Closed [Baroque Bay] Something Fishy (Aladari)

75th: An unlikely pair come across the strange occurrence on the beach. One sees the numerous sea creatures washed up on the shore as an opportunity, the other as simply strange.

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[Baroque Bay] Something Fishy (Aladari)

Postby Orakan on November 5th, 2016, 8:45 am

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75th of fall 516av ♦ just after the 3rd bell

baroque bay piers - the leg's other leg


The tinkle of bone against wood could barely be heard against the low murmur of the men that milled about 'The Leg's' pier. Some spoke low and uneasily about the queer things that had been happening around the city, casting wary looks about as if they might somehow see something despite the blackness of night that surrounded them. Others were louder, animated in their mix of humoured insults and arguments as they passed around a flask. Then there were the final few who hovered over a pair of seated bodies and single lantern, their voices rising and falling with the tumble of bones that were being tossed between the two.

This rumble rose suddenly.

Ah Hai, ya petching cheat!” Ora crowed over the din, pointing accusatorially at the bones that had landed in a 6-6-4-3 configuration, effectively beating his previous toss of 6-6-1-1.

The old, gnarled figure that sat across from him only chuckled low, grinning ear to ear as he settled his fists on his thighs, “Oh, aye? Cheating, uh?” - his brows rose as if to add emphasis - “How in Hai am I meant ta be cheatin' when they're your bloody bones, boy!” A cacophony of laughter, jeers and cheers rose from the small group centred around the game being played, the sound echoing off the planks and boards of the sagging structures in their vicinity. The other men in the area sent curious looks their way.

Ora merely grimaced, trying to hide his own grin as he pursed his lips and shook his head slowly, dismissively, to what was said. “
Yeah yeah.. but hear Ora out, ay?” He had his hands up now, palms out as his good eye wandered the few that hung around him, trying to win them with his words, “C'mon, Ora can't be tha only one thinkin' it.” He then turn his good eye on the man across from him, pinning him in place as he sat up a bit straighter, more confident as he laid out his accusation, offering a tip of his head to the bones as he spoke, hands in his lap, “There be some Hai-born sorcery shyke goin on, Hobb.. what with 'em doin what they're doin!” His claim was a bold one - especially in this city where mages could be killed on sight - and he gesticulated to both the man and bones for effect.

Uneasy laughter mixed with some not-so-amiable debate and argument once more rose from the group as the lankier of the two players reached forward to swipe up the bits of bone again, uttering a low warning in the process, “Now now, boy, yer gon' have the mob after me head with that there chat.”

Ora grinned around his chuckle, head shaking as he countered in equal measure, “
Ya won' be missed, Hobb.” The group voiced their agreement upon hoots and sniggers. No doubt they had been swindled out of a fair few precious mizas by the man in the past.

Hobb shook his head incredulously, tsking before adjusting how he sat. The slight tension that had risen from the statement had dissipated and the knobbled old dock worker could help but finally flash a grin before offering, “Shall we have another go? Ya willing to part with another two silvers, boy?” He gave a wink, just to further bait the boy, and watched with a smugly satisfied look as Ora nodded.

Aye, 'nother 2 silver then.” In the end, Ora was a stubborn shyke and he couldn't help play in to another go in hopes his luck might turn around.

Hobb grinned wider as he gave the bones in his gnarled and twisted hand a shake. “Good,” he added and tossed the bones with a flick and twist of his wrist, sending them skittering across the barrel-top the pair were using as a playing surface, grin broadening. 6-4-4-4.

Ora snorted and snatched the pieces up, giving them a small shake and blow, willing for something, anything, higher than that toss. Surely he was due to win this pass after losing the last three. Surely. With that in mind, a backhand flick followed and he sent them tumbling upon the wooden surface, cursing loudly once he saw how they fell. 6-1-1-1. His curse melted into a drawn-out groan as he clutched his shaking head, fingers flexing into his short cropped hair.

Bloody hai.. ” he spat, derision replacing the amiable air his words had held earlier, “petch this shyke.

Hobbs only gave another toothy grin and a wink. “Aye, you agreed to play, boy. I didn't force your hand.” Noting the furrowing of the younger man's brow, he felt like pushing it, adding cheekily “Ya wanna go another round, One-Eye? I could use some more silver.. bring me up to a nice shiny gold piece, it would.”

The words ground on Ora, the banter from the onlookers – made at his expense – only compounding his frustrations at being out as many silvers as he was.

However, the exchange was short-lived as Harry 'The Leg' hollered out, his distinct waddle bringing him slowly around the corner and up and onto his pier, “Ay, ya lollygaggers, time to do some work! That Saique ain't gonna disappear on 'er own now innit?”

That was all that was needed for the lingering collection of men – a right mix of dockworkers on Harry's payroll and Daggers - to stand attention, the pair playing at bones merely exchanging a knowing glance before Ora finally shifted to grab the mizas he owed, his movements and expression greatly exaggerated as if the act physically pained him. He begrudgingly set the mizas on the board between them, his compatriot swiftly catching them up into his knobbly hand, giving the Dagger a mocking bob of his head, “Pleasure, One-Eye. Remember to find me next time you wanna throw some mizas away on yer bones.”

Ora sneered, all remnants of the merrymaking from earlier dashed once those mizas left his person and he hastily collected his bones. He rose sluggishly, rolling his broad shoulders back and tilting his head one way then another before he finally cast his gaze to where the shadowy figure of the Sea Mare rose and fell gently with the dark, undulating waters of the bay. The owner had been oblivious of the trappings that came with the use of this particular pier, succumbing to Harry's wily ways and would find himself a whole Saique lighter come morning.. not to mention short of all her contents.

Orders received, the men did not take long to set to task, the thirteen odd crew focused on making quick work of removing anything and everything portable despite the darkness.

Ora joined in but paused once he had boarded, waiting for his eye to adjust to the inky blackness of the night after sitting so long in front of the lantern. He had no intention of rushing, especially since this pause allowed him to get his legs set under him, thighs tensing as he adapted to the sway of the vessel which proved to be no easy task as men brushed and pushed past him. Shooting a surly look at each of their backs as they passed, he eventually made his way down into the cargo hold to assist in emptying it.

It was dark as pitch within the belly of the craft and Ora found himself sticking his hands out in hopes of being able to navigate around his surroundings without running into – or falling over – anything. Moving at a cautious, shuffling snail's pace, he steered himself off to one side, only satisfied with moving forward once his fingers brushed against the convex curve of the hull. Steady, he reminded himself before he moved further within until he knocked into something solid. He pawed at it to try and deduce what it was, the pads of his fingers grazing over the rough tops of wooden staves, following them to note the cylindrical shape. A barrel? His fingers sank lower, passing over a cool band of metal which all but confirmed his suspicions.

Satisfied in his knowledge of what the object before him was, he bent his knees and wrapped his arms around it, settling into a squat as he prepared himself for the lift. His legs, back and arms strained against the weight as he hefted it up and against his chest, bear hugging it as he gritted his teeth and slowly pivoted around to haul it back the way he came. No doubt if there was one then there would be many more to follow and Ora was careful as he picked his way back up to the top of the deck.

ledger-8sm to Yren Hobbs (gambling, bones)

word count: 1455
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Last edited by Orakan on November 19th, 2016, 10:28 am, edited 6 times in total.
“The means to every crime is ours,
and we employ them all,
we multiply the horror a hundredfold.”

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[Baroque Bay] Something Fishy (Aladari)

Postby Orakan on November 5th, 2016, 9:08 am

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♦ around the 6th bell ♦


It was always darkest before the dawn, something that worked in the crew's favour as the last of the items were stored away. The Saique had already vanished, sailing off the moment the vessel was cleared to no doubt dock somewhere where she could be stripped apart to serve as materials for the old man's shipwrighting business. Men were following suit, drifting off here and there to return to their respective places within the city.

Ora did the same, a hand on one of his bare shoulders as he rolled it gingerly, feeling the effects of the work he put in over the past bells. He was sore and hot from the labour he had done and it was because of this his shirt had left his frame, finding itself wrapped neatly around his skull, leaving his top half bare save for his flimsy linen vest he wore. The cool, pre-dawn air felt amazing against his skin and he took his time wandering back towards Robern's Reaches, savouring it all.

He opted to veer off in a north-eastward direction rather than following the trickle of bodies that made their way north and westward to the Commons, sticking to the bay and slowly tracking along it. Not in any particular hurry - although a hot meal and his bed were sounding good at this point, he wound up on the shore, boots digging into the coarse, dry sand. Caught up in how his body felt and how focused he was on how it was slowly cooling off, he didn't notice the foreign shapes that dotted the shoreline until he stepped on one.

In his current state, he likely wouldn't have even noticed if not for the slight stagger-step the dying fish made him take as he slipped over it. It was still dark – Syna's form only just starting to lighten the horizon – but he did his best to figure out what had made him trip, body bending as he lowered himself. He poked at the form and then drew his hand back quickly as it jumped lethargically. What in Hai.

Eyes having adjusted to the low light of the pre-dawn, he quirked a quizzical brow at the floundering shape and crouched to reached his hand out to it, slower this time, and gingerly ran his fingers over the rough surface of the fishes body – as he felt against the scales. What're you doin up this far, he thought, eyes turning to scan over the grey-coloured shore before him. He found it odd - there was no evidence the tide had come up recently to leave it stranded there, the sand was all dry. Ora puzzled over this but figured something, or someone, had fished it out and merely left it there.

Figuring it wouldn't be a bad breakfast, Ora grabbed at the fish, muttering as it slipped through his fingers and flapped about on the sand. Righting himself, he figured he might as well set himself something to keep the fish in before grabbing it again and tugged his shirt from his head, unwinding it and then holding it out before him as he gave it a look-over. His hands moved to work the bottom, tying it together to seal it before doing the same with the sleeves to form the straps of what slowly became a makeshift satchel. Satisfied, he slug it around his neck and turned his attention back to the fish and tried to catch it again, slower this time and with both hands. He managed to get a hold of it - albeit precarious - and clutched it tight, knuckles white as he plucked it up and shoved it in past the neck of his shirt, giving the makeshift satchel a twist to secure the fish within.

Satisfied, he stood once more, only to now notice the multitude of other lumps and forms that dotted the shoreline before him, each a different shape and size. The sight gave him pause: he'd never seen anything like it.

AladariApologies for the length. It kinda got away from me!

word count: 672
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Last edited by Orakan on November 19th, 2016, 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
“The means to every crime is ours,
and we employ them all,
we multiply the horror a hundredfold.”

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[Baroque Bay] Something Fishy (Aladari)

Postby Aladari Coolwater on November 8th, 2016, 10:38 pm

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75th of Fall 516

Aladari had always been the kind of girl who answered whenever Ovek knocked, no matter how strange. If he offered her a chance, a stab at good luck, who was she to ignore him? He had been present a few seasons ago, gifting her a flood and fish flopping at her front door. During the summer he had given her a chance to profit off of the fish from the healing waters. And though luck himself had yet to show his face this season, Aladari was confident that he would. She simply had to wait.

In the meantime, why worry?

Aladari preferred to wait calmly, to prevent Ovek from mistaking her anxiety for distrust. Some days she felt that she needed to smoke, drink, gamble, or escape on a sailboat in order to stay calm. Today, though, was one of the days when relaxing didn't seem so bad.

---

She meandered down to the docks, breathing in deeply and relishing the smell of the oceanfront and the scum that came along with it. She had hated it when she first arrived; it was strong, dirty, and choked her when she breathed. But over the past year or so it had begun to feel like home- no matter how gross it was. The sailors, too, were familiar. Though she couldn't understand most of it, the short and sharp rhythm of Fratava was comforting. The grunts from the dock hands and even the rowdy laughter of men on break made her smile.

It was all so homey that it struck her for the first time how much she really belonged in Sunberth. She had never thought she'd enjoy a space of such chaos and rage, but now she found that it was not so much chaos as many individual lives happening all at once. It was beautiful, in a way, and it felt like a part of her.

Aladari mused over this feeling of belonging as she strolled down to the pier, where the water met the land in a great stretch of wood. It was her regular haunt. She took off her boots to feel the still-warm sand in between her toes, and the dampness against her skin. She was familiar with the view, and the boats parked there. She could have sworn she even recognized one of the whores under the docks, though she didn't interrupt to ask.

Yes, it was all so familiar that later she would be surprised she hadn't noticed the variations sooner.

The dry flakes of scales mixed in the sand were nothing new, nor the stench of decay. But one thing was different- the fish.

They were everywhere! Some fish were still floundering about, coating themselves with dirt or sand while others just stared into space with glassy white eyes. They didn't appear to be injured at all, but they were shoring up and dying just the same.

Aladari crept forward to examine a nearby fish. She poked it curiously with a toe, jumping back in alarm when it spasmed one last time before going limp. What has happened here? She thought. If all these fish die, I won't be able to get fresh fish for a season!

...And neither will anyone else.
The dismay faded from her face as she slowly realized the potential. She would have a monopoly! She only needed to collect all the fish. Looking out at the shore, she knew it would be a long day of work, but if it meant not working another day for a long time, she was perfectly fine with it.

There was just one problem; she had no way to haul the fish.

However, as Ovek had presented her this opprotunity, he too presented her a solution. There was a boy- no, a man- on the shore as well. He was not far from Aladari, and she could see that he was already attempting to capture a fish for himself. Although his techniques were laughable (the fish nearly got away even though it was half-dead), he still looked like good muscle.

"Aye, you!" She shouted, gesturing broadly to the man. "Ya wanna git some extra coin?"

Word count694
"The sea always filled her with longing, though for what she was never sure."
- Cornelia Funke
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Aladari Coolwater
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[Baroque Bay] Something Fishy (Aladari)

Postby Orakan on December 7th, 2016, 5:59 am

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It was the scent of decay and rot that hit him next. Although it lagged behind the sight of the many lumps and bumps that littered the stretch of beach before him - all muted in Leth's light, it finally caught up and assuaged his senses, causing him to straighten. He was no stranger to the smell of piss, shit, muck and dirty bodies and was familiar enough with the rotting stench of the shacks as well as the docks but this seemed.. stronger, fuller in body and potency. Maybe breakfast won't be a feast, he brooded, having a sinking feeling that perhaps he may have quite literally fished up one of the few live bodies that had washed ashore.

He was about to further investigate when a shout disturbed his peace – a shout seemingly directed at him. He clutched his parcel closer to his body in knee-jerk fashion, safeguarding it from potential wayward, thieving hands – his own free hand moving instinctively to the rectangular hilt of his kopis, and turned to look in the direction the voice had come from, settling his mismatched eyes upon the shadowy silhouette of a young woman.

He noted the gesture she made and the lazy drawl of her words and narrowed his eyes in contemplation whilst his hand eased off his blade. Despite the distance between them and Leth's dim, silvery, pre-dawn light, she may have been able to notice the tension in his frame, tension that he was slow to lose. Unlike this woman, Orakan had endured the hard knock life of growing up in Sunberth and he was all the more wary of her and her openness because of it. But lose it he did - broad shoulders softening as his hands lowered to his sides, because, as she had seen opportunity in him, he saw opportunity in her. Ora was always open to collecting a bit of extra coin.

Judging by the quickness in which she attempted to enlist his help, he had a feeling she was likely not a native and hoped he could capitalise on what he concluded was this woman's naivety to the city and its underhanded ways. Although hardly the actor or skilled in subterfuge, the one-eyed Sunberthian tried his hand at playing her. If she had knowledge of fishing – or of how long these bodies stayed edible after washing up on shore – then he could potentially exploit this and take everything they gathered once all was said and done.

So, for the time being, he pretended to be a sailor, falling back on what Fratava he knew from working the docks in the past, “
What you say?” He turned his body full on to her and tugged at the sleeves-strap that hung across his chest, hefting his chin up to give her an interested bob of his head, “Mizas? You got mizas?” He intentionally used common when it came to talking about money – because he understood that miza was fairly universal, and every foreigner he had come across at the docks had at least known that word.

Now the trap was laid, he waited to see how she would respond, ready to roll with whatever she asked, even going so far as to slowly start heading her way before giving another tilt of his head towards the beach that had stretched out before him, littered with what could potentially be a bounty, trying his best to encourage her towards him so he could hear what she had to offer. He hoped she wasn't knowledgeable of the Daggerhand tattoo on his forearm, relying on the darkness that still clung to the morning and the myriad of other poorly done tattoos that surrounded it to keep it from being too obvious.
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“The means to every crime is ours,
and we employ them all,
we multiply the horror a hundredfold.”

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Orakan
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[Baroque Bay] Something Fishy (Aladari)

Postby Aladari Coolwater on March 6th, 2017, 5:54 pm

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71st Fall 516

Praise be! She thought, nodding to the man as he neared. He appeared cautiously interested, but that was good enough for her. It mattered not to her whether he be cautious or suspicious or downright accusative. All that mattered was that he helped.

Though the words were foreign to her, the tongue was familiar. Fratava, she decided, recalling the fast and fancy feel of the language from the mess of languages that surrounded the docks. There were two reasons to use Fratava, as far as she knew. One, and the most common, was that he was a sailor. Though she couldn't believe allowing a man who couldn't handle fish to be on a ship, she supposed he could be a dockhand. The second was that he was a merchant. This was much more likely in her eyes, and this gave her a different impression of his skillsets. Merchants were likely fast-talkers, persuasive, and worst of all, clever.

"Mizas?" He asked, the Common suddenly coming into focus.

Now that word, that one she would have recognized upside-down and backwards in a mirror, as would any other self-respecting businessman. Carefully, she mustered up a few words of Fratava. Hopefully, it would be enough to relate to him and make him feel a little more comfortable.

"Yes." She told him. "Mizas, they...here close." She brushed the bottom of her shirt aside to reveal the pouch on her belt, which she jingled in demonstration.

Switching back to Common, she began to explain. If he showed confusion, she would try her hand at Fratava, but at that point it would almost be a lost cause, she reasoned. The communication would simply be too thin. Hopefully, he'd understand enough Common to meet her in the middle.

"I sell tha fish at market. An' I needs to git these there for sellin'. I gots nothin' to carry 'em in, though. Ya think ya can help me find one, and git these fish rounded up?"

If'n ya can, I swear to Laviku there'll be Mizas."


It was a promise that she planned to hold, so she felt free to put it in Laviku's name. Of course, she would not mention how much exactly, but it would be Mizas, plural.

Aladari glanced over his tattoos, more in admiration than suspicion. It was not uncommon in Sunberth to have tattoos, and she had always wanted a good tattoo, but here this man had so many painting his body he looked like a walking picture book. Idly, she wondered where he had gotten them, and why. Some were more detailed than others- some being hardly art at all- but all were clearly a part of him. In order to excuse her invasive looks at his arms and hands, she held out her own hand to shake for the deal.

Word Count468
"The sea always filled her with longing, though for what she was never sure."
- Cornelia Funke
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Aladari Coolwater
Rock the boat.
 
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[Baroque Bay] Something Fishy (Aladari)

Postby Orakan on February 19th, 2019, 8:01 am

Grades

Gambling - 1
Persuasion - 1
Rhetoric - 1
Observation - 3
Acrobatics - 1
Investigation - 2
Deduction - 1
Bodybuilding - 1
Land Navigation - 1
Scavenging - 1
Tactics - 1
Subterfuge - 1


Location: The Leg's Other Leg
Location: Baroque Bay
Gambling: The pain of losing
Persuasion: Using fear to sway opinion
Hobbs: Old dockworker and skilled gambler
Harry The Leg: Runs The Leg's Other Leg
The Leg's Other Leg: A pier where ships and cargo go missing
Acrobatics: Finding balance while on a rocking ship
Observation: Using touch as a guide in a dark space
Bodybuilding: Using one's full body to help with lifting
Sunberth breeds distrust
Subterfuge: Performing a ruse in a bid to use and deceive another person


Self-grade. Please let me know if there are any issue.
“The means to every crime is ours,
and we employ them all,
we multiply the horror a hundredfold.”

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User avatar
Orakan
Lost Boy
 
Posts: 183
Words: 101764
Joined roleplay: July 7th, 2015, 1:52 am
Location: Sunberth
Race: Human
Character sheet
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