| Players: | Amiri, Benjamin |
|---|---|
| NPCs: | Indira |
| Date of IC Effect: | March 21, 2008 |
| Location: | Eastgate Docks |
| Synopsis: | Indira makes plans to destroy the docks. Amiri forestalls them. For now. |
It's uncertain whether there was once an actual gate here, but the canals in the north suggest that Maratha's eastern edge has always been poorly defined. Along this stretch of the river, the city amounts to nothing but a series of massive wooden piers, with everything from private boats to massive transport ships moored along their lengths. The oldest piers, in the center of the docks, are supported by columns of stone with complicated patterns of glyphs picked out in various metals; stone and metal alike seem to never be so much as tarnished by water or weather, and the planks they support always endure longer, but the spell which protects them is poorly understood at best.
At several points on the piers are guard stations; small shacks of wood staffed by a handful of soldiers and a few merchant attaches. These people are responsible for overseeing ship docking and departures, and collecting taxes as appropriate. The soldiers also serve as a first-response team in the instance of a) mishap on the docks or b) the appearance of tainted. Even on a slow day, however, the docks bustle with activity, the river being the lifeblood of Maratha — which makes all of their jobs difficult indeed.
High noon, and traffic on the docks is in full swing - parcels being loaded to and unloaded from the ships tied up alongside the piers, the noise of people working, travelers searching for their ships or some sort of landmark by which to orient themselves in the crowded city - or just trying to regain their land legs. Indira threads her way through the crowd with altogether too much haste, somehow managing not to trip or be tripped. "Come on! You can't tell me you've /never/ looked at them?" she yells over her shoulder. "Oops! Excuse me!" The bag-laden sailor just gives the girl a blank look, clearly stunned by the sudden near-collision and her equally abrupt absence a heartbeat later. Indira doesn't stop for anyone. She just keeps charging on.
The smaller younger of the two does his best to keep up with the girl, "Hold on wait.. I can't.." Benjamin is doing his best to keep up with the girl lagging on a little behind, "Sorry sir.. I.." he sighs and runs trying to keep up indeed tripping over his robe, "Please wait up… your always going to fast for me."
"You'll catch up! I'm not going /that/ fast!" is Indira's prompt, and typical, reply. "Maybe you should go faster!" Also eminently typical of the girl. She darts over one of the crossbridges linking two piers, making her way towards the oldest portion of the docks. Grabbing onto the stone columns supporting this area - the ones stubbornly resistant to water and weather - the girl swings around it to face the lagging Benjamin, regarding him with fond exasperation.
Benjamin stumbles trips and falls. The boy sighing making his way back up to his feet brushing off his robes, "I like to keep my robes clean you know!" he holds them up a little so his feet don't catch the material running swiftly attempting to catch up, "Your legs are longer too…" he is trying his best not to be outran by a girl by /too/ much.
"Not by that much! Boys are /tall/, you know!" It's inevitable that he'll soon outgrow the girl. Inevitable. She's sure of it. Rolling her eyes, Indira shakes her head. "Why? You've got others, and it'll clean out." Mostly. …Or not, considering the spots on hers. There's spells for that, but mages don't cast them for students. "Come look." She taps the top of the shoulder-high (on her) pole with one hand, then crouches to study the glyphic patterns inlaid down its sides.
Benjamin replies, "Because we should keep them clean and not dirty and…" he trails off, "Oh what does it do?" he begins to climb up moving alongside her. Standing on his toes and finally gathering up a nearby box he climbs up looking over at the pole, "You know what it does?"
Amiri mills about in the crowds, an empty basket under one arm. Though she ambles in a general direction her eyes don't appear to be cooperating with her feet as she continually drifts toward this or that interesting thing, and eventually ends up near the pillars and the two discussing them. Polite enough not to inject herself between two strangers, she just looks the neat symbols over and minds her own business. For now.
"Nope!" is Indira's cheerful and honest reply. "Grandpa says not even the old mages know. It's a /mystery/," she concludes in a slightly quieter but no less enthusiastic voice, leaning over towards Benjamin. "I can pick out some of it - this is for the river, and this has something to do with wood," the girl says, pointing at the glyphic symbols in question. Nearby motion distracts the very distractable youth, and Indira looks up at Amiri. Polite? Her? "Hello!" …Maybe. "How are you today?" she asks, bouncing immediately back up to her feet.
Amiri beams at the darling little Indira and waves, "Hello! I'm doing very well today, how are you?" Having been officially invited to interact with the two, she gives Benjamin a warm smile, "And hello to you too." Awww, they're so cute.
Benjamin bites his lips his fingers running over the glyphs for several moments, "Why not just try to well.. remake em.. see what.." he trails off his gaze moving towards the woman. The boy lifts up his hand offering a small wave towards the woman, "Hello. I'm Benjamin its my Birthday."
Indira reaches around the pillar to poke Benjamin's shoulder, relatively gently. "Because it doesn't /work/ that way, silly! You can't cast a glyph if you don't have a pretty good idea what it's supposed to do!" The most obvious answer in the world, at least to her mind. She beams at Amiri. "I'm good, thanks!" Back to Benjamin. "That's right, it is! I have something for you, too, but I didn't bring it. It's back in the dorm."
Amiri squats down near Benjamin and puts her hands on her knees, "It /is/? That's wonderful! How old are you today, Benjamin?" For a moment she almost looks kind of sad… she didn't get him anything!
Benjamin replies, "Well you can make up a glyph and well make the glyph be knowing when another glyph was made and why and then they could use that one on this one and well…" he sighs, "Okay dumb idea.. and I know that.. but they have to know some idea of what was done.. and why they did it right?" he shakes his head quickly rubbing his chin now thinking, "Ma'am." this is said to Amiri, "Why would you put one here?" as an after thought he says, "Oh I am ten."
Amiri blinkblinks at Benjamin and stands up straight again, looking skyward in thought, "Why would /I/ put one here? Hmmm… I guess… I'd probably… Put one here to keep monsters away. But maybe not right /here/. I mean, they don't come from the water often. Do they?"
Indira just gives Benjamin a /look/. But since he corrects himself, she doesn't have to do it for him. She thinks about Amiri's explanation for a minute. "Did you know these docks are as old as the city?" she asks Amiri. "At least, that's what they say. That makes them even older than the monsters - I think." She's a little dubious on history, at least the dry and dusty /old/ stuff.
Benjamin shakes his head slowly, "I didn't know that.. but well.." he pauses for a moment, "You think that maybe these could be here for that? Making sure that well monsters don't go attacking and stuff.. has any monsters ever come here near this part I mean?" he scratches his head considering this for several moments.
Amiri glances around the docks, "Oh… I guess that's right. Then that's probably not why they put them there. Maybe… it's for luck? So the sailors come home safe? Oh, or I know, maybe it attracts fish so they can catch more without going so far?"
Indira thinks for a bit, a frown creasing her brow. But she's never quiet for very long. "Doesn't make sense if it's from before the monsters, though. Unless they saw them coming?" the girl states, expression brightening. "Like, a long, /long/ time before anything really happened? I think they go just about everywhere," she says to Benjamin. "At least, that's what people /say/. — Or it could be luck! Grandpa once said these docks last a lot longer than the newer stuff, too. That's like protection, isn't it?"
Benjamin ohs softly nodding his head quickly, "I…" he pauses, "That would be protection I think.. it isn't getting hurt." he pauses, "Maybe it keeps it safe from all danger. The docks have always been important right?"
Amiri folds her arms over her chest and frowns doubtfully, "My father always told me 'they don't make things like they used to.' I don't know if it's magic or just good craftsmanship."
Indira leans back against the pillar, folding her arms in an unconscious and unintentional echo of Amiri's pose. "Grandpa says kinda the same thing. Except it's more like 'we don't know what we used to'." Which /is/ the same, for mages. "An' that's why they don't know what this does." Indira shoots a mischievous glance to Benjamin. "We could go get an axe and see if it really does keep it safe from everything!" she declares. "Or maybe fire." …And yes. She would.
Amiri puts her hands on her hips and gives Indira a look, "I-I'm the oldest so… I'm like the adult and.. I say you're not allowed!"
"If the docks burned then well it couldn't well.. be keeping it safe from harm.." the boy pauses as Amiri speaks, "We wouldn't do that ma'am.. I mean someone else has already I bet." Benjamin says lamely.
The look… does nothing to daunt Indira. "But… then we'd know what it did! Or didn't do!" she declares. "And I bet they haven't!" the girl disagrees with Benjamin. Indira gives Amiri the look. That 'oh, but you really want to let me' look. "/Please/? Just a /little/ bit?"
Amiri looks to Indira, then to Benjamin and bites her lip. "…Well… These docks are really old. And I'm sure they've taken worse blows from boats and that kind of thing. I guess it couldn't hurt if we just tried to scratch something, right? Even if the glyphs don't work nobody's going to notice a little scratch."
Benjamin quickly nods his head a little grin spreading upon his lips now, "Cool.. so we can do it." he thinks for a moment, "I don't have an axe or anything to start a fire with.. I don't think we can scratch it with our nails."
"Of course not! I mean, it's not like that'll do anything worth protecting against." Indira huffs at Benjamin. "We need an /axe/," she declares. Scratch. A /scratch/? How does that test anything? The girl turns to face Amiri. "Where can we borrow one? Maybe one of the ships has one?" Without waiting for a response, she steps back out into the flow of traffic and stops square in front of the nearest sailor. "Hey - do you have an axe we can borrow? Just for a minute?" Giving him her most charming smile all the while.
Amiri blinks and shakes her head, "W-wait, I never said we -should- do this! We can't use an axe! What if it doesn't work? What if we really damage something!? Wait!" She looks helplessly at Benjamin, "What's her name?"
Benjamin replies, "Indira ma'am.." he pauses for a moment looking over to her, "I don't think they will really give her an axe and I am quite sure the magic will keep everything nice and safe. You'll see it will bounce right on off ma'am."
The sailor, for his part, is not so easily convinced by Indira's charm as some others. He just blinks at her. "Now what would a girl like you want with an axe? I'm not thinking it's any use to you," is his gruff reply. He walks around the girl, and Indira scowls at his departing back. But she's not about to give up yet! "That's okay! I'll just ask someone else!" And the next target shall be… hm.
Amiri watches Indira worriedly, "But what if we're wrong? What if we make a big hole in the dock and everybody sees? Or… what if we -break- it and all the monsters come? This is a bad idea…"
Benjamin shakes his head slowly, "What if we discover the purpose.. and in that purpose we can make a whole bunch of places safer and push the monsters back, and well wouldn't that be great ma'am? Nobody will blame any of us at all."
Amiri watches Indira worriedly, "But what if we're wrong? What if we make a big hole in the dock and everybody sees? Or… what if we -break- it and all the monsters come? This is a bad idea…"
Benjamin shakes his head slowly, "What if we discover the purpose.. and in that purpose we can make a whole bunch of places sager and push the monsters back, and well wouldn't that be great ma'am? Nobody will blame any of us at all."
Indira hops in front of her next hapless victim, and plants her feet. "Hi! We need to borrow an axe! Just for a minute! …Do you have one?" This time, her query is met with an owlish blink. "No…" The man peers at her sidelong, like he's not too sure of the girl - but he seems more receptive than the last one she ambushed. "Would a knife work?" he counters, unsheathing the blade in question and offering its hilt to Indira.
Amiri frowns down at Benjamin, "Even if we do, who will believe us? You two are just children and I'm only a cook. I don't know anything about magic glyphs and things. And mages don't like it when common people discover things first. They'll probably put a curse on us. They'll curse me to look hideous and I'll never find a husband and even Dare'll make me stay in the kitchen all the time and it'll be all Indira's\ fault. Hmph!"
Benjamin shakes his head quickly, "No ma'am they will.. I mean all we have to do is show them. They will be quite surprised and well I know they wouldn't curse us.." he shakes his head quickly, "Why would they do something like that?"
"Yes!" Indira assures him. Taking the proffered tool, she bounces back over to her friends - and proceeds to glower in disapproval at Amiri. "They'll listen to us! An' don't talk about my friends like that! They wouldn't curse you! Or anyone! Ever!" So there. Just for that, she's not even going to offer to let you have the honors. Kneeling on the planks, Indira jams the tip of the knife into the docks. Hard. …It sinks into the wood without any difficulty.
Amiri turns toward Benjamin, "Oh I don't know! Do I need to have a reason for everything? To punish us for being smarter than them I guess." But when Indira reprimands her she shuts up and just steps back to watch. When the knife pierces the wood she looks around nervously, "See, I told you this was a bad idea…"
Benjamin shakes his head quickly, "My uncles, aunts, mother, or father has never cursed anyone." well maybe a cousin has but who knows the boy does however fall silent as the knife sinks into the wood, "Maybe it just makes it so the docks won't burn?"
Indira glowers at the knife as though it has deeply offended her. Maybe it has. Wrapping both hands around the hilt, she hauls it back out and returns it to its mystified owner. "Thanks!" She looks down at the new scar in the pier. "Hmph." Her gaze lifts to Benjamin when he speaks. "Maybe!" The idea which follows is quite obvious: Let's try that now!
Amiri stomps her foot, "Absolutely NOT! This time I'm serious! You can't just burn something a /little/! Do you really want to do that to poor Benjamin on his birthday? He should spend today having fun and celebrating, not… burning things!"
Benjamin shakes his head quickly, "But learning about magic is a lot of fun ma'am. It is amazing and well there is nothing better then knowing it. Besides there is a lot of water around and if it doesn't work.. well it is very very very easy to put it out right? Please ma'am just for a few seconds?"
Indira gives Amiri a perplexed look. How is this, in any way, not fun? Except for, of course, having gotten no reaction from the glyphs - but they only tried the once! However, she seems willing to listen to reason for now. (Or just wait for a chance when Amiri isn't around.) "That's okay, Ben. We should go home and plan how to do this /properly/." … "Besides, I have a present to give you, remember?"
Amiri looks so very, very relieved, the thought that she could just throw Indira off the dock or walk away seemingly never occuring to her. She flashes them both a bright smile, "If you come by the Gray Albatross later I'll bake you a cake, Benjamin. You can come too, Indira. Just come look for me in the kitchen if you don't see me around, all right?"
Benjamin quickly nods his head, "You will really?" he nods his head quickly his gaze moving over to Indira, "Yeah I forgot." he laughs, "What sort of gift is it? Something big? It isn't alive is it?"
"Well, c'mon! You'll just have to find out!" Indira takes off back down the pier at her usual headlong pace, somehow managing not to turn anyone else into a flat pancake underfoot. Or crash herself. "It isn't much of a gift if it isn't a /surprise/!" And with that, the local avatar of chaos bounds back into the city proper. The docks are safe… for now. But when she learns how to cast fire… oh, count on it. She'll be back.
Amiri nods brightly to Benjamin, "Mm hmm. Now you two be safe!" She waves as Indira runs off full tilt, feeling a little better about herself having saved an important part of the city. At least, the part that didn't get stabbed.
Benjamin turns looking over towards Amiri waving his hands, "It is a pleasure meeting you ma'am before he shouts out after Indira, "Hey wait for me." he shouts, "Your going to fast again." and once more the boy begins to run attempting to catch up. Unlike Indira however there is quite a bot of tripping and falling the small child not managing at break neck speeds very well.
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