[SE] east meets west
Ianto Dea Arduinna
Merchant

Age: 30 | Height: 6'0 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 852 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#1
Ianto
It was not Ianto's habit to wander around the Sidhe Village when it wasn't time for him to come trundling by in his Wishing Wagon, but with everything that had been happening with those inside the barrier, he felt it... necessary, to test the waters. (And by he, he meant, of course, that his godmother felt it necessary. And he wasn't about to disobey an order like that.)

The fox positively strolled into the village, markedly out of place by his height alone without taking into account his eclectic attire or his lack of wings. Grey-blue smoke curled up from the pipe between his lips, giving off a sweet scent of herbs and flowers, almost. He walked slowly towards the square, stopping to say hello here and there to those who recognised or knew him, and he had to apologise more than once that he had not dropped by to sell his wares just yet.

Sinking down to sit on a low wall in the square, he cast blue eyes around the place, watching for anything more unusual than before. Unusual was a language the Fae spoke well, so it wasn't an easy thing to do. Still, he had to keep an ear to the ground somehow. Either that, or wait until word got to Delah that he was around.


Coding base by Sky!
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#2
AMALIA
you're staring at the sky
watching stars collide
Free but not free, Amalia wanders through the Sidhe village and feels out of place, stranger in a strange land. Everything is familiar yet foreign, orderly yet wild. Her first experience of the world without has been a whirlwind, and she is left dismally dizzy by the end of the day. A giant in room of delicate glass, she is a graceless thing beside the fae, bumping and bumbling her way through situations in search of knowledge, some sort of guidebook to this place. At least she has Jyoti to ease the tension, the playful whale gaining joyful attention from the younger fae, awed reverence from the old.

But now the starwhale is hidden away, dreaming in the bag that Amalia has somehow managed to barter for in exchange for a scrap of her tunic. The goal is to find food and information, though thus far she has failed in both regards. Wandering through the village square she feels something akin to defeat, bewildered and anxious and woefully out of place. She had hoped for some secret on how to free her friends, but fears she will have to return empty-handed, with only tales of pointed stares and whispered insults that sound like shaking leaves.
Ianto Dea Arduinna
Merchant

Age: 30 | Height: 6'0 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 852 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#3
Ianto
Inhaling deeply on his pipe, the smoke that curled in front of his face obscures Amalia for a moment, and so to Ianto she appeared as if through a dream or by magic, and the fox almost choked at the sight of her.

One from within the barrier, that much was painfully obvious, Ianto taking his pipe from between his lips and rising to his feet from the wall. "Hey!" he called, his voice warm and curious, his feet already taking him across the square to where Amalia was standing.

"Are you... I mean to say, do you come from the Hollowed Grounds? How... how did you get here?" Oh ye gods, was she one of those who had been taken when he'd bolted through the woods? Awkward.


Coding base by Sky!
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#4
AMALIA
you're staring at the sky
watching stars collide
Never one to respond to confrontation well, there is something especially disconcerting about being called to in this particular place. Immediately Amalia raises her guard, ready to apologize for whatever she did and quickly retreat into the woods. As Ianto stands from behind the wall of smoke, her first thought is: what a particularly large fae.

It takes a moment for her to realize it's a human, so wholly unexpected is the idea.

Amalia does not move as he draws near, though she pulls the bag of precious cargo closer to her side. A mixture of relief and fear courses through her: who is he, and why is he here, and why is there something familiar about his voice? "Yes," she answers cautiously, leaving the second question alone for now. "Are you?" She does not recognize him, which could mean nothing - she is not the most outgoing person, after all - or could mean he came from somewhere else.

Either way, he has found a way to coexist with the fae, a feat Amalia is desperate to achieve.
Ianto Dea Arduinna
Merchant

Age: 30 | Height: 6'0 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 852 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#5
Ianto
Ianto held up his hands to Amalia as if to reassure her that he wasn't anything close to a threat, his steps slowing to ensure he didn't get close to the bag that she obviously felt was important. When she answered he realised just how foolish a question it had been - obviously she was from within the barrier, because he hadn't known anyone who wasn't a Fae who didn't come from within the barrier. Damn. At the question she posed in return, he shook his head slowly.

"No, I... well. I was dropped from elsewhere into the Greatwood. I've been living there ever since, and I'm trusted to come through this village. You... sorry if this sounds harsh, but... usually they'd have tied you up and thrown you somewhere nasty. How are you just... walking around?"


Coding base by Sky!
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#6
AMALIA
you're staring at the sky
watching stars collide
Amalia's dark gaze tightens further at the stranger's tale, some vague familiarity still nibbling in the back of her mind. "Why do they trust you?" she is quick to interject, half accusatory, half inquisitive, desperate for the solution to this great puzzle. Delah made it abundantly clear that all non-fae were not welcome here, and it was only by Jyoti's blessing that Amalia had managed to escape the pit. If she can discover the secret to earning their trust, it may be a first step in bridging the divide that stretches between their world.

One eyebrow arches delicately as he continues on, a half-chuckle ripping from her lips. "They did," she admits, relaxing slightly, though her grasp on the bag does not fade. "Then..." Then... a lot of things. But tl;dr: a starwhale fell from the sky, and I flew up to catch it, and it spoke to my soul, and then a fae threatened to feed me to a monster which turned out to be a beneficent world turtle who is just lonely and likes hearing stories and then I slept for about three hours and now here I am.

Alright, maybe still too long.


Instead of saying all that she shrugs, still not entirely sure she trusts this stranger. "Some stuff happened. But my friends are still in the pit, and I'm trying to find a way to get them out." Resolution glitters in her eyes as she stares at the fire-haired man. "Can you teach me about them? Everything here is so strange and beautiful, and I just want to understand." She sighs, raising a hand to run it through tawny locks as her bag begins to stir and squirm.
Ianto Dea Arduinna
Merchant

Age: 30 | Height: 6'0 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 852 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#7
Ianto
"My godmother persuaded them," Ianto explained. Persuaded, threatened... same thing, surely. "She's a wild Fae from the Greatwood. She found me and taught me the ways of the forest." He was more candid by far with Amalia than any of the others he'd met so far, but then she was already in the village - there was no reason for trickery or misleading statements.

That was precisely why Ianto could appreciate Amalia's vague responses; she was right not to be openly trusting, and his brow furrowed as she spoke about her friends. "I imagine saying please, or asking for a trade would be too easy." He smiled weakly, arching an eyebrow at the now obviously squirming bag, but not wanting to ask about it.

"Of course," he said amicably, offering an arm so that she could walk with him through the square. "In return, though, might I ask that you do something for me?"


Coding base by Sky!
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#8
AMALIA
you're staring at the sky
watching stars collide
"A wild Fae?" Amalia repeats, curiosity pulling a small frown between her eyebrows. "Would she teach anyone else?" The Fae she has met so far have been anything but receptive to sharing knowledge of their ways, the one thing the girl desperately craves. The stranger's openness is more than she expected, and for a moment the baker regrets being so vague. But there is still something unsettling about him, a quality Amalia cannot place. Guard still up, she shakes her head, thinking back to her attempts to have her companions released. "I think they are waiting until they speak to the, uh, tulmhainar." Her voice trips slightly over the word, though a pleasant smile lingers upon the girl's lips as she remembers fondly her experience with the creature, old and knowledgeable and eager for stories.

The extended arm is met with some hesitation, but Amalia slips hers reluctantly within, slightly stiff within his hold. "What thing?" she questions warily, casting him a sidelong glance. As they begin to walk, an inky beak emerges from her bag, a plume of starlight filling the air beside them, accompanied by a playful trill.
Ianto Dea Arduinna
Merchant

Age: 30 | Height: 6'0 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 852 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#9
Ianto
If Amalia was astute, she would notice the way Ianto winced at her question about Arduinna and her teaching them the ways of the Greatwood. Still, he would be punished harshly for lying, and he daren't try a mistruth about Arduinna so deep into her demesne. "Yes," he said slowly. "She'd be happy to do teach others, though she would want something in return."

Much the same as Ianto did, evidently, and the fox smiled across at her as they began to meander around the village square. "Do not believe anything you think you already know about me," he said. "Do that, and I will tell you everything I know about the current goings-on with the Fae of this village."


Coding base by Sky!
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#10
AMALIA
you're staring at the sky
watching stars collide
Ever an observant sort, Amalia does not miss Ianto's wince. What wariness it may have inspired is lost beneath the thrill of possibility as the vulpine man assents, suggesting there is indeed a way for her to learn the secrets he knows. "What would she want?" the girl asks, eagerness in her voice and eyes. Whatever the cost, she thinks, she could pay it- too innocent to consider dark possibilities, to naive to suspect any ill intent.

Despite her trepidation, Amalia finds herself easing into the fox's company, taken by the bustling activity of the square. His request is met with a single raised eyebrow, skeptical and curious as something finally clicks within her brain. "What I know about... you!" the leopardess exclaims, suddenly indignant with realization of who this man must be. Pulling abruptly away from the man, Amalia scowls as fur rises on her neck, fingernails lengthening into claws and fangs developing under her lips. "You're the one who got us trapped-!"

Fortunately for Ianto, Amalia's growing fury is tempered by a burst of starlight and a gentle song. Jyoti has at last fully awakened, shooting out of the baker's bag to circle around the tenuous pair, soothing and trilling and stopping to peer over the girl's shoulder at the man who has inspired such ire in her soulmate. Exhaling a heavy breath, Amalia sighs and settles back, feline features sinking back to normal human form. "Fine." Too deeply affected by the starwhale's magic to raise any amount of rage, the girl falls back into step with Ianto, dark eyes still wary as they examine the man. "But you will have to give me something new to believe, if you want me to forget you betrayed my friends."
Ianto Dea Arduinna
Merchant

Age: 30 | Height: 6'0 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 852 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#11
Ianto
Talk of Arduinna was sure to get Ianto into a quiet and brooding mood, the fox torn between wanting to protect the people he had so recently connected with, and not risking the ire of his Fae patron. "That is not for me to say. She has different prices for different people. The ways through the woods may come more cheaply than they did when I bartered for them." His fingers had subconsciously drifted to the leather collar about his throat as they talked, the fox noticing too late and dropping his hand again.

He took a visible couple of steps away as she was suddenly so furious with him, and while Ianto felt the frustration bubbling up in his chest and throat, he tried not to roar it out in return. "I didn't," he said instead, softly, quietly. "I didn't betray anybody, or get anybody trapped. I wanted to show you through the forest."

Rubbing at his eyes, when Ianto glanced back to Amalia it was to see her accompanied by an infant starwhale and its song, the merchant's blue eyes widening considerably at the sight of such a creature. "You don't see that every day..." He cleared his throat, trying not to get distracted.

"I thought I was alone when I got here. Like... alone, for good. Only recently, I learned that some of my friends are here too, and the people I hold dear. I don't want to put them in danger. Believe that if nothing else. Besides... the Fae aren't bad. They just... are. They care deeply about the forest and the Old Gods."


Coding base by Sky!
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#12
AMALIA
you're staring at the sky
watching stars collide
"What was your price?" she questions gently, watching sidelong as the bold man stumbles, his fingers rising to his throat. Amalia is not uncaring, but she is endlessly curious, intrigued by the stories that make her world and the people who live within. "Was it worth it?"

Even if Jyoti had not emerged, the girl's fury may have been tempered by Ianto's soft reply. Arms crossed across her chest, she glares at him through narrowed eyes, listening intently to his explanation, empathetic yet still on edge. Jyoti settles atop her shoulder, draped like a scarf on the girl's neck, her starlit gaze far softer than her companion's stare. She trills and coos at the fox's story, pressing her soft nose coaxingly on Amalia's cheek. The loneliness, the aching isolation of which he speaks...

Amalia sighs and lets her arms drop, one hand rising up to run fitfully through her tawny hair "I'm sorry." Black eyes meet blue, sincere but still guarded, not quite willing to fully forgive. "How long have you been here? Are there no others, um, our size?

Jyoti rises from her shoulder, moving closer to inspect the man. "It's been a stressful couple days." A rueful smile, weary and resigned, apology written in the curving lines. "All I wanted was to build relationships with the Fae, to be good neighbors and learn about their ways. I had not anticipated being thrown in a pit."
Ianto Dea Arduinna
Merchant

Age: 30 | Height: 6'0 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 15 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 852 | Total: 16,318
MP: 0
#13
Ianto
Ianto smiled wryly, shrugging his shoulders. "My freedom," he said softly. "I thought it was worth it, yes, until people I knew began to show up. Now, not so much..." He sighed, beginning to stroll along again though his footsteps were lazy, leisurely. He shot her a warm smile at her apology, though he waved a hand as if to tell her there was no need. She had been through a lot herself since coming here.

"I arrived at the beginning of LeafChange, last year," he explained, his brow furrowing. "From some of the people I've met - the people called Outlanders - it seems like a lot of us fell into the barrier at that time." And whilst Roana and Remi had tried to explain to him, probably a bunch of times, he still didn't really get it.

"None of our size since I got here. And certainly none of these wonderful creatures." Grinning, flashing a golden tooth, he cooed over Jyoti as she drew closer to inspect him. "I imagine your starry companion was one of the reasons you didn't stay in the pit?"

Ianto paused beside the riverbank, grinning at the sight of two Fae children waving a basket at the golden light bouncing off the water. "Traditions are a very good start," he agreed. "For instance, look there - those Fae are capturing the sun. It's a LongHeat thing, I've been told."


Coding base by Sky!
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#14
AMALIA
you're staring at the sky
watching stars collide
For once Amalia does not push. My freedom is something she can relate to, yet at the same knows she does not understand. Instead she falls silent, her steps lining up with his, leisurely and languid, for the moment conflict-free. They have navigated their differences without much lasting abrasion to respect or pride - a minor miracle, all things considered, and one she is content not to question too close.

She listens as he speaks, her dark eyes skirting the world, curious and ravenous as she takes in all she can see. There are mysterious wares, strange foods and scents, and the girl is entranced by all of it, a child in a candy shop. "Are you from Northaven, then?" she asks, half-distracted, assuming based on his declaration that a lot of us were here. "I know a few from there - like Ronin, and Remi."

Jyoti trills happily at the acknowledgment, exhaling starlight and swimming around him in hopes of inspiring scratches. "She is," Amalia replies wryly, smiling with fondness at the young whale. "There was a storm, and she fell out of the sky. I flew up to catch her, and when I did Delah said I could go free." She tilts her head thoughtfully, remembering that night. "But I couldn't leave my friends behind. So I stayed. I don't think Delah was very happy."

She stops beside Ianto, following his eyes to the children in the water. "Capturing the sun?" They seem to be having fun, whatever they are doing, and Amalia smiles as she watches them, remembering her own childhood playing similar games.


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


RPG-D