mrrp: "Adept Accuracy of Amiability"

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Cast: Sally (Nerf) & Seed (Deme)

Support Points Earned: 2

Context:
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
Seed naturally performed poetry. Actually, he was a little nervous about it, though he could hardly want to admit it. They'd likely laugh -- perfomances like this were a part of his job, but he'd spent hours fretting over each detail. Still, when the time came, fresh from being part of a knife show (which, come to it, was no better for his nerves), he walked before the curtains and gave a bow.
"'Recollection of a Rainy Meeting.'"
He stood a little straighter, reading it out at a carefully practiced pace. While the poems were written out on sheets of paper in his hands, he rarely glanced at them; rather, his eyes fell on the audience as he recited. His voice caught the line-breaks with a careful emphasis, so they stood out without being seen; the pace of his voice moved like a river over rocks across the different punctuation. He normally sounded softer than this, normally a little less bright; it was his voice dramatized, but it lent to the warehouse air a textured velvet weight.
"I long for now that summer rain
That brought such aching. Bliss:
the droplets once sang some sweet refrain
I long for. Now that summer rain
Has long-departed; cracks in my earth remain.
Puddles waver in the heart as I miss,
I long for, now -- that summer rain --
That brings such aching bliss."
The poem recited, he bowed; this one, he'd written fresh, pulling it from the parched air that intruded on his times. Even the sea made the wish for rain greater. He read a pair of haiku he'd written from his last volume, and bowed a final time, to applause he didn't quite try to listen to.
RP:
[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
Sally shows up on the main stage, greeting the small audience with a somewhat exaggerated bow. After giving a good look to her public, she proceeds to introduce the one that'll be helping her during her presentation:
"Greetings, dear public. Tonight I'll be joined by a special guest, who has graciously volunteered to assist me during this show. Please give a warm welcome to our friend Seed."
A firm round of applause can be heard as the Florkana appears from behind a curtain, waving with both hands towards the public before placing himself next to a wooden wall, just as previously accorded. Sally patiently waits for the applauses to finish before continuing.
"Now, what I'll be doing tonight is a very popular entertainment show in Naxxos...knife throwing." A worried murmur can be hear as Sally pushes a small table from behind the curtains into the scene, with six large knives lined up on top of it. "I know a lot of you might be worried about the dangers of this activity, but rest assured. Florkana have very resistant skin, so if I were to hit our friend, his chances of survival are quite good."
Some rounds of nervous laughter can be heard from the people in the public that notice she's joking.
"With all that being said, let's get started. Seed, please don't move."
Sally grabs the first knife from the lineup, and after carefully calculating the trajectory, she throws it towards the poet. A collective scream can be heard as the knife spins over itself, before landing right under Seed's left ear, the leaves on his hair subtly shaking due to the impact.
"Hmm, that's not good. I wasn't aiming there," she keeps the act up. "Maybe now I'll get it?"
This time the public doesn't get the time to scream, the knife accurately landing under Seed's other ear. Some timid rounds of applause can be heard coming from below the stage.
"Ah, that didn't work either. Maybe if I try with two? She grabs a pair of knives, this time throwing them both at the same time. The weapons make a large arc in the air, before falling each under one of Seed's armpits, earning a strong cheer from the public.
"Not bad, uh?" she smiles softly. "But anyone can do that with a bit of practice. How about we increase the challenge a little?" A mix of excitement and worry can be heard from the public as Sally pulls a blindfold from under her sleeve, before covering her eyes with it. Reaching with her hands towards the fifth knife, she intentionally struggles to find the weapon in a deliberate attempt to make the public worry about her ability to throw a knife with her vision impaired.
This worry is of course, undeserved. The knife lands above the Florkana's head, an inch away from hitting him.
"Well I think we are approaching to the end of the show," she announces as she removes the blindfold. "Seed, would you please offer your gift to the jury?" The last knife cuts the stalk of a small purple fruit growing near Seed's head, making it land into his already prepared hand. A strong round of applause can be heard as the Florkana walks to the jury, offering them the freshly fallen fruit.
"And with that, finishes my presentation. Thank you very much for your attention." Sally bows one last time to the public, this time joined by Seed. Inmediatly after, she climbs down from the stage in order to watch the next participant.
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
As they climbed down, Seed breathed a small but noticeable sigh of relief. If he had to describe his level of doubt as to what would occur, it was low enough not to worry... But some errant bit of his heart had gone thumping madly through him like a colony of rabbits, until the last knife had been thrown.
"That was a good trick at the end there, and as fine a bit of showmanship as it was knifework," he said, referring to the fruit she'd chopped from the branches that circled and crowned his head. The fruit had been about ready, and the cut had been clean enough it felt like a small obstacle at most. " I'm glad to have helped... But what would you have done had someone else volunteered to assist you?"
[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
"You mean the fruit? To tell you the truth, that was a last minute improvisation" she admitted bluntly. "I usually end it by placing an apple on top of the target's head and slicing it in half, but since you offered to help, I thought I could do something different."
As she reached the front row seats, she gestured for Seed to sit down at the same time she took one for herself.
"If I'm being honest, that final move is one of the easiest to execute of the ones I did tonight. The usual apple slicing is a lot harder." She subtly winked to Seed. "But against a public that's not used to this kind of show, the simpler tricks are often the ones that impress them the most. If we were in Naxxos, I bet they would have booed if I ended it like this"
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
"I can see where it'd be more dramatic with a fruit on someone's head -- if you missed that, you'd likely have hit elsewhere in the branch. A shower of petals, perhaps..."
Seed joined her, contemplating the performance he'd just been in. It had been a situation where people had been... somewhat unwilling to volunteer right away. And leaving a request unanswered sat poorly with Seed. In the meanwhile, as if considering his words, he checked through the remainder of that side of the branch. There was a leaf or two torn, but nothing really worth noticing -- no more onerous than having a haircut, he'd assume.
"I understand the feeling; there are certain forms of poetry that don't go over well, say, on a street corner, but are a fine bit of poetic peacocking in a court...But do your take to knife shows like this often? Or, for that matter, are you from Naxxos?"
[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
"Yes, I am indeed from Naxxos. I don't really look like it, do I?" As if to answer her own rethoric question, she extended her arm forward, evidencing a clear lack of musculature. "But, at the risk of being called a traitor to Naxxos most sacred traditions, I will I say I don't enjoy shows like this too much. Once you've seen the same tricks a million times, they start to become boring."
"Ah, but enough about me. Why don't you tell me about yourself? It's not everyday I get to chat with such a renowned author. I would love to know what reasons would lead someone like you to join this expedition."
The words rolled naturally off her tongue, in a way that could almost make Seed forget the fact that he had never discused his work or his fame with her before. True, it was probably a bit too forward of a way to bring up the topic, but she just couldn't resist it. The realization that one of the members of their crew was a writer she had read before had been bugging her ever since she learned about it, and this was as good of a chance of any to ask him about it.
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
"You say that, but you held your own very well before. Our success at defending the tree would not have been possible without your skill with the knife..." Seed pointed out, with some amusement in his voice. He didn't understand martial prowess very well -- to him, it seemed as if there was some fundamental gap between himself and people who could bring themselves to war. His eyes narrowed for a moment, his breath a little sighing -- it was something he did not know what to do with in his heart.
"But they also certainly aren't the skills of a person who finds her knifework for entertaining, either."
He blinked, suddenly surprised at being referred to by his actual profession -- he hadn't mentioned it, and it didn't slip his notice. But nor was his cobbled-together name actually a common one among the Florkana, and his career was, to put it simply, a novelty... And so...
"Oh, you've heard of me? I suppose I'm a little more recognizable than I originally thought." He beamed brightly, almost bowling over the rest of the question; compared to his usual vague smile, this was a sudden burst of sunlight through the trees. He asked eagerly,
"Have you read my work? Did you enjoy it? It's the pleasure of an author to hear others responses to their work... Ah, but as for why... I have a few reasons. There's...Someone I'm worried about, for starters." The dip in his tone went with his mood, and for a little while, he struggled with what to say. He didn't want to worry her. Eventually, he added, truthfully -- "And I suppose... I wanted to make myself useful to the people of the Arbor Aurelius."
[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
"Well...there are some things that can be done to make up for a lack of natural conditions," she admitted. "If I coat my weapons with poison, or place some curses upon them, it matters not if I'm not strong enough to get a deep cut. A simple graze is all that it'll take. I know it's not the most honorable way to fight, but I gotta make up for my handicaps somehow."
Her own face lighted up in return upon seeing him react positively to her question. "I have read a couple poems, and I plan on reading And So Like a Candle some time soon" she nodded. "I just need to find the proper time for it, this days I'm pretty busy. It's a shame, honestly. Had I come across your work when I was younger I would have probably read a lot more."
"If I enjoyed them? Very much so. They always left me with some lingering feeling of sadness once I finished them, but that was what made them beautiful. I'll say you have a natural talent with the plume, if I'm allowed to give a compliment."
Instead of answering her question about his motives, Seed's vague reply only made her more confused about them. Hoping not to be treading into a touchy subject, she asked for some clarification:
"Someone you are worried about?...a relative perhaps? Or someone else?"
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
"When you need it, it's there... As sad as it is." Seed said, nodding thoughtfully at the question of honor. That was the thing, wasn't it... He'd examine that later, storing the thought like a piece of old clothing.
Instead, he could continue speaking brightly about his own works, at least for the moment.
"It's easy to find that sort of time when you're young, for certain..." He noted with a sort of fondness -- and then his eye fell on his companion out of the corner of his eye, and he nodded to himself. This woman was more than she seemed. He clapped his hands together, producing a sound a little like a wooden bell being rung. And then awareness of the world around him came back to him, the sound of the show that had momentarily been somehow far away as the darkened room, and he winced at himself, shrugging.
"Oh, but I wish I had heard this back on the island -- I have spare copies at home, if you'd like me to send for one. I grabbed one to loan it out to someone else in our group, actually, before we left. That and a few others, but if you have time with all these boat ride, I can lend you some volumes... Is that a little over-eager?"
He was excited by the prospect, that much was clear, but his chuckle drained off with that lingering sadness she'd noted -- that certain something that came out of his heart like a blossoming sigh, stirring up his leaves. He shook his head slowly, to the sound of rustling. His voice was warm-tinged, sounding so much like a lazy afternoon, his words like the rise and fall of dust motes as the sun streaked through a window.
"I don't have any relatives. ...That person... It's hard to describe my relationship with her now. I suppose you would call her a former lover. She's not a wicked person, whatever anyone might say." He added, before the suggestion could be so much as thought. But his eyes had kept the brightness of their earlier discussion, mentioning her, and even in this defense. However, after a moment, he added, tentatively.
"But she's the sort of person who could very easily get into trouble... And she... Never had much respect for the Abor Aurelius. I don't know if I'd call it my main reason. But it's on my mind."

[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
"Send me a copy? Hmm, maybe I'll take you up on that offer one day." she replied with a polite smile. "For the time being, I will be happy to read whatever you are willing to lend me. I'm far from an expert, but I wouldn't mind discussing some of your works with you. If that's not a bother, of course."
While it would be hard to tell if she was simply being polite, this time Sally did in fact mean every single one of her words. The realization that even in a band of fighters like this one there were some people that she could talk with about, well, more cultured topics was always a welcome one. That's not to say she couldn't enjoy the sorts of conversations you would usually expect from a veteran mercenary (you wouldn't last a day in Naxxos if you didn't), but the change of pace was, at the very least, refreshing.
As Seed clarified that this person he was worried about was not a wicked one, she subtly raised one eyebrow. Where does this come from? Why did he feel the need to make such an aclaration? "I see." She looked at him somewhat worried. "Seed, if you don't mind me asking...what would you do if this person turned to be amongst our enemies?"
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
"Oh, it'd be a joy. In a writer's heart, there are few things more pleasurable than talking with an attentive reader. They can share with you a version of your work that you can never possess, after all. No matter how long you've stared at each comma, hearing someone speak of it with fresh eyes comes across it like the first spring rain," Seed explained happily, his gestures opening up a little as he spoke, curling hand motions that followed a gently drifting, opening, train of thought. To be honest, he'd rather forgotten the show.
That said, what followed next was a long silence, in which he pretended to remember it -- or, at least, he looked stageward, his eyes far-away and lonely. There was actually a momentary break between acts, which tended to stretch longer and longer as the show went on, and people grew more hesitant. So there was nothing but the patchwork of the curtains, and the torn end of one of his own leaves, still where the knife had placed it.
"I.... I can't allow her to do something terrible, and I don't want her to get hurt. I would try and convince her to abandon this path, before anything more happened. No matter what it took, I wouldn't allow her to do something... Irrevocable. Even for love."
He'd made his choice. He'd made it, whatever the storm that roiled through him said. He looked downward, his arms folded onto his lap as if he'd been punched in the stomach by the thought. He did not shake it off -- he went very still.
"It'd be better if she were happily uninvolved with this."
[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
Instead of appeasing Sally's worries, Seed's words only made her more nervous about the whole situation. This entire story gave her a bad feeling, as if she was being told about a tragedy that had yet to happen. What if she doesn't listen? What if it's too late to stop her?If this person was in fact involved with those that would attack the tree, there was no telling what could end up happening. Would Seed go as far as to compromise the success of the mission to save her if he had no other options? Probably. By the way he was speaking, Sally was willing to bet he would.
As this thoughts plagued her mind, memories of the battle near the tree came back to her. She remembered the Florkana approaching an enemy not to fight, but to convince him to step down. She remembered that same enemy, a spellcaster who could barely even stand on his feet refusing the offer in an almost fanatical way, only to charge towards his certain death a moment after. Some details and words had been lost to her during the chaos of battle, but even then she could remember the odd feeling that one monk had left on her, as if he was speaking not as himself ,but from behind an impenetrable mask.
What if...
She shaked her head somewhat violently, trying not to think too hard about it. There were some things that were better unsaid. To worry Seed in such a way, to even suggest the possibility this person that was so dear to him could be so far gone that she would end up charging to her own demise despite any warnings was something she would not have forgiven herself for doing. What good could come out of it? The Florkana had already made clear he was willing to go to any lengths, so what would a warning change? To attempt to disuade him would be as futile as trying to stop the wind from flowing.
And yet, she couldn't stand still and do nothing. As the next participant appeared on the main stage, now turned secondary in her mind, she started searching through the multiple secret pockets in her attire, until finally finding what she was looking for.
What Sally presented to the Florkana appeared to be a small awl, too impractical to be called a weapon, covered by a leather sheat.
"The blade is coated with a special poison," she explained. "It's not lethal, but if it gets to a person's bloodstream it will cause paralysis for a couple hours...as well as some very intense pain," she added reluctantly.
Staring directly at the poet's eyes, she spoke in a serious, but honest tone. "I hope the day where you need this never comes, but if talking doesn't work and you find no other way to stop her...well, consider it as a last resort. Sometimes hurting those you love can be better than giving up on them."
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
Their thoughts headed to the same questions -- the same circles, looping in around each other. Seed's hands folded up on each other, hiding some of the expression on his face, until for a second -- in which his body might well have wanted to abandon whatever animated it, and gone back to the earth -- his head simply rested against his hands. A path like that could deal her death, and he knew it, and there was so very little he could do about it.
And then he sighed. Before she offered him the awl, he added, in a tone that was struggling to bear the weight of optimism -- see, its little catch, like he had to push past so many other words to reach it --
"But there's a good chance I'm over-worrying, and she's not involved with this in the slightest; I have nothing but my gut to suggest it. She might well have gotten happily married, and had a child, and put thoughts of the Arbor Aurelius behind..."
And then, the awl was offered, resting before him.
In another day and age, he might have bristled at the suggestion. But he knew the gravity of his options. Now, he simply took the leather sheet with its awl into his hands, with all the care and delicacy he'd show snowflake, or a glass sculpture. He smiled sadly down at it, and then at her -- he smiled with a veneer of tears coating up his vision, with a smile thin as the tightrope he walked right now.
". ...It's not the best outcome... But I'll accept it, to avoid the worst if I must."
That possibility, something that could prevent there from being a world without her in it... It was another little ledge that could catch a freefall that might be waiting.
"That's probably terrible to say...Thank you." He started again. "I'm sorry for troubling you with this, but... Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
As the tears started to form in Seed's face, Sally couldn't help but feel as if she was just punched in the gut. Am I doing the right thing?Sure, she had offered the poet a valuable gift...but she might as well have stabbed him with it, and it would probably cause him less pain. What if she's not involved after all? Am I making him carry all this weight for nothing?
After taking a deep breath, her own thoughts started to become clearer. No, this isn't like me. There is no reason to feel guilty. You are doing everything you can to help. As she opened her mouth to speak, she made sure to force a smile:
"You don't need to thank me, it's the least I can do. I wish I could be of more help."
[–]LadyDemeGM (K) | Oisin, Changeling | Seed, Priest 1 point  
For him, the uncertainty, the pain of it -- it wasn't new. It wasn't changed. He might have stepped too far in admitting to it, though -- he hadn't intended it to be any business but his own, and so he hurried himself with blinking away his tears, rustling his leaves until the drooping purple flowers regained a little vigor... And taking deep breaths, until his smile was as it normally was, and he seemed calm enough for now. It was not that the worry was gone, it was clearly in his eyes... But he could fold it up and place it down, and take a moment of peace.
"Don't trouble yourself -- I probably rather said too much about my worries. After all, there's a chance to get to know our allies right in front of us..." he said with a smile. "We should enjoy it while we can."
[–]NerfUrgotKhan, Fighter (J) | Donna, Troubadour (B) | Sally, Thief (A) 1 point  
"Sounds good to me. Worrying won't get us anywhere," she tried to look reassuring as she said this. "As you said before, there is a good chance she is happily uninvolved with all of this. It wouldn't be wise to jump to conclussions yet."
Directing her eyes towards the stage, she focused in the show once again.
"But...", her voice was this time a murmur, barely even audible. "...if you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask. You don't have to tackle this alone."
And that was the last word she said about it.
==END RP==

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