(ooc: just starting a new topic as the old one was starting to get cluttered.
Peh, this ended up longer than I though it would… Oh well. I just got typing and it did its own thing, as fics tend to do for me…)
Jan just stood, for a while, gazed round the square and silently took in the hustle-bustle of late afternoon. It was getting late, would soon be getting dusk, so they’d need to find a place to stay soon – some food, too. His last travel-biscuit had already crumbled to dust in the bottom of his bag and Aura had somehow managed to lay her hands on the last of the vine-fruit.
“Aura?”
She was back on the floor, looking for someone to talk to; she glanced up at his comment. “Yeah, what?”
“I’m going to go find out about accommodation. You coming?”
“Nah, I’m goin’ t’find someone t’chat wi’,” she was already padding away.
He shook his head and smiled, but turned and went his own way.
She padded around aimlessly for a while, feeling lost and lonely. She wanted someone to talk to, but most of the muds ignored her and the sligs were all in the usual packs, chatting animatedly as ever, and she didn’t want to intrude…
She was almost giving up hope of finding anyone when she found him – a young male, maybe her age or a little older, lounging against a conveniently high treestump, toying with a knife in one hand and flicking through what looked like a newspaper in the other.
“Hey!” Aura called, brightly.
He looked up; his features quirked into an amused grin. “Hey lady,” he said, mildly, watching as she padded over and hoisted herself onto a low branch. “Not seen yer round before. Y’new in town?”
She nodded. “Yep. An’ – well, wi’ a bit o’ luck – we ain’t stayin’ long neither.”
“Y’heard them rumours, then,” he’d gone back to his paper.
“Yeah. Hope that’s all they are.”
He chuckled. “Y’needn’t worry, we get strange things happ’nin’ here all the time.”
“Sounds like home,” she flopped onto her branch and dangled her arms down either side. “Wha’s name?”
“Who, me? Nar. Yerself?”
“Aura.”
“What’s with all this in-tree-no-pants lark, anyway…?”
While Aura chatted, Jan was trying to make arrangements for a place to stay. He thought he’d have been annoyed that she was being bone-idle again, but for once he was glad she was out of the way – no chance of her inadvertently insulting one of these mudokons and getting into a brawl… The muds at home were familiar enough with sligs, and judging by the population here these mudokons would be as well, but you couldn’t take chances… The town was smaller than home – more like a village, actually – but it looked like it had all the amenities, albeit on a smaller scale. He headed for the nearest building, a long, somewhat squat two-storey one next to a tall, spreading, sensitive-tree.
Jan poked his head round the doorway. “Hello…?” he called, faintly. “Anyone home?”
“Be right with you,” a mild voice returned; it echoed out through an open doorway.
Taking that as a good sign, Jan padded in and went over to the low counter running halfway along the far wall, with just enough room to walk down behind; looked like a restaurant, he guessed – now he was in he could see there
were other patrons, but most looked preoccupied with their own business.
“What can I do for you?” the voice went on – it was a mudokon, wearing a lopsided smile and a towel slung over one bony shoulder.
“Uh… hi. Um, listen…” Jan frowned, trying to compose his thoughts. “My friend and I… uh, well, we’re new to town, just passing through, really, but we needed something to eat and a place to stay for the night, I was wondering if you, uh, you know, knew anything that might be helpful…”
The mudokon behind the counter laughed. “Let me guess, someone’s been filling your head with rumours? Don’t you worry about that, there’s a lot doing the rounds at the moment…” he shrugged. “A place to stay, was it? And something to eat?”
“Please,” Jan kicked his heels while the mudokon bustled about behind the counter. “Uh, well, I don’t know what we’d do to pay, though, We weren’t intending being gone long, and I haven’t got any money with me…”
“No big deal,” the taller adult rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “I guess I could let you do a bit of work to pay for lodgings…”
“Aura won’t like that…” Jan chuckled.
The mud lifted his gaze, looked out from under his eyebrows. “Your friend not like work, then?” he asked, an odd, rather vague smile in place of the cheery one he’d worn when Jan had first asked for help.
Jan gave him a second or two of scrutiny before going on. “Well, it’s not that, she just whinges if she has to. I guess it’s a genetic thing; they’re all a bit like it, aren’t they?”
The look had gone from smile to distinctly hostile. “You travel with a slig?”
“Uh…” Jan frowned, faintly, a little taken aback by the poison in the soft voice. “Well, yeah, I… didn’t know there… didn’t think there’d…”
The mudokon turned away, his manner aloof, disdainful. “Then I don’t think I can help you. Good afternoon.”
“I-… wait…!” He called after him, halfheartedly, but he’d already gone. Dispirited, Jan turned and addressed the world in general; “Someone tell me what I did wrong, there…?”
(ooc: If Mal ain’t hungry that’s NP, if you know what I mean, Dragon-lady... 
I can't remember what We'd decided)
[ October 02, 2001: Message edited by: Teal ]
A place to stay?
and no, you can't kill him malice; but i got a new friend who's joining, he's called "Evil Slog", if i can convince him to play, he'll push his luck with malice, have fun with him. 
If characters "talk" in ooc, it's not related to plotlines. 
