|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 10:46 am
Stereochrome If you want to write Oleksy, that's fine! If not, you can do Juno's response and I can do Oleksy~ ^^ Thank you so much for your patience!
A simple enough system, as Lucijah viewed it.
But in Oba? In Oba, there were thousands of people crammed into one place. Nera's family villa was segregated from the rabble, located in a pristine oasis with other notable military and merchant families... but once in the city, proper, the sky was blotted out by vertical, imposing towers, and everywhere you looked there were faces that Lucijah had no hope of ever seeing again. Here, people traded goods with gold and bronze coins, rather than bartering or exchanging of favors. Beggars lined some of the more questionable streets, thin and haggard, and not for the first time Lucijah was thankful that her lover was there to provide for her.
Not all foreigners were so lucky. Nera was often busy, either hiding herself away in the basement bathhouse beneath her home, or heading out to an arena where people of all kinds fought wild, untamed creatures - and so Lucijah often had time on her hands to do with as she wanted. At first, after the horrible time she'd had making her way to Oba, Lucijah had allowed herself to be primped and pampered, as long as she stayed away from her love's mother, Talia's, judging eyes. But weeks passed, and she once again got that itch to go out and explore.
Oba was a terrifying place, but over time she got more and more used to it, and finding odd jobs every now and again was a great way to not only abate some boredom, but also prove to Nera and to herself that she wasn't simply a savage who had to rely on charity.
It was still strange to her, working for hours and receiving coins in exchange, but once she realized that Obans used this to illustrate their dependability, she was able to take pride in the growing stash she had back home.
That didn't mean she didn't enjoy working for a good, old fashioned trade though. So, whenever she was scouring for jobs out in the bazaar, it was always a pleasure to find others from the north, and even more so to spot people of her own kind. A glimpse of dark skin, and brilliant silver hair always put her into a giddy mood - so, today, as she rounded the marketplace, the moment she spotted a that familiar color she began making her way over, a bright grin lighting up her face.
She was quite obviously a shifter, though she dressed in more Oban attire, and she hoped that as she approached she wouldn't be greeted with too much hostility because of her look - after the war, many shifters still resented Obans, and some even detested those who adopted their ways too readily. "Ho, friends!" She called, holding up a gauntlet-clad hand in salute as she came closer. "Can I lend a hand?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 8:16 am
 Oleksy had apparently grown tired of doing business in Oba, and had decided that it was high time for him to back up and head back to Jauhar. On this account, Juno felt a bit conflicted. This wasn’t anything like his father’s departures in the years before. This time, he knew (although Oleksy had divulged very little about it) that he was going back to another family; a wife and a daughter whom Juno had never met, and who very likely didn’t know anything about him. Should he follow? His father probably didn’t want him to. He hadn’t extended any such offer, and even if he had, would Juno go? He felt unwelcome just thinking about it, and his father’s attitude didn’t help much.
Why, he didn’t know about Oleksy’s plans to leave until the day of his scheduled departure -- and then it was just because Oleksy wanted Juno to help him load the wagon with the goods he had gathered to bring to the north. He justified it by saying that Juno was busy now, with his work in the bakery, and that he hadn’t wanted to worry him about it.
“You’ve got a good thing going here, anyway, with the job and all your savings. You might as well keep at it. You’ll make a good merchant, and we’ll run into each other sooner than later, I know.”
Juno nodded and hefted a heavy crate onto the wagon. He didn’t disagree. He liked how things were shaping up for him in Oba. He was just a few months away from buying himself a wagon and a second quhar for his team, and then he’d be off to roam Tendaji just as Olkesy had done, hopefully employed in that brewery job he’d been promised. He just… wished this whole thing didn’t stink of Oleksy avoiding the subject of his family. That made him feel inevitably unwanted. He pushed the crate to the end of the wagon bed, then turned around to -- find Olkesy standing right there, looking somewhat flustered.
“Uh, why don’t you just, stay in here and… check over the inventory. Tie down some of those crates, it’s fragile stuff, I don’t want it toppling over. Ok?”
And then he was gone, darting around the edge of the covered wagon. Through the thick canvas canopy, Juno heard him speaking to a woman with a loud and bold voice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 5:17 pm
As Lucijah came over, her face wrinkled in confusion as the owner of the wagon ducked behind it. He was only gone for a few moments, however, before he reemerged... and when he came into view...
Her eyes shot wide, and the force of her surprise made her stop short, gaping. "Luci! Is that you, girl?" He called, tossing a quick look over his shoulder, before crossing the short distance between them with a few assured strides. He was still a mountain of a man, but with meeting him after so long she realized she'd shot almost to his height in turn. Finally, after a few choking moments, Lucijah lurched forwards and threw her arms around her father's neck, tugging him in for a tight, lung-splitting hug. It had been over a year since she'd seen him... both because of her own travels, and his. Whether or not he'd returned home to Jauhar she didn't know, but having been in Oba for the past few months... it wasn't a surprise that they'd missed one another. "Pabbi! I can't believe it's you -- what are you doing in Oba?" She questioned, leaning back to look him over.
He looked exhausted, the way he only looked after a few months on the road... but the cleanness of his clothes said he'd been in an inn recently. That was good, at least... he must have dropped by Jauhar on his way down here, and even then how long had he been here? "How was mama? Did you see her on your way?"
"Ehm... no, it was a quick trip. Had to be here for business." Oleksy responded, and with a brief twitch of his eyes over his shoulder, he returned her hug with a brief squeeze, then moved to pull her further from the cart, and more towards the line of stalls, sweeping a hand towards the food items that were out for display. "What in Serin's name did you do to yourself - you're ripped to tatters, and in Oba?" Now, his voice dropped low, a tone of steel and warning that he'd rarely adopted as a child. Even now, while cold on the surface, he didn't seem to have his heart in it..a superficial scolding. She'd learned to read his moods, when he returned... after all, he'd rarely had the heart to ever punish her as a child, what with him away so often.
"Oh... that was... what about your cart, pabbi? Shouldn't someone watch it?" Lucijah fought to change the subject, leaning to peep over his shoulder - only to jump when he jolted to move infront of her. "No! Of course not my... my apprentice is watching it."
"Whattt? An apprentice?" Lucijah queried, surprised. "Really?" He still was acting... weird... tense and shifty, and kept shooting looks at his cart, but in the end Lucijah decided it was probably just to make sure his apprentice hadn't blown the wagon up!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 4:08 pm
What were they talking about? There was just a brief snatch of exclamation from Oleksy and the unseen woman, during which he picked up things that sounded like ‘is that you’ and ‘what are you doing’ -- but then the voices grew dimmer and more distorted with distance, becoming just a wordless rise and fall of inflections. Hmph. He shouldn’t be this suspicious, but really, he couldn’t help but feel that Oleksy was trying to keep him out of some private conversation. Normally, the older shifter was more than happy to introduce him to his merchant friends and the like, even telling him to take note of certain people ahead of time, what with them being good connections to have when he grew up and started tending to his own business.
In this case, though… the other woman’s voice…
Was this yet another of Oleksy’s lovers? Did he have a wife in Jauhar, a mistress in Sauti and now a fling in Oba too? He’d never imagined his father to be much of a womanizer, but if he had two women, then what was the stretch in having three?
Still. Why all the secrecy? Juno hadn’t ever chastised Oleksy about his two-timing to begin with -- that would be sort of stupid, wouldn’t it? He wouldn’t even have been born if Oleksy had remained loyal to his wife. Why would his father expect him to throw a hissy fit now, for Chi’s sake? He wasn’t even a kid anymore. He knew how these things worked, in the real world.
Shaing his head, he did what his father asked -- took count of the inventory, checked everything off on the list, and tied down what needed tying down. But none of this took very long (Juno having had tons of practice already), and once he was done he figured… oh, to hell with Oleksy and his secrecy. He stepped out of the wagon and spotted his father speaking to a shifter woman some distance away. She looked a little… well, err, young to be his lover, to be honest, but he’d promised himself he wasn’t going to judge. Instead he folded his arms in a show of gratuitous patience, and sat down to wait on the overhang of the wagon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:36 pm
Though she was still a bit floored by Oleksy's apprentice, Lucijah had to admit it was a good plan, and at least not it made sense why he had been away for so long. It wasn't as if he could bring someone to Jauhar and have them sitting around while he visited his family; it was hardly fair to whoever it was he was mentoring! Beyond that, it was a good sign for his business. He was a great businessman, but Oleksy had never once considered letting Lucijah come with him, not even when she had come to age, and not for lack of her trying. He had outright refused to let her come with him, insisting that it was bad business to have a child lingering around his wares.
There was a tinge of jealousy, but then if she had gone with him, would things have turned out this way? Would she have met Nera, or come to Oba? A mixed blessing though it was, she wouldn't give up Nera for the world. And by the goddess, was that going to be a hard conversation to have... shifters hated Obans as a rule, after the wars! And while he was a merchant, and had many trader friends who were Obans, Oleksy had frequently spoke about his feelings on Obans while at home with Lucijah and her mother.
So, with this in mind, Lucijah decided to stay quiet, and to let Oleksy show her the stalls, pointing out the different Oban delicacies, and even pointing out Matori ones she hadn't seen. She didn't have the heart to admit that she'd been staying in a Oban noble's household for months now, and let him distract himself (and her) with idle prattle. It was Oleksy's way, after all, to launch into a grand explanation and a story about any sort of ware, even if it wasn't his own! But the numerous looks he shot towards his cart definitely... ticked something off in Lucijah's mind. If he trusted his apprentice so much, why was he so concerned about the cart?
It was as if he wasn't even letting himself enjoy their reunion. It felt... tense, almost forced, and the feeling instantly dulled the spark of joy she'd felt at seeing him after so long. Was he upset, to find her here? And in Oban clothes? One moment, he was speaking loudly about some strange looking Matori dish that the trader was holding up, watching them expectantly... the next he'd looked over towards his cart, only to freeze, eyes wide, mouth pinched into a tight line.
It wasn't an angry expression, and in this moment Oleksy didn't look like the man who barked orders at storehands and workers. He almost looked like his milk had soured, like he would be sick at whatever he saw - and by extension, Lucijah just had to look. Peeking past him, she locked eyes with a younger boy across the way. A hybrid boy.
He was a quandary to look at, because while Lucijah had seen her fair share of hybrids, many of them had been Oban or Matori in nature. In Jauhar there was the occasional mix of Tale or Alkidike to the local Shifter. But she had never seen someone before with such traits. He was dark, as she was, and yet his skin still seemed pale by comparison. Insead of sharp ears, like her own, his were round, Oban in shape - although she could tell from his coloration that it wasn't Oban in his blood, but more likely Sauti blood. His hair was what truly stood out from everything else, beyond the bright blue of his eyes and the round, smooth blue crystals over his arms and chest. His hair was long, fiery in color, and so curly that she couldn't imagine how long it must be, if it was straightened.
Something about his angular features was almost familiar... and yet as soon as she thought she saw it, it was gone. Realizing she had been staring at him, Lucijah snapped her mouth closed and instead looked at Oleksy, forcing up a big, toothy smile. "Your apprentice?" She teased, smacking the back of her hand against Oleksy's shoulder, before she broke from his side and marched across the square back towards the cart, a hand held up in greeting. She was aware of Oleksy rushing after her, reaching to grip at her shoulder as if to pull her back, but Lucijah shrugged him off, and stopped only when she was standing by the wagon, looking up at where the boy sat.
"I'm sorry you're working with such a sour old man - but he's a good teacher, really! Have you been with him long?" She asked, setting her hands on her hips, grinning broadly.
Behind her, Oleksy had stopped, hands uselessly grasping at the air beside him. "Juno." He said, simply, only it wasn't an introduction. It was almost a mournful word, and as he spoke it Oleksy looked at the boy, a frown marring his face. He didn't even seem angry - but almost like all the strength in him had eked out. His shoulders sagged, and he stood, shifting his weight from hip to hip, drawing a hand over his beard as if trying to fish for something to say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 3:53 pm
He met her gaze over the fray of the marketplace.
It shouldn’t have meant much. Just a passing glance, the same way he might study any other of his father’s business partners and acquaintances. But something about her was… well, familiar. Intensely so.
It wouldn’t have surprised him to know that hew own sense of familiarity had been much more feeling than his. After all, he was half-Shifter and half-Wind; there was enough ‘different’ in him to mask some of the obvious similarities, like the broad set of his shoulders, the bold volume of his hair or the almost eerily identical placement of his crystals. But she was just Shifter. And when he saw her there, standing right beside Oleksy, he felt his heart go stone-cold in his chest.
He wasn’t certain, of course. You didn’t go around being certain about these kinds of things. But he had a suspicion, and he found himself dreading the answer.
The woman herself was striding towards him now, walking in bold strides that Olkesy couldn’t dampen -- besides his all-too-obvious reluctance about the recent turn of events. There was no denying that; the older man went as far as to reach out and try to hold her back by her shoulder, but she was clearly a more militant sort than he.
“I’m sorry you’re working with such a sour man,” She waved by way of greeting. She was strong, confident, and wore Oban clothing. He felt that she was the sort of person who might catch his attention even if she wasn’t already addressing him. As it was, she certainly had his now.
“Have you been with him long?”
By this point, Juno had steeled himself for the possibility of the truth. He had decided that he wouldn’t jump to any assumptions, or make any demands. He’d give Olkesy, with his sullen look, the benefit of the doubt. Or at the very least he would behave himself in such a manner that his father wouldn’t be able to blame him for being rash or impulsive. He wouldn’t do anything to make this woman think ill of him, whoever she was. He’d just… play it cool. You know, as he would if this was any woman in the market, and not one with a striking similarity in appearance to his dear old dad.
“Known him as long as I’ve been alive!” He grinned, comfortable in the fact that none of this was a lie. “He’s my father. But I’m not really working with him these days. Just helping out for the day. I’ve got a job in town at a bakery, to save up for my own wagon. Can’t say I’ve learned all there is to learn from him, but I figure I’ll learn it sure enough on my own.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 4:56 pm
Something seemed to flash over the hybrid boy's eyes - a micro expression that Lucijah felt her lover, Nera, would have been able to decipher. But Lucijah had never been good at reading people, and the most she could summon was the possibility that he was a bit taken back by the odd introduction. Perhaps she was coming on too strong? It was possible; she'd been surrounded by Obans and Matori for so long that the joy of her reunion with her father had made her brash again.
Lucijah tugged her eyes from the young hybrid when her father spoke; the boy's name, she realized. Humming in thanks, she raised her gaze once again - and in doing so failed to notice the shift in her father's postures and expression. Oleksy stood, the very picture of awkwardness, growing more and more frantic with the realization that his years of secrets were finally coming to light. It was true that Juno had weedled the information about his half-sibling out of him, but Oleksy had let him make his assumptions. Assumptions that, perhaps, it was a child from a tryst in his youth. Admitting to the boy that HE was the b*****d in this scenario had seemed simply too cruel, and whether or not Juno put the pieces together or not based on Oleksy's behavior the Shifter hadn't considered.
He didn't know what he dreaded more; the possibility of Juno realizing this, on the eve of Juno leaving Oba, or Lucijah finding out. Juno was a smart boy, always had been, but Lucijah... she was far more passionate, fiery and temperamental, and he doubted she would take the discovery with any grace that Juno might bare.
He had hoped for more time - but perhaps due to Juno's suspicions, or just the openness of the boy himself, the Truth was announced without any hesitation or fanfare. It floated in the air between the three of them, sharp and ugly.
Lucijah, who had looked impressed at the admission of how long the boy had been apprenticing, paused when he continued speaking, eyes growing wide. He... what? She looked to Oleksy, then flicked her eyes back to Juno - until it struck her exactly what the boy was saying.
This boy, this apprentice, was Oleksy's son. A hybrid with Shifter and Wind blood - her father's child. Ohh, and all the shiftiness- her dear old pop had known exactly what he was doing, keeping Lucijah away from the cart. Instantly she cast her mind back to her childhood, back to the brief visits from her father, when he was back in Jauhar for a time. Months spent reloading, distributing goods from the east, loading up on exports... telling stories about his travels, regaling her with descriptions of the lands, the people, the adventures he'd had... the amused smile when she insisted she wanted to go with him.
And all this time, he'd been with his kid- a proper little merchant, by the sound of it, teaching him the craft. True, Lucijah had never had a calling for selling, buying, or trading; but she could have been of use on the road! How many mercenaries had her father hired to protect his wagons as he traveled? She could have helped, and he still refused. And let HIM come with him.
She didn't know which was worse, the realization that her mother must have had no clue, all alone as she was in Jauhar, or that her father had felt so little for her that he'd bred himself a proper successor to his craft.
The look she shot Oleksy could be described as nothing other than ice, her eyes which had been open and merry only moments before suddenly sharp, white teeth bared into a slash of a smirk that dripped acid when she spoke, "Oh ho... Yes. Your apprentice, I see. You must be very proud." She drawled, turning her gaze back to Juno briefly. She wanted to hate him, wanted to sneer at him, but something stopped her. Some shred of logic that in her cold fury had had an opportunity to emerge. Was he just as uninformed as she was? "My father never did want to take me to Sauti - said it just wasn't safe for children. Was it the same with Jauhar; was Jauhar unsafe, or did he just want to avoid introducing you to his wife?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:09 pm
The hot Oban air went cold.
It was clear enough now. Her words erased the remaining shreds of doubt that he’d been holding on to. This was her -- Lucijah, his half-sister. Oleksy’s pure-blood Shifter daughter, broad-shouldered as he was and twice as bold.
He couldn’t make any sense of his feelings. He felt, on one hand… thrilled to see her. Genuinely so. Here, in Oba, where he couldn’t have known to look for her (and would never have been able to track her down even if he did). She looked to be as impressive a woman as he’d ever seen, only a little bit older and clearly at home in this place. She stood her ground without missing a beat, and turned her gaze on Oleksy so sharply she made the older man wince.
But Chi, was she angry. He could hear it in her voice. Taste it in the air, maybe. And although in theory he knew it would make no sense to be angry at him -- he’d done nothing, nothing expect be born and try and make his way in this world -- he couldn’t help but feel her anger touching him too. Here he was, anyway. What could she possibly see in him, but evidence of her father’s betrayal? For it was just as he had suspected; Oleksy’s Jauhar family knew nothing of him, and Oleksy had never had any intention to change this.
And yet… it was hard to feel sorrow. Juno had given up on self-pity on his trek through the desert, and he was not going to pick it up now.
“Then you’re Lucijah!” He shook off the mantle of her anger, leaping to his feet. “You’re my sister. Why, you’re right, I’ve been bugging Dad about taking me to see you since we left Sauti. And Chi knows I’d given up. I mean, I even went to Jauhar myself for a bit to try and look for you, but… the jungle didn’t agree with a dumb kid like I was. And here you are! I see you’re, err… not in the mood, sister, and I’ll leave you two if you need to pick this bone bare, but… we should have a drink. Sometime. I’ll tell you anything you need to know. I’ve got no secrets from you, or anyone.”
He glanced meaningfully at Oleksy for a moment, then spread his hands out in some offer or peace.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
