You bang on the door, and nearly punch a young man with a mess of brown hair and green eyes. He's wearing what you're pretty sure is a suit, and for some reason, black leather gloves that are definitely not fingerless. He yelps when he sees the fist, jumping back a bit. The cat-rabbit dozes on.



"Oh- oh, hello, you must be the traveller Aiyoe mentioned," He stammers out as he recovers. "Come in, you can leave the basket next to the door. Sorry about the mess- I'm trying to clean up the place a bit and we're attemptign to remodel a little. it's a bit of a process."

He steps aside, and you are greet by a narrow hall with a staircase on one side On the other side, doorways open up to various rooms. You can just about see into what should've been a living room, but has instead become a sort of workshop, with tables and random items scattered everywhere. Overall, it seems the interior is a bit more lively, though the wallls are just painted white. Though it does look a bit barren, with what are probably photo frames and wall decor stacked in the corner.

"My name's Mikas, by the way," The brunet introduces. "Thanks for brining the basket with you, I hate going up to Xaj and Aiyoe's. So, Aiyoe was really vague in her "message"," he uses his gloved hands to make quotation marks, "so what exactly are you cursed with?"

[quote=2687386

Mikas, tilts his head, frowning. "i"m...gonna guess you can't or don't wanna talk? Actually, wait a minute and close the door behind you, I"ll be right back."

He disappears down the hall and into one of the closed doors. It swings shut behind him, and you hear what sounds like a few crashes and thumps before the door is swinging open again. Mikas comes out, s a blue-covered notebook and a...feathered quill pen?....in his hands.

"Can you write? I'd ask if you knew Common Sign, but I'm really not great with those, tried to learn but the guy teaching me got annoyed since I couldn't get half the stuff with these things on and basically quit. I know a bit, but..." Mikas holds out the stationary, waving his spare hand a bit in a sad attempt to indicate his gloves. "If not, I guess signs works. Either way is fine, I'd just like to get your side of the story- Aiyoe's great and all, but....she's a bit excitable. Talks over everything and everyone, no idea how Xaj survives being her neighbor."

When he talks about Xaj, you notice his eyes flash amber for a moment before settling to their usual color again. Looking at the notebook and quill, you notice signs of mild wear on the cover and the handle, respectively.

He lets you take the stationary and tuck it away with nothing more then a raised eyebrow at the action. Luckily, Mikas seems to be slightly more fluent in nonverbal communication then Aiyoe.

"Your....name is Fish?" He guesses. "Or something like that? Or did a fish give you a curse, in which case a bit odd but my brother's best friend is currently a spiteful mouser that really likes explosives so I probably have no grounds to judge. Actually, a fish being magical would probably be completely normal for some people, I'm sure I've heard Ceno talk about seeing some weird sea life in one of his dreams. Not that I paid much attention, he's a bit odd he is.-" he muses.

At least he's close to the right name. That's more then can be said for anyone else you've met so far.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=104133&page=5#46 Author: Orcastration Time Posted: 11/20/2022 at 7:14 PM Aiyoe tilts her head to one side, seeming to listen to something- perhaps it's the sudden whistling or the wind, or maybe it's the red leafy objects in the basket vibrating. Either way, she quickly brightens up. "Right! Xaj says that you should go to Juncturne, to Elpane Viaduct. Right at the city center, can't miss it- it's printed all around on giant signs. Find a lady by the name of Tania. She runs the register at a small woodshop under the viaduct, and she'll be able to help you out. Take this basket too, Tania will know what to do with them." Aiyoe says cheerfully, and hands you the basket. "Good luck- Tania should have any answers you have questions for." The basket weighs surprisingly heavy in your hand for what looks like light objects. Nonetheless. They're very much carryable.

Just making sure the ping went through :)

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=104133&page=6#56 Author: Orcastration Time Posted: 12/21/2022 at 6:43 PM [quote=2682024] Just making sure the ping went through :)

augh, sorry, I completely forgot about this, life's been rough >->)

its alright just reply when/if you can/want to

She looks inside the basket for a bit, rather interested and forgetting what she was actually told to do for a moment, examining each item carefully and hoping there was something she could use.

haha funny water woman scavenger moment

She asked for a quick recital of instructions afterward, nodding and actually taking note this time before setting off with a smile and a wave.

The basket is filled with leafy...vegetables? Something like that.

Aiyoe bids you a cheerful goodbye (on the other side of the road, her less-talkative neighbor gives you a quick nod before returning to his work), and you head down the path towards the city.

As you continue down the path, the houses slowly coming closer together until you're passing through small suburban-type neighborhoods. There are more people on the street, but luckily they ignore you, for the most part.

You notice, strangely, that the city's streets are labeled.....strangely. East First, West Second, East Third, South A, North B, South C, etc. After some time on the path you're on (which a sign helpfully lists as "South E"), you find yourself walking past what looks like a canal.

The viaduct is unmistakable- it looms high above, arching over the widening canal. Small shops line the roads next to the canals, and per Aiyoe's instructions you find the Talon's Den, a small workshop nestled in an arch of the viaduct.

You enter to see a slim blue-haired girl, who oddly resembles an elf, standing at the counter and sketching on a piece of parchment with an old-fashioned quill. She looks up when the bell attached to the door chimes, setting her things to the side. The shelves around and behind her are filled with various goods, most of them wooden or with bits of stone.

"Are you the strange traveler?" She asked. "I've been expecting you."

Her voice is extremely melodious and soft, somehow floating over the noises of hammers and the scraping of wood coming from above where the workshop itself must be.