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 Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 8:59 am
This Quest is for Natsu who aspires to become a Bard.
OOC
||. Natsu must do this on his own. No other NPCs may be used.
||. Respond to the prompts given as you would any other RP.
||. Your responses may be as long or short as you feel necessary.
IC
A note was thrust into the hands of Natsu only days prior; the lad having rushed off stating he had better things to do than play messenger before disappearing back up the trail the way he had come. Looking at it, the scroll seemed important; it was tied with a braided rope with a smooth stone on the end.
Though you may not know me, I have heard of your desire for becoming a minstrel. I am Bardin Rea and I do not have much time left on this earth, but I wish for you to write out a funeral ballad in my honor. I also beseech that you teach this ballad to my grandson, Kujo, who wishes to follow in my foot steps and continue my work for me.
I humbly hope you accept a dying man's request and will send my grandson to you in three days time. He can regale you with my tales so you can weave them into something that will be remembered in future generations.
Best Regards
Bardin Rea
The writing was a bit hard to read, and it was easy enough to see that it was written by a weak but determined hand, most likely by the dying man himself. The grandson still had not arrived yet and it was nearly the end of the third day.
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 3:35 pm
"Oh, stop fussing, Veka, I'll be back shortly!" Natsu called as he left his tent. His lover had just returned from Tinerr in a flurry of excitement that made him sound like a squealing child, and all because he had been given the title of Rouge. He chuckled, moved some hair off his brow, and thought back to when he had been given the exact same title. Was it really so long ago? It didn't feel that way...
He wandered out towards the entrance of the village and pulled a scroll out from his pocket. Blue eyes mulled over the note again and again before a sigh escaped his lips. Where was this kid? His grandfather was passing away and he wanted a ballad in his honor, such an important thing should make one fly on the wings of a Kinfa! Yet, this boy, assuming he was younger than he was, was nowhere to be found. What was Natsu supposed to do now?
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 1:50 pm
Out in the distance, where the horizon line joined the sky to the earth, a little dot was making its way towards the village. The size of the dot instantly registered as being far away, but close enough that it could be seen slightly bobbing, as if it was walking closer. The nearer the dot got to the village, the more it could be distinguished as a person. Though there was something odd about this person-shape. It seemed impossibly small to be wandering around on its own.
The young boy finally reached the village as night began to fall and it was easy to see that he couldn't have been more than thirteen at best. The fiery orange sun bounced through his long white-blond hair as he bobbed forward toward Natsu. He couldn't possibly know who Natsu was, but he was heading straight for him with a sour look and a grimace. His traveling gear was almost as large as he was and as he reached Natsu's area of the village entrance, he dropped everything he was carrying with a heavy toss to the floor, letting it lay there between them with a stubborn silence permeating the air.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 2:15 pm
Natsu peered towards this ever approaching figure and couldn't help but smile. Aw, so Bardin Rea's grandson was a child, one not much younger than his nephew it would seem. He moved towards him eagerly, only to step back as the boy tossed his things onto the floor before him, his expression quite sour. The orange haired man looked him over, blinked, and bent down in front of him.
"You must be Kujo, your grandfather wrote to me about teaching you a ballad." He said, reaching out to pat the boy on his shoulder. "You look upset, and it's reasonable, you're losing your grandfather. Would you like something to drink or eat before we start talking about the song I'll be needing to write?"
He wanted to appear kindly or warm. This was a boy who had traveled all the way across Sauti to weave stories about his dying grandfather, so Natsu could then write a song for future generations to enjoy. He couldn't imagine a harder task than that. The poor kid had a right to have a sour face, in his opinion at least.
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:26 pm
The boy looked Natsu in the eye as he squatted down to his level, his eyes burning a hole through Natsu. He huffed out a large amount of air before tilting his head to the side, a condescending look on his face. "And you must be Natsu. Let's get this dumb thing over with." He crossed his arms and turned his head away from Natsu. Either this kid was a real jerk or there was something else that was bothering him, though it was hard to tell so early on.
The kid pointed to his things before opening his mouth and letting out a surly answer. "If we're gonna do this, you better move my stuff inside before it's ruined. I hope you don't live far from here cuz I don't plan on walking much further." He put his hands on his hips and waited for Natsu to do something with his things, his brow furrowed in disappointment. The child was difficult, that was for sure.
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:38 pm
Natsu was only slightly phased by Kujo's words, he was well seasoned with people of this nature. Rastian was very much the same when he arrived in Mez a few years before, demanding, bratty, and ultimately fearful of abandonment. He quickly lost that fear when he realized that no one would be leaving him alone or carrying his things around. The memory brought a slight smile to his face before he came back to the current time, shaking his head.
"I apologize for your rough travels," He said, turning towards Kujo. "But, I won't be carrying your bags in, Kujo. You're here as a guest, I know, but it's very rude of you to throw your belongings towards your host and expect him to ferry them inside for you. I'm not your personal assistant, I barely even know you."
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 9:56 am
The boy looked Natsu in the eyes with a deadly glare, as if the only thing that would make him happy at this point would be to have Natsu fall down dead. After eyeballing him fiercely, Kujo seemed to make up his mind about something and huffed at Natsu. He grumbled under his breath before picking up his lighter packs. "You both are the same... no respect around here..." It was hard to make out all of what he said, but he didn't seem too happy about it.
He turned to Natsu with a fire in his eyes. "You don't expect me to carry them all do you? I've only come across all of Sauti to get here. I'm tired. And I am your guest." He crossed his arms and waited for Natsu's next move. He didn't want to be here any more than Natsu probably wanted him here and he wasn't about to push his life suffering aside just because Natsu thought his manners were bad.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 1:30 pm
Natsu smiled towards Kujo while he glared. The red head didn't care what looks were flashed towards him, there would just be a sacrifice of time spent working in order to garner proper communication skills. Or, in other words, if Kujo continued to act like a brat, Natsu was prepared to put up a stubborn, childlike front in retaliation. He could be just as childish if he really wanted to and he wasn't afraid to show it.
"I don't expect anything from you at all, except respect and a few of your grandfather's stories." He replied, lifting the heaver packs with ease. "Now, my tent isn't too far from here, can you handle a few more seconds of walking, or should I pick you up as well?"
He chuckled, tousling Kujo's hair. Honestly, he wouldn't mind carrying the child, if it pleased him. He didn't want to come across as too rough, just stern, that was all.
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Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 8:44 am
Kujo scowled at Natsu's playing; ducking and wincing as Natsu reached down to tousle his hair. It was easy to see that Kujo didn't appreciate being touched, or maybe it was just his hair he didn't like getting scruffed up. From the look of Kujo, he seemed to be a pretty neat and orderly little kid, though perhaps that could be from his grandfather and his upbringing.
Kujo couldn't help but smirk at the idea of Natsu carrying him in. He contemplated the idea a little, weighing what kind of opportunities that would bring before shaking his head to himself. "I suppose you've done enough... for now." He lifted the pack he was holding onto his should and moved in the direction that Natsu seemed to be meaning to head towards. "I'm not going to be waiting around all day. My things need to be taken care of and properly set up while I'm here." He waved his hand in the air flippantly, as if he was beckoning Natsu to hurry up while he walked off. If Kujo was going to be staying here for a while, it would at least be to his liking. He shoved the pack further up onto his shoulder. "Are you coming or not?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 1:44 pm
"Mhm." Natsu replied, securing the bags he had taken. Bossy, prideful, rude... Yeah, so far, this kid seemed like a barrel of fun. Still, Natsu kept his smile, even as Kujo beckoned him forward. Oh, did he want him to hurry? He snickered. He'd take that as a challenge.
"Yeah, I'm coming..." He sighed, feigning a slow, tired gait, before smirking towards Kujo. "My tent is just over there, I'll bet you I can get there faster than you!"
Without a second thought, he took off running, waving the boy along.
"Come on, hurry! You're burning daylight!" He laughed.
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:29 pm
The young boy looked up to Natsu with confusion in his eyes. What...? The guy took off running and Kujo stopped in his tracks. This guy was expecting a race? After he had traveled all the way here on foot? Maybe he should have told Natsu to carry him. He huffed and sigh and lifted the sack higher up onto his should. The damned thing continued to try to slip down.
He couldn't win a race like that, now could he?
Kujo took off running, letting the wind whip through his hair and felt his heart start pumping faster. It was good to stretch after a long journey, and his bare feet liked the feel of the earth under him. Maybe this Natsu guy wasn't so bad. Though at this point he had gotten too much of a head start.
Natsu was already waiting for him by the time he reached the tent. He huffed and put his hands on his knees as he stopped to catch his breath. "Maybe if you don't cheat next time..." He huffed, letting his words carry on his labored breathing. "I'll show you who's faster." Kujo smirked, liking the competition. He straightened himself, taking in the area of the tent and just how small it was. "How quaint." The note was flat, as if he wasn't exactly thrilled to be staying here, but after getting to like Natsu just a little he wasn't going to be a total pain in the butt.
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:42 pm
"Yeah, it's comfortable, just how I like it." Natsu mused, pushing his way through the tent. He could tell by Kujo's smirk that he had found the race enjoyable, if not a little fun. Maybe he liked competition, just like Natsu did. Hopefully this meant that they would get along easier.
"Alrighty then, now that we're where we need to be," He said, moving to sit cross legged upon a cushion. "Would you care for something to eat or drink before we discuss the ballad? I have some bread, berries and water around here somewhere."
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:56 pm
Kujo followed Natsu's lead and pushed his way in and sat on an empty cushion nearby. Quaint was maybe an understatement at this point. The thing was cramped. Where would all of Kujo's things go?
He was looking around, contemplating how he would renovate the stranger's house before Natsu caught his attention again. He shook his head. "The sooner I get out of here, the better. Let's just get this over with." He frowned. He was snapped back to the realization of just what he was here for. Right.
As Natsu sat there, Kujo started to pull things from his bags. Little trinkets and bobbles and cushions and blankets and started to sweep aside a portion of the tent for his things. "First things first. I can't live like this. Help me with my things." He pointed to the larger heavier bags that Natsu had been carrying back for Kujo. "And be careful with those." He commented nonchalantly, taking care of the things he was handling himself.
Inside the bags Natsu had been carrying were instruments of all shapes, sizes, and sounds. Bells, chimes, lutes and flutes. Anything that could make noise and did were in the bags. And it looked like Kujo knew the exact spots where they belonged.
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 2:10 pm
Natsu complied and set to unpacking the larger bags. He paused as his hands grasped the instruments, a bright smile coming to his face. Would they be working with these? He'd never actually used instruments before, aside from his own voice. He liked flutes and lutes, and bells were always a favorite around winter time. He set each instrument out in front of him, all except for a wooden flute he had found.
"This flute is lovely..." He said, admiring it's carvings, before reaching forward to help Kujo move the rest of his things about. "Please be mindful of my own things, as well. Some of these things are from my father and are breakable."
He wasn't concerned about the cushions or the trinkets that were set upon the floor, but the things settled upon a makeshift shelf close to where Kujo stood. There were some figurines, a decrepit looking doll, and a cluster of dented silver bells. They may look like nothing to a thirteen year old boy, but they held legends within their appearances that only Natsu and his family could take the time to weave. He was certain that Kujo would understand that he wanted such sentimental things to be left in peace, as he wanted Natsu to be careful with the instruments.
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Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 9:54 am
Kujo stopped unpacking his things at the sound for Natsu's voice. He whipped around to face Natsu and scowled as darkly as a pre-teen could. "Put that down before you ruin it." He almost yelled at Natsu. Apparently he had struck a chord with that particular instrument.
Kujo's mood swing seemed to shift suddenly out of his scowl and back into his air of nonchalance. "I mean - there's not any time to waste. We need to finish unpacking." He fixed the wrap around his waist, trying to distract from his outburst before turning his back to Natsu and finishing what he was doing.
Once the things were back in their places, while wordlessly avoiding the bookshelf that Natsu had mentioned, he turned back to face the bard-in-training. "Now that I'm settled, we can start I guess."
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