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RESPITE FALLS - AFTERNOON
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Isgrimnir yawned expansively as the tone of the steam propulsion changed, his wild white mane and elongated canines, the claws, as well as the fur on his shoulders gave him a distinctly feral appearance. Eyes the colour of a stormy sea opened and he looked out the window. The vessel was descending, his destination was nearing. The flying contraption was a wonder in his mind and he was already designing a working toy version in his mind, working through the problems and the weight rations and which materials would be best suited to the task. probably balsawood and silk. He dwarfed the seat he was in. Next to him was the large canvas duffel bag that contained his belongings. For someone who set out to start a new life in another town, he certainly traveled very light. When the vessel finally touched down and its mooring ropes were secured, he stood up to disembark, bent over forwards so he would not bang his head on the ceiliing. He stepped down on to the ground, roses to his full height and put his nose in the air, inhaling deeply. Here he was, ready to make a new home for himself. The other passengers had filed out and went about their way, he followed one at random, just so he would see some of the sights of the town, get his bearings, look for lodgings.
Isgrimnir looked around, from time to time lifting his nose in the air, when the one he followed entered a home, he just moved on ahead, letting his nose do the guiding..
Isgrimnir found a place to eat, a few tables and chairs outside in a little fenced area. He would treat himself to a decent meal at least. Having sold most everything he owned, had left him with quite a bit of coin, but the trip in the airship had not been cheap, and he needed some coin to make a new start here, lodgings, maybe buying some place of his own.. He would have to see, but in his experience the future always looked brighter on a full stomach.
Isgrimnir rubbed his hands together as the food and drink was bought. He made a mental effort to eat slowly, enjoy it thoroughly, meanwhile he watched the other denizens of the city passing by. It was truly an ecclectic panorama of various shapes and sizes.
Isgrimnir rose up again after the meal. Now to find some lodgings and keeping an eye open for some business venture. He stretched for a moment, then lifted the bag on his shoulder.
Jennica chose that moment to wander into the inn, mostly known by the name of The Thirsty Minnow although other, less savoury names had been given to the establishment by the Guards on slightly rowdier days. Jennica being a relative newcomer to the town, did not know of these names. The timid, short braunvieh cow is currently dressed in her work overalls, and generally looks uneremarkable... sans the thick, brown-green, reptilian, kobold tail she has in place of a more assumed cow tail. Her overalls being modified for this, and she herself (mostly) doesn't pay any attention to it anymore.
Isgrimnir did take a step back, allowing her to enter first
Isgrimnir: m'lady *he nodded in greeting*
Jennica blinks at the huge... no, slightly bigger - bear, then hastily steps aside... only to trip on her hooves and blushingly stumbling aside. "Oh. H-hi. Sorry."
Isgrimnir's free hand shout out to prevent her from falling if he could.
Isgrimnir: Careful there miss.
Jennica is just about caught by the big hand. "Eep! Oh. Um..." She gives a timid grin upwards.
Isgrimnir kept her hand until he was certain she was steady on her own hooves once more, then he turned it in to a little shake.
Isgrimnir: Isgrimnir Grimbrandr.
Jennica takes the hand with a still small smile: "J-Jennica. S-sorry about that."
Isgrimnir: No harm done, nothing to be sorry for Jennica. But maybe you could give me some aid, I have just arrived in town and am looking for lodgings.
Jennica blinks, taking a step back just to have more clearance of personal space from the bruin: "Oh. Oh. W-well, this Minnow here has pretty good rooms, I s-stayed here for a bit when I arrived... and uh, I guess places aren't hard to find, I haven't really looked but um they should be around? Although with the town growing, might have more people asking now and I am kind of babbling am I?" Truth be told, she finds the bear slightly intimidating, but on a bad day she finds random shadows intimidating so this is not terribly new for her.
Isgrimnir looks around "well, that is convenient, the minnow it is then. Thank you very much Jennica" His voice was deep, befitting his size, but it was well under control, a voice fit for telling stories at the hearth. His wild white mane blending with the white fur on his shoulders and upper arms. Garbed in leather pants and boots of dark grey and a broad belt with a flask, a skin and several pouches hanging from it. Crowfeet around eyes and lips gave him a wizened look but the skin and muscles beneath showed a man in his prime instead, it was fairly hard to determine his age*
Jennica smiles, fighting away her fear: "Y-you're welcome. B-but yeah, just ask for a room and they're pretty good." She hesitates, not really being the type to ask, but... "So uhm... new to Respite, I guess?"
Isgrimnir: Arrived just moments ago by Airship
Jennica blinks: "Oh. That new. Well um..." She looks around, no official greeter in sight though to be fair that okapi kind of scares the cow anyway... "Welcome to Respite Falls, t-then, if I can say that." She offers a sheepish smile.
Isgrimnir: Here to stay though, find a place to set up a little workshop.
Jennica pauses. Her curiosity perks up. "Workshop? Um... if I may ask, what's your trade?"
Isgrimnir turns, then holds out a chair for her at a nearby table "You may as well allow me to treat you to a drink, I am a healer, and I tinker with mechanics"
Jennica hesitates, then nods with a smile as she takes the seat: "Well uh... sure. If you don't mind." She hums: "I uh... kind of do tinkering as well."
Isgrimnir: What is it you make? *he calls a server over* A drink of her choice for the lady, a tea with ample honey for me.
Jennica fishes a small round piece of metal from her overalls, showing it: "I uh, I make small trinkets. Kind of... take a small mechanism, and amplify it with emotional magic. Enchant it, I guess you could say. This one, once I am done weaving it should... I think it is telling me it wants to be a mood calming device. You know how the right kind of wall color helps you stay calmer?"
Isgrimnir: that could be very useful indeed. Impressive. I never thought of infusing my creations with magic. It is mainly all springs and clockwork.
Jennica shrugs, blushing slightly: "I'm not good with clockwork, not really. Most of the trinkets I make don't even have a mechanism that does anything, just needs a moving part of some kind to make the magic tick. Well, at times. Not really an exact science like uh... well, clockwork."
Isgrimnir: would your magic be able to make a crystal glow brightly? *he is suddenly very very interested as new ideas ran through his mind*
Jennica tilts her head: "Um... possibly? Depends on the size of the crystal. It's hard to explain, but I can't directly, uh... make magic, not directly, just imbue other objects with it."
Isgrimnir: that would be enough I think, I could do the mechanical parts with ease.
Jennica hums, curious: "What's on your mind?"
Isgrimnir: a glow beetle, something that can walk in to dark places or hover next to your head while reading at night.
Jennica: "Oh. That could... t-that could work. Like, if I made an enchant that glowed on a mechanism...?" She starts thinking: "I haven't really done such a direct... but I suppose if I..." Her hand starts to wander as she thinks, idly weaving subtle patterns of magic around her fingers.
Isgrimnir watched in rapt fascination, the server chose that moment to bring the drinks, he was momentarly distracted and produced the needed coin to pay, then went back to observing
Jennica muses for a moment more, then blinks as she realizes her pint is in front of her. "O-oh. Sorry. K-kinda trailed off there."
Isgrimnir: again, no wrong done, nothing to be sorry for, I found it rather fascinating. I always enjoy other artisans plying their trade. After much skill and practice, they make it look so effortless.
Jennica giggles nervously: "I g-guess so? My trade is very small, so it's fun to see others go about it."
Isgrimnir: Also, I wonder if I can make a scale model of the airship that brought me here, as a toy..
Jennica blinks wide: "Oh? That would be kind of neat if you can."
Isgrimnir: hmmm it is sourcing the materials for it that might be hardes, Balsawood for the frame, but more difficult would be the bladder that would hold the air. most materials that cn do that are fairly heavy, I wonder if I can somehow use silk, and coat it with something.
Jennica: "Well... I am not terribly familiar with what would work, but... I could probably point you to a few friends who might have ideas?"
Isgrimnir: part of the fun is testing things though. I mean I am not too shy to ask for help when I need it, but there is a certain glory in working through a problem yourself.
Jennica shrugs: "True." She smirks slightly, possibly relaxing finally: "I find my craft not being directly comparable to anyone I know, but I guess I sorta like it that way?"
Isgrimnir: that is why it is so fascinating to see. you can see a dozen good farriers, but the rarer crafts are more interesting.
Jennica smiles: "True, true." She giggles softly. "So... just here in Respite for your craft, then?"
Isgrimnir: a new life.
Jennica pauses, lifts her hand... then lowers it. "Oh. Well, that I can understand, f-for sure."
Isgrimnir nods "sometimes you just need a new horizon, learn new things. I sold most I had to come here"
Jennica shrugs: "Yeah... I c-came all the way from Vamas as well. Long journey, but... worth it."
Isgrimnir: oh yes, I am fairly certain.
Jennica takes a sip of her pint: "So uh..." She trails off, unsure where to continue the conversation.
Isgrimnir: what is it you do for fun?
Jennica blinks: "Uh. Fun? I guess I sort of..." She motions at her trinket: "...craft, I guess."
Isgrimnir laughs softly "when your job is also the thing you do for fun you have accomplished something many reach for but never attain"
Jennica giggles a bit: "I guess so. I haven't really picked up any other hobbies." Her mind flashes towards certain hunky pterodactyl, but she shoos that image off very uickly.
Isgrimnir listened in rapt fascination, asking the odd question here and there and answering any she might have for him. another round of drinks was ordered and as time moved on, he learded quite a few things of the city he had not known before
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LATER
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Isgrimnir sat for a while longer after Jennica had left, then enquired for a room. once he had made payment for a few days and got the key, he went up there to unpack. It was mainly tools, in neat rolls and boxes.
Isgrimnir had a restless night, an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar city with new scents and sounds. sever times he got up and just walked to the window to look out for a bit. When the sun rose, he dressed and went down to the commons in search of some breakfast and then he would explore and go in search of a place where he could set up shop.
Isgrimnir found what he was looking for, the house was two storied with a slate shingled roof, a bay window on one side of the door, a large board hanging down from hinges where the other window would normally be, he suspected that it gave access to a place where one could do trade without having to put up a market stall. He wiped at the windows with the edge of his hand in an attempt to remove some of the grime, he was only partly successful since there was quite a bit against the inside of the window. The home looked quite abandoned. He wondered now who to speak to to see if it was for sale.
Isgrimnir took the key and went back to the home he had just bought. He looked about, a thick layer of dust coated everything. He started opening doors and closets, In a small cleaning cupboard he found some serviceable utensils so he started to sweep and clean the dust, opening the windows to let fresh air in. He was not one to get easily bored with tasks and it always helped to hum a tune as he worked, keep a rhythm going.
Isgrimnir first gives everything a good dusting, starting at the top and working his way down, he then started to sort furniture, anything salvageable would be kept, anything else was broken apart to land on a wood pile near the hearth, or in a pile for discarding. It was well in the afternoon when he finally got to some mopping and the washing of the windows. Before he was ready with that the sun was kissing the horizon and his stomach growled audibly. he put the cleaning tools away again and went out, locking the door behind him and returning to the Minnow for some food and drink
Isgrimnir leaned back a bit when a mixed platter from the grill was delivered with a tankard of mead. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and started to eat. It was not if he wolfed the food down, but it was an almost mechanical process, while one bite was being chewed, the next was prepared on the fork and as soon as the first was swallowed the next was delivered to the mouth. He made short work of the meal in little time and ordered another.