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 Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:02 pm
 Neighborly assistance comes to the rescue
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:36 pm
Nictor Sabbat
In retrospect, Nictor probably could have handled the situation better. If he had, he would have made it promptly to his destination, been able to wait out the whole ordeal, and go home, but instead he was lost on the parade grounds of Military Base 3865.
He'd been at home, reading up on some of the interesting flowing cacti he had seen the market the other day when the drone had come calling. After a small commotion there, he'd eventually wound up on the drop ship with countless other trolls being ferried to the base. Luckily enough, since he live in Chittentown itself, he was picked up near the end of the trip and didn't spend too long in the cramped corner he'd tucked himself into the get some distance from everyone else. Of course, he'd been one of the last to get off, and he'd gotten further delayed when he accidentally tripped into the drone who was trying to get him off the ship, knocking both of them over, and earning himself an earful about serving your queen and respect and ungrateful brats. Beehemoth had eventually had enough and bullied the drone away, luckily enough. Unfortunately though, he'd been separated from the only troll who could have acted as a guide for him, and Bee was busy defending his space above Nictor from other milling lusii.
In his confusion and anxiety, Nictor began trying to move forward through the crowds, but found that an influx of older trolls moving in another direction pushed him along. After that, he'd gotten rather twitchy and jerky from trying not to be trampled and too many bodies pressing in around him. Finally gathering his wits about him, Nictor released a small panicked keen and made a break for the first opening he could find, knocking into a few legs here and there. Eventually he got spat out by the travelling throng near what looked to be medical tents.
Standing up from where he'd landed on his hands and knees, Nictor brushed the grit off his hands onto his shorts, some puffs of pollen rising from his clothes and sticking to skin from the motion as he glanced around, a worried look firmly in place. He couldn't see the presentation area for the kids anywhere.
This did not bode well.
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2015 2:56 pm
Reemus wasn't exactly excited to be here. He had opinions on the idea of being assessed for his health, and they were mostly against having to come in to get checked out. The yellowblood wasn't keen on getting poked at and touched. He wasn't excited about having to show off his weight.
But, like it or not, here he was. At first, he was thrown off by how many trolls were here already. Reemus had figured he had been sent to an important base close to home. If all trolls were supposed to ship out to the ones near their homes, why was there a rainbow mix? Highbloods didn't live out here. Was all of Alternia supposed to come to this one base? Even for someone as dense as Reemus, that seemed like poor planning.
He'd have to push through the hustle and bustle to get to his check-up. Fortunately, he was big enough to shoulder on through and hope he didn't shove anyone who would kill him for it. Gillian followed along, sizable enough herself to not get cut off from her charge.
Finding little difficulty so far, and just more annoyed than anything else, Reemus starting scoping out the lines. He hoped to get through it soon then head back home. This was ridiculous.
Looking over nearby, he could see a tiny figure. The size, or lack thereof, made them stand out among the older trolls. Reemus frowned a little, seeing that the kid had recently gotten hurt. Might be having a bad time. Say, wasn't there supposed to be an area for kids?
Wanting to help, Reemus came over and leaned down so he was closer to the other troll's stature. "Hey, there, mate. Y'don't look like yer doin' too hot. You need some help?"
As he inhales through his nose, his nostrils started to twitch. Something was irritating his sinuses all of a sudden.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 3:41 pm
Nictor Sabbat
He had been chewing on his lip nervously, glancing around for any indication of where to go. He couldn't remember much of what the drone said direction wise, so Nictor had no firm guesses as to where he could be. Rubbing his hands together nervously, he tried to focus on the motion and give himself a moment to build up his nerve. He was going to have to ask for directions, wasn't he?
Apparently Nictor had zoned out better than he'd expected because all of a sudden there was a large, sturdy teenager leaning down net to him and talking to him and why is he so close!? With a sharp short yelp, Nictor recoiled like he'd been stung, tripping over his own legs and slamming into the ground in his momentary panic.
Pollen puffed from Nictor's impact with the ground and his hands burned from where they'd hit and slid on the gritty earth below, but his focus wasn't on that. His eyes were locked on the teen looming over him and he could imagine someone so much bigger than him could probably tear him apart with his bare hands. And those teeth. And that lusus.
Nictor swallowed nervously, breath coming quickly and rapidly as he scooted back just to get some space. He went back to biting his lip, still staring. Nictor's eyes darted quickly to the older troll's chest before quickly skittering back to his face, keeping careful watch for any signs of aggression. Yellow. Another yellowblood. That little fact relaxed him just enough for his brain to finally decide to figure out what the teen had said.
Help? Well. Nictor was going to have to ask. Why would this teenager decide to offer though? Would the teen get impatient and sic his lusus on him? That caused a mental stutter of fear. Still, the opportunity was there. Steeling his resolve to take the offer at face value and get it over with, Nictor pressed his lips together and nodded slightly, making a small assenting hum to indicate yes, he did need some help.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 10:41 pm
"H-hey, easy there, mate!" Reemus leaned back, hands up in surrender. "Ain't nothin' ta- ta- ahhhh choo!" That puff of pollen had gone right up his nose and paralyzed the freckled troll in a sneezing fit.
Soon, he was reduced to sniffles, trying to get a handle on it. The kid on the ground was nodding at him, from what he could tell. "A-all righty then." He cleared his throat and offered a hand. "First let's get ya off the floor, ey?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:18 pm
Nictor Sabbat
Nictor jumped slightly at the sound of the sneeze and following fit of sinus upset. He blinked a little, almost relaxing as the other's focus diverted off of him, only to shrink into himself a bit more when he stared at the other yellowblood's lusus again. He was pretty sure the woofbeast could snap him up in a couple bites if she felt like it.
Nictor snapped back to attention when a hand moved towards him and the kid didn't much more than stare at it for a minute, scooting away minutely. His face scrunched in hesitation, staring at the proffered assistance as though it were a resting scalefiend, something venomous and dangerous and waiting to strike. Nictor looked between Reemus's outstretched hand and face, his apprehension clear and easy to read. One of Nictor's hands raised slightly but faltered and froze.
The yellowblood didn't seem all that dangerous, and he was offering to help him. But, but what if it was a ruse? And he was so much bigger than him, he could just imagine his hand being enveloped and crushed to bits. No, best not to.
"N-no, it's f-fi-fine. I-I can get--t up on m-my own," Nictor managed to stutter out, putting his hand back down and ducking his head meekly. Nictor pulled his feet under himself and pushed himself up. Unfortunately, his focus was still hooked on his fearful thoughts, and in the process of standing, his eyes darted to the big woofbeast lusus and wow those were big teeth. He lost balance and went toppling forwards, right towards the older troll.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:08 pm
Reemus watched the child with growing confusion at every action. Nictor kept acting like he as due for a wallop, and Reemus just couldn't understand why. Hadn't he done everything he could to prove that he had no ill intent? Reemus began to ponder this mystery with a head scratch while Nictor started getting up on his own. His furrowed eyebrows unscrewed and even raised up when the smaller troll collapsed on his stomach.
The size difference and Reemus's sturdiness, however, worked in the teenager's favor. "Whooooa there, mate. Y'need t' take a breather. What keeps spookin' ya?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 9:25 am
Nictor Sabbat
A yelp was Nictor's only reply, accompanied by flailing limbs trying to right himself. Eventually Nictor managed to push himself off of Reemus, stumbling back a few steps before jerkily righting himself. The kid avoided eye contact, glancing at Reemus's face once before flinching and looking anywhere but.
That would also be about when he noticed the pollen that had rubbed off of his hands making prominent marks on the teen's sweater. Oh dear.
Well, it could have been worse. At least the other didn't get knocked over because then he'd have a definite reason to kick Nictor's teeth in. Not a good reason, but a reason none the less.
Nictor was nibbling his lip and wiped his palms on his shorts again out of nervous habit, then looked up as he was spoken to again. He stared, unsure if the teen was messing with him or not. Though to be fair, the teen had started off by offering to help him, tried to help him stand back up, and hasn't teen the slightest bit angry over Nictor face planting in his stomach. And if this didn't go well, he'd just have to go ask someone else.
"S-sorry. I---ahhh," Nictor halted, suddenly unsure how to respond. He wanted to just ask where the kids are supposed to be but the older yellowblood had asked him a question. What keeps spooking him? Was this teen having a go at him or not, Nictor really couldn't tell. Wetting him lips, Nictor pressed on. "Ahh, th-that, ahh---, that w-w-wouuuld be y-you."
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2015 4:36 pm
"Easy, eas-" Reemus lost his attempts to calm the yellowblood down in another sneezing fit. His eyes were even runny, now with the pollen up close and near and drifting up from his shirt every time he moved. "M-mate, I dunno what's goin' on, but it's givin' me a hard time," the yellowblood sniffled.
Woofmum found herself in a similar situation; nosing towards the young troll or his lusus only gave her the sneezies, and it only let up when the pollen cleared off of her nose at any given time.
In the midst of trying to hopelessly wipe himself off, Reemus paused at Nictor's explanation of what was bugging him. He blinked through puffy eyes. "Wuh?" Him? No, that couldn't be. "But I didn't do nothin'." His brows furrowed in confusion. "I'm just? Tryin' t' be nice, I..." Reemus's words failed as he grew a bit more upset, totally unable to comprehend this. "I-is it cuz I'm big? I could try to be smaller..." he started to whimper a little.Taki-di In this corner, watch a small child break a big child's heart
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 9:13 pm
Nictor Sabbat
The young troll titled his head and hummed thoughtfully, despite the twitch he made at each sneeze. It wasn't unusual for Nictor to hear sneezes in his wake, but he himself never much understood why. It seemed to be caused by the pollen, but he never had that kind of reaction himself. Well. Not for a long time at least.
Nictor pressed his lips together and glanced nervously at the large woofbeast, who seemed to be suffering similarly as her charge was. Would it be better or worse to tell them why they were sneezing? At least, why he thought they were sneezing.
Nictor didn't exactly have the funds to reimburse the older troll for his clothes.
His brain ground to a halt, eyes widening in horror as he watched the teen. Had... had the other yellowblood just offered to try to be smaller? Was that physically possible? Nictor didn't think so. It's not like he could just magic away a few feet of height like nothing. Was this a trick question?
Wait, no. What had the teen just said before that.
Nictor stared at Reemus looking absolutely gobsmacked, in a similar state of incomprehension. Maybe it was because the only regular troll interaction Nictor got was overworked store clerks wanting to go home and to not deal with his stutter or vendors who shooed him away for fear of him wrecking their stalls, or even Beehemoth's extensive and continuous cautioning. Nice just wasn't a concept that Nictor associated with trolls.
Rubbing a hand up his cheek into his hair, Nictor found himself at a loss for words, staring dumbfounded at the teen. What was he supposed to do now? What could he do that wouldn't make the other more upset?
"I... ah, uhm, I-I'm s-sorry? I mean, y-y-yes? Er, no. Ahhh, I-I'm sorry.." Nictor found himself losing steam and shrinking down again, looking more awkward than usual.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:35 pm
"I dunno what yer apologizin' for." Or, really, what use it would be. The words stung pretty bad. "I don't wanna scare you or nothin', I just wanna help. Y' look so outta sorts, I thought I could do that much. Not make things worse..." He looked rather morose as he tried to figure out what to do.
On one hand, he could let the poor kid alone. But Nictor was small, and certainly out of place. His coordination was awful, and it was only luck that he had fallen around someone who wasn't of a higher caste. Leaving Nictor on his own could lead to worse things than feeling bad.
Reemus remembered his time as a kid, and didn't wish public humiliation on any innocent child, especially of his own caste or lower.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 8:34 am
Nictor Sabbat
Why was he saying sorry? Because it was his fault the other yellowblood's clothes had been ruined. And Nictor was kind of the reason he was sneezing so much. Had the teen not expected an apology? Usually the other's had demanded at least that much.
Help? It was too good to be true, it had to be. Nictor stared up at the other yellowblood, not entirely sure what was happening but not wanting to ruin it any further. This guy was so confusing! He could see the teen was upset, and couldn't quite figure out what had caused it, but was sure it was somehow his fault. At least, the teen hadn't seemed upset before Nictor had opened his mouth. Usually people got annoyed at him talking not upset.
He stared up at Reemus for another minute, trying to grasp to the teen really didn't mean him any harm. Could he believe that? Was it safe to? To be fair, Beehemoth was right there, circling above him, so if anything went wrong, he could save him.
Nictor fidgeted a little more,still staring and searching the older's face for any sign of lying, but just saw the guy looking sad. Maybe he liked helping then? That was an odd thing for a troll, but if that was really true, he wasn't about to argue it.
"Uhm---, ah, I-I was apo-ap-ap-ahhh, sorry for--- makiiing y-you sneeze s-so much," Nictor fumbled through an explanation, considering Reemus's first statement enough that maybe he should explain. Visibly bracing himself, Nictor pressed on. "I-I aaam lossst though. D-d-did you r-real---ly just w-wanna help?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 11:20 am
This child was so sad and pitiable. What could he have possibly gone through to be afraid of so much so easily? Reemus frowned in growing sympathy, despite how much he kept reeling about being called 'scary'. The older troll would just have to prove there was nothing to fear! Yes!
"Sneezin' ain't fun, n' it's making my eyes bloody itchy," Reemus admitted. "But I don't think yer tryin' to make me sneeze. I just gotta, uh..." He backed up a bit and tried to keep his face away from his own pollen-covered sweater. "Do that! Yeah. See! Problem-solvin'!" He nodded, which got his nose close to the pollen again. He sniffled. "D-darn it."
Nictor was taking forever to form full statements, and Reemus tried hard to stay patient. The kid admitted he was lost, though, and that was enough to make Reemus perk up a smidge. "Ah! Guess I was right. Yeh, I wanna help. I know I always liked it when bigger trolls lended a hand when I was li'l. N' I got the height for it, I think."
He bobbed his head up and down again with assurance on his stance, though it ended with yet another sneeze. "Uggghhh." His eyes were getting puffy.
Reemus tried to ignore it, looking around instead. "I know when I came in there were other li'l ones off at some buffet. Maybe that's where ya go?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 1:50 pm
Nictor Sabbat
Watching the teen continue to sniffle and sneeze made something in Nictor's guts twist uncomfortable. It was that same feeling he sometimes got when Bee was tired out after a trip into the desert but Nictor needed to go into town so Bee had to go too. It wasn't an altogether unfamiliar sensation, but certainly not a pleasant one. This troll didn't deserve the irritation the pollen was causing him and he felt bad for it.
Seeing Reemus perk up at the mention of helping Nictor made the small troll feel better through, and he offered a nervous smile, no small amount of awe starting to shine through. Maybe Reemus was a special troll? Maybe he really was nice! It'd be silly to just assume the teen wasn't dangerous, but as long as Nictor kept it in mind, there was no harm in hoping, right? The pollen coated child's eyes widened and mouth opened a little in shock as Reemus continued. Bigger trolls had helped him before? Could he be sure this was true? This whole conversation was giving Nictor quite a bit to think about. He winced each time as the teen sneezed,but out of feeling bad now, not the suddenness of the noise.
Straightening up a little and looking much more attentive, he nodded at the other yellowblood's assessment. "Ah--- y-y-yeah, I-I'm supp-suppposed to be the---re. But, ahh, I g-got a b-b-bit tu---rned around." Glancing around at the crowd again, which Nictor really had no hope of navigating, he looked back to Reemus. Well. He had offered help, and Nictor needed it. "C-c-couuuld you posssibly p-point me--- in th-the right d-d-direction?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:24 pm
"Yeh." Reemus looked out beyond there little bit of space. Scratched his head. It was like a river of people out there; tough, a bit pushy, hell, could even probably step on the poor kid. "I c'n get through easy enough. Hmmmm." He thought about it some more, then looked down at Nictor and contemplated further.
Nictor was tiny. Reemus was big. Nictor was lost; Reemus could see. If Nictor could see like Reemus could, and have the ability to get through the crowds like Reemus, then...
"Hold on, mate. I got an idea. I need ya to trust me." He reached down, trying not to breathe in as he did so. Arms around Nictor's waist, Reemus lifted the kid up and put him on his sweatered shoulders.
His eyes started to run from irritation immediately.
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