Sairaag

[Grimalkenkid]

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ You're unsure
Why fight the tide? ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Don't think so much
Let your heart decide ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ You'll never fall
Until you let go ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Don't be so scared
Of what you don't know ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

♋ Map: Marketplace, Sairaag
♋ Clock: Afternoon, Spring 2

Teo felt a bit bad as Arty frowned, but it wasn't like she was lying. He really is just a customer... although he would be good to have around in a pinch. The cougar woman grinned. "I use the word 'friend' rather sparingly. You're right, though; I'd much rather have him on my side than the other way 'round." She giggled silently as the girl ran off to get lunch; she would pay for whatever the girl got for her, but she hoped it wasn't too expensive. Given what Arty could buy herself, though, she doubted the girl would get anything Teo wouldn't be able to pay back.

While Arty was gone, the cougar woman made a few more sales, mostly on building supplies. A few couples got scented lotions, but they were scarce and most didn't want to pay enough to justify the cost of bringing it to Sairaag. She wasn't in any hurry; the lotions would last another few weeks before becoming unsellable.

Soon enough, though, Arty came back... and with a familiar boulder-skinned man in tow. Hm... I wonder what that girl's got planned, Teo thought, ears twitching to catch the conversation they were having as they came her way. Standing up, the cougar woman prepared to meet her acquaintances. "Welcome back, Arty," she purred somewhat. "And hello to you, Hyrum. I wasn't expecting such a crowd on my lunch break."

And then Arty asked her an odd question. "Right or left?" her ears twitching with the directions she spoke. Teo rested a hand on her hip and grinned. "Since you're holding something behind your back, I assume you're making me pick my lunch." When kids ask this, it usually means that the food they want is in their right hand. I guess I can be nice and let her have that one, then. Pointing at Arty's left side, Teo said, "Left. Your left, to be specific. Did I answer correctly?" Her tail curled as she asked that question. In fact, upon asking, her entire demeanor changed from curious to mischievous, a grin on her face and a low purr from her throat.

ﷲ Opєи чouя єyєs // ץouя hєaяt caи tєℓℓ чou иo ℓiєs ﷲ
TEOSINTHETEOSINTHETEOSINTHE

 

[Grimalkenkid]

FalseFirrazedeӺȉɾɽȁȝəʠѐFirrazedeDragon
ーーДɮӢʊΏђʑsoѥɂsoѮȿӝᾇɕϼsoϪҫȵsoѬгʤѧɕҫЮɣsoϚϐѧгѨʊsoҋʌϐљsoϼɣsoӜɂϖӽʤーー

Place: Overlooking marketplace, Sairaag
Time: Afternoon, Spring 2

The man sat atop one of Sairaag's old stone buildings and looked down at the people going about their business. He had the hood of his robe pulled up so that it shaded his face from the harsh sunlight, his eyes glowing ever so slightly. Pathetic worms, he thought. All of them. Not a single sorcerer worth even their salt. That thought made a slight grin cross the man's face. Perfect. None would even be able to tell if something went wrong. I chose this place well; mortals can be so infuriating when they riot.

His eyes drifted over the crowd, lingering on an odd couple wandering the market. They might be interesting, especially if they were the ones his... guest... had spoken of. One looked like he was made of stone, but the other appeared normal to the naked eye. Oh, but there was something monstrous about her. Only another monster like himself could see it, and he thought he could even figure out what she was if her aura of happiness didn't make him sick. Yes, the man - whose name was Firrazede - was a monster. A pure monster, of the Monster race. He only took a human form to hide from mortal eyes.

And Monster eyes, too. He wouldn't like it if his fellows began meddling with his plans. Even Xellos. Especially him... At least he's got his plate full now with the higher ups. They can't exactly call foul with me. With that, Firrazede turned around and walked back into the building. He had set up residence on the highest floor; no one looked there to see if he was paying rent or if someone was even living there.

So, of course, no one would know that a huge man was tied up with magical bonds in the minuscule space the monster called his current home. The man was bruised far more than a normal person could handle, hinting at ogre or perhaps troll blood. It didn't matter, as all Firrazede needed was information from him on that ruckus last night. Stooping next to the man's head, he locked eyes with the half-unconscious man. "Was your pathetic defeat engineered by a man of stone?" the monster asked in an even tone. The man just nodded after a moment of consideration. "Hmph. He has magic... but only a little. He's no real threat. And the other, as well. You brutes think that force is power, but it's not. Not really."

Standing up, Firrazede began pacing the room. He didn't have any reason for being in Sairaag besides that it was a good hiding place where information passed through frequently. In the time he had before Saul finished up her errand, he would simply have to start planning ahead. Well, more so than he already had. I'll have to get rid of my 'Tiny' visitor first, though. My pawns are working so hard to keep a low profile, I should at least try to do so myself.

Where his pawns preferred not revealing anything in the first place, Firrazede didn't care. He'd get rid of the man the same way he'd found him: in a back alley.  

[Odins_Ravens]

[

❂Oh from wicked, carry us away from captivity
{Required} from us a song♪
How can we sing King Alpha's song in a strange land?✘?

★☆★Artelind Valatores★☆★

One blue haired homunculus could only smile and enjoy the day as she met back up with her feline friend. It looked like Theo was happy to see her and Hyrum as well with how she purred. Just hearing that soft rumble from her throat made Arty want to squeal and scratch Theo behind her ears or rub her belly. The sole fact that Theo wasn't actually a cat kept her from doing so. Internally she would squeal and aw at how cute that was. She clearly had her own little aura of happiness, her personality beaming rainbows and gumdrops that was practically blinding in a metaphorical sense. Not like anyone could see her bubbly pink and blue aura right?

Still one good mood just bounced off of hers to make it even stronger. Hyrum seemed happy, Theo was letting out some purrs. The merchant even played along with her game, smirking as she picked the girl's left hand. Her mood was unchanging as she tossed the luscious red apple over to the woman. It didn't matter what side Theo picked, because either one would have been winning for her. She could just as easily enjoy the slightly tart sweetness of the green skinned apple as she could the succulent flavor of the red. "As correct as could be." Lunch was always better with friends so her plan was going perfectly. She had to wonder what else she could do though.

She always had a few ideas floating in her head but what one seemed right? Not like she could try anything exciting like getting Theo and Hyrum go out, but she could push fro the friend idea. "So Hyrum...Um, you from around here? I haven't seen that many guys your...size? Oh have you seen Keet around too? I think he was supposed to be doing construction again today. Not to say you'd only do construction! I bet you can do all sorts of other things! Like I bet you could even do merchant stuff too. Right Theo? Maybe you should give him a try at this too!" In attempts to make conversation the homunculus stumbled just a little, or at least she thought she said something wrong and shoved her foot in her mouth, but hey she thought she recovered pretty well. Even trying to get those two some more time to bond and become best friends forever!

So let the words of our mouth
And the meditations of our hearts
Be acceptable in thy sight

 

[Inu of Everlasting Dawn]

I'm gonna knock you out!✖✖✖ Mama said knock you out! ✖✖✖ I gotta thank God cuz he gave me the strength to rock HARD!! Knock you out, Mama said knock you out!!!✖✖✖ KNOCK OUT! ☆★☆

Current Location:Sairaag
Current Date:Afternoon, Spring 2

So Arty was a pretty sweet kid. She had to get into the habit of thinking before she spoke but at least she corrected herself afterwards. "It's okay,Arty. I know what you mean!" Hyrum actually had some fun walking around with her and getting things for their lunch. He had to think that this was what having a little sibling was like. They kept walking around before going back to familiar spot in the market place. They were going back to Theo's blanket! Score! So the chimera followed the little girl, ready to play along with any games she wanted to play if it meant getting to talk to the cat girl.

"Heya Teo! Little Arty just found me having lunch in the market and thought I would make a good addition to your lunch party." Hyrum replied as he walked up to the cat grin with a big grin. He stood aside for a moment, letting Arty play a guessing game with the apples he recommended for Teo. I guess that explains that question from earlier. At least it was a game that she could win no matter what. She chose the red apple in the end, a pretty good win in Hyrum's book. Flopping himself down onto the ground with a familiar thud that made small objects jump, the chimera was ready to just take it easy for a while.

Then Arty started asking her questions. "I'm from the mountain areas. I'm traveling around to work so I can get some money to send back home. And unless you know other chimeras that have been spliced with golem, I don't think you'll see anyone else like me!" It didn't bother him to tell people what he was anymore! "Keet...ohh,your brother! No, I haven't seen him yet. I'm working on several different projects so it may be easy to miss him. I can do a bunch of other stuff,too. I box a lot-and I know a little magic too!" Then, looking at Arty and then Teo, he scratched his head as he thought the last question over. "I just I could give something like that a try, if I wanted too. And if it was okay with Teo, of course. She's the only merchant that hasn't stared at me yet!"  

[Grimalkenkid]

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ You're unsure
Why fight the tide? ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Don't think so much
Let your heart decide ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ You'll never fall
Until you let go ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Don't be so scared
Of what you don't know ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

♋ Map: Marketplace, Sairaag
♋ Clock: Afternoon, Spring 2

Teo deftly caught the apple that was thrown to her. It was red, a sure sign that it was sweet, which made her a bit curious as to why Arty kept the green apple. I thought kids liked sweet stuff. Oh well... to each her own. "Hello to you, too, Hyrum," she purred. "I hope we aren't taking you from your work. Sairaag needs all the help it can get." The cougar woman sat down on her mat, bumped up in the air an inch or two when Hyrum sat down. She chuckled a bit before biting into her lunch; being tossed around by the sheer weight of a chimera sitting down was a humorous experience.

Teo then took out a gold coin and tossed it to Arty. "Since you got lunch," she offered as explanation. It was about the going rate for apples, maybe a little more; Teo thought it was worth the time she took to get lunch for her. Listening to the others banter back and forth, she licked the juice from her lips. So... he's a golem chimera. That makes sense. I can't imagine that it's easy; he must get stared at a lot.

Speaking of staring, Teo's ears fell a little bit as Arty posed an idea. She wasn't really in the mood to let another person try out selling wares... not after the near misses she had with Arty. She was also getting low on actual wares to sell. "Peddling isn't a walk in the park, Arty," the cougar woman sighed. "Attracting customers is half of the job. No offense to you, Hyrum, but people in general probably wouldn't stop to buy anything from you." Teo took another bite of her apple before continuing. "And it's getting to the point in the day where the only things customers want is food and supplies for work, neither of which I have. Actually, I need to start thinking of re-supplying. Most of the wares I have are better sold in richer cities, so I think I'll leave after restocking." She quickly finished off her apple and tossed the core behind her, where Marcus quickly finished it off. "You could help with restocking, though. You just go to other merchants and buy Sairaag specialties in bulk."

If Hyrum or Arty were upset by the news that she was leaving soon, Teo understood. But she was a merchant; her entire livelihood depended on going from place to place, so she got used to leaving people she liked. It just meant that she would have friendly faces to look forward to when she came back.

ﷲ Opєи чouя єyєs // ץouя hєaяt caи tєℓℓ чou иo ℓiєs ﷲ
TEOSINTHETEOSINTHETEOSINTHE

 

[Inu of Everlasting Dawn]

I'm gonna knock you out!✖✖✖ Mama said knock you out! ✖✖✖ I gotta thank God cuz he gave me the strength to rock HARD!! Knock you out, Mama said knock you out!!!✖✖✖ KNOCK OUT! ☆★☆

Current Location:Sairaag
Current Date:Afternoon, Spring 2

"Nah,I was on my lunch break anyway. I guess people decided that since I'm useful,I need a certain amount of time to eat my fill so I can work hard!" Hyrum said as he sat down and finished his lunch. It was always funny to see people bounce when he sat down! Hyrum was starting to really like the idea of trying to sell stuff for once instead of fixing it-or even breaking it in some cases! But it looked like Teo wasn't game for it. He could understand...but that still didn't mean that he was a little insulted by the suggestion that he couldn't do it just because of how he looked! People pay money to see freaks!

Hyrum let out a huff and a puff before he started to get up. "So...you think no one would want to come by this way to buy if I was working here,huh?" Challenged accepted. He cupped his big hands around his mouth and started his announcement to the square. "Step right up,folks! Be the first to play this game of strenght and manhood! THE CHIMERA PUNCHING BAG!!!" That started to get some men to gather around the blanket. Now for the fun part. "The rules are simple:You all pay to take a shot at my gut! If you make me flinch or barrel over,you win a prize off of the little lady's mat! If you don't,I keep your money! Now...WHO'S FIRST?!" That was some murmuring and glances at the mat before a big looking man stepped up.
"Punching out a freak like you? No sweat!" He tossed Hyrum a coin and got a fist ready. "This will be a breeze!!!" His fist went flying into Hyrum's stomach...to which did nothing but bend downward,leaving him to howl and cry.
"I'm sorry. You were just warming up?" That got the men to laugh and start to line up. "NEXT!"

The game of Punch the Chimera was on then,and Hyrum was a busy guy. It was his favorite game to play in bars with drunk idiots...and it looked like it would work here too. Tough guys from all over were giving him coins to try and win a little respect and some supplies off of Teo's mat. To which...was a miserable effort. Some men got mad sometimes,taking several shots at the chimera's stomach instead of one ("You owe me money for those extra shots!")-even going as far as using a battering ram against his stomach. For that,he had to put a little extra push in and make them all bounce in the other direction and into a fruit cart-to which just gathered more attention towards their little mat. "They can pay for those damages!"

Soon Hyrum had a good bag of gold going and presented it to Teo. "How's that for profit?" And it looked like there could be more on the way. The crowd of opponents was dying down but it looked like it attracted potential shoppers.  

[Grimalkenkid]

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ You're unsure
Why fight the tide? ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Don't think so much
Let your heart decide ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ You'll never fall
Until you let go ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Don't be so scared
Of what you don't know ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

♋ Map: Marketplace, Sairaag
♋ Clock: Afternoon, Spring 2

By the way Hyrum responded to her statements, Teo knew that she had, on some level, insulted the chimera. Her ears fell as she realized that she had unintentionally challenged him to a game of "see how I can attract customers." At least, that's what she thought it was. The cougar woman was about to say something when he just stood up and shouted an announcement in the middle of the market. "Step right up, folks! You all pay to take a shot at my gut! If you make me flinch or barrel over, you win a prize off of the little lady's mat!" Whatever followed that statement was lost on Teo as every hair on her body stood on end. "Now wait just a minute!" she said, trying to get a word in edgewise. "You can't just go off listing someone's wares as prizes in some inane little ga-"

Teo jumped to her feet, every muscle tensed and tail all poofed up, as several men came up, deciding to try their strength against Hyrum's weight. Despite what she knew of the chimera and his own strength, Teo remained tense as each punch was thrown. Nothing anyone said to her would make her react as she watched in horror as people actually paid to take a chance. If you set it up like that, then I'd have to give something away if they win. Hyrum! That's not how you go about selling stuff! As more and more people lost, though, her tenseness dissolved into simple confusion, her eyes going swirly, and she became even more unresponsive to the world.

Thankfully - mercifully - the game ended, and Hyrum came back to the mat with a bag of gold. It was only once he actually presented it to her that Teo snapped back to normal. She swiped the bag and weighed it in her hand, then took a look inside to see what currency was inside. When she saw that most of it was gold, a Cheshire grin graced her face, lighting up her eyes. Purring, she had enough presence of mind to dig out several gold pieces to hand back to Hyrum. "Your part of the cut," Teo said, still purring from the back of her throat. She was feeling so good that she even divided the profits up further by giving Arty the last third, so that all the money Hyrum got was split three ways between them.

Just before she was swamped with more potential customers coming from the crowd, Teo turned back to Hyrum and whispered, "Risky tactic and not really peddling, but I think you could turn that into a business of its own. I've seen it work before. If you want to, we can chat about it over dinner. I'll buy."




((OOC: Okay, this is where I was thinking about cutting to the timeskip and moving to the public threads. Hope that's okay with everyone, because I'm sending out the PMs tonight saying that we're officially moving.))

ﷲ Opєи чouя єyєs // ץouя hєaяt caи tєℓℓ чou иo ℓiєs ﷲ
TEOSINTHETEOSINTHETEOSINTHE