chaoticsleepy

[align=center]Life ebbing slowly. [/align] [align=center]Flaming skies blaze infernal.[/align] [align=center]Bahamut cometh...[/align] [align=center]Waking up in a cold sweat,[/align] [align=center]still haunted by fell nightmares.[/align] ( Tanka are great don't shoot me for cheating D: )

[align=center]Stuck at the office. [/align] [align=center]Wish I was home roleplaying. [/align] [align=center]But now I will be[/align] [align=center]Thinking of haikus all day. [/align] [align=center]Uhmm.. Tanka tanka tanka?[/align]

[Redacted 'cause old. ♥]

[align=center]OOC NOTE! This is the collection of IC journals and short stories of Xheja Rajhera, and as such, no information here is intended to be utilized ICly by other characters without good reasoning. Likewise, any portrayals or interpretations of others' characters and/or events in these journal are from a strictly in-character perspective. So, they very well may not reflect my feelings OOCly or even be truly accurate, as they're colored by Xheja's perceptions. While she does usually carry this small leather bound journal on her person and it would be possible for her to drop it/have it stolen/etc, I would prefer that you ask me first OOCly before this is brought into RP. Finally, if you have an OOC comment to make, go right ahead! I'd love to hear your comments, suggestions, questions, etc.![/align] [align=center]--[/align]

Hey everyone! Sorry my reply took so long! Hectic Friday-Saturday, just now getting time to sit down and really write up anything, haha. @ Val : Both of them sound like they'd be lovely to RP with, especially Melfice! I'm always down for RPing Xhej with characters that don't strictly fall along the good alignment. I'll definitely try to hit you up some time! @ Elros : Well, Gridania isn't wholly out of the question. Just she's much more like to only spend a couple days there, as opposed to spending a week or so there. So if we wanna have them run into each other at some point, or if you were interested in having them know each other from the past, I'm all for it! @ FreelanceWizard : I've seen bits and pieces about Mysterium before, and it definitely caught my eye! Sounds like a very interesting RP environment and something Xheja would definitely be interested in. When I'm more certain about what I want to do with Xhej in terms of FC, I may just head that way! As for L'yhta, sounds like they could have some very interesting discussions! I'll try to catch you around sometime! ^^ @ Yui : Aaah, all three of your characters sound like they could be really fun to RP with! Especially so for Maere, since they seem to come from very similar backgrounds. We should definitely get some RP set up!

Hey everyone! Just thought I would throw up a post here to see if I could drum up some meaningful RP for my character, Xheja Rajhera. I've played her enough now to have a grasp of her, but I feel like I can't really continue on and develop her without branching out and making connections. Quicksand RP is fun, but deep and meaningful long-term character development it does not (usually) make! That being said, I'm not looking for any one or two specific types of roles. I have ideas, of course, but I'm not looking to pigeonhole all of my RP interactions into just a few categories. So if you want to RP but your character doesn't fit any of these ideas I list, no problem! Just let me know and I will be more than happy to work something out with you! But as far as general ideas for types of interactions.. 1.) Other Academic Types : Xheja's passion is the research and study of aether. Particularly, she's interested in aetheric anomalies. Other aetheric scholars really, really pique her interest. In fact, scholarly types of any sort tend to mesh well with her. In the same vein, Xheja's skills as a researcher can be bought on a short-term contractual basis. 2.) Merchantile Interactions : In order to fund her own researching, Xheja runs her own alchemy business, specializing in a number of exotic, high-quality dyes and cosmetics under the brand Rajhera's Radiants. This could lead to any number of interactions. Clients, trading partners, material suppliers.. perhaps even some competition and rivalry! 3.) Other Thaumaturges & Black Mages : Xheja has always had an aptitude for magic. While she was once a competent conjuror, she has since lost her ability to conjure and instead learned how to harness the power of Thaumaturgy. However, the sheer power of thaumaturgy can sometimes get the better of her and bring out a rather.. not-so-great side of her personality. That said, interactions with other thaumaturges would be interesting, in either and positive or negative influence. Perhaps even a mentorship of some kind, given that she's still relatively new to the art, or someone to introduce her to the path of a Black Mage. 4.) Adventurers / Mercenaries : When she is making a research excursion to a particularly nasty area, Xheja often elects to hire the swords and shields of able-bodied and skilled adventurers or mercenaries to watch her back. Likewise, when funds run low, she tends to try to find notices posted about town calling for adventurers for hire headed to places of interest. 5.) Past Relationships : There are a few separate types of roles that could fall into this category. There are family members (though I can be picky about these kinds of relationships sometimes), past tribe members, and those people that she would've met during her time with the Twin Adders leading up to the Battle of Carteneau. But otherwise, the category is quite open to interpretation! 6.) Negative Influences in General : Okay, so this is really general, I know.. However, I've noticed that while it's really easy for me to explore and expand upon the more positive aspects of Xheja's personality, it's considerably harder to effectively explore the negative. In short, while her personality tends along a more good-aligned spectrum naturally, what happened to her at the Battle of Carteneau has more or less planted the seeds of something else within her and left her much more easily influenced in the negative sense - be it by the words and actions of others, sources of corrupted aether / conflicted aetheric resonances, by growing her own power and ability with thaumaturgy, and perhaps even by more minor things like seeing her business succeed by any means necessary. So, that said, any interaction or plot that may expose her to this other aspect of her character are excellent in my book! Alright, with those out of the way, I figure I'll specify a couple of other things real quick-like.. First, Xheja is a very traveled person. So I am open to RP in any corner of the world. However, for IC reasons, she's less likely to spend an extended amount of time in either Mor Dhona (because the overwhelming remaining aetheric disturbances there which leaves her feeling very unstable) or Gridania (because she was banished from her tribe, allegedly according to the will of the elementals). Finally, I'm open to both in-game and forum RP! Sorry for the novel of a post! Looking forward to hearing from you guys, though!

Saw this and couldn't resist playing along! o: Thought about it for quite a while, and I believe Natalie Dormer (as Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones) comes closest to what I envision Xheja's voice to be. Just the overall quality to her voice, the accent, and her more refined manner of speaking, as well as how she's able to pull off playfulness, seriousness, and authoritative tones.. Just seems very Xhej-like when I listen to her speak. She's the one in the blue dress in the following clip, in the off chance you aren't a raving GoT lunatic like I am and are unfamiliar. v3RznQZ5c7s

Omg, a thousand times yes. I was actually just thinking about that RP the other day when I was thinking about returning to the XIV RP scene. I miss that RP so much, and it frustrates me to no end that my Naoh'to muse ran off to whoonlyknowswhere. D:

After a loooong hiatus, I've returned! Long story short, I had some RL issues that reared their ugly heads at the worst of times. I had to take a break to take care of those issues, and in the process, my routine changed somewhat with a brand new job. So now that things are on the upswing and I'm feeling more settled in the workplace and ready to get my RP on, I'm back to Balmung! That being said, I've decided that the easiest course for me to get back on track is to start over entirely. I've retired N'hadiya due to lack of direction with her character, and I've place Naoh'to on an official indefinite hiatus. I'll probably come back to him eventually, but for now I'm struggling to rediscover his muse. Instead, I'll be playing a singular new character whom I am extremely excited about and inspired by -- Xheja Rajhera. Apologies to people I was RPing with before. Real life just got way too hectic and in the way, and I couldn't ignore it any longer. ; ; Please forgive me!

Another update! I'm taking a short RP break. ( At least, hopefully it's short! D: ) Long story short, I got hit with a combination of crappy work scheduling and my main FC on Excalibur is going through a transition with me taking the Master position. So I need to dedicate a lot of time to getting the FC back on its feet. If anyone needs me, I'll still be checking the RPC daily so feel free to send me a PM! It'll just be a while before I can be posting on the IC forums / logging in on Nao or Nhadi in-game again.

Naoh'to's eyes followed Clove's movements as he leaned back and bumped the other miqo'te, the one that he presumed the other was speaking of. As she stood turned towards their table, it took a considerable amount of self control to keep the deep frown from making its way onto his lips. But that all came to a quick end as soon as the woman opened her mouth alongside that smartass curtsy. She wasn't much to look at, which he guessed was a benefit in hindsight. Less likely that he would let himself be swayed if things did happen to go against him. Her manner of speech and attitude were.. less than to be desired. But at the very least, it seemed to him that Clove had the girl securely under thumb. Finally, letting out a soft hum of consideration, the man looked from Zhi back to Clove and nodded. "Fine. As long as she keeps the highest level of discretion in mind, then I'll accept the arrangement." He paused, and then turned his head to look up to the other miqo'te, the pleasantness drained right out of his expression and replaced with a hint of grim sternness. "If you keep that in mind, we will have no problems. But if we do have problems, know that I have no qualms with getting rid of those problems directly at the source." It was an empty threat, of course. As much illegal business as the man was tangled up in, as much womanizing as he did, and as many other questionable morals that he possessed, he just wasn't the type of person who could stomach killing. Still, given his relatively short time in the limelight, there would hardly be any precedent in the rumor mill to prove such. That was one advantage of still being relatively unknown - no one was quite certain what it was that you were capable of. "Do you understand what I am saying, Miss Dax?" He pressed, still fixing her with his stare and scowling expression.

Naoh'to listened intently as the other man let his concerns be known, nodding slightly on occasion to show that he was getting all of the information loud and clear. He did have a good point; No one would've expected him to be frequenting the bed of a male prostitute, and so either way there would be suspicions arising. Or there would be rumors started. While he did on very rare occasion entertain the thought of sharing other men's beds, that was something that he'd rather not be circulating about the Lominsan rumor mill. "A courier.." He repeated the words aloud, mulling them over. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about it, dragging another person in on the operation. A woman, no less. He had a great deal of trouble trusting them in situations of any significant capacity. But yet again, he couldn't argue with the man's logic. He nodded again, eyes moving from Clove to passively look around as if trying to find the one he spoke of. "Very well. Call her over."

Naoh'to weighed the man's answer carefully. So, there indeed was a part of the other that was afraid of the man. Yet only in the most general of senses. Once he considered it, he figured it better that way. If the other wasn't afraid of Ferigen at all, that lent itself to carelessness. And carelessness.. that usually ended up in being caught. Best, then, that the other have at least a somewhat present fear of angering the druglord. Even better, if he was worried about his reputation amongst his kind, then it meant he would surely be less likely to let his business be known to others. "Indeed, that is what I need." The miqo'te's smirk crept back to his lips. The situation seemed to be working out quite prettily in his favor and, even if the man hadn't known about this 'mysterious new trader', the fact that he seemed to be nervous was taken as a slight, unintentional compliment. "And I believe you're exactly the person I'm looking for. And in that case, I suppose an introduction is in order.. I won't do you the discourtesy of pretending as if you haven't already figured it out, or that you don't at least have your suspicions." Slowly, he reclined back in his chair, and gave one more passive look around as he spoke just low enough for the other to hear. "I'm Naoh'to Mujuuk, the new owner of Reid Trading Company, and I'm the one that's been seducing the lovers right out from under Ferigen's fingertips. I know that disclosing names can be a foolish thing to do in this sort of situation.. But I figure if you're seeking out information on my behalf, it might behoove you to know who it is that you're spying for."

Naoh'to tried his best to not let the disappointment show in his face when the other mentioned that he hadn't heard of this mysterious 'new trader'. Still, there was a very slight fading of his grin. Well, that was a bit of a blow to the ego in a sense. Yet in another, it was a compliment of its own. Granted, a more mature person in his line if work wouldn't have seen it in such a light, but Naoh'to was still very much young and full to the brim with cockiness, despite his mentor's endless attempts to curb it. "Well, this trader has certainly made a bit of a mess for Ferigen, and he's none too happy about it. Of course, no man would be happy about someone moving in on territory that hasn't been open to contestation in years. Bad for business, you know." Bad if you were on the receiving end, at least. For Naoh'to, even for the relatively shorter amount of time he'd stepped into the business, the margin for profit had been high despite charging a fair deal less than Ferigen. "Tell me something, and be honest. I'll know if you're not." Bluff? Potentially, but then again, the man had always liked to think he was a good judge of character. "Are you afraid of him? Of Ferigen? No doubt he is a powerful and ruthless man. There are many people in this city that would sooner pack their belongings and rehome themselves in the furthest dunes of Thanalan rather than angering him. I would like to know if you're one of them." OOC.. || Off to bed! Night! c:

When the other seemed to relax a bit, Naoh'to decided to take it as a good sign that his offer of both confidentiality and handsome rewards was well received. Even better, the other man was apparently already familiar with the other trader. That saved him from having to catch him up to speed. Though the subtle tightening of his grip didn't escape his notice. It was one of those little tells he'd been watching for. But while it did pique his curiosity, he didn't pry. Such was extraneous information. "Correct. Well, partially." That smirk was back again. "His grasp on the stuff has been a bit tenuous as of late. Word has it that there's a new trader that's been winning away some of his customers. Have you heard about this?" Of course, this matter of curiosity, he couldn't quite repress. Besides, he wanted to know if his reputation preceded him. What could he say? He was very much a man of ego.

Naoh'to couldn't stop the small smirk that was forming on his lips as the other spoke, finding himself pleasantly surprised. So, the man may've had some preconceived notions about whores. After all, he'd bedded a fair enough amount of them to know that a good deal of them weren't the brightest, nor the most composed individuals. But this man was able to take his intentionally impolite comments and not even bat an eye. That was good. Someone who would bristle and break at the first rough patch was a liability. The eloquence and apparent sense of foresight were just added bonuses. "Making connections? That's most wise, indeed." The white-haired man gave a thoughtful nod, arm gently dropping back to the tabletop. "And it would seem that you have need for discretion as much as I do in this matter. Rest assured, this would be a matter just between the two of us. None will hear a word of your side activities, as long as none hear of mine." Now, that smirk seemed to take on a knowing look. Perhaps the words could be taken as a threat of exposure amongsts the others who were marked, should the other not keep their dealings private. But Naoh'to would've preferred to call it an unspoken agreement -- what happened between them would stay between them. Seeming to suddenly remember something else, the man perked up again. "And this word -- use? Let's rephrase. I would prefer to call this a.. mutually beneficial arrangement. You provide me with the information you need, and I'll see that you're rewarded handsomely for the effort. And of course, I have the ears of a number of influential men and women about the city, should you ever want for further connections." The words and gesture seemed friendly enough. Though he would've been lying to say that it wasn't at least partially an attempt at some subtle manipulation. Balon had taught him long ago that hirelings were much harder to control. The superior-inferior dynamic made for inequalities, which allowed room for perceived wrongdoings on the hireling's behalf, which often times led to disatisfaction and, ultimately, betrayal. 'But call it a partnership,' he had said, 'and suddenly your hirelings will be much more committed. You just have to keep pulling the strings when they aren't watching.' Perhaps he was wrong to doubt Yayabuko's recommendation initially. The other seemed to have a solid head on his shoulders and decent enough motivations. Who was Naoh'to to turn down someone's aspirations for coin, comfort, and connections? Hells, that may as well have been his own life motto. It was something he could respect. Even if the man was a prostitute, he seemed to have things under control. At length, he gave a decisive nod. "For starters," he began, looking away briefly yet again as if to check to make sure no one was listening, then continued in a slightly quieter tone. "What do you know of Ruarc Ferigen?"

Naoh'to reclined back in his seat at the answer, arms crossing over his chest with one arm propped upwards to cradle his chin and thoughtfully tap his cheek with his index finger. So, this man was the one.. He was a bit different than the miqo'te had pictured - prettier by at least half, and probably much more recently bathed. Yet there was something else that was even more intriguing to him - that earring. Those mismatched eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled just how he had recognized it. While normally that was something that Naoh'to would've embraced with open arms, the thought of a whore being his little spy wasn't settling with him as he would've liked. Not to mention the fact that the man would have not only him to answer to, but to his keeper or master or mistress or whoever it was that kept his ilk in line. And damned if a number of those selfsame whorehouses weren't involved in the market of drugs -- he would know, considering he now supplied a fair few of them with the Lover's Embrace. Whether or not the other's superior was involved with Ferigen, though.. That was something he did not know. The question brought Nao out of his though, though he was still not entirely sure the best way to proceed. The circumstances were definitely unusual. Finally, he leaned forward, crossed arms moving from their place of rest at his chest to instead prop himself against the edge of the table to lean in just a bit further. "For now, let's say I have need of information about a.. business situation." He was choosing his words carefully. Gods forbid, if things went sour, he wouldn't want to give the man enough information to turn around and sell. "Particularly, information about someone whom I deal with." He trailed off, pausing just long enough to see if he could catch any sort of reaction from the other before continuing. "But I can't help to be curious.." Now, one of those forearms resting against the table propped up again. His head tilted slightly, just enough so that he could gently tap his own ear in indication. "A marked whore would not be my first choice when it comes to gathering information. Perhaps if I wanted to know how over- or underwhelmingly endowed someone was, but the information I'm looking for is considerably outside of where I would assume your expertise would lie." Again, a pause, if only to see the reaction. That was something that Balon had all but beaten into him during his apprenticeship - that how people reacted, those tiny little tells, were thrice as important as anything they said or did. "Yayabuko is a smart man, and he knows his people well. But I don't. So tell me, will this--" Another tap of the ear. "--be a problem for this arrangement?"

Her Highness wasn't the sort of place that Naoh'to typically decided the frequent, surprisingly enough. For someone with both hands in the illegal cookie jar, the place had never much appealed to him since he'd first arrived in Limsa Lominsa. Sure, it wasn't the worst establishment out there. At least here, you could generally see the floor for the spilled ale and offal. Also, within the Highness' walls, he didn't have to worry about finding any knives in his back. Honor amongst thieves and all that non-sense, he supposed. Still, there was something about the place that he just didn't like, aside from the decided lack of luxury he strove to surround himself with. Perhaps it was the fear that, no matter how much of a 'safe zone' it was, he knew there were always prying eyes and ears. In this city, being careless and trusting others, as he had come to learn, was something that got you killed more often than not. As he was rather fond of living and not planning to make any changes to that in the near future, suffice to say, the place made him anxious. Yet tradition was tradition, and he knew he would've been hard pressed to find a better place to meet. Most wouldn't have wanted to meet up outside of a neutral place anyway. Even if they had, what sort of message would that send, for Naoh'to to send for them to come join him at one of the city's more lavish establishments? An obvious message, that's what. And he couldn't have that. With the small piece of parchment paper sent from Yayabuko tucked in his hand, the trader slipped through the crowd and discretely peered around. Finally, he had spotted the table that the man had specified on the paper, as well as the armband. Without making eye contact with anyone else in the establishment, the miqo'te cut a line straight for the table and slipped into the seat opposite of Clove without waiting for invitation. At first, the man didn't say anything. He only looked casually around to see if there were any particularly noticeable prying eyes, then finally turned back to give the man a long look. "You're the one?" He asked, confirming, "That Yayabuko sent?" OOC.. || Sorry it took so long. x.x I swear, adjusting to this work schedule is killing me.

Ooh, good question. Let's see here.. For N'hadiya, she grew up in a very strictly patriarchal Seeker society. However, she wasn't ever really one to follow tradition to the T. She doesn't automatically assign men to a higher rank than women. If anything, if there is a man in a leadership position, her upbringing makes her predisposed to not put much stock in his qualifications unless he can prove his proficiency and capability. As far as women, considering she grew up mostly surrounded by them, she has a stronger sense of camaraderie with them. But ultimately, she doesn't treat either gender particularly different from one another, even in regards to sexual attraction (though I envision her as having more trouble forming romantic attachments to men than woman, when I really think about it, again as a product of her history and background). Naoh'to is.. so much the opposite, haha. While he grew up in a more matriarchal Keeper society, events of his past and the changed course of his life have more or less removed that inherent respect for females. He's become more of your typical silvertongued flirt and flatterer, and he even has a bit of a weakness when it comes to beautiful women. Women in positions of power or social statuses equal to or exceeding his own, however, he's come to mistrust - again, as a result of his past. He can flirt and the like with them, but ultimately, it would be hard for him to ever trust one of them. As far as he's concerned, a woman in charge of anything of importance or significance is a disaster and / or betrayal waiting to happen. Men, Naoh'to treats on more of an individual basis. There's no one single way that he approaches them. They're just regular people to him, nothing special. However, notable is that in terms of sexual preference, Naoh'to falls into the 'occasional incidental homosexual tendencies' category, but that is a very rare occurence (and one he would never openly admit to) and more a product of circumstance and other factors than an inherent, overwhelming attraction to the same sex as a whole. In fact, he's only ever been in a relationship with another man once, and it ended in large part due to his inability to stay away from women. So you would never see him openly flirting with men in general, but privately and under the right circumstances? It's possible.

Naoh'to's pacing slowly winded down, as did the angry black-and-forth lashing matched by his tail. His steps left in at the edge of the small, dark purple-colored puddle of wine spilling out into the street and slowly filling out the cracks in the cobblestones. His mismatched eyes fell to the puddle to watch it absently as his mind turned, the agitation he was feeling making it particularly hard to try and find a clear course of action. Part of him just wanted to find a nice little piece of steel to drive between the man's ribs, though the more dominantly logical and reasonable side of him knew that wasn't an option. It was too messy. No doubt, there were other people that knew of the problems between himself and Ferigen by now. Over the weeks that it had started to escalate, ever since Nao had made the decision to make a venture into the business of the trade and distribution of the Gridanian drug most often called the Lover's Embrace. What had started out as the typical showboating and business positioning that was common in their trade had gradually become less subtle and less business-like over time. If Ferigen was now actively threatening Nao's associates and buyers.. Well, no doubt if the man turned up shived in some seedy Lominsan backalley, all hands would immediately be pointing back at him to disinvolve themselves from the ordeal. People in his line of work, especially the smaller fry, weren't particularly loyal when the authorities came to sniff around. If there wasn't a profit to be made in keeping their mouth shut, whether that was the profit of coin or keeping their lives, then names and details tended to flow like ale at the Wench under the right amount of pressure. As he was mulling it over whilst staring down at the cracked wine bottle, a thought suddenly occured to the Keeper, striking him with enough certainty and clarity that he wasn't sure how he hadn't seen it much earlier. He needed to find the crack in Ferigen's operations. No doubt, given that the man had been running the business for years now, he far exceeded Naoh'to in terms of experience and knowledge. But that was another flaw - lack of healthy competition for so long. Surely, if the man hadn't had to worry about competing with other traders in years, there was a crack somewhere along the line. Such was the kind of information that Naoh'to knew he wasn't going to be able to find on his own. He was a smoothtalker, but he wasn't one of the couple handfuls of secret peddlers sneaking and skulking their way through Limsa. Quite the opposite, really. He'd made himself well-known enough now that if he started to poke around too much himself, those very same spies would be all over selling his business to Ferigen for a pretty little gil or two. Thus, the plan would fall apart - the crack would be fixed, if one were ever found, and he would be back at square one. A smirk suddenly came to his lips as he nudged the slowly leaking bottle with his foot, running through his thought process one last time before he would start off to find who he needed to find. Though, naturally, before he left, Nao was sure to spit in the spilt wine for good measure. A worthless gesture, but a satisfactory one nonetheless. After leaving the alley, it didn't take long for him to find exactly who he had been looking for. On the docks, in front of a newly unloaded ship, a few shoddy, makeshift shopfronts had been set up with the would-be 'merchants' trying to unload as much of the unaccounted for merchandise as possible. Stolen and smuggled goods, mostly.. People trying to make more coin by doing their dirty work themselves, without the help of people like Naoh'to. Though he had no illwill for them.. After all, most ended up shut down or with confiscated goods if the Yellowjackets caught wind of it. And with the publicity of it all, buyers were hard to come by. As he passed the man at the pier's edge, the lookout, Naoh'to gave him a knowing nod before continuing on his way unharried. The man he was truly looking for was much further down the walkway, and when he briefly caught his eye, the Lalafellin man leaned back against one of the many crates did his best to look as if he hadn't noticed him. Only when Nao came in much closer and took up the spot next to him, leaning back against the crate's edge, did he speak up. "Didn't think you were wont to hang around this part of town." He didn't look up, head turned to survey the rest of the dock even as the daylight dwindled and some began to pack up their things. "You're making these honest merchants nervous, you know." "Hah, would that such a thing existed.. The day I meet any honest merchant is the day that Dalamud falls a second time." "They don't like it much when one of the big players comes down to the docks. Makes them think you're plotting something and they're in your way.. And with your business lately, can't say I much blame them." Finally, the much shorter man looked up at him. "Might not be that this is the safest place for you. People get antsy real easy." "I don't plan on staying long enough to cause a scene, Yayabuko," Nao sighed. "I need you to find someone for me." "Who?" "I don't know. If I knew who, do you think I would be coming to you?" "Fine." The Lalafell looked away again, turning his attention back down the dock. "What do you need?" "I need someone with a good set of eyes and ears. Someone with a bigger love of coin than they have a fear of Ruarc Ferigen." Yayabuko didn't speak for a long moment, clearly debating the situation. Naoh'to had known the Dunesfolk man long enough, albeit only as Balon Rein's apprentice until more recently, to know that he was trying to find a way to best twist the situation to put more money into his own pockets. Typical for a man born and raised in Ul'dah. Before he even spoke, Nao was reaching down to his coinpurse and giving it a reassuring pat. The sound of coins clinking together seemed to loosen the other's lips a bit. "Four times what I usually charge," he finally stated. "Four times your price? How hard can it be to find someone to do a little poking around for a very handsome reward?" Naoh'to's upper lip pulled back in a scowl, ears pressed flat back and tail flicking in annoyance. There was little he disliked more than paying what he perceived to be too much for something. "Word is that Ferigen is getting bolder. This person you're wanting me to find, might be that they find no value in winding up floating alongside the docks if things go belly-up. It'll take double to find someone brave enough. The rest? That's as much as I'll need to make it worth my time, trying to find this person of yours." "Fine," He grunted, pulling his coinpurse from his belt and tossing it over to the other. By his count, after the losses at the gambling hall, it should've been just enough to cover half of it at least. "The rest you'll have when I have my eyes and ears, understand? And if I'm paying four times the price, I expect four times the speed. You've got until tomorrow at sundown - have them meet me at the usual place." "Pleasure doing business with you." The man paused slightly before nodding his chin in the direction of a small group of men a bit further away. "Best be running along. That lot has been watching you the entire time, and that Highlander's hand hasn't left his knife. Like I said, folk get real antsy." "Duly noted," he muttered, looking over at the group from the corner of his eyes. Just as he'd said, they were talking hushedly amongst themselves and eyeing him with no uncertain amount of suspicion. Giving Yayabuko a parting nod, Naoh'to stuffed his hands down in his pockets and turned to make his exit from the dock. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, leaving all his money in the hands of that little Lalafellin thief, but at least he knew that by tomorrow, he would have exactly what he needed.

[[ OOC: Looong post incoming, haha! ^^; Sorry, I got started writing and had trouble stopping.. ]] A thick blanket of heavy, aromatic smoke hunt in the air of the gambling hall tucked neatly away in some non-descript corner of Limsa Lominsa. It wasn't a large room, by any means; five or six tables at most, by Naoh'to's count, some more populated than others. In fact, the table that he himself had settled in at was only occupied by one other man, a middle-aged Midlander gent nursing a glass of amber liquor and a pipe in equal measure as he stared down at the dice strewn across the table in front of him. It was hard to gauge just how invested he really was, what with the mixed signals sent by his glassy stare and just low long he'd been sitting there, humming in consideration. "I've seen a few stellar Twelves' Dice tactics in my day, but I do believe this is the first time I've seen someone try to win by boring their opponent to death," Nao finally groaned, slouching down in the plush velvet seat. "Lover's Teats, Gustav.. All you have to do is hold the dice or re-roll, or would you like to usher in the Seventh Astral Era first?" "Patience, boy. The best plans ain't always the quickest," The man murmured, seemingly unmoved by the complaints. He didn't even look up. "Or did ol' Balon neglect ta' teach ya' that?" This time, his gaze did move up -- just in time to catch the brief hint of displeasure on the Keeper's face. Just as quickly as the sour look had come, it was replaced with a charming smirk at the approach of one of the hostesses. Well, if they could truly be called that.. Lapwarmers and whores with a taste for the finer things in life and a wider vocabulary than their common kin, more like, but that didn't stop Nao from greeting the familiar long-legged elezen woman with his infamous charm as soon as he noticed her. "Giselle!" He crooned, taking his eyes away from the table and offering up a hand towards the woman, "As beautiful as ever! You're far more pleasing to the eyes than my friend here, thankfully.. And likely at least twice as bright, if his dice playing is any indication." "And I come with wine," The woman purred back as she took his hand and allowed him to gently pull her down into his lap without complaint, carefully placing the dark bottle that she had brought down on the table in front of her. "Courtesy of my boss.. a gift for your continued patronage." Naoh'to let out his own soft hum of consideration as he reached out, taking the bottle in hand and turning it to read the label. His eyebrows lofted at the sheer quality of the vintage. For such a small gambling hall as this, it was a lavish gift for the proprietor to be giving. That only meant one thing: his business dealings with the owner had went quite well, without interruption. More than the wine, that big of news had that self-satisfied grin on Nao's lips growing wider. With all the stress and.. troubles he'd been running into lately, a touch of good luck was exactly what he had needed. "That's certainly very kind of him," He purred, wrapping his free arm around the woman's thin waist to pull her closer, "Though I would've much preferred you, Sweetling." The jarring sound of dice clattering against the wooden table pulled Naoh'to's attention back to the game. A moment of silence hung between them as all three watched the dice settle -- Giselle, only with feigned interested -- before the older man nodded. "Two pair," The hyur stated, looking just as uninterested as before. "Well, boy..? Y'mean to bed 'er right 'ere an' now, or shall we get on with it?" "And now you're the impatient one? Gods, how Balon ever enjoyed your company, I'll never understand." Nao scowled at him before dropping his eyes back to the dice on the table, surveying them with cool, calculated interest. Gustav was right - he was looking at two pair. But there was still one die left to roll, and if that die came up Menphina.. He'd secure himself an Umbral flush, one of the highest hands. "I'll raise, fifty gil." Gustav pushed the short stack of coins across the table. Nao looked up at him briefly, studying his face before giving his own bet. "Two hundred." The mention of coin had Giselle's renewed interest, pulling her attention back to the game and putting a puzzled look on her face. Gustav only looked mildly surprised. "You're raisin' two hunnerd gil on a chance fer a godsdamned umbral flush?" He asked aloud, cocking an eyebrow. "What can I say?" Nao smirked. "I'm feeling lucky today. So.. call or fold, friend?" "Oh, I'll call alright. Ain't no better gil than easy gil." After Gustav pushed the gil across the table to join the rest, Naoh'to snatched up the last die lying to the side. He shook it lightly in his hands before paused, opening his fingers, and holding it up to Giselle with a grin. "A lover's kiss for the Lover herself?" The elezen laughed daintily before pressing her lips to the twelve-sided die in a light kiss, and Naoh'to finally cast it. It seemed ages before the die settled -- on Azeyma. "Hoo!" The hyur hooted, the first real excitement for the game he'd shown all evening. "Three pair, and chocobo's shite fer you!" His hands went out to hastily gather up his winnings, while Naoh'to watched with a deep scowl.Giselle only clucked her tongue piteously, shaking her head. "I thought the Lover was supposed to be the Keepers' guardian goddess?" She sighed, gently disentangling herself from his arms and sliding free of his lap. Typical harlot -- gone like the wind, just as soon as the money's gone. Yet before she left, she turned and leaned over to leave a sympathetic kiss on his cheek.. and discretely slip a note into his hand. "Better luck next time." With a smile, she was gone, off to entertain another table of men with cards. Yet as much as the loss of his precious gil and armcandy stung, it paled in comparison to the contents scrawled onto the parchment paper in his hand. [align=center]----------------------------------------------- [Two hours later.][/align] Nao looked one last time at the piece of paper he held in his hands, scowling at the contents before crumbling it up in his hand and shoving it into his pocket. The bottle of wine from earlier was tucked under his other arm and in a white-knuckled grip as he rounded one last streetcorner, giving only a brief look over his shoulder before ducking into a small, hidden away alley. It didn't take long to spot the man that he had been asked to meet. As soon as his eyes landed on him, Naoh'to's pace picked up, bringing him right in front of him.. and the much larger Roegadyn man hovering just behind him. Was the man really afraid of him, so much as to hire a bodyguard? Somehow, the thought was less pleasing to him and more infuriating. "You think a bottle of wine will make me happy?" He spat in a hushed but angry tone at the nervous-looking hyur, upper lip curling back into a snarl. "Gods take you and your damn wine, Sighard!" He sharply thrust the bottle forward against the man's chest, making him give a nervous start and the surly-looking Seawolf perk up. But before the roegadyn could even speak, the other man lifted a hand to dismiss it. "I.. I'm sorry, Mr. Mujuuk. I just can't keep doing business with you is all," He tried to explain, weakly at that. Naoh'to watched as the man turned into a prattling mess right in front of him, chattering endlessly about 'risks' and 'enemies' and his business. Finally, not giving him time to finish, the Keeper broke in. "How much did Ferigen pay you?" He asked pointedly. When the man trailed off, his expression slowly transformed from surprise to fear again. His mouth opened, moving but without words. Impatiently, Nao thumped him in the chest again. "Speak up, Sighard! If my competitor is buying off my associates, I'd at least like the courtesy of knowing how much he's paying!" No words came, still. At length, he spoke in a wavering tone, his voice barely above a whisper. "He.. p-paid me nothing.." Naoh'to stared blankly for a moment before it seemed to set in, prompting him to lean forward slightly and give the other man a more scrutinizing look clearly demanding further information. "He only said that.. if I kept associating with you, there would be consequences. He'd take the hall, and.. my girls, he said he..." A long, telling pause. "You understand, don't you? As a businessman? Without the hall and my girls, I don't have anything.." Sucking in a sharp breath, Naoh'to reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, fending off the burgeoning headache from the encounter. So, Ruarc was buying off his associates with threats now? After Naoh'to had already had to offer them more money than normal to keep them loyal? Truly, this situation was a pain in his ass. "Fine. Fine." He finally relented, dropping his hand and holding it out instead. "But as I recall, you still owe me my gil from that last shipment." His hand remained, even as the seconds ticked on and Sighard grew more and more nervous. When no payment was offered, the picture became clear. Ferigen had not only threatened his associate and cut off that tie, but he'd taken the profits as well. That snarl was back with a vengeance. "If you lost the money, then -- pray tell, dear Sighard -- how did a mediocre gambling hall owner get his hands on such a pricey vintage?" The unintelligible babbling began again, though the Keeper quickly cut him off. "Speak!" "Mr. Ferigen.. asked me to deliver it to you.." At Naoh'to's clearly displeased stare, he quickly launched back into his simpering. "I just thought.. thought you might not appreciate it if I just told you.. I wasn't meaning to lie. I just.." "Leave!" He spat, "You and your damned bodyguard, both!" Sighard lingered for a moment longer, as if he was intent to continue pleading. But after studying the infuriated look on the Keeper's face, he finally moved to leave the alley without further protestation. The roegadyn gave Nao one last look before following after his employer, leaving him alone in the alleyway. Naoh'to watched Sighard retreat, waiting until a long moment after he'd turned the corner before taking the bottle of wine in his hand and angrily tossing it to the ground. A vintner's worst nightmare, surely, but the man would've rather drank a pint of goblin piss before giving Ruarc the smug satisfaction of enjoying his little 'gift'. Angry curses were muttered under his breath as he paced back and forth in a tight circle, arms crossing over his chest. What now? It would only be a matter of time before his other associates would likely receive similar offers, if they hadn't already. And there was no doubt that they'd turn their backs on him. After all, they couldn't be that hard to buy.. It hadn't taken much for Nao to take most of them off of Ferigen in the first place. Matching money was one thing, though, but violence.. That was another matter entirely, and a path that he was certain would have Balon turning over in his grave. There had to be some other way. He just had to be clever enough to find it..

Throwing an update up here! I just started a new job, so I won't be online as often anymore. (Since, you know, before now I had no life. =P) I'll try to make it on as much as my schedule allows, though! In the meantime, I'm more than open to forum RP for those interested who can't seem to catch me online!

Personal Profile [align=left]Character Name: Naoh'to Mujuuk. (Wiki - WIP!) Gender: Male. Race: Miqo'te, Keeper of the Moon. Domestic Profile Civil Status: Resident, noncitizen. Place of Residence: Within city limits. Naoh'to more or less leases a room at the Drowning Wench's inn for a few moons at a time until more suitable arrangements can be made. Occupation: Head of a small trading company (cover). Fence of illicit goods (actual). Free Company: None currently. Social Profile Smooth-talking, clever, and resourceful, a series of circumstances led to Naoh'to being taken in some time back by a decently successful trader of both legal and illicit goods operating chiefly out of Limsa Lominsa. Under his mentor's tutelage, Naoh'to was able to build his skills and his reputation within Limsa Lominsa's black market, especially amongst the city's numerous pirates and other such types looking to unload stolen goods or buyers seeking wares with some need for discretion or tracking down products not commonly found within legal means. With his mentor's passing, Naoh'to has taken over the business and made it his own - connecting seller to buyer and buyer to product, both within Limsa Lominsa's borders and beyond them, all for a generous finder's & delivery free. Commonly referred to as Naoh'to Silvertongue by those familiar with him or his reputation, his charming manner extends outside of his business affairs and into his social life as well. When relaxing, one can often find him in the company of others - particularly, in the company of attractive women or anywhere a game of dice or cards is being played.[/align] Meta Profile Naoh'to often travels between all three city-states, though Limsa Lominsa is the place he more-or-less calls home for now and where he spends most of his time when not on the job. That said, if I'm not otherwise denoted as being OOC, feel free to approach me in-game no matter where Nao is! As far as interactions, Nao can literally interact with just about anyone. Whether it's business-related, day-to-day tavern chatter, a run-in with authorities, or even something big and plot-driven, I'm open to all sorts of things! Just post at me in-game, or contact me somehow so we can bounce ideas around! Likewise, feel free to utilize or not utilize his social / business reputation in RP as you see fit. I play it as Nao having a small reputation (mostly within the realm of business/trade), but he is nowhere near being a household name, so it could go either way.

I love this idea! A character that I'm working on would realistically spend a lot of time doing business in Limsa, though I was afraid that I would struggle to find RP on him as soon as he left Ul'dah. So if you make that LS, I would love to get a pearl on Naoh'to Mujuuk!

[align=center] [/align] [align=center]ABOUT ME[/align] [align=center]Hiya! I'm terrible at these sort of things, but I figured that I would throw in a little section like this for y'all to get to know me a little bit better! [/align] [align=center]I've been an XIV player for a while now and a roleplayer for even longer, but the two hobbies of mine never really crossed until the launch of FFXIV: ARR. I picked up FFXIV shortly before patch 1.21 (I think) and fell in love with the game, its setting, the story, etc. I kept playing the PVE content for years, first on the Selbina server, which then became Ridill. (I was an XI player, too. Can you tell?) FFXIV: ARR rolled around, and Ridill was claimed as a Japanese data center server, so myself and all my primarily NA FC mates hopped ship to Excalibur. I stayed there for quite some time until a mixture of personal, real life issues and a generally growing dissatisfaction with playing progressively pushed me to make the decision to finally try MMO RP for the first time. And so.. here I am! I'd like to consider myself a very laidback, friendly, helpful, approachable person. (And I would like you to please deck me in the face should you ever experience me being the opposite!) I love jokes and having a great time. I also really, really like puns and I will shower you in them whether you like it or not. I also very much enjoy getting to know the people behind the characters as well. So, all that said, please feel free to approach me ICly or OOCly! I don't bite, and chances are it will make my day, too! If you've ever got RP ideas involving my characters, questions for me, or just want to shoot the shit OOCly, hit me up! [/align] [align=center]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/align] I. BASIC INFORMATION PLAYER NAME : Just call me by whatever character you know me best as! ♥ CHARACTERS: Xheja Rajhera (wiki), Meiko Amano (wiki, journal), N'hadiya Khei (wiki). AVAILABILITY: In-game most weeknights from 5:00 - 11:00 PM central time. Weekends, whenever to whenever. Available for forum RP and general OOC non-sense all the time! CONTACT INFO: If you can't contact me in-game, then contact me here or PM me for my skype handle! I'm always up for chatting and plotting. II. ROLEPLAYING INFORMATION [align=left] ROLEPLAYING AMOUNT: I consider myself to fall in the medium-heavy roleplaying camp. I enjoy playing the PVE aspects of the game from time to time; however, I'm mostly burnt out on keeping current with content and definitely don't have any interest in progression. Instead, I dedicate the majority of my time towards RPing, and so chances are if see me out and about, I'm in character unless specified otherwise! ROLEPLAYING COMBAT & INJURIES: Truthfully, most of my characters tend towards the intelligent, calculating, combat-avoiding type.. mostly because I don't really care OOCly for free-form combat scenes. That said, I do enjoy a fair bout of dice-mediated combat. Keeps things interesting, and truly allows a scene to be unpredictable! As for injuries, I choose to acknowledge that magical / aetherical healing and whatnot exists in the setting. However, I like to place limitations on it, such as a wound being healed but there being residual pain and stiffness, or only being able to heal it to a certain extent. This is because I like for my RP to have continuity and consequences. But of course, this is just the standard I hold myself to! ROLEPLAYING ROMANCE & SEXUALITY: I am always open to romantic relationships forming between characters, should it make sense in the context of RP and come about in a logical progression of the relationship. It's a fantastic way to keep a character developing and progressing. Likewise, aspects in RP such as sexuality are acceptable to me. I am a mature adult and I can handle the fact that people in this setting do, indeed, have sex. (Gasp! Scandal!) That said, I can either play out or do Fade-to-Black on scenes of an adult nature, depending on the comfort level of the other party (or parties, giggity!). Yet please note that most of the time, I personally prefer FTB unless playing the scene out implies a significant character development that needs to be explored in detail. But I cannot stress enough: any in-character romance/etc. is just that -- in character only! Please, please, please mind the IC-OOC boundaries on this. I am very much happily taken IRL. I'm not here to fulfill you romantically or sexually. I'm here to write a story with you. And I will very quickly and very easily cut you out if I think you're not here to do the same with me. VIEWS ON LORE ADHERENCE: I absolutely adore the canon FFXIV lore, and so I strive to stick to it as much as possible. However, I'm also aware that there are many grey areas and unknowns that exist and that ignoring them completely limits creativity and makes awkward situations to work around. All that to say: I stick to the lore, but I'm open to creative interpretation and a teeny-tiny bit of strategic hand-wavium to avoid these awkward spots. Also, I don't claim to know everything about FFXIV lore. So if you ever see me making a major mistake, please gently correct me! (Gently, though. I'm a delicate flower. ;A;) VIEWS ON CHAT CHANNEL USAGE: Unless a scene or situation makes it more logical to use a private channel, I almost exclusively choose to use public channels and custom emotes for RP. This is my personal choice, as I much prefer to try building a world and environment with the community as a whole to make the world feel more alive and connected, rather than walling myself off with one or two people exclusively. Likewise, public channels and emotes allow for in-character consequences, such as being overheard, spied upon, etc. This is something that I really, really like. It is very immersive for me, as it forces me to think harder about the kinds of choices my characters will make about what they say/do, how they say/do it, and where they say/do it. It can almost make for some really interesting RP hooks down the line! [/align]