( 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

[theminotaur]

[ softly, as if conspiring: ]

Don't let his unassuming looks deceive you. Now he knows what you smell like he'll be following you around for the rest of your life, waiting to be pet. [ her hands lift, curling into small fists and tucking under her chin, eyelashes fluttering sweetly for a moment. it's very clearly the human equivalent of "pet me".

winston wags his tail. ]

Are you supposed to be here?

[ is she aladdin to his jasmine????????? ]

[kathashun]

Officially, no, I'm not to leave the palace due to security concerns.

[ mildly enough, as he scratches underneath winston's chin, amused. ]

Unofficially, no one is going to argue with the King. I am here to seek someone out, and they will not come to the Palace, so I must come here.

[theminotaur]

[ surely a king is due some sort of deference but he's petting her dog and there is nothing particularly imposing about him when they're face to face. he can't be much other than her, either. a few years, maybe, one of will's college students. ]

Do you have a secret lover you're not allowed to marry because they're a commoner?

[ if he asked her to stop asking questions, she would. but he hasn't. ]

[kathashun]

[ there's a sudden pause, at petting the dog, before he looks back up at abigail, startled by the direct question. and while kathashun, thusfar, has proved himself to be a mild-mannered, relatively serious young adult, there is definitely a widening of the eyes, at the question, and a particular red tinge to his cheeks. ]

Wha -- I . . . there is no -- no.

[ ABIGAIL!!! ]

My marriage is to be arranged when -- that is besides the point. [ he is now furiously petting this dog in order to remain distracted. ] I am simply here to talk to someone who is being too stubborn to come to the palace, so I must come here. He -- no.

[ WINSTON DO YOU LIKE ALL OF THESE PETS ]

That is all.

[theminotaur]

[ so far this is the highlight of winston's day and that includes abigail letting him chase a desert squirrel. his tail is wagging with absolute delight and abigail was half joking when she said the dog would stalk the king but now she's not so sure. ]

He's just a stubborn friend, then, [ abigail reasons, even if just a friend will always sound a little fake to millennial ears. biz markie plays softly in the distance. ] I had one of those.

[ she fiddles with her scarf idly because it feels like it would be weird to also pet the dog. ]

[kathashun]

[ he seems to relax, at the change of subject, because l o r d t. and kathashun squishes winston's face a little bit in amusement, and he exhales in a laugh. ]

Yes, he is that. Stubborn, anyway.

[ he pauses. ]

Is your friend here, by chance? With your -- Circle, is that what you all have been calling it?

[theminotaur]

Circle, yeah. I don't call it that, I don't really call it anything, but I guess that is what we're called.

[ is she ignoring talking about her friend? yes. look she doesn't want to ruin the casual conversation with marissa "oh, she was murdered by one of my self-appointed caregivers" schurr. ]

[kathashun]

It sounds a little . . . old.

[ delicately enough, and he finally stops patting at winston to give abigail his full attention. ]

The ancient mages had organizations called circles, but they haven't existed for centuries.

[theminotaur]

Like witches. [ abigail hobbs, same name as a girl accused during the hysteria in salem town. she's googled her own name, who hasn't? ]

Magic is just in fairy tales in Bloomington, it's not real.

[ there's something of a learning curve, but at least abigail's own ability seems to come easier the more she uses it. apropos of seemingly nothing, abigail crouches down to pluck up a piece of hay from the ground, gesturing toward the king's hand. ]

May I?