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 Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:31 pm
Emiyn had travelled across the ocean to Belrea in order to pay off a debt but now he had no idea what to do with himself. The Matori had sent medicine back home to his family but was without any real way to truly get back now that he had ‘breached’ the contract with the Obans who had helped him get on the airship in the first place. He had refused to become a slave like his mother, a person who had to bend their will to the desires of others in order to get along in this world. Didn’t that make a mockery of those who had fought so many years ago in the Oban war? So he had opted to get himself stuck in Belrea without much coin for the time being as he spent all that he had earned on sending that valuable package back home.
For the past few weeks he had been making due with whatever small jobs he could find in the city. Every little bit of coin helped pay for food and some shelter on occasions, other nights spent on a bench, while he tried his best to acquire a bit of savings for his return trip home. However, it seemed that fate was not kind to him as a pickpocket managed to snag his precious savings and disappear into the city streets. Emiyn let out another sigh as he stared at his empty hands. What was he supposed to do now? While everyone else seemed to be enjoying the night, groups walking along to share snacks and goodwill with each other for the New Years, he was stuck on this isolated stone bench in the corner of some park with only a ragged blanket to try and stop his shivers as the evening breeze brushed by.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:53 pm
The light was at the end of the tunnel! After months of working and waiting, Yokka could practically taste the air of the open sea! The ship she was working on was in its final stages, and most of what was left to complete was logistical and crew focused; none of which applied to her. She was more than content to leave all of that to the captain of the ship. She was just concerned with making certain that the ship was tiptop condition for sailing on the open ocean and all the way to Kahikina! She was at the point now where there was more waiting than anything else for her to do.
Yokka was more than ready to seize the new year with making her dreams come to fruition!
It seemed like others might not be so lucky. She couldn't help noticing the Matorian looking so miserable on the bench. She had grabbed a dinner she could walk with and was struck by their opposite conditions. Grunting slightly, she headed closer to the bench and held out the sandwich. "You hungry?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:25 pm
He couldn't help but to be wary of the stranger who approached him. So many months in Oba had taught him that kind actions were not always as they seemed. Something sweet could have a bitter intention and so when she held out the sandwich, Emiyn found himself scooting back towards the edge of the bench away from her. "It's alright." He murmured, his gaze on the ground almost in shame. Even if she was just being kind why would he take her sandwich? It was disgraceful that he would have to rely on someone else's mercy and the thought made him frown. This was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place. He had been too eager to accept a deal, too willing to accept what he heard without checking the facts.
"Even if I'm famished I should find my own meal." Emiyn confirmed once more as he dared to look towards the geian, his golden gaze heated with mixed emotions. Did he look so pitiful that someone would offer him charity so quickly? Emiyn didn't even want to think about the truth and found himself glancing away once more before he could read her gaze. It was easier to think that she would want something instead. Perhaps if he had to do something for the food then he could manage depending on the request but to simply accept something didn't settle well with him....even if his stomach did grumble awkwardly as he tried to reject the offer. Embarrassment darkened his cheeks and Emiyn was thankful for the shadows of evening that covered most of his features. Talk about a grand way to start a new year.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 1:14 pm
With the offer turned down, Yokka shrugged and pulled her hand back. She wasn't going to push it. She knew she would have reacted the same; at least initially turning down any offer of charity. ..Depending on how bad it was, she might even have been less polite than this man was being. When one was trying to get back on one's feet, dignity was a luxury that was either gracefully released or stubbornly clung to. She was more likely a stubborn clinger...
Still, her lips pressed with the sound of the grumbling belly. "Yeah... Well, if you're sure. I don't mind sharing a little. I was new here once." She unwrapped part of the sandwich and pulled off a quarter for herself to take a bite from. There was a reason she had bought the food, after all. "Unless you're not new here and are just a bum?" She raised a critical brow, looking the miserable looking man over.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 1:56 pm
Emiyn stared at her warily. At least she wasn't being pushy with the offered food. What if it was some big ploy though to act uninterested and then get him to lower his guard? Emiyn bit the inside of his cheek as he pondered his options before her words made him blink in surprise. She did seem to be acting sincere and he just had to remind himself that he was away from Oba and hidden from those who wanted to harm him and his mother. I suppose...it wouldn't hurt. He slowly lifted a hand and held it out to her almost sheepishly. "If you think it's alright to share then it would be rude to decline." He murmured before her next statement had him flushing even more. "I'm no bum!" Emiyn protested with a frown as he swiftly lowered his hand and crossed his arms. She could say she was new but it didn't mean that she was completely foreign to the area like he was. Emiyn felt a sharp pang of jealously as he thought of his own home. Even in Oba at least he knew that he could get back to Matori eventually. Belrea felt like a whole new world completely..."Does it look like I would be from around here?" He was very much obviously foreign after all with his Matori traits. There was nothing to even remotely make him look like he had been born in Belrea! Not even a trace of hybrid blood or anything...the thought made him sigh once more before he glanced away.
"I can work for my food and have been." Emiyn added quietly as he reigned in his temper. It was especially frustrating to be called a bum after everything he had earned was stolen from him. He wasn't one to just sit about and wait for things to happen! He had been working hard to earn some coin before losing it all....like a fool. Emiyn pursed his lips at the thought. Maybe it was best if he was considered a bum instead of a useless fool.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:20 pm
While the sudden fire that lit up the Matorian was admittedly surprising, Yokka couldn't help a pleased smirk as well. That seemed like honest to goodness distress rather than false offense. "Well how am I supposed to know? Everyone seems able to come from everywhere these days. Just can't help wondering why you're shivering out here in the open instead of loitering in a warm pub." She tore another quarter of the sandwich off and set the rest onto the bench next to the foreigner. He wasn't likely to take the food from her hand now that she had properly irritated him.
"My question stands. You say you're working for your food, but here you sit. Are you burying it to keep it safe?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:28 am
"That requires coin." Mumbled Emiyn in protest as he glanced away from the geian who seemed so full of ideas about what he should be doing. The Matori's cheeks flushed, a mixture of embarrassment and frustration darkening them to a shade of violet. He could simply walk away but he was too tired and then there was the sandwich that kept taking his attention despite his best intentions to ignore it. His stomach twisted in protest, hunger pains striking him since he hadn't eaten today considering his recent loss of coin. Emiyn had been doing somewhat okay and had been affording at least one meal a day before getting robbed and his body was not happy to be skipping any meals without warning. At this point it felt like the sandwich was just taunting him and he found his fingers itching to reach out towards the food, a realization which had him slamming both hands back into his lap.
"Should I have?" Emiyn replied with a frown, his flush growing as she got closer to the truth of the situation. "I suppose that would have been an idea to avoid this situation." He found himself quipping before sighing and glancing back towards her. "Look, I've been working for food and I don't want anyone's pity but....recent circumstances set me back. I just have to take the time to start saving again once I find some new work around the city." It was just a bit harder to find work recently was all. He could do smaller errands but it appeared that no one wanted to hire the Matori to a real job since apparently being from the mainland made him unqualified for several positions because there was so much he still did not know about Belrea as a country. He was too frail to do heavy lifting and it was hard to sell his services as a mage when you had an Academy to study science and magic both. Who would want a nature mage in a bustling city like this?
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:11 pm
"Circumstances?" Yokka's brow cocked curiously. He was quite the pathetic sight... perhaps he was saying that others had taken advantage of that image? It wouldn't be the first time. With so many newcomers, there were always those willing to benefit from someone else's lack of knowledge. "I don't think giving someone who looks starved and cold is exactly pity, but you do you champ." Without much consideration for the moment, she found herself dropping down at the other end of the bench, her arms stretching to hang over the back in an absurdly relaxed manner. After all her own concerns would soon be over! "So what are these circumstances that got you sitting here?" She rolled her eyes over to give the man a pointed look while chewing on her final bite. "If you lost it gambling or something, go wash dishes at the pub in exchange for food. That's the only way you'll get a steady meal."
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:17 pm
Emiyn shot her a look in confusion. "Then what do you call it, exactly?" He quipped back with some genuine curiosity. Kindness? But would she have thought to even offer anything if he looked better dressed and wasn't shivering in a blanket? The next thing he knew she was suddenly sitting on the same bench as him and Emiyn nearly jumped at the quick movement. He definitely had not been expecting that! The horrible part was that he could easily imagine someone leading her along like this to get pity or kindness from the geian. Definitely easy coin if it can be found Emiyn was abashed by his own pessimistic thoughts and he found himself letting out a sigh, his gaze pointedly on the path in front of them and not towards the stranger or her offered food.
"They had someone washing dishes already and either way I'm not a gambler." He replied quietly with a flush. "I try to avoid wasting my coin on foolish risks like that. I came overseas with some Obans but we had several disagreements. Afterwards certain things just happened to be expensive but they were a priority and then when I had regained some coin for savings it...disappeared." Pickpocketed when he had gotten his attention taken by someone asking for help. Emiyn's expression fell at the thought. He truly did look gullible for even children to trick him and steal his belongings.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:53 pm
She opened her mouth to reply, but paused and let her head fall back instead. He had a point... what would she call it if it wasn't pity? She was offering food because it looked like he needed it, meaning that she felt bad for him on some level.... "Some fancy word between sympathy and charity. ..Symparity." she finally decided, smirking over at the man. "Can't say I'd readily accept a meal if our positions were flipped, but damned if I won't at least offer when I'm on this side of the fence."
She listened intently to his story. So he had at least tried the dishes idea already. That was a good sign. "How did you regain that initial money? Could you just do that again?" Pursing her lips, she rotated to face the Matorian a bit more fully. Of all the new races to come to Belrea, the pure Matorians sure had the most interesting features in her opinion. "What kind of work would you do if you could?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 7:39 pm
"Symparity." Emiyn repeated almost in disbelief before actually letting out a chuckle. Well he certainly hadn't been expecting that one! The Matori shook his head before finally relenting and grabbing the other piece of the sandwich. At this point it would be rude to reject someone's genuine offer even if it did feel a bit shameful....I suppose beggars can't be choosers. Though he didn't want to be a beggar at all which was the main part of the problem. Just thinking of living on someone else's charity made his stomach tighten into uncomfortable knots. He refused to be like his mother whose existence and comforts were based on someone else's whims.
"Trading and lots of hard work gathering what I can from little odd jobs here and there." He admitted with a sigh. "Hard to trade things when you ran out a bit ago." Emiyn gave a slight shrug. He didn't have any real connections to his Oban trinkets but they had been helpful in gaining some easy coin in the markets. His lips pursed thoughtfully at her question as he lifted his arms weakly. "I'm not the heaviest lifter around so I would suggest a preference for anything that could benefit from magical skills and the like. I'm good at maps and navigating, especially with weather." He was mostly attuned to nature which made him feel even more out of place in a world so full of technology....another sigh left his lips at the thought. They had the Academy here and so what was the need for any elemental mage? "Talk about a great way to start the New Year..."
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 3:50 pm
The wind blew her long hair around her face, making her growl and push it back into a messy bun. The chill of the wind just emphasized the man's unlucky situation. It certainly sounded like he had both feet in the mud. Just back to working too hard and- "You said maps and weather?" she asked, instantly perking up and leaning forward with interest. She pursed her lips a moment as she inspected him. "If you have water legs, go out to the docks. Look for a ship called the Misty Maiden. It's looking to head out to Kahikina soon, and I bet someone like you could be useful. Earn your keep and listen to the boss, I bet you'd do pretty good."
Abruptly, she jumped to her feet and casually stretched her arms over her head. "Or, stay here and, you know, beg and stuff."
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:05 pm
A little movement of his finger and the wind could easily dissipate but Emiyn settled for just enjoying the familiar feeling as it brushed through his own wavy hair. Unlike the geian who seemed disgruntled by the movement, Emiyn was feeling more relaxed with the wind's comforting touch. "Excuse me?" He found himself blinking at her in disbelief. "You think...I could be on some crew for a ship?" Already his mind was racing with the possibilities. Could he trust her? Hadn't she already given hints that she didn't have any ulterior motives and that she was probably an actual person with good intentions? Emiyn tried to piece the puzzle together in his mind before finding himself flustered by her next words.
"I-I don't!" He protested, his cheeks flushing a deep violet as he clutched the piece of sandwich that he had taken for himself, "I didn't ask for this technically." Emiyn muttered beneath his breath before standing as well to give himself some sort of feeling of importance. Like the spirits if he was just going to sit still and let her walk away after teasing him about begging! The Matori raised his chin boldly towards the geian. "I'll see about this ship then and see you there." He replied loudly before turning away, his sandwich and blanket both clutched tightly against his chest. He could always inspect the docks tomorrow and maybe find out how real this Misty Maiden truly was. Either way there was a strange blooming feeling in his chest as he peeked back towards the woman before darting away. Was this truly his chance to try and find his way in this foreign place? From one foreign land to another....talk about the beginnings of a strange, new year.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:26 pm
"I think you could. Of course, I don't know.. but I think you could." Yokka couldn't help smirking as the guy stood up. The fact that the guy had this much spunk was encouraging. "Don't wait too long, or we'll set sail without you," she called out, grin brightening with interest. Surely Ephrym wouldn't mind her nudging an extra crewman his way; especially one who supposedly had decent skills. Time would tell if the Matorian was bluffing. As it was.. she didn't think it was false.
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