Open Pieces and Parts

The people of Syka join together to restore the lost treasures of the past

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Syka is a new settlement of primarily humans on the east coast of Falyndar opposite of Riverfall on The Suvan Sea. [Syka Codex]

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Pieces and Parts

Postby Adeliz on June 27th, 2020, 5:28 pm

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The 16th of Summer, 520 AV

Pieces and parts. That was all anyone ever seemed to be in this world, incomplete without those who surrounded them. Since her soul had sprang into existence, that was all Adeliz had ever known, and so she had assumed everyone felt this way. She was half of a whole, the mismatched second part that made up the Akalak that was her soul sister Ines and herself. It was all she had ever known, and unfortunately, she had pitted her purpose for existence on being a lesser piece of a greater whole.

That had been ripped away with Ines’ return to her Kelvic self. The confusion of existence alone still haunted Adeliz, and she hadn’t grown used to being the only being that inhabited herself. This was perhaps what had made her so fond and keen on possession, what had given her such a knack for it. Adeliz was not good alone. It wasn’t death that disturbed her the most though. It was the tiny, nagging, omnipresent thought in the back of her mind that whispered that Ines was better without her, that her sister didn’t want to be a piece, that Ines didn’t need her.

Perhaps working against herself, Adeliz had pulled away, separating herself from everyone she had come to know in her short existence in an attempt to discover where she belonged. But distance made it difficult to discover where her piece belonged. She didn’t want to admit it, but her solemn and bitter nature was pushing Ines further and further out of the reach of her soul. Once, when Ines had been sleeping, Adeliz had tried to possess her and had found no connection there, nothing like what they had shared as an Akalak.

Pieces and parts. The last few days had brought the people of Syka together, given them a single mind in search of the pieces of the lost totems. Her longing for connection had drawn her to this endeavor. She longed to be a part of something again. So she had followed various individuals about, attempting to help them look but always keeping out of their notice. She had been born a timid one, and not even her desire to belong could overpower this. Still, Adeliz followed them, trying to guide them to where pieces of the totem might be hidden, though her search had come up fruitless thus far.

Adeliz’ most recent infatuation had been Juli. She had watched from a distance a season ago when Juli had taught Ines how to swim, all the while her soul sparking nervously for her sister. Ines had done just fine, as she always seemed to do, and had come through the experience unscathed. Since then, though, Adeliz had been curious about the woman who seemed so taken by the ocean. That notion, that the ocean had somehow chosen Juli and she, it, brought an idea to Adeliz’ mind, and she had set into motion the series of events that led Juli to a place where she was perhaps most suited to search. Whenever Juli began to daydream, lost in thought as business had died off with the search, Adeliz had whispered a few words, silently enough that the living woman was certain it was her own thoughts erupting in her mind.

“The Swine Swells.”

It made sense to Adeliz that this would be a place where a totem piece may have ended up. The animals seemed to be working to keep the totems away from the Sykans, a fact Adeliz had witnessed from the beginning. Even Crom, who the ghost was convinced loved her most, had fought Adeliz away from the Sawmill to protect a piece, only to have dropped her guard and let it be found by a tanned Svefra the next day. But the thought of animals made Adeliz certain that the water pigs might be working to hide something in the shallows they were so fond of.

An afternoon of fruitless searching, though, brought Juli back to Mercantile, dripping wet with invisible Adeliz in tow. Exhausted from bells upon bells of swimming and wading, Juli picked up her role of shopkeeper again, falling asleep in a lazy sunbeam, while Adeliz drifted into the shadows beneath the shop to sulk. Everything she did seemed worthless. The Sykans were no further along in their search; and she, no closer to being a part of their whole. Bitter, she brought a focus of mist into her palm and swiped the projection angrily through the sand beneath her, flinging it in a wide arc and watching it fall harmlessly back to the rest of the sand. It was a very unsatisfying outlet. Nothing broke. Nothing changed. She felt no better for having done it, but still, she needed something to do. Adeliz was about to try again when she noticed her previous sweep had uncovered something. Projecting more mist into her palms, she greedily swept more and more sand away until the thing was revealed.

It was wooden, another piece of a totem, no doubt, depicting the long, spindly legs of a bird. Summoning more mist into what would have been her palms, she placed them beneath the piece, hoisted it up, and moved it painstakingly body length by body length the short way to the Commons where the pieces had been accumulating as people had found them.

When she arrived, there was a small crowd gathered together, peering over the many parts that had already been brought together. The man who had ‘stolen’ her prize at the Sawmill was among them, but before him were several other wooden pieces that seemed distinctly bird-like in their features, including a crown of feathers. She approached him, though all he would see was her floating piece of totem. Gradually, she materialized, a shy smile on her face, and the voice that spoke to him came from a few feet to one side of her head.

“Hi, I Adeliz,” she stumbled through her Common. “I think this go with thats.”

The bird legs dropped to the sand between them with a dull, wooden thud as she couldn’t hold it suspended any longer, her concentration on her materialization drawing her mist and her focus away from it.
Last edited by Adeliz on June 30th, 2020, 4:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Pieces and Parts

Postby Marino Oceangem on June 27th, 2020, 6:53 pm

News spread fast that most if not all of the totem pieces had been found. Stu had been the one to bring him that bit of news, asking him to come and help assemble the totems in the commons. Of course, Marino jumped at the opportunity, hastily pulling on his breeches before running down the beach towards where the pieces were being sorted through. Well, more of a jog really. His strides felt a lot less graceful than they did in the water and he felt slow crossing the sand. The burn from all the walking the past few days immediately started around his shins so he started walking the rest of the way, careful of the blinding pain that had started there the last time he’d run so heedlessly.

Coming up the the pile of what they had gathered so far, he grabbed those pieces which seemed most familiar to him and took them to a patch a few feet away in the sand. He didn’t stray far from the gathered pile as he wanted others to see what pieces he had gathered so they could use them freely with the parts they were working with. Kneeling on the ground, he organized them into what looked like it went together before he started messing around with putting them together.

Marino had two bases set in front of him. One of stone, one of wood. They were among the first pieces he had found and had been unanimously agreed to be the base of the totem pieces. Beside him were laid out other the other pieces he’d stumbled across. One by one he tried fitting the pieces beside him into the wooden base but none of them seemed right. He left out the heads of course, and the fancy crown of feathers as the crown was certain to be the top of anything he assembled. However he only had one set of legs, and those didn’t fit well into the wooden base. He tried the stone base. They fit. Not just because they slotted into the groove, but the overall style of the material used. It felt right somehow to see those legs with that stone.

He decided to set that aside for now for the others to come with their pieces. There weren’t anymore of the panther with him. There was a fish and chimp head that stared at him disconcertingly from the sand though they would have to wait to be added to pieces that were already almost finished. Looking at the parrot pieces, he could see that there were gaps in what he did have when he looked at the pieces from the other animals. Those would have to wait to be assembled too.

Someone was speaking behind him and turned to see a woman. A woman with strange skin, though that wasn’t the strangest part of her. He didn’t know how to put it into words at first as he gaped at her. Adeliz edges were.. Undefined. Blurry even. She.. Flickered if that was even possible. “Hey Adeliz.” He said after several ticks, then looking down at the spindly legs cautiously picked them up. “I.. Uh thanks. My name is Marino

Marino studied her for a few moments longer before he extending his hand out cautiously towards her. “Sorry, its a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He didn’t know where to go from there, or what questions to even ask without looking foolish in front of this woman, whatever she was. She seemed solid enough even if there were some peculiarities in her appearance. Slowly he took the legs over to the wooden base and slotted them in. Like the panther legs, they seemed to fit well with the base. “Looks like we just need a few more pieces to complete these too.” He said quietly to Adeliz before standing up, and saying much louder. “If anyone has the panther or parrot pieces, I’ve got the bottoms over here. Also got a fish head, torso and also a chimp head over here that belong somewhere.” If anybody answered that call he would be more than happy to bring them over to where they were assembling their bases.
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Pieces and Parts

Postby Robert Glenfeidh on June 28th, 2020, 4:13 am

Robert whistled a sea shanty he'd learnt from a drunken old tar as he adjusted the old burlap sack on his back, accompanied by his little tsaritsa, padding along silently by his feet.

"Yesterday was fortuitous, eh, Anastasia?" He nodded his head, pleased. "Three of these Gods-damned totem pieces, and both in places we'd searched before. Now the Captain's calling for everyone to gather in the Commons."

Robert turned the corner, walking into the Commons proper, and was greeted with a small crowd of people gathered around the totem pieces. Glancing at the surroundings, he saw Marino already there, trying to assemble his pieces. Having made his decision, he slipped through a gap in the crowd and gathered the pieces he'd found.

"'Hoy there, Marino!" Robert walked towards the Svefra, before placing the wooden objects down next to the Oceangem's own pile, and gently set down his sack, before opening it and removing its contents.

"I see you've already done the panther legs, here's the torso and head."

Robert fumbled with the head and torso for a bit, turning them over to their proper orientations, before fitting them together. He leaned over, and reunited the panther's upper body with its lower body.

"I have the fish tail base and the... ashta? elephant? The elephant head and base, and a parrot head over here." He held the last two parts out to Marino. "Here's a crown of fruit - might go well with that chimp head. I have these legs too, but I don't know what to do with them." He studied the muscled limbs with some puzzlement, before finally noticing Adeliz's presence.

A ghost here? Odd.

Mildly pertubed, Robert took a moment to reassure himself that a ghost wouldn't do anything unsightly to him in front of so many people. He then touched his left hand to his forehead in lieu of doffing a cap. "Good morning, missie. My name's Robert. You are... ?"

Beneath Adeliz, Anastasia carefully approached the ghost, sniffing curiously at the strange entity she'd never seen before.
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Pieces and Parts

Postby Onaona on June 29th, 2020, 4:28 am

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Attracted by the noise, Onaona waded just off of the shore of Syka's main communal hub. People were slowly starting to gather from all over the thinly spread new city, and she suspected why. The hunt for the lost totems had been on for several days, and from snatches of overheard conversation she deduced it was all anybody was talking about. Perhaps all the pieces had been found, and it was time to assemble them. And finally, for the first time, Ona was needed. She watched the milling crowd for several long chimes before rising from the waves to join them. Clutched to her chest was a stone panther base, which she held before her as the irrefutable proof that she belonged there.

Ona had never been to the Syka Commons before, knowing it only as the city's bustling heart as seen from the water. The Common itself was suspended above their heads as a giant platform in the trees, but the community was on the sand below, enjoying the shade of its massive shadow.

"Aye, Marino! Aye, Robert!" Ona first recognized the pulse of Marino's gnosis and edged closer, feeling immediately more comfortable in its presence. She smiled for Robert and chirped delightedly at the small pile of totems they had piled in the sand.

But they were not alone; a spirit stood over them. Ona eyed her nastily from the other side of the pile. Her edges were faded and tattered like old sailcloth, but her skin was a captivating shade of purple. She had the saddest eyes Ona had ever seen. Impossibly, she had to admit she had never seen her race before, though there was something about her colouring at her build that tugged at some buried recognition.

The Otani had seen ghosts before. There were plenty of wives on rocky shores waiting for their sailor husbands to come home, plenty of marooned men dying endlessly for a last taste of flesh. For every wreck there was one mad sailor trying to revive it. She had watched them for centuries and had learned to hate them, finding them somehow less than the humanity she loved. A weak, dangerous copy of something holy.

She didn't acknowledge the ghost but to stare, as slowly her body took on a venomous shade of her own stunning purple skin as a kind of wordless display of animosity.

Turning to Marino, Ona thrust out the sone panther base, though she was never quite looking away from the ghost.

"Like I promised", she sang. He had given the base to her for safekeeping as they explored the Syka river, and she was glad to return it. It gave her a reason just to be in the middle of this mad assembly despite never finding a piece for herself. And now that she was here, she had the urge to explore while she had the opportunity.

Humming to herself, she turned away from the group and hesitantly poked around the features of the wide area. Swings hung down from under the platform, as did an old, hollowed out tree that served as a slide. Ona had no desire to climb off the ground and into the trees, so she ignored the stairs and examined the edges of the jungle that encroached on the Syka's communal space. As she did there was a hoot above her, and she looked into the trees to see a red monkey, the long-limbed kind that could be seen playing in the thin trees along the coast. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Ona realized it was holding something.

Her reaction was immediate. Pulling djed from her tongue she built up the pressure before casting it as a thin projectile as fast as her limited control would allow. Transmuting it to a jet of water just as she was about to lose control, she hit the primate in the face. Startled, the creature fled, and a heavy thud in the underbrush told her it had left something behind.

Ona dived for the object, and surfaced with the bottom half of a totem the exact same colour as the monkey. The sickly purple of her body melted away into a vivid, excited yellow.

"I found one!" she shrieked. Her first totem! Hers! What a great help she was! How useful! Prancing back to the group as if expecting praise, she stuck it into the sand. She took the lonely chimp torso from beside Marino and the fruit crown from Robert, and searched the pile for the monkey's missing head.
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Pieces and Parts

Postby Tazrae on June 30th, 2020, 4:08 am

It had taken days to search. One thing was certain, Tazrae was far more secure in her knowledge of Syka and what was where than she had been before. And when they'd slowly gotten all the pieces gathered and finally the Founders had announced that they had most of them... she'd been relieved. They weren't sure what the totems would do, but it had been decided by all that they'd wait one more day and on the morning of the 16th, everyone would gather and put together what they had.

In a way, Tazrae was slightly amazed. The people of Syka had come together in a very selfless way and had acted for the good of the whole. And now they were assembling the pieces together. Taz wasn't sure what to think of that. In her experiences, everyone was out for themselves and didn't act as a community. But she thought of the people involved that she knew.... Marino, Robert, Onaona... and knew that the community acted as they had because the community was full of good people.

And so, she did what any decent caregiver would do. She baked cinnamon bread for everyone. Loaf after loaf, from the early morning hours until the meeting time at The Commons. She sliced the bread, put together a crock of butter with a spatula, and carried an enormous basket to The Commons and left it out for everyone.

"I brought cinnamon bread if anyone's hungry!" She said, nodding to Robert, waving to Onaona... did the Otani even eat? And smiling for Marino. She blinked in surprise at Adeliz and walked over close enough after leaving her prizes to the person she didn't know to offer her a smile.

"Hi. I heard you say your name was Adeliz. I'm Tazrae." She added and glanced around. "This is crazy. Are we actually going to put these together?" She said to the new woman... who looked about as odd as Onaona. Her question wasn't directed at anyone in particular but really was out there for everyone.

Several familiar faces were there as well. The three Founders had showed up. Juli trailed them with two big pitchers of what looked like fresh juice. Stu was with her, balancing a tray of mugs which he put down next to Tazrae's basket of bread. Kuvan was lounging alongside a big man who was often seen in Mathias' company. Slowly, surely, the denizens of Syka showed up to lend a hand and support in the endeavor to put the totems together.

Taz, who'd found the fishtail that fit on the base, went over and offered to help fit it to the base. She looked around and noticed several people directing the dividing up of the pieces so that five piles of five things slowly happened. From there, people began to assemble the things, and the excitement grew.

There was a buzz of energy in the air - anticipation - one Tazrae wasn't familiar with. She edged closer to Marino, wanting to be with him when at least one of the totems were completed. She laid a hand gently on his shoulder and gave him a faint smile. She realized he had been the one slowly organizing things, directing pieces to be put there or here. It made her proud to know him. Someone had to take charge.

"Maybe we should assemble them all together and put their headdresses on at the same time? That way one doesn't get completed before another? But we honor them all equally?" She put out the suggestion while people were organizing parts and getting ready to fit things altogether.

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"A mark of an open mind is being more committed to your curiosity than your conviction.
The goal of learning is not to shield old views against new facts, but to revise old views with new facts.
Ideas are possibilities to explore, not certainties to defend."


Garden Beach Syka The Protea Inn

"Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows."
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Pieces and Parts

Postby Adeliz on June 30th, 2020, 3:55 pm

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Pieces and parts. Adeliz had seen the little wooden puzzles the children put together with pictures on one side. Each piece fit together with several of the others, hooking perfectly into place to hold the greater whole together, to bring the bigger picture into focus. Every piece had its place. Every piece belonged. Except for when it didn’t. Adeliz had seen puzzles come to their completion with a piece or two still left over long-forgotten from some other puzzle they had slipped away from.

She was beginning to realize this wasn’t her puzzle. These pieces and parts weren’t ones she belonged with. No one wanted to be her other half.

The two men had been nice enough, hesitant but nice. Marino, after extended gawking, had given her his name and even offered his hand, which Adeliz had declined as politely as she could, not wanting to cause him any discomfort. Much the same response came from the second man, Robert, who eyed Adeliz warily before he gave his own greeting, an informal ‘tip of the hat’ so to speak. She had given her name back. As polite as their introductions had been though, Adeliz sensed the hesitation and wariness and took it as unwelcome.

She was not a piece that belonged.

It was particularly evident in the stare that the woman made of water gave Adeliz. Though she had lived her entire existence near the water, Adeliz was amazed that this was the first time she had encountered such a being, that she had even known they had existed, but she could have gone her entire existence going forward without that knowledge. Something said the woman hated her, and Adeliz thought perhaps her people, whether it had been ghosts or Akalaks, had done something to the woman’s people.

It was Akalaks, Adeliz decided, as the woman’s skin turned its own shade of purple in what Adeliz could only assume was derisive mockery of Adeliz’ own. As the water woman went on to presenting her own piece of the totem, her eyes never left Adeliz completely. No one trusted her. She wasn’t welcome. She didn’t belong. This had been a terrible idea.

Letting go of her materialization took as long as it did to muster it, so fragile was her connection to the art, but she let it go as quickly as she could. She had to get away. Adeliz was still fading out of noticeable existence when a voice pulled her attention away from the dematerialization. The details of her face were always first to come and last to go, so her expression was still easily readable as she turned to the new woman who had arrived.

Her voice was warm, friendly, accepting, but Adeliz knew she didn’t fit here. There was a sense of camaraderie between these four, familiarity. Adeliz wanted to be a part of that. She needed it. But necessity and desire couldn’t fabricate something out of nothing. Timid fear was bright in her mal-materialized eyes as they met Tazrae’s.

The ghost shook her head. “I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have come,” she spat out in Myrian before remembering that very few spoke it. Adeliz switched to Common. “I’m sorry.”

Adeliz’ eyes darted to the water woman once before the air cracked at the sudden absence of the soul that had once filled it. She blinked backward toward the jungle at the edge of the Commons. Her face was visible for a moment there, an oddity against the foliage, before she blinked deeper into the jungle and out of view.

Pieces and parts. That was all anyone was, but some pieces just didn’t belong.
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Postby Marino Oceangem on June 30th, 2020, 8:00 pm

Marino was busy sorting the totems when Robert walked up. Looking up, he stood to greet the man with a genial smile. “Nice to see you again Robert, and you too Anastasia.” He said, winking at Robert’s constant companion. The cat was as hesitant she had been the other day, much to his regret. Maybe there was something he could find to get her to warm up to him he considered when Onaona walked up.

I knew I could count on you” He said with a fresh smile for her, eyes alighting on the totem in her hand. There was never any doubt where the Otani was concerned, however he felt it needed to be voiced anyways. To his pleasure, he belatedly realized that she had addressed Robert by name, and he glanced back at the man. “I see you have had the pleasure of meeting..” He trailed off as he saw the look from the Otani towards the.. The Adeliz behind them.

Not that he could fault her for the reaction. He was unsettled by her presence as well, and he didn’t share the same senses as the Otani. Something about her gaze made him think she might know more about Adeliz than he did, maybe had encountered her kind before. Where there even other Adeliz out there he considered as Otani did that thing with her form that he still didn’t quite understand.

Thank you Onaona” He said after the moment had passed, suddenly keen on getting back to work after what had transpired. He fitted what he could to the panther base when Robert added his own contribution. “You’ve been doing some searching of your own I see” Marino remarked as his eyes recognized pieces that were not found during their jaunt together.

Looking up from the pieces he noticed that Onaona had wandered off, but she would be back he was sure as Syka rain. The otani was as energetic as the sea with her attentions. “So, as I was saying, you’ve met Onaona before correct?” He asked, making small talk while he fussed with sorting through Roberts recent additions to the pile.

He looked up at a shout in the distance, registering it as one of joy a tick later when he saw Onaona skipping towards them. “Fantastic find Onaona!” He cried out happily. Finding another piece certainly had been unexpected, and that meant that they might actually complete these right today. Marino stood up, and gave the Otani a brief hug, knowing it was going to leave the front of his shirt and breeches drenched. It was not as uncomfortable as it had been the first time. Though still a curious feeling all the same. He turned to Robert and wiped off the water dripping from the bottom of his chin.

Then he cocked his head towards yet another familiar voice, and he breathed in deeply when his eyes settled on Tazrae. Smiling back, he gave her a small wave. His stomach growled. “Looks great.” He said, eying the treasures being carted of by another, but for now he was more intent on seeing Tazrae than following them to their inevitable destination. “I see you have been busy this morning.

Adeliz started to say something, and finally Marino looked back at her again. The woman seemed troubled, whatever she was. He felt kind of bad for feeling so uncomfortable around her. More so when she abruptly departed in a way that departed in a way that defied explanation. He dwelt on that while he turned back towards the trio. Or quad if you included Anastasia Marino thought with a slight shake of his head.

Well, now that everyone is here, I suppose it is time to get these pieces together.” Marino said clapping his hands together and helping prepare the totems carefully. Each piece he handed with reverence, respecting the power behind them. He found himself nodding automatically to Tazrae’s idea. “That sounds like a great idea Tazrae. I think that would be for the best. We could count down before we do it even” Marino said, as he assembled what he could, before waiting for the others to complete one. Idly, beside the parrot totem, he rolled it’s headdress in his hands. He would be ready to place it when the others had theirs in hand.
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Postby Robert Glenfeidh on July 1st, 2020, 2:55 am

"Aye, it's been a fruitful search these few days. Rambling all over Syka - I think I've got a hand on where things are now. Met her on a dark evening a day or two ago, and we did a bit of exploring along the beach."

Robert laughed at Onaona's antics - she was much less frightening than the first time they'd met, especially around so many people in daytime. He supposed she was still a child at heart, even if she might have been a thousand years old for all he knew.

Robert took Tazrae's cinnamon bread with pleasure, ripping a small piece off and offering it to Anastasia, who batted at it before devouring the helpless thing.

"Ta, Tazrae - that sounds good."

The Akalak ghost's abrupt departure had Robert frowning briefly, before he smoothed his features out, his thoughts in some disarray.

Did I -? No, Onaona wasn't too friendly, she turned purple and ignored Adeliz. Maybe I was a bit too cagey. Damn, that'll bug me for a bit. I'll have to make it up to her somehow - can ghosts even taste food or drink? Pretty sure it'll just go through her body.

He stroked Anastasia's back, the cat sensing his distracted mind and rubbing against him with a purr.

I'll take Chaliva's ship to Riverfall and see what I can do about it, then. Maybe find an expert in ghosts.

He refocused on the task at hand. He held the chimp headdress over the incomplete chimp totem, waiting for the others to be ready.
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Postby Onaona on July 1st, 2020, 6:43 am

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Onaona was rewarded for her totem retrieval efforts with the second hug of her life. She made pleased noises as her body sapped the heat from his and she was cocooned in the many moving, grinding, pumping parts that made the human body. If this was how she would be rewarded, she would have to find excuses to find things for Marino more often.

When he let her go she noticed several more people had arrived in the clearing. At least one of them, a leggy, darkly tanned woman wielding several pitchers of juice, belonged to Laviku. The sense of being in the middle of some big event, instead of watching from the sidelines, along with the comforting presence of her god's chosen had the monster buzzing with excitement. And in the midst of it all Tazrae appeared, smelling of spices and her own brand of joy.

"Tazzy, Taza, Taz~rae", the Otani sang in greeting, her watery eyes focused exclusively on the enormous basket in her hands. As soon as she was close enough she snatched away several slices of bread and retreated with her spoils. The dark cinnamon loaf immediately began to dissolve in her hands, but she didn't seem to mind as she licked it off her fingers.

Even in her excitement she had never forgotten the ghost. When the spirit's eyes flicked to hers she met them instantly, but before she could react to the attention there was a crack like a whip and the creature vanished to the other side of the clearing, fading into the jungle. Ona flinched, her gills flaring, and hissed under her breath one long, low note of wary suspicion. Ghost! If she saw it again she promised herself she would try to run it off her city, though the question of how eluded her. She didn't want something so... wrong around her perfect humans.

There was no time to dwell, however. Together Tazrae and Marino seemed to be coming up with a plan that she was happy to follow: assemble the pieces, and put the headresses on last. Marino worked on the parrot figure, and Robert took over the assembly of the monkey. Ona, slightly out of her depth and determined not to show it, struggled to root around the growing pile and assemble the tuna, the most familiar animal to her. She held the seashell crown in her hands last, ready for the countdown.
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Joined roleplay: October 12th, 2017, 3:09 am
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Pieces and Parts

Postby Tazrae on July 10th, 2020, 3:03 am

It was a ghost. Tazrae was sure of it. She stood there pale, slightly shaken, and uncertain what to do or say. In fact, she could have sworn this was the second such creature here she’d seen… third if you counted the first ghost had looked like a cute little girl carrying a ghostly kitten. But she’d said nothing then, chalking it up to too much time in the sun. But this one… this one was very substantial and standing here as real as any of the other people gathering around.

Tazrae stood in silence, her eyes darting around to everyone else. Was this normal? She tried to take her cues from the rest of the people gathered. Robert and indeed Onaona along with Marino and even some of the older residents didn’t seem phased all that much by Adeliz’s presence. She vanished though… just like that. And while Tazrae thought she heard an “I’m Sorry….” most of the language the ghost had used seemed foreign to her. She couldn’t be quite sure. Curiosity filled the Innkeeper and she knew without a doubt she’d like to actually meet the spirit away from the crowd and talk to her… getting to know her.

Onaona was being her adorable miscreant self. And Taz noted she went right for the fish totem and started putting it together with the enthusiasm of a child stacking blocks. Marino already had most of the parrot totem put together, his hands curled around the headdress. Robert and Anastasia were soon in the group and the distiller was quick to assemble the chimp and fingered the headdress, waiting for the others.

That left the elephant for Tazrae to put together and she stacked up the totem with enthusiasm, waiting until the very end to place the headdress on its head. Once everything was there besides the headdress, she waved the last piece and started a countdown out loud that the rest of the people milling about the Commons took up in their enthusiasm.

"5…
4…
3…
2…
1…" Taz called out.

She placed the headdress on the elephant’s head with a flourish and laughed as the others did as well. Then she sat there staring at the five statues as she stepped back to join the other seekers in a cluster as they quietly waited to see what would happen.

Word Count: 430
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"A mark of an open mind is being more committed to your curiosity than your conviction.
The goal of learning is not to shield old views against new facts, but to revise old views with new facts.
Ideas are possibilities to explore, not certainties to defend."


Garden Beach Syka The Protea Inn

"Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows."
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Tazrae
Be savage, not average.
 
Posts: 1335
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Joined roleplay: May 3rd, 2020, 2:02 pm
Location: Syka
Race: Human
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