[09:06p] Topic is: (RoG) Port Kar - Post-apocalyptic roleplay
[09:06p] Roleplay in. Setting: various places in and around Port Kar.
[09:09p] WaylandSmith Wayland gave a complicit smile to the girl before being distracted by the jit. It was drawing and pulling on its leash with a vengeance, the animal seemed desperate to escape from its confinement. Which in itself was odd as it had set contentedly eating the sweetmeats it had been fed before. Disturbed, Wayland rose from the dais and paced about looking hither and thither to discover the source of the creature's distress. Then very faintly he though he heard something...
[09:09p]
WaylandSmith : BUUUUG!!!
[09:11p] WaylandSmith And this was repeated every few ihn - waving to the girl to seat herself and otherwise beware. Wayland walked towards the outer hall and the exit of the Slaver's training area. The patching up of his wound had revitalised him and he strode out with possibly greater zest than the makeshift repair of the slave seamstress warranted.
[09:11p]
WaylandSmith : Hey There he shouted, I have your pet monkey!
[09:17p] WaylandSmith There was no answer - the smith hesitated for a moment - had his minds played tricks on him? No, else the jit itself wouldnt have been aroused - what with his surprise encounter earlier in the day it seemed there were possibly more people alive than it originally appeared. This was something of a relief to the smith, the shipwrecked kajira that had fixed his arm was one thing but he longed to speak to the free.
[09:19p] › xëniä has joined the conversation.
xëniä continues to hum to herself as she had remained, having decided was better in here than out there for now at least
[09:38p] WaylandSmith Wayland looked outside at the docks but did not immediately see anything beyond the placid emptiness of the place so at odds with how he had seen it so many times. Annoyed for having imagined the sound of a calling voice he re-entered the building and looking at xenia made a dismissive gesture as if to say: 'Never mind that.'
[09:39p] xëniä licks the inside of her mouth trying to taste any of the chocolate that remained... getting a slight hint she smiles.. then turns her mind to what to do next.. she should have asked the Man about her Father... but still had no idea who would even know him.. since she wasn't even sure where to find him. Slightly saddened by this she started to think perhaps she would never be found
[09:40p]
WaylandSmith : I have this feeling that the owner of that over there, it’s called Bug by the way, is somewhere near and had a vague hope to find her here. She lives ... she lives somewhere in the beyond. You mentioned trying to find someone - who might that be?
[09:40p] xëniä eyes fall to Him as He entered again, the humming ceased at once, a smile lifting the corners of her lips to see He was able to move about a little better
[09:40p]
xëniä : my Father
[09:40p]
WaylandSmith : Your father...
[09:40p] WaylandSmith his words encouraged an elaboration of the rather terse response.
[09:41p]
xëniä : she was no more than three years when she was taken .. she has little to go on as to where He may be
[09:41p] xëniä shrugs again knowing it was almost futile
[09:41p] WaylandSmith nods listening - all the while keeping an eye on the jit whose restlessness seemed to have eased momentarily.
[09:42p]
WaylandSmith : Do you have a name, a place, a caste?
[09:42p]
xëniä : He was in so much debt.. that Capt said... That He had probably been killed by now, or so He led me to believe
[09:43p] xëniä ponders the question having never thought about caste before
[09:43p]
xëniä : Phy..
[09:43p]
xëniä : yes.. yes.. He wore green
[09:44p]
WaylandSmith : Gor is not cruel - a man however is only as good as his word which is his bond. Look at me, I own very little but I am free of any bond. Debts are chains more powerful than those of steel which I have forged.
[09:46p]
xëniä : so far from what i have seen on land.. Gor has been kind to her
[09:46p]
WaylandSmith : A physician - alright that narrows the field somewhat - look at me, what is the colour of your eyes? Those silks - no they would have been a gift of the captain. Is there anything else that might indicate your origins?
[09:47p] xëniä moves in closer, peering into His gaze, she replies
[09:47p]
xëniä : brown
[09:47p] xëniä looking away she then says
[09:47p]
xëniä : no, she remembers nothing else
[09:48p] WaylandSmith Raised in the heights of the Voltai mountains his own eyes were grey-green, a mournful Verdigris like the eaves of a rainy forest in autumn. From where he hailed brown eyes were unusual - not rare - but unusual it indicated that the girl most likely hailed from one of the larger cities in the centre of south.
[09:50p]
WaylandSmith : There is little to go on - Port Kar is - well was - a city of many crossings where different people would meet. Is this where you were sold to the captain?
[09:50p] xëniä gives another smile, noting they were becoming more frequent she says
[09:51p]
xëniä : He never let me back on land again, nor spoke of it.. so she really does not remember .. It was a rule.. (tilting her head from side to side) Do not tell the girl where she came from...
[09:52p]
WaylandSmith : And the captain himself - he was a mariner - Cos? Asperiche? Brundisium?
[09:53p]
xëniä : Cos sounds familliar
[09:53p] WaylandSmith The places and towns were spilt out in rapid succession as if the sheer naming of the places might jog the girl's memory in some manner and bring about a revelation that might be helpful.
[09:54p] xëniä shakes her head once more and says quite redundant
[09:54p]
WaylandSmith : That would make sense, Cos has a reputation for habouring pirates.
[09:55p]
xëniä : is of no matter.. wherever He is.. she is here and there are worse places to be
[09:55p] WaylandSmith laughs merrily - the girl had an innocence about her that was disarming.
[09:57p]
WaylandSmith : Girl, you are in Port Kar, a place of evil repute if ever there is one beyond the darkest jungles of Schendi on this planet. The home you have entered is of one called Slaver, whose name is eponymous with his profession. Rarely have I met a man with less empathy for even the products of his trade than he, scores of girls have trembled at the thought of finding themsleve swhere you are and you say it is 'Not the worse place to be. "Truly I hope never to be in the bad places you were before.
[09:59p] xëniä gives a half smile to hide the anxiety that seemed to flood through her, taking a moment to reply, thinking carefully
[09:59p]
xëniä : You never met the Captain...
[10:00p] xëniä attempting to keep the mood light, she raises her gaze to Him once more
[10:00p] WaylandSmith leans with a wry smile as if to say there are many men he has not met, but allowing her to finish the train of thought she started only partially
[10:01p]
xëniä : though.. You do make a valid point... she is still not used to the ground not moving... so...
[10:01p] xëniä shrugs
[10:01p]
WaylandSmith : So...
[10:04p] WaylandSmith having spent ahn after ahn with nothing more exciting than the backside of his bosk, Big Jim, the smith had a manner of patience that was disconcerting to some but relaxing for others.
[10:04p] xëniä returns to a sit and asks
[10:05p]
xëniä : how is the arm if she may enquire?
[10:07p] WaylandSmith The smith looked at her with bewilderment for a moment - the captain’s arm had not been on his mind and it took him an ehn to figure out that she was obviously asking about his.
[10:08p]
WaylandSmith : It is much better - in fact it could not be worse than it was and your ministrations may leave me with a reminder for the rest of my life but I am grateful for them nonetheless.
[10:08p] xëniä smiles slightly and adds
[10:08p]
xëniä : not all scars are bad reminders
[10:08p]
WaylandSmith : What of yours?
[10:09p]
xëniä : each one made her stronger
[10:09p] WaylandSmith the question was impulsive but followed from empathic feeling taht there was a tale to it.
[10:09p] WaylandSmith rubs a scar or two on his hands caused by the drops of molten steel that sprang from the hammering in his forge and ponders that it was hardly the scar that made him stronger only the wielding of the hammer.
[10:11p] xëniä pointing to the her side again, though leaving it covered starting to reveal more than she ever had before, though it seemed natural
[10:13p]
xëniä : that for example.. well He got drunk one night and took a knife to her.. His drunken rages were often but rarely as terrific.. made me stronger. Cause she learned whatever He did she would survive..
[10:13p] xëniä pauses an ehn
[10:13p]
xëniä : somehow
[10:13p] WaylandSmith Patient as ever, he doesnt move his stance nor inadvertently give any reason to presume that he might be impatient or bored, simply in tune with the girl's reluctance he waits for her to speak in her own good time.
[10:14p]
WaylandSmith : Life favours those with inner strength - there is little point to blame the evils of the world on destiny - we have nothing else to rely on but ourselves.
[10:14p]
xëniä : so very true
[10:16p] WaylandSmith Wary of pretending to have lived through what was obviously an abusive relationship, the smith forebore to speak of his own tale. In any case it was of little consequence, he was here and alive and still standing off against destiny. The events that had so pained him in the past lurked behind the event horizon forever lost in the grinding passage of time.
[10:17p]
xëniä : Your kurr attack for example.. did it not make You feel stronger?
[10:17p] xëniä tilts head in wait for His response
[10:17p] WaylandSmith makes a dismissive gesture but then halts half way...
[10:17p]
WaylandSmith : It was, you must understand,...
[10:18p] WaylandSmith his mouth opens and closes as he attempts to come to terms with the confrontation he had with the Kurr.
[10:19p]
WaylandSmith : In the first instance there was nothing heroic about the event, the creature took me completely by surprise and if my boots hadn’t slipped on the wet bark of the gang plank I would be flowing through the digestive tract of the creature.
[10:20p] xëniä remains silent as He speaks
[10:20p]
WaylandSmith : By the sheerest chance, I clung onto life and inflicted a grievous injury on my opponent with that most modest of weapons, the kajira ulo knife.
[10:20p] WaylandSmith he laughed as he spoke of his own ineptness.
[10:20p] xëniä smiles at His triumphant weapon of choice
[10:22p]
WaylandSmith : There was one moment - the creature - it seemed to know what has happened, it spoke a word. I cannot reproduce it, it must have been its tongue but it spoke of the doom of Men.
[10:23p] xëniä raises a brow in fascination at His words
[10:24p]
WaylandSmith : It demanded my submission. In that one moment I felt infused with the strength of all Mankind - modest in stature I may be - but I felt that if one man would stand tall, there would be hope for all.
[10:24p] WaylandSmith another wave of the hand indicated an inability to express the exact sentiment that he had felt.
[10:25p]
WaylandSmith : I am not given to large speeches, I travel alone without companions and those I call friends can be numbered on the fingers of a single hand. Yet, I felt called to gainsay the Kurr -when we fought it to postpone the twilight of Mankind.
[10:27p]
WaylandSmith : My skill alas in making weapons is greater than in using them - the creature almost had the better of me. However the one creature that has been with me many years and whose life and times I shared came to my rescue. As I lay stricken on the ground my bosk gored the Kurr and broke its hip - I later subdued it to my will.
[10:28p] xëniä pulls in knees to listen to Him still, taken in by His every word
[10:29p]
WaylandSmith : Not quite the hero of legend, I am afraid but yet I breathe and live and the Kurr, well it is discovering what it is like to swim the Vosk, tied down with broken limbs and only a 500 pound anvil as life vest.
[04:32p] xëniä raises a brow again at His dismissal at His own valour
[04:32p] xëniä thinks a moment, then decides to remain silent
[04:33p] WaylandSmith smiles again - life as ever being sweeter than the confines of darkest death.
[04:34p] xëniä nodding toward His arm she says
[04:34p] xëniä : each scar has a story.. some more exciting than others
[04:35p] WaylandSmith listens - brushing back a stray lock of his black hair that had blocked the sight of his left eye.
[04:37p] xëniä starts to hum again very softly
[04:38p] WaylandSmith unphased by her silence as he is more used to silence than words, he concludes with one longer philosophical statement:
[04:38p] WaylandSmith : Truth be told, I am afraid that the chances that you should find your father are rather slim. You may want to choose another purpose in life - mine own is to make swords of quality. 7 shall I make one day and then my life will be complete but for the nonce I am still learning my trade. Though I am a greater Master than almost any smith on Gor, yet still there is things that I must learn - so I choose life and whatever vicissitudes it cares to throw at me.
[04:40p] WaylandSmith : Do you hunger or feel the need to bathe? I may have been remiss in caring for your needs - my bosk though scarcely as elegant as you has been given greater kindness.
[04:41p] xëniä hearing Him still, knowing He is right about my father, though choosing not to let the thought darken her thoughts too much.. she shakes her head at His offers
[04:42p] xëniä : nay, she is well tended for, for the moment, in that she does not hunger, but she thanks You
[04:43p] xëniä rises from her space and continues
[04:43p] xëniä : You should be sure to change the dressing regular, and rub salve into it when You do
[04:45p] WaylandSmith Holding up his left hand and putting the pretence of obedience on his face, he reacted as most men are wont to do when mothered in such an obvious fashion. A boyish acquiescence that is so obviously false it is almost endearing. Speaking swiftly lest the girl should make a remark upon his levity:
[04:45p] WaylandSmith : Very well. My current desire is to find the owner of this here jit. I have a hope which may be as vain as your desire to find your father, that it belongs to one of the few persons I call a friend. She is called Fury and her name adequately describes her nature, you should find her likely acerbic or possibly even downright overbearing but she is true. The skiff that lays in the harbour, I believe, I hope it to be hers - but I am not certain.
[04:47p] xëniä : she hopes You find Her
[04:48p] WaylandSmith : Will you be safe?
[04:48p] xëniä points to herself and says
[04:48p] xëniä : she?
[04:48p] xëniä : she found the Slavers home in Port Kar and lived..
[04:48p] WaylandSmith looks around making a wide gesture towards the quite obviously otherwise empty room, well devoid of people anyway.
[04:49p] xëniä gives a wink
[04:49p] WaylandSmith laughs
[04:49p] WaylandSmith : That is true - but then again little girl - most women that came through Slaver's house came out all smiles and pleasantness - eager as they were to find new owners.
[04:50p] xëniä drops her jest and then says rather emotionless and expressionless
[04:50p] xëniä : she has to be safe..
[04:51p] WaylandSmith : Now whether that was because any place was better than in Slaver's collar or because they found some deeper purpose in their submission, who is to know except they that lived through it. Let me just say that I wish you equal happiness whether here or elsewhere.
[04:51p] WaylandSmith : At this time - safety is in short supply - however the tide may turn yet again.
[04:52p] xëniä : aye, the sun will rise again
[04:53p] WaylandSmith : I am going to take jit for a walk around the docks - a few score ehn ago I thought to hear someone call its name. If it is outside perhaps it will lead me to its owner, here to the left is the kitchen of this establishment it has many places to hide. Should evil find its way here or should I not return at least you will have cover and food for a while.
[04:54p] xëniä : thank You
[04:55p] xëniä starts to feel slightly overwhelmed at the kindness He brings though in retrospect is probably not much to most, but the world to her.
[05:09p] › WaylandSmith wanders out onto the docks the pet jit on a leash.
Exeunt!