[Mkguild] Patrol V

[Jack Moore]

AN: First went to Furlandia, then got a sinus infection. It has been a long
week.

Patrol V

Metamor: March 31st 707
I've always had a fondness for markets. The reason why is simple; Isenport
itself is half port and half market. Everything is for sale, from the
buildings to the people living in them.
The point is that Isenport is always humming with life and merchants
thronging about, trying desperately to sell overpriced wares to imbecilic
customers. My father always loathed the markets, though he loved business
(and tax revenue from merchants), so going to the market meant being away
from him.
The market square in Metamor then was where I naturally headed. Already
carts and storefronts were buzzing with crowds of multi-formed people. An
okapi hocked apples to people while a small child tried to sell leather
goods.
"Already none of this seems odd to me." I mumbled. "I've been here too
long." I did want an apple so I reached for my purse. It took me a second
to remember I didn't have any money on me. "Damn it Nemo."
Occasionally people looked at me, usually my garish combination of ugly
fabrics, but otherwise I drew no notice. On my feet I had a set of custom
made sandals (basically clogs) that kept my feet mud free.
It's not quite Isenport but it's not half bad. I looked at a booth set up
selling wooden plates and utensils. A large and ugly tuco-tuco (big brown
hamster with a long tail) woman muscled me aside.
"Watch it!" I snapped. She didn't even notice me. I rolled my eyes and
moved away, just in time for someone to grab my arm.
"Excuse me madam, can I have a moment of your time!" I didn't even have a
chance to pull away before a brown furred, black hooved hand grabbed me.
The hand was attached to a dingy black greatcoat with a narrow, brown
furred and gray horned head coming out of it.
"Excuse me madam but you look like a sensible woman and I was wondering if
I could have a moment of your time." I tried to yank my hand free except
his hoof was surprisingly strong. His small black eyes lit up and he gave
me his slickest smile. "You look like a sensible woman as I was saying and
I bet a woman of good taste.
If you call me a woman one more time I'm going to feed you your own horns.
I thought, trying to turn away. The goat-man-thing slid right in front of
me. His other hand slid into the pockets of his coat.
"Now I'm sure your personality shines like the sun but your scales do not."
I was about to yell at him but I stopped. Did he just...honestly I don't
like these scales either. "So I want to help you madam, I want to help you
shine."
Instead of correcting him, I kept my mouth shut. I faked a smile for the
goat-man. He really does think I'm a woman...oh I gotta wait for the right
moment to tell him. The goat man pulled out a handful of shiny gold
trinkets.
"Admit it; you're imagining how you would look in all of these beauties."
Like I was wearing a plumage made of gaudy. I tapped on a gold bracelet
with a piece of glass in the center that was supposed to be a jewel. He
grinned at me and licked his black nose. "What do you say? You think you
and I can do business?"
"Well from the looks of this jewelry," I said, letting him hear my real
voice and causing his muzzle to drop, "If these have any gold in them it's
a pitifully small amount. Now this ring," I tapped an emerald ring he had,
"Is actually gold and a real jewel. I've worn them before, I know. You most
likely stole this, am I right?"
"I-I uh." He swallowed and let go of my wrist. "Why are you a man?"
"Why are you an asshole?" I asked. "Why did you think I wasn't one?"
"You're wearing a skirt! Only ladies wear dresses." I rolled my eyes. "Well
you lizards all look the same anyway! How was I supposed to know!"
"I dunno! Scent! How do you goats tell each other apart." His fur
noticeably bristled at this.
"I am not just a goat, I am a tahr." He said, jabbing me in the chest. "And
I'll have you know-
"Tobias Shatterbock?" He froze. His eyes glanced over my shoulder. "I need
to speak to you about some stolen property."
"Oh shit!" The tahr (Tobias?) dropped all of his crap and spun on his
hooves. He took off running, ducking between two buildings. A blue blur
rushed past me and I recovered in time to see a blue tail with a fin
sliding between two buildings.
"And I'm not a woman!" I yelled out.
"No you're not." A feminine voice said behind me. "You'd make the ugliest
woman I've ever seen. And I say that with only the kindest intentions." I
turned to the speaker, to be greeted by a blond woman.
She was in frayed breaches and an oversized dirty shirt. Strapped to her
side was a hatchet, in her gloved hands was an apple. She carried a sack of
them in her other hand.
"Hey I remember you," I snapped my fingers, "Aaryn." She laughed and
nodded. "Were you sitting there watching me?" Aaryn nodded again. "You
chose not to help me because?"
"You're a grown woman, clearly you can help yourself." She said. My tail
raised in irritation, a reaction I was going to have to get used too. "That
and I found it funny. Anyway, I'm here getting apples" She took a bite out
of one for emphasis, "So uh that's what I'm up to. Thought I'd say hey."
"Yeah well hey." I turned to leave but paused. "Uh Aaryn, how long have you
lived in Metamor?"
"Long ass time." She said, coming over beside me. "I got cursed at the
Three Gates, that was fun." We started walking. I noticed she was staring
at me but I ignored it. "I was actually born here."
"And you've lived here your whole life?" She nodded.
"First I chopped down trees. Now I climb them and chop branches." Aaryn
sighed, "I dunno, I like it. I do know you're not here to talk tah me about
this are ya?" I nodded. "What do ya want to know?"
"Well my guardian Nemo signed me up for a patrol thing..." Despite the cold
air my blood began to burn with anger. "Nemo signed me up for a patrol,
said I have no choice."
"Not a bit." Aaryn said, "Everyone in the Keep has to do an amount of
mandatory military service. Going on a patrol is easy and most people are
doing it. Didn't you do it where you came from?"
"Not really." We came to the main square. I started in the direction of the
Deaf Tent. Already my need for a drink was beginning to grow. I pulled the
shawl I had wrapped around my head a little tighter.
The day was cloudless and misty, with a chill that cut into you. The cold
made the dirt ground hard as stone and every glass window fogged from the
heat inside. The streets were a lot emptier here but we passed the
occasional anthro and normal human.
Despite my companion with me my loneliness roared up in me. Mandatory, I
would be going on a mandatory patrol in service to a different county I
didn't know. I turned away from Aaryn to look at the sun. She walked for a
bit before noticing I hadn't followed.
"Hey?" She asked, "Something wrong?" I nodded my head. "Wanna tell me about
it or what?"
"I'm the son of a lord." I said. Before Aaryn could continue I cut her off.
"Lord Leontes of Isenport, of the Sathmore Empire. And I don't like my
father but I love my city."
A few people looked at me as they passed but no one came over. I continued,
"I loved being part of the Empire, even if I didn't...I still don't get
what it means to be the Lord of a city. What I know is though I was a
citizen of the Empire.
"Now I'm doing service for a foreign country. I don't fucking like it here
but Nemo expects me to shut up and deal with it." Aaryn nodded. "You get my
problem?"
"I think so." She said. "I think you're over reacting too. Like, it's just
a patrol; no one is making you swear a vow or anything." I shrugged.
"Still wish someone had asked me." I said. "I got volunteered. Just like at
home, no one cares what I want." I shook my head and rubbed at the scales
around my eyes. For some reason that made me feel better. Aaryn said
something to me. "Wha? Sorry..."
"Jamie?" Aaryn asked, her hand reaching out to stroke my arm. "Something
else bothering you?"
"I don't like it when people don't care about what I want." I said. "It's
been that way my whole life." Aaryn nodded.
"I can get that. Everyone said when I got gendered, I'd have to quit
chopping down trees. I showed them!" She laughed. "Okay, I cut limbs, but
still..." Aaryn trailed off for a second. Then her eyes lit up. "I got
something for you!"
Tied to Aaryn's waste was a small axe, a hatchet. She untied it and handed
it to me. "One thing I learned, you can always use an axe. Axes fix
everything." I recoiled from the splintery wooden handle. She rolled her
eyes. "Don't be a pussy, take it!"
"Sorry, I got a thing about...those. I don't want an axe."
"It's a hatchet asshole. Besides, it'll be helpful, trust me on this."
She's got a point there. Against my better judgement, I reached over and
gingerly took the axe from her. The handle pricked me through my scales.
In hindsight I wonder if that was a warning of things to come. Before my
patrol was over this hatchet would sting very badly. At the time I just
gave Aaryn my fast thanks.
"When you finish, come find me." Aaryn said. "I'll buy you something to eat
and we'll talk about all the crap Misha put you through." I cocked my head.
"Misha is awesome, you'll love him." We'll get to that a little later
I thanked her again and then said my good-byes. I had to get back home.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.integral.org/archives/mkguild/attachments/20160604/9b304328/attachment.html>