A Box!? [Open]

[Gegenji]

 

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?

[Unnamed Mercenary]

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?"

[MadWater]

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. ))

[Melodia]

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.

[Gegenji]

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! ))

[T'caska Khevo]

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?"

[SunTzu7]

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.

[T'caska Khevo]

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.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

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? 

 

"H-hey..". He didn't enjoy the idea of being used as a scapegoat or a pillar to hide behind.

[SunTzu7]

Newton crosses her arms, takes a deep breath and composes herself. Accidents happen. Sometimes. 

 

'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.'

[Gegenji]

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.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

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.

[Leanne]

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.

[MadWater]

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.

[Gegenji]

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?

 

 

((No, there's not YET ANOTHER container in the bag. I'm not that terrible.))

[SunTzu7]

(I think if this topic has taught us anything, it's that we're horrifically racist to boxes.)

 

Now that the issue of blame had been resolved, Newton joins the rapidly building crowd around this box of mysteries. Except one mystery has now been solved, there was a bag in there the entire time.

 

... Well wasn't that a resolution for the ages.

 

'I can only say it would be morally reprehensible if someone were to open this bag. It's bad enough we took it out of the box, shouldn't we have some respect for the belongings of other people?'

 

Newton's stern, judgemental and reproachful gaze vanishes almost instantly as she (edits for idiocy) puts her hand in the exposed crack in the box, trying to get a feel of whatever's in there. Wow, that's a loaded sentence. Eos is now the judgemental one, because it was her that was interested in the first place! She flies back onto her Scholar's shoulder to see what's inside.

[Gegenji]

Slipping a hand into the crack of the still not fully opened box was easy enough, as was grabbing at the soft fabric of the bag within. Satin, Newton would be quick to realize, definitely satin. However, pulling a closed fist - let alone the bag the fist was gripping - would be much harder without opening the box further. For, despite her claims, Franz had not gone quite so far as to fully open the box.

 

There was definitely more to learn from the grab, though. Whatever was in the bag was... soft. It gave under the pressure of Artemis' fingers grasping for a handhold, and returning to normal shape underneath. A pillow perhaps? Maybe a nice soft towel or blanket all rolled up.

 

Well, once she explained her whole "caught with the hand in the cookie jar" situation to the rest of the crowd gathered, she could tell them all about it. At least she could indeed work at the knot of the ribbon, albeit at a bit of a disadvantage both from only being able to use one hand and the odd angle of trying to do it while the bag was still in the box.That, and the knot itself was rather tightly done.

[SunTzu7]

Having completed her (utterly illegal) totally justified search of the boxes contents, dodge withdraws her hand and looks at the assembled party. And coughs.

 

'Um well. Yes from a preliminary investigation I conclude the item within is... Soft. Not alive either which is a plus given the lack of air holes in this thing. Can't really work the knot though... I'd need smaller hands like...'

 

Her gaze suddenly turns to the fluttering creature on her shoulder, who if you squinted right at almost seems to sigh and roll her eyes. Joy of joys, she's been volunteered.

 

'Excellent! We'll have a looksee Eos. Can't very well return it to a potential owner without knowing what it is and how terrifically deadly it might be!'

 

Eos flutters down again, exceptionally reluctant, and tries to get a peek in before she puts her tiny hands in and tries to work the knot.

[Jana]

Jana Ridah, walking down the street with a kebab in one hand (more like half of one, at this point), happened upon the strange gathering. Some faces were familiar and others were not, but the gloomy miqo'te decided to just address them as a group... Especially since she was out of uniform and couldn't pretend to hold some sort of authority over any of those present.

 

In her usual dour tone, she crossed her arms in an attempt to scold the mass from some distance away. "What are you lot playing with a box in the middle of the street for...? You're going to get in the way of the merchant carts and market shoppers.. "

[T'caska Khevo]

Still standing behind Franz, T'caska musters all the courage of her safe position and calls out in reply, "We didn't choose the place for this, someone left that box here and the nosiest ones of us have taken it upon themselves to delve into it!"

 

At that, the young Miqo'te walks out from behind her most safest of scapegoat pillars and kneels down next to the fairy working on the knot, careful to not get in the way but close enough to perhaps be a bother while craning her neck to be one of the first to see the bag's contents.

 

"If you can't untie it, just rip it... We know it isn't alive right? You won't be hurting anything."

[Gegenji]

Eos' peek returned the same information as Franz's - a pretty pink bag tied shut with a blue ribbon. Her smaller hands, though, were much better for reaching through the crack in the box lid to get at the knot.  Newton's attempts before had not helped matters much - in fact, they had pulled the knot tighter. However, it was not something that couldn't be undone with a little work by a dextrous pair of fairy hands.

 

And so, forced into a position not unlike a car repairman under the hood due to her shortened arm length, Eos managed to undo the knot in the ribbon. The bag was still in the box, with its point of entry still being that slim crack in the lid that everyone seemed to be using to peer in and work at the bag, but at least the ribbon was undone now. Opening and moving the bag around while it was still more or less enclosed (and taking up almost all of the space) in the box, however, might be much more difficult a venture.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

"Should we really be doing this?" He realized he was still holding onto the box.

 

What was he still doing there? It was just a box. And now we're opening what isn't ours.

 

"It's not even ours. It shouldn't be damaged."

 

I'm still curious, however.

 

And so he continued to stand, holding the box as it were. The poor, battered, wooden box.

 

And yet, he wanted to know what was inside. What was in the box? Could they figure out the owner after opening it?

 

"If we're going to do this, could we at least open the damned box to prevent damage to the contents?"

[SunTzu7]

Eos could just rip it. But it's such a nice bag. Satin. With a lovely pink motif and contrasting blue ribbon. Tearing that would be a tragedy. Against craftsmanship, against weaving, against art, against all aesthetics and moral decency. Sacred is the charge of those with an appreciative eye for craftsmanship. Toil, labour and love has been poured into this. This is not simply a bag. This is a crucible for the soul of the man or woman who has weaved dreams into life.

 

Plus her summoner's clumsy attempt to open the damn thing has tightened the knot and made it really difficult to get a hold.

 

But get a hold she does, and undoes the bag! And frankly they're in no better shape to discern the contents than they were before.

 

Newton meanwhile takes a thought as to how the box got there if none of the people present are claiming it. '... You'd think something like this would be delivered by a moogle.'

 

All well and good, but Eos would appreciate support on her attempt to pry the box lid open rather than rampant speculation.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

"Well if we've gone this far..."

 

Franz shifted the box to be held in one arm and attempted to slide his fingers into the gap of the box to pry off its top panel.

 

"Suppose the box is somewhat battered at this point anyways. A new one would be needed to have it mailed again."

 

And so, with whatever might he may have, he worked to unbox the bag that so many were curious to see opened.

[Gegenji]

It took some doing, wrangling that lid off the box. It was nailed down pretty solidly, save for the corner where it had been bent upward through the less than gentle ministrations that had been brought upon it. It was only one nail per corner, though, and the other three had also been jostled about in all the shoving and kicking and other such low-grade atrocities the little container had suffered. As such, it was not long at all before the lid was pulled off and the full contents exposed to the light.

 

The bag was there, as was to be expected. Untied as it was, the blue ribbon rested almost defeatedly against the swell of the bag's main mass, which still pressed snugly up against the remaining walls of the box. The mouth of the bag was open somewhat, giving all present the sight of something yellow. Whether the yellow thing was the entirety of the contents, or simply what was on top? That would require opening the bag further and/or just trying to remove it to see what lay beneath.

 

There was one more little caveat though - the bag wasn't the only thing in the box. Pressed up against the far side of the box, held in place by the bulk of the bag, was a red envelope.  The front of it faced inward, revealing half of a name written rather neatly - if with unpracticed or unskilled handwriting - upon it in black ink: "Sun." The other half of both name and envelope was hidden beneath the satiny swell of the bag.