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 Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:21 pm
When the rest of the town was just beginning to stir, Traugott was already hard at work, and had been for hours. The cold had awoken him long before daylight, gnawing at tense muscle and throbbing joints to the point where laying still was almost as painful as moving. The blacksmith had shuffled to his front room and started a fire, heating a few buckets of water to bathe with and quickly rushing inside as the droplets began to chill on his flesh. He readied himself for the day the best he could, once dropping a container of salve and deciding that kneeling to get it would be too much strain. The tin stayed there as Trau huddled by the hot coals, trying to warm up and relax.
Boredom crept in with the lonely silence that grew, and Traugott decided that work would be the best way to keep himself occupied. He cleaned his work room quickly, ignoring the thinner smears of dirt and grime, and went about repairing an order of swords for the Peace Enforcement Unit. Everything in him throbbed and creaked with each tiny exertion, and he gritted his teeth as he pounded an edge back into a bent blade.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:02 pm
Dawn found Fools in Marsalles.
The morning light bled through the heavy velvet drapes— through little lattices of tears; through the little runs where the plush had been worn too fine— for even the decadence of Marsalles was sullied now.
In that sun mottled room, on a sun mottled bed, lay a young man, deeply and blissfully asleep amid piles of pillows and downy throws. The sun climbed higher and the dabs of light slide over the man, lighting his dark hair red and casting shadows on his bare back, on his arm slung out across the bed as if reaching for another. The light drifted over his face, staining his brow with false healthy flush and painting his eyelids rose against the dark fan off his lashes. Yet he did not wake and the sun climbed higher.
The door to the chamber groaned softly open, yet still he did not wake. Nor did he wake when a woman entered, tall and pretty, with a covered tray in her hands. She looked near his age, perhaps older, still wearing a nightgown and a delicate shawl that draped loosely over thin shoulders. Gently placing the tray on the bed she sat herself softly near the youth, stretched out so care-less upon the sheets. What a rarity. With a rueful smile she reached out and brushed his hair from his face.
“Feyd.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:35 pm
She listened quietly as the old crone had her words. She knew sometimes it was better to amuse them, than to battle them, allowing for less time spent and wasted because of it. When the crone referred to a woman becoming like a man, a mental eyebrow raised. Did this crone possibly know about it? No, there was no way she could.
She accepted the card in the end, and muttered a half-hearted thanks before being harried by the air that caused her to pass back through the door. If it was not for the card, she would have passed it off as mere illusion. Something told her to keep that card safe, letting another know about it would likely cause more harm than good to her.
With a deep and annoyed sigh, she went back into the task master's office, hoping she did not have another encounter with the eldritch and arcane world of mysteries and headaches. It was not a long process, thankfully and she was gone and on her way to wait until it was time to begin her guard duty.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:45 pm
(cont'd)
The young man woke to his name with a languid grin and stretching the sleep from his limbs as he sat up in bed. In a gentle, sleepy way Feyd gave the lady a kiss and bid her good morning. Pulling away he cast about, looking, not for his missing shirt but—“Where is my… Where is my brother?” A giggle answered him from somewhere near the head of the bed and while the lady held her tray steady Feyd clambered towards the sounds source. The quick search ended when, in a valley of pillows, the actor found a small, smug babe who seemed all too delighted to have caused a search in the first place. In a swift movement Feyd scooped the babe up and tumbled back to the middle of the bed. “Rascal. He must have crawled away while I slept.” Despite the name calling Feyd laughed and in his arms Syrin laughed with him.
The lady’s smile seemed a bit fainter as she watched them together. “You have so many brothers, Feyd…”
“Not a lot," he smiled. He had noticed her mood. “Just this little fellow, another a bit older, another around my age.” The actor was an accomplished liar.
“That is a lot…”
“Don’t fret,” laughed Feyd. Placing Syrin down on the sheets he slid over to sit with the lady. “I have many more ‘brothers’ at the theatre, and yet I still manage to come see you.” In the face of her skepticism he beamed and she relented, remembering again the tray she had brought with her.
“I have a surprise for you,” she whispered in a better mood now.
Feyd raised his brow. “Another? But what about my little brother—” He easily dodged her halfhearted swat, but his cheeky comments fell short when she uncovered the tray and the delectable scent of meat forcibly grabbed his attention. “…Pork?” Questioningly he looked to her. She looked as proud as only Marsalles ladies could be (or good actors).
“Go on. You will need your strength for the new show. Besides, there is a convoy coming soon. We can afford to feast.”
Ecstatic, Feyd kissed her cheek and took the tray. A fresh light bread, a cut of ham and a glass of… something to wash it all down. A meal fit for a king. Meat, and in such a quantity! He couldn’t help himself, he took a bite. The taste, strong taste, that had become all too foreign, exploded in his mouth. It was good pork, smoked and salty in a natural way, not stringy, not dried. He chewed and swallowed, finishing with a gulp from the glass (watery wine). Once that was done he began to shred some for Syrin who had intently watched the whole process.
“How soon?” Feyd asked. He would hate for her to starve on his account.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:37 pm
Eli shyly dodged the looks of some of his neighbors who were rousing themselves from sleep as well. He'd only recently acquired Lyra, after all. The stables, thankfully, were relatively empty. As it were, so seemed the graveyard. Mutt ran off around the corner to explore who-knows-what, while Eli meandered to Lily's grave. It was one of the hundreds marked with crude wooden crosses, but he'd been there enough to find it with his eye closed. "Say hi to Lily, baby girl," Eli whispered to Lyra. The infant merely looked up at him. A sigh escaped his lips and his gaze rested on the wooden cross. "O'course, yew never knew her. She was a fine lady, Lyra. Yew woulda liked her, yew know. She could sing somethin' beautiful..." Eli's quiet voice trailed off as he poked Lyra's nose.
He smirked a little, playing like he was pulling her nose right off. "Ah! I gotcher nose, Lyra! Look! Where'd it go? Where'd it go?" He attempted to lighten the depressing mood that'd fallen over him so early in the morning while Lyra giggled, grasping for his hand. His play turned into tickling, until he finally relented so the child could breathe.
"Say g'bye, now Lyra." Eli demonstrated the classic wave, then helped Lyra move her hand according. "There yew go, yer gettin' it down."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:26 am
(cont'd)
It was still early morning when, rested and fed, Feyd left Marsalles. He wore an unmemorable dark cloak, the hood pulled high over his face against the cold. In his arms, half under the cloak and swathed in a similar dark fabric, rested Syrin. The babe was already napping off his meal which struck Feyd as very convenient since a baby’s wails would only draw the wrong kind of attention. All in all, Syrin was rather convenient, more so than any infant normally ought to be. But then again, Feyd knew all too well that Syrin was far from normal.
At the edge of the district Feyd slowed. A street performer was finishing his act across the way with only a sleepy beggar as audience. As Feyd watched the other young man executed a final daring flip, bowed to the beggar, and crossed the lane to where Feyd stood.
“I’d clap, but I’m carrying stuff,” apologized Feyd. “Bad audience today?”
Seth, a fellow actor from Wynander’s theater, made a face. “You know very well it was bad. This is a rotten spot. Marsalles folk can’t be bothered to view a good street show. They’d rather get behind their walls quick as possible. What took you so long?” Not waiting for an answer Seth stuck out his hand and drew back the front of Feyd’s cloak to peer at the sleeping ‘stuff.’ “How’s your son? You gotta keep him a bit longer?”
Batting away the offending hand Feyd pulled his cloak back in place. “Don’t do that. He’ll get cold.” Since he knew very little about babies and less about raising them, Feyd liked to cautious… when he remember to. “And yes, I’m keeping him for now. She doesn’t want him back yet.” That wasn’t so hard to believe. Children were burdens now, even in Marsalles.
“You’re still late,” frowned Seth. “I’ve been waiting out here in the cold while you were all nice and warm in there.” With a jerk of his chin Seth motioned towards the estates.
Feyd grinned. “Don’t be sore, Seth. I had good reasons. Reason one!” Taking something from his pocket Feyd slapped it into Seth’s hand. It was greasy, cold, in a dirty handkerchief, but it was meat. Feyd had carefully saved it from his breakfast.
“Goof reethon,” Seth conceded, speaking around a mouthful of ham.
“Reason two,” listed Feyd, his already expressive voice growing more and more excited. “There’s a party today.”
Seth stopped mid-chew. “A parthy?” He swallowed. “There hasn’t been a party in ages.”
“There’s one today,” continued Feyd in a low voice. “Near noon-time. I’m going.”
“We have rehearsals today—” began Seth, but he never finished because Feyd’s hand shot out abruptly to grab the remaining ham. Seth only just escaped by jumping back. “Raither!” he hissed. “I just mean… It’s been so long since the last party… And… well… they’re dangerous. That’s all.”
Stony now, Feyd didn’t respond. But he didn’t try to grab the ham again either.
With a sigh Seth shook his head. “Alright, alright. I’ll go tell the rest.” Stuffing the rest of the ham in his mouth (for safe keeping), Seth started off. He was only a few chews and a few steps away when he glanced back. “Juth… fee caafuff naff. Yuth ah fathath.”
“What?!”
Seth swallowed. “Just be careful now. You’re a father… you know…” With an embarrassed cough Seth turned and set off at a jog.
When his colleague was out of ear shot Feyd scoffed. “A father, a brother… a nanny.” Ignoring his own advice Feyd peeked under his cloak at the sleeping form of Sarutobi Sasuke. “You better appreciate all this.”
As Sasuke slept on Feyd finally left Marsalle and made his way back to his theatre and home. He could already tell today was going to be a busy day, he hoped it would favor fools.
(Finis)
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:16 am
As Fae stepped out into the sunlight, she gave a small sigh. It felt good, and she valued every small pleasure she could find. They were few and far between.
She took a moment to orient herself. Her first course of action was food, and the most likely place to find food on this day was probably going to be the Marsalle Estates. She had heard rumor of a convoy coming in on this day. That meant two things. First, that the guards from the training ground, the mercenary groups, and almost every sell sword in the city would most likely all be hired out to guard it, and would all be clamoring around some tavern or another this early in the day. Second, and more importantly, that some of the more frivolous families would have cooked a large portion of their food that was near spoiling to make room for the newer goods, overflowing the waste bins with the surplus of what they hadn't eaten. It had disgusted her at first, their frivolity and greed while most of the citizens were starving, but now she looked forward to the convoys as much at the Noble families.
"Noble..." She snorted quietly to herself, the word dripping with irony and sarcasm.
Thankfully, time was on her side. No one of note in the Marsalle District should be stirring this early. She looked at the sun and thought for a minute. She had an hour, hour and a half is she was lucky. Another groan from her stomach urged her onward.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:10 am
Faevan Thankfully, time was on her side. No one of note in the Marsalle District should be stirring this early. She looked at the sun and thought for a minute. She had an hour, hour and a half is she was lucky. Another groan from her stomach urged her onward. Unfortunately for Faevan, some of the guards were not ready to be running off to wait hours for the arrival of the caravan...yet...Among them was Kaley as she walked through the Marsalle district. She had her arms folded across her chest as she moved along the streets, her eyes alighting upon Fae and a curious twinge came to her eyebrow. She looks to be in the wrong area, better do something before one of the fat lazy lumps wakes up and sees one of their commonly hired bodyguards doing nothing when not working for them. She shook her head before she made her way over to Fae. " I would not tarry long here. I would hate having to ruin my free morning by dragging you off to some Estatesman's private dungeon for rifling through their trash." Kaley commented, she'd been down there, even someone as cold and hardened as her would rather not be down in one again. It wasn't torture that happened down there, it was mutilation, violation, and then starvation as you are forgotten and ignored about to die slowly, and insane.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:28 am
The city had begun to awaken without so much as a sideward glance at the lonely blacksmith. By now, Trau was used to this, and he was not so much bothered by it any more. He stood at the door, a satchel slung over his shoulder containing skillfully made and carefully wrapped weaponry. The walk to the Training Grounds was short, and he simply left the Peace Enforcement Unit's order with a rather serious-looking messenger boy. No words were exchanged, but coins passed hands before Trau decided that he was to go into the city today. He was so long without human interaction that it had begun to wear on him. Even just seeing others may help lift his spirits. He did, however, seem hesitant to abandon his warm home for the brisk streets of Wynander.
Resolving to make more sales today, Traugott returned home to retrieve his coat and a cart stocked with items that had been rejected or made when there were no orders to take. He found that very few people ever wanted the jewelry he occasionally crafted, and he figured that the best place to try to be rid of it would be Marsalle. He hated that place. He hated their people. Most of all, he hated the strange looks and chattering behind gloved hands. Let them stare. He was a large man with an excess of blades. Taking with him a few cleaned vegetables and scraps of hard bread, he headed through the Lost District as quickly as possible, knees complaining loudly, and into Marsalle.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:11 am
Kaelwin " I would not tarry long here. I would hate having to ruin my free morning by dragging you off to some Estatesman's private dungeon for rifling through their trash."Fae was quietly rifling through the trash of House Arturius, pocketing a heel of soggy bread and some scraps of dubious looking discarded meat fat when she heard the voice. She whirled on her heel sharply, her cloak hood flying off her head as she stared, startled by the guard. "I...I..." She stammered. Fae looked at the woman before her closely, and shivered a bit as the adrenaline rushed out of her, blanching her face a bit under the dirt and grease. There was no way she could outrun a fresh guard, not on a few hours sleep and two days starving. Her shoulders slumped silently. It was then that she actually processed and heard the words the guard spoke to her. "You...you'll let me go then?" She eyed the guard cautiously. "What do you want?" You never got something for nothing...not here.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:27 am
Grondax sat taking deliberate sips of tea as he looked out of the imperial half circle window that took up most of the back wall of his office within the De'Vall family estate. In his other hand he was reading his daily briefing. It was an eventful day today as a shipment of food and supplies was being brought to the estates.
Grondax did not much care where the resources came from, but it would be his job to ensure that it made it to the estates safely. He was scheduled to meet with W37 soon to assign his men to the task. There was always a constant threat from the vermin of the city.
Finishing his tea he picked up his cane, ledger, and pocketed the strange card he had earlier received and headed for the door. As he left his office the maid bowed to him and entered to clean, and most likely snoop around like only a maid can.
As he exited out into the garden and headed towards the docks he hoped the escort job would be uneventful as Grondax had other matters to attend to.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:27 am
City Conditions Date: Spring 3 (Early Spring)
Time: Mid-morning
Weather: Sunny, crisp morning; around 60 degrees (Fahrenheit)
"Good crowd today," Elliot commented to Adalei as the two lingered on a street near Marsalles. "No doubt the news has been picked up by every ear in town. It'll make this whole thing easier for us, won't it?"
Tucked under his arm, Adalei watched the other pedestrians as Elliot chatted idly about the good weather. She was interrupted from her thoughts as he swiftly pulled her aside, out of the way of an enormous, lumbering man pushing a cart.
"Look at the size of him! ...Wait, what are you--!! Come back here!" she hissed at Elliot, but her companion had already began trailing the giant.
Elliot attempted to peer into the cart before saying to the man, "Greetings, sir. What's that you've got there?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:51 am
Trau had heard the offhand comment about his size, and on any normal day, it probably wouldn't have bothered him. Today, though, he was sore and unhappy. Perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to head into town. He arched a brow and his jaw set.
Regardless, he stopped his cart and turned to the strange-looking young man that had approached him.
"Weaponry, jewelry, tools, take yer pick," he said in a low rumble, motioning to his cart palm-up. Everything was arranged carefully. Swords lay on one side, cloth wrapped around the blades so only the hilt was displayed. Jewelry had its own little box, and tools and trinkets were stacked by type.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:50 pm
Faevan "You...you'll let me go then?" She eyed the guard cautiously. "What do you want?" You never got something for nothing...not here. " Mmm you are very quick good." Kaley stretched her back a bit as she dragged the silence out, milking it for all it was worth as she watched Fae a bit. " ...I want you to participate in the riot that is going to break out when the food caravan shows up soon. If you do, I'll forget I saw you today okay? In fact...one of the choicier trash bins may...find it's way to a secluded piece of the boneyard by some strange accident tonight." She gave Fae a small smile as she watched the other woman, " Of course, the alternative will lead to starvation as I drag you up to the estate man's front door and hand you over to the servant...of course that's after they get tired of you down where people disappear and are later found in the boneyard." she commented, her tone was entirely neutral as she spoke, as if she did not care what Faevan did one way or the other.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:23 pm
Fae froze in her tracks, any hope drained completely out of her now. She was expecting to have to give up something physical for her freedom. The food she stole, money, goods...herself. Not to take part in a riot. Especially one for a food caravan for the patrons of the Marselle District. Every guard in the city would want the job of guarding that caravan, and she had planned to be far away from it when it passed.
She looked down at her hands, and then back at her captor, fixing her tightly with a weary gaze, direct and serious.
"Take me, then." She lifted her chin a bit, defiant, to compensate for the weakness in her voice. "A riot in this city is suicide for someone like me. I'll die either way. I'd rather sooner than later."
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