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 Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 10:50 am
 A.K.A "That's A Lot of Sand" While searching for separate things, two unlikely trolls fine each other instead.
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:10 am
A library...
Mahmud pulled the coat tighter around himself and looked around the busy town. Cold nipped at his nose, and if it hadn't been for what he heard about recently, it was the sort of night any sane troll would have stayed indoors. A troll from outside Chittentown may have questioned whether or not a desert could get this cold, and been in for a rude surprise once they came. He should have listened to Harpommy when they left their home; pants instead of shorts would have been a smarter idea. But he couldn't help it! It was so... so exciting! A place full of books, a place full of poetry waiting to be read! A place... a place...
A place he had a snowball's chance in the ocean of finding.
"Coo, coo coo." his large lusus said, snuggling into her child to try and warm him.
"Ommy, we don't need directions..."
"Coo."
Mahmud gave a sharp sigh, and crossed his arms even more. "Ommy, we'll find it eventu--- OMMY." Instead of listening to her son, she hopped towards a nearby troll. What choice did he have, at this rate? Clearly, his mother wasn't going to listen to him, a fact that was becoming more and more frustrating by the second.
"Hey, Ommy wait! Excuse me--"
Upon seeing who his mother chose to ask for directions, he froze in place. Tealblood. Of all the people she chose, it had to be a gorgeous and fashionable Tealblood in the middle of Chittentown. Granted, he could see why Ommy chose them of all people; the glasses made them look very intelligent. This would be someone who knew where a library would be... but... a Tealblood.
It was then that Mahmud realized how silly he looked, being frozen in place like that, staring at this stranger like they had five heads. "... E-excuse me... um...." Again he tugged at his jacket, trying to pull it tighter to his body. "Do... do you know... where the library is?" On one hand he was proud of himself for even being able to speak to a tealblooded stranger like this, but on the other...
Gl!tch~ OKAY HERE YOU GO, if you need more from me or if this isn't good feel free to chew me out via skype homie <3
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:40 am
The desert city seemed to thrive as well as ever after the space race. Or, really, it seemed like nothing changed at all. The only difference was the space ladder in the distance. Privatized, off limits. Mera felt a little bit of bitterness gnaw at her pumpbiscuit. They all worked so hard, just to be booted once they kept the place from expoding. Leaving at the time had felt like a relief, but after recovering from the hell she hated feeling cast out so. And those still working on the ladder had no idea about the prophecized threat...
All she could do was sigh and move on. At least everyone on her team had made it out alive, and there were fewer casualties than there could have been. Not reassuring, really, but it was statisically sound.
And even though she could come up with a myriad of reasons to stay away until her torrent of feelings, she was back anyhow. There were books, always new books to look at, and maybe sometime she might...well, even if she didn't. There were books.
Self-confident enough to find her way around the lowblood city, Mera was in full stride when something white came her way and started making noise.
She first responded in shock, half a second thinking Pagoni had followed her here somehow. He was protective and especially irritable after she had gotten so many injuries from the ladder. She hadn't eased his worries any when she explained what she did. As far as the peacock was concerned, Mera had played a dangerous game of blow-me-up-please because she couldn't see the signs and flee when she should have.
They weren't speaking much right now.
But, with a blink, she realized that this was not her bird. A child going after it made that clear. Mera quirked a brow at the kid, with his poofy hair and his immediate freeze-up at seeing her. Like Nictor, in a way. She knew from experience that not everyone of lower caste from this city cowered at higher blood hues. She'd just have to make it clear that she wasn't anything to worry about.
"Ah, the library? Yes, I do in fact. I was on my way there just now. I can take you there if you like. I'm sure we would run into each other there otherwise." She gestured down the way. "Are you from the area?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:03 pm
So far they seemed kind enough. There seemed to be no problems in interacting with them, and they even offered to take him and Ommy to the library! That was lovely. But...
Mahmud stared at Hemera's gesturing hand for a little bit, seeming to zone out as he concentrated on it. This troll could be lying. They could lead him right into a trap of some sort, or use him for something. Even though he said nothing, there was an obvious look of reservation on his face. Only after a short pause did Mahmud finally reply with "... Yes and no."
Moving a couple steps forward, into his mother's feathers a little bit, he continued while not letting his eyes off of Hemera. "I live in the desert nearby... I've never been to the library.' There. That was sufficient, right? He certainly thought so, but Harpommy's nudging said otherwise. "Oh... sorry. I'm Mahmud. This is Harpommy." Mahmud gave a small pat to his mother's side before slowly extending a hand out to his new guide.
"What's your name? Do you mind if I ask your pronouns?" he added that last bit in, and then quickly added "I've met a lot of trolls so... I never want to assume." Assuming things was ironically what he was good at, considering the bad nasty things he was expecting this older troll to drop on him. Harpommy would be there for him though, should anything happen... right?
Gl!tch~ Fun facts: Regardless of presentation, Mahmud always asks pronouns. He's a polite child~
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:12 pm
"Ah." Very nervous. Untrusting? This wasn't NHC but she wasn't about to judge. A lot of lowbloods did have to play it safe, didn't they? Or else fall prey to those like Eridia or Chiara... "Hello, Mahmud, and Harpommy. I'm Hemera, but I prefer to be called Mera. And I use she-her pronouns. What do you use?"
But she also didn't want things to stagnate. She had places to go, too. "The library is just down this street and around the corner. No alleyways, nowhere off the beaten path. It will become easy to see in due time, as well. It's not hidden like some corner shop, believe me. ....But perhaps I am assuming. I don't know how often you go into cities. But they do become some amount of repetitive in some ways, I can promise that much."
There was no way to tell if Mahmud did not go into this part of the city or just none of the city at all. New tourists got lost more often than those who had been in town before, but then there were parts of the area she couldn't say she had been to herself despite plenty of time in the desert meanwhile..
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:27 pm
Mahmud wasn't set on stagnating either, and after listening to her talk he replied with "He pronouns, please", gave a short nod and started walking along with her and his mother down the road, towards the direction Hemera had pointed. Despite his reservations, it was becoming more and more apparent that Hemera was trying to... was it comforting? Reassuring? Alleviating his fears? Whatever he should call it, it was working and he cursed himself for it. Tealbloods... they knew how to speak with silver tongues, charm people with their ways. Hemera was probably no different than his old friend was, in the end. If the library was not that far though, at the very least he could say he didn't pique her interest enough to take advantage of him.
But he started to feel bad, and cursed himself even more for that. Even if he had his reservations about the color of her blood, it wasn't really right to treat Mera so coldly, right? Harpommy certainly didn't think so, given the way she glared at him. So as they walked he cleared his throat and tried to keep the conversation up. "C-chittentown's the only city I've ever been to... I mean I went to the Harvest Moon festival, but I dunno if that counts..." Up ahead there were a group of trolls approaching, talking, and he scooched closer into Mera and Harpommy, trying to get away from them. "And as for here... I really only came for the..."
That's when it clicked. Why Harpommy would choose Mera past the other trolls. Did she... "Mera... did you take part of the Space Race, by any chance?" He looked up at her and squinted his eyes. Come to think of it, her face DID look a little familiar. Not enough to solidify. Just enough to be curious. "I mostly came here for the Space Race a little whiles back. Otherwise I just stay in the desert. Do you live around here, Mera? What do you do out here?" Questions just started pouring out of his mouth before he could stop them, against his better judgement. This was important though! If she worked on the tower, she couldn't have been so bad right? Right?
Gl!tch~ Yeah she was there alright Mahmud PUKING UP A STORM.
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:51 pm
Mera was pretty sure the jubilee was pointedly not in a city, but she didn't want to say anything harsh. Mahmud seemed to doubt its validity anyway, so she let it rest. He was talking to her some, and that was a start. Better than hiding behind his lusus. And he didn't even stutter as much as Nictor did! There was certainly hope.
The tealblood usually felt like she was above it all, in a way, or at least able to steer conversation. It took a bit to genuinely surprise her. As she faltered a little, it turned out that Mahmud pulled that off. Rather quickly, to boot. The space race. As if he...recognized her? But she didn't know his face. How embarrassing. But there had been a lot of trolls at the event. She was sure she would remember him if they had spoken. So maybe she hadn't accidentally snubbed an old acquaintance. Maybe.
"Y-es. Yes, I was at that. The Chittentown base, back when it was open to volunteers. It turned into a bit of a mess, and I did my best to help work things out. Fortunately we were able to keep that bomb from going off," she stated, somewhat dodgy about it. "At least perhaps we'll enter space again in our lifetimes. Isn't that exciting?"
Mm, but he wanted her to talk about herself on the heels of that. A little awkward, timing-wise, but fine. "I hail from the mountains. I mostly come to the library here. It's a good place. Few cities come close to its prestige. And sometimes I have the fortune to meet similar mindsthere. If I lose track of them, logically one would assume they would pop up there again sometime." She sure didn't know how else to find Afryse at this point, short of trying to track down his hive. Wouldn't that be a bit much?
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 1:06 pm
"Oh..." Oh boy, he could feel the awkwardness in her voice when he brought up the tower. Was it a bad memory for her? Surely it had to be for some people, even he had a few moments he'd rather forget. Like all those Beaurocratbots. He'd really, REALLY never remember those or see one ever again. Any apprehension he may have had was overridden by the anxiety of making a troll upset by accident. After all, why would he want to make someone feel as bad as HE did? "Yeah, it was lucky... Sorry I um... Harpommy seemed to notice you from somewhere. That's why I asked so..." So how did he recover from THAT one? Clearly, there needed to be some sort of recovery. "Sorry if that was a... not very good memory."
Trying to digest her sentences was a little beyond him at times (how does she hail? wasn't that the stuff that came from the sky?), admittedly. It may have been her age, or her higher class upbringing. But with a little bit of dissection his little child mind managed to put together some information that was usable. Someone of similar mindset... a friend? And she lost track of them... "So you're looking for a friend?" That would make sense. Looking up at her, he tried to give a small smile. Poor Mera, losing a friend... he knew he'd be an absolute wreck if Poe or Static went missing. But then again... no. No, this couldn't be a trick. Losing friends was serious business. "If the library is as big as you make it sound... would you need help looking for them? I could look a little bit while I'm there. If its not too much, that is... I um... well, I understand if it's kinda private. I just... you were nice enough to show me the library, so..."
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 1:33 pm
"I guess it's just a lot to deal with. Compared to what happened with Civisect's tower, it can be a little overwhelming. If that makes sense?" And, honestly, she was always nervous about having to answer for how she diffused that bomb. The truth was too out there for most trolls, even those she wanted to trust. She didn't like making Mahmud feel bad about it, but she couldn't risk being cornered, either.
He seemed somewhat bright, though. Or at least he caught on quickly. Even with her off-base terms, he understood what she had meant. Something to keep in mind as they chatted further. "I...am trying to find someone, but it's more like... Hm." It was pretty cute that he was trying to help, though, in a child's kind of way.
"It is more of a situation where I hope they might be there while I'm there, but it would be odd to go on a full search for someone. But we can certainly look at the aisles of books, and who knows what will happen. If it's your first time at a library, looking at everything there is an adventure on its own, I would think."
And if she found Afryse she wasn't sure what she would do. First of all she highly doubted that he would actually be there while not being in touch with her, but if he did, she would be...? Mera wasn't sure. Unsure, yet would probably break library whispering conduct. Maybe even be a bit crass. A child shouldn't witness that.
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 1:54 pm
It DID make sense, a little less sense than he had hoped for, but some sense all the same. Although not for the same reasons, he could certainly understand when a memory is a lot to deal with. Wasn't that what all of this was, anyways? Trying to push past a bad memory and interact with Mera the best he could?
This time though, he couldn't understand. Not her language, although that was a little confusing too. Mahmud couldn't understand why if someone was missing, especially a friend, why it would be odd to go searching for them. If they weren't that close of a friend, she wouldn't be searching for them in the first place, right? Aaah, older trolls sure were confusing. "But I mean... if you care enough to look for them, wouldn't that be enough to search for them though?" He tried to word his question carefully, deliberately, trying to match the tone Hemera took. Just the way she spoke made him want to elevate his own speech, much like when he had met Polair. All grown up and proper...
"I dunno... if my friends went missing, I'd be looking all over for em..." he murmured, trying to make his footsteps match Hemera's pace as well. Best not to keep her waiting for too long, who knew what a tealblood would do when upset... oh shoot, would that upset her? He quickly added in "But that's just me, too. I don't got a lotta friends." Truth. The only people he'd actively look for in any capacity were Poe and Static.
Mahmud could see a building start to approach in the distance, and squinted. It WAS really big... "Its really that big, isn't it... are you sure you don't mind helping me look around it?" Even if she was there to look for something and not to read, he wouldn't want to take too much of her time for himself. "I mean, I just don't want you to lose track of what you're doing too... its important. I think its more important than books." And that was saying something, for him. Books were something he cherished with all of his heart, all five of them that he owned. "N-Not that I don't like books! I love them, I just... a person's more important than an object. Even if its full of poetry."
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 2:11 pm
"Perhaps I worded it poorly. I haven't seen him for a while, though that might not mean he's missing. It could mean that he's too busy. Older trolls tend to have a lot of things to do, and so they lose track of each other sometimes. Looking hard might be a bit desperate. Or you could find something out you don't want to, like they don't want to be around you anymore. It gets complicated when you grow up." It was the best she could do, she thought. Mera was being forced to deal with her inaction, but she wouldn't back down from it. Especially since she was afraid to turn up at Afryse's hive and have it turn out that he was fine, but just stopped liking her company.
On the other hand, she didn't want to find that he'd moved, or worse, died.
"You also have to behave a certain way at the library. It makes you stand out and look foolish if you make it clear you're trying to find someone. And, again, I'm sure he's fine, just...not responsive, I suppose."
Children were so straight-forward. It must be strange to see the older, 'smarter' trolls act so avoidant in comparison. She pitied that Mahmud might not be able to understand based on his age.
The library appeared not long after. A beacon of knowledge. She felt some relief just looking at it. Stability in unstable times did that.
Resolute, she stated while looking at the library ahead. "I won't lose track of anything. I never do."
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 2:30 pm
A gross feeling coiled in his stomach as Hemera continued onward. How she could manage to talk so calmly about avoiding other trolls was beyond him. Granted, she wasn't the one doing the avoiding but... it was still so sad And bad. And wasn't that what he had been doing too, in his own way? But he had far better reasons to do it...
Being older sure seemed confusing. Mahmud wasn't entirely sure if he'd like it, from the way Mera made it sound.
Wait... the library had rules? He was about to ask his companion what she meant by that, to clarify, but at that moment she had said something absolutely, completely cool.
"I won't lose track of anything. I never do."
Hemera said it in such a firm, solid way that he couldn't ever hope to match. Clearly, this was something she thought about often enough to have a solid opinion of it. That resolution was enough to stop him dead in his tracks and stare up at her once more, a look of awe and wonder on his face. "Woah..." Just who did Harpommy decide to pick to lead them to the library, anyways? Who was this cool as a cucumber troll? For a tealblood, she seemed agreeable enough he'd admit (rather begrudgingly). She must have seen a lot, known a lot... and all he could think of saying was "Mera... you're really cool.". Like an idiot. "Like... really really cool...". Like really, really an idiot.
Embarrassed at that small slip, he turned his head back to the library and stared up. No way after that could he look at Hemera in the eyes, nope. Mahmud cleared his throat. "S-so um... well uh... behaving, I mean. How should I behave in here?"
Harpommy couldn't help but give a shaky coo, clearly laughing in her own right. She turned her head to Hemera and gave yet another coo, this one soft and gentle, and bowed her head to her. "Oh! Ommy says thank you! Thank you, Mera... I really appreciate all of this."
Gl!tch~ its killing me that I ended a post three times on the dialogue, gotta change that up next post yup
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 2:58 pm
Another eyebrow quirk, though barely containing her surprise. They had only been speaking for mere minutes, and he thought she was cool. He didn't know of her powers, or bring up any cases that could be considered that. What could she have possibly done otherwise?
"W-well. Thank you. I'm glad to have left such an impression." She had to smile a little. It was pretty neat, honestly.
Ah, but the task at hand. "In libraries you shouldn't talk louder than a whisper. You should be as quiet as you can so no one is distracted from their reading. However, it's fine to talk to the person at the desk if you need help. That's why they're around at all." Just a couple of rules, that all made sense to her. "If you accidentally drop a book or push your chair in a little loudly, no one will mind that. No one is perfect." They'd probably see people do such a thing here and there while in the facility.
Hemera blinked at the lusus. She could tell that they were forms of communication, though she had no idea what. Having a featherbeast lusus herself, especially an obnoxious one, made her somewhat receptive. Mahmud's input helped loads. "Oh! You're both welcome. I'm always happy to help." How pleasant!Skyli Peep That's a silly thing to worry about my dude :U
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 3:15 pm
Mera? Smiling? That for some reason made Mahmud feel proud, and he stood a little taller at that. "You just... know what to say. You're very good at speaking, and you seem determined. Its really cool." Deep down, he hoped that reinforced that she was, indeed, pretty awesome. Had he been Hemera, there were no doubts he'd find better words to describe what she was. Yet given his small vocabulary, "pretty cool and awesome" would have to suffice. Besides, there was something they needed to do.
"So keep quiet, and be careful... gotcha." Seemed simple enough; he didn't have a hard time being quiet. It was sort of his default state... but it may be a little hard considering how excited he was feeling! Flutterbugs filled his tummy when he stepped closer and closer to the door with Hemera, and by the time he touched the door he was downright trembling with excitement. But there was something important he had to say, first. Before they were quiet. "Mera... um... I'm sorry. If I seemed rude earlier, that is." He froze as he touched the door, trying to think of the right way to put his thoughts into words. Despite his love for slam poetry, it didn't come as naturally as it seemed to come for his companion. "... someone didn't treat me nice, but its not your fault that he didn't. So I'm sorry for letting that get in the way. You've been nothing but kind to me and Ommy, and I appreciate it."
With those words out of the way he pushed the doors open and stepped inside with Hemera, but froze again when they were out of the doorway. huge. Huge. HUGE. This place... it was HUGE! Mera wasn't kidding when she said it was large, but he didn't expect it to be this massive! Mahmud's mouth hung open as he stared up and down the aisles, the tables, the chairs... THERE WERE CHAIRS in here. Chairs for reading in! And books! So many more books than he could have ever hoped to own. Torn between his urge to scream and his need to be polite, Mahmud couldn't find any other way of releasing that pent-up energy than to bounce up and down in place and whip his head around. Where did he start? Where would he go? Finally he gave up trying to think of where, and deferred to Hemera, whispering "Where do you like to go? What books?" Yes, he'd start somewhere she'd enjoy. That would be a lovely way to get to know her a little bit!
Gl!tch~ I get paranoid about the weirdest stuff, aha ;;; Like I cant use "the x troll/person/human/etc" in my posts or else it drives me batty! But for others I don't mind it so much. I guess I just have weird standards for myself.
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 3:30 pm
"I have had lots of practice for it." Witnessing chaos first hand, breaking caste rules to speak up against someone much higher on the totem pole, and on. It didn't leave any room for doubt. The moment one doubted themself, they lost. Hemera could never lose. "That's all there is to it. Practice. Life experience. You have to make an effort and never stop." Maybe he could get there someday, too. Fake it until you make it, kid.
They were almost inside. She could almost smell the familiar interior already. Mahmud was going to open the door, and Mera was proud of him for it. Then he stopped. Mera thought it was another question. Or another reservation, perhaps.
Instead, the child spilled her soul out for her. A near-stranger. To say she was touched would be an understatement.
"Mahmud...that's very brave of you. I understand. When people hurt us, we become afraid of others doing the same sometimes. Just remember that not everyone is the same, no matter their blood color or other similarities." She had to pause though. "However. As soon as someone starts acting less than nice, you do have every right to run." Would that be enough? Would that be enough to encourage the youth, while keeping him smart? She could only hope.
With that, they stepped into the library. Everything in order. Nothing out of place. Truly, the safest of havens.
And Mahmud followed etiquette immediately. "I would like to look at the new release section," she whispered back. "I didn't have anything specific in mind." And she had been through the aisles enough that browsing would be simple. "But you're the new one. What do you want to look for?"
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