aionlogs | a single flame can spark an inferno [greentruth open log]

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a single flame can spark an inferno [greentruth open log]

WHO: Any Pleroma!
WHAT: Multipurpose Log for Pleroma! Preparation and training happening alongside the Firaseri festival
WHERE: Greentruth
WHEN: Firaseri, after the newbie introduction throughout the Firebrand festival
WARNINGS: none at the moment

🐉 WELCOME TO GREENTRUTH 🦕

While the first of the Aions to arrive in this generation had to traverse the misty, dangerous forests of Lohkimareen with little more than the clothes on their backs, the Aions after have seen a kinder arrival. After they've attuned to the Pleroma they are granted access to the largest settlement in the forest, Greentruth
- a village where man has made its own peace with the wilderness and live freely despite the Regent's reign. Bolstered ever by the presence of their oldest Aion and guiding Visionary, Tehri, Greentruth acts as the main source of resistance agaisnt the Regent and is the safe have to all Pleroma Aions.

As the new Aions find their way in Greentruth for the first time they may find an air they wouldn't suspect given the heavy conversation their seniors have brought to the table. The villagers of Greentruth are having a celebration of the Firebrand . And as wild as they prepare for the hunt, painted up and jovially amongst their fires... Perhaps for some it's not nearly as wild as the dinosaurs and flora that act between wanting to eat them or steal scraps from their trashcan.

Rest assured - While the people of Greentruth take this time to celebrate and their celebrations may be infectious, there are still preparations being made for the upcoming days.
(You may find in the links above all relevant information to Lohkimareen/Greentruth for easy reference!)

I. CAMPFIRE STORIES

The many communities of Lohkimareen are uproarous the night of the First Kill. While the various communities are often seen coming and going between each other, much of them gather at the central fire the celebration. A largescale feast is held in its owner that all are invited to - And if you're worried about what kind of meat it is it might be best not to ask (after all, eating dinosaurs while in Greentruth is very, very common).

The night is long and the participants are energetic. They take the time regaling each other in stories, both fanciful and historic of ancient times. Fire is a keyword that is most frequent in all of them. Perhaps it's time to listen and learn of Greentruth's history? Or perhaps you - yes, you - think you can regale them better with something more.

II. THE HUNT

The First Kill's feast comes to a close and the villagers of Greentruth do not simply cease. They continue to go out and into the forest, decorated in paint from the firebrand, bringing back their kills - the meat, bones, and leather from each intended to last them through the months to come.

For those hunters within the Pleroma Aions, perhaps it's time to get out some pent up aggression - No one will fault you for taking out a kill if it's the intended process, right? Or, perhaps, wanting to test your mettle and train in your own way you join a group of fellow Pleroma into the wilderness to find your own hunt - It's a test of survival and skill. Just... Don't eat the plans or get eaten by a plant while you're out there.

III. PREPARATIONS

The Firebrand festival is a time for mobilization and while some members of the Pleroma may be drawn to the hunt and the campfire, some may yet have concerns of the dawn yet approaching them. While some may make their own preparations in Godsblood, Hiccup Haddock keeps his promise of preparations in Greentruth as do any others who offer their support in preparing for the days ahead.

If you're in need of armor or weapons, simply seek one of them out. Or go to the armory itself and see if Greentruth can outfit you with something for the moment - but know they usually request you bring it back as they're scarce on supplies themselves.

Or perhaps you want to find ways to help yourself! In the lower area of Greentruth, in a gathering spot, any Pleroma Aion is welcome to come and help - Be it to discuss exit strategies, inquire on armor, help to make survival packs or anything in between. If you're lost in need of want to do, Hiccup will gladly put someone to task or you can ask someone to assist in what they're doing.

IV. TRAINING

You would think that growing up on an island where waking up to your house being on fire every day from dragons would teach Hiccup not to put the obstacle course on the ground floor of anywhere - but, again, dragons destroying everything? He's not so worried about dinosaurs either. As promised, near the roughly built and still in progress obstacle course he's been making for Rand, Hiccup can be found to help with weapons training (or any other teacher who wishes!).

Characters will find swords, axes, bows and arrows, shields, and lances to be practiced with. While they're clearly ones that aren't in the best quality that Greentruth can part with for the moment they're still sharp - so be careful (no one taught him with a blunt sword and he's not about to change that). Characters will also find many targets from wood-shaped people, circle targets with increasing difficulty, and so on.

The real prize of their training area is the practically set up obstacle course - Using both the land and created obstacles, the plan of the course is simple: get through the course with limited injury while "killing" kenomas and not civilians. Essentially, two different kind of targets pop up from time-to-time throughout the course. Some of them are kenoma-shaped darkness blobs and the others are gloomy-looking civilians! To "pass" you got to get through without harming a single civilian - while also getting through all the booby traps with very little injury. Some of them act as a rope trap tying you up, others like a bear trap... And then others swing logs at you or shoot an arrow at you from various directions. Occasionally, if you're acting like it's too easy, someone (Hiccup) may be encouraging some tiny dragons to flit in and out of the range of your vision to confuse you.

Be careful!

While you're free to test your mettle against the obstacle course as much as you want - please don't break it - you may also find a teacher to help you! Hiccup himself will be around in the mornings and afternoons for a couple of hours, but there may be just as many people around to teach you whatever you may wish to know.

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If you have any questions about this specific log feel free to ask them here! I'll do my best to answer them. :)

If you want help with your character practicing or learning something feel free to utilize this TL to help others find what you're looking for easier.

📖 CAMPFIRE STORIES

Hiccup's always felt at home in the atmosphere of Greentruth - it's the reason he's never thought at staying in Godsblood. There's something in the air that reminds him so much of Berk and it's not the dinosaurs. Nights like this tell him why. While he's no interest in hunting - never has been, less so when he has some... bond with the dinosaurs they frequently hunt - it's the community that makes him yearn for Berk. Of how seamlessly they'll paint themselves up or take in a task by a small group as a village sucess. There's reason to celebrate and it's no Great Hall on the isle of Berk, but it's comfortable.

In a way, much like the first when they arrived so long ago in Loversi, it makes his heart twist in his chest. He missed Berk and though he wished and lived under the assumption it could be saved, he knows he's not there. And while many - a heartbreakingly many - have people from their own worlds he's never seen one. He can't help but think of Berk and its loss, but he tries ever to ignore it. They, especially one person, would scold him for thinking that way.

So even if parts of him are stretched thin in different directions, at least this time Hiccup takes part in the feast itself. He kindly declines any meat that looks suspiciously like dinosaur and goes for the fish instead (his preference anyway). Listens to the stories and laughs along with them. His interest piqued at any mention of dragons, like a child wanting to know more of the ventures.

If given a chance or a break he can't offer stories from Horos, but he has his own fiery and dragon-filled stories to tell. And should a fellow Aion look at him over the fire he'll offer a smile and the other end of a fish he was cooking.

"Have a told you about the story of the Red Death?"

🪶 PREPARATIONS

Hiccup had promised he'd be around for any provisioning people needed and he's true to his word. While most of his mornings and afternoons are spend repairing and helping out in their training area, the evenings are kept solely for finding himself in the smithing area of Greentruth. He wishes one day to have his own shop - but at least for now, when others retire, he can spend the long nights over there. And by normal Hiccup fashion, with too much to do and too many plans, he stays up for far longer than normal. Thank you, Aion need for less sleep.

He's almost constantly working - a half-designed sword and flight suit nearby. A shield reminiscent of his old one - save the Gronkle iron - needing some fine tuning (because he's not going anywhere without a sword, thank you). And the usual repairs and normal weaponry he has for the villagers of Greentruth being worked on. Should someone visit, he doesn't always look up. Most of the time people can find him in three ways.

A. He does look up from what he's doing, alert, as he tugs off the makeshift googles he wears. "Did you need something?"
B. He's fallen asleep! Currently seen sprawled out over his plans - maybe it's for the flight suit or the shield? - and he looks quite comfy! There's some thin wire being pressed into his cheek from where he sleeps and drools on it. Wake him up?
C. He hears the person come in but he doesn't look up. Instead he points in the direction of a different table. "Could you hand me that tool over there?" If you look at the table there's like... Five of them. Elaborate, Hiccup.

🏹 TRAINING

In the mornings and the afternoons Hiccup can be found in the training area he's set up. Sometimes it's resetting the obstacle course - because you know, it doesn't instantly fix itself - or checking up on the weapons for supply. He'll sometimes take them up to sharpen them. He always seems busy when he's down there but he never fails to have room to anyone who decides to use it. Like before there's a few dialogues he'll offer anyone who comes up:

A. "Oh, so you beat it that fast," He'll mention casually, one hand on his hip and the other scratching his chin. Something devious in his look, "How about I up the ante then?" Please don't let the viking up the ante.
B. "So it's simple! Don't get hit and don't kill the civilians, got it?" To anyone who asks about how the obstacle course works - It's the only explanation he'll give, but he is dead serious.
C. "What do you say?" He'll say to anyone who's looking like they want to practice. "Want to spar?"
D. And, finally, to anyone who looks like they're a little lost down here - Maybe they don't have combat experience or maybe they're not sure about fighting... He'll stop what he's doing to approach, a little more solemn and not as mischievous. "It doesn't get easier," he offers, "want to talk about it?"

💡 WEIGHTING (closed to oldbies)

While he rarely stops or breaks away from what he's doing, Hiccup has occasionally seen elsewheres. Maybe heading to his bed when encouraged or in the mess hall eating food. He has a lot on his mind! And while there are tiny dragons around to distract and a dinosaur he's been in an argument not to eat his midnight snackies he's definitely more concentrated, perhaps even resolute.

When he comes across someone he's known for a while he'll offer a wave. If they linger to talk, even for a moment no matter where they are, he might ask more seriously. "So..." He'll breathe out an exhale, "what do you think?" It's a loaded question, broad-ended. He wants to hear their opinion on the overall more than anything, but he'll be more direct if asked.

🐉 FLIGHT SCHOOL

When he does have a break and feels he needs space to think, Hiccup takes to his dragonlike form and flies out above Greentruth. In the sky he feels free and like he can see the world as far as it expands. He feels far more at peace than he does anywhere else - So why is taking to essentially sky-diving through the air and plummeting through the forest? It looks dangerous - it is! - but he seems to be having fun with it. A little too much fun.

In most cases, he'll pull his wings out at just the right moment and take a sharp turn around a branch he should have hit, hard. Other times, he doesn't make the turn or underestimates the dive and slams into a branch or trunk. It's a good thing he's an Aion because, honestly, that last one looked like it hurt.

In either circumstance, if someone approaches him to ask what he's doing and if he's hurt he'll (mostly) dust it off like someone who's used to plummeting at high speeds (newsflash, he is - just ignore that he's actually injured from it a bit). His response? "Dragon flight school," he offers with a shrug, "without the dragon-" A beat as he considers a wing that's tender when he stretches it and winces. "Or maybe with?"

Edited 2022-08-11 08:09 (UTC)

If nothing else, Sooyoung can appreciate the aesthetic of this city. It's a far cry from the cracked pavement veneer of Seoul, a once-busy metropolis fallen in the wake of a apocalypse, just as much as it is from Kaizenix, the only other place that Sooyoung remembers just as well as her home.

It's just... different. She takes it all in, recording every detail and letting it flow through her head -- if she wrote it down like that, then she'd use this word or that phrase... She takes her time exploring, though she keeps herself from talking to any one person for too long. Eventually, she enters the smithing area, and with that -- the place where Hiccup's set up.

She glances from him to the number of tools on the table. Hm.

"Sure."

And picks up the sledgehammer leaning against it instead, using both hands as she starts dragging it across the floor, dare I say, carelessly?

"You mean this?"

Hiccup does look up at the sound of a voice that rings unfamiliar. It's not really a surprise, there are thousands of people who live in the villages but most of them are in their homes. A new Aion he decides after a moment before watching what she picks up - He was going to say not that one.

And maybe he should be more concerned about how she handles it, but he decides not to comment on it. "Yeah, that will do," He says after a moment of further consideration, moving from his spot with the creak of metal - He reaches for the sledge hammer with all the ease of someone his size probably should not be able to (but then, he's been in a blacksmith shed all of his life).

"Thanks," he says by way of greeting then adds, "were you looking for someone...? Or something?" The free hand waving to the general 'this' of the workspace. There was always something to find around here, afterall. It's part of why he did love these sheds, there was always something new to get into or do.

I. THE HUNT

[Claude might not be a skilled hunter on the kind of level to match Leonie or Petra, but he still has plenty of experience in joining hunting parties and bringing back game, both at the monastery and back in his homeland, when he was taught to shoot a bow from a horse and ride a wyvern. So it's easy enough for him to volunteer to join the hunting party, face and hands daubed in red paint depicting the Firebrand sigil. He's brought along a bow and quiverful of arrows, plus a hunting knife.

The party has split up into smaller groups to track prey, Claude turning to his current hunting partner.]

Is this your first time hunting here, too? Or maybe you can show me the ropes?

II. CAMPFIRE STORIES

[After a successful hunt comes the feast of the First Kill, and Claude is absolutely in his element, with good food and a roaring bonfire. If not for the forest, it would almost be like home, and part of him longs not for the dense forest but the empty steppe and clear night sky, the dancing and song and ritual that came with it.

But that's then, and this is now. His proof of his own successful hunt is a small pointed tooth he's fastened into a charm and weaved in to the end of his braid. He listens with rapt attention at the stories of dragons turning the moon into a second sun, all kinds of ideas rattling around in his head of whether it was mere legend, or whether there was at least some truth to it.

Once the locals are done with story time, he'll sidle over to the nearest person and join them, munching on some meat and shooting them a grin.]

Okay, it's your turn! Tell me a story from your home.

III. PREPARATIONS

[Or maybe the days after the feast you can find Claude maintaining equipment, restringing bows or polishing blades. Perhaps you can even find him face to face with a pajarc for the first time, petting the dinosaur to sooth it as he plucks its tail quills and gathers them into a satchel for arrowmaking.]

Easy there, buddy. Once I've gotten these old quills out I'll stop bothering you, and you can go back to... eating grass?

[The pajarc chirps and seems happy with this, docile and calm. Weird... Claude's much more used to handling wyverns bred for battle, which are both fiercer, and carnivores besides.]

IV. WILDCARD

[Anything else goes here! Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss ideas, or post your own starter.]

[Dorothea isn’t quite sure what to make of the dinosaurs. At the very least, these ones seem a little more pleasant to be around than the wyverns back home. Normally she would prefer to steer clear of dealing with a creature like that, but seeing Claude being so friendly with it emboldens her. So she pivots from her course to come investigate, both curious and a bit listless without something to keep her busy.]

Could you use a hand with… whatever it is you’re doing?

[She raises an eyebrow, clearly unsure about this whole affair. Was this some sort of grooming thing, like brushing a pegasus’s mane or checking the scales of a wyvern?]

[Claude's engrossed in his task and his fascination with the dinosaur, so much so that he doesn't notice Dorothea nearby until she speaks up. He looks up with a grin.]

Hey Dorothea! I'm collecting spines. [He holds one up to show her -- the closest analogy in Fódlan might be to compare it to a longer and thicker hedgehog quill -- before adding it to the collection in his satchel.] The locals use these to make arrows. If you wanna help, you could sweep up some of the ones our friend here has shed all around the floor?

[He grabs a broom propped by the fence at one end of the enclosure, and offers it to Dorothea.]

[Hayame does not often appear before the residents of Greentruth, native or aion. She finds physical difficulty in navigating the vine bridges and occasionally narrow pathways that traverse between the structures built high in the treetops, let alone how mentally uncomfortable she is with being that high up without solid ground under her hooves... and whether she actually enjoys, in any way, her self-imposed choice to live in isolation on the misty grounds below the rebel base... She is not wont to say.

But something specific has forced her to swallow the indignity of riding the lift used for livestock and freight to reach the heights of the settlement. A few questions lead her to what she is looking for...

The blacksmith's. And since she is not familiar enough to know who it was, she simply assumes the first person who asks her business is the one in charge. So, not at all leaning down to lessen the disparity caused by her seven feet and some in height, she simply answers;]

Armor.

[That's what she needs.]

Sooyoung follows the direction of his hand as Hiccup gestures around, looking around with obvious interest for a moment before moving closer. She leans in a little to peer at what Hiccup's working on -- now that he's also equipped with his trusty sledgehammer (that he didn't actually need and she forced on him).

"Can you loan me a sword and a knife? I want to be prepared when I go hunting. I'll pay you back with whatever I find."

It should be hard to trust a stranger's word for it -- that is, Sooyoung wouldn't if she was the one being asked. Resources seem scarce, even if everyone here seems so willing to share. ...But she might as well ask first before entertaining any thoughts of theft.

It'd be awkward if she got caught... What do they do to thieves in this place, anyway?

How very resourceful.

[There’s an appreciative note to her voice as she accepts the offered broom; Dorothea knows better than most the importance of not letting anything go to waste. She surveys the scattered spines on the ground for a moment before opting to start with sweeping up some of the ones near the edge of the enclosure. Still working up the nerve to get closer to the pajarc, it seems.]

It feels like there’s something new around every corner here, doesn’t it?

[She eyes the dinosaur with a curious expression. It makes sense, this being an entirely different world and all. And yet she’s still not sure when she’s going to get used to that.]

Right? Exciting, isn't it?

[Claude continues to remove the dinosaur's spines, gauging which are old enough to easily remove and which would hurt the creature take out and should stay in place by giving them a gentle tug. The dinosaur remains entirely unbothered, Claude petting it every now and again to show Dorothea it's about as calm and gentle as a horse, so she doesn't need to be wary.]

This guy's totally domesticated, so provided you treat him right, he'll be nice to you too. Like pretty much any other animal, really.

[Frankly Dorothea could do with a little less excitement in her life, but that is very much out of their hands now.

She continues sweeping the stray spines into a neat little pile. Most of those remaining to be gathered up are nearer to the dinosaur, and she pauses for a moment to consider the creature. Well, it certainly seems as friendly as Claude says…

She makes her way over to them and hesitantly reaches a hand out to pat it on the head. It looks up at her with a little chirp in response.]

I suppose he is a little charming. Moreso than the wyverns back home, at least.

[ To Hiccup's credit, perhaps, is that he's not astounded or put off by a size difference. Years of training and learning about dragons twice the size or larger than you adjust any fear in that regard. He is mildly surprised to see the ghost woman of the forest floor materialize before him - If he hasn't known better, he might have laughed off the villager's mentions of her (but Hayame does make a name for herself, after all).

He nods. Her answer is simple. Most people arrive here for a weapon, shield, or armor eventually. They're doing better than they were before, but most things aren't made custom order. For Hayame they'll have to be, he glances over her form thoughtfully - wheels spinning at ideas. ]

That's easy enough. It might take a little while depending on what you're looking for exactly - We'll need measurements, for starters [ Because there's really not going to be much that fits her, but he's more interested in figuring things out than trying to be rude - Which is why he asks on, with a wave of an arm: ] — The armor... Are there any places you want it to cover or not cover?

A sledgehammer is always useful, don't let anyone trick you otherwise - Or at least if she forced it on him he moves to put it on the table for now, next to the shield he'd been working on. It's not gonna be nearly as good as his original shield without Gronkle Iron, but he's certain it can pack a few more surprises than a normal one would regardless.

"Nah, don't worry about it. These guys mostly go for dinosaur meat and it upsets my stomach," Hiccup remarked with a wave of his hand - Not quite looking up. It's less upsets his stomach more magical powers and weird bonds makes eating their meat more awkward, but the good thing is he's mostly a pescatarian.

He turned away from the table to glance over the wall of weaponry. "Sure you don't want to try a mace instead?" Hiccup offers as he pulls down one of the knives - thin, definitely a hunting blade. As he glances back - At least he chooses not to say he'd never heard of someone using a sword for hunting, but maybe she just did things differently (or was considering... hunting humans).

Hunting humans is actually a very valid past time where she's from, but she doesn't think she'll have to do it here. Yet? For now, her goals are completely innocent. Or at least they don't involve a mace, as shown by her grimace at Hiccup's suggestion.

"Tried it before, but it's not really my style." A mace could do in a pinch, and Sooyoung would never turn down a weapon if she can help it, but... Better to leave that for someone who can actually wield it. That, and her build is mostly lean -- her arms don't look like someone who can hold up a mace. (Though a sword would be just as heavy, so maybe she can? Then again, she didn't exactly lift the sledgehammer).

"Better to use something I know if I'm gonna have to fight dinosaurs and who knows what else, right?"

She doesn't quite say "gimme!", but she does hold her hands open expectantly for the hunting knife. So like, same thing?

"Yeah, you really got to want to get up close and personal with that one," Hiccup mused off-handedly, "and have the arm strength for skull-crushing while being able to be fast enough to get out of the way if they're thick-skulled than believed. Or you miss." He's not really talking about dinosaurs, but dragons in this sense - Though he wagers the application with trying to bludgeon anything to death is the same. It's not, at least, meant to be an insult to her rather than a passing statement.

He doesn't look the most comfortable at the mentioning of fighting dinosaurs - Simply resigned to the fact. At least in Greentruth it's not really a malicious war, it's for survival. They seem to respect dragons, so it's something, but it's still not something he's really onboard with. He hands over the knife without fanfare before looking at the others. "Have you fought dinosaurs before?" He inquired, "you might find a bow and arrow or crossbow works better until you learn more about them."

The reasoning for why he's suggesting as much becomes apparent when he pulls out one of the swords that's unused - The grip's seen better days. "Most of the swords around here are usually in use by either the locals or someone else," he says offering it to her, "I can sharpen this one up, but it'll be a few days before a newer one crops up."

[... It is indeed to his credit. There is... a variety of ways to get off on the wrong foot with Hayame, something she is not unaware of. But one that many ran afoul of was looking upon her as a strange creature or expressing shock at her appearance, for many others seemed to view her race as magical or rare... and here in Horos, she was something that should nor and did not exist. But to her, she was simply one of two races that existed. And it had been centuries since humans stopped thinking of her kind as divine. They'd fallen quite far since then.

But he answers promptly, with actual useful information. Good.]

I will requisition from what is already available for breastplate and arm guards, but I require something made for my lower quarters- wither to croup, down flank to the first curve of belly.

[She doesn't refer to her by halves, because despite how others tended to look upon her as half human and half horse... she has only ever felt all jinba.]

It needs be light enough that I can still gallop, but thick enough to deter or blunt the force of lighter blade or arrow.

[Metal would be too heavy, and judging by the armor she had seen most of the Greentruth rebels don, she assumes something may be done with leather, or lacquered layers the like of her own world's work. That would do enough. She hopes to avoid any combat where she might be in range of heavy claymore or spear, but in case she was... any defense was better than just her own hide.

And though she dislikes muchly to be touched... She is used to being measured and examined, to hands that inspected her condition for fighting and breeding on Exhibition Day by prospective buyers. She knows how to be still when need be.]

- You may measure what you require.

[ Hiccup's hands moved to rest neutrally on his hips as they spoke. The woman seems the proud sort - Something he can respect. He can guess why as to him she simply looks proud and noble. Like the kind of warrior that would be painted on the shield of Berk. It's this mindset and his own work as a creator that keeps his mind whirling as he listens, and nods.

At least he's not entirely unfamiliar with the concepts she speaks of - Having made armor for dragons to combat dragonroot arrows and for general use. It's not his first rodeo at untraditional armor. ]

That's easy enough. [ Is it easy enough? Who knows. ] If we had Gronkle Iron on hand that would work the best - [ He cuts himself off, shakes his head ] - Sorry, that's a kind of Iron we developed back home, extremely lightweight but with better durability than regular iron but we have no Gronkles here...

[ What's a Gronkle? Don't ask. He considers further, maybe plates of metal stitched into harder leather? He can ask about dinosaur hide, he thinks. ] How much weight do you think you can comfortably carry on top of doing what you normally will need to? That'll help with the designing.

[ Boy would things be easier if he did have that metal - It gets him thinking, however, in the same way that he is about Inferno. He's seen people make intricate things with magic maybe there's a way for him to do the same - He has to physically stop himself from continuing the line of thinking or else he 'll forget the company he has.

The company that's offering him the chance to measure what he needs while his brain worked overtime like a dragon chasing a shiny light: ]

Right, of course. If you want to get comfortable, it won't take too long. [ He'll just awkwardly - not at the idea - go get the measure needed to do such things, and ambles on: ] Is there any style you'll want to look for? You know, any paint or design?

[ He thinks that's just as important as the rest, honestly. ]

["Easy enough"? Good, that is what she wishes to hear. There is a brief moment when he speaks of something called "Gronkle Iron" where her brows knit with annoyance, detesting being forced to feel ignorant or embarrassed by a lack of knowledge... but whether out of luck or wisdom, the smith moves on smoothly with a quick and sensible explanation. Alright, then.

Now she has no need to ask what a Gronkle is, which she certainly did not want to waste time doing. She'd much rather talk business, as she'd come here to do.

Hayame, with her arms intact, had been a more privileged class amidst her master's stables where she'd been bred. Beyond a single lesson designed to impress upon the yearlings what could happen to them if they were disobedient, she has never been forced to carry a human rider or haul goods like a beast of burden. But she has seen the Armless do it, so she knows what she is capable of. Three hundred or so pounds should be within her abilities easily enough... but that was hauling, not fighting, and if she were considering her speed and the mobility required to wield the bow she carries even now in the "safety" of Greentruth, over six feet long...]

I would prefer to keep it less than a single man's weight. Less than a woman's, if possible.

[He tells her she can make herself comfortable... But that is something Hayame does not know how to do. She has not felt... no, perhaps just once, at the border of the valley of the Innocent... she has not often felt comfortable since awaking in Horos. She has not even laid down to sleep more than could be counted on one hand, instead just locking her knees and bracing herself upright. So when the smith comes back with his measuring tools...

Hayame is standing exactly how he left her. ... Though she is somewhat pleased with the next question. It wasn't necessary, but if he had the talents... She had wanted to be a warrior, once, who would be resplendent in their armor and their lord's livery.]

I require no crest or design, but in color... dark, would be best.

[Easier to disguise the inevitable bloodstains. ... And it would match the dark legs of her dun coloring, her long, ink black mane and tail.]

And... handles. Here, for running.

[She moves an arm to demonstrate where she means, at just about mid-lower shoulder. With her biology, it was best if she were able to grip such a thing to align her upper spine and smooth out her gait. Right now, she has only a makeshift girth wrapped around her barrel there to serve the same purpose.]

[ Hiccup waited for the woman to gather her thoughts and listened intently. He'll need to make notes he realized and stepped back a moment to grab the journal and pencil he had filled with designs. He flipped past the pages of ideas for Inferno and goes to a new one - Writes the first bit of information down as he considers:

Less than a woman, for a moment his expression - only half hidden from the woman - is somewhat amused. Most Viking woman on Berk were larger woman, being on the smaller side even for a man is outside the norm. He should know, being called scrawny and a toothpick half of his life. His size having made him an outcast. But he doubts she means the normal size of Berkians, but smaller. Maybe Astrid's or Heather's size? (Not that both of them didn't make him feel like they could toss him off a cliff with ease - tjey could). He thinks about it and nods. ]

We'll have to use leather mostly, maybe some metal plates tucked in the more vital areas - [ He glanced back up then, brow furrowing as he considers how best to ask the question he needs so he fumbles the apology a bit: ] Um, sorry, there's no better way to ask this but your heart is it located here - [ He naturally placed a hand over his own heart as an indication before continuing: ] Or somewhere else?

[ He imagines it's the former, but you never know. She could even have two hearts, he's seen weirder with dragons. He's not here to judge. Speaking of dragons: ] What would be the area that needs to be most protected - I don't imagine you bear your underbelly a lot but I've seen that be the most sensitive spot on some dragons.

...Not that you are a dragon, I've just made armor for them -

[ He's being rude. That's what he feels like he's being, so he might as well keep working instead of asking questions. So he turns to the measurements, just as requested - Listening on as he uses the tape, only after making sure with a glance it was okay, to align against her back as he considers: ]

Accent it with Dark... green? purple? red? You would look good in a darker purple. [ And it would match her coloring now, he thinks, highlighting it but not being too bright. Less subjected to the color of blood, too, but that's only a side thought for him: ] Are you sure about no design? We could make something for you - So, you know, it has your own flair.

[Hayame has yet to fully remember that paper is something that just... is common, in this strange and foreign world. She is used to it being such a valuable commodity that most peasants would hesitate to use it for something as simple as brainstorming or sketching, and so she almost looks a bit incredulous when someone like a smith whips out an entire book of pages upon pages... but she does eventually remember. Right. ... Not her world. (If it was-)]

Mostly leather is acceptable. It will be more flexible.

[Metal plates between... is a good idea, actually. As long as they were kept light, and either small or jointed to keep the entire thing from becoming stiff in a way that would hinder her rising or running... His next question doesn't register as strange. It is the organ that needs the most protecting, after all.]

Here... and here.

[She had two hearts. One in her human-looking chest, auxiliary, and one in her equine chest, behind her left shoulder, the large of the pair. When it comes to her belly, however... Hayame purses her lips in thought and looks down slightly, considering. The armor she had seen war horses don had not have any plates covering the underbelly, but...]

I do not often expose it purposefully, but it is not... not in need of armor. If you can contrive a way to create some that does not chafe with my gait or clip my stride, I would consider it.

[... If he had said he made armor for horses, for other four-legged creatures, she would have taken offense. But luckily for Hiccup (and everyone else in a twenty foot radius)... as unbelievable as she finds the idea of someone creating armor for dragons in general... she can't disbelieve it, when people came from so many bizarre worlds to be here. And her image of dragons from legend is of powerful, intelligent spirits and gods, not animals or breasts she would be insulted to be compared to. So if he wasn't a liar... Fine.

To those more keen about equine behavior, it might be noticeable that she is... tense, when he moves to do the brief touching required for measurements. Uncomfortable, with the touch of his hands against her spine or dun coat. But she steels herself and allows it, her knees locking, a little twitch in the powerful muscles of her rump, her tail held stiff. She tries to think of... accent color. (Had anyone ever told her she might look good in something... when actually addressing her? The stablemaster's women had talked to him, amongst themselves, when she was dressed and prettied for Exhibition Day in fine robes and formal hairstyles, and she had heard such things then, but... about her. Not to her. If she is to act as if she were accustomed to being treated well-)]

... Dark purple may do well.

[... She doesn't know, if it would look good on her. She shouldn't care about such things, either, it is so disdainfully womanly to do either, but-]

... If you give me your papers, for a moment. I can attempt a drawing.

[What was she supposed to do, when given the option to have... something for her?]

Yeah, and we can always revisit it later if it needs repairs. The leather we can get enough of the fastest, but I have an idea for later....

[ He trails off, more thoughtful than otherwise. He's not really intending to imply she'll come back again, but as someone who's always looking on to improve on his work it's only a natural follow-up train of thought. He wants to see if he can make lightweight armor, or learn to in some way... Maybe they don't have his kind of dragons here, but they do have magic. Surely there's some way.

Hiccup chooses not to write down the fact she has two hearts but nods along in understanding. He's glad he understood as much and thought to ask - it would be more disastrous had he not. The first heart would be covered by the other person she's choosing, then, and should, fortunately, be assumed by most to be her only one - It's in part why he doesn't write the fact down. Given he carries the journal in his own clothing, it's not something he wants to chance someone getting sensitive information if he's ever captured. He taps his writing utensil at the thought: ] If we use plates that'll make movement easier... For both the shoulder and the stomach - but you're right, I'm not sure it'll be the most comfortable. But we do need straps to meet across it, so maybe something like...

[ He's rambling to himself, so he stops abruptly. There's no point in going further on the line of it. It's a matter of changing out the base that will connect the top and the straps on the bottom, he'll see if he can't make some kind of removable panel for the prototype. It's something to consider.

The good and the bad news are two things: Hiccup would agree and value dragons as amazing and powerful creatures! He also will. Secondly, horses aren't really used in Greentruth so his only experience with them is in Godsblood. He is, unsurprisingly, not familiar with equine creatures but he can at least tell she's somewhat tense. He knows he would be, in the same situation. He doesn't like squirming under someone's touch, but in this case it's a necessary evil. One he tries to be polite and quick about. Only stopping to write measurements down in the notebook and turning back. Something he's doing when she comments back - Something that seems more measured or unsure? He can't tell, but he doesn't miss a beat anyway:]

Yeah, do you think? We just started seeing it more in Berk. It'll definitely be a color that symbolizes strength one day, I think.

[ He likes it, but then it was better to paint his house red and dark purple than pure black. It looked nicer that way (and was likely not as hot). It's still a new pigment for them, brought about by the dragons more than not. But then paint was still something expensive, especially for clothes back on Berk.

He turns his attention forward, to the woman, then when she makes her request. He's not sure what but he thinks there's some hesitation there he's better to not ask about. So he doesn't, flipping the page over once more and offering it to her without hesitation: ]

Here you go. Put as much you as you want on it. Anything that means something to you or will be useful - I can work with it. I was always taught that a warrior will die in their armor and so they should dress for Valhalla.

[ Which doesn't really apply here, truly, without knowing if there is a Valhalla. But he has to believe there is, for his own sake and the sake of his people. It's why the clothing and armor he's weaved for himself still bears the crest of Berk on it now. He has to have faith they're out there in some way. Valhalla it had to be. ]

Ah, don't be like that. Wyverns can be plenty affectionate too, once you have a chance to form a bond with them.

[Even if they aren't as sweet as this one, it's true, but in his (biased) opinion, they have plenty of charm points of their own. He produces an apple and offers it to Dorothea.]

I'd been saving this snack for him for later, but you can give him it, if you like.

[There is always something that she could do, as he measures the lengths of her lower spine, the width of her hips, the curve of flank. In her younger days, still foolish enough to listen to her groomsmen and strive for praise, she had seen it as an honor... but as she grew older she had striven to just be... anywhere else, mentally, as prospective buyers ran their hands down her slim legs, inspected her hooves, her teeth, whether her hips looked wide enough for foaling. She could do that, but-

A color that symbolizes strength.

Perhaps it is pathetic, that she should be so pleased to hear something like that. It came from a veritable strange, not someone she respected or knew well, but even still... There is a part of her that feels a surge of pride that the color was selected for strength, something she has chased her entire life, rather than something like her beauty or elegance. For him to then speak of warriors dying in their armor...

Is this someone else amongst the Pleroma who finally made sense? It has been so long with but one who she felt almost understood the way of life she had always considered the only way, who respected the traditions and practice she valued, but- No, to hope was only to know disappointment, she should just-

Take the paper, carefully in both her hands. Grip the writing utensil... wrong, as only someone mostly unfamiliar with writing could, but it worked decently enough as she begins to sketch the vague shape of a jinba. It could not be said by... perhaps anyone, that Hayame was a good artist. But she at least manages through her sketch to convey the sense of the armor she was used to seeing on war horses. It seemed to be multiple panels bound together with cords that covered from "waist" to rump, complete with the handles she'd mentioned, a girth and rear leg straps to hold it in place...

Her hand pauses.]

... Are you skilled at embossing?

[Anything that means something to her...]

[Cid has certainly seen the dinosaurs around— it's hard not to, given how populated the forest is with them, but he's never approached one before, let alone watched someone else approach one.

He's certainly curious, though, so after moment of watching and making sure he's not disturbing either of them (at least, he's fairly certain the pajarc would have spooked away by now if he was) he crouches down to get a closer look at the dinosaur.]

What a fascinating little creature.

[It's rather cute!]

At least he knows his stuff, Sooyoung notes as she listens to his explanation, noting the way Hiccup doesn't seem entirely on board despite his experience on the subject. Still, he's here and willing enough to help random strangers, which speaks enough about him already. Sooyoung accepts the blade, thinks about how spoiled she's been when it comes to rare items. But this makes sense too, for the level one adventurer to have basic equipment.

Even if the sword Hiccup brings over looks a little more than basic. Tired, maybe?

"Hmm. Maybe I can just steal one in Achamoth then." Sooyoung says, already planning on definitely stealing one in Achamoth. "Though it's a pain to have to wait..."

But she'll have to wait either way?

"But their weapons are probably way better than ours."

[ Hiccup makes quick work of jotting down the rest of the measurements. If he sensed any of her discomfort, he doesn't show it - Perhaps feels his own in it. While he's approaching this meeting with Hayame as a person there's a distinct difference in the usual. Using the frame of how he'd handle helping dragons feels awkward with someone who isn't a dragon and communicates as a human. The part of him that would usually geek out wants to ask questions and while some may be helpful to their needs, the more polite (sensible) part of him presses it aside for their current needs.

Which are just as important and keeps those seem gears running as he hands over the notebook - He leans forward at first to try to glance over her shoulder at them, but his leg creaks and he shifts back to a more neutral stance. When she pauses he's almost certain he's going to fairly snap at her for it, but she doesn't. The question is only a slight surprise, not strange in the means, and he nods with a wave of his hand: ]

Skilled enough. I've been making my own supplies since I was a kid.

[ Not at all a lie - though mostly in the beginning the stuff was made because he couldn't tell anyone about riding a dragon or the like. So he shrugs, ] We Berkians are skilled at most household things, kind of have to be with the whole village burning down all the time thing...

[ Not that Hayame really cares about that, but it's still a point Hiccup chooses to make: ] Give me your best shot, I like a good challenge.

[ He says as if the village burning down wasn't usually a challenge. Which. Maybe it wasn't. ]

[Hayame was at the very least very familiar with the concept of villages burning down all the time... even if hers were from lightning strikes, kitchen fires, and the civil wars that had long plagued the nation. Not quite... dragons.]

... I do not know if it is a challenge.

[She's never interacted directly with leather workers, she does not know what sort of embossing would be the more difficult to do, but... Anything that means something to her. She had very little. She had been a possession, not a possessor, but... even though it was given to her by humans, nothing she had chosen...]

Then, this... if it could be embossed somewhere upon the leather...

[She "writes" something... no, even though it is text, the way she puts it on the paper is more like drawing, something she knew and was replicating by shape rather than actual knowledge of which strokes formed the characters. Either way, it ends up with "Hayame" (速魚) in the corner of the page.]

This is my name.

[Maybe that's all she had left. It was still something.]

"Well, that's insulting," Hiccup says with a breath of a laugh, more amused than offended as he places it over and turns back around, "you know, to me, the craftsman." He can't help but feel a minor jab at it, afterall. Not after several months of trying to help shore up whatever he can and putting his all into the things he has.

He returns back to the table with the sketches and his own workings before giving a shake of his head. "Not that you're entirely wrong. They have the advantage in, well... Just about everything," Hiccup added with a frown, "we arrived to them being fully loaded from the beginning and Greentruth's not had much. We've not even had time to really go get more to make this easier on us -" He shakes his head. They really need to take the time now, more than ever, no matter what happened.

But showing up to more friends taken or injured when they could have been there is just as much unappetizing.

I’ll simply have to take your word for it. [Though she gives him a slightly teasing smile.

Bonding with big, scaly beasts has never been high on her to-do list, and that hadn’t changed after learning about the dinosaurs calling this area home. Now that she’s here, though…

She raises an eyebrow at the offered apple.] Oh, why not?

[She sets aside the broom for the moment and takes the apple in hand. The dino tracks the movement of the fruit with its head as soon as it catches sight of it, very reminiscent of the way a puppy might eagerly watch a treat. Okay, certainly a bit cute.]

Well, it looks like someone really wants a snack, hm? [Somewhat gingerly, she holds the apple out to the pajarc.]

[ She doesn't know if it's a challenge. Hiccup's hands find his hips, a neutral stance for him as he listens and waits. He's not sure what about her reminds him some of Astrid, but the old Astrid. Before the war ended and before Stormfly. Something in the seriousness... Like only seeing what was right before her? He remembered Astrid well; the stoic warrior wanting to defend Berk and prove herself.

...Not that she wasn't still any of that. Or was (he won't think in was especially about Astrid and Toothless). But there is something there he can appreciate about the nameless woman he can't quite place.

So when she shows him something - A name that's as much strokes as it is picturesque. Not something they'd use on Berk. They were a symbol of people on the Barbaric Archipelago, finding dragons that symbolized their village's strength. But he thinks he can understand some in this matter even if he doesn't fully understand it. He nods, quietly before decisively, helpfully deciding to ask:]

... So, what is your name? Does it have a meaning?

[ Because even if he does know it's far better introduction wise to let the other say what it is. ]

[Now that she has drawn the characters that shape her name, memorized from the wooden plaque upon her stall door rather than any actual understanding of letters, Hayame makes to hand back his book of paper pages, now with the rough sketch of the armor she was accustomed to alongside it.

Part of the reason that she has become such a local legend, of sorts, amongst the rebels of Greentruth, is precisely because they didn't know her name. She has been stingy with sharing it to those she does not respect, and stingier still with respecting. A part of her didn't want to be known, to know anyone else, because to do so would be to accept that this is truly her fate...

But he is doing her a service, and even asks... He understands names should have meaning.]

... It is read "Hayame".

[Finally, she answers, as if she knew what she were talking about. Her groom had explained the meaning to her at her naming when she had turned three, and she still remembered.]

It means "quick fish".

[And, added quickly, as if sure she will be misunderstood or mocked, if the meaning was taken literally,]

That I might be as fast and skilled as a fish is when moving through the water.

[ Hiccup half expects the woman not to give her the meaning or her name - She seems the private sort, but if her name is something that means something to her... He wants to do that justice. Especially as someone who hated his name and learned later that there was no name better for him. Even if outsiders mocked him for it.

He's thus pleased when she does grace him with it, grateful even. Turns it in his mind. Haddock is also a kind of fish, so in that sense it's really not that weird of a name for him - He has no place to judge in names, afterall. Which he thinks, minutely, that she might think he will when she tacks on. So he feels obligated to say: ]

It's a good name. Way better than Hiccup, for sure. But my people aren't exactly known for their good naming conventions.

[ Given their tribe is also called the Hairy Hooligans, why ever would it be. At least it's half an introduction in its own right - a willingness to let Hayame find his own name stupid or silly. Because it's still, rightfully, he pretty stupid name even to him. He thinks about it and moves to grab the pencil. Sketches a simplified version of a river and a fish jumping over it: ]

You can say no, but if you ever want something more, you know symbol-wise - What about something like this?

[... It's a good name, he says. Maybe it is. Hayame only knows that... Even though the armless broodmare that had borne her had not given it to her, as most were given their names, even though it had been chosen for her by a stablemaster... It was hers now. Names were just...

She looks down at the sketch on the paper that he shows to her, her lips thinning into a displeased line.]

I do not have a crest. ... And I would not choose a fish if I did.

[She'd thought her understanding made that clear... It was a metaphor, nothing else! (And only nobility and great warriors bore kamon.) She doesn't want to actually be associated with things people ate, just... how quick they were in water. Her brother's name would make a far more poetic image, "the spread of the evening", so many others... "the wind in the pines", "little plum", "sacred fields", "small skylark"...

Which brings her to... the far more important question.]

... Why is your name "Hiccup"?

[That was. Uniquely unfortunate.]

Okay - Okay. [ Hiccup's quick to reply - First in a quick 'okay, got it' measure and then softer, more gently. Half coaxing that he understood, but continuing on without missing a beat: ] But say you did, what would it be? What would you want it to be - You know, theoretically speaking.

[ It doesn't sound like she cares so much, but he's... Very much a symbolic person as it were. Everything always had more meanings to him, and in a way he wants her to find something for herself. Truly hers? He wonders about the name, if it's simply because it's something that she's made her own - Or maybe he projects some there, in that way.

But he's distracted from her question - A fair one from the people here. Heck, maybe even on the archipelago where there are so many far more normal names. Or maybe not. He laughs, sheepish and more to himself as he grips the journal and pulls it back - using it as a means to turn away. ]

Well, you know... By our traditions parents name their children in a way that's supposed to scare off the gnomes and trolls. [ A breath: ] And then sometimes they choose to name you because you're the runt of the litter. So you know, two very extreme measures and all. Opposite sides of the coin, but I'm still pretty sure Hiccup is better than Snotlout.

[ He realizes it makes it sound like a bad name and maybe once it was - It's still a name that people make fun of if they don't know it and well... It still has its own meaning: ] But you know, it's not all bad.

We've always been known for what a Viking is - stubborn, strong, angry, larger than mountains. [ Metaphorically and clearly he's well... Not. ] I struggled a long time to be the perfect Viking for my father but then I learned - hiccups don't have to be a bad thing. We're strong in our own ways. There are things we can do others can't because we look at things in ways no one had before.

And just because the world sees us one way doesn't mean we have to see ourselves that way. Why, I'd say, because people would look down on us that pushed us even more to show them they were wrong.

[ He shifts at some point, from speaking of all hiccups in the present to in the past. Choosing and knowing that the boy who hated his name had learned better of it. Even if it doesn't really change anything at all.

But Hayame probably doesn't really care about all, he rambled, so he's quick to add with a flourish of his hands: ] Anyway, that's what it means to be a hiccup.

[What would she want it to be, if she did have a crest of her own? Perhaps it seems to this man that she does not care, but that is...not quite it. If she does not care... it is because she has never been able to waste time thinking of things that were not possible. Family crests were for those born into nobility or illustrious warrior bloodlines, not commoners... or even lower, creatures born into servitude to another race. She had never heard of a jinba being granted one, even for meritorious service.

... She also might not be an intrinsically creative person, but. Her lips thin, she struggles for a response that isn't simply another rejection of the idea, but. Thankfully he answers her question.

And thankfully he wasn't named Snotlout? What misfortune...

Though it is not her culture, Hayame doesn't... not understand what he says. So he was named not with a name to frighten monsters and beasts that might steal children from their beds, but for being stunted or small at birth. Another misfortune, for a child to be marked so for life. She thinks of Hiruko, the legendary "leech child" of the tales they tell of the beginning of the world...

She also understands at some point that this man is no longer talking about just his name, but his philosophy. He is doing her a service, and so she listens as respectfully as she was capable, her tail swishing slightly behind her dun rump and a thumb rubbing into her wrist, wondering how scholars wrote like that. (By not writing like she had, that was how.) But even when he has finished, concluded his speech...

Hayame is not exactly comfortable with emotion, with knowing others in a way that opened them up to knowing her. She could say something meaningful, perhaps sympathetic, but what she goes with is--]

I would be shocked to see the men of your village, if you are a runt.

[Perhaps the silence and pause before she spoke would at least indicate she had understood well enough, even if she did not pursue it further, instead holding up a hand to the level of where her breasts might be if she did not bind them so hatefully tight.]

The two-legged men of my world are rarely so tall.

[5'5" was considered tall amongst humans, though she'd met one or two who hulked larger. This man had nearly two heads on the average man.]

Edited 2022-08-27 14:08 (UTC)

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a single flame can spark an inferno [greentruth open log]

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