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Post by Melody on Aug 19, 2021 1:31:13 GMT -8
Track:
The long train ride was exactly what Melody needed to relax along the tracks, the views were serene, which she enjoyed quietly with a cup of tea. Eventually she was forced to sleep, unable to remain conscious after a very long day and night out in the northern lands, missing out on most of the trip through the central lands as it was a direct train to Oolong City. Upon arrival the rest of the journey was a long airborne flight towards the northern border of the Western Lands, passing through several farm lands, the pair eventually reached a mountain range that split Truffle village from Tundra Village that was directly north, and beyond that was Piccolo Daimao’s domain. The northern islands stretched across the mainland but this was closer to Bass’ birthplace.
It was a full moon tonight, it was the only light source that illuminated the red rooftops of Melody’s estate, while the rest of the villagers were nestled in two acres at the base of the plateau. It was micro model of the Grand Duke’s castle, surrounded by the maidenhair trees that was a background on her capsule corp phone, which were beginning to turn from a pale green to a golden color as autumn drew near. Instead of city buildings nature surrounded the entire territory and it was peacefully quiet for the time being. Any monsters or demons took advantage of the veil of night to attack the unsuspecting villagers but there were samurai keeping watch on rotating shifts at the towers at the top of the plateau to keep everyone safe.
Flying through the window of the second floor, Melody made herself at home, instead of removing her boots at the genkan, she took them off mid-air before landing softly on the tatami mat on her thigh high leggings. The mats were hand woven and delicate which would be shredded to ribbons with the usual footwear. Hopefully Bass followed suit in the western land traditions by observation alone but if he decided to destroy the floor where he walked, the Duchess was not going to uphold anything against him. Afterall, he never referred to her as her title, so she figured he did not follow the customs of her house either.
Melody sat down on the tatami mat and pushed the wooden screen door to allow the moonlight to be their primary light source, the sound of a fountain nearby was the ambient sound of her estate along with the choir of crickets, and she turned to set up the wooden game board. Since Bass managed to read the rules, it was time to go over the game itself, and set the wooden figurines on a wooden grid that functioned as a small table.
“Blue will begin first which I assign to you. You start with two die cuts which are the elephant and the rabbit. The eel will be available to be used in your next turn. The grid signifies the movement of the board, the stone represents the staring point of the figurine, choose which technique to apply to the monk of your samurai army, and hand over your choice to me. Of course you could also move your warlord piece which is a great risk to losing the game.” [547] Starting PL: 55,410 Bass Attachments:
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Post by Bass on Aug 24, 2021 22:08:38 GMT -8
It was often the simplest things that were the most gratifying. Being successful was fantastic, and he never took that for granted, but the most fulfilling things were often spontaneous and true to ones core. The Namekian got that feeling as the train churned through the snowy tundra, a starry sky rolling on by above them. Unlike Melody, Bass wasn't as in tune with sleep as other Earthlings were. Yet he did still need to rest and lay low for a bit to regain his energy. The train ride served that purpose perfectly, letting him sit leaned up against the window in a half sleeping state. The sky was hypnotic, the array of specks and dancing belts of color. Despite objectively being in a quiet train, surrounded in the side of the world cast in darkness, it felt warm. The kinds of feelings tight knit New Years celebrations work coworkers was like, or coming back from a long trip to just sit down and watch some TV. At any rate, the train ride concluded after not too long, it being the shortest part of their little trip before having to catch their flight. The Namekian had no problem covering for both of their tickets if permitted, but something something nobility might not want to feel undignified by not covering their own costs made him leave room for her to insist and pay for her own seat(s) on the flight. The plane flight was only marginally less breathtaking. He'd flown through the skies so much by himself that the views were a little overdone by this point, but he was still not used to being second-hand to that experience, having the comfort of a warm seat and food instead of expelling ki and enduring the cold whipping winds. Not only that, but their flight went through the day as well. Fluffy clouds, rolling fields of farmland, the day put the spotlight on worldly wonders as opposed to the skies. In the late eve of the next night they arrived. Seeing Melody's "home" for the first time, Bass couldn't help but think on what role she had in this structure being the way it was. It was... Massive, daunting, and how many people lived there? Bass asked himself questions, but what he didn't do, was ruin anything. He'd even take off his shoes before entering- at least if Melody had done so by example in the moments before he'd be up to the plate. One game set up later, and they'd be sat down amidst the large estate with an ornate board with a variety of feudal pieces. He had read the rulebook, and he figured he had a solid enough grasp of the concept. It was a little like chess, but with more movement variations with less parts. The key to winning was simple, understanding the opponents options and positioning or advancing in their blind spots. Eel and Monkey for example, might both have the same weakness of an open left side. Move to the left, and the opponent couldn't answer in an efficient way. It made sense, sitting on the mat he'd take a look at his initial two cards considering he'd been assigned to start, and spoke up. "So, did you have this place built or is it a family home of a sorts? Should I be mindful of anyone else that might be running around?" He asked as he made his first move. Nothing daring, simply utilizing the Elephant card to initialize a vanguard for his 'warlord' for lack of better words. Though the usage did remind him of King Piccolo; the particular word didn't come up much outside of that in Bass's normal stomping grounds. "Your turn." He said, opening the next move to Melody. 633 | 633 Melody
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Post by Melody on Aug 26, 2021 15:47:55 GMT -8
Unlike the bustle of Oolong City, the western land territory was mostly vast farmlands, at some point their flight passed Grape Vine Village which was equally as grand as Truffle Village since both territories were over a thousand years old. The upkeep for these types of grand estates required staff to maintain the legacy at all times, repairing decaying parts of the traditional western style home, and keeping the cultural tradition to last for what seemed like eternity. The first thing Bass would take notice, is the lack of electricity, the light pollution would damage crops, so it was important for the villagers to utilize conventional means of light sources; specifically oil paper lanterns which were rarely used in the first place since farmers slept early in order to rise before dawn. The stone plateau stationed five samurai garrison watch towers midway towards the surface of the rock formation, the surrounding structures which were referred as courts were strategically constructed to defend against raids, and the pair were currently on the second floor of the main tower in the center which was called tenshu. With the Onitama game set up over a wood block carved from a sapling of might, the pieces were made of jade, and it was apparent it was an old game. The wooden die cuts we carved with fine craftsmanship instead of the paper card rendition in a city game store. Melody planned to show Bass how to play the game, instead of coming up with a sound strategy, she aggressively moved all her red jade pieces to press the opposition, and one by one they were taking out each other's units until only the leader piece remained. The Dragon and Boar spirits were in her hand, the moment she passed on the Dragon after taking out the remaining blue jade piece, Bass immediately used it and won the game utilizing the way of the stone. At this point the CEO asked about her home and the people who resided in the castle. It was apparent how unfamiliar Bass was with western land culture, when they first met she was almost assassinated in public by Icecap, and his intervention complicated a few things with the South City Police. The first impression she gave him was that she was a thief but he recognized her as a martial artist definitively, when they discussed why she refused to suppress her power level, and he kept his hidden. Fortunately, Melody never realized what he meant by ransacking a tree, their cultural differences were not recognizable then, she was intrigued by his kind offer to a meal which was her greatest personal weakness to distract her from their indifference. “The Bossa Nova Samurai stationed at the watchtowers recognize my ki signature, anyone who resides here must follow the proper channels of contacting my vassals, prior to seeking an audience with me. We will not be distrubed by anyone, unless the village is under attack, it is my duty to keep everyone safe. Truffle village is one of the oldest in the western lands, this castle is over a thousand years old, and I have been appointed as its ruler after defeating the former Duke in a duel approved by the Pig Demon Duchies.”After setting up the game board again, she continued, “I have been Duchess of this territory for the past seven years. If you encounter any residents it is proper etiquette to simply offer a slight head bow in acknowledgement. Otherwise no one can speak to us directly unless spoken to since you’re my guest.”Situated in the open recreational area, there was a wall of framed photos, the largest was a canvas print of Melody as a child in Orchestra Village which was located on the coast; a gift from her siblings who were looking for her for a while. While most of the photographs were of Melody’s family, Bass was in two of them frames, one of the photos was a Dynotube screen capture of them at South City beach right before fighting the massive flying shark, and the second frame was their Ice Block Academy Winter Contest win. While the Black Heart Namekian had no desire to be part of a family, he was integrated among the wall of framed photographs with people Melody cared about on the wall directly behind her. “Quite the skirmish, we lost so many pieces, perhaps there is a better way. Your turn, Bass-kun.” [744] Bass
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