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 Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:44 am
The sandy lands of Uranus had always been fascinating to the knight of Saturn and now that he had his own ships, his freedom, to come and go as he pleased from places (except Saturn and the moons surrounding it) he made sure to drop in. Of course, none of his navigators, not even Blanc, knew how to navigate the expanse of the planet once they were in the atmosphere.
So, Crims did what he always did in these situations, he picked a place that looked interesting, hoped that lady luck was on his side, and made for the port.
He picked this place, a wonder he thought, because he'd seen an expanse of water and supplies were running low. It was one of the rare occasions where he only had one ship, a beautifully decorated ship with flags the color of sunsets, because he was making a trip back from the moon Thrymr.
He barked orders to his crew as the lowered the sails, dropped anchor before sliding down a rail and beginning to explore.AMItotic Let me know if this doesn't work.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 12:57 pm
Zoji La had little for a standing population; a number of monks and ascetics who turned away the fast-paced market life for one of serenity and understanding, a handful of pilgrims, and occasionally a foreign dignitary looking to show respects or try their hand at the trials. With the World Market in full swing, their numbers dwindled even further, down to a couple of faithful who knew how to tend to the spring and the gardens within. Kestrel was one of the few who remained in the slow seasons such as these, assigned with trimming back the shrubberies and sweeping sand from the courtyard steps. It felt like a fruitless endeavor most days--people tromped in sand from the trials daily, and the courtyard itself had a sand garden, but it was not her duty to question the tasks set before her.
She hadn't thought to check the trials that day--none of the chimes had sounded, and so she assumed that any potential supplicants were taking in the splendors of the markets instead. And so when she heard foreign voices chatting near the northern pagoda, Kestrel's brow furrowed in confusion. Zoji La was a small oasis nestled in a mountain pass, not easily looked for or found. How had someone snuck in?
The gangly teen rounded a wall into the main courtyard, hands clinging gingerly to the broom she'd been wielding, and found her answer in the strange sky ship that was making port near the water's edge. The flags were not-quite Venusian, though it might have been easy to mistake the heraldry. There was, however, no mistaking the telltale lavender of the Saturn knight that tumbled down from above. She watched him with curious brown eyes, and when she felt satisfied with her assessment, stepped forward.
"You're a little far east for the World Market," Kestrel offered kindly, leaning against the handle of her broom. She dressed plainly in tawny cottons and leather, the small girl held up on a thin frame that she hadn't entirely grown in to yet. Her hair was the color of the white-gold Uranian sands, some of which was still dusted on her face and hands amid a smattering of freckles she'd earned from the sun. "About twenty knots west and you should be able to see the tents."
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 2:47 pm
Crims whirled at the voice, dark brows arched in surprise before an easy, relaxed smile spread across his mouth. "I'm not here for the market," he chirped, hands sliding into his pockets easily as whiskey-eyes drifted across her frame. "I am exactly where I intended to be," he declared. It wasn't the truth but it wasn't a lie either.
"Though, my mind's a little fuzzy on where here is?"
He knew he was at an oasis, on the top of a mountain which seemed a bit curious, but he'd long since stopped trying to understand wonders and places that were not his or Ahe's. "Ah, I should introduce myself. I am Crims," he offered, sticking his hand out towards her, practically beaming at her.
"It's a lovely place, if I do say so myself. Is it yours?" He turned away from her after the question was asked, eyes sweeping across the place and drifting up to the few crew members that were sliding down the chain that connected the anchor to his ship.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 3:26 pm
There was something dangerous to the way the man sized her up, and Kestrel watched him in turn, her eyes cautious but intrigued. She nearly jumped as he extended a hand, staring at it blankly while she bit her lip, turning over words in her head.
"It's the sanctum of Zoji La," she blurted out, almost too quickly to comprehend. "I just, um, sweep here, haha."
She knew the proper thing to do would have been to power up and introduce herself, treat him the way a foreign dignitary was owed. But then again, he had skipped all pleasantries by landing his ship in the middle of the courtyard, so there was a unique opportunity here to be both diplomatic and sneaky.
Kestrel was not a Page of Uranus if she could not think on her feet. But then again, no one had bothered to call the courtyards 'lovely'.
"It's traditional to go through the trials before seeking an audience," the girl stammered, watching as the man's company grew. Was it possible that they had bad intentions? She could handle one or two of them, but if many more came tumbling down from that ship she would have a hard time holding her own, even on her own turf. "Were you...trying to find the trials? Because you missed, by about ten knots."
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 3:34 pm
"Ah, of course. Zoji La," Crims repeated pretending like he knew what that meant. It helped, when moments later she mentioned the trials because cause it gave him an idea and Crims was always quick on his feet. "Isn't the point of the trials to end up here?" He asked turning his attention solely on her, the members of his crew looking at the pair questioningly.
"That's what I did isn't it? I made it to the end I just--" he paused, looking thoughtfully into the air before looking at her again. His wide grin softened, looked more genuine when he ran his hand through his dark locks, ruffling the windswept hair.
"I just skipped straight to the end, there are no rules about how you get to the oasis right?" He shrugged, looking upon her expectantly like she would dare to contradict him.
In truth, he knew next to nothing about the types of trials that commenced on the wonders of Uranus but Crims was confident that his ability to spin stories and talk his way out of almost anything would come in handy.
He hoped he was right.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 8:41 pm
Kestrel opened her mouth to protest.
A moment later, she let it close.
"I mean...," she murmured, slow recognition dawning on her face while she blinked. The corners of her mouth crinkled as she grinned, as if she'd just been made privy to the punchline of some horrible joke. "...No, not technically, you just have to make it through the gates and into the courtyard to be received."
It was so simple, and yet, it was so clever. No one had bothered just trying to fly over the challenge itself. True, he was somewhat cheating himself of the knowledge earned while practicing the trials themselves, but Kestrel had to at least appreciate his ingenuity, if it was a bit unorthodox. Who just parked a ship in the middle of someone's wonder?
This guy did. What a curiosity.
"Beating the trials means you are a welcome visitor in these halls," she added, leaning her weight against the hardy broom. "But we still have to wait for the actual knight of this place to return to make it official and stuff. Would you...want a tour?"
Let Crims skip the trials. She could develop some of her own, in the oasis proper.
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 2:13 pm
Crims was definitely unorthodox, especially considering his profession. He never did things by the books, especially since he'd left his wonder to rot while he gallivanted across the universe doing what he wanted rather than what his duties had demanded of him.
"See!" He beamed at the small woman. "I did things differently but still made it to the end like I was supposed to." He shrugged, laced his fingers together and stuck his hands behind his head.
"Now, why are you showing me around if it's not official?" He asked, cocking a brow curiously at her. "You never did introduce yourself," he commented, the realization just hitting him. "You told me where we were but not who you are." He pretended to look at her suspiciously, before shrugging and relaxing.
"You know what, show me around."
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 11:56 pm
"I...just to pass the time before the knight returns," Kestrel floundered, her cheeks beginning to run red. She clenched the pommel of her broom while she glanced away, her mind running laps to try and ensure she wasn't caught in the little trick before it was time to reveal herself.
"My name is Kestrel," the girl blurted out, her eyes darting away to the sights of the wonder around her. "I'm an acolyte, I do the chores when Zoji La is away." None of this was technically false, which made her feel a little better about deceiving this Saturn knight, but her face remained flushed while she spoke. When Crims decided to drop the subject, she dropped her shoulders, breathing out a little sigh of relief.
"A-ah, yes," she chirped, turning away from Crims and toward a vast circular door with the symbol of Uranus on it. "You weren't far off from the main gate, even if you went over it instead of through it, but this is where champions of the trials usually enter for the first time. If you look through the doors, you can see most of the rest of the pass."
"And this is the main courtyard," she continued with a sweep of one hand, "Where acolytes and monks and champions are received. It's usually a little more lively, but with the world market and all...and we didn't know you'd be coming, because there was nothing from the chimes." She pointed to one wall, where a series of metal tubes of various lengths and colors hung from cords of string and ribbon. "The chimes sound at every stage of a person's trials, so that Zoji La can find them if they get lost and guide them."
Her face beginning to go red again, she curled her arm inwards and looked away to the main attraction of the courtyard, a single shallow lake bordered by palm trees and shrubs. White-crested water trickled down from the mountains in the north to feed into the lake itself, and small jetties ran in various directions to feed its lifeblood into fountains and gardens surrounding. At the center of the oasis lake, about fifty yards in, a single domed pagoda stood silently surrounded by calm waters, made of whorls of copper and blue glass bearing the Uranian insignia.
"The oasis itself is where Zoji La draws her power," Kestrel mused quietly, her eyes getting lost in the stillness of the waters. "And she holds her most secret meetings in the pagoda at the seat of her power. It's said that a fully-fledged knight of Zoji La can reach the stairs without disturbing a drop of water." Kestrel sighed wistfully, leaning against her broom. Someday, that would be her. Someday, she would know the secret.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 2:10 pm
Crims's eyes narrowed with consideration because he had feeling that the girl was more than she was letting on. Still, if she wanted to play games, then he'd let her and see how long she thought she could dance around whatever she seemed to be hiding.
The flush on her cheeks was almost endearing, the knights cheeky grin expanding when he put his hands on his hips to peer in the direction of the things that she felt important to point out.
"If I stepped through the main gates now, would the chimes alert Zoji La of her latest champion?" He asked, mischief evident in his eyes when he took half a step that way before his attention was drawn to the oasis.
The way Kestrel leaned against her broom, dreamy sighing at the thought of the knight being able to climb stairs without disturbing the water. His brow furrowed just a bit and then lifted as something hit him. "Will you be able to do that soon or are you still working your way up the ladder until the oasis deems you worthy of more power?"
Either she would deny it or she'd be startled enough to out herself and he was curious to see which.
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