Precision Marketing (Khara)

by **Zhol** on January 22nd, 2015, 9:56 pm

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..10th Winter, 514

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Zhol did not want to be here. In fact, there were very few places he wanted to be less than he wanted to be here. He had a list, in fact, and while here ranked a little better than buried alive, the smouldering crater of an active volcano, and story-time with his insufferably dull grandfather, it wasn't by far.

No, there was something ominous about the Market now. It didn't matter that the winter weather had forced the merchants inside, and dwindled their numbers to help fit within the smaller space that the Stained Glass Gallery afforded: he couldn't forget what had transpired the last - and first - time he had visited here; while he had escaped unscathed his finances had not. Sol had learned a great many things about himself that day: most of all his vulnerability to the wits and manipulations of merchantkind.

By comparison though, his discomfort paled into mere reluctance next to his companion. The winter market had become so crowded that a queue had formed, a sluggish river of bodies shuffling slowly into the Gallery, their numbers moderated by a few unwilling volunteers standing sentry by the entrances; though she didn't touch him, Zhol felt Khara shift a little closer to him. She had kept mostly to herself since the events of autumn, and what He had done to her, and while work and life made it impossible for her to cloister herself away in her room or Zhol's room for the entire time, she had avoided the more social, crowded parts of Wind Reach as much as possible. The winter market was about the worst of the worst in that regard; the claustrophobia alone was enough to make anyone a little on edge, the prospect that any hand that brushed against her in that crowd might be His hand?

There was no way Zhol could possibly have said no when Khara had asked him to accompany her, regardless of his reluctance. He doubted there was a single request that she could make that he would ever be able to deny her, and every opportunity to spend even the briefest time with her was grasped with both hands; but for this most of all his yes could not have been more emphatic. A twinge of pain in his arm and shoulder reminded him that he might not actually be of all that use if Khara actually needed protecting from Him; but not even the gods would have been able to stop him from trying to, if it came to that.

Another nervous shuffle from Khara prickled at the edges of his perceptions, as the tide of shoppers in front of them thinned, and the Chiet sentries gestured tiredly for the two of them to pass through. Zhol turned his eyes to Khara and crooked his injured arm, holding it out towards her the way he'd seen the men of Endrykas do when they were trying to appear classy. He didn't quite understand it, but it was the fashionable thing for a gentleman of Syliras to do, apparently, and the Drykas men assimilated every scrap of possibility that might expedite their courtship efforts.

He capped it off with the warmest smile that he could muster. "Would you care to accompany me to the market, m'lady?"

by **Khara** on January 24th, 2015, 11:35 pm

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It wasn't a matter of wanting to be here, more just small necessities that demanded it. She still hadn't found paints in any small amount to finish her journal page with her color system, still hadn't invested in some sort of twine for... Shyke. What was the reason, again?. Still hadn't gotten a new bowstring, and then there was the fact that once again she was in the same vinati and bryda she used for work - for every day, really. Katinu too, but at least that was excusable. There was a reason for it, really. The last time she had visited the Marketplace she had been trying to simply keep herself together, focusing on breathing and thankful for the scribbled out list she had torn out of the back of her journal for lack of other paper. She had bought too many arrows then, but it seemed like a good thing at the time.

Still, that trip had left her practically catatonic upon returning. Khara hadn't had problems with crowds before, she almost preferred them for the anonymity that they could give. But that had been before and this was now after and the singular possibility that when she went to the booth to get her hunting knife sharpened he could possibly be there among the other blacksmiths and weapons craftsmen was more than she could possibly bear. So when Zhol had agreed to accompany her she had been more than relieved, she had been elated.

Of course, that was before they had actually gotten in line, before they saw how crowded it was actually going to be, before she had time to second guess and try to back out of going. She didn't need anything that badly, did she? No. No she didn't. Khara could continue on just fine without the small bits of things she was considering spending her pinions on, but it was more a challenge to herself than anything else. She refused to let fear get the better of her, refused to let one single man among the entirety of Wind Reach make living her life normally impossible.

It wasn't easy, though. Every movement of the masses of people around her made her shrink closer to the perceived protective bubble that Zhol provided. Of course she knew he was injured, of course she knew that if anything were to really happen that he couldn't stop it, but she also knew that the odds of one person causing an uproar in the market over a Chiet of all things wasn't going to happen. Zhol's presence may have been little more than a glorified dissuasion, but it couldn't have been more appreciated.

She felt lost in her own thoughts, adrift on a sea of doubt and anxiety and then a single voice pierced through the fog in her head and Khara quickly looked up and met Zhol's gaze. A confused look formed across her features and a clipped amused laugh followed. "M'lady?"

Her eyes glanced over the way he held his arm out to her and even more confusion crossed before she testingly put a hand against him before letting it slide forward until her arm looped with his. She wasn't sure if it was the appropriate thing to do, but it did let her remain close to him and somehow it felt more secure a hold than the feeble and twitchy way her hand always found his.

"Isn't that a word for a sickness?" Khara teasingly asked. There was a difference there, she was sure of it, and there was no way that Zhol had just referred to her as a disease of some sort. But the term he used seemed strange, not one that she had heard before that was for certain.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on January 26th, 2015, 1:43 am

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Gently, Zhol eased his arm back towards him, guiding Khara even closer to him than she'd already tried to be, and slipped his other hand across to take hold of hers, silently assuring her that she'd done exactly as he expected her to. He kept his pace slow as they entered the market, careful not only to make sure his much longer legs didn't sweep Khara at a pace she couldn't keep up to, but also making sure that they didn't get sucked into the swirling maelstrom of the crowd before Khara was good and ready.

Her question caught him completely off-guard though, and it took more than a few moments for his mind to realise what she was referring to. Instantly his face flushed with embarrassment, first at the fact that he'd clearly not been careful enough to avoid Khara from misunderstanding his words, and then from the realisation of what his explanation would entail.

"It's a short way of saying my lady," he explained, his voice timid, only just loud enough to be heard over the crowd. His shoulders slumped a little, eyes falling to the floor. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have called you that. You are not mine, you are your own, I just -"

He sighed; slumped a little more. "I have never had someone special before. I am not very good at knowing what to do or what to say."

by **Khara** on January 26th, 2015, 7:23 pm

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"But I like being yours," Khara objected and tugged herself ever so slightly closer to Zhol."Just as you are mine. You should not worry so much, I like what you do and say."

A smile, more timid than she would have liked was flashed before Khara returned her attention to the market proper. She had known it was going to be packed, but never before had it really occurred to her that as a whole it seemed her entire race had absolutely no concept of personal space. You bumped into someone, as long as it wasn't overly violent or on purpose, it wasn't a big deal. Body contact was normal, expected on some level even, yet every time someone even slightly brushed up against her Khara wanted to shrink away from her own skin. It was upsetting only in the frustration she felt from every little flinch she couldn't control, the rising urge to gently tug Zhol back outside of the Gallery had to be continually fought off, taking up most of her focus when she otherwise would have been admiring the bright colors from the stained glass or market stalls. A trip to the Market was supposed to be fun.

She could do this, though. She had done this. Khara had felt far worse when she had last visited the Market in Fall, and she had been alone, so why was this proving to be so much more difficult than it should have been? A glance was cast up at Zhol - No, it wasn't because of him. Mostly, the Inarta girl realized, it was because of one of the things that she actually did need. Her arms slipped away from Zhol's only so that she could remove the less-than-perfect backpack from her shoulder and retreive her hunting knife, its blade wrapped in a strip of brown linen.

"I-I guess I should get this sharpened first, maybe get something to actually put it in when I'm not using it too." Her voice was quiet, barely to be heard above the general din of the enclosed market. Going to the blacksmiths' stall was just about the last place in all of Wind Reach that Khara wanted to be near, so it seemed the best place to start. Get the worst done and over with as quick as possible.

"Maybe Tordon will be there alone?" It was a plea to the gods as much as a hope. Tordon was easy to deal with, he didn't know a thing about blacksmithing but he had been nice enough to offer his opinion on which blade would best suit her needs. He hadn't even tried to steer the Chiet towards one of the more expensive items. Only problem was if Tordon was the only person at the Hot Hammer, it didn't exactly bode well for what she needed done, which meant she'd have to come back - or worse, make a trip to the Crafts Gallery.

She was quick to wrap her arm where it had been linked with Zhol's before, though both her hands returned to being occupied with the simple knife, unwrapping and rewrapping the blade with it's makeshift sheath. "I think there was something else I thought to buy so I don't keep using this to cut plants, but I can't remember what it was."

Her admission didn't really have a point, more something to keep herself talking and focused on the task at hand rather than letting her thoughts run rampant with worst case scenarios.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on January 27th, 2015, 1:28 am

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It was unfair to them: Zhol did not doubt that most blacksmiths were kind, amiable people; but the term, the blacksmith, had been uttered over and over in his mind with so much hate behind it that the very occupation had become a curse, an insult to be even distantly related to that man. He could guess at the thoughts tumbling through Khara's mind as she twisted the knife in her hands, all her nervous energy trying to escape through those fumbling gestures. He wished there was something he could say, some sort of reassurance, some kind of gentle promise that would ease her discomfort; but there was nothing. He couldn't assure her that he definitely wouldn't be there. He couldn't assure her that she was definitely safe from him. There was nothing he could do or say -

The arm that Khara had abandoned slowly moved, struggling a little as his tendons protested, lifted to rest gently around Khara's shoulders. "If he tries to hurt you again," he said quietly, "I won't let him. Just like I didn't let those men hurt you in the tunnels the day we met."

The words were simple, but they dripped with inference. Zhol could vividly remember the man that he'd stopped; the feel of Zhol's sword slicing it's way through the flesh of his arm; the scent of blood, and of searing flesh as Zhol had brought his reimancy into play. He remembered the sight of him laying there, the lack of guilt, the sheer certainty that Zhol had done right and Khara's assailant had got what he deserved. That had been back when Khara was a complete and utter stranger, just a person in peril who meant no more to him than any other. The thought of doing the same to the blacksmith - Worse, his thoughts urged, This one deserves far, far worse - filled him with a knot of determination and rage. Part of him wished that the blacksmith would be there; it would be one of the many things that Zhol would make him regret.

"Besides, he's a coward," Zhol added, managing to scrape away some of the anger that wanted to take over his words, forcing an injection of warmth instead. "He's no match for the two of us when we're together. Nothing is."

by **Khara** on January 30th, 2015, 4:48 pm

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Together. It wasn't something she had taken for granted by any means. Every waking moment when she wasn't in The Unforgiving, Khara had tried her best to be at Zhol's side since the Season had changed. The Warrens had become the last place she ever wanted to be alone, something that bitterly complimented her constant want to be near him. To hear Zhol say it like that, though? It made it sound like the two of them could face the entire world and come out unscathed. Khara looked up at Zhol until their eyes met and couldn't help but feel a small smile tug at her lips as the threatening anxiety was driven back. With a quick movement her arms slid around Zhol's waist and she tugged herself tightly against him, ever aware to keep the blade in her hand from accidentally making contact.

"Thank you," Khara mumbled against him before she lifted her head away from his side. "Okay, then. Together."

The two made their way through the crowd slowly, the Inarta girl tugging herself ever tighter against the horse boy as they made their way towards the blacksmith's stall. Relief passed over her as soon as it was in sight, Tordon's familiar face beaming at just about anyone willing to make eye contact with the man. There was someone else there too, another Inarta who seemed to be tending to the Hot Hammer's merchandise - Khara didn't recognize him, though.

Khara's last interaction with Tordon had been short, yet pleasant. Azira had instructed the girl to get a hunting knife of her own and Khara had cluelessly attempted to pick one out. It had been Tordon who asked her what she would be using it for, who had only raised an eyebrow in response to her admitting she was a Chiet and couldn't afford one of the nicer blades. He hadn't asked why it was that a game scout wanted such a thing that she would probably, in his mind at least, never make use of.

As the merchant spied the two he eagerly waved them over and to Khara's curiosity seemed to eye up Zhol before a broad grin spread across his features. "Always happy to see a repeat customer! I trust you've been taking better care of that blade of yours?"

His use of Common entirely threw Khara off. It made sense, she supposed, that those who worked at the market would be capable of such a thing, it was good for business, but hearing anyone but Zhol speak the language still seemed a complete oddity to her, even though he knew very well there were others in Wind Reach capable of it. It was only after his initial question that his eyes briefly glanced over Khara, not seeming to even notice her until her hands raised the hunting knife. Immediately his attention snapped back to her and he reached out and plucked it from her hands.

"Dear girl, what have you done to this poor knife?" The question was shot out as he scrutinized the obviously dulled edge, she couldn't help but feel that the next look he gave her was a mixture of disappointment in her lack of care as much as in himself for letting a Chiet buy such a thing, as if she was too stupid to know any better. His continuing in Common was obviously for Zhol's benefit, though Khara couldn't tell if it was out of politeness or if Tordon was simply catering to Zhol's higher caste. "No matter, we can take care of it. Rayt! Bit of a quick job for you this morning!"

It was only then that the other Inarta at the stall - Rayt, apparently - turned as Tordon handed him the blunted hunting knife. The calm that Khara had managed to gain was lost though as a cruel smile spread across his face the instant he spied Zhol. "Hey there, horse boy. How's the arm?"

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on January 31st, 2015, 3:27 am

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That voice. Zhol didn't need to see it to remember who it belonged to. It wasn't the blacksmith, but it was one of his associates; one of the few who had unfortunately been present when Zhol had foolishly confronted the man who had harmed Khara. His ribs ached in memory of Rayt's boot, but Zhol fought against it, crushing the pain as far beyond the corners of his thoughts as he could manage. He could mock if he wanted; perhaps Zhol even deserved that, given his foolhardiness. It didn't matter; in fact, he even mustered a small smile.

Rayt. He rolled the name over in his mind, seared it into his memory. The blacksmith and his entourage had just lost their first piece of anonymity.

"Fine," Zhol managed to muster pleasantly, as casually as if Rayt had merely enquired about the weather. For effect he raised his protesting arm, the other joining it to fold across his chest. The motion demanded more flex from Zhol's elbow than the tendon there was willing to concede, but he forced it into place; a stubborn gesture of stubborn defiance in the face of the blacksmith's mocking. He paused for a beat, his eyes fixed squarely on Rayt, a hint of darkness creeping into his voice. "How's your friend's?"

The flash of anger in Rayt's eyes was exactly what Zhol wanted, and it would be a lie if he didn't enjoy seeing it. His memory conjured a whiff of the scent of burning flesh; the same smell that had erupted from the blacksmith's arm as Zhol's res had coiled around him. It was a stupid thing to do; stupid, dangerous, petty, vindictive; it didn't save anyone, didn't protect anyone; wouldn't even have hampered him all that much, if he got to the healer fast enough. It was just a childish flail of a man angry at himself for not having protected the person he loved; but damn if it hadn't been satisfying, watching the blacksmith standing there, clutching the very hand that he'd laid upon Khara. He'd been beaten for it, Rayt and the blacksmith's other companions had made sure of that; but it had been worth it, and Zhol's only regret was that he hadn't been able to do more.

Zhol broke the silence that had fallen, drawing attention to Rayt's momentary indecision. "You going to sharpen that knife?" he asked, that same strange tone of casual threat lurking beneath his voice. "Or do you want me to give you a hand?"

by **Khara** on February 8th, 2015, 6:53 pm

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It wasn't how Zhol normally spoke, but it was a tone of voice that Khara was becoming increasingly familiar with. She'd first heard it the night she had shown up, broken and terrified at his door, but it hadn't been leveled at her. Now to hear it again, aimed at the assistant, there was little question left as to what exactly the two were referring to. Still, Khara couldn't help but shrink towards Zhol's side a bit, even after Rayt turned away.

Tordon, however, seemed perfectly oblivious to what had transpired. A quizzical expression was passed from Rayt to Zhol, a quick shrug of his shoulders left one to wonder if he knew very well what the veiled threats were about or if he was simply shrugging off that which he didn't understand. The sound of the knife being sharpened behind him turned his mind back towards the transactions though and his somewhat overly warm and good humored nature returned.

"Well then," Tordon spoke, his tone echoing the physical shrug as he turned his attention back on Khara and Zhol in turn. "Anything else I can get for you?"

Khara glanced towards Rayt as he turned back towards the group and handed the small hunting knife back off to the merchant. Her entire body felt like it froze as he made eye contact with her only briefly before a scoff and a roll of his eyes was given to the two of them and he turned back to tending to the other items in the stall. Tordon's smile as he handed it back to her only barely managed to take the edge off her unease.

"I-I could use a.. A..." Khara paused as she tried to think of the word, the bit of brown fabric in her hand that she had used to wrap the blade before fidgeted with.

Tordon eyed her motions and with a bit of a self-satisfied smirk placed a small dagger sheath on the table. "Something like this?"

Khara sheepishly nodded and handed her hunting knife back to the merchant who quickly slipped the blade into the small scabbard, his smug smile only broadening at the near perfect fit. The Chiet girl wasn't entirely sure if she liked or disliked his demeanor in that moment, but it didn't really seem to matter. She got what she had come for and as far as she was concerned they couldn't get away from the Hot Hammer fast enough. Her backpack was unslung from one of her shoulders so she could begin riffling through it for the pinions needed to complete the transaction.

Tordon, however, seeing the girl was through turned his intent gaze upon Zhol. "And how about you? Surely there must be something I can get for you today."

oocNote for grader: -2 Pinions for the scabbard. Not sure what to put for the blade sharpening! Let me know what you think and I'll add it to the expenses on my ledger!

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on February 12th, 2015, 4:56 pm

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Oh no, not this again.

Zhol almost recoiled from the question. He knew this merchant; recognised him from Zhol's first failed attempt at visiting the market. Tordon might not have wounded his wallet too severely, but it was he that had drawn first blood, and the scent of it on the air had sent the other merchants into a frenzy, like glassbeaks tearing chunks off a carcass. Zhol had no desire to spend a single coin in this wretched place.

Yet his mind faltered, not under the onslaught of Tordon's gaze, but rather beneath the weight of Khara's presence beside him. How would it look to her if he stubbornly refused to part with his coins? Would she think him some miser, some greedy fool too attached to his Avora wages to be willing to part with it? Then again, if he bought anything beyond what she could afford, would it compound her discomfort at her lower caste? Khara had assured him that she no longer perceived that rift between them, that what she felt transcended above such considerations; it was one thing to believe her though, and another entirely to flaunt that divide in front of her and risk causing it to earn her notice again.

His arm slipped gently around Khara's waist, almost protectively, more a comfort for himself than anything else. His head lowered, settling a soft, lingering kiss atop Khara's waves of copper hair. "It's your birthday soon," he said quietly; the perfect excuse, the chance to share with her what he unfairly had, and have it be nothing but the generosity of her doting lover. People bought gifts to commemorate a birthday in Wind Reach; he knew that tradition; he'd seen it. His heart rate quickened at the thought; a chance to show Khara how much she meant to him with more than just words and gestures. Was this why so many people hoarded and lusted for wealth - so that they could feel this elation at the prospect of spending it on gifts for those they cared about?

"Is there anything you want? Anything you need?"

by **Khara** on February 14th, 2015, 9:04 pm

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Her birthday? Truth was that when Khara had told Zhol about it, she had also very sincerely hoped he hadn't been paying attention and would forget. Despite Drusilla's insistence that she celebrate it, Khara had been planning on treating the day just like any other, hopefully as quietly and with as little fuss as possible. The thought that Zhol would buy her anything had never entered her head, even after she herself had made the concerned effort to get something for Dru the season before.

"Y-you don't have to," Khara mumbled softly. The slightest pull back from where she had leaned towards the gentle hold he had on her let her eyes meet his. Among all the usual things she had learned to see there that caused fluttery sensations within her, Khara couldn't help but note something else. It wasn't determination, not exactly, or at least she didn't think so. It was something, though - something that let her know his inquiry was genuine rather than out of any sort of feeling of obligation that came from the impending day that would mark her as another year older. Well, Khara hoped so at least.

She settled back against his side and looked among the weapons on display. There were so many things. Talon swords that she had heard were the envy of other cultures, specialized arrow heads meant for taking down even the biggest of prey, knives and daggers of all shapes and sizes. Khara took them all in, her mind systematically refusing the need for each one. Talon swords were beautiful, even the most basic of them - but they were meant for duels or defending ones place among the higher castes, not something she even remotely was concerned with. The arrow heads too were considered, but Khara wasn't a hunter, she'd never make good use of them. She already had a small blade and while it was far from ornate or even good quality, it got the job done. More than that, usually.

The thought served as an instant reminder for why she had to have the blade sharpened in the first place. It spent far too much time cutting plants and sawing at branches than ever meeting the flesh of an animal. She had wondered if there was something else that would be more appropriate for that job, something small she could still take with her that wouldn't add too much weight to her pack that she took out each day for work. Something useful.

Khara's wandering gaze settled on a few hatchets that were on display, set apart from the finer weaponry and other impressively crafted items. They were plain, they were ordinary, they were simple, they were small - In short, perfect.

"I-I could use one of th-those?" Khara spoke in both statement and question, entirely uncertain if what she pointed towards was even remotely considered something along the lines of what Zhol was asking. "Azira showed me how to build a fire to flush out rabbits from their burrows and we had to make a... A..." Khara stopped as she tried to think of the word but it eluded her "Thing to hold and pull once to bring back a kill and hunting knives aren't very good at cutting plants, really and it keeps seeming like I need something else and-"

She flushed as she realized the speed with which her words were leaving and the way that her accent came more and more through that was no doubt making it difficult to understand the rushed Common. "Th-they aren't very expensive, I think. You don't have to." Khara repeated as she looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

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