Closed Not Just Any Day

[Julius Starr]

It wasn't long after Julius arrival back at Jenni's side before they both were both off again on the pilgrimage, guided by the soft footfalls of the feline Crook. The cat moved gracefully between the forest of human appendages, leaving his owner and her friend to find their own lanes through the mass. Not once did the cat apologize when he bumped against the leg of someone during their prayer; a slight brush of body brought a smile of the Lhavitians' faces. Quite honestly, Julius was jealous of the cat on that aspect. Whenever he rubbed against a woman softly, a smile was the last thing that crossed her visage. No, all he could do was apologize and move on, embarrassed and sad. Thankfully, the exit from the temple required no such awkward encounters. It was during this backtracking of their steps that Jenni broached the question of their next destination. She asked of his plan for the rest of the afternoon, an inquiry easily answered by the man. "Syna's Temple is next, on Tenten Peak, followed by Leth's on Shinyama. There's the Twuele as well, over there on Zintia Peak. That's the closest thing Zintila has to a temple, though I'm not positive we'll be allowed inside. You can still pray to it at least; consider it the centerpiece of all centerpieces." Julius winked at this as they stepped back into the overcast daylight. The pair continued to weave through the crowd, heading in the general direction of the skyglass bridge that connected the Sartu Peak to Tenten. In the beginning, they walked in silence. Julius kept his eyes on Crook, making sure he didn't wander off or get picked up by a curious child. Beside him, he felt Jenni considering her next move in this whole dance of words. Not literally felt, but one look at her face told Julius she thinking hard on what to say. They didn't really know each other much, so coming up with things to say definitely hard. Especially for someone who didn't consider conversation to be on the top of her list of hobbies. The educational, intelligent trend of topics continued as Jenni shifted the conversation to expeditions, the Seekers, and history in general. The initial inquiry was on Julius' knowledge of the expedition that had been launched a fortnight ago into the Gyvaka Swamp. Indeed, Julius had heard of the event; in fact, one of the guides going on the expedition had visited the Demise the night prior to their departure, so Julius had heard all about the trip over Amber Ale and fried onions. Still, Julius didn't know much on the subject, so he simply replied with, "Aye, I too heard about this expedition into the Swamp. Quite honestly, I envy those who got to go." Oh, this was a good tie-in to her next comment about the Seekers. "It takes a skilled writer to portray the scene to readers on paper, but anybody, brilliant or ignorant, can see history if they physically attend it. Written history is amazing, but there's just something special of having that history all around you. Even if it is just studying new species of plants in the swamp." Honestly, Julius was undecided whether he would've actually gone on the expedition had he been asked. Oh, the thought of visiting the unknown excited him, he who had never stepped foot outside the peaks of Lhavit. But a swamp as his first sight of the rest of the world? Julius wasn't quite sure that would've inspired him to see the rest of the world. On the inquiry of the origins of history, Julius replied immediately. "By the winners, of course." Julius looked over at Jenni as they made their way down the peak. "Take your family, as well as the Dusks and Dawns as well. Had your ancestors not survived, history would've been written differently today. Had they lost, Jenni, I'd be walking alone today. Not trying to sound morbid, though; you're a winner, Jenni, so smile about it I guess." To emphasize his point, Julius gave her a little grin of his own. The duo were nearing the bridge, and with it, the various vendors who sold their wares on this holiday. This area was congested, with dozens of people crowding around the stalls and booths, looking for a gift for the people in their lives. Julius glanced around at everything around him, annoyed that their forward momentum was being impeded by these merchants. "Look at all the people looking to capitalize on the holiday spirit," Julius commented casually as the pair came to a halt, wondering just how they were going to get around the crowd.

[Jenni Twilight]

x

Jenni nearly giggled at Julius’ comment about Zintia peak, bringing back their earlier comments. True, it was the centerpiece of all centerpieces… tall and proud, sticking up above the city, the residence of a goddess. Well… an Alvina. She managed to refrain from that, instead grinning widely at the jest. His list was a long one, but left plenty of time to talk and discuss matters of the general world… something she did quite enjoy. It was always nice to find someone she could speak easily with, about intelligent things… someone not related by work or blood.

The Twilight had a differing opinion about wanting to go on the expedition, however. Mostly… it didn’t sound too great. Bugs and tents, climbing and descending mountains. The trip would be a pain, and only when they reached the swamp would they be able to do anything entirely interesting. It was sure to be beautiful and new, but in her mind… that didn’t make up for it. She was a homebuddy, tried and true… and didn’t exactly like leaving Lhavit that much. The hotsprings were alright, as well as just outside, but any further was out of her comfort zone. Her comfort zone had very strict boundaries…. Which she’d, of course, broken on the night of the Masquerade.

”I’d rather have not gone… as much as the prospect of learning new things is tempting,” she admitted wryly, the corner of her lip twitching into a smile. ”Lhavit is my home, and I’d rather not leave unless absolutely necessary.” She sighed a little, still feeling a little jealous after Julius’ description of ‘being around history’. It was true, but…. still not enough to push her to go. Probably. You could never tell until the situation arose, no?

She stayed quiet as he talked about the source of history as well, deciding firmly that it was made by the winners. ”Exactly. The survivors write the tales… as the dead can’t speak. Even if the losers are still alive by the end of it… the winners are on top. They make the choices, and decide how others will see their actions. Sometimes I feel things can be a little biased that way… If the Day of Discord had never come, what would the families say about what they had done? Now, however, with Aysel and Talora back from their journeys… the story is a different one.” The morpher shrugged a little, feeling a ripple of contentment that what had happened… actually happened. Weisur’s rule had not been fun for her, even as one of the Twilights, and it had been the biggest relief in all her life to discover the change.

The big crowd almost made her groan. Throngs of people stood around, shopping, talking. In her mind, people seemed to have the excellent skill of standing in just the wrong place for someone to go through them. She couldn’t see a single gap in the whole crowd. On occasion, when people recognized her, they’d move out of the way… but how could someone move out of the way? She was about to propose to Julius that they find a detour, but something else caught her eye. Namely one of the vendors.

The middle-aged woman sat at the edge of the crowd, with few people around her… but that didn’t mean she had no customers. In fact, a small collection of stray and owned dogs sat around her, obviously begging. The smarter creature – a short haired calico cat- stood on top of the table, gorging on treats given by the merchant. She seemed to be selling them, and… well… Crook hadn’t gotten anything for a while. Grinning a bit to herself, Jenni made her way up to the vendor, her own cat at her heels. Once he smelled the food, he leaped up to join the calico, looking utterly regal above all the canines.

“Hello…. I was thinking this one deserved a little treat, for the holiday. Anything small you can come up with?” she said politely, pushing aside one of the dogs who tried to sniff her. Felines were more the Twilight’s style. After a nod, and a few more exchanges, she obtained a tiny flavored strip of meat in exchange for a tiny bit of coin3cm, but I don’t know that in Kina….

Turning back, the Seeker puttered over to Julius, before kneeling beside Crook. He stared up at her expectantly, obviously knowing that there was some kind of treat in her left hand. “A present,” she told the cat sternly, before allowing him to nibble on the gift. That done, she straightened, and gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry for the delay. I wanted to do something for Crook anyways, and, well… this was an inspiration. Could we possibly detour the route? Go to the temples in another order to avoid this mess?”

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

x

[Trickster]

Sorry for the wait!
Here are your treats~

Jenni Twilight

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	4
Socialization	3
Philosophy	2

Lores

♪Lhavit: Azure Festival
♪Crook: A Weighty and Furry Shopping Restraint
♪Julius Starr: A Man From the Masquerade
♪Julius Starr: Named for Jewels and Stars
♪Julius Starr: Academy Graduate & Returnee
♪Prayer: A Thanks, to Tanroa
♪A Treat For Crook

Notes :

Nice thread! It was, for the most part, light and pleasant.
Too bad it was cut short...

If you haven't already, please deduct 1 Kina from your ledger!
(Sadly, there is no equivalent to SM or CM )

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to let me know!

Keep up the wonderfully thoughtful writing.
Happy RPing! ^^

Julius Starr

Notes :

Shoot me a PM for the grade.