Coffee
Tenebrae - Friday, June 06, 2014, 8:55 AM
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A18: Alexandrian Shipyards *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
The scent of the shipyards combines the mystery of the arcane, of artifice, and good, old-fashioned, manual labor. Gobbers, khazad scramble about the place, along with a healthy-sized coningent of humans. Oruch shoulder the heavier pieces, and a number of ship skeletons may be seen along the banks, in various stages of beginning and finishing.
The noise here is louder than the docks--here, the thrust of saw, the slap of tar onto fresh, wooden bones, the argument over artifice-based improvements to rigging versus the benefits of conjured wind, all hold sway. The shipyards are a busy place, a productive one, and part of the heart of trade and industry that is Alexandria.
It's the docks! This is a great place to 'find' thigns, and find people, and find -mischief-. Which is why, using his ears like reins, Taika has steered Tywulf to this part of the city. Not that she's going to tell him that's what she wants, HOOO BOY, uh-uh no way! "... and then this girl got sooo mad at me, and I'm like: It's not MY fault your earrings fell into my goblet..."
Tywulc nods his head, moving along towards the docks and walking through the crowd. The 'ears' Taika is pulling on really belong to the hood of his cloak/pelt, the direwolf's head draped over top of his. So he doesn't seem to mind her riding on his shoulders, mostly, listening to her story before saying, "It's funny how many things fall into your pockets, purse, hands, or goblets." Clearly, he's skeptical about certain aspects of this story. "Did I tell you about the climbing contest yesterday? I came in third."
KA-BOOM!
Explosions in the docks aren't all -that- uncommon. Goblins and artifice in use, you know. Still, there's more than a small effort to keep them from happening, espically with all the valuable supplies around the place. So when a half-finished ship goes up in smoke, there's a bit of a scramble to watch by some, and by others to contain the damage.
In this mad scramble, a crane is bumped, and the crate tethered to it goes swinging. Thankfully, no one is hit, but it does crash into a fair sized pile of old barrels, sending them tumbeling and rolling. As the dust settles, a head pokes out form one of the barrels, rumpled and beery eyed from a nap interupted in teh rudest of ways.
"...k-k-k... k-k-illl..." Selia mutters darkly, pulling herself out.
Chaos! Delightful chaos and mischief. "It is, isn't it? Maybe the gods have cursed me." Blame the gods! It's /easy/. "Or blessed me with aknack for fin--!" Taika's voice trails off into a startled squeak and she hides behind the giantborn's head, using his skull like a great shield and his direwolf pelt like the perfect handles to hang onto. Itty bitt legs wrap around Tywulf's neck in what might be a chokehold, but for the angle, and she peers out from behind the left direwolf ear, eyes wide - like a cat on catnip.
At least this time, Tywulf knows that it's not her fault. She couldn't have had anything to do with this, she's been on his shoulders all morning. "What...." Tywulf glances over in the direction of the explosion, before beginning to push through the crowd. His long lean legs take him in that direction in powerful strides, winding up not too far away from the pile of old barrels Selia is poking out of. Judging it a good vantage spot to take a look at the chaos, he addresses Taika and just everyone in general within reach of his loud voice by calling out, "Did anybody see what happened?"
"...Kiill-eee..." Selia growls, rumpled and unsteady from her barrel-roll, slowly focusing towards the large target with the small rider.
Various bystandards offer a few guesses. "Barry's new engine musta blown." "Bad safety winch." "Looks like the fire's contained." "...should we be moving?"
The tiny Lucht might stand a hand shorter than even most of the local goblins, but she radiates an almost tangable aura of mencace. ...wait... no... that's an actual, visible dark aura...
"...killl-fee..."
"I did! I saw! It went KA-BOOOOM!" Taika even demonstrates with her hands! Little ball becoming big wide-spread arms in explosion mimicry. Anything else is cut short when she spots the other Lucht and blinks at that aura of menace. The ears off the hood get tugged a bit frantacically. "Um, Ty? Tyyyy. TY!" OH GOD.
Tywulf turns around at the constant tugging and the way that Taika's shifting around up there. He pauses and turns, whirling for a second before spotting the other Halfling surrounded in a dark aura. "So get off my shoulders already." Tywulf complains, flexing his arms and checking the fit of his bracers before sliding one foot behind him and taking up more of a ready stance. He doesn't see any weapons in the Lucht's hands, yet, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's not dangerous. "Stop right there, or I'm going to have to hurt you."
GAME: Tywulf rolls Intimidate: (8)+8: 16
GAME: Selia rolls intimidate: (6)+12: 18
"...kalll-fee..."
Selia pauses an instant, the path before her blocked, and the tiny halfer snarls. It.... it's not a pretty sight. The locals, hold self-preservation in high regard, have backed the heck away.
The dark aura, a shadowy nimbus, swells and expands, riseing up to bot out the sun! ...well... a tiny part of it... enough to cover the poor sleepy dancer. It's a parasole, really.
Stumbleing foreward a bit more, Selia grabs a thermos off a crate, and pours herself a cup of liquid ambrosia, taking a long, satisified drink.
"....coffeee...."
<OOC> Taika says, "what is the resist for intim?"
<OOC> Tywulf says, "Well in D&D social skills aren't really meant for use on other PC's, so there's no such thing as a 'resist' really. THey're usually for NPC's only and so there's no system that covers how to apply them to PC"
<OOC> Tywulf says, "I was really just rolling for a kind of self-check on how Tywulf did"
<OOC> Selia nods, was doing the same. it just sorta 'we really scary'
Taika's little thighs clamp down around Ty's neck at that snarly-face and the way the shadows move around the other halfling. Finding his -real- ears, she takes hold and peeeeks out behind his head, "I don't want to get on the ground." she stage whispers, eyes wide, clearly afeared of the wee little half-pint and of NO inclination to get closer to her until after the caffeine fiend has been sated.
Tywulf doesn't move to attack Selia, or otherwise interact with her or block her way. As she draws shadows over her like a serpent hissing its hood open, the Giant Barbarian moves back out of the way, stepping and shuffling back a few steps and watching her carefully as the Lucht shuffles by unimpeded. When it becomes clear that the Halfling was only after some coffee, Tywulf snorts angrily and derisively, "This city is full of the crazy and foolish." He glances around a moment, then back in the direction of the explosion, "Let's see what that was...." He tells Taika, clearly ready to be away from this crazed little shadow maker
Selia yawns heavily, and blinks a few times, peering at the atypical pair. "Was Barry's ship, goin up. Everybody told 'em it would 'na work propper, but reckon 'ad ta see fer 'im self." Low Charn practially drips in Selia's accent, the words tossed in casual disintrest. "'o are you two? Dan't reckon I'd ferget a pair like ya. New 'round 'ere?"
Taika is so not climbing down, and so, when the big giantborn moves, she's jsort of stuck going along for the ride. "I'm Taika, and this is Tywulf. I found him. So he is mine." Like a kid claiming a puppy. Not even a 'can I keep it?' ever being asked. Least of all asked of Ty. That'd be silly.
Tywulf stops in his retreat, or at least his walking away, before he stops as Selia explains what the explosion might have been. Tywulf reaches up then, wrapping one massive hand underneath one of Taika's shoulders and lifting her up, dangling her for a moment before setting her down on the ground. Seems the grumpy giant is no longer in the mood to be ridden. Charn, huh? He turns his head towards Selia, then Taika for a moment before just grunting. Clearly no one's taught him to be friendly.
Selia blinks slowly, eyeing the other Lucht and the giant, very quietly neutral. "Your's, huh? How so?"
Ack! Nuuu! Lifted by the massive hand, the itty bitty halfing is set down and gives Ty a bit of a mocked up dirty look. All glare no /oomph/. He knows better, at least. Taking up a jaunty position and leaning against the giantborn's leg, she studies Selia a long moment. "You're from Carn? I told you. I found him. And now we do everything together." Even if she hasn't yet convinced him that a unicorn pelt hat would be waaay cooler than a dire wolf.
Tywulf gives a grunt of his own, apparently he quickly anticipates Selia's meaning and says, "We're friends." He's nobody's slave, clearly, not judging by the proud way he carries himself (certain halflings might say there's a stick a place a stick shouldn't be. He doesn't remark on Selia's country of origin, though it's clearly not a point in her favor judging by the stern-faced expression in his look. "We came here from the Desolation, when we heard the wars were beginning."
Selia eyes Taika moment longers before turning her focus to Tywulf, eyeing a moment before nodding. Turning a bit away, the halfer adjusts her shirt a bit before dropping the back, exposeing a large Slave Mark. "Got here with da war over in Sedor, meself. This place been good ta me. Reckon won't treat ya bad neither."
"It's been alright." Which is kind of Taika's way of saying she hasn't been caught. Yet. "We've had some work through the guild and all." Her 'trusty steed', Ty, gets an affectionate pat to the thigh. Patpat. The two completely at odds in more than just size. "But the beer is pretty amazing. And worth hitting the taverns and inns for."
When he's patted, Tywulf moves his hand down and hovers it protectively over Taika. His palm covers the better part of her shoulder, wrapping it and giving a slight squeeze before holding it there and hovering like a benevolent body-guard, "We've been making a living anyway." It's clear Selia's still not one of Tywulf's favorite people or anything, but at least he's not being outright unfriendly. "A little bit at a time."
Selia isn't her best without her beauty sleep, but she perks up quick enough. "Good coin with da Guild. Dangerous, but pay makes for that. Least far as most care." She nods in agreement to Taika. "Berr's good, got some nice local wines. Wizard put out some neat stuff sometimes, but reckon ain't worth the weird stuff that comes with it."
"We do alright." Concurring for once with the giantborn, Taika beams a bright grin at Selia. "I haven't found any of the good Wizard stuff, yet. I'm thinking of opening a junk shop. Call it Broken Dreams or something. Do some pawning. Or.. something. Could be fun."
Selia nods, and stretches like a cat before hopping lightly up on to a crate to sit. "Up at the College they got all da good stuff. But all da blokes too stuck up few regular folk be there too. Blokes wot come through da Guild be nice 'nuff. Don't know nuthing 'bout openin no shop. Reckon be plenty made a good turn of it. Others ain't so good a run of it."