[SRP] A Lesson in Greed [See Inside]

[Ririka]

This is a Solo-RP between;

show spoilerhide spoiler

RP Total Word Count

Queen: -Count here-
Desmund: -Count here-
Pagan: -Count here-
Marie: -Count here-
Vesta: -Count here-

 

[Ririka]

The sun had started to reclaim the sky as dawn spread itself across the land. Usually, Queen would have chosen to stay within the tree tops and take the time to stretch her wings, but this day she had decided to take flight early thanks to the plans she had for the day. Well that and the company she currently had with her. While he might be her first choice for company, especially for her plans, the older male had proven himself slightly amusing, though a bit dull in the head at times. Really, he was more like a cub or an adolescent than a full grown B’alam. At least, to her he was.

The wind female took a look at her companion as a sly smile spread itself across her face. She knew why he was worried. She also knew he had good reason to be worried since her plan could be seen as reckless to some. But what’s an adventure without a little recklessness?

“Do you have to keep that frown on your face, Desmund? It’s not as if we are going to be plucked and served as appetizers. As I said, all you have to do is keep an eye on our surroundings and I’ll do all the work. You are capable of that, right? I don’t need to drag dead weight around with me.”
Queen’s words were good enough for her own mind and ears. A simple swoop into the foreign land, spend a little time looking around, maybe steal a thing or two and then they would be out. Simple.

[265]

 

[Ririka]

Desmund's broad feathered wings flapped with a sense of laziness as the tah kept his gaze forward towards the warm colored skies ahead. With the skies painted with a mix of blues and pinks, and clouds themselves, though still white, appearing as if they were dipped in the sun themselves, the world seemed as if it was at a standstill. Nothing seemed to matter during these hours as the wind carried with it a crisp coolness that very few really got to experience unless they were able to fly as high as a wind b'alam. The paroos that had already awakened sang their songs as they traveled the skies in search of food or headed back home to awakened their b'alam companion. Yes, it was during these times that Desmund felt at one with the world in all its calmness.

With a content sigh, the red tah looked towards his flying partner, Queen. For all the time they had spent together since their meeting he did not understand why he almost always ended up agreeing to go along with her foolish plans. It seemed that no matter where the nah went, and no matter what she did with her days nothing was ever enough to satisfy her need for adventure and material items.

When Queen approached him and said they were going to go visit some unseen tribe territory, well, Desmund could not just fly silently. It took a bit of questioning and coaxing, but like pulling teeth, he finally got the nah to tell him where she was leading the both of them. It was true, as shown by his almost amusingly large ears, that he had a bit dark blood running through him, or at least that is what others have claimed. However, he had never set foot in the lands of the Dark tribe before. He did not even know where their lands were hidden, nor had he ever had any reason to try and find them. Neither of his parents possessed full Dark blood or talk about the lands to him or his siblings. This day was really going to be interesting if they survived it. Hopefully those of dark blood would be welcoming of strangers.

Ears flicking and lips tight with uncertainty, Desmund look a breath before finally allowing his worries to slip past his maw.

“You know that I am all for a little fun, Queen, but we also know all too well that your plans do not always go as you plan." well, that statement was a mass understatement. Something almost always went wrong with Queen's plans and someone always paid the price for it. "Do you really believe we can wing it if something goes wrong this time. I mean, yeah, we have been to new territories before, but there is always someone to give us some info about where we are going. Do you not think it is a little strange that no one we know knows anything about this tribe?"

It was as if the Dark tribe we an enigma to the outside world, and that bit of info was scary. Why did no one really know anything about them? Did anyone who managed to enter the lands become trapped, or become prisoners to the residents? Desmund hoped not. Maybe the lands were just hard to enter and exit from, hopefully.

"You said you were told that we would be safe as long as we fly by the light of the sun, but how do we know that that information can be trusted? What if your informant is just lying to us for a bit of treasure? I mean, you said it yourself that that was the only bit of information you could dig out of anyone, and there was no explaination that came with it. So why daylight, Queen? Are Dark Tribers scared of the sun or something? I...I do not mean to question you like this, but there is nothing wrong with being a little cautious, my friend."

He wanted to trust her. Oh, by the Grand Weaver’s name he wanted to trust her, but what if something were to go terribly wrong this time because of her “fun”? What if their actions made them enemies of the Dark tribe, or started some kind of conflict? Maybe he was just overthinking things this time around. The Wind tribe earned their living by basically being thieves and taking what they do not have from those who do have. They have never really gotten into any real trouble with those outside of the Ice tribe.

“Just…”, Desmund shook his head and gave a small smile in hopes of calming himself down just a bit. “We just have to be careful, okay? Sometimes tribes mingle and accept those outside of their own, and we do not know if these Dark tribe members really do that. If they do not, then just walking by the sun's rays will not cut it.”

[829]

 

[Ririka]

“Do you really have such little faith that you believe we will be seen and tracked? We have stolen many things before, and I don’t ever remember someone taking the time to track us down. I mean, in case you forgot, we can fly, Desmund.”

Truth be told, Queen really had no interest in going to this new land beyond feeding her own curiosity. She didn’t care about the potential treasures to be seen and taken. She just wanted to see what this supposed Dark territory had to offer and what the B’alam were like. Though, if the info she got was true, then that would mean staying the night, which could mean trouble.

‘A bit of trouble could be fun though...’

The female had little information in the native B’alam beyond the fact that they were rarely, if ever, seen by day, and that some called them monsters for whatever reason.

“Come on, Dessy,” Queen stated as she glided closer to her friend and gave him a playful bump. “there’s no need to be afraid. We’ll get through this like any other adventure to scavenge around, so just have fun and enjoy the ride, fraidy cat!”

With that said, the wind female flapped her wings hard and took off ahead of the male. If they wanted to get to the supposed Dark territory before night fall then they would have to fly fast.

[234]

 

[Ririka]

Desmund did not know what to say at this point. He did not mean to seem as if he had such little faith in her skills, nor did he want to seem as if she did not know what she was getting into. It was never his intention to sound as if he had intentions of getting in the way of her adventurous nature in anyway. However, he could not deny that something in his gut was telling him that Queen's plans were not going to end well for anyone that happened to become involved.

He knew well enough that he could try continuing to talk to her. The tah could make an attempt to tell her to remain on her toes and to be cautious of her surrounding and who she may involve in her plans, knowingly or not. But, friendship be damned, he know that the nah was as stubborn as the mountains that sprouted from the lower lands.

Queen would never open her ears to what others had to say. Nor would she ever admit that maybe, just maybe, they were biting off more than they could chew. After all, they were going into a territory that they have never visited before with almost no information to go by other than "walk by the light of the sun". He would feel more comfortable if they had taken the time to find someone who actually knew more about the Dark tribe. Then they could at the very least offer something in exchange for more information, or even an escort to the tribe territory.

But that would not happen now or later because Queen enjoyed being reckless. She would trade going in with caution and information for going in blind and full of spirit any day. That was just the way Queen functioned, and nothing he said or did would change that. Still, Desmund would always stand by his friend's side through thick and thin. Maybe it was just his naive nature and lack of friends beyond the nah. Even with the feeling that Queen's nature would lead to her own downfall someday, and maybe even his, he would not budge from her side. Truly, he was stupid and he would pay for it.

“I just…”, he started. However, he did not know how to end his though. Especially after being bumped and seeing a blur of browns and pinks take off into the distance. "Well, I guess...never mind then."

With a sigh, Desmund took off after Queen, hoping to keep her in his sight in case something happened to her. Well that and so he would not end up being lost seeing as he sucks at navigating through anything.

It would be a matter of hours before they ended up at their destination. Desmund just hoped his gut was wrong and that Queen’s words would hold true for them. Just because the two of them were young did not mean they had to be the ones to throw themselves into danger.
[503]

 

[Ririka]

-Several Hours Later-

The afternoon sky sat high in the sky as Queen glided around with little care. It was not until she entered the outer edge of the Dark tribe territory that she halted for a moment and allowed herself to take a closer look at her surroundings. No longer was she in any kind of lush forest. No longer would she be flying over endless plains or meadows. No. These lands were unlike anything she had ever set herself upon, nor anything she imagined it to be.

It looked as if the earth had erupted into fangs or claws in an attempt to touch the skies. Queen would be lying if she said that the whole area didn’t give her the chills. It did not seem as happy or warm as the floating islands that she called her home. Something was defiantly wrong to her. Maybe monsters did really call this place home. She would not imagine what kind of B’alam could call this place their home and enjoy it.

She could not waste time thinking about it though. It was already mid-afternoon and before they knew it nightfall would claim the skies. With a look of determination and false courage, Queen turned to her companion as they slowly glided further into the lands.

“Come on now, we don’t get anywhere unless we get further in. We have to at-“

Queen stopped again, her eyes staring down at the earth below. Without a word she took a dive to get a better look at the strange object or creature, or whatever it was! She just wanted to inspect it for a moment. Just a moment…



[274]

 

[Ririka]

The sun was a nightmare for the female. She had been told time and time again never to fly when the sun is out, because the sun causes blindness in her kind. She had been told time and time again to always give herself enough time to fly back home before the sun started to rise, and if not that, then to always make sure there were proper places to sleep and or hide if she knew she could not make it home. And yet what does she do? Vesta had gotten herself into a tight spot by letting time get away for her.

The only reason Vesta was even safe at the moment was because she managed to find a small cave like overhang to settle down in for the day. It wasn’t the best or most comfortable place to be, but the female could not complain, at least not out loud. She had made a foolish rookie mistake, and now she was paying the price for it.

With a low growl of annoyance Vesta stretched her body and wings out in an effort to relax a bit. Night was not going to come anytime soon, so she needed to find some way to wind down and entertain herself. Though, that was easier said than done.

‘Fuuuck. What am I supposed to do with myself!? Count the pebbles in the dirt? Claw at the walls? Count to a thousand?’

Huffing and ears pinned back, the female angrily circled around a spot before plopping down. Her wings stretched once more before folding over the upper half of her body to shield her eyes from any light that may find its way into her temporary sanctuary. Maybe a nap would help time tick by faster.

[294]

 

[Ririka]

Were her eyes attempting to trick her, or maybe it was a trick of the mind? Queen had to know for herself, lest this moment bother her for the rest of her life. There was nothing like missing out on an opportunity or leaving a question unanswered only to have it haunt you for ages upon ages. No, she would not allow herself to fall into the loop.

With determination, Queen slowed herself down a bit so she could circle the area like a vulture waiting for a target to finally leave the world. Would she allow herself to descend even further or attempt to get a better look from a better position in the sky?

“If I could just get a better look at it, then maybe we can see if the tales are true, or if they really do have freakish ears like yours. Maybe the thing can teach you how to fly with your ears. What do you think, Des?”

Queen joked, but inside she was trembling a bit. She knew well that there was a chance that the beast was anything but friendly, which meant it could easily attack her and Des, and if that were to happen what would they do? What if they could not take flight from the ground? Was the ground on the world below even like that of the floating islands they called their home?

There were just so many unknowns, so much they were never told.

What if they touch the ground and they end of losing their wings?

OH GRAND WEAVER, NO!


[263]

 

[Ririka]

“Really, Queen?” Desmund asked while he took a moment to slow himself down as well and just sort of hover in a spot a foot or two away from his partner in crime.

“Do you choose to give up sleep so you can think of all these so called jokes? No wonder your mind seems less active from time to time. But that is beside the point, are we going to do what we came here to do, or are you going to fly us around in circles to stare at every little thing that catches your attention, hm?”

Now he was the one that was talking like a repetitive idiot. They came this far to explore and learn the ways of the B’alam that called this place home, and was that not what Queen was doing at the moment? They can’t learn unless they find one of the B’alam and make an attempt to get closer to them, or close enough to watch if they can’t communicate with them. Still. There had to be a better, safer, way to do so rather than intruding on one of them. That is if the thing down there was even one of them.

“Queen, just do what it is you want to do, need to do. Don’t waste what little time we have out here. I don’t want to get stuck out here so late that we have to stay in the area during the night. Where would we even sleep? I see no floating land or trees that might hold us, do you?!”

[262]

 

[Ririka]

Queen could feel rage slowly boiling up from her gut. Her so called adventure had started off well enough, but slowly she was finding that inviting Desmund might have been a wrong move. At this point Queen had had enough of Desmund's ranting. If she wanted to be lectured on safety and then lectured on the trouble her antics could and will cause then she would have stayed on the floating islands and spent the day bouncing ideas off the older and more experience B'alam of her tribe. She had started his so called adventure for fun and possible profit. She had invited the red male because she believed he could be a good source of entertainment, and yet there he was, being a whinny little cub. Enough was enough.

"Desmund, close your mouth for more than the flap of your wings!," with a deep breathe she turned towards Desmund, anger slowly filling her eyes, "I admit I don't have this all planned out, but if something does happen then we will figure it out as we go, okay? So male up and grow some courage will ya?"

With her words chosen, Queen gave the other Wind B'alam little chance to respond and dove. She could feel the wind rustle through her feathers and her heart beating faster and faster to the point she believed it would just pop right out of her chest.

Queen knew nothing of the below lands besides what she had been told by others, but if she was careful then her paws touching the ground would not be a concern, hopefully.

"Weaverbewithme.WWeaverbewithme.eaverbewithme.Weaverbewithme.Weaverbewithme.Weaverbewithme." she chanted as the ground appeared closer and closer, and then...BAM!

Her knees belt as if they were going to give out on her once she landed on the natural overhang that the Dark B'alam was hiding under.

Victory.

[312]