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  1. #21
    Adventurer

    EXP: 4,636, Level: 2
    Level completed: 88%, EXP required for next Level: 364
    Level completed: 88%,
    EXP required for next Level: 364



    GP
    950

    Name
    Evian
    Age
    24
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    Evian blinked once as Celandine rushed off, hoofed feet rapping sharply against the stone of the streets and alleys. For about half a moment he considered letting her rush off alone, but that thought was discarded almost as soon as it crossed his mind. He didn’t have it in him to let someone possibly get hurt when he could do something about it - and with as naive and innocent as this girl seemed to be, he was absolutely certain that someone would take advantage of her if they found her. Her idea of blending in better was to make a jumper… With a shake of his head, Evian took off after the girl, his boots much quieter than her hooves as the leather soles beat upon the ground.

    He turned a corner in time to see the girl start climbing up a ladder, only to freeze suddenly, her eyes locked onto something a few inches from her face. His brow furrowed as he peered at the spider, which was clinging to the outside of a window, on the other side of the rungs of the ladder. The thing was fairly large - not nearly as large as the abomination he’d murked in the forest, but still almost as big as a normal dinner plate. For a sheltered girl who had clearly not often left wherever she called home, he wasn’t surprised that she was startled by its sudden appearance.

    “And this is one of the many reasons we don’t just run into dark alleys, little miss.” He drawled out as he slowly, cautiously approached. He couldn’t see enough to tell if this particular spider was venomous, but he wasn’t keen to find out by it biting Celandine and hurting her. “I’d suggest very carefully backing back down, you might be near that thing’s nest.” Even as he said that though, he was picking up a large piece of masonry that had fallen from one of the walls near them. It wouldn’t be as easy as shooting with his bow, but if he had to chuck the rock at the spider, he’d be able to hit it easily enough. The muscles in his arm tensed up as he readied himself - if it attacked, he’d have to hit it before it bit Cel. He didn’t happen to have antidotes on hand.

  2. #22
    Althanian

    EXP: 10,250, Level: 4
    Level completed: 25%, EXP required for next Level: 3,750
    Level completed: 25%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,750


    Celandine's Avatar

    GP
    2,182

    Name
    Celandine
    Age
    9 (but looks and acts 18)
    Race
    Faun (genetically half human)
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone
    "Bonus visus aranea," she whispered. "'A spider with most excellent eyesight, that can see in perfect darkness at lengths of up to five miles. While one pair of eyes keeps watch for danger the others will follow its prey carefully until the perfect time comes to pounce.'"

    She swallowed, and nibbled her lip. The words came from her like an exact recital of a log in an encyclopedia, and her chest rose and fell as she slowly leant back and then weirdly moved left, then right. Her head tilted, but then she smiled as she saw the slider's eyes follow her perfectly, while indeed the outer two kept an eye on the surroundings.

    "How interesting," she whispered, although her actual street smarts were altogether lacking. Instead her enquiring, hungry mind was taking over her protective instincts. A deep thirst for knowledge, for experiences outside of her sheltered life were making her tread closely to danger. Quietly, she laughed, despite the threatening clicking coming from the mandibles of the arachnid, and leant even further back, rocking even further as she experimented more.

    "Oh it really does follow!" She watched its entire head now turn. "How interesting! I never ... Eek!" Suddenly she was scrambling down. The spider had launched, for after all she was the prey. Jumping down the last few rungs of the ladder she ran over to Evian as the turnip-sized lump scuttled down behind her, screeching loudly. She tugged out a useless dagger, and flailed it behind her as she hurried, shrieking with a mixture of excitement and fear.

  3. #23
    Adventurer

    EXP: 4,636, Level: 2
    Level completed: 88%, EXP required for next Level: 364
    Level completed: 88%,
    EXP required for next Level: 364



    GP
    950

    Name
    Evian
    Age
    24
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    Alright, Evian had not expected that the reason Celandine was frozen up staring at the spider was because she was actually fascinated by the skittering thing. Frightened by it maybe, or disgusted by its appearance. But not enraptured by the way it was watching her. He paused, his hand stilling, as she started to sway back and forth, almost like a small child playing with a pet dog.

    Blue eyes saw it a moment too late, the warning not escaping from his lips in time. But what did move quickly enough was his arm, slinging the stone forward as fast as he could as the spider lunged for Celandine's face. Rock hit carapace, knocking it to the side, giving the girl the time she needed to get off the ladder and run towards him. That was when the screeching started, the spider's mandibles flaring wide as it released an unearthly wail that felt like it was dragging nails against his soul. Evian could see a crack in its form now, ichor leaking slowly from the wound.

    For a creature like a spider - such an injury wouldn't heal. Fury drove the insect forward, trying to take its prey with it into death. Unfortunately for that desire, Celandine had made it to Evian, who hadn't been watching idly. His spear swung out, batting the insect back. The man stepped fully between the arachnid and the girl, his eyes narrowing at it. Multi-faceted eyes locked onto purple-tinged blue, and the spider screeched again. It had detected him before, but the allure of its prey had been strong enough that it ignore him, until now. And now, well, it was too late.

    Seven legs pulled the skittering lump forward, another injured when Evian had knocked it back. It had high bursts of speed, but he was faster. His arms tensed up, coiling - the spider launched itself forward, mandibles spreading wide to bite him - iron met mandible, then carapace.

    Iron won.

    For a moment the alleyway was silent, then Evian swung his spear in a short arc, dislodging the carcass from his blade. The body landed in a crumpled heap against one wall as Evian turned around to face Celandine. The spider had been an ambush predator, and in a straight fight - well. Cel probably would have been able to run away from it.

    "You OK, there?

  4. #24
    Althanian

    EXP: 10,250, Level: 4
    Level completed: 25%, EXP required for next Level: 3,750
    Level completed: 25%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,750


    Celandine's Avatar

    GP
    2,182

    Name
    Celandine
    Age
    9 (but looks and acts 18)
    Race
    Faun (genetically half human)
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone
    As the spider slumped to the ground she nodded, her breath quick, her eyes huge. Rarely was it that she had seen such fighting and skill. There had been very few times in her life when experience had put her in mortal danger, and those could be counted on one hand. There had been a time with a medusa-gorgon, who had turned her to stone, and there had been a time when she had been kidnapped as part of some sick child-slavery gang. That latter time had been when she had lived in the brothel with Ennis and Etna, however, and Celandine had gone out of her way to head into the more unusual part of town, deliberately to see if her 'true mother' whom she had dreamt was a foreign princess, could be found there.

    "How exciting!" She shivered behind her dagger, eyes fixated on the deceased spider, now slumped, his legs curled inwards and shell broken. She still had her knife uselessly held out before her, and though she had some skill herself with the technique in practise she hardly had ever actually been in a battle. Let alone see someone kill such a thing in front of her.

    Quickly, remembering the fact he had asked her a question, she nodded. "Yes. Indeed. Thank you." She tucked her dagger away to its place on her belt, sucking in a lungful of fresh air to still her quivering heart. "Thank you! That was ... Wow."

    She took a moment and beamed at him. "Come, I wan to uy you something to say thank you. Maybe a nice hat, or some soap?" She gestured back down the alleyway. "It seems though my tail has gone already, lost us." She paused, furrowing her brow, "Not my literal tail. That would be weird."

    "Shall we go to this marketplace?"

  5. #25
    Adventurer

    EXP: 4,636, Level: 2
    Level completed: 88%, EXP required for next Level: 364
    Level completed: 88%,
    EXP required for next Level: 364



    GP
    950

    Name
    Evian
    Age
    24
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    Evian stared at the smaller girl for a long moment, then shook his head slowly. This one was going to be trouble, he was now absolutely sure. Maybe her having a bodyguard was actually a brilliant idea, and not solely because of whoever her parents were. No, it was to keep her safe from herself, he realized. She was young, innocent and sheltered, and even now, with a creature that had just attacked her lying dead only a few feet away -

    "Right." He spun his spear around and thumped the butt on the ground before relaxing slightly. "Come on then, follow me to the market. We can buy clothes, or whatever, there. And this time, kid, no charging off into dark alleys." Evian shook his head again, then turned and started walking back out of the alleyway.

    He would make sure to stay with her long enough for her 'tail but not her literal tail' to find her again. He didn't really want the girl to get hurt, but as it was he didn't have the time to look after her. Still - right now, Celandine was a bright spot of levity in his life, and Evian had been missing amusement for a while. So he wasn't going to begrudge the girl her apparent decision to buy him so-

    The dark haired man finally processed that quip. His purple-tinged eyes shot towards the bright and bubbly girl. "Are you saying I stink, little miss? I'm not sure if I resent, or resemble that remark." He was, he had to admit, a bit covered in gore and grime - the dust from the city streets was clinging to the dried blood and the drying ichor that was on his pant legs and the arms of his tunic. At least none of it was his.

  6. #26
    Althanian

    EXP: 10,250, Level: 4
    Level completed: 25%, EXP required for next Level: 3,750
    Level completed: 25%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,750


    Celandine's Avatar

    GP
    2,182

    Name
    Celandine
    Age
    9 (but looks and acts 18)
    Race
    Faun (genetically half human)
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone
    Did she say that? No she didn't, but she knew the art of conversation and she had certainly implied it. He was grubby, and had some remains of the beastie on his clothes and face. It was not pleasant to look at, nor was it very nice to smell. But keeping a smile on her face she said nothing to reply to his comment and instead turned to follow him to the marketplace.

    It took little time to get there, and the streets opened up to a large courtyard with a diverse set of stalls. A row of trees made a border on one side, and it gave some coverage to the normal township folk who met and talked on their way to work, shopping or home. A few stalls, mostly of local merchants, was set up under bright canopies with the basics present: a dairy, a butchers, a bakery and a haberdashery. There was a fabric stall, draped in roughspun homeweave and behind it, nestled into a low building was a shop of clothing itself.

    "There?" Celandine suggested, pointing to the stall. Certainly it seemed the right sort of thing. She glanced from his clothes to the ones there and nodded.

    He would likely need a change too. So therefore she took his hand and started towards the stall proudly, grinning as she used surprising strength to pull the unwitting new friend behind her. Whether Evian liked it or not he was both exciting and intriguing to her, as one whom she couldn't properly dream of, but who had wisdom she did not. For certain she was sure she wanted to keep him around for a while longer.
    Last edited by Celandine; 03-27-2021 at 02:57 AM.

  7. #27
    Adventurer

    EXP: 4,636, Level: 2
    Level completed: 88%, EXP required for next Level: 364
    Level completed: 88%,
    EXP required for next Level: 364



    GP
    950

    Name
    Evian
    Age
    24
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    Oh, she was. She absolutely was. It had been a long time since Evian had had to talk with someone who used dissembling speech and methods, but it wasn’t something he was entirely unfamiliar with. That smug little half-smile as she dragged him along spoke just as much as if she’d said the words aloud. But as he’d said, it wasn’t as if he could exactly disagree with being called disheveled. So instead it was with a slight shake of his head that Evian let himself get dragged along by the tiny woman, as she pulled him along towards the stall she’d selected.

    It was as upper scale as a little clothing stall in a market could get. It was better quality than most would get - but not completely outside of the range of what normal citizens could get. Sure, you’d see it more on well off merchants or farmers, but at the same time - if someone saved up for a week or two, they’d be able to get themselves a nice set of clothes. More in line with everyday attire than what Celandine was actually wearing right now. It was subtle, but her current clothes were just better quality than one would normally be able to get.

    “Ah, afternoon to ye lad and lass! What can I get for you today?” The clothier was an older woman, plump and rosy-cheeked, who had a bright smile light up her face when she looked up from a register of some sort to see the goat-girl dragging along the taller man. She set the thin book to the side and stood up, dusting off her skirt as she beamed at the duo. “We’ve got some clothes on display, but I’m sure we have something that might be more to your tastes if what’s out doesn’t suit you.” Evian’s eyes flicked around, taking in the fact that there were several sealed cases behind the clothier. That made sense - clothes weren’t a rarity, but finer quality attire was more difficult to make. So keeping them closed up would make it harder for anyone with sticky fingers to just make off with one or two pieces of small clothes.

    “Well, I just need a new set of trousers and a decent tunic. Not sure what the little lady’s looking for.” Evian spoke up, gently disengaging his wrist from Celandine’s firm grasp. The clothier looked between the two, her eyes flicking downwards, then back up. He supposed seeing a goat-human hybrid wasn’t exactly common - he certainly had never met one before Celandine. Though he was a self-imposed outcast, and had fled from Salvar, which wasn’t itself the most welcoming of places to magic.

  8. #28
    Althanian

    EXP: 10,250, Level: 4
    Level completed: 25%, EXP required for next Level: 3,750
    Level completed: 25%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,750


    Celandine's Avatar

    GP
    2,182

    Name
    Celandine
    Age
    9 (but looks and acts 18)
    Race
    Faun (genetically half human)
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone
    What was she looking for? She didn't know, she thought he was supposed to know.

    Confused and also interested though of the array of clothes on display and hidden, Celandine watched as the keeper of the stall began to sort through piles to find what Evian needed in his size. There was not a mighty surplus of clothing to try, but there was enough basic colours and forms to suit every wardrobe. Pulling out a pair of mustard yellow leggings the keeper held them up to the air as if comparing them to Evian.

    "Not yellow. He needs dark colours because of the dirt," Celandine stepped forwards and shifted more fabric out of the way to point at some dark green wool. Then she mused over a black tunic and a loose cotton shirt.

    "I'm paying," she told her new friend without looking at him, picking up a pair of gloves and frowning at their study fur. "In case you didn't know. Are these baby?"

    "Calfhide, yes," the woman keeper nodded.

    "Eek." The young faun placed them hurriedly back down. "Just the shirt and these scarves please, and whatever he wants," she nodded at Evian.

    Baby animal hide? To make gloves? It was truly appalling, and so she hoped that this sale would not take long at that they could move away. For she now had her eye on the next stall along and a certain bar of lavender soap that she could smell from here. It was lucious and would clean him well.
    Last edited by Celandine; 03-29-2021 at 09:51 AM.

  9. #29
    Adventurer

    EXP: 4,636, Level: 2
    Level completed: 88%, EXP required for next Level: 364
    Level completed: 88%,
    EXP required for next Level: 364



    GP
    950

    Name
    Evian
    Age
    24
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    Right. That particular tidbit should have been obvious to Evian - with how much the tiny goat-woman had been chiding him about eating meat, of course she'd have a problem with leather products. Though even he had to admit that leaving the fur on the gloves was in poor taste - or bad craftsmanship, since from what he knew that should have been removed during the tanning process. Evian sighed slightly and shook his head, turning his attention to the clothier.

    "She'll prefer cotton clothes, or possibly wool or hemp." He might have suggested silk, but while he could see one or two pieces of clothing made from that, silk would have the opposite effect from what they intended. "Also, a wide brimmed hat." The woman hummed, her eyes darting between the odd duo, and Evian gave a simple shrug. "As for me, yes. A tunic and trousers, in earthen hues. Not a fan of bright colors honestly."

    Also, he lived primarily in the woods. Vibrant tones would stand out just a little bit. The woman nodded, and set about collecting some clothes to fill their order. As the proprietess bustled about, Evian noticed that Celandine seemed to be almost itching to get away - not from the store, though he could see a clear dislike - but towards something else with the way her eyes kept darting in a specific direction. She barely noticed when the rosy-cheeked woman mentioned their total.

    If she maintained that kind of focus and disdain - well. She would probably need to learn to hide it a bit better. People who didn't eat or use animals in their professions or daily lives were exceedingly rare. And most likely well off, because going hunting for small game was cheap. Free, even, if you knew how to make basic gear from foraged and gathered supplies. A wood and flint arrow wasn't much, but it would down a grouse just the same. Easier to provide for yourself and your family too. Evian knew he himself wouldn't be able to live on that kind of lifestyle - but he also did literally live in a camp in the woods.

  10. #30
    Althanian

    EXP: 10,250, Level: 4
    Level completed: 25%, EXP required for next Level: 3,750
    Level completed: 25%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,750


    Celandine's Avatar

    GP
    2,182

    Name
    Celandine
    Age
    9 (but looks and acts 18)
    Race
    Faun (genetically half human)
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone
    "Ah ha!" She declared, holding aloft her prize find. Coming back to the startled Evian she held out her gift to him. When he did not take it at once she pressed it into his hand, and grinned as he realised she had bought him some soap.

    That and she had paid for all the clothes, plus more. He now had a very fine set of normal cotton clothes plus some fancier ones. There were benefits to her mother being who she was, and that was money. Celandine would never suffer for a loss, and would always have the support and resources to live a more than mediocre life. That was not to say she did not want to live in luxury all her days, but most definitely she would have some comforts.

    "Thank you for assisting me to get rid of my shadow, Mr Evian," she said kindly, returning somewhat to her more formal ways. She eagerly patted the satchel bag at her side, now holding plenty of knitting and her new clothes. "May I ask where you are staying or what you are doing? I need to ... Maybe travel further than here. I should perhaps go very far away."

    She pondered for a moment, trying to think where next her adventures could take her - a place very far away. Somewhere in the distance, to the ends of the earth, that was very different to everything she knew.

    "Salvar!" She gasped, grinning as if she was a genius. "That's it. I'll go to Salvar."

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