Author: Shuja, Posted: Sat May 4, 2019 10:13 PM, Post Subject: Scouring the Lands [P]
There was an odd,,, look in her eyes as she stared at the joss stick, as if thinking it was something else entirely, though was, at the very least content to have it nearby as it gave off its aroma. Giving a small nod, the Indlovu knelt back over again, this time collecting a small grouping of stones before placing the stick between them, like a loosely-fitted flagpole whose tip glowed slightly as it burned and the aroma rose into the air in the form of a pale tail swaying slowly in the air. The earth itself did not hold anything that could cause it to cause a major disaster, so she was confident it would be safe there.
"So you find your calling to the world as a Wanderer then?" Shuja asked, listening to Paradox's words as she made the small stand, smiling as she shifted back to her feet. "While many would deem that as unfulfilling, it can take some many years to seek out their true callings, and taking those steps as a Wanderer, experiencing as much as they can before anchoring down, can sometimes be best to find what the soul seeks. As for you, I can see you taking what you have learned from the world outside of the studies to be able to truly teach what you aim for. As for me, I have taken to light what Father Indalo has provided to us, and in tern I take hammer to anvil to provide what I can.
"However, I am sure you have not come to these lands for a sermon from a stranger when you could have come to any of the temples for such things. Instead, if you have no goals, why not lend some aid in the gathering of these minerals I am in search for? I do promise to reward you for any amount of aid you can provide." She had the build of a horse, so it would be very easy for her to aid in that way, but it would be too rude to simply ask of that, especially not knowing the customs she had. After all, that area could be considered racist for a human to try and get on for a ride or a sign of trust or a signal as a mate. Even if she could provide eyes to help catch what she was after would be useful enough.
Author: Lou, Posted: Fri May 3, 2019 3:41 PM, Post Subject: Scouring the Lands [P]
Paradox watched the elephant lady before her, though she was still anxious, she could feel herself start to calm down some. She was intrigued when the lady conjured a small flame from her fingers to light what appeared to be a small pipe of sorts. Even from her respectable distance, she could quickly pick up the scent of the rosemary. It was a nice smell and was one she was quite familiar with. She politely declined the offer to smoke from the pipe, content to inhale the rich fragrance from a short distance. She was a bit sensitive to those sorts of things.
"Thank you," she said but didn't take the pipe from her. "The stronger smells make my head hurt. Though it is a very pleasant scent and I do appreciate your offer." She was polite as she listened to the lady speak further, relieved that her quivering had lessened considerably since their initial encounter. She learned that the woman's name was Shuja and that she was a crafter, looking for minerals and such. It was interesting and she had dabbled in such interests herself from time to time, but usually struggled to stay committed to one project or another for long periods.
She felt herself give a small smile as the elephant introduced herself and asked about her. "It's not rude at all," she said, the steadiness back in her voice. "My name is Paradox. I didn't really have much of an idea of what I was seeking when I decided to board the ship to the islands. I've been a little bit of everything depending on the circumstances. Guard, escort, explorer, scientist, occasionally a medic if the situation arises where one is needed. Eventually, I would like to become a teacher, but until then, I like just seeing where life takes me. We always end up where we need to be at the end of the day."
Author: Shuja, Posted: Tue Apr 9, 2019 3:41 PM, Post Subject: Scouring the Lands [P]
Her strange behaviors certainly stood out to a degree. Sure, if you were a passerby, it would seem normal for the most part, but to Shuja, who stood towards her and had her attention upon the centaur, the differences were easy to spot. She was slightly shaky, her tone was a bit lower and quicker, but most of all was the sudden step back, ensuring a "safe" difference between the two, though she had no reason as to why. The centaur was a stranger before her and, last she checked, the Indlovu had no aggression towards them…
"Yes, that can be quite troublesome," Shuja stated as her four-fingered hand dug into her coat before pulling out a joss stick, using her other to conjure a small flame to light the tip, letting the smoke dance from its tip and fill the area around it with the scent of rosemary. "Though I do not have such issues in terms of balance, people are always worried were I am in terms of the weight. I make sure the vessels I cross upon are large so that I may not be as troubling with it. For those that still struggle, I offer them this as to possibly help them calm down and meditate on the task at hand." And with that, she held the joss stick over to the centaur, as a hope to calm her down, even if for a tiny bit.
"You may call me Shuja, and I have come to these lands in search of ore, mineral, and crystal to help aid in my craft. Would it be rude to inquire about you?"
Author: Lou, Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:40 AM, Post Subject: Scouring the Lands [P]
Paradox was about ready to continue on with her way when the tall person before had caught her eye. Evidently, her commotion from falling down the ramp had caught their eye as well. Slowly the tall figure made their way over to her. The figure, upon speaking, she determined was female, though her appearance was hidden by her cloak and hood. Paradox nodded to her, "Yes, I'm alright," she said to her. "Slick surfaces are difficult sometimes, I didn't think I would need to bring studs for this trip." The large woman paused a moment before reaching towards one of her back legs. She turned quickly to keep an eye on her in surprise at the sudden movement.
She felt a warm pressure on her hoof, feeling the cracks from tripping on the boards suddenly heal. Though minor, the damage was healed quite quickly. When the lady moved back, a strange foreign scent followed her, making her unconsciously hesitate to speak to her again. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I appreciate the help." Suddenly suspicious at the new scent, she squinted her eyes at the lady to see underneath the hood. Her ears flittered rapidly back and forth and she felt her nostrils flare as her heartbeat increased. The woman at this moment, removed her hood exposing her face. Or what she assumed was her face.
The horse part of her began trembling at the large tusks and trunk. An elephant, or at least a hybrid of one. Horses naturally did not favor elephants, they were loud, smelly, and much larger than them. They were used often to scare them away by people in times of war, and were rather successful. This part of her nature, she could not ignore, even though the rational human side struggled to keep control over the flight or fight response presented. Logically, she knew there was no reason to fear this elephant woman, she had helped her and was making no attempt to hurt her. For those means, she put in a strong effort in the battle of the wills, forcing herself to stay put. Though allowing herself to take one stiff step backward.
Her muscles tensed and shaking slightly, she still attempted to be polite with her fellow traveler, as she had been polite to her. "Ships are definitely not easy for me at times," she responded, though slightly quicker than before. She hoped the lady wouldn't notice. "The combination of wet boards and the rocking motion make it difficult to get a grip. I normally carry with me boots with studs in them for those kinds of situations. I left them at home, thinking I wouldn't need them for such a short boat ride. I was sorrily mistaken." She managed a small smile, still attempting to come off friendly and inviting to the elephant lady. She had learned that it was usually worthwhile to be as polite as possible. Especially with a creature that was even with her in height and likely even more in weight.
Author: Shuja, Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 1:01 AM, Post Subject: Scouring the Lands [P]
To Shuja's large ears, it was nearly impossible to miss the clattering that came from behind, causing her shrouded self to turn over and look to see what had occurred. It seemed the careful thought was not on her alone, but for another as well. In fact, it could have been more, considering how she watched the centaur struggle to get back to her feet. Most likely her hooves did not hold any kind of grip towards the ship's surface. No wonder the crew seemed worried through the entire trip, despite their vessel being quite secure.
Turning around, the Indlovu decided it was better to check on her rather than to gather what she needed. After all, ore would not run away from her any time soon. "Are you okay?" she asked, readying to offer her a hand, though by the time she reached the centaur's side, she was already back up, examining herself over just in case anything was lost or injured. Nothing too serious, though the hoof that she tripped over did seemed a bit worse for wear. "A moment, if you would," she stated, stepping over to her side and kneeling down, her large, four-digit hand escaping from her cloak moving over to it before offering it a warm glow, mending and internal and external damage that was done.
A smile was hidden away by the hood as she pulled herself back up to her feet, stating, "There. That should leave no stress as you continue your travels," she assured before pulling down the hood that covered her head, exposing the elephant-like head, donning what would only be compared to a plate helmet considering the armor that donned on her skull and down her trunk, though her tusks were more decorated than they were armored. "Vessels like these can be tricky to traverse on, no?"
Author: Lou, Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:30 AM, Post Subject: Scouring the Lands [P]
Paradox did not do ships. The rocking back and forth was nauseating no matter how many times she rode aboard one of the vessels. Her hooves would slide across the wet deck, even if the movement itself was small. The movement of the water beneath was unsettling on several levels and she was always nervous about falling over. To her, it was like standing on a moving platform of ice. She needed to hold onto things constantly in order to both stay upright and move across the ship. As of right now, she was holding on desperately to the railing of the large boat, both arms wrapped around it and her equine half folded underneath. In this position, she would shift slightly but still stay in one place for the most part, which is what she was aiming to do.
They had stopped a day or two before to pick up another passenger. A tall person, she speculated part giant of some sort but didn't have much time to observe or talk with them further before she again had to turn all her focus into not heaving over the side. She made a mental note to take an airship next time, why did she always do this to herself? Yes, it was cheaper, but the struggles of being on a ship for longer than a few hours were incredibly frustrating. She closed her eyes as she held onto to the railing, imagining the rocking to stop, if only for a second so that her stomach could have a break. After what felt like only a few moments, her wish came true, which surprised her for a second before she realized they'd come to the docks and were landing the ship.
Only after they secured the ship to the docks with several heavy ropes, did she feel comfortable standing on shaking legs. The bottom half of her legs were numb from being drawn up so tight, in order to keep them from shifting and so that she didn't accidentally trip a crew member. Still holding onto the railing, she gathered herself up and stood on the slick deck. She hadn't risked putting down her items, for fear of them washing overboard, so she didn't have any articles to get. She picked her way towards the ramp, holding on first to the railing and then switching over to ropes and door frames before reaching the other railing.
She waited for everyone else to get off the ramp and go a short distance before stepping carefully onto the ramp. Evidently not carefully enough as her foot slid out from under her and she went sliding down the ramp. She leaned back on her hocks in an attempt to slow herself down but on of her hind hooves caught a board wrong and she felt herself tumble head over heel down the rest of the way. Landing hard on her hindquarters, she stood upright again and shook herself. After a quick inspection, she determined her only serious wounds were to her pride as she made her off the docks. Oh, how she despised boats.
Author: Shuja, Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:55 PM, Post Subject: Scouring the Lands [P]
The crewman on the ship were quite cautious as the ship sailed through the sea. After all, there was a new passenger on board that easily weighed as much as three or more of the crewmen, wrapped in a massive cloak. A large pack was mounted on her back and an absurd piece of weaponry rested to her side. AS such as they worried about having that much collected weight on the starboard side to cause a tip over, the passenger did not seem to fret. After all, these vessels were made to easily handle much more than her before that would be considered an issue.
Shuja could feel the air get less tense as the ship sailed to port, taking a moment to dock (though a bit extra as if to ensure it was stable) before the passengers took off. Shuja was one of the said guests, much of her still being hidden from view outside of what seemed to have been a plated trunk as her arm also rested upon her back. However, more would be revealed as her arms lifted up, revealing large, grey, four-digit fingers emerging from under the cloak as one held out a sort of compass as the other a small chunk of ore. The ore was placed upon the compass, which caused the needle to spin like crazy, as if it had suddenly become loss before readjusting itself over to the east-southeast.
A nod came from her as the thought out loud, "Good. On the right trail," before stowing the items away once more and beginning her march down towards the coast. After all, she was starting to get low on ore, which always come to an issue within her craft. Hopefully, se could find a good source to mine, or at the very least be able to make trade for.
