Flashback A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

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A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

Postby Keene Ward on November 4th, 2014, 9:11 am

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Ricky's reaction was entirely unexpected. Keene had clearly stated the problem was unsolvable and the result one that wasn't particularly distressing. The man, however, bore the burden of emotions Keene had not even bothered to contemplate. Anger was rarely an appropriate response to anything. Mella constantly employed it, and her work often suffered for it. There was a tinge of sadness, perhaps, and certainly a fair amount of frustration at having been so easily taken advantage of. There was the external focus of Ricky's perceived anger as well. Keene found it difficult to fault the man without knowing anything about his motives. Were the case such that the act of theft was the path most desirable given the alternatives, Keene would applaud the man's flawless execution (he would not, however, find joy in his own inability to catch the thief). Instead, there was no information, which gave Keene little to consider and therefore little to feel about.

After having shown his lack of evidence and shared his piece, Keene watched the gears turn in Ricky's head. The man's brooding frown shifted so quickly, Keene found his eyes mirroring the shift by widening several sizes. For a moment, he thought Ricky might have devised some previously overlooked tactic of sleuthing to find and accost the culprit. The thought was quickly remolded into the realization that Keene's misfortune allowed him the chance at Ricky's generosity. The proposition stood as a choice, though the parameters were questionably dodgy. There was the offer of monetary reimbursement, though Keene was well aware of the social rules regarding philanthropy and currency. It was frowned upon to explicitly ask for such things, and once offered, one never asked for more and almost always insisted the lump sum should be less than initially offered. However the potential for even a minor reparation found Keene already leaning towards the option before the second was explained.

Fish was, originally, what Keene had set out to purchase. However, his business sense was as developed at his biceps: puny and ineffective. Without knowing exactly what sort of fish the man had caught (its quality, size, and average selling price), Keene wasn't sure the second option suited his needs quite as well as the first. However, social conduct also dictated that the option he chose, he stood by. There was to be no evaluation of the specifics of each option. Ricky had clearly stated "spare coin" and "enough to spare" (accent aside). The subjectivity of the proposed donations left far too much room to speculate. Were Ricky like Keene, the idea of spare change was a far larger sum than fish. Food was, in a practical sense, more valuable than money. Ricky, however, was very much not like Keene. He was not, however, so different as to be an exact opposite, which left Keene about where he'd started.

The final addendum struck Keene as strange. Ricky had given him the choice to pick between the two options, but suggested his ideal situation. It seemed contrary to the whole point of making a decision. If Ricky preferred that Keene receive both Mizas and fish, there seemed to be no clear reason for him to allow Keene to decide which he favored over the other. His chuckle, while innocent enough, seemed much more malicious within the context Keene had just created for the turn in their conversation. Keene felt as though he had suddenly become a part of some particularly distasteful social experiment, in which he was the subject of study. Though not competitive by nature, Keene was not fond of being made to look a fool. The smiling, genial man before him had finally shown him more than a simple smile. He had administered a test, one which Keene was uncertain whether a true answer existed. From what he had gathered of the friendly fisherman, Ricky would be content with whatever response (assuming it was anything but refusal). It left three distinct choices: money, fish, or both.

Social law dictated it was rude to ask too much, even when it was offered. Keene, however, found the law to be a bit lacking in terms of practicality. If the option existed in which Keene could gain both, he found the law to be negligible. Based off of his prior knowledge of Ricky's personality (however slight an insight), the man seemed to be overly concerned with Keene's plight to the point where an excessive display of generosity would not have been unwarranted. Perhaps he'd found an anomalism to his previously establish law. If both parties were willing, it seemed silly to adhere strictly to such a statute that would result in a less than ideal outcome.

Through his deliberation, Keene's eyes had focused on a point just shy of Ricky's chin, staring through to some unknown beyond. It didn't take him too long to arrive to his conclusion, though a least a few chimes passed between them in silence before he moved to speak, his eyes refocusing on the face he was speaking to. "It would be rude to turn away your generosity on any front." Nodding, Keene finished with a definitive, "I will take both in exchange for my gratitude." Having not expressed some form of thanks had the potential to lower his chances of gaining the optimal amount from Ricky. Keene wanted to make sure his chances were as good as he could make them, though the thought of smiling never once crossed his mind.

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A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

Postby Ricky Maze on November 5th, 2014, 1:59 am

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Ricky couldn't help the fact he found Keene's own reactions a little amusing, as it really did interest him to wonder what the boy could be thinking at this point. Honestly he worked hard to prevent a large smirk from developing as he watched Keene mentally debate what his answer would be, the fact that he'd been faced with such a generosity made Ricky think though, did the child find a sense of good out of the act or did he believe there was something else. Something different that might've led Ricky to give the wrong sort of impression, it had been really hard to tell seeing as how Keene didn't even remotely know how to show any signs of emotion. No real happiness or thought to reflect how he felt in the current situation, just a vacantly blank expression that left Ricky open to interpret a multitude of several possibilities. All while this went on though Odis' tail wagging came to a stop as did the tongue dangling, the dog had definitely looked confused at Keene as he crooned his head side ways.

Both Ricky and Odis were trying to figure this kid out, and yet at the same time they failed to realize that Keene, he'd actually been trying to do the same thing the entire time they had socialized together. Finally it seemed that the boy came to a conclusion and decided he would accept the greatest choice Ricky granted, in turn humbling the man as he chuckled with a bit of enthusiasm found in his voice. "Dat's de spirit laddie!" He cheered as he gave a friendly nudge to the boy's shoulder, he then pulled over one of the baskets of fish nearby, so that he could allow Keene to pick out whatever he decided he wanted to take home. "'ave at it lad, help yer self. How much did he make off wit' yer money?" He inquired as he then started to fish in his pocket for the spare coin he had, Odis at that point showed the same amount of excitement by jumping around with a couple of barks to add. While he at first ran in a couple of complete circles around Keen and Ricky, he then simmered down and took a seat next to the basket as he stuck his nose near the fish. By then Ricky had managed to fish out coin, count out the exact amount Keene had mentioned, and then handed it over so that second part of the deal was done.

"Really yer acceptance o' both is enough fer me, believe me lad Oi've been humbled wit' dat choice. It actually aggravates me t' t'ink some bastard can git away wit' yer coin, so knowin' Oi've been able t' help ye regain dat plus more really makes me feel a lot better." He admitted sincerely as he patted the dog and rubbed his head several times, Odis glanced between both Ricky and Keene as the tongue waggling continued again, whilst his tail showed the instant amount of glee he felt in receiving attention from his master. "An' o' course Oi sure ye can agree it should make whoever yer runnin' errands fer quite 'appy as well, since dis benefited ya in more ways den one 'fter all." He'd thought to point out boldly, granted that Keene might've been considering what this person would've said or thought. He figured that was actually what led Keene to take a bit longer in deciding what to choose, as that might as well have weighed into effect how this "Mella" he mentioned might react.
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A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

Postby Keene Ward on November 5th, 2014, 3:09 am

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Ricky's response was troubling to Keene. Already having classified the man and his dog as atypical members of society, Keene couldn't profess to being all that surprised at the cheering, though there was not an absence of it. He simply couldn't understand what sort of madness could move a man to praise the loss of material goods and wealth in exchange for nothing. It was absurd, and though Keene was glad that he was receiving both the money he'd lost and the fish he'd intended to buy elsewhere, the friendly nudge to Keene's shoulder was received with a slightly perplexed stare. He watched silently as Ricky dragged over a basket that, from the smell of it, held within the fish he'd been promised. Though Ricky certainly seemed to be above, beyond, or perhaps leading an entirely separate existence from Keene's carefully observed rules of social conduct, Keene found the generosity to be well enough worth the confusion.

Approaching the basket, Keene peered within. The quality of the catch seemed to be far above the par set by Toby. The smell was fresh, unadulterated by the influence of a lengthy time spent out of the water. Keene, unaccustomed to simply doing whatever pleased him most, had little drive to do things based off of pleasure. Instead, he selected three fish of the smaller to medium size, according to what Toby had declared as a fair price for the Mizas. Once the fishes had been chosen, Keene was uncertain what to do with them, holding them like an awkward offering, hands slightly extended out from his chest, arms crooked. When Ricky asked Keene what the amount was he lost, the thought to lie to gain more money than he'd lost didn't even cross his mind.

"Ten golds."

It seemed the dog Odis had also been infected with his master's good mood. He jumped about, letting his excitement out through his bouncing and barking. The movement was short lived however, as the dog quickly discovered the basket of fish held greater intrigue than the discussion between humans. He settled down next to the wicker, nudging the basket with his nose, enticed by the smell of food. Keene stared at the dog Odis with a slight frown, raising his own fish marginally higher in case the beast realized there was an easier target in the boy than the basket. Through the course of the dog's excitement, Ricky had been rummaging in his pocket until he procured be proper amount of payment. As he extended his hand to deliver the payment, Keene fumbled with the fish, dropping one onto the ground as he tried to shift them into a single hand to receive the coins. Odis quickly pounced, devouring the dead creature before anyone else could make a move. With his free hand, Keene pocketed the money, taking care to keep a firm grip on his remaining fish. He gave the dog Odis a small frown, though he couldn't fault the animal for taking advantage of a situation created by himself. At least the dog behaved in the appropriate manner.

Odis, having spent an entire half a chime to finish his meal, had returned with a happy wag of the tail back to his master's side, nearly purring as the hand moved to rub his furry head. Ricky's capacity for the unnatural seemed to be near infinite. Keene had never heard of a man who found comfort in the transfer of goods to someone else they deemed less fortunate. It was the textbook definition of "philanthropy", but Keene had long disregarded the concept as fallacy. He had been wrong, apparently, or at least had not stopped to consider the possibility for anomaly. It was more likely there was just simply something wrong with the way Ricky's mind processed things than the ridiculous notion he was simply an over generous gentleman. There was only a slim chance that that were the case.

At the alluded mention of Mella, Keene's lips finally made a definitive curve downwards, though his expression remained mostly unchanged by the adjusted weight of his visage. Though an innocent enough question, Keene had not forgotten the test he'd just undergone. It seemed the man's curiosities extended even to Mella, but Keene figured he owed the man some information at the very least, despite all apparent desires to the contrary of the man. Keene's theory of mental instability shifted towards a much more maniacal scenario in which Ricky had managed to discover the process of thought along which Keene operated, thereby employing the uses of perceived philanthropy paired with a near constant antagonist to all proper procedure in order to gain what facts he could from the boy. He found Ricky to be all the more impressive after the fact. "Mella is never 'happy'." It was said as a simple statement. Mella could never handle a single emotion; it would kill her. She was always angry paired with something else, usually frustration. Still, she was a brilliant woman, and Keene doubted there were many others who could best her knowledge of the skies and the weather patterns within that realm.

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A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

Postby Ricky Maze on November 6th, 2014, 11:41 pm

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Ricky's grin lessened when Keene mentioned that this person is never happy, a bit of concern for the boy grew deep down as he began to wonder things. Did Keene live in an abusive situation? Were his parents or guardians cruel and quick to punish him, for things that he'd never even been at fault for? No. He couldn't easily allow himself to jump to conclusions, as Keene showed no signs of physical abuse what so ever. Yet his demeanor could easily prove arguable to this, although it still couldn't serve concrete in proving he lived in a bad situation. It led Ricky to wonder just what exactly Keene had to live with everyday, what exactly did the child deal with as the average normal in his early life. To the fisherman it looked as though Keene really didn't have much of a childhood at all, at least not the same childhood every young boy deserved when they were at his age.

Yet all the same it wasn't meant for the older man to go around poking his nose in, it was Keene's own business and while he felt concern for the boy, he couldn't let that govern his actions when there could easily be a better course to follow instead. As Odis came to finally finish his free meal he heeled next to his master once more, a curious croon of his head towards Keene once more after he licked his lips in satisfaction. "Yea, we saw dat boy. Don't t'ink ye'll git off so easily." He looked to the dog with an entertained grin, Odis just looked about innocently of course like he never managed to snag himself a little bit of free food. Ricky then looked back over to Keene as he gave the boy a friendly smile, a warm look in his eyes as he decided the best he could do was let the boy know he was able to help out, anytime Keene decided he needed a sort of supportive helping hand in times that might've proven difficult for him. "Well Keene, tell dis Mella dat Oi said t' loosen up a bit. Life's no fun if ye can't smile every once in a while."

He chuckled a bit after he said that, his hands grasped on the baskets of fish once more. He rose to a full stand with the baskets locked in his arms then, still with a warm grin as he looked down to Keene one last time. "An' if ye ever need a bit o' help every once in a while, don't be afraid t' come find me at de docks o' somet'in. Oi'll always be glad t' help ya out laddie." He expressed with a polite nod to the boy. "Until den take care o' yer self an' keep yer head up. Oi'll see ya roun'." With that added he whistled down to the dog next to him as he led onward, a few excited barks to follow as the dog stood up to tag along. He gave Keene a gleeful look as he passed on by, while the two would continue onward into the Fish Market to sell of their haul to a supplier.
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A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

Postby Keene Ward on November 7th, 2014, 7:30 am

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With their conversation coming to an end, Keene nodded at Ricky's request, though he had no intention of doing so. He saw little evidence that Mella needed loosening in the first place. Her body seemed to move with the efficiency of a well oiled machine, loosening the bolts seemed foolish. He was sure Ricky had his reasons, however, though what they might be were far behind his abilities of supposition. It was, evidently, a joke, as Ricky chuckled a short time afterwards. A small frown played at Keene's lips as he attempt to decipher the humor of the intended jest. Mella smiled plenty, though it was usually filled with malice. It was also true that she rarely seemed to have "fun" per say, though she often grew excited over a great many things. He also struggled with the concept of "fun". It was a word that implied frivolity and uselessness, two things that impeded progression. Life was not intended to be fun, it was meant to be lived. Fun had nothing to do with it. If relaying the cryptic message to Mella would instill in her the pointless proclivity of "fun", Keene found it counterproductive even to consider it.

Ricky, however, continued right along. He seemed to think "fun" an integral part to life that, when left out, was nothing short of travesty. He also seemed to think that Keene felt in a similar fashion, or it may have been he simply didn't care one way or the other. Smiling, friendly people were always far too untrustworthy, making analysis of their intent and action beyond what Keene was capable. However, due to his ineptitude, he was also able to keep his theories as theories, and treat the man before him as a man he knew little about, rather than someone who's secrets had finally be wrenched from his hands by the astounding intellect of genius. Keene doubted any sort of person, even those who were as readable as he believed himself to be, would be able to accurately judge and understand another person after only less then a bell's worth of talking. The absurdity of the notion was almost amusing.

He watched mutely as Ricky gathered up his things, dog Odis bouncing around with the excitement that seemed to stem from a never-ending flow of energy that Keene suspected was produced through the wild motion of the tail whipping through the air. The baskets of fish were lifted up by the strong arm of the fisherman, cradled in his arms like smelly wicker children. With a grin, he offered Keene a final invitation to come to him with any requests for future endeavors or issues and complaints. It was, once more, a disconcertingly self-less gesture that may or may not have have maniacal undertones. In his short time spent with the fisherman who had slowly begun to amble down the path, whistling along with the barks and happy yelps of his canine choral, Keene had learned two things about Ricky: Ricky was confusing, and Keene knew nothing about him.

Having gained three fish - though only two after his blunder - and his Mizas returned, Keene followed along the path Ricky had taken. The day had been a strange one, though Keene certainly wasn't one to complain about the ending circumstances. He had gone to the market with the intent of spending money to buy fish. The intent was foiled by the advent of a thief and the removal of his money he'd brought with which to purchase the fish. Having no fish and no money, he'd gone half-heartedly after the thief. He'd been attacked by a dog and saved by the dog's owner. He'd been given a probable exception to a social law (perhaps even several, he was still reeling from the plethora of potential revelations). From the spontaneous growth of the conversation, Keene had gained three fish and his Mizas back. He'd dropped one fish, which dog Odis ate (a loss that Keene found wasn't all that upsetting, as he'd never torn into the aquatic meat with just zeal - nor did he believe he ever would do so) which left him with two. On top of the material good fortune, the fisherman Ricky had assured him that should he ever need assistance to search him out at the docks. All in all, it was a surprisingly successful outing. The majority of the success, however, was not to be shared with Mella.

As he made his way through the crowd once more, a woman bumped into him, muttering a sharp, "'Scuse me." before hurrying off. Thinking little of the encounter, Keene continued on his way, cradling the fishes like dolls with both arms. At first he'd attempted to to keep the deceased creatures some distance from his torso, but it was exteremely uncomfortable. He had walked for only a short distance before his shoulders had begun to burn from the strain. Conceding, Keene had folded his arms, supporting the brunt weight of the fishes heads, letting their tails trail down and flap against his stomach as he walked. Once he'd made it some distance from the crowd, the sound of his boots upon the street and the flopping, muffled slap of the fish against his shirted stomach made an uneven rhythm that sounded the entirety of his way home. Arriving at the door, Keene shifted the fishes into the crook of his left arm, taking care not to repeat the spill he'd made earlier. Twisting the handle and pulling the door open, he cautiously stepped into the room where both he and Mella spent the majority of their time.

She sat hunched in the middle of the floor, papers and books scattered in every which way in a haphazard circle around her. She didn't look up as he entered, and he took great care to close the door as quietly and gently as possible. Skimming softly across the floor, circumventing the various piles of papery mess that lay strewn about the interior of their home, Keene discretely raised the lid to the ice box and set the fishes inside. His furtive actions, however, were immediately detected and addressed as Mella's waves of bright, red hair were thrown back as she stared at him with a slant-eyed frown. "I thought I told you get three." She'd found out, not that Keene had been trying all that hard to hide it from her. He rarely tried hard to hide anything from her unless she specifically told him to. Seeing as she did most of the cooking (though the term was used loosely as the process generally involved throwing various edibles into a water pot and boiling it down until a brownish mass of putrid nutrition remained), it was unlikely she would not have noticed eventually. His care had been taken to avoid interrupting her work, though it seemed his intentions had had little affect on the outcome.

"I dropped one."

"...You what." The color in her cheeks had risen to a dull, throbbing crimson.

"I do still have-" Reaching into his pocket, Keene's grasping fingers found the coins he had placed within the compartment of his pants earlier were no longer there. Instead, there were smooth river stones, approximately the same weight as the coins that had been lifted off of him for a second time. Withdrawing his had from his pocket, Keene stared blankly at the ever increasing storm front before him. "I don't have any more money." After which the house erupted into a cacophony of shouting, screaming and several things being thrown before Keene was handed five more Mizas that Mella had taken the time to sew into the hem of his shirt and sent to buy another fish before the market closed. A small knife in hand to extricate the money from his poorly designed money pouch, Keene found the they had ended up proceeding about as well as it had initially set out to appear. Both the highs and lows of events had averaged out into a typical sort of day with an atypical set of content.

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A Man's Best Friend [Ricky]

Postby Perplexity on November 15th, 2014, 4:42 pm

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You have played well, but the game is at an end.

You have been bested. Beaten. Checkmate!

However, here is a consolation prize: a wealth of Experience and Lores! If you have any questions or concerns regarding this grade, please do not hesitate to send me a PM. I'll be more than happy to assist you!

 
Keene
XP
  • Negotiation | +1 EXP
    Deduction | +3 EXP
    Animal Husbandry | +2 EXP
    Logic | +5 EXP
    Socialization | +1 EXP
    Observation | +2 EXP
LORES
  • Logic: The Needs of Thieves
    Social Nuance: The Law of Questions
    Social Nuance: The Rules of Philanthropy
    Observational Insight: Assessing Hints of Indignant Rage
    Ricky: Owner of the Dog, Odis
    Ricky: Mostly Friendly
    Ricky: A Generous Human Being
    Ricky: Believe Fun To Be Important


 
Ricky
XP
  • Animal Husbandry | +3 EXP
    Deduction | +1 EXP
    Investigation | +2 EXP
    Negotiation | +2 EXP
LORES
  • Animal Husbandry (Dog): Training To Respond To Whistling
    Negotiation: Insistent Bargaining
    Keene: Oddly Tranquil
    Keene: A Withdrawn Young Man
    Keene: Quite The Amusing Thinker
    Keene: Difficult Living Situation


Until Our Next Match,
-Perplexity, DS of Zeltiva
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