Flashback You'll really all help me as best you can?

Percy learns just how valuable a friendship at the workplace can be!

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]

You'll really all help me as best you can?

Postby Percy Donhaeris on May 24th, 2015, 12:44 pm

Winter 4th - 514 AV

It probably just turned afternoon, and Percy wasn't eager to help cook, so he thought he'd take the time to sweep the deck and work up an appetite. As typical for a Wintery midday in Zeltiva, the sun flaunted its magnificence in the sky, though in vain behind the dense, swift clouds. Percy had been forced into to his jacket to cope with the weather, and goosebumps accumulated lightly in most places. As the large vessel creaked and turned, the boy took a deep breath to inhale the fresh air that, too, floated above the waters of the Southern Coast. He grabbed at a mop and started moving it around the deck, first around the important places (the kitchens, the captain's area), and then in general just making the whole floor of the ship look that bit tidier.

"Excellent work, Percy, you going to grab some food?" This was the voice of Percy's coordinator and employer, a high ranking sea official, probably next in charge to the Captain. Percy smiled, nodded, and made his way to the kitchen where he found the rest of the shipmates had gathered to tuck in to their lunches.

Although he wasn't particularly hungry, even after the tireless swabbing of the deck, he made a point to fill his stomach with a healthy, wholesome meal.

"So, P.," (P. was Percy's nickname, and it wasn't likely that he'd be addressed otherwise by his friends on deck), "How has your day been?" Gohan asked. Gohan was simple, didn't mind Percy for all his quirks and was a very strong worker.

"There's actually something that I needed to tell you all," Percy almost shuddered as he began, "Do you think we could go to the table?" And with that, the crew all put down their plates and picked up their mugs and headed over to the gambling table. It wasn't often that Donhaeris gambled, but he did try hard to make a good impression by being good at the games they all played.

As dice were rolled, cards shuffled and money swapped, the boy eased himself into a comfortable enough mood to share what he had to say. He picked up his mug, downed the contents of it and then announced clearly,

"You're all my friends, even you, Junhin," He laughed, there was a personal joke involved, "I need to tell you all something, so without postponing any further, I'm leaving." The response was mixed, some laughter and some ignorance came from the rest of the group. "I've come to the decision that I need to see the world, for better or worse reasons than you might think, and I wanted to give you all enough time to prepare for my leave." He explained that his intention was to quit his job within the next few weeks, and that he didn't want to make it difficult for anyone.

Finally, Gohan spoke out, "Well, a motive is one thing, but leaving Zeltiva by yourself is suicide." Percy's eyebrows sank, he knew that it would be difficult. "So, I suppose we're going to have to help you, aren't we?" At first it was Percy's belief that Gohan wanted to come with him - this, of course, was out of the question.

"Look--" He was interupted by Gohan, again.

"Boys, we all love our Percy, am I right? I doubt he'll do very well out there only knowing how to shift barrels!" Hearty laughter built up, now - plenty of alcohol meant a good occasion for Percy to make the most of his leave. A couple of Gohan's closer friends agreed that they'd share their information with the young deck-hand, and soon it was unanimous that the crew would give Percy everything he needed to survive on the way to where ever.

He knew already that Brik had his fair share of experience with the world outside of Zeltiva, and this was his first point of contact. While they gambled they discussed all of the things that Brik had done, and soon it was agreed upon that private tuition from the adventurer would take place as soon as possible. As soon as possible meant the next day, and the afternoon was long and hard before then.

Percy didn't make any money at the table - he didn't lose any either. In fact, nobody was really paying attention to the games properly due to the sheer excitement that they'd gone for so long without. He put his vest on as the sun fell lower and lower in the sky, and as the ship was tied in to the harbour, he started to haul kegs from below deck. This was always tiring work, Percy wasn't cut out for lifting the heavyweight stuff - realistically, Percy was a messenger and a doer of general small things.

That night, thoughts raced through his mind about all of the things that could and would happen. He had no idea that the crew would take so lightly to his leave. After all, it had been almost 10 years since he joined them, and he was looking at a rise in pay in the near future. He hauled his tiring body down to below the deck and removed his favourite book from the shelf. The pictures and cryptic messages quickly put him to sleep, and his dreams were filled with potential snippets from his future, or so he liked to think. His sleep went undisturbed until daylight, as it did for the rest of the crew.
Last edited by Percy Donhaeris on June 11th, 2015, 12:46 pm, edited 6 times in total.
User avatar
Percy Donhaeris
The Misotheist Spiritist
 
Posts: 12
Words: 14566
Joined roleplay: May 23rd, 2015, 1:08 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet

You'll really all help me as best you can? [WIP]

Postby Percy Donhaeris on May 24th, 2015, 1:48 pm

Winter 5th - 514 AV

The morning was a surprise to Percy, just as the shipmates willed it to be. It wasn't the gentle rocking of the boat in the morning waves that stirred him, instead it was a cold bucket of sea water right in his face! With a splutter, a bit of a scream, and much frustration and laughter, he clambered out of bed and changed into some dry clothes. All of his friends had woken themselves up early in order to give the boy a proper introduction to his first lesson.

It was tedious, at first, they covered things like just how big the country was, how far he'd have to travel to certain places, they briefed him when they could on what it was like in different cities and what the general climate was like in most regions. What he really focused on was the route to Nyka, and when he found out about the religious practices that went down there, a fury welled inside of him. Brik gifted him a parchment, with pictures detailing exactly what he'd need to pack before his leave.

Most of the items he'd already acquired or had some use with, though over the course of the morning they went over what each item would be useful for. The morning wasn't at all a waste of time - after only a couple of early hours listening to what everyone had to say, he felt confident enough with what he was doing.

"Thanks, guys - I can't wait to put all of this to use!"

Only few of the shipmates knew what his intentions were, only few even cared. Eventually, though, their daybreak expired and it was time for them to get about their business. Right after breakfast, of course.

There was a huff as Percy hauled the last barrel onto the wagon. The wagon driver didn't seem too impressed.

"What a rotten job--", fortunately for Percy, the man was cut off by the chimes that echoed throughout Zeltiva, reminding the locals to wake up. As the boy turned and walked back to the ship, he felt the imminence of combat. A hand pressed up firmly to his shoulder and he calmly pivoted around to face a disgruntled and drunken, old man. "I could have done a better job with my eyes closed! Don't you know that I have to get these back off of the wagon? And I'm not paid per job, you're wasting my time here, sea wretch!" With that, the old man feinted a punch - this made Percy incredibly confused and agitated.

Not knowing quite what to do, he asked the driver if he could 'perhaps re-arrange the barrels', it didn't have the desired effect. The driver swung at Percy with every aspect of his drunken strength (which was relatively little). Not quite quick enough to move out of the way, Percy had to trust that his arm would take the fall for the punch, and he moved it up to protect his face. He almost laughed when it didn't hurt, and shouted for help when he realised the futility in battling an old man. When no help arrived, however, he understood that he'd have to stop the brute somehow.

He now had a small crowd gathered around him, and most of it was in support of the old driver. Taunts and insults were delivered to Percy from the spectators, things such as, 'Undeserving monster' and 'Neglected worm': all things that Percy had heard too often. He spent a little while minimizing the pain from the assault, and decided that he'd better retaliate. He grabbed at things around him that he could use as weapons, though more often than not a member of the crowd would seize what he was after and keep it from him. It wasn't a favourable fight, and soon he thought, he would have to engage in a fist fight.

He was right, though he didn't expect it to be so difficult. The man became exhausted quickly, and one of Percy's worst enemies stepped in his place.

"Fight me, Donhaeris," he mocked the deck-hand with gestures and laughter, "I'll pummel you quicker than you can say 'Death to the Gods', kid!" Now Percy was in trouble. A fight broke out quickly, bruises and cuts were all that came of the scrap, before one of the boys decided to end it. It was Percy's opponent that landed the finishing blow - a cheap shot, all things considered. Just as the deck-hand moved in to endure more punches (and hopefully throw a few of his own, this time), the larger kid was handed a vase by one of the bystanders. It ended with the crowd and attacker fleeing, and Percy collapsed in agony on the pier - shards of pottery surrounding his blood-drenched head.

It wasn't until later, when Percy was encouraged to his senses by the ship's physician, that he learned the importance of his mistakes. After explaining the situation, Percy was relieved of his afternoon duties and left to his hammock to rest. He dwelled on the fight, and thought carefully about what he could do differently should the same thing occur another day. The debate in his head ended, as most debates before that, in frustration. He decided to continue cleaning the boat anyway, and moved upstairs to wax the deck.
Last edited by Percy Donhaeris on June 11th, 2015, 12:28 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
Percy Donhaeris
The Misotheist Spiritist
 
Posts: 12
Words: 14566
Joined roleplay: May 23rd, 2015, 1:08 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet

You'll really all help me as best you can? [WIP]

Postby Percy Donhaeris on May 24th, 2015, 3:48 pm




Nightfall came, and Percy found himself in his hammock again, trying to make sense of the paragraphs in his less understood Spiritism book. The pictures were detailing possession - several illustrations of people seemingly acting out of rage or hunger, when in actual fact they'd been possessed. It meant little to the boy, who could only just understand that ghosts sometimes meant bad news. He wondered what it would be like to interact with a harmful spirit - how it could be possible for a ghost to have such an influence over a mortal body. He puzzled over the words, coming to only the conclusion that the ghost must seize the body somehow. He really hoped that Rodger would come back and explain it all to him, he didn't spend much time with Rodger, and regretted not engaging with the ghost more after it left.

Flicking on a few more pages, he came to a section titled, 'Evocation'. This was something that had been explained very briefly by one of the more knowledgeable shipmates, nobody on the deck knew really what Spiritism was about, but many of them had Spiritist friends or have needed the help of a Spiritist in their lives. It was all such a scribble to him, Spritism. Some ghosts are friendly, some aren't - some people want them rid of, some want them communicated to, where was Percy's part in this? Did he see Spiritism as a career? He certainly didn't. Percy saw Spiritism as a hobby, or an interest, something that could bring him company in the future, or a reputation among the dead. He read through the Evocation pages, and understood far more than he would've liked to.

'Isn't it wrong to kill something that's dead?' The boy, who was still largely in his adolescence, tiresomely questioned the morals of the more intense Spiritism practices. There was a chill in the cabin for a moment, and Percy put the book down before pulling a cover over him. The candles flickered and surrounded him, his shipmates had fallen asleep and he felt more alone than he had in a long time. 'Wouldn't it be ironic if I became a ghost, one day?' And just before his thoughts strayed into the dangerously deep, they stopped, and he closed his eyes for the night.
User avatar
Percy Donhaeris
The Misotheist Spiritist
 
Posts: 12
Words: 14566
Joined roleplay: May 23rd, 2015, 1:08 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet

You'll really all help me as best you can?

Postby Sayana on December 4th, 2015, 9:33 pm

Image

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.


 
Percy
Skills
  • XP
Lores
  • Lore:
Comments
If you return, please update your ledger to include the seasonal expenses for Spring 515. Typical seasonal expenses are 135 GM (common) or 45 GM (poor). Once you have done that, please PM me and I will grade your thread.

I’d just like to apologize on behalf of the graders and staff that we couldn’t get to grading this thread earlier. I hope it didn’t contribute to your departure from Mizahar.

Comments:

Your Grader,

Sayana
Boxcode design: Firenze
User avatar
Sayana
Dancing in the rain...
 
Posts: 1938
Words: 1543550
Joined roleplay: September 22nd, 2014, 12:38 am
Location: Sunberth
Race: Eypharian
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 8
Featured Character (1) Featured Contributor (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Overlored (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
Syliras Seasonal Challenge (1) Alvadas Seasonal Challenge (1)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests