#sparsen

[justicewatch]

Some more friends

[askrhodians-blog]

Kindle wearing a coat thing

[askrhodians-blog]

Hey Mochi, Kindle, you two have any amazing tales of adventure from deep in the forest?

O-Oh! Well, outside the city walls is quite dangerous.. A lot of really weird things happen deep in the forest, I’ll tell ya! There are a couple trader trails cleared for safe travel, but even then, unless you’re familiar with the outside territory, it’s best not to stop during the middle of it. So if you’re thinking of exploring deep into the forest, I’d be plenty careful, and maybe bring a friend, yeah..? And a weapon too! ..Just in case.

A-Amazing tales of adventures though..? There certainly have been some wild and weird encounters, but often it’s just stumbling into weird stuff. I think the biggest difference you’ll see is just how erratic and different it can get.

There was one time me and Kindle found a tiny little staircase that lead down somewhere. We couldn’t see very far down, and neither of us could even fit if we wanted to see what was down there..! We think it’s probably a little hideout of some sort for the Hiiri clan, but it seems to have been abandoned for a while now, just by the look of it. Oh, and plus a bunch of really weird things flew over us! I’m not sure what they were, but they reminded me of spirits or something like that.. Maybe they were heading off to somewhere? I’m not sure, but it was kind of creepy actually, thinking back on it..

..There was also this one time we found some sort of fortress thingy! It looked super old, and I think it was probably the entrance to some sort of old civilization. Although everything looked kind of abandoned, the door was barricaded shut, and there were weird noises coming from the other side! We thought it best to not try and get in, so we just left.

Those are the more recent “adventures” me and Kindle have had, I suppose.. There were some other more interesting ones, but I um, don’t have the best memory.. I try to write a lot of what I’ve seen down in a journal somewhere, but I left that back at my uh.. “home”.

[askrhodians-blog]

Oho, so you mean to tell me that you dislike this place that you clearly travelled to? While I understand where you’re coming from, it’s probably best that you do a little homework about your potential vacation spots before you simply drain your money onto the most expensive ticket. Rhodia just so happens to BE the largest city for hundreds of kilometers, and the first thing that anybody learns about the Rozo capital is that it’s the biggest, most loathsome tourist trap the whole world over. But that’s alright, because the weather is always nice. Now, either go back to the travel agency for a refund, or start practicing your breaststroke.

[greathaven]

[tronn: >So what's the dog thing? Is it alive, like a sparsen?]

You try to push off your fears for now; you've never seen anything like this, so its all probably normal anyways. There are questions that need questioning!

First thing is first, you suppose. "O-okay... but, how does it work?"

He doesn't even hesitate to answer the question. "The same way everything works; by magic. Each of these diodes sends a signal to a set of diodes on the lead, which in turn control the speed and direction of each of those wheels. I wired them up myself."

[Whimbrel: Why is it shaped like a dog? not that we're objecting it's awesome.]

"...And as for that... well, you could really use anything you want as a lead for these things, if you have the know-how. I just happened to have this piece of junk with me. It hasn't failed me yet, in plenty of situations. I don't think I could ever bring myself to selling it after all its been through." He pauses for a bit.

"...Ehh... give me a moment."

With a sleight of his... flipper, the driver narrowly prevents a collision with a fellow caravan. The whole cart hinges on its wheels before thunking back to the ground on all fours.

"...Alright, we're all clear."

[Kieros: > Ask if he could slow it down just a little.]

No! No no no no! This caravan is moving too fast, and you can hardly stomach it! Why is everyone else unfazed?

"Slowing down isn't really an option," he says. "As long as we keep to this pace, we'll make it to town before we have to stop for breakfast. Its only a few dozen more kilometers. I'll have you know I'm a very experienced driver, if it's of any comfort."

"We could have died," you protest! "We almost got smashed! Slow down, pleaase!"

Maya chimes in from the  back as the sparsen tries to console you with physical pats between your ears. "Sweetie.. we really aren't moving very fast at all. You're just... smaller than the rest of us, is all."

Figures. You're still scared out of your wits!

[greathaven]

For the time being, you decide to wait it out. You suppose you were never really obligated to get up from this cozy blanket and do anything, were you? So, huddling up in your corner, you just relax and try to forget about all the things that keep happening. Running away from what you once thought of as home, starving, nearly getting killed [i]twice[/i] in the last 24 hours... and as exhausted as you are, the most unfortunate thing about it all is that you can't even sleep. Nobody talks... its just a demanding silence. The sounds of Maya's needlework and the bouncing of the carriage fill the air, and while they aren't exactly intrusive, they are a nice distraction for the boring hours that go by. Perhaps you simply aren't used to sleeping in motion. Or maybe its the fact that your adrenaline levels have been on a roller coaster ride.

Or maybe something in the room has been gnawing at the back of your thoughts.

[Spira-Virgo: > Check up those interesting looking bottles~]

That is alcohol. You say with 99% certainty that that is alcohol. If it weren't for your numbed senses at the moment, you could probably smell it from over here... And you would drink it, excepting the fact that it would be wise to stay vigilant in these confusing circumstances of yours. You can usually take a few of the greater races' shots, but a container that size is ridiculous. That whole bottle is like something the clan would steal to last a whole week; it's almost larger than yourself. And he has two of the things. And aside from that, you don't know what he'll do if he wakes up.

At least it's comforting knowing that it's an available option.

[Crowstone: nah you're good for now :O] [Whimbrel: Check out the dog! dog dog dog]

Now there is a plan.

You wearily hobble yourself out to the front. You're much too short to see over the edge, but you can tell from all the wobbly motion and the trees overhead that the carriage is moving pretty fast. The driver notices you almost immediately.

"Oh. I was wondering when you were going to show up. Glad you did, because it was getting pretty boring out here, and I sold my book in the last town."

Well, at least he could read. Who knew driving was easy enough to distract yourself with something as hard as that?

He lifts you up, giving you a nice open look at the road and the scenery whooshing on by. The speed is ludicrous; This is easily over ten times the speed you could go walking! It makes you wonder why you didn't consider hitching a ride when you left days earlier. You did think the cities were closer together... And the control panel isn't like anything you've seen before. You've seen the parts, for sure, but never have you seen them in use. It's almost alien. You can't decide if it looks janky and hastily thrown together or planned and precise.

The Sparsen offers an explanation. "There's really not much to it... you use the dial in the middle to speed up and slow down, or go in reverse; however, if you did that, the lead would end up backing right into us, so it's forward only. The other two dials are for steering. You use the band in between to keep them even. Any questions?"

You thought there was something funny about the reverse feature. "Why can you do backwards at all?"

He chuckles a little. "Usually you can, but I sold the metal cage and replaced it with straps. It's all you really need."

You're not sure if you like sitting up here watching the ground whoosh by.

[greathaven]

[ICan’tGiveCredit: > Do all Hiiri get trained to do that]

Not, uh... really. Hiiri generally aren't geared for magical work. In fact, you could consider yourself quite lucky; you learned to throw sparks at a pretty early age with almost no effort, whereas most hiiri take years upon years to do that. Maya seems pretty adept, though... so you can only assume that torills are more naturally able.

Turning to your bag, you witness its broken state. Without the intact spacebending thread, its not as useful as it was, aside from storing small meals like you did before. That knife is way too big and cumbersome for you to just carry around, so you suppose you'll have to leave it be, and hopefully you'll figure out a new way to lug the thing. Of course, that's only if you remember to pick it up. As for the other part of your inventory... that... can stay where it is.

[GreatKaiserNui: Check if victim survived.]

Well, he has a pulse, which is good. You don't want to be charged with murder as well as possible theft. He's unconscious, though. Hopefully things will be a bit more calm around here.

Maya is quick to get back to her feet, evidently catching only a mild dose of your unexpected sparkshow. She tiptoes her way around to the sparsen's side, remaining cautious about the scene before her. It's pretty clear now that what you did wasn't normal to these guys; the sparsen even remarks, "There's no way a hiir could have done that."

[tronn: >Lie like there's no tomorrow, to make yourself look more dangerous than you are.]

You don't even skip a beat in taking advantage of their doubt. Still dizzy from the experience, you stand yourself as proudly as your wobbly legs will allow, and puff your chest to boast. "W-well, you can't know that for sure! You s-saw me do it with your own eyes! He almost hurt me..." You pause. Your throat grows parched as you think of the next thing to say "S-so just... just..."

They look like they're either worried or unconvinced. It's not really looking good, and your lack of confidence over the matter is crushing you. Your insecurity is making you deflate.

[The Froggy Ninja: Tell the truth.]

Feeling self-defeated, you pull your ears over your eyes, hiding your face from embarrassment. "J-just... stay away from me. I can't control it. I-I'm... c-cursed..."

"Cursed?" Maya doesn't seem to buy that either, but... she at least has the decency to go along with it. "You poor little g-"

"You're cursed? No no no no, that doesn't sound good for business at all! I'll have the decency to take you into the capital, but as soon as we're through with out business with the authorities, you'll have to find your own way." Maya seems to have just silenced herself; she's looking pretty uncomfortable, and you can certainly say you are too. It feels like all those countless times you've been scolded by your elders, for things entirely out of control. The sort of thing that ultimately drove you away.

The driver goes on to ask, "What are the details of this curse of yours? The more we know, the more losses we can avoid." It sounds humiliating at first, but he continues. "...And, the closer we'll be to finding a cure for you." You feel a little flutter of hope fly within your chest.

But, where to begin? It's something you were accused of having since birth, apparently, but "curse" is really the only thing you've been able to call it. You hate superstition, but after living your whole life with it breathing down your neck, you can't deny that it's a very real possibility. It's been the blame for a great number of things, but the only things you could personally pin it down to were loud noises during raids, and sudden electric outbursts like the one you just gave. Between that, your satchel situation, and the unconscious Mort laying behind you, you're quite reasonably distressed. What can you even say or do?

[greathaven]

Eventually, the driver decides that his meal is done being prepared, and begins doling out the portions. Since you were a bit of an unplanned arrival, he doesn't give any specifically to you; it's understood that you're 100% Maya's responsibility. She makes an odd face at the soup and decides she isn't hungry, and gives her portion to you, since you obviously need it more.

Already, the Rozo is complaining. "Hey, There's not very much here."

"Shush," the driver says. "I'll explain that in just a moment."

Funny, it looks like your own bowl could feed two torills.

The sparsen starts to give a little speech. "As I'm sure you both know, this next stop is going to be our last before I pay you for your work this season. But there's still one thing I have yet to address, and that would be our food situation. I'm always sure to pack well more than enough food on my trading routes in case of emergencies or thefts and whatnot..."

"...but the problem is this: I only had enough food tonight for this meal, and that means there will be no breakfast in the morning. My personal food supply has dwindled as well, and that's troublesome, as I should be the only one who even knows where that is."

The rozo (apparently named Mort) points his spear on you, concluding that "It must have been the rat." He slithers toward you with that semi-staggering gait that all rozo seem to have.

You back away from the tip of his spear, but Maya is quick to defend you, at least verbally. "N-nonsense. He's only been here a little while, and unconscious for most of it! He's been at my side this whole time."

"Well, it only makes sense. Hiiri are thieves! So he must be the thief. It wasn't a problem before he arrived on this wagon, but now that he's here, we're having problems. He may have been doing it over time, tagging along this whole way until he accidentally was found by [i]you[/i] of all people, and he played possum. Wretched creature, I would have killed him on the spot."

"Nobody will be killing anybody here." Thankfully, the Sparsen decided to step in before things got too sticky. It seemed he had a better control over that weapon than its owner did. He adds, "Don't think I haven't noticed the disappearances from the start, when we left Arioch in the spring. That's far too long for this Hiir to freeload and go unnoticed. I've been waiting for either now, or for whoever it is stealing my food to start giving themselves away, but now I know you're a lot smarter than to let that happen."

[tronn: What are Sparens? Are they completely made out of feldspar, or is it just a crunchy shell? Are they even living things or constructs of some kind?]

You were never really sure what they were; all you were ever told was that they were "inorganic," and that meant they had needs unique from any other species. That, and you've never seen one up close. You think you've heard stories told that they were the first form of life to rise from the earth, before anything else had a chance to appear. Whatever food they do eat causes extreme hallucinations in anyone else through mere contact with it; you had to learn that one the hard way. You think there were some addicts back at the clan as well. It burns your hands.

He continued. "Both of you have worked under me before. I will be sure that whoever the culprit is will be turned over to the authorities when we arrive. I will make sure all are present when I do, as any who disappear or run away before then will have a bounty hanging over their heads."

[Crowstone: eat some soup!]

Hahahaha, that sounds like the best course of option right about now! ...It at least tastes a little better than what you're used to.