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+--- Thread: Innocence and Avarice [closed] (/showthread.php?tid=6812)
Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-01-2014
Azeyma was trying to kill Zhavi. It was the only good explanation why, on the one day Zhavi needed to be out in the docks in full broad daylight, the sun shone so fiercely in the sky. The week had been one of grey skies and misery all around, with old sailors spreading sour words about storms and the like to come soon (that ever ominous word). Yet, somehow, everyone had been wrong, because on the day Zhavi was ready to speak to the lalafel, she was forced to wait out in the open with the sun beating her mercilessly with its light and heat. Someone, somewhere, was laughing. It was probably Azeyma. Murderous bitch.
Zhi crouched on one of the dock supports, watching one ship in particular -- though she kept her general demeanor one of purposeless boredom. Not that she was fooling those who'd come to get a fix on her compass as the years'd passed. Her acquaintances (enemies to be, she liked to think of them on days like the one she was currently experiencing) had tossed her any number of fun one-liners, like "beautiful day, innit, Slant?" or "enjoyin' that sunshin?" or "can't stay in on a day like this!" all the while sniggering behind their hands and thinking themselves so clever. She'd shown them her fangs, lips stretching far off her teeth in a grin that wasn't her most personable. Not that any of them took her seriously. Louts.
Finally, finally her patience was rewarded, as she spotted Lalataru disembark. Never had relief been so sweet, not even when she'd bought herself a bath for the first time in two moonspan the day prior. Was a pity that she'd been unable to get rid of the fleas in her preparation for today, but the wool light-weave tunic and trousers she'd managed to con off the ragspicker for a hunnerd were worth the ensuing itchiness. Even if fleas were one of her most detested pests, what the lalafel couldn't see wouldn't hurt him. Unless she infected him. Call it even, if that happened, for the wait she'd endured in the meantime. Really. She should have invested in a hat with a wide brim. As it was, the innards of her ears would probably be burned come nightfall.
Zhi hopped off her perch and started ambling off the docks, letting the crowd bump her to the edges. She was practiced at following people, and knew better than to tot after someone (even if they were oblivious) like a kitten after its mam for milk. She stopped briefly at a stall, angling herself to be able to see Lalataru once he passed on his way off the docks. Then all it would be was to catch him in a shady location, out of the way, and she'd be in business. Finally.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Goodfellow - 04-01-2014
Lolotaru was always shocked by how hot it could get in Limsa Lominsa. Growing up in the desert, he knew heat, but it was different in Limsa.  You couldn’t hide from it. It was wet, sticky,pervasive, and only the breeze offered any comfort. As he stepped off of the ferry he took note of the crowd and frowned visibly. The docks were crowded today; the lalafell would feel no breeze. He did not relish the thought of being jostled about by the sweaty knees of the larger folk of the city. He sighed and began to push through the forest of legs, pressing forward towards the ramp up to the city proper.
As he walked, he became aware of,and increasingly distracted by, the stuffy, unpleasantly moist feeling of his skin beneath his scholar’s robe. He loved his robes, so full of pockets brimming with the associations of history. Nevertheless, the thought of spending the next several hours in the already dirty garments weighed on him and further soured his mood. And it was so stuffy in the Arcanists’ Guild!
As he crested the top of the ramp a breeze rolled in and he stepped to the side of the crowd, over to the edge of the Aetheryte Plaza to better feel it. The crowd was sparser here. He splayed out his arms, closed his eyes, and breathed in the thick, salty air. Maybe today wouldn’t be such a disappointment after all.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-02-2014
The breeze wasn't enough. Move, she ordered the lalafel in her head even as she walked across the plaza to stare out across the ocean like any dimwitted tourist, keeping him in her peripherals. Move, move y'whelp.
He couldn't hear her, of course, and he didn't listen. She could feel the sunburn coming on, already had the start of a headache from all the gods-cursed reflecting the water did. Limsa Lominsa was all a Keeper could ever wish for at night, but get caught out during the daytime and it was a bleeding nightmare. Yeah, sure, Zhi had grown up in Limsa and had never been anywhere else in her life, but that didn't change the fact that it was seven kinds of hell to get caught out in daytime, or be forced to it. So what, though, right? She wouldn't have to pretend to be a in a heap of misery because she was going to die thanks to the little halfwit. And how was he not dying in that robe? Proof, she thought, that book learning never did anyone any good. Load of rubbish apt to addle the mind, that was it.
Her ears flattened as she loitered, ignoring the few sideways glances from nicer-kept folk who paraded themselves throughout the plaza like they were something good to be looked at. She knew the type, all fresh wealth and glutted on it, ripe to be plucked like the thief-bait they were. Yeah, just wait 'till they ducked into the shady Hawkers Alleys. They'd be lightened of their coin, alright, but they wouldn't be spending it. Idiots.
C'mon churl, get yer arse movin' afore th'sun addles yer wits further.
Zhavi could be patient. There was no way she could have survived without being patient. Add in the sun, however, and all bets were off.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Goodfellow - 04-02-2014
Lolo opened his eyes and stepped up on top of a bench, leaning over the railing to see the ocean. It had been months since he'd relocated to Vylbrand and he still loved to look out over the sea. Maybe he really was just a tourist in residence, but the ocean reminded him of home in a way. The great expanses of water and sand were both things to be crossed, not lived upon, and from moment to moment the waves and the dunes changed their face. One used the sun and the stars to navigate both.Â
But now wasn't the time to wax contemplative. The heat was too oppressive for that, and his mind thus too sluggish to think any thoughts to truly be proud of. No, he had dallied long enough. He looked up towards the Upper Decks and the Bismarck, thoughts of cool refreshments enjoyed in the shade and the breeze dancing through his mind, followed immediately by the realization that for exactly that reason the Bismarck would be particularly busy, and today was a day for pushing through crowds, not sitting amongst them.
With a resigned sigh and a final glance over the bulwark, Lolo stepped off the bench, his foot catching on the edge of his soggy robe as he fell face first onto the hard stone below. Momentarily dazed, he rose to his knees, one hand immediately flying to his head, the other to the left pocket of his robe. His breath caught in his throat as he patted around his waist, only resuming when his hand came to rest on the familiar bulge. Thank Thaliak, he thought, I didn't drop it.
He stood up, brushing off the front of his robe and wincing slightly at the minor scrapes and bruises on his knees and elbows, and began to cross the plaza in the direction of Hawkers' Alley, right arm clutching his shoulder bag, left hand hovering protectively over the pocket, tracing out the dimensions of its contents absentmindedly.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-02-2014
Zhi's breath caught at the same time as Lalataru's, though she didn't know it. Her tail went rigid, her expression darkened, and she almost -- but not quite -- vocalized her distress as he nearly killed himself. What was it with the day? First her mettle was tested by the sun, and now by what, fate? The gods surely were having a good time at her expense. Still, at least he was moving and that would have to do. What's more, he headed in the direction she'd hoped he'd go. Perfect.
Taking her time in moving in the same direction, Zhi nonetheless passed him within the Alley itself. There was only one path forward, and she intended to beat him there. She knew he frequented the Arcanists' Guild, had seen as much in the time she'd followed him back and forth. She knew many things about Lolotaru Lalataru, from that which she'd seen, to that which she'd heard, to that which she'd paid for. She'd made him her business, had staked a claim on him in the way of her ilk. And though she was not intimidating, she had resources enough to make life very uncomfortable for anyone who got ideas about her employer's mark. Not that such a thing would discourage those who outstripped her in influence and wealth, but this one was based in enough eccentricity that she didn't think it would become a problem. Not unless there was more to it than she realized -- and that was regrettably not uncommon. Too many employers thought to keep her in the dark, someone who kept herself fed from staying abreast of who was ferrying what dirty little secrets around.
She sighed in relief as she crossed into the shade of the covered alcove that housed the door into the Arcanists' Guild. She sat there, uncaring of the dirt on the floor, and pulled her knees in towards her chest. Unless Lalataru loitered overlong and someone else came along to discourage her from polluting what was essentially the front porch of this particular guild, she should be able to catch him.
She'd dressed for the occasion, having used part of her pre-payment to buy an oversized shirt and half-pants. Worn sandals were on her feet, and her hair was mussed but not too dirty -- of course, what with her own sweat and the humid heat, she was looking a little worse for wear than she'd intended, and smelling just enough of wet fur to likely be counted as potential unconscious aversion, but she was confident. She looked the part of a big-eyed youth, hopeful with just enough tragedy (not too much, that was a quick way for things to get awkward) to invite sympathy. Not too dirty, not too clean. She'd aimed for that sweet spot of potential, the one that got strangers to trust before their instincts had a chance to kick in. And if that didn't work on Lalataru, for whatever reason, she had a backup plan or two.
Make or break in that moment. Her heartbeat sped, and she swallowed down the urge to grin. She wrapped her tail around her feet to keep it (and her butt, dratted instincts) from wagging.
She lived for that moment.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Goodfellow - 04-02-2014
Finally, after an interminable struggle, Lolo cleared the crowd and passed into the open air of the final stretch to the Guild. He loved this particular stretch of the walk. Whatever else may be happening in the city, here it was rarely busy. The spacious covered hall leading to yet more (though less frequented) docks housed the thick salt smell and quiet, wet rock that was present throughout the city, but here there were no hawkers, no officers and captains and sailors and beggars. No one loitered here, no one but the studious.Â
Small clusters of novices and apprentices were often seen discussing readings and lectures excitedly, exhaustedly. Masters and professors stood apart during their own breaks, smoking pensively. This was Lolo's place to breathe before stepping into his beloved Guild. He had been away for several weeks and so, under normal circumstances, would have paused to take it all in, to participate, perhaps, in the unofficial ceremony of it all. But today he simply wanted to get inside, to go to some secluded section of the library where he could fan out his robes and tend to his scrapes and bruises. And to read and take his mind far away from the heat and the pitfalls of the day.
Staring down the front of his now wet, stretched, and dirtied robe, Lolotaru didn't see the miqo'te until he'd almost stepped on her tail and run into her knees. Startled, his hand reflexively moved to his pocket as he hurriedly mumbled a "pardon." He looked up and a pair of dark eyes looked back. Him standing, her seated, her gaze met his and their eyes locked.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-02-2014
Those dark eyes widened during the few seconds they met Lalataru's, and then they were abruptly looking down. "Y-you're -- " Zhavi went tense, and then she'd scooted back several inches, her hands up in front of her as if to ward the lalafel off. She looked up, and back down, and then back up, taking in the man like he was some sort of alien species. "Sorry!" This was blurted, pitch high and loud.
One hand braced the miqo'te on the ground, and the other rose to cover half her face. "Sorry," she repeated, shoulders curving inward. Her whole body was one giant grimace as she got herself under control, daring another look at the lalafel. She pressed her lips together, looked up and down, and then before he could get a word in edgewise she'd genuflected towards the lalafel and bent herself nearly double over her upraised knee.
"I want -- please let me be yer 'prentice!" Overloud, and still high pitched, but definitely aimed towards Lolotaru Lalataru.
Were there any people loitering around the place, they'd doubtless have cause to stare at the two of them.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Goodfellow - 04-02-2014
His eyes went wide and he took a half a step back as the girl began to jitter and stammer. "Sorry!" she blurted, apparently shocked. "No, I'm sorry!" he blurted back, definitely shocked. He watched her as she convulsed, contorted, and threw herself before him. It took him a moment to recognize the motion: a genuflection. A bow. Color immediately flooded to his cheeks.
Her words sounded far away, as in water, but one word stuck. Did she just say...?
"Did you say," he asked in a low voice, glancing around nervously as he gulped the final word audibly, "apprentice?" He was confused, only barely concluding that he was not suffering from some sort of brain fever brought on by the heat. If it can be believed, he instantly began to sweat even more profusely than before.
He raised a sleeve to wipe his forehead and, unable to stop himself, let out an small, anxious chuckle. The smile appearing at the sides of his mouth, though, that was proud.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-02-2014
The way she froze, it was as if she'd just committed some incalculable error and hadn't the slightest clue how to rectify it. She flinched, her head drooping low, and chanced a few brief glances at Lalataru's face. "Y-yes?" The word was a squeak of sound. Hope, uncertainty and anxiety clouded her voice, and contorted her face. Her tail lashed sideways once, and then back the other way. She snatched it up and held it between her hands as if she didn't know what else to do with it. Back went her ears, and the whole of her waited for Lalataru's answer, as if that was the only thing in the world that could make her breathe right again.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Goodfellow - 04-03-2014
Before he could fully experience his flattery, Lolo's analytical mind caught up to his pride. She's confused. After all, he was hardly the most noteworthy individual in the Guild. He showed great aptitude and promise, yes, and there was great curiosity concerning the potential of several of his theories. Even his personal and self-taught style had impressed his instructors, but he remained raw yet and his actual accomplishments and contributions were still few in number and under-circulated.Â
The corners of his mouth pulled in and his wide eyes narrowed. He cast another glance around the entryway and directed himself once again towards the girl. Her pose was the very definition of pitiful and he leaned in, unknowingly, in response, hands raised slightly toward the scrunched up figure before him, stopping just shy of her knees.
"Ma'am," he inquired, "just who do you think that I am?"
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-03-2014
Zhi fell back onto her butt as Lalataru drew closer and once more squeezed her knees in to her chest. "Lolotaru, aye? They says. . .they says you know what it's. . .it has t'be you. I can't -- I don't want ta -- " her face crumpled, and she stared down at her knees. "So please -- I can cook some, clean some, be useful somehow -- I m-mean, I'm a quick learner, see? B-but I'm tireda bein' -- I don't wanna be no -- and you, ya'd unnerstand, right? Gotta be you, so. . .so please. . .please lemme be yer 'prentice." Her voice shrank as she spoke, until she was whispering her plea to her knees. Her eyes welled up, and she blinked rapidly to clear them. Her knuckles were white, she was clutching her tail so hard.
She didn't dare look up at Lalataru.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Goodfellow - 04-03-2014
"Er...why yes, that's me."
This was only becoming more confusing by the moment.
"Uh...ma'am, I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way," he explained as he sat down on the ground next to her, unconcerned with further dirtying his poor robe. With a keen and furtive series of sideways glances he more closely examined his erstwhile companion. Her clothes were matted, but otherwise seemed clean, if ill-fitting. The heat would be responsible for that, and for her hair. A quick observation of the fur of her tail revealed a somewhat mussier state than the hair on her head; so she had washed but recently and partially. Her shoes fit better than her clothes, but showed more wear. They were hers, the rest must have been new. She reminded him of...but no, her eyes had wide, large pupils: Keeper, not Seeker.
Realizing that he had become distracted, he continued, hoping she hadn't noticed the momentary delay. "I respect the urge to study, believe me, but there are far more qualified individuals than myself." He began to stand, holding out his hand towards her and sweeping it towards the door, gesturing with a nod of his head. "Please, step inside and we'll begin the requisite paperwork." Yes, yes, then they would take her for examinations of her latent aetheric levels, gather a history of her exposure to and affinity for magic and begin to assign her preliminary readings and a course schedule. And he could go to the library and continue his research, continue reading.
He looked expectantly at the scrawny figure seated before him. But for her color, she really does look like her, he thought to himself.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-03-2014
Shit.
Zhi sniffled, and bit her lower lip. "Th-they won't -- they won't sell me t'the Yellowjackets?"
She looked towards the door, then to Lalataru, and back to the door. Her face was the picture of misery as she added on, "I can't read'r write. 'Swhy I -- I thought y'would. . .I jes, I wanna be yer 'prentice. Y'know what it's like t'be. . .t'be. . ."
She shivered, her eyes going distant as she stared at the door.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Goodfellow - 04-03-2014
Sell her to the Yellowjackets? "Where in the world would you get that idea?" Lolo blurted in surprise. How old is this girl? he thought to himself as he stared at her. He felt a pang at the mention of her illiteracy and his face betrayed sympathy and...something less defined.
"Y'know what it's like t'be. . .t'be. . ." she faded out.
"To be what?" he finished.
RE: Innocence and Avarice [closed] - Zhavi - 04-03-2014
"Cuz I'm a. . .I was a . . . I mean, a - a thief," the last was muttered at her knees. "But you, they says you done bad things, an' I thought if I was -- i-if I was yer 'prentice then mebbe I. . ." she trailed off, clenching her teeth for a moment as if to drive back her emotions before she finished. "Mebbe I could 'ave a chance, too."