Closed What's in Store?

Zhol and Khara go shopping again.

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

The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

What's in Store?

Postby Zhol on May 29th, 2015, 7:15 pm

.
.
..
.
Zhol wasn't sure where Khara had gone, and that worried him. True, she was under no obligation to tell him anything, and if she wished to have secrets from him, Zhol respected her privacy enough not to pry. It wasn't the secret that concerned him though; it was the mere notion of Khara venturing off into the market without him. It was perfectly safe of course, and if anything bad were to happen at the market, Zhol was sure that Khara would be more than capable of defending herself - as much as she might want it, Khara didn't need Zhol's protection, per se - but it wasn't just harm that Zhol longed to protect her from, but discomfort and upset and anxiety as well. No amount of respect for Khara could assuage the concern and helplessness he felt, nor stop the torrent of worst case possibilities that began to stream through his mind.

It was those thoughts that distracted Zhol, and stopped him from haggling with Tordon over the price; those thoughts, paired with his complete lack of negotiating skill. It was strange, he supposed, considering where he had grown up. In Endrykas, most transactions circumvented coin and currency. The Drykas would rather trade the produce of their craft with one another, or trade services in exchange for goods for directly, instead of merely shuffling gold and silver around from person to person. For Zhol, that service had been taking care of horses for those who lacked the time and inclination, or lending a pair of unskilled hands to menial and unpleasant tasks. In Endrykas, Zhol had understood what his services were worth, how much effort went into a task, and what he could expect to ask for or receive in exchange. With coin though, the values were meaningless. Zhol received the same pay as any other Avora; a season caring for horses earned him the same as a season forging weapons, or a season hunting in the Unforgiving. Zhol didn't understand that; couldn't comprehend that. He could do the mathematics, calculate the numbers, work out just how much he had done to earn each pinion; but whether that pinion's worth of work matched a pinion of a carpenter or a blacksmith's time, Zhol had absolutely no idea. It was entirely baffling; and if that was the price that the artisans felt was appropriate for the time and resources involved, he hardly felt knowledgeable enough to disagree.

Tordon himself added to Zhol's confusion. Rather than simply take Zhol's order and deprive him of his pinions, Tordon had sought clarification. He'd explained how training dummies were made, the number of different craftsmen involved in making the various parts, and the time it would all take; and then he'd suggested an alternative, a training post instead, quicker and simpler to make, yet arguably more versatile, and a steal at half the price. Zhol found that hard to fathom - why was Tordon trying to separate him from less of his money? Perhaps the simpler design meant that fewer parts from other artisans were needed, and so the Hot Hammer kept a bigger portion of the profit; but Zhol was too wary of the merchant's possible motives to enquire.

With Khara still not back by the time Zhol had finished his purchase, he found himself faced with something of a dilemma. On the one hand, he could set out in search for her, but he was so determined not to disrespect her right to secrets and privacy that he barely managed to allow himself to glance around and see if she was nearby, lest he accidentally see whatever it was she didn't want him to see. He'd snuck a covert glance at the adjacent stall and, satisfied that Khara was not there, he'd wandered over with the intention of casually browsing. That had been a mistake; approaching a stall without a clear intention had ensnared him within the merchant's web. Worse, it was no ordinary stall: apparently a shipment of fine wine had arrived in the city a few days before, and remembering how much Khara had enjoyed the bottle they'd shared in the Hideaway on her birthday, wine became too plausible a possible purchase for there to be any hope of Zhol walking away from there still in possession of all his pinions. At least he'd had the fortitude to only buy one bottle, and it wasn't like he would have spent those ten pinions on anything else any time soon, and technically it was for Khara as much as it was for himself, but still: as Zhol stood there gripping the glass bottle by the neck and trying in vain to understand the writing scrawled across the label - he wasn't even sure what language it was, let alone what it might have said - he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in himself. Hopefully Khara wouldn't be as well; his stomach sank as he imagined the way her eyes would look at him if she were.

That thought fresh in his mind as Zhol finally glimpsed Khara emerging out of the crowd, he panicked, and not-very-subtly hid the bottle behind his back, hoping she hadn't seen.

OOCPaid six pinions instead of five for the "training post, simple"... because it wouldn't be a Zhol shopping thread if he wasn't slightly overcharged for something!
Image
"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
Dad Thoughts | Dinah Thoughts | Khara Thoughts
...
This template was made by Khara, the letter Q, and the numbers 87 and 13.
User avatar
Zhol
Carry on, wayward son.
 
Posts: 763
Words: 710796
Joined roleplay: July 10th, 2014, 4:45 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Featured Thread (1) Overlored (1)
Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)

What's in Store?

Postby Khara on June 8th, 2015, 2:26 am

Her expression lit up the instant she saw him, but the swift movement of his arm behind his back and the concerned expression he tried to dismiss just as quickly weren't lost to her. Her immediate reaction was to finish removing the gap between them and ask what went wrong, what had Torden made him buy, and to feel guilty at leaving his side in the first place.

Khara forced herself to take a deep breath, however, and took a better look at Zhol's posture. There was worry that slumped his shoulders, she knew that sight of him often enough, but there was something else there too... was he hiding something behind his back?

Her approach took on a more playful nature as it slowed to a casual stroll until she was right in front of him. The grin that had reformed the moment she spotted Zhol shifted into an amused half smirk as she peered up at him through a few loose strands of her hair.

"I did what I had to, sorry it took so long." While there was a hint of tease to her tone it was clear the apology was sincere. "Did things with Tordon go well? Did you get the training...thing?"

Before Zhol could ask the smirk broadened and Khara went to her toes and motioned as if she was going to look over his shoulder at what was behind his back. It was clearly an impossible task but she didn't exactly care. Of course it was followed by a quick sidestep to again attempt to peer behind him. Khara wasn't really trying to see what it was, but the bit of a game brought a slight laugh to her lips and she only hoped that Zhol would have a similar reaction.

"What are you hiding?" She asked quickly as a glance was cast away from him towards the nearby stalls as if they would reveal the answer. "You know I will find out."

A step closer to Zhol was taken and she returned her eyes to his, the hint of impish nature persisting. "Or... Is it a surprise and I have to wait until we get home to find out?"


"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"
Image Image Image
User avatar
Khara
Lost Little Sparrow
 
Posts: 739
Words: 660741
Joined roleplay: July 4th, 2014, 6:17 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Overlored (1) Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)
2014 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

What's in Store?

Postby Zhol on June 23rd, 2015, 1:44 pm

.
.
..
.
Zhol's cheeks reddened a few shades. It was the strangest thing - he didn't expect Khara to be angry at him, nor was he particularly ashamed of his purchase; perhaps it was just awareness of how she always reacted and protested every time he spent his pinions on her, and he wanted to spare her - and himself - from the uncomfortable, squirming reaction that those situations caused. It wasn't bad when it happened; there was something adorable about it, in fact. Zhol just knew that he would feel much better once Khara became comfortable letting him spend his earnings on the most important thing in the world.

"It is not -" he started slowly, sheepishly easing his arm from behind him, and back into view. For a moment he wished he had a fraction of his grandfather's magic: wished he had the ability to hide things behind his back and disappear them forever. No amount of questioning or research had revealed to Zhol even what branch of magic allowed his father's father to conjure coins and small stones from behind Zhol's tiny, fascinated infant ears, nor how his grandfather could sneeze and have a handkerchief suddenly manifest in his hand out of thin air. It was a kind of magic Zhol had never seen anyone else use; some closely guarded family secret. Often, he wondered if those secrets might have been shared with him when he had become skilled enough in the magical arts; if he hadn't, if his reimancy hadn't...

"It is not from Tordon," he admitted, focusing himself in the now instead of the dark spiral that his mind was determined to have him tumble down. He brandished the bottle so that Khara could see; not that she'd be able to comprehend the writing on the label any easier than he had. Wherever the wine was from, it definitely wasn't somewhere they spoke Nari or Pavi, that was for certain. "I remember how happy it made you on your birthday, and -"

His words stumbled, not entirely sure how to convey the sentiment. He took a breath, and let his expression soften, settling into a modest but warm and comfortable smile. "People use wine to celebrate the good times, and now that we are together... there are many such times to be celebrated. I thought that we should perhaps have some, so that we are ready for the next time."
Image
"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
Dad Thoughts | Dinah Thoughts | Khara Thoughts
...
This template was made by Khara, the letter Q, and the numbers 87 and 13.
User avatar
Zhol
Carry on, wayward son.
 
Posts: 763
Words: 710796
Joined roleplay: July 10th, 2014, 4:45 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Featured Thread (1) Overlored (1)
Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)

What's in Store?

Postby Khara on July 18th, 2015, 7:38 pm

Khara couldn't help but grin in reply, though it was sheepish in nature and involved a bit of lip biting as her eyes flitted from Zhol's gaze to the bottle and back again as he explained. It was a strange thing, she hadn't cared much for the wine that she had first drank at the Inclement Weather with Azira; it had been sour in a way and the dark red liquid hadn't exactly been to her liking - until she'd had a glass or two of it, at least. But Zhol had bought her a white wine for her birthday and it had been sweet and just a little tart and she had to make a very good effort to not actually drink too much to put herself into a stupor, thankfully Zhol's preparations at the Hideaway had managed to distract her from such an endeavor and she'd managed to space out the remaining wine over a few days.

That Zhol remembered her reaction to such a simple thing wasn't surprising - the horse boy seemed to have an uncanny ability for memory when it came to anything she said or did - but it was endearing never the less. Even if it did make her slightly uncomfortable with him buying such a thing just for her. It didn't seem to matter how much Zhol insisted on it being perfectly okay, something he wanted to do, even, the thought that anyone would give up their hard earned pinions for her was still a strange concept.

Khara had learned a way to try and not become as flustered by it as she had once been, though. It was a simple exercise of the mind, one could say. All she had to do was think about the reaction that Zhol seemed to have whenever something happened that made her happy. A gift for her wasn't strictly just for her in a way, it was some sort of circular happiness loop... Or something. Zhol would gift her something, she would smile about it, he'd be happy in return at her joy, and she'd be happy to see that and so on it would go. Besides, it wasn't like he was the only one spending pinions on the person he cared about that day.

Not that any of that sort of logic would actually make accepting the gift or knowing how to show her gratitude any easier. For a few ticks all she could do was stand there, a small dumbfounded smile forming on her lip as her hands found their way to fidget in front of her as they always seemed to do. Thankfully her mind made the decision up for her and Khara took a small step forward before her arms wound around one of Zhol's and she tugged herself close against him.

"It is always good to be prepared," she admitted with a playful smirk. "I like that."

A small squeeze of his arm in hers brought her just slightly closer. "Thank you. Hopefully we will find a good opportunity to drink it together."

Another quick decision later and she surged to her toes and placed a soft kiss against his cheek before returning to a more relaxed place at his side. Before she let the strange feeling of self-consciousness that wanted to worm in take hold, Khara's gaze returned to the market and a small hum left her.

"I think I have had enough of the market today. Is there anything else you need or should we head home?"


"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"
Image Image Image
User avatar
Khara
Lost Little Sparrow
 
Posts: 739
Words: 660741
Joined roleplay: July 4th, 2014, 6:17 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Overlored (1) Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)
2014 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

What's in Store?

Postby Zhol on September 3rd, 2015, 10:55 pm

.
.
..
.
Zhol couldn't help the small smirking smile that crept it's way onto his face after she kissed him, nor the covert glance around the market to see if there was anyone to witness how truly lucky he was to have Khara as part of his life in the way that she was.

Deep down, he knew that the rest of Wind Reach probably didn't much care about what the Outsider and his Chiet got up to: Wind Reach's oddly intimate culture seemed to work mostly because no one paid any mind to what you got up to behind closed doors, in secluded tunnels, or in the darkly lit corners of the Inclement Weather. He could give in to the urges whispering away in the back of his mind and have his hands all over Khara right here in the middle of the market, and at most they'd receive a few grunts and a few disapproving glances; and those would be more about who they were than what they were doing. It was oddly familiar in a way: back in Endrykas you lived so on top of each other that you had to force yourself not to notice other people's private affairs; in Wind Reach, you simply neglected to care about them one way or another. If it wasn't you taking pleasure in the company of another, it wasn't worth the waste of thought.

Strangely though, Zhol found himself wishing that someone would notice, and would care. It wasn't that he craved the attention. It wasn't that he wanted to see jealousy in the eyes of others, even though he was utterly certain that would be the correct response. What mattered was that he loved Khara, and she knew: and yet, that didn't seem enough. Her belief and acceptance of that truth was the most important thing to him by an astronomical margin, yet at the same time he wanted to climb out onto the side of Skyinarta and carve out his affection for her into the stone in letters so large that his family back in Cyphrus would be able to see. He wanted to utter it to every person he met, so that in every corner of the world his total and unwavering love for Khara would be a fact known to all. He wanted to climb to the highest point of the mountain's peak, and shout his love so loudly that the echoes would bounce around in the valleys of Kalea for all of eternity. He loved Khara, and he wanted every creature since the dawn of time to know.

Of course, Khara wouldn't want that. Even the merest suggestion of such things, poetic impossibilities that they were, would have her shrinking into the tiniest ball she could become in order to escape and evade the notice of those whose attention Zhol's confessions drew. He knew that while the opinion of others was a crippling worry that burdened her daily, her feelings towards him were the one thing where she adamantly refused to care what others thought. She might blush and find it sweet if Zhol told the entire world how he felt about her: but to Khara, it would only ever matter when he told her.

Gently, Zhol shifted inside the firm but gentle grip that Khara wrapped around his arm, enough to turn to face her, moving himself into the path of her attempts to gaze around the market. His unimpeded hand rose to her face, gently brushing aside a strand of copper that tried to obscure her from his view, letting his fingertips brush down her cheek and linger until her golden eyes finally rose to meet his.

"I already have everything I could ever want," he uttered softly, and while he knew that Khara would only understand some of what he said, the fact that no one else for miles around would comprehend even a single word of it made it clear that she was the only one he wanted to hear. "She is right here in my arms, and I will never let her go."

An easy smile formed on his features, one that was irresistible every time he looked at her. Slowly he leaned forward and downward, a soft kiss placed against Khara's forehead. "Lets go home," he said, his words carried on the back of a contented sigh. "I've shared you with the rest of the world enough already for today."
Image
"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
Dad Thoughts | Dinah Thoughts | Khara Thoughts
...
This template was made by Khara, the letter Q, and the numbers 87 and 13.
User avatar
Zhol
Carry on, wayward son.
 
Posts: 763
Words: 710796
Joined roleplay: July 10th, 2014, 4:45 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Featured Thread (1) Overlored (1)
Wind Reach Seasonal  Challenge (1)

What's in Store?

Postby Brandon Blackwing on December 3rd, 2015, 8:41 pm

Image

ZHOL

XP:

  • Socialization +5
  • Observation +4
  • Intimidation +1
  • Rhetoric +3
  • Negotiation +2
  • Acting +1



Lore:
  • How Ravens carry messages
  • Khara once wanted to work at the aviaries
  • Acting: keeping your tone of voice polite but plain
  • Parallels between Wind Reach and Endrykas


KHARA

XP:

  • Socialization +3
  • Teaching +1
  • Observation +4
  • Seduction +1
  • Negotiation +1
  • Interrogation +1



Lore:
  • Explaining how Ravens carry messages
  • Seduction: Using kisses to appease Zhol
  • Somehow managing to say 'no' to an avora


Notes:
I somehow feel like I forgot to award stuff, but when I reread the posts I thought I might have overlooked something, there was nothing there. Nothing I could see anyway :/

Not a lot of skills and lores to be had here, so yeah. Hope you're liking the grade?

Please remove or edit your post in the request thread.
Also please track your newly awarded xp and lores in your CS so both staff and graders alike can keep on grading your threads :)
If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding your grade, please do not hesitate to send me a PM.



credit goes to Adelaide Sitai
Image
Fighting Style and Techniques

Credit for this awesome sig goes to Estrellir Konrath
User avatar
Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
Words: 1496963
Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

Previous

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests