How is the run up to Christmas happening for you? I've just moved into Christmas Party season and I feel exhausted already :)
Burgundy mask, snow pantry Tomasz returned with three Byakhee; two with brilliant blue feathers on their chest, a blazon surrounded by the darker reddish green of their main feathers which then lightened to a greenish grey as it reached their wings. The whole thing reminded Lord Derby slightly of a succulent plant; there was a glossiness to the feathers, and a roundness that made him wonder exactly how these bird-creatures had come to be. The third one had a deep burgundy blazon and he asked Tomasz about the meaning. "Male and female," said Tomasz. He handed each of them a tangle of leather straps, that when untangled proved to be a flying mask: thin lenses held in the leather webbing by rubber gaskets to protect the eyes, and a cotton mask that slipped over the nose and mouth. The straps wrapped around the chin and head and made it a little difficult to talk, so Lord Derby copied Tomasz and slipped it on over his head but let it hang around his neck until he was ready to use it. "The males are burgundy, the females are blue. The females are slightly bigger and can fly further, but there were only two of them available. So whoever's lightest flies on Balthazaar over there." The three men looked at each other. "Probably me," said Lord Derby casually, being the least obviously muscled and leanest of the group. "I like the name Balthazaar." Tomasz produced three small cloth bags, the type used by merchants to carry coins. "Biscuits," he said, handing them out. "The pantry didn't have a lot else in it, and it's not like there's all that much to spare. They're dry, so don't eat too many of them. We're short of water too." "Will there be water at the colony?" Samual tied his bag of biscuits onto the saddle of his Byakhee. "They had wells," said Tomasz. "But we've not heard anything from them. They might have run dry, or maybe they'll chase us off and not let us close." "Are there no rivers here?" Samual looked around, though they'd not seen any open water since they'd arrived. "Haven't seen any," said Tomasz. "There's... I think Piotr called it an aquifer? There's a big lake of some kind underneath us here, and when we were mining we had to make sure we were clear of it. And when we first started out and found out how far the Byakhee could fly we saw snow, but we never got close enough to find out more about it. So... no, I guess." "This feels like an old world," said Lord Derby softly. "But... were there never people here? Maybe not all worlds have people." "Something has to have built that Temple," said Tomasz. He frowned. "I don't think you're right though. Why try and colonise an old world? Wouldn't a new one be better?" Lord Derby smiled, and only Samual could see that it was a little bit forced. "You're right," he said, and sounded jovial. "It's very different to ours, isn't it? I shouldn't make assumptions without getting all the evidence first." Five minutes later the Byakhee flapped their wings and lifted effortlessly off into the sky.
Greg - not bad, actually. Got a couple things I need to write but other than that present buying should be done tomorrow. We had the town Christmas party on Friday night (as I think you've probably already figured out) but couldn't stay long because we needed to get the boys to sleep.
Wasn't necessarily bad to have an excuse to leave early, mind you...
I was not expecting you to be able to fit this prompt into Derby's world but I'm terribly glad that you did! I'm eager to see what awaits them at the colony too.
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How is the run up to Christmas happening for you? I've just moved into Christmas Party season and I feel exhausted already :)
Burgundy mask, snow pantry
Tomasz returned with three Byakhee; two with brilliant blue feathers on their chest, a blazon surrounded by the darker reddish green of their main feathers which then lightened to a greenish grey as it reached their wings. The whole thing reminded Lord Derby slightly of a succulent plant; there was a glossiness to the feathers, and a roundness that made him wonder exactly how these bird-creatures had come to be. The third one had a deep burgundy blazon and he asked Tomasz about the meaning.
"Male and female," said Tomasz. He handed each of them a tangle of leather straps, that when untangled proved to be a flying mask: thin lenses held in the leather webbing by rubber gaskets to protect the eyes, and a cotton mask that slipped over the nose and mouth. The straps wrapped around the chin and head and made it a little difficult to talk, so Lord Derby copied Tomasz and slipped it on over his head but let it hang around his neck until he was ready to use it. "The males are burgundy, the females are blue. The females are slightly bigger and can fly further, but there were only two of them available. So whoever's lightest flies on Balthazaar over there." The three men looked at each other.
"Probably me," said Lord Derby casually, being the least obviously muscled and leanest of the group. "I like the name Balthazaar."
Tomasz produced three small cloth bags, the type used by merchants to carry coins. "Biscuits," he said, handing them out. "The pantry didn't have a lot else in it, and it's not like there's all that much to spare. They're dry, so don't eat too many of them. We're short of water too."
"Will there be water at the colony?" Samual tied his bag of biscuits onto the saddle of his Byakhee.
"They had wells," said Tomasz. "But we've not heard anything from them. They might have run dry, or maybe they'll chase us off and not let us close."
"Are there no rivers here?" Samual looked around, though they'd not seen any open water since they'd arrived.
"Haven't seen any," said Tomasz. "There's... I think Piotr called it an aquifer? There's a big lake of some kind underneath us here, and when we were mining we had to make sure we were clear of it. And when we first started out and found out how far the Byakhee could fly we saw snow, but we never got close enough to find out more about it. So... no, I guess."
"This feels like an old world," said Lord Derby softly. "But... were there never people here? Maybe not all worlds have people."
"Something has to have built that Temple," said Tomasz. He frowned. "I don't think you're right though. Why try and colonise an old world? Wouldn't a new one be better?"
Lord Derby smiled, and only Samual could see that it was a little bit forced. "You're right," he said, and sounded jovial. "It's very different to ours, isn't it? I shouldn't make assumptions without getting all the evidence first."
Five minutes later the Byakhee flapped their wings and lifted effortlessly off into the sky.
Greg - not bad, actually. Got a couple things I need to write but other than that present buying should be done tomorrow. We had the town Christmas party on Friday night (as I think you've probably already figured out) but couldn't stay long because we needed to get the boys to sleep.
Wasn't necessarily bad to have an excuse to leave early, mind you...
I was not expecting you to be able to fit this prompt into Derby's world but I'm terribly glad that you did! I'm eager to see what awaits them at the colony too.
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