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Post by Midori on Sept 21, 2017 19:13:39 GMT -6
"No, I haven't had the luxury of visiting Lucerne myself. It's a bit further south than our usual trade routes." Midori explained. The tribe was different from other Sacean tribes in the sense that they were a settled tribe. A tribe that focused mostly on farming, mining, and medicine. Settled enough to have a large village and established trades with Bern for things like lumber and fish.
"Ah we have trees that do that too. You should come to the village during the first few weeks of spring. Our trees bloom pink, red, and white flowers. Then they fall down and cover the whole village in polka dots." She closed her eyes briefly and imagined the village in full bloom.
"They stay in bloom for such a short time, their beauty is a popular subject of our artisans. Certain homes have large scrolls and or walls painted to reflect the trees in spring. Perhaps you can see them once we get there." Midori nodded softly as she guided Ashes down the road. She tapped on Ashes' sides lightly with her heels. The mare slowed her pace down to match that of Lunie's horse. Lunie's mare appeared to be irritated, something Midori picked up on. Perhaps annoyed that it could not spend more time resting.
"Wait perhaps you should.." And her warning came too late. Lunie already had a foot in the foothold and was about to swing her leg over, when she fell. The horse didn't want her rider on her back. And that's when Midori confirmed her suspisions. Lunie was an inexperienced rider. Either that or she hadn't built up a decent amount of trust with Seren. Lady Lucy let out a more audible sigh as she was forced to slow down. She gently grabbed the reigns for Seren and gently guided the horse to a stop. Lady Lucy had a talent for taming horses. That same talent was passed on to Midori as part of her training. Midori tugged on Ashes' reigns and the mare came to a stop. Midori got off her horse, grabbed her staff, and approached Lunie.
"You alright there?"
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Aea
Manakete
"Music can heal even the most broken soul."
Posts: 54
Profession: Wanderer/Entertainer
Affiliation: Sacae
Affinity: Wind
Dragon Element: Air
Profile: ~Aea~
OoC Alias: Kyra
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Post by Aea on Oct 12, 2017 20:55:25 GMT -6
Aea completely zoned out as the troubador, who addressed herself as Midori, began speaking about the trees of her village. It sounded like a true wonder and a rare opportunity to be able to see such a thing as those pink trees with a very short time span of staying in bloom. The village that took care of Aea for a few decades was much too far north to have any trees like that. Around there, at the foot of the mountains, pine trees tended to be much more common, as the village was one of the last Sacaean settlements before the road began winding into the frozen north of Ilia. Aea shivered slightly as she remembered the winters when the cold northern winds would blow down from the mountains, coating the village in ice and snow.
As she was getting lost in her own thoughts, Aea was snapped back to the real world as she heard Lunie falling off of her horse. Wincing as she caught sight of the girl hitting the dirt, she moved over, along with Midori, to see if she was alright. "Are you okay? Seems your horse really doesn't like you much.. Either that or it's really upset about something. I wouldn't know what though, as I've had very little dealings with horses." Whether she would take it or not didn't matter, but Aea offered her hand out anyway to help Lunie up, if she needed it. It seemed the girl's fall wasn't too severe, and they weren't far from the village anyway, but it never hurt to be sure.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Oct 15, 2017 5:36:14 GMT -6
Visions of tiny dancing petals filled the mind of the huntress – brilliant whites, vibrant reds, soft pinks. Her imagination vividly swirled the petals about like a whirlwind as she attempted to mentally construct the image described by the young woman. It was a wondrous thought, such a spectacle. Each tree a veritable bouquet of flowers, the very thought of it brought a sparkle to Selunae’s eyes. She had, of course, seen trees in bloom before. It was a sight to behold, to be sure. However, just like the unique sight of the turning autumn leaves at the lake, the trees of Midori’s village would surely put to shame the spring blooms she was accustomed to back home. Perhaps Alphonz could accompany her to this village to witness this magnificent transformation next spring. The young archer’s cheeks began to turn rosy at the thought, and upon the realization of such she diverted her gaze to prevent the others from noticing.
“Wow.. I would really really love to see that! It sounds so magical..” The energetic girl pondered the idea of people painting trees on their walls. It seemed a bit strange, but not in a bad way. In fact, maybe she could try to do that back home with the autumn leaves so that she could see them any time of the year. That was a silly idea though since she didn’t know how to paint. This offset her enthusiasm just enough for a sigh to creep by. It didn’t actually put a damper on her mood, but it was easily enough noticed by her facial expression even as briefly downcast she had been. She didn’t bear a genuine interest in painting anyway beyond viewing what had already been painted by others, so it wasn’t hard to shrug off her lack of talent and bounce back.
It did sour her mood though when Seren unceremoniously dumped her onto the ground. It also inflicted more pain than she was willing to admit. She attempted to shrug it off and ultimately pretend that something so humiliating hadn’t actually happened, at least after the initial outburst when she tumbled backwards. With a nervous chuckle that didn’t fully conceal the pain, Selunae righted herself with Aea’s aid and dusted herself off. It was more her pride that was hurt than anything else. “I.. uh.. guess I kinda lost my balance just a teeny li’l bit.” It seemed the troubadour had sensed something and tried to call out a warning, but the huntress had been far too distracted to acknowledge it in time for it to matter. Thankfully, Selunae didn’t suffer anything more severe than a few bruises. Her tailbone was sore for the moment though. Her leg passed a simple weight test. Bruised ego aside, she’d be fine. The manakete’s words stung her though. To hear the suggestion spoken aloud that Seren didn’t like her wounded her more than anything else about this incident. The problem was, perhaps the purple-haired Sacaean was right. To hear the words from the mouth of an onlooker made it feel true and accepting it as truth made her want to cry. Though the tears did well up in the corners of her eyes, she didn’t allow them to spill down her cheeks. Instead, the young archer resolved to prove the manakete wrong. She’d prove that Seren liked her. Somehow.
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Post by Midori on Oct 21, 2017 15:31:01 GMT -6
Midori gave Lunie a soft smile and nodded a bit. The young redhead seemed to look alright, but Midori knew better. She knew pride got the better of most people after an embarrassing incident. Midori turned back to see Lucy holding on to the reigns of Lunie's horse. She comforted the creature with an affectionate pat on the nose. Midori turned her attention back to Lunie.
"Please, let me help." She spoke and then quietly focused on her staff. The glass orb let out a warm white light that slowly enveloped the young red-haired woman then faded. The pink haired priestess let out a soft sigh.
"There we go." She hoped that made Lunie feel a little better.
"If I may. You and oh.. Seren was it? I feel as if.. you two haven't known each other long." Midori spoke. Lady Lucy rolled her eyes. A green horn! Of all things! The older blonde thought to herself. Midori's horse Ashes approached the pink haired priestess and gave her a light nose nudge. Midori looked back at her grey spotted horse and quietly made her way back up on the saddle.
"Your horse doesn't want to be ridden. At least not right now. Uhm, Lady Lucy can get Seren to follow us." She looked out towards the horse. Lady Lucy was starting to get a little annoyed at all this.
"I'd be willing to give you a few pointers if you like."
Lady Lucy cleared her throat.
"Er.. once we get there of course. Let us give you a ride." Midori made a motion towards the carts. There was more then enough space for both Lunie and Aea.
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Aea
Manakete
"Music can heal even the most broken soul."
Posts: 54
Profession: Wanderer/Entertainer
Affiliation: Sacae
Affinity: Wind
Dragon Element: Air
Profile: ~Aea~
OoC Alias: Kyra
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Post by Aea on Oct 26, 2017 16:46:08 GMT -6
Catching a glimpse of tears beginning to form in Lunie's eyes, Aea began to wonder if her remark about the girl's horse had been too harsh. She of course hadn't intended for what she said to be taken in a bad manner, but perhaps it had come across that way. Maybe her empathy with other.. with humans was packing of late. She'd have to get working on that again. Before Aea had slumbered for a century, all she'd known was her parents, both of which tried to be stern and vigilant whenever possible, and that seriousness really didn't lend itself too well to her earliest interactions with humans upon awakening decades ago.
Snapping back to the situation at hand, Aea found that Midori was allowing the two of them on the back of her horse. With her feet getting admittedly a bit tired, Aea gladly started to get on top of the horse. "Thank you, Midori. You're quite kind, I must say, and kindness isn't something I see everywhere while I'm travelling." Blinking a few times, Aea began having a revelation of sorts in her head. Wait... first Theo, and now Midori? Am I letting my guard down too easily? Sure, Theo and I are similar on the grounds of being non-human, but Midori is neither taguel nor dragon.. at least, as far as I can tell. Father and mother would probably be disappointed I softened up to a human so easily.. And yet.. I feel calmer around this one. She doesn't seem to harbor any I'll will, and she's very generous. Lunie doesn't seem half bad herself, other than being a tad clumsy, from what I can gather. If only they could all be this way... Then, maybe the Scouring would have never even happened...
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Oct 31, 2017 0:04:43 GMT -6
Fear crept over the huntress as the troubadour’s staff began to glow. Of course there was magic. No wonder the women were so well able to travel without an armed escort. “N-no.. th-thanks.. I’ll be..–” Before Selunae could finish her protest, she was enveloped by a soothing warmth that eased not only the soreness from her tumble, but also that from her traveling as well. To that effect, her worries of Midori’s use of magic faded as well. They didn’t vanish, but it was baby steps. Until this point, the young archer had considered beneficial magic to be one of those mage types hurling their spells at her foes instead of at her. She was loathe to voice her ignorance in the matter. After all, if she didn’t speak then they wouldn’t realize how stupid she was. The way she flinched as the healing spell washed over her, coupled with the genuine surprise that replaced the expression revealed the experience to be a new one. Selunae’s family certainly wasn’t wealthy, and even base curatives were used very sparingly, else the scar on her cheek would not even have been noticeable without direct scrutiny. Paying for the services of a proper healer had certainly not been considered. At least, she bore no conscious memories of such, had they ever occurred.
“I uhh.. well.. thanks.” Nervously attempting to conceal her apprehension with a soft chuckle, better late than never, the red-haired teen abruptly voiced an expression of gratitude. She hoped she hadn’t tarried so long as to be any more rude than she already felt she was. The pink-haired lady seemed to not mind at all but for all Selunae knew, her actions and manners would reflect that of all of Bern. Best not to inadvertently lower the overall opinion of Bern in Sacae carelessly. That was a lot of pressure. Sure enough, though, the first casual observation was of the inexperience Seren had betrayed. Blushing sheepishly, the archer diverted her gaze to the side as to not have to make any eye contact and forced a weak laugh that cracked more than it should have. “Well, I had been usin’ someone else’s horse for a while ‘n I guess um.. me ‘n Seren ain’t ‘xactly used to each other yet, or somethin’ like that.” Selunae paused just long enough for it to appear she was done before appending a further explanation onto her reply. “Plus I think the other horse was much better trained ‘n stuff..”
The truth of the matter was that Starchaser was such a well-trained and disciplined horse that her own inexperience didn’t matter, well, except for that one time she spurred a full gallop without getting into the saddle first. That was just one time, and things somehow worked out anyway so surely it didn’t count. Right? A passing glance to the older woman told her that she indeed needn’t concern herself with guiding the rebellious mare herself. So, Seren doesn’t want to be ridden? What if she really doesn’t like me? What if she is right? The disheartened huntress’s glance wandered back to the manakete, cued by that thought. Aea appeared to be absorbed in thoughts of her own, and it seemed best for the moment to leave her to them.
“Well, I’d surely appreciate the help. Guess if Seren is gonna be like that, I shouldn’t turn down the offer.” Allowing a slow and lazy yawn to escape, the huntress strolled to the cart being pulled by Ashes and leisurely ambled onto it. The cart was pretty bare and devoid of anything that could serve as padding, so the girl withdrew a rolled up, ratty blanket from her pack to lay on, using her pack itself as a makeshift pillow. She was under the assumption that Aea would be climbing into the cart as well, but she didn’t trouble herself when the purple-haired lady failed to immediately show. Selunae had been too preoccupied with getting comfy to notice Aea had mistaken the particulars of the proffered ride and besides, she was suddenly overcome with a desire for a nap. Perhaps it was just the cumulative fatigues of traveling or maybe it was an after-effect of that staff-magicky healing thing Midori had cast on her. She didn’t count on actually drifting off to sleep with the cart jarring her with every little bump the wheels encountered, but she’d rest her eyes either way. That alone was a pleasurable enough experience.
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Post by Midori on Nov 4, 2017 19:03:12 GMT -6
"Kindness is as rarer than diamond." Lady Lucy spoke. Midori felt her cheeks flush pink for a moment at Aea's comment. Skai and Lucy had told her several times her kindness could charm even the most hardened of criminals. But, they wouldn't let her anywhere near a criminal for her to test that out. They also told her she was a bit naive and gullible. "The tribe was founded during the tail end of the scouring. War is not without its casualties on both sides. The tribe was reduced to almost nothing. The survivors banded together under one spiritual leader. He witnessed the horrors of war and wanted nothing to do with it. So he founded the village and steadily gathered the people together. Refugees. Orphans. As the world of man rebuilt itself we reached out to our neighbors. They could have rejected the early settlers. But, they didn't. And slowly a relationship was built between the Chaklai and our Bernese neighbors. To honor that kindness we've ingrained it into our way of life. Into our religion. Culture. So on and so fourth." She made a gesture with her hands. She made sure that Lunie was safely in the wagon. And that Aea was comfortable with whatever decision she chooses. "Horses are tricky. But, do not worry we can train you to ride so long as you are willing to work." Lady Lucy spoke. And the four ladies went on their way. As they made their way towards the village the terrain changed slowly. They traveled down a road, then up a hill. As they moved forward the world around them changed into something different. The grasslands slowly morphed into patches of farmland with a few barns and homes in the distance. The air changed a bit to mist as they made their way further into the valley. The group passed under a large torii gate. That bore the symbol of the lotus. They went up a large hill then down until they came up to the village wall. The wall itself was ancient. Old but sturdy. Patches of moss and grasses jutted out of the cracks and crevasses in between the large pebbles. Lady Lucy knocked on the village gates. There were two padoga like watchtowers with guards looking down at them. The guards recognized Lady Lucy and Midori. The large doors opened up enough to let them pass through. There was a bit more road for them to go down before they reached the village proper.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Nov 11, 2017 9:38:08 GMT -6
It was plain enough from the rattling from the wheels of the cart that there would be no actual sleeping as quartet made their way down the path to the village of the Chaklai, but the mild euphoria from Selunae holding her eyes shut sufficed in the absence of slumber. Taking in the idle conversation between Midori and Aea, more from lack of options than burning interest, the lazy huntress relaxed well as she could. She casually allowed the mention of the Scouring to roll around in her head, pondering briefly if such a time really existed. Dragons.. such a silly thought. Surely if such a thing had been true, the dragons would have wiped the humans out. It was probably just regular old monsters or maybe a whole buncha wyverns. Yeah, that had to be it. Silly people exaggerating.
The foundation of the Chaklai, as Midori explained it, seemed to be rooted in benevolence. It kept Selunae at ease to hear the tale of how the bond was formed between the Chaklai and her own homeland. Didn’t the last king of Bern invade Sacae though, when she was just a little girl? Roddrick mentioned something like that happening. That was why Ilia took over Bern or something. She honestly hadn’t paid enough attention to the details and didn’t want to ask. Maybe the Chaklai uhh.. didn’t know about that or something. Honestly, Selunae was worried that Midori, Aea, and that other woman, Lucy was it, would turn on her if she brought it up. Midori had referred to her as Lady Lucy. No one had properly introduced her yet, though, so it would be super awkward to address her. Nope. Her best bet was just to avoid the subject of whatever Bern had done in Sacae.
When ‘Lady Lucy’ followed after Midori’s musings on the history of the tribe with affirmation that the offer of training still stood, the archer indeed did feel awkward about how to respond. Then, on the end was the stipulation. As long as she was willing to work. Selunae suppressed a groan. Still, it was much better than having to pay coin that she didn’t even possess or simply being turned away. Maybe she could incorporate her chores into a form of physical conditioning. She was certain some of the training techniques she had learned could be adapted somehow. As her thoughts drifted, it slipped her mind completely that she hadn’t actually responded to the mature valkyrie, that she should reply to her.
A long, vocalized yawn escaped from the huntress as the horse-drawn carts slowed to a stop at the village gates. Rubbing her eyes as if she were actually waking up from a long nap, Selunae sat up and stretched her arms in seemingly random outward angles. She blinked a few times before scanning the fields surrounding the carts. What she saw was immensely different than before she had closed her eyes. Farmland stretched in every direction away from the gates, and the structure of the walls and watchtowers themselves were a sight to behold. It seemed this was the end of the road. As the gates opened up and the group continued onward, she found this to not quite be true.
“Oh.. So, uhh.. what’re the people of the Chocolate..–” The question abruptly ended before Selunae made it to the point. Embarrassment washed over her face in flushed shades of red. She had been pondering if Vass–whatever his name was – if he had been from this tribe. Then a silly craving for that scrumptious candy he made had led her to a humiliating slip of the tongue. Still, she forced through it and tried again. “I.. s-sorry.. heheh.. W-what are the Chaklai like?”
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Post by Midori on Nov 30, 2017 21:48:51 GMT -6
"We are predominantly a farming community. But, we've got artisans, traders, medics, and a decent army." Midori explained.
"It isn't really an army. More like a band of local defenders. But, there is a sizable number of them. We tend to take in outsiders. So we have warriors of all type. We need to be flexible with our 'army' since our terrain is.. varied." Lady Lucy put it lightly. As they passed down the road one could see the various trees that grew in the homes. A few mountains loomed in the distance. And in between the rows of trees. The Chaklai's orchid. They tended to specialize in plums but there were other hardy fruit trees too.
"We are a very spiritual people. We live in the land and thank father sky and earth mother for their blessings. We also give thanks to our ancestors since without them we would not be here today." Midori continued.
"It's a complicated but beautiful system they have here. Just don't land yourself in the prisons." Lady Lucy looked back and gave her a bit of a wry smile.
"Or end up in the red district at night. We aren't perfect. Stuff happens." Midori scratched her head. They walked down the main street. Wooden homes that lined both ends of the streets. One could see the wares of the shopkeepers in their open-air markets. Dyed fabrics, decorative vases, weapons, food, armor, among other things. Majority of the villagers wore clothing that was similar to Midori's but not as elegant. But, each village had something on them that was red. It could have been a redshirt, pant, shoe, headband or another accessory. Or those that didn't wear red had something on them that bore the symbol of the lotus flower. After a while, the four of them came up towards the village inn. Lady Lucy got off her horse. She patted the mighty steed and led it to a trough of water. She came from Ilia before being adopted into the Chaklai. Her horse was a massive beast meant to plow through the thick hard snow covered soil of the frozen north. A Clydesdale like mare who she treated like family.
Lady lucy also guided Lunie's horse to a trough and tied her down onto one of the bar's the inn had for horses.
"Alright, ladies. This is the end of the road for us. Midori here can grant you one free night here in the Inn but after that, you've gotta figure out what it is you'll need to be doing. Lots of the Chaklai outside the walls could use the help of an extra hand. There's a bulletin board for requests if you can read." She petted Lunie's horse.
"I'll see if I can recruit Skai into giving you some riding lessons. His family owns a horse farm in the west."
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Dec 2, 2017 8:17:30 GMT -6
The laziness still clung to the cart-borne huntress like cotton fabric in a rainstorm as she futilely tried to clear the fog that had settled in her mind since climbing aboard. Most of of her hostess’s words seemed to careen right by her ears, a few choice tidbits satisfying what her idle curiosity allowed her to bear as she took in the scenery. From what she gleaned, aside from the spiritual fluff, it sounded rather similar to home. There was probably some religion or another practiced in Bern, after all most people believed in something higher, but it completely eluded the young archer. All she knew of religion was terrifying. Still, something about the troubadour’s words was soothing to her. Father sky? Earth mother? Perhaps the familial tone struck a softer note within her. Maybe she’d inquire further later? Probably not.
Selunae was certainly picking up more of the conversation they entered the village proper, not necessarily because her unnatural fatigue had eased off but more that what was said seemed relevant to her. That is, it seemed important that she listen now. Lucy had mentioned prisons and Midori warned of a red..district? Selunae didn’t know what that meant, but it conveyed some sense of foreboding. It carried a weight to it as if she might be better off not knowing. Kyra had also shared a similar warning about not wandering the streets of Lucerne at night alone. Possibly for the same reason? It didn’t really occur to Selunae how naive she could be at times, but that was part of the nature of such an issue.
“Stuff..? What happens?” The tone of the girl’s voice began to meekly fall as she uttered her uncertain question. She was a little mixed on whether she wanted to know, but it could be important. The pink-haired lady’s words had been rather ambiguous and Selunae wasn’t sure what was being alluded to. It was questionable though if her attention remained focused for an answer to her inquiry beyond it leaving her lips, as the red-haired teen seemed absorbed in observation of the daily lives of the local Chaklai. It seemed so different than the marketplace in Lucerne, yet at the same time bore so many similarities to the market streets she had tried to acclimate herself to in the time she had remained home before making this trip. The biggest differences drew from the diversity between Bernese and Chaklai culture, although some things felt familiar too. There had been some form of symbiotic exchange between the two on some level, right? That was probably why.
One of the details that managed to slip by unnoticed was the prevalence of the color red in the wardrobe of the locals. Selunae liked red, and also had a strong tendency to gravitate toward the color as well. She was indeed wearing her usual red tunic under her armor. There wasn’t a special reason for that color, but it was the most suitable garment to prevent her armor from chafing. Thankfully, aside from a few glances of curiosity, none of the villagers went out of their way to make Selunae feel out of place or unwelcome. Most of the attention was friendly smiles, though they were directed mainly to Midori and Lucy. The archer wasn’t regarded coldly nor was the purple-haired manakete. In fact, the huntress felt more welcome here than she’d been made to feel the night she’d wandered away from Kyra and become lost in the backstreets of Lucerne. Funny how that works out.
Finally the carts came to a stop, the bumpity bumpiness of the turning wheels finally giving way to silence and stillness. It only made sense that now that she had finally become used to the rattling of the cart that the ride would end. With a couple strides and a semi-exaggerated hop, the archer found her feet back on solid ground once more. Once again, Selunae was skimming over the words Lucy was saying but she got the gist of what the older lady was conveying. Right up to the point she mentioned the bulletin board. In an instant, the girl became tense and visibly nervous though she made a conscious effort to disguise it. In fact, when Midori spoke up, the archer was too distracted to make out all of what she said.
“Uh.. what was that ‘bout a horse ranch? Haha.. I didn’t really hear ya.”
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Post by Midori on Dec 13, 2017 20:18:40 GMT -6
Midori felt her cheeks flush red at Lunie's innocent question. She remembered asking the same question too once in her younger years. And Lady Lucy had taught her valuable lesson about the birds, bees, and how they, as creatures, had absolutely nothing to do with procreation. Midori shook her head.
"You might be tempted to join in the district's.. uh.. activities." Midori tried to put it delicately.
"It's where the prostitutes work sweetheart." Lady Lucy explained in a very blunt manner.
"Midori's being nice about it since there's a med clinic she volunteers at. And is chummy with some of the night workers. Ah, she has to be respectful and stuff."
Midori looked at Lady Lucy with an embarrassed and a defeated face. She shook her head. Both of Lady Lucy's statements were true. She was acquaintances with some of the prostitutes. Who worked the fields or the looms during the day. She's delivered some of their children. She's treated some of their wounds. They were some of the most insightful and wisest women she had ever met. Able to juggle raising a family, domestic life, and a night job, they were truly amazing people. Her rounds in the clinic were supervised of course to prevent her from straying from the path of chastity and virtue. But, that didn't stop them from talking up a storm about all things the average villager had to deal with.
"I've got a friend named Skai. His family owns a ranch towards the west end of the village. They grow mostly wheat. But, they generally make a living rearing and raising horses for the community. The horses they raise are sold to our neighbors. They are always looking for a few extra hands to help with the day to day chores. They would be more then willing to give you a few riding lessons if you are willing to work for it." Midori explained.
"Skai's a bit of a flirt. And tries to do his best to avoid work. But, he's a good man. Married. And Midori's childhood friend." Lady Lucy explained.
"I apologize if he ends up being a pain in the neck." She bowed lightly.
"Anyway, let us lead you inside the inn. Get you both settled in a room. You can figure out what you want to do afterwards."
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Dec 14, 2017 15:33:51 GMT -6
Though perplexity furrowed the archer’s brow briefly, the clueless smile returned quickly to her face as the explanation breezed by her. She honestly wasn’t any closer to figuring out what Midori and Lucy were talking about than she had before the question was answered. She didn’t know what a prostitute or a night worker was, but she certainly didn’t feel too enthused about the idea of working at night. It was obvious from her blatant lack of an appropriate reaction that she truly had no clue whatsoever what either of them meant, which was just as well. However, it was also very plain from the reaction and tones of both Midori’s shyness of the subject and Lucy’s direct and stoic presentation that there was something more to it that she was perhaps just not prepared to hear – something that made her ears itch. So, Selunae let the matter go.
Once the subject of bulletin boards and the prospect of reading was glossed over and thankfully not lingered on, the young girl was happy to give her attention to Midori once more. Listening intently, she considered what chores she might be expected to complete, letting the thoughts roll around in her subconscious.
“Well, uhh.. I can prolly do things to help out ‘n stuff, but I’ve never really done that kinda work or nothin’.” Selunae mused aloud, not really certain if she was responding to Midori or Lucy or if merely speaking to herself. She’d handled various odd jobs and tasks around her village but any familiarity with farming or animal husbandry came from watching others when she had nothing better to do, which she typically had plenty of more desirable activities to while away her boredom. She’d actually tried once to help with horses recently at her rescuers’ residence, but it had gone quite poorly rather quickly. Then, suddenly the topic shifted directly to Skai himself.
“Is he cute?” Selunae blurted the question out before she could stop herself. Her cheeks reddened instantly, and she giggled nervously while secretly wishing she could simply disappear right where she stood. Of all the things to say and all the questions she could have asked, her brain picked that. The archer awkwardly rushed away, only to throw her arms around Seren’s neck in a huge hug.
“Don’t worry girl, I’ll be back soon. I’m jus’ gonna head inside for a bit. If you’re nice, I’ll get ya an apple.” The mare didn’t react adversely to the attention, but did lower her head and sniff the teen at the mention of the apple. Seren snorted afterward and gave the girl a nudge to go about on her way and that was what Selunae did, almost skipping along back to the door of the inn. Unfamiliar scents wafted in the air as the itinerant archer walked inside. Not unpleasant ones, just different from anything she was accustomed to.
“So... I guess this is the place, huh?”
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Post by Midori on Jan 1, 2018 19:26:28 GMT -6
"Fret not. I'm sure they'll find something for you to do." Lady Lucy responded. And Midori responded to Lunie's previous comment about Skai's cuteness.
"Skai.. has charm. I will admit. But don't let him catch you saying he's cute. He'll tease you about it forever if you do." Midori once made that mistake when they were kids. And Skai still teased her about it to this day.
"He can be a bit much. But, he loves his wife and kids. And is loyal to them despite his flirtatious ways."
"If he gets really out of hand you can just threaten to go to his wife and that usually shuts him down."
As Midori guided the young women into the inn. She gave the receptionist a customary light bow. The receptionist was an elderly woman, who Midori knew well. They exchanged pleasantries for a bit before the pink haired priestess led the two women into the dining section of the inn.
The Inn itself was well kept. There were various artworks of pink blossoms on the walls, pictures of calm water with lily pads, some colorful golden fish jumping in the air, all of it in the Chaklai style. The walls themselves were painted in the Chaklai style. Trees mostly with the occasional bird or bug on its branches. The scent of freshly cooked fish, ginger, garlic, and soup lingered in the air. Midori guided them over to an empty booth and waited for everyone to sit down before sitting down herself.
"I recommend the fish cake soup." Midori spoke.
"Though fish isn't everyone's favorite food. They also make a good meal with vegetable with noodles. Sometimes they have chicken and pork though that tends to sell out quickly."
Midori didn't have much on her. She suspected she would be spending a good portion of her duties tomorrow working in the kitchen tomorrow to make up for this meal. This wasn't anything new to her though. She was used to working in the inn doing things outside of her temple duties for the good of the people. If feeding a few stranger's once leads to something beneficial for the tribe then that was something she was willing to do again and again.
"Most outside folks find the food to be a bit bland. But, that is just the way it is here. Too much spice covers the natural flavors of the ingredients you use as a base. It's supposed to be an.. allegory.. for enjoying the simple and humbler things in life. We'll talk to Skai and arrange something for you two after lunch."
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jan 5, 2018 12:38:48 GMT -6
Midori’s openness of the matter, in a way made Selunae feel more awkward about asking the question to begin with. It was as if the answer legitimized the question when she really just hoped no one would have paid it any mind – the errant ramblings of a teenage girl quicker to speak than to think. The rosy flush of her cheeks faded only slightly as the answer segued into a reinforcement of a previous vague warning of his womanizing ways. It took her back, briefly, to the day she’d explored Lucerne with Kyra and met Devon. She had become so flustered so quickly and it left her with mixed feelings. He’d turned out to be a real creep, willfully leading them into an ambush. He was dead now, and the archer bit her lip sharply to hide the emotional response of this memory creeping back up. Forcing herself back into a cheerful state as to not draw any concern, the girl faked a smile, clasping her hands together tightly.
“W-well, I uh guess I’ll jus’ have to avoid sayin’ anything like that to him..” Selunae mused aloud. The tone of her voice was slightly off due to her efforts to hide her distress and contributed further to her sheepish reaction to Midori’s reply. The girl bounced back soon enough though, as her attention turned to the paintings adorning the walls of the establishment. The style of the Chaklai was stark contrast to that of Bern, or anything she had ever seen for that matter. The details each seemed to stand out deliberately as if each had a special meaning, either to the painters themselves or to Chaklai culture. It was a curious thing. Selunae didn’t fully grasp the symbolism, but it certainly grabbed her attention. Finally, she finished drifting to the booth she had casually been herded to in following the group.
“Umm.. Fish...cake..soup? Is that one thing or three things?” The simple need for clarification made the archer feel out of place. She wasn’t sure why anyone would make cake out of fish, or then turn it into soup. That alone made her feel silly for asking the question in the first place. As her brain juggled between the concept that she might either look like a complete fool or even be potentially insulting Chaklai culture, her cheeks yet again began to turn pink. As she considered further options mentioned, Lucy rang in with contributions of her own.
“Oh! One of the villagers back home said he saw an allegory once down by the river, but nobody believed him. Lotsa people laughed at him after that. Are they really really real?” A spark of excitement and enthusiasm brightened Selunae’s eyes, the girl clearly completely unaware of what the Ilian meant. The archer seemed to not realize the sheer absurdity of her proclamation.
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Post by Midori on Jan 8, 2018 16:15:20 GMT -6
"It's a soup with fish cake in it. Like little fish pancakes or fish balls. Sorta like.. a fish meatball.. or maybe like a matzo ball. But, feel free to order what you like. I just know that's what I'm getting." Midori smiled softly. The fish cake, fish ball, or just in general fish soup was one of her most favorite dishes. That and the seasonal mochi that was made during festivals. She also really liked other simple meals that the Chaklai seem to have perfected. Like fried noodles mixed with a mix of vegetables and chilies. But, chilies were sometimes difficult to grow in the semi-mountainous location so whenever it becomes available Midori tends to savor it especially so.
"Midori really likes the soups here. Then again she's helped out in the kitchen a lot so there's that. This place also has other soups like vegetable or plain broth with noodles. If you want something a bit more familiar they also do baked potatoes and roasted chicken. If the string beans came into the season then they have that too with a bit of butter and garlic. Since the Chaklai has a tendency to adopt outsiders the menu has a little bit of everything to suit all tastes." Lady Lucy leaned back a bit on her chair and waited for the waiter to come around.
"I hope we do find something you both like." Midori nodded softly.
"I think you are mistaking allegory with another word. An allegory a story, poem, or image, that can be interpreted to have another meaning. It's on the same branch as a metaphor. Or puns." Lady Lucy casually corrected.
"Huh, now I'm curious to know exactly what animal was seen in the river. Did it have teeth and scales? Or did it have a beak and feathers?" Midori was trying to make Lunie feel comfortable in their presence.
The waitress swung around with cups of water for everyone. Midori asked for a hot cup of tea, Lady Lucy requested some mead, and the waitress waited a bit to take Lunie and Aea's drink orders. The servant then explained what was available. No fish cake or fishball today due to poor fishing. Only vegetables soup. There were still some orders of chicken, beef, and pork remaining. Lots of potatoes, carrots, beets, and rice. Midori hung her head lightly defeated and ordered herself a pious meal of vegetable soup with a small side of pickled beets. Lady Lucy went with the beef and potatoes. She also got a small side of mixed vegetables.
After the waitress took everyone's orders she left to go fill them. Midori returned her attention back to Lunie and Aea. Lady Lucy had her eyes closed and seemed to be comfortable in her current position.
"So tell me a bit more about yourselves." She asked with a soft smile.
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