2017-03-24: Flyers and Spirit
- '2017-03-24: Flyers and Spirit
- Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Kourin
- Where: Academy City of Linga
- Date: 3-24-17
- Summary: Jacqueline is helped in chasing down some flyers by a helpful dog and his mistress
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
A few days ago, fliers had been put up over the city. They advertised an expedition to the Sacred Grounds of Linga, the ancient cave system nearby, as well as the promise of seeing a 'live dragon', with a print that one could assume was supposed to be from such a creature. By the date written on it, it would have happened yesterday.
It had gone horribly.
Jacqueline felt responsible. It had been her idea, after all, and in the end, trapped against the wall with a horde of owlbears bearing down on them, a friend had had to sacrifice themselves so that she and their other companion could escape.
These events were responsible for Jacqueline's current sullen expression as she paced through the town, collecting the fliers. There was no point in having them up around the town, and a part of her wanted to keep at least one of them as a memory of that day. Besides, if they were left up people might starting asking questions. She had promised to be discrete about what had happened.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Kourin had not particularly noticed the flyers. She has, instead, been wandering around looking for places where she can be...if not alone, at least away from those she travels with for a time.
Solitude is important, but there is one that Kourin is never far from--her dog, Spirit. Spirit, presently, is running down the street, barking and chasing after a loose flyer.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
As she wandered through town hunting down her fliers, she heard a sound that gave her pause. Barking? She pauses, glancing towards the source and sees a dog running after a piece of paper. It brings a smile to her face and a chuckle to her lips for the first time in a while, and she is about to turn away to continue in the direction she was heading when a chance gust of wind allows her to see the text on the paper fully.
She lets out a gasp of surprise. It is, quite clearly, one of her fliers. Well, now she has to follow. She breaks into a brisk walk, and for a moment she feels slightly embarrassed. What would people think, if they saw her chasing after a dog chasing after a piece of paper?
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Fortunately for Jacqueline, Spirit is a good dog and knows how to hunt things that run away like papers being blown by the wind. Shortly he has it in his mouth, and trots back to where his mistress--a young woman dressed in dark blue and black--has been chasing after him.
"I wish you wouldn't run off like that, Spirit," she chides the dog, whose wagging tail makes it clear he expects praise for being a Good Dog and catching the thingie!
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
When she begins to fear that she might lost track of Spirit, he stops. It seems that she wasn't the only one chasing after him. Jacqueline stops for a moment to catch her breath before addressing the woman who seems to be his owner.
"Ah...excuse me, miss. I believe your dog has something of mine." She says, then glances towards Spirit. A hard-to-decipher expression comes over her face as she watches him, sitting there and looking so proud of himself.
A part of her feels the urge to reach out and run a hand through his fur, but she pushes those thoughts aside. She didn't know either of these two, after all, and she had to look professional and responsible right now.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Kourin stiffens and looks down at what Spirit has in his mouth. "I...I'm sorry. He's...a dog." She reaches down and extracts the paper, offering it to the other woman.
Spirit barks happily and pads over to Jacqueline, sniffing at her curiously. "Please do not mind him," Kourin says with a sigh.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline accepts the flier with a nod of thanks. She looks it over with a slight frown, then rolls it up and puts it with the others. At least she had it, despite its current condition, but...when she thought about it, there was only one reason she'd been able to locate it. It wasn't like Spirit had pulled it off the wall himself, right?
"Ah...no, no. You shouldn't apologize. If not for him, I might never've found it. Ought to thank him, really." She says, looking down at Spirit as he walks over to her. He looked so...friendly.
"You said his name was Spirit, right? Mind if I...?" She asks, glancing up at Kourin. She wasn't entirely sure about the etiquette of asking a total stranger if you could pet their dog. It wasn't exactly something that came up often.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Spirit doesn't wait for permission to get petted, nuzzling at Jacqueline's hand. "Yes," Kourin says. "Spirit is his name, and mine is Kourin. A pleasure to meet you." The woman avoids looking Jacqueline in the eye, however.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Ah, hold on, hold on." Jacqueline says with a smile. She removes one of her gloves and uses the free hand to give him a gentle pet. "Thanks, Spirit. You were a big help." Not only in recovering the flier for her, but in helping her regain her mood. It still lurked at the back of her mind, but it was nice to have a distraction from it.
She looks up at Kourin and nods in understanding as she introduces herself, before extending the hand that still bore a glove toward her.
"Kourin, huh? Well, I'm Jay. Likewise." She says. Kourin seemed fairly withdrawn, but nice enough.
"He's pretty well-trained. Train him yourself?" Jacqueline asks, curious.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Spirit barks happily at the attention, and rolls over to reveal his belly for rubs.
Kourin touches Jay's outstretched hand with just the tips of her fingers. "I did train him myself, yes...he is the only one who loves me in spite of who I am.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline nods with a smile. It seemed like Kourin wasn't much for shaking hands. Was she shy, or...? Her next comment helps to shed a little light into this mystery. A faint frown crosses Jacqueline's face.
"Well, you could do a lot worse than a dog like him. I dunno, though. You seem nice enough to me." She comments with a slight shrug, studying Kourin for a second. How many tragedies were buried within those dark eyes of hers? Jacqueline could only begin to guess, and feel some sympathy for her.
Movement from Spirit gets Jacqueline's attention. She glances down, and...
Oh no. Those expectant eyes, that exposed belly...it was too much to endure. She kneels down, unable to help but indulge him in his request for rubs.
Behold the professional apothecary, hard at work.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
"You are kind to say so but I know I am unworthy of such praise. It is evident to all before long, it seems. This is why i spend so much time away from others."
She sighs. "I am sorry. It is...difficult to remember that here, not everyone knows my past. With those I travel with, my history is known and marks me as different. As it always has."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline stands up, a pensive expression on her face as she listens to Kourin speak. It sounded like she was far from home. That meant she wasn't a citizen of Linga, then.
"True, I don't know your past. Don't know where you're from." She admits.
"...But whatever happened, that don't give anyone the right to give you trouble about it. Who are these 'companions' of yours?" She says with a frown. She was drawing conclusions from Kourin's words, though not necessarily the right ones.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
"They are fellow followers of Althena," Kourin says, "and they are right to judge me. My mother saw fit to abandon me as an infant on the steps of the Church, you see." She seems to think the conclusion is obvious.
Spirit, enjoying the belly rubs, rolls over without complaint and stands back up when they end. He barks happily again, and then notices his own tail. It is a good tail, and one that needs chasing.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Althena, huh?" Jacqueline comments with a slight frown. This wasn't the first time she'd heard of the goddess, but the first time she'd heard about a church dedicated to her. If this was what they did to their followers, though, she wasn't sure she approved.
She felt a pang of sympathy for Kourin. She seemed like somebody who needed a good hug, but with how hesitant she was to accept even a handshake Jacqueline figured it'd probably do more harm than good right now.
Shehe runs a hand through her hair and glances away from Kourin, feeling somewhat awkward. She hadn't meant to pull up memories like that.
"That's, uh...that's pretty awful. Sorry to hear that." She says, watching Spirit for a moment. Having come from a well-balanced home, she couldn't imagine how that must feel.
"But...I don't think that gives them any 'right'. Doesn't sound like you had a whole lot of input on the decision." She says, looking back at Kourin once more.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Kourin shakes her head firmly. "It was my fault," she states, in a definitive tone. "A mother should love her child, but to abandon her? There must have been something wrong with me, something terribly wrong. It was clear to her and it is clear to me."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Uh-oh. It looks like she might have touched a nerve. Jacqueline fidgets nervously. "That's, well..." She says with a slight stammer. She didn't want to make the situation worse, but she wasn't sure what she could say to help. The way Kourin spoke, it sounded like something she'd believed for a long time.
"Well, look...I dunno. Maybe there was something, but...you were just a baby, right? You couldn't decide anything, wrong or right. Couldn't be your fault." She says, shrugging slightly.
It sounded like she might have to go have a talk at some point with whatever followers of Althena Kourin was traveling with. Jacqueline felt that there was someone at fault here, but it certainly wasn't Kourin.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
"I was nothing more than an infant, it is true, and yet why else would a loving, caring mother abandon her child?" Kourin frowns. "It is all right, others often try to cheer me with such arguments...but there's no other reason I can see that she might have left me."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline ran a hand through her hair. She had her own ideas, but it probably was better not to voice them. She isn't sure what to say. She could deal with indecisive or reluctant customers and she could whip up a potion to help with all kinds of ailments, but this is something else. This is a very deeply-ingrained hurt, and she has no idea what to do about that. There's no quick-and-easy potion for something like this.
Eventually, she gives a slight shrug. "...I dunno, really. There's only one person knows for sure." She says.
"But...well, whatever the reason is, I'm sure there's at least someone out there who cares. Even if you don't know if yet." It's the only thing she can offer right now.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Spirit licks at Kourin's hand, whimpering softly at his mistress' unhappiness. "I will never find her to ask. She did not even leave me the kindness of a name," Kourin says softly. She frowns. "I...apologize. I should not have taken up your time with such nonsense."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline decides it might be best to leave it at that for now. She doesn't think inquiring further would be helpful.
"Don't worry, I have a lot of time on my hands." She replies with a nod. It was true. Until her current business partner got back to her, she had little to do besides research and waiting. And business, perhaps.
"But, hey. If you ever need any traveling supplies let me know, alright? I can get you and your friends situated for a good price." Right now, that was the only thing she could offer. She didn't think she approved of Kourin's 'companions', but bad-mouthing them would only prove harmful.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
"I will keep that in mind, thank you," Kourin says. "I am sure our quartermaster will be interested in anyone who can offer us good business. Thank you for being so patient with me."
Spirit nuzzles at Jacqueline for more attention.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline smiles, acquiescing to Spirit's desire for attention. She lowers her hand again to give him the petting he deserves, though her eyes are still on Kourin.
"Like I said, don't worry about it. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of a chat." She says in an attempt to reassure her, then nods.
"I'll probably be in Linga for a while yet, so just let 'em know to look for Jay."
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.
Kourin nods, still never having quite met Jay's eyes. "I will. Thank you again." Kourin waits a moment for Spirit to join her.
"I should go now, before I am missed."