Welcome to the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises allow you to develop your characters in a setting shared by other authors and their characters. No sign-up is necessary; simply look over the last few pages and hop on in. If you need questions answered or a recap, head over to our discussion thread
and ask; we’re happy to help. There's also a trope page (with location descriptions and other info).
Archipelago is semi-casual — no violence on the central island, but the rest are fair game. Other islands are built on-the-fly by the tropers whose visiting them, but you should probably grab a few others before having your characters head off — there's not much point wandering an island alone, since this is supposed to develop characters by bouncing them off one another and putting them in unusual situations. Be sure to communicate with the tropers you go with so you're on the same general page.
With thanks to, among many others, Gault, who came up with the initial idea, Nrjxll, who wrote the first draft I shameless ripped off, and the various people who contributed to the trope page location descriptions.
[[Current Time: Early Morning]
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL INTRO FOR THIS THREAD
This has made the hub island something of a designated neutral ground for various strange characters and dimensional travelers. A small cluster of buildings has sprung up near the one natural harbor and its dock: a couple of bars, a couple of casinos, several shops, and even the cheap but comfortable Pax Island Hotel. This is not a tourist trap, though, as much as amenities for the visitors that come here for various reasons. The Hotel's entrance leads out to a central square, with a shamelessly cheesy tiki bar calling itself the Big Kahuna and the Pax Island General Store being the most obvious, though not the only, services.
Inland, the island is covered in jungles that rise steeply into a central mountain, covered in ruins that don't seem to exactly match any of the local cultures. Apart from that, though, they're harmless and unrelated to the area's strangeness. The population on the island, humans of mixed origins, are quite used to the strangeness of their island, staffing the amenities and filling newcomers in but otherwise keeping to themselves.
Beyond this hub island, the archipelago grows more mysterious and dangerous. Fogs often cover the ocean, and compasses and other forms of navigation don't always work right. There are at least a half-dozen other islands at any one time, but that's all anyone can say for certain. The docks on the hub island offer numerous boats for visitors to travel to these islands, either under their own control or with the aid of a local sailor. Of course, there's always an element of risk involved with visiting these islands, because you never know quite what you'll find. One rule has proven consistent, though: any truly catastrophic event on an island tends to result in it vanishing into the fog, never to be seen again.
edited 27th Jun '14 6:59:52 PM by KillerClowns
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[Beach —> Central Square]
Aya rose from her impromptu napping spot. Jubal was likely waiting to meet up with her in the hotel, so she walked at a brisk pace towards the town square. Most of the passengers from the boat had congregated in the area; some had taken to one of the bars, others were simply meandering and carrying conversations. Aya didn't wish to involve herself in their matters, so she kept walking. She did, however, take notice of a quiet marketplace adjacent to the square. Perhaps a quick detour wouldn't hurt.
edited 8th Oct '13 9:57:26 PM by Blueeyedrat
Hi
I've pinned the OP per request, but due to its size the stuff below the line has been put in a labelnote.
[Harbor]
So he wasn't seeing things. The fox really did speak to Nathan. And was laughing at the fact that this was freaking him out.
His father seemed unnerved too. For a full minute, neither men said anything, until George finally cleared his throat and began to talk.
"Um...you're on a harbor, at an Archipelago." he said, "Where were you two heading?" he examined Kaguya, confused as to why she was traveling in her school clothes.
Thomas stood, his stomach slowly recovering, and offered a handshake to Samuel. "Thomas Riverson." He chuckled, "To be quite honest, flying would be a beautiful thing right now. Much better than traveling on water, in my honest opinion."
[Harbor] Isaac started and quickly turned to look at the girl who'd just addressed him. Relaxing after a second, he said, "My name's Isaac Hansen. I'm from a small town near Castle Jovam. You?"
edited 9th Oct '13 3:21:32 PM by KyleJacobs
Harbor
Kaguya continued looking through Tirisi's thoughts as the man met with a companion of his own and looked over a flyer that was apparently about a place called 'Al's Bar.' She was careful to only examine his superficial thoughts; she had no need to delve any deeper than that, and past experience had taught her that the deeper thoughts were often disturbing ones.
Among the thoughts she read: Tirisi was apparently suspicious of some girl that was looking at him. Moments later, she realized the "girl" in question was herself. Sure enough, he was soon outright addressing her.
Kaguya quickly shut her telepathy off and tried to rectify the faux pas the best she could. "Oh, um...I'm very sorry, I...uh...." She blushed slightly, smiled awkwardly, and then turned away, focusing her attention on Nathan again.
The whole affair did not slip underneath Hayate's notice. In the lull in his own conversation, he fixed Kaguya with a knowing glance. "We wouldn't be sifting through other people's thoughts now, would we?" he asked, in a rather disciplinary tone. Kaguya didn't respond, which Hayate took as a sign she was doing exactly that.
He would have berated her for it, had he not finally gotten an informative response from a man who was apparently with Nathan.
"A harbor?" he repeated, in a rather sarcastic tone, "I never would have guessed." His voice shifted back to a normal tone. "An archipelago isn't much more informative. Could you be a little more specific? As previously mentioned, the land here," he glanced inland briefly, "is not familiar to me, and knowing a specific area would help me determine just how far off course we are." He motioned with his head towards Kaguya. "My job is to lead her back to her real parents, as per her wishes. We were on a path I thought I knew well, but then we met a nue who decided it would be very amusing to get us lost."
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Attitude is prohibited
[Al's Bar]
The young woman looked up at Layi, somewhat surprised. "Huh?" She said. "Oh, uh, no..." She briefly glanced over at the red door. "I don't know what's behind there, but it gives me the creeps." She shook her head. "No, I'm just here for that." She pointed to the sign behind that bar that said 'adventurers wanted.' She signed and resumed frowning at the bar. "But this guy won't even tell me what the job is, much less give it to me. He thinks I'm not qualified or something." Her frown got a little more severe. "He doesn't even know me. I could be capable of all kind of things! What a jerk." She paused for a few moments, continuing to scowl at the bar, when she remembered something important.
"Oh! By the way," She said, turning to Layi once more. "My name is Tamara." She offered her hand and a smile. "And you are?"
Not entirely dead.
[Harbor]
Esa said, "Esa ul'Netho. Netho being a little town out in the Mask Jungle." She shrugged. "Like any of those names mean more than 'Castle Jovam' to me. You here for a vacation, or looking for some sort of adventure?" She glanced again at the clockwork arm, clearly curious about it, but too polite to ask.
Small note. Since she's ~60 years old (and visibly so with grey hair and wrinkles), I'm not sure Isaac would be referring to Esa as a "girl".
[Al's Bar]
Layi was confused by the offered hand, and so responded by bringing her fist to her chest. "Layi ul'Netho," she said. "So, what sort of 'all sorts of things' are you capable of? I mean, I'm thinking I could talk Al there into at least telling us what sorta prey we'll be bagging, but not if I don't know who I'm working with." She tapped the bar. "Two glasses of the same!" she called out. Then she turned back to Tamara.
That One Gal
[Passenger Boat] ——> [Harbor]
The next person on the boat was possibly the youngest one off yet. Cecila Smith was her name. She was in her early twenties, standing at a short 5' even. Her skin was lightly tanned, giving her an almost Latino-ish look. She had a rather chubby face, and her body was just below average size. Eyes; dull blue, behind a pair of half-moon glasses that looked newly bought. Hair; jet-black, combed straight and reached the top of her shoulders. As for her attire, Cecila wore a dark-blue tank top underneath a short sleeve jacket the jacket looks a bit like this
◊ in case you're wondering.
She shifted her backpack and checked her suitcase that she dragged behind her. "Finally." She said aloud, to no one in particular. "Some peace, quite, and well-deserved R&R."
Then, unbeknownst to anyone who wasn't breaking the laws of personal space, a tiny, emotionless voice whispered to her as if it were the wind.
"Yay. You get to do what you normally do; sit on your ass all day and leave me shut in a drawer."
After a quick glance around her, she brought her wrist to her mouth and talked to her bracelet. 'You better shut your nonexistent mouth before I throw you into the ocean.'
[Passenger Boat] —> [Harbor]
The next person off the boat looked very overburdened with a huge backpack and suitcase, and looked like they did not want to be looked at by the baggy clothing and wide-brimmed hat. Also among the reasons why they did not want to be looked at or spoken to was because they were tapping on a smart phone with the hand not rolling the suitcase, though they eventually gave up and pocketed the phone. July looked out forlornly to the crowds in the harbor, milling and going to whatever entertainment they pleased. However, as far as July could tell, there was no actual phone service here.
The scenery was too pretty, and July doubted that there was any actual work there. They rolled the suitcase along, a shadow not-quite-the-right shape trailing behind.
[Al's Bar]
"Did someone say they were looking for adventurers?" said a new man, Kevin, walking into Al's Bar from out of thin air. He proceeded up to the bar proper, and looked around to see if anyone would answer.
He appeared to be an almost perfectly ordinary adventurer, and had short, brown hair, stood around 6ft/1.8m tall, was wearing brown and beige leather clothes, a sword sheathed on his hip, and was carrying a rather large backpack. Those with extraordinary senses might be able to see that he is, in fact, merely a computer program projected onto reality, but otherwise he interacts and moves quite realistically, except for perhaps his lack of fine detail were one to look closely.
edited 9th Oct '13 10:09:45 PM by Sonzai
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Drummer Boy
[[Crappy Sailboat —> Hub Island Harbor]]
"Is this island supposed to be here?" The stocky young woman at the prow of the ship consulted the hand-drawn map in her hand. The skirt of her white dress and her waist-length wavy black hair fluttered in the wind. "We were on course last time we checked. So what happened? Did I just forget about it?"
A thin-faced man with oval glasses and light brown hair took the map from her, folded it up, and stowed it away inside his long gray coat. "Don't do that. The wind's going to take it."
She rolled her eyes and squinted at the island. "Doesn't look familiar at all. Guess we should come ashore and ask around. It can't be Republic territory. Don't see anyone in uniform. So I can come, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get this thing to the harbor first."
"Look! Locals!" The woman dramatically pointed at the people gathered around the harbor. "HELLOOOOOO!"
"If they're at the harbor, they could be travelers like us."
"Shut up. We can hope."
They docked the boat and the woman jumped out. It seemed that pretty much everyone was engaged in some sort of conversation, and she didn't want to interrupt—more out of concern for her companion's irritation levels than any desire to be polite—so she just flitted about, getting a good look at everyone and moving on (hopefully) before being noticed. There were lots of weird folks. The man stayed on the ship and watched her carefully. They both appeared between the ages of twenty and thirty, but the man was clearly well on the older end of the spectrum. The touches of gray in his hair and his deep frown lines were no help.
edited 9th Oct '13 11:44:56 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Crazy Kiwi
[HUB ISLAND - SQUARE]
The air shimmered briefly, distorting the view and when the disturbance passed four people were standing in the centre of the square.
"The fuck?" said Teri, looking around. She removed her right hand from the grip of the scoped rifle she was holding, and transfered it to her hip,sweeping her jacket back as she did so. for the especially sharp-sighted, her hand is now resting on a black pistol grip emerging from the top of her pants.
Her clothes had a slightly tattered look, as though she and they had gone through a lengthy ordeal together. Sun had bronzed her skin and faded her plum-coloured jacket and purple knee-length pants and even her black t-shirt was noticeably sun-bleached at the front. Her long hair was mostly purple, but was showing a couple of centimetres of dark brown at the roots.
"Another queer place," said James. He wore knee-length brown trousers, long brown waistcoat and a soiled white shirt. His shoes were scuffed and down at heel and his long white socks were stained and holed. There was a knife and a couple of pistols tucked into his belt and a short sword hung from a baldric. In his hands he carried an ancient full-stocked longarm.
"Not as queer as the last place," said Aubrey, "at least the geography looks fairly normal. It could almost be Earth." His suit had certainly seen a lot better days. It was stained, worn and wrinkled as if he'd been living and sleeping in it for some time.
"Yeah, nah," said Ian. "There's something off about it. Dunno if it's just the vibe or the bloody great bar that's named straight out of a Tarantino movie, but it's not normal." His left hand gently touched the stock of the scoped hunting rifle slung over his left shoulder and he looked around.
Like the others, he was showing signs of having lived rough for some time. His clothes were beginning to show noticeable signs of wear and he hadn't shaved in quite some time, so his face was covered with salt-n-pepper hair.
"Still," he said, "there are people and shops here, so with any luck they may have cigarettes and tobacco for sale."
"Fuckin' A!" said Teri, "let's check out the pub." She nodded in the direction of the Big Kahuna.
edited 10th Oct '13 7:13:59 PM by Wolf1066
[Harbor]
Sonuera continued to lean against the palm tree she'd found, still wary of the grey-skinned man and his companion, still preferring to watch from a distance rather than approach anyone. The sleeping woman had left; a bit rude not to say hello, Soneura thought, but then, she'd not been particularly social herself. She thought nothing of the talking fur-creature — having never seen a fox before, she had no reason to assume there was anything unusual about one talking. The duo from the sailboat — the woman with the enthusiastic greeting and her quieter companion — caused her to slightly raise an eyebrow, but no comment. There was a person whose gender Sonuera couldn't discern fiddling with some device; Sonuera didn't consciously notice the shadow, but could tell something was wrong. She took brief note of the bespectacled woman who seemed to be fervently examining her bracelet.
Esa, meanwhile, continued to scan the newcomers while awaiting Isaac's response. Isaac still stood out, with his clockwork arm, but the rest of the group was still pretty alien to Esa. The sheer number of pale-skinned men and women surrounding her was slightly disconcerting.
[Al's Bar]
Layi was too mundane to notice anything special about Kevin. "Yep," she said, greeting him. "Heard some sorta chatter about a job. Fliers." She grinned, revealing her various gold teeth. "Anyhow, if you're here to join the party for whatever sorta mischief this place has on offer, you came to the right women." She waved vaguely at the rest of the patrons. "Most folks seem happy to drink their poisons. But I'm Layi ul'Netho, possibly the best damn hunter in the Mask Jungle. And my new friend here is Tamara."
edited 10th Oct '13 12:32:34 PM by KillerClowns
Isaac chuckled. "I've had more than enough adventure. I honestly have no idea how I ended up here, but after what I found in that castle, no way in hell am I going to complain. So, how about you? Business or pleasure?"
Age noted.
Laugh and grow dank!
[Passenger Boat -> Harbor]
Rikael woke with a start. The light was harsh at first, now that she was conscious to register it. "Wuh? Wh- are we there yet?" She wasn't sure who she was talking to. A nictitating membrane, alike to those found on crocodiles, flickered over her eyes, moistening them.
Feeling around the seat to her right while her eyes adjusted, her four-digit hand came to rest on the familiar bulk of her satchel. Good. That's good. Strangely, she felt relieved. Almost as if she thought she may have lost it- but that wasn't right. There wasn't any reason why that might have happened.
Glancing around an otherwise empty compartment, she realized that she had been talking to no one, and felt a bit silly. She then shook the sleep from her head, gave an expansive yawn, and began taking stock of her possessions.
There was her satchel- naturally- which she secured diagonally across her slender, reptilian body. She have it a short tap with her knuckle, more out of habit than anything, to make sure it's valuable contents were still there. Eight months of work. She smiled broadly at the memory.
Her travel pack was in a storage rack above her, filled with basic equipment and a few days' worth of emergency rations. Truthfully, she didn't think she'd really need them, but just in case something went wrong they were there anyway. She wasn't exactly the adventuring type, and that wasn't what she was here for in either case. And just as well, she thought. Military rations taste horrible.
She took it down from it's rack and pulled it on.
Rikael stepped out of her cabin and into a radiant tropical day, a stark but pleasant difference from the typically dreary northern weather of Tarisvor. Anyone who looked her way would see a scaled bipedal saurian creature of middle-height, with a slightly tapered snout and digigrade legs. Aside from her satchel and travel pack, she was clothed in a drab, loose-fitting civilian garb. The pants appeared to have been cut off below the knee to accommodate her inhuman leg structure.
The scales that covered her body were a dusty, muted beige, and were slightly pebbly instead of smooth. Her gender wasn't immediately obvious, lacking the characteristic organs that distinguished mammals, but anyone who heard her voice would be able to tell well enough.
Making her way off the passenger barge, Rikael walked with deliberate slowness, taking in all the unfamiliar sights and sounds. Her mind free from it's waking haze, Rikael's thoughts began to wander.
This is a fair sized harbor for an island of this size. I wonder what they trade? Part of this island's revenue likely comes from tourism, judging by that ridiculous casino. Though, there don't seem to be many people around. Certainly nowhere near enough to justify building that thing. Curious. Rikael felt that small buzz of excitement. Already she could tell that she'd be asking a lot of questions. Hopefully, the answers would be just as interesting as they'd be enlightening.
Spotting what she thought was a prospective islander in a white dress flitting about some of the other passengers, Rikael walked over to her and said, "Hey. This an off-season or something?"
edited 10th Oct '13 9:45:51 AM by Gault
yey
Drummer Boy
[[Harbor]]
The woman spun around, looking for whoever had just spoken to her. Was it really the lizard? Well, she seemed to be a civilized lizard. She could try talking to her. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea. I don't know anything about this place or its business. The good doctor and I are making a long journey and have stopped here to rest. Doctor!" She waved her arms at him. "What are you still doing there? Could you really love being on that little boat so much that you'll never part with it?"
The man rolled his eyes.
"Eh, he'll get over here eventually. So are you here to vacation? I can't imagine going on vacation, personally. I love my job thiiiiiiis much." She flung her arms wide apart and laughed. "This doesn't seem like a bad place. Different from what I'm used to, but that's the purpose of travel, isn't it? Well, I'm doing this more out of necessity than leisure, but I suppose the same thing applies."
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Harbor]
George looked around. "I'm sorry, but this is as specific as I can be. We just got here ourselves. If you want more directions, we'll probably have to ask someone else."
Nathan nodded. "So, you're looking for your real parents?" He frowned. "What happened? Did you guys get separated somehow? Or are you adopted?"
Suddenly remembering something, George pulled out a small notebook and pen from his pocket. "Also, you mentioned that you could read minds. Are you telepathic?"
That One Gal
[Harbor]
Cecila noticed that someone was watching her, so she walked a bit to a further end of the docks and turned her back to everyone.
"Look, I doubt there's anything you could do other than sit around in a bracelet." "Still, it would be nice to be noticed." "If people notice you, they'll freak." "Like they wouldn't do the same when they see you."
Cecila groaned, removing the bracelet and stuffing it into her backpack. Once after taking a moment to recompose herself, she grabbed her suitcase handle and started to walk away from the Harbor.
Harbor
"Hrmph," Hayate muttered with a frown. After a few moments, he added, "Well in that case, I'm going to assume the worst and conclude that we've wound up on the other side of the world." He shook his head. "I hate nues." After another moment or two pause, he perked up again. "But as long as we're here, we might as well take a look around."
He looked back up towards the two men. "If we're going to be staying together for much longer, we might as well get to introductions." He bowed. "I am Hayate Tsukino, advisor to the king and queen of youkai."
Kaguya followed suit, quickly bowing herself. "Kaguya Koizumi," she said. After she was done, she added, "I'm adopted. It's a long story." She was silent for a moment as she plucked the name "George" from the other man's mind, before turning her attention to the latest batch of newcomers.
"She's actually a youkai. The princess of youkai, in fact," Hayate elaborated, "She was raised by humans, but wanted to return to her real parents. As such, it is my duty to make sure she gets there safely." He gave her a quick, somewhat disapproving glance. "Unfortunately, it's also my duty to teach her the proper customs of youkai society, and she hasn't quite gotten the grasp of those yet."
Kaguya just so happened to be going through the mind of Rikael, whose appearance was decidedly startling to her, when Hayate finished his statement. She caught on to it and quickly knocked it off. She tried to look innocent, though she didn't fool Hayate.
"Anyway," he finished, "we've been sitting here long enough. I think it's time we ask around and see if we can't get more detailed information from someone who's been here longer. You two are welcome to join us if you so desire." With that, he got up and headed towards the town. Kaguya took one last look around the dock before following him.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Crazy Kiwi
"My word!" said Aubrey. "There's a lizard over there."
"Tropical paradise," said Ian, "there's bound to be lizards." He was busy looking between the Big Kahuna and Al's Casino and Bar, trying to work out which would be more suitable to their immediate needs.
"Yes," said Aubrey, "but this one is standing on its hind legs and wearing clothes and a pack."
Ian looked around and quickly located the lizard Aubrey was referring to. "Bugger me!"
"Definitely an alien of some description," said Teri.
James looked around at the people milling about, noting the array of different clothing styles, the mix of weapons, a mechanical arm (not as sophisticated-looking as Teri's) and different skin colours. It was a strange place, but he was used to strangeness, now.
"Priorities, people," said Ian, "we need smokes, drink, and food."
"So let's get moving," said Teri, "I reckon that Big Kahuna place looks best."
"It certainly looks the more respectable of the establishments," said Aubrey.
The group headed into the Big Kahuna.
"Electric lights, food, drinks, actual chairs to sit down on and tables to eat off," said Ian. "We're definitely in paradise."
The group headed to the bar.
"Ah, yeah, g'day," said Ian to the nearest attendant. "What sort of money do you accept around here? We need cigarettes, strongly caffeinated beverages and food."
[[Path between Harbor and Town]]
Claire had observed the people and the others arriving at the beach. Some of them quickly embarked the boat, and headed for the bars and hotels. Other stayed at the harbor to talk and introduce themself, or just linger around. Claire tought that was a little odd. Had they completely ignored each other on the boat?
Some of them seemed to be quite interesting, but there was one that stood out from the crowd in just the right way. The talking fox-like creature. Its name was Hayate Tsukino, advicor to the Yōkai. Could this 'fox' be a kitsune? Claire had met (or at least observed) many different beings during her travels but never a kitsune.
She decided to intercept this 'fox' and his girl on their way to town. Not knowing how the girl would react she decided that she whould introduce herself to the 'fox' first. Humans where generally idiots anyway. Assuming the girl had a normal hearing range she could talk with the 'fox' and only the fox with frequencies above ~20khz.
A medium sizes cat with a mackerel tabby coat
◊ quite suddenly appeared on the path in front of Kaguya and Hayate. She carried some sort of device on the back of her neck. Most people assumed it was some sort of tracking device, and often she preferred people did just that.
With her highest pithced voice, pithced up even higher and then highpass filtered, the device's speakers 'spoke', "Hello, I'm Claire. Sorry for the voice. Is that your human?"
edited 17th Oct '13 12:07:18 PM by m8e
Attitude is prohibited
[Al's Bar]
"Uh, oh, wha, ha, hey," Stammered Tamara, as Layi ordered a drink for her. "I - I, uh, don't really drink much..." She cleared her throat and tried to recompose herself. "But, you know, whatever... Anyway," She continued, trying to move on. "I happen to be pretty skilled with this sword I've got with me." She smiled confidently. "And, I don't mean to brag, but I'm a pretty good sorceress too." Whether or not Tamara actually qualified for adjectives like 'good' and 'skilled' was debatable, but she did have some level of skill with both the sword and with magic, as well as a mix of the two.
Rather suddenly, Kevin showed up out of nowhere, and she found that strange because she hadn't sensed any teleportation. "Uh, hi!" She said when Layi introduced her. She was a bit stunned by the whole situation, which was rapidly getting more interesting.
Al came out from the back room and refilled Layi's glass, then got out another glass, poured the bourbon into it, and passed it to Tamara. She tried hard to look unintimidated. "I hope you intend to pay for these drinks, ma'am." He grumbled to Layi. "Times are tough, and importing stuff ain't cheap." He looked over at the newcomer and, forever unimpressed, just nodded before turning back Layi. "Were you talking about adventuring?" He motioned to the sign behind him. "'Cause I've got something you can help me with..." He looked over at Tamara rather pointedly. "But only if you're qualified..." Tamara just gave him a dirty look before returning to staring at her drink, as if contemplating what to do with it. "Think you're up for it? It's not too dangerous, I think, but you should still bring a few people with you."
He picked a glass up from under the bar and started wiping it with a dishcloth of questionable cleanliness. "What brings you here, anyway? I know why she's here," He motioned to Tamara. "But most tourists go to some other place. You working here or something?"
Not entirely dead.
[Harbor]
July reminded themselves to not look at the dragon. Well, not dragon, but one of the people who just walked off of the boat looked very much like a dragon. Well not very much like a dragon. Some other reptile? It was not easy to tell when you were trying so hard not to stare. It was very rude to stare at people. It was even more rude to stare at people for reasons that might not be perceptible to others in the area. It was just a plain old enormous faux pas.
This was exactly what some other woman was doing, someone still lingering at the harbor. It was a girl with dark hair who seemed like she was trying to avoid attention. But July knew. They pulled down their hat further over their face to avoid making any rude expressions.
edited 10th Oct '13 4:08:52 PM by ohsointocats
[Harbor]
Esa replied, "pleasure. Well, that was the idea." She bit her lip. "But, my dear wife Layi would rather try and find the most Amu-forsaken island in this chain and come back with the head of its meanest beast." She sighed. "She's smart enough she wouldn't die for the trophy. Probably. I hope. I sometimes wonder... with the spirits' humor as it is, she'll probably end up outliving me." Then she cleared her throat and looked apologetic. "Er, sorry, I suppose you don't need to know any of that. Just one of those days. But, you know what I mean about the spirits and their jokes, yes?"
A stranger was intently watching Samuel, keeping a good distance.
[Al's Bar]
Layi said to Al, "the other bar I saw looked like a place that thinks whiskey needs mixing with a fruit salad. Plus, that adventuring job. The one you're telling Tamara here she can't handle." He leaned in and whispered, quietly enough so Tamara didn't overhear, "I've been doing this shit a long time. The kid won't end up a corpse, I'll see to that. Might have a few scars and an appreciation for what fear tastes like if she's as dim as you say, but it's a learning experience. Can't stay in a crib forever." Then Layi handed Al a small handful of billon coins bearing the profile of a vicious-looking crowned woman on one side and a crucifix on the other, and said aloud, "oh, and call that the start of my tab. Tell me when I owe you more."
Then she turned back to Tamara and said, "dead gods, you'd think I'd handed you a poison-frog! You a Suelasa or something?" Before Tamara could reply, she waved a hand. "It's just a little whiskey. Won't kill ya. Least, not that little."
edited 10th Oct '13 5:17:31 PM by KillerClowns
[Beach]
Samuel chuckled at being called a kid; nearly thirty now. Ah well, let her have whatever commentary she liked. If he'd realized this much of an audience would be on hand he probably wouldn't have done it. But you didn't get many chances to challenge yourself dodging masts, either. Well, at least ones where your life wasn't actually on the line.
He turned to address Thomas. "Sorry about that, but I haven't been able to do pure recreational flight in..." He paused. "Sankt Kaiser. At least two years. It's all been combat or training time." A small formal bow for introductions. "Samuel al-Faddil."
Nous restons ici.