31st day of Spring 512 AV
Oh sure, Bob was the new guy so of course he expected something like being bullied from everyone else who knew better. Everyone else of course included acolytes but he never did expect to be harassed by the normal ones as well. Of course Bob has heard it all before. He did not look the part to join in a lot of the other children's rougher games, he did not look like he was old enough to hold any liquor he might drink or have a puff with the pipes and the most unacceptable he did not look like he had enough money to join in any games of chance especially if they involved mizas.
Why did he have to go through all of this every single time in every new place he went to? Well, now he will not have it any longer especially in Alvadas which had its own share of strange and weird people. Even among the ranks of the Speakers themselves. The best way he knew to shut these people up was to not give them any chance to laugh about anything him in the future. As Bob walked through the Speaker part of the Womiyu he kept a good ear out for the whispers and comments that they made, trying his best to ignore the rich appearance of the place. The branch was true to its namesake. The Speakers really could talk.
And they only made themselves look good to make everyone else look bad just like the rumors he heard in the days he was stuck in the Underground just as the storm was destroying the place he called his home. Bob could not even go up surface after that. He had to stay longer in the Underground just to feel secure even if everyone knew it was one of the more dangerous places in Alvadas. Unable to find his home for fear of getting attacked by the monsters, the same monsters that was supposed to be handled by the Womiyu he had to live like so many of orphans new and old while making sure they did not take anything that belonged to him until the announcement that the Wager was back.
Things definitely will change once Bob undoubtedly rises through the ranks of the Speakers. The first would be to make these naysayer's lives miserable and then after that is to make the group as great as him but first he needed to become like them. From what they briefed him, he needed to win a popularity contest. This was University prep all over again. The more Bob watched the other Speakers in their bright eye hurting clothes, the more he had an idea of what he had to be. The stereotypical, extravagant wannabe.
Now that he had an idea on he was able to go, shopping! To think that has to use money like this so soon even before a season of work.
His first stop was the Tattered Thread. After making his way through the Underground and up the glass stairs, Bob peeked around the doorway to see if there was any hint of monsters but true to what he heard, he was 'safe'. Not a monster in sight but plenty of uniformed people around. That would not really be a sight that Bob would feel comfortable with but seeing that they were not as scary as the alternative, and he was in a way acquainted, he walked up to one to ask where he should head off to without much success before heading on his way.
Looking at the clothes he could choose from he could only be reminded about what the other were whispering about him.
"How did they even find a uniform to fit him so fast?" but did they even see themselves? A lot of them did not even know how to make the look work for them. They looked like escapees from an asylum. Unqualified to comment "and his cloak, did he grab it off someone elses corpse?" Bob was going to have a good laugh when they need his help in a fight one day. The fact that "I heard that he has been living in the Underground before coming here" would probably be forgotten by most of them except Bob. Bob never forgets anyone who tries to cross him.
And right now he was trying to not forget what went wrong with the way those other Speakers looked at least the way he saw it. Bob is not really qualified to think that though since he even dared to ask "what's wrong with my cloak?" as he went through the clothing in the racks. Nice, very nice selection. They have clothes to accommodate zith wings going through, multiple arms for the hot freaks and even hats to show ethaefal horns! "And you have nothing for short people?" Fortunately the owner, a stylish man himself told Bob to just take something and he can make the necessary adjustments.
As much as Bob liked the darker clothes to more likely get by unnoticed, they would not suit the Speaker uniforms at all. The lighter clothes then but they looked so...so...womanly. Was he going to wear something like that? He did not see that happening anytime soon. "Just give me this one" Bob told the man after grabbing a very dark longcoat from the rack. The man did not question Bob's taste thankfully because that choice without a doubt was a lot better than his own cloak that he was wearing and doing a horrible job of hiding the bright pieces of cloth inside. "Don't bother packing it up either. I'll be wearing it out."
When Bob got to that plan he found the coat unsurprisingly too long for him. "Uhhhh...do you think that you can make it a little bit shorter so I won't trip?" Extra costs for an alteration? This was daylight robbery especially since the Thread did not even have something in his size! "I thought shops like yours normally alter new purchases so that customers can be satisfied. You know...exquisite, and well established stores like yours?" Did that work? No? Whatever. Either way the the alteration might not cost too much and it would be worth it compared to a long period of more ridicule. That would completely defeat the purpose of his purchase.
A badass longcoat would not be enough for to change the other Speaker's image of Bob though. He needed something more to make it "stand out" as some more the more experienced Speakers advised him. Maybe something that can complement the coat like the pin which came when he had his own one made? But Bob felt that he should not make the coat stand out too much since it was him that he wanted to make look good. Thinking on the way he suddenly happened to pass by a strange shop. The scents it made reminded him a lot of old memories living with his uncle. So many plants, herbs and other medicine crap. Perfume! No one look at anything else even while looking for the source of the smell.
But inside the store was nothing like Uncle Marny's. Uncle Marny would not have allowed his home to be in a mess due to the nature of his work. It was too risky for anyone who used his services. Bob was here already though and he should give the place a chance. They had a lot of other interesting things too like hair dye. "Hey...that might work" Bob thought, the right one might be able to surprise everyone and instill the sort of majestic fear they described to him about. "No I am not looking for work..." Bob corrected the shopkeeper who overheard. He was looking for something to help him with the work.
Bob took some bright hair dyes to test out later on the unfortunate Jinsen before using it on himself. Red, orange and yellow. "That much?!?" just for dyes and he was buying three! "Fine how about this?" Bob asked after removing the yellow one which might be a little bit too queer once he thought about other people who has used the same. "Why is it still that much?" Fine, Bob does not like the shopkeeper either. Something that they both can agree on. "I'll take these two and that thing I smell" Bob said taking out the coins before adding that "since I am buying this much you should give me a special rate." Instead of telling the price the man got annoyed and started asking which smell was it which got Bob annoyed too. "So you're more than dumb? I can still smell it from here."
The whole business ended up with Bob running out of the apothecary with some random flasks being tossed at him a lot of unspeakable profanities. No telling which was worse as Bob was concentrating too much on not getting hit, moving his arms and body out of the way of the oncoming missles once he identified their trajectory until he slammed the door behind him with more crashing sounds. "At least I remembered to pay" he assured himself since it would not sound good to have his one of his firsts for the job started with a shoplifting even when the owner deserved it.
Now to find the thing that he was really looking for before being lured by the still unknown smell. Bob walked around somemore. Many stores and then the bazaar which may have had what he wanted but would take too long to search through without the certainty that he would come out with anything. Finally there was Matilda's Jewels that Bob knew he was right for looking. Even without entering the store he could see so many pretty things and not pretty but impressive things to wear. He could just give someone else the idea to smash the glass and grab some stuff before winning it off...
Or not, Bob knew he had to do this right and the first step was to open the door and go right in. Not as hard as the saying goes. The hard part was after that. Bob thought he was almost blinded by the sheer amount on display which was a lot more than outside. "What the?" Unlike clothes, it was harder for Bot to find what he wanted here not knowing anything about jewellery.
No need to waste time now, Bob went straight to who he thought was Matilda and asked if "you can help me? What I am looking for..." was something to put near his neck to bring the two ends of the collar together like he was trying to show with his joined fingers in a circle. "It has to be small, but big enough for people to see" he explained further while adjusting the size of the circle "and shiny." Lets not forget about shiny. Everyone liked shiny. "It also has to be visible without looking funny when I do this" which was taking the coat apart so that he can start revealing what he was wearing inside.
Before he even took the ends apart Bob was still going on about what he wanted because it had to be perfect? "The thingy also needs to tell people something when they see on me. Like I am speaking to them or something you know?" Actually those who knew Bob Barton would know that he would not be talking this long and the trouble to explain for nothing. They would be right to think that if they were here now because while Bob was talking, he was already weaving his djed around his body as if it was the new clothes he was wearing. It had to fit perfectly with the job he wanted it to do. Moving around the mouth like a speech bubble right until the time to pop up and show Matilda what he wanted to show her.
It came out with the word speaking just as Bob timed himself to take the whole coat apart at the middle to show the uniform he was hiding in it. If she did not take the hint from the sight, the hypnotism would make her think that "he is a Speaker. Better help him get something good" because who would not want to get on a Speaker's good side? Long story short Matilda started showing Bob a lot of things which he deemed either "too expensive" or "too small" to the "not suitable" that even he can see. In the end he ended up coming out with some strange pin that he did not even know why he chose. That Matilda was a really scary saleswoman and he was beginning to rethink his promise that "I'll come again if this works out."
Oh sure, Bob was the new guy so of course he expected something like being bullied from everyone else who knew better. Everyone else of course included acolytes but he never did expect to be harassed by the normal ones as well. Of course Bob has heard it all before. He did not look the part to join in a lot of the other children's rougher games, he did not look like he was old enough to hold any liquor he might drink or have a puff with the pipes and the most unacceptable he did not look like he had enough money to join in any games of chance especially if they involved mizas.
Why did he have to go through all of this every single time in every new place he went to? Well, now he will not have it any longer especially in Alvadas which had its own share of strange and weird people. Even among the ranks of the Speakers themselves. The best way he knew to shut these people up was to not give them any chance to laugh about anything him in the future. As Bob walked through the Speaker part of the Womiyu he kept a good ear out for the whispers and comments that they made, trying his best to ignore the rich appearance of the place. The branch was true to its namesake. The Speakers really could talk.
And they only made themselves look good to make everyone else look bad just like the rumors he heard in the days he was stuck in the Underground just as the storm was destroying the place he called his home. Bob could not even go up surface after that. He had to stay longer in the Underground just to feel secure even if everyone knew it was one of the more dangerous places in Alvadas. Unable to find his home for fear of getting attacked by the monsters, the same monsters that was supposed to be handled by the Womiyu he had to live like so many of orphans new and old while making sure they did not take anything that belonged to him until the announcement that the Wager was back.
Things definitely will change once Bob undoubtedly rises through the ranks of the Speakers. The first would be to make these naysayer's lives miserable and then after that is to make the group as great as him but first he needed to become like them. From what they briefed him, he needed to win a popularity contest. This was University prep all over again. The more Bob watched the other Speakers in their bright eye hurting clothes, the more he had an idea of what he had to be. The stereotypical, extravagant wannabe.
Now that he had an idea on he was able to go, shopping! To think that has to use money like this so soon even before a season of work.
His first stop was the Tattered Thread. After making his way through the Underground and up the glass stairs, Bob peeked around the doorway to see if there was any hint of monsters but true to what he heard, he was 'safe'. Not a monster in sight but plenty of uniformed people around. That would not really be a sight that Bob would feel comfortable with but seeing that they were not as scary as the alternative, and he was in a way acquainted, he walked up to one to ask where he should head off to without much success before heading on his way.
Looking at the clothes he could choose from he could only be reminded about what the other were whispering about him.
"How did they even find a uniform to fit him so fast?" but did they even see themselves? A lot of them did not even know how to make the look work for them. They looked like escapees from an asylum. Unqualified to comment "and his cloak, did he grab it off someone elses corpse?" Bob was going to have a good laugh when they need his help in a fight one day. The fact that "I heard that he has been living in the Underground before coming here" would probably be forgotten by most of them except Bob. Bob never forgets anyone who tries to cross him.
And right now he was trying to not forget what went wrong with the way those other Speakers looked at least the way he saw it. Bob is not really qualified to think that though since he even dared to ask "what's wrong with my cloak?" as he went through the clothing in the racks. Nice, very nice selection. They have clothes to accommodate zith wings going through, multiple arms for the hot freaks and even hats to show ethaefal horns! "And you have nothing for short people?" Fortunately the owner, a stylish man himself told Bob to just take something and he can make the necessary adjustments.
As much as Bob liked the darker clothes to more likely get by unnoticed, they would not suit the Speaker uniforms at all. The lighter clothes then but they looked so...so...womanly. Was he going to wear something like that? He did not see that happening anytime soon. "Just give me this one" Bob told the man after grabbing a very dark longcoat from the rack. The man did not question Bob's taste thankfully because that choice without a doubt was a lot better than his own cloak that he was wearing and doing a horrible job of hiding the bright pieces of cloth inside. "Don't bother packing it up either. I'll be wearing it out."
When Bob got to that plan he found the coat unsurprisingly too long for him. "Uhhhh...do you think that you can make it a little bit shorter so I won't trip?" Extra costs for an alteration? This was daylight robbery especially since the Thread did not even have something in his size! "I thought shops like yours normally alter new purchases so that customers can be satisfied. You know...exquisite, and well established stores like yours?" Did that work? No? Whatever. Either way the the alteration might not cost too much and it would be worth it compared to a long period of more ridicule. That would completely defeat the purpose of his purchase.
A badass longcoat would not be enough for to change the other Speaker's image of Bob though. He needed something more to make it "stand out" as some more the more experienced Speakers advised him. Maybe something that can complement the coat like the pin which came when he had his own one made? But Bob felt that he should not make the coat stand out too much since it was him that he wanted to make look good. Thinking on the way he suddenly happened to pass by a strange shop. The scents it made reminded him a lot of old memories living with his uncle. So many plants, herbs and other medicine crap. Perfume! No one look at anything else even while looking for the source of the smell.
But inside the store was nothing like Uncle Marny's. Uncle Marny would not have allowed his home to be in a mess due to the nature of his work. It was too risky for anyone who used his services. Bob was here already though and he should give the place a chance. They had a lot of other interesting things too like hair dye. "Hey...that might work" Bob thought, the right one might be able to surprise everyone and instill the sort of majestic fear they described to him about. "No I am not looking for work..." Bob corrected the shopkeeper who overheard. He was looking for something to help him with the work.
Bob took some bright hair dyes to test out later on the unfortunate Jinsen before using it on himself. Red, orange and yellow. "That much?!?" just for dyes and he was buying three! "Fine how about this?" Bob asked after removing the yellow one which might be a little bit too queer once he thought about other people who has used the same. "Why is it still that much?" Fine, Bob does not like the shopkeeper either. Something that they both can agree on. "I'll take these two and that thing I smell" Bob said taking out the coins before adding that "since I am buying this much you should give me a special rate." Instead of telling the price the man got annoyed and started asking which smell was it which got Bob annoyed too. "So you're more than dumb? I can still smell it from here."
The whole business ended up with Bob running out of the apothecary with some random flasks being tossed at him a lot of unspeakable profanities. No telling which was worse as Bob was concentrating too much on not getting hit, moving his arms and body out of the way of the oncoming missles once he identified their trajectory until he slammed the door behind him with more crashing sounds. "At least I remembered to pay" he assured himself since it would not sound good to have his one of his firsts for the job started with a shoplifting even when the owner deserved it.
Now to find the thing that he was really looking for before being lured by the still unknown smell. Bob walked around somemore. Many stores and then the bazaar which may have had what he wanted but would take too long to search through without the certainty that he would come out with anything. Finally there was Matilda's Jewels that Bob knew he was right for looking. Even without entering the store he could see so many pretty things and not pretty but impressive things to wear. He could just give someone else the idea to smash the glass and grab some stuff before winning it off...
Or not, Bob knew he had to do this right and the first step was to open the door and go right in. Not as hard as the saying goes. The hard part was after that. Bob thought he was almost blinded by the sheer amount on display which was a lot more than outside. "What the?" Unlike clothes, it was harder for Bot to find what he wanted here not knowing anything about jewellery.
No need to waste time now, Bob went straight to who he thought was Matilda and asked if "you can help me? What I am looking for..." was something to put near his neck to bring the two ends of the collar together like he was trying to show with his joined fingers in a circle. "It has to be small, but big enough for people to see" he explained further while adjusting the size of the circle "and shiny." Lets not forget about shiny. Everyone liked shiny. "It also has to be visible without looking funny when I do this" which was taking the coat apart so that he can start revealing what he was wearing inside.
Before he even took the ends apart Bob was still going on about what he wanted because it had to be perfect? "The thingy also needs to tell people something when they see on me. Like I am speaking to them or something you know?" Actually those who knew Bob Barton would know that he would not be talking this long and the trouble to explain for nothing. They would be right to think that if they were here now because while Bob was talking, he was already weaving his djed around his body as if it was the new clothes he was wearing. It had to fit perfectly with the job he wanted it to do. Moving around the mouth like a speech bubble right until the time to pop up and show Matilda what he wanted to show her.
It came out with the word speaking just as Bob timed himself to take the whole coat apart at the middle to show the uniform he was hiding in it. If she did not take the hint from the sight, the hypnotism would make her think that "he is a Speaker. Better help him get something good" because who would not want to get on a Speaker's good side? Long story short Matilda started showing Bob a lot of things which he deemed either "too expensive" or "too small" to the "not suitable" that even he can see. In the end he ended up coming out with some strange pin that he did not even know why he chose. That Matilda was a really scary saleswoman and he was beginning to rethink his promise that "I'll come again if this works out."
OOC :
