Solo Home is Where the Nexus is

[Sebastion]

Home is Where the Nexus is The 15th of Winter (5th Day of Shuuda) 512 A.V. Syna greeted all of her children with warm rays and gentle wafting breezes as Shim rode Snowflake through the dusty streets. The Zypherian sled dog’s tongue still dripped bits of water from her recent drink in her saddle bags, but before any of the little tear drops hit the ground they would evaporate, such was a winter in Ahnatep. Today was a grand day, a wonderful day, thought the Pycon as he trotted casually through the Eypharians that either pretended to ignore him or openly scorned his presence. Their behaviors could not waver his iron resolve to be happy and content, and just to spite them he began to sing. Now one might think that because the clay man had such a wonderful baritone his voice might not be so bad to hear in such a vocal medium, but anyone who thinks such things would be quite wrong. Perhaps with a little practice and dedication Shim’s voice could be a beautifully deep extrication of sound waves, but as it was he was just about tone deaf and his voice faltered and cracked in the deepest of octaves, making those surrounding him retreat even further away. The song he made up on the spot went something like this: “A long and dusty road Shim traveled, And it is not yet done, But he just seeks a place to lay his head, Just for a little…bit! Canine and Pycon Tired and Sore Dreaming of Rest Put to the test!” If it wasn’t already apparent, Shim soon devolved from singing just to rhyming things, which made for a very haphazard and halting song as he sought out words. Thankfully he was interrupted pretty briefly through the process for he had come to his destination: The Lady’s Lap. Shim was quite aware of the social faux pas this place presented, but it was an affordable locale, and most importantly would readily accept a Pycon into its fold, or at least he hoped so. A guard glanced down at him as he approached the simple doorway, scrutinizing the tiny creature atop the massive dog carrying so many supplies. Shim cleared his throat, thinking of how fortunate he was that he couldn’t get parched like singers made of blood and flesh. “Greetings, ser. This one is known as Shim, and he wishes to gain entry to the fine establishment in order to gain lodging here for at least a season. Is this action acceptable?” The guard, a dark haired Eypharian with four arms and simple garments on, gave the Pycon a blank stare and two hands gestured for him the enter. Shim nodded seriously, thinking that the guard must be a somber sort before trotting into the establishment. Snowflake’s dark head turned this way and that, taking in the new sights and smells as both of their eyes adjusted to a significantly dimmer inner sanctum, thin cloths hung all around to shade the building. As Sebastion urged his mount forward, looking for a desk of some sort a booming voice broke the stifling silence, its tone excited and welcoming. “A Pycon in my parlor? I have not seen one for many seasons. Welcome my friend, how can I help you?”

[Sebastion]

Shim looked eagerly up and up and up again to see the proprietor of the Lay's Lap, the elderly Sabaf, who had a brilliant smile and a kind look in his eye as he gazed upon the clay man. Shim gave a two armed salute and offered a singular hand which was taken with the gentlest of touches by Sabaf's thumb and fore finger in a gesture of polite greeting. Shim grinned as he continued, his mouth splitting open much too wide for any human mouth to follow. "Greetings Sabaf, Owner of The Lady's Lap. Shim has heard...well not so wonderful things about you because Eypharians are fickle beings, but the not so wonderful things he has heard are wonderful to him, if that makes much sense. Ach, he is being rude again, this one's fully name is Sebastion Hyacinth Isabella Mordecai Amasis, he is in current favor of the name Amasis, for it is new, but truly he likes all of his names equally, for they are all wonderful." Sabaf's eyes glimmered with amusement, but none of the cruelty that Shim was used to seeing behind that outward enjoyment of his antics. The Eypharian straightened back up and nodded. "Well then, Amasis it is, at least until you try to tell me of another name you'd prefer." The corners of Sabaf's eyes crinkled around the corners at the clay creatures honesty. "You are either a very honest fellow, or very well versed in the days of Shuuda, and either way I appreciate your forthright manner. He gestured for shim to come over by the extravagant cushions laid around and took a seat himself. In a practice move Shim stood up on the moving canine and took a running leap off of her back, flipping once over himself and landing on his face. While there was 10/10 for execution, Shim was not what one might call an acrobat, so the landing probably fell at about a 2.5/10 if one had to judge. Sabaf gave a polite smile as Shim corrected himself and sat done, loving the way that the cushion was so soft even his minute weight made it sink in. Once that little ordeal was complete and Snowflake had laid down next to the Pycon, dark eyes curiously watching their host, Sabaf spoke again. "Pleasantries aside I can wager a guess at why you are here." Both he and the Pycon smiled simultaneously, since a guess was entirely unnecessary. "I charge 77 gm for a season which includes the fee for your pet. Despite your size I'm afraid there are no smaller or cheaper rooms I can give you." Shim mulled this over. It wasn't a surprise, since normal sized people didn't often taken into account the needs of those smaller than they, but the price seemed fair in order to get he and Snow off of the streets and he nodded deciding to maintain his honesty throughout the exchange. "Amasis isn't one to barter or haggle, and though he is not very good with money, perhaps because coins are larger than his head, Sabaf's price seems fair." He gave a series of short whistles in short succession, and Snowflake rose and trotted over to the Eypharian, turning so that the left side of her bags were facing him. Shim gestured. "The one with the purple patch on it contains Shim's funds. He apologizes for the rudeness of making Sabaf get it himself, but it would take an extended period of time for him to deliver it himself." It seemed that the Pycon's fervent attitude and manners could not cease to amuse the tall Eypharian, and he took his coin, putting it in his own pouch before rising in one smooth motion without the use of his hands. Snowflake, her weight decreased slightly returned to Shim and offered her nose as a ramp for the creature who scrambled across the ramp and settled in on her back before urging her to follow their host. He led the pair up a flight of stairs and down a fairly cramped hallway to a room at the very end, unlocking the door and handing Shim the key, a bulky object half his height. Shim slipped it into a bag that was easily reachable upon Snow's back and eagerly followed Sabaf in to see the surroundings. It was a simple place with a single person bed a large desk a set of drawers near the head of the bed and a single clost space with a wicker chair at the desk. Shim thought it was wonderful. It was warm in the room, but colorfully hued cloths hung like veils over the two corner windows. He bade Snow lie down and his fingers swiftly worked to undo her belts and buckles, releasing her from the harness of good and the saddle pad that she had been wearing for such an extended period of time. She dog shot up without the extra weight and gave Shim a comforting lick before leaping up onto the bed, which was always hers in any place they stayed since it was of no use to the tiny Pycon. Sabaf chuckled at the pair's instincts and gave Snowflake an affectionate pad on the head. "Now I see why you carry the little fellow around pup, you get all the beds." Sabaf straightened and knelt respectively so he didn't have to look so far down to his new client. "There's just one more thing I must ask little one. I see you have a lot of gear, and i've never known a Pycon who didn't have some strange project going on magical or no as they traveled. I just need to make sure that whatever activities you do will not upset any of my other residents or the place itself. Do you have anything you wish to tell me?" Shim blinked. He did not wish to lie to this man, but did not want to raise Sabaf's suspicions about the Pycon if he mentioned his alchemical practices, since it wan't an activity that most Pycon engaged in, and Sabaf seemed to know certainly more about his race than any other Eypharian he had yet to encounter. He just had to be tactful."Shim has some loose magical hobbies and the like, but while he has come to Ahnatep to learn all he can, it is not his primary focus to be engaging in any serious experiments or great arcane rituals if that is what Sabaf is getting at. Shim is a loud sort, but he will not cause any undue fuss." He thought about every word as he said it. It was not a lie in the slightest, just an avoidance of what he did. Sabaf gave him a scrutinizing look, but seemed to judge the response as sincere and rose. "Well I am sure I will be seeing much of you over the coming days Amasis, and I thank you for your business." He stood again, giving a nod of goodbye before leaving, making sure to not entirely shut the door behind him, a gesture which the Pycon greatly appreciated. Shim giggled with delight and collapsed on the floor, staring up at the stuccoed ceiling with glee. He had a home and a place to practice his alchemy, this was a good day. The money-77 GM for one season's stay in the Lady's Lap

[Scarab]

It seems that Sabaf took quite the liking to Sebastion and Snowflake. On the morning of the 16th, Sebastion finds a pound of clay and a dog treat lying on the ground outside his door, each wrapped carefully in a scrap of red fabric. The torn piece of wadj lying next to the parcels reads, in Common: "Compliments of The Lady's Lap".

Congratulations! Sebastion Skills Points Lore Observation 2 XP Rhyming Through Song Singing 2 XP Song Creation: "Canine and Pycon" Acrobatics 1 XP Ahnatep Location: The Lady's Lap Animal Husbandry 1 XP Sabaf: Eypharian Owner of The Lady's Lap Rhetoric 1 XP Shuuda: The Day of Truth Items and Consequences : -77GM for 1 season at The Lady's Lap +1 Room Key to rented room at The Lady's Lap +1 Pound of Clay +1 Dog Treat Scarab's Notes A short, wonderful read. I really enjoyed this. Sebastion was as clever as ever! I love how you create such an interesting thread out of the usually banal act of renting a room. I also thoroughly appreciated Seb's original song (if you'd like the song to be named something different in your CS, that's not a problem)! & just a quick note, in case you're curious - the rhetoric was for Seb's diplomatic answer to Sabaf's inquiry. Everything else should be fairly self-explanatory. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.