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 Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 5:54 pm
  This is a PRP between Inari and Malikz; please don't post w/o an invitation, thank-you!
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 6:05 pm
Emerging from the shabby-looking shelter he'd tried to build for himself (there's only so much one can do with gator feet), Yu squinted at the shimmering reflection of the setting sun on his precious rice fields. Nearby was a fish farm he was trying to construct; it was a pain to have to make constant trips to the river for fish and he wished to avoid having to stray far from his home. Who knows what interlopers would do if they showed up while he was away? Padding down the gentle slope to the fields, he followed the pathways he'd created and began careful scrutiny of the paddies. Spotting a drop in water level in the first one he encountered, he walked along its border to inspect what the cause might be. In the dying light it was hard to do and he sighed, blaming himself for not doing so sooner. He could just increase water flow into it in the meantime but that could throw off the whole system by giving the rest too much water. And it'd be a waste of energy to use his power when it'd just drain away. Grumbling to himself, his tail swayed in irritation as he pondered what to do.
Word Count: 207
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 6:22 pm
One might think that wandering would lose its shine, after a while. And perhaps it did, but Eostara- Stara, she liked to personally think of herself as, or simply 'star'- found the act of simply walking to be calming. Especially when said walk led her to new scenery, and quiet spaces. She tried to avoid walking a path that had been clearly trod before her, leery of finding herself in the company of so many others. Perhaps that was why her wandering, this day, had begun to lead her upwards. It was a slow slope, hardly even noticeable at first, save for the gentle trickling of water from a very narrow stream as she walked alongside it.
It was quite small, she doubted it was entirely natural- she could cross over the water with a single step, so clearly it had to have been made there purposefully. For what reason, well, she was curious to find out. And if it did turn out to be a natural feature, still, her curiosity would be resolved even if her line of thinking was false. Ahead of her, she could see the incline smoothing out, as the water became lit with the dipping sun. It looked like a plane of liquid gold, broken up by lines of dirt? Well now, that was curious. As was the dark form she could vaguely make out some distance away, nearly washed out by the slowly waning light.
word count: 242
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 7:08 pm
Unable to ascertain the location of the problem, Yu grumbled and decided to go directly to the source of this paddy's water. If the levels were low here, it could cause the rest to drop and he'd lose them all if he didn't act quickly. Though it didn't seem it'd be an overnight loss, so it wasn't exactly urgent... Lifting his head after having it bent down to squint closely at the field, he made his way toward the stream that he'd crafted; it was tapped into a river nearby and through careful sculpting of the land he was able to control how fast the water flowed from the river through it.
Just as he reached the stream, he saw downhill on the opposite side of his fields a dark figure that seemed to have colorful glinting off their back in the distance. They were roughly near the run-off rivulets he had layed out in the hopes of expanding his fields, and his eyes narrowed. They better be watching their step and just pass through... He thought, changing direction to swiftly head toward them, deftly maneuvering through the paths and avoiding the irrigation channels he'd dug between each field.
Word Count: 199
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 7:22 pm
A pawful of seconds were spent debating whether she should continue forward, or turn and find another path that would not lead to meeting another. She decided that to fully sate her curiosity, forward really was the only way to go, and seeing the shadow ahead of her begin moving as well, it seemed that would come sooner than anticipated. Well, that was fine. She restarted her walk, so as to meet this other halfway, keeping her paws to the side of the little flow of water.
As they drew nearer, and the sun dipped ever lower, she was better able to make out the form headed her way. They were like her- though she could not make out the coloring yet- with a long tail. Though theirs seemed to have a mane running down the length, which was interesting to note. And, a short distance apart, she deemed that near enough and the time right to speak up.
"Greetings. I am to believe that this is your territory? I am Eostara, and I was simply passing through, if you do not mind my wandering." Though she was very curious as to the reason behind the water, and what the hilltop had been remade into. Waiting for at least a name was probably the more polite approach than simply questioning them first thing.
word count: 223
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 7:40 pm
Upon nearing the other individual, Yu could see that they too had a long tail, though bald, and the source of the colorful glinting on their back were crystals. Huffing softly to himself in response to them speaking first, he met their eyes. "Not many have manners. I am impressed that you seem to have them... I am Long Yu. If you are, as you claim to be, just wandering through, then that is fine as long as you don't linger more than is necessary." He knew night was falling, but he didn't really want to have to offer the strange pawed one a place to spend the night. Manners dictated that he should, however, and he heaved a sigh. "I suppose you'll need somewhere to spend the night... Follow me, and DO watch where you're walking." Turning around and not bothering to see if Eostara was following, he led the way. He knew these paths so well that he could navigate them at night but he doubted the other could see where she was going once darkness set in.
Word Count: 180
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 7:49 pm
What a charming individual, and she was not entirely thinking that to be contrite. She, too, had met more than a few who lacked simple manners. In the short time they were face to face, she was glad to finally discern his coloring now that he was not so far and backlit so strongly. White and black scales, and the mane along his tail seemed to flow the length of his spine. A curious feature, but then who was she to talk? She had crystals growing as scales along her own back. And she had seen others in passing who bore wings, or feathers in place of manes, and surely there were others even more different than they.
"Oh? A place to stay is a gracious offer, but I would not wish to intrude." Still, she followed once he set off walking, keeping a portion of her attention on following his exact footprints. "All this.. it is your doing? May I ask what the purpose of it is?"
It was perhaps even more curious to her now that she took in the other small streams of water now, and spaces of ground that were portioned off. Not unlike a garden, but there were no flowers to be seen.
word count: 208
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Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 6:07 pm
Long Yu made sure to keep his pace slow enough so she could see where he was walking, lest she accidentally miss the path and end up in the rivulets or worse. "Night is falling and I'm not one to force someone to move along once it has. Too many dangers." Rounding a bend, his meager shelter came into view and he silently cursed. It was too small for two, not that he'd want to spend the night with an uninvited guest in the same shelter as he. Pondering what to do, he replied to her question. "It is too dark for you to see clearly now, but those are my rice fields. Right now they haven't broken the surface of the water yet. You haven't seen it, but there is a fish pond I'm starting to work on as well." Very well, he'd let her sleep in the glorified mud hut while he slept elsewhere. Maybe that temporary shelter he stayed in while setting everything up when he first came here... And if she complained, well, she didn't have to stay. He'd escort her off his land and wish her luck finding somewhere to sleep.
Word Count: 196
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Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 6:20 pm
"Then you are a most gracious host." Eostara bobbed her head once, though he was not facing her. She did not imagine many would offer up their resting place to a simple stranger, though, perhaps, she was also wrong. She did not interact with many to have a firm opinion on the masses. And she would prefer to keep it that way.
His answer however raised her curiosity even further. Rice fields, and a pond? While, yes, it was dark out, she did have a small remedy for that. "Truly? I would have liked to see such a sight lit by the sun indeed. That must have been quite the undertaking." Oh, but she was tempted to go and see for herself, even if the sun was no longer there. It would probably be rude to wander, though. Hm.
"If I could remedy the lack of light, even a touch, would you let me see your work?" As she spoke her question, the scales along her back, and the lighter markings on her coat glowed slowly brighter. "I am certainly no rival to the sun, or even moonlight, but I can offer at least enough light to show a path. I am afraid that I cannot make myself very much brighter than this, or dim it entirely. It however has been a handy trick for night wanderings."
She hoped she was not sounding too eager to explore his fields- even if she was at least a little bit. Hard work like that should be appreciated.
word count 255
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Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 7:02 pm
She... wanted to see his fields. His work. Why? They were nothing special, even though he was rather proud of how far he'd come in making them. "My meager water ability did play a key factor in the undertaking. Still plays a vital role in its maintenance." Her next words, and her offer, had him pause as soon as the area around them began to glow. Turning his head slightly to glance behind him, Well then, that's a neat trick... Useful too... He thought, blinking. So she was indeed of the Suti bloodline. He'd had his suspicions but did not wish to assume. "Since you're offering, might as well take you up on it. If you would be so kind, there IS a field that's giving me a spot of trouble and your light might come in handy. Could kill two birds with one stone this way." Instead of taking off at once to the problem field, he waited for her reply.
Word Count: 162
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Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 7:15 pm
"I see, a gift with water is certainly a very good boon to have, regardless of its strength." And a gift that was being put to such a use? She was impressed. And a little pleased that her own talent- and the offer made with it -was not being turned down. She had not expected it to be so, but there was always that tiny little sliver of doubt. Glowing was not exactly a common trait in others she had seen.
A smile instead, was what she offered, pulling her mind from idle thoughts. "Of course. If you lead the way, I shall follow in your steps. Now that the path is better lit I should not be at risk of disturbing your hard work." It was quite clear now, that that had been the reason behind his asking that she watch her step. She certainly understood- crops were very delicate, especially in their early stages. She would not wish to be the reason some plants failed to grow as they should.
word count: 172
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:10 pm
Nodding his head slightly, he was pleased that she caught on to why he'd admonished her in the beginning. With a sweep of his tail he turned and led the way, but not without catching a glimpse of the fireflies starting their nighttime dance. "Try to keep the light steady; it would not do for the firebugs to mistake you for a large one of their kind." His eyes glinted in amusement, hidden from her gaze. Now that would be an amusing sight indeed... Long Yu mostly wanted the light to remain steady so it'd be easier to find the spot that was causing the first field's levels to be lower than it should be, but poking a bit of gentle fun at the mare was a chance he couldn't miss.
Suddenly something out of place caught his eye and all his attention went to focusing on what Eostara's glow revealed. His tail thumped the ground in irritation. In spite of his hard work, some pest had decided to take some of the mud he'd been using to shore up the banks, causing the water to escape where it shouldn't. He'd have to find out what kind of pest the culprit is and what herbs to plant along the shore to deter any further disturbance. In the meantime, he'd use more soil and pack it in and replenish the water in this field.
Word Count: 233
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:23 pm
His words were startling, for a moment, and Eostara let her own eyes drift off towards the little flickers of light. Amused, she allowed a light laugh. "You know, I had never given thought to letting my glow flash like theirs." She was now tempted to, but not this night. She was serving providing assistance with her light, and flickering it would only distract. As amusing as it may be to try it and find out what might happen.
His shift of focus was noted, and she stopped a few paces behind him, craning her neck to see what had seemed to agitate him so. Ah. "Well.. at least the issue appears to be a simple fix, for the time being?" Had something washed out that bit of mud-pack? Or had that been an animal's doing, perhaps? She could not hear anything other than themselves, or the light trickling of water- so no answer would be easily found. A mystery though, certainly.
"Is there anything that I may do to help with the patching? Or should I just hold my light steady and not have my paws muddy the work?" Well, perhaps using the word 'muddy' wasn't the best, but she couldn't think of another. Complicate, perhaps, but what was said was said, and could not be undone.
[word count: 218
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:55 pm
Barely hearing her as he got to work, so focused he was, he grunted. "It's not so difficult a task that I'd need to borrow a cat's paw, but thank you anyway. Your light is help enough." Without taking his eyes off of the job at hand, he used his strange feet to reshape the banks and shore it up once more, pressing the mud firmly in place. That done, he then traced the path from memory, not waiting for her to follow him, to the stream that he'd carved a path for from a nearby river. He wanted to make sure the point where it entered the first field was working correctly; if it was, the paddy would refill on its own overnight and everything would balance out once again.
Suddenly weary and remembering that it was nighttime, Long Yu turned to face the mare. "Eostara, was it? You've been a valuable asset to me tonight. Please rest up in that shelter over there, crude though it may be. I will shelter nearby, so do not worry that you are taking my refuge from me." Nodding his head at a blob behind her that was the glorified mud hut they'd passed earlier, he was confident she'd find her way to it with her glowing. He then changed direction to head into the forest nearby where he'd taken shelter while the fields were being created.
Word Count: 235
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:01 pm
Eostara only hummed lightly, and bobbed her head in a nod even if the gesture was not seen. She was not offended that her offer was refused- it was as he'd said. A simple enough task, and adding more paws into the mix would only complicate the job. Even if she felt just a little less useful simply standing there and watching him work. When he started to walk again, she easily fell in line behind him once more, careful to keep her steps in line with his own.
"Well, then I thank you for being most generous. Perhaps I may see more of your fields in the daylight? If you are agreeable, of course." She would not intrude if he was opposed to the idea. But, she had found him to be pleasant company for the time being, hopefully the sentiment was shared.
word count: 144
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