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 Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:12 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:47 pm
world event: new year, new me
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:47 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:47 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:47 pm
tradeThe first thing she did after setting foot on Matori was find a place to sell Anavii's dagger.
Xaawo had heard the mainland was largely a realm of trade, but Oba and Sauti were near enough that coin surely couldn't be that uncommon. It would be good to have some, even if it meant letting a piece of her past go. The thing made her uncomfortable anyway.
No one had objected to her leaving Chiume, but she still felt kind of guilty about it, like Azehra herself was glaring down at her and shaking one of her massive branches in disappointment. She had to force herself to recall that quite a number of her sisters had gone off to explore other lands and no one had felt slighted by them. No one had told them they could not return. Their mother tree would not even exist without intrepid Alkidike explorers.
So, off she went, lumbering into town and trying to keep a low profile. It didn't work. The mainlanders gawked at her, whispering and pointing when they thought she wasn't looking. It was the children who responded to her with the least amount of ire, simply curious rather than intimidated. They pointed out several different shops that would give her money for the blade, and she chose the one with the old lady at its door. The woman felt trustworthy, and Xaawo had little to go on besides intuition.
"Greetings."
"Good morning, young lady."
Xaawo lifted the dagger out of her satchel and parted the soft cloth that protected it. "I would like to sell this."
"Of course, dear." The Matori woman adjusted a pair of wire-rimmed pieces of glass perched on the bridge of her nose. Noticing Xaawo's narrowed eyes, she tapped at the spectacles with a grin. "Traded for these with a Yaeli gentleman. The most useful things I own! You should head down there if you haven't. I hear they have all manner of oddities."
It took a moment for Xaawo to decipher the gist of the woman's tangent, and she nodded when she had. "Someday." She didn't know if her cousins would welcome her, not with their history, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Eventually. Right now, she had other plans.
"I'll give you a good price. But you should pay closer attention in the future. Others won't be so kind." The woman touched the dagger's hilt, running a finger over the swirling metal inlay.
Xaawo nodded. It was good advice, something she should have thought of. But all she was doing was thinking, with the translation and the stares... she just wanted to be by herself. "Thank you. For the money and your counsel."
[ 449 words ]
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:22 pm
class growth solo: prentice to bladeQuote: Having experienced mixed reactions to her heritage and intention over the past two years, Xaawo has come to terms with the fact that the abrasive curiosity of others is not her fault or concern, and vows to find a weapon that suits her and learn to defend herself with more than intimidation. The tent was plain, its cloth sides shaded like shifting sand, and there was a scrawled wooden sign on a post near the path out of town.
T R A I N I N G
It might have been a baking school or a capramel handling academy for all she knew, but Xaawo approached with inquisitive interest anyway, lurking around the tent's perimeter until she heard the distinct sounds of fighting coming from its interior. She'd done some training with a blade back home. Maybe she could continue it here? It was expected, which was why she had avoided the pursuit, but it wouldn't hurt to become more effective at defending herself, if nothing else.
Xaawo approached one of the tent's flaps, this one marked with a second sign (COIN OR TRADE), and rapped her knuckles against the splintered wood. There was a dull thunk from inside, then a pocked and craggy Wind man stuck his head out between the flaps, looked left and right, and said, "May I help you?" His voice wasn't dismissive, but it crackled like dry leaves underfoot. Like he would just blow away if she didn't reach out and stop him.
"I'm looking for training. I have money." The money part wasn't entirely true, but she would have her new ring in less than a day. Maybe she could use its future existence as collateral. She was fairly certain Howth would pay these earthlings as well, if she asked. She wouldn't, unless it was absolutely necessary.
Blue eyes squinted up at her, then the man stepped aside and waved Xaawo in. "You ever use a sword?" Despite his rugged appearance, he moved silently across the packed dirt floor, leading her toward the sparring circle at the center of the space. A woman sat in the darkened corner opposite the entrance, and she smiled when Xaawo noticed her.
"And how do you feel about magic?" The woman leaned forward, elbows on her knees.
Xaawo couldn't help smiling back, though it was barely noticeable. She nodded. "Yes and no. I have trained with a dagger, but I have never tried magic." She knew there were plenty of sisters who used spells to enhance their fighting, but she mostly associated magic with mystics. Thoroughly out of her league. "I would be interested in any wisdom you feel inclined to share." She hadn't given a lot of thought to how she might prefer to fight, but if she and Howth were going to continue exploring the mainland, it would benefit them both if one of them was on protection duty. "I have a day."
"That will be plenty of time to get started," the woman continued. "And there's no need for payment. You would be doing us a favor."
"Not to be rude, but we don't get many children of the tree wandering in. We would learn as much as you do."
She paused for show, her mind already made up. "Very well. My name is Xaawo. Let us begin." [ 494 words ]
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:53 am
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