( NPC LOG ) WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

[kathashun]

𝚔𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚞𝚗
𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛
𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝
𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚡
𝚠𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚕𝚍
𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚕 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚑𝚊.

[ kathashun, throughout the duration of your stay in el minha, can be found in a plethora of locations in the city. whether he approaches you is a luck of the odds, apparently . . . but if you approach him, he certainly won't turn you away.

additionally, it may also be hard to spot him, because while he is very easy to place near the palace, in his deep purple robes and constant crown guard presence, he is not so easy to place elsewhere . . . mostly because, for the sake of some amount of privacy, he ditches the royal colors and instead wanders around in a loose outfit with a white linen hooded cloak, much like the rest of his people, to blend in.

some opportunities to see him, though (and some information to gather, should you ask the guard), are as follows: ]

( A ) The Palace:

[ king kathashun does not allow people inside the royal palace. should you ask the crown guard why, they will explain (in terse terms, as the king has instructed the guard to answer questions reasonably) that the late king was murdered, and security is on high alert. no one is allowed inside the palace without express written permission from king kathashun himself, and if you don't have that? piss off.

however, king kathashun can be found on the grounds (with constant guard presence). conversations here will likely be short, as the guard is protective and unwilling to allow you too close to the king. after a few minutes or so, they will likely tell you to fuck off. but you're welcome to try! ]

( B ) The Fight Ring:

[ should you wander to the fight ring, you can find kathashun dressed in (still nice, but not super nice) linens with a cloak, watching the fighting and sparring below. he seems to be scanning the crowd with his eyes, and should you approach him, he will happily speak with you. but he may also approach you first, with a knowing smile, and a finger to his lips, should you recognize him. his hood is still up, but quietly: ]

Are you here to challenge the Champion?

[ judging from the look in his eyes, kathashun seems 100% prepared to encourage your entrance into the contest, but who knows? you might be misreading him. ]

(C) The Casino/Syndicate Territory:

[ the one place you will not find kathashun is the casino, due to the rampant syndicate presence here, and the current war between the two.

that being said, you may find a man wandering through the streets in syndicate territory asking people of their needs. he is dressed in dark clothing, atypical for the desert heat, but doesn't seem to be bothered by the sun. instead, he is asking the citizens questions.

do they have enough food? what do you want the crown to provide more of? are you safe here?

and should you approach this man, he appears to be in his late-forties, but he won't be interested in speaking with you. ]

Later, later, enough --

[ absent dismissals when you approach him, and he brushes past you, heading down a nearby alley.

do you want to follow him? ]

Comments

[kathashun]

[ the man does not reappear from the alley . . . nor does there seem to be anyone in the alley at all. should eliza explore around or ask about, she'll find that the man hasn't been seen around in the local area. but it's on her sixth or seventh chalk eye that a voice seems to appear from a nearby stall -- rough, husky, matching the voice of hte older man she had seen before: ]

Vandalism is a crime, in El Minha.

[ . . the man doesn't seem to mind, as he crosses his arms, shoulder resting against a cool clay wall. ]

[bowtiedbones]

Good thing I'm using chalk then, isn't it?

[DRAWS ANOTHER EYE, two eyes, this one is a smiley face]

[kathashun]

I can see that.

[ in the driest of tones, as he watches eliza draw another eye. ]

What is the purpose of drawing them, other than to vandalize the city?

[bowtiedbones]

You can erase them, if you dislike them that much.

[kathashun]

[ and, just like that, there is a wave of the man's hand, and a spark of golden energy from his fingertips. a brief gust of wind whistles by that blows the chalk away without a care in the world. ]

What do they do?

[bowtiedbones]

[she crosses her arms, huffing. show-off.]

They tell the weather. If the chalk blows off, it's windy. If the chalk washes off, it's rainy.

[kathashun]

[ there's a slight arch of his eyebrows, folding his arms over his chest. ]

Something tells me you're lying, but giving you the benefit of the doubt -- couldn't you just look outside, and get the same result? Seems like a waste of magic.

[bowtiedbones]

Who said anything about magic? Haven't you ever heard of a weather stone?

[kathashun]

[ there's another brief silence, at that, and the man purses his lips, clearly not amused at the question before he glances back toward the wall. ]

You should take more care, in this territory. Such behavior wouldn't be welcomed, by other people.

[ seemingly ignoring her question, and he moves to step past her. ]

And spying is not welcome, either.

[bowtiedbones]

Says the guy skulking around the same area. Yeah, okay.

[she is Unimpressed, stranger]

[kathashun]

I live here; you do not.

[ quite pointedly, as he moves to walk back up the street, seemingly leaving her behind. ]

That is the only warning you will get, here. This is not your world; not everyone is so kind to backtalk.

[bowtiedbones]

[gives him a limp-wristed half-wave, b y e]

Locality is a free pass for talking down to people, right, got it. Thanks for the tip.