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+--- Thread: A Box!? [Open] (/showthread.php?tid=11231)
A Box!? [Open] - Gegenji - 04-22-2015
![[Image: Large-box-with-lid-WEB.jpg]](http://www.woodenboxcompany.co.uk/images/Large-box-with-lid-WEB.jpg)
At some point, some time, someone left behind a crate somewhere. Well, perhaps "crate" is too grandiose of a word for this little wooden box that was, in truth, no bigger than a Lalafell's head. Which, while indeed sizable considering the rest of their body, was not quite large enough for a box to attain "crate" status in most circles (unless you yourself were a Lalafell, since something the size of your head is quite large indeed to you!). So, in truth, at some point someone had left behind a box.
Most people ignored it, either stepping around or - if they were long enough of leg - over it and continuing on their way without paying it much heed. A few of the more socially conscious (or perhaps just grumpy and ready to vent on any inanimate object around them) pushed or kicked it out of the way. And so this box had come to a rest up against the wall of a building, looking quite battered indeed. If it possessed a face, it would most likely be frowning in dismay. But that would be a silly thing, for everyone knows that boxes do not have faces - at least not in the way you or I do.
How did this box get here? No, not up against the building - we knew that much already, or could reasonably assume it from the various footprints and other dents that decorated its surface. But what chain of events resulted in it ending up in the middle of the street which ultimately ended with it up against the building?
Had it fallen from a cart, trundling along behind a pair of overworked Chocobos? Had it simply been the topmost package on an unstable pillar of similar such containers carried by an individual of much brawn? Perhaps it had be purposely discarded, the owner no longer wanting anything to do with whatever contents were within it - if there were any at all.
And perhaps that was the more enticing quandary: the ephemeral mystery of what lay within the box itself. It had no label or engravings to identify what its contents might be or even to whom or to where it might be headed. Not even a number haphazardly marked on it to identify it as part of a set. Just a small, slightly battered wooden box. Though, a careful eye could tell that whatever rough jostling it had endured had also deformed the lid somewhat - leaving a bit of shadow visible through a gap tenuously kept from widening by a couple nails trying so desperately to uphold their purpose.
But should one simply open it? These were times of tribulation, of course, and what within might not be something that someone would like to find. Explosives, narcotics, a severed Lalafellan head (it was the proper size for it, after all!), any number of undesirables that the commonfolk might not want to be seen in the possession of.
On the other hand, it could also be something of value. Fine tapestries or an assortment of expensive jewelery. Perhaps an ancient artifact or family heirloom that was valuable in the sense that the original owner might pay a pretty gil to see it returned. Or maybe even an assortment of knicknacks that - while ultimately not worth much on the market - might be amusing or even handy to have on one's person!
So much unknown, so much mystery surrounding such a battered little box. What a position for a person to be put in, whomsoever might have their eye caught by its pathetic little form. Should they not just ignore it and walk away, they would find themselves wondering the simplest of questions:
What's in the box?
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Unnamed Mercenary - 04-22-2015
As Franz had walked down the street, he'd seen some of the people nearly tripping as they kicked the box, unnoticed before it was too late. It was small. Wooden. And certainly not his.
He wondered between picking it up to listen if the contents had been preserved, or simply leaving it where it was.
Instead, the tall, grumpy-looking hyur stood, staring at the box.
"The hells is this doing on the ground?"
RE: A Box!? [Open] - MadWater - 04-22-2015
Brave Horizon sets her stack of books down next to the box. She props her left foot up on the box, and she leans down and tightens the straps on her sandals. She turns to face Franz. "Have I met you before?" She asks, then suddenly answers her own question. "Ah! I believe you've fixed my busted face once or twice at the Grindstone."
(( Edited to actually contribute! I guess I'll give this forum RP a try. ))
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Melodia - 04-22-2015
Melodia came upon the box and looked around, curious as to what such a thing would be doing here. It looked....ominous.
Out of place.
The simplicity is what threw her off. Her old mentor on the ship would have cautioned her. Something like that isn't ever as simple as it seems, child. Lest you create more problems for yourself...best to leave it be.
She bit down on her lower lip as her curiosity was getting the better of her and she fiddled with her marriage band, considering leaving the box be, heading back to her wife and pushing it out of her memory.
But there it was.
Enticing in it's solitude and begging to be opened. She circled it, eyes drawn to it. Wasn't hers....not by any stretch. But it wasn't marked either meaning it didn't belong to anyone. Surely it belonged to someone. Surely! She nervously drummed her fingers together and looked about again, sure she was being watched. Tested.
Perhaps that was the answer. She sighed, unsure of what to do. And again she fiddled with the band on her finger, closed her eyes and a soft smile crept on her lips. "Aye, Alara...I'm on m'way home." She'd whispered and turned to walk, not wanting to know what was inside. Not wanting to risk the precious happiness she'd fought so hard for over a matter of wonder. She would wonder, but she would be safe. And that was what mattered most to her at the moment.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Gegenji - 04-22-2015
The box did little to answer Franz's question, for it was naught but a box. Even if it was cognizant of its own existence, it would've had no manner in which to relay its history to him. So it seemed content enough to just sit there in its awkward position up against the side of the building, nestled in other debris and scraps that had long since made their home there. All it had to offer was the slight opening, the crack of shadow seen through that damaged lid...
And even that was tamped down some as Brave used the poor box as little more than a temporary footstool. It could finally give voice to its situation then, but it was a little more than the light groaning of wood underneath the pressure of the Roegadyn's sandal upon it. The opening recovered somewhat as Brave relented and turned her attentions to the only other active observer of the box, but one might notice that it seemed not as wide now. Perhaps it was afraid to so readily divulge its contents now due to such blatant mistreatment, but that would assume the box was aware of such things.
Nor was it aware when Melodia joined the two other non-boxes present, if only for a little while. Oblivious as she circled and examined it. It had no further clues to provide her from any angle - it was what it was, a simple beaten-up wooden box of unknown content. Possibly lost, possibly discarded, ultimately here for whatever reason. And while the anonymity of its interior was enticing indeed, it seemed to be not enough draw for the Miqo'te. So, she turned to leave - leaving only Franz and Brave in the immediate vicinity of the box.
(( Edited to account for edits! ))
RE: A Box!? [Open] - T'caska Khevo - 04-22-2015
T'caska did not see the box at all as she was walking and quickly ran into it, stubbing the mess out of all the toes on her right foot and tumbling head over heals over it. She sat for a good 10 minutes, holding her foot and rocking back and forth, staring at the damned thing and plotting its demise.
Finally the young Miqo got up and ran to it, kicking it hard with her other foot, hoping to send it into the nearby wall with a crash, "What idiot left this here?"
RE: A Box!? [Open] - SunTzu7 - 04-22-2015
It had been one of those days. You know the ones, the sun is shining, the birds are out, joy and laughter reign triumphant over a positive world. A rare occurrence in troubled times, and Newton had thought to capitalise with a brisk, heartening walk. Maybe she'd come up with a new disguise, maybe she'd just get a bit of sun, maybe someone would kick a box in her direction as she passed...
Wait, what was that last one? A box?
A sprinkling of sparkles and a painful yank on her pointed ear follows as her fairy companion, not being an utter arse not watching where they're going, averts box to the face style catastrophe as she pulls her Scholar's head slightly out of the way. The dejected and offending box in question is given a brief stare of curiosity before the Elezan woman rounds sharply on the perpetrator of this insidious cuboid based calamity.
'Buggering hell, will you watch where you're kicking things? What's the bleeding idea tossing boxes at unassuming passers by?!'
Bodyguard duties concluded, the fairy seems interested in the box itself, floating down for a poke or two at it.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - T'caska Khevo - 04-22-2015
Saw the box heading towards the nearby person after she kicked it and she closed her eyes, hoping to not hear it smash into a face or fairy. She yelped quickly as the woman scolded her and limp/ran behind the nearby Franz.
"Sorry ma'am, wasn't aiming for you!" she called out and looked closely as the fairy began to inspect it. "Maybe you shouldn't leave things where people can trip on them!" she added then does her best to hide again after blurting the accusation.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Unnamed Mercenary - 04-22-2015
(04-22-2015, 10:02 AM)MadWater Wrote: Brave Horizon sets her stack of books down next to the box. She props her left foot up on the box, and she leans down and tightens the straps on her sandals. She turns to face Franz. "Have I met you before?" She asks, then suddenly answers her own question. "Ah! I believe you've fixed my busted face once or twice at the Grindstone."
(( Edited to actually contribute! I guess I'll give this forum RP a try. ))
As the Roegadyn lady walked up and commented, he couldn't help but assume he must have helped her at some point at the Grindstone. In truth, most of his attention was normally on the injuries than the person due to how many people frequented the event. "Yes, perhaps I have." As the box's wood squeeked slightly at the sandal, he wondered if perhaps, the wood and nails may give, cracking it open. Unfortunately for his curiosity, they did not.
And then there were the two miqo'te girls. One looking at the box somewhat, before leaving, and the other that had indeed tripped over the thing. Poor box. What had it done besides being placed on the ground to deserve being kicked, stomped, or launched at people?
Seeing the box fly through the air was indeed interesting, but it had survived the flight and landing. A pity, almost. Unless the contents were dangerous.
Seeing the more recent target of the box, the person appeared to have been another healer from the Grindstone. She'll be fine if any damage has been taken. It's not my place to worry.
There was a slight shock that came to mind as the girl hid behind him. Am I going to be blamed for this?Â
"H-hey..". He didn't enjoy the idea of being used as a scapegoat or a pillar to hide behind.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - SunTzu7 - 04-22-2015
Newton crosses her arms, takes a deep breath and composes herself. Accidents happen. Sometimes.Â
'It's... It's fine. Just don't do it again.' She then looks at the man who is currently being used as strategic cover. A familiar enough face from the Grindstone, although she couldn't quite recall his name. 'Sir, is this your box? If it is, then please don't let it be used for projectile assaults in future.'
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Gegenji - 04-22-2015
The box has indeed seemed to have weathered the short flight well enough - at least as well as one could tell. Those scratches and dents had always been there, right? It had still landed with quite the clatter and racket, though with that and the flying accusations it was hard to say how much of it was box and how much was its contents. The box had landed upside-down as well, leaving it slightly off-kilter as its restful pose was marred by the slight lift in the formerly "top" lid. Its position was just shaky enough that the curious pokes from Newton's fairy would set it to wobbling - not unlike a table with one leg that was just slightly shorter than the rest.
Wobble, wobble, wobble.
At least whatever inside wasn't anything liquid or loose. Even after the flight and subsequent prodding, nothing seemed to leak or ooze or roll from that gap in the lid, so that was a plus. Whether what was inside was undamaged, though, was anyone's guess. Maybe it had survived the flight intact... or perhaps it was something that wouldn't leak or ooze or other such things if broken. It was hard to say and the box itself continued to decline to being helpful in the matter in its own wooden box-y way.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Unnamed Mercenary - 04-22-2015
Franz wanted to lie and say it was his box. He wanted to open it.
Badly.
In the end though, he couldn't. It was very reasonably, not his box.
"Er, no. The box is not one of my possessions. But it also can't just be left here."
He walked over to the poor thing and picked it up, trying to make a judgement of it from weight or sound. Did it contain something alive? Certainly hope not. Did it contain something of value? Likely to someone
He made an attempt to hold it in the sunlight and peek through a crack. Perhaps there would be a clue to find the oner.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Leanne - 04-22-2015
It was from nowhere that she appeared. Forever in that relentless, constant movement of hers, Leanne had the propensity to appear here and there, sometimes at very random, uncalled moments, like a short animal that climbs on your shoulder sneakily just to abruptly nuzzle against your cheeks.
As Franz tried to peek at it, so was she! She was there by him, using his shoulder to lift oneself while her golden gaze followed his to the crate he was staring at.
"Why the intense gaze? It is just a box." she decided to state, of all things.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - MadWater - 04-22-2015
Brave hadn't noticed T'caska glaring angrily at the box when she stopped to fix her sandal, but she certainly did notice her after she mightily (for a cat) booted the poor little box mere seconds after she had taken her foot off it. "Twelve, woman!" she cries. "It's just a box."
She looks around, finding a crowd assembled around the box: a sour-looking Hyur, an excitable Miqo'te, an upset Elezen and her fairy, and herself. The hells? she thinks, entirely unsure what the deal with this box was. And yet here she was, staring at it. She watches Franz pick it up.
"It's just a box," she repeats, although she herself wonders.
RE: A Box!? [Open] - Gegenji - 04-22-2015
A tilt, a shift, a peering of a curious eye. It took a bit of doing to get some light through that opening in the lid without prying it open further. But try Franz did, despite the difficulties afforded by Leanne's attempts to get a better look herself. At least the box itself wasn't overly heavy - after all, it had been kicked so easily not moments before. It had some weight to it, sure, but nothing that wasn't easily overcome.
And so, Franz was able to get a bit of light in and - more importantly - get a eye on the contents without blocking out that same light source. Which... turned out to be not all that enlightening really. Inside the box was a sack which, itself, seemed to have something in it. Something sizable, since the edges of the bag pressed snugly against the walls of the box, slightly deforming whatever lay within it. No wonder it hadn't made any addition sounds when being smacked around!
Finding a bag in a box might have seemed disheartening at first, but it was no bland old popoto sack. It was colored a mixture of various pink hues that spilled into and over each other without a care, and seemed to be made of a fabric at least a few steps up from the burlap of a popoto sack. Linen maybe, or satin? It was hard to say without actually taking it out and feeling it. Looked rather... cute, though.
And tying off the bag? A pretty little blue ribbon, tied tight into a bow around the mouth. The draped excess had been stuffed down further into the box, held in place against the sides by the bag itself. And, despite all the knocking and jostling about, the knot seemed to have held fast. It would need to be removed the proper way - or cut - to see what lay within.
The mystery of the box had progressed! It was a bag! A pretty pink bag tied up with a pretty blue bow! But where had it come from, and why was it here? Those questions still remained; along with one new question.
What was in the bag?
![[Image: 2dc1b47a9913c58d3553d2d0fb0e88e6.wix_mp_512]](http://0.static.wix.com/media/2dc1b47a9913c58d3553d2d0fb0e88e6.wix_mp_512)
((No, there's not YET ANOTHER container in the bag. I'm not that terrible.))