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Post by strixx-variaa on Jun 3, 2016 9:29:29 GMT -6
The markets were quieter now. It made sense for them to be quieter, of course, it's just that Væna had never experienced such reservation from her local merchants before. And, too, many of them chose not to sell anymore, or to sell only one or two days each week, or to sell only when Guardians made their passes through the village. Everyone slept with an eye on the sky, now. Væna didn't like it. Of course, one had to trust one's military that the threat was not imminent from that terrorist cell, but unless one was a fool one also had to keep in mind that terrorists need not have wings to wreak havoc on Aquore and muddy its peace. Anyone could be a danger. But Væna needed shopping for The Pink Lady, because as slow as business had gotten, the business still existed and needed tending to. Over the tawny mare's back were sturdy canvas saddlebags with pockets of all sizes sewn in. From the largest pockets peeked heads of leek and freshly-dug sweet potatoes. From the smallest, apples bulged and fennel-lace danced in the swing of her movement. It was difficult to dispel the feeling of something crawling around on her spine. words: 204 tags: astrumnauta notes: ta-da! i figured they could probably both have business at a market. i have a bit of a plan for later, too, but we'll see about that once the thread unfolds i guess :'D |
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Post by astrumnauta on Jun 5, 2016 12:26:16 GMT -6
The mare stood behind her stall, her elegant black ears flicking none stop in every direction the smallest of sounds were heard.
She didn't like how quiet everything was and she almost shied away from the markets forever,
but her father certainly wouldn't approve she had to continue and she refused to live in fear.
She eyed a mare that had caught her eye walking past, she dipped her head briefly before
she spoke.
"Madame, Do you need any lotions, potions or Brewer specialties today?"
Her voice was bold, but nervous almost. She needed to sell something today, and eyeing the mares
hefty saddlebags she could tell she must have some currency to spend, however small. She flicked her
ears forward and arched a brow, examining the mare further.
Cygnet was eyeing the apples and she snapped her attention back to the mares elegant face
her eyes raised upwards and she cast an inquisitive look towards the mares horn etched
with various different markings.
Her ears were swiveling again, but one was focused on the mare in front of her, she spoke again but
softer this time.
"Can I be of service today, Ma'am"
Words: 196
Notes: Loved the starter and hope my input is alright, im still rusty but i think the two mares are going to get on like a house on fire :')
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jun 7, 2016 19:51:13 GMT -6
Væna was perfectly aware that she was staring. It would've been hard for Væna not to be perfectly aware; the Brewer had to have been at least a couple of solid hands taller than the little restaurateur. And for a moment, she forgot how easily she might've passed this merchant by on any day last year. For a moment, she was consumed by curiosity and nothing else. It was a refreshing feeling. A grey. A grey. There was nothing special about a grey, not necessarily, but this one's face was on the edge of being familiar and Væna couldn't quite put her pin in the why. And it was the face that did it, certainly; the little sandy-colored mare didn't know anyone else with that sort of bloodmark splashed right across their nose. (But she didn't know this one, either, did she? Was her mind mistaken even in its confusion?) Her reply lingered on her lips, the words meandering past her tongue like a dog through the streets on a hot afternoon, aimlessly and without purpose. Her brain was trying to buy itself more time to think and remember the merchant's face, and so the reply was drawn overly long. "Nnnnooo... I don't think so... I'm -- I'm sorry, but have I previously made your acquaintance?" words: 215 tags: astrumnauta notes: yes!! ❤ |
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Post by astrumnauta on Jun 8, 2016 9:17:32 GMT -6
Cygnet focused on the small mare with her golden coloured eyes and flicked an ear towards her.
"I am sorry to have disturbed you then Ma'am, I must admit i'm admiring your horn"
Cygnet smiled slightly and studied the mare a little further, her eyes running over the mares horn looking at the
intricate carvings and wondering silently how careful she must have to be not to break the dainty horn.
She then wondered what it would be liked to be blessed with a horn, if life had been different?
She mused quietly and realised she may be staring a little intently and making her uncomfortable.
She felt reassured when she looked back towards the mares face and caught the other mare
staring just as intently back and looking at her as if she recognised her and she arched a brow.
"I do not think we have been acquainted, you may have known my mother or father; Ebba and Dylann.
My name is Cygnet.
Maybe we have crossed paths in the street, I am not exactly hard to miss"
Cygnet paused and scrunched her nose slightly, trying to remember if the pair had ever crossed paths.
She paused and then was about to speak again but silenced herself .
"Maybe we both have mutual friends?"
The large grey mare offered gently, shifting her stance and offering another rare smile.
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jun 12, 2016 12:51:12 GMT -6
"Thank you!" said Væna with a sheepish laugh and a smile, dipping her head for a moment in response to the brewer's compliment. "You're probably right," she continued. "Sorry. You'd think with my horn and your face, if we'd met before, we'd know." The milky-gold mare flashed another rueful smile and apologized for wasting the grey horse's time. "Mother's blessing," she said, in a truncated version of the customary words of parting. And she'd even gone so far as to take a step and a half away from the brewer's stall before her brain went to war with itself again. Sure, greys were common enough as a color, and this brewer wasn't the first horse Væna had seen with a bloodmarked hide. That wasn't the odd part, really, but it was part of the odd part. Because as rare and unique as bloodmarks are, as wholly distinct as they are from each other, how likely was it that she'd made the long-forgotten acquaintance of another horse with a stained face? Another black grey, with just the same little diamond-esque patterns across her nose where the grey had decided not to work its magic? How fucking likely is that?Well -- it's not, of course. It's just not. Swinging her hips slightly out of her line of travel, Væna did a weird half-halt, half-pirouette stride and turned her head on its long, swanlike neck back to face the other mare. "Sorry again, but you -- you don't happen to know the Lady Zenith? Or her betrothed? Farsight?" She said his name almost in a stage whisper, her voice was so quiet. It was a last-ditch effort to figure out why this face looked so familiar, and in that moment of hesitation as she'd stepped away from the brewer's stall, Væna realized that she did, in fact, know another brewer. Or, at least, she knew very well of one, through her closest friend. A friend who was currently under state guard at Torrine, doing gods knew what to keep himself safe and sane. A friend whose name, spoken too loudly in the marketplace where listening ears were far too many and far too close at hand, might attract far too much attention. words: 368 tags: astrumnauta notes: ❤ |
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Post by astrumnauta on Jun 13, 2016 7:45:58 GMT -6
Cygnet eyed the mare and smiled again, allowing her to speak and she sighed softly " I think I would have remembered you ma'am. Its hard to forget a face like yours" Cygnet shook her mane away from her face and looked towards another customer serving her and sending her on her way before looking back to the mare who was beginning to leave also, watching her graceful movements. Cygnet spoke softly to her parting words, dipping her head slightly " And may she keep you in her loving embrace" Cygnet watched the mare swing herself back round to face Cygnet and the tall mare she arched a brow She listened to the mares words and her face dropped and she leaned in so the mare could hear her. She raised her head sharply and looked around, and then lowered her head back down to the smaller mare. " I know Farsight, only in passing and trade though, but I know him" Cygnet was barely making a noise, intended for the other mares ears only. The normally fierce mare was on edge her muscles taught and ready to flee. She lowered her head towards the mare and stepped towards her. She lowered her voice to one that was more concerned than fearful and her brows knitted together. "Be careful saying his name, Ma'am. I wouldn't like to see harm come to you,
We are living in dangerous times now, it's terrible. We shouldn't have to live in fear.
I know him, but not his betrothed, I haven't seen him in days I presume taken into
the protection of the guardians?" Cygnet bit her lip and eyed the mare, taking another look around and allowing her ears to swivel. She relaxed half a touch, throwing a glare to an equine staring a little too hard in the direction, her ears pinned and she looked back at the mare "Do you know if he is well? I haven't heard anything
if they arrived safely or are being looked after?" |
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jun 15, 2016 13:29:24 GMT -6
"Look, I -- you're right, we probably ought not to -- " Væna couldn't quite decide what she wanted to say. Let's not speak of him here, but let's speak of him? Was that even a viable option? This brewer was fresh-faced and young, and the fact that she hadn't (yet) been carted off to Torrine herself had to mean that, at least with regards to the terrorist attacks following the solstice, Væna could trust her. Right? And even if she couldn't be trusted, even if she was one of the Sage's secret-people, Væna had nothing to hide from her government. She just didn't fancy the lingering looks she'd get when it came out that one of her closest friends was winged (and not particularly traditional in his own right). It was one thing to have her father's everlasting disapproval (because where his children were concerned -- though he was a loving father -- Ikran held fairly high standards). It was quite another to feel that same displeasure from the state, whose Emperor -- her Emperor -- had Cascade's own blood in his veins and blessing in his heart. Væna wasn't sure she could live through the wound of being treated by her own people as if she were something suspect. And what was her duty to this brewer? Did she owe the young mare the information she had? If she kept her peace and made an exit now, didn't that sow the exact type of fragmentation within the herd that the terrorists were trying to cultivate? It was this last thought which made up her mind. "Look," she began again, drawing closer for a moment on the pretext of looking over some of the bottles the brewer had on display. "I have a little place, a restaurant on the edge of town, up the mountain road. The Pink Lady. You should -- stop by some time." She looked up, and met the other's yellow eyes. "My name is Væna." You should stop by sometime so that we can talk without being overheard by too many unfriendly ears."Oh well," she said, louder. "None for me today. Mother's blessing!" And with her heart beating a wild staccato in her chest, Væna dipped her head at the grey brewer and made off through the market. words: 376 tags: astrumnauta notes: so i figure we can time-skip here if you want to keep going? and cyg can come to the restaurant whenever, if she wants to talk. otherwise we can just end here, no worries! :D |
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Post by astrumnauta on Jun 16, 2016 1:03:11 GMT -6
" I understand" Cygnet said quietly to the mare, nodding her head sightly. The grey mare wanted to say so much but she couldn't she was painfully aware of prying eyes. Cygnet looked around and then pulled her eyes back to the mare in front of her. Cygnet replied cheerily and loud enough for prying ears. " Ill swing by some time, and visit your restaurant.
Thank you for your offer ma'am." Cygnet lowered her voice but kept her smile fixed, her ear flicked to the side. " Væna, I will see you shortly" Cygnet, bowed her head, and before she could even speak the mare had shot off through the market leaving Cygnet with her jaw slack. Cygnet regained composure and stood for another couple of hours barely selling anything before she packed up for the night and returned home. Cygnet didn't sleep well that night, thinking about Væna's offer of somewhere to talk. When she eventually woke she got herself up, wandering round her home half asleep she finally got herself together and she headed towards the restaurant. Making her way through the streets almost lazily. She picked up the pace somewhere along half way and she bobbed along at a leisurely pace and arrived at the door. She knocked gently and waited for an answer, taking a quick look over her shoulder to check she hadn't been followed. Words: 230 Tags: strixx-variaaNotes: I'm happy to carry on, I imagine Cygnet being curious about what Væna has to say! |
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jun 18, 2016 12:42:29 GMT -6
Væna started a little at the knock on the door, but not immediately. It was a quiet enough sound that it didn't quite cut through the noise of her work in the kitchen (which was minimal at best anyways, belying the timidness of the knock). It registered in her head the way someone saying your name across a crowded room might register if you're already in conversation. You finish what you were saying, and then -- wait, did I hear my name?Only in this case Væna paused mid-slice with her knife suspended in the air over a carrot, the shining blade glowing softly pink in her telekinetic grip, and thought, Wait, was that a knock on the door?She was silent for a moment, holding stock-still, but didn't hear anything from the front room or the back kitchen door. Still, the nagging feeling that someone may be lingering outside refused to quiet, and so the little tawny-colored mare set her knife down on her working board and made her way to The Pink Lady's front threshold. The doors were huge, carved and polished wooden double-doors, and she'd never have been able to see who might be on the other side of them if it hadn't been for the wall of windows facing the front of the restaurant, the downward slope of their mountain home, and in the distance, the sea. With a mix of emotions -- a wave of relief, a pang of doubt, a bubble of curiosity -- Væna recognized the grey brewer she'd met in the market the day before. She came.Working quickly, Væna unlatched one of the doors and swung it open, greeting the taller mare with a nervous smile. "Welcome," she said. "Please come in. I'm just prepping for lunch, if you want to follow me back to the kitchen." words: 303 tags: astrumnauta notes: ❤ |
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Post by astrumnauta on Jun 19, 2016 12:24:55 GMT -6
Cygnet waited at the door, she was apprehensive. She shifted from foot
to foot, and rolled her shoulders quietly wondering What if the mare just wanted her out of her hair and didn't mean come see her later. What if? What if What if? Oh heavens Maybe the mare didn't want to share her secrets?. Balls. Cygnet thought, she had really jumped the gun just come straight on up, knocked on her door and she might not even be welcome before she knew it and was knocking on the mares door oh heavens above. Cygnet was just considering walking away, not bothering the mare and just clinging to the vain hope Farsight was well. She was mid-turn when she shook herself and turned back, the mare would not have told her to come if she hadn't meant it, would she? To distract herself Cygnet considered the polished wooden doors, they were magnificent and she was envious of the craftsmanship. it was beautiful. As the door opened, Cygnet startled and the mare nearly jumped out of her skin slightly wide eyed but she was pleased to see Væna, her ears pricked forward and she had to wipe the smile from her face. Maybe the mare did want to see her and from the look on her face she was just as conflicted as Cygnet. " Væna, I didn't know if i should have come, well just arrived.
But I needed to know..." Cygnet rattled off but immediately shut up when Væna began to speak, she gave a weak smile and sighed softly, following the other mare inside dipping her head and having a look around " It's really beautiful in here" The tall mare complimented softly, chewing a lip and focusing back on Væna. |
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jun 29, 2016 17:54:53 GMT -6
"Thank you!" Væna replied softly, closing the door behind them and leading the way back across the dining room to her kitchen. "My parents built this place." Against the edge of the bar leaned the menu board, a tall apex-style folding board which was wooden, but plated over with black porcelain enamel. Each day, Væna wrote her specials on the board in various colors of chalk; the board was easy to clean at the end of the day, and it stood well in the street just outside The Pink Lady's front doors (even in winds rolling off the sea). In rainy weather, the board could be folded flat and hung on the front wall just beside the front doors, where it was protected by a little overhang on the stoop. The standard menu was written in the same fashion, but on boards above the bar which never really moved. This morning, the folding board read: Today's Specials:
Entrée salad featuring local arugula, green leaf lettuce, local tomatoes, local sunflower sprouts, local green beans, cucumbers, pickles, onions, carrots, homemade croutons, local blueberry vinaigrette, and your choice of bean cake or curd. 5cs
Skillet cakes made with local blueberries, topped with imported maple syrup, and served with homemade wheat sausage and roasted potato hash. 3cs
Green tea sugar cookies. 1cs The kitchen had a big open window (well, to be fair, it was more like someone had cut a huge chunk out of the wall) which opened onto the bar, so anyone working in the kitchen could see the entire dining room without leaving the stove. It was meant as a pass when it was originally built, like to put plates of finished food on so that a server could take those plates to the diners, but Væna worked alone so often that she never used it that way. She cooked, cleaned, poured, served, and waited all by herself most days, unless by Cascade's good favor one or two of her younger siblings could be convinced to help out. "I'm sorry," she continued as she ducked behind the bar and rounded the doorway into the kitchen. "But I've got to keep working as we talk, or I'm afraid I won't be ready for my lunch crowd. You can find a place in here with me if you like, or sit at the bar. You want somethin' for breakfast?" Offerings of food were Væna's way of showing many of her emotions towards other people. She fed her family and close friends almost by reflex -- if they stopped by The Pink Lady, they'd get a plate whether they wanted one or not. Cooking put her at ease, and to tell the truth, the little tawny mare could use some easing right now. words: 458 tags: astrumnautanotes: lmao! i totally lost it at "balls" xD |
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Post by astrumnauta on Jul 1, 2016 2:30:23 GMT -6
Cygnet listened intently to the mare letting her ears flick, and her nostrils fill with the smells of the kitchen, her brain was wandering and she was so nearly drooling at the thought of food " Your parent had a real eye for beauty then" she commented lightly, snapping her attention back to the little mare. Cygnet eyes the little black board carefully letting her eyes wander down the menu, her eyes fixed on sugar cookies, and her stomach growled, she gave a sigh and took a harder look around the kitchen. It was airy and light, and very busy with the one mare running the show. Cygnet had a deep respect for the mare already running this place on her own. The kitchen had a chunk out of the wall, and cygnet mused quietly it gave the place a nice feeling, you could smell the ocean, you could hear the gulls if the doors were opened, potentially in summer. and you could watch the guests come and go by if you ever got a few moment of peace, maybe at the end of the day. " I could help, i can wash the dishes and lighten your load?" Cygnet offered quietly, looking towards the mare with her golden eyes, and a brow arched. " Talk to me whilst we work, i'd love
Some sugar cookies, if you have any to spare. You've no need
to be sorry, its your job" Cygnet looked at the dishes and started moving them with her telekinesis a faint sea green aura glowing around the plates at she moved them to the sink. " We don't have to discuss Farsight if you don't feel comfortable. I'm
happy to remain quiet and just help if you want" Cygnet said over her shoulder. She considered the mare, and how hard it must be to have this giant just wander on in and ask her about a friend, how did the mare know she could trust Cygnet. Cyg turned back to quietly working, humming very softly and moving the clean dishes onto a draining board. Words: 350
Tags: strixx-variaa
Notes: Aha! It's something I say lots xD |
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jul 3, 2016 19:02:13 GMT -6
"Oh! No, uhm -- you don't need to worry about that," said Væna abruptly, caught off-guard by the grey mare's offer to help. "I don't make too much mess during prep. The cookies are in that big pot on the bar if you wanna grab yourself a couple!" The pot to which Væna indicated was a large, old, re-purposed clay honeypot stained various shades of Talori blue, which now found its home on the bar holding whatever basic pastries Væna could manage to think up every few days. (There was a reason she specialized in main courses, let's put it that way.) Maybe it was because she was offered so little help by the people who were supposed to be helping her in the first place (read: any of her siblings, who had all forsaken the family restaurant and gone off to found their own professional careers with varying degrees of success), but the gritty, hardworking way in which Cygnet unhesitatingly applied herself to someone else's burden unnerved Væna. Ikran would've liked the brewer for that quality, had he been in the house to meet her. The hardworking quality, not the Væna-surprising quality, I mean. "The last I heard of him, he'd been taken to Torrine under guard," Væna continued, confident in the harmlessness of her statement. She shrugged a little as she finished chopping her carrots and used the knife to slide them off the cutting board into a large ceramic bowl. "I, uh -- I haven't been to see him yet. I'm not sure who they're allowing as visitors." words: 259 tags: astrumnauta notes: i think our lines got crossed somewhere, with cyg washing dishes? ^^; i thought cyg was coming over after she woke up in the morning, so that's why i had vae prepping for lunch (there are no customers yet; she's just getting all her ingredients ready for the day). |
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Post by astrumnauta on Jul 8, 2016 3:06:01 GMT -6
Cygnet stopped what she was doing, leaving the rest of the plates and leaning against one of the walls of the kitchen " Sorry, i'll just go get the cookies" Cygnet moved across the kitchen to the little jar, admiring it silently, removing the lid and removing a cookie. she nibbled it thoughtfully and watched the mare. " Green tea and lemon cookies work well, it lifts the flavours" she said smiling. " You cook really well, im sure your parents would be proud" Cygnet smiled and looked back in Væna's direction. Cygnet just listened, she was pleased he was safe from harm but the island didn't sound like much of a safe haven it was more like a prison in her eyes. " I had
heard rumors of him being taken there. I'm not sure how much is true
I've heard they aren't really treated like guests. More like prisoners but
Its idle chit-chat isn't it?" Cyg wondered who she was trying to reassure Herself or Væna. As Væna continued to talk, Cygnet couldn't help but chew her lip and wonder If guests would be permitted and she highly doubted this " Væna thinking logically, if you go and visit,
you're a sympathiser and you put yourself in danger. I think its a wait and see game and
hope everybody gets out alive. If you do get held in Torrine, who looks after this place?" Cynet wondered if she'd said too much, if she should have held her tongue and just allowed the mare to speak and wait for her to think it over. " I think everybody would be safer in a big
group, but they've sectioned the targets off. I dread to think what would happen if they infiltrated
Torrine." Words: 300
Tags: strixx-variaa
Notes: Apologies!! I think it was sleep deprivation and trying to multitask so i got lost :') hopefully this is more on track! (Im away this weekend so if you reply it might be a couple of days before i get back to you - have a lovely weekend!)
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jul 31, 2016 11:15:44 GMT -6
Væna looked up from the sauce she was whisking together, a startled look in her eyes. "If they -- if the terrorists broke into Torrine?" she repeated, the scene flashing before her mind's eye in the span of a blink. Towering flames, bodies broken everywhere, screaming, shouting, deadly shadows swooping over the ground. The little tawny mare shook her head sharply as if to physically shake the image out of her head. Up from her belly came a sentence she might never have uttered otherwise, like a burp of something vile. "I wish they would. Maybe they'd all be killed in the attempt." It was barely a whisper, but the reflex which shoved the words from her mouth was a true one: Væna hated the terrorists and what they'd done to her beloved nation. She, the gentlest of the gentle, wished them all dead. "Do you really think they'd label us as sympathizers just for visiting, though?" she continued, this time in her normal speaking volume. The little mare began to whisk her sauce again and blew a loose strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Just for asking if we can see them, or speak to them?" Væna looked at the tall grey mare with the question in her eyes. The restaurateur had been raised with the utmost faith in her Guardians, and had a hard time believing that they would confer suspicion upon anyone expressing any level of interest in the inhabitants of the camp. Of course, had she known that one of the Guardsmen himself was kept in the internment settlement, she may have been more susceptible to suggestion that the Guard was not always what it seemed -- but she didn't know, and so she didn't question. She kept her faith. And now, too, a feeling was growing in her breast. A desire to test her faith, to go to the camp, and to lend Farsight some of her own faith to keep him strong through his nights away from home. words: 334 tags: astrumnauta notes: deepest apologies for making you wait on this reply! i've been having a weird relationship with my muse lately. ❤ also, as a side-note, when i write speech, i mean for it to be uninterrupted by other characters in the thread, even if it's in different paragraphs of my post. not a super-big deal when cyg's not saying anything væna would necessarily need to reply to, but when you write individual responses to every line of væna's speech, you're taking away my option to respond at all, because in my post she's already got a "next line." does that make sense? |
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