❂ Eadenur

[Orpheus Solon]

To Know You

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Sharing the News

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Creating a Nursery

Bushi had come to stand in front of the second of his storage rooms, starring into the mess of stacked up boxes, bags that were all hanging off hooks on the walls, some crates, and various other things. He gave a humming sound then set to cracking his knuckles, "Alright! Let's get on this then." He said to Profit who was standing behind him, walking into the room. There wasn't a lot for the bird to do but he wanted her to feel as though she was a part of this since she was following after him in the manner she always did when he was at work. This room was one of two of his storage rooms, though it was least used of the two of them. As such he knew that this room was the one that would make a great place for the baby to stay. It also helped that it was nearest to the room that he was sharing with his pretty Sprite.

The first thing that he did was start to drag out the various crates that were stacked up one by one, putting them out in the hall way side by side. Once he had them all out in the hall way he started to go through them. It was a bit on the boring side going through them all and rearranging the contents of them, leaving himself with a few empty ones to use for later. The work itself was pretty boring and simple to do and yet his mind was running circles around itself.

He wasn't just neatening up his storage rooms, he was preparing his home for a baby. This wasn't in his plans... in fact neither was Phaedra. He'd never once thought about the idea that he might end up with a family like this because he didn't have one growing up. Just meeting Phaedra and falling for her, that was enough of a shock to his system but now it seemed that they were having a baby and he was... well in shock of course, but also rather excited. There was so much that he had to do, such as cleaning up and setting up a room for them, but other things as well.

His child would need all manner of things, of course but then there would be the things that they would want as well. He had grown up wanting for a lot and that made him want nothing more then to give them anything and everything that they might want or need. It meant that he would be spending a lot of money one them but it wasn't something that he minded. Since he'd gotten into the business of being a 'merchant' as he was now he'd gathered a lot of wealth and didn't spend nearly as much as he made. As such he knew that he would have enough to make sure that both his child and Phaedra wouldn't want for anything. At the same time he felt the itch to get to work making that much more in the way of coin so that there wouldn't be anything that they couldn't get in the future.

As Bushi continued to clean the room and arrange things in the hall way he found himself thinking on what he might need in the future. They would need a bed for the little one, clothes, a dresser to hold those clothes, toys, pets, and various other things. He wondered if they should make a list? He would have to ask his Sprite about it once he had the room neatened up and prepared for their future child. Maybe two lists would be even better? What they would need before the child was born and what they would need afterwards. He supposed that a lot of things would need to be decided upon after their child was born because then they would know the gender of the little one. Once they knew they would be able to get things like clothing of the right variety.

What if they had a little girl that ended up a tom boy and didn't want girly clothing? Or the opposite of that? He supposed that they would have to then change things up as they went, huh? Starting out though, while the baby was too little to decide on their own personal style then he would allow Phaedra to pick out what the child would wear. Once they started to want certain things of their own, things that were their own style, then he would make sure that they got what they wanted. Here was to hoping that the child didn't decide that all they wanted to wear was diamonds or else he might have to say no to that. That aside though he'd get what the little one what they might want.

Scooping up some of the heavy crates Bushi then carried them into the other storage room. He looked around the room before giving a bit of a sigh. If he was going to only use the one room for storage then he was going to need to fix this one up too, huh? To make sure that there was enough room for everything. It might be a good thing though, he might find things among the mess that would be worth selling off or trading that would get them the various things that their child needed.

Taking in a deep breath Bushi then went into the other storage room, setting down the crates, and started to work at cleaning up this one as well. Once he was through with his work he would see about talking to Phaedra, to tell her about the work that he'd done. He would want to get her opinion on the room as well as what they should start buying now, while the child was still within her belly. Best to get a jump start on the things that they could get before the babies were born.

The cleaning took him a while and on occasion he found himself getting aided by Profit who went wandering about through the room, poking and pecking at things. She was attempting to help and he even let her, giving her a bag to carry around, keeping her occupied and busy. When she was kept busy it made it easier for him to clean and rearrange things. When she was under foot it made things difficult given just the sheer size that she had become since he'd picked her up in Tale. She'd be the perfect guardian for his child, to make sure that the little one was kept safe from the various dangers that were out there.

While his Sprite and himself would love the little one no matter what there would be those who were cold to the child due to their mixed blood. It would be up to them to raise them strong so that they could combat such prejudices. Until they were old enough and strong enough to do that then they would have Profit to look after them. Who would mess with such a giant bird just to pick on a child after all? He would hope that the answer would be 'nobody' or else Profit was going to be busy chasing off bullies until his child was old enough to hold their own.

Bushi's work continued onward, until the contents of two rooms had become the rearranged contents of one room. The stuff that was worth selling was set aside for later, for the next time that he headed into Sulburi to do some work. Until that time he supposed that they would just have to check the markets of Awat to see what they could offer. While he knew it wouldn't be nearly what Sulburi could it would still be worth checking it out, to see if there was something that his child and Sprite could use.

With his work done Bushi brushed his hands off on his pants, gave Profit a pat on the head, and went out to seek Phaedra. From the smell of things she must be cooking, which only made him move that much faster to where she was located.

(( Word Count: 1336 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

Preparations in Progress

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Thoughts on the Future

He'd known before the babies were born that there was going to be two of them, it was something that Phaedra had let him in on. Still, looking down at the pair of them as they slept in their two separate basket beds he couldn't help but to stare. They were perfect if you asked him, though very, very different. It seemed that their mixed blood had come out in interesting ways, to the point that one of them looked more like Bushi and one looked more like Phaedra herself, only with the other parent's eye color. It was quite amazing to behold how different his two children were and already he was thinking on the future.

What would his children grow up to be like? Would they be more like their mother? More like him? What sort of path would they take? Surely neither would take up magic since neither Phaedra or Bushi were capable of such things, right? Bushi had no idea if his own parents had such gifts or if it could skip generations. If such a thing came up they would just have to hire on a magical teacher he supposed. He knew that presently, while they were still infants, it wasn't something to worry about but Bushi wasn't the sort to want to put things off. He liked to get things done promptly because that allowed him to be lazy later. With children it would seem that things weren't so easy though. One had to wait until they grew a bit for many things, huh?

They would need to wait for the pair to be a bit older before they knew what they were like, what things they preferred, what they wanted to do, and even if they had any sort of magical gifts. It would take time, years in fact, before they were ready to go into the world on their own. Years in which Phaedra and himself would need to take care of them. There was much to do in the future but at the moment, with both Phaedra and babies asleep, there wasn't much for him to do yet but to think on what was next. Already he knew that he wanted to train Profit to look after the pair, to keep them safe from any potential threats, but that was also something that was going to take time. He'd start her training soon, but not today. The babies had only recently been born after all and he wanted to be on hand in case his beloved Sprite needed anything.

He glanced toward where Phaedra slept, then back to the little ones, and found himself thinking back. He wondered if his parents had looked at him sleeping in such a manner and had the same thoughts and worries as he was having... or were they just glad to be rid of him? Was he a burden to them? He couldn't say that he really knew, nor did he care, not about them or about what happened before he could remember. He'd grown up in a manner that he wouldn't let his own children grow up. Those in the orphanage where he grew up were fine enough people but they had been no replacements for real parents. He'd left them behind the moment he could, not wanting to force them to take care of him when there were younger kids that needed them, and that was that.

Sure he sent money to the place from time to time to help them continue with their work but he'd never really bothered going back himself. He had no reason to go back. Now that he had a family of his own there was even less reason to do so or to even things too hard about that time in his life expect when thinking about his children. Thinking about what he would do for them that his own parents had failed to do for him. He'd make sure that they were safe, that they were happy, that they were never lonely, or that they never felt as though they weren't good enough. He'd do his best to make sure that they never wanted for anything, that they could play to their heart's content, and when they got older he'd hire on teachers to aid them in learning anything and everything they wanted to learn.

Reading and writing would be something they would learn early as it was important, but that was something that he could teach them. Anything more complicated or stuff that was outside of his areas of expertise he would defer to various teachers for. The same went for combat training or magical training, whatever it took so that they didn't follow in his footsteps. While being a 'merchant' wasn't a bad career choice for Bushi himself he didn't want his children or his Sprite to be caught up in that aspect of his life. That meant meetings with his various contacts to make sure he kept his work life and home life separate from one another. He wouldn't want anyone hassling his family after all, not when they weren't aware of some of the work he did.

He was fine with them all tagging along when he was being a regular merchant but when he was doing business with thieves and other less reputable people he would much prefer his family to be elsewhere. It was going to involve a lot of work but if he could get in contact with them, make sure that they didn't come to Awat, then that would at least give him one safe haven to keep his family in. As far as that sort of work went he could always meet up with them in Sulburi. There were a lot of people there that were less them reputable that he dealt with, various thieves and members of different bandit groups, that he worked with. They were the sort that made him a lot of money so he wasn't going to distance or separate himself from them, especially now. Now that he had a family to take care of he'd need even more in the way of cash.

Giving a bit of a sighing sound he reached out touching the hand of one child, then the other, before he gave a smile. He would do whatever was necessary for them, and that meant continuing on with his work, and working even harder then he already did. He'd make sure that he stockpiled as much as possible in the way of coin and easily traded jewels so that everything would be prepared for their future.

"It's all going to be alright." He murmured to the pair, giving them a smile, leaning over to gently kiss them both on the forehead, before he pushed to his feet. He would go and check on Phaedra now, make sure that she was resting comfortably, then maybe get a bit of a nap in himself. He would need rest if he meant to throw himself into his work soon... though not until he was certain that his family was alright and settled in. That would be an interesting new aspect to his life now, trying to juggle work and family, but he felt he would figure that balance out with time and practice. When to work, when to be there for family, how to make sure that he didn't let either fall by the wayside. It would be difficult but it would also be well worth the effort.

(( Word Count: 1251 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

Kitty Invasion: Bushi vs Perzi

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Onwards to the Meeting

Bushi was sitting in a tavern in Sulburi, a bit of a bored look on his face as he waited. It had been some time since he'd gone on a journey like this on his own and he found it a lot more lonely and quiet then he could recall it being. Before meeting with his darling Sprite he'd traveled all the way to the lands of Sauti and back on his own and he'd never really thought about it. Now that he had met her, now that he'd spent a lot of time with her, and now that they had a pair of adorable children, things were different. It was just... boring without her. The journey form Awat to Sulburi felt infinitely longer when it was only Aatos and himself.

Lifting his drink to his lips he took a long sip from it, before resting it on the table before him. It was really odd. He felt as though he should be doing something, that he should be having dinner with Phaedra, that he should be tucking the twins in for bed while dodging Profit who was so often under foot when it came to the bed time. There was a lot that he felt he should be doing right now but instead he was just stuck waiting.

He had an important meeting coming up with a few of his contacts tonight. It was a meeting that he'd had to fly solo on hence why he was here on his own. He had yet to tell his Sprite about the work that he dabbled in so he hadn't wanted to risk her finding out by meeting up with some of those that didn't really walk the straight and narrow line when it came to the law. His own work pretty well skirted the line, often delving into the illegal. It was the part of his work, the part that was involved various work with thieves and bandits that kept him from telling Phaedra about it. She didn't want to worry her or worse anger her... the idea of an angry Phaedra had to be the most terrifying thing of all! She might punish him by means of cutting him off from her delicious cooking!

The mere idea of that made his eyes got a bit wide before he shook his head rapidly. No, no that wouldn't happen... even if she got made at him she wouldn't want to starve him. If anything she might cut him off from other things instead... which would also be pretty terrible now that he thought about it. Giving a little sigh he picked up his drink again, taking another sip from it. As he finished up the contents of the mug someone came to sit in front of him, a rather strong looking woman with a shaved head. He blinked slowly a couple times, lifted a hand to scratch it against his beard, before he asked of her, "Can I help you, Miss?" She wasn't someone well known to him and he found himself wondering exactly who it was that he was looking at presently.

The woman gave him a toothy smile, "Naw, I think that I can help you though, Mister Bushi. In fact a mutual friend sent me ahead to meet with you in his stead. He's laying low at the moment for... well, obvious reasons." Digging into the pocket on her leather vest she produced a note with a wax seal, offering it up to him, "Here you go! One letter fresh from Master Hestian." Hestian, one of the various aliases that the leader of a Thieves Guild went by. The man seemed to have a different name and look every time that he met with him, making it difficult for his opposition to keep up with him. While nobody knew all of the man's various names Hestian was one that Bushi knew the man as. Mostly because that was the first name that he'd used upon their first meeting.

"I thank you for this." Bushi said before he popped the seal on the envelope, opening it up so that he could look through the contents of the letter.

Bushi,

The meeting spot that we originally agreed upon will no longer work. As you may already know Jaide had been promoted recently and has been a thorn in everyone's side since. My associate, Laine, will be happy to bring you to where I am. Keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground, make sure that Jaide doesn't spot you or he might get in your way.

Hestian

Giving a nod of his head he looked up at the woman and said, "Laine is it then? Alright, we should really see about going to meet with Master Hestian then." As they pushed to their feet Bushi set about shredding the letter that he held in his hand. He'd dispose of it completely later but given that it had mentioned the rather irksome Jaide in its contents it was best not to keep it on his person in pristine condition. After stretching out all over the big bear of a man moved to pay for the drink that he'd had while waiting for the meeting to start and the two of them were soon heading out into the warm Sulburi evening.

"I always knew that he would be a bother when he got the power and authority to do whatever he wanted." Bushi said as he walked down the street, side by side with Laine who could only nod his head in agreement with what he was saying, "So tell me, does he have anyone under his command these days?" The idea of Jaide getting to lead a group of soldiers, soldiers that would end up as annoying and 'heroic' as Jaide acted didn't sit well with him. He never did really get the way that the world worked. He didn't understand that there would always be a seedy under belly to every city. Not to mention that the bigger the city was the darker the under belly would be. That was just the way of things. Such things were just a part of any city.

Giving a bit of a laugh Laine said, "Yeah, he has a couple followers, but nothing their both young and therefore not all that much of a bother. Not compared to Jaide himself at least." News that was good if you asked Bushi. If he only had a couple of young followers then he wasn't as huge a force that he could be. Now if he started to gather people in force to his cause then he would start to worry.

"So long as we avoid him and his... little friends, then we should be alright." He decided, leading the way first so that they could go and pick up Aatos from where the big turtle was being boarded at the moment. Reaching a hand out he gave the bushi a pat on the shell, "Come on. Up and at 'em, Aatos, it's time to get moving." He told the rust colored beast, watching as it climbed to its feet, ready to go.

Laine gave the beast a once over with her glittering eyes, then said, "A bushi to carry your bags, huh? I bet he has a lot of good stuff in those packs of his, huh?" She clapped her hands together, looking as though she was considering exactly what a merchant like Bushi might have to sell, what he had that could be stolen, but the look on the man's face seemed to put her off of the idea. Lifting her hands up she set to waving them in a defensive surrender and said, "As an ally of the Thieves Guild I would never get into your things! You have to admit that the packs look interesting!"

After the 'surrender' of sorts Bushi gave a nod of his head, "Yes... well, while it's something that might appear as being interesting to you I ask that you don't consider getting into his packs. While Aatos looks amiable enough I can tell you that he has a venomous bite and no forgiveness for thieves." Best to warn her that Aatos would likely bite and hiss at her if she tried to get into the packs that the big beast saw as 'his' to protect. He took his job seriously and he wouldn't want an ally, even one with sticky fingers, to get on the bushi's bad side.

Lifting a hand to scratch Aatos under the chin he said, "Don't worry, buddy, he won't get into your stuff. There are more naive people out there that will be far easier to steal from after all." His words and the petting seemed to put the rust colored bushi into a better mood as he'd stopped starring at Laine and was looking from side to side once more instead. It was obvious that he was watching the people around them, seeking out possible threats to the things he was carrying.

The woman lifted a hand to smother laughter before she said, "I am well aware of that, I can assure you." She held up a hand that was holding the coin purse of one of the various individuals that they'd been walking passed. It had only been a short time since they'd left the bar and yet she had already stolen someone's purse? It was no wonder that Hestian seemed to like her Bushi thought to himself. He would have to ask the man about her, how long she'd been with him, how good her skills were, and if he aught to take on her business.

He only worked with the best thieves, not wanting to work with those that might rat him out to save themselves. Someone with Bushi's job, those that bought from thieves, had to know that the ones they were working with were worth while. He wouldn't risk his business, his livelihood, and his family for someone that he didn't know. She'd have to come with a glowing recommendation from Hestian or else he wouldn't bother.

Laine came to a halt, tucking the purse away into the pocket of her baggy pants before she looked over at Bushi, "Alright! Not too much further now." She said, glancing from side to side, making sure that the coast was clear before she headed down the alleyway that they were standing alongside. Bushi looked from side to side as well, giving Laine a moment, before he followed along after her, whistling for Aatos to follow along behind him. The alleyway was a dark one, one that allowed the three of them to hide themselves easily from any prying eyes... and luckily it was wide enough to accommodate the massive turtle.

Midway down the alleyway Laine seemed to stop, glancing over her shoulder at him, before she headed into a door that she'd unlocked. She motioned to him to follow, waiting for him to head inside, before she gave him a bright smile, "Alright, you just need to head through this warehouse and downstairs and you will find Master Hestian and the others. I'm going to wait here and guard the door, and hang out with your beast. I promise to behave and keep my sticky fingers away from your things." She held up her hands, giving them a little wave, as though to show that she was serious.

Bushi gave her a long look before looking at Aatos, "Keep an eye on her, Aatos. I will be back shortly." He gave the young woman one last look before heading inside. Here was to hoping she really meant to behave. The last thing that he wanted was to come back and find her covered in bushi bites. That would be a rather massive hassle that would mean him having to drag her off to a healer or something to clear the venom from her system. Shaking his head he decided to trust her, for now, and make his way to where Hestian was waiting for him.

The alleyway was dark and not terribly inviting but it was the perfect place for a Thieves Guild to have a meeting. Who would go to a warehouse in the middle of the night after all. Nobody that was really doing anything good that was for sure. As he wandered across the warehouse he was able to hear voices and see some light that was inviting him down into the basement below the warehouse. It seemed as though that was where they were meeting up tonight, huh? Giving a little sigh Bushi ran his fingers through his hair. Here was to hoping that all went well with this meeting. It was incredibly important on many levels after all. Bushi paused in front of the stair way, took a deep breath, and started to descend down the stairs to where the others waited.

(( Word Count: 2146 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

Growth Solo: Renegotiation

(( During a meeting with the Thieves Guild Bushi talks with the leader of it about renegotiating their dealings to better separate his work from family. It means taking on extra work as well as giving better deals to the Guild but if it means protecting his family from his job he's more then willing. He might not have the most legit job but he means to make sure his children don't follow in his footsteps and become something more wholesome if he has a say in it. ))

The basement of the ware house was lit up by various candles, enough so that it was easy for Bushi to see everyone that had gathered. They were all sitting around a makeshift table created by gathering some smaller crated around a much bigger one. Bushi walked over, settling down on one of the empty crates, before he said, "It's been a while, Master Hestian, I'm glad to see that you're doing well despite the buzzing fly that you've been stuck dealing with of late."

The older Oban with the graying hair gave a bit of a chuckle, "It's easy enough to wave such a pest away when they are as easily distracted by a urge for justice like Jaide is." He said, waving one hand in a lazily dismissive manner.

His easy going manner made Bushi chuckle a bit before he nodded, "That's good to hear. So you're business isn't suffering too much due to his interference then I am assuming?" He was given a nod which had Bushi giving a smile. He was glad to hear that the Thieves Guild was still doing well because that meant that his own business would continue to prosper as well. He did some business that was legit merchant work but when he got a lot of his goods from various thieves and bandits he wanted to keep their well being in mind as well. If they were doing well he did well, if they were struggling then he would start to struggle too because he'd find himself lacking when it came to goods.

"Jaide is... akin to a child, Bushi. He feels that he is meant to be a hero but he was born too late, after the great wars were already over, and he thinks that he should battle even legitimate guilds like mine to make himself a name. It's... sad, but he does his best. It will come back to bite him in the backside one day and when that happens I really feel that we will be the best of friends. For now we need to just let him run amok somewhere that isn't near to us."

The man glanced around for a moment, then his gaze returned to Bushi as he said, "As such I was considering using my sway to see him reassigned to another city. Any other city." Sulburi and the surrounding towns such as Orrond, Jatine, and Awat were among Hestian's territory so dumping him off anywhere that was further to the East would be a weight off of his shoulders, "He isn't the reason that we called the meeting together today though. Instead it's because we are combining our forces with a small band of thieves of Matori, adding the lands of the Water Tribe into our power."

Bushi's eyes seemed to light up, "Is that so? I've been considering heading into Matori myself to see what sorts of goods I can trade for. If you have a foothold there I feel that would help my interests as well... is that why you called for me?" While they wouldn't know about his desire to gathering some trade partners within Matori he knew that someone like him would be useful to the Thieves Guild as a go between and a fence. Giving a smile he said, "If that is the case I would be more then happy to help in any way I can with the expansion of your guild into Matori."

The man eyed Bushi, raising an eyebrow, before he asked, "In exchange for...?" The man was no fool, nobody volunteered for more work without any wanting anything in exchange.

"I want to make sure that nobody comes looking for me in Awat any longer. I was fine with it before but now that I have a family, one that is complete with two curious children, it's not going to work any more. I don't mind traveling to Sulburi for meetings with the guild, I don't mind continuing my work with you, but I'd like Awat to be off limits as far as business and asylum is concerned."

The older man sat back on his makeshift seat, arms crossing over his chest, and he seemed to be considering the request. After a moment of deep thought he said, "Awat is an out of the way town that is a bit of a bother to get to, it's why it makes it a good place for some of ours to hide out when the heat is on. At the same time being out of the way does make it useless for any real business dealings save those we make with you when you're actually there." He tapped a finger against his lips before he nodded, "If you agree to giving those of the Thieves Guild better prices for our goods then I think I could agree to your terms."

Bushi tapped a finger against the table, then nodded, "Better prices, sure, but don't think it will be close to market price as that would put be out of business. I will be fair though. Even more so then I normally am in fact."

Hestian nodded his head, "That is the most that we can ask for. You have always been fair with your prices but at the same time we will need your best prices if we are going to continue with our expansion within Matori. You understand Bushi. Just as you expanded your family I am doing the same for my own."

"I understand." Bushi said, "So long as you make sure that the rest of the Guild is made aware that I won't be doing anything more then legit business while I am in Awat. My family thinks me to be a normal merchant and that is how I want it to stay." The last thing he wanted was for them to think less of him. He'd finally gotten a family and he meant to protect them from everything dangerous in the world, the less the legal parts of his job included.

"Of course! Family is important to the both of us, Bushi, and I will be sure that your's is kept separate from my own for the time being. If they decide to follow in your footsteps though let me know, I will find them definitely find them some work within the Guild."

Bushi's eyes went for a moment wide before he said, "Ahh... I thank you for the offer, Hestian." It was one of those 'thanks but no thanks' offers as he'd rather his babies didn't become a part of the Thieves Guild. Phaedra would have his hide if he allowed such a thing to happen... no, he'd make sure that both Shura and Dovian were sent to school to train for a more legal and legitimate career no matter what it would cost.

The conversation turned from their dealings to the future of the Thieves Guild within Matori, how many members of the Water Tribe would be joining Hestian, the newbies among the guilds that Bushi should work with, and so on. The night was filled with a lot of talk and Bushi found himself with a list of those that he should make contracts with before he headed for home. That would be saved for after sleep though as it was after midnight by the time he rejoined Laine to retrieve Aatos so the two of them could head back to the hotel they were staying at. Aatos was put into the stables to settle down, his packs were put in a vault for safekeeping, and Bushi headed to bed to sleep off the long meeting. As he slept he only dreamed about heading home to his family, something that would have to wait until the rest of his work within Oba was done with.

(( Word Count: 1297 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

I Want It!

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Meeting the Stray

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Caught Soot Handed

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Seeking the Sprite

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Meeting the Boss

 

[Orpheus Solon]

The Elephant in the Room

 

[Orpheus Solon]

World Event: The Painted Egg