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+---- Thread: Let's make a deal (/showthread.php?tid=11356)
Let's make a deal - Talyson - 05-19-2025
Sure, Tal could have gone hunting himself. He could have used his existing Dagger or even just a bow and arrow - though he was, admittedly, a lousy shot. He could have set a trap, though, or asked someone for help--
But, really, why?
It was hot as Tanau's balls, and even if Tal was looking cool as a cucumber thanks to his Frostbite Cuff he wasn't immune to the bugs that flocked to Torchline in the heat. Nor was he excited at the prospect of trudging through the humidity of the tropical jungle after some smelly rhampire. Not when someone else had already done the hard work and was looking to offload the hide and assorted bits at a reasonable price.
Or, well, an unreasonable price.
"Fifty?? Are y'out o' your gods-blasted mind?" Tal yowled, jabbing his finger across the window counter of the large building he was currently standing outside of. People passed behind him in a flurry of bare skin, bright color, and loud voices, but the courier's attention was all for the stupidly tall, smirking man he was haggling with. "I want th'hide an' one stupid bone from th'beast, not its meat an' its wholeass extended family! Twenty-five, an' I'm doin' you a favor!"
"Ah, but this is the best hide in the batch," the man purred back. "And we don't sell single bones. If you want the bone youhave to get the meat with it, see? But I can see you're new here. How about I cut you a deal? Forty-eight, and you can use the meat to throw a party for all your-- well. Maybe you can use it to make some new friends?" He grinned, three of his teeth gleaming blindingly gold in the afternoon light.
Iskra
RE: Let's make a deal - Iskra - 05-19-2025
Iskra expected he'd want to leave back to Halo as soon as possible, the unbearable weight of being home here, one more thing to bear when he's so tired of shouldering his grief all these years. Yet...the daunting part had been returning. Now that he's here, he finds he's slipped back into the rhythm of the beach town, and each corner he turns grants him a fond smile, the good of the place outshining all the misery he expected. His memories from here are bright, and it's only the end that's tarnished. Maybe he's just more at peace than expected after doing a proper send off to his mom, maybe it's just that the warmth of the good times are lighter and they float up against him, burying all the ghosts, at least for now. Whatever it is, he's walking the streets, content.
He's still dressed in his green swim trunks with Ludo patterning, and his Catch Of The Day tank-top with the fish over it. He's got his flipflops, shades, and ample sunscreen over his pale legs. At his side, Goose trots along, tongue lolling in the heat, ears slanted sideways with lazy indifference.
Hearing the lift of voices, Iskra glances over to the stall's commotion, perusing other nearby wares while leaving his ear open for the man's troubles. Goose has less of a mind for laying low, and though there's raised voices, there's also tantalizing smells. He pads over to the stall, nosing at one of Tal's hands to check he's not the one with the goods.
RE: Let's make a deal - Talyson - 05-22-2025
"Fine, forget th'damn bone. I'll just take the hide. Twenty-eight," Tal shot back. He didn't even blink when a cold, wet nose pressed into his hand. Without even thinking about it, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a luxere jerky treat to feed to the canine nudging his fingers with the automatic reaction of someone who had grown up around dogs and was used to their ways.
"Hmm. Thirty, then," the stall owner conceded reluctantly as he watched his sale slipping away with Tal's patience. The courier gave a sharp nod of agreement and the two exchanged a handshake to seal the deal before Tal dug the payment out of his pouch and handed it over, receiving a small but beautifully tanned and treated rhampire hide in return. He bundled it under his arm and gave the dog an absent-minded pat before finally glancing down at it.
And blinking when he realized it was a stranger to him.
"Oh, you're not Lilly. What's your name, guy?" Tal knelt slowly, resting his arm on his knee as he tried to see if the dog had a collar.
RE: Let's make a deal - Iskra - 05-23-2025
By the time Iskra notices Goose has inserted himself into the exchange, the damn dog has already happily swiped up the jerky that Tal has to offer. Whether he tastes it or not is unclear, but it's gone in a flash of teeth and a swipe of a tongue, the wag to Goose's tail deepening. [say]"Goose,"[/say] Iskra calls back, low under his breath, but suddenly his dog can't hear a word he says.
Sighing, Iskra edges closer, the argument wrapping up as Tal grants Goose some affection, earning a jerky-scented lick to his face. [say]"Sorry,"[/say] Iskra calls over as he approaches, [say]"that's Goose."[/say] With the lazy smile of someone used to offering apologies for his dog, Iskra settles next to him. [say]"I'm Iskra. Heard your haggling,"[/say] he says with lifted 'brows, impressed. [say]"Sounds like you got a good deal for that."[/say]
RE: Let's make a deal - Talyson - 05-23-2025
Tal took the lick like a champion, grinning afterwards and ruffling the dog's ears. "Hey now, there's a good lad," he assured him, just as a stranger approached with an introduction that the courier took with a nod of thanks, most of his attention still on the dog. "Goose, huh? That's a good name," he informed the dog, scritching his cheek below a soft ear and then giving his furry shoulder a pat before looking to the dog's person.
"Tal," he introduced himself, taking in the strong build and beardiness of the man. "Tal Seawright, o' Seawright's Delivery Service." He looked pleased at the compliment, hefting the hide a little more securely under his arm. "An' thanks. Woulda been nice t'get a thigh bone t'go with it, but I c'n make do with a steel bar from th'blacksmith," he explained, as if that would make any sense at all. "Y'got business with 'im?" He jerked his head towards the tannery, where the man was already wheeling and dealing with a new customer.
RE: Let's make a deal - Iskra - 05-26-2025
Hopeful for more jerky, or scritches, Goose lingers at Tal's side even as Iskra approaches. He's a skilled haggler himself, it would appear. [say]"Delivery service,"[/say] he repeats with a quiet wonder, [say]"bet you get to travel everywhere, for better or worse."[/say] Seeing the world had never been high on Iskra's priorities, but being back here, back home after a world of cold for so long, it's a gentle reminder to him there's more out there, and that some of could help. [say]"I'm a woodcutter in Halo, so just a lot of the same woods for me."[/say]
[say]"Nah,"[/say] Iskra shakes his head, [say]"I'm just here on a quest from Ludo."[/say] That's the least complicated answer he can provide, to a man that doesn't need to know about the sorry state of affairs that is Iskra's relationship with this location or a few of the people among it now or previously. [say]"You using that hide to wrap up packages?"[/say] he asks a bit quizzically, still trying to piece together how the bone, or steel bars fit in, but also assumes the thick accent might have mangled one of the words he picked up.
RE: Let's make a deal - Talyson - 05-26-2025
"Yeah, for better an' worse," Tal agreed ruefully. "Got a lot easier once we got skyboats figured out, though." He continued to offer Goose pets as long as the dog stayed near enough to scratch and fuss over, but at the mention of Halo his face took on a wistful look. "I'm Halovian, too. Born an' raised, even if I live in King's End now. Just moved there a couple years ago, though." He shrugged as if it was a small thing, but the sigh in his voice as he stood might have said differently. He dusted his knees off and shifted the hide to his shoulder as he returned the question...
And winced at the mention of Ludo. "Oh, huh, well... condolences, I guess? Hopefully it's not tellin' you t'stab yourself or anythin' like that." He grimaced and reached up to rub the back of his neck but blinked at Iskra's curiosity, derailed from his wallowing in old misery. "Hm? This? Nah, this is for a quest from Frey." His grimace faded and he patted his bundle proudly. "I'm makin' a fancy air knife with 'em. They told me t'turn a rhampire hide into a hilt for it so... yeah. Figured the rhampire bone'd be a nice touch for the handle's core, but steel'll be a lot stronger!" He glanced around and then started walking, heading towards a nearby smith's forge.
"So what've y'got t'do for ol' Ludo?"
RE: Let's make a deal - Iskra - 05-29-2025
[say]"You don't say,"[/say] Iskra said with a smile, always happy to meet more folks from the harsh landscape he'd come to call home. [say]"Must have seen you around then and didn't realize it. I kept to myself a lot,"[/say] he admits, the faintest touch of regret edging in there for all his wasted time spent doing nothing. [say]"How's King's End? Sunjata oversees that, yea? I've met him a few times, nice guy."[/say] Iskra says conversationally, although he would like to visit there some day, if only to return some sort of favor for all the Flood's assistance these past seasons.
Iskra's 'brows knit a bit in confusion at the mention of stabbing himself. Given Tal's accent though, he's wondering if he misheard, so he chews on the words for a minute while the man explains his own quest details, to which Iskra nods along, following after as they shift to the blacksmith, if only because he's still curious about the stabbing. [say]"Oh an air knife, that'll come in real handy. I'm working on a lightning greataxe myself...but no, no—stabbing, was it?"[/say] Iskra tilts his head, too akin to his dog with the movement. [say]"Does it, do that sometimes, ask you to stab yourself?"[/say]
[say]"I just had to collect some ore, and practice with axes, and honor my late mother...and well, I guess it did ask me to get struck by lightning."[/say] Iskra pulls on the back of his neck with the painful memory, grateful that Sah could swiftly follow it up with heals. [say]"And...it was unhappy about being summoned in the cold of Halo, so I could only shout for a while."[/say] He reached to pat Goose, still apologetic to the mutt at how confused his dog had been by all the yelling.
RE: Let's make a deal - Talyson - 05-31-2025
Tal shrugged easily, understanding the other Halovian maybe better than Iskra realized. "Might've. but I was usually out on th'trail, makin' th'Tundra an' Sea o' Glass supply runs. Only tucked up into th'Citadel durin' Deepfrost when we couldn't travel anyways. Leastways not til after th'War." When the Eirachi's centuries-old curse had finally been broken and a semblance of normal seasons had returned to the region. Tal, too, had spent most of his life deliberately avoiding other people, aside from brief interactions to delivery their parcels. He perked up at the mention of Sunjata, however, nodding agreement. "Yeah, he's great. King's End is comin' along real nice these days. Should have some protections up from th'Void critters soon, at least 'round th'Barrows!" And if there was equal parts relief and pride in that statement, well, who could blame him?
"A greataxe?" Tal looked impressed - and maybe just a little wistful. "Always thought those looked badass. Wished I had th'build for 'em." He was all lean whipcord and leather beneath his tanned skin, and it didn't take much to imagine that he'd been a scrawny, weedy runt of a youth, undersized until he'd finally hit his adult growth. But the mention of the Stabbings seemed to bring him back to it, his shoulders scrunching along with his nose. His open face fell into a scowl of memory and he gave Iskra a glum nod. "Ludo? Yeah. It's uh... look, y'didn't hear this from me, alright? I don't want It gettin' mad at me! But It's kind o' a bully. Keeps sendin' me on quests that involve stabbin' myself, or gettin' hit an' hurt, or makin' a fool o' myself for its amusement..." As the list went on, Tal's scowl turned morose. "It's just... just mean. But I'm a follower o' Mort, an' Ludo's Mort's herald so..." So he kept going back, even when he knew he'd regret it.
The blacksmith was either a more reasonable person or just a busier one. She looked the pair over as they approached and reached a convenient stopping point on her current creation, putting it in the quenching trough before coming to the counter. Tal glanced over to Iskra as the other man spoke and nodded in sympathy at hearing about the lightning and the shouting. "Yeah, It can be pretty temp'ramental. Th'shrine here an' in th'Greatwood are usually safer." You know, just a word to the wise going forward.
Conveniently, Tal was able to trade most of the rhampire pelt for a good quality hilt blank. He cut free the portion that he needed for his own task and handed his payment over, suddenly a lot lighter and looking for a place to sit down and affix the two together. He gave Goose an absent pat as he led the way towards the lucky rum fountain and gestured to it with a wry grin. "An' hey, if y'have a drink from this fountain afore y'pray, maybe you'll have a better chance o' It showin' up in a good mood!"
RE: Let's make a deal - Iskra - 06-01-2025
Tal's explanation of his work and all the distant places it kept him makes sense for why he doesn't inspire memory in Iskra. Two rather isolated roles, ships passing in the night, and it's no wonder they finally meet here, of all places.
[say]"Glad to hear it!"[/say] Iskra says brightly of the works King's End is making to compete with the void. [say]"We just rebuilt the hot springs at Halo that got destroyed. Can't heal anymore, but sure feels nice."[/say] He assumes that they'll add some healing eventually, although they might want to avoid reattracting the Family's attention.
Iskra's unsettled feeling deepens as Tal explains that yes, he did in fact mean stabbing. The way Mel spoke about Ludo made it sound like the god wants to help balance the suffering of the world by bringing laughter and joy in the form of chaos and harmless pranks. Tal's experience sounds rather opposite of that. Seems like Ludo is a bit prone to retaliating in angered, so perhaps he ought to tread more careful with it than he realized.
Iskra watches absently as Tal works on his handle, affixing hide and metal together with a certain ease that suggests he's done so before. [say]"Thanks for the tips,"[/say] Iskra says with a thin smile, genuinely appreciative of any help he can get, especially with some newfound wariness for the god. [say]"Well, I'll leave you to your quest, and hopefully you'll remain stab-free in the future."[/say]
[FIN]