FFXIV: List of Chores

OOC: The following is my RP response to a message Maia left on Quick "offscreen" notes thread of the IC Shenanigans board on the forums for the Role Playing group Rendezvous of Stars.

This response will be updated throughout the day as he gets chores done. Warning, this might get a little emo. . Rai is going through some stuff.

"Mr. Raimy,

With the Host Club opening little more than a week away, I will be in need of more assistance than ever, I'm afraid. Please complete the following tasks before the end of the day, if you are physically able to do so. I also ask that you refrain from drinking while doing these tasks, as they will require the utmost attention. I will be on-hand and working as well, so if your wound is troubling you, just ask for a healing spell, all right?

- Please clean both the chandeliers. Be certain to remove each lantern piece and clean it individually, as well as the main structure.

- Please utilize the seeding beside the garden to reseed the lawn, as many people tend to walk from the gates to the door, and we do not wish to have dead grass on opening day. (Also, if any flowers have been trampled, please try to save their life.)

- Please tend to weeding the garden in the backmost corner beside the house, and till the ground to prepare it for planting fresh fruits and vegetables.

- Please clean the ceiling and all corners of the Host Club thoroughly, ensuring that no cobwebs reside anywhere, in any of our small (or main) rooms.

- Please ensure that all vases are in their proper place, cleaned, and have fresh flowers within them. If you see any spills or scattered articles within the side rooms, clean or place these items away accordingly.

- Please wash all dishes within the kitchen area, dry them, and put them back into their proper place.

- Please wash all bedding and furnishing with stains until stains are removed. We should have chemicals on hand for this, but it may take some doing to accomplish. This is particularly important, as all furnishings must look like new on opening day.

- Please sweep and mop the floors, and take each rug outside to shake the dust from it. If you need help with arranging the furniture atop the rugs, please call on me to assist, as I will be around.

- Please arrange all teacups and dinnerware in the cupboard in groups dictated by size and color. Also, please arrange everything within the chest and organize things there as well.

- Please clean the benches and tables outside, as well as their corresponding parasols. I understand the parasols are quite large, but feel free to take a chair outside to stand on in tending to them.

- Please inspect and clean the outer walls of the Host Club, as the dust from Thanalan does tend to accumulate there.

- Please clean the windows until there is a reflective shine on the glass, and the panes reflect the sun of The Goblet, if you would be so kind.

If you run out of tasks to complete today, please come to me and I would be happy to assign more, as much still is in need of doing.

Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Raimy." 

Rai wakes up with a mumble, looking no less sad than the night before. Maybe even more so since the near drowning would have woken all sorts of demons hidden deep inside that would have have taunted his nightmares. He immediately notices the stick on his hand and all over the rest of him, as it got all over the bed in his early morning stirring, tossing, and turning. He lifts the covers and looks around horrified to realize he didn't put on his four layers of night clothes. He pulls the covers close to himself again, but sees no one. He can hear Maia upstairs and frowns, wondering if she played the mean honey trick on him. He starts to get up and feels things under the covers with him. The first he pulls out and is an empty rum bottle. He checks it for contents, though uncorked his waking mind knows the rum would be in bed with the honey by now. He sets the bottle aside and pulls out the waded piece of paper covered in sticky golden goo. He frowns at it's disgusting state as he unfolds it and tries to read past the honey spots. Good thing most of them were on the back of the letter.

He sighs and looks up at the chandelier. It's high and heavy. A few weeks ago it'd not been a problem at all. He looks down at his right side where the poisoned sword sunk into his flesh with a wound that won't heal by magic. He still has stitches there, something he heard you shouldn't get wet, but he went swimming last night anyway. It never gets cleaned or treated except by Raimy in his failed attempts to learn this stuff on his own. Doc keeps disappearing and when he does see Doc, Doc runs. He's pretty sure the wound will kill him now, so no harm in doing things that might stretch it or open it?

He reorders the lit in his mind of things he can do, and things that will be quicker to do so that he'll be almost finished when others start to show up and yell at him for not being done yet. He knows that they've figured out he is the most useless of them all. He can't ask questions, because questions lead to fighting. And he can't talk to anyone, because talking leads to fighting. . . or drowning depending on who you're talking to. He reads the part again where Boss tells him he can't drink while doing these chores. He reads it several times. Last night she seem to acknowledge it was a pain killer for him, but today she gives him a long list of things to do that will cause great pain, but he's not allowed relief. He's not sure what he did, but he's pretty sure it's punishment for something.

He gets up and since he has to wash his honey covered bedding now anyway, even if it wasn't on the list to do, he drags the blanket to the floor under the downstairs chandelier. He steps back to his little room and puts on some clothes. He then lowers the chandelier onto the blanket, ignoring any pain having to slowly lower something so heavy causes his probably infected wound. He goes and washes the honey off his hands the best he can, but they'll still feel sticky for awhile, as will most of him where it got. He will then get a bowel of hot water and a towel before going to sit down next to the chandelier on the floor. He will then spend about an hour or so meticulously wiping every spec of dust he finds on the light fixture.

He realizes halfway through cleaning the first chandelier that he's looking at it all wrong. Maia is blind and even if she wasn't, he's way taller than her and blind or not some of the things on the list are things only he can help her with. And he did tell her to give him more chores so he wouldn't feel like a freeloader. This makes him feel a little better, but just as unlikely to complain about the pain or to stop until the entire list is finished. It needs to get done and he's never seen anyone else doing the chores along side himself and the Boss. He also looks up and frowns at the cobwebs over the place the chandelier hangs and realizes he's not doing it right. It may be land, but he still has to think like he's on the ship when it comes to cleaning, so he reorders the list again to get things done top to bottom, stem to stern.  

He will raise that one again and then repeat the process for the one upstairs, again trying to wash honey off his hands before starting the task. Somewhere along the way he starts to get hungry, having skipped breakfast, but he ignores that feeling. He's also pretty thirsty and feels rather sticky. In some places his clothes are sticking to his skin and he finds it uncomfortable, but the list is too long for him to stop to shower or anything. He knows if he doesn't finish not only will Maia be disappointed, but everyone else will yell at him for not being able to complete something so simple as a chore list. He promises himself he won't let her trick work. He isn't going to start feeling useful because of some chores. He's done chores before.

After cleaning the chandeliers Raimy moves onto the ceilings, walls and horizontal surfaces starting upstairs and working his way down so that dust doesn't fall on anything he has already cleaned, expect the chandeliers because he cleaned those first before thinking about it. He tries not to think too hard on things as he's cleaning, but does his job without any complaint, despite also doing it with an injury that should have him bed ridden and no pain killers.

Pretend he has a long pole with a feather duster tied to the end, as he can't reach with just his hand.

After that he washes all he dishes, but as this is a task he does often anyway there wasn't really that many of them. With both him and Maia always around to clean the cupboard also isn't in that bad of shape, but he straightens it anyway.

Rai putting the mugs away.

He sees a spider in the cupboard scurrying around the shelves, but leaves it alone. It's an itty bitty spider and can harm nothing but bugs. He is very careful to watch for the spider and not hurt it. It's so small it's probably been there for weeks and no one has noticed it. Barely larger than the head of a pin.

He sees something? maybe a spider?

Then he reorganizes everything in the chest. Anything heavy or pointed on the bottom and all light things on top. Except for the medical supplies, he keeps them together by putting them all on the second to the bottom so nothing can leak out or break onto the clothes which he puts on the top shelf.

Top shelf: Clothes, towels, cleaning rags
Second Shelf: Anything that looks like it makes or goes in tea or food.
Middle Shelf: Extra bottles, vials, cups, plates, whatever all sorted by size and color.
Second to Bottom: Medical supplies sorted by size, color, and shape.
Bottom Shelf: Cleaning supplies, and anything that looks too sharp (extra weapons if there are any), saws, extra armor pieces.

Anything that makes dye or is dye may be mistaken for medical supplies and be on the 'medical' shelf now. Some may be mixed in with the cleaning supplies. Rai has obviously not gotten very far in his attempts to learn alchemy. Some medical herbs may have been misplaced with the teas. He's feeling rather proud of his organization skills and sighs realizing he's starting to feel useful. But he won't let Boss know she's winning.

Raimy sorts the company chest. Good luck finding your stuff!

After that he tries to take care of the vases, but he has no idea where to get more flowers if they need them. For now he just cleans up around the vases and saves the flower buying for later. He does wipe up any spills or drips from the vases and picks up any random item, which he will then put in the chest where it goes including his first aide book which he puts on the medical shelf. He puts all his own things away in the shelf or in a little personal basket he keeps in the top shelf of the cupboard where most others can't reach it.

He then starts to work on the stains, but as he cleans most of those as they happen these days he decides to focus most his attention on the rug upstairs, that gets all the traffic. He doesn't really know how to clean a rug, so he tries to clean it like he would a chair, which is also a self taught skill.

Raimy scrubs the rug.

Part way through scrubbing the rug, Yatta has come up the stairs and the two get into a small conversation about cleaning rugs. Raimy mentions that he can't do the job, moving the heavy furniture and the heavy rugs is too much for him right now, so Yatta happily declares he'll do it. Rai worries at first, but pirates look out for each other and so he decides to not worry about how the others will see things and do things the right way instead. He helps Yatta move some chairs off the rugs and maybe even helps move the top floor rugs to the door to move them out. It proves a grat strain on him so instead he decides to sweep and mop the floors while Yatta does the rugs. He of course calls it swabbing the decks for Yatta's sake.

The floors are dry by the time Yatta has finished shaking all the many rugs of the house and the two drag the rugs back into the house and put them all back into place with a little discussion on which ones go where and deciding it doesn't really matter, Boss won't notice anyway. This takes up good hour or two and make the outside of the house even dustier as the dust flies off the rugs and onto everything else.

Rai did the windows on the last chore day. Well, the inside anyway, he has to redo the outside now since the rug cleaning either way. Rai will then leave for a bit to go find flowers and someone to wash the house down.

FFXIV: Rum and Strangers [Raimy]

While they were away at the beach the day before -a notice on their bulletin board told me that was where they went- I went through everything in the club House to make sure they weren't really with the thugs that tried to mug me the night before. I had felt at ease when they were home, but the most distance between me and them the less I trusted them. I knew The Navigator wanted me there, I just wasn't sure why so I went through everything looking for evidence. I found their book on the Star marks and what little notes they had. They didn't have much. I knew it was too elaborate a ruse to fool a nobody like me so it couldn’t be a trick. I didn't let them know I knew that for awhile still. I also had torn a little of my stitching and gotten the bandages wet when taking a bath. I knew I wasn’t supposed to do either of those things, but with the wound where it was it was hard for me to get clean and not get them wet. I didn't tell anyone. I was still under the impression Doc might have been a crazy mad scientist. I called him Doctor Crazy back then.

I slept really late that next day. Healing tends to make you sleep, especially when you've hurt yourself more. Voices never really wake, as I'm used to a ship and good luck keeping sailors silent. Though speaking of silence the lack of water lapping or the creaking of wood is a little unsettling. It's a little too silent in a house on land when there aren't mates moving around and talking. I awoke to the sound of another pirate, though my mind was still reeling from the dream I'd had and focus through that and the pain wasn't that easy. His sailor accent so thick even I almost had trouble understanding him. He was saying something about rashes and books. Kondo said everyone has one and then Garry said they didn't know what they meant. I realized they were talking about the marks. Part of me still wanted to believe that Doc had drawn it on me and maybe on all of them too.

But I knew that wasn't the case, that was just me trying to hide for the overwhelming sensations and changes going on in my life. I was fish out of water and I flopped into the Club House instead of back to sea where I belong. But I wanted so bad to belong to them. I was sure The Navigator guided me to the Club House to save my life that night I was stabbed and I loved all the other Stars instantly. Something about how the mark affected me back then. I knew when I was in their presence and felt as close to each of them as I did to Lee, Jhak, and Carolyne.

The pirate, whom I later knew as Yatta was told by Kondo that the mark or the 'curse' as some of them discussed was possible wasn't fatal. I listened to them lament or try to take it with a grain of salt. None of them sounded happy to be marked. All, but Boss who seemed to go on about destiny or fate or something like that. Kondo said something about being stuck together, but she didn't sound thrilled about it. I'm not sure I've ever heard her be thrilled about anything.

I decided to let them all know I was awake and could hear them. I also get pretty lonely pretty quickly if I'm by myself. I wasn't moving so well so I didn't make it far before I had to lean on a wall and just watch the crazy Stars. I was starting to think they might not be as crazy as I first though, but they've never struck me as completely sane. Maybe you have to be a certain level of crazy before Hydaelyn gives you the Star mark?

Yatta was getting instructions on where the linkpearl went. He tried his mouth first and then his nose before Maia caught on and told him where it went. Why the others left it to the blind girl to figure these things out and correct others I'm not sure. They knew she couldn't see him doing it wrong?

Kondo and Maia both spoke to me, something about formalities of making sure I was not dying. Yattaru distracted everyone by yelling into his linkpearl. I acted annoyed and made some off hand comment about how happy I was mine was in my pocket. It was half true. Though his actions didn't stop me from thinking he might be crazy too. Yatta somehow then mistook me for a customer and asked if I was such. I told him I was and demanded a refund. The others told him I wasn't a customer so he seemed a little sad he couldn't offer me tea and regale me with stories of the sea. My opinion of him actually went up a little and then even more so when I asked instead for rum and he had plenty to offer. I slowly made my way into the room and did my best to keep my face straight so they wouldn't see how much pain I was actually in. I had Yatta bring the rum to the table. I'm not sure it was me, but Kondo quickly left as soon as I sat down. It was awhile later that I actually learned her name or started noticing her. Not until that first rehearsal. Yatta commented on how quickly she left and I asked if she could be afraid of me, but Yatta said not to worry about it.

I noticed the sofa was a different color and I had to ask, “wasn't this sofa red?” To make sure I wasn't going crazy too, that maybe it wasn't an affect of the mark. Boss said she was trying to make the place look better. I liked the sofa red and started to tell her so, but figured it was too soon to give opinions on anything. They healed me up, gave me food and shelter. It shouldn't have matter to me what color the sofa was.

Boss changed the subject and instead told me that Doc had left me some things. I asked if it was a pile of gil to pay my troubles away. We were in Ul'dah after all and money talks louder than anything else. She brought me back a pile of clothes and quite a bit of gil. Ten thousand. That was well over double of what I had to my name. I think that was also about what my bounty was. I wonder if she knew and that's why. . ? Nah, Sweet Boss Maia would never know I was a pirate, even if she could see a wanted poster. She'd never believe it.

I refused to take the items she offered at first and pointed out they were not mine. Nothing is ever free, especially in Ul'dah. Rizumu and Doc entered the downstairs common room at that time. I was still calling Riz, Harem Dancer, and Doc I was calling Doctor Crazy. Doc said he hoped the items fit well and were found useful. My ship has sunk with everything I owned upon her and so the work uniform Boss had given me the day before was my only change of clothing. I did indeed need more clothing, but was hesitant to know what the catch might be. It was hard fighting the Star tug with logic. I wanted to trust them, but knew I shouldn't. I voiced my concern they were all more than a little nuts and that the desert sun had gotten to them. I took the items anyway. It was a full set of clothes, a satchel of potions, and a coin purse containing the above mentioned amount. All way more than I could afford on my meager courier earning. I felt bad for taking the stuff even though it was offered. I had nothing to repay with. Thus when I first fell behind in my debt to the Stars. A debt I would only grow over the next several months. They gave so much to me, and I had nothing to give back.

The conversation took a darker turn as I decided marks might actually be appearing on us randomly and asked if anyone had tried removing it. Boss got frantic and said we shouldn’t try that Miss Ryllyn already did, and that it didn't work. This information sent Riz nearly over the edge. He started guarding his mark afraid someone would cut it off. So I asked about burning it off instead with magical fire. Fire tends to get rid of other infections I'd heard so why not the infection of the mark? Doc stood up and removed his gloves to show his mark and tried to slice it from his hand. After healing himself the mark reformed. So I asked if he tried to cut off his hand. Boss said something about a priest having said the mark went down to your aether or something.

Yattaru came back down after his smoke and told us of the time he'd caught a slaver and had indeed sliced off arms and legs. My crew also loved to hunt slavers and flesh peddlers. Boss decided to run and did that cute speak too fast and flustered thing she does when she's just making excuses to leave. I think the talk of cutting off limbs bothered her. On her way up she passed Kondo on her way down, looking as dour as ever. I think she may have asked me if I had mellowed out, which was an odd question. Maybe she doesn't know what mellow is? I was keeping my expressions mostly blank at the time and I could barely move. Sitting there quietly is what most people consider mellow. Especially when the room contains such company as Yattaru and Rizumu which are often more hyper. Doc was pretty mellow most the time. I ignored her question. Back then I didn't care what they thought of it so it didn't bother me if she had it wrong. She didn't stay long and I'm not even sure when she left.

Yattaru asked Doc to stop looking down on him for his past. Doc said he wouldn't. I asked what was wrong with Yatta's past, but Doc didn't stick around for the answer and instead bid us all good night and left. Yatta said that Doc has also given him a bunch of stuff. I suddenly was more cautious of the gifts I'd received myself. What kind of doctor hates pirates, but gives us loot? Yatta said in my case I shouldn't worry that they patched me up and that alone showed their intentions. I briefly wondered if I should have told the Doc I had pulled a stitch or two. I never did get good at telling him when that sort of stuff happened and now I have a nice huge scar to show for it.

Yatta asked me how I got injured and I was pleasantly surprised when he and Rizumu took the truth for the right answer. I was mugged. I even told them a Lalafell female had done it and they both agreed she sounded like someone they wanted to date. Such a statement of course led to more drinking and sharing of rum. I could tell then that Riz had the heart of a pirate hidden under that timid harem dancing exterior. I asked them for whatever their cheapest drink was so I could pour it over my wound. They missed that part and got me some rum but then both of them nearly lost it when the found out I was going to pour it over my wound instead of drinking it. Yatta threatened to cut my throat. I pointed out Gwen had already beat him to it. Riz said Gwen was just into that sort of thing and I've met pirate women that were, not to mention how I grew up surrounded by people who liked it violent. I believed him for a time.

It was about the time I was wondering if I could make it to privacy to address my wound that I remembered the potions I was given. I decided I'd probably drink the rum, but held onto it just to watch my little friends rile up some more. They asked my name again and I liked them both enough by now to tell them, but it was becoming a game. And names have never been that important to me. It's just something someone uses to identify you by when talking about you to others. As long as everyone knows who The Stranger is, it's all good.

Yatta and Riz had drunk themselves into sleepy mode. Yatta tried to wake Riz up enough to take a bottle of rum he was offering. Riz took both and cuddled them. Yatta made him give one back and brought it over to me. I thanked him and he told me not to say thanks unless I meant it. I pointed out the truth. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. It wouldn’t be the last time a Star has made the mistake of thinking I speak jut to hear myself. I don't speak very often so why they’d think that I'm not sure.  

FFXIV: Beach Party Crashing [Jhak]

I was out exploring. Well, okay exploring is a strong word. I got a little lost, but I found a little town on the beach so it's all good. Still no word yet about my captain and I'm a little weary to just ask so all I can do is keep my ears open. While on the beach I saw a little lalafell dude guiding around a cute Miqo'te girl. There were strange fully armored types watching them so I decided to see what was going on. Maybe stick my nose where it doesn't belong as they say. Turns out it was no big deal. They were her bodyguards. She denied having bodyguards and being rich. I don't know much about Miqo'te, but isn't it a little odd for her to have been the only one there? Aren't they big on family? Li always seemed to be missing his.

I tried to go say hi to the girl, but some dude stuck his lanc in my face. Totally uncool. Her 'not bodyguards' really need to chill. I was unarmed and only wearing shorts, I doubt I could have looked like a threat. Dude was out in leather anyway. Not only was he gonna burn, but he was ruining his leather.

I'm still not entirely sure they were truly on vacation. The girl and her lalafell dude looked like they were, but they didn't bring, food, drinks, or sun lotion and had a contingent of armed bodyguards. The girl was pretty though, so I played along and joined in their vacation outing. I took over the guiding of her while the little dude dehydrated himself more with alcohol.

We'd been out there awhile, sitting in the water and hunting shells. I could feel the sun getting meaner on my shoulders and my skin getting a little tight. While she carried her strange creature she found back to shore, I ducked under the water to cool off. I then suggested we reapply our lotion, but she didn't bring any. She set her little coblyn larva back down that she found and I made her go back to the town with me for food and drinks. She has no idea how harmful all that sun can be and she'll be feeling it hardcore tomorrow when she can barely move and is burnt to a crisp. The burn takes a bit to set in, you never know how bad you overdid it until it's too late.

I ordered her some of my favorite foods and some water. Without thinking I didn't order only finger foods, I should have stuck to things easy to pick up for her. I realized I was going to be missed if I didn't find my way back to the city, so I bid her a good night, took my shrimp and left. I wonder if I'll ever see her again?

Ships in the night I suppose? Raimy always says that if you want something, go for it. Now maybe I need to learn to be a fisherman so I can tell the story of the one that got away?   

FFXIV: Stranger Star [Raimy]

I don't know how I found them that first night. I mean I know, but I don't know. I got worked over pretty good by a Lalafell with pink hair. I know her now to be Kikiru Kiru and involved with the Syndicate. I met her first when her goons blindsided me in Pearl Lane. I'd just dropped off a bag of bread as I often do. I never stay to watch them eat but like to venture off and return later when their bellies don't quite ache as much. I remember that pain from when. . . but I digress. I sat down to log the time I first met the Stars. I was beat up pretty bad when I couldn't tell Kikiru where her shipment was. I didn't even know that last job we'd done was hired by Syndicate. Carolyne got a little too brave or greedy with that one. It was awhile before I saw Carolyne again. At that time I was sure they had killed her, just as they were killing me. They left me for dead and I had a vision. It was my first and the start of a thrilling and very confusing destiny of which I now chronicle in my Star Logs. That's what I'm calling these. Other adventures or life journeys might go in other logs.

After the beating which I can't remember too fully, I had a vision of a group of people gathering at an old run down building. I knew which one their leader was instantly and knew she'd help me. I don't remember getting up or walking. I almost remember heading into The Goblet but the vision filled my eyes and I made my way toward those people knowing they would help me. I know them now to be Stars. I could feel their presence, like a warm fire on a cold night drawing me with warmth and light. I could barely move. I don't know by what strength I made it to the Club House that night.

I entered and I can only imagine I looked pretty bad. It'd rained heavy on my way over there so some of the blood was probably washed off, but I know my right arm and most my fingers were broken on that hand and I had a pretty large stab wound at least. Most of it is a blur. I think I remember Volcano catching me, and Gwen demanding to know why I was there. Pretty sure I told her I was lost. It's all a blur for a bit in my memory but then I woke up downstairs.

Doc said something about cooperating, but so had that Lalafell so the word put me on defense from the beginning. Part of me still felt at ease. I know now that was the pull of the Mark, but at the time I didn't trust the feeling as it was out of place for me to feel that familiar with strangers. I knew Doc had saved my life, but I also thought he drew the mark on me for some reason. It's not my first time being marked and I do what I can to try and forget the other one.

That is when I met Gwen and the first time she threatened to kill me. She's not very good at street crime if she can't tell a mugging victim when she sees one. She thought I might be the one causing problems. Pretty sure I'd have been arrested in my state if I had been the trouble maker. I wouldn't have been able to outrun any Brass Blades or Immortal Flames. At first I thought they were Syndicate and brought me there so I'd live long enough to tell them where their 'shipment' was. I told the thugs it sank with the ship. Gwen demanded to know who had roughed me up, but I still wasn’t' sure at that point so I told her the only truth I knew. I was mugged. She didn't like that answer. As dangerous as a city ran by criminals is, she couldn't seem to believe people got killed in muggings. She instead put a knife to my throat and threatened to kill me a second time. I'm still not sure what her reasoning was. I was already dying. Though honestly, none of us realized it at the time. The poison that Kikiru had used on her blade that kept me from being healed fully would continue to make it's way through my systems and make life harder for me.

Gwen demanded again to know what happened. I think she asked a couple of times. I told her again the truth. I was mugged. Doc used magic to throw her off me and in the process her knife cut my throat. Just a nick, but still annoying and hurt. I understand her fears though. If someone came onto my ship like that I'd have made Carolyne been careful around him. At the time I had no idea that not everyone else felt the pull of the Star Mark the same as I did back then.

Things got crazier from there and most of it is still a blur. I remember Riz running down the stairs and hiding under a bed for a long time. He called me Stranger and that stuck as my name for awhile. Sometimes I still prefer it. It feels safe. Volcano, also called Crim, came down and started jumping on the bed. I remember being shocked that no one else was trying to keep the Lalafell from being beaten. It took me awhile to learn that the group was just like that. I made my way to a more private sofa to sleep. I believe just before that Boss came down and introduced herself for real and told me to stay. I was happy to have one, since the ship sank. Ul'dah was was entering it's raining season and sometimes it got too wet out in Pearl Lane and I had to find some nook to hide in for a night. A roof with a sofa was much better and when I woke up later the next day there as cold tea a bit too strong for sitting out and stale sandwiches waiting for me. I've never told her leaving it out like that ruins both tea and sandwiches.  

FFXIV: A Stranger Stumbles In [Raimy]

Raimondaux was out talking to refugees. He's not sure why, but lately he just can't shake the feeling that he should be doing more to help those that can't help themselves. He tells himself not to worry, it's probably just guilt about not saving the captain and Jhak getting mad at him for it. Also, some of these people could be Jhak's missing family. He was asking again, but no one knew anything. He should have asked all those years ago instead of just taking the boy away. But they had a prize to chase so Raimy instead took the lost boy with him and taught him to be a pirate.

Now here he is back in the city playing courier again. It's very different than piracy, but gives him an excuse to be anywhere at anytime. It's very handy when someone with the law demands to know why you're there. You can say you’re just delivering a package. Low level help is often immediately overlooked and dismissed as well. Very handy.

He was looking up at the gathering clouds, distracted by something blowing in the wind. It was a mistake. If he'd been watching where he was going he might have seen the fist before it hit his face. He blacks out for a second, the fist having been about the size of his face. When he snaps out of it, he's being held by two very large thugs. There is a little lalafell woman staring at him. “Where's my shipment?” She demands.

“Your wha..?” Raimy looks at her confused and tries to get a look at the ones holding him. Did he fail to deliver something? Courier is supposed to be a safe job, not a get beat up job. “You have the wrong courier.”

The lalafell girl sighs, pursing her lips tight in disappointment. One of the thugs responds by punching Raimy in the kidney. Pain courses through Raimy. Does she really need such big thugs? “I paid half in advance. I want my shipment. Where is my shipment?”

The rest of the night is mostly a blur to Raimy. The conversation with the Lalafell went from bad to worse and ended when she stabbed him. Which was after she had her goons rough him up and break a few bones.

He managed to pick himself up, or maybe he was helped up. He's not sure. He can't remember a lot of it. His vision was blurred but some things kept coming in clear. People were gathering in The Goblet near some run down building. He knew they would help him, so he made his way toward them.

The rain was pouring good when he stumbled through the doors to the host club for the first time. The building suddenly didn't look as bad as he thought, and some of the people were different. The ones that were the same were dressed a little different. It wouldn't be until later that he'd learn it was a vision that drove him there that night.

The vision goes away and reality is all there is. His reality wasn't good, and he realized he didn't know those people after all so he turned to leave, but there was suddenly a Roegadyn wall blocking the door. Raimy was dripping wet with both rain and blood and barely standing. One eye was swollen shut, and the other only partly open. His broken right arm hung loosly by his side. His good hand was trying in vain to stop the blood from seeping out of the stab wound. He blacked out again.

This time when he awoke he found himself in a bed. There was a strange man trying to touch him and his shirt seemed to be missing. Raimy is a little more than just shy and doesn’t like being touched by random strangers that hover over him while he's in a bed.

After waking up there were a lot of questions. People asking him who attacked him and why. Raimy wanted those answers too, and not having them he was less inclined to give his name to anyone. They kept asking, but if someone out there decided he crossed them, then these people trying to help him could get into trouble with him. He wanted to know what that trouble might be before dragging them into it. They were insistent.

Gwen was the most insistent and pulled a knife on Raimy which ended up cutting his throat. Raimy woke up a little more at that, and with the help of all the healing he was getting and became rather annoyed rather quickly. He then saw the mark which he didn't have before. It appeared on his way there, but that wasn't the assumption Raimy jumped to. He went the more logical route and asked the doctor why the doctor drew on him. It'd be a couple of days before Raimy finally acquiesced and gave up thinking the doctor drew on him.

The doctor sewing Raimy up and told him to change the bandages oven. He offered to come back and change them, but Raimy was still thinking he was a crazy doctor that drew on him at the time and decided he'd take his chances on his own.

A lalafell male came running down the stairs and hid under the other bed. He stuck his head out to greet the doctor and ask who the stranger was then went back to hiding, declaring that they didn't see him. Raimy didn't think that was completely crazy at the time, but maybe a little off.

If you look close you can see Riz's legs where he's hiding under the other bed.

Doctor Titor Jaraba, suggested Raimy stay in the building. Raimy wasn't even sure what it was or where he was. It felt safe, but logic told him to ignore the feelings and run. Logic also told him he couldn’t run very far with those injuries. Most the minor ones were healed, but the stabbing was poisoned and rejected healing magic. He's just lucky she missed his vital organs.

The pink/lilac/lavender haired Miqo'te came back. There was something about her. She was the one he was coming to. The one he saw outside and knew she'd help. He instantly knew she needed him to protect her as well, but he wasn't sure from what. Raimy knew she was blind and again his logic fought his heart and the result told him they were all crazy. Had to be them.

Raimondaux commented to Maia that he'd been mugged and had not money and no shirt. He couldn't leave without a shirt, but he also felt like he needed to pay them for their services. Their constant insisting he freeload is a good part of why he thought they were crazy. A pirate can't wrap his mind around things being given so freely. D'ranmaia went and got a spare uniform shirt out of the club's chest and brought it to him. Raimy was very happy to be clothed again and a little less exposed to those around him.

The doctor made tea and brought a cup to each of them, even the lalafell under the bed. Raimy felt it a bit crazy to offer tea to anyone hiding under a bed and just as strange to take your tea there. It didn't help their claim that they were not crazy. He thought the girl that stabbed him was the only sane one of the bunch, and she was right to question him. He just didn't know the answers. He wouldn't have given them anyway, even if he did.

The rest of the night is mostly a blur to him as well. The Wall came back and tormented the lalafell. Raimy didn't wait to see if one would kill the other, but stumbled off to go find a more silent and private place to sleep. He now considers one of the little rooms in the back of the basement as his room. It had a sofa large enough for someone as tall as himself to sleep on.

The Wall followed him and informed him that his name was not 'Wall' but was Crim. He demanded Raimy's name, and Raimy told him, “Maybe later.” He followed by asking for a moment to think of a good one, but then suggested they just call him Stranger, as that is what the little lalafell in the harem outfit under the bed called him. Crim refused and said he'd call Raimy, Maybe Later. Raimy didn't care either way and just wanted sleep.

He slept that night and most the next day. The hard sleep of someone trying to heal. Nothing woke him. When he did finally stir he found a cub of tea on a warming plate and some sandwiches under glass. The club was empty when he woke up so while everyone else was having fun at the beach, Raimy was going through all their things to try and figure out who exactly they were and why he was there. He found nothing incriminating and so he remained, finding it safer still inside the club than outside where crazy lalafell mistakenly thought he could produce lost shipments.  

FFXIV: Char Quick Look

The following are my current RP chars from FFXIV, minus Tanya Thatcher from the server Faerie. I have a few others in the works that I've saved looks for, but like Tanya they haven't made it to Balmung yet. 

As I get back into this blog I will write up profiles for them all and start keeping journals for some or all of them like I used to for my games years ago.

Raimondaux Rouchet

Jhak Gold

Kherah'li Khazhar

Kikiru Kiru

GW2: Illusion House

     I realized today the folly in keeping my report logs in my own house and I can't exactly just walk up to the Seraph Headquarters everyday and report personally to Captain Thackeray. That would be a bit too obvious for anyone watching me in the future. I know I haven't drawn any attention yet, but I will if I can manage to figure out how to do my job right. I just have to stop thinking like a seraph and start thinking like a bandit. I enlisted the aide of my lieutenant, Blodwen to help me find the right spot. It had to be somewhere easy enough for me to get to, but hard enough to reach that others wouldn't accidentally stumble upon the location.  Blodwen went and found a planter for me and I immediately liked that idea. I could wrap my journal in linen and bury it in the planter. Maybe wrap it in something more waterproof. If it ever comes to it, this journal may be needed to clear my name in the future, depending on how deep in the underworld I get myself buried.

     I saw a planter I liked better. One that was up high without any doors leading to it or windows. I don't want innocent civilians coming across my records anymore than I want bandits and outlaws finding them. After figuring how to get up there, I'd realized I'd been there before. I wasn't as careful back then and anyone could have seen me there, so we looked for a different place. Luckily I saw a different planter a few roof tops down.

     I decided this new location was perfect. I can only get there by walking off the streets above it. There are no doors or windows leading to this balcony that are large enough for anyone to come out of. The tree seems to be growing out of groves in the stone and cracks in the pavement, so no dirt to hide my book in. There is a little arch behind the tree though, and I found a loose stone where I can hide my journals. Now, only Blodwen and myself know this place. I will probably sent work to Logan as well in case something happens to myself or Blodwen he can collect the journals in the future and clear my name. He promised he'd get there eventually. I'm half excited about this assignment  It's a great opportunity to bring down the organized crime syndicates in the city, but my family thinks I'm a disgraced seraph and have brought dishonor down on my house. The only way to make it all better is to do my job the best I can now and hope it all comes to light later. 

     It's a good thing I have friends like Blodwen. She's been through the war with me. She knows how much I have lost and though I like to tease her for being a street rat, and she me for being born noble. . . there is no social class among the seraph, only rank. I outrank her, but we are both equal in being seraph. Though being a street rat, she doesn't have to worry about the whole dishonor-your-family side of this assignment. I made sure to remind her that she can't call me Captain anymore. Not even Captain Tightpants. But I also told her she can't call me Artie, and she refuses to call me Lord Dylane.

      After locating the place to put the journals that will clear our names in the future after this job is done -or if I get 'caught' by seraph thinking I'm one of the bad guys- we decided to hit up the Maiden's Whisper. She hoped in the fountain and took her boots off, but I had to inform her I would be keeping my clothes on this time. It's not proper engaging a subordinate in romantic pursuits.

      Nothing much was going in in the Maiden's so we decided to go find a secure location to discuss our plans. I decided we should go to The Great Collapse. No one else is ever there but workers so the odds of us being overheard were not high. She is still in well behaved seraph subordinate mode and so she followed without question. I suppose that won't blow our cover, it has to be known we served together and her under me. It's not like we're hiding that we were once seraph, only that we still are. On our way we found a high number of suicide attempts under the statue of Dywana. It was odd. Are people really losing hope? (While walking past it, like four or five different people hit the ground, falling to their deaths.)

      We went out on the bridge. The bridge is perfect because we can see anyone that is close enough to hear us. But we were not alone there and so we instead went to a bit less secure of an area, but still in The Great Collapse. 

     We talked about the best way to start getting our job done. We've been on this assignment for a week or so now and haven't gotten anything done. I realize I have to get busy or get fired for real. I know how fickle the other nobles are. If I don't secede at this assignment, I might as well really have been disgraced, fore that is all they'll remember. My good deeds now have to outshine my fake bad deeds.

     Blodwen suggested we find a tavern. Well first I told her to go pick a pocket and she rushed off to do that, but I had to call her back. We can't do our jobs from behind bars. We first went to the large inn in the Ossan Quarter, but nothing much was happening there. So we decided to take a tour of the bars and headed  over to The Busted Flagon. We stood and listened, but didn't overheard any shady type of talk. Finally I just had to ask. If I were a bandit type person looking for work, who would I see about that? No one answered.

     I was about to leave to go back to Maiden's Whisper to ask there, when I saw this pretty Sylvari. I've never really noticed a Sylvari woman before, but something about her caught my attention. It might have been the red. I love a lady in red.

     She loved Mr. Fluffins. I had to tell her how we were in the war and he's fought centaurs. She asked if he had no fear, and I said he did not. He was battle born after all. He was born and raised fighting centaur. I won't go into great detail any flirting I might have done, but I did realize later that to keep my cover I might need to stop bragging about being a seraph. It'll be hard to curb my pride in my nation and the other seraph. Well, the good ones. My company seemed to have a lot of the bad ones, which is why we were picked for this job. Well, those of us not actually disgraced and sent to jail. Also there were a few selected to be cleared and transferred. We couldn't all be bad, that'd been to obvious.

     Sylvari are curious people and ask many questions so I thought maybe she'd know some criminals. I asked her, but she did not. And she seemed suddenly less interested in me as well. That's another side affect I hadn't thought of. The type of women I like aren't going to like me if they think I'm a dirty scoundrel.

     At the Maiden's Whisper, there was again a very sparse crowd downstairs. I asked again if anyone knew where I could find crime work, but no one answered. It might not help that I've run around this tavern going on about being a seraph before. Maybe they haven't heard the news yet? I went upstairs and there seemed to be some shady people standing there. I asked them but they didn't know either. Looking back they were in colors like the Order of Whispers weren't they? Maybe they weren't the right people to ask.

     I was too distracted by the manner of the clothing the woman was wearing to pay attention to the colors they were in. The pants showed she was a serious type of girl, but that top was totally brothel house wear. Not to mention it's complete lack of support. She'll regret that when she gets older. . . or so my wife used to tell me.

     Back outside I hoped behind the fruit booth before Blodwen could to turn her joke on her. Mr. Fluffins stole the show and the joke by putting himself up for sale. We may seem like goofs to many people, but if you knew what we'd been through with our company and it's fall and the death of my wife. . . there's a lot solemn there, a bit of lighthearted antics are needed to keep us sane and going. To keep us hopeful in these dark times.

     We went to the jail to see if there was anyone imprisoned that we could ask about crime. There was not. I told Blodwen that if she'd picked a pocket they'd have put her in the little hole in the wall cell. The one that's only big enough for her to lay, not even sit up in. She asked if I had made her a reservation and then told me it was thoughtful when I said I had. Really, Logan as told us that if we're caught without anything good to show to get us out, he may not be able to help us. We have to get our job done to clear our names. Though I'm sure if we stop now we could clear them. I don't intend to stop however. I intend to clean up the city from within the underground.

     We stopped by to see my mother, but she wasn't there. So instead I walked out on the glass dome and told Blodwen to wait right there. She's such a good little solider that she did exactly as I told her to as I ran down the stairs and under the glass. She pretended to be angry when she realized, but I know she thought it was funny. More of that lighthearted antics to keep us going. Besides it was too far for me to see anything.

     We decided to go roof hopping again. We do this a lot to make ourselves look shady to anyone that might see us, to see if any one that really is shady is up there doing so, and to learn the in and outs of the city that most don't think about. I hadn't told her, but I had set up fake house front. I had to have help of course. Such a permanent illusion isn't easy to pull off. I used a couple of friends I had that are priests of Lyssa. I almost joined them once, before I was a seraph. The only way to Illusion House is across some roof tops and down the back, then in the back door. It'd been nice if the door to the illusion could have worked, but that'd taken a bigger illusion and not something we could have pulled off. It was either door, or no door, so the door is in the back. Since the house is an illusion we can't hang a door on the frame, it's just open. The oddest part of course is that the visual of the illusion is only on the outside. From the inside we can see through the fake walls. Once inside the only way out is by those neat little Asuran devices that instantly travel you to an Asuran waypoint.

     Now we have our meeting house where we can go to speak business with our other seraph, relax, and report, or in my case, receive reports. With the business side out of the way I decided to give Blodwen a bit of a treat. She loves chickens and there is a villager down at Fort Salma that signs a song about chickens. I took Blodwen there so she could hear the song and she did indeed love it. Then we went swimming. Besides chickens, she also loves quagaan so I showed her a quaggan village near Fort Salma. Of course I pretend I was just heading in that direction and it was all an accident  I don't want her thinking. . .well it just seems improper for me to take too much notice in what she likes and go too far out of my way to provide it. I suppose it could keep morale up though and thus keep her doing her job well. These days her job is mostly watching my back, so I'd like her to do that well.

GW2: Shadow Behemoth

      This is me waiting for and then fighting the shadow behemoth on my mesmer Artaen. I don't actually do anything roleplaying in this video, other than having Mr. Fluffins out. Artaen is almost never seen without Mr. Fluffins.

GW2: Caite, Nick, and Marty

     I found myself in Divinity's Reach for no real reason I'd like to record down so that it can be later held against me. It's probably not a good idea for someone like to me to keep a journal, but I've been told it's good for my soul to have a place to put these things away so they can't weigh me down. I'm not sure it works like that. But I digress. I was looking for all the nifty places in shadow to linger in case I ran into trouble or had to run from the seraph. Or something worse. Caite found me rather quickly and though she took a different route than I to reach that spot, I was slightly impressed with her ability and speed. Of course I played it off and complimented her instead on her stalking abilities. Stalking can be a good trait to have in our line of work, however. 

      She still has a bit to learn about reaching the places she may need to get, but her finding of me is more skilled than I'll ever let her know. I guess out in the wild if she were a hunter, one would call her skill tracking. But I leave no foot prints on the city streets or the roof tops. She's an urban stalker. I can't help but wonder what it'll be like if I test her skills out in the wilderness. I shall have to try that later.

     I showed her one of my favorite spots to sit in this city. She didn't say so, but I know she was a bit surprised. It's only a little hidden, people coming can see me if they look and it's not as much in shadow as the places she normally finds me in. But it has a roof over it, making it shelter, and it's still hidden enough that most won't bother me there. It also only has one way to approach, making it defensible. It also has a bit of greenery, so if asked by a seraph, I can tell him I'm there to enjoy the vine in the shade. Or that I'm waiting for a friend to come down that certain set of stairs and we agreed to meet there. Knowing my luck that's when Caite would suddenly pop up and declare the waiting to be over. Come to think of it that would be lucky if trying to explain myself to a Seraph.

     Caite showed me her house in the Ossan Quarter. It's right near a tavern, though I don't know if she picked that location on purpose or it just happened that way. She suggested I try out the comfy bed and that her bear would tuck me in. I quickly informed him I needed a new rug, but Caite just laughed. I'm not sure she takes my threats seriously.

     We then went out into Queensdale to hunt. The only prey we found were centaurs, but several of them fell to the three of us. There were people in need of help so we established a local cover as wandering adventurers looking to aide the people in the lands we travel to. I'm just worried the bear might draw too much attention to us. I prefer to go unnoticed. I should get Caite to dress more colorfully when we're not really working so people will notice her and her bear and I can remain hidden from sight and memory, nothing more than an, "Oh wasn't someone with that girl and the bear?"

GW2: Enter Ramina

     They say the war between Grenth and Dywana is over. I was blessed by Dywana, yet it seem Grenth has taken more notice of me. I found myself near death a lot outside Divinity's Reach and am questioning my choice in coming inland. I had a friend to find though, and falling off cliffs wasn't going to stop me.

     It took me awhile and a few deaths, but I found my friend. A group of local bandits were attacking some sort of water plant. I assume it feeds water to the city or the farms nearby, maybe both. Either way the locals asked for help and while in these seraph infested lands I decided I might try to blend in with the others playing hero. Leithul would liked to have blended in as well, I could tell. Well he shouldn't have let himself be found by his loud and colorful friend then. I was quick to proclaim to the bandits that Leithul would put them down if they tried to blow up another pipe. One was already blown by the time we'd gotten there.

     After saving the . . whatever the heck is it, Leithul was feeling a bit frisky and pushed me off one of the pipes. I guess that's what I get for climbing up there. The gods had my back however and no sooner had he pushed me, then he fell even further than I did.

      We picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and continued to explore the area. We found death several more times. Then we found a brewery. I got myself a nice keg of whatever they make there. By that time I didn't care to ask, I just drank. I think it was wine. Leithul found himself a keg too and we sat up on the wall and drank until we were feeling really bold and decided to head out to the swamp. I think I can still hear Grenth laughing.

      Several deaths later -by several I mean a lot- we headed north again from the swamp. We found some little place called Bettlestone or something. Some hot shot minister had a huge mansion there. You'd think he could spend some of that gold protecting his lands from centaurs. Or his rivers from killer fish. We found death again when all we were looking for was a nice cool swim.

     I think dying is my new hobby.