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 Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 4:23 pm
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She jingled with her every step, jewelry that felt too heavy on her but her mother had insisted on it. To be honest she was nervous, Na'ima had never met this..Salbei, but she had heard of him. Was he truly a good match for her? He seemed more Falair's speed...but again, her parents insisted. They said it would do her some good to become his apprentice. She wasn't quite sure why. He sounded foolish, and honestly some stories struck her as lazy. How was she to become a renowned Alchemist or Sage and do good for her people if she was being taught by a lazy, foolish Stallion?
Perhaps they were just stories..someone of his level couldn't possibly be how they claimed, right?
Na'ima frowned as she stared ahead at the place she was told to meet Salbei, hesitating. Finally she sighed quietly to herself and walked in, golden eyes wide as she looked all around. "Ah..Salbei...?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 6:44 pm
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The address that Na'ima had been given was Salbei's home and study. It was a rather sturdy looking tent, decked out with thick and decorative fabrics that hid the actual, rather sound structure underneath. The tent itself was a decent size, comfortable for someone who lived alone, but it was also backed up against a natural rock formation. What most didn't realize, was that his home extended; the main part, above ground, was where he lived and entertained. Below ground, built into the more than sturdy rocks, was where he worked and housed his research. Few Horsemen had ever made it down to his workspace, and the entrance to it was hidden by the same colourful, thick fabrics that lined the rest of his home. It was easy to miss, unless you had been there before.
Na'ima's call was met with silence at first, but after a few moments, a sleepy sigh filled the air, coming from the somewhat visible lounge couch on the other side of the sheer, almost see-through partition screen. Not long after that was a voice, heavy with sleep and slurred as though drowsy. It was mid-day, at best.
"Precious Filly, I appreciate the company, but I am not in the mood to entertain. Please come back tomorrow."
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 2:46 am
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Perhaps he wasn't here. How could that be? They had said he would be, unless he wandered off or something. Frankly, if he was anything like Falair, that was entirely possible. She shook her head, about to just leave and try again later until the sigh was heard. So he was home, she must have disturbed his concentration on--
...Sleeping..
Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing slightly. What? Seriously? How could he be napping at this time of day? Why wasn't he expecting her? At his words her gaze briefly turned to the exit of the tent, seriously considering just doing as he'd said and leaving to come back tomorrow, though not without first figuring out what her parents were thinking. But then..what if he was napping because he had been up all night and morning working on something? What if he was about to make some kind of tremendous breakthrough? Being the first to witness that would be kind of nice.
She approached the partition, her tinkling jewelry giving away her every step. "I am not here for entertainment. My name is Na'ima Saab, my mother and father told me to come to you about an apprenticeship. They speak very highly of you." Though I can't figure out why.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:46 pm
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Salbei's form never budged, achieving that stillness that suggested he may have fallen back asleep. Yet his eyes were slightly open, peering at the partition fabrics that separated them. He couldn't see details, at least not clearly.
"My, you are tenacious, aren't you?" He'd give her that, at least, with his voice pitched in sleepy amusement. His eyes closed again and he shifted, drawing himself up a little higher to drape on the leaning edge of the lounge chair, resting his cheek and chin on his folded arms. A heavy sigh followed, apparently quite put-out by her lack of leaving.
"Saab?" He repeated, lazily testing the name. "Saab. Mm…" The pale horseman mused, putting on a brief show of trying to remember. "Ah, yes, the venom alchemist and the serpent breeder." He remembered them quite well; they were very respected, and certainly had his. Yet there was a method to his madness, though not many could appreciate it. "You must be their eldest daughter." The high strung one, if he recalled the conversation he had with her parents. Light filtered through one of the thick fabrics that hung as a wall, glinting off of the many shiny trinkets that adorned his horns and robes. It looked as though he had dressed himself to the nines for whatever reason, but had yet to remove the bulk of the decoration.
"I'd forgotten about you." He hadn't, not really. Still he let out a heavy sigh, and fell back into a comfortable silence now that the heat of the sun beat against the back of his head. This really was comfortable for him. The sun was so nice… He let out a yawn, his ornaments clinking gently with the movement.
"With all due respect to you and your prominent parents, I am not in any position to test you for your candidacy this morning." His voice dipped with apologies, as if he really did regret this most grievous turn of events. "I just returned from a trip to the Conquest Isles. You understand." He didn't even bother to wave a hand in dismissal, he simply returned to his quiet rest.
"Give my regards to your family."
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 4:22 pm
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A few more steps were taken toward the partition. He was a bit slow, wasn't he. But he remembered them! Good! Na'ima perked up a bit, moving to find an entrance around the partition to at least get a better look at him. "Yes, I am. They told me they--" Oh. The glint of trinkets on horns caught her eye. No one told her he had horns. Golden eyes widened and her attention was now on what she could see of the horns through the screen that separated them. How lovely. That childish urge she had had as a young, young filly came rushing back to her, that strong desire to have horns of her own. If only. "They told me..that they spoke with you, and that you were expec--"
I'd forgotten about you.
Her jaw dropped. What. Rude. Na'ima was taken aback by it, she couldn't even think of what to say when he yawned and continued on to dismiss her. What? No! He couldn't! That was so rude! Maybe he really was as lazy as the stories claimed! How dare he! "What does the test entail? Surely it can't be much effort on your part. You can just..continue to lay there," you lazy old stallion. She waved a hand, gesturing toward him.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 4:38 pm
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It took a considerable amount of self-restraint to not laugh. Tenacious. Definitely tenacious. Since the screen still separated them, he allowed himself a wide grin against his own, heavily clothed arms. It was gone quickly, on the off chance she figured out where the sheer fabric parted to allow her through.
"If you insist," Salbei started, voice heavy as if she continued to be an inconvenience he wanted away from him as quickly as possible. "You can begin by making me a coffee." He didn't lift his head, but he did untangle one thin arm from the mass of fabrics, and waved it lazily over his head, indicating another sheer partition behind him, against the right side of the wall. "My kitchen is that way."
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 5:28 pm
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The Horseman that lay draped on the lounge chair was certainly a pile of nice fabrics and decorative draping trinkets. His hair was pale white, drawn back in a braid that only reached just below his shoulder. His eyes were red, his sclera white, and he had a red tattoo creating a line across his face, one cheek to the next, arching over his nose. One corner of his mouth has a dab of a much deeper red. He observed her for a moment, giving her a quick once-over from head to toe, and then his eyes closed and he went back to sunbathing.
"I see." His lips formed a thin smile, and stayed that way. "If you are truly incapable of obeying such a simple request, then that is all I need to know. Thank you for your time, Na'ima Saab. Best of luck in your future endeavours." He paused enough to stretch, before stretching back out to get as much of the sun on his thin, pale arms as he could.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:08 pm
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He was not surprised that she changed her mind; he'd banked on it.
"You'll get nowhere in life by playing to what you know." Salbei tsked quietly, his thin smile remaining despite how hard it was to not grin like a fiend. "Coffee, please." He repeated patiently. "Ultimately, or perhaps luckily for you today, it's similar to tea. The beans have already been ground." He managed to wave a hand again, though he didn't bother lifting it this time. Instead, it rotated lazily at his wrist, as if shooing her away. "One sugar, one cream, and a hint of hazelnut, please."
It seemed like a simple enough request, at least right up until she would enter the designated kitchen area. It wasn't that the place was filthy, because it certainly wasn't, but it was that the shelves that surrounded the contained fire pit were lined with identical containers. Literally identical from the outside, all spaced an even width apart, and entirely unremarkable, right down to the fact not a single one had an identifier on it. No labels to even indicate what was within.
The only ones set aside were six in what looked like a cooling mechanism, but that was it.
She was on her own.
Eight How to make Salbei's coffee - Because making things easy is not fun. - Roll 4d4, match your results to what's below. - A lot of the ingredients look or smell alike, so if you want you can have Na'ima bring him a failure cup. All he'd do is tell her to try again and send her back to the kitchen. - Let me know when she manages to make it correct! yum_tea Step One - Brew the water 1: She can't get the igniter to work
2-4: She managed to bottle water, hurray! yum_tea Step Two - Find the Sugar 1-2: Oops, it's not sugar.
3-4: Hurray, it's sugar! yum_tea Step Three - Find the Cream 1-2: Oops, it's not cream.
3-4: Luckily, you find the cream! yum_tea Step Four - Find the Hazelnut
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Eight rolled 4 4-sided dice:
3, 1, 4, 1
Total: 9 (4-16)
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:21 am
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With a sigh she turned to leave the room and instead find the kitchen. Coffee. Really? Really? This was her test? He couldn't be serious. He was messing with her, he had to be, and she did not appreciate it. How could her parents recommend someone who was so clearly not suited for her? If they waited a little longer then Falair would be old enough to be his apprentice, and the two of them could lay around all day being lazy and ridiculous and making stupid comments back and forth at one another and getting absolutely nothing done.
And then she saw something horrifying. Perfectly identical jars.
Jaw dropped, eyes wide, Na'ima reached out to start looking through the jars. Oh, well. Here was the cream, and here was everything she needed for the water. Good, good. Where was the sugar.
Sugar, sugar..sugar? She pressed the tip of her finger against the white grains and then licked her finger, making a face. She didn't know what that was but it wasn't sugar. She couldn't use that, no way. And where was the hazelnut..?
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Eight rolled 4 4-sided dice:
4, 3, 3, 3
Total: 13 (4-16)
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:24 am
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Eight rolled 4 4-sided dice:
2, 4, 4, 3
Total: 13 (4-16)
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:27 am
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Eight rolled 4 4-sided dice:
1, 3, 1, 2
Total: 7 (4-16)
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:28 am
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Eight rolled 4 4-sided dice:
3, 3, 4, 1
Total: 11 (4-16)
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:29 am
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