Open A Tale of Frostfawn

[Kent]

24th of Spring, 513 AV

The snow fell daintily on the silent scene of Frostfawn, gently brushing the cheeks of little Vanthan children romping alongside the streets.

This was Kent's hometown.

He had grown up here. He was familiar with the streets, scenery, and where to find all the businesses and shops. What he wasn't familiar with, however, was the people. Kent naturally kept to himself, and didn't branch out to others very often. But it was time he grew out of that. High time.

A snowball slammed into his face from the right. He darted his head quickly to identify the culprit, and noticed a group of boys snickering under a table. A young woman, perhaps in her twenties, scolded the little rascals approached him bashfully.

"I'm sorry about them," she apologized.

"It's fine," Kent said to her in Vani. The woman's eyes flashed a peculiar color and she jogged off with an embarrassed smile. She was attracted to him. He could tell by the body language, and the eyes gave it away. Some Vantha weren't as good as hiding it as others. He lightly winked at the naughty boys under the table, and continued on his way. If there was one thing Kent loved and respected, it was the the native people of Avanthal. A people so hospitable, so hardy and skilled; it was a shame to see some of them in poverty. But he never saw one upset. They always had that great, beautiful smile. He would miss them in his travels.

Damn, he had forgotten.

He needed to find a leathersmith. His saddle was ripped and it was giving his horse, Gavine, a hard time. He also needed a place to bed down for the night, that wasn't with his parents. They had resented his choice to leave the nest. Coming back to them would just seem like a cry for help.

Perhaps what Kent really needed was a job. A job that required traveling. He was a merc. A delver. Money was tight and he really needed to be sent to kill something. Finding an unused bench, he brushed off the snow and sat down. He pulled the ripped saddle off his back and looked at it with a frown. How'd he rip this thing anyway? Tossing it to his left, he sat back and organized his thoughts. It was early. He had plenty of time to find some place to stay for the night. Worst case scenario, he'd go to his parent's house. He only had 40 gm. Damn, he was broke. Hopefully he could haggle a bit with whoever fixed his saddle. He also needed to find a couple jobs. His sword and steed were ready. He only needed to find someone ready to spend some mizas....

[Spirit Frostfawn]

After Spirit had fed Wind a delicious meal of minced rabbit, she headed outside to wander. She encountered several people she knew well, including a few family members, and had short conversations with them. There was still quite a large amount of time left in the day, plenty of time to do other stuff. For once, Wind wasn't following her, since he was having a nap under her bed at home. Eventually she came across a guy on a bench, holding a ruined saddle. Unlike most of the residents here, he had blond hair and pale skin. Maybe he was a visitor... She could see he was armed, and looked slightly miffed, probably at the saddle. She didn't know any leather workers personally, but she could probably help him find one.... "Hey! " She called out to him, walking forwards "You want any help with that? I could probably find you a leather worker..." She smiled kindly at him, her eyes a silvery light turquoise

[Nikomas]

What exactly was Nikomas doing with his day? So far he had awoke, consumed a small meal, washed, dressed, and then, well, that was pretty much it. Somehow his feet had propelled him out through the door of his arvinta, but he honestly couldn't recall the details of the trip from there to where he currently sat. As per usual, his mind was lost to another place, another realm even, miles away from wherever he currently was. Thankfully, he had had enough sense to grab his heavy leather coat on the way out. It was chilly today - which was nothing new for this time of the year, seeing that Avanthal's ruler had finally returned - and it was snowing. But why had he chosen this particular spot to plunk himself down? It wasn't the best view in the Hold. No. Not at all. However, it did afford the young Vantha the opportunity to watch the people of Frostfawn go about their daily lives, which he loved doing almost as much as he enjoyed hanging with his two best friends. It was healthy for him to spend some time alone with just his thoughts. Too much time spent with Varik usually meant too much time spent getting into trouble. It also meant a missed opportunity to experience the world around him on a much deeper level. If he was to be a skilled storyteller - which he so desperately wanted to be - he would need to pay closer attention to the details around him. Take, for example, the fair-haired, young man with the broken saddle. What was his story and why was he milling about this particular Hold? Was he lost or did he actually live here? Niko couldn't recall seeing him before now. Did he need help? Maybe he was looking for a buyer or, better yet, someone to repair his damaged equipment. The skilled leatherworker could certainly lend him a hand if that were the case. However, was it even his saddle to begin with? Maybe he stole it from someone and during the exchanged things got rough and it broke. The possibilities were endless, which excited the Vantha to no end! This was why he loved the art of storytelling. Anything was possible. Anything at all! Now it was just a matter of watching and waiting to see if the young man's tale would be told.

[Abyda]

Abyda didn't care much for unfamiliar ground, but she felt strangely at peace here in Vantha, the people were welcoming and all the children playing had such innocent smiles plastered onto their faces. She smiled sadly, as she watched the children not so very much younger than her enjoying a childhood she had never had. Lost in her own little world she unknowingly bumped into a tall, well built fair haired man and fell to the ground with a soft thud.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

"What's your..." Spirit began, about to ask the blonde's name, but stops when a hooded girl bumped into him. She had apparently been not paying attention, and was now on the ground in a heap. "Hey? Are you okay?" Spirit asked, surprised, staring at the new girl. She reached a hand down to help the girl up "Want a hand?"

[Abyda]

Abyda took the hand of the woman who yanked her up.
"Thank you. Im, sorry, i was...just a little..." Abyda couldnt continue talking because she felt a slight lightheaded which got stronger and befire she knew it she was collapsing before these two strangers.

[Kent]

Kent had began to think about his saddle a little longer. Perhaps he could try to fix it himself? I mean it wasn't that badly ripped. He could take some string and--no. It was pretty smoked. He was trying to figure out how it had happened when someone began speaking to him--

--Just as another person ran into him and fell into the snow

Kent's vibrant blue orbs darted about wildly, taking in the scene. A young Vantha girl was picking up a human from the ground, asking if she was okay. But was she totally human? There was something off. Jumping to his feet, he had begun to ask the fallen girl if she was alright, but the Vantha beat him to it. So instead, he stood awkwardly, not saying anything.

But then she crumpled into the snow again.

He caught her as she fell, directing her to the bench he had been sitting on and set her on it. Giving her some space, he held her body up to keep her back straight, hoping some fresh air would help her condition.

[Abyda]

Abyda rose up slightly after what felt like an eternity in pain.
"W-what...happened...", she muttered, clutching her sides. Sh noticed her old cuts and scars were visible beneath the pieces of clothing that had been pushed up in the struggle and quickly tried to hide them, but she could see the tall attractive man had ready caught a glimpse.
"What happened?" Abyda inquired, wincing slightly.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit had stepped back, even more surprised when the girl had collapsed again, right after standing up. Her eyes quickly shifted to a dark green color, as she stared at the girl, confused and concerned. "Are... Are you alright? You sort of collapsed..." Spirit said, uncertain. It had been slightly strange, after all. Collapsing twice in the span of... 10 seconds? She continued to stare at the girl, then saw a quick glimpse of scars all over her body, until they were covered. Her eyes widened slightly, and she took a step back? "Hey... what are those?" She asked

[Kent]

Kent nodded in concurrence with what the young Vantha girl said. Thank heavens the mixed blood had came to. He didn't want anyone to think he had hurt her. His eyes flashed in concern and interest whenever he noticed her exposed scars and old gashes in her pale white flesh.

He clutched her garment when she tried to hide the cuts, and peeled it back gently to view them again. "Are you alright, friend?" He said in a deep, gentle voice, "Did someone hurt you?"