+- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com)
+-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: [PQ] Try before you buy (/showthread.php?tid=8114)
Pages:
1
2
Try before you buy - Talyson - 03-13-2023
Tal wasn’t always the brightest tree in the crayon box, but he sometimes knew when to ask for help. In point of fact, a little help from the gods went a long way! …When he could figure out what to ask for. His sisters made sure he knew how spoiled he was to have as many blessed items as he’d received over the last several years, but he couldn’t help but be curious about some of the other things he’d seen. Melita’s bracelet-bow, and Maeve’s fiery whip, for instance…
Which was a roundabout way of saying that he’d sent out some requests to friends and folks he knew who might be in a similar (sky)boat, inviting them to come to King’s End for some collaboration and experimentation.
Hey,
So, since we’ve got gifts from the gods like weapons and stuff, maybe we could try out each other’s items and see if there’s anything someone else has that would give an idea of something we’d want in the future? If you’re interested, meet me in at the Boondocks, King’s End in two weeks.
~T. Seawright
The Peregrine floated nearby with sails furled, anchored to a tumble of boulders. Tal had lugged a couple of planks and two barrels off the trim little skyboat and set up a makeshift table in the center of some more boulders that would serve as chairs in a pinch. There were a couple of targets set up nearby for items of a more martial bent, and the Barrows weren’t too far away if they wanted to poke around someplace dark.
There were drinks and snacks for afterwards, but for the first part of the meeting he had laid his own items out on the table: See-Right Goggles, Special Delivery Dagger, and Very Dapper Rockhide Vest, though he was still wearing his Frostbite Cuff, idly playing with the fur poking out from beneath the edge while he waited for the others to arrive.
This is an Accepted Item PQ!
Start out with arrival and introductions and we’ll move on from there.
1. Talyson
2. Flora
3. Anju
RE: Try before you buy - Flora - 03-15-2023
Flora also arrived by skyboat. Having coerced her brother to coerce his weird
So, as the boat descended, the Doubletake had nimbly jumped off just as soon as she was able. [say]"Hey you!"[/say] She called brightly to Tal before tugging her jacket around herself to ward off the chill. Once she was close enough to see the table, Flora turned and fluttered her eyelashes toward the Messenger. [say]"This isn't a robbery, is it Tal? Getting us to put all of our valuable things here, and have..."[/say] Reaching out toward the tablecloth, she ran a finger experimentally across its surface as if expecting it to bite at her suddenly. [say]"...it just roll up all of a sudden and disappears?"[/say]
RE: Try before you buy - Anju - 03-15-2023
She arrives last, to what appears to be a gathering of individuals far younger and more full of energy than herself. Riya is of course delighted by this prospect, the goblin that she is - immediately warbling what amounts to more of a war cry than a hello as she rockets in from above, eyes locked on Boreal. Striding in behind her with a grimace of exasperation, the tall Dragoon surveys the two individuals gathered with arms crossed defensively. Socialization is more akin to pulling teeth for her, but Talyson had saved her life, so she owed him one.
[say]"He is small. We can take him if he tries to steal from us."[/say] It is said with a twitch of her lips to Flora, trying her hand at humor to break the ice. Unfolding her arms, she takes off her beetle ring and lays it on the tablecloth, then unhooks her bow and lets it follow - a sign of trust. [say]"Good to see you again Tal,"[/say] she mumbles, sincere but awkward.
RE: Try before you buy - Talyson - 03-16-2023
"Flora!" To be honest, Tal hadn't been sure if she'd come all the way to Halo and his grin lit up at the sight of her. At least until her teasing brought a wounded, wide-eyed look of disbelief to the courier's face. He almost missed Anju's arrival, but definitely not her calling him small and he drew himself to his full height in protest. "Hey, I'm as tall as you are!" But he couldn't maintain his pretense of indignation with either woman and the grin quickly returned.
"Thanks so much for comin'! Flora, this is Anju. Anju, Flora. An' that's Riya," he added with a grin for the dragon who had found his own. Boreal had warbled right back, with a happy little puff of smoke and a wiggling lash of her tail. Bouncing twice, she took off with a call for Riya to follow, intent on showing the other dragon the fun game she'd found in King's End: chasing blink hares!
Meanwhile, Tal bobbed his head in thanks to Anju for sharing her items. "S'good to see you, too. Both o'you," he added, moving back to the table and tapping his own items with a finger. "Figured we could start by explainin' how our things work. Then we can test a couple out. See how they feel an' if we're any good at 'em." He cleared his throat self-consciously and poked at his Goggles first.
"These can see through darkness an' weather an' stuff, up to twenty feet. An' supposedly illusions up close, but I haven't been able to test that yet." He grinned and added, "Good for keepin' snow outta your eyes and cuttin' glare, too." His finger nudged the blink hair foot charm that dangled from the Dagger next. "It's a pretty awesome dagger, but it also works kinda like a spear. Make a stabbin' motion with it, an' you can cut anythin' within twenty feet. Way easier t'carry around than a spear, though, an' no one expects an invisible stab from that far away." No one expected the Stormbreak Inquisition, either, but those days were theoretically behind them now, right Anju? "An' this is my Vest. It's my armor an' it's very good at protectin' me when I get hit." The last was said with an obedient cadence accompanied by a kind of sickly smile and a small twitch of one eye. Traauumaaaa.
"What about you guys?"
Round 1:
Describe what your item(s) does so everyone knows what they're getting into!
No posting order
RE: Try before you buy - Anju - 03-27-2023
Dark eyes flicker up and down Talyson's body with a tiny smirk. [say]"Height does not mean you are not small,"[/say] she rumble-laughs like a large cat. As introductions are made, Anju nods respectfully towards the beautiful young woman, crossing her arms as they devolve swiftly into work mode - slightly envious of Riya, who streaks off like a comet after Boreal's invitation.
Nevertheless intrigued by the magical weapons, Anju's eyes trail from each one as Talyson introduces them instead of keeping the man's eyes. Jutting her chin at her own bow when he's finished, the Dragoon keeps her own explanation short and simple. [say]"My bow ignites any arrow shot from it. It was inherited."[/say] The tiny beetle ring is given the same offhand treatment, arms refusing to uncross from their comfortable if forbidding alignment. [say]"My ring was once capable of nullifying Ascended abilities, though it has little use now."[/say] Anju glances over at Flora with one dark brow rising in silent query.
RE: Try before you buy - Flora - 04-16-2023
Glancing towards Anju as she arrives, Flora gaze is both appraising and flirtatious as she sizes up the other woman. [say] “Size isn’t everything.”[/say] She trills with a waggle of her eyebrows, before glancing towards Tal. [say] “Or so I’ve heard.”[/say] Flora adds somewhat skeptically. Bobbing her head in greeting, the Doubletake spins daintily on her heel to focus on the table.
Impressed by the bounty layed out on the table by her counterparts and not wanting to be seen as having been the charity invite, Flora clears her throat and begins to empty her pockets. [say] “These—“[/say] Gesturing to three iridescent feathers, [say]”—can be thrown like daggers. But they recall back to your hand with just a thought. This ring makes you invisible, and this mirror can create the image of whoever uses it.”[/say] The final item on the table was a small compass, though the Doubletake didn’t think that one needed much explanation. [say]”And that is a capitol compass.”[/say]
RE: Try before you buy - Talyson - 04-17-2023
Tal started to puff up a little, mollified by what he thought was Flora's defense before she promptly poked a skeptical hole in his ego and the courier deflated once more. Maybe inviting both women had been a mistake...
But it was good to see them again, even if they were ganging up on poor little old him, and they'd both brought interesting items to the literal and metaphorical table.
Anju's ring might not have had much in the way of targets anymore, but her bow was a welcome addition to the martial side of the display. Tal listened to her description of it and nodded eagerly in understanding. "Could come in handy for fightin' ice elementals an' frost giants," he opined enthusiastically. "Or lightin' signal fires from a distance!" The War might have ended, but some habits still remained...
Determined not to let Flora's teasing get under his skin more than it already had he whistled in sincere appreciation of the bounty she brought to the exercise. A weapon, a defense, a means of transportation, and a particularly versatile mirror. "You've been makin' good use of that stuff I delivered for you, huh?" he grinned at her, remembering a couple of challenging jobs in particular and trying to guess which items had resulted from them.
His gaze lingered on the capitol compass for a moment before he shot the Peregrine a guilty glance and cleared his throat. "Right. Well. We've got three weapons here, so we might as well test 'em out, yeah? Pass your weapon t'the right an' see if you can hit the targets." He pointed back to where they log slices with their painted rings had been set up a little distance away in front of a barrow that acted as a backstop. "An' then we'll swap around again so everyone can try the other weapon." At least, that was the plan.
Tal passed his Dagger to Anju and reached for Flora's feathers, then stepped up to the rough line of sticks on the grass - twenty feet back from the targets - and hefted one of the little blades curiously, testing its weight before he let it fly.
Round 2
Tal has Flora's feather blades
Anju has Tal's dagger
Flora has Anju's bow
Attack the targets however many times you want!
No posting order
RE: Try before you buy - Anju - 04-17-2023
Anju observes Flora in a far more blatant manner, Talyson's deflation reserved to her peripheral. The Dragoon grins, amused. [say]"It is the one thing men do not lie about,"[/say] she concedes, and though she is not suave enough to flirt herself, the soldier is not blind to its presence. [say]"That does not mean they do not lie about the supposed prowess that replaces it."[/say] With no Dragoons left, Anju has been rather disappointed with the state of most of the men and women that remain as suitable bed companions.
But there are other things to do than mock Talyson and his gender at large. Though she is dying to ask what Flora meant by 'creating' an image, she is practically conditioned to pick up any weapons presented to her. Though this one is far more magical than she's used to, it doesn't dissuade her from stepping up to the sticks on the grass and testing the weight and balance of the dagger in her hand before slashing it horizontally from a distance, using the target's width as a guide.
RE: Try before you buy - Flora - 04-29-2023
[say]"Yep!"[/say] Flora trills in response, not bothered at all at the reminder of how much Talyson had contributed to the acquisition of most of the items before her. [say]'It's a shame actually. I was going to trade you the compass to help me with my next quest, but Frey made it so that I have to do it myself."[/say] The Doubletake adds with a disappointed huff.
Accepting the bow from Anju, Flora turns the large weapon over in her hands a few times to try and get the heft of it. Such a physical weapon was not really the sort of thing she went for, and already she found herself wondering if her rings would start to make callouses on her fingers from where she gripped the wood.
Deciding that she didn't really care much about hitting the target Tal had set out, instead the Doubletake turned her attention to Anju, flashing an unsubtle and wide smile. [say]"Think you can come and position me?"[/say] She wonders InNoCeNtly as she raises both the bow and her eyebrows.
RE: Try before you buy - Talyson - 04-29-2023
Tal's lips twitched towards a scowl as dispersions were cast against his entire gender - including him, he was pretty sure - and he fought it as best he could. He was the host of the little event, after all, and needed to behave with suave decorum...
Or as close to it as he could manage without pouting. Even if he was pouting a little.
Flora offered a welcome distraction with her mention of the capital compass and the courier's eyes lit up at the mention of the trade before his expression fell again as she continued. It seemed the god was getting wise to her tricks and Tal scraped his hopes up off the ground with a sigh of reluctant understanding. "Damn. That's too bad. Well, if it works out next time, I'll definitely be interested," he assured her with something that was at least a distant relation to grace; no farther than a second cousin once removed at the worst, even if it was colored by disappointment.
They traded weapons and stepped up to the line, with Anju the first to make her attack. Her martial prowess was immediately evident in the cut that appeared in the wood of the target, slicing cleanly through the center along her diagonal.
Tal followed suit, testing the weight of the metal feather in his hand before pinching the blade between his fingers and letting it fly with an overhand flick of his wrist. The blade - much lighter than his own - over rotated, hitting at an angle and bounced off the target. He scowled at it before wrinkling his nose in concentration. A moment later it reappeared in his hand and he blinked, scowl fading to pleased surprise. "Hey... that's pretty handy!"
Glancing over to Flora he saw she was... flirting? With a resigned sigh Tal squared up with the target and set up for another throw while he waited for the Doubletake to work her wiles on the Dragoon.
Round... 2.5? XD
Carry on, my wayward sons daughters
RE: Try before you buy - Anju - 04-30-2023
She hadn't expected anything less than success, but her expression is pleased nonetheless. [say]"Clever thing,"[/say] she compliments towards Talyson, twirling the handle between her fingers easily before setting it back on the table at the transparent beckoning from Flora.
[say]"Chest up,"[/say] she remarks, using her hands sliding up Flora's ribs to tilt her upwards. One hand comes to cup the girl's chin, hiding her amused smirk behind golden hair as she angles the Doubletake's face to align with the bow's sights. [say]"Eyes on the target, through the sights and along the arrow."[/say] Aligning their arms from behind, she drops her cheek to Flora's and curls her fingers around the ones on the bowstring. [say]"Two fingers here. Pull and hold."[/say] For safety she pulls her own fingers back, and briefly flicks her eyes to Talyson. She'll have to thank him for the entertaining afternoon later. [say]"Exhale...and release."[/say]
RE: Try before you buy - Flora - 05-01-2023
[say]"Ohhhh, well good to know."[/say] Flora purrs in response, as if hearing that Talyson was interested in her potential trade came as somewhat of a welcome surprise rather than precisely the reaction she'd been hoping for.
All but melting into Anju 's instructive hands, Flora shoves her breasts forward before falling still as her chin is angled alongside the bow shaft. Their respective builds and heights makes it all too easy for Flora to contour herself against Anju as much as she possibly could without obfuscating the other woman's efforts to keep her in position, no matter how inclined Flora might have been to further explore the feeling of the older woman's cheek against her own. [say]'Two fingers, mm?'[/say] The Doubletake muses softly, and were she not suddenly so focused on not fucking this up, she'd have taken those words down into the gutter where they belonged.
Breathing in deeply, Flora exhales and releases her fingers as instructed. Thankfully Sunjata had given her a lesson not unlike this several months prior, and so while this was not second nature to Flora by any means, at least it wasn't completely new terrain either. The arrow flies, and though it doesn't strike the center of the target, nor does it glance off either. Instead, it plunks neatly into the side.
RE: Try before you buy - Talyson - 05-01-2023
Tal was feeling like an awkward third wheel at his own meetup... but that wasn't all that unusual. The ladies' teasing was still fresh enough in his mind to keep his chin up and his sighs mostly down deep in his chest lest he incur further commentary. Instead he focused on testing Flora's wicked metal feathers a little longer. He made several more throws, finding the balance of the little blades and finally figuring out the right rotation so they would stick in the target.
Anju had already gotten the hang of Tal's knife, but he wasn't about to object to her getting her hands on Flora. Even if the innuendo was so thick it was practically dripping from the air around them the Dragoon's instructions were still good ones, and Tal couldn't do better. Given the pressure that Flora could apply and what it usually did to his brain, he was pretty sure he'd do a lot worse, in fact!
Flora was given ample opportunity to enjoy Anju's teaching methods as Tal focused on his own target and gave the ladies several rounds of their own to practice. Repetition brought improvement - and in the end they had to stop so Tal could hurry to douse their target and put out the fire that was charring the painted stump black. Luckily her previous experience meant that the damage was contained to the target and the damp grass of King's End was safe.
"Okay, this is probably a good time to take a break and switch weapons," he called to the ladies, shamelessly relieved at the excuse for an interruption. "Flora, y'can ask me if you've got any questions about the Dagger." Hey, it was worth a shot.
Round 3:
Tal has Anju's Scorch Recurve
Anju has Flora's Deadly Plumage
- Three iridescent feathers capable of being used as projectiles. Razor sharp, they will recall themselves to the user's palm at will up to a range of 30ft.
Flora has Tal's Special Delivery Dagger
- A carefully crafted dagger, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 20ft away from the user.
RE: Try before you buy - Anju - 05-15-2023
Flora may be too preoccupied to take that phrase much further, but she'll feel Anju's chuckle through her back and against the shell of her ear. [say]"Bright girl,"[/say] she compliments in an undertone for the other woman alone, lips twitching as her eyes slide sideways to where Talyson is staunchly focusing on his own target and little else. Turning her eyes back to Flora's as the arrow sinks into the side of the target, the Dragoon squeezes the young woman's waist with a pleased utter of - [say]"Quite bright. Good job."[/say] - before leaving her bereft to heed Tal's call all at once, content to tease.
Plucking a feather from the table, she spins it in deft fingers to watch the iridescence fluctuate in the sunlight. Small and flashy, not unlike its owner. Taking stock of the weight for a few moments, Anju lets it fly shortly thereafter, and recalls it before it can hit the target to familiarize herself with the method. Pleased and impressed, she lets it fly a second time with more confidence, and watches it impact with the target down the lane.