A Straw in the Wind

[Murasaki]

District: Green
Location: Downtown
Time:
- Morning (March)
- Afternoon (April)
- Evening (May)

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You find yourself surrounded by the natural environment that composes the architecture of the Green District. It is reminiscent of a small village within the bustling metropolis that is the Lune Seaport. Along its gentle hills stand small homes situated within a fertile valley. In a similar way, the downtown of the Green District is much like a peaceful town square. The entrance to the Verdant Park stands along its edge. The villagers have spent the morning setting up the farmer's market as crops of a large variety are now being brought to market.

It seems like a perfect day for a picnic and new encounters. What kind of relationships will be formed under the overture of the spring breeze?

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This is a general RP thread much along the lines of the Snowdonia Winter Ball and the Coconia Festival threads. RPing within this subforum awards all participants a +10% AP bonus that will last throughout the spring season (3/14/15 ~ 5/31/15). At the start of the summer season, this bonus will be lifted and a new summer-themed thread will be started in its place.

Characters of all factions are allowed to participate in this thread.

[Deleted]

The azure waves of the sea crashed against the cliffside Wick was sitting on, his legs dangling over the edge as he watched the marker on his line bob against the white-foamed crests of water. Seagulls cawed in the distance as they lazily circled in the air, the brown-haired youth letting out a yawn as he gave a tug on his fishing rod. Other than the pull of the current, there wasn't any resistance when he pulled. With another yawn, he set his fishing tool against a crude-but-effective stand he made, pulling out a couple plastic capsule containers he bought from the town's newly installed Gatchapon machines. The prizes were truly...unique, and yet despite getting many of the same items every time he purchased one (or five), he still found himself compelled to purchase one whenever he walked by the machine. You only knew what you got once you opened it, but Wick would always like to turn it over in his hands. It was a sort of guessing game that he would like to play to add some intrigue to concept.

"Oh, look at that: my tenth train set," he muttered to himself. He made a mental note to set it up on the train tracks with the others as he set it inside his inventory. A slumbering black cat was roused from its sleep by Wick's actions, stretching itself out before looking up at its owner with big, yellow eyes. A red kerchief was tied around its neck, swaying slightly in the cool sea breeze.

"Hey, bud. Did I wake you?" he asked the cat, grinning when the dusky ball of fur answered his question with a "maao". He scratched between Onyx's ears with one hand (yes, that is the cat's name), listening to him purr as he held the fishing rod firmly in his other. If he listened hard enough, he could hear a little bit of the villagers' chatter back in the city whenever the waves weren't being particularly noisy. The day was nice, the weather mild and the breeze comfortable and it all made him want to take a nap. However, if he did that, then he'd end up going home empty-handed. Plus, he'd lose another rod. This one he was quite proud of, so he'd like to hold onto it as long as humanly possible if he could.

A couple tugs came from the line, Wick instantly standing to his feet and bracing himself as he began to reel in his catch. With a heavy pull, the sea spit out the fruits of his labor, this particular fruit taking the form of a horse mackerel. A small fish compared to most other kinds of fish, but an easily acquired one. They could make a hearty meal if you had a bunch, but sadly they weren't biting as much as they usually do. Besides eating, these small fish had another use as well.

"What do you think, Onyx?" asked Wick as he held the fish over his cat. "Should I go for it?" The sea creature flipped its tail fin madly as if that would be enough to return it back to the water below. With its eyes focused on the creature, he reached up and smacked it with one paw, sealing its fate.

"Yeah, all or nothing," nodded Wick as he turned back to the sea. Swinging the fish behind him as he raised his rod over him with both hands, he let out a small whoop as he flung the ichthyoid back to the deep waters and crashing waves. Small ripples emanated from the spot where it landed in the water, signaling that it reached its mark.

"Bass for dinner sounds pretty good."

Onyx walked over to the edge and watched the waves below with rapt attention. He let out another small "mrow" before curling up and taking a nap. He had faith in his master, and would wait as long as it took.

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Words: 661
Tags: None
Notes: --

[Deleted]

Wick let out a long yawn as he stood there near the edge of the cliff, just...waiting. Waiting was something he was good at, as he often busied his mind with other things as he waited for a tug at the line. Right now, the subject for the day was rail management. As in, figuring out how to configure the toy train rails in his bedroom to where all 10 of his gachapon train prizes could run simultaneously. He'd probably have to gather some more sticks to build more toy tracks, a little more than usual to fabricate some of the cross-sections to allow for easier maneuvering of the tracks and to prevent any casualties (for the imaginary passengers, that is).

He'd already cut down a couple of nice flexible saplings thanks to his job at the lumberyards, but those were to be fashioned into another set of rods. Wait, what did I do with those branches? Those would be good for the tracks, they were pretty supple and not too green. Oooh, but then again, if they are a bit green, then those would smoke pretty well when used in a campfire. Mmm, smoked fish, that'd be great to cook those smaller fish with.

The rod was nearly yanked out of his hands as the line suddenly went taut. Wick let out a small gleeful laugh as he began to reel in his haul. "Hehehe, check it out, Onyx! We got ourselves a real lunker here!" The muscles in his arms hardened as he grasped the fishing rod tighter, determined not to let this haul get away from him. Starting in his belly and working its way up, Wick let out a small yell that gradually grew louder until he let out a short, forceful shout as he yanked back. A great black bass burst from the water's surface, spraying seawater and foam everywhere as it did so. The sight would have been even more grand if the line didn't snap at that moment.

The fisher/woodsman let out a gasp as he saw it fall...hearing it slap on a flat outcropping of rock that protruded from the cliffside. As he peered over the edge, he saw it flopping limply on the rock. Actually it was more of a pathetic waggle of its tail fin, as if it got the wind (or was it water?) knocked out of it. The fish wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but it still put Wick in a predicament (or should I say, pre-Wick-ament? Okay, that was bad. I apologize). Unless he could figure out a way to get down there, his dinner would be going to the birds.

In a fit of desperation, Wick dumped everything out of his inventory, which only contained an axe, some sandpaper, the saplings and branches gathered from earlier, and his newly acquired toy train. Sighing in exasperation, he dumped his belongs onto the ground, peering down at the ledge to see if the bass was still there. Yup, still there, no signs of movement. Turning his attention back to his stuff, he noticed that the saplings and branches were arranged in a peculiar way. As if they resembled a common support tool to help one climb up to high places...

With a spark of insightfulness, Wick gathered up the bits of wood, a piece of sandpaper, and gathered what remained of his fishing line. Using the line and branches, he fashioned each end to the saplings until he had created a rudimentary ladder. Without a second thought, he lowered it over the edge, then clambered down the stationary elevator to claim his prize. As he climbed back up, he slapped the fish on the ground in front of him as he pulled himself and his ladder up.

"Now how's that for dinner?" he asked his feline friend. Onyx replied by smacking the fish with his paw, giving it the Onyx 'Seal of Approval'.

Ladder

Materials Needed: 1 Sandpaper, 1 Plank, 2 Branches
Description: A common ladder made for the sole purpose of reaching high places, climbing down to low places, or, if you're creative, for crossing big gaps.

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Words: 655
Tags: --
Notes: --

[Tivona]

The breeze blew softly, sweeping the long white strands of hair across the face of Tivona as she led the small crag cow calf. Her hand held tightly onto the rope as they walked, the calf following close behind her. After the massacre of her farm, she was left with barely any way to profit from the land, so for the last year she had been tending to the crops that hadn't been destroyed and slowly raising new ones to replenish the farm's life. She had recently saved up enough to purchase the calf and with the only other cow, an older cow who was but a few years away from going dry, she needed to make sure she kept her stock full. Nani was the only cow who hadn't been slaughtered for beef, as she was skinny and looked rather old, but she still produced decent quality milk that could be sold for a decent sum of gold. Even with her, however, Tivona knew that she would need to continue to grow her crops and her animals until her farm was at it's former glory. It was a tough thing to do, being so young, with not a lot of money in pocket, but she would make it happen, had to make it happen, if not for herself, then for the couple who had taken her in, who had saved her life moments before their lives ended. She knew they were watching her and she wanted nothing more than to make them proud.

As she continued on, she breathed in the air of the sea and smiled a gentle smile, pulling on the rope, inching the calf forward, until she came across a rather unusual site. She felt her head tilt as a she saw a train set scattered amongst the grass and a man clambering up over the cliffs edge. Her eyes widened slightly and she gave a small smile as she watched him bring up a fish with him and then pull up the ladder. Her smile grew wider and she let out a soft chuckle as the wind carried his words to her and she watched a small cat smack at the fish. She couldn't recall ever seeing him in town, or anywhere for that matter, even though she, herself, had only been a resident here for a few years. She pulled her calf forward and it mooed as it was pulled closer to the pair before them. "Hello there." She smiled, looking down at the man as they came up beside him and his pet. She held out her hand in a greeting. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but, are you one of the fisherman in town?" Perhaps the question didn't need to be stated, as she looked to the fish on the ground. "Do you have any extra's? I could purchase some from you, or perhaps cook something for you and your friend in return?" She looked down to the cat and smiled.

Perhaps she was being a little forward, but what better way to make a new friend then to ask for a service, or offer one? And truth be told, she was rather hungry herself and fish would be a feast compared to the root vegetables she had been recreating night by night. She would normally make potatoes and turnip, ones that had been grown on her own farm and because she didn't have a lot, the prices of the fish in the market were just too much for her to afford, and the beef was even pricier. It left her basically starving herself to be able to afford the calf that mooed again behind her. It would be a while still before she could afford such delicacies as fish and beef, so this was the perfect chance to get a full meal in. She reached into her inventory and pulled out a potato so that he could see that she was willing to share with him, and his cat, but she doubted the cat would want a potato with his fish. "I could make fish and potato, or a fish stew. I have other ingredients as well, so, would you mind sharing?" Her voice was calm and soft. It wasn't pushy at all, but maybe just a tad on the side of desperation. She wouldn't take without giving, it wasn't in her nature, and being a chef and a farmer, she could really only give extra food to him. She hoped it would be enough for him to say yes, but if he said no, she would understand. After all, she really didn't know exactly how many fish he had to begin with, only seeing the one that the cat had smacked.
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Words: 791
Tags: @chasm
Notes: Hope you don't mind if I join you :3

[Deleted]

The last thing Wick had expected to see as he climbed back up the ledge was another villager. And a cow as well. To be honest, the famished Monk felt his mouth drool slightly as visions of cooked beef danced his head, but upon closer examination, he saw that the poor animal was quite frail. Wick then cast his eyes on the cow's owner, finding himself staring as he took a couple seconds to take her appearance in. Waves crashed against the rocks as the silver hair of the woman fluttered in the wind, making her seem like she was a woman made of the sea. However, he recounted the many tales he had heard of sirens from the village's dock workers and sailors and the power that they held over many a men. He lay slumped over the edge, half mesmerized, half tensed as he waited to see what she would do next. Only when her questions were spoken aloud did Wick pull himself up from the ledge, hauling his ladder up beside him as he sat on the grass.

He pulled his meager bucket of fish next to him, depositing his prize bass with the cluster of mackerel he had scored from before. "Ah, well, I wouldn't call myself a fisherman as this is more of a hobby," he said, pawing through the rocky sections of the cliff to gather stones for a campfire. With practiced precision, he set the rocks next to each other to form a ring. Pulling out a knife, he took some of his leftover twigs and feathered them, making multiple cuts into the stick to increase its surface area. These he tossed inside the center of the rocks, pulling out a small piece of flint after doing so. With a couple of quick strikes from his knife, a small blaze jumped to life. Wick snapped the remaining branches into two, tossing one into the fire every now and then to keep the new blaze alive. He heard the young woman ask him a second question as he prodded the small cooking fire.

"By all means, take as much as you need," he replied with a small smile, removing the bass before handing her the bucket of mackerel. "This big one will be enough for us. I don't mind sharing the fire either if you wish to cook some of them up for yourself."

Finding a nice flat place suitable for cutting, Wick laid the fish on top of it as he removed the bits of bark from his knife. With deft movements, he cut the head off and removed its innards, tossing these two items over to Onyx who began to wolf them down with gusto. He chuckled as he watched the pitch black cat roll around with the fish head, a low happy-sounding rumbling emanating deep from within his feline frame. Left with big fillets of bass, Wick speared them both with a pair of sharpened sticks. He stabbed them both into the ground next to the fire, letting its heat to cook them thoroughly. As he sat there waiting for his meal to cook, he watched the silver-haired lass do her thing, wondering what she would make with the fish he had provided.

"Forgive me for prying, but are you on a journey of some sort?" he asked her. "I've seen many people come and go through here, but I don't believe I've ever seen you around here before." The question was sudden and he didn't know why he asked it. Even though most of the people here were strangers to him, he could spot quite a many familiar faces in a crowd. Hers was unfamiliar to him, thus piquing his curiosity about her and her circumstances for being here (should she choose to speak of them).

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Words: 636
Tags: Tivona
Notes: Sorry about the late reply ^^;

[Tivona]

Tivona listened to the man say that his fishing was a hobby. It made sense and she felt a little obnoxious, assuming that everyone in this part of the town was an actual fisherman, though it did make her wonder what his true trade was, if not fishing. She watched him begin to build a fire. He seemed experienced with it and it made her interest in him grow. She didn't know a lot of the villagers in the area, subjecting herself to her own little farm for so many years, but because of what happened there, she needed to go to the village more often. She took a streak of her white hair in her hand and pulled it downwards softly, playing with it as she watched him. With his words, she smiled softly and nodded after he told her that he didn't mind sharing the fire. She pulled her calf closer to her and knelt down on the ground, close to the fire. She smiled again at the cat sitting there and was about to ask a question, but before she could, she found her gaze back on the man, her head tilted slightly and she pondered whether she should tell him of her journeys or not. She let out a soft breath and nodded, deciding that it couldn't hurt. He didn't seem dangerous to her and she felt as though she could trust him.

Before she began, she pulled a small frying pan out of her light brown satchel and rested it near the fire. She took her stiletto sword, Sanctuary's White Kiss, from in under her cloak and began to peel the potatoes skin away. "I, wouldn't really say I'm on a journey. I came into the town to buy this calf." She raised her knife to point at her and then looked to the stranger. "I suppose I am a stranger to these parts. I've only been here for a few years. I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to speak of this but, though I've lived here for three years, I was born in the White District. I live on a farm quite a distance away from here, but last year-" She stopped herself for a moment and took in a deep breath. She should have been cautious, should have maybe stopped there, or made the story somewhat of a lie, but because of her nature, because of who she was, she continued, feeling like she needed to talk about it. Who better t unload all of your problems on than a stranger, right? "Last year the people who took me in, they died. They were murdered actually, along with pretty much all of the livestock, so, I'm rebuilding what they once had and keeping the land alive. Three years ago, I guess you could say it was a journey, escaping the white district and coming here." She looked down at the peeled potato, stared at it for a moment, tears welling in her eyes. She blinked them away and looked back to the man, smiling to him. "I never really felt like I belonged there, or anywhere until I came to live here. Please, if you could keep it a secret, I'm not sure that I was supposed to tell anyone that."

She took a deep, relaxed breath, feeling like a huge weight had been taken off of her shoulders, but then her eyes widened and she looked back to him. "I just realized, I don't know your name! I'm sorry for being so rude.." She bent her head down in an apology, something she did often and then raised it back to him. "Um, I'm Tivona. And this, well actually, I haven't given her a name yet. I was thinking of one before I saw you and well, got distracted." She let out a soft laugh as her face blushed pink from embarrassment. Another thing she often did was getting distracted, though when it came to taking care of her farm, she never seemed to. When she did, it made her feel like she was in a tranquil state, away from worry or sadness or anything bad. Thus the reason she had never felt like she belonged to the white district. She let out a soft sigh and then shook her head, looking back at him and grinning shyly. "I suppose I get distracted pretty easily." She took the sword back to the potato and sliced it into small, bite sized pieces and threw it into the pan, making them sizzle as it hit the surface. She then took a smaller fish and began to gut and skin it. "Uhm, thank you very much for sharing your fish and your fire with me. I really appreciate it!" She lowered her head again in a small bow and then looked back up to smile at him again. Her heart pounded as she realized, she might have just made her first friend!
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Words: 828
Tags: @chasm
Notes: Tis okay XD I changed inventory to satchel in my last post btw >.> I forgot I'm a Lander, not an Adventurer lol!