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Post by Batiro on Jan 27, 2016 19:17:26 GMT
With the festival ongoing, the people of the village don't seem to be worrying about hard work. Most people are just drinking and being happy.
Simply looking around, he sees a few people having problems: there's a particularly busy food stall with an old man cooking skewered meat, who is clearly having a hard time keeping up with demand. There's also a puppet show going on around the corner from him, with a young man that seems to be having trouble making the kids laugh. If Merchant isn't feeling particularly helpful, there's apparently also a 'feats of strength' type deal going on in the center of the village, with a strong-man calling out to random passerbys to test their muscles ringing a high-up bell, like at a carnival.
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Jul 16, 2018 14:13:48 GMT
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Post by anonyman on Jan 27, 2016 19:48:37 GMT
Merchant looks at the two struggling, shrugs, and approaches the strong-man. Perhaps if he let them sweat a bit longer they'd be more desperate (and willing to pay) later.
"Merchant wishes to know the challenge and rewards."
Wasting no time, Merchant fires off questions at the beefy man.
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Post by Batiro on Jan 27, 2016 20:01:34 GMT
"Ahh, another weakling to test their muscle on my machine!" The strongman, improperly wearing a robe draped around one side like a toga to show off his big right arm. "Is simple: ring that bell..." he points to a bell atop a slider, with a seesaw at the bottom with a weight resting on it.
"...with this hammer." He hands Merchant a big war hammer, obviously meant for a muscly warrior to wield two-handed. "Very simple task. Do it and receive money."
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Post by anonyman on Jan 27, 2016 20:40:33 GMT
Merchant grabs the hammer and immediately it swings down, hitting the ground. Oof. Merchant was not spec'd for this kind of labor. Regardless, he had some pretty good practice aiming things, and thankfully all that he had to do was hit the bell with the hammer...
Merchant grabs hold, tenses up, and with one good spin launches the hammer at the top of the bell!
lQE4Q2d01d20+1AC roll 2d61d20+1·2d6
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Post by Batiro on Jan 27, 2016 20:47:30 GMT
The strongman laughs as Merchant goofs around with the hammer, clearly unable to easily lift it. He is immediately flabbergasted as the hammer flies up, straight at the bell. As the weapon plummets back to the ground, there's a decent-sized crack in the brass bell.
"You! That was not what I intended!" He his face goes beet-red, and he's right up in Merchant's personal space yelling at him. "That does not count! You will do it properly or not at all!"
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Post by anonyman on Jan 27, 2016 20:57:47 GMT
Merchant's voice, while not being particularly warm in the first place, goes cold.
"Are you cheating Merchant? Merchant hits bell with hammer as agreed. You give money to Merchant as agreed. You are not attempting to scam Merchant are you? Word is honorable?"
He goads the man on, knowing full well that without being able to use his pokemon, he would probably not be in the best shape if a fight broke out. Regardless, a contract was a contract. "Merchant may not be from here, but Merchant knows when Merchant is being CHEATED!" He yells the last bit, hoping to draw attention from nearby people. Surely even ancient people worry about their own reputation.
WS0yzrCU4d6Guile4d6
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Post by Batiro on Jan 31, 2016 16:30:46 GMT
The man reels back as Merchant screeches, attracting the attention of onlookers. His eyes dart from side to side.
"Fine. Take this and leave." He quickly reaches into his asymmetrical robe, pulling out 30 small bronze coins, identical to the ones Hiraku showed off earlier. He hands it to Merchant with a tight grip, whispering something under his breath. "Enough bronze for meal and a drink. This is all you get."
Without giving a chance for rebuttal, he leaps back to his device, trying to recover the crowd. "Now, who can match this man's strength?!"
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Post by anonyman on Feb 1, 2016 22:48:42 GMT
Having strong-armed the strongman out of his strongcash, Merchant decides to see if the food vendor is still having trouble.
He calmly walks up to the side, surveying the situation "Do you wish to hire Merchant?"
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Post by Batiro on Feb 1, 2016 23:00:43 GMT
The old man, who has a rope tied around his head like a sweatband and only a thin shirt on, looks up at Merchant from over an open fire, sweat dripping off his face. "You want to help? Grab some meat and cook. I'll pay you once everyone has got one!" He barely gives Merchant attention, busy as he is keeping up with people, though he does pay Merchant the courtesy of handing him a bunch of skewers.
Cooking unfamiliar meat for hungry, possibly angry peasants... that seems easy enough! (Roll Intuition for COOKING)
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Post by anonyman on Feb 1, 2016 23:23:41 GMT
Can't be that hard. Merchant stabs the various meat onto skewers, cooking it over the fire.
They say cooking is a science right? And he's got the science part down pat.
pkVRM1fE2d62d6
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Post by Batiro on Feb 1, 2016 23:49:29 GMT
For someone that has questionable eating habits, Merchant is surprisingly competent at barbecue! He cranks out a number of tasty-looking shishkebabs, and the crowd is mostly taken care of within 15 minutes.
The old man, now capable of handling the left-over people, looks incredibly thankful. He pays Merchant 20 bronze coins, and gives him some food for the road. Turns out the meat he uses comes from a far-off village called Palleta, as sources of meat in Viridia are pretty much nonexistent.
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Post by anonyman on Feb 3, 2016 17:02:12 GMT
Money and food, what else could a merchant want? Besides money and money of course.
Having no interest in entertaining small children, Merchant wanders off, happy to feel at least some small change rattling in his purse. You needed money to make money after all.
He decides to wander about a bit more to see if anything else of interest is happening at the fair, and, bar that, returns to wait for Hiraku.
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Post by Batiro on Feb 3, 2016 17:33:07 GMT
Not much else seems to be happening around the fair, besides the preexisting bustle. Merchant is about to head back to the empty building to meet Hiraku, when he hears yelling coming from behind him! "A spirit! One is coming from upon high!"
If Merchant were to look at the hilltops everyone else is, he would see a brilliantly flame charging down into the valley village at a rather brisk pace. As it gets closer and the villagers quickly begin to gather their offerings, he recognizes it clearly as a Rapidash, galloping happily into civilization.
As it draws into the square, numerous peasants line up to greet the flaming horse, offering it food, hay, or whatever else they have lying around. As they crowd his view, Merchant thinks he notices something different about the Rapidash... (Perception)
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Post by anonyman on Feb 3, 2016 17:37:28 GMT
Ah, a spirit has finally arrived.
He peers closely, investigating it. Pity he couldn't just capture it right now, but rapidash were known to be pretty strong regardless.
xh6iI45Y2d62d6
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Post by Batiro on Feb 3, 2016 18:05:12 GMT
The perceptive Merchant spots what's bugging him easily: a small cloth bag is tied around the Rapidash's big neck. Bugging him even more, though, is the familiarity of this sight.
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Post by anonyman on Feb 3, 2016 20:10:59 GMT
Interesting...did the Rapidash have an owner of some sort? Merchant has a strong desire to find out whats in the bag, but somehow he doubted the Rapidash would be too pleased with him opening it. Instead, he backs up, attempting to be inconspicuous, and follows the Rapidash to...wherever it goes. If he was lucky perhaps he could...persuade it. If not, he was interested who all it would interact with. And stalking a pokemon sounded way more entertaining than sitting around waiting for a crappy poet.
mr0MJjmo2d6 Intuition to remember if aipom had the bronze currency coin. 2d6
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Post by Batiro on Feb 5, 2016 21:14:41 GMT
The horse seems tied up for a little while, but eventually makes its way through the crowd, around the square, and eventually sweeps behind the stage, to the building it's attached to; the Magistrate's building, where he, his daughter, and the formal-looking men entered before. The horse, in fact, goes right to the door they entered, knocking a hoof against its wood grain. Surprisingly the door opens, and the horse squeezes inside.
Once the horse is inside, the villagers disperse, as there are apparently no windows to observe what goes on. They seem to know better than to try and enter the Magistrate's offices.
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Post by anonyman on Feb 5, 2016 23:15:08 GMT
Merchant ducks ...somewhere more inconspicuous. A messenger horse perhaps. He attempts to stay nearby, watching the building out of the corners of his eye and waits to see if the horse exits. Perhaps he could follow wherever it leaves.
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Post by Batiro on Feb 7, 2016 0:51:04 GMT
As he hides, Merchant feels minute scribbling in his page.
The horse has not exited the building in the few minutes Merchant has waited.
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Post by anonyman on Feb 7, 2016 21:17:52 GMT
Merchant reads the page and is filled with disgust once more. Someone actually WANTS to read Hiraku's work? Merchant doesn't even feel right charging for that exchange. Trading a good song for Hiraku's drivel is practically charity, a concept that Merchant does not understand in the least.
He scratches a few words before going back to his stakeout.
Merchant has doubts in Hiraku's skills. Moreso in his writing ability. But Merchant will see what he can do.
Do not hold high expectations.
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