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 Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:03 am
A Private RP between Jynk [Fao and Zia], & Roots of the Cosmos [Elst, and Aoi].
Location: Farstep.
Time: Early Evening.
Weather: Clear, mellow skies.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:28 am
It was about time.
After all the delaying, a thought had finally occurred to Elst; he’d had Fao over a number of times, heard so much about Farstep, yet…never actually bothered to check the carnival out. Well, fine, it wasn’t exactly a thought that had just occurred to Elst…seeing as Aoi had been bugging him about it for the past week and a half. He wondered to himself, though, why he hadn’t gone earlier…Though he didn’t realize it, Miss Longway had simply been too prevalent in his mind for the last few days for him to think about much else. Ah well.
Either way, they’d already made it well into the hectic carnival, all the sights to see and such, voices calling from every which way, the usual for Farstep. To be honest, though, none of it really caught Elst’s attention; he was more focused on finding Fao. Aoi, however, was a different story.
The Alter, usually too wrapped up in his own attempts to function as an adult, was simply brimming with excitement as his inner child finally got a chance to be let out. He was wearing a green hooded sweatshirt to hide his hair, earlier, but that was long since gone as he remembered Zia telling him a while back that no one at Farstep would care. So, off the hood went, Elst now carrying it for Aoi as the Essentic eagerly ran around. Elst made sure the flower-child had some of the Nursery’s business cards with him; that way, if anyone asked about his appearance, Aoi could simply hand them a card and look like he was promoting business. So much freedom to be had here, it seemed.
An added benefit to the trip, at least from Aoi’s perspective, was that Faolan had, at some point along the way, become an idol of sorts for him. Hell, that showed pretty clearly just through how much Faolan’s personality and behavior had affected Aoi’s development, at least mentally. The Alter wasn’t quite sure of why, but the man followed his heart in most matters, and Aoi found that pretty admirable, so that was likely it, he reasoned. He was rather excited to see Ziazan again, too, that would be fun. But he was looking forward especially to seeing Faolan, he wanted to make sure, as was Elst, that the growing family was doing well. There was a problem, however.
They were lost. Very much so. Not very helpful when you’re trying to find someone else. Luckily, Elst hadn’t really any sense of pride, and had no problems with asking for directions. He walked up to a guy selling cotton candy, seeing as Aoi’d been wanting to taste fresh spun stuff anyway, and after ordering some of the blue kind, Elst asked.
“Hey, uh, I’m looking for a friend, Faolan, any idea where he is? He works here, somewhere, ‘s all I know…” The man seemed to roll his eyes a bit, his words a little brash, yet fond at the same time. “Yeah, yeah, Keagan’s half-breed’s been gettin’ plenty of attention anyway… You’re lucky, tho’, it’s a fair easy spot t’ find from here, just keep walkin’ south from he- you know which way’s south, right?” He pointed the right way for emphasis. “Jes' keep goin’ south from here till you hit the camps, last I saw ‘im he was ‘onnis roof doin some daft thing, you can’t miss him, if you hear someone screamin‘ in pain at his tools, tha‘s how you‘ll know.” The man, however mildly inebriated he seemed, finished speaking, handing Elst the cotton candy, which the plant-man paid for, and went on his way, though he heard, as he walked, a shout of “And tell ‘im the clowns were lookin for ‘im, alrigh’?” as he left. He handed Aoi the puffy blue candy, which the Essentic promptly devoured.
True enough to the man’s words, Elst was soon walking through the camps, though a little too preoccupied looking at the pleasant night sky to notice as he approached Fao’s vardo.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:41 pm
Faolan was working on the roof of the vardo, patching up a leak he'd noticed during the last easy shower they'd gotten. That was his story and he was sticking to it. Truth was, he more likely was looking for some quiet from his rather large family. Two wives, three Essentics, and a puppy tended to take it out of the guy.
He was completely engrossed in the roofing, he didn't even notice Elst and Aoi approaching, his body slightly hidden from sight where he was crouched on the roof, sun beating down on his bare back. Humming a jaunty traditional tune, every so often, he sang a line or two. Hiding he might have been, but he was still in good spirits.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:44 am
The clouds were…nice. And the masterful backdrop to the whole painting, the heavenly sky, a lovely azure, reminded him so much of her eyes…
Yup. It was gonna take a lot to break Elst out of this one, the singing from the nearby vardo hadn’t even entered his mind, it was if he could not even hear it. Aoi, however, was a whole different matter. The very instant he first heard the melody being hummed, then vocalized, his mind locked on to the fact that there was another person, somewhere… He discovered the person was on the roof of a rather odd-looking living quarters, thanks to his telepathy, he needn’t even be able to see the person, which he couldn’t, to know it was Faolan. A mindset he found quite familiar.
“Hey, Dad, Faolan’s up there!” The Essentic prodded at Elst’s side with his finger to rouse the plant man out of his daze before pointing up at the roof of the vardo. They couldn’t quite see him, but Fao’s voice was rather recognizable. Elst approached the vardo, yelling up slighty; “Faolan, is that you? It’s Elst, thought I’d pay you a little visit.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:00 pm
Faolan heard his name being called and crawled to the edge of the roof to peer over it, looking down at his visitors. "Hey, Elst and Aoi. Give me a moment and I'll be right down." He moved back from the edge to set his tools down, then crawled down, long legs dangling over the edge before his bare feet found the ground as he dropped down. His runic tattoo showed visibly down his bare back on his decent before he turned to face them once on the ground, his half-torso tribal tattoo and navel ring on display.
"What brings you two out here to Farstep, eh?" he asked, leaning back against the side of the vardo. "Seems a long way from the nursery."
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:24 am
Elst watched as Faolan descended from the rooftop with no lack of grace, landing before them with a menagerie of previously unseen tattoos, and a piercing, too. They reminded him of his own tattoos, they’d taken days to get them all done, but were worth the aid they had given to a friend of his. Not making much sense there? Well, that’s what the rest of the story to them would explain, but…that was for later.
“Hm, Fao, I hadn’t realized you had such a collection of tattoos, are they new? I hadn’t noticed them before, but perhaps that’s just because you kept your shirt on before now… Mine are a bit harder to cover than that, but it works anyway…” Still a little light-headed from his thoughts of Longway, Elst had let slip mention of his tattoos as he rambled; they were usually something he liked to keep secret. Oh well.
Coming to a little more, he heard Faolan’s question. “What brings us here? Well, I’d been thinking, I have had you over to the Nursery a number of times, and you’ve mentioned Farstep, so I figured it was about time we came over to take a look around. That and just tp pay you a visit, same reason you made your last visit to my nursery…”
~
As Elst blathered on, Aoi stood quietly, not quite staring, simply observing. That navel ring was…Awesome. Aoi wanted one. This isn’t just his childish idolization setting in, never… “Wow, those tattoos are neat, kind of reminds me of Dad’s, with all the swirling to them…The piercing’s really cool, what’s that called?”
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:52 am
Faolan ran a hand down his belly, looking at his own tattoos, then grinned at the two visitors. "Nae, they're not all new. The runes on me back I've had since I was a wee bairn. The others are new." He held out his left hand, wrist up to show off the design there, barely obscured by the length of ribbon tied there. "Me an' Elle went to get these done. She has the other half o' the heart. Whilst there, I couldnae help meself to get this other done. Elle and Lee both seem to like it enough."
He looked down at Aoi. "It's a navel ring, wean. Got it done when Verdie took me to the place the first time. You're a mite young on gettin' one if that's your thoughts, assumin' Essentics have navels to pierce."
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:48 am
A slight sign of extreme strain flashed across Elst’s expression for a moment as he stared down at his own hands. Slowly, but surely enough, immensely intricate thorn-laden rose vine designs began to appear all over his fingers, his wrists as far as could be seen up into his sleeves; lush red rose designs made their appearance on his palms. Quite literally, his hands and forearms were absolutely covered in a detailed tattoo; who really knew what the rest of his body held. He raised his hands up a little, to put the tattoos in view. “I sort of wish I could remember when I got these, I know how I have them, just not the time period…”
The ribbon-tattoo caught his eye. “Oh, quite romantic of you to get a conjoined tattoo with her…shows you really intend to make it last.” He raised an eyebrow at mention of Lee. “Lee? Might I ask who that is? And why do your tattoos involve her? There wasn’t even a slight hint of accusation in Elst’s tone; only curiosity weighed his words.
~
Aoi nodded a little. “A navel piercing, ohh…” He rubbed at his own stomach through his shirt as he spoke. “Oh, yeah, I have a navel…Not that it came naturally, really…I think I kinda grew one when I turned Alter so I could learn more about human stuff by being a little more human…” The mention of he himself getting one definitely caught his attention. “Wait, I could get one? That’d be neat…but too young? Why? Is it the pain or something? I think I could handle that part, I got stabbed in the leg with a trowel once when I tripped over it and I ended up okay eventually…Does it hurt that much?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:54 pm
Fao's eyes widened a bit at the tattoos Elst was sporting. "Woah. Didnae peg you for a body art sort." He looked at his own wrist at the question. "Not the ribbon, Elst. The tattoo's under it." He pulled the ribbon back more with his other hand so Elst could see the tribal design there. "Put this an' Elle's together an' it makes a heart. Fittin' as she's my other half."
He licked his lips at the questions of Lee. "Oh, that's a complicated situation. I seem to have gotten meself a second wife. Elle an' me went to help the girl out of a bad arranged marriage, an' you know me, I'm impulsive. I handfasted the girl there and stole her away. So long as she's in the camps, she's a legal adult and my legal wife. We're sortin' out an adoption for her in the clan before the three months is up for the annulment." He shrugged a bit.
Looking down at Aoi, the young man grinned. "I think you should be askin' your da here about gettin' anythin' pierced."
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:44 pm
Elst peered down at his own hands for a moment before his eyes rose again to meet Fao’s. “Well, I didn’t just get them on a whim, per say, there was a rather specific reason, oddly enough.” His eyes returned to the tattoo going along Fao’s arm. “Hm? Oh, I know, the tattoo, I saw. I was just pointing out that it’s a wonderful way to sort of immortalize the ribbon’s meaning. Very romantic.”
His smile faltered a little, just barely, as he heard the second piece of news. “My, that must be complicated to deal with…” His eyebrow rose a little. “How’s she dealing with living with two Essentics like that? I mean, I know Zia’s big enough to pass for a kid in costume, but…Isn’t Rhian a bit of a…curiosity? People these days don’t take too kindly to Essentics these days…” His hand absentmindedly scratched at the back of his head for a moment. How in the world did Faolan get himself into this mess?
“Though, I guess if she’s nice enough to risk your neck saving, she must be a fairly tolerant girl, this Lee…” How would he know she was an owner? “So Farstep somehow dictates a different set of age restrictions for being classified as a minor then?” Now there was an oddity, how was any of this legally even tangible?
~
Aoi lowered his head, for a moment. “Oh, well…Yeah, there’s that, but Dad’ll probably be fine…I was just wondering if there was a law or something else that wouldn't let me…” Elst didn’t seem to be listening to their conversation, so Aoi figured he could just ask later.
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:57 pm
"Specific reasons?" Fao asked, tilting his head. "Guess any reason's good for a tattoo, really." He looked at the ribbons around his writs--Elle's and Lee's. "I donnae think I'll be gettin' one for Lee. Not sure she'll be stayin' with me, but I had in mind awhile to get the tattoo for Elle."
He dropped his hand to his side, shrugging. "Life is full of complications and I'm long used to chaos by now. She donnae mind the Essentics, really, an' there's three, actually. You gotta be includin' hers, too." He nodded at the other question. "Aye, the didikai clans count sixteen as legal age for adults, an' she be seventeen if memory serves. Her mother wanted her to marry this jackass of a noble against her will, so . . . I rescued her. Sorta. Now we got three months to figure out what to do with her before the marriage cannae be annulled."
Focusing his attention on Aoi, Faolan chuckled a little. "Donnae think there's a law against it, lad, but most places ain't gonna tattoo or pierce a minor without their parents around. You donnae look older'n sixteen, so you'll have to get Elst to go along."
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:13 pm
Elst nodded a little, looking back down as his hands. “Well, seeing as this one, which spreads across pretty much every inch of my body, took several days of getting needled, it had to have a reason. You’re right, after all, I’m not much of a tattoo person in the first place.” As he spoke, the tattoos began to become visible on his neck, dense around his collar bone and more spread out as they reached the base of his skull. “I mean, my ears, I got them done on a whim,” He pushed back his hair to show his earlobes, each pierced once, adorned with a simple gold ankh.
“…but they were simple, quick, and much less expensive. A full-body tattoo was a whole different matter, my skin was blazing and sore for weeks, especially the bottoms of my feet, because I still had to walk around after all. Not to mention all the cleaning they all took. But there was a good reason. The tattoo artist, what I believe was a good friend of mine at the time, was about to go bankrupt, hard financial times and next to no customers because of it. He wouldn’t let me just help him out, too proud for that, so I reasoned that I’d just order the largest, most detailed tattoo I could think of. One that would be putting a decent chunk of change in his pocket. Not to mention, I’d say the vines rather suit me anyway., wouldn’t you agree?” With this, he spared a slight chuckle.
Elst narrowed his eyes a little, thinking on the whole legality issue. “So the…Didikai, you said…So their clans count as legal entities completely separate from regional laws? I mean, most people accept cultural differences and such, but a lot of people object when it breaks the laws set by their society…” He lowered a head a little, still thinking. "I mean, I raise no objections, of course, I have no problem following cultural customs and all, especially when it’s for such a good cause, but… Not everyone will. I doubt this girl’s parents will, at least.”
He offered a small smile. “The reason I doubt this…I’ve had nobility as clientele many a time, and…they’re unfortunately rarely the most tolerant bunch. At least she has an Essentic, though, a nice coincidence, that smoothes out most bumps…” He raised his head as he heard the last part of Faolan’s statement. “Oh, you don’t know quite what to do now…Well, if there’s any way I can help you three with any of this, any at all, you can rest assured you have me and every resource I hold at your aid.” He nodded wholeheartedly as he said this, for effect.
~
Aoi scratched his head, his hand falling to his stomach again afterwards. “Oh, so as long as Dad’s fine with it, I could get one? That sounds neat…so there’s nothing else that would prevent me from getting something like that?” He tugged at the bottom of Elst’s jacket. "Hey, Dad, could I get my belly button pierced?”
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:39 pm
"Not sure I'd want my whole body tattooed. Was enough to get this one," Fao said, moving a hand across the tribal design covering half his torso. "Helpin' a friend out is a good reason to do it, though." He leaned over a bit to look at Elst's ears when shown them. "I got my navel pierced on a whim and the big tattoo."
Leaning back against the side of the vardo again, he shrugged. "The problem ain't so much a recognition of culture, it's that most donnae really like didikai and so they donnae want to acknowledge our culture or our rights. The reasons on why I married the girl aside, I do care for her. I ain't sure I love her, not like I do Elle, but I find myself a little attracted to the girl." He looked down, biting his lower lip. "I appreciate the offer, Elst, really. I ain't sure how much you can help in this, though. I'll keep you posted if I think there's somethin' you can do."
He glanced over at Aoi, chuckling a bit at the Essentic's question. The kid amused him, really. "You ain't gettin' one just 'cause of me, is you?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 5:15 pm
Elst laughed, very lightly so. “With a full-body tattoo…believe me, you don’t.” A half-laugh escaped his lips, a way of laughing at his own misfortune. “This tattoo put me through more physical pain than I’ve ever felt in all my life, not counting getting shot, and that was only because of the round they used.” This time, the laugh held a little more strength. “Anyway, just don’t ever get one of this proportion on a whim. This, to me, was worth the seemingly never ending pain it put me through, without a doubt. But it was only because of the benefit it produced for my friend. Otherwise, it would have been weeks of physical agony for nothing of merit. Even if it looks like good, no whim, in my opinion, could ever be worth that much pain.”
Rubbing the back of his neck with his palm, Elst listened, still troubled. “That is exactly my point, though… The less people respect a culture, the less likely they are to allow their laws to be broken in respect to that culture. From what you’ve made them out to be like, this Lee girl’s parents are apt to steal her back the instant they figure out where she is. And, sadly enough, from what I know, it’d be perfectly legal to do so.”
A thoughtful sigh accompanied this; his voice was lowered. “This…is where I may be of service. My nursery, as much as I regret admitting it, came to success through bending a few legal issues. To omit details, the city basically needs me to keep this Nursery running, for a menagerie of complicated reasons. They tend to…overlook me when they are scrutinizing local businesses and such, to avoid impeding the business I run, which they in a number of ways depend on. “ He cleared his throat, rather nervously. “But allow me to put it this way. I have a number of spare rooms within my home. The Lee girl’s parents would have no reason to expect their daughter to have fled to a nursery of all places when they inevitably come to Farstep looking for her. Now, once again, if things ever take a turn to the worse, you can count on me to help you if need be. For now, you seem safe. But if times come to worse, I am perfectly willing to take some risks to help you, eland, and this poor girl. Just thought I’d say.”
~
Aoi had begun to say ‘Of course not.’, but he stopped himself halfway through. Wait. Why did he want one so badly? “Well, I… I don’t think so…I mean, you gave me the idea, yeah, I just thought it’d be neat…I dunno.” He was actually quite flustered, now; but the flush barely showed on his complexion.
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