Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » A musical duo (1x1)

Aearion chuckled."Sure. I'm surprised you don't have your own horde of camp followers. Any girl would go crazy for those fuzzy legs of yours." Though he was merely jesting, it had a bit of truth in it. He was pleasantly surprised how popular he seemed to be to the ladies, even though his more animal features. He had more charisma than Aearion had! Countless times his scaley body had stopped him from romancing a woman. Why is it Sirens don't have this problem?!

"Oh, yes, well... I suppose my beard does add the handsome factor, thank you." He uttered his words as if this was the first time he had been complimented before. It wasn't, of course, but still."Speaking of beards, why aren't you growing one? I bet you'd be twice as succesful with women if you let one grow out! Plenty of ladies like a scruffy man, and with a beard you'd be the scruffyest of them all!"

"I do think I have enough hair on my body as it is," he responded, "and for fear of looking altogether too goatlike, I avoid growing a beard. It would not do to look like the stalwart goat the woman was wed to." He chuckled. "Perhaps when I am old and my fur is falling out, I shall consider growing a grandiose beard to avert attention from my bald patches. But as of now, I am a shaver yet."

Pausing momentarily to remove a stone from the cleft of his left hoof that had become lodged there in all his prancing, Krotos discovered wildflowers growing on the roadside. He picked some and tucked them behind his ears for safekeeping. "One never knows when he will encounter a fair maiden who will be charmed when a young gentleman brings her flowers," he explained. "Although these are like to wither before we reach Pontar or any fair maiden, in which case I shall give them to any lady we meet. How much farther before we get there, Aearion?"

Aearion just couldn't stop being amused with his companion."Ah well, you're the master of your own face. It's not for me to give you fashion tips when clearly my purple hair and blue scales are not in the rage." He mused.

The Mer watched Krotos pick the flowers curiously."You know. I never really got why women like flowers so much. Humans and Elves especially seem fond of the plants. They're just ... colorful weak strands with petals if you ask me. Down the ocean, when we wanted to court a Mermaid, we didn't bring them a piece of colorful coral either. We just had to prove ourselves the romanticus some other way." He thought back to those days when he was much younger and believed he could take his beloved up to the dry lands."Ah, if only she didn't keep her curiosity tucked away." He mumbled, not realizing he said that out loud.

"Hmm.. Shouldn't take more than a few hours. Depends on whether the local Bridge troll wants to let us pass, really." He answered Krotos eventually. Wait ... Bridge troll?

"Oh, I agree," Krotos said, nodding so vigorously that the flowers behind his ear nodded as well, bobbing on their stems. "But if it works, it works. If I were a woman, I would appreciate gifts of food more than flowers. And fear not; someday it may be fashionable to have purple hair, and it will be all the rage! People will be dyeing their hair every colour imagineable! Do all Mer have purple hair? If so, you are hardly at a disadvantage! Who was the unfortunate soul who kept her curiosity tucked away? I daresay she missed out on much, if you were courting her." He winked. 

"Do you often encounter trolls often, Aearion?" he asked after a few minutes of walking in a near-silence, humming a cheerful ditty under his breath and discarding flowers one by one as they wilted. If he had bothered to look behind him, he would have noticed the trail of flowers he left behind, marking where the pair had walked. "A problematic troll will be no problem. After all, I did convince Dron the Dwarf to allow me to see his daughter, despite how often he calls me 'lecherous'." He was rather proud of himself for that, despite not knowing what it meant to be 'lecherous'.

Aearion chuckled a bit at the notion people would all start dying their hair in various colors."Now there's a thought. I have no idea how they'd do it, though. Is it possible to dye hair like you can cloth? I've no idea." He reflected. After all he's seen, simple questions like the former were still so foreign to him."Oh, no, not all Mer have purple hair, friend. I believe most Mer have green or blue hair. Depends on the color of their scales, really. We're not all blue either. Most of us are green, though we come in various colors, obviously. I have a distant cousin who's skin is bright pink and his hair is blood red. Heh, he got stared at more than I am around drylanders. There's not many pink Mermen around, that's for sure!"

He rambled on for a while there, reminiscing about those he knew who were oddly colored. Eventually he shut up, though, long enough until Krotos asked another question.

"Oh, not that often. Bridge trolls aren't common in my travels, mainly because villagers don't trust them. But it's not all bad. They ask a little toll and in trade they keep the bridge repaired. It's a good trade if you ask me. They don't even want money most of the time! I've encountered a troll who just wanted a puppy because he felt lonely. He was just as happy with a fish in a bucket, though. Normally I'd just traverse the river to avoid one, but I doubt you're much of a swimmer." The Mer grinned.

And not soon after, the pair would have reached the Pontar bridge. As Aearion said, there stood the troll, walking over the bridge to meet the pair of strange travelers. With each step he took, a large thump was heard. This troll was massive! Broad shouldered, thick skinned and with a huge wooden keg strapped to his back, possibly filled with alcohol. Its thick and warty skin was pitch black, though it seemed like his torso and face were smeared with chalk, making his beady black eyes pop out. Its head was quite small, though his huge mouth made up for the lack of size. Clearly not a creature with a large brain.

Behind the bridge a few rooftops popped up from behind the trees. Pontar village was close."Greetings, friend tro-" Aearion tried to greet it, but the troll was first."You want cross bridge? You pay Larry." He spoke in a booming and deep voice."Want cow. You bring cow, you pass."

Pink, green and multicoloured Mermen? Imagine! Krotos chuckled at the thought. "Must be very vibrant wherever it is you lived, and unfortunate for those children who are the hiders in seek-and-go-find. A good game, that. Played it often myself. I would often pass unnoticed amongst flocks of goats and sheep whenever it was my turn to hide."

He paused momentarily to consider the notion of a bridge troll. He had never encountered one, but the again, he rarely encountered bridges even when travelling with the troupe. "My troupe doesn't cross many bridges," he told Aearion. "In fact, we avoid them if we can. The wagons cannot always fit on narrow bridges. And," he added, reluctant to let Aearion claim the glory of being able to swim, he grinned and said, "I'm a better climber than I am a swimmer. I'd like to see you try climbing a cliff without losing your footing." 

As they neared the bridge, he heard the troll before he smelled it, and smelled it before he saw it. The stench of sour ale hung around it like flies to dung. Had it been much smaller in stature, it might've looked comical with such disproportionate limbs and features. 

"Good evening, Larry," Krotos began once it had demanded a cow. Krotos offered the troll an ostentatious bow he saved for only the most distinguished of audiences. "As you can see, I do not have a cow, nor am I a cow, although I've been mistaken as one on many an occasion. Would you prefer a bucket of fish instead?"

The troll glowered down at them both, then uttered a guttural rumble that sounded very much like "cow". He looked displeased to Krotos, but that could be its large mouth that made it seem so. But he had an idea. 

"Aearion, do you have a cow?"

Before Aearion could respond, Krotos addressed the troll again, speaking slowly. "He says he has a cow," he began, "but it is on the other side of your bridge, you see." He pointed to the cluster of rooftops beyond, and the troll followed his finger carefully. "I can see that you are very clever, Larry, so we will bargain. If you let us go get our cow, we will bring it to you by nightfall." 

The troll gave the companions a threatenting look. "You get cow by night, or Larry smash you." He raised a massive fist, then crashed it down onto the palm of his other hand. "Larry smash you," he repeated, his thunderous voice reverberating in their ears. 

Krotos was less than impressed. "Yes, yes, of course. Move aside." He led Aearion past the troll and onto the bridge, beaming at himself, then at Aearion, then at nothing in particular; pleased with himself. Once they had reached the other side, he clapped his hands together excitedly. "Well, onward it is, Aearion!"

((Oh, oops, you already got the troll part covered. my bad))

Aearion seemed threatened by the hulking creature, despite the fact he had dealt with bridge trolls more than once. This one seemed drunk, more angry. And angry trolls were not good company! He was more glad than he ever dared admit that Krotos took the lead in this conversation.

"I do not ha-" He got interupted, and as Krotos made his propositions, Aearion made motions with his hand that was to suggest that Krotos had to stop right there! How were they supposed to get a cow by nightfall!? Aearion didn't have that kind of money on him, nor would he be likely to get the amount needed to buy a cow!

Aearion quietly followed Krotos into Pontar village, which was a quant place. The houses here were made out of brick, and each hovel had a cozy feel to them. Clearly this was a richer village than the last one they were in, though not much bigger. Still the townsfolk were happy, at least when they were not in reach to smell the bridge troll's scent. Those living closest to the bridge were unlucky souls.

Once they were out of sight from the troll, Aearion started speaking."Okay... I'll admit, you got us past the troll, but HOW are we going to get the money to buy a cow!?" He cried out, looking distressed."You think people will just give it to us!? Cows cost money! Around three gold coins at least!"

((That's alright, I won't use dice in that case! Also, it depends. Trolls aren't smart creatures. It's very likely he'll just forget about the promise. But then again, there's always that little chance he'll remember and come smash the blue and hairy men))

Aearion raised a brow."You really want to keep on going through the night? Fine by me, though I doubt we'll reach the next village safely." He warned Krotos."I forgot the name of the place that's after this one, but I'm pretty sure there's wolves in the woods. Tell me, your troupe doesn't hunt and eat wolves perchance, right?" He asked as he walked with the Satyr through a rather busy marketplace. The produce here seemed to be either lumber, wool or mutton, as that was all that seemed to be sold here. The troll probably wanted a cow because he was so sick and tired of eating sheep all the time."Need some supplies? It's the last chance we've got for the time being if I recall correctly."

((You can use dice if you like. It's just that I won't be using dice anytime soon. I know the basics of it, but that's about it.))

After leading Aearion into the throng of villagers, Krotos paused to shake his head. "We most certainly do not hunt wolves. Whenever we pass through a forest, we keep the caravan going and only stop near villages, if we can. There are worse than wolves in the forests, you know, and horses are quite easily spooked. It's settled, then," he said, clapping his hands in triumph, as though it had been his idea in the first place. "We shall rest here before going into the woods."

Busy as the marketplace was, it failed to impress Krotos. "I don't eat mutton," Krotos informed Aearion, glancing around in search of a stall selling something that hadn't once been part of a sheep. "You wouldn't eat a human, would you? No, don't answer that. You might, for all I know. But I don't eat goats or sheep. Or grass, so don't ask. You don't think they have apples here, do you?"

The closest thing was a crab apple tree, but its apples were wrinkled and sour- much like the tree's owner, who promptly chased Krotos from his property when he discovered the Satyr stealing his fruit. "It appears that I shall starve in this village," Krotos said to Aearion after rejoining him, chest heaving. "I am beginning to wonder if it would be wiser to face the forest rather than stay and hope that our friend Larry back there doesn't- the river! Do you think there is fish in the river, Aearion? Perhaps I shan't starve after all!"

Aearion followed Krotos to the orchard where he wanted to get himself some apples. On the way there he would explain to Krotos how only Sirens eat humans while the Mer were on a diet of whale, shark, shrimp and anemones."I don't eat meat, myself. It's just too... stringy. The plants the dry landers grow is delicious, though! Give me a carrot over steak any day." He claimed.

The Mer stood by the side, grinning ever so widely at how much he failed at actually getting his apple."Tenacious folk, these farmers, aren't they?" He laughed as Krotos returned.

He did come up with a good idea, though."Sure, but these area is way too shallow for me to hunt in. If you don't mind looking for a deeper part, I could try and get us a couple of goodies. But it's possible we'll be way off track, though. Chances are we'll be further behind of the troop by the time I managed to get our food. Are you sure you want to risk that?"

Decisions, decisions. Krotos was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed- wasn't Aearion the more experienced traveller of the two, when it came to travelling by foot without the company of an entire troupe? "What do you think we should do?" he asked the Mer. "I know little of the dangers. There is safety in numbers, and with it, a sense of security. If you think we should carry on, then I will follow. But I think that my troupe will stay in Huntsville for the duration of the fair, which lasts about a week, so I don't think falling behind will be much of a problem."

He crossed his arms and gave Aearion an expectant look. "So, what will it be? I suppose that if we do carry on right nie, we will be fortunate to chance upon a handful of berries." His opinion on the matter was clear, but his companion's input could prove to be valuable. 

Aearion seemed surprised at the mention they were going to stay at Huntsville."Why, you should have told me earlier. We're in no hurry, in that case! I think some fish would serve us both well. Being a day behind won't be much of an issue, little friend." He said in a cheerful manner as he started walking by the river's edge. It took well beyond the sun dropping that the pair would find the deep part of the river, close to small waterfall. The woods here seemed much more thick and lively than near the village. The Merman kneeled down and put his head under the water's edge, to judge if there were fish to catch.

He soon got his head back on the dry land."Excellent! Most excellent! There's some salmons in here. Some pikes too, I think. This place will do. You get a fire going, little friend. I'll catch us our meal."

Aearion would wait for Krotos to turn around before actually stripping down. Once done, he jumped right into the water, his legs transformed into a fish tail. It didn't take long before Aearion showed himself above water, yelling "Pike! Piiike!" As he tried to smack off one of the predatory fish off of his arm.

Soon he'd be back with more than just the pike that bit him, though. Three salmons and two pikes, ready for cooking.

"Have you never been to the fair? It lasts for days. I thought it was common knowlege amongst bards and travellers alike." Krotos snorted but obediently turned his back on the Mer a the latter stripped, then set himself to the task of gathering twigs and strips of bark to use as kindling before attempting carry small logs over to the makeshift campsite. The forest provided a wealth of logs, but, frustratingly, most were either too heavy for Krotos or too wet to with condensation from the waterfall be of much use. So he sat and waited for Aearion to resurface. 

Which didn't take long. The pike that had latched itself onto the Mer's arm let go when smacked away, soaring through the air, flying between Krotos' outstretched arms and hitting him in the face. "Ouch!" He scrambled after the fish as it frantically tried to find its way back to the water, and dashed it against a stone. Yuck. Fish were slimy. He wiped his hands on the grass and speared the fish on a pointed stick so as not to touch it as he carried it back to the non-existent fire where he sat and cleaned it with a sharp rock.

"Aearion," he said once the Mer had presented him with more fish, "I couldn't start the fire because… because I didn't have flint to start it with." That was better than admitting that his small body didn't have the strength to lug pieces of tree from the underbrush, right?

((Sorry about taking so long to reply, real life did stuff to me D; ))

Aearion had dressed himself once more when he had reached the unlit cookfire. At the sight of the unlit thing the Mer raised a brow."Well, so much for me thinking you've been on the road for long." He mused as he sat down, seemingly examining the wood. After a while he shrugged."Well I can't..." He just came to the realization he was actually out of flint himself, just after he scolded Krotos for not having some on him.

"...We Mer don't believe in the heat fire provides us, we errr... Prefer warming crystals, which don't work on dry land. Oh well, looks like you're eating your fish the oceanic way; raw."

Just as he said that, he bit his teeth into the pike that had latched on to his arm, tearing a huge, bloody chunk out of its belly like a predatory animal. He was a messy eater! Scales and chunks of fishy meat flew everywhere as he hungrily devoured the fish. Apparently under the sea this was the norm.

((same here, actually.))

"It was always Coote's job to light cookfires," Krotos protested. "He was the one who..." His voice died as he realized just what not having a fire meant. 

"I am not going to eat raw fish," he declared, standing back to avoid the shower of dismembered fish chunks that soon rained down. Yuck."Fish is bad enough when cooked. You go ahead and eat, and I'll go find berries and such in there." He pointed to the dense shrubbery surrounding them. "I'll be back soon, don't worry about me."

With that, he trotted off into the underbrush, where he examined berry bushes and ate from those whose leaves showed signs of being gnawed at by deer. What a deer couldn't eat, he probably couldn't either. By the time he had washed berry stains from his hads and ambled back to where he had left Aearion, he felt pleasantly full and more than a little tired. 

Aearion seemed confused at Krotos' distaste in raw fish."Why wouldn't eat raw fish? It's delicious! It's a delicacy in some Dry Lands!" The Mer argued once he swallowed his raw fish chunks."Fine then. Eat your tiny fruits. Just make sure not to eat the poisoned ones." He answered to the little Satyr leaving.

Once Krotos returned he might have noticed how quickly Aearion had devoured the pike. He was kind enough to leave the other three fish hanging from his belt, though, in case on their travels they actually did manage to create a fire."Filled up, friend? Aearion spoke as he wiped the last remainders of fish from his beard and got up."I don't think we should be spending the night here. After all, we have an entire troupe to catch up to. How do you feel about a nightly walk, hrm? We can rest up once we caught up."

Yes, he supposed it would be best to go on, despite his tiredness. Eyeing the three remaining fish warily, Krotos wrinkled his nose and resisted the urge to yawn. Hopefully those horrid fish wouldn't begin to rot along the way. Looking away from the gaping trio of piscine corpses, he addressed Aearion with a slightly forced grin. "You're bringing snacks along, I see. Very well. How's your night vision? Come, let's see what progress we can make tonight."

He turned on his hoof and barely walked four paces before promptly tripping on a rock, luckily managing to catch himself with his hands before falling on his face. He was more stunned than hurt, and once the shock wore off, he was ready to set off once more with little more than his pride injured. Except...

"Oh, Aearion," he moaned, lying flat with his face pressed against the damp grass. "I can't possibly walk. I think I've sprained something. Could you... carry me for a while? Just until the pain goes away." Cracking an eye open, he peeked at Aearion. Would the Mer fall for it? With any luck, Krotos could get himself a ride and even doze off for most of the nightly trek.

Aearion chuckled."Little friend, I've lived in the ocean. You don't know how dark it is down there, do you?" He said as his eyes seemed to be twice as big, and now actually resembled fish eyes. He walked through the night, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. It looked pretty weird, though.

As soon as Krotos fell, Aearion rolled his big buldgy eyes."How did you survive so long, honestly?" he bit his bottom lip a bit as he looked around."Are... are you sure? Come on, man. I have to carry you now?" He sighed. Aearion didn't want to leave him behind."Alright, alright," He said as he crawled down onto his knees."Just.. Just hold on to my chest and hang on tight, alright?"