Open Calm Waters, Conflicting Characters

[Sayana]

OOC :

Anyone is welcome to join this job thread. Alternatively, if no one is interested then I'll continue it as a solo.

Much of the text in my first post was from another thread which I had started with someone but got abandoned. Usually I would just submit it for grading, but I also realized that it was no longer consistent with Sayana's frame of thought, since after the 11th she would no longer be 'hiding' by using morphing. This was found out later in OOC time.

Anyways, enough of my preamble and here's for making the most of an earlier started thread. PM me if you want to do extra plotting, otherwise we can just go with the flow.

Fall 8, 517 AV

As Sayana idled near the front gates of the Institute for Higher Learning, she held up a silver hand-held mirror and touched up her face. Quite literally. Most of her face was a pale creamy colour, yet some parts were looking rather tanned – the consequence of not maintaining utmost attention to her morphed features. With a pair of fingers she rubbed at her cheek where the darker colour shone through and willed her djed to lighten and match the pale rosy shade of her other cheek. The Eypharian also did a few minor adjustments to her sandy hair, particularly at the roots and tips which had lost some of the blonde colouring. Breathing in deeply, she once more activated her magic and polished the tips of her curly locks.

One bell of work, a small but constant drain of djed, but the feeling of freedom like no other. With morphing she could be anybody, and anybody could… A dark figure suddenly caught her attention. Somebody was leaving the Institute.

“Ravosala! A smooth ride to any destination in Ravok, comfortable plush seats, pleasant company to relax to after a long day’s work…”

The Eypharian stood at the back of her boat, with a pole in hand. She was garbed in a black robe, but only her high arms utilized the sleeves while the others stayed at her sides concealed under the garment. The figure in question approached, and soon she saw that it was a rather large man with a gruff and bearded face.

“Relax after a long day’s work? The day has only just begun. But who would say no to some charming company?” The man answered as he approached the edge of the dock. “Nickolai, pleased to meet you.” He said and held out his hand.

Sayana nodded vigorously and felt obliged to shake it before helping him into the ravosala. “S-Sophia,” she replied. “Where to?”

“Ah the Fighting Pits. Nothing like a good round.”

With his genuine smile and gruff attitude, Sayana found herself immediately taking an interest or even a liking to him. She pushed off the edge of the dock with her pole and was both unsure of the precise destination yet also unphased by the fact.

“I’ve heard that Acolyte Luluria has returned from her mission in the Sea of Grass. What an adventure that must have been. Wish I could have been there. Not that those savages would have much in the way of gold or treasure, but we might be getting some new drykas slaves in the fighting pits. Or else laboring on the Lakeshore or the North Ravok Outpost. They say they’re good with animals. You like a good ride?”

Sayana found herself sneaking glances at him as he lounged on the plush seats. Still poling away, she had no idea where she was going. She suddenly thought it would be a good idea to turn right and promptly angled the boat in the new direction and pushed off the side of a building. “Oh yes, riding horses can be quite exhilarating,” she replied with a silly grin. It was only after she spoke that she realized how tremendously naïve she must be acting. It was all fitting to her persona, was it not?

“And Luluria herself, now there’s a beauty and a marvel. I’ve always had such good fun at her sermons. Just couldn’t keep my eyes off her.”

Sayana was also having trouble keeping her eyes off him. The frequent glances, the feeling at ease, not needing to hide…

Petch petch petch, when was the last time she had been properly utilizing her djed to keep up her morphing? The pieces suddenly flew together as she realized that this wasn’t just some coincidence that she was batting her eyes and warming up to the stranger. These were not her thoughts.

As her heart pounded in her chest as she resisted the urge to reach for her mirror. Whatever damage there was, it was done. All she could do now was play along. “Have you been on any adventures Mister Nickolai?”

The conversation carried on and she forced herself to relax to the subtle manipulations of her thoughts. She flirted profusely as a result, and she found herself being strangely guided by various directions that popped into her mind.

When they finally reached the Pit, Sayana was more than glad to let him off. She bid him a good day and collected the fare, but was relieved to no longer be the target of the whims of the hypnotist. Nickolai had offered some interesting information, yet it had been a true test of her resolve to be toyed with like a puppet.

The moment he departed into the crowds, she tied up her ravosala to the dock and pulled out her mirror. Petch, it was all gone. All her earlier work at disguise and morphing had reverted back to her original features. And Nickolai knew it. She wasn’t sure what was more disconcerting, but nevertheless she was half tempted to abandon her work until she was once again safe under a disguise.

However, the advantage and disadvantage of having a recognizable ravosala was the fact that people could call upon her service at a moment's notice. A voice, or even voices, called out to her and the Eypharian whirled her head around looking for the source. While not quite in a preferred situation to take on passengers, it would be worse for business to start turning people away.

[Linnaeus]

OOCEeep, I hope this is okay! I'm still getting the hang of writing in this style and the concept of an open thread seems interesting but also a little daunting, so I hope the way I set this up is alright. The Pit is near the Nitrozian estate according to the map, so I thought it was a good chance for Linn to get picked up? PM me if there are any issues, obviously ~

"Leth give me strength," Linnaeus mumbled under her breath as she stepped outside of the estate. Her bland brown cloak was wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Even though the weather in the lake-bound city was moderate, she was always left shivering and feeling anxious when she walked outside. This was most likely psychosomatic and not actually due to the temperature, but it was annoying nonetheless. She had come to realize that leaving the estate was always somewhat nerve-wracking for her, and she always felt self-conscious when she was not within its walls.

The world was still so new to her. It had been six days since her descent from the heavens, and it had yet to get any easier. The days were long, and the family expected her to keep daytime hours, something she found difficult. Being in her mortal form was always difficult. She felt so far from Leth, and had began to somewhat resent Syna in a way. Her presence always meant that Leth was no where to be seen, and while she still respected the goddess, she couldn't help but hold a small grudge against her.

But maybe those were dangerous thoughts to be entertaining. She took her hands and lightly smacked them against both of her cheeks, trying to jolt herself back into the real world. She had been given a task, and she had to be back to the estate before dinner was served.
Her task was fairly simple: curry powder.

Apparently it was an important spice for the main dish being prepared for dinner that night, and the kitchen was running dangerously low. Linn had been having....issues, one could say, with the various tasks she had been given since her arrival. First it was helping in the garden. She was terrible, and ended up almost fainting due to exhaustion. Then she was given floral arrangement duty. All she had to do was change out the flowers in the vases throughout the estate and replace them with new, fresh bouquets.

She ended up breaking two different vases within the first hour.

So they ended up assigning her to running errands. It was simple enough, they'd tell her what they needed and how to get there, would give her the funds to do it, and go on. She didn't love it, but she also didn't hate it. Leaving the estate made her anxious, but being within its walls wasn't always too inviting either. The various family members never treated her very well, many of the men made passes at her, and the women simply ignored her or commanded her in harsh tones.

She stepped off toward the edge of the canal nearest the estate. She gazed around and spotted a beautiful Ravosala with a striking figure at its helm. She was tall and something about her stature seemed...powerful.

Linnaeus cleared her throat. "Uhm, excuse me?" She realized she was too quiet and tried again. "Ravosala, please!" she called out, remembering what Bryony said about demanding rides and not skirting around it, because if you did, you'd never get picked up. If the intriguing ravosalawoman would agree to pick her up,
Linnaeus would awkwardly step in. "Oh gods, thank you," she'd say in a breathy voice. "I need to go somewhere that sells spices and things, uhm," she fumbled,
trying to remember the name of the shop she was told to visit. "The--The Spicty Girl, maybe? Oh gods," she said, distressed and embarrassed.

[Sayana]

OOCSorry about the delay. I should be back to regular posting, and your intro was lovely.

At the sudden call, Sayana spun around in a surprisingly graceful manner, and more importantly without tipping the boat. She still had the mirror in hand, and she made quick work of adjusting her cloak and slipping the mirror away.

“Yes, Ravosala. At your service.” The Eypharian replied, although somewhat awkwardly. Even though her high arms were the only ones visible, there was certainly more shifting beneath her cloak than one might usually expect. Regardless, she held out a polite hand and offered it to help the striking woman aboard the small craft.

At the mention of spices ‘and things’, Sayana immediately thought of the marketplace. She hadn’t even dreamed of looking for spices, yet with enough looking, it might be the place to find such. It was a ‘catch all’ sort of place to go when looking for things to buy. Yet when the lady elaborated with what sounded like a specific shop, Sayana blanked as she tried to think of any place remotely similar.

“The, um, Spicy Girl?” She replied in a mild manner, as if buying time would help her in this plight. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one looked at it, it seemed like the lady was just as uncertain about this place as Sayana was.

“Take a seat, Miss. Get yourself comfortable. We might have a ways to go since the canals are busy today.” Sayana said in a welcoming manner, gesturing to the plush red seats. She was also planning for a potentially long ride if she didn’t figure out the location of this spice shop earlier rather than later.

Once she was certain the lady wasn’t going to fall into the canal with too large a jerk from the ravosala, Sayana took the pole and braced it against the dock before pushing off and wobbling the boat with the effort. She chose a direction, any direction and continued to make regular thrusts with the pole against the sides of buildings, docks, and the occasional pier.

“The Spicy Girl… it’s this way, is it not?” Sayana asked subtly hoping to draw out some information from her passenger.

[Linnaeus]

The woman before her was unlike any other that Linnaeus had encountered since arriving in Ravok. She was rather...bulky, to say the least. She was shorter than Linnaeus, but somehow seemed more powerful, possessing a kind of looming quality.

After the ravosalawoman motioned to the cushions, Linn smiled and awkwardly placed herself, doing her best not to give way to her own clumsiness. "Your vessel is beautiful," Linn said in a quiet voice. "Ornate, even, in comparison to the few other ravosalas I've seen." She looked up and smiled at the woman.
"I'm not exactly sure which way it would be," Linnaeus mumbled, looking around nervously. "I'm new in this city, and my masters sent me out with little information." She frowned, ever reminded of her lowly status as a slave. "Ugh, that family..."

Her heart fluttered, realizing that she should never speak ill of those she serves. She knew nothing of this woman. She could very well be involved in the slave trade, or have close ties with the Nitrozian family, and could report her for her insolence.
"Ah, forgive me, miss..." she said, looking at her bashfully.
She took in a deep breath and calmed herself, and dug deep within, calling forth the primal power within herself. Her heartbeat quickened again, and she could feel the temperature of her body raise slightly.
Linnaeus' gaze unfocused slightly, her physical vision becoming slightly blurry--but auras began blooming into vision. She focused all of her attention on the woman before her. Its quality was thin and light, similar to that of fog, and it was dripping with something Linnaeus hadn't seen before--a kind of power. This aura was powerful and vibrant, unlike any of those at the estate. Her eyes widened and she stared in awe. She knew that this woman could be dangerous if she wanted; it made the hairs on the back of Linnaeus' neck stand, like a static in the air.

"Are those...do you have more than two arms?" Linnaeus said without thinking, her face morphed into an expression of disbelief and shock. She was leaning forward as if trying to get a better look, cocking her head slightly to the right. "Gods, forgive my rudeness!" She said, suddenly sitting back and covering her mouth with her hands. "Sometimes I see things I can't exactly explain! Pay no mind to my babbling!"

[Sayana]

As the fair woman stepped aboard the ravosala, Sayana steadied the vessel and was pleased by the complement by the woman. The Eypharian noted, with a moment of disappointment, that she was also new to the city. Although it was curious that the woman made mention of her ‘masters’. Despite a sense of awkwardness, the woman still held herself with poise rather than a rundown slave, so either she was new to her servitude or had a position that didn’t require hard manual labour.

But as Sayana set off, trying to pole carefully to provide a smooth ride, it seemed as though her passenger was staring, scrutinizing, much more than usual. The Eypharian eased into her usual poling pattern, yet the scrutiny was still there, even as she kept her gaze on the canal waters ahead. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and at last she locked into the woman’s gaze with a hard stare of her own.

At her passenger’s sudden exclamation, there was a brief moment of surprise, but in less than a tick Sayana’s eyes had narrowed. Her passenger, seeming to realize the abnormality of the question, quickly relented out of politeness and perhaps confusion. The latter being something Sayana could take advantage of as she instinctively grasped for the tingling sensation of her magic and djed, willing it to travel through her body to concentrate in her head and at her lips.

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken.” She spoke and fused the hypnotic djed into her voice. She had primed the djed with the emotion of ‘uncertainty’ and ‘self-doubt’. The magic swelled with her voice, subtle and invisible to those of lesser magical ability but acting like a cool envelope to cast a shadow of doubt upon her target.

She gave another strong thrust with her pole, almost punctuating her speech. “And yes, it is rather impolite to accuse someone of being non-human in this city of Ravok. New comer or no, slave or mistress, it would be wise not to make statements you have no evidence for.” With her voice she sent another wave of self-doubt, this time stronger and aiming to pierce deeper into Linnaeus’s psychological being.

“Why don’t you instead tell me of your masters and how they came upon you to run errands for them?”

Sayana spoke this last question in a much friendlier tone, almost akin to asking a child if they’d like to eat their vegetables. In the past, she had made the mistake of backing someone into a corner with her hypnotism, but this time she offered a way out, a means to continue pleasant conversation.

She would pause for a moment, to allow her passenger to respond, and then she looked around the waterways at the many ravosalas coming and going. Standing up, she waved a hand at one of the ravosalamen and hailed, “The Spicy Girl, where can I find it? Two silvers for a quick and direct route.”

There was a snigger, but the man poling his ravosala towards her called out the directions regardless. Sayana smiled and pulled out two silver mizas as his boat skimmed the water towards her. She gave a toss and one coin clattered into the bottom of the boat, while the other plopped into the water.

“Looks like Rhysol likes taking charity from those who snigger. Thank you for the directions.”