Smoke Flowers IC
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Smoke Flowers IC
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“We’s headed fer Londinium, ace. Where else, right? An’ truth be told, it fits both those other descriptions ya offered….”
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[Early Morning, Day One, Autumn; Riverboat on the Thames, West of Londinium]
“Emerald City?” the old riverman scoffed? “This int Tir na nOg, Londinium is the greatest city on urf! She’s a bit shabby, granted, bit too much coal dust, and she’ll suck ya dry like a cheap whore…pardon me miss…” turning to Zag he said “You wanna help young un… stop dripping all over me deck! Ya haven’t bin swimming but ya look like ya came the wrong way through the fens. Na na, I don’t wanna know any details, thems your business and none o mine. I don’t hold wiv none of this nonsense about Kin not mixing wiv the fae, these your servants thas just grand… yre ‘eaded my way and it int no trouble ta give ya a lift. Pardon me tho if I drop ye afore the river gate, don’t want any difficulties wiv the Protector’s men now…” He sighed dramatically “’ard times what wiv the Empire outa ‘Fric an all this bad blood wiv the fae…”
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#04
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The more Al listened to the old guy, the bigger his grin got. Not because any of it was good news. In fact, it was downright awful. But it nonetheless amused him no end.
Once the man had bustled off to see to some rigging, Al broke out laughing. “So all o’ y’all Spocks is persona non grata in this place, an’ here’s me the only straight-up round-ear inna bunch of us. Looks like we gotta find ourselves a more discreet way in than this gate the codger’s on about. Or else be able ta convince these Pertector that yer all my slaves or somethin’.”
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“I have some experience in being a slave, I can do it.”With a joyful smile, she asks “… what kind of slave you had in mind?” she pauses and adds “master”. Suddenly she is a vulnerable sweet, almost innocent elf. Well Dryad, the distinction counts as she was born to human parents.
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Becky’s change of tone flustered Al terribly. He’d seen this side of her before, including the crapshow of a night they’d first met. And, much as he had other things on his mind romantically, and much preferred women with round ears, her dryad charms were impossible to completely ignore. Ace was easy, since she was a child. But Becky – whenever this happened he was tempted to assume she wasn’t completely joking.
But they had Silky to worry about.
And getting back to the real world.
“Precious, I need whatever sort o’ slave’ll git us past the gate. So save the honeypot charm fer these Pertectors the old man’s on about.”
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“Bodyguard naturally… I’ll feel naked without my weapons. I am feeling playful thouh. I kind of like the idea of a metaplane that enforces a dress code.”
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Zag mutters “I’d feelt better with some ceramic plates and energy-dissipating cloth as part of the dress code. But I’ll admit that these clothes fit well. That’s a wonder all alone.”
“So what is all this fae and kin stuff? Fae is elves — or dryads? and ‘kin’ is everyone else? Sounds like we might raise some beautifully shaped eyebrows all being together. I’m sure we’ll come up with a better story once we know more, but for now … we come from bumpkin-ville, and of course you ‘fae’ types brought along trusty, long-time, family retainers when you traveled to the City? If anyone is surprised that you have ‘kin’ retainers, well, it is bumbkin-ville, you make do as you can out there?”
Zag felt pretty comfortable suggesting this as it was pretty much exactly the roll he’d grown up with, with the human side of his extended family. He was a bit disappointed that even in la-la-magicland he was lower on the totem pole, but he hadn’t really expected anything else.
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“sorry about your.. Deck (that is the right word isn’t it), I’ll clean it up just as soon as I can” Batshits voice chorused “can you shed some light on this ‘Kim not mixing with the fae? And who are the fric? Is there war coming?” strange noises accompanied her voice as she spoke the idea of war coursed through her like a drug. Head and intoxicating. Oh boy this place magnified everything even her faults. This was going to be a trial.
” and where are the mops? ” she beamed -
[Early Morning, Day One, Autumn; Riverboat on the Thames, West of Londinium]
The riverman, who had yet to introduce himself, looked puzzled at the questions
“You all been livin’ in a box? Ain’t my pronunciating good enuf for pretty fae ears?” but he grinned to take any sting out of the comment “Kin is me an ‘im” indicating Al “Good god fearin’ round ears…Fae is ya pretty folks hailin’ from Tir na nOg. Sorry situation that, don’t hold with persecutin the fae just cause they’re down on their luck, but it’ll be yse fae that is on retainer to kin, not tother way roun’ …least in these parts it will be. Don’t know a bumpkin-ville?
Now da Empire’s a differen’ story…bastards! War ain’t just comin’ little girl, bin here for far too long. Battered our good forces outa the Tir, makin’ their way norf and east, got their greedy eyes on us next. Guess they didn’ like all that sand back in ‘Fric… Afric, lands south of the middle sea…?”
***
The river gate that had been mentioned was slowly coming in to view… where the walls of Londinium where broken by the great river, vast gate towers brisling with cannon. Two huge chains, each link the size of a small rowing boat, spanned to a central island fortress. One had been lowered to allow the smaller passing river vessels through but not without an inspection from river officials. The riverman hove to about a mile from the walls at a quay that had obviously been established to accommodate ships awaiting entry to the city.
“’Ere ya go, bin a pleasure… fare well ‘n I ‘ope ya find what you’re all lookin’ fur in dere…”
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#05
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The humans were on top here? Zag muttered “Fragging la-la-humanis-magicland, frag-it-all” , but then years of practice took hold and he swallowed his resentment. Although he began to with for an opportunity to hit someone, soon.
Once they were on the quay Zag gave the riverman a bow, and said to the boatman “Thank you good sir for the ride and the information. If we happen to meet again near a pub I’m sure Master Al will show his appreciation. Speaking of which, could you suggest a good pub a party from Bumpkin-ville could get a drink and get used to the city, without too much odds of immediately being attacked, scammed, or forced to separate rooms for Kin and Fae? I’m sure Master Al would choose well on his own, but a bit guidance may be no bad thing.“
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Rebbeca looks at Zag with an understanding and rolls her eyes frustrated herself. “I guess the beauty of this realm is just superficial, and all these good looking people are just as bigots as in our world.” She strokes her long left ear with fondness and debates if to hide it under her hat. She decides against it and decorates her ears with nice-looking golden earrings. “No point in disguise… They’ll know I am Fae the moment they hear my voice.”
She curtsies and nods “Thank you, kind sir.
Then she asks once the man leaves “What would Silk look like in here? Are changelings Kin or Fea or something else entirely?”
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“Oh drek, I hadn’t even thought about that, hard to rescue someone when you don’t know what they look like, or what name they might be using, or even if they came this way. I wasn’t expecting a whole fragging city to search through! We can start by trying to be subtle, but we might have to switch to making noise to help attract her attention and let her find us — or get captured by whoever has her and then try to break all of us out.”
“Well, time enough to figure all of that out later, first let’s try to get into the city — time to get walking.” As they walked to the road and then toward the gates he kept looking around, checking out the behavior, clothes, and gear of others on the road, of how the guards were behaving, if any threats were approaching them …. and to try and figure out if this place had weather[/color]“
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Off the boat Bronwean started checking her side lines. Route out and where to hide quickly. She got a sinking feeling that They might well try to disarm her. Oppressors very rarely allow their victim to be able to strike back. She stuck close to her Mark, Al or Archibald or what ever. As she listened to her companions try to plans he began to understand Al kaos theory. They knew next to nothing do why try to plan, it’s all guess work. Better to have wide view for when trouble comes.
As the approached the gates she started to observe how the guards treated the fae she could make out in the crowd. -
Al presented himself at the gates with all the confidene that only his unique brand of self-delusion could supply.
“Aloucious Harlan Guthrie, esquire, ye worthies. Plus four.”
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Rebbeca nida, at the guards. Her impractical dress long dress, blends strangely with the beautiful sword to her back, and the to retro-looking bow. A pistol like a crossbow on her heap makes her feel like a damon hunter from some trid.
She moves with a breathtaking grace despite her restrictive and perhaps overly decorative corset and smiles at the guards so naturally as if she cannot even imagine someone being rude, or suspicious of her.
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As Bronwean gave a Kurt, neat nod she smartly brought herbhands to the side of her legs while her clicked heals together in a crisp military greeting.
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Zag gave a small mental sigh. The dryads were used to being noticed, but Zag figured if they were retainers it was best to let Al have all the attention. He stood at ease, eyes to the ground — more specifically at the guards’ feet so that he could see if they started shifting their weight — and shrugged the strap of his blunderbuss back into position.
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[Early Morning, Day One, Autumn; Gates of Londinium]
The stink of the coal dust and fume in the air mixed with the early morning fog off the river and became more and more apparent as they approached Londinium. For the two dryads in particular the sickness in this place was nauseating. Now that they were nearer to the city walls it was clear that there was a steady flow in and out of the gates and that the guards, and there were plenty, didn’t seem set on harassing anyone in particular. Most looked like traders, and they looked like they’d come from a distance, presumably the pollution made growing stuff close to the city a challenge…
Of course what was also becoming abundantly clear was that nobody else was carrying any visible weaponry, discounting farm implements and there were precious few of those even. The guard that had come down the line of those awaiting entry scowled deeply at the fae in the group but somehow Al’s presence turned him away from what had about to have been an arrest…
“No weapons through the gates… not for them!”
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#06
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Zag turned to Al, bobbed his head, and said “Most sorry Master Alouicious, you’ll have to carry your own hunting piece for a bit. Just until we reach your inn.” He lowered his head as he removed the blunderbuss — being careful not to point it at anyone — then held it across his two hands for Al to take from him.
Once the gun is taken from him, he asks the guards “Where would I be able to arrange transport for the Master? A …” he thinks ‘taxi’ and waits to see what comes out of his mouth, hoping that the translation magic will provide the appropriate local equivalent.
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Al slung the wide-bore antique across his back cross-wise to the vintage Winchester ’73 he already was carrying.
“Shee-it, cuz,” he began, addressing the guard, “Them bein’ armed sits funny with ol’ Al as well. Trick is, I’m here ta negotiate a trade contract between my co-op down south an’ the food brokers here, an’ am in possession o’ commensurate letters-o’-license an’ promissaries. That vulnerability aside, we been hit by brigands thrice in jist this here last fortnight on the road. So if I am then to be required ta carry the weapons o’ these three as well, I find that I’d be an unprotected target carryin’ an arsenal most temptin’ ta the less fastidious in they moral nature. If, however, you’d allow these with me ta continue actin’ as shields between the lawless an’ my own person, jist, say, ta my lodgin’, then the term lucrative gratitude would scarce be sufficient descriptor o’ the depth o’ my appreciation.”
Al was not, in fact, horribly worried about himself or any of his companions being unarmed. Every one of them was perfectly deadly without weapons. But some of them he hadn’t worked with much yet, and he wasn’t sure one of them wouldn’t make some kind of scene here over the issue, so he did his best to pre-emptively defuse the situation.
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