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| The Slave Trade | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 23 2011, 08:54 PM (2,453 Views) | |
| Gordreg | Nov 4 2011, 11:02 AM Post #21 |
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Administrator
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Jel gave a nod as Kokyrie departed to scout the voices ahead, her lips very firmly closed to avoid drawing any ire from Xera. Using the brief stop as a chance for a sit, she leaned back against one of the trees… then winced as she felt something sharp against her back, and jumped right back onto her feet again. Biting her lip to keep herself from squeaking, she turned about, and looked at where she’d just tried to sit herself… and saw the branch of thin, spiky leaves she must have trapped between her back and the trunk. Pushing it aside, she’d barely gotten herself sat down again when Kokyrie returned with news of a find of clothes. She listened as she rose back to her feet once again, and followed Kokyrie onward. They came to a stop again near a spinney, and Jel gave another nod as Kokyrie outlined her plan, even though it confused her a little. “I… don’t really know, Nix…” she whispered back as Kokyrie and Xera crept forward again; right before a loud moan arose from the midst of the bushes to provide quite the strong audial clue of just what was going on just a few feet away from them, and most likely the same thing Kokyrie was preventing them from witnessing. Jel’s eyes went wide, and her cheeks flushed crimson. “…ahh…” she faltered “I guess… that’s what…” She gave a cough. ~ When Kokyrie returned, and laid out the selection of clothing she’d ‘scavenged’ from the presumably coupling couple, Jel gave a small frown as she looked them over. The clothing most certainly wasn’t Ixa’takan in looks, though she thought she had seen items like them before; perhaps during their visit to the city of Valua? She watched as the captain made her selection, leaving Xera with the other items through default, and then gave a look bemusement as Kokyrie snatched Xera’s top away as well. For a moment she actually wondered if Kokyrie was about to wear both shirts at once, before Kokyrie used Nixie’s knife to sheer away the lower half of the top, revealing her motive as mere stylistic adjustment, and tossed the shorn top half back across to the other warrior. “They look good on you, Kyrie.” Jel nodded, as the group moved on. “A little unusual, but good… do you think we’ll find anything else?” she queried, raising her hands nervously to her mouth. “Perhaps… someone in town will be having their wash-day?” she queried hopefully, as they crept closer to the town, Jel’din resolving to keep a careful eye out for any lines of drying clothes. |
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| Jet Blackbeard | Nov 6 2011, 10:14 PM Post #22 |
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aka Bear
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Kokyrie gave Jel'din a wry grin at the thought. It wasn't hard to imagine being able to pick out the individual odors of every unwashed pirate in the town even at this distance. "Well, miracles do happen." She laughed. "But pirates aren't generally known for their outstanding hygiene." "Or their fashion sense I take it?" Xera growled from behind her. She had been fidgeting with the hem of her shirt since she'd donned it. "Did you really have to use MY shirt to cut out bonds for those two?" She continued, jerking her head back in the direction of the pirate duo they'd left tied up in the clearing. Tied up with strips of cloth Kokyrie had cut from the hem of Xera's shirt that is. Kokyrie glanced back at her and arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're getting modest all of a sudden." She gasped in mock disbelief. "If we'd just killed them it wouldn't have been necessary." Xera ignored the question. In turn Kokyrie refused to broach that subject again. And so the hike to the pirate town continued in silence once again. ~ Kokyrie crouched down in a cluster of scrub brush on the outskirts of the shantytown and scanned the activity going on across the muddy path that served as its main street. Pirates of every stripe came and went throughout the crude wooden shacks and hide tents that served as the mainstay of the town’s structures. A pall of smoke hung above the rooftops, mixing with the stench of stale beer, unwashed bodies and the underlying taint of refuse and sewage. “Moons, is this what the outside world is like?” Xera blanched as she beheld the scene for herself. “And people call us savages? This place is worse than an animal’s den.” Kokyrie wanted to retort but she couldn’t argue with Xera’s assessment. “It’s not all like this. But there are more towns like this out there.” She answered honestly. “This is one that exists outside of civilized society. It’s very fitting for the types of people you will find here.” “If they’re anything like the ones I’ve met before then I can hardly argue.” Xera returned, nodding sagely. Kokyrie regarded her curiously. “You’ve dealt with outsiders before now?” “Oh….a few run afoul of us from time to time.” Xera answered nervously. “You know what I mean?” “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Kokyrie smiled, remembering her first encounter with people not of Ixa’taka so many years ago. Those fishermen had had the misfortune of crossing paths with the Ixa’ness and had been taken captive. Kokyrie had bartered their freedom for safe passage across the South Ocean, thus taking the first step down her path towards piracy. Suddenly Xera perked up. “Hey, what about them?” She hissed, pointing towards a pair of cloaked figures who had just stepped out of one of the shacks close to the woodline where they were hidden. The pair were obviously taller than either Jel’din or Nixie but the thick cloaks they wore scarcely reached their ankles. They would be perfect to conceal the shorter girls from head to toe. “Perfect. Let’s bag ‘em.” Kokyrie agreed. ~ “Wait, wait, wait. All we do these days is be quiet and wait.” Nixie fumed as she watched Kokyrie and Xera traipse off into the town to secure disguises for Jel’din and herself. Being left behind yet again wasn’t sitting too well with her, especially since, to her mind, she’d somehow been replaced by Xera as of late. “I mean, why does she get to go with Kyrie this time too?” Nixie continued to voice her unhappiness aloud. “I’ve been a pirate for almost as long as she has. I shouldn’t be the one left behind right? I can get things done too! A lot more than stupid Xera anyway!” Nixie sat stewing in the underbrush outside of town, impatiently awaiting the return of her captain. She idly chatted with Jel’din and Tsukiko while scanning the town with her sharp eyes. To just about anyone else it would have been a frightful place full of equally frightening people. But to her it was just another rundown pirate town on the edge of civilization. Nixie had visited more than a few such seedy ports-of-call in the past and she wasn’t all that impressed. As she sat watching the goings-on along the visible edges of the town Nixie’s eyes were drawn to one rooftop in particular and what she saw made her smile. Rising from a few crude vents cut just below the shack’s crude roof were wisps of white vapor that were quickly swallowed up by the smoky pall above. To a less practiced eye this would have easily been mistaken for yet more smoke. But Nixie was able to discern the truth. “Steam.” She snickered, imagining what lay beneath that roof. And during her imaginings a plan began to form as well. “Hey girls, I think I’ve got a better idea than just waiting around here.” Nixie explained, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Follow me. I think I just found us some new clothes.” Without waiting around for Jel’din or Tsukiko to talk her out of her grand scheme Nixie rose from the bushes and began creeping towards the shack. |
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| Daiohma | Nov 7 2011, 07:10 PM Post #23 |
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The Ice Fang
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Tsukiko listened as Kokyrie and Xera talked to one another. She could not make much of it out but it felt like they were not happy with each other. The maiden caught a word she did not like, it became clear that Xera wanted to kill the people they got the cloths from. Tsukiko grasped her Moon Stone, she did not like death at all. She knew her Moon Stone had the power to take life, yet it also have the power to give life as she has done many time before on small animals back home in Yafutoma. The talk of killing reminded her of her training, how she always knew that she would one day have to use her Moon Stone to help others. Even if that would mean using the spells she did not like. It was a little complicated for her as she knew deep down that the death of one could save the lives of hundreds. This was a matter that always worried the young shrine maiden. “Wait, wait, wait. All we do these days is be quiet and wait.” Nixie called out, interrupting Tsukiko's thoughts. Nixie started to talk about how she had been a pirate for a long time which interested Tsukiko. ''You like being a pirate, yes?'' She asked, still not sure about all the different type of pirates in the world. The maiden looked over at the small town that Nixie was staring at, ''Are all pirate towns like that?'' She asked out loud to herself. Just then Nixie spotted steam coming from a nearby building. “Follow me. I think I just found us some new clothes.” She called out, not waiting to see if Tsukiko or Jel'din were following her. Tsukiko got up and followed, ''Steam? Maybe it is a bath house?'' She turned to Jel'din with the question. She smiled at the thought of this building being a bath house just like back home, but she then remembered that she was not home and things here seemed to be very different to what she was used to. |
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| Gordreg | Nov 13 2011, 11:27 AM Post #24 |
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“I… guess it’s because Xera already had a disguise?” Jel’din postulated, a little rattled and worried by her usually chipper friend’s venting of frustration. “If you’d already gotten one, I’m sure the Captain would have taken you along instead… you know far more about towns like this already then Xera has a hope of ever learning, after all.” she nodded her head vigorously, hoping to soothe her friend’s bruised ego. “It’s just bad luck, Nix, that’s all it is.” She gave a loud sigh, leaning back upon her hands as she stared at the dingy town. To her, it didn’t look a very appealing place; a stain of rusty iron, tattered leathers and battered, weather-worn timbers against the surrounding woodlands. The sort of place that made her wonder why anyone at all would have chosen to call it home, let alone have come halfway across the skies of the world to do so. Sighing again, she squinted, trying to force herself to look at the place with a more positive light – and, failing, instead let her gaze fall gladly away from the ugly settlement to check the faces of her companions. Tsukiko seemed a little uncertain about something, whilst Nixie seemed to be staring toward the dull mist hanging above the settlement… ‘Steam’ she heard her companion snicker, and tilted her head, mystified by the sudden exclamation. “…you do?” Jel questioned as Nixie explained, pushing herself back up onto her feet. “…you have? Where are they?” she queried, biting down nervously upon her lower lip as she followed Nixie carefuly toward her goal; whatever that ended up being. |
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| Jet Blackbeard | Nov 16 2011, 11:59 PM Post #25 |
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aka Bear
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Nixie crept forward, keeping the back walls of the shacks in front of her so that she would not be visible to anyone walking the street. The house with the steam rising from it was not far from the edge of the town so with any luck they'd be able to make it inside without being spotted. Reaching the closest shack Nixie pressed her back against the wall and sidled over to the edge. Peering around the corner she was relieved to see that the muddy strip that passed for a road in this outlying section of the shantytown was practically deserted. Nixie waited for Jel'din and Tsukiko to catch up to her before moving on. There was a broad grin on her face when she turned to answer the shrine maiden's previous question. "Being a pirate is great, especially when you get to do exciting stuff like this." She whispered enthusiastically. Sure she was nervous but that just made Nixie giddy rather than afraid. It was one of the many quirks in her personality. Peering around the corner again Nixie held her finger up to her lips, signaling the two girls to keep quiet. "Okay, I'll go first to check things out. Wait here until I signal you and then follow me. If I get into trouble....uh, just go find Kokyrie I guess." Satisfied that she had all the bases covered Nixie slipped around the edge of the shack and quickly walked towards the door to the house where the steam was coming from. She reached the door and peered inside...... And locked eyes with a heavyset pirate who was just walking out. "Huh? Who're you?" The pirate squinted at Nixie's tribal clothing suspiciously. "You tryin' to escape the slave pins little lady?" Nixie felt her heart leap up into her throat. Had her plan backfired? Then, another plan born of desperation leapt into her thoughts. It couldn't hurt to try it. "Do I look like a damned slave to you you drunken bilge rat?" Nixie spat in her angriest voice. She stared down the pirate for a moment, refusing to back away. "Heh, you're a lively one." The pirate snorted. "But the question stands; if you're not a slave then who are ya?" Nixie felt a measure of relief. Even though she looked for all the world like one of the Ixa'ness she still talked like a pirate. The big lummox who'd accosted her realized that now but he was obviously still suspicious of her appearance. Nixie would need a solid explanation for that one. "I'm a part of the Viper's crew." Nixie answered with pride. "I sail under the flag of Kokyrie." The truth was far more effective than any lie she could have told. The pirate's eyes widened and he took a step back to give Nixie some space. "Whoa, there's a name I haven't heard in a while. The Viper's Eye is in town?" He asked, obviously impressed. "Er....yeah, we're here on business." Nixie stammered. She suddenly realized that it might have been a mistake telling this guy that Kokyrie was here. "Didn't see the Viper at the port." The pirate continued, his suspicion returning. "Why's that I wonder?" Nixie narrowed her eyes. "You ask an awful lot of questions. What's your interest?" The pirate held up his hands defensively. "I'd just heard Kokyrie'd been sunk, tis all. Only wonderin' if that might that be true?" "Well keep wondering bub." Nixie growled. "Now scram, I got business!" The pirate smirked, tipped his hat to Nixie and then trundled off. The moment his back was turned Nixie let out a sigh of relief. Her boldness had paid off this time but she couldn't shake the feeling that this encounter was going to come back to bite them all in the ass eventually. ~ "Where'd they go?" Xera asked. She dropped the cloak she'd been carrying and turned her irritation towards Kokyrie. Kokyrie ground her teeth in mutual irritation. "Somehow I'm not surprised. This is SO like Nixie." "Well, now what?" Xera persisted. She fingered the wooden club she had tucked into the waistband of her shorts. "We went through a lot of trouble to get these things for her. The least she could do is be here to thank us." "You clobbered a couple of old men over the head and stole their clothes." Kokyrie sighed. "And you looked like you enjoyed it. Don't play the victim here." Xera smirked at the memory. "Fine. But what's your next big scheme?" "Follow me." Kokyrie threw up her arms in surrender and turned to reenter the town. ~ Nixie motioned for Jel'din and Tsukiko to hurry over. "Coast is clear. And we're in luck." She hissed as the girls joined her again and ushered them through the door. The shack wasn't a bathhouse as Tsukiko had thought but it was a close guess. It was a wash house. Contrary to what Kokyrie had said there were some pirates who desired clean laundry. The foyer leading into the wash house was deserted for the moment. A small side door led into another room and it was through here that Nixie led the others. Inside were a bank of shelves, each with several cubby holes. From the wall hung long white gowns on wooden pegs. "Here, put these on." Nixie said, pointing towards the gowns. Donning one herself she turned this way and that, observing how well the long white garment concealed her clothing. "Now we'll look like we belong here." Hiding in plain sight had worked once already so why not a second time? "We're sure to find some new duds somewhere in here." Nixie explained. "Then we'll just grab them and walk off and nobody will be none the wiser." |
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| Daiohma | Nov 18 2011, 01:01 PM Post #26 |
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The Ice Fang
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Tsukiko quickly followed Nixie along the path, making sure not to be seen. One glance at the mud on the ground was all it took for Tsukiko to tie up her long hair as in no was would she ever want it to come in contact with dirt. Nixie had a look of excitement on her face as she told the two to wait for her signal. Tsukiko gave a nod as she turned to see if Jel'din was nodding too, which Tsukiko gave her a smile. As Nixie made her way into the building the Shrine maiden looked up at the steam. The building did not look like any bath house she had seen before and so she started to worry. She had got her hopes up for a nice relaxing bath like she would do with her sisters. ''Have you ever been to a Yafutoma style bath house?'' Tsukiko asked Jel'din as her eyes were else were, the thought of the warm water on her mind. For a moment she was lost in thought but was quickly snapped out of it when she heard some commotion from the building. ''Is Nixie ok?'' She questioned her friend. Tsukiko recognized the voice but could not really understand what was being said. Just then in the distance the door to the building that Nixie had entered opened and out walked a large man. ''Is he a pirate too?'' Tsukiko wondered out loud to herself. As she watched the man walk away she did not notice Nixie pop her head around the corner of the door, "Coast is clear. And we're in luck." She hissed, motioning for the two to follow her. Tsukiko slowly wondered into the building with a smile, which soon vanished as she looked around the insides. ''This is a strange Bath house....'' She wondered again out loud as she rubbed her back of her head looking at the cloths. The young maiden then realized that this place was nothing more than a laundry, which confused her a little more as from the stories she was told about pirates she did not think that they would bother doing any laundry. "Here, put these on." Nixie said as she passed over some long white gowns. Tsukiko took the gown and held it out at arms length while looking it over. She was never one to complain but her own kimono was a hundred times more pretty and probably a hundred times more comfortable to her. Just then a thought crossed her mind, the town was full of pirates who would probably want to take her kimono from her. With that she quickly covered herself in the white gown. |
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| Gordreg | Nov 28 2011, 01:58 PM Post #27 |
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Jel crept slowly cautiously enough to be almost timidly after Nixie, passing her way slowly along the edges of the shack-strewn street, beside bare-timber walls of rot-stained knotwood and around warm vertical piping that dribbled some variety of purplish liquid with a pungent loquat smell. She sniffed the air as she made her way past, and as the fumes entered her nostrils gave a small cough which she quickly tried to cover by clamping her hand across her mouth and nose and hurrying on to the side of the building where Nixe was waiting. Catching up with Nixie, she withdrew her hand from her face, and nodded silently as Nixie raised her finger to shush her and Tsukiko, swallowing her saliva to try and quench the slight tickle at the back of her throat. “Take care…” she whispered, and watched as Nixie stepped around the edge of the shack and out of the line of sight. Closing her eyes for a moment in the hope everything would turn out okay, and making silent prayer to Quet’ya that all would turn out well, Jel stood back, her shoulders pressed tightly to the wall of the nearby building. Opening them again, she gave another look about the alley, then turned toward Tsukiko as the Yafutoman girl began to ask a question of her. “Hum?” She blinked, raising one hand to her nose as she swallowed again. “Oh, um… I don’t... think… I have.” She answered slowly after a bit of consideration. “Um… what is the Yafutoma-style?” she queried, before the sound of commotion caused both girls to turn their heads back toward the steam-spouting building. Jel peered around the edge of the building from behind Tsukiko, watching as a heavyset man wandered off down the mud-path street. A moment later, and Nixie waved them over… Jel scampered across the street, and in through the foyer of the building. She glanced about at the room, uncertain of what to make of it, and followed Nixie through another door, into a room clad in shelves with long white gowns hanging down. She reached out to touch one, finding the fabric surprisingly soft, and ran her fingers across it before lifting it from off the peg and slipping herself inside it. It felt surprisingly nice, though… Jel pursed her lips. She hadn’t seen anyone else from the town wearing these things. Was Nixie sure these gowns would conceal them, she wondered, drawing hers a little more tightly about her. It took a few moments more for the penny to drop. “Oh… we won’t be wearing these out?” Jel raised her arm inside the sleeves of the robe. “What sort of thing should we looking for, Nix?” she asked, eyes elsewhere as she peered inside one of the cubby-holes. |
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| Jet Blackbeard | Nov 29 2011, 05:42 PM Post #28 |
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aka Bear
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“Stop gawking. You look suspicious when you do that.” Kokyrie hissed at the woman walking beside her. “Try to look like you’ve seen all of this a hundred times already.” “Right, sorry.” Xera sighed, lowering her eyes to the muddy road upon which they both trod. Kokyrie’s expression softened a bit when she saw the emotions engraved upon her companion’s face. “You won’t see her just walking around out here.” She added, referring to Xera’s long lost sister. “No. I won’t.” Xera growled. Kokyrie arched her eyebrow at this. Could it be that she had misheard Xera’s plight? Hadn’t her sister been taken by the Valuans along with the other slaves? Or was it possible that she had lost her life to them rather than her freedom. If so then was the person that Xera had come here hoping to find the one she believed was responsible for her death? Whichever the case was it was obviously a tender subject with Xera and not one to be discussed right now. “Just…don’t do anything crazy.” Kokyrie sighed. “I won’t.” Xera repeated. “So where are we going anyway?” Happy to change the subject Kokyrie replied. “We want to know what’s going on in this town right? So we’re going to the best place to hear all of the news that fit to be heard.” “The village elder’s house?” Xera gave her best guess. “No, but close.” Kokyrie smiled. “We’re going to have a drink at the tavern.” ~ Nixie smiled back at Jel’din. “Anything you think looks nice. Just make sure it’s dry.” She replied, once again marveling at the ingenuity of her plan. In a washhouse like this they would find a selection of clothing they could “borrow” instead of having to wait of Kokyrie to come back with a handful of rags for them to wear. “Hiding in plain sight.” Nixie muttered to herself as the three girls stepped out of the locker room and made their way into the building’s main area. She felt a twinge of doubt as she took in the sight of it though. Nixie had been expecting to find a bunch of wash basins or an open cistern or something. That was the layout for every laundry she’d ever seen. There were wash basins all right, but there were only three of them. And they were huge. So huge in fact that one had to climb a set of steps in order to reach the top. From there a catwalk ran the length of all three basins. Atop this a half-dozen women wearing gowns identical to the one’s the trio now wore were stirring the water within using long wooden poles. “Um….guess they wash their laundry in bulk here.” Nixie laughed nervously. “Let’s try to find some dry clothes. There’s got to be a hanging line around here somewhere.” Nixie wandered towards a door on the far end of the room. The building turned out to be much larger than she’d thought. This became evident when they reached the next room where the ceiling rose much higher than in the first. What had appeared on the outside to be a two-story building next to the washhouse was actually a part of the washhouse itself. This was the drying room. Hanging from long poles in the second floor were huge sheets of colored fabric. Nixie realized immediately that this washhouse wasn’t one in which laundry was cleaned. “Sails.” She sighed. “They wash their ships’ sails here.” On the heels of this realization came a second. “We should probably leave.” Nixie muttered, herding her friends out of the room. They wouldn’t find any clothing to wear here so it would be best that they hurry back to find Kokyrie now. “Hey, you three!” An angry voice called out from behind, stopping Nixie in her tracks. She turned to find a large man wielding a thick wooden club stalking up behind them. “What do you think you’re doing?” He asked in a voice thick with authority and a hint of a Valuan accent. Nixie was speechless. She could only look the man up and down. He had the look of a pirate about him but the pants and boots he wore appeared to be military issue for the Valuan Armada. A deserter perhaps? Or a remnant of the old guard no longer welcome in the new regime? Either way he was trouble. “We were just…” Nixie sputtered. “Just getting back to work.” The Valuan pirate finished her sentence. He placed the haft of his club across Nixie’s shoulders and guided her back into the washroom. “Them sails ain’t gonna wash themselves.” Nixie glanced back at Jel’din and Tsukiko helplessly. It seemed that hiding in plain sight hadn’t been such a good idea after all. They’d just been mistaken for slaves. |
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| Daiohma | Dec 1 2011, 04:16 PM Post #29 |
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The Ice Fang
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Tsukiko followed the two into what seemed to be the main part of the building. This was the first time Tsukiko had been inside of a none Yafutoma building and it's layout was different to what she had expected. Simple things down to the doors and walls seemed very odd to her. While looking around the room keeping up with Nixie and Jel'din she saw three large basins. She knew this place was no bath house yet she had an urge to jump into one and have a wash. This idea was only to keep herself from worrying even more as she was sill a little scared that she was with pirates and now wondering around a strange place that she was not even sure they were aloud to be in. The group soon wondered into yet another room, much bigger than the last. Tsukiko looked up in amazement at the large sails hanging from the poles. Nixie said in surprise that this place was were they must wash the ships' sails, yet Tsukiko was more interested in the sails themselves. ''So different..'' She wondered out loud as she gazed up. “We should probably leave.” Nixie muttered as she started to head for the door. The shrine maiden was about to make a note about the sails in her book but thought it would be best to follow as the last thing she wanted now was to get lost from the others. “Hey, you three!” The three were stopped in their tracks by a large man. Tsukiko was scared as the man shouted, not to mention his size. He had mistaken them all for slaves. Tsukiko suddenly became more amazed at this than shocked. ''Me!?....a slave?'' She muttered to herself, eyes wide open in thought. She wondered who anyone could ever mistake a Yafutoma Shrine Maiden for a slave. One thing she knew is that not one of her sisters would ever stand for something like this, they would of put this man in his place. Yet Tsukiko had never encountered such a situation and felt it was best to follow Nixie and Jel'din, after all the worst thing than getting lost would be to have to use her Moon Stone. |
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| Gordreg | Dec 7 2011, 06:22 PM Post #30 |
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“…Okay. I… suppose we’ll see what I find.” Jel nodded to Nixie as they stepped out from the locker room and through to the main area, wondering to herself just what she might end up finding. Would there be more of these robes, perhaps? She certainly hadn’t seen anything like much them in other towns she’d visited, but then again, the other towns had been strange enough in their customs of dress anyway. She found her mind wandering briefly back to the time in Esperanza, and those strange-garbed men who’d chased them through the streets… And then she blinked with surprise as she first saw the giant washbasins, lingering memories of a chase from the bane clan snapped back to the realities of the present. The huge tubs were so large they could only be reached by the women standing atop a long ledge, women dressed identically to their borrowed robes, and women who… Jel squinted. Though the robes were as strange, the women beneath them were normal Ixa’takan folk. Which was strange by itself, she realised, if this was supposed to be a town built by the people of the Iron ship lands. Why were they not doing their own washing? Following Nixie through the large room and into the next, Jel gave a brief glance around, then found herself staring at the massive fabric sheets hanging from fabric poles, and gave a bemused sideways-glance to Nixie. “Sails?” she repeated, eyes wide. “Umm... are they just cleaning them? Or finishing making them?” she queried, slightly worried. She couldn’t recall seeing the viper hand off her sails for washing during her time aboard. True, she wouldn’t have expected to have been told even if it had been sent for cleaning, and had kept herself below decks tending to her inventory for much of that. But even so, she couldn’t recall looking up and seeing an empty mast… Nixie muttered her intention, and Jel nodded in agreement, though she was uncertain why. They started making their way back, but before they could finish leaving, the sound of an angry voice from behind caused Jel to jump. She turned, knees bending involuntarily inward, cowering slightly before the man as he guided them into the washroom with his club’s haft. “Do… all the girls here have to put up with this?” she whispered to Nixie, as the large man stopped at the door, seemingly satisfied as they continued their walk toward the stirring platform. The women stirring the washbasins gave them cautious glances as the trio approached, but said nothing, perhaps recognising the three as strangers in a way the guard had not. As they climbed the steps up toward the catwalk, Jel’din looked back across the room. The large man had turned back again, and seemed to be thinking, his hand extended and pointed toward the far end of the catwalk, his lips slowly moving as the hand jabbed along toward them from the direction of the line of washers… Jel’s eyes widened, and she gave Nixie a sudden sharp nudge. “He’s counting! And when he counts three extra faces…” she swallowed, glancing around in a panic for an exit or at least somewhere to try and hide. |
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8:55 AM Jul 11