Post by Mr. Moshypocrite McSlowbro on Apr 22, 2012 15:44:27 GMT -5
"Are you sure you're okay with this? We can probably fit you if we leave a few boxes. It's going to be five days before the storm around the island is calm another for another ship to leave."
Ruo dismissed the idea with a wave of the hand. "No no, this is fine. I don't mind." In all truth, the men's boat was a small single-masted affair ill-suited for cargo running, and no matter what they claimed, it was likely they would have to displace the a large portion of their artifacts in order to accommodate him. He did not want to cause that them that much trouble. Besides, even if he did come along, he would probably be penned in by crates for the duration of his trip. Small places did not appeal to him.
"Well, alright. If you say so." Regret reflected off the sailor's face for a few moments, but there was work to be done. The man climbed back up the ramp and started shouting orders at his men. It only took them a few minutes to shove off.
He stood on the side of the dock, watching the vessel sail away in silence. Watching the lacquered wood cut through the blue ocean was something of a habit of his, being raised in a family of ship builders. It was calming.
Unfortunately, someone of his size could only occupy a busy thoroughfare for so long before he caused a blockage of people attempting to slip by, and he was forced to move inward, into the island proper. The pier gave way to a throng of loosely aligned buildings and tents, around which there was a constant stream of people carting different sorts of stones, pottery, maps, and whatever else they deemed of importance. As it had been explained to him, Lost Island was named because at some point in the past it had been, well, lost; to a massive mirage that rose from the ocean and hid the place from sight. When it was rediscovered, the people that had lived on the island were gone, but the remnants of their civilization remained. Recent study of the unique weather phenomenon that gave Lost Island its namesake enabled determined ships to reach the island relatively safely, through the use of windows in the storm that opened at set intervals. Since then, researches from across the Blues had flooded in to study the ruins that had been left behind. And from the sounds of things, it seemed some recent discovery had lit a fire under the various whatever-ologists that had gathered here, and everyone was moving at a frenzied pace to collect more samples.
Now, he knew about as much about ancient civilizations as the next guy (read: nothing), but they seemed to be interesting enough to captivate everyone else here, so they had to be worth taking a look at. Besides, it's not that he was in any particular hurry. However, when he inquired about getting to see the ruins himself, he was either brushed off, or plainly rejected, the scientists stating "He presence could prove detrimental to the location and recovery of items of antiquity", which he was pretty sure was another way telling him "You would break -all the things-". Rude as their statement might be, he doubted that bopping one of them in the head would not help his cause. So rather that start a large scene, he grumbled something that sounded vaguely apologetic, and left them to their work. Feeling somewhat dejected now, Ruo lumbered off to the edge of the camp, to ponder his next move. As it turned out, opportunity was delivering today.
There was a strange noise from off to his left, somewhere between a laugh and a honk, followed by nasally voice. "Ooo, you perhaps?"
He would not have looked if the call had not come from such close proximity, but when the giant did turn, he was not fully prepared for the sight that greeted him.
The man who was now approaching was... odd, to say the least. Not just in appearance, but in the way he moved. For starters, his body was built in the strangest of manners; a set of long wiry limbs that supported a round beach ball torso. His neck was hardly visible, giving his head the appearance of growing directly from his shoulders. Eyes, dominated by large black pupils, seemed focused on Ruo with a mildly disturbing intensity. He was dressed much in the same manner as some of the other scientists he had seen on the island: a stiff button-down collared shirt, working jeans, and thick boots. The black topknot on the man's head bobbed back and forth as he crossed the distance between them pendulously.
"Now, aren't you big? You look like an adventurous fellow, yes? Why are you standing around with these boring rock-sorters?" The spindly man asked of him, drawing close to him as he could without physical contact, and cocking his head to the side.
Feeling his personal space violated, Ruo took a step back before giving a tenuous response. "I'm waiting. For the next supply ship to come by."
"Next ship? Long time to wait, don't you think? There are alternatives, yes?" For some reason, the round man seemed to add a questioning inflexion onto the end of every sentence. It was difficult to discern whether he was asking or telling.
"...Um, maybe?"
A thin smile spread across his lips. "Perhaps? My brother and I run a small game that could pass the time, if you might be interested? Adventure game could appeal to you, or maybe prizes? You want to see the ruins, yes?"
"Yes!" His previous reservations about the rotund man were dashed in the face of a chance to explore the island's namesake. And somehow it was a game, too? It sounded awesome! Ruo, however, realizing he was engaging in a rather uncool display of unveiled enthusiasm, attempted to reign in his exuberance. "I mean, yeah, I would be interested in such an activity."
Clapping his hands and bouncing up and down, quite literally, the salesman seemed giddy to have convinced him to take part. "Good, good, then you will follow?" He said, motioning away from the docks.
"Right. Lead the way."
Ruo dismissed the idea with a wave of the hand. "No no, this is fine. I don't mind." In all truth, the men's boat was a small single-masted affair ill-suited for cargo running, and no matter what they claimed, it was likely they would have to displace the a large portion of their artifacts in order to accommodate him. He did not want to cause that them that much trouble. Besides, even if he did come along, he would probably be penned in by crates for the duration of his trip. Small places did not appeal to him.
"Well, alright. If you say so." Regret reflected off the sailor's face for a few moments, but there was work to be done. The man climbed back up the ramp and started shouting orders at his men. It only took them a few minutes to shove off.
He stood on the side of the dock, watching the vessel sail away in silence. Watching the lacquered wood cut through the blue ocean was something of a habit of his, being raised in a family of ship builders. It was calming.
Unfortunately, someone of his size could only occupy a busy thoroughfare for so long before he caused a blockage of people attempting to slip by, and he was forced to move inward, into the island proper. The pier gave way to a throng of loosely aligned buildings and tents, around which there was a constant stream of people carting different sorts of stones, pottery, maps, and whatever else they deemed of importance. As it had been explained to him, Lost Island was named because at some point in the past it had been, well, lost; to a massive mirage that rose from the ocean and hid the place from sight. When it was rediscovered, the people that had lived on the island were gone, but the remnants of their civilization remained. Recent study of the unique weather phenomenon that gave Lost Island its namesake enabled determined ships to reach the island relatively safely, through the use of windows in the storm that opened at set intervals. Since then, researches from across the Blues had flooded in to study the ruins that had been left behind. And from the sounds of things, it seemed some recent discovery had lit a fire under the various whatever-ologists that had gathered here, and everyone was moving at a frenzied pace to collect more samples.
Now, he knew about as much about ancient civilizations as the next guy (read: nothing), but they seemed to be interesting enough to captivate everyone else here, so they had to be worth taking a look at. Besides, it's not that he was in any particular hurry. However, when he inquired about getting to see the ruins himself, he was either brushed off, or plainly rejected, the scientists stating "He presence could prove detrimental to the location and recovery of items of antiquity", which he was pretty sure was another way telling him "You would break -all the things-". Rude as their statement might be, he doubted that bopping one of them in the head would not help his cause. So rather that start a large scene, he grumbled something that sounded vaguely apologetic, and left them to their work. Feeling somewhat dejected now, Ruo lumbered off to the edge of the camp, to ponder his next move. As it turned out, opportunity was delivering today.
There was a strange noise from off to his left, somewhere between a laugh and a honk, followed by nasally voice. "Ooo, you perhaps?"
He would not have looked if the call had not come from such close proximity, but when the giant did turn, he was not fully prepared for the sight that greeted him.
The man who was now approaching was... odd, to say the least. Not just in appearance, but in the way he moved. For starters, his body was built in the strangest of manners; a set of long wiry limbs that supported a round beach ball torso. His neck was hardly visible, giving his head the appearance of growing directly from his shoulders. Eyes, dominated by large black pupils, seemed focused on Ruo with a mildly disturbing intensity. He was dressed much in the same manner as some of the other scientists he had seen on the island: a stiff button-down collared shirt, working jeans, and thick boots. The black topknot on the man's head bobbed back and forth as he crossed the distance between them pendulously.
"Now, aren't you big? You look like an adventurous fellow, yes? Why are you standing around with these boring rock-sorters?" The spindly man asked of him, drawing close to him as he could without physical contact, and cocking his head to the side.
Feeling his personal space violated, Ruo took a step back before giving a tenuous response. "I'm waiting. For the next supply ship to come by."
"Next ship? Long time to wait, don't you think? There are alternatives, yes?" For some reason, the round man seemed to add a questioning inflexion onto the end of every sentence. It was difficult to discern whether he was asking or telling.
"...Um, maybe?"
A thin smile spread across his lips. "Perhaps? My brother and I run a small game that could pass the time, if you might be interested? Adventure game could appeal to you, or maybe prizes? You want to see the ruins, yes?"
"Yes!" His previous reservations about the rotund man were dashed in the face of a chance to explore the island's namesake. And somehow it was a game, too? It sounded awesome! Ruo, however, realizing he was engaging in a rather uncool display of unveiled enthusiasm, attempted to reign in his exuberance. "I mean, yeah, I would be interested in such an activity."
Clapping his hands and bouncing up and down, quite literally, the salesman seemed giddy to have convinced him to take part. "Good, good, then you will follow?" He said, motioning away from the docks.
"Right. Lead the way."