A Bothersome Beggar (Briar, Inessa, Jynx, Sodrel)

[Jynx]

The 13th of Fall 512 The Frozen Falls Market, Avanthal The sun well above the horizon, a cold breeze passing through from the western sea on its way to the tundra of the Northern Reaches, a hawk drawing lazy circles against a blue sky bright and absent of clouds. Jynx was in his element. Far below lay the City of the Aurora. To the west fishing boats could be seen taking advantage of the temporary break in the weather. To the east a sabertooth stalked some unseen prey, surprisingly near the city wall, as were the two wolves just south of the city. At the center of the city rose the imposing Ice Palace, home to the Winter Queen. Jynx didn't know what to make of gods and goddesses. For the most part he thought of them as unusually powerful beings, a race unto themselves. As for worshipping them, Jynx just couldn't wrap his mind around that. Children were skating helter-skelter around mirror lake, parents mostly watching from the side, sometimes skating with them. On the Windward Boardwalk, under graceful arches, was someone Jynx recognized, although he had never met him: Kayin, leader of the Frostfawn Hold. He was talking with a woman Jynx had seen him talking with before, near Mirror Lake, but he didn't know who she was. All of these things and more the keen-eyed hawk took in as he circled far above the city. But the focus of his attention was Sodrel, who was walking with Inessa toward the Frozen Falls Market. He doubted she knew he was watching her. He was so high in the sky that it would take a keen eye to make him out. And he wasn't altogether sure why he felt compelled to keep an eye on her. They weren't bonded, hardly knew each other, although the thought was in his mind from the very first time they met at the Beast Market. Whether such would come about, only time would tell. He would wait for her to give some sign that she was willing to let him into her life.

[Sodrel Frostfawn]

Sodrel stabbed her pitchfork into the last of the hay in the stall and dumped it into the full wheelbarrow. She was gaining some ground. There were only two stalls left to go. It felt good to throw herself into her new job—it kept her mind from wandering. She didn’t like where it kept going.

The last few days had been painful as her body grew accustomed to the long days at White Elk Stables. Working for Lusina couldn’t have been going better, though. She liked the people and loved the animals. They made the long hours worth it.

She maneuvered the wheelbarrow out the door of the stable. It was hard work. It was big and bulky and the load weighed almost more than she did, but she managed—slowly. As she pushed it into the yard behind the stable, her stomach growled loudly. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard it complain that day, but it was the loudest.

Pushing the wheelbarrow through the snow was worse than pushing it inside. It resisted every step of the way. The muscle behind her shoulder started to throb again. She winced from the pain. That was it. It was time to take a break.

She went inside, cleaned herself up, closed up the barn and considered cooking, but her shoulder hurt too much for that. Her cooking skills weren't all that good to begin with. She needed something hot in her belly to thaw her out, but it wasn't worth the trouble. Not with real food so close by. A Winterflame cook could make anything taste good and there were plenty of them at the Frozen Falls Market. Her mouth watered thinking about it as she left.

On her way to the market, she ran across a girl she recognized. She’d seen her plenty of times around the city, but she’d never gotten her name. Though she assumed the girl was from the Snowsong Hold because she always had her lute with her. In fact, the last time she’d seen her, she’d been playing her lute at the gates. It was the day a Sabertooth mauled one of the Icewatch guards. Sodrel would never forget the look on the face of her bondmate.

A shiver ran through her body and her blue eyes turned ruby. She rubbed her gloved hands up and down her arms as the sudden urge for companionship set in. Not wanting to walk alone, Sodrel hurried up behind the Snowsong girl and tapped her on the shoulder. “Wait,” she blurted. “Do you mind if I walk with you?”

[Inessa]

The day had thus been rather uneventful for Inessa. Her lute was in her arms as always, being softly strummed as she wandered relatively aimlessly down the frost-covered roads of Avanthal. There was a bit of a spring to her step as she went, weaving past others who happened to be walking. A few faces she recognized, and she made certain to at least stop and say hello to some. Remembering names was a challenge for her at times, so it paid to frequently remind herself of them through idle chatter. The occasional awkward situation would spring up in which she paused before muttering someone's name questioningly, but nothing too heinous occurred. She was on her way to the market with intent on picking up something to eat when another girl came up to her side. Her eyes turned blue as she looked the other woman up and down, taking in her visage. Lips tightening as she struggled to attach a name to the face, her head nodded swiftly. "Certainly not. Just headed to the market." Slinging her lute's strap over her shoulder, one hand held onto it while the other pulled her white fur cloak closer to her body. Within the safety of her own mind, she swore, still struggling to figure out who the woman was. Her face was familiar enough. Had they met before? The blue of her eyes increased in intensity as her thoughts turned inward.

[Briar Holden]

. Today would be no different, it seemed. Lumbering down the streets with his pitcher in hand, he rattled the grit and pair of copper-rimmed mizas he'd stuck inside before heading out that morning. He hadn't been overly successful today, though most days started and continued to look like this. It wasn't a very fruitful profession, in truth, but once in a blue moon you could run into someone with a deep pocket and some goodwill in their heart. Briar pitied these sorts of people. If only they knew what dishonest sorts would be chasing after their fortunes with tearjerking tales of misery. While this market paled (hah, paled) in comparison to the large and bustling town squares he imagined or was used to from his years spent in Sunberth and the tales of other large cities such as Syliras, Avanthal's market still drew enough people to it to keep Briar interested. He lounged about in its outskirts, focusing his efforts on those headed into the market before they could conduct whatever business they had there. He was carefully evaded by most as soon as he approached with his pitcher, his desperate calls for attention often falling on deaf ears. Either that, or their glaring stares would make him back down swiftly and bow his way out. These Vantha and their shifting eyecolours. There was no figuring out on your own just what was going on inside their heads; they'd let you know whether they wanted to or not. Briar saw both positives and negatives about this. Mostly negatives, though, pertaining to his own business. He could easily use it to continue spinning a believable tale if he could tell his listener was paying him the right kind of attention. ... And, of course, he could bail as soon as he felt the chills. In Sunberth, they at least had the courtesy of dismissing him with a calm and flat face. "Ladies! Ladies, please, hear a poor man out...!" After shaking off the last discontent stranger, the heavily dressed and covered human swooped down in front of two strolling ladies on their way to the market. He extended the pitcher their way already, rattling it so they could clearly hear the grit and pair of copper mizas bounce around inside. "I beg of you! You don't have a few mizas to spare a poor man? My dog is starving and I..." He dipped his head down for a second. Good, Briar. He paused for a short moment before rising his head back up again, not awaiting a response as he dropped on his knees in the snow in front of them. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do... Please...! Spare me coin, food, anything...!" .

[Jynx]

OOC : Jynx passes.

[Sodrel Frostfawn]

“Thank you, so much. I really hate to walk alone anymore,” Sodrel said to her companion. "I’m Sodrel, from the Frostfawn Hold. I don’t think we’ve met before.” She introduced herself as a man appeared rattling his pitcher at them.

Sodrel curled her body away from him and tucked her gloved fingers behind the girl’s elbow, uncomfortable in the presence of a stranger who was loud and in their faces. She was edgy enough with him leering at them. The sound of his voice made her teeth grind.

"I beg of you! You don't have a few mizas to spare a poor man? My dog is starving and I..." Where had he even come from? She tightened her grip on the girl’s elbow.

The man hardly looked trustworthy. She doubted a word he said was true. But if there was any truth to it at all, what kind of Frostfawn could ignore a plea to help feed his dog? Sodrel would give up her own food to feed Amaya. Even if the dog’s owner looked less than honest, she couldn’t turn he back on him.

She dug around in her pocket, produced a single miza and dropped into his pitcher, hoping he’d leave them alone.

[Inessa]

Inessa smiled as the other girl introduced herself, inclining her head gently. "Inessa, one of the Snowsong. Though..." She smirked, yellow eyes narrowing slightly in amusement. "... You probably guessed that." Her lips parted to ask Sodrel a question as they continued, but she was caught mid-word by the oncoming beggar. A moment's glance at the man told her right away that he was an outsider. Her eyes widened as they shifted to a green hue, looking the fellow over and taking in his visage. It was obvious he was down on his luck, that much was certain. His clothes looked like they were weathered and torn by the fierce weather of the north. She thought briefly of her own fine garments, then looked to Sodrel to inspect her garb. As he came closer, fear crept into her. She could feel the warmth of Sodrel's gloved hand through her thin blouse, instinctively taking a step closer to the other Vanthan as her body tensed. Inessa was never one to doubt the words of someone else, but even she couldn't help but feel something was fishy about his story. Still, the overall sense of fright commanding her thoughts didn't let her dwell too long upon it. Her lips tightened as her hand slowly reached for her coin purse, a single miza being offered for the man, doing little to effect the appearance of the relatively full sack of currency. Once more she looked to Sodrel, trying to make eye contact with her. ... Hopefully she was feeling a bit more strong than the bard was.

[Briar Holden]

. Nice. It actually worked this time. He shook the pitcher a bit to hear the rattle of its contents, struggling to withhold the smile that crept slowly onto his features. Dipping his head down to prevent it from coming too much to light, he crept closer to the two women, still on his knees in the snow. While you're in luck, why not squeeze the most out of it? Briar wasn't about to let a good opportunity slip him by when someone had actually stopped for him; he couldn't afford that. Besides, he had a reputation to work on, didn't he? "... Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I... I don't know how to express my appreciation, good ladies... But..." But? Shaking his head slowly while keeping it bowed down, he dipped further down in the snow and reached with a free hand to grasp on to whatever was covering Sodrel's right calf. It wasn't a fast grip, but more a light gripping on the fabric of her clothes, most likely. "Do you have more...? Let a poor man be of service in that case! I'll do anything! Anything!" Part of him thought he might be overdoing it. He swiftly dismissed it. .

[Jynx]

The hawk circling high above couldn't make out who the man was or what he was doing. He appeared to be on his hands and knees in the snow, which struck Jynx as odd. And the women's body language suggested they too were alarmed by his behavior. He would have remained an observer if the man hadn't reached out and grabbed Sodrel's leg. But he did. A rough-legged hawk can reach speeds of up to one hundred twenty miles per hour in a dive. This is its favorite way to hunt. With its extraordinary eyesight, it can spot its prey from great heights. It comes hurtling out of the sky in a silent blur, spreads its wings at the last moment, and latches on to its next meal. The breaking effect of the wings is every bit as impressive as the dive itself. Thus it was that while Sodrel was still deciding how to react to the man's hand on her leg, the hawk appeared between them seemingly out of nowhere, causing an explosion of snow as its five-foot wingspan brought it to a halt, hovering two feet off the ground, eye to eye with the man. The beat of Jynx's wings continued kicking up a small storm of snow. He emitted a long, descending, ear-splitting kee-ree, which would translate roughly into “Don't make me hurt you.”