Somnium
age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Heavy
The woman's behavior shifted after he introduced himself. Curiously he regarded her as she circled him. Perhaps, he mused to himself, this spirit knew of his family. If that were the case that had to be a good sign, right? The news of his family's successes being discussed by the celestial beings could be nothing else.
She seemed to be working up to something as she looked him over. Maybe deciding how he compared to other members of his family? He wasn't sure if he should stand up straighter or what, but he felt a sudden blossom of anxiety in his chest. Much like how he felt about his father's opinion, the spirit's opinion of him mattered. He wanted to do his surname justice and while he did the best he could, there was always a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that he simply wasn't good enough.
In the end, much to his dismay, she withheld judgement and chose instead to tell him about the other members of his family that she'd met. Surely that wasn't good. Was her naming of Pyralis a subtle hint that she was comparing him to his aunt? That didn't bode well. When she mentioned bumping into Abraxas he forced a chuckle and joked dryly, "That's the plan." Casually he added, "If you wanna retake the heavens you gotta rival the stars in number."
"Just smellin' pretty flowers or pickin' 'em?" He snorted and then chuckled. "Picking them. I'm a healer and this field is full of hard to find medicinal plants. Speaking of," he motioned towards a spindly weed with yellow flowers whose stem she was about to step on and possibly snap. "If you step on that one, I might have to shed a manly tear or two."
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Malleus has a barbary macaque companion named Pascal. Unless he is mentioned IC it's safe to assume he's not with Malleus.
Somnium
age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Heavy
My this spirit was feisty. Her cheeky grin didn't go unnoticed. He might have been worried about her thoughts on how he stacked up against other members of his family, but that wasn't going to stop him from playing her game. Malleus shrugged, the corners of his mouth briefly depressing as his expression turned mock contemplative. Would it take them awhile? "The Abraxas have a...can-do spirit, if you will." He tsked quietly, and rolled his eyes before parting with the words, "Ever heard the saying 'breeding like rabbits'? I don't even know how many cousins I have."
"What'll you give me not to squish it?" Feisty, feisty, feisty! Gods above he was out of his element. This spirit was going to be the death of him; he found her confounding and yes, enamoring. It was a position he'd never found himself in before and his need for her approval wasn't dissimilar to his need to have his family's approval. Never before had he felt that way about anything else. It was at once a frustrating and intriguing feeling.
Drawing upon all the playfulness he possessed (which admittedly wasn't much) Malleus widened his eyes in mock worry and fixed his gaze on the flower she was caressing. Okay, so he had the look down, but what did he say? Flirting, teasing, whatever this was, was far outside his comfort zone and he wasn't sure how to proceed. "For that plant?" He hemmed and hawed a moment, pretending to sweat over the answer, and then finally parted with the words, "I would give anything, but I'm afraid I have nothing to offer but my undying gratitude." He wasn't happy with that answer so he added, "Unless there's something in particular you want..."
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Malleus has a barbary macaque companion named Pascal. Unless he is mentioned IC it's safe to assume he's not with Malleus.
Somnium
age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Heavy
"Till you run out of unrelated wolves and things get a little awkward." Would it though? There were some members of his family that he doubted would be stopped by that particular taboo. The thought was almost enough to make his skin crawl, but he truly wondered about certain relatives. If he caught one nut deep in a tree he honestly wouldn't be that surprised. "I can only hope it would get awkward," he muttered dryly.
Iskra seemed far too pleased to be holding the life of a valuable plant in her paws. She savored her words before parting with them; taking her sweet time and seeming to relish his discomfort. Finally she spoke, parting with a few dissatisfied words before pausing to push the agrimony around. She was being a little rough with it, bending its fragile stalk with each pat, but thankfully it wasn't the plant he was here for. Of course, after all of this he may as well collect it too; it would be a shame to go through with this song and dance and not take it.
His browspots rose in response to her proposition. He was loath to owe someone outside of his family anything, but the deal was...tantalizing to say the least. With Iskra traveling around finding the plants it would save him a lot of legwork and he would be able to devote more of his time to the pack. He wasn't going to tell her that right away. No, it was her turn to sweat.
"Hm," he rumbled gruffly, his gaze briefly rolling heavenward as he pretended to consider her deal. Owing an unspecified debt was a dangerous thing. "I do believe you'd be getting the better end of the deal..." One day the Abraxas would rule it all. She could ask him for anything then...but did he really have to honor the deal? He mulled that over for a moment. She wasn't a simple mortal; breaking a deal with a spirit could be dangerous.
In the end he decided that he was just a cog in the machine. What could it hurt for him, a simple man, to owe a spirit a debt? He shrugged as if the decision wasn't as big as he thought it to be. "Alright, you have a deal. One unspecified favor in return for legging it around the countryside in search of plants. On second thought, Lady, Fire, I think I've gotten the better end," he said with a grin.
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Malleus has a barbary macaque companion named Pascal. Unless he is mentioned IC it's safe to assume he's not with Malleus.
Somnium
age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Heavy
Her words and her expression did little to soothe his fears. Iskra struck him as, at the very least, wily and mischievous. He wouldn't put it past her to demand that he pluck himself bare or carry her around on his back for a day for no other reason than that it would amuse her. That made her dangerous in his mind. Maybe not in the physical sense, but certainly a threat to his dignity. Although really, what did that matter at this point since she had more or less danced with him across a field?
Malleus chuckled and let his gaze roll heavenward for a moment. "I suppose I will." A recurring deal? He tipped his head to the side and thought about it for a second. If the first deal worked out and she didn't make him run through a bear infested forest covered in honey or something equally ridiculous, what could it hurt? At the very least he would be getting valuable information.
But Iskra wasn't done. After she released her hostage and stepped away, the fire spirit elaborated on their deal further. As she talked Malleus carefully pulled up the agrimony she'd been standing over. It wasn't what he'd originally set his sights on, so instead of simply breaking the stem and taking it back with him to dry, he was going to try to save some of the root and see if he could grow it closer to home.
Her deal sounded quite good to him. It was fair and it sounded like both parties would walk away satisfied. Malleus carefully set the newly uprooted plant down so he could speak. "Alright," he agreed. "That all sounds good to me. I would like to leave our deal open for future negotiations. A wanderer might be useful in more ways than simply plant gathering, but," he shrugged, "We should leave that discussion for another day." If she traveled a lot she could be useful in other ways. Tracking fugitives, spreading information...perhaps even spying if his confidence in her grew.
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Malleus has a barbary macaque companion named Pascal. Unless he is mentioned IC it's safe to assume he's not with Malleus.
Somnium
age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Heavy
03-18-2018, 03:17 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-18-2018, 03:18 PM by Malleus.)
”Now that we’re done with business, tell me, what did you come here looking for exactly? Maaybe I can help you find whatever it is.” While he could appreciate her offer to help, in reality, he didn't need it to find this particular plant. He knew what he'd been looking for and where to find it before she'd crab walked across the field with him. It's why he'd been crab walking in the first place.
But, that didn't mean he couldn't put Iskra to work. Perhaps a small test of her hunting abilities was in order. A demonstration to see just how well she could visualize what he described. He might send her on a hunt for specific plants. If so, she would have to be able to identify them by description alone. He quirked a brow at her. "Think you can find one unremarkable flowering plant in a field of flowering plants?"
Careful not to allow his gaze to wander to the plant's location, he said, "It's called boneset. Each plant grows neatly on a single hairy stalk with long, pointed leaves...although because they like to grow very close together sometimes boneset plants look like a shrub. Their flowers are white, small and bundled together in neat little clumps."
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Malleus has a barbary macaque companion named Pascal. Unless he is mentioned IC it's safe to assume he's not with Malleus.
Somnium
age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Heavy
04-05-2018, 07:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-05-2018, 07:57 PM by Malleus.)
"I am plenty capable of such things." In a response to this, Malleus scoffed and made a face that suggested he wasn't convinced. The unspoken challenge was quite clear: prove it.
Malleus watched her wordlessly as she wandered around the field. He was careful to keep his expression in check; if she was hoping he'd accidentally give the plant away with a careless look or visible excitement, she was mistaken.
Finally she selected one and turned to look at him, eager for his approval. "Nope," he said firmly with a stony expression that suggested he was disappointed. After a few beats - just long enough to dampen her spirits - he grinned teasingly and nodded. "Yeah, that's it."
He padded closer, intent on picking what he needed of it and adding it to the bundle he already had. "Not bad. Although there's a bundle right over there...." he motioned back to where he'd been standing. The plant grew no more than a few steps away.
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Malleus has a barbary macaque companion named Pascal. Unless he is mentioned IC it's safe to assume he's not with Malleus.
Somnium
age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Heavy
Iskra's reaction was priceless. The whole journey from failure to annoyance to outrage played out across her face in seconds. When she leapt the space between them to poke him accusingly, Malleus couldn't take it any longer. He cracked up immediately, the laugh bursting from his lips like water from a dam.
His expression playfully smug, he nudged her back; copying Iskra's move by poking her shoulder with a paw. "Sure you would have. Eventually. ...Maybe."
"So, whatchya gunna do now? Get more herbs? Or return home with your spoils?" He shrugged noncommittally. "I got what I came here for." And then some. "But it seems a shame to leave so soon. This field is full of useful plants; surely I can find something else to take back with me."
He smirked, then asked, "What about you? I'm sure you have fires to start somewhere or something. Off to create more mischief? Or do you have a home to return to?"
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Malleus has a barbary macaque companion named Pascal. Unless he is mentioned IC it's safe to assume he's not with Malleus.