Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Trip to the Temples(1x1)

--descended from above, with massive panes of thick, painted glass making enormous footholds about the walls for hundreds of feet, where light above shone brilliantly, but was refracted through the many images. The sun's position, currently early afternoon, dictated the illuminated images, which went from unreachable ceiling to floor. By the basin they were at, a now-ghostly image of a hawkish man in golden armor and swathed in chains seemed like a memory lost to the icy mist that crept through the room. "The right is the living quarters." that, also, matched but lacked the stained glass, instead with nearly equally high walls displaying endless cubbies of oddities and quirks, some logical and others mystifying. The old king was a magpie and the new, too curious to throw anything away. The bed was a master affair, with draping curtains trimmed to mimic ocean spray making a full canopy. Luxurious furniture fit for a king matched, and icy, unmelting shelves shone like crystal from the false window behind it--(c

--where the well kept tomes did not impede. Plentiful bedstands ensured comfortable reading space. "Hopefully it isn't too cold for you." he approached the bed, leaning on it with his hands. It let out a cracking noise, and released crystalletes as it folded more than conformed to his hands. "...Hm. It's not been used in a while. I'll have to warm it." at least it made the bed look crisply made.

Chiara probably did need his help going through the darkened hallway, but once they got to the end, she's trying to look at everything all at once. "Wow...it's beautiful!" It's hard to take all of it in as she follows him along, "Your bedroom?" She's not entirely sure about that one, but he says he doesn't use it. "If you're sure...I...don't want to be any trouble." She was probably feeling the chill in the air considering she was wearing a sundress, and when they get to the bedroom, she'll put her bags down on the floor. "Will it be cold at the market? Should I change?"

"Nono, we're in hisummer." you'd just never guess it in here. Now she may be surprised when, maintaining his hands to the blanket it started to warm, soften, and even steam from the change in temperature. He acquired varied skills over time. "It's temporary, to thaw... But I'll warm it for you again come sleep." he adjusted his lenses. "Though with your curiosity, I don't imagine there will be much of that. Back in the main room, we'll re-enter the tunnel. Would you like port food, farmland, or something from central Amefri?" uh, how many places does his magic door go? At least it's better than him teleporting. Abandoning the bedside, he depocketed the phone and charger at a quaint desk with small bookshelf, mostly taken up by odd magic orbs and other crystals.

Chiara would nod about it being summer, "Alright." As soon as she came back though, she'd probably be wanting to change. She chilled easily, especially since she lived in a house where she kept the fire going through summer. He mentions little sleep, and Chiara looks amused, "I'm only human. I do actually have to sleep sometimes." She's wrapping her arms around herself and she's following him towards the main room, "I...I'm not really sure what the differences are. I don't normally eat a lot of seafood if that helps."

The shelf has her wishing she had more time to look at it, she was curious about a lot of things after all. "Did you build that magic door yourself?" It was a pretty neat tool, she'd love to have one of those from her house to the edge of the forest!

"...ports tend to offer a broader variety of foods. The local food is freshest, but the array is unique." he watched her reaction to the cold, gesturing her back out towards the door. "In a manner of speaking. X." he beckoned again, and the wallprint rose to life. "Introduce yourself to the nice lady." an odd, childlike voice resonated out, like a boy not even hitting double digits yet, -Why? She's human and smells li-- - "Ex! Do not question me." -...sorrrrry milordaddy. I'm ex, Duke of death and roadways. ...who're you, and why are you here?- ...qinglau pinched the bridge of his nose. "His vessel is timeless but his mind is young. Forgive him." so... Yes, in a way, he made the door that he was walking into, disappearing into complete blackness and leaving a gloved hand waiting for her. "Port or farmland?"

Chiara is a little bit mind boggled by the talking...doorway? She's looking around as if she expects to see a person. "Well...hello." She didn't quite know what to make of stepping into a living being and so she's a bit hesitant walking through the door and taking Qinglau's hand. "Ports I think. As long as they have more than seafood." She's going to go along with Qinglau, but once they get out of the doorway again, expect her to be rubber necking once more. This place was very different than Nexus!

The second tunnel trip was no different than the first... Until qinglau turned and faced her. "I don't imagine you like grapefruit?" he sounded highly amused with his inside joke, hand held out. A thin branch groaned in from nowhere like a hand, dropping the fruit into his palm. If she enjoyed it, she could have it. If not, he started peeling it himself as the doorway opened on the rocky part of a beach, a short way from bustling docks. "The roads used to lead between planes due to my first boy, but it took heavy damage during the war and is dangerous to navigate, lest you discover the Nothing." -someone should kiss me all better.- the doorway, again an archaic root archway, pled for attention mockingly before the door dusted away into the sands. "...so my plane shift was a bit unexercized. Apologies."

Chiara didn't know what was funny about grapefruit, but she did enjoy them. "I do actually, why?" He's soon making why known because he's offering her one from what seemed like nowhere. "How did you do that?" She'll be peeling the fruit to eat herself, though she isn't sure what to do with the peel, so she's just holding it.

She'll exit the door way, and she's confused by the words, "Kiss it better?" She's soon distracted by the docks, "Is that where we're going?" She seemed to perk up a little, she always liked to see new things, and the way it looked from afar it reminded her a little bit of home.

"Oh... I designed him to grow grapefruit from the wisdom of a dragon elder." because that made perfect sense. He passed her the fruit. "Yes. That would be the town of Uede. Smaller in population than afew, but it has the broadest array of imports." the geographical position made it prime. Many wooden houses were built with ledges lifted on stilts over the water, where the smaller ships docked. Further down the bay were larger ships, and docks, and more solidly wrought buildings. Soon wood walkways became available. By waterside, he seemed entirely comfortable in his step. Nearby streets displayed awnings and carts peddling fruits--both identifiable by earthen standards and not, but all entirely dynamic. Of course, fish and seafood were visible, with sweaty men hauling a fresh load by net out of the sea. Birds trilled like gulls, but were tuxedo designed creatures with inflating red gullets and scissorshaped tails, a few fishing in the water and using pelican tactics to store their smaller catches. --

--"Go about and find things that catch your attention. I'll gather a few things I remember from zom's meals." ...he failed to bring a basket. Oops. He looked about, eyes flicking to burning red for a moment to locate a basket weaver, a convenience often moved in close to the marts. "Oh, and you'll want money." he withdrew his first wallet, pinching out a silver coin. "That might be a bit much for the average vendor to break, so feel free to buy enough. I don't carry smaller pence."

Chiara didn't understand about the grapefruit, but she'll eat it anyway, hopefully it wasn't anything bad. Chiara's really distracted when they get closer to the docks, and she's curious about a lot of things. "It sort of reminds me of home." Of course, nothing in Nexus looked like this, so he could probably guess she was speaking of someplace else.

Qinglau wants her to go and do her own shopping and she looks a little bit nervous, "Alright. I'll try." Grocery shopping had always been Draeval's job, she always had a hard time finding things that were ripe, and she had no idea how to buy meat. Still, she couldn't expect Qinglau to do everything for her, so she'd straighten her back some, "Thank you. I can pay you back with...Nexxian money when I get home, if you want." She wasn't sure he would want it, since he didn't seem to have a use for it. "Or perhaps there's some...exchange place." She didn't really know. "Is there someplace to put trash?" She had the peel leftover from the grapefruit and she was going to need her hands to carry things.

It was a strangely typical grapefruit, and sadly a joke even ex couldn't fully understand. The other sharing in it was gone. "Don't worry. a few days worth of food shouldn't break me." now, Chi's player had been shown a variety of foods to expect from these ports before, so have fun. Similarly, foreign fabrics with varying heritages of origins featured at other shops, as well as quirky, low level mystic shops of fortunes and palmistry. Uede did not focus much on weapon imports, but collected odd trinkets from around the world--even a few elfish fetishes or mervanian technological advancements. Look, old crank music player! Of course, it was about as big as chiara.

Chiara was going to take the money, "Thank you." It was kind of him, she hadn't even thought about what she was going to eat while she was here, or what kind of money she would need. She's going to walk along, and hopefully find a place to dispose of the peel. Once that's gone, her hands are free and she'll buy some fruits and vegetables that she recognizes, and one that she doesn't, which the vendor assures her tastes like chocolate. Her arms are pretty full, so she'll probably have to buy a basket herself, since he'd told her to buy enough from the first place to break the silver coin.

She's supposed to be shopping for food, but the fabrics catch her eye, and then she's looking at all sorts of trinkets. She won't be buying any of these things, but it was nice to look! Sadly, it's distracting her from what she's actually supposed to be doing. This place really did remind her of home, and once she got to the big music machine her face lit up, "This is amazing!" She's not really speaking to anybody in particular, she just likes the thing.

He wasn't much more accustomed to shopping for himself, but she might be able to catch him targetting older, female clerks. Why? Because when you're an intelligent, charming, older gentleman who isn't offensive to look at, they tend to be more giving on their prices. Although, by the time she discovered the dessert fruit, he wasn't long behind; it had been one of Zenthus' favorites, after all. He could at least identify that. His blue eyes didn't tell him fruit type... Color and shape was vague, but it told him how fresh something was. Some, a bit too much and not ripe yet, but the aura promised long life. It was running hands over it that decided it was what he was searching for, tucking it in the basket. He had a variety of vegetables and fruits in one basket which settled inside a second, larger one by the time he sidled up to her in the market. "Are you ready? I'm keeping the meat as chilled as I can for now. Going back soon would be advised, though. We can come back for more varied shopping later... --

--although I might suggest Torok for that. I don't imagine you would mind Old Amefri's libraries, either."

Chiara looked back at Qinglau when she was spoken to. "Oh...of course." She would offer back the change from the money he'd given her. "I was just looking at all these things. I wish I had thought to bring some money, the fabric here is amazing." Definitely different from the things she had back in Nexus. "We can go any time." She'd eye the music machine before returning her attention to Qinglau, "Do you have a way to play music at your house?" She'll follow along behind him as he heads back, shopping certainly had been an interesting experience.

He nodded aside. "One of those? Yes. My boy found them quite useful, especially after asking me to design an auto-crank. He later found methods from your world and left me his. Something about 'useful with the ladies'. Two-track mind, that one. Either he worked or he romanced... although he usually managed to combine the two." his brows furrowed. "I've even collected a few custom songs once I mastered recording. ...I have eleven versions of I Dream Of Fire now, I believe." whatever... that meant.

Chiara seemed happy, "Do you think I could play it while I'm here?" She'd look up at Qinglau, "I enjoy singing." As for the romancing, it was something Chiara hadn't thought about. "What about you? Is there a...significant other at your place?" She was assuming there probably wasn't, considering he'd given up his own bed, but she felt safer asking. "I Dream of Fire?" She wasn't familiar with that one, and it seemed an odd song title for someone that was so literally cold.

He chuckled out loud. "No. As I've said, I've never had a mate." he might understand that other creatures desired it, but his race lacked biological impulse. A few acquired it by taint, and others a mental impulse, but he was left with his logic and socially reclusive ways. "I'm not quite the social butterfly a few of my boys are." if any could be called that. The song? "Ah. It was composed by my late boy. He performed it a dozen times or so before asking to harness it. Typically his support band was the same, although his drummer and a few other positions rotated." he... avoided talking about cycles. "He would argue it, but the cosinger was as close to a wife as it could be claimed he ever had."