RE: The Primarch Keeps Breaking Things
04-25-2017, 11:33 PM
Spoiler
"Something mundane and local-ish." You don't want to stand out any more than you already do. "Like... 'Chris'."
"Not bad," comes the noncommittal reply. "And your surname? The police will want one."
"I'm not getting arrested." You fold your arms in a huff. The cooling sap on your shirt snags your sleeves, sticking them to your chest. Smooth. "But, I don't know -- how about 'Eight'? It's a number. Can't get more inconspicuous than that."
"It is exceptionally bland."
Just for that, you consider calling him something truly uninspired like 'Fred the Fantastic' or—haha wow, this is terrible—Antlers, but you know you can't without laughing. You don't want that. People cursed with godawful pig-snort laughter draw lots of attention.
"You can be something dignified-but-boring. Bartholomew."
Your bodyguard makes a thoughtful sound. "There are worse descriptions."
Spoiler
Avoiding the elf lady and the birds she's scattering seeds for, you approach the fountain. It reminds you of those tiered wedding cakes that grew popular in some worlds, just with less frosting and more rocks.
You reach for the water.
Tnk!
"Hey, what?"
You tap at the invisible barrier encasing the fountain. Tnk! Tnk! Seems you're not the first person who ever tried fooling with the display.
The elf woman on the park bench looks your way.
"It's for tourists like you that they put the wards up," she says with a wry smile. "Every year someone's child falls in, or they drop something, or someone drinks too much during the festival and..."
She squints at you, noting your puzzled expression.
"Aren't you here for the festival?"
"Nnnoooo...?"
You glance at Barth for assistance. Unfortunately, he's invested in his own conversation partner right now: a woman of his species, tall and tan, with bells dangling from her antlers and shopping bags in-hand.
The old woman lifts a thinning eyebrow at you.
* * * * * * *
Will you carry on this conversation, or interrupt Barth's like a jackass? Or, you know, you could do something else entirely.
>_