PM to join [Seaside Market] Weeds and Shyke

[Noven]

Fall, Day 64, 514AV

Noven had no idea what he was looking for. What he was even doing out here on his day off in the first place. But there he stood, gloved hands stuffed in his coat pockets, scanning the various stalls for something, anything that looked useful.

At first, he'd gone with herbal. But there were a hundred different products being hawked at the market claiming to have this legendary plant and that rare and amazing root. Having not even the slightest inkling of what was real and what wasn't, Nov could little else but linger back to reconsider his options. He did acknowledge that the library was one option...but seven bleeding hells how he hated reading. The merc was literate, sort of, but he was painfully slow at getting through so many pages. And the text heavy content of an herbology book? Krysus, he shuddered at the very thought.

What did that leave, then? Going out into the wilderness to pick random bits of grass? No, that was stupid. And dangerous. He was alone and armed with nothing more than his Tamos.

Nov sighed, running coarse fingers through his hair in frustration. It had been a bit of a stupid plan to begin with. Twas just a notion, a whim that seized him on a rare day of freedom. He had little else to do with so much spare time, so the man had decided he was going to find something for the doctor. Then the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced he shouldn't simply just buy a random gift to show his gratitude. No, Kechaiya seemed a woman of competence and skill. He ought to make her something. That would be far more impressive. And useful.

Ever pragmatic, the cook figured the first place to look would be the Seaside Market. But the longer he lingered in the crowded, noisy, bustling area, the more he began to regret his decision. He had no idea what to make, let alone what materials he needed. And even if he did know, the market might not have been the best pick of venues. It was filled with strange and possibly falsified artifacts; the merc wasn't sure he'd ever find something suitable there for the doctor.

Noven sighed and sat his rump down on an abandoned crate. He was no good with words. That's why he had come out in search of a replacement. Fighting, killing, and sometimes cooking crude fare like potato soup or entire pots of beans--those were the things he was skilled at. Telling people how he felt, even if it was appreciation for having saved his life? Absolute shit at it.

The cook sat there for gods knew how long, elbows rested on his knees, head clutched in one of his hands as he wracked his brains. A hundred different jibes about him having none came to mind, mostly in the voice of his landlady. He tried his best to ignore them.

"I'll never petching figure this out," Noven bemoaned to himself.

[Tink Scalpellion]

Entering the Seaside market, Tink immediately realized that it would be no easy job to fid some herbs, navigate this mess,and not freak out lots of people. He didn't have a gameplan other than the fact that he knew he needed to find a herbalism stand. However,Tink had no idea where to look and he was rapidly running out of his supplies. Maybe its over there in that corner? Ehm. Npe definitely not there,and I really wish I hadn't seen that. No way to forget that sight. Tink had just turned the corner when he saw a… Plump woman bend over. She wasn't wearing a belt. Okay. No more turning down unmarked alleys. I'm sure there has to be somesort of herb stand around here somewhere. Nearly everything is sold in the Seaside Market. I can't imagine there wouldn't be atleast one Seller. Tink was growing frustrated. He had been searching for nearly an hour and had been almost stepped on by about a dozen people. About four women had screamed when Tink walked in front of them, and one shopkeeper had tried to swat Tink with his broom. Still, Tink hadn't found any herbs. It was as if there was a shortage all throughout Sunberth. How can I treat my patients without herbs? It's impossible! I can't without putting them through extended amounts of pain. That's a good way to lose customers quickly. "Hey! Get out of here shyke-ball. We don't want none of your magical,shyke kid around here! If your still in my sights in a little bit, your gonna be wishin' you never even came down here!" an angry shopkeeper yelled as he wielded his broom. He didn't look likr he was joking. "Hurry. Run along. I'm about to start counting down and then I'm gonns come get ya!" Tink hurried away. Running as fast as his miniscule legs could take him. Rounding the corner, Tink came upon a person lamenting on a task he couldn't complete. Tink decided to ask him about it. "Hey, Sir. Need any help?" Tink said.

[Noven]

Noven stared, slack jawed, at the talking statue that now stood before him.

"Wh-What..."

The little fellow had appeared almost out of thin air. One moment, Nov was burying his head in his hands, moaning in frustration. The next, a voice popped up before him, offering, of all things, help.

For a good while, the cook simply stared. He'd never seen a creature like this before. How was it moving, talking, thinking? He was so caught off guard he'd actually forgotten to feel mistrustful. Natives of the Berth were inherently wary of all things foreign and magic. Which seemed to be exactly what this clay man was, if his impossible abilities were anything to go by.

"You...you want to help me?" Noven finally asked, once his shock had somewhat abated.

Looking around, he was relieved to find no one had noticed him talking to a small clay man. The thing was no bigger than Nov's own hand and would have escaped the cook's notice entirely, had it not walked right up to him and offered aid.

"Well," the man deliberated, "I suppose you could. I'm looking for a few specific types of herbs. Think you could be of any help with these?"

Noven fumbled around in his pocket a bit before withdrawing a small, wrinkled sheet of paper. The handwriting was too neat to be his--and likely too literate as well--but the information was there. He needed cinnamon bark, cardamom seeds, whole cloves, and vanilla. Milk, honey, and black tea were on there as well, but those at least he did know how to obtain. There was milk back at the orphanage, as well as a small jar of honey, and black tea was common enough. But this other shyke...

The cook shrugged and explained, "I know what most of these are, 'o course, but haven't got the faintest idea where I might find them. Not the sort of thing I usually cook with, if you haven't already guessed."

Nov was rather unnerved by his own willingness to talk to this unnatural creature. Even if the talking was partially being done in anxiety. But, then again, he was desperate. What harm could giving the little guy a shot bring?

[Tink Scalpellion]

The man was shocked to see Tink. His eyes had bulged out,and he stuttered a little when he first looked at Tink. Ahwell,that was the normal reaction of the public. It seemed as if very few had ever seen a Pycon in there life. Haha! Tink always did scare them a little bit, despite his height. Or lack thereof. The man held a list in his hand,but Tink couldn't see the contents. It was a surprise. Tink assumed that the man was uneducated and couldnt read. Obviously, Tink was wrong. Maybe it hadn't been a well-thought out plan to blindly offer help to strangers after a day at the clinic. Eh. This was Tink's spirit and the way he lived life. He was lucky to have lived as long as he had. "Ahem. Name's Scalpellion. Tink Scalpellion. Whats on your list up there? Mind to lift me up, by the way!" Wouldn't it be a coincidence if he was looking for herbs too! That would be quite the surprise,and kinda freaky. Ehh.The chances of that realistically happening are miniscule. He probably just needs directions,which Tink was terrible at giving. One thing Tink lacked was the ability to navgate the busy streets of Sunberth. He always was getting lost. Lucky he wasn't kidnapped from all the dark alleys he turned down. Often, it was quite humorous! The man was quite surprised when Tink talked. He wasn't expecting the deep voice,and Tinks disregard for the social norm. Then again,as a tiny pycon, the social aspect was already kind of Shyked up. Tink stared up at the man, awaiting his response.

[Noven]

Nov switched his attentions from the list back to the little, talking clay man upon hearing its name. So it had an identity, personality, and everything...may it was real after all and the cook wasn't hallucinating in broad daylight.

But, could it be possible that this Tink was acting of his own, free will? That was something that only a true Sunberthian would consider. Because all magic was suspicious in Noven's eyes, and this walking, thinking statue was a whole new kind of dubious sorcery.

Still, Tink Scalpellion looked congenial enough. And the man was in sore need of help. If someone really was coming after him with a man made of clay, Nov figured there was no better way to find out the truth than to play along. This was a bit of a stretch, even for him, though, and he shrugged off his paranoia as best he could. There was work to be done and he'd wasted enough of his day meandering aimlessly for ingredients he could barely recognize, let alone locate.

"Well met, Tink," the cook responded, finding it somewhat unsettling that the clay statue had such a deep voice. "The name's Noven. Um, right, a lift. Hop onto my hand, then."

Should Tink agree to this form of a lift, Nov would bring him up to eye level and show him the neatly printed letters on his list. He was surprised by how much heavier the miniature man was but tried his best not to show it. Wholly unused to interacting with creatures like this, he wasn't sure if he'd offend Tink with more expressions of shock, thereby losing his only source of aid.

"I know what cinnamon bark and vanilla are, but have no idea where to find them. And no idea what cardamom seeds or whole cloves are. Milk and honey I've got, though not the black tea, and that about sums up my problems."

He looked over to Tink, raising an eyebrow.

"What about you? What are you out here for?"

[Tink Scalpellion]

"Thank you, Err… Noven. I appreciate the lift. You cant eevn imagine how challenging it is to walk around the market at this height. Obviously, its not fun. At all. Actually, I'm looking for some herbs also. While were searching for a shop, maybe I could tell you about herbs and their usages along with their effects? They're quite interesting. I'm sure you will enjoy them as much as I do!" Noven seemed nice enough. He was one of the first people to ever encounter Tink and not freak out. That made Tink feel good. Howeeer, this doesn't mean that Tink was unaware of Noven's surprise. After walking around the streets of Sunberth for several years, Tink was used to the stares and gossip. It was normal life for him. Tink wasn't quite sure what surprised the man. Maybe it was his appearance, deep voice,or everything. Gods know what. At least the man was courteous; very few had ever picked Tink up before. Actually, this may have been the first time. Sometimes it did get tiring being viewed as an outcast your whole life. Often, Tink wished that he was a human. Then, he would be able to help more people, and they wouldnt be scared of him. Why were people even scared of me? Ah,the superstitions and fears of Sunberthians. They hate anything and everything even slighlty related to magic. I understand their fear though; there were some evil Mages back before the Valterrian. You can't blame them. These ideas have been passed down from generation to generation. "You know Noven,your the first person to ever agree to pick me up. More often than not, people run away or look at me funny. So, tell me about yourself! Where you from,whatcha do for a living?" Tink was eager to have a conversation with this man. Maybe he would even be able to teach him about Herbalism; if he took Tink up on his offer. First things first,though, Tink had to navigate Noven through the maze of people crowded into the place. Then, he would have to locate a herbalism shop. This would be no easy task, considering Tink had been searching for a while and still hadn't found a shop. This would be a very interesting afternoon.

[Noven]

This thing talks a lot.

That was the bulk of Nov's thoughts as he watched the little clay man explain itself at eye level. Not a few passerbys stopped to give the duo a queer look, but one glare from the cook sent them hustling back on their way.

Tink finished introducing himself and suggested that he teach Nov the properties of various herbs, which his human audience would have felt more skeptical about, had the man not heard his fair share of herbal lessons already. Old Calyn had spent a bit of her time during Nov's youth--and her being alive--to educate him, and Nona had taught him a thing or two about spices for cooking. Thinking about the two long deceased matrons sent a spasm of pain through his body, but the merc hid it well enough out of sheer habit.

The other reason for his compliance was, of course, Kechaiya. He'd wanted to thank her, and to impress her. What better way to do it than to involve himself more in one of the key components of her craft?

Not to mention herbs had all kinds of uses for himself as well. But Noven decided to focus on that later; buying the damned things would be a large enough first step on its own.

"That plan doesn't sound half bad, Tink," he responded, a half-grin forming on his dark features.

The little clay man, however, turned out to be interested in more than speaking of herbs. He wanted to know more about Noven--what he did, where he came from, all that shyke, based solely on the fact that the cook had agreed to picking Tink up. Another sliver of paranoia crept its way into his thoughts, but he ignored it for the time being. So long as he didn't reveal anything incriminating about himself there was no harm in a bit of informational exchange.

Isurs, orphans, black-eyed doctors, and now tiny clay people who walked and talked and had enough curiosity to get an entire army of cats killed. It seemed he was destined to be one among the misfits of Sunberth.

Nov raised Tink a bit higher so the creature could climb onto his shoulder and remained sitting there, if he wished. It was easier than having him stand in the palm of Nov's hand and far less conspicuous as well as they walked down the streets in broad daylight.

Half focused on answering Tink and half focused on listening to any directives as to where they should be headed, Noven began walking.

"There's not much to tell," he replied, "I grew up in the Berth, spent most of my days at Sunset Orphanage. And still do, being a cook there and all."

Nov tilted his head just a fraction as he addressed Tink. "What about you? And what do I, uh, call your people?"

[Sira]

Grade Awarded Noven Skills: +2 Socialization Lores: Too many Choices Seeking a Gift instead of Words Meeting a Talking Statuette Tink the Talking Statue The Weight of a Clay Man Tink Scalpellion Unfortunately I am unable to grade your portion of the thread because your character sheet does not have a green checkmark. Please get a storyteller to look over your character sheet and approve it, then your part can be graded. Additional Comments: Not much to award here. I would have liked to see more, I'm always interested in threads involving herbalism, as I have an herbalist myself, plus I found your reactions to the Pycon entertaining. I haven't read many threads with Pycons in it, and the ones I did people knew what they were, so it was cool to see someone who didn't. Anyway, if you feel I missed anything, feel free to PM me. Also, please edit your post in the request thread to show that it has been graded. Thanks, and keep writing!