Closed Have You Seen The Muffin Man?

Saiyin finds a magic item and doesn't know what to think of it.

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

Have You Seen The Muffin Man?

Postby Saiyin on June 12th, 2018, 1:03 pm

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21st Summer 518 AV
"Speech"


Saiyin was out late, staff in hand as she trod carefully through the fog in search of a clear space to practice her skill. The mist was ethereal and surreal, making it seem like she was lost in the clouds. It was cold too, and she had her cloak wrapped tight and her eyes cast down to the ground, carefully scanning to prevent her from falling ir stumbling.

She climbed a steep path from her home, occasionally having to stop and use her hands to clamber over larger rocks as she went. It was hard work, especially with the chill burning her lungs as she breathed in, but it would be worth it. Saiyin didn't intend on going far- at the end of the path was a place where the terrain flattened for a while, and that was her destination.

In her right hand she carried a lantern, but the flame barely seemed to dent the muffling fog. To all intents and purposes, she was completely alone the mountain, her only companion the occasional okomo looming silently from the mist. Sound was dead, almost, though she could hear her footsteps crunching on the gravel path and the breath leaving her lips in light puffs of smoke.

After more clambering over steep rocks, she finally reached her practice spot. Saiyin rolled her shoulders and raised her hand to press into a knot in her neck, and then released her hands down to her waist, lantern and staff swinging idly as she closed her eyes and listened. There was nothing around, only a light, throbbing breeze that barely made a noise as it brushed past her ears and played with her hair.

She smiled and set the lantern down on the ground a few feet away from her. It was time to begin. Using both hands, she grabbed the quarterstaff and held it in front of her, the point slightly tilted forwards as if to hit an opponent on the head. Saiyin needed to learn how to spin it between her hands, and so she twisted it so that it lay horizontally instead.

What was she supposed to do now? She thought hard, but couldn't place ever having learnt how to turn it around in her hands. That was why she was there though..- that, and distracting herself from work. Saiyin slowly turned the quarterstaff in her hands and stopped once her wrists were in the way.

She did it again, then swapped the quarterstaff into her other hand. That seemed like it would work, and so she spun it around again, swapping and swapping... The staff flung out of her hand before she even noticed she'd failed. Her hands and transferred the staff further and further along the staff pole until the weight of the staff had catapulted it from her hands. She sighed, but stooped to pick it up again.

As she bent down, to her shock she suddenly noticed a figure sitting in a rock, a little distance away from where she was sitting. She clasped the quarterstaff tight in her hand, and held it in front of her guardedly. With a little tinge of fear, she called out, "Hello? Who's there?"
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Have You Seen The Muffin Man?

Postby Saiyin on July 22nd, 2018, 4:28 pm

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"Speech"
"Others"


"Ohh, nobody, dear. Just a fellow Lhavitian enjoying the cold, night air like yourself." The voice came back, crisp and jovial, as the stranger stood up and bowed in her direction. Still holding the staff and not knowing what to think, Saiyin stepped forwards a little to see if she could get a better glimpse of the man and answered warily, "How long were you sitting there for?" She was slightly less scared now, although it would be incredibly foolish to let her guard down completely. With a hint of steady slowness, Saiyin manoeuvred the quarterstaff into a better position and listened to the stillness.

The man was silent for a few moments, long enough for the woman to wonder whether she should repeat her question. She studied him curiously. From within the murk of the nighttime fog, she could see he wore a long, dark cloak and hood pulled over his face. That seemed a sensible thing to do, in the unusual cool of Summer, but under cover of darkness it was ominous too. He was quite tall, certainly taller than she was, but he looked slim to her eyes. Maybe it was the way the fabric of his cloak hung limp around his form, but she suspected he was painfully thin, and wondered why that might be the case.

Finally he answered after a period where neither of the two Lhavitians had moved. His voice was bright and cheerful and strangely melodious, and she found herself trusting him a little more easily. "I've not been here long, dear, but I was sitting here before you arrived. The mists, as you know, exclude quite a lot don't they?" She nodded and then realised he couldn't see that. "Yes, they do. It's very strange and I have to say, quite annoying. It was beautiful for a while, but now I have this odd feeling that it's never going to clear up." It was a chilling thought, but a slightly over-the-top notion and she quickly dismissed it. "Obviously it will clear at some point, but I wish it would hurry up."

"Dearie, I do too."

Saiyin smiled, but as the conversation seemed to wither to nothing she was left wondering what to do. Somehow, she didn't like the concept of practising her training whilst a stranger watched over her, and now she'd stopped walking she was beginning to feel the chill wriggling underneath her cloak. It was disappointing, but she decided to head back home and return another time. She began to walk to the lantern, but as she did so the man moved for the first time since he'd stood up.

With movements light and sleek, he approached the lantern and stood beside it. Saiyin stopped in her tracks, suddenly aware of the danger of losing the light. She forced herself to stop worrying, but it was difficult as the man spoke up again. This time, his voice was sweetly saccharin, "I do hope you're not leaving me all alone out here, my dear. Oho! That rhymed." He snickered. That sound was alarming, even more so as she could not see his face. She gripped the staff closer and stood her ground.

"Excuse me sir, but that's my lantern you're standing beside, and I would like to be leaving. You must have a light of your own, or otherwise you wouldn't have been here all by yourself. Maybe you don't mind the darkness, and it isn't as dim as all that, so I would like to take my lantern and my leave of you." It was awfully polite, but her tone spoke otherwise in the tautness of her voice.
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Have You Seen The Muffin Man?

Postby Saiyin on July 22nd, 2018, 4:55 pm

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"Speech"
"Others"


With the mist swirling in static clouds of dense grey around the mountain, Saiyin and the stranger faced each other in another tense chime of silence. Again, she began to think of repeating herself with a little more emphasis on the demand rather than as a request, but as soon as she began to speak the stranger cut her off. "Now now, there's no need to get upset. I'll happily give you the lantern. I'd like to ask a little favour first, and I can see you've got a weapon, but there's no need to get angry." He raised his hands, two pale hands with long fingers that surprised her, and very slowly removed his hood.

His face was pale and slim, with long black hair hanging either side of his cheeks. The flickering light of the lantern illuminated his skin and she was uncomfortably aware that her prognosis on his slenderness was true. His skin looked waxy and pale, and he looked ill. She turned her gaze to his eyes, and although she was worried for herself, she was also concerned for him. His lips turned upwards as if reading her expression and his shoulders raised slightly as if to say, that's life, isn't it?

"My favour is this, young lady. I have your lantern to return, and a present to gift you also, but I want something in return. Will you favour me with one kiss from your sweet lips? Afterwards, I will leave you be, with this delectable muffin tin yours for the keeping, and only a memory of me that you can surely banish. I am so lonely, so sick, and so afraid of death. My illness is not catching, so there's no need for fear, but I'm afraid I won't last the season."

His voice dropped down low, and Saiyin stepped closer both out of horrified sympathy and so as to hear his voice. His eyes were filling with tears, and whatever fear she had held onto was now fading, although she still kept the quarterstaff held in front of her ready to fend him off should he even think of touching her. "It need only be a kiss to the cheek. I'm sorry I've held your light hostage, but a man grows weary of seeing life pass him by, and you are so very bright and so very nice. Please? Would you grant a dying man his last request?"

Saiyin stood stock-still, and pondered on the man and his mystery. She was a trusting individual, and didn't think that it was a trap or otherwise. After all, if he wanted her for any other purpose, he could have done so at any point in their encounter so far. Why bother explaining his situation to her at all? She swallowed, and steadied herself as she stepped forwards until she was within touching distance of the man. Up close, more details revealed themselves. He was indeed taller than her, although not by as much as she'd thought. Her eyes trailed up to his face, and saw his skin was pockmarked with what must have been terrible acne in his youth. His eyebrows had a tinge of grey to them, but his face was without lines or wrinkles.

Her indecision was broken when he smiled for the first time. It was such a sad act that she felt sorry for him almost instinctively. She didn't realise she was a victim of hypnotism, and perhaps that was a good thing, that she wouldn't learn who he really was. Saiyin answered the man, and smiled tentitively at him as a show of good faith. "I will. On the cheek."
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Have You Seen The Muffin Man?

Postby Saiyin on July 22nd, 2018, 5:29 pm

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"Speech"
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The expression of pure delight on his face was enough to seal the deal. He closed his eyes and Saiyin saw the dark bags underneath them. He was a poor, lonely, sick man who was near to Dira's embrace. It was a kindness, wasn't it, to grant him his wish? Never mind that it was a little weird, and that she didn't even know his name. Saiyin leaned in closer and breathed in the musty scent of his clothes and the ranker smell of his body. She promptly tried not to breathe at all, and leant in to gently press her lips to his cheek.

The moment lasted a tick- less than a tick. Before she had to breathe again, she pulled back and hurriedly pulled her hand across her lips before the stranger opened his eyes and grinned at her. She ignored the look in his eyes, the slightly predatory look that set the anxiety back into her core, but he seemed intent to keep his promise as he bent and picked up the lantern to pass to her. With relief, she took the handle and nodded her thanks. He spoke, before she could turn and walk away, "Wait!"

He rummaged inside his cloak, then quickly withdrew something. "I have a present for you. It's nothing special, only a little tin. You can put muffins in it, if you desire. Or maybe you'll be lucky, and find something else inside. But it's yours, for your kindness to a dying man. Here, take it." He proffered the tin, and gingerly Saiyin took it. The metal was dented and battered, but the latch seemed to close well enough. What an odd gift! Nevertheless, she hesitantly tucked it into her pocket, and thanked the man.

"Thank you for your gift. I really had best be going now though. I, uh... I wish you well. Good bye." With that, she waved and the man waved back. She left him standing there, but after a few steps she turned back and he had disappeared. She assumed he'd walked off into the fog, but the effect was unnerving.

Saiyin hurried back down the path. She was careful not to rush unduly, as she didn't want to fall and break a bone, but the lurking presence of the strange man still seemed to be nearby. Rationally she knew she was just worrying for no reason, but it was still a huge relief to finally find herself at home. She rummaged for the key, and then locked herself inside. The lantern's light flickered against the walls, but it was homely rather than eerie now and she began to relax.

It was a strange night, and no mistake. She dragged out the kitchen chair, and plonked herself down, placing the man's gift down onto the table in front of her. She studied in closer, gazing at the brass object and wondering what she could use it for. It crossed her mind that it was some kind of trap, or even weapon, but again she dismissed the silly notion. She didn't need to panic over an ill man. He hadn't meant any harm, surely.

Nevertheless, Saiyin gingerly unclasped the tin, half-expecting at least some kind of practical joke inside. To her utter amazement, inside the tin was not a pile of shyke, nor nothing, but a muffin. It steamed quietly to itself in the kitchen, smelling absolutely delicious. She picked it out of the case, immediately hungry but also immediately wary. Should she eat it? Supposing it was poisonous. Yet, it didn't smell poisonous... She broke it open and resisted the temptation to lick her fingers, but the inside of the muffin was just as normal-looking as the rest of it.

On impulse, she popped a portion into her mouth and chewed. The flavour exploded in her mouth, and her eyebrows raised. She would look almost comical to anyone who could have seen her then: mouth stuffed full of muffin, eyebrows raised in an amusing caricature of surprise. She chomped down on it, and then ate the rest. A delicious, delicious muffin. Saiyin didn't recognise the flavour (salted caramel), but she knew it tasted lovely. Perhaps she would never know who the man was, and why he'd gifted her a magical muffin tin of all things... But she was grateful. With a grin, she settled her things away and put the muffin tin beside the hearth. It was bed-time. She only hoped she could sleep after a full stomach and the curious events that had lead to it.
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Saiyin
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Have You Seen The Muffin Man?

Postby Saiyin on August 28th, 2018, 9:18 am

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Grades Awarded

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Saiyin


Skills
Weapon (Quarterstaff): +1
Observation: +2
Socialisation: +1

Lores
Quarterstaff: Rudimentary spin
Quarterstaff: Basic defensive hold
Person: Strange cloaked man on the mountainside
Self: Unpleasant first kiss
Lore of the magic muffin tin

Notes
+1 magical muffin tin! :D

This was a prize acquisition thread, as well as a self-grade. Please PM if there is a problem.

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User avatar
Saiyin
~☆~
 
Posts: 134
Words: 91451
Joined roleplay: March 17th, 2018, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human
Character sheet
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Plotnotes


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