Curses [MR AZ]

[Domovoi]

Private Roleplay between myself and the ever-sexy MR AZ.
Don't post. Don't PM us. Read along if you must -- because it's probably worth it. It's definitely worth it.​

Blood, sweat, and tears went into the soil of Duncaster to make it the sprawling city it became. An anomaly and contradiction, the country of Ustad's capital city was also its biggest farming town, producing the vast majority of the country's domestic and exported produce. Of great popularity were Hengelberries, a sweet berry cultivated solely in this city; its harvest was near the beginning of autumn, just as the leaves began to change, and the pies the locals turned them into were to die for, literally. One of the city's most popular inns had a deadly bar fight over ownership of the last slice of the season several years ago.

But, for the most part, the city was a peaceful town amid its chaotic neighbors, and was generally a solid foundation for earning a living as there was always work needed and income to earn.

Outside of produce, cotton was also heavily cultivated, creating plenty of opportunity for textile and tailoring businesses to flourish. If a new fashion was to be brought into trend, it originated in Duncaster. Their dyes were mostly imported, save for a few colors, but competition was crushed underneath sheer manufacturing capabilities. High population could trump any caveat, and Duncaster had population in spades.

Aside from the lavish houses of the country's leader and his elected officials, most of the city homes were small, or were shared residences with others - not always family or friends. To make room - and save room - for crops, the city tried to keep housing space as small as possible, sacrificing comfort for financial plentitude. This bothered few residents, who were more than happy to save their income to move later. A dream of many was to retire to a large house in the countryside and live with their spouses, children, and, hopefully, grandchildren. Too accustomed to sharing these tiny places, the thought of living alone was an almost fearful concept, and their goals reflected that.

Because of its proximity to Drahe Lake, the locals had a fondness for the tiny fish caught extensively there. They were a delicacy, quite expensive and difficult to prepare. Also because of this proximity, crossover traffic from their rival to the north, Leira, was frequent, and many visitors to the city were from there. Outsiders were treated kindly, but with suspicion; something about the other country's air of holier-than-thou aristocracy rubbed everyone the wrong way.

Despite this heavy wariness, of the settlements in Ustad, its capital was the friendliest. Residents on their best behavior to please their leader, and farmers too tired from the day's hard work to want trouble, avoided conflict to a fault. Shyster traders could easily scam an extra coin or two by insisting someone hadn't paid in full, a trick occasionally taken advantage of by foreign traders. Locals preferred quiet exits and higher bills to noisy fights with potential bad endings.

 

[MRAZ]

Clap. Clop.
Clap. Clop.

The damp road’s quietness was broken by Leah’s calm walking; being the first delivery of the day often gave that sense of calmness, the downside was that it came along the ‘crap, thieves are going to steal my cargo’ feeling that was so common on roads when it was still dark. But, well thinking about it, it was better to risk a fight with the petty thieves that were roaming at night around Duncaster than to wait for the road to be filled with other carts, while it risked also getting said cargo late and near rotting.

Fish delivery was a serious business, unlike what most people thought.

The guards near Duncaster’s entrance were yawning by the time the cart arrived, which made the usual demand of “who lives?” rather comical in sound. In reply, Micah had removed the hood that shielded her against the chill of the newborn day and waved widely, that prompted for the door to be open and for the dirty blond haired woman to cover her features again.

The place was warm in the afternoon, but at morning it became chilly to a rather uncomfortable degree. With the reigns, she ordered Leah to keep going and entered the city, only to be assaulted with a sharp change of pace. The market was just starting to accommodate, preparing for the deliveries that would come, horse and rider finally got to their clients and the new show began, the one that Micah disliked the most. Without speaking a word but also keeping a smile on her face, she started to negotiate price and quantity.

 

[Domovoi]

So It Begins

The morning sun had barely yet begun to peek over the mountains in the distant East. As typical of city marketplaces, bustling merchants were setting up their stalls and preparing trades between themselves and incoming deliveries. Micah and Leah weren't the first outsiders to arrive, goods already passing between hands as money was exchanged all around. The twinkling jingle of coins rattled all around, as did the impatient shifting of hooves as horses waited to be led off again. It was another day of haggling, simple following of daily occupational routine.

A wide-eyed brunette with short-cut hair negotiated quite fiercely for a bundle of dyes, handing over a considerable fee to the merchant selling them. He walked off looking pleased with himself, and she looked relieved to have successfully closed the deal. Giving a stray dog a pat as he begged at her feet, she shooed him away with gentle movements, leaving him to scoot off with a whine to find someone else to scrounge food from.

At a nearby stall, a farmer helped his wife set up displays of the fruit he'd harvested that morning. Vibrantly colored fruits shone brightly on their stall, begging to be plucked up and eaten; the farmer's wife herself looked to be having trouble keeping from munching on the profits of their beautiful harvest.

Several merchants crowded around a Vendaberry stall, engaged in a bidding war over the tiny seeds. Though not nearly as popular or delicious as their Hengelberry cousins, they still would fetch a high price in places that had difficulty cultivating the blackish fruits.

The merchants and pedestrian patrons alike were more than happy to negotiate for fish; despite living close to the lake, they were ultimately a farming city, and didn't spend much on fishing. Blenca, the tiny, chewy fishes in the lake, were more widespread on the northern edge, anyway; they preferred the colder, calmer waters. Duncaster residents were more than happy to simply accept imports.

 

[MRAZ]

Without saying a single word, Micah received the payment from her clients and stayed around for the time it took for them to move the fish to their actual stalls, of course that she had to stay there the entire time. People were trustworthy most of the times, but with some temptation many would let go of their sense of honesty and steal a couple, a dozen or even a couple dozens of the nutritive food. At the end it was a rather boring moment, with nothing to do but gaze as the sun woke up in the horizon and keep an eye on her cart’s cargo, the only change that she would have was that at the end of it all her hood and jacket were removed.

Her long blond and brown, wavy hair was somehow ruffled by the trip but Micah occupied her time in putting it into a half braid, her brown gaze was kept on the back of her cart though, so she noticed when the business was done and left said cart for a few moments in order to buy some apples for Leah and some fruit for the way back. She trusted that the guards were keeping the market closely watched, in case anyone tried to do away with her mare.

Arriving to the near stall, Micah waved at the merchant's woman, then signaled the fruit and gathered some in one of the baskets, then gave said basket for the merchant to weight and decide how much gold would she have to pay in order for him not to accuse her of thievery.

 

[Domovoi]

The farmer's wife, homely and kind, held the basket in her hands and counted out the fruits with practiced movements, keeping track with her fingers as she went. The bun her graying brown hair was tied up in bounced with her head movements. The price she asked was plenty fair, and, with a wink, she threw in a couple of extras - small, relatively undesirable apples that were perfect for pet food. Merchant purchasing habits were transparent by that point; they all liked a few tasty snacks for their trusty steeds. After all, what were they without beasts of burden?

More traders filtered in as the first batch began filtering out; another fish trader, late on the draw, had difficulty selling his stock - likely due to Micah's fish sales already having lowered demand. He dropped his prices, but still seemed mostly out of luck, only selling a bushel or so of his full cart.

A small woman, clad in an orange tunic, exited the nearby inn and approached a garment trader's stall. Immediately, the trader behind it began showing off several expensive pieces. Her bluish hair was held back in a soft-looking maroon scarf; she obviously appreciated fashion, something the merchant likely hoped to capitalize on. Just the same, the merchant didn't seem to have what she was looking for.

Meanwhile, the scrawny dog begging scraps approached Micah's cart curiously, sniffing at it and placing its front paws on the opening during its investigation. It was clearly looking for anything edible it could snatch up and steal away with.

 

[MRAZ]

Micah paid up and her smile got wider when the woman gave her some snack apples, Leah would love those, the old mare had a taste for the old, apples and stallions alike. So, grabbing her bag, the blond woman put it all there and accommodated herself before leaving. She felt bad for the down-on-his-luck trader but tried not to stare at him. That was the price of arriving late after all, which reminded her of just how tired she felt, having woken up long before the sun even began rising in order to get the cargo.

It was time to get back home…

On the way she noticed a colorful lady that actually made her stare a few seconds before going back to her walk, it was rude to stare after all, and she did not want any trouble with anyone. Although that blue lady seemed to be actually asking for the attention.

Back to her cart she found a surprise guest, one she picked up from behind in half a hug before putting him back down, backing away quickly enough so it would not managed to bite her, and entering the cart herself, there she accommodated her bag and got some dried meat. She munched some and left a piece for the dog, if it even was still there… did dogs even eat dried meat?

Throwing it out, the lean woman looked, to see if they indeed did, meanwhile she separated some apples to give to Leah.

 

[Domovoi]

The orange-clad woman meandered from stall to stall, valuables to garments, to even the fruit stands; their brief conversations were inaudible from any distance, but she seemed dissatisfied with each, her frown growing with each visit.

Around town, the waking hours had begun; what was once a sleepy start was now the bustling city one would expect. People filtered out of their tiny homes in droves, ready to get to work for the day - they had dreams to carve out, and would do so one coin at a time if need be. The sounds of pumps in the distance churned and rattled as the farmers began their automatic watering systems, and children began their forward march towards the small schoolhouse on the north end of the city.

Micah's visitor wagged its tail happily at the attention, and loosed a friendly bark as it was placed down. Again, the animal's nose was glued to the opening of the cart, and as meat was tossed out, the piece met eager teeth. Seeming to take it as an invitation, the dog leapt into the cart and lolled its tongue, looking expectantly at what seemed to be a new friend who shared food.

 

[MRAZ]

Micah saw the suddenly growing activity in the city and began to prepare to go, and then the furry pal leapt in her cart, making her stare at it in surprise for a couple of seconds before giving up and smiling at it widely, offering it a whole piece of dried meat this time. Did this mean she had a dog now? Well, she didn’t have a dog before, so that was nice. But if she had a dog now that mean she had to go buy more dried meat…

Well, dogs were good, right? They were loyal, or so people said. Petting the intruder in her cart, Micah got out and snapped her fingers lightly after it ate the food, hoping it would follow her and going to Leah and feeding it while it made up his mind. Where was that meat seller again?

She had forgotten, usually she could either eat fish or hunt for her meat and dry it at home, but her friend would need more than that. So it was back to the market again. Darn. Well, for now she focused on Leah, patting her mane and mouthing at her noiselessly, they would be out of there soon, there was no need for worries.

 

[Domovoi]

The dog happily watched her, tail wagging hard enough to beat against the inside of the cart as it received petting. The large animal shook itself and stretched, the larger piece of meat seeming to make it a bit more content; by now, it was obvious that it was a she-dog, lacking the features of a male.

She stared somewhat affectionately at her new pal, and happily chased after Micah at the beckoning gesture. The dog stayed close to the girl's legs, not enough to trip her, but tight enough to demonstrate unity. Occasionally, though, the puppyish beast would bounce on its feet, playfully circling Micah while looking up at her with a sparkling, affectionate look.

The market was swarming now, egg sellers and dye sellers and garment sellers, jewelry sellers, knick knack sellers, fruit sellers, vegetable sellers... Meat traders had brought in their carts and were haggling away, mostly fresh meats from neighboring towns. Their prices were a tad steep, but they insisted their meat was of 'utmost quality'.

If one were to pay attention, missing from the crowd was the blue-haired woman, who seemed to have given up on whatever her mission had been for the day.

A male thief, dressed simply and blending in with the crowd, nabbed a small item from one of the jewelry vendors while the seller's attention was on a customer. In a smooth, casual movement, it was in the thief's pocket. It was a difficult crime to spot, especially with how many patrons buzzed about the marketplace. In fact, if it went unnoticed by the entire group, it wouldn't be a shock.

The dog prancing by Micah's side was more than happy to greet the strangers who reached for her, nuzzling into pets and sniffing the air in the direction of meat vendors, but always sticking close to the hands that fed her. The wagging tail and happy stare said a lot about the dog's appreciation level; animals always seemed to have a knack for telling who they could trust.

 

[MRAZ]

The woman’s smile widened at her new companion’s attitude, probably she was a lost dog, it was lucky that their paths crossed then, dogs so friendly often fell trapped by people who wanted to have a free meal or just kick something smaller than them around. But well, no point thinking on that, the dog was hers now… but how to call her? Still thinking on that, Micah spotted the meat merchant and shrugged off the overpriced food, she was going to buy it anyway so, why bother with giving any sign of discomfort?

Signaling some cow meat, the cart owner requested for four pieces and some dry meat. That would last for until they got to hunting grounds, then she’d hunt for the both of them.

While paying the merchant, the blond woman noticed a male nearby whom, with gestures of hand and wide movements, put something into his pockets, but she did not even wince at that, choosing to ignore it instead, pretend she saw nothing. After all, people had to eat, at times by doing rather unfair things, that was true, but, who was she to judge or to call justice upon them? Doing that would end her with enemies in both sides of society; the merchant would have been exposed as an idiot who got robbed easily, and the thief as, well, a thief. Also, they all had to start somewhere, didn’t they?

Taking the meat after paying, Micah snapped her fingers for her new furry friend to follow her and got back to her cart, with Leah, where it was her place. She picked the dog up and put it on the cart, then took her rightful throne on the seat of the transportation, readying to leave.

 

[Domovoi]

The happy dog's tail never stopped wagging, watching her new human closely as she trotted along beside her, keeping in-step. Stopping to sniff at everything was a continuous distraction, but never for long!

She seemed to appreciate the boost into the cart, prancing in a small circle as Micah climbed in. Once the human was settled, the dog draped herself across the woman's knees to take a nap, a heavy, contented huff whistling out of her nose as she relaxed into her warm companion.

The city's buzzing was still picking up, the noise in the distance from the farms growing further. The marketplace was becoming littered with more aggressive merchants, hollering across the courtyard to others while announcing their goods and their sales. Most were fully awake by then, early morning grogginess having faded.

 

[MRAZ]

Micah patted her new furry pal and ate a piece of fruit before taking Leah’s reins and giving them a light tug, making the already sleepy horse shake herself and start moving to the street, their pace was sluggish, as it always was while they were in the city. Believe it or not, kids tended to get under Leah’s legs, and some even had the ability to camouflage themselves as dirt, so if you had a cart and went fastest than a snapping turtle on land, you would most likely have quite the list of people you ran over by the end of the day.

The long haired woman wasn’t in too much of a rush though, so she contented herself on looking around, waving when she was waved at by a merchant’s wife or the merchant themselves, and nodding respectfully whenever there was a guard staring at her, best to be in the good side of the guards. That way they would never suspect anything of her.

It actually took her quite the while, but finally she arrived to the now opened gates, having to stand in line in order to get out of there.

 

[Domovoi]

Many other merchants were heading out of Duncaster, as well, having done their business and moved on. Time was money, there were more stops to make for maximum profit. Others were travelers, finished resting for the night and ready to continue their journey once again. They all shared an obvious commonality: every one of them looked haggard and tired. Not half-asleep, but rather the deep seated exhaustion that came from being on the road so frequently. It was no easy life.

The guards cared little for those filing out, as well as those crowding their way in. So long as everyone looked relatively safe, they felt alright allowing visitors. The city folk themselves were wary enough that they doubted problems would arise. Besides, with the shady forest looming to the south, they had better things to be keeping an eye on.

 

[MRAZ]

Micah had a slow incorporation to the road, just as always, just as it should be, that was something few people really understood: in order to escape, what you needed was not speed, but patience and time. Everyday life should be played every day, even in times of urgency, like when running away from the guards, panicking and rushing only lead to imprisonment and blame. Those were past times though, for now she had to go home, prepare some dinner, clean the cart so it would not smell of rotten fish, bathe, bathe her new furry pal, bathe Leah.

Everyone had to have a bath, and for a moment Micah considered riding all three of them into a river so they would emerge clean, sadly that would not work. She had a place in Highhill, in the outskirts at least. Having moved from Abenath farm a few months ago it had been imperative to get a place with a place for Leah, and now she needed to accommodate her new companion as well.

She hoped that there would be no trouble.

 

[Domovoi]

The East road from Duncaster to Highhill was the easiest route, passing by Caerleon Archways in Ustad and Fort Lasthope to the north, after moving into the country of Leira. Heading West required three fort passes and a river crossing, over a less than reliable bridge that flooded all too commonly.

Still, even being the shorter path, getting to Highhill on a hard-ridden steed took over a half a day. Getting there with a cart was a longer journey. They wouldn't arrive in the city until the youngest hours of the morning, and that was plenty of time for disaster to strike. The roads of Ustad were littered with bandits and swindlers, especially those between hot spots like major cities; getting by without notice took luck, indeed.

But things were quiet. Dirt paths for the cart to kick up pebbles on, trees to mark places on the journey. At one point, a fox bounded along between shrubs, likely chasing down a rodent for its midday meal, its streak of bright orange fur breaking up an otherwise green landscape. To the south, Ustad was a dusty, mountainous country, the altitude making it mostly too cold for plants to grow. Nearest its neighbor to the north, the landscape was lush and vibrant, hardy against the chilling temperatures and bounding with nature. Birds sang happily, following flight trails overhead as they moved between their homes.

All was according to plan. At least, until arriving at Caerleon Archways.

A string of carts were lined up, totally stopped, at the gates leading through. Because of the terrain, where the altitude rose to the east and made cart travel near impossible, there was no way to go around that wouldn't take days of backtracking - leaving the merchants ahead trapped. It was obvious they expected to be stuck for a while, as already many had set up tents despite sunset not being for another few hours.

Guards swarmed the gates, armed to the teeth with spears and blades polished to a shine; they were obviously royal guards, judging by their heraldry, which bore the family crest of the current Leider of Ustad, Amaranto Barese, whose luxurious home sat in the wealthiest district of Duncaster. A few merchants seemed to be arguing with the guards, gesturing angrily to the row of over a dozen held up carts and caravans behind them, but although the guards seemed peaceful, their patience was obviously wearing thin, and quickly. The tension rose with every moment of banter, and worse yet, it wasn't getting anyone through any faster than before.

The main guard, the one seemed dressed in the highest level of finery and whose horse's armor displayed the most military achievement markings, was keeping the peace as best he could; moving between his men, the knight attempted to defuse arguments and keep people calm. One pedestrian in particular began cursing at him, throwing what looked like an apple at the knight's head. In response, the man removed his helmet - recently assaulted by fruit - and looked the man in the eyes before continuing his attempts to prevent more violence. It was a demonstration of trust, perhaps, that if he wasn't armored, they wouldn't further attack, though others might take it to be an attempt to look more personable by revealing pale blonde hair and a more delicate face than one would attribute to a knight of his status.

 

[MRAZ]

Micah observed the mess and sighed to herself, well, at least they had enough vigilance, which meant that the merchants could not start any fighting, but she was curious, just what had happened? She jumped down from her cart, carrying her bag with her and deciding to let her new fluffy companion decide if she wanted to come along or not. The blond girl knew that “talking” to the guards would only break their patience. So she decided to walk along the line, seeing if there was any other merchant that had done business with her before: Someone who could give her information about the new turn of things.

The revolt was starting, with the symbol of assholeness: an apple, because sure, merchants had the deadly force of vegetables and fruits to fight against the swords of the guards. She observed and sighed to herself, part of her wanted to help, but she knew that there was no way of stopping everyone in one go. So she kept walking along, trying to locate familiar people, until seeing a man picking up another fruit, readying to throw it to the now defenseless head of the knight.

Micah wanted to ignore it, but she ended up intervening, throwing fruit at a knight was both suicide and the fastest way to give merchants a bad name, which she didn’t need. Grabbing his hand she made him drop the fruit and shook her head, glaring daggers at the wannabe attacker.

 

[Domovoi]

The group of soldiers reacted quickly to what they perceived initially as a scuffle between two of the rabble-rousers they were overseeing; they hurried in to see the merchant angrily drop his arm, then take a bite of the fruit he'd initially intended to throw. The man stomped off, back to his cart, where a few of his assistants looked on nervously, clearly displeased with the idea of pissing off the guards.

The guard approached who'd received the first apple, and motioned with his hands for his men to stand down, as he saw Micah and the merchant as no threat.

"Thank you for the assist, however unnecessary," From atop his horse, he gave a humorous little bow of gratitude. "I'm afraid I've had far worse projectiles lobbed at me than a bit of produce," His gentle expression ended after a soft chuckle, and turned to worry. "Besides, I understand his frustration. This closure is disrupting these merchants' livelihood - yours included,"

Tilting his head, he observed, "You just arrived, yes? So you likely have no idea what's going on," His horse shifted on its hooves and whinnied impatiently, marching in place as if it had somewhere else to be. It could clearly sense the tense atmosphere. "A diplomat headed for Duncaster from Highhill was murdered. Closed are all roads into the country until we locate the suspect," One of the merchants nearby made a snide comment about their hunger and tiredness. "Yes, and my men, too, suffer hunger and exhaustion. We suffer together, it seems."