forum "Loud Thieves, Clumsy Princesses, Kleptomaniac Witches and Pyromaniacal Knights"

Started April 25, 2023 by @lord-of-the-carnival group

tune

Stars above. What kind of trouble did he get Naveil into now?
Salmook slid down and hid behind the mossy rock. He couldn't risk a peek, he couldn't.
He wanted to go home. But he wasn't even sure if they'd get out of this forest, much less where they'd even start.
Who's to say one of the strangers here wouldn't jump at him with Naveil busy? He should've stayed by Naveil's side, he should've.
You marmot-brain, why did you move?
There was a mounting guilt inside of Salmook. He wouldn't cry again, he wouldn't.

Juni glanced at Naveil. He seemed distracted with Killué, maybe she could talk to the child now. She jumped down from her tree and walked towards Salmook, very slowly and trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. Hopefully this works.

Harper looks around and the stirring forest. Is that thing causing this? She stands up, and backs into the trees for some cover against the wind. “This day just keeps getting better.” She says, mostly to herself. If the short one kept being aggravating, she might have to step in. If there was any way to do that.

Naveil jumped back in surprise, hissing. This was new. The winds rippled his hair, blowing it into his face. He grunted and tucked his locks behind his ears.
He drew his dagger… only for it to immediately fly out of his hand. Shit.
Another step back. That was his only weapon, true, but that didn't leave him defenseless.
He'd rip the forest-vomit to shreds with his bare hands if he had to…

Salmook sighed behind his rock. What was he supposed to do now? He took his last vine of shellfruit and cracked the shells quietly.
For all he knew, this would probably be the last time he'd eat shellfruit.
He peered up from his snack, and… one of the strangers was walking towards him?!
They were smaller than the first stranger. Still bigger than Salmook, though. And Naveil was too busy to help again.
He had to be brave. That's what Naveil would want, right?
"…Uh, what do you want?! Don't try anything or else I'll… I'll make noises at you!"

The tree Asani was standing behind fell. "Ack!" She said, jumping back, startled.

Juni crouches down, quite a distance away from Salmook but still within earshot. “I don’t want to hurt you, little one. I just want to talk. Is that okay?” Her voice is soothing and gentle.

Resh stares at Juni from his perch. He wants to keep an eye on her, especially if Naveil sees her approaching the child and decides to be aggressive. He glances at Naveil. He still seems distracted, that’s good.

Salmook shuddered and pocketed the vine – he'd finish it later, maybe, if he remembered it was there.
He had to string the words together in his mind before he spoke. Common-tongue made his head hurt.
"Just. Talk? …uh, no lying-er? Truth?"
He stepped in an almost comfortable position, one that would allow him to take off running if need be.
"What do you want… um, talk to about?"

Juni glances at Naveil and speaks quietly to the child. “Is it okay if I come a little closer? I don’t want to be overheard.” She looks concerned.

Asani was trembling, realizing she hadn't been noticed. she couldn't decide if she should move or just stay in the open.

Salmook shivered. Getting closer didn't exactly sound… safe.
He peeked over the rock at Naveil again. He was having some stare-down with yet another stranger, looking scary.
He slipped back into hiding.
"Fine… but don't hurt. I scream."

Juni nods and stands up. She pauses, then takes out her daggers and sets them down away from her. That should help. She comes a little closer to Salmook, sitting down in front of him and holding her hands out. “I left my weapons out of my reach. Does that make you feel a little better?”

Asani decided to not move, but she was still trembling. When Aibhe's gaze met Asani's, Asani was startled. "eep!"

It did, a little. Salmook wasn't sure if Naveil would want him to admit that, though.
He gave a tiny nod, shifting into a slightly-less-about-to-run-away position.
Juni seemed… nice. It was hard to tell whether or not it was genuine. Salmook wasn't sure what to look for.

Juni takes a deep breath. “Okay. Good.” Where do I start- “I, uh…” She gestures towards Naveil. “Is he your caretaker?” She seems a little nervous about whatever she wants to talk about.

Caretaker? Care… taker..?
Naveil doesn't take care away from him. Weird question, if that's what the stranger meant.
It took him a moment to put the sounds together, and they still didn't come out right.
"He's… Pato. Uh, my pato. Second pater, yeah."

“I see…” She gathers her thoughts for a moment. “I just… I noticed he seems to get angry with you for little things. I’m worried…” I’m probably overstepping my boundaries. Fuck. “Uh… if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand-“ She adds frantically. She looks annoyed at herself.