No one told him about bargaining magic

[friendsallover]

🧙 WHO: Din and whoever wants to help him, or hinder
⚔️️ WHAT: Din used his Bargaining Magic during a quest last month, and now he has to hold up his end of the deal
🕒 WHEN: Throughout June
🗺️ WHERE: Albion's White Cliffs, Dusklight woods, Wherever he ends up
⚠️ WARNINGS: Potential harm to animals




Collect these items and bring them to the water's edge by the end of the sixth month.

At the time, it had seemed like a pretty straightforward deal in exchange for some help. And while Din doesn't regret that, he's also been down this road before, and he can see it stretching out in front of him. Getting these items is only the start of what he anticipates to be a laundry list of things. And the only way he can go is forward.

[A - Albion's White Cliffs]

[Din seems somewhat reflective as he stares out at the water. He hasn't come out here since he arrived, and that point, he'd been more than a little out of it to really appreciate the surroundings. The cliffs are taller than he really remembers, or maybe that's because he's viewing them in light of what he's supposed to do. It's usually at this point that he would glance down at Grogu, who would meet his gaze and offer one of his half blinks before they'd steel themselves for the task ahead.

But Grogu's not here, and so Din has to do it alone.

He starts down the steps, looking for his target. A nest for one of the seabirds, and hopefully, an egg. Although, scaling the cliff is looking to be a bit more difficult than he initially imagined. Thinking he can see what he needs, he pauses, leaning on the railing to select his next path.

It's not going to be easy and he doesn't like the look of that drop, but he steps over the railing anyway.

He's got an egg to get.]


[B - Dusklight Woods]

[It's surprisingly peaceful, being in the forest.

The last forest he really remembers is the one on Corvus, and well, that forest was more just trees than anything else. If you could even call them that. Lacking the life that this place has. He moves as quietly as he can through the undergrowth, trying to keep to shadows and not let the sun reflect off of his armour. He hasn't had to hunt like this in a long time.

Although hunt might not be the best word. He just has to get an antler, and you don't need a whole deer for that. Maybe he'll get lucky and he'll find one on the ground. That's a joke, he's never that lucky.

But he's watchful, keeping his eye out for his target. But at the snap of a branch, his blaster is out and pointing.]

[C - Red Spring Inn]

[Din sits a table with a small meal in front of him. It's later than when the average person might eat and so the common area is fairly empty. Which works for Din. He doesn't remove the helmet entirely, but it is lifted when he needs to take a bite. There are still people around, after all.

Even with the helmet though, there is definitely the sense that he looks tired. Like this is the first time in a while that he's really stopped to rest.]

Comments

B

[markedfordeath]

[The peace the forest offered is what kept Elza returning to them whenever the city began to overwhelm her senses. It also offered the respite needed from the once young and now old master Latkje and those that accompany him. Although knowing him like she did, Elza was sure the feeling was more than mutual.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she sensed someone enter into her secluded area. Relaxed up on a branch, the gunner slowed her breathing and heart rate to make her invisible to others notice. Watching as off in the distance another entered her area, her keen eyes sighted the glint of armour. Now that was enough to catch her interest.

Silently swinging her legs to dangle over one side of the branch, she watched as the mysterious man spun and had his weapon drawn at the sound of a branch breaking. Shifting her own gaze in the same direction, Elza sensed nothing but one of the other forest animals moving around the scrub.]

[friendsallover]

[Din scans the area before noting the source of the noise, just a squirrel that had fallen out of a tree. Not what he was looking for but he holds still for a moment later. He doesn't replace the blaster in its holder though.

It's been a long time since he felt the sensation of being watched. He's trying not to regard it as a threat (if there were, he'd have known by now, he doesn't have the kid and any bounty on him is worthless here). But he's been trained well to perceive such things, and does his best to move into more cover which trying to spot anything out of the ordinary.]

[markedfordeath]

[She watched him from her perch. Trailing her gaze from his helmet, down to his shoulder and along his armoured arm. It finally landed on the gun in his hand.

Elza still found it confusing to see so many walking around or having had the access to guns. Given how heavily guarded the technique was back in her own world, to see others like this was something that left her feeling conflicted.

The way the man guarded himself though even after the threat had been determined as a much much smaller version of a flying squirrel was telling. Did he sense her? Interesting.

An old spark fired within her and she found her interest in seeing this man's capabilities when in a dangerous situation. She hadn't played this game since her run in with Nash in the Greenhill forest. Perhaps it was time for a little fun.

Instead of hiding her presence, the gunner allowed it to pulse throughout the forest. The birds in the area fell silent in response, and she gave every impression of a predator now stalking its prey.

With years of training behind her, she silently moved to stand up in one fluid motion. If he moved, she would silently keep pace with him at the same distance they now were.]

[friendsallover]

[It's not unexpected that Din finds himself as prey in this particular scenario. The Way of the Mandalore has one walking both paths after all. But it doesn't mean he's going to back down without a fight. There's a quick check over of his weapons and he taps his helmet to bring up the infrared display.

No immediate tracks or anything. Looks like he'll have to deal with this first.

As quietly as he can, he moves from his hiding spot, heading a little bit deeper into the forest.]

[markedfordeath]

[Elza did as promised, when her target moved, so did she. She soundlessly moved from branch to branch stalking his every move. Each time he would stop, so would she. While she was well known for being like a ghost in the world she was from, the gunner was curious to see how her skills compared to those from other worlds.

From what she could glimpse of her target, the armour he wore was unlike anything she'd seen before. It very lightly reminded her of the armour knights wore like those from the Matilda Knightdom. Yet there were a number of differences she could see even with her limited vision.]

[friendsallover]

[Din has paused for a moment, concealing himself behind a large tree. It's been a process of stopping, scanning and starting again, trying to draw out his pursuer. Considering he's found not traces on the ground, he's been searching the trees as well, though it's hard to tell as the foliage grows denser.

He's been warned not to go too far in to the forest, and that limit might be approaching.

But he's found what he's been looking for, a small clearing. He leaves his current hiding place, moving as fast as he can to once again hide himself on the other side of the clearing.]

[markedfordeath]

[There was always that feeling of rush whenever she stalked her prey. To her there wasn't too much that stood up to the same feeling, but she supposed that was why those that knew who she was never dropped their guard around her.

When her target darted across the clearing, Elza smiled to herself.

Clever. He had good survival skills by using the area devoid of trees to try and flush her out.

Elza considered continuing with the game, but a part of her reminded that there was wisdom holding some things close to her chest. Perhaps it was best for now to let this one think he had bested her.

She watched for a moment and then pulled up the hood of her cloak. In what felt like a blink of an eye, her cloaked figure appeared out of nowhere right in the middle of the clearing.

Elza didn't say anything. Instead she stood there with her face hidden in the shadows of her hood. There was no mistake though which direction she was looking in though.

If he looked close enough, he'd be able to see the definite signs of a long weapon strapped across her back.]

B

[feralhumanity]

[As nice as the city of Camelot is, Nanaki is still a beast of the wilds, and even with his human-like intelligence he still yearns for the untamed wilderness from time to time. It's convenient to get his food delivered or purchased from a shop, but he still finds the need to hunt from time to time. So every now and then Nanaki will travel to the forest, nourishing his wild spirit and testing his hunting skills properly.]

[While normally content to hunt a rabbit or other small critter, Nanaki has scented deer around, and it's got him feeling excited. He was following the scent trail fairly carefully, but hadn't been careful enough to notice another in the area. So when he accidentally snaps a branch under his paw, he looks up sharply when the blaster is pointed his way.]

[He freezes momentarily, his lone eye wide, but then he relaxes a bit when he sees who it is.]

I didn't expect to find anyone else out here.

[friendsallover]

[In much the same way, as soon as Din registers Nanaki, he lowers the blaster and replaces it back in it's holster. Still loose just in case, but Nanaki is not the threat here.]

Neither did I, honestly.

Sorry about that.

[He didn't mean to point the blaster in your face.]

[feralhumanity]

It's alright. This is not the first time a gun was pointed at me.

[Nanaki moves into a more relaxed position, shaking out his mane.]

What are you doing out here, though? I doubt you are here just to hunt rabbits.

[friendsallover]

Deer actually. I need an antler to fulfill a bargain.

[He doesn't offer more than that as an explanation. It's just kind of exhausting really.]

[feralhumanity]

A deer antler?

[Nanaki tilts his head. Curious... but his tail swishes and he nods.]

Well, if you need, I believe this is something I can help you with. I know the scent of deer very well.

[friendsallover]

It's a bit of a long story.

[He'd tell it, but he'd like to finish the job first.]

But that would be helpful. It's been a long time since I've had to hunt like this.

B

[crimsongirl]

[Hunting was basically the cheapest way to maintain her budget. And without worrying about accidentally stumbling onto some park or the like, Homura had much more freedom with this job. All she had to do was get some meat for the parties, and the distraction was more enjoyable than just sitting in her room all day, constantly thinking about Caster after her little stunt.

Though maybe she got too careless. She was so focused on using blood magic to find animals, she didn't expect the nearby person to point a gun at her. Didn't expect the armor either; actually looked really cool. Though best to diffuse the situation. Her hands were slowly raised as she eyed the mysterious stranger.]

Sorry, just hunting some animals is all.

[friendsallover]

[Din pauses for a moment, considering the girl and when he determines that there isn't a threat, the gun is lowered, but not put away, just in case. He's a cautious man, after all.]

That makes two of us, but you've just made the job that much harder.

[Indicating the broken branch.]

[crimsongirl]

[Not having it pointed at her was a plus. Though even at his claim of screwing things up, she just smirked. Normally it got her irritated, but she wasn't worried in this case.]

I'm a blood mage! I can sense any living creature out here when hunting. Just didn't expect anyone to try and shoot me. Deers and bears usually don't have guns.

[friendsallover]

I suppose not, but that isn't really a reason to keep your guard down.

[Speaking from experience? Maybe.]

So is that why you're out here?

[crimsongirl]

Sometimes I need a break; therapist orders.

[Not really, but he likely would have considering the mess that was this month.]

Anyway, yeah. Just need one more deer and I should be set. Bigger the better. What about you?

[friendsallover]

Same target, though I just need an antler.

[It's a very specific request.]

C

[faithfulson]

[ Luke spotted the Mandalorian as soon as he entered the inn -- it wasn't like he was hard to miss, even if the customers were sparse. It also answered the question of if he ever ate in public, though how he had to do it... that really had to be difficult. Yet even still, he couldn't help but peer at him curiously, careful not to draw too much attention to himself, like the chance to even see just a little bit of skin was something precious that he shouldn't take for granted. ]

[ ...that was definitely a weird thought. He needed to hang out with other people more. ]

[ He quickly slipped over to the woman taking drinks, discreetly ordering two hot chocolates, before he approached the Mandalorian, finally making his presence known. He also noticed how out of it he seemed, and for a moment he wondered if he should have gotten something a little stronger instead. ]

[ At least he thought to grab a straw for his, so he wouldn't have to blindly sip at the cup. ]

Rough week?

[friendsallover]

[If he'd been thinking, he would have taken the meal to his room and eaten there, affording himself to a little more privacy and a chance to remove his helmet. Instead, he'd made the mistake of sitting down and, between his travels to the cliffs and the forest, it actually seemed kind of nice to not be on the move for once.]

Something like that.

[Luke is met with a nod of both acknowledgement and thanks.]

[faithfulson]

[ Luke smiled fondly at that, a look of understanding on his face. ]

Mind if I join you?

[ He held up a hand, like he was swearing a solemn promise. ]

I swear, I won't try to peek.

[friendsallover]

[Din nods, indicating one of the seats. It's followed by a shrug.]

You wouldn't be the first.

[faithfulson]

[ Luke chuckled softly. ]

I imagine not, though I'll admit, I didn't realize a Mandalorian's way of life was so strict before I met you.

[ He sipped at his hot chocolate, a thoughtful look on his face. ]

...though, I admit, the only other Mandalorian I've met was Boba Fett, and I was too busy trying not to die to wonder about anything else.

[friendsallover]

This is the Way.

[An intonation, more out of force of habit but he still believes in his creed. Despite everything he's learned about other Mandalorians from his travels.]

My covert adheres strongly to the Creed, perhaps more than others.

[He holds back a huff of laughter. Having seen Fett fight, he can only imagine.]