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 Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 8:59 am
I N T R O D U C T I O N x S O L O
Pass Me By "Psh, so it's... this way to get back on the main road?" A tall young man questioned the air as he swished his weight over to his right leg. Settling his hand on his hip, he squinted down the path ahead, scrutinizing it through narrowed yellow irises. "Mmm, these buildings all look the same. Have I really not tried this route before?" He raised a hand to tangle his fingers through the auburn curls atop his head in thought, giving them a gentle tug as if this would help coax some form of recollection from his mind. But his sense of direction remained as cloudy as ever. Hair pulling likely wouldn't change that.
When Skadravi first made his return to the Oban city he'd grown up in, he didn't know what to expect. Well, perhaps that was a lie. He'd expected warmth and recognition from the city-folk. He'd never been a popular lad, but since the war had ended, it scarcely seemed right to continue to hold a grudge against him for the mere sake of his parentage. It wasn't as if he'd been in control of their actions. But unfortunately, his attempts to ask for directions through the winding streets to his mother's residence were met only with sneers, spits, barks, and the occasional cold shoulder. If anything, the people treated him worse than they had when he'd actually lived here. Poor saps embittered by the loss of their servants, no doubt; more things that were not Dravi's problem.
His immediate focus was on returning home (if he could find it), collecting his young pureblooded Fire half-sister, and delivering her safely to their mother's side in Juahar. She'd been too small to join them when they set out for the battlefront, but now that most outright confrontations were dwindling, Zhakara was ready for her daughter to join them in the strange new land. Skadravi was more than pleased to retrieve her, to give his mother time to set up an appropriate abode for the younger lass.
He ambled on down the dirt roads, arms crossed casually behind his head as he did his best to ignore the jeers from the Fire passerby. Strangely, even a few of the Water Earthlings that lingered, despite being granted freedom in the war's aftermath, reserved their most piteous looks for him. As if he was a traitor to their kind for daring to be half of what had enslaved them. They could think of him what they would, but if they truly wanted him gone in a timely fashion, really all they needed to do was grant him directions to-
"Dravi!"
He spun on his heel, arms falling to his sides as a scowling petite girl approached him. Despite the unamused tone of voice and the annoyance she wore across her face, the hybrid broke into a grin. "Zenagi!" With a chirp of delight, his feet carried him to stand before her, collecting the girl in his larger arms even as she protested.
"You oaf," his sister barked, shoving her palms against his chest in an effort to remove him. "Ugh, look at you! You smell awful and you look exhausted," she complained, noting the creases in his face as she reared away from his apparently uninviting scent. "Mother's note said you'd be here days ago! What took you so long, you brainless skin-sack of waste?"
Still smiling faintly, he released her, letting her dust herself of any imaginary grime that could be removed with a simple flick of fingers. "Maneuvering the city proved to be a little too much for me by myself," Dravi explained sheepishly. "I thought for sure I'd be able to handle it, since I did live here for thirteen years... But I suppose not. The people weren't particularly helpful, either." He tipped his head a fraction, reaching to tap her nose with the tip of his index finger. "Guess I'm just lucky you were out and about today."
Zenagi disinterestedly flicked his hand from her face. "As always," she scoffed, gaze narrowing on him. "One day that luck will run out. You could stand to be a little more careful." She pointedly jabbed him in the chest. Twice, for emphasis. "Our mother risked a lot by keeping you, and only because your father begged. It would've been easier on her, and him, and me to just be rid of you before she started showing. Give her proper respect and do something worthwhile with your life." With a huff and flip of hair befitting of a young noblewoman, she spun away from him, striding off back down the road with only a beckoning hand waved over her shoulder to show that Dravi was permitted to follow.
"If you'd arrived earlier, we could've set off in a timely fashion... Instead, I expect you'll want to sleep the night away. Really, what good are older brothers if they can't even do things right?"
Most people would only feel slightly disheartened by the brash words and tone of voice, but Skadravi only grinned waywardly. "Aye, the trip was rough! Best see to it that I'm fed at some point too, little sister."x
x
Results: Skadravi catches up with his little sis.
Word Count: 860
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:07 pm
C L A S S x AF F I N I T Y xS O L O
As Mother Says A high-pitched whine slipped from the girl riding passenger while Dravi guided his bushi mount through the thick forests of Juahar. "Mother really prefers this place to home?" Zenagi whispered, her arms threaded about her half-brother's middle and her front plastered to his back. From his position, Dravi could feel her head swiveling back and forth, on the constant alert for whatever danger may be lurking. "It's dark. And creepy," she complained on a whisper.
Skadravi merely shrugged. "'Prefers' is probably too strong a word," he admitted. "But she likes to explore. This place is new and interesting, and you know your dad would never come here. She'll get tired of it before long, though. Just you wait."
"But why did I have to go with you? If she wanted me, Mother should've come and retrieved me herself. Otherwise, I could've stayed with Father. He never would've condoned this had he known!"
Dravi snorted. "Well, we're here now. If mother wants me to take you back, I-"
"Here?!" Zenagi shrieked, cutting him off. "This is just a bunch of trees and dirt and mud! There's nothing here! Why would mother think this was interesting?"
The hybrid boy grinned in spite of himself. He, personally, was not partial to Juahar. His sister certainly wasn't, and he knew his mother would grow bored of it in time. But the darkness, the moist heat, and the bugs only slightly detracted from what the natives had created here. He turned to peek over his shoulder at his sister, gave her a little nudge with his elbow, and pointed toward the treetops. With a huff, she turned her gaze skyward. Up above, half-obscured by darkness and greenery were buildings, bridges, ropes of vine. If Zenagi squinted hard enough, she could see people traipsing around as comfortable as if they were on the ground. "It's..."
"Not home," Dravi admitted. "But still quite amazing..."
Ma was, of course, as thrilled and exuberant about seeing her children as ever. She greeted them warmly, with chirps of delight, hugs, and kisses to the forehead. She beckoned her children along, ignoring the way her daughter grumbled and complained about everything. She showed them their temporary 'home;' a cottage-like shell in the trees, sectioned off by branches and limbs and made stable by boards beneath their feet. Skadravi would call it nothing, if not 'interesting.' Zenagi grumbled about privacy.
But after the exchange of greetings and a tour of the small village, Dravi and his mother were back and the forest floor, hunkering around a fire pit and roasting some insect-like creature to soften its out carapace for dinner.
"You've got your thinking face on, Dravi," Zhakara pointed out as the younger lad prodded the dead bug with a stick.
"Hm?" He hummed, blinking up at her quickly in faint startlement. "Oh. I guess I do."
"What are you thinking about?"
Dravi's brows pinched together as the tip of his tongue poked between his lips. It wouldn't do for her to know that he'd been dwelling on something Zenagi said to him. The younger lass was always saying derogatory things, and Dravi should know better than to take any of it to heart. Still, it didn't mean it didn't weigh on him. And as much as he hated to admit to her ever being right, she... sort of was, in this instance. After an encouraging nudge from his mother (which was basically the stabbing of her elbow into his ribcage), he ruefully grumbled out, "It's... about you. And me. Us, I suppose."
She leaned back a fraction, concern appearing on her cheeks as she reached to touch his shoulder. "Dravi?"
"It's..."He heaved a groan and a sigh, shaking his head to try and coax out some form of clarity of cohesive sentence. "My life? I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. I can't follow you forever, as much as I'd enjoy that."
"Well, you could." She shrugged.
"No," Skadravi insisted. "And that's hardly the point, in any case. I'm a young man now." He straightened, tipping his nose to the treetops. "And you've already risked a good deal for me. Zenagi said-"
Understanding dawned on Zhakara in an instant. "Ah, this is about Zenagi. Now I see."
Dravi scoffed, cheeks puffing as he glowered at the old woman. "Ofcourse it is! Everything bad in the world stems from her!" The woman tucked a smile behind her hand. "But... she's not wrong. I don't know how or where, but I am going to do something. Something to be remembered by. And if it means leaving you, then..." He shrugged a little, doing his best not to frown in the face of leaving his mother dearest behind.
"Do you dislike it here so much?"
"What? No! I didn't- Are you even listening? Ma!"
She leaned over, looping her arm about his shoulder and resting her head against his own curly tangles. "You do what you need to do, Skadravi. I know sometimes it doesn't seem like it, but you are always welcome at my side. You have a home with me, and Kanovu, though your step-father doesn't show it. Legally, what is his, is mine. And what is mine, is yours. If you wish to forge your own path,then I would never stop you."
"But," And the sly shift of her voice had Dravi peering back at her in curiosity. "I can advise you. Your 'father's' estate is teaming with more precious metal than he knows what to do with." She dipped down, resting her chin on her palm. "I don't have much here that I could lend to your travels, besides Ruindego, who is yours to take, but if you return to the estate, you'll find things that might be of just as much use as your bushi."
Dravi snorted. "Kanovu would never hand over anything of value to the hybrid scum of his harlot wife."
Zhakara's expression puckered. "No need to be rude."
He grinned sheepishly. "You're right. Sorry. But-"
"But! Indeed. He wouldn't. The thing is, I won't tell him if you don't. And really, I think the likelihood of him noticing is probably slim-to-none. How much can you carry, anyway? Not enough to warrant suspicion, I'm sure."
"If he finds out, I-"
She cut him off with a wave of her hand, leaning in close to gather up Skadravi's straying attention. "So don't let him, honey," Zhakara insisted. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, and I'm not saying you should just waltz in like you know what's up, but anything you take from there is basically yours, anyway. And if you want to pawn it off to start your own life, well, that's your prerogative. And I support you." She kissed his forehead, bringing a childishly chipper smile to the younger man's face. "And if you get in trouble, you can always find me. For anything. It doesn't matter how deep it is or what you've done. You're still my boy. My baby."
"Ma!" Dravi scoffed with a chuckle, squirming to escape her grip as it tightened.
"But you'll be fine, I'm sure. I can give you snacks and water for the trip, and you can set out at your leisure. But for now, let's scrape the innards outta this thing." She gestured to the stewing remains of the bug, a coy grin creeping onto her full lips. "We can put it on Zenagi's shelf. She'll love it! Don't you think?"x
x
Results: Dravi sets out to steal supplies from his step-father, Kanovu.
Word Count: 1247
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:27 pm
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NThe Chase An average, boring day out in the market had this miraculous way of turning into something spectacular. I don't know why the gods blessed me with this meeting, but they did. And as one of their loyal followers, it would be rude of me not to take full advantage of it. So, eager to hold the young lass's attention, I took her bracelet. Even without shining jewels, I could tell it must be important. Just the look of it- worn, out-of-place, but present- let's me know just how much it means to her...
So of course she chased me. I'd have been disappointed if she hadn't (though in retrospect, it probably would've been just as easy for her to sick patrolling guards on me- but that's beside the point). And after we found ourselves in the relative peace of a side-street, she kissed me. I asked her to, of course, in return for her bracelet, but still. A kiss is a kiss.
I'm not sure how, but even after all that, she asked me to meet her again. I know a kindred spirit when I see one! Playful, creative, patient, and forgiving, never mind her soft lips, her warm hands, and her gorgeous flowing hair... Khalel is basically perfect, and when I really do get to meet her again, it won't be soon enough...Results: Met Khalel.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 224
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 7:02 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NSecret Rendezvous I had my reservations - still do, if I'm speaking honestly. I don't really like the thought of Ruindego living away from me in conditions I don't know much about. But Khalel assures me that he'll be safe, satisfied, and looked after. And in all honesty, that's probably more than I can offer him. I haven't known Khalel long, and I don't have a deep fondness or trust of nobles, but I believe her. She seems genuine enough, and I don't think she'd have any reason to harm a moderately defenseless bushi.
But enough about that. Despite the hesitance I had regarding Ruindego, Khalel still led me to a marvelous place. She called it 'the Haven of Pearls' and told me that it was the place our Matori ancestors sought refuge in from their masters. And similarly, we can seek refuge here together, from purebloods. I dunno what sort of good that does her, since... she's a noble, and as far as I can see everyone likes and respects her, but for me, it's important.
I don't have a home I can run off to or a great many people I'd want to trust. I can trust Khalel. I feel it in my gut. And it's a good thing too, since we'll apparently be meeting on a daily basis. Ruindego will stay with her at night, and then we'll meet up in the afternoon. He'll tell me if he's not being treated properly, and I'll have time with my girl. Alone.
Beautiful.Results: Joined Khalel in the Haven of Pearls.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 251
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:45 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NDiscussion Over Pastries I am not so good with the multitasking. Between fulfilling my mother's wishes for me, stealing from my father, scrounging edible meals, courting Khalel (we all know it's happening, don't look so surprised), and dealing with the fact that someone could be so disturbed as to strike her- Yes, I know that last one shouldn't be much of an issue, but... she wants to leave Oba. I'm sure there's more to the story than the knowledge I was granted, but leave.
I told her I would go with her; that I would follow her anywhere. Because I would, I think. The list of important people I have in my life is pitifully small, and I don't have any real attachment to this Oba, besides that I grew up here...
I will go. I will be happy about it. I won't question why or for how long or if there are plans to return. None of that matters. I do have a few things I must accomplish first... I can't follow Khalel across the desert and have nothing to contribute. She's accustomed to a higher style of life that travel isn't exactly well-suited to. But I still... I came back to Oba to steal necessary provisions from my step-father's estate. If we're about to leave, I better do it now.Results: Flirted with Khalel and discussed leaving Oba.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 219
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 10:00 am
W O R L D x E V E N T x R E F L E C T I O NSpring Showers I've made up my mind. So that's... that, I suppose. I'm going to venture to Matori with Khalel, and in order to be of some use, I need to acquire 'things;' gold, food, sellables, something that will actually help us make the trip. She's got her cushy lifestyle, and while I can't replicate that in its entirety, I want... Well, I don't want her to go without. So I'll take some risks. Risks at my father's estate.
I just need to devise... some sort of plan. I did live with the man for over a decade, so I do know his usual habits. I know the buildings layout, I know the servants- Er. Knew the servants. I haven't had a chance to familiarize myself with the place post-war, so... It is entirely likely that things have changed. At one point, I had people who would help me, but now I'm not so sure. I could take the time to research and uncover these mysteries, but time is a luxury I don't have.
So, as per usual, I'll have to wing it. I want to be ready to leave as soon as (if not before) Khalel is. I want her to have everything her heart desires, and I want this journey to be a peaceful one, devoid of struggle. I realize I want a lot these days, but... I just can't help it. I'll do what I must.Results: Dravi plans to invade his step-father's home.
Word Count: 791
JR Word Count: 237
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 10:53 am
C L A S S x Q U E S T x R E F L E C T I O NClass Quest 1 I'm usually reasonably satisfied with how things turn out. My life has never been easy. I've had tough times, but all-in-all I think I'm pretty easy to keep appeased. And even when things are ugly, they end... better, somehow? It's difficult to explain, but as a whole, I tend not to concern myself with the 'long-run' or worry about consequences. Things can always turn worse, after all. So even if I'm not exactly 'happy,' I try to maintain a positive attitude.
This time, I'm not so sure. Everything hurts. I can't move properly. I- I can hardly breathe. There's blood. I can't distinctly see it or smell it or feel it, but I know it's there. When I move my fingers, they rub over the ground like they're wet... I'm not looking. I don't even want to keep my eyes open. Don't know if I can. Am I going to die? It feels like it, if nothing else. I should be scared to die, but... Just... if it's going to happen, it shouldn't take its time about it. I know I look a miserable fool sitting out slumped on the sidewalk before Kanovu's estate, but I don't even care about that.
It hurts. I want it to stop. They're laughing at me. I can't hear or see them, but they are. This place is miserable. This is miserable. I can't-
...Results: Class Quest passed. Beaten half to death by stepfather.
Word Count: 3039
JR Word Count: 230
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 9:29 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NCarry Me Home I'm not hugely fond of pain. Some people might even call me a baby about it. So you'll have to forgive me if there were instances in the past handful of days where I genuinely wished I'd have died. It was just such senseless, unnecessary violence... Yes, I tried to steal something, but I failed, and I really shouldn't have been brutally attacked. Though I'm pretty sure plenty of them Fire folk miss taking their anger out on someone with no 'right' to stop them...
Regardless, I was lucky Khalel found me when she did. I was lucky she decided to look after me. The days following were tough and sometimes blurry, and I'm not one to sit underground for as long as I had to, but in te end, I suppose I am more lucky than not.
I didn't succeed in what I wanted to do, so the trip from here to Matori might not be as lavish as I'd hoped, but we will survive. We have so far, and she's right to want us to get out of here as soon as possible. I was content to wait and take my time about it, but strangely, I'm not much in a mood to linger around, anymore, myself. It's settled, then, that we'll depart as soon as my body can handle the journey. Or until I've had enough of the Haven. Whichever comes first.Results: Khalel nurses Skadravi back to health.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 235
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:47 am
DRAVI'S THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:48 am
D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Nights By Your Side As it turned out, deserts were wildly inhospitable climates to travel through at any time of the day or night. Skadravi knew this, of course, being that he'd lived in one for his entire life and had made the journey west to Jauhar twice now. But this was different. Sure, there was a much longer distance between his home in Jatine and the next closest settlement of Tivrod, but the entirety of that trek could be taken next to the water, on the beach. And at his own pace, besides.
He couldn't explain how or why, but the much shorter voyage from Jatine to their next stop in Sulburi was nigh impossible. For most of the day it was so blisteringly hot that Skadravi didn't want to walk. He could only imagine what it must be like for his bushi or Khalel's zanteer, two of their familiars who were likely much more at ease in more temperate regions. And both of which had spent most of their lives enjoying the abundance of freshwater Jatine had to offer.
Speaking of which, they hadn't packed anywhere near enough water to sustain all of them (how could they, with all his girlfriend's various animals), and Dravi didn't actually know if it was smarter to keep pushing and get out of this as quickly as possible, or go slow, conserve as much energy as they could, and try not to sweat.
Per his usual strategy, he settled on the slower approach.
A trip that should've taken no more than three days at most turned into a week of terror fraught with concerns of dehydration and hyperthermia and various bouts of not knowing where they were, anymore. His fault, of course, since it felt like it ought to be his place to lead, despite a poor sense of direction and a lacking degree of urgency. So with the thought that they'd be safer for longer if they kept covered, Skadravi consistently 'led' them off-route, toward hilly crags with little alcoves that could provide enough shelter for the lot of them.
There was probably too much time spent in these niches to make any sort of reasonable argument as to why. But the days were hot. No one wanted to walk through that. So they stuck it ought until night.
Then realized that by some ungodly power the nights were well below freezing. Skadravi wasn't smart enough to try and explain this. He wasn't intelligent enough to know why it was so hot and so cold here, when the beachside trip to Tivrod had been so temperate in comparison. But he did know that it wasn't impossible for them to die out here, like this. And maybe that was why leaving any of their established shelters always felt so difficult.
Kept cooler in the day, protected from wind, enclosed at night for warmth, and he knew how start a fire. They couldn't live out here, that much was a fact, but they were together and alone. And they had wanted that much, and some parts of the trip were more bearable than others.
Some parts were encouragement enough to get to lands that were more hospitable and would provide more opportunities for... bonding.
So days were long, and nights were terrible. Directions were impossible, and provisions were fleeting. But likely through nothing but sheer luck and willpower and the very minute hunting ability Dravi gained along the way, they survived. It was likely one of his most impressive accomplishments. Not counting wooing the beautiful woman with him through it all, mind.
He'd been nervous on the day of their departure (with good reason, mind), but even after just a week, after making it only to the next stopping point in Oba and with still a long way to go, yet, Skadravi actually felt content with their progress.
'A long way to go' wasn't so bad.x
x
Results: Deserts are no fun to travel through.
Word Count: 649
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:51 am
W O R L D x E V E N T x R E F L E C T I O NAt Large What a strange and annoying creature. Er, the kid, I mean. Think the animal was probably just minding its own business, doing animal things? I can't really be all the offended by its actions.
In an effort to raise a bt of coin for the next leg of our journey, Khalel and I stopped in a small settlement outside Sulburi. An old man needed some help getting a foreign pest out of his garden, so I volunteered. It sounded like a one-man, easy-pay job, so imagine my surprise when I was joined by this dumb, weird little kid. Maybe I just haven't been around Matorians enough to fully appreciate them, but I hope they aren't all like that.
He was... very excitable and kind of loud, and he didn't have the greatest control over his own animals, so I've no idea why he thought he could handle a foreign one he'd never seen before. I thought I at least had some hope of success. The tintural creature looked a lot like my bushi. Thought they'd maybe act similarly, but...
Well, we didn't complete the job, so I didn't get paid. Basically, it was a complete waste of time that I could've been with my girlfriend instead for...Results: Dravi poked a tintural and met a kid.
PRP Posts: 7
JR Word Count: 207
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:47 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NHelping Hand If I can say one thing about Oba, it's that there are a lot of pretty girls from a lot of different places. I didn't ask where Aseara came from, or how she got here, or why she ended up staying, but I didn't need to. The point was more to be in a beautiful woman's presence with no strings attached... Not that I think she would've told me, if I did ask. She sort of had this... clipped and proper attitude. If I hadn't been there to help her out on the streets, she wouldn't have had time for me. And that's fine, I suppose.
Really, I probably oughtn't have been looking at girls, anyway. Not since I am traveling with the most beautiful woman that any man has ever laid eyes on. Would Khalel be upset if she knew I visited some fancy-pants dance establishment? Maybe. Do I think she might be marginally displeased and have some unsavory words to share with me if she found out? Yes. Am I going to tell her? No. Should I? Perhaps.
It's all very complicated. Or is it just plain irrelevant...?
Regardless, it was a nice time, and if I had plans to linger around in Oba, maybe I could've pressed Aseara for more information about herself. Maybe I could've shared a little more about me or what I'm up to, but I didn't and won't get the chance now.Results: Met Aseara.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 239
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:17 am
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:22 am
B A T T L E x R E F L E C T I O NMnyiri vs Skadravi [Matori] ...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Won the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:27 am
B A T T L E x R E F L E C T I O N[Matori] Kian vs Skadravi ...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Lost the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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