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+---- Thread: [SE] Stick in the Mud (/showthread.php?tid=2072)
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[SE] Stick in the Mud - Jigano - 11-02-2019
He had meant to find his way back to the Mathair, to ask the Fae a few more questions and see how they had survived LongNight. It had been a simple enough concept, and he had bundled into his thick cloak against the early-spring chill, walking through the melting snowbanks with a spry step in spite of the losses of the recent winter. Some of his friends had died, yes, but Rory had survived and Flowerbirth was filling the world with life again, the creatures waking from the winter or simply bursting into frenzied activity as the season of growth arrived once more.
The Greatwood shifted subtly around him, turning his feet as he tried to focus too hard on where he wanted to go and his impatience to get there, and then it was not simply his feet but his ankle which turned, twisting beneath him as his foot tried to rise and his boot... didn't.
The white-haired bard let out an undignified yelp, more canine than ape, as he stumbled and lurched, foot slipping free of his boot as he hopped a few more steps, arms windmilling for balance. He managed, somehow, to keep from falling into a nearby snowbank that struggled fiercely to keep its shape even as it melted, but his boot remained behind, firmly gripped by the unusual-looking mud puddle that seemed determined to hold on to its new prize.
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Kaimana - 11-04-2019
You like the Wildwood: it's less tame and less unhappy than the Hollowed Grounds, and even though you know you're supposed to be spending most of your time there, it's hard to avoid the beautiful, towering trees. It helps that you have absolutely no trouble navigating the forest: it doesn't seem particularly perturbed by your presence, despite many reports to the contrary when it comes to the not-fae.
Anyway, there you are enjoying the big trees and the muddy path and the sound of silence when a yelp rings out, almost like a wounded fox but not quite exactly the same. If you had animal ears they'd hop up: instead you simply widen your eyes, turning swiftly toward the sound. Part of you wants very very much to go and lend a hand: another part can hear Oia's voice in your head, explaining that this is an opportunity for observation and you ought not to interfere.
So you go for kinda a halfway, popping from tree to tree until you find one near enough that you can peer around its trunk, observing the white-haired human-animal and trying to ascertain whether or not he needs any help. Which, it turns out, is a difficult thing to do without actually asking, and so you call out, your voice resonating from behind the tree where you remain somewhat imperfectly hidden. [say]"Hullo! D'you need help? Or are you okay?"[/say]
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Jigano - 11-04-2019
The mud was mocking him, which was really quite unnecessary.
Alright, perhaps, not mocking in the traditional sense, but even after finding a winter-fallen branch to try and push his boot free of the mud with, Jigano hadn't been able to retrieve his fallen footwear. Every time he tried to lever the stick underneath the sole the goopy stuff just flowed around it but tightened its grip on the boot above. Pushing had the same lack of effect, the mud piling up against the opposite side so that he couldn't make any headway.
It was all quite embarrassing, really, but at least no one was around to see him hopping about with one stocking foot--
Hullo!
Ah. There it was. The icing on the mortifi-cake-tion.
"I'm not hurt, no," he called back ruefully, glancing around for the source of the voice until he spotted half of a dark-haired head behind a tree. "But I could use some help if you have the time. This mud puddle has gotten unusually grabby and doesn't seem to want to let my boot go."
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Kaimana - 11-05-2019
The request for help is enough to overcome whatever reticence you may have felt around interfering. Popping out from behind your tree trunk, you waste no time in making your way over to where the funny white-haired man is hopping about, one of his shoes thoroughly taken by a puddle of mud.
Stopping beside him you kneel down, clearly without any qualms regarding getting yourself muddy. [say]"It's so playful."[/say] Delight creeps into your voice as you poke a finger into the mud, laughing as it seems jerk back in alarm before oozing around your hand.
Looking up at the tall stranger you tilt your head to the side in thought, ignorant of the small patch of mushrooms that has appeared in the mud that clings to your hand. [say]"Maybe it'd trade somethin' for the shoe? D'ya have anythin' else you could give it?"[/say]
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Jigano - 11-05-2019
The other man's delight was palpable and a little infectious, a smile twitching at Jigano's lips in spite of his annoyance with the messy goop that had stolen his boot. He glanced down, surprised to see mushrooms sprouting from the man's hand, but Remi could perform similar feats with his earth magic so the bard simply shook his head in bemusement. "Aside from my other boot? Not that I'd be willing to give up. It didn't seem interested in this stick," he explained, holding up the thick branch he'd been using to try and pry his footwear free with.
"I'm Jigano by the way. I don't think we've met, mister...?"
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Kaimana - 11-05-2019
[say]"Would you be willin' to give up your other boot?"[/say] From your place on the ground you look up at the tall man, your head tilted curiously. He'd seemed rather attached to this boot, so it is strange to you strange he would be willing to trade the other, but perhaps this one has more sentimental value.
Still squatting in the mud, you smile at the new person. [say]"Jigano,"[/say] you repeat, trying it out for size, enjoying the feeling of the letters on your tongue. [say]"I'm Kaimana. People call me Kai. Do people call you something else?"[/say]
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Jigano - 11-06-2019
"I'm using it at the moment, so not really," the bard replied, not sure what to make of this strange young man, but settling on bemusement for the time being. He seemed so innocent that it was hard to find any mean-spiritedness in his questions, however simple they came across. It was almost as if he wasn't used to dealing with other people at all. A wildchild of some sort?
"It's nice to meet you, Kai." He said it with a smile, Kaimana's own happiness being somewhat infectious. He prodded the mud again with the stick, watching as it oozed away from the gentle poking and schlorped his boot a little further away in the process. "And I have been called many things. Not all of them very nice," he added with a flicker of a grin. Rory had a few names for him, too, that he wasn't inclined to share with passing strangers, however nice they were. A man had to have some private treasures! "But here I'm also known as the Provost of the Loreseekers." There was another title as well, an unearned one he shied away from and refused to use because of the memories associated with it. But 'Provost' was his, and he was proud to lay claim to it once more.
"Where are you from? Are you an outlander, by chance?"
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Kaimana - 11-06-2019
[say]"So everythin' y'have is of greater or equal value to the boot, includin' the other boot?"[/say] You're channeling Oia a little with the question, trying to determine where the value of the boot lies and why it appears to be both high enough that he would desire it back and low enough that he would trade nothing for its retrieval.
The Jigano gives another name as well, Provost of the Loreseekers. [say]"Why are you known as that?"[/say] It seems a strange way to term it: not I am, but I am known as. Almost as though he did not truly commit to the name, which, to be fair, is quite long and mouthy. Splaying your fingers in the mud, you grin as it schleps between them, oozing up your arms a small way. [say]"I think I like Jigano better. An' I think the mud agrees!"[/say] The mud lacks the requisite amount of sentience required to agree, Oia would say, but Oia isn't here and you believe that all things are entitled to an opinion and feelings and thoughts.
Squatting is difficult to maintain for too long, so you finally stand, bringing a handful of pliable mud with you. [say]"I don't remember where I'm from."[/say] The mud slips from your fingers, and you catch it with your other hand, continuing the motion while looking up at Jigano. [say]"I'll remember when my assignment is done. Somewhere in Caido, but not here."[/say] Clearly you aren't troubled by this lack of memory: it is Rae's design, after all.
The mud begins to schlep up your arm, wrapping around it almost affectionately. [say]"Whaddabout you? Where are you from? Is it here or somewhere else?"[/say]
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Jigano - 11-06-2019
"That sounds about right, yes," Jigano agreed, a tickle of amusement in his throat at this strange young man. "One boot isn't much good without the other, so you really need both to get the most use out of them." He glanced to Kai's bare feet thoughtfully, then up again as they gave introductions, his smile turning teasing.
"Why do they call you 'Kai'?" he asked back without missing a beat, pausing for his companion's answer before continuing. "But I'm known as that because it's my profession here, and the title that indicates that I'm currently in charge of the Loreseekers' Guild." His smile grew as Kai made friends with the mud, playing with it with the sort of innocent abandon the fussy bard was unlikely to engage in normally. "And I prefer 'Jigano,' too," he added, with the teasing false-solemnity of someone imparting a great and grave secret.
The bard hummed thoughtfully as he watched his boot from the corner of his eye. No memory? Seiji had been like that, too, when he had arrived. But the mention of an assignment had Jigano turning his full attention back to Kai with open curiosity. "Assignment? What kind of assignment? Or rather, what have you been assigned... and by who?" A small cascade of questions, but the bard was always eager to learn and Kai was a pleasant and good-natured conundrum that Jigano only wished he could question with both of his boots on!
He tentatively pressed his hand into the dirt beside the mud puddle, frowning in concentration as he sent his awareness into the earth beneath the soupy goop, coaxing it into tilting up at the edge of the puddle and watching as the boot started sliding slowly back towards him. "This isn't normal mud," he murmured in amused exasperation, stating the obvious before responding to Kai's questions. "I'm an Outlander," he replied a little absently, attention split. "I arrived... oh, over a year ago now. Close to a year and a half. I was from a land called Numeria, but now I'm from the barrierlands."
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Kaimana - 11-07-2019
[say]"'Cus I like bein' called Kai, an' people like callin' me that."[/say] It's a straightforward answer to a straightforward question. You do not have to ask what a loreseeker is - you can piece it together we'll enough from the name. You're not stupid (usually). More interesting than what is why. [Say]"Why are you the leader of 'em? What role d'ya fill in the social structure of the community?"[/say] From behind thick lashes your honey-brown eyes are wide and curious, though they quickly drift back to the mud in your hands.
It seems it is the Jigano's turn to kneel in the mud and ask questions while you stand and observe, which suits you fine. Shaping your handful of moist earth into a ball, you begin to throw it between your hands, grinning as it parachutes a little on its descent. [say]"Me an' my twin sister - Oia'i'o - we're assigned to learn about the Hollowed Grounds an' all the livin' things in it,"[/say] you explain. [Say]"By Rae. We're s'posed to see how three hundred and eight years beneath the barrier altered the ecosystem."[/say] You've long since given up attempting to obscure your purpose and background: you and Oia are both terrible liars, and besides, people seem more willing to assist your observations if they know they're connected to your Dama.
The Jigano is making excellent headway with the mud, much to your delight. That the mud isn't normal is worth noting, though you find yourself more interested in his familiarity with the Grounds, both before and after the barrier. [Say]"Were you here when the barrier was up? Have there been any significant changes to the environment since it came down? Did you undergo any major changes when you came through from your - uh - 'Numeria'?"[/say]
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Jigano - 11-07-2019
Simple and direct, an answer similar to Kai’s questions, and Jigano chuckled, finding some of his annoyance at the mud slipping by the wayside. The young man’s boundless curiosity tickled something in the bard’s spiky little heart, and he relaxed a little in spite of his stolen boot. ”’The social structure of the community?’” he repeated, brow arched in amusement. ”That’s an unusual way to phrase it. I’m the leader because I founded them, and because … well, because no one else wants the responsibility, I suppose.” Explaining how Amalia had been in charge for a while but had returned the mantle seemed a bit deeper than this conversation had time for given how quickly the topics moved on. ”And we serve the community by gathering information from various sources into a more easily searchable collection and serve as a repository of knowledge for people to come and ask questions of. Hopefully we can find their answers within our own records, or by conducting research within the Atheneum’s substantial collection, but we also undertake finding answers in distant or dangerous places that people don’t want to go.” A task made more difficult when one was missing a boot.
Another name to file away, but mention of Rae had the bard blinking in surprise at Kai’s casual confidence in dropping one of the Big Three gods. While it was possible the young man was lying or simply addled, it wasn’t like the gods didn’t ask stranger things of their supplicants. And the other man’s manner of speech was certainly outlandish enough to give him away as no natural of the barrierlands.
The lapse in concentration had caused the tilted earth to collapse and the boot to slosh further away again. Jigano blew out an annoyed sigh at it before he flexed his fingers into the ground and started again – though this time the mud seemed to resist sliding down the small hill that was growing on the far side of its puddle, somehow managing to flow uphill against all laws of physics.
”Mm? Yes, I was, yes, there was, and yes, I did,” he answered distractedly, eyes narrowing as he pushed an overhanging crest over his own small construct of non-sentient earth, trying to curl the mud back on itself and herd it towards himself. ”What do you want to know about first?”
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Kaimana - 11-07-2019
[say]"How would you phrase it?"[/say] Is there a better way to refer to the social structure of a community than the way that you just did? If so, you would be happy to learn it. You are aware that your turns of phrase are sometimes unlike those used by other people, but you have quite a bit to learn. You're young, after all- not just because your body is equivalent to a 19-year-old, but because you've actually been on this earth for far less time than that.
You perk up considerably as the Jigano mentions knowledge and information and various sources. [say]"Can you show me sometime? The information? D'ya have information about the animals an' plant species an' all the other stuff in the Hollowed Grounds? I need to learn everythin' an' it'd be real helpful!"[/say] You're much closer to him now, practically (
He's surprisingly chill with the whole assignment from Rae thing, and you're chill with it too, way more interested in him than your own background. After all, you already know about yourself.
But right now he's way more interested in the mud than talking to you, and you're getting a little bit impatient. So you kneel down again, putting your handful of mud back by its brethren and gently poking at the sludge that's accumulated around the shoe. [say]"K, time to let it go now. I'll give you somethin' else to play with."[/say] And you do, calling over a line of mushrooms to begin dancing through the mud. Steadily they corral it away from the boot, leaving the shoe essentially uncovered by all but normal, non-sentient dirt.
Grinning broadly you rise again, wiping your hands off on your pants. [say]"There! Now your boot is free an' you can tell me all about everythin' so I can tell Oia later an' she can write it down."[/say]
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Jigano - 11-07-2019
"I would call it just 'the community,'" Jigano answered with a chuckle. "Since communities are inherently social structures. It's a bit of a redundant mouthful, is all." Not that he could lecture anyone on the pitfalls of verbosity, but perhaps he could warn a fellow scholar obliquely. Not that Kai wouldn't find out for himself if he stuck around long enough.
"Mmm. I think that could be arranged," he agreed with a twinkle in his eye for the young man's eagerness. "We have an ongoing compendium of the more unusual flora and fauna, yes, transcribed from an impeccable source, though it seems we add to it every season. Learning 'everything' may take you awhile, though. The Atheneum is quite large, and we've only barely begun to organize it and explore some of its more hidden rooms." Things that the Loreseekers were well-equipped to do with everything but time and manpower, those two most valuable resources. "Perhaps we could come to an agreement on trade in exchange for access to the chronicles." That was the normal way of things in the Hollowed Grounds; trade and barter. Answers for carrots, or wool, or lumber. Sometimes for future favors, or a craftsman's skill at repairing or building something for the guild.
Kaimana's easy command of the mushrooms earned another raised brow, and Jigano watched in fascination as the animate plantimals danced their way through the sludge. It was very much like what Loren had described Remi doing, and the bard was curious to see another man with a similar power. "Thank you," he murmured gratefully as he tugged the earth beneath the boot lightly so that it rolled towards him, bringing the boot with it. It obligingly slipped away from his hand as he pulled it from the ground and set about re-shoeing himself so he could stand beside Kae once more. "Most of it is already written down," he pointed out mildly. "That's what our records are for, though you're welcome to make copies of them for your, ah, assignment." He still wasn't sure about this 'task from Rae' business, but it didn't hurt to go along with it until he found out more. Though since they had a moment... "If you're looking for information on the Hollowed Grounds, what are you doing in the Greatwood?"
RE: [SE] Stick in the Mud - Kaimana - 11-08-2019
[say]"Oh."[/say] If you look a little chagrined it's because you are, embarrassed that your mouth once more got away from you. Oia would not have made such a mistake, and for a moment you feel a flash of insecurity. Maybe the Jigano would have more enjoyed talking to your twin. They seem to have a shared love of semantics, after all.
The explanation of how one goes about accessing the record only serves to further confuse you. A trade? What does he want in trade? And why? [Say]"I thought y'said whoever wanted to could come ask questions,"[/say] you counter, clearly somewhat confused. [Say]"If they need to trade for it, how do they know the value before gettin' an answer? Who decides the value of information? An' who gets to know it? What about people who can't trade anythin'?"[/say] For your part you have no worldly posessions, save your clothes and a nice collection of rocks. And you very much doubt he wants rocks.
You are growing somewhat agitated, a rare enough occurrence that you don't really notice it at first. Silent and unhappy you watch him put on his shoe, afraid to say much more for fear of accruing more debt that you do not understand. Though when he mentions that everything is already written you blink a moment, your eyebrows trying very hard to affect something like a frown. [Say]"Oia'i'o likes to write,"[/say] you counter automatically, your tone suspiciously low on emotion.
Then, because the rules are constantly changing, it appears to be his turn to ask questions. For a moment you consider asking for something in return, but it just seems so wrong, so you quickly abandon the idea. [Say]"I'm tryin' to see the effects of the barrier comin' down on the Greatwood, an' monitor species crossover between the two ecosystems."[/say] The mud, for example.
With a great deal of self restraint you keep from asking what he is doing here. You're still too confused by the price of questions to dare and ask any more.