Cordovan and Giselle, miscommunication

There was a few more rustles and Christi popped out from behind a bush.

Cord's mouth dropped as he saw her. Seeing his weird surprise and disregarding it, she went on to say. "I saw you stand up for that Sheila."

Cord about to clear up the misconception, he in fact was just doing the work of his father, rounding up some loose property but was interrupted with a single furry digit to his lips. "shh, I know its taboo but I to have something that's not... accepted." her eyes stared off as dreaming of her knight in shining armor.

"but what you're doing is so much more mysterious. So what's the plan?"

Cordovan's inner thoughts "she thinks I'm mysterious?" shaking off the hormonal euphoria "we've got to find Giselle" his voice sounded unsure.

Christi "you're right we've got to make sure shes not hurt," she got close to Cord giggled then said "your such a humanitarian." Cordovan tried to gather his thoughts but Christi bounded off looking underneath shrubbery and behind tree branches.

Christi was turning to be a little bit more bubbly then Cord had first anticipated. "are all girls like this?"

"what" Christi said lifting her head up and having a large amount of twigs in her hair.

Cordovan suppressing a snicker said "oh nothing, just thought I saw something over-"he pointed a direction and Christi bounded off towards the point.

Cord sighed to himself. "I can't even tell if she likes me or if shes this flirty with everyone." cordovan smiled inwardly. "if I hang out with her enough maybe she'll begin to like me..." in his mental torpor Cordovan sat back, after all who could resist this.

Cordovan's gaze went high in the tree's were he saw the faint outline of-of "Gis?!" on a branch leaning over the little stream. Well that could be a little embarrassing, she might have seen the whole experience.

"what where!" Christi said as she ran up next to Cordovan, "right there I think."she then smiled punched Cord in the shoulder. "you little devil you, you gave her a nick name. That's so quite!" Then Christi ran off before Cordovan could say a thing.

A few moments later Christi had climbed the tree tackled Giselle (out of the tree and onto the bank) and licked her face twice before cord had even gotten close to the scene. Thank goodness Christi was Cordovan's age though two heads taller, curse this Stout shortness gene. She still was probably crushing Giz though, just not as bad as it could have been, but still.

"Giz are you alright!?" the words just kind of slipped out. Cordovan slapped his head, oh bother that almost sounded as if I cared about a Sheila. Pulling her out from under Christi "come on we've got to get home." then mumbled something about how humans would never be as good as Nimfurry. "There that should make me sound cool."

Sarid

(Here goes the improvisation.)

*In a nearby town a few days before the event that nearly cost Giselle her life*

I walked into the tavern as all good adventurers do when looking for work. The Retiray bartender scoffed when he saw me.

"Aren't you a bit young to be wandering about alone?" He asked.

I glanced at him from under my hood and shook my head, "I'm not as young as my height would suggest."

He obviously didn't believe me but if I was going to buy something he didn't care. There had been many scarred by the war and if I had been pure Retiray I still would have been a child, by height and birth age, as it was I was on the cusp of adulthood. I wandered to the job board they had posted up and pointed at one of them.

"What's that one say?" I asked curiously.

"You can't read?" The bartender asked, not very surprised.

"I just can't read nimfurrian," I countered. "I can speak it just fine, and speak Retiran and common and a few other languages, but I only learned to read and write common and Retiran."

"Well ok," The bartender shrugged. "But I can't read that either. The person who brought it in hasn't left town just yet. If you hurry you can probably catch him."

"Which direction?" I asked.

"Towards the nimfurry border," He said. "Good luck kid."

I nodded and swiftly turned to the door and stepped outside. Instead of being outside the tavern I was on the edge of town. I saw a nimfurrian walking alone with a pack of supplies. He was quite startled to see me appear in front of him.

I heard a noise and dropped to the ground and disappeared in the knee tall grass, that's my knees. I could see the nimfurrian was surrounded by bandits, a mix of races.

"We know you have money nimfurry," One of them spoke. It looks like a Retiray. "We don't have much love for your kind so you'd best just give us the money and we'll let you walk away."

I crawled closer and sprang to my feet in the midst of them. I didn't want a fight. They laughed at me for a few moments.

"This isn't any of your concern boy," The leader said. "Stand aside or be destroyed."

"Give it your best shot," I tempted. "However, I doubt you could take Creeltak Firsome in a fight even if you had one arm tied behind his back."

"I don't know that name," He spit on the ground. "You don't even have a weapon."

"I guess I should translate that name into his common tongue name and introduce myself," I stood up straighter and lift my hood down off my head. "My name is Sarid Steelclaws. My father was Uther Steelclaws, I was trained by the legendary Kindra in her tower of magic. Still want to fight?"

The entire group took a step back when I said his name. They turned and started to leave. The leader glanced back, "This isn't over."

"Thank you for saving me," He stammered. "How can I repay you?"

"That job you posted in the tavern. What was it?" I asked.

"Lord Stout was looking for a new property manager," He answered. "It pays well and you'll be given other luxuri..." He stopped mid sentence as he realized what he was saying.

"What kind of luxuries?" I asked.

"Uh, you probably aren't interested," He answered.

I grinned and put my hood back up, "It's funny, you probably are trying to figure out how something lower than the scum of the earth can save your life and ask for nothing in return, but I do ask for one thing."

He gulped, "What's that?"

"Silence." The word was poignant enough for him to understand my meaning. "Now then let's get you safely home and you can introduce me to Lord Stout. I'll be interested in meeting him, I've heard good things about him and I want to know for myself if it's true."

cordovan

Cordovan reflected inwardly at what he had just said. In truth Cord and Giz were friends for a long time, ignorantly playing fun games and learning about the great big world that this place was turning out to be but the fun games didn't last. Cordovan listened in on a conversation of his father with grandpa Stout.

---flashback--

"Now son, you know humans are the closest things we have to demons, don't ya? Just kill 'em off and be done with it. They can't be trusted."

"But father, they have great potential-"

"To do what? kill us all? Just like how they destroyed their own civilization! No my boy, they have skill for chaos, destruction comes naturally. No my son, scorched earth is all they know and what we must give them."

"...father... I'm pulling through with it, regardless."

"Your mad, my son, humans can't even stand the hand of organization under themselves and yes they did create us, by accident might I add. But my son, our creators are no saviors. They need to pass like an old rag, it is the Nimfurry's turn to organize."

"With respect, the decision has been made. This province is going to be a slaved state whether you like it or not. The benefits out way the chance-"

seeing the warning in his fathers eyes "if they are indeed stronger they deserve to survive."

Gramps stout turned to the door in mild disgust. "your grandmother died from the hand of one of thoughts Creator-ish slime I'll have no part of it." holding back hatefully words he left and echoed "I'll be on the mother Island If you want me. and, good luck... you'll need it."

--present---

Despite the truth, Cordovan longed for the days of his younger youth when things never had a color of white or black, and the world seemed like a peaceful place with out a problem anywhere and rainbows around every corner.

When he got to where Giselle was about to be pummeled, he saw that a female had already broken up the fight. He presumed it was the angry guy's wife. The crowd started to diminish as Cordovan approached the angry guy. The guy was now arguing with the female, and didn't notice Giselle run away. When he spotted Cordovan he eyes turned a firery red. "You're family is going to pay for my things. Especially the eggs, those are hard to come by these days."

"Of course, of course. Just send us the bill." Cordovan faked a smile and turned away from the guy to find Giselle.

Looking on the ground where she had been, and then looking off into the distance where the tracks lead. "she's heading to the fields." Cordovan muttered to himself. "the same place were we used to play tag. "

Cordovan meandered to where he knew she would likely be. Hands in his pockets and a look of annoyance across his face. "better get this over with."

After traveling for a while and now in the fields Cordovan saw some movement in the bushes. "Giselle, if that's you, you're in big trouble." then muttering under his breath. "not to mention the stuff I'm going to have to go through."

Giselle

We had been so distracted by the fire blowers that we forgot to get the peppers, so Lord Stout sent us out into the crowded market again.

When we got to the pepper stand, we noticed that Cordovan had beaten us to it. He was standing there with his arms folded, and didn't look very happy at all. "Because of you, I'm going to be late for my lesson. You took so long I had to do your job."

"We're sorry, sir, we won't let it happen again." Gabrielle said humbly.

"That's for sure, why send a human to do the job of a Nimfurry? You're so slow because you don't have a tail. It's a wonder you don't walk in circles." he smirked.

"Oh! Just because your father owns us doesn't mean you can treat us so ill!" My sister growled.

"What are you going to do about it, Sheila. It's not like you can blow fire or anything." Then suddenly he gasped and pointed over to where the fire blowers were, "Oh my gosh, they just torched a human!"

We gasped and looked in the direction he was pointing, but didn't see the fire blowers anywhere. When we turned back we saw him running away shouting and laughing,"I fooled you humans, you believe everything!"

Before I knew what was going on, Gabrielle ran off in a frenzy. I panicked and tried to follow them, but they were too fast.

I ran blindly through the crowd trying not to panic, but the horrors of being lost or left behind caused me to carelessly run into a rather large and angry man (Nimfurry) carrying a basket of eggs.

He stopped abruptly as my face met his backside with a thud. The boxes went in every direction. The man turned around and growled at me. "You're going to pay for that!" His claws were violently thrust towards me.

Lord Stout took notice of the commotion and chastised Gabrielle for such carelessness, and then ordered Cordovan to rescue me. He was very disappointed and embarrassed. Gabrielle would be on chamber pot duty for a very long time to make up for the incident. One could only imagine what Cordovan's punishment would be.

Cordovan angrily made his way through the crowd, "she's just a human, and causes more trouble than she's worth."

Sarid

My name, or rather, the name I had been granted by Kindra was Sarid. She said in one of the planet's ancient languages it meant survivor. She had taught me few things and had been more of a guide than truly a teacher. Now I was on my own, living on my own and doing whatever I felt like. I had even discovered my father's identity, but he had perished during the war.

It seemed so long ago that I was just a child, a child that had been so impressed with the abilities of Kindra that I had searched for her tower and learned from her. Now, ten years older, yet still an adolescent for my species, I entered a city on the outskirts of my father's country being sent off by Kindra to change the world. She always had had a way about being overly dramatic like that. I was just looking for a job.

I wore a hooded cloak, with the hood pulled down to cover my face. I wasn't sure how welcome I'd be, even here. My features were enough different from the giant race called Retiray, a race that easily grew to twenty feet tall, that anyone who had seen them could tell I was mixed with something else. That something else was human, I had spent my entire life on the run because of a war that had caused my village to fall into the hands of a race that was racially intolerant of any species mixing and who revered themselves, incorrectly as the most perfect and blessed of all the races in the world.

They were ruthless to their enemies, yet they could be brutally loyal. Not all of them were so hateful, but I'd only heard about them through rumors, having never met one in person.

Currently I was twelve feet tall, having grown a few feet in the last year, which hurt a lot. I was the equivalent human age of approximately seventeen, though my birth age was thirty five. I would be an adult for nearly four times that of a human, meaning I'd easily live into my two hundreds and that was without magic.

At least that's what Kindra had told me, she had looked a little bit jealous, but she'd never confess to it. She had told me all about the history, there was one thing I knew she was keeping from me but I could not figure out what it was and so I let it go.

I was just entering the town and decided I'd start my look for work here, in this trading town, people were always passing through and you never know when one would be needing work. I sniffed the air, a good pleasing smell was breezing through the air and I smiled. It would be a good day.

(For Deanna, and Luke if he can't tell or doesn't remember, this is not the same town Cordovan and Giselle are in. If you want to have a little bit of time pass for your characters that's fine, you two would need to discuss it but my character is kind of disassociated from them so that's why I did it this way. Basically his previous post was ten years in the past. Luke your post.)

2nd post, of the common life

After delegating to the Sheilas to gather the things on the list, father Stout grabed the wayward attention span of Giselle looking over near the flame blowers. “now do you think you can do that for me.” at the confused look on Giselle's face, Lord Stout continued, “I must say finding the peppers is quite a big job for such a little Sheila such as yourself. Here are three coins get some good peppers and if there is any left over buy yourself a treat.” Lord Stout ruffled the mane of the little girl gave her older sister a smile.

After Lord Stout checked his satchle, grabbed an apple Lord stout glimpsed around then sighed. “where did that boy get off to?”

I smirked as listening in on my father's conversation always provided for loads of entertainment. Cordovan loved feeling stelthy. He was currently hiding behind an ajasent cart and was trying to stifle his giggles as he had eluded his fathers notice and didn't even have to confront the abnormally giggly Sheila. Now he could really go off to the flame blowers with out any interuptions.

Bellowing into the crowd father Stout ecoed a reminder. “don't forget your magic lessons when the sun hits three.”

I sighed with dismay. One my father knew my general facility and two I hated magic lessons! (think of piano lessons when you have no love of the thing.) blarg if only witch-doctoring were every day lessons. And while in the act of wallowing in self pity noticed the love of his life, Christi a sleek jem of the nimfurry world.

Now the nimfurry were an intriguing race one of peace and tranquillity and rather peaceful to fellow nimfurry but rabid barbarians to other cultures them all being inferior and horribly unattractive. This is a goal of all nimfurry make the world a better place by making it in their image. and frankly Cordovan wouldn't mind remaking the world with her. though still being fourteen and being just a little twiterpated. he still didn't understand the ramifications of that statment.

Cordovan waved nervously then realising his fur was poofing he doged behined an old lady before she could see him. alas why does life have to be so rough.

Giselle

It was my first day in the Market. I had never been permitted to go before, but Lord Ronald thought today was a good day to start. I skipped towards the wagon and climbed up behind my older sister. Then she started being her usual bossy self, "Watch where you step, this food pays for our home. Stay close to me and don't try anything funny" then she leaned over and with a stern look whispered, "and whatever you do, don't bother Sir Cordovan." I giggled, and her glare tightened, "I mean it. One false move and this will be the last time they let you come to the market."

I gave her a stern look and said, "yes mother." trying my best not to laugh. She just groaned and turned towards the passing trees. I looked over at him, sitting so tall and proud, majestically leading our pullers in the direction of the Market. My sister thought it silly for me to be so smitten with a driver rather than a puller like most girls. But I set my sights high, I didn't want to imagine being a servant my whole life.

Though I knew my fantasy could never be fulfilled, as hybrids between species were intolerable, I still entertained the idea of being Mrs. Cordovan Stout one day.

When we got to the market my daydream was cut short when we saw a human claiming she had magic, "heretic." one of the Stout men mumbled. My sister dragged me away from the spectacle and set about the tasks we were given.

I turned and watched him arguing with the crazy servant, what a noble politician he was! I was disappointed when they were separated and forced to make peace, but that was the custom here. War was unheard of, but from what I heard it was a horrible thing to have around, so we should appreciate the peace. The Stouts were honest in their dealings and never whipped a servant for something he didn't do. Another thing that separated them from the common beast was that they didn't refer to humans as slaves, though it was odd that they called all the human females Sheila and all the males Tom.

I guess it was because a lot of humans were given animal names instead of human names, which some thought disrespectful to their race. My mother had wanted to name me Gazelle and my sister Gerbil, but Lord Stout forbade it because he felt it would cause a riot. So she decided to name us Giselle and Gabrielle. I like human names better, I was glad Lord Ronald had made that rule for his servants.

"Sheilas, girls!" I heard Lord Stout calling for us.