Completed A Stranger in a Strange New Land

[Ssharathassorin]

Talking to women, not one of Sorin's strong points, especially one as pretty as she was. Upon seeing the woman some distance back, he had no idea how to talk to her, so he followed in his python form, sticking to street corners behind market stalls and sliding underneath the stalls themselves. He eventually reached a point where he stopped under a clothing store and morphed back into his human form.

Curled under the stall was a right fit, especially for him but he pulled his clothes on from his satchel that the snake form could only carry in it's mouth before emerging and joining the crowds until he peeled off to join the pair in their conversation after hearing 'Really the only reason I asked is because I am a squire' quote, he took in a huge breath, which wasn't that hard and walked over laughing "Glad to sssee I'm not the only new recruit around here!" Clapping Aventis on the back may have been a bit much but he did so anyways, since he had seen him a few times in the mess before but never really spoken to him yet.

He then turned to Autumn and his face went Red as he took her hand and kissed the back of her palm, he looked down to her and said "Sorin, enchanted to meet you, mi'lady" his words came out well enough, and not with his usually sylibbic tone, simply because he hasn't been breathing while he was speaking, quickly forcing out words out of embarrassment, but after he said his greetings to Autumn he turned to the pair and said "Sso whatcha lookin for friendsss?" He was obviously a Dhani to those who had interacted with them before, however if not he may have come across as a very large man, taller than Aventis even with a strong lisp.

Realising he was still holding her hand he gasps and released it, blushing so hard his scales would've turned red if he had them at the time, before agreeing with Aventis "Indeed we could both levy your things temporarily, such a delicate creature need not be burdened by the weight of her items!" He didn't do 'casual flirting' often, and he felt he was doing ok, but how people recieved it was unbeknownst to him and he added on the end "You know, for the service of the city and all that".

[Autumn Wilde]

The stranger seemed a little bit surprised when Autumn asked about him. He chuckled when she called his blade 'impressive'. Rapier, the word was foreign, but Autumn was sure she had heard it around, just never used the word on her own tongue. A new squire, he explained. This made Autumn even more comfortable to be in the presence of the man. He was a protector of the city in training. She was delighted, an unconscious smile making it's way on to her face as he talked.

"Would you like me to carry your bags?" The man suddenly asked. Autumn was afraid for a moment that in her wandering thoughts she had missed his name. Thinking for a second she realized that no, he hadn't given her a name. So he had noticed the amount of luggage she was carrying, maybe she was making it too obvious that it wasn't the easiest thing to carry.

"It's really no trouble." That made Autumn decide that yes, she would like some help.

"You are just too generous! I don't know if I can take it for very much longer!" Autumn joked, but wasted no time in letting the larger bag holding her clothes slip off her shoulder and proceeded to hand it to the man to put on his own shoulder. That made everything so much better. Now all she was carrying was her gea'tar and her smaller bag of belongings. She let out a small sigh of relief and replied to the man.

"So you're a squire. That's wonderful! And a new one at that. Fresh from the fight," She truly did admire him for it, "And your name? Unless you have some secret identity as the mysterious stranger who oh so kindly offers his services to lost girls in the street." Autumn joked lightheartedly, chuckling to insinuate that she meant no disrespect at all.

She got a name, Aventis. It was interesting and outside the norm. Strange and exciting, something new. She liked it. She was about to respond when suddenly a burly man came up behind them and interrupted their conversation.

"Glad to sssee I'm not the only new recruit around here!" This giant of a man spoke loudly, slapping Aventis on the back with a friendly gesture. Autumn stopped in her tracks in surprise of this new man. Who was he? He must be a new squire as well. He seemed friendly enough. Looking at the two next to each other Autumn noticed they were pretty much the same height, except this new stranger was much more built with muscle than Aventis was. Then the new stranger looked to Autumn and she almost giggled when his face immediately began to redden. He reached down and grabbed her hand.

Autumn was too shocked to even stop him, only gaping with wide eyes at this completely unabashed man. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. Now Autumn's face was turning red. She had seen the gesture plenty of times, fancy men would kiss a fancy woman's hand, it was all very formal. But it had never been done to her. She glanced at Aventis still standing with her bag, trying to convey her confusion, then back to this man. What was she supposed to do? Curtsie? Say thank you? She was too taken aback to even get her thoughts in order.

"Sorin, The man introduced himself, "Enchanted to meet you, mi'lady." He was very polite, she decided, and, well, like Aventis you wouldn't call him handsome, but he wasn't entirely ugly either. A slight goatee framed his mouth and the sheer size of the man was almost overwhelming. When he looked up at her she noticed his eyes were a shocking blue color and almost gasped. Maybe it wasn't as difficult to find kind people in Syliras after all. He then stood up to his full height, still holding Autumn's hand in a light grasp, and asked, "Sso whatcha lookin' for friendss?" Autumn noticed his strong lisp, although it didn't sound like he was illiterate, it was more of a dragged out 's'. Like a snake, she thought. She had heard of a race of shapeshifting snakes, although at the moment she couldn't recall the name of the race. Was it possible that this man was one of them? She knew that they tended to hiss their S's like a snake would.

Before Autumn could answer him, Sorin realized that he was still grasping Autumn's hand and released it, letting out a surprised gasp as he did so. His face turned even redder than it was before and this time Autumn couldn't help but giggle silently at the man's drastic color change. She tried not to laugh at other people's embarrassing actions, feeling more sorry for them than anything, but the man's bold introduction had already made Autumn feel that they were friends.

He got over the small incident and, probably having overheard Aventis' offer to help her bags, responded in kind, "Indeed we could both levy your things temporarily, such a delicate creature need not be burdened by the weight of her items!" Autumn was starting to feel blessed to have met two kind people on her first day in this new city. She hadn't expected as much, was really only hoping for someone to point her in the right direction. But now she had a guide and two capable men to carry her bags. She felt that Sorin might be flirting with her, but was not familiar with the concept so couldn't be sure.

"You know, for the service of the city and all that." Sorin quickly added. Autumn nodded and smiled, looking to Aventis standing behind Sorin, then responded.

"It's very good to meet you, Sorin. Aventis here was actually guiding me to the White Swan Inn. Thank you so much for the kind offer, you can carry this one." Autumn took the other bag that was on her shoulder off and handed it Sorin. It was lighter than the bag Aventis was carrying and lighter than her gea'tar but she would not let anybody but herself and another skilled musician touch her gea'tar, even if it was in a well protected case. When everything had been settled she set off in the direction she was being led once again.

Autumn Wilde

[Aventis]

“You are too generous! I don’t know if I can take it for very much longer!” The girl joked, her trademark smile strong, handing Aventis what seemed to be the heavier of the two bags, which was really no issue for the squire. It was actually sort of light. He slung it over his shoulder with no problem, trying to keep in mind that musicians had no need to better their strength and he should therefore refrain from judging the girl and her physical ability.

“Afraid you’ll have to put up with me for just a bit longer. White Swan is close, though.” He said, smiling, adjusting the bag upon his shoulder. Aventis was about to lead the girl further, but was interrupted by a sudden and overbearing blow to the back. Aventis turned quickly, hand to rapier, ready to draw but was met with a man that looked only the least bit familiar.

“Glad to sssee I’m not the only new recruit around here!” The man said.

Aventis had to take a step back. A large one. The man was approximately the same size in height as Aventis with a wider set of shoulders, a stronger build. He smiled a crooked smile, the kind of a storybook villain. He seemed sly, not to be trusted. It was the kind that persuaded your hand to stay on the hilt of your blade, ready for anything.

The most disturbing part of the man, however, was his ability to follow and stalk the duo before approaching them. There was something… Off about him. The way he moved so quickly. The way he spoke. The way he knew who Aventis was. That last part was a little less than disarming.

Autumn, however, did not seem to mind. The newcomer bent down, taking the newly arrived’s hand, kissing it, as a gentleman would, but there was something sinister about it. Something that made the young squire’s stomach churn as he looked upon them. Autumn’s face turned a bright red, a bashful shade of crimson as the man introduced himself. “Ssssssorin,” the man said, the name slithering off his tongue like a drop of muddy water off the gutter. “Enchanted to meet you, m’lady.”

The man, it seemed, was beyond imposing to the girl. He was eager. He seemed… Hungry. Starving for something, anything. Starving for her. For her attention. Her affection. He was desperate, otherwise he wouldn’t of approached. It wasn’t that Aventis didn’t like the man, no. That would be downright indecent. But there was a… Natural aversion, it seemed, to being fond of him. Even now, Aventis eyed the situation with a deep suspicion, feeling almost protective of Autumn. It was irrational and stupid, he knew, to distrust this man, especially him being his brother-in-arms. But it was just… Illogical. It was abnormal. Suspicious. Even frightening.

He stood, still holding the lady’s hand, not even asking her name. “Ssso whatchu’ lookin’ for, friendsss?” the man said, now trying to associate himself with Aventis, who made no effort to hide his expression of disbelief, of suspicion, releasing Autumn’s hand only now. “Indeed we could both levy your thingsss temporarily, sssuch a delicate creature need not be burdened by the weight of her itemsss!” the man said, in a more than obvious attempt to impress the lady. “You know, ssservice to the sssscity and all that.” he concluded, a sloppy attempt to hide his intentions.
Aventis gave an incredulous look to the man, barely believing his eyes as Autumn handed him the lighter of the two bags. “It's very good to meet you, Sorin. Aventis here was actually guiding me to the White Swan Inn.” she said. “Thank you so much for the kind offer, you can carry this one.” she offered, ever pleasant.

She began to walk off in the general direction that Aventis was leading her in, but he caught her by the shoulder with a ginger touch and gently encouraged her back to where she was standing. He took a moment, gazing again at Sorin, before addressing the girl.

“Do you want me to leave?” He asked the girl in a hushed tone, making sure the other squire could not hear him speaking to him. “I don’t know how things work in Zeltiva but this isn’t how it usually works in Syliras.” He said, glancing again at Sorin. “There’s something between you and mister… Sorin. If you’d like me to leave you with him, I will, but something isn’t right to me.”

Aventis

[Sayana]

Your Grades Have Arrived Autumn Skills: Skill EXP Observation +5 Socialization +5 Lores: Location: Syliras Syliras: Busy city Aventis: Helpful Squire Sorin: Squire with a 'chivalric' nature Aventis Skills: Skill EXP Observation +5 Socialization +3 Rhetoric +2 Lores: Autumn: Bit of a klutz Autumn: Cheerful Musician Autumn: From Zeltiva Sorin: Squire of questionable motives Shield Points: Shield Points Earned Reason +2 Helping a citizen Total: +2 Shield Points Ssharathassorin Comments : Ssharathassorin, if you come back PM me and I’ll be happy to include grades for you. You’ll need to get your character sheet approved (without any intervention) before I can award grades. Overall, it was a fun introduction thread to read. I’m sure Autumn feels much more welcome in this busy foreign city thanks to Aventis. It’s too bad that it got stalled out. Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message. Enjoy.