Fendros looked up and considered going for a swim, then lokoed down at Rhazii. "What do you think, little one? Want to go down to the water?" Fendros asked quietly. Rhazii stuck a hand in his mouth and looked obliviously up at Fendros, before looking at Ahnasha, then turning around to look at someone else. Fendros looked up and managed a smile, "I wouldn't mind cooling off."
"Me neither," Janius concurred.
Everyone began to sit up now that dinner was done. The rice and vegetables had gone down a treat, it seemed, and some swimming in the clean ocean might be nice before it got too dark. As everyone began to walk down, Sabine brushed up by Ariel and looked up at her, "Do you go swimming in the ocean often, Ariel?"
Ariel shook her head, "Not as much as I would like. It's a nice relief from the heat, but I'm too busy most days." She glanced down at her dress, "In fact, I think I'll stay sitting on the edge of the water for now."
In response, Sabine pulled a smile and lowered her brow in joking frustration, "Come, sister. Join us in the water."
There was a quiet laugh from Ariel, partly from Sabine's insistence, but also in surprise that Sabine would talk in such a way. She was normally extremely nervous and quick about asking people to do even the simplest of things. "Very well, Sabine, I'll just have to find a clean spot for my dress."
The group was being headed by Janius as they approached the water, more out of coincidence than knowing where to go. It was barely thirty paces before Janius paused to navigate his way down the chest-high stone outcrop that delimited the soil from the beach. The water ahead advanced and retreated with surprising calmness, but given the smoothness of the stone Janius climbed down, the stormier nights probably made for ferocious tides. Before going any further, Janius began to remove his armour and equipment. Fendros was especially careful descending the outcrop, opting to squat down and lower Rhazii into Ahnasha's hands once she was on the sand.
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Let Slip the Corgis of War
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Dear Mr Curly,
I have done little travelling lately because I have been so dreadfully weary. Can it be true as the old Ecclesiastes said; that all things lead to weariness? Surely not. Perhaps the opposite is true: that all nothings lead to weariness. I have a peculiar feeling, Curly, that I am worn out from something I haven't yet done and the more I don't do it, the more exhausted I become. How strange. Could it be something I haven't realised? Perhaps it's something I haven't said? Something I haven't finished! It must be very large and true whatever it is and a lively struggle in the doing but I look forward to it immensely. I know I need it. First, however, I must curl up in my chair and sleep deeply with the duck. Perhaps I'll dream of this thing and wake up refreshed and do it. My fond wishes to you Mr. Curly, and to all Curly Flat.
Yours sleepily,
Vasco Pyjama
xxx
P.S. Not having breakfast can make you weary. That's for sure!
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Given the distance on the ghouls, I think I'm going to wait for the outcome of the snipers' fire before acting.
Posting to show my support for the guild before the hammer comes down on this thread.
As long as this site remains functioning, continues to serve fun and interesting players, and hosts roleplays that interest me, I have no reason to leave.
As long as this site remains functioning, continues to serve fun and interesting players, and hosts roleplays that interest me, I have no reason to leave.
"Not safe to drink, no," Ariel said, chuckling through her nose, "But it's quite safe to swim in. It is actually good for your skin- er, well, good for human skin and maybe scales as well. You just have to be on the lookout for sharks, or jellyfish and the like. The sea is full of different creatures to the swamp." Ariel faced one palm to the sky, "Whether they are more or less dangerous than marsh creatures is down to opinion, I suppose, but it doesn't change the fact that you should keep an eye out."
"The only thing I remember about swimming in the ocean is having salt in my hair after I dried off." Janius mentioned, looking to Kaleeth and noticing the gills on her neck, "You don't have hair to worry about, but...hmm, Meesei?" Janius turned to the only other Argonian nearby, "Does salt water to anything to Argonian gills?"
"The only thing I remember about swimming in the ocean is having salt in my hair after I dried off." Janius mentioned, looking to Kaleeth and noticing the gills on her neck, "You don't have hair to worry about, but...hmm, Meesei?" Janius turned to the only other Argonian nearby, "Does salt water to anything to Argonian gills?"
"On that front, I have good news and bad news." Ariel said, then turning particularly to Lorag and giving a small smile, "I have gone over my takings, and as long as I live fruitfully, what I have in business is sufficient to pay tax, support myself, and pay back the loan in regular instalments which will outweigh the interest." She tilted her head to one side and looked into the fire, but kept her smile, "The bad news is that doing so will take...what was it again?...I cannot remember exactly, but it will be roughly thirty years."
This caught everyone's attention, including Fendros'. It seemed like a form of imprisonment to be forced to live three decades without freedom over one's finances. Not to mention, there was no telling what could go wrong if Ariel's profits did not remain consistent.
Ariel noticed the reaction and tried to play it off by holding one hand forward. "Oh, no, that's just with how things are now. Each week, I'm trying new things and adding new products to my store. Some are more successful than others, but they often attract new faces which means more gold. I still have to see how the rest of the year treats me, but if I stay open for long enough and continue to build the business, I'll be able to cut weeks off the loan, then eventually months, and even years." Ariel faltered at no point. She seemed very convinced herself, "Like I said, I just have to live fruitfully."
In particular, Fendros took an interest in this aspect. As well as Ahnasha, he knew a thing or two about businesses in being groomed to be a winemaker before he turned. "If you say so, Ariel. It might still be prudent to keep a fund secured in case bad things happen. You did mention that there might be floods in the city, did you not?"
"Well, I do have some money stored away, but..." Ariel's smile lowered, "...I actually hadn't thought about flooding and the damage I might have to pay for. I think I will have to spend a Sundas looking over my books again."
"It's still good to hear that you are on course," Fendros said encouragingly.
Ariel nodded, though was a little confronted by the revelation that she had left something out in her master plan. She doubted she would forget about it, so she decided to look up and deal with it at a more appropriate time. For now, she noticed that Kaleeth was looking out to the sea and looked to it herself. The sun was almost completely below the horizon now, and the world was yellowed by its light. Most notably coloured were the white-walled buildings of the city itself. "Had you seen the ocean before coming to Thorn, Kaleeth-Rei?" Ariel asked curiously.
This caught everyone's attention, including Fendros'. It seemed like a form of imprisonment to be forced to live three decades without freedom over one's finances. Not to mention, there was no telling what could go wrong if Ariel's profits did not remain consistent.
Ariel noticed the reaction and tried to play it off by holding one hand forward. "Oh, no, that's just with how things are now. Each week, I'm trying new things and adding new products to my store. Some are more successful than others, but they often attract new faces which means more gold. I still have to see how the rest of the year treats me, but if I stay open for long enough and continue to build the business, I'll be able to cut weeks off the loan, then eventually months, and even years." Ariel faltered at no point. She seemed very convinced herself, "Like I said, I just have to live fruitfully."
In particular, Fendros took an interest in this aspect. As well as Ahnasha, he knew a thing or two about businesses in being groomed to be a winemaker before he turned. "If you say so, Ariel. It might still be prudent to keep a fund secured in case bad things happen. You did mention that there might be floods in the city, did you not?"
"Well, I do have some money stored away, but..." Ariel's smile lowered, "...I actually hadn't thought about flooding and the damage I might have to pay for. I think I will have to spend a Sundas looking over my books again."
"It's still good to hear that you are on course," Fendros said encouragingly.
Ariel nodded, though was a little confronted by the revelation that she had left something out in her master plan. She doubted she would forget about it, so she decided to look up and deal with it at a more appropriate time. For now, she noticed that Kaleeth was looking out to the sea and looked to it herself. The sun was almost completely below the horizon now, and the world was yellowed by its light. Most notably coloured were the white-walled buildings of the city itself. "Had you seen the ocean before coming to Thorn, Kaleeth-Rei?" Ariel asked curiously.
"Amazing," Ariel said, quite glad that the less pleasant aspect of their stay had moved on from the conversation, "I wish I could have seen it. Well, under better circumstances, maybe."
When Ariel was asked about Juseich and her elusive jewel, she had trouble remembering what Meesei was talking about. "What?...Oh! The jewel! Yes, um...let's see, " Ariel looked up and tapped her chin, trying to recall anything to do with it, "I haven't heard anything from Juseich since we obtained the deed, but I do hear about political rumours every now and then. Apparently, Juseich's jewel has not only caught a lot more liars recently, but I've heard that she has also become much more prominent in court for her uncanny investigative abilities. Some people are saying that she's paid a ghost to spy for her, but I think she might be using the jewel to - well, such magic has never been so reliable for centuries at least - but I suspect she's adapted it for scrying. As for the lie detection, I think some illusion magic has helped her to tune it to some aspects of people's thoughts, but only for lying, as far as I know." Ariel took a deep breath and shrugged, "I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing at this stage, but she is a wise enough leader. I only hope that the stone's secrets don't fall into the wrong hands." Ariel's brow lowered, "Actually, there was one more detail. Allegedly, Juseich is also using all of her spare time constantly weaving magic with it, always muttering about trying to find the Psijic Order itself. Perhaps it would have been easier before their island disappeared."
Janius and Sabine sat with rather blank expressions. Neither of them really had the context of what Ariel was saying, and even some of the terminology was lost on Sabine. Janius leaned an arm on one knee and hazarded a question, "Pardon, who's Juseich, and what is this jewel you speak of?"
Fendros was amusing Rhazii by playing with his hands in an effort to distract himself from hateful brooding. He wasn't really paying attention.
Ariel turned to Janius, "Juseich was one of the officials that interviewed me when I obtained the deed to my shop. She showed us an artifact from the Psijic order that had been with her family for centuries. She was using it as a fake lie detector, but let us have a look at it afterwards. It turned out to be more than it seemed."
When Ariel was asked about Juseich and her elusive jewel, she had trouble remembering what Meesei was talking about. "What?...Oh! The jewel! Yes, um...let's see, " Ariel looked up and tapped her chin, trying to recall anything to do with it, "I haven't heard anything from Juseich since we obtained the deed, but I do hear about political rumours every now and then. Apparently, Juseich's jewel has not only caught a lot more liars recently, but I've heard that she has also become much more prominent in court for her uncanny investigative abilities. Some people are saying that she's paid a ghost to spy for her, but I think she might be using the jewel to - well, such magic has never been so reliable for centuries at least - but I suspect she's adapted it for scrying. As for the lie detection, I think some illusion magic has helped her to tune it to some aspects of people's thoughts, but only for lying, as far as I know." Ariel took a deep breath and shrugged, "I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing at this stage, but she is a wise enough leader. I only hope that the stone's secrets don't fall into the wrong hands." Ariel's brow lowered, "Actually, there was one more detail. Allegedly, Juseich is also using all of her spare time constantly weaving magic with it, always muttering about trying to find the Psijic Order itself. Perhaps it would have been easier before their island disappeared."
Janius and Sabine sat with rather blank expressions. Neither of them really had the context of what Ariel was saying, and even some of the terminology was lost on Sabine. Janius leaned an arm on one knee and hazarded a question, "Pardon, who's Juseich, and what is this jewel you speak of?"
Fendros was amusing Rhazii by playing with his hands in an effort to distract himself from hateful brooding. He wasn't really paying attention.
Ariel turned to Janius, "Juseich was one of the officials that interviewed me when I obtained the deed to my shop. She showed us an artifact from the Psijic order that had been with her family for centuries. She was using it as a fake lie detector, but let us have a look at it afterwards. It turned out to be more than it seemed."
Aaaand, time for work. See you!
A few moments after Meesei had finished, Ariel responded with a quick "I see." If what Meesei was saying was true then that was probably the cause of Rhazii's burns and Ahnasha's missing finger. There must have been a lot of pain involved, but Ariel was even more confused that it wasn't the cult that caused it by Meesei's account. "If that's the case, it sounds as though your dealings with them had some luck. I've seen how depraved followers of Molag Bal can be when they had visited the coven." Ariel looked into the campfire, "They brought thralls with them. Fresh thralls, but not all of them were undead, some were slaves. It was hard to tell the difference."
"I would hardly describe our time there as lucky." Janius said, also looking into the fire, "Successful, perhaps, but definitely not fortunate." He looked at Ariel with a frown, "Meesei is right, though, the cult itself did not harm us, but we were caught in the conflict between them and the mercenaries and...bad things happened."
Fendros sounded a low and seething response, "They did nothing..."
"Actually, Meesei is right, let's not bring up bad memories about what happened," Janius said in an attempt to quell Fendros' building anger, before looking to Ariel with a less dismal expression.
"Oh, okay," Ariel said, nodding understandingly. She was interested in what Meesei had pointed out, though, "A xanmeer? Aren't those large stone ruins? I've only heard some things about them, but I'm hardly a scholar on ancient Argonian history. What sort of things were inside?"
"I would hardly describe our time there as lucky." Janius said, also looking into the fire, "Successful, perhaps, but definitely not fortunate." He looked at Ariel with a frown, "Meesei is right, though, the cult itself did not harm us, but we were caught in the conflict between them and the mercenaries and...bad things happened."
Fendros sounded a low and seething response, "They did nothing..."
"Actually, Meesei is right, let's not bring up bad memories about what happened," Janius said in an attempt to quell Fendros' building anger, before looking to Ariel with a less dismal expression.
"Oh, okay," Ariel said, nodding understandingly. She was interested in what Meesei had pointed out, though, "A xanmeer? Aren't those large stone ruins? I've only heard some things about them, but I'm hardly a scholar on ancient Argonian history. What sort of things were inside?"
Ariel's smile immediately dropped at the mention of Molag Bal. She stared silently at Meesei as if confirming what she just heard, then her eyes glanced to the others. To Meesei, she asked cautiously, "Molag Bal, you say? You contacted Molag Bal's cult?" Ariel was at first confused why they would do something so dangerous, but the cause dawned on her. "Was that something Hircine ordered of you?" She asked.
Fendros' face became uneasy and he looked away. He never really liked talking about those events. In Ariel's arms, Rhazii began to squirm and look over to Fendros. He started to let out small whines that indicated wanting to be with his mother and father again, and Fendros carefully took him from Ariel. Ariel had no objection and quietly handed Rhazii back to Fendros, she was more interested to hear what had happened. Fendros walked back around to Ahnasha with Rhazii and sat down near her.
Fendros' face became uneasy and he looked away. He never really liked talking about those events. In Ariel's arms, Rhazii began to squirm and look over to Fendros. He started to let out small whines that indicated wanting to be with his mother and father again, and Fendros carefully took him from Ariel. Ariel had no objection and quietly handed Rhazii back to Fendros, she was more interested to hear what had happened. Fendros walked back around to Ahnasha with Rhazii and sat down near her.
Kaleeth's response caused everyone to voice a laugh combined with an ascending tone, noting the escalation with some encouragement, and suggesting what Janius was in for.
With a raised brow, Janius closed his eyes and tried to take a breath to calm down. He was silent for a few moments as he tried to recover from his stumbling words. He knew he was not being at all clever or confident, and that was bothering him. He wasn't even sure he could bring himself to reciprocate Kaleeth's affectionate contact as his mind clouded with all sorts of thoughts.
Seeing Janius in such a state brought amusement to Fendros' face. It was rare enough to see him speechless like this, let alone flustered. "You'd better watch your drink from now on, Janius," Fendros joked.
Janius did nothing but force a smile. In honesty, he really felt like a drink. Nevertheless, Fendros' comment seemed to diminish any expectation to follow up on the issue. Things had come to a head here, though. He needed to talk with someone. He decided to wait until Ariel left so as not to make a scene. "All in good time, I'm sure," he managed to say with at least some level of stability. He then reached up a hand to his shoulder to hold Kaleeth's hand and gave her a quick smile. He was still finding it hard to hide the fact that he was bothered by something.
"So, tell me of the inner marshes," Ariel asked, thinking that the topic had moved on, "few enough have been there without catching horrid diseases or being felled by a dangerous creature. I suppose that makes lycans well adapted for exploring, now that I think about it. Did you find any interesting sights?"
With a raised brow, Janius closed his eyes and tried to take a breath to calm down. He was silent for a few moments as he tried to recover from his stumbling words. He knew he was not being at all clever or confident, and that was bothering him. He wasn't even sure he could bring himself to reciprocate Kaleeth's affectionate contact as his mind clouded with all sorts of thoughts.
Seeing Janius in such a state brought amusement to Fendros' face. It was rare enough to see him speechless like this, let alone flustered. "You'd better watch your drink from now on, Janius," Fendros joked.
Janius did nothing but force a smile. In honesty, he really felt like a drink. Nevertheless, Fendros' comment seemed to diminish any expectation to follow up on the issue. Things had come to a head here, though. He needed to talk with someone. He decided to wait until Ariel left so as not to make a scene. "All in good time, I'm sure," he managed to say with at least some level of stability. He then reached up a hand to his shoulder to hold Kaleeth's hand and gave her a quick smile. He was still finding it hard to hide the fact that he was bothered by something.
"So, tell me of the inner marshes," Ariel asked, thinking that the topic had moved on, "few enough have been there without catching horrid diseases or being felled by a dangerous creature. I suppose that makes lycans well adapted for exploring, now that I think about it. Did you find any interesting sights?"
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