2019-03-24: Dealing With Spira
- Log: 2019-03-24: Dealing With Spira
- Cast: Marivel Armitage, Dean Stark, Jacqueline Barber, Isolde, Chime Isa, Ethius Hesiod, Gwen Whitlock
- Where: Luca - Port District
- Date: March 24th, 2019
- Summary: It's tough going adjusting to the new environs, but somehow they're going to have to manage. Especially as it pertains to getting supplies. With some of Filgaia's best merchants, its rightful ruler(?), a super courier, an earnest youth, a gambler, and whatever that weird guy in the mask is, they'll pool their talents together in order to find a way to deal... and, um, make deals. Also due. Make due. Due deals.
=========================================<* Luca - Port District *>=========================================
Luca is the largest port and second-largest city in Spira, located the southern tip of the archipelago's largest island. Its location as the central port for Spira's surrounding islands has turned Luca into a thriving economic hub; Besaid, Kilika, and a dozen smaller islands all send their goods to Luca for sale, and even the Al Bhed are known to trade here from time to time.
The port district is an immense, bustling area. The largest port in Luca brings in ships from across Spira -- from small fishing ships from Besaid to Al Bhed salvage ships to large sailing vessels from Bevelle -- and a massive market to match. A large seawall keeps the waters at bay, with piers extending out past the seawall into the water.
BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CIlRCYnZcg
DG: A party led by Marivel Armitage is now entering The Luca Markets. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
============================<* The Luca Markets *>============================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Capitalism, Ho! *>=======================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
Welcome to the Luca Markets!
Whether you have found yourself here by a wrong turn, a wrong dimensional
transfer, or quite deliberately, you have found yourself in just the right
place to buy anything you want. When you round the next bend, you find
yourself face-to-face with the bustle at the core of the markets. Tightly
packed stalls, crammed streets, and crowds that threaten to push and shove
you aside block your path.
But, what is that ahead? Is that discounted weapons? Or fresh fish? Is the
discount expiring!? How will you get through the market quickly -- whether
to get through or to get the deal!?
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Treasure=======================================
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
Marivel Armitage needs new clothes. Her old outfit has gotten damaged severely from elements and also getting repeatedly shot by Erzebet's many bullets. Marivel needs to purchase sewing thread and needles and fabric or, failing that, a new outfit that protects her from the sun as much as the old one did.
And a hat or umbrella. Marivel needs these things too.
Now, Marivel has made clear these needs to Isolde and Gwen at least but she has not made it particularly clear to anybody else who happens to be in the market today. Indeed, Marivel may have a difficult time staying to task herself.
Regardless, it is early evening and Marivel is wearing a blue cap with a pair of ARMsmeister goggles tightened around it, a long blue dress with white trimmings and a bag with a yellow heart around her waist alongside a pair of shoes. She is also wearing a large black vampire's cape. So far, nobody has recognized her as a Crimson Noble unless she literally bit down on someone and announced her identity so she suspects the trend will continue here.
And yes, she has pointy ears, is pale, and has red eyes. And fangs.
She walks through the market, telling her companinons. "Hmm.... this is quite the bustling location. It may be more difficult to find what I was looking for than I thought."
She sniffs faintly. "Hmm... Is this the way to go...?"
She picks off a direction and starts making her way through the market. Her apparent crafty way to get around the crowds is to literally push people out of the way which is a lot easier when you have Brad around. She has, at least, added a hood to her cape to provide some solar protection/hide her nature but....that's obviously not much help there.
DG: Marivel Armitage has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Capitalism, Ho!.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Wow! Look at all these people!" Dean declares, looking around the Luca Markets in wonder. "And all this water!"
Despite having been to a few big cities, it never ceases to amaze the young little-towner when he first arrives at a large city. Even if he was jaded to that big city smell, the water-everywhere-he-looks still impresses. It makes him wish he could swim--with it as warm as it is now, it sure would be nice to go for a dip in it! No wonder everyone's barely wearing anything. He tugs at his scarf, wondering how much of his current outfit he'll have to ditch to fit in *this* time.
Still, that's not his main concern today. Today, it's attempting to find some work so he can have the *money* to get new clothes. Oh, and also check out the new surroundings so he can tell Avril and Rebecca what's what when he sees them next. Except--uh--it's really--extremely--crowded in here-- "oof--excuse me, comin' through--sorry, didn't mean to!--augh i can't breathe--"
Looks like Dean's dangerously close to getting trampled in here. There is a solution he can think of, that is to say using his Standard Cartridge to fire in the air and scatter some if not most of the crowd, but quite frankly, it's smarter to *not* do that than to do it. Seriously, he needs to swap out his Cartridges, especially after he got new ones in the Memorial Sanctuary. And unfortunately, even if Marivel is here and he literally just met her the other day... well...
They're both too short for him to see her in the crowd...!!
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Standard Cartridge toward his party's challenge, Capitalism, Ho!.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline had, primarily, been moping about lately. She had locked herself within her room in the Carakin, emerging from it only for food and to talk to her friends.
...But she can't stay locked away forever, and though her mood is still generally on the lower end of the scale, she's decided to venture into Luca's markets today in an attempts to cheer herself up by partaking in the universal tradition - merchantry.
She doesn't have a stall set up - she hadn't exactly had the time to see what the usual styles were around here. So, she's doing it the old-fashioned way - building up their reputation with her words while showing the chosen product off in her hand.
She's already adjusted her outfit for Spira, too. Today she's selected a sunny yellow sleeveless blouse and a long blue skirt with a pattern remniscent of waves along with her high traveling boots.
She's got a decent crowd built up around her and she's made a small amount of gil already - which was good, because a new land meant a fresh start. And a fresh start meant that, as far as the locals were concerned, she had zero coin to her name.
Making money would, hopefully, make her feel better - but more importantly, it meant she could build her reputation a bit. She'd need to spread the Caravan Kinship's name around...
She can see a few familiar faces in the crowd, but she doesn't call out to them just yet. That's fine, though - fate will undoubtedly conspire to bring them together.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Capitalism, Ho!.
<Pose Tracker> Isolde has posed.
Isolde - the mysterious Drifter who was drawn to the others, perhaps by the will of Raftina - walks with Marivel. She has a serene sort of attitude and walks with a steady smoothness.
Isolde is wearing a coat slightly too big for her as a cloak. She is also wearing a dressy blouse and long breeches, as well as high leather boots.
Isolde's primary thought right now is: Will I die of my own sweat first, or will I dry up like a frog in a drought? Discreetly, she scents the air, but she seems relieved: that's some kind of drying squid she smells. "It's certainly lively," she says, reaching into her coat pocket and drawing out a pair of dice. She rolls them around her fingers, which may be a neurotic behavior.
Someone bonks into her, and she sensibly interprets this as a sign of Marivel's heroic passage through the sea of humanity. "Please forgive her," Isolde says to nobody in particular. To Marivel she asks: "Did you want something off the rack, or are you searching for a tailor?"
DG: Isolde has used her Tool Cubic Prisms of Stochasticism toward her party's challenge, Capitalism, Ho!.
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.
Yet another place to explore and see. Despite her relative short height Chime seems to have little issue moving through crowd. Or maybe it's her heightt hat lets her move so easily. Who wants to hassle a child? A cheek puffs out in mild annoyance at the thought of being considered a child quickly replaced by a usual cheerful smile.
The red-haired elf moves from stall to stall, primarily it looks examining clothes, looking for clothes, and leather! The toolbox on the back of belt gleams with a fresh cleaning and polishing and the pockets of her vest jingle as she moves as eyes well older than her appearance suggest appraise items and look for new items.
DG: Chime Isa has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Capitalism, Ho!.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
AT THE VERY BEGINNING, SOME DAYS AGO
Ethius, once he awakens from the latest knock on the head that took him out of action with Odessa's emergence to find himself on Spira, repeats much of the same bullshit that annoyed the CaraKin or anyone else nearby when they woke up.
Freaking out over the location, attempts to corral people away, not-at-all politefully worded requests as concerning individual presentations, stare dumbfounded at people having reasonable conversations with others, yet another instance of refusing to call an obviously identical fruit by its agreed-upon name, and otherwise do unreasonable things to steer people away from society when society tends to be an unparalleled source of things like 'food' or 'shelter' or 'anything good they could use to survive on another world.'
It is some bullshit, as stated in the first paragraph. It covers well-traveled ground and is a very unpleasant time for all involved. Presumably because no one has died of stavation out in the wild while stark naked, or even fulfill any one of these conditions at all to begin with, it can be assumed that they managed to resist Ethius' machinations once again.
TODAY
Catenna had done excellent work in helping provide local clothing to everyone in the Caravan Kinship.
Ethius has done... a job... of not looking terribly approachable or welcoming - technically correct, but something is... off-putting.
He spent some extra time on the Mi'ihen Highroad which has 'paid off.' 'Paid off' in that he has a handful of gil and understands what the currency is like, of which none of the current Lunarian silver nor Filgaian gella accounts resemble on account of being made of gold.
It is hardly enough to buy anything.
"Yes, I would find your carpentry tools of interest," Ethius says to a local craftsman. It is very warm out, but he has elected to hide most of his skin so that as little of his Symbological tattoos are showing. His face is masked. That is typically something an Al Bhed does to hide their eyes. He is not an Al Bhed
Then, the masked white-haired man turns his head as he hears the unmistakable sound of--
--oh dear
Jay might catch Ethius bowling through the nearby crowd to get to the source of the disturbance (Dean).
DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Capitalism, Ho!.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
The terrible part of the Mockingbird is that, even when you feel reluctant to use it in any meaningful capacity *and* you've just found yourself sobering up from a terrible teary hangover in what seems to be *another continent*, you still need food. Alcohol may have calories, but it won't cut it. She also needs new clothing. Her outfit is adjusted for the warmer climate, but not by much. There's not a whole lot Gwen feels great about exposing to open air, or open sun, for that matter. The clothing, while great for the dry, hot Badlands, sticks to her skin in the humidity of the island climate.
And her money won't work for anything here, unless she can barter a few things from her wagon. But she's got _alcohol_ in there. There *are* the diamond and pearl earrings she got from Isolde, but those are way too precious to barter away immediately.
So what better way to spend some time than to mooch off of Marivel's good graces?
"... It's so hot n' humid..." Gwen groans, trying her best to ensure Marivel isn't bowled over by any of the teeming crowd of humanity.
Like, say, an Ethius. "Is that..." Gwen squints. "... What's Ethius doin'...?"
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Capitalism, Ho!.
=======================<* The Luca Markets - Round 1 *>======================= ========================< Results - Capitalism, Ho! >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marivel Armitage 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Isolde 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Cubic Prisms of Stochasticism 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gwen Whitlock 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dean Stark 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Standard Cartridge 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chime Isa 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Marivel Armitage 0 --(25)--> 25 Pass Conditions: Reckless(2)|Treasure(1) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Marivel Armitage has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
Luckily Marivel doesn't end up wandering in the wrong direction. They, at least, manage to procure a 'sewing needle' from a weapon shop. Yes a weapon shop, apparently sewing needles qualify as weapons on Spira. It's honestly lucky for Marivel that she swam into a treasure chest and that the Al Bhed only MOSTLY looted it before trying to bury it with her still inside.
"Well tis a good start." Marivel says. Isolde continues to be bumped about a bit more than the others simply because she has an extra challenge rating, but honestly nobody has trouble making their way through the crowds for the time being. Everybody reaches their destination. Ethius reaches Dean, for instance, and Chime buys whatever she'd like, and Marivel doesn't run off into the wrong location. Yet.
"I know," She tells Gwen. "Tis terrible, isn't it? No wonder they are having such a difficult time with the weather, the giant whale attacks, a sport that involves drowning your young..."
She looks to Gwen, though, and says, "Ethius?" She sniffs a few times. "Oh...yes, I do catch a whiff of Ethius. Let us follow him. Perhaps he'll do something suspicious but fascinating."
As they walk, Marivel looks to Isolde. "Honestly anything will do so long as it covers most of my body. I can make do with the rest. I really need to keep the sun off me, however."
Jay will be the last one to end up in the group in a small clear area in the market, probably because she's just a little less motivated than the others today. It's how it goes sometimes.
"Ah!" Marivel says. "Ethius! and--" She pauses a moment. "I want to say...Tony Stark? You wouldn't happen to know where the clothing or fabric traders are around here, would you?"
DG: Ethius Hesiod has drawn a new Challenge.
=================================================<* The Luca Markets *>=================================================
=======================================<* CHALLENGE - Shifting the Merchandise *>=======================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 |
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
The stall in front of you is laden with a little bit of everything. There
are crates full of fresh fruit, brought in from the surrounding countryside
and as far as Kilika. There are crates with dried fish, coming from as far
as Besaid, and they have been peppered and spiced to preserve them and make
them delicious. For those needing to feed chocobos, there are crates of
gysahl greens. There are even spheres for sale.
But what you want to buy... is located on the crate at the very bottom of a
very, very large stack of crates.
=Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Tire, Treasure===================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
"Mister Dean." That's Ethius' voice. The way he speaks is not the way that should typically follow after one breaks into a sprint like that - he's hardly winded. "Please take care to better obscure your belongings."
...Anyway, where the strange man is presently accosting a youth, not too far from him is a stall that's looking positively loaded for bear. Their supplier must have come through recently.
"Check out my wares...!" Cries the merchant. "The best and the freshest...!" It smells really nice. The spices here... they're amazing and tickle the scent, tantalizing tastebuds for how it might be in one's mouth. Delicious fruit and fish are piled high, plenty more in crates nearby. Strong-smelling greens with a picture of a bird on its crate suggests their intended recipient.
The masked man turns to the merchant. "The best and the freshest... a recent shipment, then?"
"That's correct!" The merchant replies. "Come, take a look."
"I believe I shall." Ethius remarks as he steps away from Dean to investigate this. By 'investigate,' one means...
Thoroughly pick up each and every item, even identical ones, slowly but surely, methodically. At first the merchant extols their origins, but as it goes on they start getting puzzled and even worried about what's taking so long for him to choose.
...Hey, there's something really cool poking out of one of the crates nearby! Problem is, this 'something really cool' is deeply wedged in there. Maybe it'll be easier if you can open it up...
...but there are multiple crates on top of it. So there'll need to be some rearranging. Hmm, maybe Ethius will be interested in looking over at--
"You say this fruit is fresh," Ethius remarks,
"Freshly picked... as I said," the merchant replies.
"Its hue is a touch brighter--"
"You found the ripest, tastiest one there! Please, do buy it."
Ethius puts it down and picks up another.
...Yeah he's not helping, great.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Shifting the Merchandise.
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.
It's not really by magic, Ethius was a hard person to miss after all, Chime is at his elbow with a bright smile. "Finding anything delcious?" she askes cheerfully, even as she glances over the harvest on display in it's many many crates. "Something smells good, but I don't think it's any of the top crates." she adds unhelpfully.
Probably even worst, she takes a step back out of the way to watch. The four and half foot tall elf is of no use in this but her playful and curious manner keeps her around to watch. She does helpfully direct persons around the obstacle of rearranging crates through. Maybe not completely useless. But close. Like the merchant.
DG: Chime Isa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Shifting the Merchandise.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Dean almost does do the shooty thing, and by reaction his ARMs flash into his hands--but he does remember where he is, and as soon as it's there, it's gone. But then Ethius comes up behind him and gives him a scolding, which means Dean turns and goes from a smiling, "Ethius!" to a puzzled frown and then an abashed, "Oh! Sorry."
Marivel comes up then, with a new buddy in tow, and he turns to her, opening his mouth. He shuts it with a frown, then says, "It's Dean! Tony's an old man!" ...is that supposed to mean anything to Marivel? But he smiles again afterwards. "Glad I ran into someone I knew here, though! This place is *packed*. And actually, all this good-smelling stuff is starting to make me hungry..."
He trails off, looking at the stand in front of them, which has some food. His eyes go starry, but--he doesn't have any money!! Well. No *Spiran* money. What do they even use here?? Either way--
"Hey, mister!" he says to the merchant after Ethius has finished being weird at them. "You've got a lot of bulky crates here. Would you be up for hiring me to help you help customers sort through them for stuff to buy? I'm looking for a job!" He gets out his shovel, bafflingly, and starts using it to push crates to one side so the merchant's goods can be better displayed. "See, I'll show you how helpful I am!" Dean adds, because he is not very good at waiting until he has a promise of something in return before helping people.
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool The Trusty Shovel toward his party's challenge, Shifting the Merchandise.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline sees Ethius following someone, which is never a good sign. She has to conclude a couple of sales first, though, which means she ends up losing track of him a bit - eventually, though she catches up with him - and by extension, everyone else. She takes a sip of one of her potions on the way there - she kind of needs a bit of a boost to get going. If anyone wants some too, they just need to ask.
"Ah, hello, everyone..." Jacqueline greets, in a more subdued tone than usual. "I see you found yourselves here too."
Her attention is drawn toward Ethius again, though, as he appears to be talking with a nearby merchant, in his typical Ethius fashion.
"Trust me, he's not interested in the taste..." Jacqueline says as an aside to Chime, before looking toward the merchant himself.
"Excuse me, sir - I'm interested in that item up there. Do you think you could pull it down for me so I can take a closer look?" She asks the merchant, putting on her brightest smile. It isn't the most genuine she's been able to manage, but it's convincing enough.
She knows better than to mess with another merchant's wares without asking. That way if they knock it all over, she won't owe a single Gella. Or Silver. Or Gil.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Shifting the Merchandise.
<Pose Tracker> Isolde has posed.
Isolde listens to Marivel's relay of the woes of this area, but she seems to bear up being bumped against pretty readily. She breathes out with some effort, and then asks, "Ethius?" with a certain self conscious air. Then, she realizes - no, that's someone else. Phew, she thinks. What I wouldn't give for some rosewater splash right now.
"If all else fails," Isolde offers to Marivel, "I will give you this coat, but it has most of these things of mine inside of the pockets." A beat passes, and then she says, "Tony Stark..."
"What an industrious young man," Isolde says as Dean pipes up to offer to work. Over his shoulder, she asks, "Is this general merchandise? I hear bottles clinking..."
Isolde asides to Gwen, "I think I am swimming in my boots." Rather than contribute to the problem, she tosses her hair back with one hand and lets out a sigh~.
DG: Isolde has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Shifting the Merchandise.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Once Gwen realizes the source of Ethius's concern, Gwen's face lights up. "Dean! Hey, you got taken here too?" She has to stop herself from picking up and giving Dean a giant bearhug, but at the closeness she's at, Dean will likely see that temptation in her eyes. "How's Avril and Rebecca? Did they come here too?"
It's just.... too damn hot and muggy for any sort of human contact like that, and the place is packed with people, and augh, she really wishes she could get away with wearing less clothing, but dgdghdgh. Gwen nods miserably to Isolde at her comment. "... I never thought the air bein' so wet would feel so icky."
Still, it's... sort of sweet, to see Ethius's concern for Dean. As she sees him poking through the fruit, Gwen's stomach growls. "... Ngh... I haven't eaten anythin' since that fish I managed t'catch..." Dean, meanwhile, volunteers to move crates for some money, and Gwen taps her chin. Bottles? Jay seems interested in it too, and Isolde mentioned bottles. If that's the case, then...~
Glancing down towards Marivel, Gwen points a thumb towards the gathering group of people.
"Hey, I'm gonna give them a hand. Just move a few crates, n' maybe..."
If the merchant has to figure out why a young woman is just coming over, indicating with vague statements that she wants to look at a 'thing' and 'she can lift things'. Something like that.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool ARM-ored Fist toward her party's challenge, Shifting the Merchandise.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
"What?" Marivel says of Dean. "No, he's a child...." She frowns faintly. "...Though as I think about it, it's true, you don't look very much like him. I suppose Tony must be a common name. Still, I know what you mean. Since I lost most of my supplies I am far less fed than I have been."
There is a faint mechanical chirping noise within her cloak.
"Yes, yes, you can go for a fly... later." She tells Hob and Nob.
Carefully, she rests an arm on Isolde's shoulder. "Please bear it a little longer. There must be an eatery nearby with some form of cooling system. We can rest there when we are done. And, hopefully, change again." Not that Marivel is sweating, but she seems like she'd appreciate an out from the humidity all the same.
It doesn't seem like anything she's looking for are in those crates so she says, "hmm?"
She points towards the spheres. "Gwen, do you happen to know what those are? I haven't seen anything quite like it. Tis too large to be jewelry, perhaps sculpture or..." She trails off.
DG: Marivel Armitage has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Shifting the Merchandise.
============================================<* The Luca Markets - Round 2 *>============================================ =========================================< Results - Shifting the Merchandise >========================================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marivel Armitage 0 --(3)--> 3 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Isolde 0 --(3)--> 3 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gwen Whitlock 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass ARM-ored Fist 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dean Stark 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass The Trusty Shovel 2 Brute Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Brewte Force 1 Brute Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DG: The party led by Marivel Armitage has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Dean eagerly offers to help, and the merchant - already greatly flustered by this strange local(?) man really looking over the goods, doesn't stop him. Ethius looks away and points a finger in the air following the shape of the spade on Dean's shovel. The finger doesn't linger long before he goes back to doing whatever, but good news is, Dean sure does a lot of the heavy lifting eagerly.
"Hm? Oh... that?" The man pulls down a set of Spheres, further lightening the load on stuff preventing one from looking at the COOL THINGS. "You see, these Spheres are--" OH NO A TUTORIAL IT IS A TUTORIAL BIT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Isolde can see that there's some new boots in one of the unearthed piles of crates. They look comfy! They smell kind of rank though, maybe from close proximity to certain foodstuffs. But they're new boots.
As Gwen moves things around, she can smell the dried fish, and ooooh, they smell great. The scent may or may not compel her to do better, but she does well enough to keep moving crates away.
"Did I hear right, miss...?" The merchant looks away from THE TUTORIAL to the interesting young woman with the red eyes. "Come, I'm just telling another young lady here about Spheres," AND THEN THERE IS MORE TUTORIAL AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH----
Chime is teased with being able to pull out the cool thing, but her arms are too short even after all the crates are moved around. Someone else will have to reach in and grab the cool thing.
Whatever the cool thing is.
Ethius, for some reason, is already elbow-deep in one of the moved crates and the merchant's face pales as he pulls out an interesting hunk of meat. He starts to throw up his hands in panic, stammering as Ethius stares this interesting hunk of meat...
...and puts it back, and walks away. The merchant looks non-plussed, giving nervous glances and giving good deals (read: free stuff, it is hush money) if they don't talk about what they just saw.
Whatever it was, Ethius sure didn't seem to care.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
============================<* The Luca Markets *>============================
=====<* CHALLENGE - How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth? *>======
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
As you make your way through the markets of Luca, you stumble into a pack of
children. Wearing the loose-fitting garb of Spira, they approach you --
likely outlanders -- with wide eyes. There is an assumption here. One that,
perhaps, becomes clear when a child in the lead speaks up:
"Praise Yevon! You must be from the north!" the child says, hopping up and
down. "So you must have seen Bevelle and all those other places! Oh wow, oh
wow... can you tell me a story!? How did High Summoner Braska defeat the
Behemoth in the Calm Lands!?"
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Tire==============================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline just nods quietly to the merchant, sympathy in her eyes. It doesn't stop her from taking the deal, though. She's not about to let a deal get away.
With that done, Jacqueline departs, looking back at the others.
"I saw one that looked decent a little ways back." Jacqueline comments. "Ah...in regards to an eatery, I mean."
Before she can start away to lead them, however, she feels a tiny hand tugging on her skirt, and looking up at her with bright, expecting eyes.
Apparently, word had gotten around about a group walking about that looked to be from out of town, and this rumor had attracted the attention of the children.
"Praise Yevon! You must be from the north!" The child tugging on Jacqueline's skirt says, backing up a little and hopping up and down. "So you must have seen Bevelle and all those other places! Oh wow, oh wow... can you tell me a story!? How did High Summoner Braska defeat the Behemoth in the Calm Lands!?"
Jacqueline stares blankly, momentarily dumbstruck. H-High Summoner Braska? She doesn't know who what is...but the waiting eyes don't seem about to take no for an answer.
And Jacqueline isn't the only one - some of the pack have wandered over to other members of the group, as well.
"A-ah...well, I suppose I can spare a few minutes! Let's see...let's take a seat over there, shall we?" Jacqueline says, pointing at a nearby bench. She moves over and takes a seat and the pack follows, assembling around her. She reaches into her bags and draws out a book, flipping through the pages.
It's a fairly large book, and so it hides the worried look on her face as she desperately looks through it for any information on what a Behemoth is, while also giving her time to decide what, exactly, to say. Eventually, though...!
"A-ah, yes, well...it is a very long story. The Behemoth is a powerful beast, you see, possessing great strength. One swipe of its mighty claws could fell an ordinary man, and one heave of its terrible horns could bring a building down! But High Summoner Braska was no ordinary man, and he knew this, and so, he had a plan..." She explains...then looks to the others expectantly.
Uh-oh, it looks like she's foisting the rest of the story off on you - yes, you, specifically!
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth?.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Dean gives Marivel a blank look. "I think we're talking about two different Tonys," he suggests, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, that's okay! Like you said, it's a pretty common name." He guesses. Meanwhile, Isolde praises him! Or at least, Dean doesn't know what 'industrious' means, but it SOUNDS like praise, so he beams at her all the same. Then...
Gwen? Gwen! Dean lights up when he hears her voice and turns around to see her. "Hey!! I'm glad you're here!" he says with a broad grin. She holds back from hugging him, but he doesn't hesitate; he goes ahead and gives her a squeeze before stepping back. "Yeah, me and Avril and Rebecca showed up together! I'm real glad, because boy, none of us have ever seen this place before..." He rubs the back of his head, looking around at the Luca stalls. "I mean, been in this part of Spira before," he adds quickly, shooting Ethius and the merchant a look as he gets back to work. "How about you? Are you doing okay, Gwen?"
The merchant meanwhile just kind of lets him do it... but hey, Dean gets paid for his trouble! That it's hush money over whatever the heck Ethius was doing is lost on him. "Thanks, mister!" he says, beaming. "Here, Gwen, if you're hungry, lemme buy you something!" He trades back some of his freshly-earned money for a couple pieces of fresh fruit, handing one to his friend and chomping into the other himself. It *is* pretty disgustingly sweaty out here, especially for someone as unseasonably dressed as he is... but hey, he's got food, so it's all good. The rest of his money, he puts in his pocket for safekeeping.
As the group heads onwards, parting the crowds by virtue of its size, they run into some kids. The kids ogle them, then say a lot of things that make no sense whatsoever. Dean stares at him blankly. "UhhhhHHHH," he utters, looking from them to the rest of his group in rising concern.
<Pose Tracker> Isolde has posed.
The boots are new... but at what cost? Isolde rubs the bridge of her nose beneath her eye wraps, and she remembers, with dawning horror, that these are now the only clothes she has in the world.
ON FILGAIA, THE ADVENTURER'S GUILD
"Aaaand that's twelve hours overdue," says the Guild Office Sweetheart. She starts throwing the contents of a number of cubbies into the Deadbeat Sales Bin.
ON LUNAR
"Some kind of eatery would be wonderful, but what do you mean by a cooling system? I understand the concept, of course, but I have never heard of such a wonderful thing," Isolde says to Marivel with the same surprise and joy someone who just heard of a drive-thru liquor store might have. And thencomes the words of a child!
Who says things.
Informative things. Isolde follows after Jay. She seems to shadow her, until the question trails off at her.
Isolde clears her throat.
And then with a flourish she whips out her sword! The long blade glitters in the lamps as Isolde twists herself round, turning with the blade held up high with the point forwards. As she does, she speaks in a loud and authorative voice. "O High Summoner Braska!" she says. "As you prepare yourself, I, your Red Knight, will fight this beast of trial. Fear not for me, for my speed and fortune will keep my flesh intact and my buns un-bitten, and I shall harry it to weaken it for your ultimate strategem!"
After this, she twists the blade around, shifts into a two handed grasp, and -- well it's really more of some basic sword form in an open space, but she accompanies it with heroic "hyah!' and "nnnh!' and "Take that!"
DG: Isolde has used her Tool Travelling Sword toward her party's challenge, How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth?.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Dean's adherence to Ethius' word coaching gets a nod. Hooray! Approval!!
...Children swarm. Ethius holds a hand up to the rest as if to signal something or another, stepping ahead as Jay fumbles with her book. If there is a Yevonite bow, Ethius returns a Yevonite bow with startling accuracy. The arm movements, the bowing, the way the hands are spaced. It's something people do everywhere, so that alone isn't alarming. He caught onto that quick, by appearances. There is weird chuckling from one of the children as though something about this appearance is funny.
"You wish to hear a story about the High Summoner Braska, who defeated the Behemoth in the Calm Lands." Ethius repeats these words. His speech is still awkward and scripted-sounding, merely repeating what it's asked. This is Ethius Hesiod, who seems to exist in a state of 'standing around and staring at people,' 'setting things on fire,' 'capital crimes,' or doing any number of these things at the same time, surrounded by what should be his antithesis - innocent, energetic, inquisitive children.
"Very well." Ethius obliges... Ethius obliges? Uhhh... does he even know the story? "I will tell a story." If he can say that with a straight face... then maybe Jay and some of the others need to re-evaluate their understanding of when he may be speaking any number of misleading statements or outright lies to them. (But he also cheats because he masks his face a whole bunch.)
Ethius does not take a seat. He makes sure his back is to something. He stands exactly as seems appropriate for any grown-up to before a young child in these parts, which is easy enough to see but odd a choice to internalize as an important detail when so much is in flux.
"The High Summoner Braska was truly mighty among Summoners," he picks up where Jay left off. "But for all of his strength, he was not alone. He had his companions." The children start shouting about his Guardians, followed by names he has never heard associated with that Filgaian pantheon. A part of him recalls a most curious fact that reared up three times - Guardian Statues on the Meribus continent. They are speaking the same language. He may have to look into the names he's hearing later, as he raises a hand and ask for quiet and calm.
"With powers beyond at his beck and call." Ethius has one of the satchels he likes to carry around in his hand. He must have found suitable particulate matter out here. A good sign.
Because that's a smoke bomb. He doesn't activate it yet.
"Great powers that inspired fear from all monsters." Ethius does do some rudimentary Symbological spellcasting. A lick of electricity in the air from the low-yield spell he uses to activate the Spectral Lens. Later, a visible wisp of flame, summoned with rapid hand movements and quiet, under-his-breath syllable slurring. He gives children enough time to be impressed - should they be. They might repeat names he's never heard before but otherwise might be useful. (More Guardians? They didn't shout those names when he mentioned companions a little bit earlier.)
"The Behemoth was a fearful creature. Many fell before the Behemoth prior. The High Summoner Braska would bring the help of the Guardians with him." He gestures broadly to Isolde's swordplay. "Together, they would be greater than any single foe."
A trend emerges as Ethius' storytelling continues - he speaks in very broad narrative strokes, practically universal to stories of that nature, substituting familiar names where possible. Jay nor the others have ever really seen him give stories to children. There isn't a greater warmth to his voice than usual, but... some underlying sense that he seems to be taking something of this nature very seriously?
Towards the end of his vague, almost certainly made-up recounting. "The Behemoth may have fallen. A great cloud emerged from where the beast's body fell. With that, the High Summoner's task was at end." He does a gesture with one hand. The CaraKin people know what this is - that's the gesticular component of the Symbological spell that activates the smoke bomb. He fulfills the somantic component between the last statement and the next.
"The Behemoth's reign of terror ended with a cloud much like this one."
and then Powder Grenade. That's the signal to go, go, go.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Powder Grenade toward his party's challenge, How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth?.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Oh, I'm managin'," Gwen says, hugging Dean back. "I'm glad y'all are okay! N'-" When Dean presents her with fruit, Gwen's eyes light up. She graciously takes it and eats with abandon, puckering her lips at the wonderfully sweet taste. "... wow, I wonder what this is. I need t'get more!" But later, as that pretty penny she got for her work (and to keep her quiet) is better saved for now.
And besides, a new challenge awaits.
At first, Jay seems to be in control. She even has a book! Gwen makes a side glance towards Marivel, remembering her sworn duty as protector of Marivel's purse.
Unfortunately, things may not be going so well, and Isolde steps in, along with Ethius. That's going great, but the crowd of children is... getting bigger? This could get complicated.
Gwen, being Gwen, steps in.
She knows how to handle children who want stories. She knows because she *was* one, up until she was able to read, devouring whatever one gella novels she could get her hands on, mostly from drifters needing money. The money was for booze. It was always for booze. And then, as was the custom of the orphanage, she would have to take on certain duties, some of which were basically 'entertain the small children'.
These... are her people.
Stepping by Jay, Gwen smiles wide. "Ahhh, the Summoner Braska! Y'know, everyone knows that story, but y'know, I got one that'll really knock your socks off!" She gives a playful wink. "Now, I can't verify if it's all true, praise Yeh-von, but it's a really good story, so I'm gonna tell it anyway."
And Dean is here, so this plan will be *perfect*, if she can think of one where 1. a golem is not involved in any major capacity, 2. a golem isn't mercilessly slaughtered at the end.
"So there was this sandworm. Now, I ain't sure if any of you know what a sandworm is 'round these parts, because you guys got a lot of ocean, and not-so-much sand. But there was this island with *tons* of sand, and *that's* where this mighty sandworm lived." She raises her gloved hands for effect. "It was *huge*, with a mouth *this big*. It could probably eat a boat in two gulps if it wanted to. And it'd still be hungry. Now, usually, sandworms just do what sandworms need to, but this one didn't. It was swimmin' through the sand lookin' for a meal, and found one in the form of-" cattle won't work, do they know what cattle are, uh uh-
She points to a chocobo, happily warking away with its owner through the crowd. "A bunch of those giant cuccos! It was a giant cucco ranch." She'll quickly correct herself to say chocobo once she's corrected. "It's a weird local name some of us call 'em, it's the same thing, more or less, BUT. To Nigh- er, _the summoner Braska_, who's defeated the Behemoth, a giant sandworm is nothing. And he could never ignore the suffering of others, 'cause that's just the man he is."
The story of Nightburn Acklund and the Renegade Sandworm wasn't exactly one of the best stories, lacking things like amazing feats of gun play and something involving Golems, but it had a certain sort of charm for little kids. A tiny being going up against a giant being, using his wits to overcome obstacles and to be a goddamn hero is the sweetest sort of carrot for a child's unyielding attention. At a certain point, as she continues, she looks up. "Hey Dean, help me out here!"
DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Full Metal Courier toward her party's challenge, How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth?.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Fortunately for Dean, Jay and Gwen take point, first by gathering everyone over to a bench where the storytelling begins, and then Gwen by actually... starting to tell a story! Dean perks when Gwen goes into hers. He knows this one--it's a Nightburn story, after all! "Right, right!" he chimes along with her. "So this sandworm is going around eating people's cuccobos, and that's just not right, because people need them to get around! So High Summoner Braska got together with his--" He shoots a glance over at Ethius and Isolde, "--Guardians? Right, Guardians. And together they lure the sandworm out over towards the ocean, because it's weak to water! Then, just when it's about to pounce and eat one of his brave Guardians alive, POW! BANG! WHAM!" He throws punches and jumps and leaps for effect as he makes those sound effects, "Braska summons one of his Golems--what? Aeons? Right, right, one of those!--and with its awesome and totally cool power, they PUNCH that sandworm clear into the ocean, where it drowned, and everyone's chocobos were safe forevermore after!!"
He nods firmly, grinning. Nailed it!
DG: Dean Stark has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth?.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
"Does air conditioning not exist on Lunar? What is the Althena even doing here?" Marivel throws up her hands in frustration. "Temperature control is one of the key benefits of modern society. Prevents heat strokes, improves air quality, allows you to ride around in a giant robot without passing out from heat exhaustion...Even without machines there are plenty of methods to ensure you are slightly less melting in the sun...Though I would strongly suggest, at minimum, making use of cold coils--"
She sighs wistfully, staring into the distance. She draws out her microphone which, uh, at least doesn't look like machina. So there's that. She twirls it around her hand for a moment taking a deep breath to calm herself down. She doesn't really breathe, exactly, but it's a learned gesture that helps at least.
"I'm sorry," She asides to Isolde. "It has been a difficult week for me."
She takes in a deep breath and then looks to the children.
"And you might think, after he defeated the sandworms, that all was well...."
She slowly approaches, using her microphone to increase her volume. "But then..."
She walks closer. "Just as he was resting on his laurels..."
She steps closer. "Thinking that his duty for the day was complete..."
She raises both arms into the air, hands shaped like claws, and roars mightily. "THE ALMIGHTY SIN ARRIVED...VENGEANCE IN ITS EYES..."
"And then...before he could react.... SIN ATE HIM WHOLE! Down the gullet, in a single bite!"
"Yummmm..." Marivel said, rubbing her stomach. "High Summoner is the tastiest summoner, Sin thought most monstrously to itself...!"
Marivel why.
DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool My Mike toward her party's challenge, How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth?.
DG: Chime Isa has used her Tool In-Fight Meal toward her party's challenge, How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth?.
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.
Chime isn't the first to notice the children by any mreans, but she readily fades out because of her height. After all, isn't she but a child herself! Irrate cheek puff...
On the other hand, it's handy some times such as now when she gets to hang back and chortle softly as the rest attempt placate the children as best they can!
As the others give quite the variety of stories, the ARMs Meister's giggling doesn't stop. Green eyes glitter with amusement as she listens to the tales, while gathering a few items up from her toolbox.
As the children look on at the... many sudden answers, Chime quietly slips into the group from the side almost flowing across it as she hands out small items to the children giving them a sudden distraction and their attention potential as the four and half foot tall elf winks playfully them.
Chime holds up the item she'd been handing out and its... CANDY! as Marivel adds her own tale. "Hey hey! One of the merchants gave me this! It's delcious! Oh, oh oh! I heard the blitzball teams are arriving at the high road! Lets go there!" in an exicited, childish voice as she prepares to lead the horde off, while convienently getting left behind sucking on her own piece of hard candy if it works.
=======================<* The Luca Markets - Round 3 *>======================= =======< Results - How Did High Summoner Braska Defeat the Behemoth? >======== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marivel Armitage 3 --(3)--> 6 Pass My Mike 4 Combat Effects: Efficient and Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Isolde 3 --(3)--> 6 Pass Travelling Sword 3 Combat Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gwen Whitlock 0 --(3)--> 3 Pass Full Metal Courier 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dean Stark 0 --(8)--> 8 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 5 --(3)--> 8 Pass The Lifeweaver's Codex 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(3)--> 3 Pass Powder Grenade 3 Combat Effects: Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chime Isa 3 --(3)--> 6 Pass In-Fight Meal 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Marivel Armitage 50 --(20)--> 70 Pass Conditions: Tire(2)|Weaken(1)|Wound(2) Effects: Embolden(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Marivel Armitage has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Gwen Whitlock has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* The Luca Markets *>============================= ===============<* CHALLENGE - Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home *>================ |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The amount of activity in the markets means that, sometimes, something just goes wrong. Today, that is a cart being pulled by one of the terrifying, golden yellow horsebirds of Spira: the venerable chocobo. The cart's fastenings break loose -- and there is a shout from the crowd, as the cart comes free... and rolls straight towards you! =Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Injure=============================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline is surprised, to see, of all people, Ethius step in. His tone doesn't inspire much interest, but he still gets their attention - they must just be glad someone's paying attention to them.
Jacqueline, meanwhile, frowns slightly from behind her book as she observes the object he produces.
At an appropriate point, Isolde draws her sword with a flourish. She gets their attention easily, and there are surprised, impressed gasps from the children as she displays her skills. There's some applause...but unfortunately, now they want more story!
Bright, wide eyes turn to Gwen as she offers a story of her own, the time someone who was Definitely High Summoner Braska defeated the mighty Sandworm. One of the children gasps and hugs a stuffed chocobo close to themselves as she mentions the threat to the chocobo ranch. Dean offers some details, too, and at the news of its defeat, cheer goes up from the crowd!
But then, Marivel has an addition of her own. Just after defeating the Sandworm...Sin arrived, and swallowed Braska whole!? Shocked gasps rise from the crowd of children but suddenly, the ostensible leader of the group says.
"H-hey, that can't be right! I bet...I bet High Summoner Braska must've flown right out of there, punching a hole right through its belly! Yeah!" There's the beginnings of some ruckus...but thankfully, Chime is there - her offering of treats proves a clever distraction, and soon enough, they're following her lead toward the Highroad, unknowingly leaving Chime behind.
And, thankfully, Ethius's Powder Grenade will provide a smokescreen with which they can escape, lest anyone find out about the heretical stories a certain someone is spreading.
"Wh-what was that about...?" Jacqueline asks with a frown, looking right toward Marivel.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
"You can't have a good adventure story without danger," Marivel tells Jay. "Not one for children, anyway! I knew you would have the High Summoner find his way out of his predicament...just when all seemed lost." She smiles fangly. "Nice job!"
She pats Jay on the back twice. Pat pat.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
"I must advise caution about introducing new characters to well-told stories," Ethius remarks somewhere in all of this as they part ways with the children. "Many such tales are told with repetition. Those told to children are oft spoken multiple times in their childhood."
Ethius brings a hand up to his forehead as he continues to elucidate.
"Many such stories contain similar elements regardless of their place of origin. A hero. A trial. A complication. A boon. A companion. A temptation," Ethius continues to elucidate, "the most repeated stories are such because they are cherished. So long as you are able to capture the broad strokes of a story as you tell it, they will be eager to bring attention to small details they find fascinating - their 'favorite parts.' If done with care, they will be the ones to tell you the story - a reversal of the assumed relationship on the surface between storyteller and audience - and will be none the wiser that you knew not what story you were being told to ask."
...Hidden depths?
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
SPEAKING OF CHOCOBOS, there are even more here as the group wisely disappears into the smoke, having newly damaged the faith of several young children, leading them possibly to a life of ruin and sin, with a lower case s.
Hearing Ethius speak as they move out of earshot and eyeview, Gwen groans. ".... Man, I should've thought of that, lettin' them just tell me th'story. I mean, it's true. Dean n' I managed to know the same exact story without much promptin'." She straightens, dusting off her coat. "But at least I've gotten some money for a new outfit, if I can figure somethin' out. But first-" She turns to Marivel, and hesitates.
...... which name was her real name, again
"Weeeee are gettin' you your new outfit! Maybe somethin' in light reflective colors? Maybe a parasol! Or a wide-brimmed hat. I think you'd look cute! There's tons of ways to keep your skin protected from the sun n' keep cool at the same time!" She grins, planting her hands on her hips. ".... I'm just... used t'assumin' it'd be a dry sort of heat. But y'know, it really is amazing, this place... at first, I thought we were in Aquvy, but I guess we're-"
One of the aforementioned chocobos, speeding past, comes with cart in tow. A dislodged bit of stone dislodges the the fastenings on the cart, freeing the chocobo from its load and the cart to go its separate way, at the mercy of whatever direction it is dislodged towards.
Unfortunately, in this case, the direction is Isolde's.
Sharp eyes realize the trajectory, and Gwen's face blanches. "Isolde, look out!"
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home.
<Pose Tracker> Isolde has posed.
Isolde, before her turn on the catwalk, seemed to be genially accepting what Marivel is saying. "It all sounds delightful, but what is it, exactly? Ice? As in from an icehouse?"
But now!
Now, she is punctuating the other actions with her sword forms. Close observers might be able to tell that there's a lot of twisting and raking here, but it does look rather cool. She even does a spontaneous backflip which reaches nearly two meters in the air - her coat falls off her shoulders, and she catches it on sword tip, twisting it around, tossing it in the air -
And catching it on one arm. She sheathes her sword as she stands up. Behind her, sensible storytelling advice is distributed. Isolde smiles to herself; something about all of this is nostalgiac... the crowd, the children (even if they don't seem thrilled at this twist), the runaway horsebird, the call to look out -
Wait.
Isolde frowns for a moment. Her head tilts to the side.
She doesn't move. Doesn't move. Doesn't -
jump!
The leap is that two meter vertical jump she's done before, in fact, did just now. It comes with a ninety degree twist and, miracle of miracles, she lands on the driver's seat.
From the coat she fishes out a whistle which she immediately raises to her lips and BLOWS INTO FIT TO BURST, the loud shrill warning noise probably causing paralysis in small animals but certainly giving ample warning.
DG: Isolde has used her Tool Enigmatic Whistle toward her party's challenge, Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Dean also gives Marivel a stunned look when she straight-up has the main character get eaten by a horrible town-destroying monstrosity. He might not know who summoners or Braska or Guardians or aeons are, but even he knows what Sin is. She doesn't even offer a lead-in for a triumphant return, she just straight-up kills him off! Good thing those kids come up with their own ending... which Ethius then suggests they should've done in the first place. Dean scratches his head, looking dubious. "When did we make up a new character, though...? We just replaced Nightburn with that Braska guy." He nods at Gwen as she confirms this, and how they'd just linked in on each other since they'd known that story already.
The rest of what Ethius says is pretty interesting, though. Let the listeners tell you the parts they like best, and they'll end up telling *you* the story, huh... Dean looks thoughtful at that, nodding slowly. "That makes sense! I'll remember that."
ALL OF A SUDDEN AAAAAH RUNAWAY CART! A RUNAWAY CART IS ON THE LOOSE!! Dean spins around when Gwen shouts a warning to Isolde, but before he can even try to rush to her help, she LEAPS up and onto the cart. He boggles, mightily impressed.
"Wow! That was so cool!" A beat. "Wait, no, we gotta stop it!!" he says, Twin Fenrir flashing into his hands. He shoots the Freeze Ray at the cart's wheels, hoping to freeze them in place and stop them from moving. That this would cause brand new problems is not something that occurs to him just that second...
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Freeze Ray toward his party's challenge, Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
"Well, Ethius, perhaps you shouldn't have told the whole story on your own!" Marivel says, eyes closed and gesturing with a hand as if it were truly his fault she had to go and add Sin to the story. "Though I must admit..." This with a crooked grin. "You are quite the storyteller Ethius. A natural, even. Perhaps to you it seemed easy, but it isn't so easy to identify the broad strokes of a story and keep it interesting without spilling that you are riding along the archetypal tale. Perhaps one day when you are done with your own adventures...that would be quite the occupation for you. The children would love you, I'm sure."
(Some civilizations used snow, Marivel tells Isolde at some point).
She nearly wanders off on her own after a moment (she saw a book seller) when Gwen mentions a new outfit and Marivel remembers herslef.
"Oh! Is it time for that? I honestly, thought we'd never find a place with fabric. Or clothes for that matter."
Gwen shouts for Isolde to watch out and Marivel's head turns Her eyes widen and she rushes towards Isolde to try and save her only for uh--
--for Isolde to jump two meters in the air. Marivel blinks once before the cart collides into her and--
--reappears next to Isolde, dusting herself off. Letting out a faint sigh she draws out bloodpack from her cloak, sticks the straw into her mouth and drains the rest of it.
"Well, looks like I need to find more where that came from soon."
"Isolde," She adds. "That was quite the impressive leap--"
Her eyes widen. "Oh!! Look at these...!"
She starts making her way towards some mysterious looking tomes. OH NO.
DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Tomato Juice For Grownups toward her party's challenge, Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home.
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.
Disengaging from the children, it's easy to find the group again with little effort as Chime quietly falls back in with a cheerful smile. She's also added several bags to what she's carrying.
Of course, the busy market remains quite busy, and now new problems! A run away cart! Chime stops and considers, looking around as if wondering why this felt similar to another runaway cart in a shanty town. At least it's cleaner here.
Shaking her head slightly, she shifts her purchases and eases off to the side out of the cart to watch Isolde with amused interest in what happens with the cart. And watch the results of Dean's reaction and use of an ARM.
DG: Chime Isa has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Marivel gets an unamused frown from Jacqueline. She's really not sure what to make of this one. She looks toward Ethius, though, as he explains...storytelling methods?
"...That's...actually quite insightful." She observes, surprised.
She doesn't have much time to dwell on that, as soon, a chocobo attached to a cart comes barrelling down the pathway!!
...They can pull carts...? Jacqueline files this information away for later. But for now...
"Oh, chocobo...! Please calm down! It's okay now!" She urges. But if that's not enough...she draws something from her bags, something she'd purchased off of the merchant from earlier.
Some gysahl greens, to be exact - she tosses them ahead of the chocobo, giving enough room for it to slow itself down.
With any luck, the greens would be enough to attract its attention...!
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
The oddball Symbologist turns his gaze back over Marivel-side as Gwen enthusiastically discusses matters of 'keeping your skin protected from the sun,' in time for being addressed for his storytelling prowess.
A consideration for his future. He is fixated on a past he hasn't yet reclaimed. A part of him grows a touch more uncomfortable with some of the prospects, but, nonetheless...
"So you are possessed of a skin condition, then," Ethius asks someone with glowing red eyes, a fangy grin, pale flesh where visible, and pointed ears who was seen not long ago enjoying a bag of red... liquid matter out of a bag.
Then, all of a sudden, there is a runaway cart!! Ethius clambers atop a barrel and affixes the harness for the Hot Air Sack around his wrist with practiced speed, like he might spend hours a day practicing its wear on and off because he's... himself.
One Symbological spellcast later, it fills with hot air as he leaps up, curling his legs upwards to try and let the carriage pass underneath as Isolde dramatically hits the driver's seat. Dean summons Twin Fenrir--
"Mister Dea--"
Ethius hits his head on a nearby sign. clonk
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home.
========================<* The Luca Markets - Round 4 *>======================== =================< Results - Runaway Cart, Never Coming Home >================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marivel Armitage 6 --(0)--> 6 Pass Tomato Juice For Grownups 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Isolde 6 --(0)--> 6 Pass Enigmatic Whistle 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 3 --(5)--> 8 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean Stark 8 --(5)--> 13 Fail Freeze Ray 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 8 --(0)--> 8 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ethius Hesiod 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Hot Air Sack 2 Agility Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chime Isa 6 --(0)--> 6 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Marivel Armitage 70 --(20)--> 90 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Slow(2)|Tire(1)|Wound(1) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)|Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Marivel Armitage has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Chime Isa has drawn a new Challenge.
============================<* The Luca Markets *>============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - And the Fans Rush In *>====================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
As you make your way towards the exit, a cry echoes throughout the streets
near the gate. The cry from the crowd is joined by numerous voices; the
young, the old, and the faithful. It may be a case of mistaken identity, or
perhaps she is nearby.
"Lady Summoner!" "Lady Yuna!"
This results in the crowd surging forward to see the alleged Summoner. This
makes getting out of the market -- and not getting pushed aside or underfoot
-- rather difficult, /especially/ if there is a final trinket or bauble you
wanted to buy first!
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
The chocobo warks with alarm. The carriage speeds past, past Chime Isa and her bags, past an alarmed Gwen, past Dean drawing his twin ARMS, past Ethius chonking into a sign, and right towards a balancing Isolde.
And Isolde leaps, landing right on the driver's seat and blowing that strange whistle, giving enough warning for those still in the cart's way as it slows to a stop.
The whistle also makes the chocobo stop in its tracks. A quick-thinking Jay gets the attention of the panicked chocobo, whose fear towards abruptly to generous warking as it begins to chow down on the greens Jay gives it in offering. The driver, having been knocked off her wagon when the bump happened, comes running up. "Oh, praise Yevon! I thought my goods were done for! And Sir Flufflebottoms, you are okay!" She rushes to the aforementioned 'Sir Fufflebottoms', giving the chocobo a big hug. "Thank you miss, ah, would you or your friends be interested in some of my wares? As my thanks!"
It just so happens, as she lifts away the cloth protecting the wares underneath, that there's a mild variety of fabric, as well as some clothing items.
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.
With cartastrophe handled, Chime glances down the path it had taken with amusement. It was funny, in hindsight, but only because noone seemed be hurt badly. Then slender ears twitch slightly at a sudden change in the atmosphere and noise a second or two before it becomes appearent.
"Lady Summoner!" and the bodies crush together as a horde of people push through the market picking up more "Lady Yuna!" the calls cry out as the rushing crowd pushes forth through the Market trying to get somewhere to see someone. This unfortunate Yuna person most likely.
While most people are considerate, the crowd has become much less so is the last few seconds as it pushes and pulls like a riptide trying to make it's way to it's destination, people pushing and shoving trying to get to the front or in front of the group to be the first to see the target of their... zealous affection.
Chime works to edge further away from the shifting crowd, out of the way by moving up onto some decorative planeters both to see better and be out of the way! Two for one deal! Hopefully she doesn't see something she wants in the process because she's quickly going to be stuck for a bit if she doesn't get dragged away with the crowd.
DG: Chime Isa has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, And the Fans Rush In.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
At least Twin Fenrir vanish as soon as they came; that's the advantage of having ARMs that are so well-attuned to you that you can literally summon them from apparent nothingness. When Dean's initial shot misses, he bites back a cuss and chases after the cart, thinking maybe he can grab it and help slow it down. As he does, he passes by Chime, who's hanging back to watch and smile at the disaster in motion as if it existed for her personal entertainment, which will strike Dean later as frankly awful once he has time to think about it.
For now, fortunately, things are more under control than they seem, and he soon skids to a halt along with the cart. He breathes a sigh of relief that it all turned out well while the owner catches up and thanks them all.
"I'm glad it all turned out okay!" he tells the merchant with a smile. He lights up when she pulls back the cloth over her wares. "Oh, great, this is exactly what I was looking for! Let's see, how much can I buy with this much...?"
A few minutes later, Dean is out of gil but now carrying an outfit or two or three in a shopping bag he carries with both hands. He hasn't gotten a job per se, but he had something to eat earlier (which he wolfed down real fast), and now he's got new clothes for himself and Avril and Rebecca! Except then people start yelling about a 'Lady Yuna' and crowding together real hard, real fast, to try to get a look.
"Lady who?" Dean says, looking around; fortunately, no one hears him. He's bumped into and staggers to one side, nearly knocking into Isolde; fortunately, he rights himself first and smiles at her. "Oh hey! That was really amazing, that jump you did earlier! How'd you do that?"
With his arms full, thankfully, this time he can't call up his ARMs, so Ethius won't have to slam his head in another sign trying to stop him. That's the best for everyone involved, one is sure. He'll just have to try to make his way through and around the crowd without dropping his new purchases.
<Pose Tracker> Isolde has posed.
"Thank you, Tony," Isolde calls, before her attention turns towards Marivel and she says genially, "Thank you... but it's really only delayed the problem, hasn't -"
*tweet!*
"Marie," she says, "are you looking at books? You told me to mind your lusts." *tweet!* "Do not spend a single penny on books!" *tweet!* "Are YOU NOT--"
'Yuna?'
'Lady Summoner!'
'Lady Yuna!'
'Lady Summoner!!'
'Yunaaaa!'
Isolde's lips purse into a pouty little half-frown as the crowds move, but, sitting as she is atop the cart, she reasons that this is the best place for her. "How do you do," she says to Ethius, turning to proffer him one hand. And then to the owner of Ser Flufflebottoms, she says, "We would love that. Dry goods, yes? In fact, my charge here-" *tweet!* "- is in the market for some new attire -"
And in the course of this she had been dismounting, just in time to be nearly impacted by Dean. "Oh! Yes, thank you. Well, it's really a matter of learning how to engage all the muscles below the waist, you know? It's a little hard to explain, but if you practice long enough you'll get the hang of it. Do you know the knight's exercise?"
Isolde does a quick demonstration.
It's a squat.
"Ten of these a day," Isolde says. "Then ten, twice. Then twenty, twice - I did some for four hours straight, once, before I had to yield, but it was for a bet, you understand; I wouldn't recommend that you go THAT far."
She raises her voice. "Marie!" *tweet!* ("I love this whistle," she explains to Dean.)
DG: Isolde has used her Tool Enigmatic Whistle toward her party's challenge, And the Fans Rush In.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I-It's okay, really!" Jacqueline says, offering the merchant woman a kind smile. "I was just doing what I could to help...but I am certain we wouldn't mind taking a look!"
She doesn't need any new clothes herself, though, so she steps aside and lets the others look. One shopping spree later, a new ruckus is arriving...though not directed at them.
"'Lady Yuna'?" Jacqueline questions, sounding as much as if she was asking 'who' as she was asking 'where'. This is proceeded by a crushing throng of people, and they are everywhere!
Jacqueline downs another potion quickly, diving behind a stall to take cover. But as she does, she notes...
"Oh, this is quite nice...may I purchase this?" She asks. She holds a box of fresh Spiran tea leaves up for inspection by a merchant that is also hiding nearby.
Apparently they, too, were hiding from the crowd.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, And the Fans Rush In. DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Freeze Ray toward his party's challenge, And the Fans Rush In.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Somewhere in the chaos of the jostling runaway cart and nearby architecture, a cloth falls over Ethius while he drifts. Somehow it doesn't slide off the patchy inflated cloth sack-balloon, giving the appearance of a robed figure as an unconscious Ethius drifts along for a very short while.
*incessant tweeting*
Ethius stirs awake - sort of - as Isolde greets him from atop her cart. He has lost altitude. His feet are starting to touch the ground. His free hand goes to his head, from under the sheet that now partially obscures his vision.
"How do I... I am--" He reaches out to make the handshake as he struggles to get back control of words, but theeeen--
'Lady Summoner! Lady Yuna!' The crowds call, and he is body checked. His slouching posture as he is carried along by the low-tech device of his make is obscured under this fallen sheet around him. He has no traction save for where he can try to put his feet down, but gets dragged along as a whole crowd pushes and urges this mysterious unidentified cloaked person (who is totally not a partially conscious Ethius with a blanket over him).
The mysterious unidentified cloaked person seems to be turning circles as they go with the crowd. They must be so happy and not at all spinning out of control by an inflated balloon that will not deflate in time!
...A chance to shop some more without him breathing down one's neck over any minute details that seem to get him to weigh in without prompting!
"Praise Yevon!" Says another crowd-goer, ignorant of this plight. Hey, maybe this 'Yevon' is giving everyone a few blessed Ethius-free minutes! What a cool deity this Yevon is.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, And the Fans Rush In.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
*tweet!* As cries of 'Lady Summoner' fill the air, Gwen looks around. *tweet!*
*tweet!* Marivel is missing. *tweet!*
'You told me to mind your lusts.'
Oh good, Isolde is minding h- oh wait, she's on the cart. TIME TO SAVE THE DAY
"Clothing first!" Gwen states, even placing a hand on Marivel's shoulder (or collar, if that works better) if Marivel continues in her sinful quest for knowledge. "Besides, if I look 'round my wagon, I bet there's a novel or two you can sink yer teeth into."
She hesitates, pauses, then wipes the sweat from her brow. "... I meant that in a bookworm kinda way, of course."
Maybe Marivel would appreciate a greatly worn novel about the grand adventures of Nightburn Acklund, a manual on the upkeep of horses, or 'Trade Route Forecast for the Badlands for 501 PC'. Riveting stuff.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, And the Fans Rush In.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
"Oh! Excellent work, Gwen! This should suffice nicely." Marivel collects some fabric and a few spare outfits. After that she's basically out of gella for the time being. She seems to like large black capes a lot. Strange.
"That's correct." Marivel tells Ethius. "I react very poorly to the sun. I burn up very easily and sunblock doesn't help nearly as much as you'd think it would, so that's why I wear heavy clothing...even if it makes me look a touch suspicious. Luckily it's evening now so I can dress like a normal person now."
Glowing red eyes, fangy grin, pale flesh, large black cape.
Marivel slips off shortly after towards those tantalizing books. Tweet! Tweet! Marivel decides she hardly can be blamed if she just couldn't hear the whistle over the crowd but--
Gah!!
"Gweenn!! Traitor! Hiss!!" Marivel protests.
And then, she's pulled back away and Marivel exhales a sigh. "No, no, you two are correct. That was a close one. Ahh...but the feel a nice hard cover book between--no, Marivel...!"
She squints her eyes tight for a moment, pauses.
"Marie." She asides to Gwen, laughing awkwardly at that. "Anyway!! It seems that we should get moving." Drawing the remains of some 'juice' from her lips and popping it into her mouth. "It seems there's quite the bustle..."
She smiles. "I think I'd like that."
Marivel is not a fairweather bibliophile. Her hunger for tomes is perhaps even more ravenous than her hunger for your plasma!!!
DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Tomato Juice For Grownups toward her party's challenge, And the Fans Rush In.
=======================<* The Luca Markets - Round 5 *>======================= ======================< Results - And the Fans Rush In >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marivel Armitage 6 --(0)--> 6 Pass Tomato Juice For Grownups 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Isolde 6 --(5)--> 11 Fail Enigmatic Whistle 2 Agility Effects: Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gwen Whitlock 8 --(5)--> 13 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dean Stark 13 --(0)--> 13 Pass Freeze Ray 2 Agility Effects: Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 8 --(5)--> 13 Fail Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Hot Air Sack 2 Agility Effects: Resilient ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chime Isa 6 --(0)--> 6 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Marivel Armitage 90 --(30)--> 120 Pass Conditions: Slow(2) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Marivel Armitage has successfully explored The Luca Markets!
============================<* The Luca Markets *>============================ =============<* CHALLENGE - The Life and Times of Lord Mi'ihen *>============= |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- One of the market stands near the exit is a bookseller. Books are sometimes rare on Spira, as few cities are large enough to maintain a printing press for long. However, you have found one -- and this book stall had several copies of a well-decorated and well-illustrated tome titled The Life and Times of Lord Mi'ihen. This book details the life of the founder of the Crusaders, Mi'ihen, and includes his speech to the Maesters of Yevon to win his trust. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.
It only takes seconds really, maybe a minute tops, for the crowd to push through the market. When it leaves, the area is much less congested. On the other hand, most of the stalls are closing too! And other than Ethius who got dragged along a ways no thanks to a misbehaving sheet, the others manage to make it safely, maybe drawing strange looks for strange exercises or reacts.
With the market starting to close down, Chime hums cheerfully to herself hopping down from her perch with baggage in arm. Only to stop as a stands still open is a book seller! Chime makes her way to it, idly browsing the material available looking for something to read. There are several books left for sale, but only a single one has several copies left and the cheapest price, 'The Life and Times of Lord Mi'ihen'.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline waits until the rush of the crowd passes before emerging, stowing her latest purchase away in her bags and brushing off her clothes.
"Well, whoever this 'Lady Yuna' is, she certainly seems to...command their respect." She observes. The store that Chime finds herself at attracts Jacqueline's immediate attention.
"Is that...a bookstore?" Jacqueline questions. She pauses, her eyes being drawn toward a large, well-put-together book - the Life and Times of Lord Mi'ihen, has Chime also observes.
"Oh my. I think I want this." She breathes out picking up a copy. If Spira has books too, as rare as they might be, then maybe this place isn't so bad...
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.
And so Gwen inadvertantly guides Marivel from one of two book stores in town...
...to the other book store in town.
She slowly looks towards Gwen expectantly.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Ohhhh," Dean says to Isolde, listening raptly. The knight's exercise, though? "No, what's that?" It turns out to be a squat, though--ten a day, then ten twice... does that mean thirty a day? Dean's eyebrows furrow in confusion at this, but he nods to her all the same. "Okay, I'll give it a shot! Thanks for the tip!" A beat. "Yeah, I can tell." Another beat. "And my name's Dean, not Tony!!"
A crowd-drifting later...
"Yeah, no kidding," Dean says to Jay. "Whew, that was rough for a second there. I'm glad we all got out okay!"
He pauses, then looks around to check that everyone did get through okay. They're at a book stand! It doesn't have any books about Golems or Nightburn or anything like that, so Dean doesn't look at it with much interest. Still, he does observe, "Mi'ihen... Like the road? You think it's named after this guy?"
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius continues to drift along with the crowd, helpless but in an advantageous position (in so far as drifting helplessly with no traction goes while being pulled and battered by crowds). Though he does not like the idea of letting any number of them go unsupervised, perhaps he might get a look at this supposed 'Lady Summoner' in the pro--
He gets shunted into one of the alleys becaue there's just so many people there. It is not to be.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
It really seems like there's no winning this fight. Gwen knows when the universe is uniformly against her.
As Marivel looks at her expectantly, Gwen sighs. "Well, we *did* get some clothing earlier. But." She holds up a finger. "Just this one book, 'specially since this might been good in general fer research purposes. We gotta act like we know what we're talkin' 'bout. SO. We're gettin' this book, n' we're all gonna share it." She squints. "Assumin' we can read it."
<Pose Tracker> Isolde has posed.
"Oh, do forgive me," Isolde tells Dean. "I may have been confused when Marie said your name. I try to pick these up but it's not an exact process." She smiles again, splaying her fingers together before her. "Call me Isolde."
She follows after Dean.
She sighs as the bookstore comes up.
"I suppose one or two can't hurt," she says. "If they have information on this realm, at least." Isolde takes a deep breath...
"You've already learned the names of the roads? My, my." Isolde then says, "They say that when you read a text aloud to others, you remember it far better."
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"It's okay," Dean reassures Isolde, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Isolde!" He offers her his hand to shake.
Book place happens.
"It's just the one road. And it's only 'cuz it's such a big, *long* road," he explains. "Anyway, I'm all for sharing!" Especially since Gwen is right, and they probably *will* get to learn more about this place through it. He considers what Gwen and Isolde say, and suggests, "Maybe we can take turns reading it aloud? Or get someone to read it to us!"
And that, as they say... is that. Or something.