Public [Veridia] The Festival of Silk and Arrows: Archery Competition

[Roten]

Veridia
Tags: Matthew of Valendale

Kiba no Shimai​

"Valor... yeah," Roten answered. "Well I started just... wanting to help, I guess. Maybe it was the frantic apology. I dunno. Then when I offered it he got all... transactional. Y'know, like I needed some reason to be of value to him. I wanted to keep it simple, but I... may have admittedly gotten frustrated with all the hostile questions."

 

[Matthew of Valendale]

Roten
“Valor? What an odd name…” Matthew mused. “What, exactly, made you want to help him?” he asked, his curiosity plain. “Did his endless apologies stir some guilt in you?”

His gaze lingered a moment before he went on. “Accidents do happen… that was all it was, yes? You were not deliberately trying to ruin the boy’s day?”

 

[Roten]

Veridia
Tags: Matthew of Valendale

Kiba no Shimai​

"Yeah. He walked into me and dropped a... gourd of tea or something," Roten explained. "Maybe I felt bad... but I didn't really have any control over what happened. All that was on his dime, y'know? I still felt the way I felt though. I won't deny that."

In a past life it was a softness, but Roten was trying to let his new found compassion out and not repress it. Be a better person and all that good stuff.

Sometimes it worked better than others.

"I wasn't holding a grudge if that's what you're asking with the later question," he answered. "I didn't try to make his day worse cause he got Jackie to swing at him. It doesn't feel like I was anyways."

 

[Matthew of Valendale]

Roten

“Surely it was not such a great problem, was it?” Matthew asked softly. “Perhaps… you needn’t have offered your help quite so quickly?” He framed it as a question, his tone kept mild and easy.

“You’re right, though; none of that was your doing, and there is no reason for you to feel guilty over it. Still… perhaps something you said made it harder for someone so young to adjust. He must have felt badly about it, don’t you think? It was his fault, after all.”

 

[Roten]

Veridia
Tags: Matthew of Valendale

Kiba no Shimai​

"Maybe," Roten sighed. "Was he that young? I... can't really tell. Smooth-skin folk kinda... blend together...."

Maybe he had really mistook the age of Valor. He sort of just assumed they were the same age. Or maybe Roten had grown up a lot over the last year. He wasn't exactly sure which was which.

"You're probably right," he decided. "Do you think I'm getting better? I don't wanna be a total stick in the mud and all 'woe is me,' but I... do think about that. Like, I hope I am, but sometimes I screw up simple things. Was this a simple thing, you think?"

An awkward grin came to his face after he processed what he said.

"Maybe I talk too much for starters."

 

[Matthew of Valendale]

Roten

Matthew reached out and gave Roten an affectionate pet.

"There is no doubt you are improving. Learning how to read others, however, will take time," Matthew offered softly. "Truthfully, I do not think his problems are so different from your own. He does not seem like someone who was given a healthy childhood or any sort of normal upbringing… and whether one likes it or not, understanding how a person was raised can reveal a great deal about why they act as they do."

His gaze drifted a little, turning the matter over with quiet care in his own thoughts...

"From what you have told me, and from what I have seen, it seems he places great importance on being valued; it may even form part of his identity. When that sort of structure is stripped away, he may simply not know where he belongs."

Matthew's fingers moved once through Roten's fur offering more gentle affection before he continued.

"I would also wager he is the sort who clings to blame when he cannot cling to purpose. For some people, guilt is easier to bear than uncertainty. If he can call himself a failure, then at least the world still makes sense to him; it gives him a place, even if it is a miserable one." He paused considering what else to offer...

"That sort often does not know what to do with gentleness, either. They expect correction, disappointment, punishment… something familiar. When they are not given that, they do not always feel relieved. Sometimes they only feel unsteady, because they do not know what else to expect. Some people are only ever taught they are useful when they perform well. Take away the task, or let them fail at it, and they begin to wonder whether they have any worth at all."

Matthew's hand lingered a moment, thoughtful in the motion Of petting Roten idly as he spoke...

"If he seemed unsettled by your help, it may not have been pride alone. You may not have meant to press him, but for someone like that, even a little weight can feel like the whole sky coming down. And kindness…" He trailed for a beat. "Some people learn early that kindness is rarely free... Kindness can unsettle them as much as cruelty does… because they are always waiting to discover its price."

 

[Roten]

Veridia
Tags: Matthew of Valendale

Kiba no Shimai​

Roten's ears flattened as Matthew pat his head, but he didn't protest.

"Yeah well... I suppose I wasn't that receptive at first either," he admitted. "I guess it's just frustrating is all... People are weird and complex. Sometimes I'm struggling to figure myself out..."

The Bursantian offered a shrug.

"Guess there's really no more point dwelling though. What happened happened. S'pose I'll just... leave him be next time I see him. Maybe let him talk to me first... see if that does me any good."

 

[Matthew of Valendale]

Roten

The soft petting did not cease, "A crisis of identity," Matthew mused simply.

"I seem to recall you did not much care for discipline and structure when I first introduced them to you, nor for the expectations I laid before you… because you did not like the feeling of control being taken from you." His hand moved once more through Roten's fur, unhurried...

"Perhaps it is not so different for him. If a person has built themselves around a certain place, a certain function, even an unpleasant one, they do not always know who they are once that is stripped away. Some people would sooner choose a painful certainty than be left adrift in kindness....

“I seem to recall you once made it very clear that you were strong, not weak, and had no need of handouts. Indeed, you gave me the impression you would sooner die than accept anything that felt too much like my kindness.” Matthew’s touch did not withdraw. “From what I have observed in studying you, I think I understand a little of why.”

He tilted his head slightly, thoughtful as he continued, “You respond much better to respect than to overt pity. Help, in your eyes, is easily mistaken for an intrusion upon your autonomy; an attempt to diminish you, however well meant. You speak more freely when the matter is purpose, strength, survival… things with shape and use to them. But press too closely upon feeling, and you recoil from it.”

His hand passed lightly once more through Roten’s fursiftly petting yet still...

“You are not someone to be guided by being made small. That only hardens you. No… you do far better when your dignity is left intact.”

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida, Jade Garden
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

By the time that Valor had come back to the stand there were a few less melons for sale. Likely purchased by curious customers who found the cubed shapes rather pleasing along with their surprisingly low costs. The Kel Dor kept himself perched up on his elbows lazily at the stand. The leathery palm of his hand resting at where his jaw met his anti-ox mask.

He shifted his weight some as Valor spoke to him. “You dropped the tea?” Ko questioned with a bit of a pause. The Kel Dor let out a weary sigh. “There’s no use crying over spilt tea.” After he commented there was a quick trio of clicks as his claws lightly tapped against his metal mask.

“What’s that in your hand?” Ko asked as unseen eyes shifted down to what the echani teen was holding. As he waited for a response Ko shifted his posture and reached over to grab one of the cubed watermelons. Clutching it from the bottom he focused on the fruit. Hoping to use a little technique he’d been working on some, and felt this would be a good time to test it.

After a few seconds the watermelon looked as though it was beginning to sweat as condensation and dew collected on the outside before getting even colder and frosting. He was attempting something similar to flamusfracta with The Force, but in reverse. Instead of increasing the latent kinetic energy in the melon he sought to lessen it and lower its temperature.​

​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Tags: Ko Vuto

​

Valor nodded lightly in confirmation, then lowered his gaze to the gourd in his hands. "I, uh… thought you might like this. It was pretty… and a little more costly, but I thought something with a cap would make it easier to carry the tea back through the crowds… and then I, uh, dropped it anyway. I got distracted and bumped into someone… I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry.... I didn't... have enough to buy more tea. "

His ears perked at the faint clicking sounds, and his attention shifted at once to what Ko was doing. He watched with open curiosity, not quite following the technique at first or grasping what the Jedi Knight was doing right away. His own understanding of the Force was far more limited, so the unfamiliar display caught and held his full attention.

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida, Jade Garden
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

“It’s okay, you needn’t feel too upset or disappointed with yourself. You were distracted you say? You need to be more focused on the moment. A Jedi shouldn’t’ lose sight of the present, something I myself should do better to achieve as well.” Ko mentioned, trying to give Valor something to think about and bring attention to his own shortcomings as well.

Once he felt the fruit was sufficiently cold and uncomfortable to hold he set it down. With his clawed thumb and index finger he stabbed into the watermelon and twisted his wrist like a screw before pulling out a smooth cylinder of chilled ripe fruit before handing it over to Valor to try. Like a homemade popsicle. “Here, have this.”

Once he had cleared an opening he focused on the red inside of the melon before gripping his first tightly and instantly crushing and blending it into a cold smooth liquid. Finally Ko reached to his belt and pulled from it a metal straw and set it inside of the refreshing fruit drink he made for himself. Using the tough outside of the square watermelon as cup or bowl to drink from.​

​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Tags: Ko Vuto ​

Valor watched as Ko made himself a watermelon slushy, blinking down at the strange frozen slice of watermelon set into his hands. He examined it for a moment, ears twitching once, then carefully took a few tentative bites.

"Thank you…" he squeaked, settling onto the back of the cart with the chilled treat in hand. "They had some kind of sweet-smelling rice…" he said quietly. "I was trying to figure out where the scent was coming from… I'd never smelled anything quite like it before."

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida, Jade Garden
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

Lazily Ko drank from his watermelon slushy, listening to what Valor had to say about the scent of rice. It sounded like it must be pretty good. Fresh and steaming. Unplugging his mask with the metal straw Ko reached back towards his belt and pulled out some silvery credit chips and handed them to Valor with his one arm.

“Here, you can go find yourself this rice that caught your eye, or your nose I should say. You can enjoy it along with your frozen watermelon slice.” Just because Ko wasn’t gonna be able to enjoy it himself didn’t mean that Valor necessarily had to abstain from the rice. ​

​

 

[Okuma Milogen]

Location: Veridia: Jade Garden
Tag: Kaito Starfall
Equipment: Vibroblade (dulled slightly), Tampered Lightsaber, Flask of Water (Mostly Full), A Single Bullet

Now it was starting to make a little more sense why Kaito was here. A festival like this would be a good place to showcase their wares. Now that he had his payment he would have a much simpler time getting back to the temple. He might even be able to find a transportation service here at the festival.

However, the first thing he’d like to manage was the beard that had formed over his face. Could there be some sort of barber tent sent up here? It would be nice, but it wasn’t exactly necessary for the kage at this moment. Letting out a deep breath stood up next to Kaito at their apothecary stand. “Well I’m sure you don’t need me to help sell whatever it is you have here. I’d likely just scare away most customers anyways. I’m gonna see what’s here, do you need anything?” He asked the Ecahni man.​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Ko Vuto

Valor looked startled by what Ko offered him. He blinked in disbelief… uncertain what to make of it at first, he stood still for a moment, stunned, before slowly raising his small hands to accept the currency.

This… did not make much sense.

He had failed in his task, and yet… Ko was placing currency into his hands so he could trade for the very thing that had drawn his attention away.

Ace certainly would never give him such grace. With Ace, failure always had a cost; a sharp word, a look, a reminder pressed into him until it stayed. This… this felt wrong in a way he could not name.

For a moment, he wondered if this was some kind of trick, some lesson he had not yet grasped. His eyes lifted cautiously toward Ko, searching his face for mockery, for hidden expectation, for the catch that had to be there… only to find the same cold, expressionless mask the Kel Dor wore.

Valor stared down at the currency in his hands, his small fingers closing around it with care, as though it might yet be taken back. He did not understand this… failure was meant to sour the air, to invite disapproval, to leave a mark that lingered. Instead, Ko had placed kindness into his palms so simply that Valor did not know what to do with it.

His head dipped slightly as he accepted it, shoulders drawing inward. Even with the currency in hand, he hesitated, as though unsure whether he truly had permission to keep it.

He bowed his head. "Thank you for your kindness Master." he squeaked before scurrying off.

 

[Kaito Starfall]

Okuma Milogen

“You are correct… I do not require your assistance,” Kaito stated as he set out various containers of herbs and spices, along with small sample sizes of his medicinal candies and perfumes. As he moved aside a bundle of dried branches, he came across an odd, bubble-shaped object.

“Here… you can have this,” he said simply, as though he were clearing away some old bit of clutter he no longer needed.

“Be careful with it,” he added lightly. “I think you should enjoy the festival…”

Kaito set a small cup of tea near Okuma’s hand, saying nothing of it at first. He only reached for one of the medicinal candies after a brief glance in his direction, offering it over with the same plain ease he had shown before.

“This is for the nausea,” he said.

He did not linger on the gesture, already turning back to straighten a cluster of jars and dried stems.

“You should take it before the crowd, noise, and heat make things worse.”

 

[Kivah]

Arrow Two of Three
Rolled: 19
Score: 17–19 = Excellent shot (4 points)
Total: 7
Bow: Kivah's Mirara Bow

Watching the target next to hers get stuck with an arrow even closer to the center than her own had Kivah feeling a flash of irritation. She knew that if she had been using the Force, it'd be nothing for her to send all three arrows right into the center of the bull's eye, even pick out if she wanted them to cluster together so the arrowheads were scraping each other or put them in a line. But one of the things stressed about Veridia was the numerous Jedi about. They might tolerate her attendance, but that was likely to end if she broadcast her presence through the Force. So she kept herself closed off, minimalizing the presence she broadcasted. She wouldn't let this horned woman beat her, no matter how stylish she was.

With a flick of her ear, she nocked her next arrow, drawing it back with an exhalation of breath. She took a moment to aim before slacking her fingers, letting the arrow slide from between them. Kivah grinned when this one struck even more true, striking right next to the bulls eye with a satisfying 'thunk.' And for a moment she'd been worried that she'd become one of those Force users that became totally reliant on it without even realizing, that all their natural talent had been buoyed slightly throughout their lives.

She resisted the urge to turn to the woman next to her and ask if she could keep up, or from delivering any other snarky lines. There was one more shot to go and anything could still happen.

Iria​

 

[Roten]

Veridia
Tags: Matthew of Valendale

Kiba no Shimai​

“You respond much better to respect than to overt pity. Help, in your eyes, is easily mistaken for an intrusion upon your autonomy; an attempt to diminish you, however well meant. You speak more freely when the matter is purpose, strength, survival… things with shape and use to them. But press too closely upon feeling, and you recoil from it.”

"Do you have to psycho-analyze me right now?" Roten asked before sighing. "Look I... am getting over it. I'd like to think I'm at least self aware about my nature... but I hear ya..."

Roten crossed his arms and muttered a little. At least he wasn't still acting the same way he had. Although...

"That doesn't excuse how I acted at first, y'know," he muttered. "That wasn't right of me. I don't think that awareness makes that go away. As far as I'm concerned... I still owe you one."

Anyone else would have just caved his noggin in and not dealt with it.

 

[Iria]

Veridia
Tags: Kivah

Arrow 2 of 3
Roll: 13
Score: 7


Iria took note of the self-satisfaction of the woman beside her. She could see it in her eyes. An urge to gloat, or press her to do better than she did. A look of competition. The calm facade of the Zabrak warrior's face didn't falter. She kept her focus fixed on her target and chose not to engage, for now. She liked to think she was too mature to engage in such a thing, especially against a stranger she had no familiarity with. There was nothing that Iria would be gloating about anyways. What she craved was perfection.

Her shot, once more, was good. But good was not perfect.

The swordswoman's mind wandered in that moment, back to her home. If she was to take control of her house and rein in the whims of her uncle, she needed perfection. That applied to all things. Blades, bows, and even the resolve of her very mind. The Kathar, that time around, had taken a better shot then she had. That didn't go unnoticed...

Maybe she was competitive.

 

[Matthew of Valendale]

Roten
Matthew was quiet as he listened to the young one, his mind working.

“Oh? You owe me one, huh?” Matthew queried, raising one snowy white eyebrow. “I would still like to see you make some friends,” Matthew stated simply. “Perhaps you might try a simplified approach to the troublemaker you seem to keep running into… I hear the Force brings people together for a reason… or at least that is what I am told. If you should decide to attempt such a venture once more, I would advise not thinking about it too hard, and instead looking for some commonality to share with… perhaps ask to engage in an activity the other enjoys, or invite them to join an activity you enjoy. I understand this kind of exercise can even be attained without any verbal language being exchanged between those of the male persuasion.”

Matthew offered simply before continuing.

“If you can bring me three friends that you have made to introduce to me, I will consider your owed favor paid in full, and you may consider yourself released from your debt for my having taken pity upon you and offered you my loving care, guidance, and shelter.”