[Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)

The lands past the gates of Yaralon Proper. This vast area includes The Spines, The Cut, The Crags, Maiden's Refuge, Bastard's Grove, Heaven Fall and small villages.

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[Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)


All was quiet in the deep dark wood, the wonderers saw a Tunawa and the Tunawa looked… bonkers.

The wind howled and the trees swayed, their twisted and tortured faces matched by their tortured arm-like branches reaching out to the sky. For anyone local to Yaralon, these would not be the things of note around this unnerving forrest, no, that would be the 6 inch lunatic throwing himself from the tops of said branches, screeching and screaming profanities in near-indecipherable Tree Talk as he went.

“You’re not listening!” He twittered to the sky as he climbed nimbly back up the tree in whatever endeavour it was he was undertaking. “Here…!” He yelled as he thrust out a small morsel of some kind toward the sky, as if clearly repeating something for the hundredth time. “Yummy food! I jump, whistle, you come, catch me and get food!” The volume of his cries would appear to be intended to reach someone or something out of sight rather then in anger as he patiently prepared himself once more.

Knees bent… Arms readied… and… JUMP! Kanji let out a sharp screeching noise. It was piercing and as he thrust out the tasty bird-snack in-front of himself, this time there came a call in return and down from the sky swooped a Hawk. For those with sharp eyes, the Hawk would appear to be waring a little, purpose built, saddle.

The Hawk dropped in a dive and met the little wooden lunatic in mid air. It was almost a scene of pure synergy as the two met and the little man began to swing around to mount the bird… almost. Right up until the bird decided enough was enough, grabbed the small man and started flapping away with him in it’s claws as he chirped encouragement. “Ow. Um. No. Not me! The food! I’m supposed to be…” His flapping and flailing turned into flapping and falling as the Hawk lost interest in it’s ‘master’ and let him go.

Down he came. Down right into the path of the wonderers.

*THUMP* (Well… a *PAD* is a *THUMP* when you are 6 inches tall)

Kanji shook his head as he set up, pulling moss from under his bird-scull hat and adjusting his feathered coat (which was beginning to show more then a little sufferance for Kanji’s efforts)… Then he stopped, apparently frozen in place… “Oh… Hi. Me sorry.” He said in broken Common, without moving… “Me Kanji. Kanji Bird Rider. Nice to meet you?”
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)

This particular forest might have something of a creepy vibration going on, or at least it had the reputation to back it up and further it felt that way to Arlo. But on the other hand there were worse places to be in the middle of Saun, when not one sun but two burned trial and night round, lit up the sky with respite, baked the planet and just made things unbearable for every living man and beast around. In the thick of the forest, it was cooler. The thick growth that crowded the narrow trails and the dense canopy overhead guaranteed that there was always a great deal of shade and even those places where sunlight hardly ever reached at all. Considering how hot it was, Arlo would have braved any number of dangers, just to wade barefoot in a cold forest stream.

But he wasn't fool enough to go unarmed and neither was Vega. Arlo grinned a little as he took her hand, and as they followed one of the many trials that wound their way through the forest. They'd hiked, engaging much of the time in a companionable silence...which was nice, now and again. Lyova was perched in the brim of his hat, and it was the little diri who'd first spotted the same creature in the treetops that was making such a fuss. In fact, the thing looked so much like the tree itself that Arlo might not have noticed, if not for the bird that was swooping and fussing around it.

"Well I can't say I've ever seen one of those," Arlo said to Vega, her hand in his as he peered up into the treetops and watched the creature. He knew what it was, he figures. A tunawa...or something like that. But in all of his travels he'd..."Oh, wait, maybe I have. Remember when I came back blue from that fog and my fingertip was on fire?" he asked her. "I think I saw of 'em then." He was still trying to remember whether he had or he hadn't, when the bird first snatched the little man up, and then, without ceremony, let him drop to the ground, and at their feet.

Thing was even weirder up close, he figured. Like a bunch of twigs that had been twisted into a child's plaything, a poor man's doll...but then animated. Still, Arlo had heard somewhere that for the most part the tunawa were harmless. And meanwhile though the little man couldn't know it, Lyova had swooped down off Arlo's hat and was hovering just in front of Kanji's face, keen for a better look. Apparently she'd never seen one either. "Well hello Kanji Bird Rider...I'm Arlo and this is Vega." And then because he just couldn't resist, he grinned and added, "It seems like your feathered friend up there begs to differ, when it comes to the bird rider end of things."
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)


30th Saun 718

Walking through the woods, hand in hand with him, Vega was quite content with the quiet. Bastards' Grove was a very strange place with the scary faces in the trees, the blood red water and the whole place just looking really unnerving, yet she felt calm here. Glancing at Arlo, Vega couldn't quite help but smile; he didn't sleep in the light and he really, really didn't like the heat. Saun was not a good season for him, all told. Squeezing his hand gently she said nothing but figured that right about now he'd give his right arm to be cool. "Who's yer favourite person in the world?" Vega asked, suddenly as they walked on the edges of what was a nice clearing, suitable for camping no doubt, and she smiled at him as she realised something. Falling quiet for just a moment, Arlo might notice that the glowing freckles on her chest in the unmistakable outline of a dragon glowed brightly.

And it got cooler.

Not enormously, but cooler by a good ten degrees and that made a difference. "Pretty big area too. It'll last for a trial, so we can camp here tonight if you like." With a cheery grin, she had an air about her of vaguely smug and undoubtedly pleased with herself. Because her bottom line? "Xiur an' Qyios are the best, aren't they?" He really didn't like the heat, after all. But, before she could gloat too much more, there was the strangest little creature and he was performing some kind of weird acrobatic flipping on - or almost on - a bird.

Vega heard a sniggering laugh in her head but she refused to pay any attention to Iris. Her familiar was a sarcastic, biting and evil bird - Vega liked her very much but equally, it wasn't kind to laugh at the .... "Are you a tunawa?" Vega asked, dropping down on to her heels next to Kanji.

The woman who did that was tall ~ although everyone probably was ~ at six foot and she had a mane of long red hair. Her skin was pale and the bridge of her nose and her cheeks were covered in freckles. So too were her legs, which could be seen since the was wearing shorts and she had a cropped vest top on which showed her bare midriff, On her chest, though, were what seemed to be glowing freckles in the outline of a dragon. Her eyes were swirling colours of green and blue with flecks of orange in them. Arlo introduced them both and she grinned. That grin broadened when Arlo pointed out that he wasn't exactly a bird Rider and she glanced at her lover with amusement in her gaze.

"We're new to Yaralon. Travellers, wanderers. Adventurers, I guess. You know this place?" Vega asked, figuring that maybe asking him something like that might soften the blow of the rejection of the bird.
Last edited by Vega on Sun Feb 23, 2020 12:44 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 499
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Vega's skin has a reflective metallic sheen with a red glow. Her eyes still swirl biqaj colours, but one colour is always bright red which glows like fire. She has a bright red glow in her chest, situated directly under the mark of a heart (Daia mark) in the middle of a glowing silver dragon on her chest (Xiur). She's unnaturally warm to the touch
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)


Kanji decided (for now) that the two wonderers were not going to try to smush him and perhaps were not even looking to capture him as a slave.... Though it was rather too late if that were the case for him todo anything but 'roll with it'... As quickly as he could... as far away as possible.

He smiled, un-offended by Arlo's open observation. “No. Bird Rider is my want. I has much to learn.” He agreed amiably. His common was pretty poor, but he managed to speak without stumbling over his words and was quite happy with how he spoke, even if it did lead to the occasional misunderstanding. Anyway, many an interesting segway in life can occur due to an unexpected loss in translation.

Kanji's demeanour was not 'jumpy' per-say, however he was always a little cautious of quick movements and sudden approaches. This is why, as Vega dropped down beside him, he moved just slightly to the side to establish a safe arm's reach distance between them... This was of course until he noticed the peculiarities of the newcomer, which triggered his rather unhealthy curiosity. “WoooooooW. You not normal. Why you eye look like paint going down sink?” He asked harmlessly, as if it was an obvious question to want to ask. Perhaps before there might be a chance to answer however, he gasped. “Do you know you got *CHERPY-PIP* on you there?” His replacement of the word 'dragon' with the Tree Talk equivalent was apparently lost on him in the moment. He pointed at the dragon freckles with a mixture of concern and curiosity with one hand while flapping the other in his subconscious attempt to bridge the gape in translation from '*CHERPY-PIP*' to 'dragon'.

When asked about the area he nodded, paused, shock his head, paused again and then finally thrust his finger in the air in triumph with a “My has a MAP! Yes!” This outburst, which was the crescendo to the unspoken conversation going on with himself in an attempt to arrive at an appropriate answer, was immediately followed by patting and chirping as he sought out said map. This was intermingled with a verbalised stream of thought in distracted and very broken common. “My come see Trunky. My get lost. My try to fly, to see which way to Trunky. Then my thinks 'why bird so bad a getting'." He paused in his search to strike a pose, as if 'wondering', to emphasis his story before continuing to search. “My should train bird better. THEN, my train bird and forget find Trunky... Ah!” He let his shoulders relax a little again, in relief. “My has map. My still find dead people.” He concluded with satisfaction, though suddenly remembered himself in the presence of these strangers, to whom he had just shared his entire story with and hesitated.

“Why you here?” He asked semi-conversationally, with a poorly cloaked concern for the answer and a not at all cloaked attempt to hide the location of the map by sheepishly pulling his bird jacket back over the pocket in which it had been found.
Last edited by Kanji on Mon Oct 22, 2018 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total. word count: 527
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)

"I think you know the answer to that question already," Arlo told Vega, and with a teasing grin, when she asked who his favorite person was. And in fact if she hadn't known it before he'd shared with her his mark from Cassion, she'd certainly know it now. She could easily sense what he was feeling at any given trill, after all. But she still managed to take him by surprise when the freckles on her cheek began to glow, and it became noticeably cooler all around them. It was a huge relief and when it happened, Arlo had leaned in, kissed her and whispered "You're a wonder. That's what you are." And then he'd straightened and added, "And praise be to Xiur."

But a whole trial? It was the perfect spot. And to make it better, he said, "I could make us a safe camp here when we're ready to stop for the trial. These woods aren't the safest place to be at night, or so I've heard." He hadn't heard a terrible lot, so far as a detail of the particular dangers they might find in these woods. But enough he guessed to make a safe camp more appealing if they were after a solid's night rest. And he wouldn't say that Xiur and Qylios were the best. There was Cassion and U'frek after all and if he was picking favorites, he probably ought put them at the top. "But they're certainly there in the running."

But then there was that odd little tree man who Arlo figured was in fact a tunawa, and Lyova it had to be said was fascinated by what looked to her to be an animated collection of foliage? "Do you think he turns gold and red and brown in the fall Arlo, just like the other trees do?" the little diri asked. And it struck Arlo as a curious question that might be in need of asking. Maybe later. "Ah, aspirations. Aim high and reach farther. Always a good thing," Arlo said and grinned a little when Kanji stated that he hoped to be a bird rider, even if he wasn't quite yet. He smiled even wider and his eyes gleamed with humor though when Vega's eyes became a source for fascination. Better for her to explain if she was going to, but he couldn't help but say, "Windows to the soul. That's what those are."

And harbingers of doom too, he'd thought once long ago, when it came to predicting a temper flareup before it actually happened. Gave him a chance to duck sooner before she threw things at him. However, Arlo had no idea what a cherpy pip was. Maps though were something that were solidly in Arlo's wheelhouse. As a devotee of Cassion and now one of the Immortal's marked, he seemed to come equipped already with a natural inclination and ability to read and decipher the things. "You've got a map?" he asked. And for that matter, what and where was Trunky? Were there dead people or spirits rumored to be there?

Why they were here was a much easier question, and the answer was quite simple. "Exploring really. It's what we do, me and Vega. We don't stay anywhere for long and one trial, maybe we'll have seen all of Idalos." Then eyeing the little tunawa and the way he seemed to be concealing the very thing he'd been so busy searching for, Arlo asked. "You mind if I have a look at that map? Maybe we could help you find the place you're looking for."
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)


"It's true, I do," Vega said when he told her that she knew the answer to her own question. She did, of course. Not only did the mark he had conferred on her from his Cassion mark tell her so, she knew anyhow. But Vega was still who she was and so, "But Mixiebelle an' her enormous knockers aren't here are they?" The woman who had literally flung herself at Arlo back on Scalvoris had gotten their lives together quite sorted and Vega was of the opinion that he was lucky she hadn't turned up at the Wanderlust in a wedding dress. Her hand in his held tightly, though and when he kissed her she returned the gesture, and the sentiment, most wholeheartedly. But a wonder? Vega grinned and said nothing, as always when he complimented her she felt a strange mixture of pleased and awkward buy pleased won out.

The thought of a safe camp was a good one and she said so. It would be comfortable, safe and - of course - it would be dark in there too. The implication was clear, she didn't think she needed to tell him that it would help him not need his mask. Plus, they could wrap in together under the sheet that his friend had made which kept them cool. As for the whole "my Immortal's better than your Immortal" debate, that was an ongoing one between them and Vega had no wish for it to end any time soon. They both tended to enjoy it too much.

But teasing each other would have to wait as Kanji Bird Rider didn't quite live up to his name during his entrance. Vega lowered herself onto her haunches to speak to him. Whereupon he informed her that she wasn't normal. Vega's eyebrow raised but then he asked about her eyes and Arlo popped in with his "windows to the soul" comment. She turned and grinned at Arlo at that, and by the time she'd done that, Kanji had carried on. He gasped in amazement at her "holy freckles" and Vega nodded. "My eyes change colour with how I'm feelin'.," she said with a smile. Lifting her hair, she revealed her pointed ears and then held out her arm, palm upwards as she explained. "That happens to my people, the biqaj. We got the pointed ears, too an' look. See there, at my wrist? My blood is silver, not red like his."

As for her chirpytweet, her grin widened. "That's from the Immortal Xiur. He's the Immortal of stars an' hope, an' I made him a cup of tea, so he gave me a magic freckle," an unusual tale but fundamentally true as far as Vega was concerned. "An' it's grown over time into lots of them. Looks like a dragon to me what do you think?"

But he had a map and he was looking for Trunky (which she guessed might be a big tree. With a big trunk?) and he'd forgotten to train his bird. But he was looking for dead people? Yep, Vega figured, this was very their kind of Tunawa. Then, he seemed to come over a bit shy and hide the map and Arlo asked him if he'd show them the map. Vega didn't add any more to it than that, because she didn't want to overwhelm the little chap. So, she waited to see what Kanji said and, from there they'd take the situation as it was. The only thing she did add, because she thought it bore repeating was simple. "We'd be happy to help, if that were what you want."
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)


Kanji tilted his head to one side with a slightly confused look on his face at the mention of 'aspirations'. The word confused him a little, but he decided to glaze over it for now, as Arlo appeared to think it was a good thing, progressive? He shrugged it off inwardly as he continued with the conversation.

When Arlo pitched in with his opinion on Vega's eyes Kanji learned in a little as the words worked their way into his head. “Windows?” As Vega explain the differences of her race, he listened with interest, making a mental note of the details given and taken from the newcomer. “This IS very helpful.” He said, leaning back slightly and looking to Arlo as if to seek agreement. “My is bad at understanding big-un's.” He looked more closely at Arlo's eyes for a moment, with a little determination that quickly turned into a perturbed expression, which passed just as quickly. “You no have this. You still tricky.” He observed plainly, as if to suggest he would reserve judgement for now as a result of this development.

Kanji listened to the other things that Vega highlighted about herself (ears and blood), but to be honest these were less a shock to the little chap, who was accustomed to people not have blood at all and being all sorts of shapes and sizes; his Grandfather was a hair-pin!

“You eyes is very pretty.” He concluded. “My will remember purple is OK.” He paused with an air of caution. “What colour is 'angry'?” He asked with a critically failed attempt to be casual with the question.

He nodded at the question about the dragon freckles. “Ah! You know Immortals also?! Ymiden has told me about immortals.” He said with a smile. There was no indication he was boasting, it was simply the next logical thing to say so far as the little wooden mad was concerned. “Ymiden is very nice. My like him.”

He turned back to Arlo has he continued and was beginning to relax a little, or at the very least, beginning to forget he should be on edge... until the map came up again. There was a moments pause as Kanji considered the situation. It was like a damn holding up a wall of water, until the gates opened and the way was made clear for the flood. He decided that these people were interesting and clearly not sneaking up on him and he probably could use some assistance. He plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, holding it out toward Arlo. There was no chance the tiny man was going to be able reach up to the man, but Kanji moved closer as if to make an effort anyway. “Explorers? My likes to explore! This how my finds most interesting things to see... It also how my got stolen and brought to Yaralon." He shrugged and pashed his skull-hat back up as he noticed it had moved off centre, as if to suggest there was little to be done about it now. "My was hoping to find Trunky here, with dead-people-map. Trunky is my Grandfather." He touched the hairpin in the mossy crop atop his head absentmindedly before he continued. “This my map. Big'n in marketplace give me map, but it is huge...” He started to gesticulate again as he explained, his arms reaching out to the sides. “My could not carry map. It too big for pocket. My copy map to small Tanawa map. It maybe too small for Arlo now, but you look-see?” His final statement came with a hint of apology. "Marketplace big'n tells my..." He put on an odd voice as he attempted to mimic the much larger man in he story. "Barstards' Grove has dead people. You go, see, talk to dead people... My wondered if Marketplace Big'n was trying to get me go away, because I ask too much questions. Then I think, 'well my cannot know unless my check for dead people' and then my think 'what if Trunky is there?' 'Why Trunky be there? AH! Perhaps Trunky need help?'" He shrugged. "Maybe Trunky tells me to 'go home silly sapling'. So, I come to see. Because seeing is proof of being. Trunky said so." He ended his outburst with a tap of his hip, where (for those with a sharp eye) sat a small, crudely bound booklet of papers with what might appear to be a bunch of chicken-scratchings on the outside.

He turned to face Vega again as she also offered to help and nodded. "You help? You talk to dead people also? My hopes you have no dead people to talk to." These words were delivered with a genuine expression of compassion, as Kanji did hope that these newcomers had managed to avoid loosing anyone they cared about. It was not nice for him to go through and he felt it would probably not be something he'ed wish on anyone else. "My was going this way." He said, more brightly and pointed over to the other side of the clearing. "Map says is close. But my no found dead people yet and now it gets late."
Last edited by Kanji on Mon Oct 22, 2018 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total. word count: 885
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)


Date
"Mixiebelle's knockers might've been fairly useful for blocking out the sun in a pinch," Arlo had teased Vega with a grin and the gentlest of bumps to her shoulder. "But they don't hold a candle to you." It was the Immortal's honest truth, and she knew it. But come to that, he knew all these trials, she knew all these trials, all due to the mark that they now shared together. For the most part, for the lion's share of it in fact, that was a good thing. But there was something to be said for the magic of not always knowing. Of mystery and intrigue, of the sorts of little secrets that in contrast to chipping away at a loving and trusting relationship, only enhanced it. They should really learn, both of them, to turn that tap on and off, and maybe all the settings in between closed and full open.

That was all set aside however once they'd stumbled across the tunawa. As Vega crouched down on her heels to speak with the little fellow, it occurred to Arlo, not for the first time that Vega was very good with small people. Be they children, or just uncommonly short ones. It was a gift, he figured, and one that he didn't necessarily possess himself. Or at least he didn't think he did. As for Kanji, the tunawa seemed unsure if he wanted their help or not. Then again, Arlo thought that the small tree like race might have good reason not to trust some other races. In particular those who cut down trees and turned them into houses, boats and household furnishings. Which raised the question in his mind, where tunawa directly related to actual trees? Or were they more like very distant cousins? The little fellow wrapped up in foliage seemed to be insisting somehow that the first case was true.

But "No," he said and grinned a little when Kanji pointed out the unchanging color of his yes. "You're right. I'm just an ordinary human. As for Vega and the color of anger? Arlo grinned wider and snorted in amusement. "You'd know if if you saw it." And probably better he didn't. But Arlo didn't say that aloud. "So you've met Ymiden? Between Vega and me, we've met a handful. Only the cordial ones though." He and Vega had been lucky that way. No serious run ins with the darker set of Immortals, no crossing wills with the likes of Aelig.

They come round to the map again and Arlo stooped down to accept the small scrap of paper, and made show of being very careful with it as he opened it up and took a look. It was very small and took a bit of squinting. The little tree man talked an awful lot about dead people. Although eventually, it became clear why that was. So, Kanji's grandfather, who was a tree but was dead now, had been partially made into a hair pin? He didn't ask that out loud. It was rude and still in his mind sounded outlandish. Though he did quirk a curious brow and look Vega's way. "I have heard rumors that there are spirits lingering in and around Bastard's Grove and according to this map, it's not far from here."

"I have dead people," he said, with a sort of solemn smile. "My mother. But I don't think in her spirit form she'd be hanging around Bastard's Grove. We're happy to help, aren't we?" he said to Vega, then glanced off down the path in the direction they'd probably be heading. "If there are any ghosts there, I picked up an odd trick some time ago. A way to see them, hear them and such....If they want to be seen and heard of course." If they didn't? Then possibly, it was just as likely for him to be surrounded by them, but him being none the wiser.
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)

She snorted slightly when he described the usefulness of being able to block out the sun. She'd have said something witty, too, but he bumped her shoulder gently and told her that not even Mixiebelle and her enormous bosom was able to hold a candle to her for him. Vega grinned. "Don't be so soppy, you." Her expression told just how pleased she was with what he said, but equally? "An' don't think I didn't notice. Mixiebelle's knockers can't hold a candle to me. Notice we're not talkin' about mine, jus' me generally." With a mock despondent expression, Vega glanced down at her chest and sighed. "It's hard, bein' a girl in proportion you know. So much sun-blockin' to not live up to." The gentleness with which he bumped against her wasn't lost on Vega, though she knew why and it was about him and his concern about hurting her. So, her response to that was simple. She punched him and grinned. "Wanna try that shoulder bump again, there, Mr Creede?" Of course they both knew that, if he did, no matter how gentle it was, she'd tumble sideways, clutching her arm and making a great show of crying in pain.

As for knowing all about each other, Vega would have been delighted if she'd known he was thinking that - because she was currently engaged in keeping something from him. It was his birth-trial soon and she was making something for him. She was doing her best to keep her excitement from him and she was doing it in such a way that she thought would work for her in "turning off" the feeling of each other's emotions. Vega had considered thinking about it deeply, wondering and maybe meditating and things like that. Then, she'd realised that she was stupendously over thinking it and, instead, she simply decided that it was a secret. Unless he knew, she supposed, and he'd worked out a way of her not knowing that he knew. No, too much like deep thinking for Vega. She had a secret.

"Thanks," she said to Kanji when he said her eyes were pretty. In truth, it was her silver blood which delighted her the most of all her biqaj traits, but then she had to admit she didn't really see her own eyes or ears much. So, there was that. "An' red is the colour they go when I'm angry. Not that I ever get angry, o'course," she grinned, very obviously teasing. But she raised an eyebrow when Kanji said he'd met Ymiden. "What's he th'Immortal of?" she asked, obviously interested. She asked them both - Arlo had a qualification from the university in Immortal Stuff after all, and Vega most certainly did not. "He's the brains of the pair of us," she said to Kanji with a good natured smile. "Especially about Immortals an' stuff."

As for Kanji's discussion on his grandfather - Trunkey? - Vega looked at him with a vaguely confused expression. "So, 'ang on. Yer grandfather's dead, an' a spirit an' a hairpin? Wow. That must be quite somethin', that must." She looked up at Arlo and realised that probably he'd been wondering about that and had the good sense not to say it. "I'm right sorry that you lost someone you love," Vega said to the small tunawa. She tended to be very straightforward about things and, in this she was very much so. When he spoke about having people close who had died, Vega's hand lifted immediately to hold on to Arlo's. His mother hadn't been gone an arc yet, though that anniversary was coming up and she looked up at him from her crouching position as he spoke.

But Nella Creede hanging around Bastard's Grove was not something that Vega could imagine. After all, she'd be twisting Arlo's ear at the thought of her hanging around. His mother had been a remarkable woman and Vega had no doubt that she'd be treating this as the next great adventure - and if she was hanging around anywhere, it was exactly where the son she adored was. But Vega said nothing, just squeezed his hand and nodded her head. "Yep. Helpin' is what we'd be happy to do, that's for sure."

At Arlo's suggestion of the way he saw ghosts, though, Vega nodded, but spoke to Kanji. "When Arlo does that, his littlest fingernail has a flame on it. I mean. It's tiny, but so are you an' it's fire an' you're wood so I thought I'd better say. Are you actually made of, like, wood? I don't mean to be personal or nothin' I'm just.. well, curious I suppose. But if you are, an' the idea of a flame gives you any bother, you can sit on my shoulder, if you'd like. Or, you know. Fly yer bird." She smiled at him encouragingly, but she thought it was important that they were up front and honest. "But then, he sees ghosts."
word count: 869
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Vega's skin has a reflective metallic sheen with a red glow. Her eyes still swirl biqaj colours, but one colour is always bright red which glows like fire. She has a bright red glow in her chest, situated directly under the mark of a heart (Daia mark) in the middle of a glowing silver dragon on her chest (Xiur). She's unnaturally warm to the touch
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Kanji
Approved Character
Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:28 am
Race: Tunawa
Profession: Pest
Renown: 20
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Re: [Bastards' Grove] All was quiet in the deep dark wood (Vega & Arlo Please)


He absentmindedly nodded with the word "red" and shock his head with the word "o'course", as Vega spoke, making a mental note. “Red. Understand.” It seemed like a complete waste of a perfectly good resource not to make a mental map of such a thing, since it was right there in front of you to be seen. 'I wonder if they change colour when she lies? Hmmmm...' He thought to himself as they moved on through their conversation. This thought he DID manage to avoid voicing out aloud.

His demeanour sprang back into an animated state at the question about Ymiden. “Yes. He is the father of Tunawa. Trunky tells me log time ago, he make first Tunawa. He likes lots, Summer, Rebirth, Forgiveness. Kanji is forgiving. He proclaimed with a nod. “My thinks that why my meets Ymiden. My feel very lucky to met the Maker of Tanawa.” He concluded with a nod. “My likes him."

“OOOooooo. You meet lots?! You be interesting people. My likes interesting people. All people are interesting, but some more. Some less."

As instructed, Kanji hung on to... well, he clasped his bird-jacket in loe of anything else to 'ang on to. He needed with each point to confirm the situation. “Yes. Trunky my Grandad. Him dead. Very sad. But he still here..." He said presenting the hairpin for a moment before tucking it firmly back into the bush-hair atop his head. “Him was a bow. Bad man broke him." He scowled for a second before returning to his more amiable self. “So now him is this." He looked over at Arlo. “My sorry for you loss." He said with a smile.

More gasping happened. “You see the dead people?! See! My knew you not 'ordinary'." He proclaimed with a wizened nodding of his head. “Because, do you know... to be seeing dead people, is not normal... is it?" There was an edge of concern to his voice, as while he was fairly certain that Arlo probably already knew this and that it was indeed not 'normal', who could be certain about what was or was not normal for a person these days?

Then Vega expanded upon the manifestation of this particular power and there was no mistaking the look of "Yeah... Totally normal mate... You can just stay away from me with that there chubby, incendiary digit of yours!" He edged a little closer to Vega for a moment. “Yes. My is wood. Fire be lots of bad to the good health of Tanawa." He tore his eyes away from Arlo's now predominantly suspect fingernail to look at Vega for a moment. JUST him fingernail?" He asked cautiously? Mostly to ensure he had heard her correctly, fire was no joke to Kanji and people that spit it out in any volume even less so. “You no burn?" There was a short pause before he continued. It was not something he thought he had to check when meeting a person before now and appreciated the honestly, though wondered now if his list of things to check when meeting people was getting a little too long. “My can walk. Tanawa move in tree normally, but my can walk with new friends." He said with a smile that clearly still had a slight edge of concern for Arlo's flammable fingernails.

“Helping is lots good! My think that if Trunky no hear. How can my not come see dead people? To be sure? It is something not normal..." He glanced at Arlo's face with just his eyes, then his fingernail and then face again, so briefly it was almost all a single occurrence, before continuing without pause. “...and my like 'not normal' things, interesting things... Mostly." He concluded with a smile.

He began to move off deeper into the woods a little, only taking a few steps to see if they were coming along. He intended to put Vega between himself and Arlo for the time being, just until he had seen the nature of this flammable fingernail of his. “You can read map? Market-man say 'just this way' my thinks. But Kanji not great at maps."
word count: 697
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