Spicy ChitChat

    It was a warm spring day here in the palace lands, a warm sun, warm smiles, and one lizardman who seems to have had a scowl permanently graphed on to his face. Standing on the edge of the new spice field, watching the beginning of what will become a wondeful bounty of majestic spices. Rizadoman had been looking for Filimos but it seems that she was not in the camp today, perhaps gone back home to give her report. So here he stands today trying very hard not to pace.

"Huh, they started a farm out here." That's the comment from Vertina as the Salamander wanders up. "Guess I've been back at Yamato longer than I thought if they'be made changes like that."

Yeowang is here by the newly laid out farms as well, and while she's not supervising, per se, a lot of the senior farmhands do check back with her just to be sure they're doing what they should be doing. Since she knows two things about farming, and one of then is jack, she turns the question back on the questioner, analyzing their answers and how they arrive at them. Logic, she can work out, and almost all the time, it's conformed that the senior farmhands do, actually, know what they're doing. In one or two cases, it's cart-before-horse type miscues that she gets straight. But they'll get things moving. Things -are- moving, but they'll be productive eventually, and then the value of the farms will be seen.

    Miyako nods, waving casually at the Salamander. "Yeah, I was here when we started it. Big project, hm?" She smiles cheerfully as she joins the little gathering. She's spent most of her time off on her own little projects, mapping the area around the little settlement, with only occasional visits to the local Landers and a single trip back to Yamato - which she's just returned from.

Kotono's here as well, looking rather relieved that she's on a recreational trip and not on a duty again. After what she went through recently, she's just trying to clear her mind and refocus her thoughts. The girl offers a wave to the Salamander. "It was quite a big project, but we did it together!" Kotono says with a smile to Miyako. "We make a good team, don't we?"

    Rizadoman looks around noticing the conversation picking up around him as he takes a deep breath and forces the scowl off his face for now. Contplation would have to wait for another day, for now he puts on his game face and walks past Vertina, Miyako and Kotono and stnds behinds Yeowang. " Which we have this person to thank for it all. Yeowang here was the one who led this project and made it successful. " His voice wasn't quite shouting but loud enough it carried. " Soon we will have the defenses up as well, then a port, and a real town will begin to form here. "

Yeowang chuckles as Vertina comments about the farm, but says, "We've come a long way. The area's too high-level to hunt except in very large and senior," she means high-level, from context, "groups. But the paddies will provide staple food for many, and the spices will make the food very nice, and will fetch enough profit in Yamato that this base should be self-sustaining." She smiles to Miyako and Kotono, and agrees, "We did come together around making this settlement self-sustaining. The Alliance did a good job." She smirks as Rizadoman singles her out, but says, "It -was- a team effort. No mistake, everyone contributed. I may have taken an organizational role, which tends to be the face of success, but every farmer, every builder, every craftsperson contributed." As far as the defenses, she contributed a fair amount to that as well, and admits, "That took a bit longer to get rolling. There was alot more coordination to .. well, coodinate."

Vertina bobs her head in a nod. "Yeah, I've heard about how danger rated the local wildlife is. I like a challenge, but I'm not about to go out on my own like that. I'm reckless, not stupid." She turns her head to look off towards the boundries of the encampment. "Sounds like a good reason for extra defensive measures too, yeah."

    Miyako chuckles softly, sliding an arm around Kotono's shoulders to pull the other Spriggan closer. "Yes, a great team, all of us who worked on it." She turns her head to either side, taking a look about the place, pausing to examine areas still under construction. "It's come a long way while I was out and back. Things seem to be going very well indeed."

Giggling as Miyako pulls her closer, Kotono smiles then looks around as well. "Yeah, it's got a ways to go, but with the right amount of effort and teamwork, it's going to get better from here." The Spriggan smiles a little more.

    Rizadoman nods his head, " Yes however weonly have so many hands, even trying to bring in some help from Olympus did not get enough hands." Taking a look at the others he wraps up the small talk before asking , " So what brings people here this time? Perhaps wishing to face the power of the iron kong in a one on one fight? Maybe instead you wish to lay your eyes on the Queen?Perhaps hoping to try your luck in Lumina Cloth?" Says apparently the travel agent for the area , Rizadoman.

Yeowang nods to Vertina about the local wildlife. "There's huge packs of apes and such out there that can threaten the base also, if we're not alert. They've rushed us once already when I was there, and it was absolutely an 'all hands on deck' evolution. That's why even the farming areas are behind the walls. It'll put a big kink in expanding sustainably, but it's a necessary evil." She smiles to Miyako and Kotono, and agrees, "It's going very well indeed. I am pleased with the progress as well." She eyes Rizadoman skeptically, and asks, "What do you mean, not enough hands? Rice paddies are not as labor intensive as all that, I understand. But yes, we brought help from Olympus and Scale both. Scale would like to help us more, but they want certain guarantees that we won't doublecross them. I directed Prophylaxis to speak directly with Shiruba but I have no news on what they might have worked out. Oh, to be a fly on that well," she muses.

Vertina folds her hands behind her head. "That's leader stuff, that's over my pay rate," she jokes. "I'm just here for when stuff needs beating up, maybe see if they've got any alcoholic resources that are different from what's available in Yamato." She smirks lopsidely. "If there's one thing that will always sell drinks, it's being able to lable it as being 'exotic'."

    Miyako can't speak much to rice planting, having next to no experience with it, though she some time ago sat down to try to remember what she could of it. Which turned out to be very little. "Don't worry, Ver, we've plenty of need for people to man the walls and taste-test the moonshine." She shrugs and pulls Kotono along to find a place for them to sit. "So, I've missed a lot, what's been up with the locals? Anything interesting?"

    Rizadoman gives a sideways glance to Yeowang and shrugs his shoulder, " I mean at the end of the day It will be up to those two to work it out. I do not know what sort of double cross they could expect though." Turning his eye to Vertina for a momnt before realizing that she is Scale as well and realize that he needs to talk a little nicer. Taking a moment he considers zVertina's words before adding, "The thor kingdom appears to have a decent supply of green tea, and ice cream. If you wanted to learn how to make such a delight I imagine it would be considered exotic. " Looking over at Miyako the Lizardman shrugs a little, " Well we met the locals, the Thor Kingdom with King Potimas, the Rosenheim kingdom with Queen Lorelai , and I do not really know who runs Kallamore. Capitalism?"

"Not a lot, really," Kotono says with a shrug as she finds herself sitting with Miyako. "I mean I hear a few rumors here and there, but nothing major." She shakes her head. "I don't have time to be investigating stuff like that right now."

"Don't look at me, I ain't planning any doublecrosses." Vertina shrugs. "I know some of you aren't fond of the Tower and all that... but this is an entirely different situation, so. Does it really matter." She shrugs again. Then chuckles and gestures at Miyako. "This gal clearly knows what I'm good for though."

Yeowang eyes Vertina, and smirks about 'leader stuff'. It's technically over /her/ pay grade as well, but she's actually skilled and inclined to organize in a way that most players aren't, so she steps up when the opportunity presents itself. Even if it's just a small opening.

"I prefer tea to hard drink, myself," she admits on the subject of booze, "but with the number of exotic spices available, I'm surprised that plainer liquors with a dash of exotic spice are not popular, as they are back home. Have you tried any?" Though probably curry rum is not the way to go. But pepper vodka is a thing.

To Miyako, she confides, "/We're/ the only locals, unless you count wild apes and monsters. The nearest people are half a continent away or more, eastward. Mind you, they /are/ interesting. They sailed to Yamato, taking a very broad look around. Though they skipped anything Tower related."

To Rizadoman, when he asks what sort of doublecross Scale might be worried about, she says flatly, "They /probably/ want to ensure we won't arm the goblins against them." She pauses, then grumbles, "Again." She hastens to assure Vertina, "And we won't. There's nothing like that going on, I want to assure you. Not that I know about, anyhow." Of course she didn't know about the last one until it blew up in everyone's face, so that'll have to come with a grain of salt.

    Rizadoman nods his head at Yeowang, " Oh well I suppose that is reasonable concern. However as you said there does not seem to be any monster like that around here. If anything the monsters are more beast then anything..." The lizardman trails off and looks towards the east, towards a set of ruins. " Well mostly beast." Is that a look of determination in his eye as if he is expecting something to respond to those words. Turning back he looks at the others. " So then anyways , any other questions?"

"Mostly beasts that are two beasts in one." Vertina taps a finger on her chin. "I feel like I've seen that kind of thing before but I can't place it. Oh well."

    Miyako nods, stretching out and relaxing a bit. "Yeah," she agrees, "It -does- sound a bit familiar. Like something I heard in passing, a long time ago." She shrugs. "Not like it's all that important right now. The main thing we need to know is how to keep them out of here."

Yeowang follows Rizadoman's glance into the distance, and the mention of ruins. She observes, "Even that is some considerable distance. I doubt it is a threat to us here at the Landing." As far as Vertina's concern about two-part beasts, she can only shrug. She's the least useful hunter, she has about zero actual /outdoors-y/ skill. The only difference to her between a tiger and an owlbear is she's seen a tiger before in a zoo. She nods at what Miyako says, "Indeed, whatever they may be, keeping them from the camp is important."

"And from what I understand," Vertina adds to the conversation, "is that the Adventurers here aren't so keen on hunting monsters for whatever reason. So there's probably all kinds of Monster Nests and such out there for them to spawn from too."

    Rizadoman listens to Yeowang and Vertina for a moment before sighing, "Progress will eventually drive them off. Progress always causes the wildlife to have to run away. " THeir is a solemn tone in his voice as he looks towards the walls for a moment. Turning back to Yeowang the lizardman has a look of curiosity in his eyes, " So Yeowang, how is Merek?" The question is legitimate but it had been hanging in the air lately and it had to be asked.

    "Hmp. Progress. Is that what we're calling it now?" Miyako shrugs. Again. As she watches Kotono head off, to fetch something, apparently. "What I'd like to know is just /why/ the local Adventurers are being lazy-ass couch potatoes."

Yeowang nods agreement with Vertina. "I am not clear on what motivated the players on this server to attack their Landers, then leave, but that seems to be what happened. I understand the Chinese mainly play these games to make money by vending virtual goods for real money. Perhaps they gave up when they discovered that Japan was blocked?" Which is a guess for Miyako, but just a guess.

To Rizadoman, she says, "That is indeed the reaction of animals. But /monsters/ are a different thing, and not so timid as animals. They will have to be exterminated. As far as Merek goes, your guess is as good as mine. I have not heard of, or from, him since he nearly ruined our meeting with the Landers. You do noy pay me enough to keep tabs on him. You /can not/ pay me enough to keep tabs on him."

"Different server, different culture." Vertina holds up her hands. "Not that it entirely excuses it, but it is probably part of it." Waggles a finger at Yeowang. "Yeah, something like that. Sounds like they'd rather fight in their arena and make money off bets than go out of fight monsters in the wild."

    Rizadoman shakes his head , "That...Merek, reminds me of a hatchling who has not learned of loss. " It appears if just mentioning Merek's name has brought that scowl back to the lizard's face but it is gone when he tilts his head to look at Miyako. "Yes that is what they seem to like to call it. There is no halting that wheel despite how much I try to hold it back." Taking a step towards the walls and then shakes his head, " Did you know there was a war here between the landers and adventurers? The adventurers tried to uproot the landers and take over their root cities."

    Miyako sighs and shakes her head as she takes it all in. "Arena combat... to the death, I'll wager? Do they respawn like we do? ... Actually that's a thought, have any of -us- respawned since we came over here? Do we get back to Yamato or do we come back somewhere here?" She sighs softly, looking down the path where Kotono had departed. "A war, huh? And let me guess, the 'immortal, invincible' adventurers lost. Badly. Because they didn't /think it through/."

Yeowang can only shrug and nod to Vertina. "I don't understand their culture much, myself," she admits. "So, I think we will have to see what we see." She shrugs to Rizadoman about Merek. "He knows loss. But he only knows his own loss, and does not recognize or sympathize with others. He does not care about their efforts, only about his own goals and purpose." To Miyako, she says, "I am told they at first respawned quite frequently, but the frequency of respawning faded. We do not know if they learned how not to fight fooloshly, or how to link to a church on another server." She nods about how the adventurer vs Lander war went. "As you said, it went poorly. One thing they didn't think through was that attacking Landers in a root city draws the game's attention. And reprisal."

"Now THAT would be something, being able to change which point you respawn at." Vertuna resumes her more casual posture as she thinks about it. "I dont think anyone has figured that one out yet."

    "It'd be a useful thing to know... if you ever intended on actually needing to." Miyako shrugs. "I for one don't intend on testing it any time soon. So..." She shakes her head. "If they -are- doing it, we need to know, anyways."

Yeowang nods in agrrement with Vertina. "It /would/ be quite a thing," she agrees. "But I only raise the possibility for completeness's sake. Much more likely they simply learned how to play smarter. I do not know if dying on another server respawns you in your church or their church, but /I/ am not volunteering as a test subject, either." She nods agreement with Miyako. She says, "Unfortunately, I've been up for far too long, and I must sleep. It was good speaking with you all." She bows her head and will head back to the barracks-like quarters.

    Miyako nods. "I'll leave it to volunteers to investigate it," she muses. "I'm not going anywhere near it." Then her stomach rumbles.

    "Okay, that was clearly a sign. I'm going to go find Ko-chan and get some grub."

"Yeah, someone else can test that one, I'll deal with the boat trip if need be." Vertina nods a bit as others mention having other things to take care of. "Okay, see you guys later... I mean, not like we're going much where else, but you know what I mean."

    Rizadoman had been quiet this time , he was thinking really. He was thinking of what was being said about the adventurers and the war. So many questions in that regard. Taking another deep breath as people scatter Rizardoman walks off in a different direction. Thinking to himself that what the camp really needed was a meditation garden, with a trickling brook, or maybe a waterfall.