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 Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 1:18 pm
City Conditions Date: Spring 3 (Early Spring)
Time: Early morning
Weather: Sunny with a few clouds; around 50 degrees (Fahrenheit)
In the corridor between two crumbling buildings, a woman leaned against a wall with a thread-bare shawl draped over her head and shoulders. She clung to the wall, a practiced stance that minimized her already small form and evaded attention. Many minutes passed, her eyes closed in meditation. As another figure approached, she started, then hurried to him, slipping under his cloak.
"You're later than usual," she scolded, the apprehension apparent in her voice. Her hand formed a tight fist around the sleeve of his shirt as she met his eyes, which were as clouded and impenetrable as ice.
The young man took an expensive gold hairpin from his pocket and fastened it to a lock of the woman's hair, smiling. "I picked up something extra on the way, Adalei. You haven't had any new jewels for your hair in a while."
"Elliot, I have too many of these now," she said. "We can go to Lystar to trade it for food...but then again, maybe they'll be suspicious of how we got it." She paused, touching the hairpin with her fingertips. "Anyway, what about the rumors? Did you hear anything good?"
"Here, eat while I tell you," Elliot said, giving her a crust of dry bread. "Some of the big Marsalles families...maybe Becque, De'Vall, Leventon--"
"They didn't earn their positions. They're not the true aristocracy of Wynander," Adalei interrupted, her voice a mix of haughty pride and bitter loathing.
"Yes, yes, of course," Elliot agreed hastily before continuing. "More importantly, a few of the Marsalles families have pooled money for some supplies and food. The convoy should be coming into town sometime around noon. It'll be well-guarded for sure, but if some desperate people attack the convoy, the soldiers'll be distracted enough that we might be able to grab a few things."
The pair wandered into a main street as Adalei licked the last of the crumbs from her palm. Scanning the area with caution, she hooked her arm in Elliot's.
"Ok, we'll go and see what it's about, but we'll need a better plan. Who knows what kind of thugs they've hired," Adalei finally said, turning to catch the mischievous smile on Elliot's face.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:08 pm
Kaley sat back as she peered out over the boneyard, she had heard the news of the convoy of food awhile ago. There was a sigh as she looked up at the ceiling of the old cathedral, thankful for the privacy it granted her as no one came here but to bury the dead.
With a swift motion she stood up and moved to the fallen wall that acted as a window out of this upper level room, one of the open ones, one of the ones with hidden pathways to reach.
She closed her eyes for a moment, her mind wandering back to the prior night.
---
Kaley made it into one of the few taverns that still operated, mostly by virtue of the families who wanted to squeeze as much of the money back from the populace they funded in the first place. It was a smoky, nasty, gritty place, like much of the city these days, and the people here were just as nasty as the smells of the room and greasy, unhealthy food that most of them barely survived upon.
She made her way to a table in the back, other mercenaries were there and they were always gambling, the stakes for tonight was who got the good duties, and who got the bad duties.
Kaley wanted guard duty for the caravan once it made it to the gates. Some would consider her foolish, knowing that a riot would break out but she had a reason for it. She had a job to do and if one of the wagon drivers happened to be mysteriously poisoned...or stabbed...during the chaos of the riots, who would consider it her fault.
The game was quick, there was idle, pointless banter, and in the end she intentionally lost, getting 'stuck' with the job, it wasn't a cushy job and the big man that had it originally was proud of himself that he got out of it.
"Ah well little Kaley, 'ope ye make it out o' that mess alive. Maybe if ya do, I'd be willin' t' knock boots with you." the man winked at Kaley as she stood up with a mock sigh of annoyance.
"Gorton, I would rather knock boots with one of the scabs that live on the outskirts of the boneyards than I would you. I doubt you even know what to do with it." she shot back acidicly before she made her way out, not wishing to spend anymore time there.
----
With a deepened sigh she got her gear on, and made her way quietly out of the boneyard, being quick and careful that she was not witnessed departing from her hidden by ways, or even in general until she was in the surrounding city, blending into people as a typical mercenary.
It was time she reported to the person in charge so that she could be in position for when it was time, after all, she had to do her best to put off the riot until the right man was there...then they could charge and in the chaos, he died.
A last thought passed through her mind before she pushed her way into the taskmaster's office, it really didn't pay for anyone but her when the Marsalles families were cheated on.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:54 pm
Event for Kaelwin!! .:: [ . EVENT FOR KAELWIN . ] ::.  As the door swung open, the room that lay before Kaley was not the familiar taskmaster's office that was her expected destination. The walls and floor were made of large slabs of stone blanketed with dust. Darkness encroached at the edges of this windowless room, the only source of light a candle at the center. This candle illuminated a small wooden table where a hooded woman sat, her attention focused on a set of cards spread before her.
"Come in quickly," she commanded. "We haven't much time; there are many things you are expected to do today."
She gestured Kaley to step up to the table where the cards lay waiting.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:54 pm
A frown came to Kaley's face as the door before her did not open into the room it should. The frown turned into a magnificent scowl as she entered into the room, her cold, dead eyes upon the face of the woman in front of her.
"I don't imagine, asking you to let me return the mercenary task master would mean anything." she commented in an icy tone before she moved on up to the table and waited for a moment.
"Well, what do you want? Hurry I don't have all morning." her tone was not pleasant or kind at all, exactly what one expected from a mercenary about to be prevented from getting paid work.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:01 pm
As the sun bathed the empty stables, its rays shot beneath the tough canvas to rest upon Eli's face. His hand reflexively covered his sleepy eyes as he assessed his predicament. One would expect him to be used to manuevering from underneath a dog without waking the sleeping babe in the crook of his arm, but alas, practice could never make perfect when it came to graceful awakenings. Eli's noisy yawn, unabated by a groggy mind, woke Lyra with a start. Upset with the proposal of an early rise, she started to whimper quietly, buring her head into Eli's side. The chilly morning air nipped at their faces, and Mutt clumsily roused himself to go outside for his... er... business.
Eli pulled the fussing baby to his chest as he stood up from the bedroll on the floor. Light filtered through several holes in the canvas that served as the walls for their home merely to illuminate the dust that hung lazily in the air. a few moments of gently dancing around the room brought Lyra's drowsy complaints to a close. Stooping carefully, Eli unwrapped a stale loaf of bread from the low bench than ran nearly the entire length of the back wall. "Yer hungry, aren'cha?" Eli mumbled to the golden girl, removing the lid from the dented pot that lived on the firepit in the middle of the room to soak a bit of crust in its contents for her. He personally couldn't quite recall all that went into the concoction, and he'd no desire to do so, either.
Nevertheless, Lyra sucked on the crust while intently examining Eli's earring.
Mutt had returned to the stable to sit just inside the door-flap. He eyed the two humans impatiently with his head down, whinning softly and tail twitching as if he couldn't hide his excitement. Excitement about what? Why... the sun is awake! Daylight is being burnt! Why must those two stand around eating whilst there is visiting to be had in the graveyard and people to bother in the city streets?
Mutt's attitude managed to pull Lyra from the gold earring to the dog. She reached out her free hand curiously, "Maaaa?" she inquired. Mutt responded quickly, bounding into Eli's knees and nearly knocking the boy off of his feet. "Bah, Mutt! Yew scoundrel! I've the babe in meh arms!" All of the sudden ruckus would have upset any other child, but Lyra, with her quiet demeanor and kind eyes, merely grinned at the circling dog, though she still tightly gripped Eli's shirt. Once Eli had righted himself in a crude fashion and changed Lyra with a dog weaving between his legs, he headed for the door. "All right we're headed out. But i' wasn't yer antics tha' convinced me, Mutt!" Eli added as he slipped through the canvas. "I'd it all decided en meh mind before-han', yew know..." The dog certainly didn't care. He pranced toward the graveyard triumphantly, looking over his shoulder regularily to assure himself he was being followed. Perhaps animals do enjoy routine.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:48 am
Fae woke sharply as the sun touched her face. Hazy motes of dust danced on the air in the rays of light seeping in through the crack in the old building's facade, only to dance out of sight again in the shadows. She yawned quietly, then rubbed her eyes. Her sleep had been short and troubled, as it usually was.
Standing and stretching, she noted the effects of the cold night in her joints. At least the sun was out today. That would warm her some. Still, despite the promise of sunlight, she donned a heavy gray cloak, making sure to pull up the hood before securing a small oak box to her back. Her stomach growled a warning at her. She had been two days without food.
"Time to feed you." She said, so softly it could have been a thought. She patted her stomach, trying to ignore the hunger pangs and she vacated the abandoned building in the Kensington District in favor of the streets.
The sound of tinkling glass followed her lightly.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:16 am
Chilled morning rays made their way around the board-covered windows up on the second floor of the book shop. Red light ricocheted around the small room from short fiery hair of the small boy with antlers. His quiet focus was on the larger, shivering girl in front of him.
Rolling over once more under her small worn blanket Easter finally resigned herself to the fact it was too cold to try and sleep in. She was too hungry to expend much energy doing nothing productive and she had this suspicious feeling that someone was staring at her.... Aha! With one eye open Easter stared down the glowing baby in front of her. "You're doing it again....Hogging all the sun warmth." Egan moved backwards slightly and the sunshine caught the sides of his eyes illuminating them. "And now you just look like a cat." The little girl unfolded stiff legs and sat up to take in some deep breaths. Crawling over to the loose floor board hidden beneath her desk, she procured a small lump of hard bread and harder looking cheese. "It's going to be a long day today. People 'round here are becoming stingy again." Easter looked at her companion for any input. "I figured Lystar should be our next location. What doth you say Sir Egan?" "Mhn." Which Easter understood as "Why yes, that's a capital idea. We should head there post haste and find our fortunes."
As the two nibbled on their little breakfast Easter gathered up her traveling supplies. Spare rock-like food for snacking, small canteen made from an old jar, blanket/wraparound to hold Egan, and beg on when she got tired, and a small knife from her father. She didn't like the knife very much, but with Egan added to her small frame she was too slow to run away from every potentially dangerous situation.
"Alright. Hoods up." Tucking away her own bright green hair and covering up Egan's head in the cold morning air the two shimmied out from behind an old thorn bush which blocked the crawl-space entrance to their home. A quick re-adjustment of Egan's weight on Easter's side and off to the North the two headed, cautiously and quickly through the side alleys and vacated buildings.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:56 am
A cold wind slowly rolled its way through the open window of the twenty year old’s room, biting in its chilly breath. It curled around the crevices of the room before finally breathing on the bare shoulders of the woman in question, and the consequently, the infant tucked safely in her arms. While the former slept through the breeze, the latter, did not.
“Mmm,” Miaka murmured, discontent. One soft green eye opened as her tiny body shivered, before her face wrinkled in distaste and she let out a fierce cry, her hands coming up to her tiny face. “Mmmeyyyyy,” The wind was cold against her skin and she did not like it!
Hikari jumped awake at the cry, her vision bleary, her mind sleepy and confused. What was that sound? Where was it coming from? Her eyes drank in her surroundings as quick as her hazy mind would allow her, before they finally settled on the child in front of her, who’s orbs were watery with tears and staring right back at her, as if asking her to do something.
A yawn-like-sigh escaped her lips as she lifted her body up from the mattress and moved to close her window before coming back to the child and lifting her in her arms. It was early. Too early to be up, and the thought had a displeased frown marring the usually silent girl’s face as she made her way into the kitchen. "Shh, shh, little one," She cooed, softly.
Setting Miaka down on the counter, she fumbled through the cabinets, looking for the bread she could have sworn they had. When her search proved fruitless she let out a slight hiss. They hadn’t eaten it all for dinner, had they?
“Yami?” She called, softly, for even around her sister she was never loud, “Are you up yet? We need to go to Kensington District.” God, she hated that place.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:18 pm
Lost in the world of dreams, Yami was its sole resident. For each dream felt like a portal to a new world, a new life, where reality can change and the world could turn upside down. But her time in that world was cut short as she started to fade back into consciousness, hearing the crying of the little child, Miaka, the call of her name by her sister, Hikari.
Her eyes slowly cracked open. Her dream full of color shattered into the dreary dead aura that surrounded their house, their one-room abode. Her back lifted from the cold ground as she outstretched her hands towards the sky, a small series of almost inaudible pops coming from it upon doing so. Her body had seen better days from sleeping in such conditions, but she really couldn't complain...at least she could sleep at night.
Her sister's face caught her eye as the contours of her face immediately curved into a smile. "Good morning Hikari", she said as she turned to the infant in her arms. "Good morning to you Miaka". Finally getting enough energy to place her feet on the ground to stand up she collected what little she had and sighed. "About that time, huh?", as she managed to smile yet again. Yet the inside couldn't match the outer, as her mind was focused on one thing: The Kensington District. That adventure was today, and in all honestly, would skip that one in the blink of an eye. What she wouldn't give to go back to that vibrant world of dream....
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:46 pm
Hikari turned around at her sisters voice and smiled a bit, nodding her head as a means of repeating the sentiment. She still flirted around the small amount of space they had, looking for food. Defeated she sighed and turned her back and leaned against the cabinet she had just been rummaging through. “I guess it is,” she murmured, with a soft sigh.
“Ummdiii,” Miaka cooed, her eyes having already lost the gleam from the tears they once had. The big woman who wasn’t her mama was talking to her. A large smile graced her lips, never having been one to let her tears stay around for long. A bangle clad hand reached out and grabbed the toes of her foot, a coy smile on her face.
Hikari moved away from the counter as her sister gathered her supplies before lifting the babe into her arms. Miaka let out another content coo, letting go of her foot and letting her other hand fist and release some of her own pink hair, watching in the direction mama was walking. “We should go now, before every crook and their brother wake up. I was really hoping that other batch would last us longer,” Things had been difficult with another mouth to feed being suddenly thrust upon the sisters. The bread supply that should have lasted them much longer was already gone. They’d have to pick up the slack some how.
Opening the door of their small home, Hikari motioned for Yami to take the leader, her mouth already clamped shut, her stomach fluttering with nervous butterflies. Here we go again.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:12 pm
No words needed to be said, for one glance at her sister and she understood exactly what was going on. She couldn't blame her, she felt the same way, but someone out of the two of them had to be the pillar of light.
At least she wasn't alone in this endeavor. Seeing Miaka smile so large, a thought graced her mind as she reached out to gently run her fingers along the pink strands. How she could smile so brightly despite times like these! ....Yami knew her sister was uneasy, and as she as well, but did this small child feel the same? Her sister's gesture stirred her thoughts as she broke out of her daydream and assumed her position, walking in front of the mother and child and into the light of the morning sun.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:01 pm
Event for Kaelwin!! .:: [ . EVENT FOR KAELWIN . ] ::. The woman paid no attention to Kaley's obvious impatience, taking her time to ponder each card as she flipped it. The face of the cards depicted foreign symbols and unfamiliar illustrations.
"In a desperate situation, you would hold the life of a family member above all others," she said, turning one card after another, reading the meanings from the images before her. "The realm of leadership is one dominated by men. For a woman to rule, she must strip herself of womanhood and become like a man."
Flipping the last card, the fortune teller revealed the picture to Kaley: a fierce woman with nature all about her. Within seconds, the image began to fade until the card turned a blank white.
"The card reveals that laying dormant in your heart is the spirit of The Empress. Take it as a token of your visit," the woman said as she stood to leave. "It will prove to be the most precious thing you own. I will release you so that you may return to your city now."
As she turned her back, the candle was extinguished with a swift current of air, leaving only the lit frame of the door behind Kaley.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:08 pm
It was colder out than Easter had expected. Had the seasons skipped over summer and fall and gone into winter again? Had she become an old person in the middle of the night? Her limbs stiffened as she made her way through the southern roads of Lystar. Her goal lay far to the north. Her travelling companion looked up at her as she leaned against a brick wall to catch her breath. "Either you're eating too much...or you have bricks hidden in your pockets." Or I'm getting too old for this, Easter thought to herself. It was time for an old people and frail child break.
Easter peered around the wall and saw a pleasant enough looking street lined with only semi-ruined houses. Behind curtains people could be seen moving about. One woman out gathering dingy laundry. Good enough as any place to stop for a bit she thought. Settling the child down on the side walk Easter pulled Egan's carrying blanket out of its knot and wrapped it around the two of them. "Look pathetic if anyone comes by. Not that you have much in the way of expressions there Eeg. But try and remember what we practiced." Easter grabbed some dirt from the ground and rubbed it onto her arms and face before applying some to Egan. "Don't go rubbing that off. Don't let them know that we try and stay clean. After a while we'll try going to the houses." Egan blinked up at her and made an almost inaudible noise before crawling into her lap for more warmth.
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