Private for Jess, Erin, and (hopefully!) Shae. Backdated to the 20th; set at the welcoming feast. Just one quick post to account for everyone~ Remember, y'all can NPC Axle and Grit and PP Barry all you want ^^ I deliberately left some gaps so you can extrapolate whatever XD
meetmeinouterspace
When Axle first reported the activity north of Halifax, Barry was sceptical — he loved the guy, alright, but admittedly the dog's tales often ran larger than life. While the hyperbole made for more entertaining stories, he wasn't sure if it was worth investigating the alleged spectacle himself. A tent village, really? Only Grit's earnest confirmation and some vague concern over these new neighbours prompted him into action. He slipped away and followed their circuitous trails out of the city. What he found was astonishing: over a half dozen tents raised in a row, as many horses and other beasts of burden (some the likes of which he'd never seen) fenced in behind them, and several other tents actively being erected. He stood, mouth agape, when one of the merchants — apparently their ringleader — spotted him. Shit. His ears flattened instinctively.
"Ahoy, friend!" called the caped giant. "I'm afraid you've caught us with our pants down, the festival won't be ready until tomorrow's eve."
Whoever this guy was, he seemed friendly enough. The earth-toned loner chanced a few steps forward. I'd say you caught me, he quipped, tail wagging slowly. What is all this? he wondered.
The saddled wolf's features drew into a mild frown. "You haven't heard? I say... we are the Merchants of Vadoma — we bring the best of the world's treasures to your doorstep, and on the full moon we shall feast!" A pause. "That's the short version, anyway." A deep laugh rolled from his gut up into his chest and spilled into the afternoon air. "Didn't one of our messengers alert your pack?"
Barrett responded with a hesitant chuckle. Ah, can't say I'm in much of a pack, he stressed, but I bet the gang'll want to see this. Need a hand?
"Very well! Why don't you tell me of this crew of yours, and I'll introduce you to mine."
Early next morning found Barry shaking his head in disbelief. Gotta hand it to you guys, you did well — this is the real deal. Axle and Grit grinned knowingly from their front porch. Mahavites gave me a sneak peek at the goods... think we'll be able to snag a couple good deals, he continued. I wanna check inventory and see what we've got to work with. You know what I use; keep an eye out for nails, screws, any tools in better condition, whatever. And get yourselves something, too, eh? A grin. I'mma go tell the others what's up.
There was a distinct spring in his step as he trotted over to the building next door. He threw open the back door (typically the only one he used, since it was closest to the garage), strode through the kitchen into the foyer, and craned his neck as he looked up the stairwell. Anyone home?! he called, tail swaying impishly. He doubted anyone would be out already; it was still too early.
It was mid-afternoon by the time everything was organised and ready to go. Once he had everything loaded up into his pack, he got antsy — even best case scenario, it would take them several hours to reach the encampment and he didn't want to be late. He locked the door to the garage and leaned against it, eyes closed and mind reeling. Business this winter had been relatively slow, and this was exactly the kind of opportunity he was looking for: a chance to unload his older product, acquire some exotic goods without the hassle of a trip to Freetown, and get his name out on the market. He lit up a cigarette and waited; before long everyone gathered together and they set off.
It was easy to tell when they were getting close. The smell of fire and freshly cooked meat wafted their way on the cool winter breeze, and the crescendo of chattering voices grew dizzying as the tents came into sight. Barry grinned at his compatriots as he wove through the gathering crowds. He caught the tail end of Mahavites' invitation and pointed excitedly as the merchant disappeared back inside the tent. That's him; Mahavites! he told the others. Com'on, let's go grab a seat!
For the most part, life had been horribly dull since her arrival in Halifax. Of course her afternoon with Barrett had been quite enjoyable. The Fates had smiled on her that day in giving her not only a fun little romp, but someone who was willing to put a roof over her head as well. When she had met the Romani Drakien had also been a fun night, but aside from that...dull, dull, dull. The Cretan was not used to having so little to do with herself. Life on the ship had always been either work or fun, sometimes both. Maybe with time she could ingratiate herself into helping Barrett's business along but for the moment she was still a bit melancholy about her life being turned upside to want to jump into a different career. Getting inebriated and having sex were pretty much the only things she was enjoying at the moment but she certainly didn't want to be all over the mottled wolf 24/7. It might give him the wrong idea. Ariadne was many things, but clingy wasn't one of them.
So when her gracious landlord came into the house one day and said there was a festival being set up in the woods to the north, the dog hybrid's ears and spirits had instantly perked. A festival meant not only trading, but drunken revelries as well. Oh, she did love her drunken revelries. Unfortunately there was really nothing she could take with her for trading purposes. All Damianos had left her with were a few bottles of ouzo and a paring knife. Still, the Cretan did her best not to let this get her down and she happily gathered with Barrett and the other residents of the house to set off for the festival.
As they neared the small, tented city the scents and sounds of the place made her golden eyes sparkle with possibilities. Even if she couldn't trade like she wanted to, certainly there would be many other opportunities to take advantage of here. With a sly grin on her angular face, Ari followed Barrett, fully open to whatever this event would throw her way.
This post is brought to you by drugs and the fact that I STILL love Ezra’s signature >___>
Darkness engulfed his entire vision. Wisps of smoke breathed out of his hulking body, and he was weightless. Ezra looked up, and the world started glowing just the way Helix glows… he was in the grotto. The world made a hushing around, and the lights went out. The secui circled around, starting to panic. The lights came back on slowly… Ezra kept looking around until a light at the other end of the grotto shone brilliantly. Her face met his, and she slowly walked over to him, as silent as a ghost. The two wolves met, neither of them speaking. Just as Ezra put out his muzzle to touch hers, she disappeared.
Ezra awoke suddenly, breathing heavily and sweating. The hybrid looked to his son, who was sleeping on the opposite side of the bed, pawing at something in a dream. When his breathing calmed down, memories of Ever came back. His body crumpled back onto the mattress feeling totally defeated. Ezra spent the rest of the night trying to fall asleep again, but he was unsuccessful.
When Barry’s voice rang out in the house, he decided it was finally time to get up. Eli was still asleep when he went downstairs. Ezra greeted his friend with a quick Hey, and a grin. What’s up? He asked cheerfully, determined to get the aching thoughts out of his mind.
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The moment Barry explained everything, Ezra was down for the adventure even though he knew there would be a possibility of seeing old faces from the court. The gang got their eventually, Ezra and Eli’s transport conviently covered by Petra, who seemed more than happy for an excursion. Ezra had shifted and packed a small pack of his possessions. Eli was possibly the most excited of the crew; when Barry told him where they were going, the pup yipped in glee. He was more than excited, who knew what he would find there! When the group arrived, Ezra took off Petra’s tack and found the rest of the group in the crowd.
A fragile equilibrium conceived from deliberate avoidance had formed. Holding her tongue had never been one of her strong points but following her unforeseen experience involving two of her comrades and a random female stranger, Lilin permitted herself to act slightly out of character. It had been a little over a week and still, she couldn't seem to pry the images nor their established context from her brain. The aftermath of that night had been delicate for all involved and she'd done her best not to bring it up when in reality, she wanted nothing more but to smack some sense into them. Her days had been spent by Axle and Grit's side, carefully slinking in and out of the distillery whenever the opportunity presented itself.
She'd seen the new girl in passing. Her smell had intermingled with the building's current occupants, distinctly setting claim to the room across from hers. Lilin really didn't mind the new hybrid's presence but as it stood, she really didn't know much about her either. Her flirtatious demeanor provided a rather mediocre outlook on her personality. With the wide array of females constantly waltzing in and out of Hilsburn, she really had no reason to be shocked. If anything, Ariadne's arrival was as normal as it could be.
That day, when Barrett stormed in with his announcement, Lilin was the last to appear at the group gathering. She'd listened quietly, mirroring the smiles lighting up the faces of her comrades. A festival was a pleasant alternative to their daily routine. Barry seemed pretty confident that each of them would find something interesting. She was willing to give it a try, quite enchanted at the idea of decorating her living quarters with her very own feminine touch. The two-toned juvenile was intent on giving the festivities a try for a day at the very least.
As they neared the colossal tent, her chattering ceased along with little Eli's. "Wow," she breathed, getting up on the tip of her toes to peer over her landlord's shoulder. When he explained that the feast would be within, she promptly nodded and produced a slight wag of her tail before heading inside with the rest of her group.
