Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 3:27:40 GMT
Shamees had never heard of a swordsman that aimed to better their art in the line of work of a mercenary. He had been told that it dulled the blade. He wasn't a swordsman but he could see why. What benefit was there in fighting thugs? Assassinating people? Such seedy jobs were for those in the bowels of society. Little he might know about Tsan'lo, Shamees saw that she did not belong in that kind of place and the more Tsan'lo talked, the more he felt that she was lost. Shamees knew that he had to be more careful now that Tsan'lo had unexpectedly opened up. He wondered if this had something to do with her run-in with Lios. He couldn't help but think so given that Tsan'lo had been so aloof until now. Most people would assume it was a good sign, a chance to learn more about the person and bridge a relationship. But all Shamees knew was that opening up was a hard, perhaps even painful process. He didn't need a flicker of emotion from Tsan'lo to know that. It was true for everyone. “If that's your goal...” Shamees began, going back on topic. He wasn't going to probe nor take advantage of the situation. His ears had no right to hear her personal thoughts. “...Then assuming I've continuously deprived you your need to pay me back and you have followed through your persistence and tailed my caravan, how long do you think that would take? Months? Years? It's not unlikely. Time fly by so fast. I would get so busy that I couldn't tell the dawns from yesterday and next week's apart. By the time you might get what you want, it wouldn't be worth it. “You appear young and you still have many years ahead of you, but dedication to the blade deserved better commitment...” Shamees closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. “Or, better yet, more common sense.” Tsan'lo
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Foreigner
Swordmaster
BULLION:
Oleg
tag @tsanlo
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Post by Tsan'lo on Nov 1, 2014 10:42:34 GMT
"It might not be worth anything to you." She shook her head once, frowning her eyebrows. "But to me, fulfilling a debt is something I never give up on. It's never satisfying." She let out something akin to a sigh. "I have not had much debt before. But before I did... Things, that ensured I would never be in debt to anyone." She didn't know why exactly she was telling so much about herself to this mongrel. Maybe it was a sort of release to her at someone she did not truly know. She had nothing to lose from this, right? "I killed more than I do now. Without reason. With people who're not that... Well cut from cloth. Sure, I still took money. But I took money from everyone, no matter the job." She wiped her nose once, perhaps as a motion that she had been used to for a rather long time. "Something changed. That much I will say about that. I found honor, and I promised myself I'd follow that honor." She furrowed her brows deeper than usual. Which was becoming the usual for her by now. "If I break that promise to myself, I..." She stroked her chin for a split second as she tried to find the right word for it. "I would... Lose a part of myself I spent years even trying to find." She closed her eyes with a deep breath, rubbing her face for a moment as she completely ignored his comment about common sense or anything like that. His opinion on her did not matter. Her debt mattered, and that was what he should be more focusing on, not if she had some blasted common sense. She felt like punching the man, but she knew she was too weak at the moment. "I don't know why I'm talking about this with you." shamees
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Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 11:54:12 GMT
Shamees didn't know either why Tsan'lo was telling him these things, but it was actually helping him make things more understandable for her. He didn't like it, to be honest. With Tsan'lo spewing bits and bits of herself, Shamees felt he was being cornered to do the same. He doubted Tsan'lo shared this kind of guilt, but it was probably closest to her feeling of debt, just not physical. Just for a bit, he was going to share. “Before I became a merchant,” Shamees started again, his tone the same as it had been but his words instantly set up a change in the atmosphere. A spark of excitement. He was going to talk about himself. Shamees felt his heart beat faster. “I was used to following definite things. My work was in a very structured and controlled environment where I must only deal with my immediate concerns and live as my task entailed. I only had one option, as did my colleagues. When I left that life and entered business, I was forced to think differently, to stare at wares I've given no real thought before and plot out how far they could take me in a land that I've never heard or seen. Dealing with the newness and people taught me to constantly find other approaches. It felt like every situation that arise called for something different to get done and I always learned something new along the way. “But I can never be certain if what I do would get what I wanted. I eventually had to learn to accept the best that I could get and move on. It was frustrating. I'm not as manipulative or cunning as the most skilled merchants and I refuse to be. My values had been a constant setback to the caravan but I must make sure it still thrived despite the losses. I cannot give up on either one so I always look for the best option.” Shamees barely moved. He just continued talking with his arms still crossed, his gaze sometimes on the floor or on Tsan'lo's eyes. “If you still don't understand, then I'm telling you that not all problems can be solved straightforwardly. Your honour does not concern me. To push it on me and hope the situation will better itself through persistence is childish. The answer is to then find a viable method to make it work out. You have to do your part and come up with the how, and not expect the universe to simply bend to your convenience. If you can't get the whole part of the deal in one go, then aim on taking it one step at a time and see where it goes.” Tsan'lo
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Foreigner
Swordmaster
BULLION:
Oleg
tag @tsanlo
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Post by Tsan'lo on Nov 1, 2014 13:11:10 GMT
She listened, for once, without interrupting at any point. It felt like was more or so talking to a child instead of HER, but... She could see, to her surprise and even annoyance, a point. But she still felt like he was taking her for a child instead of someone grown. She did not... Or did she? Her thoughts bounced around for a moment as she tried to compute that her logic might have been false in this. It did not work out that well as minutes passed, her expression changing from furrowed eyebrows to one eyebrow raised and other mannerisms like that as she thought. She clenched her fist for a moment as she then finally raised her eyes to look to the... Ech, mongrel. She was starting to suspect that maybe mongrel was not such a fitting name to him. More like... Manlette. Yes. Manlette. She pursed her lips together for a moment before opening her mouth, her words as calm as before. "Then. Would you be willing to hire me? For caravan protection or such. Anything like that." She tilted her head. "If not, I'll... I'll go and leave once we reach the next town. I just..." She sighed angrily. "Wish to help someone who saved my life." She hated being wounded like this, and she more hated the fact that she had to admit defeat. It made her seethe inside like she was a volcano about to burst and spew hot flaming lava all over the wagon. Yet her outside showed none of that rage, only someone who had finally submitted. shamees
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Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 13:54:38 GMT
Hard as it was for Tsan'lo, Shamees didn't know how to pull back punches. Or rather, he just didn't. He talked so easily and readily. This time though, he gave her a long look like she still had said something terribly wrong. “No.” Shamees closed his eyes, sighing, which sounded more irritated than tired. He had nothing against Tsan'lo personally, but he wasn't as patient as he looked. The urge to call her an idiot jumped in his mind, but Shamees resisted, knowing he shouldn't mess this up. He was going to do this right. “It's good to know that you're finally seeing where I'm going, but there's something else you've missed. Something that you might have already blown up.” He looked straight into Tsan'lo's eyes. “I already indirectly allowed you to stay – not for a month, though maybe I might have allowed you to stick around depending on what happens 3-4 days from now. Lios told you, didn't he? I don't know what exact words he used but he must have said that you could work around. As long as he's babysitting you, I'm willing to turn a blind eye on it. But you didn't realize that he was your lifeline. You provocated him to the point of attacking you. You don't think at all.” Shamees might not have ended up calling her an idiot, but he might as well have with the way he was lecturing her. He couldn't really appreciate that she was finally being honest. A bit too late on that. The damage was done. The best thing that remained out of this was for her to learn something. If he were trampling her pride more, the better. He disliked people with stupid pride. Tsan'lo (jsyk I don't feel any satisfaction on saying these things to tsan'lo. I feel bad :c but I promise this is just getting the hard part out of the way.)
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Foreigner
Swordmaster
BULLION:
Oleg
tag @tsanlo
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Post by Tsan'lo on Nov 1, 2014 14:35:17 GMT
She had started to slowly respect the manlette. In the "I do hate that person, but he's good enough to make me listen to him" kind of respect. She would have been even more willing to try and... Blech, work things out with the idiot that was called Lios. It would have been hard and taken too long for her tastes, but she would have been willing to go trough with the pain just to handle things in a manner that the manlette found proper and fitting. So then he, in her mind, blew it up. She raised her eyebrow for a moment at the barrage of cleverly disguised insults. So he had just played with her. Gotten her tricked into talking for a while, got her into begging to hire her... Only to then laugh at her face, chew her out and spit her down like she was nothing. She let her anger show as her eyebrow begun to twitch, her face turning slightly red as she stood up, clenching her fist tight as she took her sword, holding it... Before turning around. "I'll take my leave then. If it is as futile as you say, I'll at the very least honor my debt by not burning any more of your resources." "But I do not like taking insults. Not from someone who I actually, for the lightest of moments, respected. You listened to me, spoke to me. A clever trick, I'd say. I do commend you for your talent to spin swords and cause people to open... Only to crush." She raised her sword a bit so that it's flat side rested against her shoulder. "I'll leave the clothes back at the wagon I woke up at." shamees (echhhhh)
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Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 15:01:50 GMT
"You're not in any condition to leave," he pointed out. If Tsan'lo had expected Shamees to feel guilty, to behave defensively, or to consider for a moment that he had hurt her feelings, she was talking to the wrong person. Oh, Shamees knew that Tsan'lo was upset but he wasn't going to allow that to faze him. Not her talk of having respected him, her accusation of tricking her, or the worn sword she held. He knew she had become irrational and that there were unspoken things going on inside her head. And ultimately, she was no threat to him, not to a former soldier of war. Shamees continued to lean against the wall, returning Tsan'lo's verbal blows with his staunch, unwavering words. "I won't stop you, but I don't think I need to tell you how flawed your idea is. You risk repeating the same mistake; I don't believe you listened to me at all." Tsan'lo
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Foreigner
Swordmaster
BULLION:
Oleg
tag @tsanlo
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Post by Tsan'lo on Nov 1, 2014 15:19:47 GMT
"I'll still go about and make my leave. I've got no more reason to stay, and as I said... I wish to not burn your resources any more than it is necessary of me." She nodded, pushing out the wagon as she then made her way, going trough wagons as she tried to find the one she had woken up in. It took her some time, but once she finally found her way she sat down, thinking for a moment. By this point even she knew that she was being rather childish. It hurt her the most out of this whole situation, really. Knowing that she was in the wrong and that the manlette was in the right. She placed her swords down, pondering for a moment. She would have to somehow make it out naked into the wilderness without being mauled, and she would somehow have to survive entering a town while being naked. Both things were rather unlikely. Very, very unlikely. She sighed loudly. The situation was well beyond idiotic. shamees
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Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 15:45:20 GMT
No voice called back, no footsteps followed. Just like Shamees said, he didn't stop her. When she left, he did nothing more than tilt his chin and stare at the line where the wall and ceiling met. It was all up to Tsan'lo now. He didn't believe she would push through with the idea. Maybe she might leave with the clothes at least, but having done the proclamation that she would be returning it, he had a feeling that if she were to leave, she would really go naked. He hoped she would be able to think things a bit more. Even if it were just for a few days, Shamees wanted to get the attitude fixed. As the one in-charge, he wouldn't stand for an outsider to work with them to behave as they please. Had Tsan'lo not gotten emotional, he would have allowed Tsan'lo to help. But he didn't want to say that, not yet. She had to see what wrong she did and what consequences her rashness had done. Tsan'lo might not understand it but it had been a test of trust. He needed the assurance that she understood – really understood – because she gave him reason to change his mind and he didn't want to have to take it back. She did not want to pay him back for honour. She wanted to show her gratefulness by helping the people who saved her life. And treasuring her own life was something Shamees could respect. He could have worded himself better, but he saw no reason to start regretting it now. It was all up to her what she wanted to do. Tsan'lo (all up to tsan'lo now lol. if she leaves, she'll leave the thread. if she stays, you can timeskip. make sure you save your game before deciding.)
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Foreigner
Swordmaster
BULLION:
Oleg
tag @tsanlo
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Post by Tsan'lo on Nov 1, 2014 16:02:10 GMT
In the end, she never left. She had given herself a good enough reason. Going out naked in the woods was not smart, and after a while she had simply told the manlette she would be staying until they reached. Afterwards she had pretty much avoided the others. They would most possibly have their work cut out for them anyways, and she had to plan her own routes. Maybe she could head towards Ferox, for the Khan's tournaments... She would need to sadly socialize with the manlette for long enough to determine where they were on the map. She wiped her nose. She had seated herself down on a box back at the wagon she had taken as her residing place. The wolf furs she had been wrapped in the day earlier were still there, and for hides of the beasts that had tried to maul and kill them, they were surprisingly nice to sleep in. It was early in the afternoon. Birds were singing somewhere in the distance, and when she moved the little curtain at the back of the wagon she proceeded to be almost blinded by the rays of the sun. Beautiful sights, to be completely honest. But she could enjoy them later. She returned to staring down at the wooden flooring of the wagon as she thought about her next move. Ferox ringed better and better in her ears the more she thought about it. shamees (savestated, and also, if it was not clear this would be the day after.)
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Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 16:31:41 GMT
By the next day, Shamees was back to work. It was more of studying than working because, until they arrived at the town, there were no results that he could actually produce. What he did was lay down the overpriced Ylisse map they had no choice but to purchase and plan out their logistics. On one hand he was scribbling down notes and marking the map and on the other, he was flipping through the pages of his research written in neat, slim and small inky handwriting. It had been easy to ask around and get information on other cities and towns but reviewing some information on his notebook, he wondered how accurate they were. Shamees looked at the largest city at the map – their current goal destination – the name 'Pyrathi' scrawled in cursive at the centre. Shamees could hear birds twittering but paid them no mind. It wasn't until noon that someone had visited Tsan'lo. The footsteps and creaking of wagon heralded the arrival, stopping just outside the curtains. “Hey, Tsan'lo, you awake?” It was Harana's voice. “It's luu-aanchhh,” Harana said as he stifled a yawn. Tsan'lo
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Foreigner
Swordmaster
BULLION:
Oleg
tag @tsanlo
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Post by Tsan'lo on Nov 1, 2014 16:38:40 GMT
She flickered her ears as Harana (she had gotten around to remembering their names, finally) called for her. She quickly nodded, only to then frown at herself for nodding to someone who could not even see her. She stood up, slowly walking over to the curtain as she then opened it. She had put on clothes earlier, so there was no real reason for even her having them closed at this time of day. She had just been too lazy to open them way when she woke up. She tilted her head a bit, yawning to herself, more to feel comfortable than anything. "What's for food." It was a simple question indeed. Nothing special about that. But she then thought about it for a moment. "Also... Do you know how close we are to the Feroxi border?" She had doubts on if Harana would know of that. Although, she would keep her thoughts inside. If she insulted her saviors any more, things could get even uglier than with Lios. But not insulting someone for their flaws was hard sometimes. shamees
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Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 16:53:55 GMT
Harana hardly reacted when Tsan'lo appeared. He just yawned again when she yawned. "Dunno." He paused, processing Tsan'lo's second question. Harana didn't appear as energetic as he was yesterday. His clothes were tucked and buttoned properly but his sleepy look gave the impression that he just got out of bed. "Dunno either. Lios made lunch so probably fish? Oyster? He likes seafood." Harana reached for the sky and stretched. It seemed to work and wake him up as he was able to throw more contribution for a conversation. “I like seafood too but he doesn't make them like the food I know. I don't remember Mom cooking any of the fish. She would just slice them cleanly then put it inside rolled up rice.” Harana's shoulders sagged. “Now it's mostly meat and stew. Yuck! I asked Lios if he could make it but he said it was more complicated. It didn't look complicated to me... I bet I could make it myself if they'd let me.” Tsan'lo
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Foreigner
Swordmaster
BULLION:
Oleg
tag @tsanlo
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Post by Tsan'lo on Nov 1, 2014 17:05:14 GMT
She nodded simply to his speech. She didn't ignore him, no. She would have wanted to, but she did not. It was common courtesy she felt like she needed to show by listening and acknowledging his thoughts. The food reminded her of something her mother had made too. She loathed the woman deeply, but her food had always been something that she could enjoy after training and it had always given her the energy, and she even had taught her how to make it. She just never got the ingridients after she became... How would one say it, independent. She should contribute. "Why don't they let you cook?" She was slightly interested. Maybe he was a horrid cook? That was a very definite possibility. "... I could try cooking at some point too. I know how to make what you described." She nodded once. Maybe she could ensure that at the very least one member of the party would tolerate her somewhat. It would raise her chances of staying instead of being kicked out even before they could reach the next town. She had grown overly paranoid over the night. She was probably in no real danger, yet she felt like she needed to watch out for herself here. They were strangers. Some people not to be trusted. shamees
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Foreigner
Priest
BULLION:
Nazt
tag @shamees
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Post by shamees on Nov 1, 2014 17:24:23 GMT
A small spark returned to Harana's eyes. He beamed at her excitedly. "You can?" he asked, his upper teeth showing. "Well, obviously they don't think I'm capable! They said I'll just waste good food. Plus, most of the ingredients aren't for eating..." His shoulders hunched down again. "Like that green thing and even the rice! Since they're stuffs that they got from Valm, they can make a large profit selling them here. If you want them, you'll have to buy them. I doubt you have any money for it since you already owe – I MEAN, LOOK BIRDS!” Harana had already been made aware about the issue with Tsan'lo. He neither knew about the incident with Lios or Shamees but he overheard the others talk about her last night. He still didn't know where she disappeared to yesterday and had forgotten about it by keeping himself busy with the sword that he found. He had been able to spar with it too, so if he and Tsan'lo were going to fight, Harana would be one hundred times better than he ever would be. But he didn't know if that would happen anymore. Right now, a part of him was slightly hesitant on the idea. Tsan'lo just seemed more...volatile to him because of what he'd heard. Tsan'lo
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