Solo [Zhongjie Warren (Bazaar)] Drawing One's Future

[Ni'lriel]

31st of Winter 515AV It has been several days of confusion and stares and yet Ni'lriel was starting to get use to the onlookers, eventually they wouldn't stare at her and get use to her presence, she had no intention of leaving yet. No way. Once more the Akontak has found herself moving through crowds with one hand gripping the parchment that held local laws on one side and the map of the city on the other. The city side was facing up at her, giving her some sense of direction and peace of mind. As much as it could seeing as she had no idea where she was going really. It took several chimes for Ni to locate the road she needed to be on, it was there in the distance, she couldn't see it in her line of sight, but she could see the people leaving from it and it was then the lady stopped and asked several people in her rudimentary Tukant if the bazaar was ahead, she pointed towards the direction the people were coming from. Most just stared at her like she was something they have never seen, and that was probably true for the most part, it was something that tickled her thoughts repeatedly. I am more lost here than I suspected, It took sometime but Ni was finally given a firm nod from a young green Akalak, his eyes only lingering briefly before he looked back at her eyes. She thanked him in Kontinese before heading further up the road. There it was though, sort of tucked away from the street in a way that the Akontak felt she wouldn't completely freeze yet it was still open enough to move around. Now, let's see what I can find here. She came here with a specific set of items on mind to purchase and yet she had no idea how to go about communicating what she wanted, she hoped that possibly someone knew Common, that was at least passable on her end. It wasn't fluent or complete, but it was passable. <<I think if we just showed a bit of fl-- >> You will silence your tongue. I will not just unbutton our shirt so we can get something. Mother said we are a rarity and them staring at us for the flesh of ourselves is not what I had in mind to get us anywhere. So if you do not mind, silence your thoughts and let me continue on with this. After all we are here to learn our father's culture. Let's learn it so we may make our own. <<Very well. But I do feel strongly that if we just showed a little somethings will fall in place faster.>>Ni'lriel grumbled and ignored her sister, stepping into the bazaar, there were many brightly canvas booths, plenty of wooden boots and dozens of vendors. The hues of Akalak skins were so varied and spread throughout it seemed as if the ground was a swirl of paints. Placing her hand gently on the gold in her pocket the Akontak sighed in relief, her gold was still on her person. Ni wasn't sure with all the gawking eyes and her attempt to gather where she needed to get to that what little miza she had still existed on her person. There was a tug from the crowd jostling the petite Akontak from side to side, flashing feelings of peace, devotion, annoyance, sickening… Each person held a brief feeling of a god or goddess and it graced the purple skinned woman's senses with each jostling. It was confusing at the best of times, outright chaotic at the worst. This was nearing that worst stage, it was just so much information being gathered in such a short time frame. So much stimuli with little or no connection. Pulling her hands back underneath her cloak Ni'lriel tried to not come in contact with people as much as she could. The stimuli dropped and she was able to look around without fear of mass confusion and overload. There was a booth on the far left, it appeared to be selling what she was looking for. If the thing he was holding was of any indication it would be a deck of cards. So with quick steps the fortuneteller came to a grateful stopping point beside his booth, it was blissfully empty around it and he did indeed sell a variety of cards. Most sets on displayed were painted or drawn. Numbers, images, colors. They all meant something, be it to the artist, to the new owners, to the society they are currently among. Yet the cards themselves were devoid of further use, once painted they were given a mark, a clear indication of their purpose. “Even with meaning behind your painted visage you are still nothing more than pretty pictures to me. Meaningless to even the most observant.” She sighed, her fingers touching the cards gently. She could feel the textured paint of the cards underneath the pads, rippling forevermore in the downward swipe they were applied. She must have been standing there for a few ticks longer than normal because the merchant cleared his throat and spoke, it was once again in Tukant. “I do not understand.” She murmured, the man looked at her puzzled and then switched to Common and once more asked if she needed any help. It was clear he had as much experience with the tongue as Ni did and that made the Akontak sigh, “Looking for cards.” She replied in Common, the words didn't quite feel comfortable and there was words missing she felt. “Empty cards.” Ni'lriel felt it was important to mention. The guy nodded and pulled out three small wrapped decks from underneath the booth's top. Each deck were made of wood, varying slightly in hue and thickness of the slats. Wrapped in a rough string the Akontak slide a card out of the first stack, careful not to snag the rough spun on the wood and held it in her hand, it felt heavy, not uncomfortable just heavy. Sliding it back into the stack she placed it back on the counter and held her hand over the other two. <<Just pick one sister, it is petching cold out here.>> Ni ignored her sister, it seemed the Akalak blood that coursed through her was not willing to take a little chill and live with it. Dear sister, I am not going to rush this. We both are aware that our future may well be at stake here. I am not going to throw away mother's teachings if we can benefit from it. Gently touching the last deck Ni lifted it off the counter and untied it. She quickly sifted through the slats, they glided gently across their flat planes pausing only once at a card that had a dark brown knot hole, not all the way through mind but far enough. The rest of the cards held no such marking. Yet this card held her attention. Setting the deck down so it was the top of the deck, the merchant went to speak, his tongue trying to stammer out an apology about the imperfection of the card. “No. I will take.” She nodded and tied the deck up and looked at the man, “How much?” He held no answer at first, his eyes drifting down at the deck at back at Ni's face. He held up seven fingers. Reaching into her pocket she counted out seven of the rimmed coins, there was a pause as she held a last miza in her hand, hesitating on the parting of it. Setting the coin in the pile though Ni'lriel nodded to herself before sliding the pile towards the man. ledger : Deck of Blank Cards: 8GM Post WC: 1291 Total WC: 1291/5000

[Ni'lriel]

Parting with the gold was not an easy task, she could feel her precious money dwindling away and yet, it didn't phase her. The thought of needing to acquire a job and soon before the season was up did cross both the sisters thoughts as they pulled the cards close to their body, “I am looking for… Colors.” She hesitated as she spoke, unsure of the word for paints in Common. There was a hesitant look in the Akalak's eyes, he too appeared to be churning the words over in his head, before he pointed towards a stall some distance away. Ni'lriel nodded and turned from the stall with a smile, “Thank you.” She whispered in her native tongue. Looking in the direction the man pointed Ni'lriel smiled and started in that direction. Bracing herself against the cold Ni stepped away from the stall and into the throngs of the buyers that walked the bazaar. It wasn't so bad when the people knocked into her and pushed her around as they moved about. The stares though were still pretty prevalent and yet she there was no retort to them. They will stare regardless of what you say. Let them stare. Yet, what surprised Ni the most wasn't the cold or the stares, it was the quick arrival to the stall she was going for. It was an odd as she didn't recall actually moving that much to achieve her destination. It was the all the crowd, they were pushing me through, I was going against their flow and messing up the system so they removed me. I truly am not a part of this culture. Ni looked down at the inks, binders, and brushes that rested on a white linen tablecloth. A frown replaced the usual lost look she had for some time. There were reds, blue, purples, greens… <<Every color of Akalak!>> The Akontak let a giggle out at her sister's comment. As much as it wasn't really funny Ni could not keep herself from the bubbling laughter. Sister! That was rude. <<But so worth the look from the stall merchant.>> Ni looked up at the man, a sheepish look replaced her frown briefly before she once more went to staring at the merchandise. There was so many shades to look at and it seemed almost too much to stare at. There were dozens of rows, each of them a color unto their own. But the shades, there were just so many different ways to make the pigments align it seemed and yet not all of them were necessary. “Choices to make.” She muttered and laid a hand on the neutrals, they ranged from a pure white all the way to it's counterpart, black. It was a no-brainer for the three neutrals needed in any art adventure. So with deft fingers she picked up a pure white, a pure black and hesitated before picking up a medium shade of gray, it didn't quite remind the Akontak of the white or the black, but it seemed to have it's own color. It was a tough choice the rest of the colors. She didn't want to have to carry around a dozen sticks, but she wanted a full range of colors. The other colors were lain in their respective rows, blues with blues, greens with greens, reds with reds. As simple as it was to just lay hands on all the basic hues of all the basics and their complementary counterparts Ni'lriel wanted to ensure the colors were correct to her wants. They needed to pop and contrast as necessary, but they needed to blend beautifully as needed as well. Like the sky when Syna turns the reins of control to Leth, her eternal lover. There was a moment of pause as she thought this, her fingers gracing a light hue of yellow nearing white before she brought in the other direction, passing the basic yellow and resting several shades between the brightest and the norm. It was a bright vibrant yellow. Lifting it up she set it near the others closest to her and she continued on her search. The darkest blues and purples that were still distinguished as their color were placed in the pile as well. Next came a deep shade of green that graced close to the color of emeralds. Red, Orange, and one more color. These were the colors of fire, dancing exotically and enticing yet she knew that she didn't need both colors just one. And with that she reached for a fiery shade of red and added it to her pile. There was now seven colors before her. Seven and there was still several more that she could gather. There were a set of more exotic colors that rested to one side, these didn't quite fit in with any of the other colors and they appeared to have bits of metal or gemstone in them and she studied them closely. Golds, silvers… She picked up a stick of gold and silver, examining them before placing them in her pile. It seemed befitting to pick up something that sparked in her mind. That left her with one more color, and yet she did not know what to pickup. The colors were so varied still and yet she realized she lacked a color that most artists would claim was the easiest to make, but the hardest to get the right hue of. That was brown, and there were several dozen shades of it sitting before her. Each one as brown as the next. They did not appeal to her, but they were a color she knew she was going to be needing in some fashion. And yet, the shades did not seem to stand out to her. <<Just pick the shyke colored stick on the far end. And let's go. It's petching cold out here.>> Ni made no movement though, her gaze was locked on the shades of brown. It was cold she could see her hand trembling due to be chilled and yet she was not finished. She refused to leave without all her colors in hand. Ni shifted her gaze briefly to the merchant, studying his body movements and tried to gauge where he was looking. It was clear to her that he was keeping a close eye on her and yet Ni wasn't sure if it was her, or the products before her. <<Both most likely sister.>> Ni agreed with her sister silently before just closing her eyes hand slowly moving her fingers from on stick to another. It was a matter of feeling out the color with the ignoring the indecisive stimuli that her eyes gave her. Ni tried to at first clear her mind, it was a simple task for her to do having done it for so long. Yet that didn't last long, as she exhaled her breathe the Akontak could feel it escaping her lips. This exhale wasn't enough to break the emptiness before it quickly was replaced by a shifting color of deep bark brown, inhaling to the response of her heart the fortunetelling Akontak was aware of her fingers moving slowly from stick to stick. Her fingers had stopped moving. The man spoke, breaking the brief moment of meditation she held and brought Ni back to the realm of existence and chaos. It was only a moment before Ni opened her eyes, her fingers resting on a shade of brown so dark it echoed of the bark that was ground down to produce it. Picking it up she smiled sheepishly once again and added it to her pile. It was clear she was embarrassed of having been so startled. Nodding to the man on the other side of the wares, “I will buy these.” He nodded, grunting out something in Tukant that Ni had no idea what he said. Ni tried to make the words understood in Tukant, but it was evident in his posture and the repeat of Tukant phrasing that Ni was not getting through to him. “How much?” She asked him in Common, hoping it would sink into his head what she was asking. The Akalak nodded, “Three Mizas.” Ni nodded, she wasn't exactly pleased with the price but she wasn't going to argue. That would do no good for her. Dispensing the requested amount of mizas to the man she took her wares and stopped before turning. “I will take two of these.” She picked up two of the pouches used to store things. What was nice about these two is they could attach to a belt or loop of some sort. “Two.” Ni tried to do the math of what she had left and nodded, pulling out the two mizas requested and slide them between the rows of colors to the man. Sliding the ink sticks into one of the pouches she shoved the other into her pocket. Intending to move the gold to the pouch at a later time. A nod of thanks from Ni as she turned and found her way slowly through the crowd of buyers. Her one hand holding the cards tightly to her body so they wouldn't be lost or damaged Ni made her way out of the bazaar and on her way back to where she was staying – her father's old cottage. ledger : ink sticks (10): 3GM Belt Pouches (2): 2GM Total: 5GM Post WC: 1,556 Total WC: 2,847/5,000

[Ni'lriel]

A chime later and several stops to check her bearing in regards to the poor map in her hand the Akontak figured out where she had to go to arrive home. It wasn't much, but inside there was warmth, a bed, light, and a table. All of which she had plans to use in some fashion throughout the process she had in mind. Her fingers running themselves over the face top wooden card, the knot hole interrupting the flat plane like a tear into the Void. With the door to the cottage closed tightly Ni pulled the stack of cards out from her pouch and looked at the top card. Something about it unsettled the Akontak and yet it was amazing and mesmerizing. Releasing the stack of cards from their rough spun captor she sat them down on the table. Besides them sat the open pouch, sticks of solidified ink peeking out from within. Turning her attention to the fire, it had died down to embers since she had left earlier in the day. Tending to the source of heat and light the Akontak spent some time removing the chill from her body. Once satisfied the fire was well tended to and could survive on its own Ni locked the door and pulled blinds over windows. Hiding the dancing fire and occupant within. Once that was done Ni let the cloak drop. Feeling the heat brush across her arms the Akontak sighed. She stooped down and removed the soaked boots, wiggling her toes slightly and removed the wet stockings surrounding her feet. A brief moment of pause as she stood and Ni turned her attention towards the cards. A smile graced her lips and she removed the rest of the cold clothing basking in the heat of the growing fire. Turning her gaze once more to the cards she sat down before them, hands slowly picking them up spreading them out across the table, each was as bare as it's partner beside it, minus one. That one still was held in her hand, hovering just off the table's top. She just could not drop that card to the table. Something about it drew her towards it. It felt like an anchor. Holding up the card she studied the knot hole closely, the person who shaved off the wood around it smoothed the interior of it, but not fully she noticed. At the center of the burr she found the rough patch that reminded of the knot, it was evident that if they sanded out the interior any further it might of actually tore a hole through the card. Therefore destroying the card completely. <<I wonder if this was but a fluke Ni. A missed card in a pile of dozens and the fool that stacked the cards failed to miss the quality check.>> “No Aire. This card was left on purpose, the imperfection was meant to remain. Maybe a show to the world that not everything is as perfect as they imagine. It is a vision of artistry dear Aire. Avalis had granted the craftsman with a vision. So that we would find it and make it unto our own image.” <<Bullshyke Ni, mother has tainted your thoughts with hogwash. Father would've told you that the dagger above the mantle was ours to use in our image.>> She spoke through clenched teeth, hissing out the words violently. “Father is not here. Is he? He was never there sister. We know of him only through blood and stories. We barely know his tongue for the love of Priskil do we sister? We know of his people, but we are not a part of them. From the looks we have been getting it seems we will never be apart of their culture. Same as with mother's” Ni frowned as her gaze went from card to the weapon of her father's people. It sat above the fireplace, flashing the dancing red-orange flames underneath it. Tantalizing and yet intimidating. Tearing her gaze from the dagger the card once more preoccupied her gaze. “Avalis grant us the vision to do that which comes before and after.” Her eyelids slid shut as she settled into the chair, it wasn't exactly comfortable but it would do for what the Akontak had planned. Dispersing the thoughts of the day from her mind she dived into the great beyond, stretching out her emptiness to take on the card, trying to form a mental image of it floating there in her mind. It appeared, warped by perception from the reality brought to her mind's eye. The hole staring back at her. It was streaked in red across the it's upper curve, screaming at an angle from the left and curving around it, like an open sore echoing the realm of darkness. The color darkened as it wrapped around to the right. A thin line of the deep red running to a shade of purple so dark it appeared black as ink rolled around the curve, following the knot's tightly before fanning out and introducing a deep blue fading to a light faded blue as it fanned out from the bottom curve back towards the red. The image crumbled after that, lost once more in the depths of her mind once more and Ni sighed, staring down at the hole she reached for the red ink that she picked up, holding it in her hand so it lined her palm and stuck out between thumb and forefinger she finally set the card down, keeping it away from the others. Pausing with red stick over the card Ni gently held the card in place so it wouldn't move. With a gently hand she pressed the stick against the card and swung it to the right, watching the red line start wide and angled and narrowing as she traced it around the edge of the knot, stopping about midway of the right curved edge and pulled the stick away with a flick, producing a clean tail with which to mix or blend into obscurity. Setting the red down she immediately picked up the blue, this was in reverse of the red in which she gently touched the stick down against the faded tail end of her red and gently curved the line around the rest of the right side curve around the bottom and fanning it out wider as it broke from the curve in it's own angle trajectory. With the widened tail Ni was able to break away the ink stick far easier than the red's thinner counterpart. With the line drawn Ni sat the card and ink down, looking at the twin arc polarized colors twist themselves around the knot hole. <<There is something about this image that I am concerned about. Something more personal than we can possibly be gathering at this moment in time. Something about us>> Ni'lriel nodded, she can see the twisting elements there, but the knot hole still seemed unnerving to her. “But why not knot? Why not just twist the colors together? Wouldn't that be more uniting? Isn't that a more accurate depiction of… Of us?” <<We may have the same want in life sister, but our ways differ.>> Ni couldn't deny that and instead just focused on the card before her. The twin streaks of color curved around the marred in the card and yet she could not fathom why. Twin colors wrap around the knot hole, joined in union for a brief moment. Ni frowned as she picked the purple out of her pouch of inks and graced the two merging colors together where they met with the ink's presence, slowly darkening the connection until the middle was a deep purple and echoed of black. Setting the ink stick back down Ni'lriel sighed running her hand over her face, smelling the faint rush of wood and ink. Standing the Akontak turned away from the table and stared into the fire's roaring flames. Her lips pursed in a frown that echoed her confusion and sense of being lost. Avalis guide us. Post WC: 1,347 Total WC: 4,194/5,000

[Ni'lriel]

The flames danced enchantingly, beckoning the Akontak closer but the heat buffered her and kept her at a safe distance from the hungry fires. It held the same duality in a way that she held. On one hand she was the embodiment of her mother: a facade of quiet and calmness, a seer of what is to come and what has been; on the other though Ni had no clue what Aire felt, she understood her sister was not one to remained seated and just stare into the future, she wanted to mold the future into something she controlled. Dear Aire, is that why you picked up the hammers of magic? To forge our path in a physical form. <<Our future is ours to forge, how you go about it Ni is your followings. Let me forge ours my way.>> But we are one in the same. We are the same flesh and blood sister. A replication of father's heritage if mother is to be believed. Yet you… You expect me to just sit here and allow you free reign to forge our path? No. We will forge our path together, we already made that pact we will honor that pact. <<Sister, you realize that you are passively being moved forward. Allowing the tides of men to take us along their waves instead of plowing through the world on our own. Us, sister. Not just you. We are in this role together, let's work together. Forge a path together.>> Ni stared into the flames, mulling over the words of her sister, this was less a conversational moment and more a moment of truth and life. “Aire is there a way we could combine our paths into one? Forge our own using the tides of man?” Aire chuckled at the question, it was sounded like a bell but harsh in it's use. <<Possible sure. If we want to be mage crafters for the select few and allow them to dictate our work and lives. We got the makings to be crafters to Gods sister. Gods.>> There was a tick of pure silence, only the fire crackled as the Akontak stared into it, her eyes watering silently from the heat radiating away from it. Turning from the fire she looked at the table, sitting there was a deck of wooden cards. All unmarked save one. Scattered in disarray and chaos. From this distance the hole appeared black, shadowed by it being sunken into the wood. A black hole surrounded by color. The colors muted by their distance and the dancing colors. Each flickering flare from the fire behind her produced ripples of red or blue, a hint purple shimmered through in those rare moments. Running her hand through her hair she choked on her emotions. “Sister… We must work together, bickering does not help us. We agree what we need to do...” A tear trickled downward, Ni wasn't sure if it was the heat or something else. “To forge our own path amongst the world we need to develop a sense of us. We can't do that without knowing where we come from. Completely.” <<Sister. We come from a mother and a father. We are the sum of them. More so than most children for we truly are the sum of the qualities. We are closer to the gods than most others can imagine. A rarity among mortals. The Gods sister. We can craft and commune with the Gods.>> Ni nodded and wiped the tear away from her face, the card flickering its colors and hole back at her. “Yes… The gods.” The gods… Turning back around towards the fire she sat down before it, crossing her legs and resting comfortably Ni closed her eyes, once more the Akontak did her best to clear their thoughts, allowing the heat of the fire and her breathe to ease her into a state of calmness. A simple task really once she managed to calm her heart beat down enough so she could feel it thumping rhythmically in her chest. One… Two… Three.. Four… Exhale… One… Two… Three.. Four… Inhale… One.. Two… Three… Four… Exhale… The process continued for sometime. Repeatedly Ni would flinch during a loud crackling from the flames before her, breaking her concentration and forcing her to start over again. <<The gods dear sister… We can commune with them if we try hard enough. We can forge items for the gods.>> Aire whispered softly, trying not to break her sister's concentration but to assist in fueling her imagination. Colors blossomed, not entirely different from the card's mental image from before. Floating there they were hazy at first, then a trace of gold, silver, white. Swirling around one another before a spark of blue or purple presented themselves. Circles and markings. Lavishly designed markings that the Akontak only knew as glyphs but word only, these were just assumptions. Glorification of teachings from years past. Yet they were vividly drawn, reflecting the recall of her lessons in sharp contrast to the bleak darkness that surrounded them. The vastness of emptiness. This must be what the Void looks like… Bleak, desolate… Dark. There was a twang of sound, a bell chiming softly in the distance… Not like clock bell, but a musicians bell. It was tinny and pitched, a whine rippled across the image, distorting it from the center outward. When the ripple faded a single item remained in it's place, a card. It had a blank back of wood facing upward and yet Ni had a feeling she already knew what it was. Yet it crumbled as she mentally went to flip it. The whole image just faded into obscurity, replaced by another urge… A more urgent necessity. Nature was calling… Post WC: 957 Total WC: 5,151/5,000 OOCThis was a lot of fun. I am still getting into the character and the race and such… So suggestions are much asked for. Enjoy, I hope!

[Nivel]

Fear not for I come bearing Grades

 

Ni lriel

Skills

Skill	XP	Note
Land Navigation	2	-
Observation	5	-
Interrogation	1	-
Persuasion	3	-
Intimidation	2	-
Rhetoric	5	-
Philosophy	4	-
Endurance	1	-
Painting	1	you didn’t actually paint but what you learned would apply to painting so take a point.
Drawing	3	-
Meditation	2	-
Mathematics	1	-
Organization	1	-
Appraisal	1	-
Fortune Telling	2	-
Socialization	1	-

Lores

• Maintaining your morals
• Let them stare
• Understanding he flow of RiverFall’s streets
• Colours should compliment and contrast each other
• Discovering a missing card
• Fortune telling: Everything is a sign
• Two souls with the same desires but different methods.
• Developing a sense of “us”

Extras :

Very nice thread, I liked the dialogue between the two sisters. I think you did a good job of portraying two souls with conflicting sensibilities.

 

Person B

Skills

Skill	XP	Note
Skill 1	#	So skillful
Skill 2	#	You even skill, bro?
Skill 3	#	Neat Skills!

Lores

• Lore 1 - Lore: This is a Lore
• Lore 2 - Lore: A Lore of Lores

Extras :

Injuries, notes and other such things

 

Person C

Skills

Skill	XP	Note
Skill 1	#	Skills for skills
Skill 2	#	Skill or be skilled
Skill 3	#	the Skills are real

Lores

• Lore 1 - Lore: Look a lore
• Lore 2 - Lore: And look another lore

Extras :

other such things, notes and injuries

Feel free to message me if you have any questions or concerns about your grade.