She’d messed up. This particular flare and score wasn’t difficult to admit; her impulsive nature had caught her outright again, smacked and snapped against the impetuous intervals, the ignorance startling, then snarling, snagging, at her beliefs, at her faith, at her convictions. There had been times before when her riotous, ebullient nature had earned her good fortune, a favoring towards the bold, an eager, fervent opportunity in the palm of her hands. This was not one of those sweeping hours. It was unfortunate that at this interval, it had cost her an opportunity to fulfill her quest for Ludo – and with Delah forcing her out of the Greatwood, with no other sign of direction, the girl was stuck. Melita would love to pout, to sulk, to cross her arms and fume at the sky, at the stars, at the moon – but it was a triviality and tribulation of her own making. She only had herself to blame and wage war upon. So instead, she hung her head and kicked rocks along gravel paths, muttering to herself, contemplating how to go solve the dilemma she’d orchestrated. Fangorn leapt and bounded behind her, not terribly fussed about the entire venture, content to ramble and roll along the grounds, while the honeybee youth spoke to him out loud. “But where am I going to find one?” The gourd did his best impersonation of a shrug, then continued along their wayward path, uttering a hiss, a growl, when he spotted something up ahead. Curiosity replaced the rancor settling across her tongue, and the youth raised her head, pondering over what Fangorn had found. For the moment, she followed, twisting and turning along the brush – until they came upon an intriguing sight. She could’ve sworn she knew the figure nearby, familiar, the ivory hair, the tall, lithe form, but there were alterations being made – the girl arched her brow, stepping away from the shadows of the forest, ensuring her voice carried despite the whispered intonations. “Jigano?” M e l i t a
But in our darkest hours, I stumbled on a secret power
I'll find a way to be without you, babe |
I think I thought I saw you try
for Jigano |
||||||
the Honeybee
Age: 26 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 10 - Strg: 57 - Dext: 58 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 57 - Int: 1 FANGORN - Mythical - Vampire Gourd SILA - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Heather
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07-09-2019, 10:56 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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07-10-2019, 03:27 PM
He didn't like taking the disguising dyes off and putting them back on again with any regularity. His skin tone he could get away with leaving, usually - there were enough different colors in the Hollowed Grounds that his honey-brown wasn't unusual - but there was no denying that his hair was distinctive. That was usually a good thing - it made him easy to recognize by those sent to find the Provost - but when he was persona non grata with the local bully and her over-eager gang of troublemakers it also made him an easier target. Funny thing about having such a distinctive trait though - people stopped seeing the face and focused on the hair. Which meant that once the hair changed... well, he had to do a lot less work on the rest of himself to disappear into the crowd. A broad-brimmed hat, an eyepatch, a slouch to disguise his height, and he was a new man. Not that he didn't take the extra steps anyway, using walnut husks to darken his skin and clever cosmetic use to add age lines to his face; he was a bard, after all, and took pride in his craft. He had, so far at least, been able to keep his preparations discrete and out of the way, deep in the Woodlands. The last thing he had expected was a 'visitor' in this remote, tree-shaded spring of the Outskirts, and his head whipped up, startled, at the sound of his name as his hand dropped to a knife at his hip. At least the voice and figure it belonged to were familiar, and he relaxed immediately, even as Isuma bounded out from behind him, reeping! a happy greeting to girl and gourd both. Her friend Fangorn was foremost in her attentions as she danced around him, her own pale fur a rusty red that blended with the Leafchange colors around them. Jigano went back to rinsing the muck from his hair, the husks leaving it a darkish-grey in their wake as he offered Melita a weary but welcoming smile. "For the moment," he confirmed with a slight chuckle. "Though not, perhaps, much longer. Are you hunting today?" That was the first reason he could think of for someone being this far out in the Woods. Hunting or gathering herbs or berries for food or medicines. But Melita seemed a fierce creature, far more predator than prey, to his vulpine senses. the Honeybee
Age: 26 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 10 - Strg: 57 - Dext: 58 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 57 - Int: 1 FANGORN - Mythical - Vampire Gourd SILA - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Heather
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07-10-2019, 06:00 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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07-10-2019, 06:40 PM
What was he doing? The bard chuckled wryly, lips twisting into something that wasn't quite a smile, but was close. "Ah. Well. That nonsense with the upstart Zariah is... annoying, to say the least. I've no intention of signing up for her little private army. But 'Guildmaster Jigano' is well-enough known around the Settlement that her pack of bullies could try and make trouble for me, so I've been using a disguise for when I travel into town," he admitted, knowing it wasn't the bravest of approaches, but also knowing his own weaknesses included not being able to overpower two or three fighter-types, especially if they had mages among them. He began squeezing the water from his hair, keeping a curious ear on Melita as she answered, and he hummed a thoughtful question without words at hearing that the exuberant, cheerful sunshine-girl was moping. At the mention of Ludo, however, he straightened, hair half-forgotten as he turned to look at her with far greater focus. His hands continued to mechanically wring the water out, but his attention was all for her as he frowned, his expression thoughtful. Ludo was not a god to take lightly or keep waiting... none of them were, of course, but he was partial to the soul guide, and he grimaced sympathetically at hearing that Delah had kicked Meilta out of the Greatwood. "I've found records of Wicker Women in our Woods but... they are old records, and even they say that the trees are rare here," he admitted. His gaze flickered to Isuma and Fangorn, playing and bouncing around in the falling leaves, and his expression lightened a bit as his mind raced. "I, too, was once sent by Ludo to find a Wicker Woman... but that was before the Greatwood became as closed to us as it is now." He shook his head, exhaling a soft sigh and flexing his hands in frustration - sending a last trickles of water to dampen the moss beneath him. He started to shake his head morosely, then stopped, expression sharpening as a memory came to him. "You just need the sap, right?" he asked cautiously. "Not bark or branches or roots? Just the sap itself? It's powerful stuff, but... do you know the alchemist Remi, by chance?" the Honeybee
Age: 26 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 10 - Strg: 57 - Dext: 58 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 57 - Int: 1 FANGORN - Mythical - Vampire Gourd SILA - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Heather
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07-10-2019, 06:57 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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07-11-2019, 03:41 PM
Melita's reaction to his disguise was a bit underwhelming, and Jigano feared his friend thought him a coward... which wasn't necessarily wrong, he had to admit. Not that he was afraid of fighting or wouldn't join a militia for their home if he had been asked to do so by someone competent, like Ronin, but nothing he had seen of Zariah had given him any confidence that she knew anything about commanding large forces, or any real grasp of military strategy beyond ordering a few mages around with an iron fist. He had probably commanded more with his Hundred than she had, and his men and women had been a varied adnd integrated force, racially, magically, and technologically. Her quest quickly distracted him from his worries about Zariah, however, focusing his attention on gods - a tricky subject these days, with the heart-wounded bard. But Ludo was the best of them, in his admittedly biased opinion, and he was glad enough to help the summer-smiling girl with her task if he could. "It wasn't easy," he acknowledged with a wry smile. "I traveled with Ronin, guided by ravens, to find one. They are carnivorous plants, and their branches move to wrap around animals - or people - that come close enough. Ronin used his strength to hold on to a stick that we tricked a small branch into wrapping around, and while it pulled taut trying to pull his stick towards its trunk, I hacked away at it with an axe. It still almost got me," he admitted, holding up a cautionary finger. "But the raven dived at the second branch it had sent after me and distracted it long enough for me to avoid being grabbed. So if you go to find a tree, go with at least one other person in case they need to try and free you, or go for help." Warning delivered, he relaxed back as he shook out his damp, freshly-darkened tangles and began to comb them smooth. "But hopefully you can avoid all that trouble," he said chuckling slightly as her mood palpably brightened and stole a smile to his lips. "It was a while back when I last spoke to Remi about it, but he had a jar of Wicker Woman sap. Now I wish I had accepted it when he tried to give it to me," he acknowledged, a pang of regret in his chest. "But perhaps you can go see him and ask if he still has it? He didn't have a use for it anymore, so he might be willing to give it to you." the Honeybee
Age: 26 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 10 - Strg: 57 - Dext: 58 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 57 - Int: 1 FANGORN - Mythical - Vampire Gourd SILA - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Heather
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07-11-2019, 10:08 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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07-14-2019, 05:22 AM
"It's a risk," Jigano agreed, nodding somberly. He had asked the Monster Hunters Guildmaster rather than Amalia or Rory for exactly that reason; he didn't want to endanger anyone who wasn't fully aware of the risks, and was trained to handle them. Ideally he wouldn't have endangered anyone, but he was slowly learning that endangering himself could hurt the ones who loved him, and so having back-up had been the choice of wisdom over hubris. Wisdom came in many forms, however, and that included knowing the right people to speak to, when a problem required an innovative solution. The question of what Remi would like, however, had the bard blinking in bemusement, a befuddled air to his sudden tongue-tied uncertainty. "Ah, well... that is... I don't know Remi particularly well," he tried, delicately. They had been making a concerted effort to get along, but they were still largely strangers to each other, in all of the little ways that made other people friends. "He's... definitely a hard one to pin down," he said at last, shrugging a little helpless. "He can create any item he needs with his magic. I think he'd like anything given to him with a bit of personal thought behind it. He likes... stars? And feathers, I think. Maybe... unusual rocks? Do you have any rocks and shells left from the presents you gave me at the midsummer celebration? From the Cataract in the Greatwood?" he asked as inspiration struck. "Since we likely won't have many chances to get more, that makes them rare and even more special." the Honeybee
Age: 26 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 10 - Strg: 57 - Dext: 58 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 57 - Int: 1 FANGORN - Mythical - Vampire Gourd SILA - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Heather
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07-14-2019, 06:39 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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07-14-2019, 07:54 PM
He might not have known Melita long, but this subdued thoughtfulness was not an aspect of her he associated with the sunlight summer child, all quick movements and bright enthusiasm for life and challenge. Then again, the same could be said for him, given how hard he usually worked to project an aura of cheerful competence and wit. A facade that had crumbled in recent weeks, and left him weary and heartsore, watching the lies he had woven around himself crack and shatter beneath the stresses of failure after failure, and the merciless confrontations with his own helplessness. The bard was glad that he was able to offer hope, however, and Melita's excitement brought a smile to his own face as she lit up with eager relief. "He is a generous man," he agreed with a smile. "I think he would give it to you for free, if he still has it. But he will appreciate the gift-in-trade, too." He shook out his comb, beginning the process of bundling his hair up in twists and pins so that it looked casually messy and of indeterminate length. Her offer had him blinking in surprise and then his smile softened at the inherent fairness - and kindness - of it. "You helped me immensely with repairing the Atheneum,", he said instead, blue eyes warm. "I'm the one who owes you! Though, if you're up for it, I could use a hunting companion. It might be dangerous, though..." After their previous talk of risks his warning was somber, but he gave Melita the chance to choose for herself whether she wished to join him or not. the Honeybee
Age: 26 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 10 - Strg: 57 - Dext: 58 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 57 - Int: 1 FANGORN - Mythical - Vampire Gourd SILA - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Heather
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07-14-2019, 10:09 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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07-15-2019, 12:08 AM
Even weary as he was, he was too well-trained to let his smile slip towards wry disagreement that Remi was 'wonderful.' A great many things, was Remi, but to Jigano he had been decidedly less than wonderful. He was capable of being charming though, and the bard could appreciate that from a professional standpoint, and see how it appealed to others. Besides, it was far easier to give Melita an honest smile at hearing that she had enjoyed working on the Atheneum. Hot, sweaty, dirty work though it was, it was due to all their efforts that it had gone so well, and he bowed his head in gratitude. Her company was a balm, however, all the more for how he had distanced himself from the Settlement and the daily interactions he had begun to take for granted. He enjoyed his solitude, too, but when it was enforced and not a matter of choice it grated and gnawed at his wild soul. Melita was a most excellent companion, and if she didn't mean spending an afternoon with him, well, he wasn't going to turn down her offer to help! "The bow is an excellent idea," he agreed, a smile on his lips. "We'll be hunting a wolf that's been sniffing around Rory's goats. The dogs have been chasing him off so far, but he's been back a few times. If he's this bold now, he's going to be a real problem come Deepfrost, and a threat to more than just goats. His scent has always been alone, though. My guess is that he doesn't have a pack, and it's driven him a little mad." The bard sighed, standing and placing the broad-rimmed, battered hat over his damp hair. "I know how he feels," he muttered, mostly to himself. "But I'd like to handle this for Rory. He's got enough on his hands right now," he spoke up again, smiling wryly. "I'll meet you in the woods outside his farm. Look for a greyish fox. He'll lead you on the trail after the beastie, if you're still up for it." the Honeybee
Age: 26 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline Level: 10 - Strg: 57 - Dext: 58 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 57 - Int: 1 FANGORN - Mythical - Vampire Gourd SILA - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Heather
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07-16-2019, 12:06 AM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
Change author: Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,317 MP: 5225
07-16-2019, 03:51 AM
"It's not normal behavior for them, this time of year," the bard said with a faint grimace, looking off into the trees. "At least, it wasn't normal on my world. One more thing that went wrong within the barrier, I suppose..." He shook his head, but raised it with a wan smile for the exuberance of his young friend, and wished her good speed as he set himself in order - a simple task, once Melita was out of sight, to shift to his four legged form and race through the woods to -- Home -- Rory's farm. He nosed around near the fence posts, just far enough away to keep from bothering the hounds, and his muzzle wrinkled in worry as the fresh scent caught his attention. The wolf had been there recently, and it, too had sensed just how close it could come without alarming the guardians. Jigano didn't like how wily that made it, and he whined to himself, deep in his throat as he paced back up to the edge of the trees to await Melita and her bow. Sitting still, his dark grey coat blended well into the loam-and-shadows, even in the early Leafchange shift towards brighter colors. An ear flicked at Fangorn, amused, but the gourd would soon find itself under assault of the cuddlier variety as Isuma made a pounce for her friend, looking for an excuse to play some more. That left Jigano free to lead Melita deeper into the woods as afternoon shadows stretched around them, the air growing decidedly cool away from the balmy autumn sunshine. The fox kept his nose to the ground, tracking their prey across earth still dry from Longheat's baking days. He glanced over his shoulder from time to time to make sure Melita was still with him-- And barked a warning as a trio of large pumpkins - and one very confused cucumber - burst from the underbrush behind them, bouncing and rolling towards Melita's tasty-looking ankles with malicious glee. | ||||||
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