Realistic or Modern Welcome To Shearport

[Alexandra]

Sage


She watches Zach rap on the hull, and pull himself on deck.


"Lita," she calls up, "just remember the conversation we had about bargains and promises."


Picking around the side to look for a ladder, Sage peers into the Hedge surrounding them....a ship like this would provide a fine distraction for something else.


[dice]4362[/dice]


[dice]4363[/dice]

 

[The Fuzz]

---> Lita


Before you know it, the little goblin has produced a handful of shells from his pocket. White, blue, red, iridescent purple, twirly and fluted and curled in on themselves. They're very pretty. His grin is big.


---> Liam


At a guess, the boat has managed the interesting feat of sailing through a bloody forest by giving up on the namby pamby notion of 'hull integrity'. It's got bits of sodden seaweed hanging off the railings and out of the edges of hatches, with more terrestrial foliage added to it, and smears of dirt and moss along the lower reaches. The rudder's in bits.


This boat's going nowhere.


---> Red, Sackcloth and Hood


The tall figure slowly, oh so slowly, stalks over to you, each step looong, with a barely perceptible pause before the next. He stops a few feet from you, and stands in such a way that it's clear, his personal space extends for about twenty feet around him. His eyes are huge and deep set, and his nose hooks over.


"We are...not yet open for....business. Nonetheless, it is...not good business to turn....away any customer. Sir, your coat is....quality. The red is....appropriate for hunting. Perhaps I can offer.....a tweed accompaniment of trousers and w.........aistcoat? If sir would allow....us a day, we could also provide.....a hunting manual for this province of....the Hedge. Alas...we have not yet mastered our surroundings....sufficiently."


---> Zach


No stalls set up yet, but there's a crate just inside the bulkhead with little vines hanging out of it. The vines are growing the most adorable little apples, each the size of a grape, hanging in bunches like grapes. Is it, perhaps, time to make cider-wine?


---> Alexandra


Well, everyone's puttering about on the boat, perhaps someone ought to be keeping an eye on the surroundings? You prod and poke at the remaining unbroken foliage with your umbrella. Stick, stick, broken branch, drooping frond, dying leaves, muddy leaves, stick, wolfish pace peering out of the bush, stick, leaves, mud, mud, torn up weeds......

 

[Axelgear]

Sackcloth


Well, that was a setback. Just the same, Sackcloth knows his way around a market and what words might make a man or beast bend. Tugging on the binding that holds his violin and its bow, the little brownie spins it around and gives it a look-over to see if it is alright. Thankfully, it was protected from the thorns by his coat. He kisses the curve of its body with all the tenderness of a lover, then sets it against his shoulder.


"If they want customers to come," Sackcloth offers the wolf-in-red-clothing, "they better be sure there isn't something eating them or chasing them off... The hunting manual may come in handy, and nothing more than our service would be a fair trade..." He keeps his voice low, not wanting to draw attention to himself, even ducking his head to the side and standing just a little behind Red so that his speaking is not obvious.


Then, he starts to play.

Spoiler

Sackcloth's playing a bit of Bach's Partita No. 3, and letting his fairy music make everyone into good friends.


[media]

[/media]
Invoking this costs one glamour, makes his Expression roll rote, and allows him to invoke an emotion (which can be reasonably complex) on anyone who hears it. In this case, I'm aiming for camaraderie and a desire for mutual aid. Since this is playing a musical instrument, I'm going for Dex + Expression (Violin). Gonna say he invokes the Wizened Blessing while preparing, too, so I can get 9 Again on all Dex rolls for the rest of the scene.


Hold onto your butts...


[dice]4365[/dice]


[dice]4366[/dice]


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Six successes. Anyone not moved to tears is a busta.

 

[Inari]

Red


Red felt the growl rising in his throat. ”I don’t need a book to tell me how to hunt, and I don’t have a day to wait for one!” he snapped at both of the spindly creatures. The way he spoke seemed to put his teeth on display exceptionally well, and he was puffing hot air out of his nostrils.


Just as he seemed to be about to storm off and back out into the thorns, Sackcloth began to play. The wolf frowned, teeth covered up again, seemed lost a moment. Golden-brown eyes flicked across his surroundings, pointed ears twitched. A few measures later, Red was looking more calm, if not more composed, straightening himself up. ”Maybe…I’ll come have a look at the book tomorrow,” he acquiesced, somewhere between grudging and apologetic, but his composure returned as he continued, Sackcloth’s advice in mind. ”There’s something around here attacking people. Customers don’t like coming to dangerous markets. If you have something that can help us now, it’ll help us make this a safer market for you and everyone.” After a glance at the rotting hull around them, he added ”Doesn’t look like you’re going anywhere for a while. Best to make sure this little patch of Hedge is secure.”

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach


Cider Wine would be amazing. But it would need to be a bit more enticing than just that... the muttfruit he was currently carrying had more value than that...


Then there was the issue of payment. He wasn't carrying anything of value on him, bar his silver lighter, and he wasn't parting with that anytime soon..


And he knew better than to mince words and promises. Especially to Goblins. Jeezus no.


Also Growly McScowly has a point. We weren't here to shop... and I just left an elderly lady on the forest floor. Ain't I hospitable.


"Sage?" he rubbernecks over the side of the boat, "Needing help getting up?"

 

[risaphoeniix]

Lita the Magpie





Lita's eyes sparkle as she considers the shells and then stops before she reaches out for them. Not yet. You don't bargain until everything is on the table. "They're sure pretty!" she exclaims, every bit the over exuberant child. "What else do you have!" She leans around him to look at the stalls.

 

[Alexandra]

Sage


Pretending not to notice the furry face for the moment, she hurries back to the ship as best she can.


"Thank you Zach, I don't think I will be able to get up there alone."


She looks at Hood meaningfully as she passes him, raises her eyebrows and inclines her head to the left behind her.


"Hedge sure is thick out here, Sheriff," she says quietly, "lots of places to hide."

 

[The Fuzz]

---> Red





"In...deed. No aspersions were inten....ded. I am certain that you are a most capable....hunter. I will still recommend our tweed, indeed at a dis...count. Most elegant, I promise sir."


He bobs his head briefly, his hooked nose spearing forward and withdrawing.


"The Hedge can be very dan....gerous, but we strive to offer our customers safety so long as they offer us custom."


---> Lita


Bits and bobs, this and that.....there's a stall waiting to go with a load of little chains and sprockets and cogs and needles and things peeping out of the boxes. Some of them are glittery, some aren't. Oh, hey, check it! There's another of those watches like the one you ha-OOOooooh! That's a huge nautilus shell! It's tiger striped!


-----> Sackcloth





Oh, dear. When you look around, you see that several smaller goblins are dancing, small horny feet and battered boots idly tripping around the canted deck. One of the bigger ones has pulled out his purse, and is poking through it.

 

[Inari]

Red


So much for that. Red shook his head unhappily, unable to muster an interest in clothing, and turned to brush past Sackcloth and any others in the way. The place was useless to him, and that meant back to the trail, if it hadn’t already completely dissolved. He tugged at the top of his hood to fix it again as he emerged back out in the rain, sure to soak him to the bone before he could get anywhere important. He began to orient himself again, snuffling at the air and searching for where he’d left off. The scene had been slightly obliterated by the strange boat’s arrival, and the smells were exaggerated and twisted by the moisture in the air.

 

[Grey]

Lucas Hood





Hood is silent, looking up at the ship as Sage passes. He watches her go, glances up again, and then looks back over his shoulder. Slowly, he turns, leans against the hull, and peers out into the Hedge where she had implied there to be a point of interest.

 

[The Fuzz]

---> Hood





Let's see, nothin', nothin', nothin', and a dark snout under a spray of leaves. Bloody hard to see.


---> Red





Now, normally, you don't smell yourself, right? That's the way it works.


Weird. You could swear that you smell wet dog......

 

[Inari]

Red


Wet leaves, wet earth, wet dog. Red prowled about the side of the boat, searching for tracks amid the rapidly liquefying floor of the Hedge. His shoes were caked in mud, his hood getting drenched and sticking to his head, and instead of feeling cleansed by the rain his own stink was getting in the way of- wait. Red snuffled at the air, then at his arm, then at the air again, turning his head this way and that. Dog.


A low growl built up in the Hunterheart’s throat. Dog prints. Dog smell. He began to move away from the hulk of the ship, branching out into the Hedge proper. There was no mistaking the body language; head lowered, snuffling about, slow, tense motions. He was prowling.

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach - On the Boat


"I could give you a hand up if you like... see if there's anything in the market you want to pick up?" he tries helpfully, shrugging.


Red snuffles past him, and he sparks quite literally in interest, concerned, "Sup?"

 

[Alexandra]

Sage


She pretends not to notice the Sheriff looking around, and addresses Zach.


"That would be wonderful, thank you dear. If you could help me up this ladder here, that should be easiest."

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach - On the Boat


He skitters along the prow, hauling down the ladder towards her, "I could always fireman lift you up, but I think that's a little too undignified for your Ladyship,"


An awkward bow and offering of hand. It's still surprisingly warm to the touch, despite the horrible weather hammering at it.

 

[Alexandra]

Sage


The Darkling chuckles at Zach's formality, and takes his hand.


"Whatever is easiest for you."

 

[Grey]

Lucas Hood





Hood advances on the face, trying to make out more details, hand clenching into a thorny fist.

 

[The Fuzz]

Hood, Red, Sage, Anyone Else Watching





Little closer....


Little closer......


A step....a step....


The thing in the bush startles and comes bursting out of the bush about ten feet ahead of you (Hood), haring off to the left, across your path and heading back into the brush. It's....hairy, dark. A slightly shaky quadruped, low to the ground. You'd guess it to be about half your size.

 

[Inari]

Red


Red heard before he saw and ran before he thought. He tore off after the fleeting shape, wind and rain at his back, bounding over roots and shoving aside thorns. Red had the urge to get down on all fours, but to that one he didn’t listen. The rest, he indulged, teeth bared somewhere between a snarl and a grin as he felt the thrill of the chase spread through him. The best hunts ended with a chase.

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach


He descends the ladder to help Sage with her ascent, when Hood turns aboutface and Red comes barreling over his left shoulder, "Wut?"


As their resident Wolf takes off into the undergrowth, the Fireheart's brows knit, "Oh... oh no..."


Should we chase? Follow? Is this a bad idea? This is likely a bad idea...

 

[Ragoza]

Liam


Wonderful. The slightest distraction and he's off chasing rabbits.


Liam turns to Hood, still a little rattled by the Fae ship. "Shall we follow him, or will we let him do his thing?"

• OOC

• 
  
  
  Sorry about the constant delays, crunch time in college. In a few days I'll be able to actually participate again.
  
  
  

 

[Grey]

Hood


"Looks like our quarry," Hood calls back, and then follows Red.

 

[Axelgear]

Sackcloth


The puppet's song is interrupted by a sudden screech as his violin strikes a false note and comes to a halt, forced to attention by Red just walking away and running off like a madman. The brownie looks almost upset, glancing between the fleeing beast, the chasing Beast, and the soon-to-be Market. It's an upsetting turn of events.


"Wait, the-!" He starts, then stops. He looks back to the ship, then back to the rapidly vanishing creature, and is utterly stunned and perplexed. He lowers his violin and bow, staring in confusion, appropriately flummoxed at the sight of it for the most inappropriate reasons.


"But... The ship. The crew. Markets? Trades?" Sackcloth mutters half-heartedly, feeling an odd emptiness in his stomach.


"But this is too easy!" He shouts, then gives up with a heavy sigh. Conceding to reality this time, Sackcloth re-slings his violin and bow and heads off after the vanishing duo and prey, unhooking a claw hammer from his belt just in case he'll need it.

 

[Alexandra]

Sage


She turns, watching the trio rush after the smaller figure.


"Give them a minute, Zach; whatever they're after is far more scared of them than they are of it."


She eyes the vessel.


"And besides; this ship seems to have a full crew...some of us should stay behind..."

 

[Ragoza]

Liam


Welp, those three are more than capable of running down a hobgoblin. He'll lend a hand with the interrogation when they get back, no need to be straining himself at this age. Liam turns to Zach and Sage, pulling out his flask.


"Anyone for tea?"