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 Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2022 10:01 am
A concept called Rask Kjærlighet had swept through Zena's capital like wild fire and news of it eeked like a plague upon the continent. Any such tavern or eatery could host it, provided that both food and drink were provided at little cost to it's patrons. For a small fee singles would be given a number at the door with half staying seated at their table while the others shuffled from spot to spot after a determined amount of time. The purpose was to facilitate many dates as quickly as possible so that one might find their soul mate while they were still in their prime.
Finn was just here for the food.
He'd worn clean clothes, because if he hadn't they wouldn't let him in, and for a few measly copper he had been allowed to stuff his face with as much as he wanted. All he had to do first was sit at this table, answer a few questions, pass them on and be done with things. Of course his partners could pass immediately, which a few had upon seeing his scars, but some had stayed to at least talk.
Then a change was called and he waited for the next.
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Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2022 10:57 am
Maybe it was because of the revelation that Taaru had a girlfriend or the fact that she was simply bored and hungry, but Katori found herself getting drafted into this Rask Kjærlighet event. Being so focused on traveling as of late meant bare minimum supplies, including food which was a disaster for the girl who was so accustomed to specialty meals, and so the appealing smell of spiced meat and other delicacies had made her wander away from the markets and towards the tavern. Surely it wouldn't be such a bad idea to enjoy some food and talk with strangers at the same time. Katori didn't have to actually date anyone she met here and thankfully no one seemed outright disgusting as her partners shifted. In the chaos of the crowds though she had missed one vital thing - the appearance of an all too familiar purple haired fiend.
As she settled in the chair across from Finn, Katori's expression immediately shifted from a polite smile and into a scowl. "They actually allowed you into this type of event?" She managed as the hourglass timing the event flipped and started to slowly drip down the sands. At this rate it really did seem like the spirits were laughing at the pair of them. If it wasn't for the appearance of new dumplings at their table the girl would have walked away, but she settled for grabbing one instead before the beast devoured everything in sight.
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2022 6:35 pm
"...what in the seven hells..." Finn grumbled under his breath and slumped back in his seat. He'd been on his best behavior for the entirety of his journey through Jauhar and now that he'd passed into Tale he couldn't imagine what misfortune he must have done to endure this punishment. The moment he'd seen the color of her tunic Finn knew it was Katori and since he wasn't one for denial, no matter how tempting it was, he resigned himself to it.
If he wanted free food he was going to have to sit through a 'date' with her and pretend to look happy for it. "Shouldn't you be punching a bear somewhere?" He quipped, darting his hand out as quick as a keldari's strike to take a dumpling of his own. The fact he hadn't simply taken the plate said much of his training, but Finn was thinking of it.
"You can afford food; why are you here? Lonely up on that pedestal? Or are you just trying to knock the bats out of your cave?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2022 4:48 pm
"The spirits surely hate me." Moaned Katori under her breath as she resigned herself to the fact that she was at a dating event with Finn. Of all the places to reunite with the frustrating Yaeli this was the last one she would have imagined! Katori rolled her eyes at Finn's quip as she popped the dumpling into her mouth, freely chewing since there was no need for manners next to this heathen. At least the food was heavenly and a much better fare than her simple travel fare. And surprisingly she managed to get another of the dumplings since Finn hadn't poured them all into his mouth as expected. So that was a plus.
She did nearly choke though at the crudeness of his next comments and while a deep flush turned her cheeks violet, the girl had to remember that it was very ill-mannered to flip a table at someone. "I thought it would be a fun experience and a chance to catch up on anything interesting since I haven't been in this area for nearly a year." She managed finally, scowling at him for even thinking about any....well bats in her cave! Ugh, who even taught him something like that? It shouldn't surprise her since he seemed to only be educated in any form of insult, something he specialized in with that prickly attitude.
"I'm surprised you haven't just eaten everything and ran yet." She settled back in her chair, her fingers tapping against her elbow from where she had her arms crossed. They were stuck here until the glass changed anyways so what was the point of even playing pretend? Surely she could get out of this soon enough, right? "Or honestly I'm surprised you haven't run amok with a pack of witu or something in the woods. They could keep you just as well fed as this event and you wouldn't have to worry about trying to appear pleasant or remotely like others for food. Unless you're actually thinking you can woo someone here? I'm sure you'd have much better chances out in the wild if that's the case."
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 12:49 pm
While she was busy trying not to choke (though that may have been preferable) Finn reached for another dumpling. Even if his mouth was currently full he stuffed the second one up his shirt sleeve. The poor thing was squished beyond belief thanks to his form fitting coat, but the yaeli was nothing if not determined. By the end even the sharpest of eyes would be hard pressed to find the dumpling. That is, if one could ignore the stain.
"Go talk to a vendor, then. All those women do is talk." He groused. Surely there was other ways for her to have fun in this village? If she was that desperate for attention he was sure she could just open that tunic of hers, flash a few people on the road and that would be that.
Saying so would have just angered her further and as much as he really didn't care he didn't want to ruin this chance at food.
"I'm just covering my end of a bargain." This time Finn didn't so much as hide the food as he did lift the entire plate off the table and sit back. He tipped his seat back so that only the rear two legs were on the ground, crossed one leg over his knees, sat the plate on his lap and threw an arm over the back. "Every time someone new comes by something new is brought out so thanks for that at least." He saluted her with a dumpling before eating it.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 10:08 am
Katori had to resist the urge to drag her fingers down her face. Finn definitely was something wasn't he? Settling for a slight roll of her eyes instead of the more dramatic reaction, the girl simply stole a final dumpling before Finn found some other place to stuff it. "I'm surprised you can make such a statement. You've found a vendor or any woman willing to talk for so long with you that you didn't immediately chase off?" More so she would have been astonished to see him lingering long enough without either stealing whatever food there was or giving some rude comment and walking away. The very fact that he was actually sitting at a table now was amazing but Katori knew it was the power that food held over the Yaeli keeping him in place. Why she stayed here was another mystery though it could be simply from the desire to try and save other participants from having to endure this one's company.
A lout 'pfft' of disbelief and amusement escaped her lips before she could stop it. It was like one of those small squirrels that stuffed all the nuts into their cheeks before burying even more in their home for the winter. It would almost be considered adorable if the person before her wasn't such a menance."You really are something special, Finn." Katori quipped as she watched him eat the dumpling. "So what's your plan after getting enough food stored away for the winter from this event? Do you keep bar hopping throughout the weeks until you finally make it to Zena?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 11:08 am
"Believe it or not, most aren't as rude as you are." He pointed it out as if it were a normal fact, complete with a mouthful of dumpling and a look that said she should have known that already. While he wouldn't consider all of his conversations with strangers pleasant, Katori was really the only one who consistently seemed to chaff after just seeing him. A part of him felt some sort of perverse pride in that; it really was heart warming that he could give her as much grief as she was so determined to give him.
"If they keep offering meals then sure." The yaeli shrugged his thin shoulders. "The odd jobs I do pay for rides on the back of caravans so this covers meals at least. I could go back to stealing, but I'm sure you wouldn't like that either." Ever since his stint with Tac in Oba Finn had tried not to get himself into trouble as much with the law. If he was really desperate he would, but then again his version of 'starving' differed so greatly from everyone elses that his morals were still skewed. "What about you? Slinking on home to recharge before you go back to sucking souls?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 11:33 am
Katori's lips pressed into a fine line as she tried to hold back her frustrations. "Rude? The last I recall I was the one who was trying to be nice when you opted to instead spit in my face because you couldn't accept that strangers can simply be kind without wanting anything in return." She had shared a meal with him because he seemed hungry but he had turned that into a very infuriating situation, the very memory making her sigh at how ridiculous the whole ordeal had been. Would it have been so hard to accept help? Sure he can pocket all the dumplings without regard for things like pride but.... Katori straightened her shoulders and refused to let him get the better of her today. "The most recent fun we had together saved you from being a wanted murderer." That thief had deserved some form of punishment but Finn had almost gone way too far with it! Justice not revenge...
"Huh." The dry laugh from Katori seemed to cloud the conversations of other couples nearby. "As if you care about my opinion." She mused at his comment concerning stealing. "Someone else must have smacked sense into you concerning theft at least. I should thank them." Her silver gaze flashed before she simply let out another sigh as if dismissing his newest jab. "You should know me better than that. I'm going to look for some bears to punch since helping strays just leads to trouble." The bell chimed but Katori held a hand up towards the server, a ticket in hand. "I'll use my second round here so we can continue our lovely conversation." She flashed a smile towards Finn. "Surely you won't mind? They'll be bringing more food either way."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 11:46 am
Finn rolled his eyes. "Now the lies; I've never spat in your face." He'd been snippy and brusque, but he would have remembered hocking a wad at her smug maw. "You overstayed your welcome and wanted to be commended for it. Congratulations, you're a true saint." Ah, and wasn't it nice now that he had bigger words to call upon. Granted, he probably used them all in that sentence, but it felt nice.
"You're only a stray if you've lost your home; not if you never had one to begin with." Gods above, she wanted to stay? What kind of fresh hell was this? Part of him desperately wanted to opt out of this round, but she was right - there would be more food regardless of his partner.
Still, the look he passed her was one of abject loathing.
"I hope they bring bread so you can choke on it."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 12:01 pm
Katori raised an eyebrow, amusement or frustrations making her lips twitch as she forced a smile - which of the two emotions she honestly couldn't decide herself. "It was a figure of speech, but surely you knew that." She took a breath at his admission and for a moment her gaze softened with mixed emotions before the appearance of the server with more food gained her attention. Don't falter, he's just a pain in the a**. She reminded herself sharply as she took a slice of said bread and cut a knife into some specialty cheese to eat along with it. How ironic that this round would be bread with some fine cheese and meats. If only it came with more wine, something Katori nearly asked for before behaving herself.
"With how you eat I think the chances are more in my favor of watching you choke instead." She replied as casually as possible before twisting a piece of the bread and taking her sweet time to chew it, the young hybrid swallowing dramatically before taking a drink of water to wash the bite down. She studied Finn before waiting on him to take all that he pleased. "Zena can be a harsh country to travel through...especially if you're going towards the far north." She mentioned casually. "That meat should last a while if you store it properly, same with that cheese which is more golden. The white one spoils a bit too quickly."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 12:25 pm
The joke was on her; Finn bypassed the bread entirely, grabbed a handful of meats and cheeses, and started to knead them into a ball. Once he had all of the specially chosen delicacies into a horribly grotesque wad he took a bite. A woman at the table not too far from them, a younger leaf hybrid by the looks of it, happened it catch sight of it at the wrong time and promptly turned to look away.
Even as he ate he passed her a quirked brow. Storing food? He supposed he could if he wanted to save any of this. Still, even though he'd grown full a long time ago Finn wasn't one to just stop. If he did he would just obsess about it later and wake up with the urge to feed.
"I can handle being cold; nearly froze a few times back on Yael when it rained. Ain't new. But I'll keep that in mind about the cheese." Raising his left hand, Finn held his fingers up for inspection. Beyond the scars and obvious previous breaks there was a darkness to the tips of his fingers. "Numb."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 12:38 pm
"That's....appealing." Katori managed after a moment. Why wouldn't he just go straight for the meats and cheese like that? It all ended up in his stomach eventually as it was. "One day you'll just explode." She murmured with a soft sigh, almost like a parent chastising a child. Didn't he know that eating like that could really bite him in the a** one day? They needed to splash water at his hands and train him to stop grabbing everything ins ight. Poor things could go from starving to wanting to eat everything and make their situation even worse since their stomachs couldn't handle so much food.
"You're so screwed." The casual phrase escaped Katori's lips before she could help it. The girl quickly raised a finger in the air to silence any quip from Finn, as if that would help but still. "I mean the cold in Zena can be a bit more intense and if you've almost lost your fingers before...do you even know what area of Zena you're going towards?" She broke another piece of bread off, her frustrations showing in how quickly she ripped the bread. Katori already despised the words that were coming to mind but she refused to have someone's blood on her hands, especially if they were already on the same path. It would probably just bring her more trouble to try and avoid him considering how often they kept running into each other lately. "The spirits would surely bring me bad luck if I let some fool simply go and die in their wilderness. I have to go to Zena myself so just endure my company until I can leave you be somewhere without worrying over a potential dead body in the mountains." Her silver gaze narrowed as she ripped into the bread again and took a bite. "If you even..." She swallowed her mouthful and pointed the rest of the loaf towards Finn. "...think you can escape then you'll surely be haunted by me wherever you go in Zena." He wasn't the only stubborn a** sitting at this table after all.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 1:03 pm
He was so close to saying something, even with a mouthful of food, but then she raised her finger. With a frown, Finn settled back and chewed his bite. As a sorcerer he could handle himself. He'd been trained - albeit, in mostly how to channel his uncontrollable magic as opposed to actual spells - but it was more than enough. If he could light a candle instead of accidentally setting a stockhouse on fire then he could survive Zena.
"All I have to do is return the staff and...yeah, so I don't know where exactly it's from there can be many mages like him so it can't be hard." At first he'd assumed Zena was the name of a city, but now that he was actually in Tendaji Finn realized how screwed he was. The moment Tac brought up a map Finn's heart sank. The frigid north was massive, but he had a job and he had to see it through. "A man saved me from death in Yael. He was stupid and should have cared about himself, but he didn't. Then he did die before he could come home so I'm doing it for him. So...tag along if it'll get you to shut up but I'm going."
Every fiber of his body was screaming. The very last thing Finn wanted was to sit at the table with Katori let alone undergo a journey with her. Still, she knew the area and while he was confident in his ability to survive he was less sure about actually finding where the Zenan's home had been.
The moment the loaf was pointed at him Finn snatched it. Or at least, as much as he could grab. "I'm sure your ghost would sound like a squawking bird and it's s**t would probably look like one."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 1:34 pm
"All the more reason for you to not want it around." Replied Katori with one of her loveliest smiles. "Sounds like we're in agreement though. I don't want your ghost haunting my homeland since I can only imagine how pleasant yours would sound." Her gaze was somewhat softer though despite her words. So Finn had some sense of responsibility after all. Would it be a bad time to say her family was full of mages? Probably. She'd just let him devour the food for now and they could hash out details later.
The bell chimed and this time Katori stood. "Enjoy your other dates. I'll be waiting by the entrance when it's all over." She advised before walking away, her thoughts already occupied about the necessities she would need to keep this rabid Yaeli from destroying himself in Zena. A coat first...it'll have to be crude though because something fancy would just make him snippy...maybe I'll roll it in the mud to make it look like some sort of rough pelt to suit him. Spirits. This trip was definitely going to be something alright.
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