Noveuer say never - OTA November catch all

[prettyrocks]

Who: Tsutha Stoneblood and YOU
When: all over Noveuer/November
Where: in and around Aefenglom
What: quest stuff!
Warnings: n/a, will edit as needed. possible mentions of D&D-typical violence if you get her talking

i. a drinking problem

There's so much about Geardagas that is utterly foreign to Tsutha. Even beyond that, it's full of people from other planes of existence that are even more alien and strange. Places with constructs that run off of lightning power stored in metal batteries. Worlds with only one sentient race. Planets where magic either doesn't exist, or only exists in secret, hidden from the outside world, something to be hidden at all costs. She doesn't get these places. She thought Shartis was confusing, but now she longs to be able to return to her friends and zone out while Marzia and Walter debate the best ways to study for a college exam. (Or not study, in Marzia's case.)

One thing that is familiar here: The look and feel of the town. Tsutha may not be a very city-oriented person, but in her travels around Shartis, she's visited a few, and the Aefenglom architecture and cobbled streets remind her of places like Tarl and Meadowwilde back home. Even more familiar is the tavern in the Harbor District, The Sly Seadog. The seas may be one place that Tsutha has not ventured, but the familiar relaxed air of a tavern is intimately familiar to her. When she inquires with the tavern owner about renting a room in their inn, and hears that she can work in exchange for room and board, her eyes light up. She's never worked hospitality or food service before (she's never worked any sort of job before), but she has been a customer in many a tavern, and knows what kind of qualities are sought after in a bar wench.

She starts by busing tables, then works her way up to taking food and drink orders-- without writing them down, but by and large she makes very few mistakes. Her memorization skills outweigh her illiteracy. Come in on any given night and you'll be greeted by a friendly green face, showing you to an empty table and asking, "So, what'll you be having?"

ii. veggie tails

[ In trying to familiarize herself with the layout of the city, Tsutha stumbles upon the Community Gardens. She doesn't really need the vegetables for herself, staying as she is above the tavern, but once she hears the murmurs about veggies going walkabout, her interest is piqued. This sounds like a mission. Tsutha signs herself up to help right away! ]

Um, excuse me? [ She asks politely as she stops you in the street. ] I don't suppose you've seen a cabbage cat anywhere near here? A... catbbage? About yay big, leafy, green? Answers to "here, cabby cabby?"

[ Once she's rounded up the runaway vegetable animals, she returns to the Community Garden with her arms laden with the little critters. She sets about using her Mold Earth spell to clear out a little burrow for the creatures to call home. Somewhere for them to put down roots, should they choose to. After a hard day's work, she gets up to leave, only to find a little radish rabbit trying to follow her home. ]

Oh, no... Sweetie, I'm flattered but I'm really more of a meat eater.

iii. clean up & clear out

The room she's renting above the tavern is fine enough for now, but Tsutha knows if she's supposed to stay here for an undetermined amount of time, she ought to find somewhere more permanent to live. And when she does, she'll need furniture for her new home. Because that's the way that city people live. It's all well and good to sleep in a bedroll when you're out on the road, or to tuck yourself into a pile of furs when you're growing up in a cave. But in a city, people sleep in beds, and keep the multiple sets of clothing that they own in chests of drawers and wardrobes. They keep books on shelves, and sit at desks to write and study. Tsutha can't read books, or write anything but her name, really. But she's taking the Coven classes and wants to at least play the part of a studious witch.

So when she's walking home from the garden one afternoon, and comes across piles upon piles of furniture just sitting out on the street, she considers today her lucky day! The locals seem to be arguing about whether the bulky items belong there, clogging up the streets like that, but Tsutha strides up to the angry mob confidently, proposing a solution.

"Let me take it off your hands! That way you richie rich folks can get it out of your house, but it doesn't have to block traffic for everybody else! It's a win-win!"

There's only one problem with her plan. She's strong, but not strong enough to move this much furniture single handed. So, she'll stop any strapping looking Mirrorbound she sees and ask them to lend her a hand.

"I don't suppose you know anybody with a cart or anything, do you?"

iv. we're wildcarding it, lads!

[ don't see a prompt you like? feel free to hit me up @ millennialfalcon / Chris_#9103 to discuss other options! will match prose or brackets. ]

Comments

iii.

[grandspark]

Well, she certainly couldn't go wrong picking Rude out of the crowd to help. He was a big, strong fellow and on top of that it was now obvious he was a dragon thanks to the black scales and large wings on his back. He kept his golden snake-eyes behind sunglasses but they wandered to Tsutha when she called out to him.

"No, but I'm sure you could rent one from somewhere."

Or just ask the dragon to move everything by himself. He may be avoiding that suggestion himself but might have a harder time saying no if asked directly.

[prettyrocks]

Tsutha's never seen a dragonborn who looked exactly like that before, but then she has to remind herself that this guy probably isn't a dragonborn, but Mirrorbound monster, made into something he didn't start as.

It's weird, but she knows it's not anybody's fault, whatever they end up becoming. So she's not one to judge.

He does look really strong, though...

"Rent one...?" Right, that's a thing that people with money do. Sounds like the kind of plan Walter would come up with. "Who rents carts?"

Meanwhile, the arguing locals chime in that they don't have all day to sit around and wait for them to procure a cart from some merchant somewhere. Feeling a little put on the spot, Tsutha turns back to the dragon guy.

"Look, can you help me move this desk just... Somewhere off the street?"

[grandspark]

Rude didn't even get time to shrug at her rhetorical question before the locals interrupted their brief but still ongoing conversation. He frowned slightly at them, discontent with the interruption and a little more on the grumpy side due to the cold weather, but reined in his dragon temperament. Usually the frown wouldn't even had made it to his face he was typically so stoic about matters.

He turned his attention back to Tsutha. At least she was being polite and reasonable, even if Rude felt a little put upon for being asked to help. He shouldn't have gone through the slums. Still, he nodded at her, his inner thoughts not showing on his face.

"Sure," he replied simply. It would be an easy task for him.

As a human, he would have needed a partner to lift the entire thing but probably would have borne the brunt of the heavy lifting anyway. As a dragon? He didn't wait for her or someone else to help him. He was still getting used to the extra strength but damn if it wasn't useful to have.

He put the desk on one shoulder and steadied it with not only his arm but his wing as well. "Alley fine?" he asked as he nodded towards the nearest one he could see.

[prettyrocks]

Tsutha is entirely prepared to help left the desk when suddenly, before her eyes, it is hefted as though it weighs no more than a sack of flour and easily balanced on the dragon man's shoulder. Her eyes widen, impressed, but she quickly recovers.

"A-ah! Yeah, Alley should be fine. Come on." She'll just pick up a smaller end table and carry that over to the nearest alley. Might as well take more furniture, now that she has the desk taken care of.

"Thanks a lot. You're really strong, you know that?"

[grandspark]

He was a bit slower to move with the desk balanced on his shoulder but he didn't seem to be having any trouble. Rather, he simply was taking his time and letting her lead the way once she grabbed her other piece of furniture. He grunted as he went to set it back down on the ground without letting it fall too heavily. Didn't want to break it.

He rolled his shoulder afterward as he gazed at her. "...Yeah, I am."

It didn't really sound like a boast or anything. There was maybe a hint of pride but honestly it sounded more like he was simply agreeing like it wasn't that common knowledge. Except that it kind of was in terms of Monster type. But he was still clearly growing into his Monster changes so perhaps it was simply that he was still getting used to his strength as well. It was a good guess if she took it.

Rude was used to being strong but being a dragon was something else. He could get used to it though. No real complaints.

[prettyrocks]

Tsutha is still learning the different kinds of 'monsters' here. If dragon people are meant to be stronger than other kinds of monsters, then it's news to her. She's met her share of dragons, but only back home, and they were quite different than some people with dragon-y features.

She leads the way over to the alley, walking slow enough that her new dragon friend can keep up. Once they make it there, she sets down her end table and dusts off her hands, thinking. "Hm. I should probably see about renting that cart, now, huh?"

It's not exactly like she can ask this guy to carry the desk all the way back to where she's staying.

[grandspark]

She could ask but he probably wouldn't accommodate. That was a bit of a trek to be carrying such a heavy load even for him. Maybe if he had his full dragon form available but he hadn't transformed into that yet.

"...Probably. You could load it up with more stuff." She seemed to like this whole take what you want from the loaded streets. He'd feel more sorry for the people here but honestly it kind of reminded him of the slums back home, too. There was plenty of debris down there and it looked much worse than this. And...well, he never had much sympathy for others since he was a company man that lived on the plate.

II

[fuelingfire]

[Lahabrea is not a friendly person, nor terribly inclined to help out when people lose control of their own (?) creations. Sure these ones aren't particularly harmful, and more than a little silly, but someone should really have more responsibility! Not leaving it to random strangers to clean up their mess!

He is aware of the hiring board, in a distant and uninterested sort of way. The blood of an adventurer does not run in his veins, and doing things for coin did NOT APPEAL.

Apparently Tsutha feels differently. And as the half-orc collects veggies and occasionally asks for help, the Ascian merely watches silently, a disapproving frown on what can be seen of his face. When she actually asks him if he'd seen any of the creatures, his frown simply deepens, and there's no response at all.

How rude!

Until, eventually, there's a much put upon sigh and he points towards a planter halfway down the street, nicely decorated with a low holly bush and a cabbage. What might be a cabbage.]

There.

[He's seen green mortals before, but the tusks are new, and the pointy eared ones tend to not be green.]

[prettyrocks]

[ At first, Tsutha thinks he isn't going to help at all. She starts to get a little impatient, tapping her finger on her elbow with her arms crossed. But then he points, and her eyes follow, spotting the catbbage digging its way into the soil of the planter. ]

There you are! [ She runs over, scooping up the veggie-cat and cradling it in her arms the way one might a pet. ]

Thanks, mister. I never woulda spotted that one.

[fuelingfire]

[Friendliness is most certainly not Lahabrea's forte, nor is plantlike animal life. That was thoroughly someone else's field of interest.

But such a creature likely wouldn't fare well roaming on its own.]

Are there others?

[While it's clearly obvious that this guy isn't really going to be cheerful and welcoming about it, it seems he might also be grudgingly willing to aid in locating more. If there are more.]

..Are they yours?

[he'd know the answer to that if he bothered to check the freelance job board.]

[prettyrocks]

[ Tsutha gestures in the direction of the Community Garden patch, some distance away. ]

There're more, but they're not mine. They grew in a little garden over there, and then just kind of... scampered off.

[ She smiles, amused by the veggiemals' rascaly nature, and tickles the catbbage in her arms, which mewls and squirms delightedly. ]

I'm just trying to help track 'em all down.

[fuelingfire]

Is that so.

[Nope, he's definitely not really all that interested in lending a hand, but there's also really no pressing reason not to. Tsutha's been reasonably polite, and it's not a problem she caused - she's merely trying to remedy it.]

Very well.

[As if he has reached some grand conclusion! But he hasn't, really, just resigned himself to the foibles of being raised by a fairly helpful species.]

I'm certain if there's one, there's more. Are they all varying sorts of vegetables?

[prettyrocks]

[ Tsutha wasn't counting on this guy's help any further than he's already given, figuring that he would be happy just to be a passerby. But she's happy to see that he seems to want to help. ]

Uh-huh, I think so! Anything you could find in a garden, I guess.

[ She's not exactly well versed in the ways of agriculture. Her friend owns a farm, but he mostly raises chickens, not vegetables. ]

So, if you have any ideas where a vegetable-animal mixture would think to hide, I'm taking suggestions!

III

[awryprincess]

["Strapping" may not be the best thing to describe Heralia as, but she is fluffy. And also a turnskin, which means she actually has noticed her physical strength increase since she's gone through her changes.

Her tail swishes through the air (and she did not have a tail the last time they met, Tsutha is not seeing things), and she looks at the items, then back to the large half-orc, then grins.] Nay, but I have a horse. She's not cart-trained, but I have used her for pack before. And being a turnskin, we're among the stronger Monsters here. Probably could snatch up a few of these.

Before that, how are you doing? [She seems more comfortable than the lost looking lady trying to start a fire with magic that didn't quite want to participate.]

[prettyrocks]

[ Oh, thank goodness, a familiar face! Tsutha doesn't have many of those here. She beams back, definitely seeming more comfortable now that she's gotten settled a bit more. ]

Hi! I'm good, how're you doing? [ The locals start complaining that they're engaging in small talk rather than helping move the furniture, but Tsutha waves them away, no longer all that interested in helping solve their dispute. ]

Oh, I wanted to tell you-- I found someone to bond with!

[awryprincess]

Aye, aye, we'll get to it in a moment.

[And that is how Heralia dismisses the crowd; quick and imperious, and along with Tsutha's hand wave. They'll get to it, let them have a moment to speak.] I am doing quite well! The cooler temperatures are agreeing with me more and more. But a Bond! How lovely. I hope it isn't as frightening as it sounded at first?

That was fast, as well! You're doing well for yourself.

[prettyrocks]

[ Tsutha's a little impressed by how easily Heralia shrugs off the crowd, and she smiles a big, tusk-y grin. ]

Thanks! It just kind of fell into place, really. And no, it's not that frightening at all. My bonded is great... He's been really helpful to me.

[ Helping her study spells that she can't learn by herself. Helping her navigate the city when she can't read the signs. Ferran is the best! ]

What brings you this way today?

[awryprincess]

Good! That is how a Bond should be, I think.

[Helpful mostly just means useful to Heralia. As long as a Bond is useful, then she is perfectly A-Okay.]

The commotion brings me this way, mostly! Just wanted to see what it was all about. So many people arguing over so much junk in the streets. It's understandable, but it seems this is some kind of tradition... and if it is a tradition then why are they not better prepared for it? You'd think they'd have people either waiting to take things off their hands, or simply to dispose of the garbage. Seems they are not that... insightful.

[prettyrocks]

[ Tsutha laughs, glancing back over towards the arguing locals. Heralia's right. They really should have all this sorted out by now, if this is a yearly event. ]

Hah, yeah... Well, if they don't want all this stuff-- [ She steps over and grabs a carved wooden flower stand, hefting it under one arm and stealing back over to where Heralia is standing. ] --then it's fair game for an interested party like myself!

i

[bingyun]

[yan bingyun is neither a heavy nor a casual drinker. he does it when the mission requires it, and what is his arrival to aefenglom if not one big mission to escape it?

he looks slightly out of place here, back too straight, robes too white. binyun sits down at a table, one disdainful glance swept across the establishment before pausing on Tsutha's face.]

...Wine.

[a single word, and yet it was like pulling teeth to get it out of him.]

Re: i

[prettyrocks]

[ Tsutha waits patiently (okay, mostly patiently) for the guy to finally decide what he wants to order. When he finally asks for wine, she nods, turning to go fetch him some, before she remembers that there are multiple kinds of wine, and she should probably figure out which kind he wants before she brings him the wrong one. ]

D'you want the clear, yellowish kind or the dark red kind?

[bingyun]

[it's a perfectly good question, but yan bingyun's brows pull briefly together like it's an annoyance to decide between them. wine is wine.]

Dark red. Wait. [he stops her before she can turn away again.] And two steamed buns.

[he hasn't eaten for awhile, and he's ignored his hunger for as long as he can.]

[prettyrocks]

[ She freezes when he stops her, listening, and nodding. ]

Red wine and steamed buns, you got it! It'll just be a minute. Sit tight!

[ And with that, she rushes off to give his order to the cook. She heads behind the counter to fetch him a bottle of red wine, and a glass that's mostly clean. It'll do, in a pinch.

A few minutes later, she's swinging back by his table, tray of food and drink in hand, and setting the items down in front of him. ]

Here you go, mister! Two steamed buns, and a bottle of wine!

[ She looks rather pleased with herself for successfully navigating his order. ]

If you need anything else, just holler!

[bingyun]

[hm. the service here is already better than it was in northern qi. but that opinion might be formed from the simple fact that he hated northern qi, sent there with no choice and ultimately held and tortured there.

he nod at first, but then something has him speaking u again.]

'Holler'?

[prettyrocks]

[ Tsutha's smile falters for a moment. In all her traveling, the worldliness she's gained, she somehow still can't comprehend a person who doesn't know what the word 'holler' means. ]

Uh... Yeah. You know, yell? Shout? Call out? Raise your voice?

[ Ahem. ] TALK LIKE THIS!

[ Her shout gets the attention of half the customers in the tavern, but by this point so many of them are used to her boisterous presence that a fair amount of them don't even flinch. ]