Solo Job Hunt

[Mayra]

5th of Spring, 515AV
9th Bell of the Morning
Outside The Wolf's Cave

The first of the season was to be celebrated for many reasons. The first and foremost was The Great Rending. Although Mayra had never cared much for such faith or beliefs she did respect the time as much as any, for she would not be here if it hadn't happened. The second reason was her freedom. She was finally free! It was to be her first season of freedom, but it was also a season that gave her fear, becuase winter was over. And now tha the snow was melting across the valleys of Kalea, the Ziths would be able to travel again. And if her father was not dead of old age yet... Mayra shivered at the thought of Skull coming back for her. He's too old. She told herself, but she still could not get the hairs on her neck to fall flat that morning.

When the half-Zith emerged from her room in the Wolf's Cave that morning for breakfast, she had realized just how long she had spent cowering in the lodge. She was used to not seeing light for long spans of time, as she had lived in caves all her life. Living in these caves seemed no different to her, other than looking at a different scene outside her window every morning. That was nice, however it would drive one crazy to live in the same four walls their entire life, there was no doubt about it.

"Good morning lovely." Someone spoke to Mayra as she descended the stairs. The Wolf's Cave didn't exactly host the tamest creatures of Alvadas, which was just fine with her, so it threw her off to hear the kind words of the Symenestra beside her. Mayra stopped, confused by the closeness of his words, and glanced to her right to see two Symenestra, a guy and a gal laying vertically on the wall! The two were a mere few feet from her, and didn't seem to be propped on anything or holding themselves up in anyway. The girl wore no shoes and seemed to be in an odd position. Both feet were planted firmly on the wall to her back, and that was it. It looked as if she was sitting on her knees on the floor, except somehow her feet kept her glued to the wall. The man was doing the same, but with only one foot. With the other, he laid a hand across the wall which seemed to attach itself to the stone in much the same way.

She held a bowl of mush in her hand and he sipped from a steaming cup of something vile. He grinned at her and winked and his companion chuckled under her breath at the half-Zith's shock. Those who were awake below seemed not to care that these two were so casually laying on a wall, so Mayra opted to be indifferent as well. But she didn't take kindly to whatever insult they might've aimed at her, if there was an insult. So the mixed blood bared her sharp teeth at the man and let out a menacing hiss before starting back down the stairs with a faster speed, not bothering to see his reaction.

She should have had some moment of camaraderie with the fellow monster. Her Colony had always stressed the importance of keeping good relations with the Symenestra, as they were one, if not the only, race that was a little more understanding of the Zith. Unlike the Symenestra, Mayra firmly believed the Zith had deserved their reputation and took pride in it, but all the same she regretted the cold interaction with the other monster.

As she reached the bottom ground, she saw the Kelvics that owned the place were handing out breakfast, and suddenly she didn't want any. It was just like civilized folk to ignore a threat if they saw one, but then again maybe the man was not such a threat. All he said was hello. And laughed. Anybody who laughs thinks their better than me, and ought to be taught that they aren't. She thought to herself, already starting the day in a huff. She knew it would wear off soon once she found something to distract herself, but she didn't like the anger as it was. Keeping her coins in her pocket, she simply walked out the front door, ignoring all those around her. She probably wouldn't have been able to count the coins correctly anyway. She couldn't really remember which was more and which was less although there really was only three of them. Anyhow, coins are stupid. She comforted herself as she stepped on the street.

Her bare feet hit the cobble and she realized she had forgotten to put on shoes. A glance down confirmed that a shirt and a pair of pants were on, although she forgot the top two buttons of her shirt, which mattered little to her as she wasn't used to wearing much more than a sleeveless shift most spring and summer mornings such as today.

And so she was back in the Wolf's Cave, her feet moving so fast she thought she was flying to get the shoes on. She purposefully ignored the Symenestra on the wall, but they hardly glanced at her anyway, obviously she was not interesting enough, which the mixed blood didn't mind.

But as soon as Mayra stepped onto the street agiai, something had changed. The street before her was no longer cobble, but cooling magma instead. It frightened her to see the glowing red veins breaking the steaming black rock before her. The steps to the Wolf's Cave were still the same stone as the establishment was carved from, but one more step and she would have fried. That's okay. I can handle this. She took a deep breathe, black eyes running up and down the street to see where it ended. A little ways to her left it looked as if the magma spilled out onto a brick street a few yards off, but it was still pretty far, and there was two houses standing in her way.

To her luck, one of them had a significantly large oak on their property. It was large and its branches caressed the thatch roof of the house closest to the miniature mountain that was the wolf's cave and likely spread all the way to the intersection on the other side. All she would have to do is climb up there...

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Mayra]

Frustration forced a huff of air out of her mouth as she edged closer to the rocky exterior of the Wolf's Cave. She wasn't a particularly good climber, but the mixed blood wanted to think that she could scale the rocks easy enough. Taking a moment to plan her route, Mayra saw that there was a room for a balcony about ten feet up. There was a wrought iron gate stuck in the rock, and it would only be about a four foot leap to the thatch roof from there. She wasn't much used to the outdoors or the closeness of the buildings in this city, but she was grateful that civilization meant cramped buildings.

It wasn't a far climb, except the wall leading to the iron fence was completely vertical. Yes the rock was uneven filled with outcrops and indents, but did she trust her balance enough for this? She was no Symenestra, sticking her hands to the wall would not bee so easy. The half-Chaktawe shrugged, tip-toeing around the curb of the street, careful of the heat that the magma radiated onto her ankles. This expedition might have a little greater consequences than she'd hoped, should she fall.

Another sigh escaped her lips and Mayra swung one arm up to grab a small outcrop in the stone. HEr muscles strained as she struggled to pull her body weight with the one arm, but with a few inches of leverage, she was able to bring her knee high enough to stick the tip of her boot ontop of another outcrop. Then, her weight was distributed easily between both limbs, allowing her to look up for her next grab. On the ground she had thought that once she got to this point she could simply reach up and grab the fence of the balcony and pull herself up, but she didn't take into account that she was practically crouched on the wall, she would have to straighten out to reach that, but that would leave her to balance on the tip of one foot.

Deciding not to waste time, Mayra slowly moved up, pressing down on the outcrop she held until her arm was straight. She looked up again, straining her neck at the awkward angle. With one hand she reached up, her fingers just barely scraping the bottom of the balcony, which had been smoothed to flatness. A grunt of annoyance replaced what was to be a sigh, and Mayra looked back down towards her hand that was positioned on top of the outcrop but still supporting half her weight. Her toes where starting to cramp up and her other foot was propped oddly against the wall which would only help to propel her back into the lava if she lost her grip. Great. Mayra acted again, hating herself for dwelling on it for so long.

With one movement, which was not nearly as fluid as she would have hoped, she shot up, feeling her muscles hardening as she straightened. Before allowing herself to feel the dreaded fall backwards, her arms shot out to grab the iron bars of the gate. Fingers wrapped around the black metal and her knuckes turned white as her feet cuaght on the wall, scrambling for a purchase. But her hands where locked on the balcony, so she wasn't going anywhere for a bit.

After a few brutal ticks of hanging off the balcony, her left foot found a hold and she used it to push herself up further until she could get her right foot on the balcony. From there it was easy enought to straighten up and stand on the edge of the balcony, fingers still wrapped around iron and knuckles still paler than snow.

Not too bad. Mayra lied to herself as she fought for breathe. She looked down at the magma that was now sixteen feet below her and saw that it was hardening quickly, although she didn't doubt it would still sublime her boots and feet inside them. Now she had to take a leap of faith to the thatch roof across from her.

Again, Mayra took a few ticks to evaluate her plan of action. It wasn't a far leap and if she pushed off the wall it would be an easy one. The problem was the fact that it was a thatch roof. There was no handhold until she reached the bundle on top where the hay was tied together with a thick rope. That would be hard to get to.

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Mayra]

Might as well go for it. She shrugged. Risks were sort of downplayed in her mind, although her body was definitely feeling the adrenaline and complaining about it as well. Her muscles had gotten no warning before the work out to climb the wall and screamed at her as a result. Her breathe was beginning to calm as the now cooling magma was put out of her immediate worry, but her heart was still racing too fast for her likes. Yet Mayra was exhilarated. She could have maybe probed for a back door to the Wolf's Cave, or waiting until the next day to venture into Civilization, but doing it this way, so dangerously, was so much more fun.

Except now that she was no longer dealing with the street, she feared the cooling magma very little. The worst that would happen if she fell from this person's roof was a ten foot drop to the hard packed dirt below. Less of a big deal, although she doubted it wouldn't hurt. But right before the mixed blood was preparing to spring from the balcony like a wild-woman, she heard something. A soft whistling from the yard before her.

Perfect. Mayra groaned silently, seeing the wide-brimmed straw hat emerge from the thatch roof. A basket of gardening utensils in one hand and their path lead to a garden a few feet from the house. There was no way she would get across this without making noise.

Giving herself a few more chimes to think, Mayra slid on the other side of the balcony. She took a tick to peer through the window to see a perfectly clean hotel room, so no one had this room that she would be bothering, good. Leaning on the iron that was now heating up by the sun's rays, she evaluated the problem.

At this point there was no option to go out a back door or find another route. She had committed to the roofs, and her only other option was to dive into the magma-rock below her, which wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Okay, think about it a minute. Black eyes scanned the thatch roof before her. It was rectangle, and she could see both the small backyard and the even smaller front yard of the property. She lingered a moment on how the magma had singed the grass in the front lawn, and given this property-owner's aptitude for gardening, Mayra doubted they would be please with that. But, if she did leap, as she originally planned, there was no way she wouldn't be cuaght and likley yelled at or something. Call the authorities? Didn't cities have that? Whatever it was, she didn't want to deal with it, she just wanted to get to that tree. But, if she did leap, she might not be able to catch hold of anything anyway... so why not use that to her advantage? Moving closer to the front lawn a bit, the mixed blood peered at the roof a with a little more interest. She might be able to jump on this side and slid over towards the front...

Mayra wasted no more time planning, she hated it. Instead she swung her legs back over the gate and prepared to leap. As she crouched back the best she could, she felt a rush of confidence, but once her legs extended to propel her forward, she faltered, suddenly nervous, but it was too late. Only her chest landed on the edge of the roof with a loud, but muted, thunk. "Ooof!" She grunted in pain, grabbing for something, anything!

She was on the wrong side of the house, she needed to be on the front, not the side. SCrambling for a purchase, Mayra found none, instead she slipped off the roof. She tried to prepare herself, extending her legs but not locking them so that she could crouch into the landing, but the breathe had been knocked out of her by her first land on the roof and the best she could do is crumple, taking the impact on her bum now.

Before allowing herself to groan in pain, she bit her lip, a few tears slipping down her cheek and tried to stand up. It took her a few ticks to catch her breathe, but she could hear the house-owner in the back, yelling about who she was and what she intended to do. Mayra scooted to her left down the small shaded strip of grass between this house and the Wolf's Cave. "Hey! You!" Mayra didn't glance back as she broke into the front yard, sprinting immediately across the patch of grass. It wasn't very wide but it was long, and in front of her there was a wooden gate that separated this property from the tree bearing one.

Mayra wanted to cry out in pain as she felt the throbbing of her tailbone and chest as she ran, and it was not long before she reached the fence. Using her momentum to her advantage, she leaped up. This was much easier to climb as it wasn't very tall and there were bars of wood laid horizontally along the vertical ones offering a sturdy and uniform step for her. In an instant she was over the fence and the world exploded in noise. There was no more silence of the morning street, instead she could hear the loud screeched of birds and the raucous barking of dogs, bombarding her ears.

Where the Hai was she?

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Mayra]

First, Mayra looked back at the solid wood fo the fence. It didn't seem as if anyone was coming over it after her and the mixed blood decided she had not been a big enough nuisance to bother the house-owner. Above her the shade of the tree helped with the morning heat a bit and Mayra turned again, struggling with her breathing and rubbing just above her bum.

The scene before her did not give her a tick to compose herself as a stampede of puppies came bouncing across the yard to tackle her feet. They were small dogs, but it was obvious they would grow to be built for the fight. But the long tails and floppy ears confused Mayra as she glanced around for the mother. Did no one bother to cut the ears and tails of these hunting dogs? What poor management of their hunting breeds. There was none for her to see, and so she let her hackles fall, she was in no danger, and these puppies likely didn't know enough to be territorial or fear her. She leaned down the ruffle the ear of the closest one and immediately her hand was assaulted by excited tongues, each vying to prove they loved this stranger more than the other. Mayra couldn't help but smile at the cute innocent things. One dog went as far to attempt to clip her thumb in his mouth, but his teeth were small and undeveloped so he did not harm other than a few red marks.

Struggled to move forward without stepping on any of the infant hunting hounds, Mayra walked towards the building from with they came from. She swore she saw a face in the window for a second, but no one came out she she hardly bothered. The screeching of birds above her recaptured her attention and she looked up to see a few cages hung on the lower hanging branches of the large oak that she wanted to use to get to the street. From below the thick branches that shown through the new, soft green spring leaves were gorgeous, illuminated by the sun's light that filtered between them.

"Why hello there!" An exceptionally cheery voice alerted to that she had stopped, again, having not gone very far anyway. Some puppies were already loosing interest, content to sniff around her muddy boots instead. But it was with the sound of this voice that they started up again, uniting and forming a pack to now trample this newcomer. There was no end to the energy of puppies or any small animal for that matter.

Mayra didn't speak, as she was used to not doing, instead she slowly walked forward. The man seemed kind enough and wasn't immediately put off by her eyes, although she sort have wished he would be. Maybe if she growled at him...

"My name is Vinric, but you'd be fine to call me Vinny, its what everyone calls me. I see you found another way in, the street seems to be a bit... hard to get through today." Mayra frowned at the man as he so easily lead her inside. She was compelled to follow him somehow, and it was easy enough since he didn't seem to want to stop talking.

"Hey, sorry a bunch about the puppies. We are putting them out this morning so thy can play off some of that energy they've got. Here, step over this." He wove through infant bodies with ease and stepped over a small portable wooden fence, which was obviously used to keep the puppies from getting inside, although Mayra would assume it would serve well to keep anything smaller than itself out of the way. Mayra followed, taking the man's short pause as a time to interrupt his jabbering.

What sort of puppies are those, may I ask?" Her voice was low and velvety, much like the Zith's who taught her common, and although the words fell from her mouth easy enough, her intimidating accent was hard to miss. He glanced at her with what Mayra wanted to say was nervousness, but couldn't tell by the wide grin he had plastered on his face as he lead her into the room of the building.

"Akinva Deerstalkers. Cutest darn puppies you've ever seen. We rescued them a few weeks ago, they won't harm a fly, so don't worry about it." Mayra frowned briefly again. That was the purpose of the dogs, to harm things, why would they not train them so? But she didn't argue, letting the man talk away. Mayra nodded along, glancing around the room. A few animals openly roamed what looked to be a pet shop, but others were separated. Supplies were neatly stacked on one half of the room and the back belonged to a series of terrariums containing multiple types of reptiles. A few bird cages were scattered about and one cage was partially covered, which Vinny explained were bats and needed low light, although Mayra never asked. She listened to the man jabber with the most annoying cheeriness before she interrupted him, finally asking her question.

"Why?" Mayra spoke the simple word and watched as it was enough to grab his attention, as he had no idea what she was talking about. the half-Chaktawe took a second before elaborating, trying to drag out this man's silence as long as she could. She dared not wait longer than a few ticks, for he would sure find a way to fill it with more of his own words. "Why would you not train these dogs to fight? Is that not what they are meant for? And to allow their ears and tails to grow... you are only making the clippings more painful when they are older." Mayra stuck a thumb back towards the door that lead out to the yard and the puppies. Vinric only laughed at her.

"Why, you know more than I do about those dogs! What did you say your name was?" I didn't. Mayra thought, not offering her name just yet and waiting for him to continue. She'd known the man for a few chimes yet and she was confident he had more to say. "Well you see, Thuk, the owner of our little shop here, doesn't really agree with violence. He tries to keep the animals from going down that path, so I think that may answer you question. On another note, I don't really know much at all about the Akinva Deerstalkers..."

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Mayra]

9th Bell & 30th chime of the morning
Impawsible Pets

The man before her had trailed off, just in time to keep Mayra's eyes from wandering about the animal shop a little further. She'd only glimpsed around earlier and curiosity was starting to grab hold of her. The impatient mixed blood wished more than anything to snap at the human, tell him to shut his pie hole and just let her stroll through the store, but for some reason she didn't. She dared let her ears burn with the man's jabber, because she thought she was going to get something out of it.

It wasn't that she thought the man easy to manipulate because of his mouth, if anything he had guided her to do as he said like a child. She had walked inside and was now following him to a semi-circled desk completely silent, something she normally would have preferred not to do. Yet as the silence settled it became painful. Why wasn't he talking? Colorless orbs abandoned the tile below her to investigate the silence, only to find a sly smile replacing the previously friendly one.

"What?" Her voice cracked. She hadn't exactly used it in a while and the soft whistle-y words that left her lips could bring embarrassment to any less prideful than herself. And then he started talking again, much to her relief.

"Look, you seem to know a bit about animals, but then again I don't know you all too well. I don't suppose you'd tell me a few things about these puppies. Thuk usually cares for them, and I would ask him but he doesn't talk much." Sounds like a nice guy. Mayra agreed with herself, letting the man finish talking. She wasn't going to teach this man jack shyke about dogs, she didn't have the patience or reason to. But she decided to humor him. "I want to help a bit, 'cause I'm not exactly the best with animals, I dunno why I still work here." Then he burst into a fit of chuckles, and Mayra stole the chance to look around the room again. She got to see better how it was set up. One half of the establishment was clearly just supplies for domesticated animals. Biscuits, blankets, brushes and herbal mixes for medical care all lined the shelves in neat rows. On the other half there were a little more animals. A part of the floor was sectioned off with the same wooden portable wall, and Mayra assumed it was for the puppies. A wall was given to various tanks of reptiles, lizards, turtles and snakes alike.

This thrilled Mayra, as she was not given much chance to work with reptiles in the Colony, but her interest in them have always been something more than passing to say the least. She would need to see how this Thuk took care of the cold-blooded creatures...

"Ha, so anyway. I was trying to help the Boss Man out a bit, but I don't do much with animals, and when I do I usually mess it up somehow. I don't want to hurt the poor buggers, so I just try to leave petting and feeding. But we lost our last helper and so Thuk's working a bit harder these days. I handle the shop well enough but everything else... We've gotten to big for just the two of us and so we tried to hire out, but that didn't quite work..." Mayra had no issue zoning the man out now. He leaned on the counter now, twirling a dog bone between his fingers, and talking, a wide grin painted across his face. Mayra, on the other hand was very composed. Stock still, with feet together and hands behind her back, she barely dared move her head to look around the room, despite having liked to. The birds squeaked and she could hear the sounds of all the animals. To her horror she had see a few rodents in the shop, but Mayra guessed civilized society was more partial to the nuisances than herself. These she could hear now too, squeaking and running in their wooden wheels. It was oddly peaceful to be around all these domesticated animals, which cleared her mind well enough for Mayra to come to a rather hopeful conclusion.

If this pet shop was lacking in staff, as Vinric had said, she could do it! No, she hardly knew much about passive animals, but if she could handle a pack of hunting dogs, she could feed a mass of puppies... Mayra shrugged which earned her a question from Vinric, which she only waved off so he could continue talking. The subject of the shop needing help had long passed and he had moved on to how much oil the shop goes through now that they have a Burmese python, and how they need to hurry to build him a proper terrarium so he could be less grumpy. For some reason, Mayra strongly doubted that Vinnie had touched the snake let alone glanced at it for longer than three ticks. He didn't seem to have the stomach for the more riskier pets, but then again she only just met him.

He might be annoying. Actually no, Vinric would be incredibly annoying, but it wouldn't be too bad. This mysterious "Thuk" seemed like a boss she could get along with. He doesn't talk to her, she doesn't talk to him and all she would have to do is listen to Vinny blabber about his shoe tie for a few hours a day... "And so when I got to the end of the street, I found that--"

"Do you have any positions open?"

"What?" Vinny didn't seem the least bit bothered about her interrupting him, she wasn't even sure what he was talking about anymore so there was no way she would be able to backtrack if he was.

"Do you need an extra hand here?" Vinny was silent, and she watched as he looked up once, before turning back to her and shaking his head, still without words. She knew he wanted to say something, but whether it was to elaborate his denial or voice a different opinion, she wasn't sure. Mayra frowned. She rarely asked for things, as it was not a very good way to get what you wanted in the Colony, but the half-Zith had quickly learned that that was not how it worked in Alvadas.

And then the mixed blood was angry. She was used to not getting what she wanted, she had spent her life in slavery after all, but she saw herself as a little more... forward than this human. A little more composed than he was, although she could be wrong. "You said Thuk was having a hard time taking care of all the animals, would he not appreciate a little help?" The question was meant to be innocent, pushing her point forward in a more appealing way, but instead she sounded aggressive. It came out as a challenge to the man to deny what he himself had just said, but Mayra didn't take it back. It would be how it would be, she guessed.

Suddenly, something behind her gave a muted thunk. In a second, Mayra had whirled around, one hand on her hip. The rough round bludgeon at the edge of her dagger rested casually in her hand and she was ready to unsheathe the multi-purpose weapon. She hadn't a clue how to use the metal-made dagger, but she could figure it out if the occasion arose. Soulless eyes widened in surprise as she was forced to look up at what she faced.

It was a giant ape!

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Mayra]

The pain in Mayra's tailbone called for her attention as she took two frantic steps back, her dagger now out before her. At first she assumed the looming dark figure had been a Zith, but in half a tick she was well aware he was not. Black eyes widened as she watched one of the massive muscular arms remove itself from one of the rafters, which to her point of view looked to be very high up and yet he had little issue reaching one of them. As he turned to walk forward, or lope, or whatever he was doing, Mayra found herself taking two more steps back, the dagger now in front of her chest, facing him.

"Calm, please." The thing before her spoke in a low and deep voice. She blinked a few times, as he slowly loped towards the counter. Vinric seemed to hardly mind the monster's presence as he neared him, but Mayra still didn't relax. "I am a Jamoura, I will not harm you." The soothing voice echoed through the room again, and yet Mayra still didn't relax, watching the Jamoura carefully as he made his way to Vinric's desk. The human pulled a scroll from somewhere underneath the desk and handed it to the giant before him, a smile still plastered on his face.

"Here, Thuk. These are the receipts from yesterday, we didn't get much done." Without missing a beat, Vinric tossed a finger her way, and Mayra found herself lowering her dagger, but she did not yet step forward. The human of all things was at ease next to this giant, so she may not be in as big of a threat as she initially perceived. But her wariness of his size alone did not reside as she listened to what the jabbering human was going to say next. "This is um... actually, I'm not sure what her name is, I seem to have forgotten." His lack of knowledge of her name did not stop his constant stream of words as he introduced Mayra to Thuk. But the Jamoura, whatever that was, before her caught it, his head turned slightly so that his golden eyes could rest on her as he took the scroll, dwarfing it in his massive hand. She wanted to shrink from his gaze when she met it. Not becuase there was any sign of a malicious emotion, but because his gaze was so understanding and knowing. The half-Zith was not used to it. "Well. She knows quite a bit about animals, I think, and she had a question about the dogs. See, she was wondering why we don't clip them and train them for fighting. I told her it was becuase you were a passive person, not one to encourage fighting. But is that what these pups are meant for? I forgot to ask when we got them, but--"

Mayra watched Thuk raise his hand to silence Vinny, and surprisingly the human fell silent, the easy smile still resting on his face. It was then that Mayra put two and two together. This giant was Thuk, and Vinric had said that Thuk was the owner... With a small shuffle, Mayra dared step forward, as she watched Thuk's hand slowly face her direction. It was a handshake. With some more complaints form her tailbone and a little more confidence, the mixed blood stepped close enough so that she could grasp the Jamoura's hand. She wasn't sure if it was the respect that whelmed her or the curiosity to touch his leathery palm, but when his giatn palm enclosed hers, she didn't yank it away.

"Vinric may be easy to fool," The rumbling voice filled the room again, and Vinric snorted behind the slwo-speaking Jamoura. "But I must have your name if you wish to ask me your question."

"Mayra." She offered easily enough before thinking about his words. What question did she have for him? It took a few ticks for her to remember she intended to scrape enployment out of this chance encounter. But how had he known that was what she was here for. He was listening, duh. Mayra almost glanced at the rafters above, but decided not to. When she had decided to pursue a job here, she had thought she would shake it out of the talkative human easily. She didn't have any particularly strong negotiation skills, but he didn't seem like he would oppose her either. But now as the half-Chaktawe faced the Jamoura before her, she no longer hoped to persuade him to give her a job. But, if anything, his presence made her yearn for it more, but she couldn't grasp a solid reason as to why. The Jamoura only nodded, and Mayra remmebered she still had her dagger gripped in her other hand. Quickly, so she didn't offend the store owner, Mayra slipped it back into her scabbard at her hip, trying to appear less scared of him.

It was a few chimes of silence before she realized that he was waiting for her to talk.

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Mayra]

"Oh." Mayra knew she was not much of a speaker, or socializer at all, but as the ticks ticked on, she realized she would have to muster up some voice for the Jamoura. It appeared he did not speak much either, but then again anyone who stood withing earshot of Vinric may be classified as such. What was odd, was that Vinric waited as patiently as Thuk. He couldn't stay still, but at least his tongue lay at ease while the two waited for her to speak. Was he feeling the same whelm of respect for this Giant as she was? Was she not alone in this muted daze of awe and curiosity for what this 'Jamoura' thing was? But as her black eyes searched his face, careful to relay him no emotion, she found he was in fact respectful towards Thuk, hence his lack of words, yet he seemed comfortable in the owner's presence. Maybe she was alone for now. "I handle animals." And you sound like a moron. Mayra kicked herself."And I was wondering... Vinric said you were in need of assistance. I only stumbled in, quite literally, and I don't suppose you would be hiring."

It was so pitiful, she felt as if she was going to shrink into herself from embarrassment. What did she think she could do, simply walk in and ask for a job? It seemed easier when she faced a talkative fool, rather than this silent giant who's black eyes gave her no other impression than years and years of wisdom, bearing down on her soft and relatively young soul.

"I cannot simply give you employment if you haven't proven yourself to me." Mayra's heart sank as Thuk voiced her thoughts. The pain in her chest was not prickling from her earlier collision with a thatch roof, but rather from the dread. She had absolutely no reason to dread this rejection with such fervor, but then again the half-Zith had never been one for subtle emotions, despite her muted appearance. Lacking in words didn't always mean lacking in temperament.

"Oh Thuk!" Vinric swept from behind the counter, no longer satisfied with eavesdropping on the side, although he had never really been barred from the short encounter. Mayra hardly knew the human, but she assumed she should not have been so relieved by his interruption. Except that, she knew he would speak in her favor now. "Thuk! Guy left and now what have we? You and me? Only one of us is capable of actually giving these animals proper care, which anyone is aware of." He so casually placed a hand on the Jamoura's shoulder, and for some reason Thuk did not react. He had obviously grown quite used to Vinric's jabbering and had little issue with the babbling. Mayra ducked from his sight as the black eyes, although not nearly as void of color as hers, swept past her listening to Vinric recommendation with unusual interest. "We could use the help, especially in the front and with the healthy animals. You can only care for so many at a time, Ionu bless you..."

"How long have you known this creature, Vinric?" The rumbling resumed in the structure. The animals around her seemed to calm with his voice, although Mayra could not tell what emotion he conveyed, she assumed it could not be malicious because of this reaction.

"A few chimes."Vinric only counted off his fingers until he had pulled each finger out to its extension, signalling five. It was unnecessary theatrics, which made Mayra roll her eyes. She could hardly stand this nuisance, and yet he was endearing in an odd way. Immediately, before becoming too distracted with Vinric's humor, she remembered she was in the presence of Thuk, who demanded respect without even the slightest sweat. For some reason, Mayra felt as if rolling her eyes at Vinric, she was insulting him and that was the last thing she wished to do.

"Exactly." Thuk let his eyes drag across her slowly once more, evaluating her worth, before he began to move. She expected the giant to lumber awkwardly, but the ape before her moved with surprising grace. His arms were long and so he used them as support, not conforming to traditional movement on two legs, which she would have thought would make it all the more odd. But his lope was anything but unusual. It seemed natural and breezy, it seemed easy for him and so it was easy for her to watch. In half a tick he was across the room, and yet it hardly seemed as if he rushed. On the contrary, Thuk seemed to take his time sauntering to the other side of the room, but Mayra guessed it must be his size that propelled him so far in such a short time.

With one large hand, Mayra watched as he carefully opened the wooden cage of a large white bird with a feathery yellow Mohawk. A deep slow whistle sounded and Mayra knew it was not from the bird, but from the primate. Awe swept through her when she heard the birds reply to such a tune, continuing it with ease and expectancy as if this was a daily occurrence. She turned to look back at Vinric, who was now hunched over a few scrolls, dabbing a quill in red in and blotting some things out on once scroll before scratching something into another. Although the man's brows furrowed in concetration, and wisp of a smile lit his cheeks so that even in frustration over the season's numbers, he looked to be enjoying himself. How odd that man is.

"Come in the morning and I will see what you can do." Mayra's head snapped back around, and in an instant she was nodding. There was no nonsense to the demand, although it seemed to be a request in a way, and she started to think the Jamoura tolerated little nonsense in his life. She would like that. Passive silence had ruled her meeting with these two, and while it was not unusual, she felt odd. This establishment was so void of emotion for her, other than her scare at first seeing Thuk, that she wondered if the mystery God of illusions, or whatever ruled this city, had done so on purpose. In her half season of scrambling to her feet she took little time to notice the oddities, but more often than not, this strange God helped his or her citizens before she or he harmed them. Mayra could only nod now, not bothering to question the odd aura of serenity. Thuk now had the white bird atop his shoulder, and the animal had so easily fallen into a grooming pattern, far more content to be with the giant than Mayra would have thought. He didn't bother for an answer, pushing through one of the back doors with ease and disappearing with more ease than he had appeared, if that was possible.

Mayra definitely knew she would be back the next day.

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Fable]

Mayra

Skills

Observation +5
Intimidation +2
Philosophy +1
Running +2
Tactics +2
Stealth +1
Planning +2
Climbing +2
Bodybuilding +1
Acrobatics +2
Endurance +2
Interrogation +1
Socialization +2
Negotiation +2
Persuasion +2
Intelligence +1

Lores

Symenestra: "Wallflowers"
Dog Breeds: Akinva Deerstalkers
Philosophy: Laughter's Condescention
Vinnie: Talkative Shopkeep
Jamoura: Speaking Apes
Thuk: Jamouran Shopowner
Alvadas: Caiyha's Care

Rewards/Consequences

A chance to prove herself in the eyes of Thuk (and get a job!)

Notes :

Very nice! Your adherence to the various natures of the characters really made this fun to read! I think I fell in love with Thuk. Jamoura take me now! If this is just the start, I'm very excited to be a part of the main stretch! Keep it up!