The Mist
New
Roleplay posts: 8
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 16:16:21 GMT -5
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Post by The Mist on Apr 4, 2021 11:37:23 GMT -5
Rocky Tide PoolsThe pounding of the waves have formed a number of cracks and crevasses in the rocks by the sea, creating pools that retain their water when the tide goes out. All manner of creatures make their homes in this harsh environment, making it a prime location for any hungry settler looking to gather easy seafood.
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Apr 4, 2021 14:03:25 GMT -5
There was a house among the tide pools.
It was circular and made of black, soot-like stone. It hadn’t been there the day before. Starfish, algae and other sea creatures had already started their inexorable march to claim it. It had no doors, only beautiful stained-glass windows, and its flattened conical roof made out of clear and milky glass gleamed in the sun. At high tide, that roof would be the only thing left to see. If you looked at it from the cliffs high above, you might be able to glimpse green patches of leaves inside.
There was a person lying face-down in the sand, a stone’s throw shorewards from the construction. It appeared to be a girl, or a young woman, with brown hair and loose blue clothes. Starfish and sea urchins were climbing on her legs down in a tide pool. Her face was on dry sand. Her hair, long enough to reach her shoulders, wrapped around her head like a spiky helmet, in just about the fashion you’d expect for someone who only washed with salt water for a while. Her clothes looked worn and similarly stiff, with lighter patches under her armpits and behind the knees, as if it’d been a long time since she wore anything else. The fabric’s wrinkles were white with salt. The forearms and calves peeking out from her robe-like blouse and trousers were unhealthily thin, and her skin had the dull, clay-like color of one normally used to the sun, who’d missed it. She was tall or, at least, would have been tall for a woman back in her world.
In her right arm, she held an oar. She wasn’t moving.
Not unless you looked at her carefully. Ever so slightly, up, down, up, down, her shoulder-blades rose and fell.
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Theodosia Planchette
Committed
Roleplay posts: 80
Appearance: Theodosia stands at a fairly average, unimpressive height. Her red hair and numerous golden piercings and ornaments are quite eye-catching, although her tendency to glare at people often dissuades a second glance. She wears a number of bright silks and elaborately patterned robes befitting a proper fortune-teller. The twisting, vine-like tattoos on her arms are actually just painted on, a fact that she tries to keep hidden from people.
Skills and Abilities: Theodosia is a trained fortune-teller, gifted with the ability to see through the mists of time and pluck upon the threads of fate...or so she claims. Whether she actually possesses any such skills can be questionable at times, but her knowledge of fortune-telling methods (from cards to ashes to chicken entrails) is unrivaled.
Registered: Mar 28, 2021 21:11:09 GMT -5
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Post by Theodosia Planchette on Apr 4, 2021 15:29:33 GMT -5
Theodosia picked her way carefully across the slick rocks, holding up the hem of her skirt to avoid getting it wet. In her other hand, she clutched a wicker basket into which she placed any crabs and shellfish that she happened to find. The strange-looking creatures looked a bit like oversized bugs to her, but she'd heard that they would make for a good meal when boiled. The young fortune-teller spoke softly to herself as she walked, taking advantage of the isolation to rehearse the prophecies and fortunes that she gave to her customers.
"I see a woman's form in your future," she said, speaking in the low, breathy voice that she used when she spoke to customers. It had always seemed more legitimate and believable than her regular voice, which was considerably higher and more excitable. Everyone already had an idea as to what a proper fortune-teller ought to sound like, and she'd found that it was easier to conform to their expectations than try to convince them otherwise.
"A handsome and mysterious stranger will enter your life," she said, stepping cautiously over a smooth, slippery stone. "No, that's not right...a striking and mysterious stranger will appear to you. Yes, that's better. Ahem...I sense that you are at a crossroads of fate. Kindness today may lead to fortune in the future...hmm."
As she mused on how to best convince people to tip her extra, a particularly large boulder caught her eye. A second glance revealed that it wasn't a boulder at all, but some sort of building. Where had that come from? Frowning, she bustled over to investigate. Perhaps there would be something of value inside. After all, anything that washed up on the shore was legitimate salvage, wasn't it?
As she approached the house, Theodosia spotted the body on the ground and gasped. The basket fell from her hand, clattering on the rocks and spilling its crustacean contents out onto the ground. What was she supposed to do now? She'd never found a body before, and the thought terrified her. Images of bloated, drowned bodies and drowned faces filled her mind, sending an icy chill down her spine. It took several moments before she built up the courage to go investigate, creeping up slowly as though she expected the body to jump up at her at any moment. As she drew close, she picked up a long piece of driftwood and used it to prod cautiously at the woman's leg. She cried out in shock as she saw the "corpse" draw breath, dropping the stick and staggering back a few steps. A moment later, she regained her senses enough to run to the woman's side, kneeling down and rolling her onto her back.
"Hey!" she cried, slapping the drowned woman across the face a few times. "Hey, wake up! You're not dead! Wake up!"
What was she even supposed to do in this situation? Theodosia didn't know the first thing about first aid, much less helping drowning victims. The woman wasn't in the water anymore, at least. She was pretty sure that taking the drowning victim out of the water was the first step.
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Apr 5, 2021 4:53:04 GMT -5
Movement. Warmth. Pain.
“If I were dead, ya woul’of still woken me!” The stray grumbled, shielding her face with one arm.
When the pain subsided, she cautiously peered above the limb, revealing a pair of large cinnamon-colored eyes and features that would have been pleasant, in an impish way, were it not for her pallor and boyish eyebrows. Her eyes narrowed as they struggled to focus. First impressions: gold piercings, red hair, silks, sky.
The former drowning victim snapped up so fast, that she nearly head-butted her finder. The sky! Her fingers reached as if to touch it. They were shaking. More times than she would like to admit, she’d put her sleeve over her face, trying to remember what the sky felt like. She reached down by her side, grasped a handful of the little sand scattered above the rocky shore, and let it trickle down her face.
“It’s real…” She murmured, in a language that no one on the island would understand. For a moment she’d look fearful, as if she was about to dart. Then she saw the black-stone building settled in one of the tide pools, and let out a deep breath. “We’re here.” Her shoulders fell. She must’ve gotten untied from the safety line while trying to guide the building towards the shore, or perhaps untied herself, which further underlined the point of needing a safety.
Her legs itched, and she absently reached to scratch them. She looked down.
“Aaaah!!!” She yelped, shaking her feet to get the sea creatures off her. The sea urchins fell, but for sea-stars, they had to be peeled off. Nina threw them towards the water with all the energy she could muster. She was about to do the same with an urchin, for additional revenge, but instead stopped, cracked it open with a knife that she took from a sheath attached to her sash, and slurped up the tasty contents.
She ate another before remembering to share. With the widest grin on her face, she showed how to hold the broken creature so as to avoid the spines, drain the liquid and the guts, and scoop the tasty yellow bits off the inside of the shell.
“Gratitudes.” Nina spoke, with a nod of the head. Then stuffed her face with another scoop of sea urchin caviar. “You…spoke Trader’s, dek? Tradertalk?” The newcomer’s accent was strangely airy and musical. Nothing precisely like what any in Port Argentium had heard before. Even her yelp had sounded odd. She looked behind her, on the shore, but the cliff blocked off the view. “Is this the Brass Coast? One of the League Cities? Where…” She shook her head.
Where could a floating tower have possibly brought her?
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Theodosia Planchette
Committed
Roleplay posts: 80
Appearance: Theodosia stands at a fairly average, unimpressive height. Her red hair and numerous golden piercings and ornaments are quite eye-catching, although her tendency to glare at people often dissuades a second glance. She wears a number of bright silks and elaborately patterned robes befitting a proper fortune-teller. The twisting, vine-like tattoos on her arms are actually just painted on, a fact that she tries to keep hidden from people.
Skills and Abilities: Theodosia is a trained fortune-teller, gifted with the ability to see through the mists of time and pluck upon the threads of fate...or so she claims. Whether she actually possesses any such skills can be questionable at times, but her knowledge of fortune-telling methods (from cards to ashes to chicken entrails) is unrivaled.
Registered: Mar 28, 2021 21:11:09 GMT -5
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Post by Theodosia Planchette on Apr 5, 2021 12:53:25 GMT -5
Theodosia froze as the drowned woman started speaking, arm cocked up for another blow. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but it certainly hadn't been this! She'd prepared herself for coughing and gurgling, but the woman seemed to be talking like there wasn't water in her lungs. That had to be a good sign, right? When the woman sat up, Theodosia jumped back in shock, startled at how fast she moved. Whoever this strange, emaciated woman was, she certainly recovered quickly. As the woman mumbled in some foreign language, Theodosia stared at her, trying to make sense of the scene. She clutched an oar, but there was no boat in sight. Had she floated on that building thing? Surely such a thing couldn't possibly float...but how else would it have gotten here?
"Um...are you alright?" she asked, cringing as she watched Nina pull the sea creatures off of her skin. The clinging suckers left red marks on the flesh, the painful-looking welts standing out against sickly, greyish flesh. How long had this castaway been lying here, she wondered, for such unpleasant creatures to have crawled all over her? She looked on in utter horror as Nina cracked the sea urchin open and slurped out its innards, holding up her hands and shaking her head hurriedly at the woman's "generous" offer. Were those things even edible?
"No thanks," she said, turning pale at the sight of the yellowish innards within the spiky creature. "I, uh, just ate earlier. I don't know much about trader's speak, nor the Brass Coast...we're a long way from anywhere, I believe. Nobody knows quite where we are right now, but I'm pretty sure it's far away from anywhere where people live. How-oh dear..."
She turned away as Nina took another bite of the inside of the sea urchin, raising a hand to her mouth and trying not to be sick at the sight. How could anyone stand to eat those things? In truth, Theodosia wasn't sure that those spiky sea balls even were. Some said they were animals, others were convinced they were plants, and more still were convinced that they were simply rocks. After seeing what she'd seen, she was pretty sure that it wasn't a rock, but who could say? She was a fortune-teller, not a naturalist.
"Who are you?" she asked, glancing at Nina through the corner of her eye as she tried not to think about what the sea urchin must taste like. "And what is that? Did you come here on that...building?"
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Apr 8, 2021 11:27:01 GMT -5
It wasn’t a pretty sight as the girl ate her findings. Devoured, would be more like it. You’d have thought that arriving in a glasshouse, she’d have had plenty to tide her over to the new world, but the majority of Gray’s plants would kill if she tried to bite them. It had taken weeks for the seeds and wood of the feathery plant he called ‘cycad’ to ferment enough to be presumed safe. The girl wasn’t sure if the salty, rusty taste on her tongue was urchin, or if the cracks in the corners of her mouth, borne from the limited freshwater, had opened again. Something deep inside her craved those minerals no matter what the source.
“I’ve been better. Worse, too.” The vagabond gasped in a pause between stuffing food into her face. Just eating left her winded. It was a miracle she’d been able to keep herself above the water enough to reach the shore. “Still got a scar from the time an eldritch creature tried dragging me down in the mist. My mentor jumped after me,” she gestured a blade with a slash of her arm, “sliced the grasping tentacle, and ate it.” She traced a faint white line across her ankle. “Not the large scar though, that’s from when I fell off a chair. Your crabs are escaping.” Nina added, watching the insect-like beings carefully maneuver away from a pile of shellfish. She picked one up, hesitated, and threw it back.
There was an audible shuffle among the crustaceans, almost as if they tasted the predatory hunger in the air. The thinnest shred of politeness constrained Nina.
“Guess you’ve been carried by the Great Wave too, huh…” She mused. Nina studied the stranger with newfound admiration. Traders crossed many lands, whether in their ships or their caravans, but how far away must this woman come from that she didn’t even what Traders were? “I’m Nina. Travelling painter. And…” She hesitated. Stopped, before fully acknowledging the formerly floating building. Some cultures were draconic about magic, and the last thing she wanted was to attract a mob while Gray was still unresponsive. That is, if he was still alive…Her fingers clenched, and her eyes fixed on the stained-glass windows. Still, it’s not as if she could deny its existence. “Do you want to see it up close? I need to check up on things.”
She decided to leave for later the thought that she’d reverted, instinctively, to her previous profession, while still calling the assassin her mentor. Instead, she tried to make herself helpful by helping recover the escapee crabs. By now, she’d reached the point where eating any more wouldn’t have been worth the effort it took.
“What’s your name?” Nina asked. Her eyebrows rose good-naturedly. Silks and gold! “Apologies for my assumptions, but you don’t look like someone who’s been away from anywhere where people live for too long.”
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Theodosia Planchette
Committed
Roleplay posts: 80
Appearance: Theodosia stands at a fairly average, unimpressive height. Her red hair and numerous golden piercings and ornaments are quite eye-catching, although her tendency to glare at people often dissuades a second glance. She wears a number of bright silks and elaborately patterned robes befitting a proper fortune-teller. The twisting, vine-like tattoos on her arms are actually just painted on, a fact that she tries to keep hidden from people.
Skills and Abilities: Theodosia is a trained fortune-teller, gifted with the ability to see through the mists of time and pluck upon the threads of fate...or so she claims. Whether she actually possesses any such skills can be questionable at times, but her knowledge of fortune-telling methods (from cards to ashes to chicken entrails) is unrivaled.
Registered: Mar 28, 2021 21:11:09 GMT -5
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Post by Theodosia Planchette on Apr 8, 2021 23:06:50 GMT -5
The sight of Nina devouring her grisly meal made Theodosia queasy, and she was forced to look away once more as the woman slurped at the strange creature's innards. How could she bear to eat such an awful-looking thing? Raw, too. Eating something like that was unthinkable to Theodosia, who had seldom tasted anything more exotic than a chicken. She shook her head at the thought, turning to face the woman again only once she'd finished with the urchin. Seeing a dribble of orange goo at the corner of Nina's mouth, Theodosia shuddered, but said nothing.
"My goodness," she said, trying to ignore the hollow, broken shell of the urchin lying at Nina's feet. "That sounds awful. Getting grabbed by awful, slimy sea monsters, having to eat tentacles...and I thought my journey here was hard. Is your mentor...still around? Sounds like quite th- Oh!"
Looking down at her forgotten basket, she gasped at the sight of her dinner scuttling off towards freedom. Kneeling down carefully as to avoid damaging her expensive (and likely irreplaceable) skirts, she started gingerly picking up the strange crustaceans and tossing them back into their wicker cage. A crab pinched her fingertip and she yelped, flinging it off into the sea.
"The floodwaters took everything and everyone," she said, nodding. "My house sank beneath the water, just like everybody else's. My brother Absalom and I sat on a floating tree for three days before we were picked up by a ship. I've never seen a floating house before, but it must have come in awfully useful. Do all the houses float where you're from? Does your homeland get flooded a lot?"
She glanced over at the squat, circular building that sat grounded on the rocks. Between the stone walls and elaborate stained glass, it certainly didn't look like the sort of thing that ought to be floating. Still, what did she know? She certainly wasn't an engineer, nor was she a shipwright. What right did she have to be saying what should float and what shouldn't? The offer to take a closer look gave her some pause and she hesitated, biting her lip with indecision. Something in the back of her mind told her that this woman was hiding something, but it wouldn't do to refuse. Not only would it be impolite, but it could shed doubt on her abilities as a fortune-teller. After all, what sort of mystic shied away from a situation just because it might be dangerous? Only the kind that couldn't properly foretell impending doom.
"I...sure, I'll come take a look," she said, gathering up her basket and following Nina towards the strange building. She stepped carefully on the slick stones, not wanting to fall and make a fool of herself. Fortune-telling was all about poise and appearances, after all.
"I'm Theodosia," she said. "Theodosia Planchette. You're right, I couldn't possibly live very far away from people. People are how I make my living, after all. I'm a mystic! People pay me for glimpses into the future or the chance to share a few words with their lost loved ones. There's been quite a bit of business for the latter, I must say. Everyone lost someone to the floods."
She went silent, staring into her crab-basket. It occasionally made her feel a little bad, conning desperate people who wanted nothing more than to speak with people they'd lost in the floods, but how else was she supposed to make a living? She'd starve to death without a job. Besides, she told herself, she was doing them a service. If they left her tent happier than when they'd walked in, was she really doing anything wrong?
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Sylvanie Autumndaughter
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 145
Age: 43, though she looks closer to her mid twenties, going by human standards
Appearance: She has auburn hair, like that of fall leaves, that falls down to about her waist, as well as a golden-yellow pair of eyes and pale skin. Her clothing is very nature inspired, appearing to be made of sewn leaves and tree bark, as well as vines for straps and a belt. She usually goes around barefooted(though she has a vine tied around her left ankle) and comes no taller than 5'4" She has a thin frame and clear skin, except for a very slight scar on the top of her right hand, and she bares a pair of translucent wings similar to those of an insect, like a butterfly, though they appear too small to lift her.
Equipment: As she arrived on the Isle she had no equipment to write about, other than the clothes on her back and what appeared to be a dagger made out of wood.
Skills and Abilities: Before arriving here, she could commune with nature and help plants to grow, as well as speak with animals, fly, and cast a variety of nature and illusion based spells. Since arriving, most of her magic has waned significantly. If her spells work at all they take much longer to take hold, her understanding of animals has become much more broken, her flight has left her entirely, and the trees here seem to fall quiet or silent to her ears. Annoyingly, she still seems to hold the allergy to iron and steel that her mother's blood gives her.
Biography: Born of a human father and a fairy mother, Sylvanie was known in her world as a Faeschild. Raised by her mother in the world of magic the fairies inhabited, she learned many things about nature and magic, such as the fairy's ability to commune with it, the animals' nature as a part of it, and humanity's great fear of it. She was always quite naïve and fiery, her heart thirsting for adventure. However, she didn't get the chance before...it happened. She isn't entirely sure what it was, or what happened, but the next thing she new, she was coughing up seawater on the shore of a strange island. Who knows where it'll take her next?
Registered: Apr 9, 2021 0:02:55 GMT -5
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Post by Sylvanie Autumndaughter on Apr 9, 2021 16:10:02 GMT -5
As she wanders down the shoreline, Sylvanie would feel the ground beneath her feet transition from soft sand to the slippery rocks of the tide pools. She walks carefully, her leafy clothes still damp from the sea, sand strewn in her wet hair and along her back, and the dress' bottom torn some from the rough journey the waves had took her on. Her eyes look down at her feet as to make sure she doesn't slip on the rocks and hurt herself; bare feet didn't make for the best traction on surfaces like this.
Despite her efforts, though, she slips, barely catching herself as she lets out a short, surprised noise, startled by the loss of her balance for the second. Quickly recovering, she keeps forwards, making sure to step over or around any particularly sharp rocks and to carefully balance on the overly slick ones, hoping to find someone here to tell her what exactly happened and where here just so happened to be.
After a long walk along the shore, Sylvanie sighs, her stomach growling. For the first time since she awoke, she could tell she hadn't eaten in a long while. So, instead of trailing the shore, she decided to turn inland, hoping to find some edible plants, and perhaps some water while she was at it. Her hunt for answers would have to wait as her hunt for sustenance took precedent.
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Apr 11, 2021 8:24:02 GMT -5
“A few weeks ago…” Nina started, gazing in the distance. The sea glistened like painted glass, and for a moment it all went silent. “My mentor went to sleep, and didn’t wake up.”
Then a wave crashed, and crabs continued their crackling movement. The other woman shared her story.
“That sounds terrifying.” Nina nodded. At the very least she’d been able to keep a familiar place wrapped around her. As she helped out with the escaping food, the two bonded over shared misfortune. She thoughtfully prodded the water with one finger, allowing ripples to form. How to explain it? “There have been rumors of great waves before. It’s said they scattered invading fleets heading to the Azure Archipelago on two occasions, preceded by tremors of the earth which leveled cities.” Her palm slipped into the rock pool, and cupped water which she then let fall.
“There was no normal flood, only a mountain of water. No warning.” A flick of her index finger. “Broke the tower we were in right off. My mentor made it float. Or, maybe the tower made itself float to keep him alive.” She shrugged. “It’s a complex relationship. I don’t really…” Nina shook her head. She didn’t really understand.
When the clinking of the tower’s enchanted clock would slow down even more, and grind to a halt, would the assassin be finally free of its influence? Or would he be dead?
Was there really any difference?
“He’s inside, you know.” Nina gestured as they started approaching the single-floor tower. “Still alive, I think. Just…Sleeping.” Her face was blank.
She walked around the black stone walls, checking for signs of damage. The only mark was the boundary between wet and dry stone, creeping further down as she looked at it. Lowering herself among the rocks, she checked the foundations, and met an octopus’ inquisitive stare. Many a hiding spot had been born when the building had landed on the craggy beach. She narrowed her eyes brushed her fingers over the edge between wall and floor. The place where the staircase to the floor below had existed would be most vulnerable to water infiltration, so Gray had gradually reinforced it with driftwood and special resins, such that it wouldn’t need to rely solely on magic. It looked fine to her, but it was hard to tell.
As expected of the top floor of a tower, it had no door. Through the colorful glass, one could just see an array of varied leaves. A rope hung down the roof, but even as Nina tried to jump and catch it, it was ever a palm’s width away. How was she supposed to get back in there? She knocked on a window, and there was no response. But when the girl strained her hearing, she could hear it, she could hear it clearly when she pressed her ear to the cold wall. As maddeningly slow as a heart attack, so slow to encompass several of her breaths, the pulse of the clock clicked on. “Still sleeping, it seems.” She said in a trembling voice.
The traveler had acknowledged Theodosia’s words before, but now, that she’d reassured herself, she was able to fully focus on her.
“You must be pretty good at what you’re doing.” Nina smiled. Good enough to make a living, at least. It was still unclear to her whether this was the genuine type of divination or the more common sort. Probably the latter. Real oracles tended to find it more of a pain than anything else, wasn’t it? Either way…”Must be tough on your mind.”
She looked wistfully back at the shore. “I probably won’t get to paint as much as I’d like for a while. Fishing, I imagine, and gathering. Maybe trapping, if I can get the equipment.” It was nothing that she hadn’t done before, the life of a travelling painter was difficult after all, but the fact that she found herself in the position to care for the man she’d been trying to kill was at least awkward. “Say, what sort of jobs do people need done around here?”
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Theodosia Planchette
Committed
Roleplay posts: 80
Appearance: Theodosia stands at a fairly average, unimpressive height. Her red hair and numerous golden piercings and ornaments are quite eye-catching, although her tendency to glare at people often dissuades a second glance. She wears a number of bright silks and elaborately patterned robes befitting a proper fortune-teller. The twisting, vine-like tattoos on her arms are actually just painted on, a fact that she tries to keep hidden from people.
Skills and Abilities: Theodosia is a trained fortune-teller, gifted with the ability to see through the mists of time and pluck upon the threads of fate...or so she claims. Whether she actually possesses any such skills can be questionable at times, but her knowledge of fortune-telling methods (from cards to ashes to chicken entrails) is unrivaled.
Registered: Mar 28, 2021 21:11:09 GMT -5
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Post by Theodosia Planchette on Apr 11, 2021 22:55:07 GMT -5
Theodosia gasped, immaculately-manicured hand rising to her mouth at Nina's mention of her mentor's current state. The woman's tale sounded tragic for sure, and the thought of giant waves sweeping across the land and snapping stone towers in half made her shudder. How could anybody talk about such a traumatic event so calmly? The flooding hadn't been nearly as violent where she was from (although it had ended up just as deep) and she still didn't like to think about it. She still had nightmares of sinking and drowning, of seeing her home slipping away beneath the waves. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of such terrible thoughts.
"Are you...quite sure that your mentor is alive?" she asked, words coming hesitantly. She didn't want to upset the woman, but falling asleep for weeks certainly didn't sound like the actions of a living person. Was Nina simply in shock and denial about the loss of one of her few remaining loved ones? Theodosia certainly wouldn't put it past her. Anybody would be a bit crazy if they'd been riding on a house with their dead mentor for a few weeks. Stepping up to the rope, she frowned. The sturdy line looked to be within reach, but every time she stretched a hand up towards it, she found it just barely too far away. How odd.
"I don't know much about magic or towers," she said, frowning at the stone structure. "But I certainly can't see how such a thing could possibly float. Perhaps we could get a ladder? If we head down to the settlement, I'm sure there are some people there who could help. They might have some questions about a magical floating tower, though."
Seeing Nina press her ear to the slimy stone, Theodosia raised an eyebrow. She leaned in close to listen, holding her hair carefully out of the way and making sure not to touch the wet, algae-covered wall. Not hearing anything in particular, she shook her head and stepped back.
"I'd say I'm pretty good at fortune-telling," she said, relieved to finally be talking about something she knew. "It's a gift, or so they say. Something you're born with. I was born under a mystical star, beneath a portentous moon...or at least, that's what my mother said. My father said I was born under a rain cloud. He always suspected that my mother was having an affair with the town crier, and my hair color didn't help."
She sighed, sniffling slightly as her memories of her parents rose afresh to the front of her mind. They'd argued a lot, but she missed them dearly. She supposed they could still be alive, floating off somewhere on a boat, but unless they'd managed to get themselves washed up on an island their chances would be slim. Of course, this wasn't a concern that she could share with a stranger. After all, what sort of mystic would she be if she couldn't even see if her parents still lived? Wiping her eyes on a handkerchief, she kept silent and swallowed her fears, feeling the ever-growing knot of stress in her stomach twist a little bit tighter. If only she had somebody to talk to...perhaps she'd be able to confide in this woman? She seemed nice enough.
"I don't know much about jobs," she said, shrugging. "I suppose the settlement always needs loggers and carpenters and people to go fishing...but those all seem like hard, dangerous tasks. I have my fortune-telling business..."
Trailing off, she scrutinized Nina, trying to glean some insight from the young woman's dirty face and salt-crusted hair. She certainly seemed earnest enough, and nobody knew her...perhaps she could be useful.
"I might have a job for you," she said, "but it's a bit...delicate. Can you keep a secret, Nina?"
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Apr 12, 2021 16:02:48 GMT -5
When Theodosia questioned Gray’s condition, Nina just looked down and bit her lip. Her fingers trembled. That she’d sometimes thought the same, it would be dangerous to say. That she’d tried to kill the man enough times that she felt she’d know if he was truly dead might raise questions she didn’t want answered.
“I’ve seen him come back from worse.” Is what she settled for. She would say no more on the matter.
She’d say little when Thodosia suggested having a ladder brought, but looked particularly apprehensive at the idea of people making a big deal about her home. Maybe she could just find a big rock to step on in order to reach the roof, she murmured. Still, every bit of information the woman gave her was useful. Magic was rare, but not taboo, she noted. Then again, it could just be that a mystic was more comfortable with the idea. Might be safe to leave Gray in his fragment of a tower, if she could keep news of the tower on the down-low, especially since the wards seemed to still be active. The rope must’ve gotten tangled in the anti-climbing one…She pushed one of her shoulders hard against the wall, just to make sure the building was settled in place and wouldn’t be carried away to sea when the new tide came in. “I don’t think it could float anymore.” She noted.
Her eyes lit up again when listening to Theodosia. It started off as any psychic’s story, if a particularly sweet one, but then took a nosedive into genuine tenderness and harsh realities such that it peeled Nina’s defenses off faster than being flung down a slope of razor-sharp scree.
“I imagine it might’ve felt difficult at times.” She whispered.
She leaned imperceptibly back, hiding behind her empty words. Nina had always been incompetent in coping with other’s feelings. The tears might still be part of the prattle, the cautious part of her mind warned. Uncomfortable feelings, meant to distract. Yet the restraint made it feel genuine. She froze. She shifted on her feet, uncertain whether the other woman would have appreciated reassurance, or the pretense of privacy and therefore, by accident, providing the latter.
“I don’t hurt people,” Nina stated, with the same unshakable certainty that earlier she’d used to confirm that her mentor was still alive. “Not if I can help it. So don’t hire me for that. As for secrets…” Nina shrugged, and spread her arms wide, resting her back against the cool stone of the tower. Her tone grew gentle in the face of the other’s tears. “I am made of secrets. Don’t mind taking care of a few more.”
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Theodosia Planchette
Committed
Roleplay posts: 80
Appearance: Theodosia stands at a fairly average, unimpressive height. Her red hair and numerous golden piercings and ornaments are quite eye-catching, although her tendency to glare at people often dissuades a second glance. She wears a number of bright silks and elaborately patterned robes befitting a proper fortune-teller. The twisting, vine-like tattoos on her arms are actually just painted on, a fact that she tries to keep hidden from people.
Skills and Abilities: Theodosia is a trained fortune-teller, gifted with the ability to see through the mists of time and pluck upon the threads of fate...or so she claims. Whether she actually possesses any such skills can be questionable at times, but her knowledge of fortune-telling methods (from cards to ashes to chicken entrails) is unrivaled.
Registered: Mar 28, 2021 21:11:09 GMT -5
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Post by Theodosia Planchette on Apr 13, 2021 1:20:44 GMT -5
Theodosia found herself in turmoil, biting nervously at her painted lower lip as she silently debated as to whether she should tell this woman about her secrets. She wanted desperately to confess, to finally get the crushing weight of her continued lies off her chest...but what if she was wrong? What if this Nina woman couldn't be trusted and ended up spilling her secrets to the whole camp? She'd be ruined...no, even worse. She'd be ostracized as a fraud, possibly even driven out of the colony and exiled. What would she do then? It'd be a death sentence, she couldn't survive in the wild. The thought terrified her...but somehow, the idea of being alone with her lies scared her even more. She couldn't very well tell Absalom, it wouldn't be the same. He already knew everything, he was used to it. Besides, the lad was missing. Confessing to this woman, though, this stranger...she could almost taste the relief, the release of all this tension. Keeping up appearances all the time, lying to everyone, pretending that she had abilities that she didn't really have...it was exhausting. Every false reading and fake seance wore her down just a little bit more, and she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to keep it up. Confiding in someone would be an act of self-preservation, allowing Nina to bear some of the weight of her secrets. Nodding to herself, she made up her mind, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"My fortune-telling," she said, voice trembling. "It...it's not real. It's fake. A scam. All of it. The palm readings, the cards, the crystal ball. It's all an act, always has been. People come to me looking for answers and I tell them what they want to hear and take their money. That's all I've ever done. I tell them their loved ones are at peace, I give them vague prophecies about new strangers and old friends, I tell them that they were born under fortunate stars...it's all made up, Nina. I can't actually see into the future. I can't talk to the dead. I can't do any of it! I'm a fraud, a charlatan, a fake."
She realized that she was babbling, but she found herself unable to stop. The words spilled from her mouth like the floodwaters that had drowned her home, unstoppable and endless. She told Nina about trick cards and loaded knucklebones, of "magic" sticks gathered outside in the woods and her drugged incense to make people more relaxed and suggestible. She spoke of how she'd pored over books of fortunes for hours, practicing them over and over in front of the mirror until she knew them by heart. She even admitted, with tears in her eyes, how she'd taken to telling people about how the spirits of their loved ones preached generosity in an effort to encourage them to tip better. It was a long confession, but she could feel the weight of the secrets being relieved like a stone off of her chest. She sniffled, not wanting to cry in front of this virtual stranger but unable to stop a few errant tears from splashing into the tidepools at her feet.
"It's always been this way," she concluded, wiping her eyes. "My family has always made a living telling fortunes. They say my great-great-grandmother actually had the gift, but none after her have had even an inkling of any real ability. It's all been tricks and scams. I...I've never told this to anybody outside the family. Please don't tell anyone, Nina. If word gets out...it would be bad for me. I need people to believe, or I'll be ruined. Um...that's what the job would be about. Helping fortunes come true. Making people really believe that what I can do is real. Can you help me, Nina?"
Sighing, she took a deep, shuddering breath and looked into Nina's eyes. She waited, suddenly tense, waiting for Nina to lash out. What would she do if the woman refused to help, if she decried her as a criminal and went to tell the settlement? Would she be able to stop her? Did she even deserve to try? A slip on these rocks could easily end in a serious head injury, and nobody even knew Nina existed...but no, what was she thinking? She couldn't possibly kill someone, not even to keep her secrets safe. So, clutching her shaking hands together, Theodosia waited for Nina's reaction and prayed that it was positive. It had to be. She didn't want to think about the alternative.
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Apr 16, 2021 9:56:45 GMT -5
Pale fingers clung like spiders to the black stone. Nina’s gaze was both unflinching and avoidant.
“So you’re a scammer.”
A blank statement. There was no gap to stick the thinnest thread of judgment in.
“Although is it truly a scam to peddle fake glimpses of the future? Nobody wants the real ones, after all.” The girl shifted on her feet. She looked down, and thought that her legs were going to look odd, with hairless, star-shaped scars wrapped around them. She narrowed her eyes. “I mean, sure, they think they do, but how many people would truly be able to cope with being told, your wife will leave you for the barmaid?” A harsh smile spread on her face. “Get it right and it’s twice the pain, narrowly avoid it and you’re bad at predicting the future, have the client fulfill the prophecy as they’re trying to fight it and suddenly there’s an angry drunk coming after you.” She swung her wrist around in mock violence.
She slowly raised her eyes. From reflex she studied the beach around them, just to make sure there was no one within earshot.
“I’m not going to lie, there are aspects of what you do that feel uncomfortable. But it might be privileged of me to argue when I’m not the one earning my living that way.” Nina let out a puff of breath, half of a sigh. “Much of it seems harmless.”
She wasn’t sure how things in the other’s former land had worked. It was possible that Theodosia had never had an opportunity to learn any other trade. In many places that the painter had travelled to, fortune-tellers would often be part of minorities, travelling or otherwise. Often they might carry a small fortune’s worth in gold in their jewelry, because it was the only thing of value they carried. People find those different from them unsettling, and would whisper about them, about their unnatural abilities. Those types of rumors grew wilder the more you tried to repress them, and sometimes burned hot enough to destroy livelihoods. Sometimes the only way out was to embrace it. ‘Yes, magic. Damn you, pay me.’
“You’re not really selling the future. You’re selling hopes and dreams.” Nina mused. “Same as a priest blessing a new house or a fish stand, really. Same as most other ritual, because people’s minds find power in ritual, and that makes ritual powerful.” She smirked. “You’re selling being listened to.” Ironic, for now it was the fortune-teller who’d reached for it.”
“It might seem empty, but that’s because most people think that ‘fortune’ and ‘happiness’ are things they can touch.” She picked up the fragment of a shell from the craggy rock below, and fiddled with it. “Physical things.” She shook her head. “They’re not. They might be heavily influenced by outside factors, but they’re not. This game is all in the mind.”
And still…Drugs? That had to be wrong, didn’t it?
“How much is too far?...I wonder…”
There was, of course, the added detail that she couldn’t afford being too picky.
“So I’ll play your game. With three conditions.” Nina said.
She raised her index finger.
“First, as I said, I won’t hurt people. I’ll help fulfill the positive prophecies, but I’ll stay away from…séances.” Nina winced.
A second finger rose.
“Secondly, please don’t go out of your way to spread the news about…” The traveler gestured to the place behind her. “It’ll inevitably get out at some point, but I’d like some time to find my footing.”
Her thumb moved to the side.
“Third, I help you, you help me.” Nina’s chin tilted in a questioning expression.
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Theodosia Planchette
Committed
Roleplay posts: 80
Appearance: Theodosia stands at a fairly average, unimpressive height. Her red hair and numerous golden piercings and ornaments are quite eye-catching, although her tendency to glare at people often dissuades a second glance. She wears a number of bright silks and elaborately patterned robes befitting a proper fortune-teller. The twisting, vine-like tattoos on her arms are actually just painted on, a fact that she tries to keep hidden from people.
Skills and Abilities: Theodosia is a trained fortune-teller, gifted with the ability to see through the mists of time and pluck upon the threads of fate...or so she claims. Whether she actually possesses any such skills can be questionable at times, but her knowledge of fortune-telling methods (from cards to ashes to chicken entrails) is unrivaled.
Registered: Mar 28, 2021 21:11:09 GMT -5
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Post by Theodosia Planchette on Apr 16, 2021 14:53:26 GMT -5
As truthful as it was, Nina's cold proclamation that Theodosia was a scammer struck her like a thrown knife. She flinched, cringing as she resisted the urge to protest. Whenever she'd heard those words before, they'd usually been followed up by demands for money back and occasional threats of violence. Nobody liked to be scammed, and she'd had to talk her way out of quite a number of sticky situations in the past. Thankfully, Nina continued on, her words allowing Theodosia to relax. It was comforting to hear the things she told herself over and over again every night coming from somebody else's mouth, to say the least. Finally, somebody else understood! Even if it was a scam, surely she couldn't be blamed for making people happier. Part of her wondered how much of that she actually believed, but she ignored the thought. No sense on dwelling on unhappy ruminations, after all.
"Thank you," she whispered, voice low and conspiratorial despite the lack of any potential eavesdroppers. "Thank you, Nina. It's...it's been hard. It's not an easy thing to do, deceiving people all the time, and I could really use some help. I've had to move a lot, you know? Sometimes the town will decide that they don't believe in me anymore and start to think that they've been losing their money. I've been forced to run away, to move somewhere else and start over fresh. It's always easy at the start, everyone wants to see the marvelous new mystic...but I can't run away here. There's nowhere else for me to go, Nina. If they realize that I can't actually see the future, I don't know what they'll do. I don't know what I'll do. That's why I need you to help me, to really convince people that I can do what I say. I'll do anything to help you, too. I'll keep your secrets. You won't need to hurt anyone, I couldn't possibly ask that of you."
On an impulse, she stepped forward, pulling Nina close into a tight embrace. The woman was practically a stranger, and yet she'd spilled out the secrets that could quite literally be the difference between life and death. She didn't know if she'd made a mistake or not, but she was sure of one thing: the weight was gone. She almost didn't care if Nina told everyone at this point, the sense of relief was so great. A few moments passed before she released the embrace, stepping back and awkwardly dusting sand and salt off of her clothes.
"What can I do to help you, Nina?" she asked, picking a stray piece of seaweed out of her hair. "Do you need a place to live? New clothes? Food? I haven't got much, but you're welcome to anything you need."
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Apr 17, 2021 16:40:41 GMT -5
The shock of human contact froze Nina in place. Warm streaks fell down her cheeks, more out of sensory overload after prolonged isolation than particular sympathy to the woman’s plight. Her hand was patting the other on the back before she even realized what she was doing. She felt floaty and would have probably tumbled sideways were it not for the hug and the tower supporting her weight.
Then, she smeared the tears off her face with the back of her hand, and it was back to business.
“I’ll keep living here, if I can.” Nina stated. Her lips felt parched. But for that she needed…“Water.” More specifically…“Freshwater. Is there any spring, or river, nearby?” Her cinnamon-colored eyes studied the cliff face behind Theodosia. Any darker streak between overlapping cliff sides made her heart clench with hope. It was more than survival. Without her watering it, Gray’s garden of poisonous plants would die by the very sun their whitish leaves were reaching towards, and such was the love that the master assassin held for his garden, that Nina felt allowing that would spell the omen for her mentor’s life. Such a silly thought. She shook her head, and looked around her again.
“Food, looks like I can manage the basics for now.” Plentifully, it seemed. Although it was important to have diversity, and alternative sources. One red tide, and all in the ocean became poison. “Though if you’ve got some vegetables, I’d be grateful.” Her eyes glimmered with a deep, unsettling hunger. “Even some stuff that you’d normally throw out, like pepper cores or half-moldy sprouted potatoes, would be useful. I hope to start a garden.” She muttered to herself. “Is it even the right season?” Shook her head.
“Tools. Needle and thread, if you’ve got extras. Wetstone, waterskin. Rope. If some things are too precious to give, I’d still appreciate a loan, otherwise let me know who might have them.” It was hard for her to estimate just what Theodosia and her settlement had access to. Unlike her, it didn’t sound like the young woman arrived with much more than the clothes on her back, but she could’ve been here for longer. What more…? She frowned in thought, then snapped her fingers.
“Information. Who in the settlement is likely to give me a far trade, who’s likely to cheat me. Who I should be wary of. What food is safe, and what will kill me. A chill rushed down her spine. “To be fair, not fully sure about the sea urchin, so you’ll get to find that out! Although…That might still be easier than solving your quest!” Nina chuckled.
She looked quizzically at the fortune-teller.
“Oi…You can’t keep it up, ya realize? I thought you were good at what you were doing, but now I’m starting to doubt it.” She slowly shook her head. “You broke the first rule of confidence art, you know? ‘Leave the target feeling better than when you found them’. If you don’t do that, you have to keep travelling.” She shrugged. “If you want to stay…”
Nina’s eyes fixed on a point in the air, as he sketched her ideas with swirling gestures.
“A scam endures best when it is in many people’s interest to keep it up. For some, the momentum is such that it becomes self-sustaining. Stuff like justice, truth, peace. You are…”
Nina watched the fortune-teller critically.
“Not quite there.” She admitted. “All I can do is try to buy you some time. Time to make yourself useful in a different way, such that it won’t matter if your predictions aren’t any better than mine.” She lowered her voice. “I know it’s hard, but have you tried finding yourself a trade?”
She listened carefully. Eventually, a little smile curled in the corner of her lips.
“Anyway. Why don’t you tell me about what promises you’ve made that I’m supposed to fulfill?”
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