Quests & Challenges

@Rocwylde
Whew, not sure when I'll have to worry about exams again, heh. Short one for the purposes of reining in my desire to press on in order to not overly violate roleplay etiquette.

~~~


Nils had the merchant’s attention. While it was possible to get away with new paint-jobs and some redesigns for Flight festivals that shared a touch of the theatre in their mood, the Carnivale was a different matter and was best prepared for well in advance.
“Most interesting,” he stroked a whisker, “might I take a look?” The Pearlcatcher reached forward expectantly. “One must make sure one’s…trading partners indeed offer what they claim to.” A moment passed and the stallowner’s voice lost a fraction of its honey. “I can guarantee a discount for the Skydancer’s purchase for permitting me a quick check before I can name my full offer.”

@Stanzascale Okay, finally back and I'll be darned if I'm not ready to finish this properly. Too many threads I've known have died without conclusion, I will do my best so it doesn't happen here >3 Welcome back from finals heck, though! and this is short... I apologize. ------- [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=266115&tab=dragon&did=31550438][img]https://i.imgbox.com/0Fhklbnm.png[/img][/url] "Certainly. I'd not be a Spark if I did not handle my end." He offered the lightly singed parchment to his Pearlcatcher cousin and paid moderate attention to what they were doing. Too careless would make it seem like he was cocky, too careful would make it seem that this was not genuine. Nils kindly gestured to Fary and the others to choose their masks. He was already convinced with his feathered one. Unless the Pearlcatcher pulled a fast one on him. "Name us your offer." Nils replied firmly, unfaltering even under the truer tone of the merchant. Exchange was never a kindly pastime, the Bard would never wish to make a career out of something like this, but knowing a few tricks was never a bad idea.

@Rocwylde It seems to be the norm with group roleplays in my experience. 1x1 RPs seem to have a better survival rate (though I've known comparatively fewer cases of such). Thank you. Ah no worries, this is just an intermediary stage before we hit the funzone. :) I admit I half-wonder if I made the offer too generous because I really can't be bothered to haggle. XP ~~~ [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=287148][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/2872/287148.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=767253][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/7673/767253.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=159574][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/1596/159574.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=244838][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/2449/244838.png[/img][/url] Although it wasn’t a complete account, festivals generally had all events faithful to a common theme. What Nils was offering included events that could be reasonably anticipated to be popular and between them gave the merchant a decent impression of the overarching theme. “Very well my friend, you have a deal. A discount for the Mirror and…consider yours a gift.” The stallowner accepted the parchment, ran his eyes over it one last time, before rolling it up and putting it away. Faryelle found something appealingly eyecatching and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortably it wore, in spite of her keeping her goggles on. Perhaps an extortionate pricer was better than a shoddy craftsman. The lines and simple colour of the mask Octantis chose appealed to him. He half-imagined it could be hung off the back of a pack when not in use. It would look nice by flickering firelight. “Thank you for your patronage. I believe that makes you my last customers of the evening.” The merchant paused, continuing to pack up his things, before the last word as if uncertain whether it still was so. “Now is the time for all of us to enjoy the grandest of nights.” With that the Pearlcatcher placed the now folded sign into a slot on the cart before lifting one end and heading on his way. With the merchantile conundrum resolved there was no longer any barrier apparent to heading for the festivities. None of the four clan-mates were disposed to carry especially ‘formal’ wear with them on their journeying, so, though they were well aware of the existence of the practice, dressing up for special occasions was not an accustomed practice. Sarynid was content that the evening’s plans were back on track for the time being and the other three were expressing variations on ‘anticipation’. The party, now set for the event, headed for the nearest celebration hub. The streets, lit in cyan, were practically dead. But it wasn’t hard to tell where everyone had gone. It was as if the darkness aided in finding where the life of the city was. On their arrival, the sky was almost entirely black, but for a smudge of washed-out red on the horizon. The place was bustling and a hum of excitement was in the air. At the sides one could catch sight of some punch bowls which also meant “food!” “Wait, Chirro.” “There will be something to see soon.” Sarynid reminded them. The festivities had yet to break into full swing. It seemed everyone was waiting. “Ah, the Daughter of the Sea…” Faryelle realised.

@Stanzascale I am no trader, I wouldn't know what is generous or not, XD. I suppose if the information pique's the buyer's interest enough, nothing is too generous? I dunno, man LOL. And if it sounds a little choppy, that's probably because I started the post yesterday, continued this morning and had to stop due to the need to paint my room. ----- [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=266115&tab=dragon&did=31550438][img]https://i.imgbox.com/0Fhklbnm.png[/img][/url] [img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/familiar/art/22258.png[/img] "Safe travels, cousin. See you at the Carnivale." Nils mentioned, attempting to hide his excitement at the deal, before gently hooking the feathered mask around his ears and mane. It rested comfortably, even bearing holes for his twin horns to pass through. The feathers kissed his muzzle and flared around his face to mimic a harpy... at least Nils assumed as much. The tip of the mask was pointed sharply, it seemed like he had a beak for the evening! Gleefully scraping his claws on the pavement as he walked, the Pearlcatcher's spirits were elevated, all the obstructions in their path seemingly cleared away. "Food sounds like a wonderful idea, I may even recite a poem in celebration!" However, all the stresses of the searching and bartering with the last merchant left him wondering if he was forgetting something. Something about bubbles, or perhaps a pocket monster... Nils stopped walking. A wretched devil with fins and a habit of disappearing wherever it went. And just as the final light left the sky, electric cyan eyes locked on the beast in question. [i]"I found you."[/i] He hissed. Suddenly, the Marriage of the Sea mattered not. Only this time, with his mask, Nils had the element of surprise. He weaved silently through the expectant crowd, all who came across him saw only a charming hide of gold with a piercing gaze. It seemed the tension in the air was palpable as the Daughter of the Sea awaited her stage, ring clutched in her claws. The Pearlcatcher shrank towards the ground, belly nearly dragging on the floor as he approached the Goblin. And just as he was ready to pounce on the beast that stole his booty, he paused. The Bubbling Beast was frantically moving around, avoiding the clamoring of claws, and looking straight up. "Poor thing is struggling as if it wants to see the event up close." But everything was so much taller than it. Readjusting himself, Nils grabbed the Goblin by it's spare skin and lifted it up into the air. At first, it panicked, flailing enough for Nils to lose his grip. The blue creature bared its teeth defensively, and Nils shrugged. "Very well then, miss the entire event." And in a mock awed tone, gazed at the sky. "Oooo! i see the Daughter of the Sea flying. My, how elegant. A shame, really, you can't see a thing." He was lying, of course. he easily convinced the Goblin and it indignantly cried beneath the large dragon. eventually, after he had thoroughly tortured the poor creature, he lowered his body for the Goblin to clamber on. He nearly heard it gasp as the Daughter of the Sea finally began her dance, descending unto Levitos for all to see. The Bard calmly made his way back to the party with his new straggler. "My, what magnificence... I feel under-dressed for the occasion!" At the mention of a dresscode, he felt his companion's tail sag against him. Nils huffed. "Oh do not tell me you too desire a mask like the rest of us." The little arms reaching for his beak told him that yes, that was definitely the case. With a loud sigh, Nils pushed the goblin towards his back and away from his face. Searching through his belongings, the Gold Pearlcatcher felt the brown paper bag. Ah yes, from the Coatl... He had and idea. With a claw, Nils began scratching holes into the material, making enough noise to pique the interest of the Goblin. Playfully, he covered the creature's eyes with his tail. "No peeking." It appeared to understand him clearly, for the goblin made no more fuss until Nils finished. He presented the completed paper mask to them. At first, it had no idea what to do with three holes in a bag, until they began playing with it. Excitedly, the Goblin placed it over its head. Two eyes and one muzzle peeked out perfectly against everything else. "There. Now you look presentable." It soon dawned on him that this goblin acted a little differently that he expected his target to. Perhaps it was a different one. Or perhaps... it just didn't recognize Nils with his mask.

@Rocwylde ~~~ [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=287148][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/2872/287148.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=767253][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/7673/767253.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=159574][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/1596/159574.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=244838][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/2449/244838.png[/img][/url] Octantis initially attempted to follow Nils, not having caught sight of what had caught the Pearlcatcher’s attention, but the crowd was less yielding at that moment to the rather larger Mirror. Chirro also squirmed unhappily at the prospect of moving away from where the food he could see was. “May as well wait.” Sarynid remarked. Faryelle had her gaze skywards and wasn’t paying attention. “New friend!” Chirro was the first to greet the latest addition to the party. Sarynid turned his head to look but gave no further response. As for the duo who felt they knew this meddlesome mischief-maker, they were surprised at the seemingly reconciled pair. Octantis gave a stifled grunt. Surprises were a delight to Faryelle and she took a pawful of sunflower seeds that were on offer and offered them to the goblin. “Nice night for a festival, isn’t it?” Chirro gave a giggle as the goblin adopted the dress code. “So many hats!” The Spiral didn’t see a massive difference between a hat that rested on the crown of the head and a mask. “It’s really nice.” Faryelle remarked, mostly on Nils's effort and how adorable the improvised mask looked on the goblin. A hush fell, as at the cutting motion of a conductor, and all stood witness to the beauty that was the Daughter of the Sea in flight. Both here and in dozens of locations, both public and private, denizens and visitors watched her passing. A brief glint tumbled from sky to sea, and some would claim they heard the splash of the sea receiving the ceremonial ring before Levitos erupted into cheers. The crowds became fluid and Chirro squirmed onto a nearby table, heading for the caterpillar fritters. Sarynid drifted to Octantis, out of the goblin’s likely hearing range. “So, what’s the story behind all of this?” “A goblin, might be that one, stole Nils’s tome before the tour started. We spent a fair amount of the tour trying to catch it to get it back to him.” “I can imagine.” Octantis cocked his head. “It definitely had the tome with it when we saw it running party-wards.” “So the stolen property is hidden nearby, perhaps. I can look around this area.” Octantis gave the Fae a nod and tried to whisper to Chirro, “check under the tables.” The Spiral made a puzzled noise through his mouthful and continued eating.

@Stanzascale allmosstt theereeee. The beginning is a little bleh, but I think it wasn't too bad near the end. Onto celebration! ----- [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=266115&tab=dragon&did=31550438][img]https://i.imgbox.com/0Fhklbnm.png[/img][/url] [img]http://flightrising.com/images/cms/familiar/art/22258.png[/img] The center of attention was not entirely new to Nils, he oftentimes enjoyed it. what he did't like, however, were the particular looks of Octantis and Faryelle. The small spell of tension eased off when the lovely Skydancer offered the Goblin a few seeds. It took them happily, while the Pearlcatcher frowned. "do you have no manners? Thank Fary! And share, why don't you?" In response, the Bubbling Goblin looked to Faryelle, and hopped off to gently hug her leg and only hold out some for her to take if she so pleased. Nils frowned. "[i]Well, thanks[/i]" He clearly saw the Goblin stick it's tongue out at him, and Nils snorted, clearly insulted. Fary's words, however, made him forget the kiss-up to nod bashfully. "Thank you." Everyone's voices hushed as the ceremony was in full swing. And truly, Nils had believed he heard the ring hit the water. A pleasant and delicate sound it was, until the uproarious cheers resonated within Levitos. Looking to his sides, the little fiend was nowhere to be seen. He took advantage of the crowd and began scouring around with Octantis and Sarynid. He checked under tables, behind landmarks, he even knocked down a few dragons by accident. He turned up nothing, deciding to check on his fellow searchers, Nils bounded over to Octantis. "Have you found any... OH!" Skidding to a halt, Nils came face to face with a dimly glowing electric blue tome underneath the table. His face melded into an expression of mixed joy and relief. "My companions, over here!" He called, nearly diving for his beloved book of secrets. He held it in his claws once more, and embraced it tightly. The cover was slightly soggy, but the inside was almost perfectly preserved. What fortitude! "Ah-ha! This is truly worth celebrating, my dearest tome, you've been returned to me!" In his excitement, Nils was half-aware of a small gibbering noise getting progressively louder. He opened one cyan eye and nearly snarled at the Goblin that was coming closer. "Keep away, wretched beast! Do you know how [i]precious[/i] this tome is to me?! It contains my life's work, the essence of my entire career. And you up and fled with it as if that meant nothing to you!" Reasonably, Nils was furious. Beside himself, even! He didn't notice nor care if any onlookers saw this tiny feud between a dragon and a goblin. The Goblin said nothing as it slowly crept up towards the golden Pearlcatcher, who eyed it dangerously. And it only reached out, eyes behind the mask twisting in sadness... sadness? Nils only frowned. "What, will you tell me you read these tales and wish to keep them for your own library under the sea?" It approached closer, wherein Nils flung his tail out in front of it to keep the goblin at bay. And then, the goblin reached for his tail, of all things, and brought it in a small embrace. The dragon's expression turned confused. "What...?" The Bubbling Goblin looked up at Nils with the most puppy-dog-eyed expression he had ever seen. His tense posture softened. "You, it appears its not the tome you want. But the prospect of interacting with someone. Is that what you are trying to tell me? You want me to [i]play [/i]with you?" The small blue creature's expression brightened, it nodded vigorously. Now that he thought of it, the Goblin never once tried to act in malevolence. It was a playful sort, just barely staying out of the dragon's reach, urging him to follow. It would wait for him to give chase, then start running. It was a game of tag to the goblin, not a ploy to ruin Nils' life's work. He heaved a sigh. "What would you have me do about this? For you clearly don't seem to want to leave." In response, the Goblin hopped over the Pearlcatcher's tail to sit on his hide. It held on to his mane. Somehow, it snapped into place. "So, you don't want to leave my side? You wish to go with me on my travels?" It nodded, a smile taking over its muzzle. "Well, so long as you do not steal my tome again, I do not see why I should refuse such an offer. We will travel after the festivities!" Excitedly, the Bubbling Goblin climbed up Nils to embrace his neck. "I will take that as a thank you. You are quite welcome." Standing up, the Goblin and his tome in tow, Nils returned to his friends to celebrate, smiling brightly. He was finally, [i]finally[/i] able to enjoy the Saturnala without fear of losing his tome to the depths of the sea. "Shall we eat before Chirro consumes everything?

@Rocwylde Aww, that’s a nice way to tidy things up. ^^ *puts on party hat* Drat. Curse the various distractions and my own procrastination, not to mention hayfever. ~~~ [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=287148][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/2872/287148.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=767253][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/7673/767253.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=159574][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/1596/159574.png[/img][/url][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=244838][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/2449/244838.png[/img][/url] “Aw, plenty of food to go around.” Faryelle scratched the goblin beneath its mane. After the festivities had commenced, it was Nils who discovered the hiding place of the snatched tome. “Yes!” Octantis cried. “The treasured tome is returned!” Sarynid hadn’t gone so far that the voices of the two jubilant dragons would be inaudible, and returned shortly. Faryelle had been leisurely wandering and arrived last. “Perfect time and place for a toast!” Octantis glanced around for where tumblers or the like might be found, but Nils and the goblin’s confrontation occurred before he spotted any. Sarynid cocked his head at the curious turn of events that he had only recently been caught up on the preface of. “A hug!” “A hug?” Faryelle and Octantis each responded. “It was definitely a fun way to tour the city.” Octantis agreed with Nils’s conclusion. “Well it’s one way to get someone’s attention.” Sarynid quietly remarked. “Hooray! It all works out for everyone!” Faryelle gave a little cheer. “Twists and turns, eh?” Octantis grinned at Sarynid who hummed affirmatively. “Chirro! Please leave some for the rest of us!” Faryelle called. Fortunately, the Spiral hadn’t lingered near any singular food-offering long before moving on to try the next. Encountering a couple of other Spirals at a tray of watermelon slices had lead him to slow down to chatter. “There’s plenty going on now.” Faryelle remarked. “I spotted some dancers, as well as musicians anyone dances to. There’s magicians, some sort of show involving glowing paint, fortunetellers are still around. I also heard about a parade and about bakers and artists bringing their work to share.” While Faryelle was speaking, Octantis found some glasses, filled them with a beverage on offer and proceeded passed them around, leaving Chirro’s next to where the Spiral remained occupied. “To friends and treasures found!”