Frontier - Act Two, Chapter One

[Shin]

Feran spied the ornaments one again, the writing on the pieces rather unfamiliar. Well, completely incoherent to the mercenary, reading was by no means his strong point. For it to be a strong point, he'd actually have to be able to read or write. Turning to Mary aagain, he paused before speaking once again.

"You... what do these ones say?" Feran asked, almost half-demanding in his attitude. "The pictures aren't clear."

[Parrhesia]

"сайта и ждем с нетерпением ваших"

A few shapes are familiar, but even to someone literate it's more or less gibberish.

[Rothene]

Pleased with his improved weapon, Su San started searching the Artisan's quarter for the elusive bed makers. If he wanted to know what good places to spend his gold when he eventually achieves his dreams of richness, debauchery and decadence, best to start early.

[Parrhesia]

You find one after a while of fruitless searching. It's a large, mostly empty storehouse - it seems as though most of the place is storage, with little consideration given for anywhere for the owner to actually sit. The owner, or at least someone behind a counter, can barely be seen shoved into the far corner of the room, and looks pretty irritated with her situation.

[Nanami Touko]

"Always aim t'please, sarge," Sherry said with a half smile and a cocked eyebrow. It was far too early to be properly sultry. "I can promise not t'break anythin'. Not so much on the other end."

She didn't have much to do except watch, either way, though it was quite a show. Cliving hopped in with a rather convincing attitude, and about halfway through the exchange, Sherry found herself controlling laughter. Had she not held onto herself, their charade might've been lost, but she managed to stop herself until he'd had the plate in his hands. As they walked away, she had to let it go, laughing all the way down the hallway. After a few moments of laughter, and a quick composure of herself, she had to ask, "so, where'd you pick up that trick? It was a real show."

[Parrhesia]

"If you ever want t' make sergeant, you'd do well to pick it up. 'S all about shouting, and seemin' as though you know what you're talkin' about. 'S tone as matters more than words, see?"

[Nanami Touko]

"I know how t'do that, sarge," she said with a confident smirk, "I asked you where. Unless y'just figured it out yerself. Wouldn't surprise me if you had." She carefully put one of the eggs on a piece of bread and bit into it, while she waited for a story. She hoped she'd get a story. Cliving was fun to listen to.

[eclipse]

Mary looked at the odd symbols, and shook her head. "They aren't pictures, they're a completely different language. I can't make heads or tails of them," she replied to Feran.

[Parrhesia]

"It came natural. My ma was an actress. Guess it was in the blood." The sergeant shrugs. "Anyway, you don't get far in life 'less you learn t' persuade people. I learned that early."

[Shin]

"I see... very well then." Feran answered, his very nature disallowing any sort of gratitude. He recognized her as one of the group, but he was struggling to remember Mary at all. Out of the people he'd met, Su San, Barth, Arin and perhaps Sherry were the only ones he actually knew the names of. "You're one of the ones at the back, aren't you? I haven't seen you at the front."

[Jaybee]

This place isn't half bad. Even with all the people around, it still seems a little familiar.

Taking a quick look at her own clothes, Julianne grimaced. Two holes here, a rip there and a missing sleeve... yeah, she needed something better.

Julianne goes to the tailor.

[Parrhesia]

The tailor is as Mary left it - though the proprietor seems instinctively a little more wary of some items 'disappearing'. "Might I do something for you?"

[Rothene]

Walking in as if he owned the place, Su San starts inspecting the lack of wares on display, sniffing in disappointment. Approaching the woman behind the counter, Su San paused for a moment too look around with a dubious expression on his face before asking, "Bed for lord make here?"

[Parrhesia]

"Nah. They use their own carpenters t' sculpt perfectly for their proportions and those'f their wives or some shit." The young woman shrugs. "'S a fuckin' waste of time. You want a bed? We make beds. Don't need any'f that fancy shit."

[eclipse]

"Yes, my place is in back," Mary said. "And as long as you're good at killing enemies quickly, you probably won't see me in the battle." She quickly mulled over what little she remembered of him. Oh, right, motivated by money. Definitely a mercenary at heart. "My name is Mary. I doubt I'll see much of you in battle. You seem like you're able to hold your own."

[Rothene]

"No need bed," Su San said shaking his head, a bit disappointed with what he had learned. But at least now he knew that the rich had their own carpenters. He would take note to remember the names of skilled craftsman for when he one day became a conqueror. But there was something he could use to make his travels better...

"Got sell sleep...bag? Bed can carry, can bring outside," the foreign myrmidon used his hands and fingers to imitate the movement of a person with his other hand trust under the thumb as if the 'hand' person was carrying some large wide baggage. "Bed for sleep on grass. Su San wan best."

[Parrhesia]

There's a pause. "I could sell you a fucking sack, if that's what you want."

[Rothene]

Su San snorts and walks out of the place without the word. He would not let such a wonderful day ruined by some uncouth sales person. He considered taking a few practice swings with his newly improved great axe, but alas the foreigner felt extra law abiding today. He had already spent good coin on something useful after all.

After a while of walking Su San makes his way to the clothes shop. Gold exists to be spent, perhaps a nice new suit to fit in was in order. One to keep under wraps, safely tucked and probably never worn to keep it intact.

"Alo pritty!" Su San called out to Jullianne as he entered the tailors, instantly feeling happier with something nice to gaze upon.

[Shin]

"That's right... the frontline is a second home to me. Full of prey ready for the slaughter." Feran replied, his eye twinkling with his trademark brand of madness. "Don't worry yourself, just watch them fall. It's funny really, you save people from death... and I deliver them to it."

It was a bizarre way of looking at things, Mary prevented people from dying... but why? Surely those who died were weak, the fact that they needed protecting proof that they were unable to hold their own. Perhaps it was his own inability to relate to others, but another sword-arm would have seemed more useful than someone with bandages. And that raised a further question, where did people go when they died? It wasn't that he particularly cared for his victims' fates but it was a morbid curiosity that he'd had for a good number of years.

"Why do you do that to other people? What makes you want them to live?" Feran blurted out, his curiosity too great to conceal. "Is it so you don't die? Or so you can get paid for your job?"

[eclipse]

"Just as you mow down enemies to ensure that your side wins, I make sure that the others aren't distracted by things like blood dripping down their face," Mary said, after a considerable pause. "It also serves to demoralize the enemy. By keeping my side standing and fighting, it gives the illusion that my side is tougher, better - which in turn causes the weaker enemies to crumble, mentally." She thought back to the last time she saw her family. "I also had a. . .problem with a certain place which solved everything by indiscriminate killing. I guess this is my way of spitting in their face."

[scorri]

Bekka holstered her new crossbow on her back and nodded to the women. "We're going to do our best to make sure that she has no reason to worry. Hopefully we won't be needed, but somehow I'm not that confident. But I should be going. Thank you again, and hopefully I'll send some of my companions your way." Heading out of the shop, she decided to stick around to see what rumors she could overhear.

[Parrhesia]

A shady-looking guard gives you a gap-toothed smile. "The shops here is better than any in the Crown Quarter, for prices anyone normal can afford. You want ornament? Go there. You want t' kill a man? You're in th' right place."

[scorri]

Bekka stared nervously at the man for a few seconds before quickly walking away. She had already picked up on the fact that these shops would be cheaper than the others. She considered sticking around for a bit longer, but decided that it'd be better to just head back to the castle, hopefully picking up some food along the way.

[Parrhesia]

About a street before the gates to the Crown Quarter, you spot a Baharese street vendor claiming to sell 'kebabs'. It appears to be lamb mince, onions and what look like lentils, in a decent amount of dark brown sauce, wrapped in thick, savoury-looking bread. Pricey, but it looks alright.

[Shin]

It was a bizarre concept, making some people feel better to make others feel worse. Feran couldn't quite grasp it, although the method did seem to produce results. "I see, so you do it to hurt other people, that's impressive." he replied, his cruel spirit returning once again. She'd given him an opening, a weak spot. "Tell me, what happened there? It sounds like you had quite the ordeal there."