Lilafly
Cat Sidhe 
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112 
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 8, 2018 23:30:53 GMT 1
Quán Shui & Yun Shui | Wanderers
It had certainly been a long time since she had last set hoof in a city. Now that she thought about it, it had probably been a year ago, before her son was born. Memories of it wanted to mock her, remind her of what she once had. What she once had. Yeah, right! As if she'd ever miss that again! She had been nothing but a fool for several moons on end when her usual cleverness had stepped aside to leave room for stupidity. Giving in to him had been the first, but certainly not the last mistake she had made.
She took a deep breath and released it, earning a questioning look from the colt that walked beside her. Her son. While she did regret everything that had lead up to his birth, she couldn't for the life of her regret him. Yun had brought joy back to her when she thought that everything was over. And while she had been a fool to the very end - a foolish path that had lead her to be the weakest she had ever been in her entire life - her child had shown her the light again. From the first day on, he had been an absolute sunshine and she was so proud of him for it. And while it took her some time to get over the uncanny resemblance to him, she still couldn't possibly be cold or even mad at Yun for anything. It was not his fault that she had been young and stupid. Not his fault that she confused lust for love. The outskirts of the city were nice and cozy. Small and simple houses with simple people that greeted her on the street. It was nice this way. Being slowly eased into a city life again was better than being shocked with the loud reality of it. Especially for Yun. He had never been in a big city before after all. Of course they had visited several villages on their way to Wonsu. It was mostly to get her child accostumed to living arrangements that included a roof above the head, but also to try some food they couldn't get in the wild and to get some clothes. It had been many moons of wandering through the Middle Lands until they had even come across so much as a hut. Of course they encountered merchants on their way, which she was thankful about, but while the interactions were nice, it wasn't at all the same as walking through a village or even a city.
Yun liked villages a lot. Whenever he saw as much as a single house, he got excited, because it usually meant more people. While most kids would be shy about the prospect of encountering strangers, her son was more the curious type. He wanted to know everything! Also now, as they meandered through the streets of Wonsu's outskirts. He happily shouted "Hello!" to everyone they crossed path with. Most found him endearing or adorable. Some few scowled and muttered something about "rude and noisy children".
"Quán," she silently tasted the name on her tongue again. Of course she had already used it when previously introducing herself in the last half year, but those interactions have been few and far in between. Now that they were in Wonsu, she'd have to use it frequently though. Better get used to it before slipping up. Luckily she was used to playing make belief. Call her an actress if you wanted, since it came closest to what she was. She had played so many roles in her life that she had stopped counting. With some she had even fooled herself. She would be able to play the role of Quán Shui, single mother of a colt, looking for employment after the death of her husband.
She smiled again when thinking of the person who came up with the name and the story in the first place. It was the same person who had helped her with Yun's birth and her own recovery afterwards. He was as mysterious as she was by now, but with a heart of sunshine and more spells memorized than she could even remember reading about in books. And she had read a lot of those when she was younger. The stranger, even though she had been vary of him at first, had introduced himself as simply Yule, a wanderer with no clear goal. When she had been in pain and he had advised her to think of nice and happy things, she had started telling him about the one time she had been in Eriwon. How beautiful the mountains were and how peaceful the small villages. He, in turn, had told her of Wonsu and how charming it was despite its dark sides. One just needed to know how to avoid them, he had assured her. He had stayed with her for the first few moons while she recovered. His magic and his knowledge of healing herbs and how to find them helped her a lot. Yule even had sucessfully treated Yun, when he had caught a cold. In all that time, the three of them had become friends. Especially to her, Yule had been a huge comfort and someone to lean on when dark thoughts of the past consumed her. She had gotten so used of him being there with them, that it had almost come as a shock when he had declared to go on the rest of the way alone. His reasoning for that was to make her story more believable and to draw less attention, but she didn't really believe it. They could have as easily thought of another story that included him, but she guessed he didn't want to be bound by anything, especially not a story that would connect him with a mare and a foal. It was understandable, but she still felt lonely.
Silently she pondered what business Yule would have in Wonsu, since he never specified what he wanted in the city. Maybe he was just sight-seeing, since he, as he said, hadn't been there for a while. She really hoped that they would see him again while they stayed. The mare frankly didn't know how long Yun and she would stay in Wonsu, or if they could stay at all. The whole idea of going to a city was risky anyways. But while it held a certain risk, it also held safety. Because she knew where certain faeries roamed and she wanted to be as far away from them as possible. Eriwon was a place they mostly left alone due to the many demons and other native immortal creatures that lived there. It was not ideal safety, but she would be happy with anything she could get. The last thing she needed was to be out in the open. Therefore a city. She was one of thousands there. To find her would be difficult. Not that they were searching. No one was searching for her. That, however, did not mean that she could not be found. And that, she couldn't allow.
It was already risky enough to look like herself, but in Eriwon they had means of cracking illusion spells. To explain her secrecy she would need solid proof to accompany her story. Proof she couldn't give. While she loved to be rather safe than sorry, she felt like she would be sorry both ways in this situation, so rather make it less complicated and less taxing on herself. The less magic she had to use, the more strength she had left for whatever work she'd be able to snatch after all!
What she really needed before any work though was a place to stay. She didn't expect to find a house right away, but a hotel would do for now. She had saved up enough money to pay for a room for at least a couple of days. Hopefully she would find somewhere permanent to stay in the meanwhile. Logic told her that she would not, but that didn't mean she'd give up!
It was already evening when she and her colt arrived in the more densely populated areas of the city. She didn't like to be out in the dark with her child, so she promsied herself to pay for a room in the first hotel she'd come across. As luck would have it, she soon came across a building that read "Mio" and was very obviously some sort of hotel. It looked fancy, but didn't seem to be above her budget anyway, which was a relief. She quickly herded Yun inside, who had started to get sleepy, and walked up to the reception.
"How much is a room? The lowest price you have that is," she said, adding the last part a little sheepishly. She needed to stretch her money after all, so she couldn't quite afford a luxurious suite, even though some of her clothing would suggest that she could. Yule had made sure of getting her something practical but also nice-looking by sweet-talking some vendors and selling an alchemic water stone to them. The blue brocade dress was wonderful, as was the scarf she wore around her head and neck. She had even considered wearing a veil, but so far hadn't gotten the opportunity to get one. Well, she was in Wonsu now. She probably would see a lot of vendors selling some when she went out the next day. Yun let out a tired yawn and slightly leaned against his mother, clearly too tired to walk much further. She just prayed that this hotel would have a room left for her that she could afford, otherwise she'd have to carry Yun around until she found another hotel. [1632 words]
She has about 3,000 Vend by the way. It seems like much, but it's actually not a lot when this is all you have to live by. Also my little half-demon angel got a small cameo, even though he was just mentioned. <3 Aspen - bless them - gave me the idea of him helping my girl out and I love it, since I was not sure about her pulling through on her own at first ;A;
Please excuse any typos or grammar errors! it's already late and I'm too tired to read over it again. I'll correct it tomorrow!
Also, I'm super uncreative when it comes to titles, so the title of the RP will probably change eventually :'D
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Post by FlyLu on Mar 9, 2018 23:30:59 GMT 1
"I am certain they are good enough for our guests, you have after all never failed to deliver," Satomi said to the worker that had delivered the fish she had asked for a day or two ago. The hotel was about the run out of fish, and Satomi had been the one to take care of it. Her brother and father who are the ones to officially run the hotel never take a step outside of it, or at least not in Satomi's opinion . They, therefore, do not know where the best fish in Wonsu is sold. It would never have never crossed their mind to actually look around in the world for how to improve the hotel. Satomi did however have time and gladly explored the streets of Wonsu, and take whatever she liked back for others to enjoy at the hotel. Satomi thanked and paid the worker, she then wished him a good day before she looked after as he went on his way. When he was gone she lifted the lid to take a look at the fish. A slave of the hotel had already made sure that the fish was actually there, and that he was not selling them empty boxes, but she wanted a look at them before she sent them to the kitchen. As soon as it was open, the smell of blood, salt, and sea hit her. She liked the smell of the sea, but quickly closed the lid again. The smell of raw fish was another thing. "Take the fish here with you to the food storage next to the kitchen, and make sure to cool them down, and inform the chef that the fish have arrived. When you have done that, you may take one of the small new baked pie's and treat yourself," she told the slave standing next to her, that also had been the one to check the fish. He looked confused at her, her last part must have surprised him. That was when she realized that he was a newer slave, he had yet to get used to her. "Yes, you heard me," she said with a smile this time. "I apologize Ms, but I doubt the chef will believe me if I told him that I have your permission to take that.""Trust me, you'd be surprised."The slave kept quiet for a moment. "Thank you..." he said at last, still slightly confused but polite, and he went off with the fish as he was told. Satomi giving them sweets was no news. It made them build a trusting relationship to her. If she needed something from him - something more then to be expected from a slave, or even against her fathers wishes - he would do it. Not only that, but she also likes to show them friendliness when no one else in the world will. Satomi had nothing to do and decided to go to the lower Hotel entrance . The hotel was so big that it needed two. The whole Hotel was split in three different areas: One for the wealthy people visiting, one for the poor and travelers, and one for the ordinary people with a price in between. Three areas, but only two entrances - at the wealthy part and the lower part. Satomi often was around the entrances, she talked to the people and heard their stories. Usually, people at the lower part was much more interesting, so that is what where she went. ~ "Please hold on a moment ma'am," the hotel clerk said, and she looked under the desk and in her little notebook in front of her. "Our lowest priced room at the moment is [X] vend for a night. It contains two beds with mattresses filled with straw, one window and a closet for your things if you have any. The hotel has an eating hall, if you want food you will also have to pay for that."Satomi had arrived just a few moments before Quán and Yun and had already kept her eyes on them from the moment they walked in. There was something that the woman had said that made Satomi curious. She is asking for the lowest priced room, she thought. People who said that was the people with the best stories, but she looked nothing like them. She looked like someone who could afford more. So why is she asking for the lowest?
Satomi stepped forward and looked at Quán and Yun. Yun looked very young, and he was tired. Let's give them a real nights sleep, she thought and looked at the hotel clerk. "Such a handsome and strong young boy and her mother should not sleep there!" she said with her charming voice. "Can you find a room between room 40 and 70? " she asked. Without question the clerk looked through her book and keys again. She found one and put it on the desk bewten her and Quán. "Here""Whatever extra it will cost will be on me," Satomi said. Words - 844
I really do not know much about economy, and especially in Mereldia  with [X] I simply mean that I do not know how much vend it would be, but it is a reasonable price for what kind of room it is. After all, the hotel is know for having a room fitting for what you can pay :'D
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Lilafly
Cat Sidhe
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 10, 2018 9:39:00 GMT 1
Quán looked at the well-dressed lady in surprise. Her gut feeling told her to reject the offer politely, since she didn't want to owe people anything, no matter what that debt may be. The mare's posture and tone of voice made her swallow the retort though. She seemed to have a high standing, at least in this hotel since the clerk answered her without hesitation. Having friends - or at least acquaintances - in high places wouldn't be so bad. She didn't want to draw attention to herself, true, but she also needed a job. Maybe this lady could help her find one.
With a sense of finality, Quán took the key, being careful to let the levitation spell look as basic as possible. Giving away what she was capable of was unwise if she wanted people to believe her story.
"Thank you, ma'am. I really appreciate your help," Quán said with a thankful bow. Yun didn't bow, being too sleepy to do so. She nudged the colt, who was still leaning on her and started walking in the direction of their newly assigned room. The foal followed with tiny steps so that Quán took her time. All the walking and all the new impressions had exhausted her poor boy and it wasn't even night yet. He was probably hungry too, but she doubted that he'd eat much right now as tired as he was. They would just have a big breakfast in the morning to make up for it.
Bluebell eyes fell on sky-blue ones when the mare looked back. The lady was watching her. Now, Quán was no stranger to schemes and tricks. She knew what to do to get information and she was a queen of persuasion and bribing when the situation called for it. Therefore, she had her suspicions about the dark coated mare's actions. One simply did not help a stranger with money issues and get them a significantly better room at a hotel without looking for something out of the deal. Had she seen through a crack of the disguise? It probably was the robes Quán wore. Curses! Of course, people would wonder why such a well-dressed mare would order the cheapest room. Stupid! She chastised herself for that mistake.
So, the generous lady wanted to figure out her secret? Well, two could play at that game.
[393 words] |
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Post by FlyLu on Mar 10, 2018 17:52:37 GMT 1
Satomi felt the sudden surprise that the woman had, but that was to be expected, so she did not mind it too much attention. She also felt a slight track of distrust, but she quickly came to the conclusion that is was simply because she was a mother. Parents were always very careful of who to let near their children, and a strange lady giving them another room while complimenting their son might have triggered something.
She took a quick look at the key before the woman picked it up. Room 52, she thought. She tried to remember the room and what in contained based on the number. The higher the number, the more luxury. The hotel had around 120 rooms, and while the lowest rooms only had about a closet and a bed of straw, the highest numbers had what would be considered good enough for even the wealthiest visitors. So the mother and child have a nice in between, Satomi thought. A well middle-class room. Closet, desk, beds for them both with fresh pillows and blankets. She tried to imagine how nice it must be to go to bed after such a long day as they had had. She had no evidence of that but judging from the whole situation and how tired the boy looked, that was what she ended up believing.
"My pleasure," Satomi said back as the woman thanked her. She looked after them as they left to the hallway. Satomi smiled the same smile she always did for visitors when the woman turned around. "Enjoy your stay!" she said after them.
When the woman was out of sight, Satomi called one of the nearby raccardies which looked like they had nothing to do. The raccardi flew over and landed on the desk in front of her.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"We have another guest in room 52. You know what to do."
The raccardi nodded to her. "Yes ma'am," and she flew off.
Words - 327
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Lilafly
Cat Sidhe
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 10, 2018 19:03:20 GMT 1
The key read Room 52 and Quán hoped that she did not need to walk up a lot of stairs. Not because she couldn't handle stairs, but because Yun probably couldn't. True to her worries, the colt stopped after three flights, looking up to his mother with a pout. "Mamaaaa, I can't go ooon," he whined sleepily and let himself fall dramatically on the bottom of the staircase. Quán rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that he would start crying if she tried to convince him to go on anyway. On any other day, she would have done it, but she wanted to go to bed as much as Yun did and she didn't really want to risk her child throwing a tantrum in a hotel. She didn't have the patience for his.
She let herself sink down on the ground next to Yun and nudged him. The foal already knew what this meant and he climbed on his mother's back without further prompting. Quán knew that stairs were tricky with Yun on her back, but a little air magic wouldn't hurt. The quirk of it being invisible really came in handy, not that she used it much anyway.
When the two of them arrived in front of a door that had the number 52 engraved on it, the mare sighed in relief. Finally some rest after a long day. She let Yun down on one of the beds, the foal already fast asleep. While she herself craved sleep, there was something else she needed to do first.
Setting her bags down on the desk she rummaged through them until she found the little booklet Yule had given her. The ink pot and a quill soon followed, as well as her last piece of dried meat. While chewing the mostly tasteless snack, she noted down the current date and started writing.
We finally made it to Wonsu.
He is exhausted from the walking and all the new things around him, so he fell asleep before we even made it to our room. I'm suspicious of the lady who paid for said room. If she's someone to be wary of will show in the following days. For now, I am just glad to have made it safe and sound and to have a roof over the head. The weather around late summer is supposed to be stormy and I don't like to be remembered of the last time we had to sleep outside with a thunderstorm over us.
Still didn't run into Yule and I doubt we will at all. Wonsu is a huge city after all and he is usually someone who does not like to be found. That does not mean that we can't cope by ourselves. It will just be difficult to readjust to being alone again. Awakes unpleasant memories. I'll be looking for a middle-class job tomorrow and hope he can take all the walking again. I don't trust strangers to take care of him, so leaving him behind has never been an option, nor will it probably ever be. For the next few years at least.
I'll write more when I know more. For now, I am exhausted, even though the sun is just going down.
Quán sighed and set the quill down on the stand, leaving the little diary open on the most recent page to let the ink dry. She usually would use all sorts of spells to protect herself from criminals that could sneak into her room, but she was too exhausted to care. The less they knew about her magic the better. All other guests were safe in the hotel as well, without having to cast extra spells. She just needed to trust them to keep everything safe while she stayed.
She walked over to Yun and helped him out of the green kimono Yule had purchased for him. The colt mumbled in his sleep but otherwise didn't wake up. She then replaced the piece of clothing with a blanket that she draped over him. A content hum was the only reply she got.
As she undressed and put the clothes in the closet, she caught the reflexion of herself in the window. The same old brown coat, brown mane and blue eyes stared back. The silver necklace with the Lapis Lazuli stone - the only thing she kept from her old life - hung around her neck as it always did. She felt it faintly vibrate with magic, the spell still new and safe. Even if she wanted to act like every other person would and not worry about things of faerie, this was the one thing she could not ignore. The one spell that always needed to stay in place. After all, she left one danger behind only to face a new one head on.
Quán eventually lied down next to her son, despite there being another bed in the room, and cuddled him close to her. There had not been a night since his birth where they had been separated and she would not start today. Draping the blanket around both of them, she gave Yun a kiss between the ears and laid her head down on a pillow. Sleep soon found her.
[874 words]
Sorry if I took your chance to bring in the Raccardi, I wasn't sure if they would do simple room service or if they would spy. If it was the former, then they maybe could have seen that she was busy and left her alone. I dunno. This day was not very important and Yun is already asleep, so I wanted to end it so that we can continue with a wide-awake foal and a determined mother in the morning! ;D |
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Post by FlyLu on Mar 10, 2018 21:45:51 GMT 1
(No wories! )
Satomi wandered mindlessly around the hotel for about an hour or so. She was bored but finally decided to spend the rest of the day in the garden with a book. It had been a while since she read one anyway. The garden was quiet and calm. She took a moment of her time to look at the colorful koi in the lake before reading. When the sun was gone, she put down the book. It was still too early to go to sleep but did not feel like reading another chapter. Should I sneak out? she wondered for a moment. A walk in Wonsu at night might not be a bad idea in the end. She quickly restrained herself from the idea. She was too tired anyway, it was only an hour or two that she needed her attention distracted, not a whole night. The raccardi she had sent of came flying and sat in front of her. "So did you take care of it?" she asked "No, the guest was sleeping when I arrived."
"Very well then, but make sure to tell her as soon as she can hear it. Preferably before she leaves her room tomorrow. We can not have guests that do not know about the service-system in case they need it, can we?"
"No ma'am," the raccardi said agreeing while nodding. "One more thing ma'am," the raccardi added. "Yes?""I believe I saw something the guest had written down in a booklet, the ink was still shining when I came, so I believe they had just written it before they went to sleep. Do you want to know what she wrote? I can go back and read it in that case."Satomi shook her head. "No, refrain from that. That would be an invasion of privacy, wouldn't you say?"
"If you say so." the raccardi answered. She heard a slight hint of confusion in her voice when she said that. "You sound confused, what is on your mind?"The poor raccardi looked like she had been taken stealing. "Answer my question. Is there something wrong with what I said?"
"Well..." the raccardi started shyly. "I m-mean, we have read the diaries of visitors before... why is this time any different ma'am?"
"Because those times I have had my reasons too. But please do keep on eye on the woman and her child. If anything odd or different happens, or anything else worth knowing, I want to know. Please do tell the others slaves the same. That is all, you may leave"
"Yes ma'am," she said and flew off. Satomi decided to go to the big hall and enjoy the rest of the day there. She had heard some musicians that had been there a few times and she liked was about the perform, and she did not want to miss it. Words - 476 |
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Lilafly
Cat Sidhe
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 10, 2018 22:35:57 GMT 1
The sun had barely risen, but Quán was already up - rudely awaken by her very excited and very insistent son. She doubted that breakfast would be served as early as six in the morning, so she busied herself with getting dressed and styling her mane in an Eriwonese fashion. She was not experienced enough with it yet so that it would be a quick job, which made it the perfect activity to pass time. Yun seemed curious of what his mother was doing at first, but soon lost interest. He instead busied himself with exploring the room, taking in the window especially and what he saw outside of it. Quán was just finished with her third try at an Eriwonese bun, when her inquisitive son's voice piped up.
"Mama, what is that?" he asked and pointed to an opening she had not noticed before. Also she was puzzled about it.
"I don't know. We can ask someone from the hotel later," she said, holding the small mirror she carried with her up to better see the result of her most recent try at a nice-looking hair style. It was not perfect, but presentable. Luckily she had let her mane grow out in the last year, so that she now had less trouble with fixing it together into various different looks. They came in handy when she wanted to blend in and it also didn't look half as bad.
"We can also ask about breakfast while we're at it. How does that sound?" The reply came in the form of an excited cheer. "After that we will probably be out for most of the day, so be sure to not be picky and eat a lot." It was almost ridiculous that she had to add the last part in the first place. Her son had developed a sort of pickiness even she didn't have as a child. Well, it wasn't exactly pickiness, more like being full too quickly. Full was relative though, because it never took long for Yun to get hungry again afterwards. Most of the time Quán had to force him to finish his place and even take seconds. And since she couldn't know how often they'd be able to stop and take a break to eat, Yun would have to take the opportunity to do so while he had it. She did not plan to raise a spoiled brat after all. Food was there to be eaten. Period.
"Yes, Mama," Yun said with a grin and nuzzled her neck. She nuzzled his face back, which made him giggle. It was small moments like those that made her glad to have not given up after all.
[448 words]
and time skip to the next morning c: Hope you don't mind me jumping around in scenes so much, I'm just not a big fan of those awkward "we need time to pass but dunno how, so have a reply but I don't even know what this is" posts, so I skip when I deem it necessary and fitting don't worry, I usually warn you one or two posts ahead of time, so you can object if you plan something ;D |
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Post by FlyLu on Mar 11, 2018 16:45:14 GMT 1
No worries, I totally get it (I also for a few days ago made a very quick map of the hotel, in case you are curious, it is here --> sta.sh/02arrzgxpasr )
The raccardi Satomi had asked to inform the guests in room 52 woke up early that day. Because of yesterday, she knew that they had gone to bed early, and therefore most likely would also be up early. Since Satomi had asked to get them informed before leaving their room, she knew she had to get there early too. She flew over and into the raccardi-tunnels, where she found the way to room 52, while she heard the ringing sound of the little bell she was holding. She glimpsed at the table were the booklet from yesterday still stood, but just as quickly looked away from it. She only just stepped out of the little opening with the half of her body. She had been told to that since the guests did not want slaves to walk around in the actual room. It was kind of like not going into someone's house before being invited in. "Excuse me, ma'am?" the raccardi said. "I have a note to you. It was supposed to be here before you came in yesterday, but I did not get to do it in time. I apologize for that." She laid down the bell and the note, but the note further away from herself, inviting Quán to read it. ~ Satomi had slept well that night. She was often up for a long time, going to sleep early was a surprisingly well thing to do she concluded and told herself to do that more often from now on. She stood up and walked quietly over to her endless closet of colourful and shining dresses and more. She took on a silky blue and black hanfu, and brushed her mane. She for a moment thought about making something more out of it but then decided having her mane lose would fit the outfit she had decided to wear, so she let it be. She went down to the eating hall. Most were not awake yet, so the slaves still had some time to make everything ready, but they were almost done. Satomi closed her eyes for a moment and took in the smell of the fresh fruit from the table and the newly baked bread from the kitchen just on the other side of the wall. She could not wait for the guest and started slowly taking cherries that was just waiting for being eaten. She played around with the cherry core while waiting for the guests to arrive. Words - 412 |
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Lilafly
Cat Sidhe
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 11, 2018 19:54:08 GMT 1
Even though Quán had heard the little chime of a bell and the noise of someone moving nearby, she had thought it to come from the hall outside, not from a hidden tunnel system that lead to their room for Raccardis. By Duana! she swore internally and bit her tongue so that the weird-sounding exclamation would reach anyone's ears. Being startled by a Raccardi early in the morning when she was wide-awake did say a lot about her attentiveness though. Gotta turn that up a few notches now that I'm in a city again, she thought bitterly. Not wanting to be rude though, she picked up the note and quickly read through what it said.
Hello dear guest
Here at the hotel we have an advanced but easy to use "room-service" system. If you have any needs or anything else you want brought to your room, ring the bell and a Raccardi will come right your way to help you. If you have any questions, please do ring the bell and ask.
Thank you for visiting our hotel
Sincerely, Family Mio ~Well, that was an unlikely but yet a totally expected thing to happen. Of course she would go into the one hotel in which she could easily be spied upon by the small avian-feline creatures. Just her luck. Yun brought her out of her thoughts with a question. "Mama, what is that?" With that, he meant the Raccardi. Oh, right. He never saw one.
"That is a Raccardi. They help with house work and apparently they also work here in the hotel." Quán knew that Raccardis were used to being ignored, but she still felt bad for it. She had to keep up her act though. To act too civil with a Raccardi would be seen as odd and she couldn't risk looking anything but ordinary.
"The note says to ring the bell if you want to have something brought to your room or if you have a question." She therefore clarified, talkign as if the Raccardi wouldn't be there. Yun though seemed absolutely thrilled by that aspect and practically made a dive for the bell. He took the handle in his mouth, rang it once and set it down in front of the Raccardiagain. "What's your name?" he picked up the bell and rang it again before asking "And where is food?" He obviously thought he needed to ring the bell for every question he asked the creature. It was adorable and it made Quán smile.
[418 words]
god, it's so much fun to write this precious litte sunshine! the innocence is killing me! |
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Post by FlyLu on Mar 13, 2018 20:08:13 GMT 1
The raccardi could not help herself but smile of the curious and innocent child in front of her. Though his question of her name caught her off guard. He was a child and had not been taught the position of raccardies, she was fully aware of that, but she could not help but feel sad about it. That the young boy in front of her would one day understand. "My name is Miu," she said politely, and with a tone that would hopefully show the mother that she did not intend to share her name, but did only because she was asked. "And the eating hall is just down below you. If you take the stairs by the lower entrance, it is to your left, and then follow the hallway until the eating hall appears on your left. The hall's doors should be open very soon." she answered. "Is there any further questions? If not, then I will leave if it pleases you," she said, the last part being more intended for Quan.
~
The first few guests had arrived at the eating hall. For a second she thought that she saw her brother by the bread, but quivkly realized that was not it. Not like he would actually eat here anyway, she thought. Her family ate most of their food at their home anyway, and in case they did not, it would be in the higher eating hall, where only the wealthiest was welcome. Of course, she thought. Of course, it is not him.
She wandered around the guests while playing a game of hers. Since many guests were from around the world, she had gotten to know quite a lot of accents. Growing up in west Eriwon and with a Koruian mother, and then Wonsu, she had mastered almost both accents. The game of hers was to guess where people came from. If she was really curious and could not figure it out, she would even ask them. She was right most of the time.
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Lilafly
Cat Sidhe
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 14, 2018 18:32:25 GMT 1
Quán listened attentively to the description and nodded. She still had questions about the room service system, since it seemed to be a good way for thieves to get into all the rooms undetected, but asking such a specific question would make her look suspicious. She'd just put some sort of alerting spell on the serve opening so that she'd know when someone entered the room that way without her consent. Not that the intruder would know about the alert anyway!
"That sounds good. Thank you for your services," Quán said a little absent-mindedly and nodded to the Raccardi with a smile. Only to mentally pause a second later. Had that been too polite? Hopefully not. She didn't want to make the small creature feel bad, but she also didn't want to look suspicious. Great, day one and she already might have screwed up! And they haven't even had breakfast yet!
When she looked again, the Raccardi was gone and Yun tried to look through the hole to see where Miu went. A small sigh left the mare's mouth and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. One thing after another. She needed breakfast and a hopefully successful search for a job afterwards. Who knows, maybe someone at breakfast could give her suggestions!
"Guess we'll be heading to the dining ha- don't stick your head in there!" She was behind her son in a second and pulled him out of the service entrance. He just gave her a pout, followed by a sheepish smile when he met this mother's disapproving glance. "We're going to eat breakfast now, so come on," she said in a much more soothing voice and with a little smile. At the aspect of food, Yun immediately brightened up. He impatiently danced at the door, waiting for his mother to follow. Quán just rolled her eyes. If he was this energetic with no food, then he probably would have no problem getting through the day after breakfast.
~
The mare and her foal entered the dining room after having followed Miu's description. Looking around, Quán just hoped that her staged Eriwonese accent would sound convincing enough. After all, she would say that she had lived in Eriwon her whole life. That her natural accent was a Nordberg one wasn't really gonna come in handy, especially if she slipped up. Not that she ever slipped up. She was a professional after all! Still, all the "L"s instead of "R"s tended to make her tongue numb after a while. At least no one would complain to her this time about having chosen a story that required an Eriwonese accent. Apparently, it was also painful to listen to. To others that was. She found it quite pleasing to the ears with all the smooth sounds and none of the harsh ones the Northern accents tended to have.
Quán guided her colt to the section where they could choose what to eat and held him back from just digging in, reminding him of manners. After getting their food - just some simple bread, fruit and a little bit of meat for herself - they chose a table that was pretty much in the middle of everything and sat down. This way, Quán would be able to catch people talking about things that could interest her. Job offers for example.
When she was halfway through her breakfast and was just done motivating - threats to cancel any desserts was a form of motivation after all - Yun to finish eating what was on his plate, she caught sight of the lady that had enabled them their room in the first place. She eyed her with a trained expression of recognition and minimal confusing, while internally she was wary and on high alert. She really needed to find out more about this lady. Lucky for her, finding out information discreetly was very much her job.
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Post by FlyLu on Mar 15, 2018 21:36:22 GMT 1
Satomi looked over the sea of people in front of her, all of them enjoying themselves. She spotted a worker in the back, a cute couple in the corner, the lady and child she had given a room to yesterday, and a sellingsman she had been talking with before. She could barely remember his name, but he was traveling through often. He sold Korunian wares in Eriwon, then travelled back to Koruna and wares from here, and then went back and forth all the time, usually stopping by here. She wondered for a moment if she should chat with him. Why not? she thought at the end.
She walked towards him, but he had already seen her.
"Well if it isn't my favourite little business girl?" he welcomed her. Despite him being very good at selling, he had nothing of a business-smile. His teeth were yellow and full of holes.
"Do you know many?" Satomi asked curiously, but with a slight hint of sass.
"I suppose that is true," he said. "Do you mind joining me?"
"Oh I would love to, but I do not have the time sadly. I have things I need to get done. My apologies, but I am sure ou can understand."
"And what are these so important things?" he asked. He was not one to give up, he knew that she always had things to get done. She sent him smile and sat down, despite what she had told him.
"A worker at the hotel quit recently, I need to find someone new to fill his place."
"Well that is easy!" he said, as it was the easiest thing in the world. "Just go to the market, I am sure you can find a nice slave, I know someone who sells the best! With the money the hotel has, that should not be a problem."
"I am not looking for a slave," Satomi started. "People don't like the idea of having slaves too close to them. The raccardi system is already a stretch of what people like. It needs to be someone who can actually walk around among the guests, while they still feel comfortable with it." she ended.
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Lilafly
Cat Sidhe
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 18, 2018 23:03:55 GMT 1
waah, this took so long! Very busy weekend, sorry! D:
The dark buckskin mare couldn't help but unsuspiciously earsdrop when the lady sat down with an unassuming looking person and started to chat. Yes, earsdropping was bad and she shouldn't let Yun catch her doing it, unless she wanted to encourage such behaviour. She really wasn't a good role model for her son right now, but in her defense she looked to all the world like she would just peacefully enjoy her breakfast. Which she also did, it was certainly better than plain old grass. Once you got a taste of real food, you never wanted to eat that green stuff again, but for Quán it often couldn't be helped. It was either eating grass or starve.
At first the conversation didn't seem interesting. The lady apparently knew the guy and herself was someone involved in business. She was well-off when she could just pay for her room like that, so Quán already suspected some occuption like that anyway. The conversation stayed at the topic of work, but that was when it started to get interesting. The hotel was searching for a new employee because an old one quit? Well, wasn't that convinient? Since the lady seemed to be in charge of finding someone knew and being well-respected, it drove the conclusion home that she was very involved with this hotel. Probably a manager or even owner. Interesting. Quán had to hold back a scoff when she started mentioning peoples' attitudes towards slaves. She had always despised the oppression slaves had to live with and she would gladly buy them all free...but she couldn't even afford food for more than a month, let alone rent for a room, so this really was just a thought rather than any sort of plan. Even in the past, when she has had enough money to realise that insane idea, she hadn't done so. Out of one of the same reasons as this time: a disguise she needed to uphold. It was, after her son, her upmost priority.
Her thoughts came back to the situation at hand when Yun tugged at her kimono and asked if she was still hungry. With another careful glance to the black-coated lady, she stopped focusing her hearing on her conversation and returned to the breakfast on the table. This hotel job was risky, but at the same time it would be perfect. The majority of the people that visited the hotel would come and go. If they remembered her, then they wouldn't stay in the area to tell of it. In contrary to that, a job at for example a tea house, would draw much more attention to her locally. She'd get known and if she'd get known, she could be found. In the hotel though, she could keep a low profile and still have a steady and righeous job. The only problem would be the living situation. The hotel was in a good part of the city and Quán simply could not afford a house, apartment or even a single room nearby, even with a steady income. She'd have to move to a further away neighborhood and then walk to work early every day. She also couldn't leave Yun alone, but making im sleep less didn't set well with her either.
It all looked like she had to bargain if she wanted this exact job. First off, she couldn't let the lady know that she had found out about the job position via earsdropping. Second, she needed to insist on a room, which's renting price would then of course be deducted from her income. It seemed like a stretch, but Quán was ready to test her luck. Not now though. She knew from experience that plan As didn't usually work out and also weren't the best solution. Therefore, she needed more options. Which meant going to the market and looking around for other jobs. Hopefully, the job at the hotel would still be available when she returned later.
With that as her final thought, Quán finished her meal and stood up. Yun immediately jumped up, excited to stretch his legs. His mother gave him a patient smile. No matter how many plans she'd have at the end of the day, it would still be a very long one.
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Post by FlyLu on Mar 20, 2018 16:14:45 GMT 1
"Well isn't that quite a pickle," he said. Pickle, Satomi thought. What a funny expression. Who in the world came up with that?
"I suppose it is," she replied and sighed. She did not get to say more before he stood up.
"I am very sorry, but I have to leave. I have a long journey in front of me, and I need to go to the market to buy the needed supplies for it." He bowed to her.
"And I thought I was the busy one," she said politely. "It was a pleasure speaking to you, come again soon."
He smiled, and again his teeth showed up. "I will be sure to."
Satomi looked after him as he left the eating hall. Today was nothing spectacular, but in the past, she really had been enjoying his company.
Satomi went up and placed some berries and bread on a plate. She looked up at the corner of the roof, where a few raccardies sat, waiting to serve and help if needed. She made eyecontact with one and it flew own to her.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Please take this to my room," she said and gave him her plate. "then find Yin, and tell her to go to my room."
"Yes ma'am," he said and disappeared just as fast as he had arrived.
Yin was already in her room when she arrived. She was a small and the youngest raccardi at the hotel, barely two years old. She looked fragile as she sat there on Satomi's bed. If she was anywhere but here, she would never be allowed to sit there, but Satomi had allowed it. She looked tired. Satomi closed the door behind her. "How long did you sleep?" she asked. The raccardies been up for a few hours by now, but it looked like Yin had just woken up.
"My mother let me sleep a little bit more, she said you would not mind..." she said quietly. Not because she was shy or nervous about her response, but because she was sleepy. Yin yawned just after she had said that.
"Then she knows me well." Satomi said. "Have you eaten?"
"No..."
Satomi walked over to her desk, where the slave from before had left her plate. She knew that Yin liked berries.
"Eat this," she said and walked over to the bed where she placed the food in front of the little raccardi. Letting her sit and eat on my bed. I am a bad slave-owner. Father would be so disappointed, she thought, slightly sarcastic, even though she was not wrong in what she thought. But the light that brightened up in Yin's eyes was worth it all.
"Thank you!" she said, and did not at all try to hide her joy. She ate them all, and the red juice of the berried was all around her mouth. Satomi handed her something to clean it up with and smiled at her.
Words - 491
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Lilafly
Cat Sidhe
conviction is the first step to victory
Posts: 112
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Post by Lilafly on Mar 30, 2018 9:50:52 GMT 1
Sorry for the loooong wait, my inspiration was elsewhere and I somehow couldn't think of anything for this D:
The search for a job went as Quán expected: unsuccessful. It was quite hard to find employment when you were not only a woman but also had a child trailing behind you. The few places where her request for work had even be heard she had been denied once her conditions - how dare she make conditions! - were brought up. Apparently it was impossible to work anywhere where her son could accompany her. More than once had it been suggested to her that she'd find a daycare mother for him or, even more often, to simply find some stallion who had a good job and marry him. Neither of those were options she even so much as considered. Leaving her son alone was out of the question and when it came to stallions and marriage she about had enough of that too.
The sun had not set when she returned to the hotel, but Yun was tired, so she'd had no choice. While she did not have to carry him like she had the previous evening, the ascend to their room on the first floor was still a slow one. The colt fell on the bed without hesitation and whined. His legs probably hurt.
Quán lay down next to him and used some water she had carried with her to heal and ease the pain in her son's legs. He let out a content sigh and a mumbled thank you before falling asleep.
Quán waited a few minutes before putting the water away and exiting the room. She hoped that no one in this hotel was magically gifted enough to notice she lock spells she had set in place. Or worse, break them!
With the knowledge that her son was safe, sound and asleep, she ventured down to the reception. She figured it would be best to directly go there, rather than to ask a slave. With some luck - or bad luck? - she'd even meet the dark coated lady. In any case, Quán would have to pay for this night anyway. With that intent in mind, she walked up to the front desk, glad that there were no people around that'd need a check-in.
"Excuse me," she said to the receptionist, the same one that had already sat there the previous evening, "I have heard rumours this morning that there is a job position available at the hotel. Is it still available?" There, she had said it. It probably wouldn't be different than all the other times she had tried this in the last ten hours, but who doesn't dare doesn't win. She just hoped to finally be lucky.
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with [X] I simply mean that I do not know how much vend it would be, but it is a reasonable price for what kind of room it is. After all, the hotel is know for having a room fitting for what you can pay :'D