Birds of a Feather... (Tshaka)

[Skadi Trinketsnatch]

Spring 24, AV 511 It was an atypical day that saw Skadi walking the streets in human form, especially with weather so pristine for flying. He glanced longingly into the blue above as he walked. He was tempted to abandon his purpose, but the thought of the benefits were too appealing to be ignored. He walked through the main streets of Zeltiva, his trinkets bouncing merrily and the weight of 200 gold mikas weighing heavily in his pockets. Ding-a-ling. Skadi froze, his eyes wide. His head snapped to the side, and he watched as a peddler's cart trundled by, bells hanging from the horse's harnesses. His hands twitched at his sides. The spell was broken when the man behind him stumbled into him with a muffled curse. Startled, Skadi skittered up the street. The bustle of the city had always been a pleasant tune to Skadi's ears. The one nice thing about being human was that he could actually smell the scent of foods wafting from the bakeries and kitchens. He often forgot how aromatic food could be as a bird; his sense of smell was minute at best. He paused at a vendor selling pastries and other baked goods. They were rather overpriced at a silver each. "Hello-I-will, have-a-corn-cake-please," he blurted, his voice oddly lilting and melodic. The cadence for his words was off. The vendor eyed him strangely and reached to wrap a small corn cake. Skadi deftly reached into a pocket and pulled out a coin, eying it with reluctance. After a moment he placed it on the counter, sliding it across with a finger. The man glared at the large coin, turning briefly to get change for it. Skadi had another pastry hidden in a pocket when the man turned back, smiling innocently. He left after receiving his change, feeling quite clever and happily eating his food. Food tasted so succulent when he had a decent tongue in his mouth.

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Tshaka had been watching the sing song boy from her seat atop of a nearby building. She was on her lunchbreak from hauling cargo around town and was enjoying a ration of bread and fish. She also managed to sneak a kelp beer out of the bar when she delivered a crate of mugs to the bar. She saw that the boy liked shiny objects and had sticky fingers. She smiled, the kid had a good set of mannerisms for one living a life of deceit. She liked him already, and just had to meet him.

She pulled a copper miza out of her pocket and flipped it down to the ground, a tinkling sound as it bounced off the road. She pulled out three more to continue luring him further if he took the bait. She sat atop the building with the sun at her back, so she knew she could possibly look a bit daunting and intimidating. Especially with the scimitars hanging from her hips. She bit into the bread and continued watching the boy, a smile teasing her lips.

[Skadi Trinketsnatch]

OOC Secret : While Skadi is only 7, he still looks like a full adult Skadi sat on a bench a safe distance away from the vendor, just in case he noticed his lost pastry. It was a coiled bun with cinnamon on it; probably some foreign design. To his delight, it tasted incredible. He heard a soft clinking noise, and saw a bright copper roll against his foot. Bending to pick it up, he was surprised as another bounced against the ground next to the first and bumped into his slipper. He looked up. An Eypharian was sitting atop the roof with a smile. Two more coppers shone against the sun in her hand. Immediately curious, Skadi stashed his food and pushed through the flow of people and looked for a way up to the roof. There was a vine lattice that stretched up to the raincatch of the building that seemed strong enough. He climbed up, careful to not cut his fingers on the sharp wood, or damage his loose pants. He hopped atop the roof, squatting a safe distance from the creature. He cocked his head to the side, eying the six-armed woman. She had multicolored plumage, a sight that Skadi had only rarely seen before. "Hell-o, Strang-er," Skadi said, giving a brief flashing smile which vanished as soon as it came. "I, like-your-sword." He pointed at the jeweled hilt of one of her blades. After a moment's consideration, he added, "Would-you-like-a-piece-of-my-corn-cake?"

[Tshaka re Hafra]

She smiled at the man, though he talked like a child in his singsongy voice. She showed him the bread and fried fish she was eating. She looked out over the city, eating her fish and bread. After she finished her bite, "Pretty smooth with the cake guy kid." She wondered why she had never seen such an interesting character around here before. "How long have you been in Zeltiva?"

She began flipping a copper miza up and down in the air. She liked watching the hustle and bustle of her city. Carts full of cargo passing by, their wheels kicking up dust. Newcomers to the city walked around with looks of wonder and intrigue in their eyes. Tired sailors returning home to see their families and friends moving slowly but determined through the streets. Guards wandered around checking for riffraff and vagabonds. She turned to her newfound companion a smile on her face, a twinkle in her eyes.

[Skadi Trinketsnatch]

The six-armed woman moved with a casual arrogance that impressed Skadi. He wondered if all people with six arms were so cocky. If he had that many wings, he would probably be cocky, too. "I-have-lived, here-seven-winters," he said. "I-keep-to-myself-mostly." He moved closer, sitting a few feet away after carefully moving his cloak so that it splayed behind him. His sleeve-bells jingled as he did so.

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Tshaka looked at the man, "I saw you steal that corncake, and I see you eyeing the trinket cart. How about we have a little fun?" She pulled herself atop the roof behind her and walked along the rooftops, seeing the trinket cart in the distance. She watched it as it turned down a sidestreet. She ran a little faster not looking to see if the singsong man was following. She made it to the end of the block and quickly climbed down. She then cut through an alley and came out ahead of the cart. She slowed her pace to a casual walk. The cart turned and came into view. As they neared each other she faked a surprised girl's voice. "Oh what pretty trinkets." Her looks and interest in the merchandise caused the merchant to stop. He hopped down from the cart and began trying to sell her various trinkets leaving a side of his cart unwatched. Tshaka smiled and bounced cutely as he showed her the trinkets of gold, silver, and tin. She wondered if her new found friend would follow through and if he would get her something nice.

[Skadi Trinketsnatch]

Skadi climbed after the woman. It was nice to be around someone who was shorter than him; he was used to being smaller than other things. He had slightly more difficulty than she had descending into the ally, but he managed it after a few moments. He paused at the exit to the ally and watched her greet the cartman. His face broke into a delighted smile when he realized what she was up to. Mischief! He walked casually across the street, keeping an eye out for law enforcers. Seeing none, he walked up to the cart and struggled not to let out a peal of wondrous laughter. The cart was laden with combs, bells, necklaces, bracelets, and other treasures. He made a show of examining the goods as the cart owner would, so that any onlookers might assume that he was the owner of the cart. Skadi could hear his new friend talking with the cartman around on the other side, completely obscured from view. Since he did not know how long he had, he had to be quick. He found a suitable bracelet, which he thought looked delicate and tough at the same time. It was made of copper ribbed with silver, and from it hung five small tokens--A steel oval emblazoned with an exotic symbol, a little dolphin, a tiny sapphire in a bronze setting, and two small streaming ribbons. Skadi thought it looked delightful. For himself he was sorely tempted to steal a bell or two, but did not want to risk them jingling if he was caught. Instead, he took a spool of purple thread, a delicately carved smoking pipe of cherry wood and gold leaf, and two iron buttons. He put all of the items in his cloak pockets and moved away from the cart swiftly, back towards the ally where he would meet her.