UnBest of Times

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Perhaps coming here was a mistake.
That single thought was what wrapped itself around Rashn’s mind, as the dual-camel-drawn carriage rattled and rumbled its way through the concrete streets that had long since been fused with the dense brush and tree-growth. Originally he had come out his comfort zone in the desert to explore for something magical in origin, but as he was now, in what people referred to as the ‘Vilis’ region, he had gone searching for the man by the name of Raynard. Stories of him told of a good merchant with a wide selection of goods, so Rashn was interested in trying his hand at getting something rare and exotic for a good price from him. It would do well in trade when he returned back home to the desert, but all he had found was hostility and more hostility. At first it was bandits, who had chased him around the city’s core district. He was smart enough to not enter there after hearing the gossip of it being home to immensely strong spirits, but the proximity to it did not seem to deter his would-be assailants. It was mostly luck that he was able to outrun them, but that luck quickly turned on him as some of the spirit-monsters that had been patrolling the outer rims of the core sector seemed to catch on to him and also began to chase him. Once more, he had been able to escape uninjured, but with the mystical types of attacks they had unleashed on him, he was more than slightly startled.

It was at that point, that the story would connect to the present. Following the first assault by the bandits and the attack by the spirits, he was picked up, once again, by another group of scavenging thieves. He had little hope of outrunning them at this point, as he had been running his camels ragged in trying to escape so much in such little time. Perhaps in addition to coming here, bringing camels was also a mistake? They didn’t seem to enjoy being out of the desert that much, and Rashn mirrored that sentiment. Being surrounded by so many deadly things without the vast and long sightlines of the desert that he was so accustomed to wasn’t the kind of experience he had been hoping for. With the evident fatigue that was settling in on the camels, Rashn knew he was very likely going to have to work to fight them off… he wasn’t the combat type! Didn’t people understand this? A one on one fight was okay, but any more than that was a no-no for him, and fate had felt it was okay to send four brigands after him at once. Cruel bitch!

Pulling the reins tightly, Rashn would bring the carriage to a halt. The camel’s breath would be deep and long, and their exasperated hawing would echo through the wooded city. If this fusion of earth and concrete were to be his grave, that was fine. He would not give up his goods so long as life was filled in his body. Doing so was essentially, to someone in his line of work and position, equivalent to death, so there would be no such deal. He’d fight and he’d die, but he wouldn’t let them take his things. The thought of releasing his camels from their restraints crossed his mind, but they would likely die out here without question. Also not an option. If they were lucky, the bandits would not kill them for food and would instead take them as rides of their own. Rashn hoped so for their sake.

With a single blade in hand, the tip pointed downward and the edge faced in towards himself, Rashn would stand atop the back of the carriage defiantly. He doubted anyone in the area would arrive to assist, but if such an event was to come to pass, it would have to be soon.

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

"We've got a problem, boss."

Alicia turned away from the tracks she was studying, frowning slightly, "I can tell, Faron. Bandits- a pretty large squad of them too, judging from the amount of tracks they left behind."

The man nodded gravely, "Worse than that- they were also chasing something, judging from the impression depth and the distance between each track. Pretty recently as well, if my intuition is anything to go off of."

Nodding, the Knight stood and turned to her men. They were a simple scouting force, outfitted with blades and bows and light armor- traveling through the city to scavenge rather than hunt bandits. However, due to their vicinity to the village, Alicia wanted to take no chances. Her scouts were more than capable of handling themselves in battle- and she had more than enough men to take out such a petty force of bandits. "All right," she said, garnering the attention of her men immediately, "Looks like we've got a decent amount of bandits up ahead. I want five men to stay here to be a backup and return to the village to warn them, should this force be bigger than I'm anticipating it to be. The rest of you will come with me to ascertain the situation and then act upon what we discover. If there are too many- we'll scatter and return home. If not... well, the world wouldn't miss a few less thieves, now would it?"

At that, her men immediately split into the two separate groups- five remaining behind and the rest forming up into a tight unit. Once they were ready, Alicia nodded and charged off through the underbrush- her men following immediately afterward.

After nearly fifteen minutes at a steady pace, a loud clamor could be heard before them- whoops and chanting from the tribal group of brigands they were chasing. Judging from how loud they were being and how excited they sounded, Alicia was fairly certain that they had already caught up to that which they had been chasing. Alicia motioned for her men to stop and she drew her blade, crouching down slightly as she did so.

"On my mark."

xp: 410 # 410 xp

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

The first of the group of four bandits stepped forward, pointing his long, thin blade, with a dull edge and slightly cracked blade – they were not particularly great at this stealing thing, apparently – and commanded Rashn’s immediate surrender of his life and goods. He promised if he did so, he would retain his life in the form of slavery, and his goods would be put to use replenishing their dwindling supplies. “Oi, you fucking maggot! Don’t just stan’ on shit actin’ all tuff and the like! We’ll treat ya’ nicely, so c’mon!” Needless to say, this wasn’t really an option for Rashn at this point. Slavery wasn’t really any better than dying anyway, so the ultimatum kind of failed to materialize like the apparent leader thought it would. Without saying a word, the redheaded merchant drew his blade in closer to himself, withdrawing to more of a defensive position. Even if he had already given up, failing to at least try would be a failure as a man.

Unfortunately the group was not discouraged by his non-answer. It seemed they wanted to kill him anyway, by the fact that their voices grew louder, and calls for his head began being made. The one who had offered him the deal moved closer again, now directly next to the carriage. At this point, Rashn was just barely within range of the blade’s thrust, but it would be easy to dodge since all he could aim for was the legs. Yet no attack came. The camel’s sensed the trepidation that surrounded the situation, and began to clap their feet on the ground, showing obvious signs of a desire to leave. Their discomfort was shared by Rashn, yet he would not retreat. There was no way he would get out alive at this point, and he had not yet noticed the arrival of the scouting squadron lead by a woman he had not yet met. In his eyes, this was still his last stand. Having the high ground, he would spit downward at the face of the bandit leader before he could begin talking. It failed to rile him right away, as he instead let out a disgusting, perverted half-laugh. “Well, you’re a right idiot I see. Well that’s fucking FINE! You can be together with the o’er idiots that crossed us!”

At this moment, the rage Rashn had hoped for would consume him, as he made a slash for the merchant’s kneecaps. It was easily avoidable seeing as it was completely expected, and following the man’s failure to strike, he would attempt to climb into the carriage as fast as possible. This would be met by Rashn throwing a seemingly-wild punch at the man as he stood, which was dodged without much effort, but he would quickly bring his arm back, dragging the reverse-sided knife across the man’s throat just as he went for a strike. The nice thing about daggers was their advantage in such closed-quarters as atop an open merchant carriage. Blood would spill quickly from the sliced neck of the bandit leader, and Rashn would be satisfied. One down. The whooping and hollering turned from gleeful to an almost demonic rage as their comrade and leader fell, and the remainder of the bandits would make a mad dash to the cart to avenge him. This was also expected, but there was nothing he could really do. Maybe take out one more? Anything other than that was hopeless, yet Rashn would stand his ground to die like a man all the same.

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

Her hand fell, signalling her men to let their arrows fly- which immediately struck the three bandits charging toward the cart. Two fell immediately, caught through the throat and the head with the bolts of dense oak in metal. The third was a tad more lucky, as he was struck in the shoulder instead of any majorly vital area. With a howl, he turned towards the source of the barrage, a look of primal, untarnished hatred in his eyes. Alicia, who had begun moving once the arrows had been let loose, was on top of the man almost immediately- batting aside the brigand's weapon with a swift strike from her blade before striking him across the chest and sidestepping another wild swing- all in the same fluid motion. Spinning on her heel to see if the wounded individual would return to his feet, the Knight appeared to be a bit disappointed when he remained still on the ground, his life's blood seeping out of his body. With a sigh, she flicked her blade- cleaning most of the blood off of the weapon before she resheathed it and knelt over the fallen bandit- turning him over and placing a hand on his gash.

"Heilen!"

A white light rolled off of Alicia's open palm, diffusing into the man's chest as she did so. In seconds, his wound stopped bleeding and healed partially, though he was still too injured to stand. "Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get back up without us knowing." She said, turning to the man who appeared to own the cart.

"Alicia Landis Murdock of the Tribe of Dorn," the Knight said, offering her hand to the merchant. Regardless of whether or not he took it- she eyed the camels with a slight smirk on her features. "Take it you're not from around here then?"

xp: 340 # 750 xp

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

As the first two fell, Rashn was uncharacteristically slow to respond. He had been so sure of death that any notion of survival was essentially exiled from his mind. A surprised look would be the natural first reaction however, but this would quickly change to a serious look once again as the last of the trio failed to give in to death. He gripped his blade quickly to make a move to finish him, not wanting perhaps his last hope of survival to fall, yet the woman was on him before he could move. The way she instantly parried away his weapon and disarmed him was rather impressive, but as the silence fell with the man’s apparent death, Rashn would once more tense up. Lowering your guard was an obvious mistake that he had already made three times today, and he would not make it again. The woman seemed to inspect him, and upon lowering to his body, the white light that seemingly emitted from her body once again caused the auburn merchant to shift into surprise-mode.

He was not sure what she did, but it was seemingly magic: the thing he had come here to learn in the first place. Possibilities of merchant deals was tantalizing, but it was only the icing on the cake. Looking into the arcane was something he had been into after first meeting that damn hyena man-woman Iskra and her transformation from beast to (wo)man right in front of his eyes. This woman also seemed to wield it, and with relative ease. There seemed to be no major malfunction with her technique. Again, she was impressive. But then came the direction turn, and Rashn would flinch in defense. There was no telling who they were or what they wanted: interrupting a battle between two combating factions and striking one down in silence to pick off the weakened prey was a common battle tactic, between both bandits and merchants. The efficiency the group used told him he had no hope of outfighting them, and running away was still no option, so he was essentially, once again, at the mercy of others.

Then there was the hand, and Rashn would, for the third time in seconds, look perplexed. It was a common look for him after entering the wooded lands, and it was one that did not suit him in his own opinion. Were they friendly? To him, at least? They had no qualms about striking down those who they wished it by the looks of things, so if they wanted him dead, he probably would be already. Her introduction as a knight eased his worries to a degree, but that just meant she was working on someone else’s orders. Once again, if they wanted him dead, he would be. Well, with death certain, there was no harm in at least assuming they were friendly. Nothing was going to stop them from striking him down anyway, so what did he have to lose? “I am Rashn. Merchant of the Desert. I am in your debt.” He would give this introduction as he shook the woman’s hand, taking in details such as her hand size and the strength of her grip. “You’re right about not being from here. I am, as mentioned, from the Desert. I apologize for inconveniencing you.”

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

The smirk grin as the man apologized for being an inconvenience. "Please," she began, releasing his hand, "Any reason to take out more of these scum is reason enough for me to do so. I'm sorry you had to deal with troubles like this in such an unfamiliar land. Some hell of a welcome we give, it seems."

At that, she diverted her attention from the merchant, speaking with her men for a moment. "Three of you check the surrounding area for reinforcements, and someone go get the five we left behind. After that, set up a slight perimeter. We'll head back home once we're sure the threat of being followed is nonexistent."

"Anyway," she said, turning back to Rashn, "You've got no debt you owe to us, aside from allowing us the privilege of leading you back to our home, feeding you a hot meal and letting us look at your wares." She eyed the man for a moment, studying his features for anything out-of-the-ordinary or distinctly odd about him. He was different to the Knight, that was for sure- with long auburn-colored hair and striking green eyes- he stood out from most other men she had seen, at least in Medius. The merchant also seemed to rather like the color green, as he was decked out in various different shades of the color. "You certainly do stand out though. It'd probably help if you didn't have those... things... pulling your wagon around. Generally we only have slower beasts of burden around these parts- thus making it easier to get attacked... however, most caravans also have a retinue of guards."

"All I have to say is that you're damn lucky that you got jumped by bandits and not something worse. Bad things come out of the Core District on occasion- and my men wouldn't have been able to do anything against such beasts."

xp: 350 # 1100 xp

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Rashn would visibly frown. Words of protest would swell in his mind: No, Hell No, No Way, Not Happening, Impossible, and etc. It was true he was unlike most men in that he did not care for his outward appearances, and as such he had not much in terms of pride. Yet, what he did have for pride, he was very protective of. As kindhearted as the woman’s offers were, he could not bring himself to openly accept them. The way she strategically issued orders to her companions showed she was of sound mind, so he figured he could reason with her. An escort to their ‘home’ was not unreasonable, and he would be more than welcome to show off his stock of items to any that would look, the implication of a free hot meal and possibly anything else that would go along with that, normally lodging and the like, was something he could not stand for. This was only amplified by the fact that they had just saved him from certain death. It was certainly nice that his initial impression of them being a secondary group of bandits turned out to be false, but he could still not bring himself to accept their offer. The woman, with her impressive armor plating and graceful sword use, had something of a threatening aura to her, yet despite these features, she seemed somewhat… gentle. She seemed as if she would not try to cut him down just for refusing her offer.

“I can do no such thing,” he would say, hands raised to chest-level in protest. “I’ve already burdened you on charges of both time and the sharpness of your sword. Anymore than that, and the debt I would have as a merchant would be truly overbearing.” It was unlike him to talk so much, and he disliked speaking formally, but he was still just on the level of an acquaintance here, and he owed them at least that much respect. “I appreciate the offer, however. It’s not often you encounter such generosity, and even rarer still is it to come from strangers.” The truth of it came from him being still somewhat skeptical and untrusting. As a merchant, everything had a dollar value to him, and he was not sure if he was being used at this point. Since they had saved him without knowing anything about him, he was sure they were good people, but there was a thought that maybe they were just going to try and make up for anything lost in the exchange by taking it out of him. Though, how that would be done by giving him a warm meal was beyond him. It wasn’t like they’d lead him back there as a trap: if they wanted anything from him, there was little he could do to stop them from taking it right now. This was likely all just his usual paranoia welling up inside him once again.

“But, I have to admit that you’re right about one thing.” He would attempt to change the flow of conversation so as not to let them feel insulted over his attempt at refusing their kind offer. “I definitely do stick out around here. That’d be great for selling, if I could manage to find some settlement to peddle in. Being easily noticeable makes for good business, but also makes it hard to not be sniffed out by the less savory character types.” The proof was of course the felled bandits lying in their own lifeblood around them. Rashn would then address, quickly, the mention of some of the more ‘scary’ things that would come from the core district with a muffled groan. “Yeah, I ran into some of those things too, but I was able to get away. Luckily they were fairly small and few in number. If bandits are a problem for me, I can only imagine what those…” he struggled to find a word, “…things, would be like. I imagine you guys must have it hard out here? A constant struggle for survival, I take it.” All the more reason he could not see himself leeching off of such kind people.

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

Disappointment was clear on Alicia's features when the man refused her offers of a free meal and safe lodging- though she certainly understood where Rashn was coming from. And while she was perfectly willing to allow the man to stay a few nights in one of the abandoned houses around the village and for him to peddle his wares nearby, the Triumvirate would, for lack of better words, be pissed beyond belief. With a short sigh, Alicia nodded and grinned to the man, a slight look of sadness in her eyes. "All right, I understand when I've hurt someone's pride by offering so much." In truth, Alicia tended to throw random acts of kindness at newcomers to the area- if, for nothing else, new conversation. Word of the world outside always fascinated Alicia- and what made it sweeter still was the sheer inaccessibility of that world. Alicia's place was with her tribe- not gallivanting around like a vagabond throughout the Terra Regnum- but her thirst for tales from different places and people from the four corners of Yochi was nigh unquenchable.

She sometimes worried how long her luck would hold out when it came to these strangers- considering she had allowed more than one lodging within her village. Images of the Assassin- Taran- flashed through her mind, causing her to grit her teeth slightly at her foolishness. Had she been any more careful in that situation- the current threat of attack from an outside force would have been nonexistent; yet she was terrible at letting strangers and her curiosity get the better of her. Luckily for the Knight, Rashn proved to be completely genuine- a rare trait in strangers nowadays, as the merchant himself said.

Alicia was broken out of her internal turmoil when the merchant mentioned he had seen some of the beasts from the Core District. Stifling another grin, she returned her full attention to the man, her eyes filled with mirth. "Ah- I guarantee you what you saw was not what I was talking about. While most of the beasts here dwell within the Core District as well, they are much much more common than the fiends I was talking about. After all- demons wouldn't let such a morsel as yourself escape their clutches. In fact- I've only ever seen one once... but that was a long time ago- and I'm relatively sure they don't travel in packs."

At the mention of the word "demons", one of the scouts closest to Alicia jumped slightly- turning to the Knight as he did so. "Milady- you know better than to mention their name here. It draws them..."

Frowning, Alicia nodded to the man, waiting for him to return to what he had been doing before she turned back to Rashn. "Some of us are overly superstitious around these parts," she grunted- dropping her hand onto her sword's hilt and leaving it rest there. "I for one have stopped believing in such old wives tales. After all- no one so much as mentioned the things when we were last attacked by one."

"At any rate- once my men are done here we will at least lead you to a safer place than this. I could not leave you here in good conscience- especially knowing that other such beasts are prowling the area. I'd rather have you closer to the city and have your pride be slightly bruised than have you remain out here and be a corpse in the morning." Despite the severity of her words, they carried a lighter tone than her previous ones- the last statement sounding like more of a joke than anything. One of the men approached Alicia and whispered something in her ear, which she nodded to in response.

"Whenever you're ready, Sir Rashn- we'll get moving. No more bandits to worry about here at the moment."

xp: 723 # 1823 xp

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

“Is that so?” The man would say, and raise his hand to grip his chin in thought. “I see. It’s certainly possible that it wasn’t whatever you’re talking about. I didn’t get a good look at them, but they certainly weren’t human, I know that for sure.” It made sense though. If her group was unable to do much against them, then it was highly unlikely he’d even be able to outrun them. This only reaffirmed what he already knew, and that was to avoid the Core District whenever possible. That was inconvenient, but if it saved his life, well, it was probably for the best. At least she didn’t seem too insulted that he did not need any shelter or overprotection. Though maybe he was too stern? Taking him to their home was certainly welcome so he could go ahead and get in on that offer of free trading. It sounded great: sell some of the things exclusive to the desert, get some forest exclusive things in return for the trip back to Rajeh. Very appealing.

His attention then drifted to the male who seemed particularly susceptible to myths and fairy tales, as he seemed genuinely frightened by the mere mentioning of demons. Well, trouble did have a tendency to show up where it was expressly expected not to, as proven by the famous ‘geez-relax-how-could-it-get-anyworse-syndrome’, so maybe he had a point? Or at least, maybe he wasn’t totally crazy in thinking that. Rashn himself thought it best not to mention worse case scenarios, lest someone with the means to put you in a state of misery overheard and decided to play devil’s advocate that day. People were mean-spirited enough on their own: no need to goad them. Upon hearing the woman’s denouncement of such short stories as the one the man had been affected by, he would nod his head slightly in agreement. “Mm, it’s highly unlikely that a beast would be so close to us and only now come out and attack. Not that we need any more problems, anyway.”

Following that, the offer would come that they would take him to somewhere safer regardless of his prior refusal. Well, they made a good point, and dead men held no pride as well, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. He’d probably be more of a pain to them if he’d ended up dying and inflicting guilt upon them. Then they’d have to bury him and everything, assuming any bit of him remained afterward. As such, Rashn would not argue the plan any longer, and would instead concede to their plans. The mention of them being ready and waiting for him was enough to make him kick himself into high gear and get moving. Being referred to as ‘Sir’ was somewhat embarrassing, but his nonchalant façade would not show it. Instead of making a big deal out of it, he would quickly give a once over to his carriage’s contents, happy that nothing had fallen out, though quite a bit had fallen over and some of the inner holdings may have been damaged. That would require further investigation at a later time, though. Satisfied, Rashn would rise into his position at the driver’s bench on the cart and grip the reins. Tired as they were, the camels could still walk a fair distance so long as it was not at high speeds. “If you’re ready, then I’m ready. I’ll try not to slow you down. I’d hate to hinder you anymore.” With the mention of hindering, the tinge of guilt about not being able to help twirled its way back into the corner of his heart. Maybe now, at least, he could offer something in compensation? “If you, or any of your men are tired, I’d be happy to give you a ride in the carriage.” It was not too full: in fact, there was room for likely another two or three people in the cart itself, and a spot for someone beside him on the bench as well. It was the least he could do to offer.

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

Eying the man as he went to his cart, Alicia nodded to him, "Thanks for the offer- but if we couldn't move on our feet, we wouldn't be much of a reconnaissance force. Besides, it'll be easier to lead you with us clearing the path and keeping eyes on all directions."

Once all of her men had assembled, she broke the twelve of them into groups of three, sending one ahead of the caravan- keeping one with them and sending the other two to continue scouting. In roughly two minutes they were on the move, heading towards the Knight and her men's settlement as the sun began to set upon the horizon.

"Chances are you won't get to peddle your wares until tomorrow morning- usually everyone goes inside before it gets dark to avoid bugs and whatnot- and because beasts sometimes roam into the village once night falls. Luckily they can be scared away with fire for the most part- and they usually leave by morning- so there shouldn't be anything to worry about, provided you don't make too much noise and you weren't planning on eating meat before dawn."

After about a half hour's travel at a moderate speed, the underbrush gave way to a relatively plant and rubble free road that had clearly been being maintained. After another ten minutes of traveling on said road, the merchant would be greeted with the sight of what was once an apartment complex- but now was clearly the main hub of Alicia's village. Several walls had been broken down to allow fresh air into the ancient building- and the people, it seemed, lived in relative comfort in the large edifice. There were a few other buildings nearby with torches and banners hanging from them as well- presumably other housing projects or perhaps a town hall of sorts. Several plots of land had been entirely cleared, allowing the earth beneath to show so it could be used for farming. Finally, a large fountain sat in the center of town, filling with a constant supply of clean, fresh water from some sort of underground well or perhaps from a nearby river.

"Home sweet home," Alicia muttered, motioning for Rashn to follow her as her men left to rejoin their families. "We'll have to introduce you to the Triumvirate and let them know you'll be staying in relatively close proximity to the village so you don't get eaten by beasts. It shouldn't be too much of an issue- aside from how late it's getting. The elders are, if nothing else, accommodating towards merchants and the like."

At that, she began to walk towards one of the smaller buildings in the village- though several banners with what appeared to be the crest of the place (a wolf's head clutching a sword in it's maw) adorned the windows and archways leading inside.

xp: 538 # 2361 xp

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Rashn would not act too rejected upon the refusal from Alicia and her men to ride with him. He would’ve felt bad had he not offered, yet the truth was he did prefer travelling in the carriage alone. Extra people meant more strain for his mounts to worry about, and they were already tired. Plus, whenever one rode with him up front, his weird personal-space issues sprang up and he would begin to feel all awkward. Their choice was likely for the best anyway.

At this point the woman would inform him of the slim chances of him being able to begin selling off his goods until at least the morning. He had every intention of answering with a simple ‘That’s fine’, but before he had to the honor to do so, he was let in on exactly why. The presence of beasts and all of their ilk that apparently trespassed through the settlement was not what he expected. His initial thought was that any place that had been established as a human refuge would be free of animals at all times. Even if it was good place to get food from the beast’s perspective, did they have no fear of death? Rashn enjoyed meat himself and could, with some work, kill a beast in a one versus one fight, but that did not mean he was going to go into the monster’s den and fight it and its comrades in large number. It seemed like suicide, but perhaps that was just how things in the forest worked. Being from the desert, who was he to say it didn’t make sense? “I think I’ll be alright. I’m not a loud sleeper, and I don’t need to eat any meat. I have enough other things to get me by. Thank you for the warning.” The thanks would be accompanied by a small leaning bow, even if he was behind her and out of view.

The entire walk, Rashn would remain in silence, unless spoken to. Though weird being in such a vastly differing environment, the trip itself was calming after his recent mass of encounters, and it reminded him of him. Spending hours to days alone with his carriage out on the desert sands, travelling near-endlessly. The half-hour felt like nothing to him: even an hour long trip, to him, was like walking to the bathroom in one’s house. Yet despite the actual distance and timing proving to grant no effect to him, the visuals he was presented with upon arrival were, to him, breathtaking. He had seen structures like the ones around the area, and the larger one that the people seemed to be inhabiting, even out in the desert, but he had not seen so many in such close proximity to one another, or anything of such size or structural integrity. Most of the ones he had gazed upon were broken down and shattered, uninhabitable piles of rubble. While he was not one for exclamations, he wanted to yell out at how… ‘cool’ it all was. The thought of what he could find to sell in an area like this… tantalizing.

“Of course.” He would say instead, nodding his head as he was told to introduce himself to the elders. That was normal for him upon arriving in any settlement: checking in. People would check for contraband or the like and give him the once over, in-part so that the merchant groups that ran the organization would get ‘first dibs’ on anything in the carriage. Rashn imagined it would be the same out here in the forest lands. “I’m in your debt, of course, so I’ll do what you ask without a problem. Where exactly are these ‘elders’, anyway? I’d like to do this quickly. It’s most respectful that way and causes the least amount of problems.”

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

"Well, they're probably in the building I'm leading you towards," she said, chuckling to herself at her joke. "They aren't the nicest of people all the time, and they're probably getting prepared to head back home. In fact, chances are we'll meet them on the way out."

Even as she spoke, three elderly individuals appeared from the squat building Alicia had been leading Rashn to- two males and a female. Each wore similar deep red robes with the village's crest adorning the chest of each in a darker shade of yellow. They were talking amongst each other before one- the woman, sighted Alicia and nodded to the Knight. "You're back early, Daughter of Dorn. Was the hunt not successful?"

A slight shade of annoyance crossed Alicia's features before immediately disappearing, which she further went to hide by smiling and shaking her head, "On the contrary. I've brought us back a merchant instead of more bartering items- but I left six men out to finish gathering such things. I had them scout the area before leaving them to themselves, and they certainly know how to take care of themselves. They should be back by morning with a full load."

The elders nodded to the Knight, before turning to each other, whispering and turning back to the Knight and the Merchant.

"I am Dinra," said one of the men, the oldest of the trio with only a slight dusting of pure white hair left on his head, a crooked long nose and eyes so deeply blue they almost seemed black.

"I am Elledi," spoke the woman, who appeared to be the youngest of the three, wearing her graying hair in a long ponytail and maintaining a rather genuine smile as she bowed to the merchant.

"And I am Radigon," wheezed the last, a large man who's long gray beard nearly covered the crest on his chest, and a look so severe he could probably intimidate a dragon with it. He reached out with a pudgy hand the shake that of the merchant.

"And we," they said in unison- though whether or not it was rehearsed wasn't readily obvious, "Are the Triumvirate of Dorn." The woman stepped forward, studying Rashn as she went on, "We help govern this tribe with our wisdom and intuition. Any stranger of pure heart is welcome- especially one with a hefty-looking amount of goods like yourself," she said with a slight smirk.

Alicia nodded to Rashn before continuing where she left off, "This man was set upon by bandits in the wilderness. He appears to be rather unfamiliar with the area, as his caravan lacks the necessary retinue to keep him safe from the brigands and the like- though I doubt he will be making the same mistake anytime soon." The Triumvirate nodded in unison, not betraying their thoughts through their features in the least, "I would like to allow him to stay somewhere near the village so he isn't set upon again by the thieves- or by the monsters that sometimes roam this area."

The one called Dinra nodded and motioned towards the outlying houses, "Our home is yours, at least for tonight. When the sun breaks over the horizon, we will be ready to take a gander at your wares. In fact, you can set up a booth once we are done looking through what you have and trading for what we need as a tribe. I'm sure some of the children, if not also the adults, would be interested in what items you have," he said, nodding to the camels. "It's not very often we get traders willing to travel all the way here from the desert. It is an honor."

xp: 679 # 3040 xp

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

From the inside, Rashn breathed. Heavily he exhaled, though it was slow and none of it was done visibly. A familiar comfort washed over him, helping to calm him after the stirring events of the long day. It was certainly an odd occurrence he had been through, but as his eyes met the trio of figures he would suspect belonged to the aforementioned elders, he felt as if he had returned to a former home. It was almost as if he once again rested within his comfort zone. Needless to say, this would be somewhat odd, as meeting with such a group of people who held such high command over such a large establishment was a very nerve-wracking experience to most people, but to Rashn, it was business. It was a business which was to be conducted entirely with mannerisms and words. This was his trade: his art. His experience rested most significantly in this area, and with all the life-threats he had been under during the day that were only resolved with combat-related actions, he was happy to be facing a threat that he could solve in his own preferred way, even if that threat was of greater significance than anything he had faced prior during the day. They did, after all, hold his fate in their hands so to speak.

During the introductions, Rashn would remain silent and still. He would hold the trio in respect, and would act accordingly. He had noticed, as faint and shortlived as it was, the knight’s displeasure with them. It was to be expected of him: reading people and catching slip ups was half of his job, though she had not done it for long enough or with enough expression for him to decipher who it was made for. The woman who had spoken? The statement? The trio themselves? He had only caught it out of the corner of his eye, but at least he had a possible topic of conversation for when this was all over.

Rashn would bow to both the elderly Dinra, despite his lack of any such greeting towards him, and bow in response to the one offered by the woman. He would bow yet again towards the one whose breath apparently found itself short, and would take the hand without any missteps. Pudgy or overly thin, it was no difference. He needed to show the necessary respect, and this would continue again as the woman of the group stepped forward to continue the introductions. The studying of his features and the smirk were not lost on him, but garnered no response other than that which was already assured: his name and official personal introduction. “I am honored to become acquainted with you all,” he would step back and bow yet again, “My name is Nori Rashn; I go under the merchant name of Bakr, though Rashn is my registered name.”

Silence would envelop him once again, as Alicia seemed to take the lead with everything from that point on. While none of what she said was flattering, it was all fairly accurate. Nothing he could complain or argue with. She was certainly right in that he would no longer let his guard down in the forest like he had, though until his special business out here was finished, he would still need to venture into its depths yet again. Once that was over though, he was out.

“It’s truly my honor to be allowed residence here. Really, the honor is all mine. Travelling from the sands or not, I thank you for the good treatment.” Rashn wondered, though, if he was taking up too much of his time? He should likely cut it short here, kind sentiments and utmost respect offered or not, he was probably going over his boundaries. In truth he himself was tired and looking for sleep, and he wanted to give the camels a similar opportunity soon. They had done their job and deserved a good recovery period. “Perhaps,” he offers, turning to the woman who he owed his life, “Alicia, you could show me to a an appropriate area to stay in? I do… grow tired.”

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

With a nod, Alicia bowed to the elders of her tribe before turning and heading toward the outskirts of the small village. "Of course-" she said, motioning for Rashn to follow her, "If you'll follow me then..."

As they approached the outlying houses, several small children were seen peering out of their own homes and pointing at the camels and merchant cart. Some adults and guardsmen stopped what they were doing to watch the merchant as well- most of which were more interested than scrutinizing. Eventually, the attention died out the farther away the got from the village- and only guards at outlying posts were to be seen.

They approached a two story building with a large garage that was currently open directly next to it. Inside said garage was a healthy amount of straw and some large troughs, one of which contained water and the other empty- presumably for the merchant to fill with food for his beasts of burden. The house itself was in relatively good condition- with fresh paint, intact windows and walls and only the faintest signs of age showing on the place. "This is where we usually accommodate merchants and the like. You can use the stable (garage) next to the house to keep your camels and cart safe- as it locks from the inside and connects directly to the house. There will also be at least one guard posted outside at all times, so you don't have to worry about being taken by surprise or anything..."

She opened the door to the house and stepped inside, revealing a sparsely decorated living room with a chair, several books and ancient board games. "We usually have most of a caravan stay in this one house- but I see no issue with you being here alone. If you light any candles at night, be sure to keep them away from the windows- and to make sure the blinds are shut." She nodded towards a kitchen and dining room as well, "You can take your meals here- the pantry is fairly well-stocked with non-perishables. We don't, unfortunately, keep any fresh food around here- as merchant visits don't happen often enough for us to do so- but if you're running low on supplies, we at least have enough food to share- though I'm not sure what to feed your beasts-of-burden."

Nodding towards the stairs, she continued, "And upstairs you'll find your room on the left. I'd ask that you stay out of the room on the right... we're still cleaning the blood out of that one. Some vigilante made it his duty to kill a crooked merchant who apparently sold narcotics to children in there- so it's not the prettiest sight. Gore is rather difficult to get off of the wallpaper, it turns out."

Heading back towards the door of the house, Alicia turned to the merchant one last time before she headed back outside, "The outhouse is right out back as well- in case you were wondering. If there's anything you need before night falls, come find me at the building where we met the Triumvirate in front of- I'll be helping the elders decide on what we can trade to you until the moon rises." She waved to the merchant, smirking slightly as she stepped out the door, "Aside from that, I'll see you tomorrow, Sir Rashn."

xp: 626 # (EXP Reset) 626 xp
+1 TEXP (2nd Thread)

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

With the introductions finished with no real ill-will held by either party, apparently, Rashn would mark it as a success. He was happy he had been able to get along with them without too much of a problem. A good relationship was the foundation of good business. Perhaps he could get so far on their good graces that they would allow him to become a regular here? Having somewhere to actually do peddling in the forests would help, and it would allow him to devise the safest and fastest route between here and the desert. Running into the monsters from before every time he came would be... not fun.
Although the first set of introductions was completed, it seemed he needed to perform yet another with the dwelling he was shown to. The look of awe would again show very faintly on his features, though would be magnified beyond explanation as he looked to the woman with surprise heavily evident on his face when she mentioned he would be staying there alone. Where he came from, this was the kind of dwelling royalty or other very important types of people lived in, and he would have it all to himself? Even if only for one night, it was too much. He had outright expected to be shoved somewhere appropriate for a merchant, with good enough furnishings to make him comfortable, but that it would be split with many other people. Most of the time, foreign merchants were treated like that. They would live in comfort while they were there, but rarely did they ever get to access everything all by themselves. What’s more, the current place she had showed him was two, nay, three times as fantastic as anything he had ever even seen travelling merchants be shown to in his entire life. Was this like, some rich tribe or something? If they had such domiciles as these to live in and just pass around to people who showed up out of nowhere, they must have competition encroaching from all over the place, and to be able to defend it meant they must be rather strong. Or maybe, this was normal for these group of people? Maybe he was being shown the true difference between desert people, and the forest-city dwellers?

Every little thing that was said in a sort of, ‘we don’t have-‘ or, ‘sorry, but we can’t give-‘ kind of tone would pretty much bounce off of his person at this point. Not having any fresh food was no problem: he had his own. Them not having anything for his camels, either, was nothing to worry about, as they had eaten earlier and had no need for a meal for quite some time. Anything that may seem to be a downside to the home he was lent was, without fail, not even a slight bother to the man. Asking any more of them would be a sin on the part of Rashn, and even accepting this much would condemn a portion of his soul to hell. He was, admittedly, familiar with the tactic of flattering and pampering a merchant to try and get good dealings out of him. It could weaken his resolve or just make him drop his guard, and then he’d end up losing more than he gained from the stay. Yes, he was well aware of it, but… he was too in awe to care at the moment. Everything about the place had a touch of surrealism to it, but this took the cake. Even on the ride there, with people stopping to stare and inspect him, he had been impressed just passing by their homes and looking at them. Why, he wondered, was he given what was apparently the most lovely place out of all of them? Was it for the aforementioned flattering?

“Ah, E-Excuse me!” As the woman began to leave, Rashn would move to interrupt her for something of a brief moment. He had noticed it before, and wanted to ask then, but doing so in front of the council would be disrespectful and in ill taste. It was in honesty the real reason he had called her out to show him to, what he had then expected to be, his room. Though it turned out it was more like a ‘show-me-to-my-estate!’ kind of thing, which had distracted him and almost caused him to forget his question. Assuming he was successful in interrupting her departure, he would ask his question now. “I’m sorry, for asking this. I don’t want to offend, and you have no obligation to answer me if you find yourself ill-suited to, but…” he paused, searching for the right words. Business speak he was fluent in, but talking to someone on a casual, acquaintance/friend level was not his forte. “…Is there some problem here? You do not seem to particularly agree with the presence of the three you introduced me to earlier. When they showed up, you seemed rather put-off, though you hid it well.” The fact that she was so good at hiding it meant she likely had been doing so for a long time. Was that commonplace for people of this clan? To dislike the members of the council, but go alongside their wishes regardless, he wondered? Not a very good lifestyle choice, in his opinion.

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

To say Alicia was a bit caught off guard by the merchant was a bit of an understatement- though she didn't really convey such through any physical tells. Stopping in the doorway, Alicia replied to the merchant, still facing toward the outside of the house while she addressed him. "Let's just say that the daughter of the previous chieftain of this tribe- the man who's name is also that of our tribe- hasn't been taking the destruction of her father's previous laws and traditions in the name of the betterment of the tribe well."

With a sigh, she continued out the door she was standing in, waving her hand once to the merchant as she did so. "I will see you tomorrow, Sir Rashn. Try to get some rest soon- as the village usually wakes shortly after dawn."

At that, Alicia left- returning to the squat building where the Elders had emerged from earlier. It was odd- being read by a complete stranger; though she supposed it was a merchant's job to be able to read their customers in order to turn a profit. After all- one would be a pretty terrible merchant if he simply gave and accepted everything at standard value, even if it were more fair to do so. Still... it bothered the Knight that her dissent had been read so easily- even if she knew she would never act on it, the resentment was still there, and if the merchant had no issues reading her, then the elders probably didn't either.

Great... Now they think I'm nuts as well as generally pissed off. Perfect Knightly demeanor there, Alicia.

xp: 302 # 928 xp
+1 TEXP (5th 200 EXP Post)
OoC: Figured we could just call it morning next post- unless you wanted to continue?

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Rashn would take the words without truly gripping their value initially. Her mention of the previous leader’s daughter confused him. His original thought was that she was referring to a friend of hers that she held a personal liking to. A friend’s dissent towards one would often fuel someone’s own disliking of a certain individual or group, but that was not always the case. After a moment, he seemed to come to grips with what she meant, though he would make no mention of anything after he last statement. Perhaps he had stepped on a couple of eggshells there? Rashn mentioned he did not want to offend, yet he couldn’t help but feel as if he had done so regardless. As such, he would say nothing more and just accept the answer he was given. His thoughts, though, began to go over it all in rapid succession. She was not happy with it? Well, the besmirching of one’s likes and dislikes or opinions was often an insult to everyone associated with that person, and the disobeying of the laws someone had laid down before their passing was, essentially, the only remains of that person as well. Rashn could feel as if that was the remainder of that person on this earth. I mean, once you die, that’s it, but if you could leave something behind, then you could, in essence, become immortal. If a group of people tried to erase what they left, and if that person was someone’s father, then that person would have a right to be upset.

Yet, Rashn wondered if doing so for the good of the group or town or village or clan or whatever made it alright. ‘Disgracing’ one person seemed like an okay idea if it meant helping out such a large group of individuals. Not wanting their success only because it would be bad for you was somewhat of a greedy thought, though then again if it was both bad for your and bad for the group then of course one could be angry at it. Perhaps Alicia thought that their ideals were only leading to the destruction of her group. Though, maybe she only thought that because of her bias towards the old ideals? Not that Rashn could comment: he knew nothing of the groups inner workings, and he himself was the definition of greed. He was a merchant, after all. His entire business came from swindling others for his own gain. “Well, there’s no use overthinking things. I can probably ask more in the morning. For now…” the voice that came from the man seemed to saunter off into the wind, sleep evident in his features. It was odd, he wasn’t tired until he got there. Probably it was due to the luxurious welcome he was gifted with. He would thus give in to temptation, and after checking his ride into the ‘stable’ at the side of the house, would move to sleep in the large room he had been temporarily gifted with, allowing the darkness of night to engulf him as he awaited the warmth of dawn.

OOC: yeah, that'd be cool with that. No problem fer meh.

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

After a long night of gathering the necessary goods for trading and restless sleep- Alicia emerged from her home just after the sun rose over the horizon. Not having to go on another scouting mission, the Knight was without her customary armor, though her blade still hung by her side despite her lack of other gear. It was a brisk morning, but one couldn't tell that from looking at the girl, who wore a black tank top, fingerless gloves, a pair of tight-fitting khaki pants and tall combat boots.

The rest of the village had also begun to wake up at this time- with families going about their morning rituals and adults beginning to go about their jobs as children rose from their beds and tended to their chores. Had the merchant decided to get an early start he'd simply be standing around, bored for several hours until most everyone finished their work by around mid-day. That being said, the elders were also beginning to wake, and they had wanted to see Rashn's wares before he started selling them to the general public, both so they could trade for what the tribe needed and so they could make sure he didn't have any... unsavory... merchandise for people to buy. Wouldn't want any of the children to get ahold of an ancient smut magazine like last time the elders didn't go through a merchant's wares.

Alicia searched the streets for the merchant, making sure he hadn't attempted an early start. If she did not find him in the streets, she would head to his residence and see if he were awake as of yet as well.

xp: 306 # 306 (EXP Reset) xp
+1 TEXP (250 EXP Post)

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

The ever transient rays of sunlight that broke through the morning lull were like a turtle to Rashn: slow. No matter the hour, nor the day, by the time the sun was rising, the merchant had already done so. ‘Sleeping in’, to him, was getting up with the sun. If it was not dark when he rose, then something was wrong on the level of sickness. The man was clothed, washed and dried by the time the bright star was half-way revealed. In his own mind he had woken up a little later than normal anyway, deciding to allow himself that ‘luxury’ seeing the current vacation-like situation he was in. When was he going to get a chance like that again? Likely never. His camels, he figured, would also enjoy the allowance of extra rest given their heavy workload the day prior, though they never seemed to like sleeping for long anyway. They were like Rashn in that way, both groups restless and early-risers. Businesslike in their waking habits. That was just their lifestyle. It was who they were.

Garbed in the same cloth as the day prior, though freshly washed and all, the man would reattach the reins and carriage equipment to the back of the two camels before lifting himself onto the lead position in the front cart. Getting his things from the dwelling was fairly easy. He never carried much in terms of personal goods that weren’t either on him at all times or in the carriage’s load anyway. By the time the sun was fully broken from the horizon, beginning its rise to break through the treeline, Rashn was already fully awake, out and about. It was not necessarily to his knowledge that this was possibly a bad thing, just the normal way he went about his morning rituals. Despite the crowd of citizens also going about their way, Rashn found himself in an awkward spot. He had never been shown to a place he could peddle from, and he was not sure if he could just come out and do so wherever he pleased. He did not want to get in anyone’s way, but he also needed to hurry up and setup to get selling. Quite the dilemma.

Finding himself with nothing to do, he would head to the area he had met those old important council members the day before. The merchant had no direct intention meeting with them, but he figured that was where he would most likely find someone to help with his problems. Hopefully he could run into someone on the way who could help him. Worse comes to worse, he could just tuck himself into an unused alley and sell from there. It might seem shady, but taking a slight visual representation hit was better than not being able to sell at all.

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

"Ah, Rashn- you're up and ready earlier than I was anticipating you to be!"

Alicia approached the man from one of the nearby streets, nodding to him as she lightly jogged to reach the man more quickly. "And you brought your cart too, I see," she said, grinning slightly. "Good thing you're as prepared as you are- the Elders will be wanting to have a look at your wears before you start selling. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so- and by the time that's done people will be heading home for lunch and the like- which is usually when merchants head to the square downtown to sell their wares."

Motioning for the merchant to follow her- Alicia began to walk around the back of the squat town-hall building where Rashn had met the Triumvirate before. "We've got a small stable around back where the Elders usually go about their inspections and trades. You'll at least make a bit of a profit before leaving- because if no one else buys from you the Elders almost always will. Food and useful items are always more preferable than other things- but we can almost always find something we need in a caravan."

After rounding the corner to the building, a single-car garage would be laying open with the Triumvirate inside and a few armed men standing guard outside. "We can start," began the woman, Elledi, "Whenever you are ready, Merchant Bakr."

xp: 270 # 576 xp

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

A tinge of surprise would be on the merchant’s face as the appearance of his yesterday-rescuer dawns upon him. He would quickly note the favorable garments she was wearing, and consider trying to make some sort of friendly joke about them, but thought better of it. Usually when he made jokes like that, they either ended up being too technical and thus unfunny, or unpurposely insulting. His social interaction skill was in need of some training. That aside, he would still smile and greet the woman with a kind welcoming, mirroring her own. “Yes, it’s good to see you. I apologize if this is too early. Old habit of mine.” Much to his delight, however, she did not seem to be phased by it. In fact, it was as if she was happy with his sudden appearance, because Rashn would quickly find himself being shown to the backside of the large building he had found himself at earlier.

The promise of on-schedule peddling was something of an enigma to him. People here bought things at only specific times? Back in the desert, he had made unofficial schedules for each type of customer at each particular city based upon their habits and the like, but the thought that this city’s inhabitants actually scheduled their purchases ahead of time consciously was something he had not expected in the least.

That aside, the red-haired one would ferry his ride inside the stable, tying them to the nearest, securest object he could find before lowering the back ‘loading dock’ of the carriage to allow for easier inspection. Rashn would then rise into the backside of the carriage and slowly push all of the contents to one side, closest to that of the inspecting officers. He would then point to each crate, bag, and barrel, and begin naming them off. The merchant expected they would want to see the insides to make sure he was not lying, and if they went to open any of them as he named them off, he would not stop them. “Well, to begin, these two crates here are dried meats. This one’s filled with blades, though without any grips or cross-guards on them, only the actual blades themselves. Then, this one here is a mixture; an assortment of smaller things mostly used for personal things.” The box’s contents existed of the tea leaves he had been given as a gift from the beast woman Iskra, some old maps and bits of ‘stationary’ as well as leather. The last box he would point to would be revealed to have a variety of old ores dug up in Rajeh, mostly iron and copper. Then, he would move to the bags. “These are mostly spices. This one is pepper, these two salt. The one over there has some parsnip, not necessarily a spice, I understand. This last one is hemlock. I don’t know if you’d consider that contraband or not.” This was said as more of a joke, but he wondered if they would seriously think of it as such? He understood some used it as a poison, but its other possible believed medical uses made it fairly possible with certain crowds. Bags complete, he would finish the round up with the barrels. “These two are water barrels, and these two are grains; wheat. The last two contain lumber,” – seriously, who packed lumber in barrels? – “and this final one is half-full of marten furs.”

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

UnBest of Times

Throughout the rest of the morning, the Elders of the city went through each of the merchant's wares- speaking amongst each other about the quality of said items and how much they were willing to trade for them. It was all rather boring to Alicia- but she understood it's importance and put her two-cents worth in where it was necessary. Once they were done inspecting all of his wares- the Triumvirate began speaking amongst themselves- deciding on what they needed for the tribe as a whole. After a few moments, they seemed to come to a decision, and went about collecting the items they had decided on. A crate of dried meat- a bag of salt and a barrel of wheat were all set aside and individually paid for by the Elders (who gave rather extravagant offers for the items they were trading for, a rather sizable amount over what would normally be considered a fair trade)- after which each item was taken away by one of the guards outside and presumably stored in a safe place.

"We thank you for your services, good sir," said Dinra- bowling to Rashn and clasping his hands before him in a strange manner (come to think of it- most of the tribe Rashn had met had done something similar at some point. A sign of respect, perhaps?). "It will be a couple of hours yet until the citizens return from their jobs. Why don't you have our Knight show you around the city and the outlying areas first? If not- we can simply have you return to your dwelling and rest there until the time comes for you to peddle; which you may do next to the fountain in the middle of the village."

The woman, Elledi, smiled lightly and motioned to the merchant, "Hopefully you found our accommodations to be sufficient? We generally try to make the merchants we purchase from want to come back." She chuckled lightly and repeated the bow Dinra had. Radigon followed suit shortly after- saying nothing.

"Well," Alicia spoke up, turning to Rashn, "Unless there is anything else you need to ask of the Triumvirate- we can get going."

xp: 402 # 402 (Bio Updated! EXP Reset) xp
+1 TEXP (2nd RP Post)

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Having finished his assortment of the goods, Rashn would step away, yet maintain a close enough distances as per necessary in order to deter any shady/underhanded attempts at small theft, and allow the group a full room of control in order to do their personal inspection. He was fairly satisfied at the procedures the group underwent: it showed they knew what they were doing and they seemed to be at least somewhat interested. The time it all took, however, was unexpected. The entire morning was spent on such a deal. Rashn was not surprised, though, as he understood the need to be good and careful when buying and selling, especially in the position the council was in. They were not, to his knowledge, backed by any larger entity, so there was no one for them to fall back to in case of trouble. Every decision had the weight of all of its potential downfalls, so preparedness was an absolute necessity. Even a couple of offhand wheat barrels would be a large amount of goods for a town this size, whereas some of the desert cities Rashn had been to could practically throw that amount away. You could say, perhaps, that Rashn felt a similarity with them over that. He, too, was an individual, not backed by any larger organization, and every last deal he went into was going to be his own responsibility to see through. If he messed up, there was no one who would help him.

Despite the long process, Rashn was still happy with the results. A good amount of trading had been done, and he had been offered a good deal. He vaguely understood he would not be so lucky in any subsequent trips back, as this was most likely just another bid at keeping his interest in the town… but, really, he had no qualms with that. Good business was good business, regardless of what sat behind the wheel of a person’s motivations. “No, no, I should be thanking you. You’ve been most kind, and most generous.” This was in direct response to the thanking given by the eldest of the already-elderly trio. The gesture made was still a mystery to him, but he wouldn’t question it or react in any real way. He understood it was likely some sort of thanking, yet knew if he were to mirror it in anyway, he might be stepping over some cultural ‘no-no’ lines. He had made that mistake before, and was not keen to make it again here.

“Ah, yes. I was rather well accommodated. Too well, perhaps. Not that I’m complaining of course.” Rashn spoke, turning to the female of the trio. Regardless of whatever misgivings she and the knight lady had, she seemed to be outwardly friendly enough. If she was truly of foul character internally, that was okay with him, so long as it did not affect his business. His old merchant master had taught him that too often people searched for the negative sides of things, which, while good to do, would often blind them of the outward good that they could be taking advantage of all the while. The most obvious things were, often, we are most blind to. Or, so he said.

Moving back to the carriage, Rashn would give everything a quick glance over as per his usual routine, and would nod his head to his knight friend. “Yes, I’m ready if you are. Though, it makes me wonder. What kind of places could you have around here that we could even bother visiting? It doesn’t seem like this settlement has much that’s hidden yet safe.” The idea of a hidden-away fountain area blessed with vibrant plant-life and beautiful scenery scratched his mind, though he could only see it in his realistic mind as a watering hole for something that would have no problems with turning their favorite bath/drink spot into a small diner. Unfortunately, most small diners that catered to forest beasts seemed to enjoy serving Raw Merchant as their premier dish.

» Desperate Times (Open) *