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. ]
Ujana wasn’t a fan of cooler weather. The sharp wind that cut across her exposed flesh caused the leafling to shiver and reluctantly unroll her blouse. She’d taken to wearing longer sleeves after pressure from her family, but covering her torso? After all the work she’d put into making it look this good? Bah.
Now, though, she was straightening the top out to its desired length and not the midriff she’d tried to turn it into.
Since the Belrean branch of her family had come to Tale to help for the harvest she’d decided to bring her own brood to help as well. Those that would come, at least, which was…admittedly just Eurig. Ika was busy with her own things, tensions were still high with Ujiri, Subira was off and Ariya didn’t care for travel. So, she’d told them she wouldn’t be as long this time and kept the offer out anyway. Maybe they would later? Or maybe they wouldn’t. Either way, there were fields that needed tending to and physical labor was good for taking ones mind off things.
With a wagon full of empty baskets, Ujana waited near the front of her sister’s family home waiting on their youngest sister. She’d only seen the girl when she was an infant so when it came to watching Marcella Ujana had volunteered.
Scarlett Arbuckle
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 3:30 pm
Painted Moose
(1/7)
Marcella had never been to Tale, before. At least not that she could remember. But she had been out to the countryside in Belrea before, for a few harvests. Her father, a healer, said it was simple work to offer soothing ointments to blistered palms, but she also had learned it was a good time to tend to the ailments of the various families who lived out here, who often had to make special trips into the city to see trained Belrean healers. This was different though.There was no one here - they were in the middle of NOWHERE, at the home of an older sister she didn't know.
They had their own garden to harvest, but they'd also promised to help friends of theirs in the nearby settlement, and that was where they were headed.
... Marcella sighed to herself, unhappy with the sloppiness of her braids, but her mother's hair was short, and her father had such fine and straight hair that he never did anything with. Isaia had cut off his hair, and was far too old to want to spend time braiding his sister's hair.
So, she resigned herself to looking silly in front of her older sister. Again, who she barely knew. She stepped out of the house (cabin, more like!) and paused when she saw Ujana there, big and... intimidating. It made sense that she lived with Aishans, it felt like she'd soaked up their size and strength by sheer closeness alone. ... Then again, Marcella knew it didn't work like that - if it did, then Padma would be as uncouth and wild as her husband and daughter. Marcella didn't speak, just gazed sidelong at the large woman, half hiding behind her messy hair and half-tied braids.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2022 1:00 pm
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Ujana raised her arms above her head, reached for her left elbow with her right hand and leaned to the side until she felt a 'pop' and then rotated to the other side. Her physicality may have allowed Ujana to stave off the aches of aging, but they were always waiting. If she sat too long or slept in a weird position something would hurt. Of course she was much more apt to brushing it off in favor of new adventures, but that didn't make the days any easier. Still, she refused to ask her father about a rub or a poultice so stiff she would be.
As she was stretching Ujana kept her back turned toward the house, and thus didn't notice the little hybrid approaching her. When she turned she was mid stretch, and her bright eyes widened to see Marcella.
"...You are sooo cute."Goddess, but she was small. Had Padma's children been that small and she just hadn't noticed or was Marcella just that petite? She just seemed so much frailer than Padma's little ones or even Eurig for that matter. Then again her father was a walking branch of a man and his wife was a wire with breasts.
"Are you ready to go, Marcie?"
Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2022 7:16 pm
Painted Moose
(2/7)
Marcella puffed out her cheeks when her sister actually cooed at her. Of course - when Isaia ruffled her hair and said she was precious, it always dripped with the teasing tone of a big brother, so it was difficult to take it as a compliment. She still didn't see why they couldn't let her stay here - it would be interesting to explore Padma's homestead, without anyone to stop her, and Zadia had told her about some plants she should try and look for to smuggle home.
"I guess." She mumbled, folding her little arms as she padded after her Big older sister. Why did they even have to help? It wasn't like SHE knew these people.
And why wasn't her sister's kids here to help? If MARCELLA had to, why not them?
"Do we have to?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2022 9:57 am
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"Oh you're a grouchy one, aren't'cha?" Ujana shook with her with a grin. She'd expected cheeky, with parents like hers it wouldn't be amiss, but prickly also wasn't out of the mix. Not like it mattered though; her own son was moody and she didn't let that stop her.
"Yeah, 'fraid so. You're stuck with me today kid so you might as well-"Ujana dashed in, and slipped her hands underneath those folded arms to lift Marcella up into the air. She didn't hold her for long, however, before setting her down in the wagon. "-perk up a little! Come on, I know you've got some smiles in there somewhere."
Now that Marcie was well and taken care of Ujana started to pull the wagon. Of course it was meant to be pulled by some sort of pack mule, the wooden slats were all in place, but they weren't going far and it wasn't like Ujana wanted to waste time hitching one up. So, she just pulled it herself.
Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2022 11:28 am
Painted Moose
(3/7)
Marcella continued to grump, that little pout only growing fiercer, when her sister - lifted her UP, so suddenly her little head went dizzy with the motion. She yelped, tiny hands shooting to grab onto Ujana's arms for support, only to breath out in a reluctant giggle when she was set, safely, in the wagon.
It was hard to stay petulant after THAT - neither of her parents were really big and strong enough, at her age, to lift her like that anymore. Then, lest Ujana see and point it out, Marcella bit her lip and instead scrambled further up into the wagon, leaning over the side to watch with wide eyes as her sister used herself as a glorified pack mule. "Aren't you going to be tired when you're done?" She asked, previous surliness lost in surprise.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2022 11:36 am
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That little giggle was all Ujana needed to know she was doing something good here. If Marcella had acted out of fear or discomfort she would have backed off, but this...this was just a grumpy guss. A tough little nut who wanted to let loose; she just didn't know how.
"Nah." Ujana waved off her little sister's concern with a passive hand wave and didn't so much as break her stride despite only using the one arm. "It's just like training, you know? You gotta do something new everyday so your muscles don't get used to the routine."Would Marcella know that? Knowing how scrawny her father was....likely not. "Uh...well...Oh! It's like lessons and books. You have a favorite book, right? But if you don't read new books sometimes then your brain gets dull. That's also why you gotta go new places, do new things, see new people...soak it all in while your young so you can be the smartest one out of all of us."
Spirits knew it wasn't going to be Ujana.
"'sides, there's something at this farm I think you'll like."
Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 9:35 pm
Painted Moose
(4/7)
Sure enough, the girl's little face scrunched up in confusion, head tilting a bit. She knew her brother Isaiah got arm aches sometimes, because he was always having to torque stuff in the same way... was it like that?
Marcella nodded along at the second example, even if Ujana couldn't see it, face brightening as the lesson began to stick. She didn't care much about being the smartest, but she kind of got it. Reading the same book, doing the same things, could get boring!
"Something I'll like?" She asked, suspicious but also intrigued. "Is it a keldari? Oh-- is it a spirit? Is the farm haunted?" She asked with growing interest, eyes wide at the possibilities.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 11:41 am
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"I heard that the south field was planted ontop of the ground where the previous owner's home was. One night he went mad and attacked everyone in his family."Even when her own children were this young she would have told the story, so Ujana wasn't worried about how it might influence or scare Marcella. Of course, they were never as interested in the macabre as her younger half-sister was.
In fact, when she'd told it to Eurig as a boy he'd been scared to go in Uquin's garden for weeks. Had cried and clung to the doorway, even!
"I'm sure if we do a really good job of helping then they'll let us snoop around a little. What'cha think about that?"
Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 12:39 pm
Painted Moose
If she was honest, Marcella expected this interesting thing of Ujana's to be a her ability to smash a big rock with her hands, or lift up something humongous with her muscles. Getting her hopes up with something like spirits was asking for disappointment, right? So - when Ujana agreed, the girl narrowed her eyes, thinking perhaps she was being teased for her interest.
But Ujana continued, and Marcella's little mouth dropped open in awe, sweeping her eyes to look ahead on their path. "Hmm. Okay-- is that why they need help? They have too much to harvest because - you know, back home they use dead plants as fertilizer--" And there she was, rambling darkly about whether or not their neighbors' garden was fertilized with the DEAD.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2022 8:05 am
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"Maybe? I wasn't given a lot of details; probably because they don't want to scare people off." Most likely it was because there wasn't much information to begin with. As far as Ujana knew it was the same little story that had been tossed around when she and Padma were girls. Still, if it helped to get Marcella on her side then she could definitely embellish it a bit.
In her eyes it was supposed to be a really fun way to spook and bond with her youngest sister. Now it was just...really kind of worrisome? In a mixture of a boring lull and the realization that this child was an absolute nerd. She'd blended the aspects of her parentage in the best possible way they could have blended which just meant she was a small, pointy little thing who knew way too much about things children shouldn't.
"Does that mean that the vegetables are going to be extra big this year? Or would they be toxic, if they were being fed dead, cursed things?"
Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2022 4:15 pm
Painted Moose
6/7
Ohhh. That made sense. Still, Marcella imagined that if their crops were bigger, they must be very valuable. As if reading her mind, Ujana asked, and Marcella smiled at her, delighted that her sister was sharing in how interesting this all was! "Maybe both! And that's why they need us to harvest - they know there's a curse, and don't want to risk catching it themselves!"
Of course, Ujana's intention had never been to paint their neighbors as villains, but that very much was what Marcella was beginning to imagine - some suspicious family, perhaps sacrificing family members to ensure a good harvest -
Ohhh. She really wanted to see this place, now!
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Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2022 6:05 pm
Scarlett Arbuckle
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Oh, of course that's why they asked for help. Obviously the fields were haunted so they sought out their neighbors to clear it out? Unless Padma had been dealing with spirits and keeping it all to herself Ujana couldn't make the connection, but...well, it was hard not to give in to Marcella's excitement. She had a soft spot for kids; it's why she had so many and likely would have had more if things weren't so tense with her youngest. When Ujana looked back to see that spark in the girl's eye she knew she was screwed.
"Yeah so I figure between the two of us we've got this handled."
Her father was going to be pissed when he found out she'd painted the neighbor's as ghouls who thrived on bloodied fields, buuuuuttt......Well, she really didn't care. What was he going to do? Curl his lip and stomp his foot?
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2023 5:56 pm
[I never finished my posts in this one, but I grew with VP, so I'll FIN it here to finish for Ujana~!]
