Solo or RP Format Counts as 5 RP growth Points Solo word minimum is 750, RP post minimum is 7
A crisp breeze has rolled into Tendaji, bringing the temperatures down both on land and sea. Along with the shortening of days, this is a sign that it is time to harvest food and resources to prepare for the winter months.
Typically, harvesting is a community effort. Be it the family all coming together to ensure the produce is picked before it sours, or the community coming in to help till the fields, it is quite the event. Most don't mind stepping up, considering the hard work always pays off with a festival, but some do find it quite a burden.
Either way, if the community wishes to come together and survive another long winter, it's time for you to step in and play your part.
[ The fall harvest is back again. This time, you have been asked to play your part. Be it helping gather materials like wood and furs or plucking the fruits and vegetables from the fields, your task has been laid out for you.
When replying to this event, we are looking for your character to be actively helping with the fall harvest. Maybe it's a team effort with a friend, or a thoughtful reflection of what fall means. Take the time to explore how your character feels doing such work during this time of year. ]
While it wasn't unusual for the troupe to roll into rural towns during Harvest season (after all, there were festivals a plenty for performances) it was odd to see troupe members actively participating in work. More often than not they were far too busy with their own chores and setting up tents to help with the labor itself. Selim, however, was eager for a few extra coins to line his pockets and the promise of decent pay for a hard days work in the orchards had his interest. Thankfully he'd been able to sell the idea to his twin as well so at the very least he wasn't drudging through the task alone.
The boys had been given their own special crate to fill by the end of the day. Anything over the crate was extra funds for them, but given the sheer size of the wooden container the orchard's staff just wanted them to focus on it. So, satchel tossed over his hip and a small ladder under his arm, Selim lead the way to their first tree.
"So, gonna tell me why you've been extra grumpy lately or do I have to guess?"
Sabra Knight
Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2023 11:38 am
Painted Moose
Extra coin never harmed anyone, especially when one was planning on traveling across the world towards Yael. Usually Cyril was prone to trying to save money when possible but lately he had been working extra hard to earn as much bonus pay as possible, including participating in a harvest he would otherwise avoid. While Cyril hadn’t openly admitted his thoughts towards his twin, the Yaeli hybrid was constantly reflecting upon their options and looking into plans while biding time for the perfect moment to invite Selim into his crazy quest. What had even possessed him to want to check into the supposed father? Maybe it was less about the missing father-figure in their lives and more about just seeing the place that was responsible for half of their heritage. They knew Belrea like the back of their own hands after traveling for years with the troupe, so much so that Cyril and Selim even have favorite spots that they knew to check out whenever they arrived in certain cities and towns like this one. Yael though…that place was a mystery and Cyril despised not knowing anything about it.
Knocking a stick into a tree limb, Cyril knocked down several apples in his impatience so that he could begin filling up his satchel. It was only when he had plucked on from the ground that Selim’s question registered and a soft sigh left his lips. “Do you want to guess?” He quipped back with a frown before going after a second apple to place into a satchel. “Or do you really just want to know what’s on my mind? Honestly, we should probably talk since it could involve you as well.” Or rather should but Cyril wasn’t going to force his brother along even though he truly believed his twin should be along for this particular journey.
Selim propped his ladder up against the side of a sturdy tree and started climbing. It wasn't so far off the ground that he felt the need to anchor himself to anything, especially with his twin so close by, but he did prop his foot against the trunk while picking for added stability.
Gingerly he started the process of picking apples, looking over the skin for imperfections, and putting the good ones into his apron. "I don't know if I want to after you say it like that."
Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 11:25 am
Painted Moose
Cyril had a satchel hanging from both sides which was a bit irritating if he twisted too quickly as the bags started bouncing against his hips with the apples acting as weights, but he definitely refused to wear an apple apron like Selim. It just so....well neverminded! He was getting distracted watching his twin instead of simply picking more apples for himself which made it look like he was slacking. Maybe that was why he was a little bit more irritable than normal, but mostly it was because of the stress of thinking about traveling overseas.
"Is this where I should attempt to jest or bait you into wanting to know?" Cyril raised a brow before simply shaking his head and letting out a sigh. "Lucky for you I'm not much in the mood for games today." The hybrid picked up an apple to add to his collection before a really tempting one caught his attention. Stretching, Cyril reached for the hanging apple and nearly let out a curse as it refused to break away at first. "Do you want me to go to Yael by myself, or would you like to tag along?" Feeling impatient Cyril yanked the apple free from the branch, the force of his momentum sending a few more raining down about him as he turned to look at Selim.
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Posted: Wed May 03, 2023 9:25 am
Sabra Knight
He very nearly asked Cyril if he'd gotten into the ale again or if he'd eaten rotten fruit. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to different moods from his brother, but at the very least he was helpful. Right now Selim was convinced that he would have gotten more done if he'd come on his own!
Using his contortionist's skills, Selim twisted his way further up the tree and propped himself at such an angle that most would have found it murderous to their backs. To him, however, it gave the perfect spot to really rack up the apples. "Yael?" The surprise of it caught him off guard and the prized, beautifully red apple he had hold of fell to the ground. Unsurprisingly it gave him a chance to see the absolute shower that cascaded around Cyril and he very nearly laughed but the statement...
"Last I heard we decided never to go there. What changed?"
Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 10:25 am
Painted Moose
Slapping another apple into the basket, perhaps a bit too forcefully considering his frustration at having apples actually pelt down around him, Cyril finally glanced back towards Selim. Usually the hybrid was more reserved but there was a bitterness in his expression, a mixture of emotions truly, that slipped through as he pondered his answer. "Everything and nothing." He finally stated with a sigh as he placed another apple into the basket, more carefully this time as he tried to compose himself. "Vesker happened." The admission came from his lips and made his stomach twist in an uncomfortable way as he thought about their mother's happiness and his own frustrations with how he hated that Vesker made her happy.
"I don't think I'll be able to fully accept this change without knowing why we didn't have a father in the first place." The words made Cyril's expression shift, his pride hurt in a sense to admit that their mother could be happy with another man while he still ached because of never understanding why they never met their Yaeli parent in the first place. "If we can't find the man I at least want to experience that part of our heritage once." He gave a slight shrug, trying to downplay the chaos swirling inside of his own mind as the tried to reason about why this stupidity bothered him so much. Fathers always came and went, so why did it matter if they didn't have one? It was hard though to ignore the fact that there was something missing, especially considering how different their appearances were and how obvious their Yaeli blood was but he had always shaken it off before. Now that they could potentially have a step-father? Well something in Cyril just didn't want to accept it, not without finding out more about the missing person who had once meant so much to their mother.
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 10:40 am
Sabra Knight
"Ah." Selim nodded his head and climbed further into the tree for another apple. What he failed to realize at the time was that the apple was actually in the adjoining tree and he would have nearly fallen if he hadn't been able to snake his slender body around a few connecting branches. Vesker was the sort of man that made Selim cringe with his bad jokes, dopey eyes and overall attitude. His saving grace was the way their mother lit up around him and the tension that left her heart. He couldn't deny how happy she was around him, especially when he treated her so well...
He just wished he was a little cooler.
"...Say I agreed to come with you, which I'm on the fence about; how are we going to get the money for it? Skyship tickets are expensive and they only go to Sauti. We could get to Yael by boat, but that's weeks of ocean travel." He turned around in a thicker branch to sit and give his back a break. As he got comfortable, Selim lifted an apple with a pit in it to his lips and took a bite while looking at his twin. "What are you going to tell mother?"
Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 11:15 am
Painted Moose
A flush decorated the back of Cyril's neck as he thought about how he had recently acquired money. "I have some funds." He acknowledged finally with a glance towards Selim. "I've been doing additional work outside of the troupe for a couple of years in general, I even agreed to model some outfits for a designer recently. If she wins the festival then we get prize money." Ugh, now that he said it out loud didn't it sound a bit too....desperate or something? He never agreed to work with others unless absolutely necessary and yet here he was working with some designer as a model out of all things! Though Cyril had to admit that her designs were catchy and honestly he did enjoy the concepts as long as the execution worked out then they would be fine. "If her designs work out well then she'll also give them to me for actual performances with the troupe." That would save him even more money for this damned trip, something that had Cyril on edge even though he had been saving money secretly for years just in case of emergency.
"We're also going to keep some of these apples for helping with the harvest." He added was he flicked a twig towards a hanging apple and knocked it clean off the branch, the hybrid positioning so that it went straight into his basket. "As for mother? I'll be honest and let her know that we're taking a vacation to look into our heritage. If she has lingering thoughts and feelings then she can tell me then and I'll try to pass the message along if the man is still alive. Maybe she could use some closure as well."
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 11:25 am
Sabra Knight
"Modeling?" Selim furrowed his brow. It wasn't as if he hadn't known his brother was taking outside work, but with his own work being more troupe centric Selim simply hadn't asked. As long as he came back well then it was just an understanding between brothers, but this...this was real money and he hadn't said anything! "So you've been moonlighting with a designer and you've just now decided to tell me?" Selim snorted.
In all honesty the hybrid didn't know how he felt about a trip to Yael. He didn't want to go; that much was clear. From the water his demeanor changed at the mention of it to his off handed, pensive comments it was clear he was only entertaining the possibility out of love for his brother. Whatever sort of man had left their mother with two sons deserved to be forgotten, and he didn't see much use learning about a culture that wouldn't directly benefit them here.
And still...he couldn't let Cyril do this alone.
"...How soon were you planning to leave?"
Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 1:12 pm
Painted Moose
Cyril pursed his lips and glanced over towards Selim. "It wasn't as if I had planned on doing it, the woman just approached me when I was shopping one day." He gave a slight shrug. "Maybe if it goes well and she needs a second body, I can suggest you? Either way you'll be getting an outfit from this if everything works out."
He knew that Selim wouldn't be fond of the idea, even he was upset just thinking about going all the way to Yael for someone that he shouldn't care about but Cyril hated not knowing why the man had abandoned them. Maybe learning something about his homeland could help, but even Cyril didn't know exactly what he was searching for other than any signs of the man himself. "Either within the next few months or early next year when winter is over." He offered after a moment, pondering the exact date which even he hadn't decided upon yet. "I wanted to see how finances were and how you were feeling about it...I know it may not sound like a fun idea at first, but at the same time maybe it would do us both good to see outside of Belrea. We could bring back new tricks for the troupe and such."
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 2:44 pm
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Selim huffed out a sigh and reached down to grab hold of the branch. Instead of climbing down he used the momentum to help him drop to his feet and where he normally would have landed gracefully it was a somewhat awkward experience with his apple apron.
"Give me week? You know I'll always support you and if you wanted to go anywhere else I would make it happen, but this...I need time to think it over."
Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 2:52 pm
Painted Moose
Cyril nodded towards his twin. "I know." He offered with a faint smile, the expression awkward even for him considering his conflicting feelings about the whole situation. "Honestly though it may be for the best if we leave....if mother is marrying this man then I think a vacation would be preferred to give them space." Seeing them lovey-dovey? No, thank you. Cyril shook his head before tying his basket closed, the thing surprisingly full despite how distracted he had been with the whole conversation.
"Either way this is my request so I plan on taking care of all the expenses if you do decide to tag along. Obviously though I won't force you because it's a...lot." Cyril hesitated, a rare moment of weakness showing through his resolve. "Still I would truly appreciate the company, Selim."
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 3:36 pm
Sabra Knight
"I was hoping they would be the ones to take the trip, but I see your point." Honestly he was hoping Vesker would help mother to see that she needed to rest from time to time, but...maybe there wouldn't be much 'rest' in those early days of marriage and Selim didn't want to be around any of that.
He reached out to put a hand on Cyril's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before letting it fall. "I know you would and that's why I'm thinking it over. I just...sometimes I wonder if it's better that we don't know. I don't like to imagine what we would find when we get there." The last bit was little more than a murmur before the hybrid adjusted the straps on his apron and moved on.
"Come on, can't be thinking about trips when we still have work to do."
Posted: Wed May 31, 2023 3:41 pm
Painted Moose
Cyril nodded. "I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment in that regard." It wouldn't be surprising considering all the trouble the pair got into growing up, so why stop now by behaving and staying away from potential danger? He just hoped that whatever they found could be an answer, not something....well even Cyril didn't even know what to expect or to fear at this point. All he wanted was something, anything so that he could close that chapter and move forward just like their mother was doing with Vesker.
"Fair enough." He shifted the basket on his arm before glancing over at Selim. "Let's finish filling up that apron and head back. They should have plenty of cider and possibly candied apples even to try tonight."
