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 Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:56 pm
Quote: Tendaji may not be bustling like the cities of ages past, but that doesn't mean someone can live their life without encountering someone else who is a bit...different. What is the story of you meeting a person who is going in the opposite direction. Maybe they are traveling and you meet in a cross roads, or maybe they are settling down to start a family while you're getting ready to leave. Or possibly it's someone with such a different personality it's like oil and water. This is your chance to tell us that story and what happens when you cross paths.[ This prompt is all about crossing paths - briefly and of characters who wouldn't normally find themselves interacting with each other. Explore what happens when two people who are going in opposite directions (figuratively or literally) find themselves briefly encountering one another. We would like to see strangers meet on this one, so take some time to bring your characters out of their comfort zones. ]
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
 ilistohpost oneIlistoh was sure he didn't blink for a full three minutes after hopping off of the cart in Oba. Where everything in Belrea had been frantic and metallic, here the world was sandy and... sultry? He wasn't sure that was the best word to describe this place, but right now he had no other way to convey this languid heat and the locals' flowing clothing with a concise descriptor. He couldn't believe someone had summoned him here like he was notorious. He suspected that this Thess was simply very well traveled, but the fact that his family's collection had impressed the leaf enough to recommend his services was unexpected. Ilistoh didn't like dwelling on it, but he knew he was barely a trader at all.
The boy swallowed. It was time to find this mysterious buyer. All he had been given was a short list of physical traits and a location. He stood outside the Bright Sands Boutique, shifting his bag from shoulder to shoulder and looking at everyone who passed for a bit longer than was polite.
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
 serrpost oneSerr watched the young man linger near the front of the shop before he stepped outside, but even then he didn't approach. Thess had given him a secret phrase he was meant to use in order to let this kid know he wanted to do business, but it felt odd to walk up to a stranger and initiate a conversation about buying garbage. No, not garbage. Secondhand merchandise. He hoped that something caught his eye. If nothing did, he could always take an item or two from someone else, but Serr was trying to keep this particular gift above board. No stealing unless it was absolutely necessary.
He sidled up to the trader, not looking him in the eye until he was standing right beside him.
"The moon shines brighter on a snapptrotter in Zena than a scorra in Belrea."
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
ilistohpost two"What? Oh!"
The man standing in front of him was tall, but not as tall as Ilistoh himself, his long hair and golden cuff marking him as the person he was supposed to meet. Nevermind that he was spouting gibberish. Ilistoh could work with that.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Given the description that was shared with me, you must be the one I was sent to do business with." He smiled broadly and held out his hand.
"I'm Ilistoh. May your scorras be fluffy."
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
serrpost twoGreat. Trust Thess to make him look like some weirdo, even when his friend wasn't even around to enjoy his discomfort.
"Serr." He looked at Ilistoh's hand before shaking it briefly and firmly. "I'm sorry. You met Thess? He likes playing tricks. I do want to buy something though. A gift. What kinds of things do you have?" Even though this was for Eziya, who he liked to think he knew, he had never quite figured out what made a good present for her. He had always given her things he found interesting and she had accepted them... like she was humoring a child. A frown crossed his features and smoothed again just as quickly.
"It would be nice if it was unexpected. Useful, maybe?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
ilistohpost three"Yep! He said he was passing through. I don't know why he wanted me to sell you my wares over any other trader, but I wasn't going to pass up a free trip to Oba, trick or not."
He was glad he had taken Thess up on the offer. Ilistoh's smile persisted as he opened his bag and reached inside, digging in up to his shoulder. "Shall we find somewhere quiet to look everything over?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
serrpost threeThis kid was a little weird, but honestly that made Serr like him more. Though that might have been the whole shifter thing. It was subtle, but Ilistoh's hair and ears were familiar after his time in Jauhar, and Serr had a soft spot for shifters.
"Where do you usually live?" He motioned for the trader to follow, then led the way to a nearby cafe that doubled as a music store, hundreds of eclectic instruments hanging from every inch of the walls. He wasn't a musician, but the owner of this place let him use a side room in exchange for delivering her shady messages. He sat, fiddling with his hair so it wouldn't end up under him, then rested his hands on the table.
"Sorry. So... what d'ya got?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
ilistohpost four"Sauti, originally," Ilistoh replied, rummaging in his bag as he spoke. It was an excellent satchel, bought with the money he'd received in exchange for one of his mother's maps. "But I was in Belrea most recently. Have you ever been? It's busy. But, you know, in an interesting way. Lots of stories to collect."
He considered what to put on display, deciding to bring the ring out first. Jewelry was always popular.
"I think it's a beautiful piece," he said, pinching it between his forefinger and thumb. "It was once from Zena. I was told it was an heirloom passed down for several generations."
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
serrpost fourSerr leaned closer, peering at the thin line of bright, swirling stone that cut through the dark ring. It reminded him of the moon. He would have happily lifted such a thing off of some unsuspecting noble, but this was to be a gift, something that he hoped would turn a new page in the story of their lives. He would gladly pay for something with so much potential significance.
"I've never been off of the mainland," he admitted. "This is as far south as I've ever gone." For someone who liked to wander, his range really wasn't that impressive.
He examined the ring for a few more silent seconds, then nodded. "We can start with this. Do you want to make a pile or...?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:57 pm
ilistohpost five"Me too. Travelling south, I mean. But I do recommend Belrea, if you're interested."
His buyer's quiet demeanor was a little unnerving, though that was probably only Ilistoh's interpretation. He sat in polite silence, holding the ring still as Serr examined it thoroughly. When he announced that he wanted to start a pile of purchases, Ilistoh grinned as he looked in his bag for something to rest everything on, settling on a picture book in what he thought was Jauharan.
"Certainly. I'll put them here." Now, what to offer next? He hadn't anticipated the ring being so readily accepted.
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:58 pm
serrpost five"I'll take that too," Serr said, looking at the book. "If it's for sale."
The sudden appearance of something intended for children was surely a sign that he was headed down the correct path, and he couldn't ignore it. He was uncharacteristically nervous about this whole thing, but the book comforted him. If Ilistoh wouldn't sell it to him, Serr would find another one someplace else.
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:58 pm
ilistohpost six"Oh. Yeah, certainly."
He hadn't brought the book to sell to Serr in particular, but he wouldn't object if it was taken off his hands. Ilistoh placed it underneath the ring and returned to his bag. He'd barely had to work to convince Serr to take the ring, and now this. It felt nice, but he was pretty sure he'd never have a sale this easy again.
After some hesitation, Ilistoh brought out three items next: a smooth, blue gem, a sparkling candle, and a silver half mask with a swirling design around its vacant eyes. He looked all three over, swiftly choosing the rock to start with. He took a deep breath.
"I heard this tale from one who was there."
"There once was a Yaeli village called Marim—not as large as Jodove nor as small as Vares. A young girl named Athra lived there, and she loved that village and its people more than anything else in Tendaji. On her way to her lessons each day, Athra waved at everyone she passed, and they greeted her in return, their smiling faces a friendly constant. One morning, she awoke just as she had for years. Her mother prepared lunch as always, and Athra stepped through her front door and turned toward the schoolhouse. She headed down the road, hand poised to wave, but after a handful of steps, she stopped."
s**t. He'd said 'hand' twice, hadn't he? Ilistoh glanced down at his own and swallowed. Perhaps Serr hadn't noticed.
"Something was wrong."
"There, where the blacksmith usually sat, was an empty porch, her rocking chair creaking in the breeze. Tairis, the butcher's son, ran past, the cape he had made out of one of his mother's old aprons flapping behind him. 'It's the dretch!' he barked. 'They have us surrounded! Everyone's meeting at the pub! C'mon!'"
"Athra stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do. She was terrified of the dretch, but she didn't want to run away either. She narrowed her eyes in the direction of the pub, then turned the opposite way and hurried home."
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:58 pm
serrpost sixSerr hadn't taken note of any of Ilistoh's verbal stumbles or awkward pauses. He sat entranced, caught by Athra's story and this young man's skill at telling it.
"Yeah? So? What next?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:58 pm
ilistohpost sevenIlistoh's eyes brightened as he stifled a joyful nod.
"Okay. So, once Athra got home, she went straight to her room and searched for this gem." He turned the stone under the light to show the pale pink veins within. "Despite how it looks now, back then it was completely blue. She had picked it up from a traveler who told her it could store anything too heavy to carry, and the village of Marim certainly fit that description."
"Athra kneeled on the ground and held the gem like this..." Ilistoh cupped it in his hands. "And she wished. Athra wished for her town to be safe and its people to be with her always."
"The magic listened. It pulled Athra, her town, and all its people inside, sending them far away from danger. And now, years later, they're right here with us."
He cleared his throat, leaving room for applause he knew wouldn't come from this audience, but might someday in the future.
"So... Are you interested in..." He bounced the stone in his palm and tried to look like a serious merchant.
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:58 pm
serrpost sevenSerr didn't believe a word of it. There were no magic stones that could make you a hero or bottle what you held dear. But it was a nice story. Hopeful. The kind of tale he might one day tell his... well... his children. Serr's smile was small, a rare sight for those who weren't Eziya.
"Yes. The book, the gem, and the ring. I'll take them all."
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