"Trouble, mostly," he explained with a tilt of his head and the hint of a wry smile. "Pumpkins, squash, even cucumbers... but they appear to be hollowed out and hold a fire inside that shines out through the wicked faces that are carved in their rind. They can move - rolling and hopping, mostly - and use those tooth-filled maws to bite. Getting bitten by rind is unexpectedly painful," he revealed with a faint grimace. "Or they can lash out with vines to grab or whip. They tend to be fairly small, less than knee height, for the most part, but I've come across some truly massive pumpkins before, too." Ones that could crush bones with their weight alone if they rolled over someone.
He hesitated for a moment at her offer, still not fully over the scare she had given him and Isuma, but he recognized that she meant well and nodded slowly, handing the bag of groceries over. She had picked them up for him before, after all, and it really did help to free up his arm. "Thank you," he said quietly, before directing her attention to the Artisan's bazaar.
Aisha seemed to take some comfort in it, and he relaxed a little more as he recognized the hum of homesickness and recognition. Something about the bazaar seemed to resonate with her, and he remembered how reminders of his own world could both comfort and hurt. "Deimos is a busy man. He runs the Artisan's, but he also holds the title of Hollowed Grounds General," he explained as they continued walking down the road, approaching a wooden building that looked recently rebuilt, and beyond it a barracks and training yard. "We don't have an army, but those are the barracks where the militia gathers to train. If you want to improve your fighting skills, this is a good place for it, and Deimos is an excellent teacher. He holds classes at least once a season." His lips quirked a little ruefully, and Isuma finally raised her head from his chest to look over towards the barracks eagerly, trying to catch sight of her unicorn friend. "The wooden building beside it is the Monster Hunter's Guild, run by Kiada... but they haven't been very active in recent seasons." The failure to reclaim the soul of Kiada's lover at LongNight likely had a great deal to do with that.
He hesitated for a moment at her offer, still not fully over the scare she had given him and Isuma, but he recognized that she meant well and nodded slowly, handing the bag of groceries over. She had picked them up for him before, after all, and it really did help to free up his arm. "Thank you," he said quietly, before directing her attention to the Artisan's bazaar.
Aisha seemed to take some comfort in it, and he relaxed a little more as he recognized the hum of homesickness and recognition. Something about the bazaar seemed to resonate with her, and he remembered how reminders of his own world could both comfort and hurt. "Deimos is a busy man. He runs the Artisan's, but he also holds the title of Hollowed Grounds General," he explained as they continued walking down the road, approaching a wooden building that looked recently rebuilt, and beyond it a barracks and training yard. "We don't have an army, but those are the barracks where the militia gathers to train. If you want to improve your fighting skills, this is a good place for it, and Deimos is an excellent teacher. He holds classes at least once a season." His lips quirked a little ruefully, and Isuma finally raised her head from his chest to look over towards the barracks eagerly, trying to catch sight of her unicorn friend. "The wooden building beside it is the Monster Hunter's Guild, run by Kiada... but they haven't been very active in recent seasons." The failure to reclaim the soul of Kiada's lover at LongNight likely had a great deal to do with that.
