“Partner up, partner up.” Katau muttured as he glanced around the small band of Okotans for a suitable companion for the journey into the city of jungle. “Oh I don’t know, you,” Katau said, pointing to Palios, “come with me.”
(@N01InParticular)
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It would not be long before Ilya caught up to where Tussul was. The latter had stopped along the path, seemingly to wait for the rest of the party, but when the party leader approached the hunter turned to face him.
“Boss.” He motioned towards the treetops. Over them, like an invisible flow of water, came…
…music.
(@Winger @GoodGuy2006 @N01InParticular @Rukah @MakutaOisli @TheMOCingbird)
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Katau paused, confused. Having never ventured out of the fire region much, the blacksmith didn’t know if that was jungle Okotan tune, or something else. He decided to inquire about it.
“Is that jungle Okotan music?”
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Tussul gave an over-exaggerated shrug in reply.
“I hope it’s not going to be too loud over there.” He started towards the bend in the road. “I hate loud music.”
(@Winger @GoodGuy2006 @N01InParticular @Rukah @MakutaOisli @TheMOCingbird)
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A slight frown washed across Cheshie’s face for a moment. She would have liked Katau or Palios’ company, and had been meaning to talk with both of them; perhaps she’ll just have to catch up later when they reconvene.
But if they were together, then that left…
Cheshie sighed, turning to the two remaining Okotans.
“Well then, Jawuu, Henan, looks like you’re with me. Let’s get going.” She said with a swing of her head, turning back down the road. (@GoodGuy2006 @MakutaOisli)
Staying civil around Henan may prove a challenge, but she had to start somewhere, and better off working out any differences sooner during the expedition than later. And Jawuu…Cheshie didn’t really know what she thought about Jawuu. Sure, he may be a bit of a coward, but at least he didn’t seem to be causing too much trouble.
Oh, one more thing. Cheshie thought as she passed Palios, recalling his request from earlier.
“Catch.” She said, tossing the Hunter’s staff toward the jungle Okotan. (@N01InParticular)
Well, this’ll be interesting. Cheshie thought as she continued toward the village, glancing over her shoulder to check if Jawuu and Henan were keeping up.
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Katau sighs, resisting the urge to repeat his question a little more pointedly, as the other fire Okotan hadn’t really given him an answer. Instead, the blacksmith grumbled slightly and peered into the trees, trying to find the source of the music, while the group continued through the jungle.
Palios fumbled the catch and promptly dropped the stick onto the ground. “Looks like Ilya and Tussel are together then.” He picked the stick back up and examined the surface. “Seems to be a self-portrait, A very bad self-portrait,” Palios commented as he ran his finger along the surface of what he assumed was hardened sap. “Or…it could be an artist’s signature. We know so little about them yet they seem to know so much about us.” He turned to Ilya. “I’m going to ask around town about this. Or would that fall under asking about our mission?”
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Jaawu gave Cheshie a look somewhere between worry and exasperation, despite not having interacted with Henan much.
“Sounds good to me.”
Jaawu tried to keep up once she was off.
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Well… perhaps this could be beneficial.
Henan’s mind flashed back to when he was still in the village,with the rest of the carvers. Oh right,Me carving.
Henan resumed his carving,pieces flying as he drove home his chisel.
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As the party rounded the bend, the trees broke away to reveal the massive center of the capital, with decorations aplenty, a ludicrous amount of flowers, and an unspoken promise that a lot of these fellows would be going home at the end of the day completely wasted.
There was a pyramid of jungle Okotans performing a balancing act to thunderous applause, a numerous amount of jungle Okotan children following someone dressed up as an outrageously overexaggerated shaman, with mask paint and tons of feathers. Vendors were everywhere, selling everything from the finest of delicacies to fine furs and souvenirs, and in the center of it all was a large poll with a crude effigy of a fire Okotan skewered on top, its head at a horrible angle, and two Okotans were busily piling branches beneath it.
And of course, loud music featuring flutes, drums, and maracas dominated the air, charging the world with an energetic vibe. Clearly the jungle Okotans knew how to have a good time.
Under the cacophony, however, Ilya - and only Ilya - could hear the faintest of whispers, somehow reaching his ear as he stepped into town.
“Ilya.”
(@Winger @GoodGuy2006 @N01InParticular @Rukah @MakutaOisli @TheMOCingbird)
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Why is everything soooooooo loud… Henan groaned. He poured his attention into his carving once more,hoping to finish his carving sooner than later.
"So,what are we looking for?
@TheMOCingbird @GoodGuy2006
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Cheshie paused, taking in the sight. Sure, she had a job to do here, but it did look like it could be a fun time. Plus, Ilya did say to relax…
No. Focus now. Rest later. You need information, and a good place to start would be-
Cheshie stopped, her eyes catching on what looked to be a pyre being built around a stuffed Okotan.
“Uhhh, is that normal?” Cheshie whispered to the group as she nodded toward the effigy of the fire Okotan. “Cause that sure doesn’t seem normal.”
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Palios turned to katau. “I swear we’re not all…” Palios struggled to find the right word for this, clearly This specific group of jungle Okotans were being afflicted with some horrible disease. “Crazy” YES Crazy was the exact word he was looking for! Now the only question was what was the cause of this affliction, well it was the question until the smell of—
“Alcohol.” Palios felt queasy; he had never liked the smell nor the effect that it had on people, this was perhaps the best example of why he felt that way.
“No, and the fact that you would consider it normal offends me.” Palios joked, though his tone did not clearly indicate that.
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Cheshie’s brow furrowed. She didn’t seem to catch Palios’s intent, but she didn’t seem offended either, more just concerned.
“Well, if the jungle Okotan thinks it’s weird, then we should really be on our guard.” She said with a nod.
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“Yeah, I would… Look into that…” Tussul said with a revolted expression. “In the meantime I’m going to go quietly see if I can find where the Elder used to live and if he happened to leave any clues behind as to his whereabouts. Let’s meet by that… Thing… when we’re finished, alright? You can see it from anywhere in the town.”
Before he could get a reply, Tussul marched forwards into the crowd, his body language making it clear he was uncomfortable. There seemed to be plenty to do and plenty of questions to be asked.
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“Yeah, on it.” Cheshie said with a nod, before turning toward Jawuu and Henan, motioning for them to follow. (@MakutaOisli @GoodGuy2006)
“Alright, follow my lead, and pretend like we know why we’re here and what this whole festival is about. I think asking blatant questions for something like this might raise even more suspicion. Better to play it cool.” She said in a hushed tone, striding toward the nearest group of drinkers.
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Having never visited the Jungle capital before, almost everything Katau saw was new to him. The blacksmith peered through the scene and his eyes moved from one space to the next, trying to take it all in.
“Wow…” he muttered, about to say more when
Palios spoke up.
“Well you’re not doing a very convincing job.” The blacksmith deadpans as he observes the scene. “Anyways we should probably get going.” and gestures for his partner to follow.
Ilya’s face was heating, and he wasn’t sure why. He glanced around him, taking in the sights and sounds. A cacophony of thoughts and a symphony of fears thrummed through Ilya’s mind, in time to the music. His vision blurred, and he felt a little bit sick.
Something was so, so wrong, and he didn’t know what, and he wanted to know, and he was scared.
He shook his head.
Focus.
Where to start? Shelter, gear. He began to scan the crowds for the kinds of vendors they would need-
His head snapped up, searching. He barely noticed Tussul leaving to do what Ilya should have known to do, sensed the ripple of irritation in the back of his mind. But he didn’t really care. This seemed more important, somehow. Something is so wrong. He knew what he should do. He should ask someone else to come with him.
He didn’t.
Did he really need them? Yes. You do. Stay in your own mind, Ilya- No. He couldn’t afford to look weaker. Steel. Like Makuta would do.
He followed.
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“Ilya.”
The voice was coming from the immediate treeline of the village. The noise from the music was almost unbearable, but Ilya could discern almost the exact place it seemed to originate.
One of the drinkers whistled incoherently at the sight of Cheshie, and his more sober friend slapped him. Both turned away suddenly and began cheering as a procession of Okotans approached.
“My friends, please,” The Okotan in the front of the procession beamed. He was a well-built Okotan- no, he was an absolute beefcake, with muscles popping out of nearly every seam in his armor. His height, undoubtedly that to match his muscular mass, put him a head above everyone else. The cheering crowd goaded him on, and so the figure hopped on top of the seemingly portable bar and raised a full mug into the air.
“Go, and enjoy your days in this burning festival with glee and merriment! So proclaims Kovis, the Mighty! The Charming! And may the Elders of Okoto be with you!”
As the crowd fanned out, Kovis collapsed into a chair with a thorough groan and stared in contempt at the cup he held.
(@Winger @GoodGuy2006 @N01InParticular @Rukah @MakutaOisli @TheMOCingbird)
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Katau was unimpressed the apparent spectacle of “Kovis the Mighty”.
“Who’s this pompous moron?” the blacksmith mutters after he had sat - no, fallen was more like it - into his chair. The fire Okotan glanced across the site of the festival, searching for someone sober to question.
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