But, no her favorite color was blue. The color of the sky. The color of robin's eggs. Forget me not flowers. I kinda wish I had a few Forget me Not's right now. They would make a nice parting gift. The handkerchief would have to do.
"Thank you. Eqwin. I look forward to our next meeting. And I hope that both our countries find peace in the near future."
After a bit more trotting. The whole group managed to reach the very edge of the village proper. They could see that it was still standing. That was a relief. It meant that the monsters or, either of the two armies, had not yet reached this place. And the monsters that they fought prior must have come from elsewhere. The journey wasn't over for Midori and her group. They had to see if this village was welcoming towards outsiders.
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Eqwin
Squire
Posts: 33
Profession: Squire/Errand Boy
Affinity: Ice
Profile: http://fewotw.proboards.com/thread/7093/eqwin
OoC Alias: zacharychi
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Post by Eqwin on Sept 13, 2019 22:06:17 GMT -6
Like she thought, he was indeed surprised that her favorite color was Blue. She was covered in the complete opposite color.. wait no, that's orange. He didn't know whether to pray that he'd see them again or not. If it were in a similar situation, and before he became a knight, he'd be able to peacefully talk to them like this again. If it weren't... He'd at least have to steer clear from them and act like he didn't notice them. Well, they aren't technically enemies. They're, through action, neutral. That's the excuse he'd- Excuses? Really? He really wanted to remain friendly with the group, but excuses? He remember Sir Argol had told him to hold a few things to heart, and "Knights should not need excuses for their actions!" was one. He remembered it less than fondly, since he was training in defense when he was taught it.
"Why are you standing like that?"
"Sir, I forgot how to hold the stance, so I tried to improvise what I didn't know."
"Knights should not need excuses for their actions!" A bit of moving and then a whack resounded through the smaller training grounds that they used to use as Sir Argol thrust long wooden pole at his chest. "If this were a real battle, you'd be dead, Eqwin." Sir Argol then lent him a hand up, which he gladly accepted.
Sir Argol may not have the most.. friendly, methods, but they did work. He definitely remembered how to hold the stance.. just.. not what to do with it. He really had a long way to go, didn't he? He got his mind back on topic, and decided that were it ever to come down to it, he wouldn't need an excuse for his actions. The group was, as he thought earlier, neutral through actions. This time, he thought it as fact instead of an excuse, and even held his right arm to his chest to psyche himself up.. then realized that he had no use for such knowledge at the present. When they started getting closer to the village, he decided to leave just in case they were Sacaen and unfriendly. He did have an Etrurian symbol on his armor... somewhere. He looked around on himself and couldn't see it. But, just in case someone could tell from how it was made, he still decided to go. He had already said his goodbyes, so he left unceremoniously. He got on Thoron, and began riding off, waving a bit as he shrunk farther into the horizon.
After a while, he got to the outpost, and Sir Argol was a bit angry. "Gods, where did you escort them Eqwin? Bulgar?" This surprised Eqwin a little bit. Wouldn't Sir Argol want to keep the fact he was letting his squire shirk his duties for enemy "citizens" a secret?
"It was to that village with all the smoke you told me about." Eqwin replied, taking Thoron to the small stables they had in the outpost. "Why did you so loudly state that they were Sacaen?" He whispered.
"Because we're the only two people here, you dolt." Argol said, jokingly insulting him. "You took so long that someone else volunteered to finish the border patrol. They finished it up, and I had to stop her from going see if you were doing alright. You'd probably get along with her really well."
"Sounds like it." Eqwin said. "But then, since border patrol is done, what do I do now?"
"Go home and rest up.. After you turn your armor in to the house for repairs, of course." He corrected himself after giving the order to go home. "Nobody is going to question if you were goofing off after seeing that. Even if it is a sign that you aren't that skilled yet, it's a sign that you were actually patrolling the border, and not just pole-vaulting with your lance or something stupid like that." Eqwin laughed a bit.
"Do you think that you could be a comedian if you weren't a knight?" Eqwin asked Argol.
"No, not at all." He said. "Actually, you wanna hear a story?"
"Of course!"
"Alright then. My original choice of career was as a comedian, but when I first tried telling jokes at a tavern I got stage fright and barely even held through the night. I tried to think of how to fix that, but one of my friends who came watch me said that I'd probably learn how to be confident by accompanying him in knightly training... Hehehe.." The old knight reminisced on earlier times as if he were 10 years older. "Well, long story short.. I can talk to crowds now. Hell, it's my job."
"How is that friend?" Eqwin made the mistake of asking. He realized that when he saw Sir Argol lose his smile slowly. "I-I'm sorry."
"No, it's alright. You couldn't have known." Argol said. "Anyways, back to our duties. You're free to stay here for a bit while I clean the outpost up a bit and wait for the night crew. Thoron probably needs some rest." Eqwin nodded, went clean and pet Thoron, get changed into civilian clothes, turned in his armor, and went home.
When he was looking through his saddlebag later that day, he felt the handkerchief and realized that he forgot to give it back to Doreen. Either she didn't realize it either and he needed to return it to her some day, or she meant for him to keep it as a gift and he had to give her a gift like it.
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