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 Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:09 pm
It had only been a couple of weeks since Chelle had joined the caravan. Her entire life had been torn to pieces and she was slowly beginning to rebuild. While she had somewhat expected the angry reactions from her mother and grandmother when she had declined to choose either of their clans, their rejection had still been indescribably painful. It had been lucky for Chelle that Asher had remained in the Celestial Plain, somehow knowing that Chelle would seek him out. This life was different from everything she had known before, but every day was an adventure.
The large caravan of seven wagons had parked itself on the outskirts of Taliuma, opening booths for their wares. People were always drawn to the spectacle of the caravans, the bright colors, the aromatic foods, the lure of potential danger. This was Chelle’s first experience with a market day, and after helping to set up several of the little stalls, she found herself watching the growing crowds. The smaller children in the caravan slipped through the crowds, their deft little hands picking pockets here and there. It was like a game to them. Chelle had been trying to learn the art, but so far she was not nearly as adept as she wanted to be. Her icy blue eyes scanned the crowds… perhaps she could find an unsuspecting city-dweller and get some real hands-on experience.
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 2:13 pm
Casseth had been wondering the streets of Taliuma, the smooth rocks he kept with him hovering slightly over his hand has he twirled his fingers. He had been to the bookstore already, anxious to meet up with Lithian. Disappointment had met him, however, when he found that Lith was not there yet. He had left word with Jhea on where he was staying and that he had come looking for Lith. Thanking the older dovaa he had slipped back out of the bookstore and into the bustling streets of the small port town.
Casseth frowned as throngs of people started to push past him, elbowing him in the side and shoving him out of the way rudely. He gritted his teeth as he quickly pocketed the stones, lest he lose them. “What’s going on?” he asked of the next hybrid that passed him by. A muttered word that sounded like caravan caught Casseth’s attention but the man was gone before Cas could ask him what he meant. He turned, moving with the flow of people now making their way to the outskirts of the town.
His eyes widened as Cas finally broke free of the crowd and took in the sight of the caravan now sitting outside of Taliuma. “Gypsies…” someone whispered as the shoved past Casseth. He raised an eyebrow, venturing farther into the loosely knit crown of magescians. He had heard of gypsies before but never had he seen them in person. He bit his lip as he thought about the coins his father had given him. Maybe he would find something of use in this caravan? With that thought he set off, taking his time to browse every stall.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 1:46 pm
Chelle saw the hybrid boy peering around curiously, and decided that he would make a good first mark. The children in the caravan trained using dummies dressed in clothing that had bells hidden in the folds and pockets. Ringing a bell meant you were caught. Chelle herself had not yet managed to pick the dummies pocket without ringing a bell, but she had gotten close and was improving every day. And by choosing a target close to her own age, she was less likely to get in big trouble if she were caught. The boy was a hybrid, so he probably wasn't here with anybody terribly influential who would raise a fuss. The whole mindset and core values of the gypsies were vastly different than what she was used to, and sometimes Chelle struggled with this new way of life. But neither Lessa or Erama wanted her anymore, so she was determined to adapt.
She waited until he paused in front of a stall, and then slipped through the crowd. Her small, deft hand slipped into his pocket and found... rocks? Well, it was her first time, and lifting something that didn't appear to have any value couldn't get her into too much trouble. Palming the stones, she slipped them into the small satchel she now wore at her belt and darted through the crowd, planning on slipping behind the stalls and out of sight.
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 1:46 pm
Casseth tensed as he felt the soft brush of a hand at his waist. For a minute he chose to ignore it, figuring it for another rude pureblood just shoving him out of the way. The instant his stones left his pocket, though, Casseth knew. He had just been pickpocketed. Why, though, had they taken his stones? He frowned as he swirled around, spotting a flash of white hair fleeing away from him he grit his teeth.
He took off, his feet quickly taking him over the sandy ground. He watched the girl carefully as she slipped between stalls. He slipped between where she’d disappeared into and carefully made his way around to their backs. There. She was close by, her pace slowed down by the thought that she had lost him. Anger swirled inside of him at having been stolen from. He stomped the ground sending a stream of sand shooting her way. As it reached the girl the sand encircled her ankles, hardening as it made contact with her skin and freezing her in place.
“I want those back! They’re mine,’ Cas said as he hurried over to where the girl was now stuck in place. “Why’d you take my stones?” He moved to stand in front of her, his breath catching in his throat as he took in the female dovaa’s appearance. His heart skipped a beat before he turned his shocked look back into a frown. “Give them back and I’ll let you go,” he demanded of the dovaa girl.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 1:47 pm
Chelle had slowed to a walk, thinking that she had actually, against the odds, successfully pickpocketed someone. Unfortunately, as her ankles were gripped by the hard shackles of sand, she realized that she had been terribly mistaken. She stumbled forward, almost falling as her torso continued moving even as her feet were trapped. She let out a soft, startled sound, and twisted around to see the boy who would confront her. He looked mad. He looked really, really mad.
"Oh!" Chelle blushed, but also found a little grin. Even though she'd been caught, the attempt had been elating and her veins still pounded with adrenaline. "I'm sorry. Here, you can have them back." She dug around in her satchel and produced the stones, holding them out. "I didn't mean to make you mad, I just wanted to see if I could actually pick someone's pocket without them noticing." Her flush deepened. "I guess I've still got some work to do."
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 1:54 pm
Casseth frowned as he watched the dovaa dig his stones out of her satchel. Instead of reaching for them, he twirled his fingers, jerking them out of her palm and up into the air. He brought them back to him, hovering them and swirling them in circles just above his hand. “If you had decided to take my coins, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. These stones, though...they’re connected to me.” He opened his hand and let them drop, one by one, back into his palm.
Pocketing them, he glanced back up to the girl. “Why would you want to steal from someone?” His nose wrinkled up as he let the sand around her ankles fall loose. “Don’t you know that’s wrong?” As he let her free of the sandy shackles he half expected her to run off, back to the safety of the crowds around the gypsy caravan.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 7:58 pm
Chelle inhaled sharply as he drew the stones back, her eyebrows raising nearly to her hairline. "I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would mind missing a few stones. I was aiming for the gold, but I'm afraid I'm a little new to this." She stepped out of the piles of sand and shook the excess out of her shoes, but she didn't run away. Instead, she smoothed out her hair and looked Cas up and down, getting a feel for him. She was learning that it was always important to seem confident, even when you didn't necessarily feel that way. She exhaled, a puff of frosty breath. He wasn't the only one who could show off here, after all.
"It's not about having someone else's belongings," she responded with a grin. "It's about knowing I can take them without being noticed. Though clearly I have some work to do. And anyways..." Her expression darkened faintly. "The idea of right and wrong is much more fluid than gadje parents would have their sheltered little children believe. The world is full of grey areas."
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:46 pm
He was mildly surprised that she didn’t flee as soon as she was free. Cas’ head tilted to the side as she let a puff of icy air escaped her lips. “You’re aiskala. My mother’s aiskala.” He frowned at her words about right versus wrong. He’d been brought up to respect others, even if they didn’t return that respect. As a child, that had been easy enough to do. His world had revolved mostly around his parents and their close friends. However, as he grew older, Casseth had come to realize the world wasn’t all sunshine and happiness.
Everywhere he went he heard the whispers, saw the people staring. What did he know about right from wrong? He knew that it wasn’t right for a person to judge him based solely on the fact that he was a hybrid. Knew that it wasn’t right to whisper about a child that could no more help what he was than the sun could help from making it hot in the desert. Casseth lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. “My parents protect me, yes but I am not sheltered. Do you think that I have walked through this town without hearing the whispers? Without seeing the adults that stare and sneer at me just because I am so obviously a hybrid?”
He looked away from her, clenching his fists down at his sides. “Do not think I don’t know the rules are different for everyone. I’ve seen more wrong than right in this world and those who do the wrong would have you believe they were the ones who were right.” He looked back at her, his cheeks flushing deeply as he realized he had just ranted to someone he barely knew. “Sorry,” he muttered as he reached down and fidgeted with the bracelet around his wrist; the gift Lithian had given him back on aisko.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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