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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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 Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:07 am
 To Nephi, each day was just another day he could dedicate himself to the Guardians, and do another thing that would raise up his existence in their eyes.
Today, he decided his mission to the Guardians was to go around Telrunya City. He would make sure everything--and everyone--was in order, that nothing was out of place, that there were no crimes or no activities that the Guardians themselves would frown at. The City was the place for the greatest of races and the faeries, and therefore, it needed to remain that way. If anyone was out of line, he would deal with the issues as he saw them.
Luckily, today seemed to be a relatively peaceful day so far, and no one was requiring Nephi to make use of the one vial that sat comfortably on the side of his belt, near what looketd to be a tattooing needle.
Angels, demons, shetani, and ... faeries ... the City was perfect. The marketplace was pulsing, with paeple and ideas and objects and the exchange of happiness. The places of gathering were active, with some leaning in towards each other with private conversations that Nephi had little to no interest in, and others holding larger gatherings.
And, of course, the temple was peaceful.
Nephi decided that his next stop should be near the gates and the landing pad. This would be where the new disturbances would come from, and Nephi needed to make sure they were silenced before they were started... Of course, what was more likely was that he may find a new arrival to the City. Slowly, but surely, those who had been Isle-dwelling were realizing what a mistake that was and were making their way to the City.
Perhaps, today, his mission would be of help or defense.
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 12:45 pm
 Now, it wasn't that Malek had particularly disliked being at home. It was, after all, the location of a majority of his memories and it brought to him feelings of nostalgia. No, that wasn't why he had left. There just didn't seem to be much a place for him there anymore at this part in his life. He could survive off the land and by himself without much worry, his grandfather and parents had ensured that, but was that really living? Would he actually be content just... existing to exist? With few others around him at any given time, save for the occasions he had gone out of his way to attend a festival of sorts?
Even him, an average pae with little aspiration in life, wanted more than that.
That said, he hadn't expected the city to actually have this many other pae'il. There were so many of different shapes and colors and sizes. For a country boy, the thought of even leaving the teleportation pad was intimating (not to mention... how did that thing work anyways?). And then there were the issues that he had chosen to not think about before he left: housing, food, work... What was he to do?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:08 pm
It wasn't long after he arrived when he spotted a shetani that looked rather ... meek.
Nephi moved from his position leaning against a wall, moving to take a closer look at the new arrival. Was he from the main Isle? He looked it, not strolling away from the pad as if he was familiar to the area, but rather just ... looking around.
Perhaps the Guardians had guided him here today to help.
Wings fluttering, Nephi gave one hard push and then flew over to the shetani, keeping himself steady in front of him. "Hello," greeted Nephi, bowing his head respectfully in greeting. If this was a Light Pae'il who was not from the City, he might not be fully aware of who Nephi was. There would not be the kind of facial recognition that someone from the City might have.
"Are you new to Telrunya City, sir?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:30 pm
Malek practically jumped in place as the teen came nearer, his foot instinctively moving him a step back in defense. He hadn't meant to be rude necessarily, as he realized his actions probably appeared from the bowed head, but it had just happened. Blinking, he awkwardly bent his head forward in reply before standing straight up again. The single knapsack slung over his shoulder rattled with the little trinkets he'd collected up until now.
Oh talking... talking... What to do...? What to do...? He could practically feel his blood pressure rising.' Calm yourself!' the familiar voice filled his head, a soft pressure against the back of his neck. ' Remember all that practice we did in the forest? I think you should be able to do it properly now... or at least decently.' His power... that was right. Maybe with that he could at least try to communicate with this teenager. Nodding once, he closed his eyes, his mind growing blank except for the detailed image of his family's cottage. As he did so, he held his hands forward and began to project the image with shadows. All things considered, what he was showing was a fairly detailed portrayal of the image. From there he continued from his perspective the walking through the jungle, passing through the fey clearing and an interesting tree that he didn't necessarily pay much attention to, through more jungle, and then to the landing pad before finding himself here.
Opening his eyes and breathing out, he twiddled his thumbs together and looked about awkwardly. Had it worked?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:54 pm
... No response? Did Isle-living Pae not understand how to speak common language? Was he that sorely uneducated?
He was almost as savage as the heretics, in that case.
Needless to say, Nephi was taken by surprise when he was suddenly presented with a projected image, of a cottage, and a jungle, and that supposed fae holy land with an odd, unusual tree -- what exactly was wrong with that tree? -- before the shetani arrived at the landing pad, in front of Nephi.
So he was new. That was an answer, though an unnecessarily long one. This shetani needed to learn the art of brevity.
"In that case, sir, welcome to The City of Telrunya. I am Nephi of the Holy Squires." He offered his hand in greeting, before continuing. "What shall I address you buy, shetani?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:10 pm
Malek's awkward smile almost twitched when he saw the teen's expression. Oh, so he was offended? Great. G-r-e-a-t. Just what he needed. He'd only been here minutes and already his damn lack of a voice was getting in the way of things. Why, this couldn't get any worse, could it?
Yes, that it could.
Reaching to accept the handshake, he released to motion to his throat, and then to swipe his hands a few times to try and gesture that he couldn't speak. Surely with so many others here, there were a few like him, right? There had to be. But a squire... a squire... Blinking, his eyes seemed to widen as the realization hit him. They were the ones who worked with the Guardians, the ones who had sent him on their leaders' quest. Smiling lightly, he reached reached inside of his pack to pull out a faun token and hold it up while pointing to it. His head tilted lightly as he non-verbally asked it his association was correct.Seiana_ZI (Guess the tree was funny shades of grey then? Maybe 50 of them? XD)
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:21 pm
He had experience with people who were mute. One of the other squires was mute, as well (though that didn't seem to get in the way of his haughty attitude). Having it fully motioned to him that the other man was mute was honestly a bit of a relief--
Good, those Light Pae'il of the Isle were not savage.
This shetani -- ah, he recognized the Squires. Not at all influenced by the heretics of the Isle, this one was. He would be a good addition to their great City, once the man was able to settle himself -- oh.
He had a faun token?
Nephi moved closer, levitating in front of Malek as he reached for the man's hand to bring it a bit closer to his face whether Malek wanted him to do so or not. Once confirming it was what he saw, he dropped the hand, moving a bit back from the shetani and watching him for a moment.
Then, he continued, "I see your high dedication to the Holy Guardians, good sir. You are quite welcome in our City."
Getting to know some of those who had felt the Guardians' calling could only be of benefit.
o0_Daisuke_0o ... yes, we'll go with that. Blame the remaining sickness fog. XDD I'll go, uh, reword that.
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 4:50 pm
If Nephi hadn't been so intent on inspecting Malek's token, he might have noticed the twitches of his eyebrow from the sudden approach and presence. Was it a good thing? A bad thing? Had he gotten the concept mixed up and was now going to pay for it? He had instinctively tightened his grip on the coin in the process, not willing to let it go after the trouble he'd gone to to get it in the first place.
His hand slowly returned close to his body and back into the bag once it was released. Letting his hands fall to the side, his smile warmed at the compliment (or, at least he assumed it was one).
Alright, he may have been a bit tense, but he might be able to get used to this place after all.
Closing his eyes as he had to with his relatively poor mastery of his ability, he conjured up the image of a house using the only one he was familiar with as a reference. The image zoomed in on the door and a shetani, perhaps modeled after one of his brothers, walked out and, after change in angle for him walking, looked behind to see the house gone. The figure then looked forward at the 'camera' and confusedly scratched his head before shrugging. At this, Malek opened his eyes once more, rubbed the back of his own head, and laughed hesitantly.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:25 am
It was interesting to Nephi that this man continued to conjure up images -- but then, with a power like that, a notepad or attempted signs weren't really fully necessary.
The Guardians had granted him a useful power indeed.
Nephi licked his lips and bit on his tongue as he watched the scene in front of him, attempting to interpret what the other man was trying to tell him. He left home and didn't know where he was, so he just came here? ... That didn't make any sense. Perhaps he was looking for a house? That made more sense than the prior assumption, at least, though he was uncertain why the shetani pictured did not quite appear to be the man that was in front of him.
"I assume you are looking for a place to call home?" Nephi's way of talking was oddly formal, but perhaps that was just part of being a squire. "The City of Telrunya always has housing for a Light Pae'il who wishes to call this place home. If you would like to follow me, I could show you?"
He paused, before he asked again, "But what is your name, shetani? If you cannot simply show me, do you have a pad and paper?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 2:36 pm
Home? At the word, the shetani nodded a few times before gripping the handle on his sack and looking around. How often did those raised on the island decide to come up here only to be baffled and astounded by the complete difference? There was little he could have done to prepare himself; no amount of stories or references that could imitate this feeling. This unfamiliarity.
A small smile grew on his face as he again nodded at the offer. Wow! This squire was so much different that the other, so much more polite and respectful (even if it was possibly for show, judging by the formality). Either way, it would mean that he could find a place to live.
A place to call his own.
A place to start over.
The smile faded some as he was asked for his name. Pen...? Paper...? What use were such things to the illiterate? Maybe... Closing his eyes, his conjured a close up of his mothers face. She was silently calling out to him, saying 'Malek,' over and over, each time with more pronounced mouthing of the word. Maybe this would work?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 3:24 pm
There was definitely a lot of formality that Nephi was putting into this; that wasn't an incorrect judgment and was probably fairly accurate.
That being said, Malek had at least somewhat endeared himself to the squire by showing that he had also embarked on the Guardians' mission. While he himself was not a squire, those that felt the call of the Guardians were always respected in his book ... at least until they did something not worthy of respect.
Did he not have any writing utensils? Very well. Nephi watched as the blue starry shetani summoned what looked to be another shetani. She looked related; he recognized the star patterning. Perhaps this was a relative?
Why was she repeating the same mouth motions over and over? Nephi, who spent an unusual amount of time watching people, watched the lip motions and tried to mimic them on his own.
"Mal...ek... Mal...ek -- Malek?" Nephi ventured, nodding. "Well, it is a pleasure to welcome you to the City of Telrunya. Would you like to come with me?"
He didn't really wait for a response either way, heading into the City and towards what looked to be ... plenty of people.
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:28 am
The shetani's eyes shot open and the shadows faded as he heard his name, an immense relief filling his body that the idea had worked. While they probably could have continued even without formal introductions on his part, it wouldn't have felt entirely proper. Especially not considering the formality the teen was using. As he nodded, his smile returned and he pointed to himself.
Yes, his name was Malek.
Nice to meet you.
Not that he could actually say that in any case...
Shifting his satchel slightly, he again nodded at the request and nearly skipped a few times to catch up. His eyes silently trailed around the immense number of pae'il around him, hardly comprehending just how many of them there were, and how few trees and animals. He'd heard the city was different than his own home, but there was nothing that could have prepared him for such a culture shock.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 11:58 am
If someone had lived on the main isle their whole life, they would never realize how different it was in the City until they went.
There were indeed many less trees, less living animals, but more pae in one location, more densely packed, and so much variety in their demons, angels, and even faeries--something Nephi would not really acknowledge as good variety, but present nonetheless.
Wasting no time when it came to throwing the new kid into a crowd, Nephi was walking to and through what looked to be a bustling market. Pae were admiring items, talking, bartering for things of all shapes and sizes from the essentials to the beautiful.
"These are the City markets." Nephi turned around, offering a grin at Malek. "We have items here to barter from the mainlands to local craftsmen and even from beyond the Isles. If you need anything, you can come here and you'll definitely find it... For the right exchange."
Nephi was very agile, slipping through the crowds like it was nothing. It was hard to say if Malek would be so lucky, but he was fully expecting him to follow.
"Angels, demons, shetani, and even faeries," yes, 'and even,' "are welcomed here to do business."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:13 am
It was probably more or less uncommon for a city native to see a shetani so awkwardly weaving about the bazaar, his eyes wide and his hands gripped tight on his satchel. There was so much going on at once, so much noise and bartering and just general commerce... How would he even live here as a mute?
Eyes passing, he seemed to notice a strange print on a number of things: was that writing? It did seem familiar enough from the books his grandfather kept in the house. Shame that he'd never learned to understand them... But if he did, perhaps he could use that as a means of communication.
Well, he'd need a teacher first.
In any case, he needed a home first of all. Somehow, though, he was managing to keep up with the teenager (if not by causing a few angry scowls as he bumped into some of the others nearby) and listening to his comments. The shetani did notice the 'even' as it was used, wondering if perhaps they were not quite as welcome as some of the other pae'il.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:27 am
"You will probably find that you need to come to this market a lot, if just to get basic necessities to survive." Nephi looked over his shoulder for a moment to make sure Malek was still there -- and still listening -- before continuing on his way through the markets.
He was right for sure -- the place was chaotic and there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the area, especially at this time of day. Somehow, Nephi seemed to be totally in tune with everything that was going on around him, though that was probably related to the fact that this was the place he called his home. His eyes remained straight forward almost the whole time, as he dodged through obstacles and eventually found himself at the other side.
"Thankfully, that is probably one of the most chaotic areas of our great City," offered Nephi, with a laugh, turning around to face Malek once again. He looked a little disheveled now... Well. At least the next parts should be a bit easier on him.
He turned back around, venturing forward. "Now, you have stated you are also on the Guardians' mission. There are a few places I should show you in particular..."
The path they were walking on was lined with several buildings, businesses and residences alike, with Light Pae'il offering services or just gathering with their neighbours. A lot about the City was ... pristine, as white as it looked from the Isle, like a shining beacon of the Light they declared themselves to be, and the pathways and buildings were of no exception.
The path that Nephi led Malek on was winding, moving gradually towards a center. As they got closer, the buildings seemed to get bigger, spires moving up towards the sky -- he suddenly stopped in front of a larger building, in an area that seemed oddly ... quiet.
He turned back to Malek.
"This is the Library. A great many books are contained here, the chronicles of the Light Pae'il as a species. It is a great pride of our City."
The collection of knowledge was enormous.
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