Closed A Hidden Mentor [Terag]

[Cabochon]

44th of Summer, 517 AV The ground was littered with dew from the previous night as the civilians of Alvadas made their way about the city. The drops of rain filtered through the slab's cracks, following the natural crevices and nooks that gave each stone their own unique look. In some areas, the water pooled into sunken areas of the walkways, holding some kind of Ionu-blessed illusion. When parents and caretakers weren't looking, children would often run and jump into these puddles. To the dismay of anyone around them, the children would often get themselves, and sometimes others, dirty. The children, however, were filled with an unquenchable glee that would soak up their entire day. They could've cared less for appearances, public etiquette and personal hygiene. For them, their entire world was caught up in that one moment, and they relished in every second of it. That was one of the many observations the Pycon had as he traveled to the Bizarre. As the creature hobbled along, his eyes would travel the ground, watching sparks of fire leap and spray in one puddle while frost chilled mountains would careen and stand over a vast emptiness in another. Then, it would return upward, both to see the direction of his steps and catch little charming moments like those. He loved seeing those things in action. Something about a child's ability to do whatever they wished without a care was something many adults longed for. However, where would the maturity come from if they never stopped to care? There were things adults had to do to survive that children didn't. Both had good intentions, he guessed. Overall, there was a wonderful balance between the two ends, and they served each other in wonderful ways. Eventually, his steps found the entrance of the Bizarre, and he took some time to scout out a good location for observation. His eyes squinted when they crossed the sun's rays, widening again when they found a shadier, softer undertone, or when the clouds shielded the brightness. Then, he found it; a small, poorly stacked pile of wooden crates. Hobbling over to them, he tested their durability by pressing his shorter arm against them. When they kept stable, he clambered onto the first one relatively well, testing the integrity of the top with his full weight. They held true, and with a smile appearing on his face, he turned about and made the rest of the climb to the top. They were only two stacks high, and when Cabochon situated himself, he realized that there wasn't much more to see than when he was earth-bound. Getting up slowly, he braced himself before looking around again. Some bricks protruded from the wall, and Cabochon remembered the time his coin purse was stolen right from underneath him. He had yet to find the culprit of that incident, but he figured all would come around one day. It had to. Ionu had proven themselves favorable of Cabochon's endeavors. He knew that from his encounter with the Svefra, however odd that man was. His short arm subconsciously tightened on the purse's string as he thought about that man. He hadn't seen him since then. He hoped Thaddeus was doing well. Seeing he had no further options, he sat down again, dismayed. He hoped he'd at least find some kind of proper skill sets needed for his new job. If he was going to do this job, he was going to do it right the first time. There was nothing that was keeping him from doing so. It was then that his attention turned to a tent setting up beside his position, and his head tilted as he watched the Isur prop up the tarp and position his trade to sell.

[Terag]

Terag grunted as he finished setting up the last of the tent poles, looking back into the tent to another Isur that had traveled with him from Kitrean Krafts. He spoke in Isurian to his companion, "So wait, we're setting up the tent to get new customers, not really to sell wares. Right?" The other Isurian nodded, he didn't speak much. "Well I say we, but I mean me. I guess it's part of being the newest one at the store. I'll do my best to gather attention but I don't really know what to do. I mean between the instructions Vacielli and all of three words you've said I don't really know what you guys want to bring people in other than sit here at a stall all day." As he continued to rant about his situation in Isurian, Terag took the time to pull a few weapons and set them on the table in front of him, as well as a pair of gauntlets. Among the pile was several daggers both Iron and steel, and short sword and a long sword, and then behind the table there was a barrel that held a few spears and a few pole arms. Against the center tent pole Terag was careful to set his own steel warfork against it, to display it as well. It wasn't one he had made, but by now it was something that he could make himself if he so desired as well as most of the other Isurians back at Kitrean Krafts. The other Isur smiled a bit as he patted Terag's shoulder on his way past the table and towards the entrance of the Bizarre. Terag waved him goodbye as he left, before sighing and looking out over the entity that was the Bizarre. Many other tents set up to show off and sell their goods, many sitting quietly but some were shouting out or talking to those who passed by. In the mass of moving bodies, Terag only barely caught the movement of a Pycon off to his side, one sitting up on a couple of boxes. He hadn't seen much of their race, in fact he think he had only seen one or two others back when he lived in Syliras, and they might have been squired or knights themselves so it wasn't like he had much time to talk to them when they were passing by. A curious race, constantly changing and crafting themselves up. Something about the idea seemed amusing, being able to find what form fits yourself in that moment. He gave a little shrug as the thought faded, his body was perfect as it was since it was already gifted to him by Izurdin. Why would he change? He went to begin trying to get the attention of any of the other passersby past his make-shift stall before he realized his voice would get lost among the countless sounds of the bizarre. Then an idea occurred to him, one that made him blush a little with embarrassment when he realized it entailed him almost singing at people. But at least he'd stand out, and one had to show off their crafts when they had the change after all. At least it wasn't fully singing, not yet. But he definitely let his singing voice out as he spoke loudly out in common to get people's attention. It was also the first time he did anything close to singing in another language than Isurian, the words felt different as they escaped his lips but the basics seemed the same at any rate. Singing was just making different noises with ones mouth after all, just like speaking another language. "Everyone, look this way! See what wares Kitrean Krafts has crafted just for you! We have everything from arms to armor, Knives and swords, bucklers and breastplates, and spears brand new! Our knives can cut through leather like butter, our maces can crush metal and bone, day or night. Our shields can block a maul even from the largest thug, and our armor will be able to keep you going in any fight! Ask me about what we work on and what we can make, after all we can even give you a varied selection of shafts. You can find an piece of gear that you are looking for, you just need to make your way over to Kitrean Krafts!" His little part-song-part-sales-pitch seemed to get a couple of heads to turn his way and a few amused smiles, although no one really seemed to stop long enough to really purchase anything or gather more information. At least it was all the same to him, since he was here for publicity for the store and get people to think about it. In Alvadas it wasn't hard to just get stuck on something and end up somewhere different after all. So it would have to work for the time being. He sighed a bit and looked out over the crowed again before remembering to smile and try to be inviting.

[Cabochon]

The Pycon couldn't help but stop and stare as the Isur began unloading his belongings onto the wooden table. His head would sway in its change of focus, from one item to another. The endless amounts of spears, swords, pole-arms, shields! The amount of things the Isur displayed seemed endless, and Cabochon studied them all with intense care. There was something about the merchandise that didn't seem normal, for some. The iron was deeper, richer than he'd seen in more commonplace tools. Was it a different process or an altered formula, or did all weapons look that way? As he studied the forms and contours of the different weapons, his eyes shifted to a sudden conversation the men started up. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but it did bring intrigue. A difference in words, letters and pronunciation, that was all it was. Yet the ability to speak another language was a feat within itself -something only few people couldn't do. Cabochon knew he was one of them, but it didn't stop him from being his genuine self. One of the Isur eventually left the other to tend to things, and there was an odd intensity about his frame. The Pycon quickly sensed that he was uncomfortable, and his attempts to draw in customers feigned over the more experienced traders. With the Isur's anxiety, Cabochon became a little unnerved himself, looking elsewhere and trying not to stare at the merchant. Instead, the creature looked for other forms of observation. He eventually found an elder gentleman who sold leather bags, and he set his sights on him. Unfortunately, he was subtlety interrupted by a sudden burst of song, and he whipped back around to see the commotion. "Everyone, look this way! See what wares Kitrean Krafts has crafted just for you! We have everything from arms to armor, Knives and swords, bucklers and breastplates, and spears brand new! Our knives can cut through leather like butter, our maces can crush metal and bone, day or night. Our shields can block a maul even from the largest thug, and our armor will be able to keep you going in any fight! Ask me about what we work on and what we can make, after all we can even give you a varied selection of shafts. You can find an piece of gear that you are looking for, you just need to make your way over to Kitrean Krafts!" Cabochon was utterly beside himself with shock. He'd never tensed as heavily as he did then, and while the man's voice wasn't terrible, it was entirely unexpected. Besides, if he was selling the weapons over at another location, what good was he here? Publicity? He could have done something else that would've been far more effective than taking up space here. Then, Cabochon noticed an older gentleman walk up to the booth, and the Pycon nearly held breath at the dread of how this Isur would sell his product. "Excuse me," the man began, "I will admit your singing is most entertaining, but I am here on short errand. I only want to know why I have to go somewhere else if I can't simply buy it here? What would I need it for, anyway?" The Pycon almost didn't realize his interruption before it was too late. "Well, have you ever been attacked?" he asked. The man turned face, surprised at the creature's prompt. "No, not really. I'm a simple man with a simple business. What's it to you?" Cabochon prodded further. "Have you ever been threatened? Robbed?" The man stopped to think. "Now that you mention it, I have been robbed on one occasion." "Well, didn't you think to yourself that you should have been better prepared? You know, in case it happened again?" Cabochon was leaning intently now on the edge of the crate, his longer leg swinging and dangling over the side. "I will admit, I did," the man responded. "You do make a fair point, clay man. Anyone can be robbed these days. Do you know where I may find the Kitrean Krafts?" "I'm sorry, sir, I can't tell you," the Pycon replied. He then pointed to the Isur, "But he can."

[Terag]

Terag had smiled as friendly as he could to the old man that had made his way to the stall, and had begun to question the Isur. It was inevitable, the question was fair to ask since there was little to no reason he was here other than a whim of one of the older smiths. Terag had opened his mouth to respond when he heard a voice off to his side, one that had begun to interrogate the older man. While the old human was distracted by the small creature, Terag turned as well to get a closer look at where the voice was coming from. To his surprise, it was the small Pycon that he had noticed earlier. Apparently he was the curious sort, and the type to say things as they came to mind. Strange, most others would have sat in silence as the old man had approached. Terag took this time to look the small being over a bit more carefully, if it wasn't for the fact that it was moving and speaking then Terag would have mistaken it for a small sculpture. He supposed this fit in with the little that he knew about that, something about not being made of flesh and blood but that was really about it. It seemed to be made of clay, if Terag had to guess. Past that it almost seemed as if it was made by a child, perhaps that was how to tell its age? With the mismatching limbs it did seem a tad strange, as well as the rather simple face. Simple, but effective enough. Briefly Terag wondered how it talked, or if it even breathed, before he got distracted by a soft glint in the things' chest. It looked as if it had a polished stone pressed into its body. By the time Terag had finished admiring the small Pycon, their conversation was coming to a close. It almost seemed as if the Pycon would be a better merchant than he would be. Terag smiled once more at the old man. "Yes, I can direct you to the store. You are looking for a forge with a shop front, always has smoke billowing out the chimney too. It's currently out to the northwest, if you think about getting a weapon as you wander in that direction the city will do the rest as always." The old man nodded and thanked the Isur before smiling to be polite and wandering off to look at other stalls. Terag smiled back, and after the man left the Isurian quickly turned towards the Pycon. "Well it looks like at the very least you are not a competitor little one. Who are you, if I might ask? And before I forget my manners I will introduce myself as well. My name is Terag Magehand." Terag bowed slightly and put his left arm across his body as he did so before continuing. "Also, might I ask what you are doing here today? Perhaps to browse or simply letting time go by and enjoying yourself?"

[Cabochon]

With a smile and a nod, the gentlemanly customer made his way out of the Bizarre and in the direction the Isur pointed. Watching him leave was refreshing for the Pycon. Was that how promotion worked? If so, it didn't seem so difficult to achieve, and Cabochon was surprised by his own abilities. Sure, he may have had a little too much candor for his taste, but the end result was the same. The man was convinced and he acted on it. The creature began to sway with his growing excitement. That was thrilling! What now? He eagerly began to look to see if more people would take up the offer. When no one else seemed to be interested, the energy died down and the swaying stopped. His mind became riddled with why? Why was that one individual convinced and no one further? That was when the trader grabbed his attention. "Well it looks like at the very least, you are not a competitor, little one. Who are you, if I might ask? And before I forget my manners, I will introduce myself as well. My name is Terag Magehand." Before Cabochon could answer, Terag tagged on another question. "Also, might I ask what you are doing here today? Perhaps to browse or simply letting time go by and enjoying yourself?" The Pycon took some time to process the man's questions before responding. His head would nod as he mentally sorted them, making sure he'd answer them in order. Then, he replied. "Ah, uhm, well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Magehand." That wording left an odd taste in his mouth. "My name is Cabochon. I'm here to, uh... Observe!" A weak, half-smile appeared on his face. Could he have at least been a little more specific? His head turned and swiveled as he thought of a good explanation. The visual hand signs paired with his talking style began to appear as well. "See, I obtained a new job recently! I work at More than Metal now, and I'm trying to observe other, more experienced merchants to see how they sell their products." A shrug inched its way out of his body, and his eyebrows scrunched up with uncertainty. His fingers began to play along the surface of his gemstone, and he decided to change the subject. "I hear you work for the Kitrean Krafts! That's quite fascinating! Do they offer any other items besides weapons? Do they offer services?" As he talked, his nerves eased up and relaxed. It was always easier to talk with someone about their endeavors instead. A conversation grew between the two, and they began to deepen in their mutual understanding of each other. While they exchanged words, their conversation was suddenly split up by a young girl. Her invigorated jogging was paired with adventurous eyes, eyes that wandered up to the skies before landing on the Pycon's frame. Grabbing a fellow acquaintance by the sleeve, she pointed excitedly. "Look!" she exclaimed. "Look! A living statue!" Cabochon's head turned with the indication, knowing exactly what those words meant. The boy whose shirt was tugged on turned to see too, becoming just as mesmerized as the girl who made wind of it. Cabochon smiled and waved gingerly, a genuine up-welling of joy flowing out of him. Filled with a shy kind of bewilderment, the children giggled with suppressed glee before running off in embarrassment. Cabochon sighed in satisfaction and watched them take off with endearing fashion. "Adorable," he mumbled to himself. He then turned back to the Isur, adjusting his fixed gaze. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

[Terag]

The little pycon stated that it was here to observe, which was innocent enough in itself. It was one of the best ways to learn and could be very entertaining, probably more so in the city of illusions. He could remember a few times he had done the same to either learn or alleviate boredom, and the pycon was apparently much the same. "Ah, I see. Well it is one of the best ways to learn is to watch, does your employer not offer any tips for you to follow? Either way, it is a good idea to take the initiative and learn on your own as well - learning to sell is not usually a dangerous gift after all," Terag chuckled a bit, thinking back to when his father taught him Reimancy, now that was a skill that could be very dangerous in the initial learning stage. Terag allowed the short one to control the conversation, "Yes, I do work for Kitrean Krafts. They sell mostly weapons and armor, most everything else that a normal blacksmith would do you can pick up from here," Terag motioned around to the Bizarre before continuing, "As services it is mostly just people requesting specifics for their weapons or armor, although we can take on some more requests that are bit stranger if it gets approved." As Terag was about to ask another question, he noticed a little human girl shouting out to look at Cabochon, talking to her companion. Terag raised an eyebrow as he looked first at the little humans and then at Cabochon to see how he'd react. The pycon simply waved at the little ones before they wandered off on their way. "Ah, I assume that is common for you? I occasionally got a comment or two in Syliras on my arm, but I am sure you stick out more than I do. I am not too surprised though, I know very little about the Pycons myself other than the fact they exist in a general sense. I do not think I remember hearing stories about them putting gems or shiny rocks in their bodies though like you do there," Terag brought his left hand up to stroke his beard for a brief moment. "It is a weird thought to me, to have your body to sculpt so easily. Takes the Isur much longer to change our forms in any way."

[Cabochon]

"Ah, I see," the Isur replied. "Well, it is one of the best ways to learn, to watch. Does your employer offer any tips for you to follow? Either way -," Terag answered his own question, "it is a good idea to take the initiative and learn on your own as well; learning to sell is not usually a dangerous gift after all." The man chuckled at the thought, and the Pycon found his head begin to tilt sideways in curiosity. "Well, it's funny you mention that," Cabochon commented. "Mrs. Ikalin is a wonderful teacher, but I thought it couldn't hurt to take it on myself either. However, I'm only learning one side of the matter. I don't necessarily get along well with fire, and you can probably guess why." The Pycon adjusted himself on the crate as he spoke. Magehand was a very blunt kind of character, but in a different way than most. He stopped to think and ponder also, Cabochon found (however, not nearly at as deep a breadth as the creature). He wore a smile easily, and something about him told the Pycon he'd seen much but was still learning more. It was comforting to discover someone else along the same introspective lines, even if there was nothing else that could have connected them together. "Yes, I do work for the Kitrean Krafts," the Isur answered. "They sell mostly weapons and armor, everything else a normal blacksmith would do, you can pick it up from here." His arms spread out from him, indicating the table and the tent where his goods were displayed. "As services, it is mostly just people requesting specifics for their weapons or armor. Although," he added, "we can take on some more requests, that are a bit stranger, if it gets approved." The Pycon was tempted to ask what kinds of things when the children appeared, said their piece and then left. His interactions caught the Isur off-guard, apparently, and with Cabochon turning back to Terag, he was asked if that was a common occurrence. "It happens more often than not," the creature admitted. "I used to be offended by it, but it kept happening to a point where I had to accept it for what it was. It was especially hard with children. Their questions are so innocent." He turned back to observing more potential customers as he spoke. "They're probably the most honest people living in Mizahar." When he noticed a pattern of monotonous faces, he turned his attention back to the Isur. By then, Magehand was stroking his beard thoughtfully, and the Pycon found himself amused by the mannerism. It seemed almost comical, and the creature squinted his eyes dramatically and mimicked his actions. Terag didn't seem to notice as he continued the conversation. "It is a weird thought to me, to have your body sculpt so easily. Takes the Isur much longer to change our forms in any way." Then their eyes linked up, and the man's prompt caused the Pycon to freeze in his action. They changed too? He couldn't keep himself from asking the question. "How do your forms change?" While Terag answered the question, Cabochon broke out of his tunnel vision, realizing that a young woman had been observing the Isur's weapons for some time, and that he hadn't noticed. She was quiet, meticulous; she didn't pick up anything, but her actions were so discreet they slipped right under Magehand's nose. Not wanting to make a scene, the Pycon attempted to motion in her direction. He subtly slipped in shifting pupils, twitching his right shoulder, but the merchant didn't catch on, or maybe didn't notice. Eventually, when he saw the woman attempt to grab Terag's attention, he scrambled down from the boxes. His arm and leg carried him as fast as possible as he hobbled behind the tent. Clambering onto an overturned wooden crate, he popped his head up behind the Isur's table. However, only the top of his head was visible. "Can I help you?" he asked urgently. His voice startled the woman, and her eyes widened in surprise.

OOCI'll let you decide what she's interested in!

[Terag]

Terag had been known to get too absorbed from time to time when discussing anything that he was interested in. And while it was a habit that he had tried to learn to curb, especially after almost burning down part of the forge from his childhood, there were moments when it still happened. Terag realized it had happened once more when the little clay man jumped down from the crates and quickly hobbled behind the table that Terag stood to address the woman on the other side of the table. Terag turned to the event in front of him, the little pycon trying to assist the woman and the woman being a tad confused by the whole scenario. Terag did his best to smile and seem friendly. "Oh, yes. Welcome to the stall for Kitrean Krafts. What we have is mostly on display, but you an buy here or we can discuss what you would like to purchase and we can get it made back at the shop." Terag thought for a few moments, looking between the woman and Cabochon as he thought, as long as he did his job and continued to advertise for Kitrean Krafts, who he had helped was of no consequence. Of course, provided that Terag watched over and made sure nothing went amiss. "My friend here seems pretty interested, and so he'll be able to help you figure out what you want?" The woman, still confused but slowly becoming accepting on the situation, nodded as she looked back and forth between Terag and Cabochan. Eventually her eyes settled on the Pycon before she began to speak, "Oh, well. I'm looking for something small to protect myself. I also want it to be flashy, maybe a few stones or something so I can match my clothes to it." The woman smiled as she looked at the Pycon some more, apparently believing she had given all the information that was needed. Terag would given the Pycon a few moments before he would speak up to provide some information that the Pycon might not know, "Well for smaller weapons the most common and easiest to adorn is going to be a dagger, although there are a few other options such as gauntlets and maces but most of the small options are different types of blades, and would be what I typically recommend as well." Terag did his best to keep his advice simply to the weapons, since it would be an area of knowledge that the small Pycon probably did not have, but being a merchant and gathering more information to get exactly what the customer wanted would be a common enough practice between their lines of work. The woman was not interested in any of of the gear on the table to sell, but would seem to drone endlessly about the meticulous details she would want for the dagger she was looking for. Terag would smile and give an encouraging nod to the Pycon to continue until the woman was done. While the two continued to speak Terag pulled out a piece of paper and some charcoal and would begin to record bits of what the woman was saying to describe what she wanted. Most of what she wanted could be condensed down to a single rune in Isurian, thanks to the way the language was set up. Terag often took his notes in Isurian since it was his native language.