tushanshu_logs | Event | Landfall | Bresilyk

Event | Landfall | Bresilyk | Markutte

Characters: Any and all!
Date: December 3 - 11, 2013
Location: Markutte, Bresilyk (landfall)
Situation: Tu Vishan makes landfall at the winterbound republic of Bresilyk!
Warnings/Rating: Please include warnings in comment subject lines

OOC Post | Approved Items | Special Gifts
Aihsohlow | Phorezton | Markutte | Countryside

The commerce town of the tried. Temperatures within the dome are kept at a lofty 18C (62F) year round and the population of Markutte dresses less in furs and more in linens obtained through trade. Their long hair is frequently shorn short in the current fashion and they are, on the whole, less hardy than their kin in Phorezton and Aihsohlow, but even more friendly as they are currently in the throes of the Harvest Haul, a festival that concludes their rare growing seasons and agricultural bounties.

Trade. That's the foundation of Markutte and there are three town squares that are home to transient stalls and merchandise from the country and all surviving areas of Konryu. Many kedan have made their way here and occupy the occasional stall space, selling their wares and exchanging gifts with the citizens as they grasp the nature of the festival underway. Once again, visitors that make the trek here are expected to donate a gift that will be regifted at random, earning access and a stamp of their tin visa that resembles the oblong crystal coin used as currency in this realm.

Police are on the lookout for financial crimes here and will demand visas of any they suspect to be committed fraud, short-selling merchants, or thieving in any way, shape, or form. There are three vistas, one in each market square, upon which heralds stand and announce the crimes and punishments noted of the previous day. Minor theft is common and the punishment is a brand upon the criminal's neck; major theft results in a loss of a finger for each item stolen; fraud here is punishable by death, but only twice will there be an announcement of an execution during the landfall.

The auctions here are quite lively and characters can expect a minor bidding war to obtain their items, but each item is in pristine condition and provided to them wrapped within a thin set of furs as a thanks for their purchase.

Customs | Settlement | Auctions | Harvest Haul | Other

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

['Still mad' was an accurate state of affairs. He'd been furious, for a number of reasons, and it had taken a while to calm down. Even so he hadn't found it in himself to pop by her place or bump into her "accidentally" while out shopping for food.]

[No, he wanted her to come to him when she thought it'd been long enough, to see how she judged the situation. And now that she was here, he nods at her.]

Hey.

[It's more reserved than his usual greeting.]

Locals seem to like them, and it's not like I've got a use for them.

[He was talking to her. That was a good sign.]

[His words were cool and reserved. That wasn't a good sign.]

[Getting mixed messages here.]

The locals have good tastes.

Either way, I'm glad you have another chance to put them on display like this. You deserve it.

[He's still assessing how he should behave towards her, and stoicism is coming far more easily than a smile, so he's opting for that.]

You wanna have a look around?

[Should we go where it's less public?]

Are you offering to be my tour guide?

[That might be smart.]

Depends. Do I get a cool badge?

[He calls one of the locals who's been helping to mind the front part, and sits further back, where he can still see everything, and pulls up a chair so she can sit and look at him eye to eye.]

[She has to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him. Oddly enough, the smirk that appears is a bit more on the genuine side.]

Give me five minutes, construction paper, and a crayon, and I might be able to figure something out.

No glitter? Come on.

[It's a quip, but his tone and expression don't match it, and he folds his arms, preparing for the fight about to follow.]

[Zatanna, meanwhile, is hoping the quipping could be taken as a sign that he was maybe almost starting to loosen up a little.]

Are you kidding? You know glitter never comes out once it gets on you. You glow bright enough as it is--do you really want to sparkle too?

[The weeks of barely speaking to her had loosened him up, cooled the anger to a slow lava flow.]

I already dazzle people - more would help.

[His tone is just getting flatter and flatter. His heart's not in it.]

[Oh, is that all?]

[She had been hoping...but, no, that last line sealed the deal. These were prime wordplays being dished out, and yet the replies came out so dull and forced, it completely ruined the moment. Once she was sure they had traveled just far enough out of immediate earshot, the facade was dropped altogether.]

...you're still mad.

[Jeez, what gave me away?, he thinks, coldly.]

I tend to stay that way.

[It's as much of an explanation as it is an admonishment to himself. He's learnt from their previous arguments, but old patterns are easy.]

Zee, you could have gotten seriously hurt.

I don't suppose there's any way of changing that?

[Preferably in the near, near future. Like very near. Because she could feel herself awkwardly shifting her weight under his gaze. Getting scolded by her dad was one thing. Heck, getting scolded by Batman was one thing.]

[But this?]

[It was rare for an adult to actually look at her in a way that made her feel guilty.]

Yeah, I know. But I didn't.

Korra was with me the whole time. We never left the bar. And I called you instead of trying to go anywhere on my own, didn't I?

[Step One: point out the (admittedly few) thing she did right)

[There were, and she knew them, so he waited for her to make the admission - the things she'd done wrong - because he was sure she was aware of it.]

[When it's not what he expects, the air around them gets a little bit more frigid.]

The message could have been intercepted. Someone could have attacked you, and no one would have been the wiser until much later. Heck, you could have collapsed right there, or disappeared like we did when we were ghosts.

[He doesn't raise his voice. It's completely neutral, which to him, is far more vicious a punishment than a rising temper.]

Korra isn't responsible. She hasn't been taught the way you and I have - to watch somebody's back. What were you thinking?

[To her credit, she didn't interrupt once. Despite finding the majority of his proposals pretty absurd. An intercepted message? By who? And why would she suddenly be attacked for no reason--unless he meant Damian, but she had a feeling that wasn't where he was going--or suddenly vanish...]

[...]

[...okay, she'll give him that last one.]

I was thinking that I trust Korra. She's my friend. Just like you are.

Really, Kyle, who or why would anyone want to intercept a message like that? We talk over the Network all the time.

I'm also your guardian, like the rest of the League is. We're responsible for your safety. She got you drunk. That's not doing much in the "I should trust her" department.

[He resists blowing up completely - the calm is manic, indicative of a storm brewing. Kyle just clenches his jaw, and gestures to his abdomen, where some of the older scars are. She's seen them.]

It's fine when it's someone you trust, whose judgement isn't impaired by alcohol as well. We are fighting an unseen enemy here, who's already been shown to like mind games. Don't you think teenagers when they're impressionable and unable to defend themselves properly are a perfect target?

[She bit her tongue so hard on the guardian line, she nearly drew blood. No, he wasn't her guardian. None of them were. Her dad was.]

[Except he wasn't here.]

[That thought alone deflated her enough to avert her gaze. She wasn't happy about any of these implications. Even if he was right, it was the way he had to go and be right that bothered her. Her arms folded across her chest. Defensive.]

I didn't...know we were going to go that far, okay?

[To be fair, this much was the truth. Not having had a drink before, she'd had no concept of her own level of tolerance. Or Korra's]

I just...I don't know...I needed something to take my mind off of everything that's happened. I thought we were just going to sit and talk and joke around and maybe try one or two of her newest mixes.

I screwed up. Again. There. Is that what you wanted to hear? Because I admit it.

[She folds her arms and Kyle finds himself lowering his, palms facing her.]

I wanted to hear that you understood what went wrong, and why I'm worried. I'm not opposed to you drinking, I think you're mature enough to think about it [she'd called him, after all, knowing he'd take her home.]. You should be able to relax without having to concern yourself that somebody might take advantage of a weak point.

[He sighs, heavily.]

I get that I'm not your dad, okay? Or related to you at all, but you're my family.

[A weighted pause.]

I want my family safe. Is that unreasonable?

[Her expression noticeably softend when he called her his family, because it was true. Maybe not by blood, but she wouldn't hesitate to call Kyle her Big Brother. Still, she didn't quite yet look at him.]

That's not what you made it sound like, Kyle.

[Her voice flat, but less so than his had been before.]

You're mad I let my guard down, but you're 'not opposed' to me actually drinking.

Why do I get the feeling you're this pissed because it was Korra I was with at the time?

[Not so much an outright accusation, but something she had to ask.]

You know what I mean.

[Or at least, he expects her to. The frustration is entirely self-directed. He folds his arms again, and his mouth thins into a line.]

I don't trust her.

Yeah. That much, I guessed.

So...if I had, say, gone out drinking with you or Dick, no problem?

[Not that she was contemplating drinking again anytime soon. Just...hypothetically speaking.]

[Shakes his head, although he eyes her, briefly critical.]

No problem at all, as long as it wasn't too much, and there was someone to take you home and make sure your house was secure.

[For a brief moment, she falters in her resolve long enough to roll her eyes at him.]

Secure. Right.

You do realize I have a ninja boyfriend on one side, the Spirit of Winter on the other, and so many wards up that Batman himself literally couldn't get passed them?

[Yup. Still proud of that fact.]

[But the pride doesn't last long, because her suspicions were confirmed.]

Fine. I promise not to go out drinking with Korra again. But you gotta understand, Kyle, she's my friend too, and she's had my back a lot more than you might realize. Whatever thing you two have going on? Leave me out of it. In fact, as far as you two are concerned, I'm not even in the vicinity. Got it?

[Resisting the urge to facepalm. Are you even listening to me?, he thinks.]

I didn't say you had to live in Fort Knox - and there are a lot of things Batman can't do, that's why we're here to watch each other. Plus, it's not a guarantee--

[But that's not the point. He's thinking about breaking in just to show her it's possible, but he thinks that's needlessly cruel. He stays calm.]

I don't have anything "going on". This sounds to me like you don't trust my judgement.

[She is listening. Or trying to, at least.]

Of course I trust your judgement, Kyle. You, more than most.

I'm just still not a hundred percent certain why you're so set on keeping me away from Korra when the only time we've ever actually fought was that thing with Jack...and that's a long story that is never going to happen again, so no worries there.

[That makes a lot of the tension bleed out from him, and he seems his normal self when he's around her. Mostly. There's still an edge of wariness.]

I'm not trying to keep you away. I'm telling you to be careful. She has a very dangerous kind of pride - she thinks she's invincible, when none of us are and it'll be a harsh lesson when she learns it.

[He runs a hand through his hair, and looks away, at someone taking one of the larger paintings home.]

I don't want you to hurt.

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