paixaorpg | New Hope [Completed]

Entry tags:

New Hope [Completed]

Character(s): Urd, open!
Content: Urd opens up her temporary relief shop to all!
Setting: Across the street from The Cheap Prayer.
Time: Week 24, all day!
Warnings: None.
Note: This log will be done via "party style" threading! Come in and make your own thread to get Urd's attention, or join into someone else's thread. It's all good!

Praetoris was playing dirty. Though Urd put on a casual, unaffected mood on the network, she was just as annoyed and insulted by this new attitude toward the visitors as anyone else. When it came to dressing "inappropriately," the goddess took it to a new level in a way that even modern-minded individuals would deem a little too sexy. She never minded much; she enjoyed finding new and colorful ways to show off both her style and her body. She was a goddess! You had to instill a certain amount of awe in people!

Her favorite tea shop had been adamant in not serving her and as a result, she had broken most of their cups in a fit of frustration. Really, they'd been lucky she hadn't set fire to the whole place! But once her temper had cooled and she had a clear mind, Urd admitted that fighting back had to be done in a better way. A smarter way.

Thankfully, poorer natives of the city weren't so quick to judge them. She'd always had a good relationship with the gypsies, in part due to her continued business with them (she had to get her ingredients for her potions somewhere). It didn't take much to strike a deal with them for her new plan: they'd supply her what she needed and she, in turn, would make sure the majority of the money the visitors had would go to them. Urd didn't need money, of course. Even if she wasn't a divine being, she had a djinn on her side!

Now the goddess floated in a reclined position in the middle of her shop, hands held out in front of her. Rich cloth and strings of beads flew up to the walls and windows, rags wiped the tables and floors on their own and merchandise of nearly every kind arranged themselves onto shelves and tables. She could have done it all by hand, but manual labor did not sit well with Urd.

Out front, a large embroidered banner read, "New Hope."

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Celes had heard, but not seen, the reason for the clamor that was going on over her communicator. At first she had thought it was a whole bunch of overreacting to not being able to shop. When she finally saw it for the first hand, she changed her mind. The whole idea of segregating people that were different just felt... so... wrong. She had been used to being set apart for a lot of things: casting magic, leading a unit, being a traitor, but never because of what she decided to wear. It was all so... petty.

Not that she could do anything about it, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to yet. Though she had the opportunity to explore Paixao, she regained the ability to walk comfortably only just recently. Whole new areas of the city remained unexplored that were previously inaccessible to her. She was just begun to understand the culture, the people, the government, the situation. Overall, it was a lot to take in and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it yet. She hoped that she'd find something a little more familiar: a small nugget of comfortable understanding that she could build the rest of this city from.

Boy was she in for a surprise. She wandered through the poor district, having heard an advertisement for a shop that wouldn't turn her away for her military uniform and was curious of what they meant by "selling anything". As she passed the banner bearing "New Hope" on the front, she was surprised at both how richly adorned everything looked... and the small floor brush sweeping out a small pile of dust out the front door. Her eyebrow raised and her attention wary for more of the unusual, the former general peered quizzically around the store, wondering what else she could find (and hoping that some of it would be useful).

"Ah, my first customer of the day!" an elegant female voice sounded from somewhere above Celes. Urd was floating above the woman, long silver hair curling and hovering as if she were underwater. "Come in, come in!" Having been upside down, the goddess righted herself in mid-air and placed her hand on Celes' shoulder, her bracelets twinkling as she guided her further into the shop. "Watch out for the mop, it's been giving me attitude all morning," she added, shooting a meaningful glare at the nearby mop in question, which was currently swabbing up what looked like a spill near the back door.

"I'm Urd. What can I do for you?"

A floating woman. While that was still extremely surprising to see it was also completely unsurprising to find in a store like this. That thought did little to prevent the alarm from coming to Celes' face and starting a little, her hand clutched close to her heart.

A beat passed and the former general reclaimed her composure, remembering the times that her friends surprised her with the float spell for the first time. And after several imp spells reminded them not to pull pranks on her. Acting as though the whole moment hadn't bothered her at all, Celes looked up at the goddess trying desperately hard to keep her face straight. The part about the mop did make her chuckle a little, but only just.

"I'm looking for a place to buy some provisions..." Celes said tepidly as her guard was dropping. "I had heard that this store will do business with me after certain... laws were passed." She added.

Urd nodded enthusiastically in response. "Of course. Stupid law, isn't it? No basis in reality." As she spoke, she made no effort to disguise the obvious way she checked out Celes and her outfit. "So you're showing a little cleavage...and such beautiful skin!" Her feet touched the ground and Urd chuckled, looping her arm around the woman's shoulders. "This city just can't handle real beauty like ours, you know? Now, what provisions do you need? Food, clothes, rope? I have plenty of rope!"

"Rope..? What would..." her voice trailed as Celes realized she didn't particularly want to know the answer to that. Was this woman trying to make her uncomfortable? She was very good at that, what with the touching and all, but so was Celes at soldiering on through challenges.

Hoping to get some distance (and thinking it might be a futile effort), the former general took a large step to the side before turning her attention as she did so and beginning to explain. "Anything and everything. I do not know how long I will be staying here, and knowing what my options are would be helpful for whatever..." her eyes narrowed somewhat at the store owner (or was she the cashier?) "...whatever trouble we might have."

Urd's smile turned into a knowing smirk as Celes moved away. This woman's discomfort was so obvious that it bordered on adorable, especially once she started to speak very seriously and formally. "Anything and everything is pretty generic," she replied, amusement in her voice. "Do you need a bird cage? A leather belt? Three nails?" She held her hands up and shrugged, turning from Celes to walk behind the counter. As she continued to speak, she bent over and rummaged around out of view.

"If you're going to continue to explore, best to travel light. If you've already set up someplace, though, you might want to think about buying some creature comforts, things that will make your stay here more comfortable." Urd's head popped up, her dark purple eyes slitted as she shot an intense look towards Celes. "If you're looking for weapons, I'll have to learn a little more about you."

Celes eyes followed the goddess as she quietly began to get a measure of Urd's playful nature. If her first impression was correct, she was the type that enjoyed playing with the people near her. Her mind debated whether this playfulness was friendly or if it indicated something far more sinister beneath the charming face. Though for the moment, she felt no ill intent, but given her history with psychotic manipulators she felt that the better course of action would probably be to keep a watchful eye for now.

Finally, she stepped forward, looking around at the various objects up for sale. "I honestly did not know what to expect." She explained, coming closer to the counter. "Coming to a world that is completely unlike anything you know has a way to do that. I was being generic on purpose."

The corner of Celes lips curled slightly as she leaned onto the counter. "And I suppose if you need to know a little about me before I can see... all of your inventory, I'll suffer a few questions."

"Great," Urd replied from under the counter. Holding up a hand, she waved it once. A chair slid up behind Celes. "Make yourself comfortable!" She popped up, holding a bottle of sake and two cups, smiling in satisfaction. She propped her hip on the counter and set down the cups, pouring out a small amount of the alcohol for both of them.

"First, I need your name. Who were you before you found yourself stuck in Paixao? And what are you plans now?" She lifted her cup and took a deeply appreciative sip, sighing in contentment. Urd then looked down at Celes with a mild smile. "I bet you were a priestess or something."

Heh, well I guess she's trying? Celes thought as she bent her knees down onto the chair. She had her suspicions still, but enemies don't usually poison the the same drink that they pour into their own cups. But more importantly her mind turned to General Leo, and she remembered how firm and warm he was to even their toughest enemies. If he could trust in good cheer, then surely she could as well?

Reflecting on this, she smiled a little and thought she was acting foolishly paranoid. "My name is Celes." Her words were slow and meaningful. "And no, I am not a priestess. I... was working, for lack of a better term, as a member of a resistance group to overthrow the empire that was attempting to disrupt the flow of magic in the world for their own benefit." She paused, taking a slow sip from her bowl to allow that to sink in. "Now, I intend to go back to see what happened in the world, as there doesn't seem to be an immediate threat to this one."

"Oh...?" Urd murmured, eyebrows raised. "A fighter for justice and peace. I like that." She smiled and drained her cup, immediately pouring more alcohol into it. "Well, Celes, I take it you haven't been here long, or you'd know this world is more threatening than it seems. And, intentions aside, you'll have to solve the mystery of this world before you can go back to your own."

Her smile was apologetic as she spoke, almost rueful. It wasn't always easy news to hear, if she hadn't heard it already. Would she deny the truth and continue fighting anyway? She did seem the sort.

A mystery? What was she referring to? There was much to this world that she didn't know, among them was how she got here in the first place. Did it have something to do with how she could get out? Apparently so, or else Urd would not have said it that way. Yet she had no reason not to trust her either: there was too much here that she didn't know for it not to be true. Though whether or not this mystery was a function of the place or something that she created herself had yet to be seen. For now, she set that thought aside and decided that getting information was more important.

"What do you know of this mystery?" She finally said after being quiet for almost half a minute. "You seem to know more than most of the people I have met up until now."

Urd watched the thoughtful expression on Celes' face with hooded, unreadable eyes. "Mmm," she sighed at the question that followed, rolling her shoulders in a small shrug. "There are others who know more than I do simply because they've been here longer. I just happen to love gossip." She took a sip, turning to gaze out the window as she continued.

"If the words of a betrayer and a known liar are to be believed, this world is not real. It's a castle, each floor a different dimension of sorts. All of us who aren't native from Paixao have been pulled in from where we came from without warning or explanation...and we've yet to find a way out. Right now, there is no way out."

"Ah..." Celes murmured, dropping her head to recollect her thoughts. From her limited experiences talking with the other peoples there, she learned a little of these other worlds. With each confirmation, she grew more confident in realizing the truth. But what of her world? What of the goddesses? What happened to...

A small wince and a quick wayward glance away was all that Celes showed of her concern before returning to her hostess. She appreciated the seriousness that she was taking in the discussion. In a weird way, recognizing that this woman was considering their circumstances and distrustful of other information made her seem more trustworthy.

Celes shoulders relaxed as she took a deeper sip from her cup. She had her own thoughts and questions, but she wasn't about to be disrespectful. "I am talking out of turn, aren't I?" she said into her glass as a playful smirk spread across her lips. "Wasn't this your interrogation?"

"What makes you think I haven't been interrogating you?" Urd replied smoothly, eyebrow raised. She pushed herself off from the counter, placing her cup to the side, and made her way to a nearby shelf. "I can already tell you take your duties seriously. Big on the whole responsibility thing. You have a desire to protect the world from injustice." She turned slightly, her purple gaze meeting Celes' unblinkingly. "As it happens, there's a lot of injustice going around. Feel up to helping while you find a way home?"

Celes eyes bore down on the table a few seconds, as she considered this carefully. She knew she couldn't just leave the people here in trouble, but she was also committed to returning home to see what had become of it. Yet her sense of justice also couldn't let her leave people who need help either. She knew she'd have to make a decision to leave them eventually. But...

Her attention returned once again to Urd. "Before my position in the rebellious group, I was a General for the very same Empire that they opposed. I had been trained to be thorough and precise. When you know your decisions can determine whether your men live or die warrants them that much seriousness." She let out a tired sigh. "As for the rest... you should know that I have no intention of righting all the wrongs of this world. Though I will do my part to ensure the safety of even those elitist idiots, I cannot stay to solve all their problems. But since I'm in the neighborhood..."

Urd clapped her hands together and grinned. "That's just what I wanted to hear!" She turned and started gathering up various items from the surrounding tables and shelves -- a full length hooded cloak, leather bags, wool blankets, sturdy boots, a modest dress, two pairs of pants, several metal flasks full of some mysterious liquid, an empty canteen, a sword in a scabbard and a wide-brimmed straw hat were all added to the counter in front of Celes.

"That should get you started for exploration and adventure. The dress should allow you access to the shops, but..." She made a face, placing her hand on her hip. "It's so frumpy. You have a great body, it's a shame to cover it up. Besides, this law is ridiculous. So I wouldn't use the dress unless you absolutely had to."

Urd stepped closer, leaning forward. "So, let's discuss payment."

The former general looked over everything this other woman, a bit curious what some of the unlabeled stuff possess and grimacing over at the dress that was provided. She had thought to outright decline the dress entirely, but the explanation made sense. She begrudgingly decided that it was in her best interest to have it at least be available and did not feel like talking about it when the subject was brought up.

Celes' eyebrows raised at the mention of payment. Was this what she was really after? Though she started to fee that she wasn't untrustworthy, the hairs on the back of her neck warned her that owing this woman much was definitely something she wanted to avoid.

"Alright, what is it that you want for this?"

Urd's smile spread wider as she leaned back. "What money you have on you should tide my suppliers over. But what I want is another matter entirely." She shoved all of the items she'd retrieved into a large sack and made her way over to Celes. "I could use an ally like you."

She deposited the bag into Celes' hands then looped her arm around her shoulders. "I'd like to be able to rely on you at some point in the future." Urd gave her a reassuring, confident smile. "I'll probably need your help eventually. Would you do that for me?"

Definitely dangerous, Celes thought as her eyes shifted their to Urd's smiling face. On one hand, the request wasn't unreasonable, on the other hand...

Weighing over her options, she decided the best idea was to do it Setzer style: throw the dice and see what happens when they land. "Alright," she finally agreed, "...on the one condition that I have the option to decline that request if it is objectionable."

Well, it was still Celes after all.

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New Hope [Completed]

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