[Hopsfel] PACHECOLOOKITSAGIANT

[Magna]

15th of Searing, 120

"I very much argymach it," spoke the lizard in Ithmi while the trio walked. Magna was uncertain, and Pacheco was ambivalent. Of course, she didn't know that one word. He was trying to convince her to buy a weapon, so perhaps it was something along the lines of suggesting? Stressing? "Argymach?" She asked, uncertain. "Ah... Means err... Nomeenate? Suggest? Close, not quite..." Magna lifted her brow, "recommend?" She offered with a turn of the hand that didn't clutch Pacheco's lead. Khan's eyes widened in realization, and his head jostled in a quick nod. "Yes! Recommend!" In a way, her study of Ithmi was also expanding Khan's common speaking ability, especially as she advanced to a point where Khan didn't know the words in common and Ithmi. The momentary reprieve didn't save her though, as Khan continued his push as they came to stand before the weapon smith's store.

They'd arrived in Hopsfel just a matter of hours ago, and already Khan was pestering her to find a weapon. The wilds of Atinaw sounded dangerous, sure, but she'd not encountered trouble and most things didn't bother her. "I not know..." She replied with her broken Ithmi. "I not fight before..." She reminded the lizard, and he tilted his head. "Before..?" he asked with something of a trail, and Magna furrowed her brow. Was that not what she said? A moment's hesitation lifted her brows, and she began to consider if that was the right word for the sentence. "Uhh, I mean..." Her free hand lifted to her neck and rubbed as she considered her wording. "In the past?" Offered the rathari, and Magna sighed in defeat before she nodded. "I not fight een the pohst," she corrected herself with butchered pronunciation. Khan shrugged; it was close enough.

"It's not like that here, Magna. Everyone needs to hold their own, eithriad the druids and some eithriadae." The half-giant grit her teeth. What was that word? She hadn't heard it before. However, it followed a pattern she knew for singular and plurals in the Ithmi language. it wasn't difficult to imagine that the druids were not expected to fight like everyone else, though. With a sigh, she shook her head. Khan rolled his eyes before he drew a deep breath through his nose and filled his lungs with the smell of the forge. He'd lived in that city all his life, the smell of burning coal and the sound of hammering metal would never get old for him.

The subject of her weapon couldn't wait, it seemed. But all she'd ever swung was an axe, and that was to chop trees. The thought of using such a tool on an animal made her skin pale, and her breath unsteady. She couldn't even begin to imagine hitting someone with a tool like that. Still, atinaw sounded like a dangerous place filled with dangerous things, bandits included. She might have needed a weapon at any point during her journey to Hopsfel. Perhaps she'd just gotten lucky? Khan stared at her for a moment longer as the clansmen and blacksmiths around them carried on with their days, occasionally stopping to spy the crippled lizard who sat on a horse and the unarmed giant where they stood. "We do not have to get one today if you don't want to, Magna," the lizard offered, slow enough with wording that she could understand. She stood for a moment longer, and stared into the doorway of the smithy. Oddly enough, it looked as though she could fit inside without much hassle, all she need do was take a step forward...

[Amara]

With her sword at her side, and a small pouch of Dranari snuggled tightly on her hip, Amara had made her way back into the city. She was lucky; spotting a shop the night before that might have been able to accommodate someone of her stature after all. It had been late though, the owner had left and she wasn't able to speak to anyone there. This left her disappointed but so very excited, another sleepless night making her tired and fatigued. Knowing that's no way to take care of herself, Amara slept in, waking hours later to dress and hurry off back into the marketplace of Hopsfel. The unnerved form of a Jastai had been walking around the city, struggling to find her way back to the same area. Her footsteps were heavy like a child that'd been pouting, but she was overcome with anxiety at the fact that she may not find a smith to take her in after all.. Well, the city was a big place, she hadn't even explored half of it yet, so maybe it'd take a while? Or she'd seen the sign wrong?!

Suddenly, her racing thoughts were put to rest when the sign of a blacksmith was spotted in the distance. It was unlikely she'd be able to fit in the doorway, but it seemed pretty large compared to most buildings around her, so perhaps.. With a breath and a hopeful smile, she made her way along the road- just to be blocked by a horse and what looked like.. a lizard atop of it? at the last second. Though her gaze was more on the missing limb, and worry coated her voice as she spoke out. "Damn, are you alright? It looks painful."

Amara crouched down just enough to see his face, unsurprising to see his other scaled features. "Oh, I'm sorry I know I shouldn't pry.." And she stood up straight again, one hand reaching back to rub the back of her neck. "I have a hard time thinking before I speak." The woman was sheepish, before laughing and gently patting the hindquarters of the horse. Gently.

[Magna]

Yup... Just one step was all it would take. Just one step and she'd enter the smithy and undoubtedly buy a weapon. All she needed to do was move her foot, which remained planted firmly on the cobbled road. The half-Jastai drew another deep breath, then sighed just as deeply. She couldn't do it. With all her teeth flashing in a nervous grin, she turned to face khan, then bowed her head solemnly. Khan simply nodded in return. The look of disappointment was clear on his face, though he spoke not a word of it to the half-giant. "It is okay. We can try again yforth," he spoke yet another word she didn't recognize and strained her mind in a desperate attemptt to try and recall what it meant if she even knew it at all. "Yforth?" She defeatedly asked, and Khan grinned. "Ehh, next day. Tomorrow."

Magna nodded and looked up from the one-armed Chameleon man as her thoughts worked, and her eyes fell upon the approaching giant. Her silver irises focused intently, mixed with disbelief & awe. She'd come to Atinaw to find the Jastai tribe, a race of giants that she believed she may be related to, but this woman towered over her. The half-giant, however well-sculpted, felt small in her presence. When the taller woman stopped before Khan and Pacheco, she turned to brush her hair from her face and straightened up immediately. This was the moment she'd been searching an entire year for, the chance to meet one of her own kind. Her chest rose and fell with manual breaths, intended to ease her thumping heart while the other Giant spoke with Khan.

The lizard blinked in surprise. Not at her stature, but at the slurry of common that he attempted to sort through. After a brief, wide-eyed pause, the chameleon nodded carefully and looked to Magna before clearing his throat. "Am fine, yes," he spoke in common as he turned back to her. "Khan not mind pry. Outseeder too?" he asked. Meanwhile, Magna began to sweat. Khan was doing a fantastic job introducing himself to the giant while she'd curled up in her awkward shell. She needed to say something soon or the woman would leave. Should she be forward? Relaxed? She didn't know. What did giants like? A quick shake of her head cleared her mind, and she breathed deeply before she straightened her back, then turned to face the taller giant. "Hello!" She spoke loudly, clearly, and extended her hand to Amara by reaching over the horse.

Indeed, Magna had been loud enough to draw the attention of some of the locals in the street. Funny looks were passed to the common-speakers, and judgemental whispers were spoken in the background. "I'm Magna! Nice to meetcha!" The air around her felt tense, and her smile almost obviously concealed some level of anxiety. Khan merely looked upon her with wide eyes and pursed lips before he scooted back in the saddle, apparently a little uncomfortable.

[Amara]

The giant seemed to relax, her hand drifting away from the horses rear as she stepped closer to the lizard could speak with her more comfortably, without having to turn. With a better view of him she could glance over his wound once more, her brows furrowed as she seemed genuinely concerned for the stranger. At one however, her eyes turned to the red-headed woman beside him, holding the lead to the horse quite likely the friend of this creature. Amara opened her mouth to greet her as well, when his voice called out to grab her attention. "I'm glad to hear." Relief washed over her, a hand on her chest like it had began to ache. "Khan, I assume that--" The woman paused and thought for a moment. He spoke a bit broken, or did she hear him wrong? No matter, "Khan is your name?" Amara called simply, hoping her assumption was right, otherwise she might feel rude.

"I am, yes. Happy to meet." She had leaned down again, hopefully seeming polite by meeting his gaze. "I'm-" Amara paused, blinking in surprise at the rather loud greeting she'd received from the woman. For a second or two she looked as meek as Khan felt, her eyes darting to the side to watch a few passerbys whisper their disapproval. Then she huffed, stood tall directed her hard glare at the few she caught gossiping. Sure enough, a few had turned away and scurried off, perhaps embarrassed to be caught or intimidated by an angry giant. Either way Amara felt satisfied and turned to-- Magna? Was it? "Be careful to keep your voice down when you speak common, yeah?" She reached to shake her hand anyways.

"It's a lovely city, but it's usually not very kind to outsiders." It seemed she'd learned that the hard way. One of the many attempts at finding a teacher was met with something she felt silly not to expect. A damned language barrier! Those thoughts were pushed away rather quickly though, back on task. "My name is Amara, it's lovely to meet you." For Magna, she didn't lean down or crouch. "Don't suppose you've come here for a weapon?" For the love of everything, let this one speak common fluently. The few beings here that had a lick of common were hard to understand as it was, and while she didn't mind it could get frustrating.

[Magna]

Stubborn as a mule, Magna fought the creeping red in her face and swallowed hard when she realized she'd spoken a bit too loud. It took all her will not to look at the others that surrounded but also to maintain her focus on the giant. She appeared rigid, uncomfortable herself, even. Fine, so she'd butchered her introduction, but she could still have a normal conversation with the giant, and hopefully learn a bit more about the Jastai. Meanwhile, Khan had all but shrank into his seat on Pacheco's back, almost as though he wished to disappear and escape the judgemental gaze of the surrounding clansmen... At least until they scurried off.

"Uhh, yeah... Khan told me something about that," she spoke a bit quieter and reached behind her head to comb her hair with her fingernails. She looked to the Chameleon where he sat then, and he nodded in return. "Yes, Atinaw not kind to keenless. Common speak is dead giveaway," the rathari shook his head. Magna smiled a little at the explanation and nodded. "Kinless as in... No kinship, outsider, stranger," added the shorter woman with something of a low exhale, almost sigh-like in consistency. "Try'na learn Ithmi, but it's slow goin'," she explained briefly before she shifted to the topic of weapons.

"Uhh-" The half-giant stammered and looked to the doorway again. "Not today," came her quick reply, and Khan nodded. "Yforth, maybe," he added to Magna's explanation, and she nodded in affirmation. Her attention returned to the woman ahead of her, and she actually had to crane her neck upward in order to meet her eyes; a sensation she was most unfamiliar with. "You're kinless too, huh? New to these parts?" The assumption wasn't too far of a stretch considering the woman had opened a conversation in common, despite the lack of common-speak in the country. "It's alright, I'm new too! Khan here's the only reason I found this city, bless him." A turn of her head put her silver eyes on the lizard, who was caught looking between the two giants with uncertainty.

He didn't speak common well, after all. He was better than most locals, sure, but still broken in the language. Once Magna had said her part, in words that he couldn't begin to understand, he turned to Amara and bowed his head. "Nem ees Khan, yes. Nice to encounter Amara." Magna smiled at the Lizard's returned greeting, then nodded.

[Amara]

"Don't mind them, alright?" Amara was referring to the onlookers who had quite obviously just made the Rathari uncomfortable. Manga, however stood tall against the dagger-like stares. Waiting patiently for the lizard to finish speaking, a word caught her attention. Kinless. It were foreign to her and even after the explanation given to her by the few locals that could understand her, it was confusing. It was something she'd left for later. Snapping from those thoughts her attention was on Magna again, almost curious as she finally got a better look at the girl. The most noticeable feature was her height- still shorter than Amara (of course) yet taller then any human she's every seen. An upbringing of politeness stopped the question of 'Are you deformed' before it could crawl past her pale lips (One could argue that staring was rude, but she was in fact merely observing.) Red, wild curls drew her attention next, falling in waves over stiff shoulders and strong arms, which were tanned by the sun. Wait, what had she said?

"Ithimi, right." The word came out in a slur as she registered it. "It's.. Probably best I learn that someday as well then." A short, bubbly laugh left her lips. The weapon bit confused her, but the topic passed by so quickly she assumed it just wasn't important. "I suppose I am, yes." She answered in response to her kin. "I've only lived here about.. almost a week now actually, so I'm thankful to find another who can understand me. But enough of that," The giant grinned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Welcome to Hopsfel. Hope you're here for a while, Magna. And you as well, Khan." She stepped to the side to let man pass by before she spoke again. What a talkative girl. "And this ones name?" The Jastai maneuvered around, her hand on the horse's side as she came to meet it's face.

A gentle touch came to pat it's neck, though her attention had shifted to the horse there was no doubt she was listening to the girl holding the lead, and the Rathari atop the animal.

[Magna]

Magna didn't seem to mind the taller woman's stare, she was also prone to staring off into space from time to time, often at the most inconvenient of times, in fact. During the silence, the wind uncoiled from her sails, and she was left stranded in the sea of her open mind for a moment or two, only snapped back to Ransera by the sound of Amara's voice, which broke the noise of the street. She drew a deep breath and flared her nostrils as she filled her lungs, only to exhale just as deeply as the last remnants of her daydream dissipated. "Mmm," she sounded with a nod. Amara was indeed Kinless, as she'd guessed. She was new to Hopsfel, just as she and Pacheco were. By the timing, it sounded as though she'd moved in after Khan had set out on his fateful journey. Magna suddenly looked to the taller woman's feet, presumably in thought while Khan rose his brow ridges at her. Pacheco didn't seem to mind being petted, if anything, the wave of his head, coupled with the whinny that followed suggested that he enjoyed the attention.

"He nem Pacheco," replied the Lizard while Magna thought, then brushed a claw of his own through the beast's mane. At the sound of the horse's name, Magna lifted her gaze and looked between the three. "Oh yeah. This is Pacheco; best damn horse in Atinaw..." her hand too met with his mane and began to stroke. "Hardest to find, too." She added and cast a look to the lizard as she stilled her lips. Khan appeared uncomfortable for a moment, only to relax as Magna smiled, and let go of Pacheco's mane. "If it wasn't for Khan bleeding all over the country, I doubt I would have found him!" Her tone took a gleeful, loud stroke, and she patted the smaller reptilian on his back with enough force to jostle him. For a moment or two, it looked as though he might have lost his grip if she kept it up, but the weight of his armor kept him securely sat on the steed's back.

With that, the chameleon chuckled a little and eased himself off of the mount. This time, he stuck the landing, and promptly straightened to brush himself off with his one arm. "Khan have chore. Meet at gate at... Errr... Sun... Set? Yes." The smaller male had to squint for a moment while he thought, and Magna passed him a funny look. "Alright, I guess. Catch ya later, Khan," she spoke with a hint of intrigue and concern in her voice, plain as day. The Rath took a one-armed bow as he was excused, then, rose to wave off Amara before he took his leave. Magna spied him carefully as he trotted off with something of a spring in his step, but didn't speak a word of her thoughts. Instead, she returned her gaze to the Jastai. Her silver eyes were aglow in the morning light; filled with wonder and awe.

When she realized she was staring, she shook her head and snapped from her daze. "Uhh, sorry," grinned the halfbreed while she rubbed the back of her head. "Uhh, you're a Jastai, right...? I mean like me, obviously, haha..." Sweat had begun to form on her brow. Why did she say that? "Umm, do you wanna get something to eat? I mean like, we're both strangers here, might as well trade info or something, ya know?" Another nervous laugh followed her offer, though she maintained her grin. Amara would be forgiven for seeing the clueless clutter that rested behind her nonchalant facade. After all, it was all over her sleeve.

[Amara]

"Hey there, Pacheco." The giant called. Amara seemed keen on patting the horse as both Khan and Magna spoke, most words mere grazing her mind until- "Er- What's that..?" She looked up at last, staring between Khan and Magna just after she rose the topic of a Rathari bleeding everywhere. It was definitely something one would need context to, as the thought alone had the Jastai imagining a handful of crazy ideas. But the cheering tone of the red head wasn't as off-putting as she thought. Amara barely knew the girl, but seriously doubted she was one to go around cutting away at friends. Suddenly she shot forward, hands on either side of the reptile as he wobbled atop the mount, threatening to fall. He was more stable than she gave credit however and recovered, jumping off to say his part quickly after.

"See you, Khan!" The girl waved back as she watched him head off, and quickly realized alone with the nervous looking red head.. Amara hoped she wasn't scaring her somehow. Oh! "So you are Jastai! I thought you were a bit big for a human.. though smaller than any Jastai I've ever met." Suddenly, the thought came to her and she snapped her fingers! "Well, seems like I'm a big slow. You're only part, right?" She seemed proud at the very obvious realization, threading fingers through pitch black curls and nimble braids. "Hope that doesn't sound rude, Magna, I've just never met a halfbreed before." The giant must have been speaking to the rarity, and the reason for Magna's nervous disposition made a bit of sense. Perhaps she didn't know much about her own race?

At last she was pulled out of her thoughts by the topic of food. Despite being here longer, there weren't many places Amara knew of that could fit her, one or two, but.. She took a moment to think, parting her lips as if she were to speak a few times but never actually voicing the little ideas. "Right! Food sounds like a good idea. You be sure to ask me all the questions you want, yeah?" It was rare that she could talk about her proud race in depth, and Amara was ready to take advantage. Not to brag of course! But she was very proud of what she was. "If you don't mind following me around for a bit? I know where it is, though my sense of direction is nothing if I don't have a map."

[Magna]

Magna had been called a few things in her life; helpful, strong, tall, hard working, but never small until that moment. Her eyes widened a little as the taller woman picked through her features: 'Taller than any human, smaller than any Jastai.' Would she so easily be found out? Yes. Before she could even offer a defense, her facade had fallen, and it was assumed that she was a halfbreed. Magna sighed defeatedly, then nodded firmly to the observation. "Half Jastai... I think." Added the smaller giant with something of a trail to her speak. Despite her apparent discomfort, however, the casual way that Amara spoke of it seemed to put her at ease. It wasn't her fault, after all.

"Ah, no. You're fine. I'm just uhh, not used to being called small!" She continued to reflect while grinning that dopey smile of hers. Yes, her father had told her that the Jastai were giants, but she'd not imagined that they were that giant. Oddly enough, being in Amara's presence brought her own slight slouch to her attention, and she corrected her posture promptly.

"Really?" She asked as her eyes brightened up again. Amara was willing to answer her questions? How kind! She'd felt the strange need to sleuth around and learn of her race indirectly, butshe no longer needed to pretend, it seemed. "Thank you so much," the giant started with a smile. "You have no idea how much that helps. I'll follow your lead!" Both relief and excitement ran through her when she'd agreed to eat together. She'd never have admitted it, but she'd have been crushed if Amara refused. So, with a spring in her step, she followed after the taller woman and quietly adjusted her fur clothing to tidy herself up while Amara wasn't looking in her direction. She didn't have to worry about losing her, as she stood out well in a crowd.

A nagging voice in the back of her head stressed caution. After all, she was ultimately following a stranger through a place she'd never seen before. The rest of her thoughts were awestruck with the sheer amount of people present, and the detail and architecture of the stone homes and shops. The city was truly incredible, and if things went well that day, she might have found herself a new friend.

[Althalos]

XP Awarded - 8
Collaboration: Amara, Magna
Magic Experience: No
Injuries/Ailments: No
Awarded Lore:
Amara:

► Show Spoiler

[Politics:] Outsiders are unwelcome in Atinaw.
[Politics:] Common Language is a dead give away you're not from here!
[Intimidation:] A giant's glare can scare away onlookers.
[Animal Handling:] Horses enjoy a soft touch
[Rhetoric:] A bit of laughter can lighten the mood!
[Etiquette:] Introducing yourself.
[PC] Magna: She's awkward.
[PC] Magna: A half breed
[PC] Magna: New to Hopsfel
[PC] Magna: Has a horse
[PC] Magna: Friendly
[NPC] Khan: A Rathari
[NPC] Khan: Has one arm
[NPC] Khan: Poor common, but speaks Ithmi
[NPC] Khan: Is teaching Magna Ithmi
[NPC] Pacheco: Likes to be pat.

-

Magna:

► Show Spoiler

Etiquette: Introducing yourself.
Etiquette: Greeting strangers.
Etiquette: Saying goodbye.
[Linguistics] Ithmi: Timing, relative to days.
[Linguistics] Ithmi: Common nouns relative to time.
[Linguistics] Ithmi: A word for recommend.
[Linguistics] Ithmi: Using the correct term.
[Linguistics] Ithmi: Making a word a plural.
-
[PC] Amara: A really tall, friendly Jastai woman.
[PC] Amara: Agreed to eat with you.
[PC] Amara: Agreed to answer your questions about the Jastai.
[PC] Amara: Lives in Hopsfel as of a week ago.
[PC] Amara: Has trouble fitting in buildings.
[NPC] Khan: Friendly to everyone apparently.
[NPC] Khan: Possibly embarrassed of you.
[NPC] Khan: Likes Amara

Loot: No

Bonus Lore:
Amara:
Etiquette - Not Calling Someone Deformed

Magna:
Etiquette - Not Yelling Common in Atinaw

Comments - Looks like you've both made some progress in your quests to meet people. Amara met a halfbreed, and Magna managed to meet a Jastai. The conversation was appropriately awkward between the two of you, and I got the mental image of two people looking at their feet a bunch. Is social anxiety part of the Jastai blood? Regardless, it was a polite meeting thread, and I'm sure your friendship will only continue to blossom after you manage to eat. Hope to see how that plays out!