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Post by BlueUnicornJ13 on Jun 28, 2016 14:44:34 GMT -6
Beginner’s LuckWith PaganStars’s Judiah and BlueUnicornJ13’s Ezmeralda
Summer of Year 1682
This was it. This was the first time that they arrived at the market to sell the wool from their sheep without their mother’s gentle guidance and their father’s protective presence. It still felt strange not to have them there with them. Oh why had Kaia taken them from their lives so soon? Ezmeralda could feel her heart jump inside of her in near panic as she and her little sister began setting up their stand in the Skeldr Town market. She felt like there were hot stares in their direction, studying their each and every move with distaste and disgust (even though no one there was probably even looking at the two young mares at all). Her imagination ran wild, creating worried that weren’t even reality and making her doubt herself. “I-I-I don’t know if I c-can do this.” The painted unicorn stuttered out in a hushed whisper to her sister who simply flipped her curly locks of hair out of her face to look up at her. “You can do this, Ezzie. We can do this. Mother showed us everything we need to do. We got the flock all the way to the Farmlands from the mountains, so that should show you something, right?” Oh if nobody were around them, she would kiss her on her precious, little head, but she knew how flustered and embarrassed that made her younger sibling. Roselia was so much more confident than her, but Ezmeralda supposed that one of them needed to be the tough one, and it certainly wasn’t going to be her.
Ezmeralda got out their merchandise silently, avoiding eye contact with every horse that walked past them. She fumbled with the items that she picked up out of nervousness, nearly dropping several things until everything was finally ready for the day. “Mother would be proud of you, Ezzie.” Roselia said, resting her head against her older sister’s shoulder for a moment before sitting down behind the stand to await their first customer. Ezmeralda looked lovingly down at the little mare before settling in beside her, unsure whether she should be excited about their first time doing this alone or utterly terrified of what may or may not happen.
Word count: 379
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Post by PaganStars on Jul 5, 2016 15:27:49 GMT -6
It had been a year since Judiah had been to Skeldr town, the stone buildings and sight of the mountain warming his heart and giving him a feeling of home. It felt like he was a whole different horse now, feeling like a ghost among the other horses as he walked by the familiar shop and faces that he had come to know during his younger days, memories of his mother causing him to stumble in his walk. He shook his great head, almost faintly recalling the scent of her roses that he loved so dearly. No, there would be no crying today or longing over things that could have been! He was here to show how much he had grown, how he could handle the outside world and all that offered to him...
That doesn't mean he wasn't allowed to be nervous, though. It was his first time really showing his stuff at the market and on his own as well! He may have grown over the year but that didn't mean he was ready to contend with some of the most persistent and ruthless merchants that walked on Hireath. He had to be confident, hold his head high and show the others that he was ready for this life, ready to be a travelling merchant and make a name for himself! And so, Judiah slowly walked into the market square, faltering in his steps as he took a look at the familiar market. Things seemed so mesmerizing as a child, merchants shouting out and 'offering all the best deals and items you could ever think to find in Aodh or Talori or' whatever herd they decided they could one up, shoving bobbles, trinkets, furs, food and things that made your head spin just looking at them. Judiah had never found interest in those merchants as a child, but rather enjoyed spending his time with the mares that dared to enter this competitive market. They were gentler, softer and sold much more appealing work from things like flowers to handcrafted glass artwork and the soft furs and creations from the wool of their flocks.
Judiah smiled faintly and shook his head once more, walking by the other merchants without giving them a glance. He wasn't going to waste his time trying to fight over for buyers with those guys. No, he'd rather set up where a lot of the mares did, and maybe enjoy some peace and quiet in this hectic market. With a hum in his throat, he picked a spot beside two mares who were setting up their own stand, glancing over at their wares as he did so "Hope you don't mind if I step up here," He smiled, his flower crown shaking slightly as he moved his head. They seemed a little young to be here but Judiah really couldn't be the judge of that, being 17 himself. Once he was finished setting up, he slid off his large backpack, the heavy thing landing with a dull thud. He continued humming as he emptied his many things, ranging from polished stones, instruments, pipes, shells, fabrics and everything else in between. His collection was from all over the land and it wasn't long before his backpack was emptying and his stall was fit to bursting. With a pleased sigh, he looked back at the young mares, stepping over to their stand and admiring their work "Is this your first time in the market?" he asked, glancing up at them before looking over their work again.
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Word count | 593
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Post by BlueUnicornJ13 on Jul 12, 2016 7:55:36 GMT -6
Ezmeralda | War-Forged | Herder
Ezmeralda sat in silence as passersby meandered here and there through the market. A small smile rested on her face in hopes that she looked at least welcoming enough that someone would feel invited to stop by and see their merchandise. Hopefully it looked like a friendly smile rather than a grimace! All these nerves inside of her were not helping at all with her normally anxious thoughts. She tended to imagine the worst in most situations even if the worst wasn't even a possibility. She didn't know exactly why she was this way, but as far as she could remember, she had always been a worry-wart. Roselia helped though. Her younger sister was much more confident than she was. Their mother often said that Roselia had been born with enough confidence for both of them, and while Ezmeralda hated relying on her younger sister that way, they had no choice but to stick together and work as a team.
A few horses had stopped by their stand to look at their various items such as coats made from their sheep's wool and the soft fur they sold for someone who wanted to craft their own clothes. It was a step in the right direction she supposed. Horses coming to look at such young merchants' wares was probably a pretty good thing (especially when she had been preparing herself for everyone to ignore them). Her green eyes slide over to a stallion that had stopped beside them. A flower crown sat upon his head, balancing on his curved horns. She knew the stallion merchants could be tough to compete with and seeing him setting up beside them made her a little nervous, but when the older horse looked over to them with a kind smile, Ezmeralda felt a little bit of hope that it wouldn't be too bad. "I-I don't mind at all." She muttered, offering him a sheepish smile as he set up his stand, humming a merry tune while he unpacked his bag. He had an assortment of different objects and trinkets for sale, some of which were obviously from distant lands. Her gaze wandered over each of them, intrigued by how different some of them were. While she couldn't see herself traveling as far as another herd's land, she loved hearing about and seeing things from them.
Ezmeralda's heart jumped nervously in her chest when the other merchant came over to their stand to look over their merchandise. Was he just admiring their hard work or was he sizing up his competition? Her mind buzzed with possibilities despite the fact that he appeared to be nice and friendly. Her father had always warned them of how someone could pretend to be nice just to take advantage of you. Her ears perked up when he spoke, his eyes glancing up at them for just a moment before returning to their table. "U-um, not really. Our parents were merchants that often came to this market to sell their goods. W-we s-sort of took up their business." Ezmeralda stuttered, her eyes darting from the stranger's face to the fur in front of her. "W-what about you? I've never seen you around here before." She turned the limelight on him, hoping that he wouldn't question her further about how they obtained their parent's business at such a young age. It was just such an awkward and touchy subject, and she didn't want pity from anyone. "Oh! I-I completely forgot to introduce myself. M-my name is Ezmeralda, and this is my sister, Roselia."
Word Count: 590
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Post by PaganStars on Sept 4, 2016 21:17:42 GMT -6
With his classic smile, Judiah lifted a cleanly stitched scarf up, admiring the incredible softness of the wool and how well it was put together. He had never been on for knitting or sewing though he had tried his hand at it a long while ago. Laughing softly to himself as he reminisced on past memories, gently setting the beautiful scarf back down. He smiled at the girls and nodded his head "oh, i think I remember seeing you guys with them. My mother used to have a flower stall in the summer and on the rare times I got to go I'd always explore the market!" he laughed louder this time, his voice deep yet warm "Been a long time since then" he mused, ears flicked forward. For but a moment, he wondered why they had 'taken up the business'... Maybe their parents had simply decided that the sisters learned how to run the stand on their own or perhaps...
Shaking his head slight, Judiah cleared his mind. He wouldn't think like that. But then the older sisters question was buzzing through his ears and Judiah couldn't help but grin, proud of his collection "Well! I've been on the lamb for a couple years and these are all my stolen goods," he grinned and winked at them, laughing "Don't worry, I was only joking. It's true that I've been travelling away from Onea for a couple years but these goods were all procured by simple trading. I've been everywhere from Valore to Osulas and even to the Isle of the dead in Aquore!" he exclaimed, excited to tell her stories. "It's my first time with an actual stand but I feel like I got a lot of practice from my mum" he said proudly. When Judiah stopped talking and the older sister actually had a chance to get a word in, she introduced herself as well as her sibling "Names, right! Well, I'm Judiah and it is a pleasure to meet you both" he grinned and bowed his head, his flower crown slipping forward slightly. Raising his head again, he smiled at the two of them, an idea forming in his mind "hey, why don't we do a little trade?" he asked playfully "you two can pick anything out of my collection, no matter what it is, and maybe I could take one of your lovely made scarfs? I understand if it's worth more than my baubles but I'll add in some shards if need be as well" he exclaimed.
Word count | 422
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Post by BlueUnicornJ13 on Dec 8, 2016 15:59:11 GMT -6
Ezmeralda | War-Forged | Herder
Ezmeralda watched as the stallion picked up one of the knitted wool scarves with a soft smile. His yellow eyes appearing to be admiring the handmade scarf. She couldn't help the nervousness that crept through her, tying her stomach into knots. Goodness, she'd do anything to make herself like her sister whenever someone talked to her: calm and smooth as if she was speaking with an old friend. Ever since Ezmeralda were a little girl, she had worried about what others thought of her, what they'd say to her, and what she would say back to them. Her green eyes slid over to her sister who sat calmly beside her, and she took a deep breath. The last thing she needed to do was freak out and trigger her rather... unpredictable blessing, and now that their parents were gone, Ezmeralda had to at least pretend like she was more confident. "O-oh really? I love looking around the different stalls when I have time, and I-I do enjoy flowers. I'm sure I-I've probably seen your mother's stand before." She said with a lopsided smile, chuckling lightly at the sound of his own laughter. Ezmeralda felt herself growing slightly more comfortable as they continued to talk, listening to his deep, welcoming tone seemed to be helping with her anxiety-riddled brain.
Ezmeralda listened intently to the unicorn stallion's answer. "Well! I've been on the lamb for a couple years and these are all my stolen goods!" Her eyes widened slightly. S-stolen? But at he continued, Ezmeralda breathed a sigh of relief. "O-oh good! You gave me quite the scare!" She giggled, feeling slightly embarrassed that she had thought he was being serious, but she had to admit that she appreciated someone with a good sense of humor. Her ears pricked forward with interest as he began to list all of the places that he had been to during his travels, and she felt herself hanging on every one of his words. "That's amazing! Traveling around Hireath must have been quite the adventure." She remembered a time when she was younger when she had been completely dead-set on traveling around Hireath when she was older, but that was before tragedy had struck her small family. But, she was content with living vicariously through other horse's travels. She offered Judiah a warm smile, dipping her head respectfully. "It's nice to meet you too, Judiah."
At his offer, the paint mare blinked in surprise. He wanted to trade one of his valuables from distant lands for one of her scarves? "Y-you'd really want to do that? I-I'd h-hate for the trade not to be even. M-maybe you'd like a couple of scarves for one of your foreign artifacts?" It was then that he mentioned that he could add shards to his own side of the trade to make the trade even for something out of his collection, and Ezmeralda couldn't help but giggle and blush. "T-thank you, Judiah. There's no need to add any extra shards into the trade. I would love to trade you one of my scarves for something from your collection! Pick whichever scarf you'd like. We have some bigger and smaller sizes as well as some that have been dyed in different colors." Ezmeralda explained as she stood, eyeing the artifacts that sat delicately on the stand beside them. Everything was so foreign and beautiful. It would be extremely difficult to pick something that was both interesting and didn't make her feel as though she was cheating him out of shards that he could be making from a paying customer. It was then that something caught her eyes. It was a silver bracelet, and as she carefully picked it up to look at it closer, she was able to see the finer details of it. Designs of seashells and waves circled the metal, adding to the elegance of the curved jewelry. Turning to Judiah, Ezmeralda held it up to him. "W-would it be too much to trade you for this? I-I can always offer some shards too to pay the difference or another scarf if you want to give one to someone as a gift."
Word Count: 692
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