Lightstar Family/Xarnelf/Roleplay 91
Sale Nuts For Stale
(Roleplay from Rebbec Kazukin)
Rebbec and her men had been having fun in Alanurs, ripping down walls and shooting arrows into the souls of Soliferum's most "immortal" men, but there was no financial gain here anymore. Now that the takeover by Zonasa had begun, looting would have to come to a halt, even though it proved pointless anyways. Rebbec would gather the Fallen Angels once more, and order them to move out further into enemy territory. She knew in the back of her mind that she only had enough gold in hand to pay her unit for eight more days, so she hoped to strike some gold in another region. She would never inform the men of this however, why lead to an early stray.
"Captain Hugo, it's great to see you are well once more" Rebbec said with excitement, as she gave the man a hug.
"Yes mi'lady the men were able to barter some much needed food from Sir Haerthorne." Captain Hugo reported, with a smile that never left his face when he spoke to Rebbec.
"This is great news indeed, it seems our Captain General was well prepared for the food shortage." Rebbec said gleefully, "I hope he didn't take to much from you."
"He only requested a few spare arrows in payment for the food. I figured this wouldn't be a problem with you, as we prepared so many." Captain Hugo reported, smile still on his face.
Rebbec let out a laugh, "Typical man, thinking with his stomach, and not at the war at hand."
"There is other news as well mi'lady" Captain Hugo continued, "it seems that his men have been given orders to move out to Cutnipaniel."
"This is most excellent, gather the men and follow him." Rebbec sounded delighted, as she knew staying around in Alanurs would only lead to them needing to return home. "I will be following behind, don't wait up for me, I know the way."
As she hurried Captain Hugo along, she knew there were a few more things in town she required before she left. Most importantly finding out any information as to what had happened to her brother.
"SALE NUTS FOR STALE!! SALE NUTS--Err... I mean...--STALE NUTS FOR SALE!!" a lonely market vendor called out from his small stand by the side of the street. He noticed a young lady walking towards him and rushed out, brandishing a bag of peanuts in each hand and hopping from foot to foot, trying to catch her attention.
"Milady, could you wear to nigh some butts? ERR I MEAN!! Would you care to buy some nuts?"
He gave his best cheesy grin and held the bags out.
(Roleplay from Rebbec Kazukin)
Rebbec examined the man. Clearly he wasn't mentally stable, and had probably eaten a few to many stale nuts of his own. As she examined the bag he held out, she noticed the mark of Greater Aenilia.
"A peasant of Aenilia all the way out here?" Rebbec thought out loud, as questions began to well in her head. Rebbec asked the man perplexed, "Why have you come here?"
"I bus horn spear" the man stumbled to say, "err..I was born here."
This conversation was posing to be pointless, she could barely understand this man, clearly he was to ill from the lack of actual food. As she began to try and evade past the man, she noticed that on the back of his jacket was a mark of Soliferum. It had all made sense now, he wasn't a peasant of Aenilia at all, but how had he got one of their bags.
Pulling out her dagger and pointing it at the peasant, her attitude quickly changed, "I want information as to where you got that bag"
With a yelp of fear the peasant turned around and quickly began running away yelling words that Rebbec couldn't make out into any actual sentences. She quickly followed sharp on his tracks.
Who was this lad maidy? Dueling a sagger on a pimple merchant? The vendor shook his head to clear his addled thoughts. Being hungry was becoming quite detrimental to his health. Screaming for help, the gaunt man turned the corner and dashed straightaway for the main gate, hoping to find a savior. He turned to look back over his shoulder, eyes widened in fear at the mad lady, who was still hot on his trail.
Suddenly, the vendor bumped into something tough and bounced backwards to fall on his rump. The two bags of nuts popped open from the impact and threw stale projectiles every which way, while the 'something tough' with whom he had collided grunted out in surprise.
"What the... Are you nuts man??" the speaker paused as the peanuts flew everywhere, some even deflecting off his face, before muttering, "Hmph, nuts indeed... And.. who is... Lady Rebbec?? What in the Aenil's name is going on here??"
The frightened nut salesman gulped and stared up into the stern visage of none other than the Duke of Idapur, who had been taking an aimless stroll near the city for no particular reason.
"...w-want to buy some nuts, g-good sir?"
Xarnelf glared down at him, then looked up at the noble lady approaching the scene, waiting for an explanation.
(Roleplay from Rebbec Kazukin)
Rebbec was no more than twenty feet from the two of them, when she realized that the man the merchant had run into had indeed been the Duke of Idapur. She quickly attempted to stop herself in stride, as to not collide into Xarnelf as well, but in doing so, tripped over one of the stale nuts that had been thrown out of the bag. As she fell to the ground, she ungracefully did a somersault, and her long blond hair fell flat in her face. Blowing her hair to the side of her face she looked up at Duke Xarnelf, and began to mutter words.
"This man had a bag with the Aenilian mark, yet he wears the mark of Soliferum." Rebbec said, as she grabbed the man's arm, and showed the patch that had been placed on his jacket.
Throwing the merchant aside, and scurrying to pick up the bag that had been launched out of his hand, she showed Duke Xarnelf that it indeed had the mark of Aenilia on it. Her story seemed to make a compelling argument as to why she had been chasing after him, and that's when it clicked.
"I think I heard something about your brother carrying bags of stale nuts, something about throwing them at the peasants of Soliferum to make them sick...seems it worked on this one" Duke Xarnelf said, looking down at Rebbec who was still sprawled out on the ground.
That's when she remembered all about when she saw him last. He was so happy throwing the nuts at the peasants, laughing the whole time. If this merchant had gotten some from him, then her brother must be close. Without even thinking, she grabbed up the bag, placed it in her pouch and ran back towards where she first encountered the sickly merchant. Leaving both Duke Xarnelf and the merchant watching confused.
After blinking several times in silence, while watching Rebbec run off, the duke turned his gaze back down to the silly merchant and shook his head. "Kids these days..." he muttered, and with that, Xarnelf went on his merry, meandering way again, famed walking stick in hand as he contemplated the shapes of the clouds in the sky.
Meanwhile, the vendor seemed to have an epiphany then, as he looked from his jacket to the remaining bag of nuts on the ground. Eyes darting around to make sure no one was watching, he quickly ripped off the emblems and switched them, so that he now appeared to be an Aenilian peasant selling Soliferite nuts. Then he thought better of it and just turned his jacket inside-out, so no insignia was showing.
It seemed such a good idea to his famished mind that he even began to take his breeches off to turn them inside out. When the man finally returned to his market stall on the empty street, all traces of his wares had vanished. He frowned and did not know what to do.
It was a very sad ending to a very sad story.
