View Full Version : Tell All the People
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Scara Brae was a bustling city, and it was a new and rather interesting experience for Sona. Most of her adventures, from her childhood to possibly a day earlier had occupied in a place other than a large city like the one she was in now. There was always something that could get her food for her art, and that was always enough for the girl. But, as curiosity would have it, a short walk and she was in the capital of the island.
She explored for some part of the day, Krakatoa always in her grip and ready just in case. She was a little scared of the big city, but that wasn't going to stop her from loving it. She went everywhere in a reasonably small area. She visited the outside of the castle, and saw the old Dajas Pagooda. The fighting arena she skipped, but stopped by the hospital to see what such a thing was like. If the girl was religious, she would have called the place a miracle.
It didn't take long for the girl's mind to start to wander a bit, and she quickly found herself in the market area, aware of a small amount of jingling coins in her bag. She wasn't in the mood to get anything, nor did she plan of buying anything just for the opportunity. Past experiences told her that people were not as attached to their money at markets then at other places. It was her real reason for being in the city, but she could have done it anywhere. And she was beginning to get bored of simply listening to Tambora play music.
She sat down, using Krakatoa as a makeshift seat for the girl. She had chosen to be in the middle of the market, next to a fairly large shop and directly across another shop that sold various oddities. The girl could hear some of the hagglers, and decided that here was as good a place as any. She opened her bag, taking several parts she quickly constructed into her flute. After another minute of close inspection, she opened her bag a little wider, making it rather plainly obvious she wanted money.
Sona slipped Tambora so the cool metal was against her neck, and her ears experienced the same feeling of coolness whenever she took it off. Listening to the headgear would only mess up her song, and she always preferred her own music to that of anything Tambora had shown her. She closed her eyes as she began to play, preferring to simply let the musc watch over her, and trust that the loop around her ankle would help prevent anyone from stealing the small clink she heard every once in a while from her bag.
People. So many people! Then again there were always a lot of people in the cities. The stench of civilization was also something that Nin was finding more and more familiar with each passing day but it was almost welcomed. Sure, he missed the sights and smells of his homeland in the more remote regions of Salvar but living on one’s own was an adventure in itself. Well, at least for Nin. Still, the words of his mother continued to ring in his mind ever so slightly. “Be careful of strange people especially people who stare at you too much!” Heaving out a sigh followed by his head drooping forward slight, he could help but think, ‘But they’re all strange and give me odd looks…’
Shaking the thought from his head he looked around at where he had wandered. Having followed one of the larger roads into the city, he soon found himself in the market area of town. It seemed that way anyways with the merchants yelling out their wares, children running about and families shopping for the day’s ingredients. A slight grumble in his stomach reminded him that he didn’t eat anything that morning. Looking about for what was available, he strode along the stalls before stopping at a merchant who was selling an assortment of apples laid out upon a large white sheet. Picking the apples he wanted was more difficult than he thought.
“Having a bit of trouble?”
Bringing his head up with a start at the merchant, Nin nodded before his eyes continued to stare at the fruits. The man gave deep laugh before picking up a few apples out. Setting them in small burlap sack he pushed it into Nin’s hands.
“Go on, take them.”
Looking back at the merchant in a somewhat perplexed manner, he began to protest with, “Oh but-“
“Come now, aren’t I allowed to give something to a nice lass?”
A bit of embarrassment rose up in his cheeks before he took the bag. Mumbling a quick "thank you" and bowing his head quickly, he rushed away. ‘Maybe mother was right…’ Sighing out once more before stretching his back, he began to wander about the market once more. There were many interesting things to see after all. Taking out an apple, he couldn’t help but smile a little to himself before taking a bite. ‘I guess looking like this has some advantages.’
The sound of a flute drifted to him through the crowds and although the tune sounded strange and unfamiliar, the sounds reminded him of home anyways. Making his way over where the music was flowing from, he watched with a pair of curious eyes before settling down nearby and then sat down upon his knees. Rummaging through his pocket, he tossed a coin into the bag.
Scara Brae, land of those wishing to learn. I have no clue why it was the way it was but grandfather told me it was the place people went to learn. The cities weren't as big and the wilderness not as perilous than the rest of the world but there was still peril and still a need for adventurers.
So what should be a good place for novice adventurers then would be fine for a apprentice spirit mage, spirits were everywhere and if things weren't so tough in this part of the world then the spirits should be more generous, perfect for training.
This time I was out for shopping to buy little odds and ends for the spirits and some fun stuff for me too. A new dress or robes might brighten up the next few days and give something different to wear around but then again there was the problem of money, I had some but not much for I wasn't a good enough mage to charge for my services or at least get a decent sum but I was able to scrouge enough up but the dress might not be an option.
I was a bit depressed after the revelation as I bought the bare necessities. Cheap oils, scents and herbs that most spirits would find appealing and that was it. My gaze did linger on a lovely blue Robe but I shook my head and continued on.
The there was the sound of a flute, something lovely to hear I had to find it. Music might be just the thing to take my mind off. My tail swished as I went through the crowd, being so short I couldn't see anything until I got close. "What in the Spirits' minds is that!" My tail fluffed up a little as I looked at the girl in strange clothing with strange devices playing an ordinary flute. I blushed a little as people looked at me for being rude. "S, Sorry." I stammered to the girl not sure if she could hear me.
There were a few different styles of music that Sona knew about, but she usually classified them into four smaller catagories. There was the Perfection songs, which had to live up to their name and took more time then most to learn. They often were only truly appreciated by the same people who learned diffrent songs of the same classification. It was a self serving cycle, and Kestrel Azure had no part of it. She almost lived for a mixing of two other genres.
Her song was hardly ever the same. Every note she played usally came on the spot, and her mind hardly ever tried to dictate the direction of the body. Her fingers, lungs and ears almost worked in unison, knowing full well was would sound good after each note. It was a curious attribute to the girl. She was listening to her own music as much as every other person in the smaller crowd that was around her, and her ears were to pick out the occasional small clink of gold as it dropped into her bag. She only needed a place to stay the night, since she had more than enough food and drink to get by. Not that she liked any of it anyway.
Still, she finished her song after a little bit longer. The gold came in slow trickles, but she kept a mental tally of how much she had. It would be enough for a room at a comfertable inn, and she could just go there at the end of the day. It would leave the rest of the daylight for exploration by the girl. She smiled, realizing that her eyes were still closed and opened them to her flute mostly disasembled by her smart hands. As soon as everything was packed, she slipped the heavier bag onto her shoulders, as well as Tambora onto its rightful place. The crowd began to disperse, realizing that she was finished. Some were hesitant though, almost hopeful. She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she continued, and then the hand grabbed her again. She slipped Tambora off her ears, catching whatever the person was saying.
"May have a job for you girl," said the merchant whose stand she was playing next to. "If you want to earn something I think you'll be interested in."
The melody had its own life and the more Nin listened to it, the more his thoughts wandered to irrelevant things. The lady he watched was a curious creature and he half wondered if she also happened to be similar to him. Her eyes were possibly the most fascinating things to him, being two different colors. Half wishing his father was here to explain the basics of flute playing to him again but as he mused over this thought, a voice caught his attention.
Something about “Spirits’ mind,” and then the voice muttered an apology. Looking about the crowd, he saw an animal. Or was it human? No, it was both at the same time! Well at least that was what it looked like to him. Only when the music stopped did he realize that he had been staring at the strange girl with a tail and ears of that belonging to a feline. Averting his gaze quickly, he stood up with the rest of the crowd and dusted off his dress of dust and dirt. Nin then turned his head about quickly in hopes of catching a glimpse the flute-girl before sighing out in a bit of disappointment. There were too many people and unfortunately, even though the girl was very unique in her appearance, everyone looked alike to him.
Then suddenly, there she was. The girl with fire red hair was standing near a merchant who had her in his grasp. Moving quickly through the crowd he made his way over and stood behind the girl with a slightly worried face. He relaxed however when he heard the merchant mention a job.
The merchant let go of the girl to retrieve something in a wooden case. Without thinking, Nin peeked over the girl’s shoulder to get a look at what the merchant was holding. It looked like an instrument of some sort with strings. “I’ll give this to you if you accept and complete the job.” Putting it away just as quickly, he noticed the extra head peering over the shoulder of Sona.
“I’d like you two girls to look for my family jewel.”
Nin, of course, began to giggle a little before he realized he was the other "girl."
bunnying of the merchant discussed in IM
It was probably good that the girl didn’t notice my outburst, I should know better than to do something so silly. Still the music was nice and the only one to notice me was a youth that probably charm any member of the opposite sex, once they knew his sex. But that was short lived and when the show was over an overly dressed man who wore chief’s treasure as his clothing came and was offering a job to the bard and the youth.
There was something special about him, maybe it was that if I had one of those gems I could bargain a spirit into singing ‘What a fool am I’ in tradespeak and visible to the whole world. If he could give me a prize then I might be able to circumvent that debt or better yet use the reward to make an item of even greater magic or something nice for me.
Yes as a Spirit mage I had to get the best offerings when they presented themselves and while I wasn’t sure if he would want a kitty girl helping or would give me a reward was still a mystery it was one that I wouldn’t solve until I try.
I pranced towards the merchant and the humans, not knowing that one was a fox and an androgynous boy at the time, with a smile and I looked up at the merchant. “I want to help!” I tried my best to sound excited but not too much so, not easy since I had to look up to see their eyes. My tail swished as the merchant looked at me with an appraising eye.
“What do you think you can do for me?”
“You want a special treasure, I heard and I’m a sprit mage and can find things with the help of the spirits that know far more than normal people and I can help out in other ways. But I really want to see the treasure and I’m sure I ca be very helpful.”
“Well I suppose I can’t argue with that, just don’t expect much if you’re just going to be a fifth wheel.”
“Thank you sir!” I said while ears perked up in victory.
Sona was about to refuse when the man pulled her gently towards his table, only a couple of steps before she was there. She was curious now, as a largish case was placed on the table. She went on her tip-toes, trying to see what was in the strange wooden case. She knew the shape well enough, but in the market one could never be sure of what contained what. Still, she had a pretty good idea of what it was.
Anyone looking into the musician's mis-matched eyes would have seen them open wide as the merchant revealed what was in the case, as well as possibly a little drool for a second. She stepped forward before the merchant pulled the beautiful guitar back and away from Sona's reaching hands. The instrument was a shiny black, and Sona could have fixed up her hair in the reflection. She was not an expert in guitars, but anyone who had a good look could tell that the merchant's prize was more than average. Still, it was more than enough for the girl to want it. Sona probably would have danced around the marketplace naked for a week to get the masterpiece.
"Anyways, I just need you girls to pick up a special jewel of mine from a wagon that's outside of town," the merchant began. He put the shiny and captivating instrument back into its case, patting the lid prtechtivly as he did so. "The wagon will be there for a day or so, I just want you to go pick it up for me before I do. When the wagon comes into the town itself I'm afraid that it will get stolen, and I can't leave my shop for a while." Sona opened her mouth, but the old man cut her off. "And before you ask, this is my first time on the island as well girl. Only people I know here are the ones driving the wagon."
Sona nodded, most of her thoughts still on the guitar the man had shown her. She was actually going to ask him whether or not she could have see it again. Still, picking up a little jewel for the guitar seemed like more than a fair trade to her. There wasn't much that Sona wouldn't do for the instrument. It wasn't even like she would be alone either, two other girls were with her, though they were a little smaller, she doubted anyone would really want to try and mug them or anything. At best they only have two or three hundred gold between them, and most of the people in the market around them had at least thrice that number. She tugged at the purple one's sleeve, facing the smaller kitten and making it plainly obvious that they should go. She had a wide grin on her face, making her look a lot prettier than she normally was. Actually having a good job and a reward far more worthwhile than a handful of gold coins can do that.
A special jewel to be picked up for the merchant? What was special about it? Was it magical? Was it an expensive piece? Nin partially mused about this for a moment before turning to look at the others. There was the cat girl again and for some odd reason said that she wanted to help as well. Turning his attention to the flame haired girl, he noticed that she seemed excited about the instrument but couldn’t quite understand why.
Nin’s trains of thoughts were broken though when he felt a hand tug his sleeve. Looking to the taller girl who held onto his clothing, he began to protest a little but only in mere mumbles. Thinking over the decision quickly, he gave a slight look of helplessness as he allowed himself to be dragged along. Half-heartedly, he looked back to the cat girl as if for her to help him.
“W-where are we going?” he managed to ask the girl who seemed intent on finding the gem so that she could get the merchant’s prize. He could have broken free from the girl easily but at the same time, she did seem stronger than him or at least in her excitement she seemed stronger.
Soon the group was outside on the dusty road and to Nin it was as if he had only just came and left the city as quickly as he came. Looking about, he could see journeymen coming to the city while merchants with wagons were rolling about as well, entering and exiting the city. “Which wagon are we looking for, again?”
Wow this seemed really easy for a job, I thought they would be tougher but it's a common neko saying 'that when something's easy then why not'. So I decided to keep my offer and help out hoping I'll get some nice reward too.
The stroll was quite pleasant as Scara Brae was a nice city that the places we walked were kept clean and safe. The stone walkways were pleasant white and the company was quite friendly. Both Sona and Nin were nice people and I was feeling I had made some new friends. It wasn't a tested friendship since all we did was small talk but I never really had anyone and I wished with my whole heart that I was right.
That one thought about not having many friends made me almost Tear up and ruin the moment but Nin Asked how far we were going and I merely shrugged and smiled. "Don't know but it should be easy." I smiled and patted his back, and hoping it wasn't too low because of height distance.
Once we were out and there was several wagons going about their business but none were probably the ones we were looking for. "He said it was waiting so in wouldn't be with these, maybe hidden a little in the forest as not to be robbed." I suggested and went off the road a little. The dry leaves made a crunch with every step and the wagon was indeed close, the wind seemed to have picked up and started howling.
"Here it is! I knew it!" I cheered and dashed into the cart. It was more a finely carved wagon as loud as the merchant that owned it. Golden dragons fought golden men with swirling golden breath on the side as other neat pieces of art adorned it. There was no one there so I went in first and saw a case sitting upon a satin cushion. It seemed to be already open and held the most beautiful blue gem, really look pretty around my neck as a necklace.
But then I took a step and heard some strange crying, no one else could be cause it was the spirits screaming in few. And it was louder the closer towards the gem. The cries seemed to be about the gem too. It wasn't a good item. I charged forward and snatched the gem in my paws and ran out of the wagon and stopped looking at the pair.
"This thing's evil, he can't have it!" I said holding the gem close to my heart in hopes to keep the darkness at bay. The gem felt cold to touch and yet there was a fire burning inside it as the screaming of the spirits rang my ears.
The walk towards the main road was simple, quick, effecient and frankly pretty fun. Nin was shy and cute, though purple haired kid didn't really hold a candle to Ginx. She just seemed to be like the perfect combination of a kitten and a cute girl. Having them come along with her while they picked up a jewel and back was pretty simple. They seemed like good people, and she wouldn't mind being friends with either. She hadn't had any friends her own age for a while. There was the other musicians she met, but they were sadly hardly ever her age.
The road was nice, and Sona was constantly amazed by the wagons carrying many times their own load weight. She never would be able to understand how they could do it, but it was still interesting. She figured that it probably would have something to do with how the weight was placed on the wooden structure and how well the wheels moved. It was almost magic, but the girl knew it was just a bunch of clever ideas and put together to make it work.
She smilied as Ginx led the trio off of the road, holding krakatoa safely as she walked and caught up with the kitty. She seemed to perform a complete shift in her demeaner however. Where she was happy and energetic in small talk, she seemed almost sad and serious holding a gem that looked like it was more than the Scara Brae's crown. For a moment, Sona wondered just how the hell the merchant would trust the group of girls with the gem. Her thoughts traced themselves almost lazily back to the guitar, and she remembered quickly.
"Wait, why not?" Sona's mind was enitrely on the guitar that was going to be hers. And frankly, she didn't really feel like going to oher means. The jewel to get the guitar was right in front of her, and it wouldn't take any time at all to return to the town and get the instrument. But for some reason Ginx thought other wise. The girl held krakatoa in front of her, the twin speakers facing the kitty girl as she slipped tambora onto her ears, the music that often accomponied it hardly present. She could hear everything around her, and she would hear Ginx's reply. For those familiar of Sona's abilites, they would have recognised the stance. She was bracing for her own attack. Her voice was calm, though her mind was calculating what she might have to do to get the gem from the cat girl. "Why couldn't we just bring it back or something?"
The cat girl didn’t seem to notice his look of distress but that didn’t seem to matter much once everyone was outside the city. Both of the girls were good company though and he felt happy, even if he was somewhat forced, to tag along. Since the first time the small group had assembled, he realized that none of them knew each other’s names and was about to ask when the cat girl dashed off.
Following behind Sona and the cat girl, he was tempted to try and slip away but he was curious as to how this situation was going to end. Besides, it was an easy job. Perhaps too easy of a job. Coming out of his thinking as he bumped into Sona, he looked at her and then to the cat girl who was looking as though she was in pain.
When the cat girl became hysterical about the gem and convinced that it was evil, Nin was just as confused as Sona. At least he though she was confused. Still, the feeling about the whole situation was rather odd. There were no guards at the wagon. As a matter of fact, there was no one around the wagon at all. If it had been ransacked wouldn’t the bandits have taken something this valuable?
Fretting as the flame haired girl raised something towards the cat girl, he tugged upon Sona’s sleeve. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen but he couldn’t help but voice his own concerns as well. “Um.. don’t either of you find it strange that no one is here? I mean that gem does look rather valuable…”
Sona’s voice was calm, but there was something about it that scared me. Perhaps it was the cold feel in the stone or the fearful noises of the spirits but Sona’s calm voice scared me. It was like she was hiding something, but I wasn’t sure.
“No, no, no, no… We can’t, this thing isn’t good. The spirits are afraid of it, if someone who wanted to use it to do bad things got it they…” I trailed off, not even wanting to imagine what might happen. I was shaking a little. I really was afraid, I didn’t want the gem but I didn’t want to give it away either.
“Please, we can’t take it to him.” I begged while clenching the gem to my breast, why would I hold it like that? Having it near my heart made my blood pump faster and I could hear the pulse in my ears to accompany the frightened cries of the spirits.
“Please, you both need to listen, if someone got it…” I whined and trailed off again. I looked into each of their eyes, hoping for comfort. Nin at least seemed concerned about the idea that no one was nearby but I wanted to hear something that would comfort me. I had something that I didn’t want in my hands but I couldn’t give it away.
Sona was almost tired of Ginx as she began to stop talking. She liked the smaller girl, in all honesty, but there were some things she was begining to find as faults with her. All of them had to do with her holding the gem, and not giving it to Sona to finish the quick job they had. Sona certainly didn't hear any of the spirits that Ginx claimed o hear. Granted, she knew that there were as many different magics on Althanas as there were musical styles, and for all she knew the cat girl had a spirit based one.
She took a step closely. She sort of understood what Nin was talking about. The wagon looked to be in the most pristine of condition for something that was off-road and alone. For that matter, something that looks like it was driven off-road on purpose. Sona's small group found it without much problem, it shouldn't be that hard to imagine others could as well. She walked over towards the wagon, peering inside. It was mostly to humor the two. The inside of the wagon was still in almost pristine condition. The only things out of place was a smallish piece of metal her eyes made out to be a bracer, and the case where the gem must have come from. She plucked the bracer from its resting spot on the wagon, stuffing it into her bag quickly so that the other two couldn't see it. For couldn't explain why she took the piece ofarmor, but that wasn't the problem now.
"The wagon looks fine, it was probably just driven off the road by the driver a minute or two before we got here, and the driver left," Sona said, realizing how stupid that explanation was. Her fingers tightened around krackatoa, realizing a much more effective way of getting the beautiful gem, and in turn, her guitar. She paused for a moment, drawing in breath subtly and bracing herself the same way. There was a quiet in the air that Sona just noticed, and shuddered slightly, casually fixing a stray hair and turning the music of tambora on again. A deep echoing sound seemed to suddenly erupt from krackatoa, though Sona stood calmly. The smaller cat girl fell back, hit by the wall of sound. Sona dropped krackatoa quickly, the heavy metal box leaving a deep dent in the soft ground. The musician almost seemed to poune on the girl, but she managed to get her hands around the gem, and began to fight the cat girl for it.
Giving a sigh of relief as he watched Sona calm down enough to inspect the wagon he noted that she moved in a somewhat odd fashion while inspecting but thought no more of it. Or rather, it was during this time of pondering did he finally notice the eerie stillness of the air and the silence. Watching as the flame haired girl raise her… whatever the hell that thing was at Ginx, he began to fret all over again.
No sooner had Nin begin to walk towards the pair a sudden blast of sound from Sona’s metal box threw off his balance. Normally being more agile, this was unfortunately not one of those times as he tripped on an overgrown tree root and landed in a less than graceful manner. Sitting up and rubbing his aching head as he blinked his eye he quickly noticed that everything seemed to be slightly out of focus. Frowning, he blinked once more before every slide back into focus.
What he saw nearly made him panic once more as he watched the two girls grappling over the gem. Feeling a slight lack of motivation of stopping them, he wished that he was home again and playing by the steam instead of in this strange land and strange people.
Still, he should probably do something to stop them but having no idea how to break up two girls, he thought about what his parents would tell him to do. Giving a defeated sigh, he could only imagine his joker of a father telling him to join in their ‘honorable melee’ and her mother telling him to throw a pot of boiling on them. “Some help they are…” he mumbled slightly to himself before picking himself up and then dusted off his garments.
Walking over cautiously, he watched and listened to the two of them for a moment before coughing into his fist to try and get their attention. “Um… either way, we should probably head back to town, shouldn’t we?”
Taskmienster
06-13-09, 02:28 PM
This thread has been sitting for a full year. Since no response has been made to create activity I am going to be moving this. If you would like it to be reopened please feel free to PM myself or another staff member and they will be able to move it for you back to Scara Brae.
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