Open Mission: Nose-Peg

Going to the shops and an ingenious idea for swimming.

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Considered one of the most mysterious cities in Mizahar, Alvadas is called The City of Illusions. It is the home of Ionu and the notorious Inverted. This city sits on one of the main crossroads through The Region of Kalea.

Mission: Nose-Peg

Postby Karin on September 17th, 2015, 5:35 pm

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1st Autumn, 515 AV

Right, I have a plan, and nothing or nobody is going to stop me. Her walk down to the Bizarre that morning was neither hurried nor rushed, but simply calm. For she had a glorious purpose. She'd woken up in the middle of the night, an idea like a firefly sparking in her mind. It wasn't the most magnificent of ideas, and it certainly wasn't going to win her any awards, but it would be incredibly useful. She had wanted to start straight away when she'd woken up, but of course she didn't have any of the equipment to do it right there and then.

So, morning had dawned, bright and early, and Karin was now currently making her way down to the Bizarre. The idea she'd had was this: her recent excursions in the sea had had her hold her nose as she was swimming. Now, it was usually a lot easier to swim when you had both hands, but Karin had never had that luxury, as she also didn't want to drown by water snorting. But what if something else was able to hold her nose closed? Now, that was an idea... She'd had a deep hard think, and finally realised that to solve her problem, she needed to make... a nose peg! Result!

For this to work, she would need a knife, and a bit of sturdy but flexible wood. It was actually quite surprising to the girl that she didn't have a knife of some kind, only her eating knife, which wasn't nearly going to be sharp enough for her task. Figuring that the Bizarre would have what she needed, she took up her miza purse, and flicked her finger through to count her savings. Figuring she could afford to splash out on some new purchases, the girl started thinking what wood she would need.

Her job at the workshop sure was useful; her knowledge of different wood types, although not comprehensive, was definitely more improved since she'd started working there. She knew that ash was a bendy wood, because she'd seen Fern using it to flick pellets at her, to her annoyance. And she presumed that it would be strong enough for her purposes. So when she reached the Bizarre, the first thing she did was to walk over to a reliable wood merchant that she'd visited before.

The merchant was a grizzled old man, with yellowed teeth, but she knew he was a kindly soul. "Hi young 'un. What are you looking for today?" The man had a simplistic way of talking and asking which Karin appreciated. "I'm looking for an off-cut, really. Do you perhaps have a nice bit of ash which is too small for anything else?" The man held up a finger to indicate he would search for her, and a moment later re-surfaced holding a small, oblong piece of ash, with a groove cut in one end. "This is ash, m'dear. It's only a little scrap. What are you going to make, if you don't mind me enquiring?" Karin grimaced a little at the question, as her secretive nature didn't like to give away her secrets, no matter how big or small. However, she still told the man, "I'm making a nose peg for when I go swimming." The man smiled and 'aah'ed', and handed it over.

"It hardly needs paying for, but if you give me a copper, that'll satisfy me." The girl easily handed over the change, and thanked the man politely, before heading off, the chuck of ash safe in her pocket. Okay! Now it's time to find a nice knife for my whittling.
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Mission: Nose-Peg

Postby Karin on September 19th, 2015, 11:39 am

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The girl headed off, idly examining her 'purchase' in her pocket. Knife, knife... She pondered about the best place to get a knife from. She didn't really know anything about the things; despite being an angry creature from time to time, she wasn't angry to the point of physical violence. She felt kind of silly, actually. Lots of people carried knifes, for self-defence or just because they were useful or whatever. The girl scowled a little. She didn't think she would ever have to use hers for self-defence, she hoped she wouldn't have to. However, if she did, then maybe she should actually learn some self-defence? The thought of it quickly brushed across her mind, but she dismissed it just as quickly, as a weapons stall came into view.

Karin walked slowly up to the stall, and started browsing over the items laid out on display. There were knives with various kinds of scabbards, short swords, wooden-handled axes, chisels and various other iron-work and tools. This was not a neat shop. The things were haphazardly spread around, and as the girl watched, a shopper reached out to try the handle of a sword and disturbed the pile on top of it, causing a minor landslide of equipment. The shopper let out a little yelp of surprise, and walked away with a frown, leaving Karin alone. The shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen, so she continued browsing.

After a little while, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A small knife, with a worn, polished, bone handle was protruding from a pile of fabric. She didn't know why that particular item had caught her eye, but it had. Possibly it was the pommel, which was a dull silver colour, and was currently catching the light to shine into her eye. Whatever. The girl picked up the blade, untangling it from the material it was obscured with, and took it out of its leather sheath.

The blade itself was discoloured, and stained with what looked amusingly like berry juice, dark purple and.. yes, there's a pip still stuck to it. The girl brought her sleeve up to wipe it clean, and admired it in a slightly detached manner. She didn't know a thing about knives. But that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate it for what it was.

Gingerly, she tapped the tip of the knife with her right finger, transferring the blade from her right to her left hand. But just as she was about to see how sharp it was the stall owner popped out from behind a curtain, alarmingly loudly, and the girl accidentally pricked her finger a lot harder than she'd meant to. "Pet-ch." She bit down on her lip as a crimson orb of blood welled on her finger. Well, at least she knew that it was sharp now.

"Oh, I didn't see you there, y'lookin' for a blade?" Karin nodded mutely, and proffered the knife she was holding. The pain from the prick wasn't as bad as she thought it was, so she rummaged in her pocket for some mizas. "That'll be 6 silver mizas missy." Again, she silently handed over the money, grumbling quietly to herself. But as she was walking away, a slow smile spread across her face again.

I've got all the materials for my project now! I can start! And with that, she took a step out of the Bizarre, and headed down to the port.

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Mission: Nose-Peg

Postby Karin on September 22nd, 2015, 12:09 pm

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Half a bell later, and the girl was seated cross-legged on a rocky outcrop a small length from the surface of the Suvan, tufts of grass still damp with residual dew underneath her. For a few chimes, she relaxed back, closing her eyes and breathing in the ozone smell of the ocean, and the cool, mint smell of the fresh breeze.

After enough time had passed, the girl rummaged in her pocket, firstly bringing out her knife. She unfastened the leather sheaf, and dropped it down into her lap. The blade glinted dully in the light, and Karin brought it closer, admiring the sharpness. She tested the edge on her finger carefully, and the pressure of it felt sharp enough. Satisfied, she brought the hem of her sleeve up to clean it of the pips and dried-on juice.

She felt like she was suddenly grown up. She could envision herself striding on the deck of one of the ships sailing in the waters, knife at her side, breeze in her hair, commanding respect and fear from her shipmates... Grinning, the girl once again rummaged in her pocket, and brought out the chunk of wood. In her mind, she tried to visualise what the nose peg might look like.

Casting around in the grass and dirt besides her, she found a twig. Realising that she might not get it right first time, she decided that instead she would experiment on the twig first, to make sure she got it right when the time came round to it. So, the twig. Let's see... She held the small branch in her hand, and tried to feel, both physically and mentally what would work. Slightly hesitating, she placed the edge of the knife against the edge of the twig.

Here, she wasn't so sure. She knew the basics of whittling, but she'd never put it into practice. Well, here goes. With a stroke of the blade, she let a curl of bark fall from the twig. The cut was weak, but she thought she had the gist of it. A smile lit up her face; she felt so accomplished, even if it was only the beginning.

After a few more strokes of the blade, she had cleared all of the bark from the twig. It was quite a thin bit of wood, and she had no idea what type of wood it was, but it would do. Experimentally, she placed the blade against the edge of the wood, trying to guess what would happen when she applied the cut. She estimated that as long as she cut along the grain, it should be an easy cut to make.

Unfortunately, direct cuts like that really needed a saw. It was a little harder to cut than Karin realised, and she had to make sure she was cutting away from her fingers and her body, in case she accidentally slipped and stabbed herself. However, she had soon cut a decent enough wedge into the end of the twig.

She now held in her hand a small strip of wood, with a fork in one end, roughly resembling a thin, long V shape. Obviously, it was quite flimsy, but she brought it up to her nose anyway. The wood smelled strongly of sap, but apart from that, everything seemed to be in order. She pinged the tip a few times, to see if it would slip off. It seemed to stay put.

All of a sudden, she realised how stupid she probably looked. Here was a girl, sitting on wet grass, a virtual stick protruding from her nose. And she also realised... If I talk now, I'm going to sound.. Here she shrugged, a wide grin splitting across her face. I'm going to sound like a duck! Hah! And with that, she let out a squawk, imitating the birds she'd heard bobbing up and down on the water. "Squawk! Quawk! Quaaack quack quack!" Her voice had an incredibly nasal sound to it, and it wasn't long before she was in a fit of nasally giggles, laughing at herself, the world and the good fortune to be able to laugh at herself.

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Mission: Nose-Peg

Postby Karin on October 9th, 2015, 4:05 pm

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A few chimes later and the girl had calmed down, albeit slightly. She had also discovered that her invention would work, now it was just putting it into practice in the actual crafting.

The sunlight was soft and lucid, and the grass underneath her had dried to a soft, comfy seat. Summer was still clinging firmly to the city, and Karin found she liked it. The light of Syna's rays warmed the top of her head, and she found she was feeling sleepy, but she was determined that she wouldn't fall asleep, and that she would make her nose-peg.

So, with a rather dramatic flourish, she drew the chunk of wood from her pocket. She traced its whorls, the light pattern of the grain, and wondered how best to go about her project on this altered form. It wasn't like the stick, as it was a solid, chunky piece of wood.

She got hold of her knife, and pressed it very lightly against the surface, before realising that she should mark where she wanted to cut. The tip of the knife softly dug into the surface, and she outlined her cut, scratching out where she made a mistake with the tip of her blade.

For a little while, she whittled the wood off in small, thin slivers, letting the fragments drop to the floor until she was surrounded in wood peelings. The item was beginning to take shape, it was now roughly in a triangle, but the girl still needed to make the incision. She stared at it, admiring her rather rough handiwork.

It'll do. The brief wheeling of a bird above her, casting a shadow confused her, but she stopped staring at it, realising that she needed to carry on. With the knife firmly pressing against the base of the triangle, the girl tried pressing down, trying to cut through the wood, but her knife wouldn't budge. In fact, no matter what she tried to do, it still wouldn't do anything.

She tried sawing, which made a slight indentation, but it wasn't quite enough. In fact, it was hardly anything at all, which the girl found quite frustrating. She brushed her hair off her face, and bent down over her work again.

After a lot of tries, the girl finally managed to make a decent cut, which she hastily expanded until the triangle was now a very slim 'V' shape. Of course, it was very rough, but it bent and didn't break, which was wonderful! Karin hastily grabbed it, and put it onto her nose. The fit was much better, the firmness of the wood managed to block out any air when the girl tried and failed to breathe through her nose.

Now she would just have to test it!

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Mission: Nose-Peg

Postby Karin on November 30th, 2015, 4:59 pm

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The area around her was quiet, and she clambered off her stony hillock, and down a little twisting sandy path to the small beach beneath her. The soft, whooshing sounds of the Suvan caressed the shingles, and looking back Karin could see the outline of Alvadas. All in all it was a glorious day, and what better day to go swimming?

A light, refreshing breeze ruffled her loose blonde hair, and after a surreptitious look around, Karin stripped her trousers off, keeping her loose top on for warmth. I should really get some swimming clothes... She stood there, appreciating the sand beneath her toes, and stepped closer to the edge of the water. The lap of the water on her feet made her gasp slightly, and all the senses of the ocean flooded over her as she walked deeper into the waves.

Sensing a shoal of fish over to her right, the girl quickly fitted her new nose-peg to her nose, and took a deep breath... Before diving with a noisy splash under the waves, feeling cool, salty water rush past her cheeks. Small bubbles formed beneath her fingers, and she felt like laughing.

The shoal of fish had swam away upon hearing her dive, but Karin didn't mind. With almost a feeling of luxury, she pushed her hands in front of her, not just one, but both of her hands. There was no water getting into her nose, nothing to make her choke or drown, she could swim freely!

With a powerful kick of her legs, she pushed downwards, parting the water with her hands. A dull ache throbbed in her thighs telling her that she pushed a little too hard, but she didn't care. The beautiful underwater world of the Suvan blossomed all around her.

A little to her left was the rocky outcrop she had been sitting on, its stony roots descending into the depths. She swam closer to it, her legs kicking and her hands pushing forwards and then outwards in a rhythmical motion. As she got closer, she pushed to the surface again, quickly, to grab a breath of burningly cool air.

Plunging down again, her hair streaming behind her, she clung to the rocks and felt the minute periwinkles and limpets that clung to the same rock as she. With a smile plastered to her face, little bubbles forming at the corners of her lips, she tried to pry her fingers underneath the shell of one, and felt it fasten itself to the rock that much firmer.
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Mission: Nose-Peg

Postby Karin on December 28th, 2015, 4:11 pm

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She tried again and again, but the small shells each escaped and clung to their rock with a ferocity that Karin couldn't compete with. But it didn't matter, she was merely curious. She kicked her legs out and scrunched her stomach to push herself forwards again, feeling the cool pebbles brushing against her skin as she grazed along the bottom of the shallow sea-bed.

The sea was that perfect temperature between cold and warm, creating frissons of bubbles. But her breath was getting tighter in her chest, and with a waving, frond-like feeling she could sense the presence of a shoal of minuscule, silver fish somewhere behind her, faint and fuzzy at the back of her mind. With weaker kicks now, the girl pushed herself back up to the surface.

Well, the nose peg definitely worked. That made the girl happy, and she gently touched a finger to the wood. Maybe some day she would varnish it, to make it more waterproof, but for the time being, she would just make sure she kept it safe, in her pocket.

She was standing waist deep in the still water, and as she was feeling a little tired and starting to feel cold, she moved forward, feeling the tug of the water on her legs. It was almost like it was beckoning her back, and she almost gave into the temptation. If she could, she would stay in the water forever, but she knew that she needed food and energy.

She reached the shore, and shivered. Time to put my clothes back on... and get them soggy. I really will need to find some kind of swimming outfit soon. Or maybe just go shopping... The girl yawned a little, tired from her little adventure and gently stretched her legs, half-remembering that the last time she had been swimming, she'd over-exerted herself and suffered cramps all day afterwards as a result.

But most importantly, the girl was happy. Even though she was still land-locked, the fact that she was getting better at swimming each day, and the homeliness of the ocean was at her fingertips, the lure of the Suvan was less of a burn and more of a welcome warmth now.
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10/7/17- All my threads are marked [open] and as such are open to all. :)
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Karin
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Mission: Nose-Peg

Postby Fable on January 9th, 2016, 6:59 pm

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K A R I N . I R O N Y A C H

a d r o i t . a c c r e t i o n s
    ❁ logic 2
    ❁ socialization 1
    ❁ observation 3
    ❁ tactics 1
    ❁ research 1
    ❁ carving 2
    ❁ acting 1
    ❁ drawing 1
    ❁ planning 1
    ❁ wilderness survival 1
    ❁ endurance 1
    ❁ acrobatics 1
    ❁ swimming 2

e s p i e d . e r u d i t i o n
    ❁ carving: properties of ash-wood
    ❁ carving: nose peg


r e c o m p e n s e . a n d . r e t r i b u t i o n
    ❃ -1 GM 6 SM 1 CM: bone hilt dagger (6 SM x 2), leather dagger scabbard (2 GM / 5), and ash-wood (1 CM)
    ❁ crude wooden nose peg
    ❁ bone hilt dagger and leather sheath

d e t e r m i n a t i v e . d i c t a
Very quaint! I don't know if you noticed the irony of her already having gone shopping and realizing she needed to buy more things, but I found it very human and enjoyable. Good work!
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