Country Commerce

[Mishka Larraq]

Mishka busied herself with shaping and sharpening the edge of the latest beskad blade to be made from the Larraq family forge. A heavy hand-and-a-half blade, Mishka worked a wetstone along the edge of the blade as she prepared it for its final treatment. Once she was done it with, it would receive a chemical bath and an electric charge to fully seal the blade against the effects of the elements and enhance the existing energy resistance of the metal.

"Vi ganar yaimi o'r besbe'trayce yamika." Mishka's mother said as her blonde hair and green eyes appeared in the doorway. "Aruetii. Jorhaa'ir kaysh copad kad."

"Cuy'ni ori'noryc olar." Mishka's grandfather said as he brought his hammer down upon a yellow-white chunk of beskar. "Slanar haa'taylir cuun bui'tsad par ni."

Mishka finished her current stroke of stone upon the edge of the blade before setting both down on a workbench. "Ni suvarir meg vi gotal'ur par aliit?" Mishka said with earnest curiosity. "Meg ni jorhaa'ir at kaysh?"

"Am'ibac bat meg kaysh copad." Her grandfather said as he flipped over the glowing chunk of metal and began hammering the other side. "Bal meg kaysh waadare. Slanar haa'taylir at bic."


Mandoa Translation

Spoiler

"We've a guest in the storeroom."
"Vi ganar yaimi o'r besbe'trayce yamika."
"Someone from out of town. Says he wants a blade."
"Aruetii. Jorhaa'ir kaysh copad kad."

"I'm busy here."
"Cuy'ni ori'noryc olar."
"Go see to our guests for me."
"Slanar haa'taylir cuun bui'tsad par ni."

"I thought what we made was for the family?"
"Ni suvarir meg vi gotal'ur par aliit?"
"What should I tell him?"
"Meg ni jorhaa'ir at kaysh?"

"Depends on what he wants."
"Am'ibac bat meg kaysh copad."
"And what he offers. Go see to it."
"Bal meg kaysh waadare. Slanar haa'taylir at bic."

 

[Mishka Larraq]

"Elek ba'buir." Mishka said as she brushed the grit from her dress. It was a short walk to the storeroom. The Larraq family kept a wide range of tools and weapons on display. They were mainly for use by the clan, though they sometimes traded a few of their creations with people neighboring farmsteads.

What was kept in the room though... was not only beskar. As she left the forge, she plucked what looked like an armored welder's mask with a T-shaped visor from the wall and carried it with her to the storeroom. Before she entered, Mishka took a deep breath and adorned the Force Mask, greatly dampening her connection with the Manda and the world around her.

But also protecting her from what lay within.

"Su cuy'gar." Mishka said with a smile that was hidden by the mask. In the room, was indeed a stranger. His gaze held by one of the Chaab'kad weapons that lined the wall alongside Beskar and Mandalorian Steel weaponry. "Meg kad jor'chaajire gar chaaj'yc at olar?"

Mandoa Translation

Spoiler

"Yes grandfather."
"Elek ba'buir."

"Welcome."
"Su cuy'gar."
"What kind of blade brought you all the way out here?"
"Meg kad jor'chaajire gar chaaj'yc at olar?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

It crept up on him.

The feeling of dread was all encompassing the moment the doors shut behind him. It was mesmerizing, it was fulfilling and if Tai Fa had been an animal of fear, he would have stayed here his entire life and gorge himself on the feelings radiating. Yet, fear was not his friend and neither was it his master. While waiting for the attendant to join him in study of the armory on display, Lord Fa closed his eyes briefly and centered himself within his self.

Ancient Thirriken proverbs started to scroll past his eye.

The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is empty. The cup is most useful when it is emp-

The Thirriken looked up from his concentration. Eyes intensified for a moment at the sight of the Force Mask- yes, that was most definitely the prudent course of action.

Eyes looked up and down the form of [member="Mishka Larraq"], before giving a nod with his beak. This might have been a sign of respect, a greeting or perhaps a nod of acceptance towards something he had thought. The expression of the little peacock was difficult, if not impossible to read.

"What I need right now?​

Would be something fast and light.​

Dance within my grasp."​

​

Lord Fa spoke thoughtfully, yet fluently in Mando'a. He did not wear the Mandalorian armor, nor completely abided by their resol'nare, yet was intimately aware of it all. Born to a rich family within the Guardian Reach, his father had been on speaking terms with the Alor of Clan Rekali.​

​

No, Mando'a was not an issue for this peacock.​

​

"Much good I have heard.​

They speak highly of your wares.​

I have faith in this."​

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Tai Fa"]

<Why is there a bird in here.> Was the first thought to enter Mishka's head before the creature began to speak. <It can talk. The bird's a person.> was the second.

The haiku didn't quite translate to Mandoa as well as the stranger had, apparently, intended. Were her face not covered by the Force Mask, the surprise and confusion over the creature's words would have been very apparent. "Gar duumir dar'tigaanur ni bal gar duumir dar'redalur ti ni." She said to the bird as she stood by the door and planted her hands on her hips. Even through the Force Mask, she could already feel the tingle of fear radiating from all around her. The emotions of the numerous Soul-Steel swords lining the walls were... oppressive. While this might, at worst, result in a minor anxiety attack or some sort of depressive feeling for most... for a force sensitive... it was overwhelming.

The apparent calm of the creature told Mishka that it was probably not a force user or a Sith. Granted... it was a bird. And she couldn't exactly read its facial features very well.

"Vi dar'vaabir nu'amyc din'waadar at aruetii." Mishka said as he gaze drifted from the bird-person to the numerous glowing and not-glowing swords, axes, pikes, and other weapons that lined the walls like a medieval armory. "A vi ru'lis ganar kebise... kih" She added as she glanced around the room from one likely weapon to the next.

"Gebbar-chaaj ra chaaj'yc-chaaj?" She asked as she tried to figure out if the bird was looking for a long dagger, short sword, thin rapier, or maybe a short spear.



Mandoa Translation

Spoiler

"Gar duumir dar'tigaanur ni bal gar duumir dar'redalur ti ni."
"You may not touch me and you may not dance with me."

"Vi dar'vaabir nu'amyc din'waadar at aruetii."
"We don't normally sell to outsiders."

"A vi ru'lis ganar kebise... kih"
"But we might have something... your size."

"Gebbar-chaaj ra chaaj'yc-chaaj?"
"Close-range or far-range?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

The sweet, tender cadence of words filled the backdrop of his mind and embraced him in peace.

No, while he remembered the wisdom of his forefathers, Tai Fa had nothing to fear from the soul-shards echoing memories at him from days of destruction. He listened patiently at [member="Mishka Larraq"]'s retort and then suppressed a squeak. It was clear that this farm girl had difficulty translating his verses towards a more basic interpretation of the Mando'a she knew.

Yet, it mattered little, because before the Thirriken's eyes was decades of work. Swords, spears and glaives, hammers and maces more. There was everything and anything a warrior might need in his pursuit of killing.

This softened his regard for the girl at the least.

The words may not have been her ally, but clearly her family knew how to work with their hands. Not the master, then, but a valuable asset regardless and that was okay as far as Fa was concerned.

Servants had a place in this Galaxy.

"Light, it still must be.

The Thirriken repeated for good measure.

Strong, unyielding, dancing fast.
Close, I come, for death."​

​

Then he clarified his stance. Why was it important to be close, when you took the kill, why not take the easy way out and kill them from afar. Because the Sith had the responsibility to take the responsibility of his action. To see them as they saw him, to feel the last breath taken out and the flame extinguished as the fiery resolve weakened.​

​

"To see their eyes, yes.
To know the burden of weight.
To feel the loss, hmm."​

 

[Mishka Larraq]

(phone post, will do Mandoa translation later)

<Ooooohkay.> Mishka thought to herself as she listened to the creepy little bird. <Light and quick rules out Mandalorian Iron. Strong and unyielding rules out Mandalorian Steel. Shiny stuff it is.> She thought as she turned about the room, hands still on hips, and regarded the weapons arranged along the walls.

"This could work." She said out loud as she moved to pluck a glowing blue gladiolus from the wall. A hairs breath from touching the blade, she thought better of it and paused. A quick glance about the tables of the room and Mishka located what she needed. A swath of Terentatek leather rested on the table between herself and the bird. Plucking it up, Mishka used the leather like an oven mitt as she gently lifted the sword by the blade and placed it, very gently, on the table in front of him... Or her. Mishka had no idea what gender the bird was. Judging by the bright feathers and what she knew of the birds on Mandalore, it was probably male.

"Careful with this.". She said with a nod towards the blade. "Strike it or even jar it too roughly and it will discharge."

Turning from the table, Mishka plucked another sword from the wall and placed it next to the gladius. This one was curved with a fat blade and carried an orange glow. The next was a similar sword with a thin-curved blade and a yellow glow. Followed by an orange one-sided axe that she doubted the bird would like, and a set of three throwing daggers, one of each color.

"Any of these feel right to you?" She asked and took a step back as the bird began to touch them.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

For the moment the Thirriken resisted the urge to stroke the blades with his plumage.

Instead he simply watched, intently going from corner to corner, edge to edge, back and forth. It had to feel right, yet, none of these felt particularly like the weapon that he was looking for. Except... except those throwing knives, the moment Tai's eyes caught the reflection of them, something bubbled up at the end of his beak.

Hrrrrrm.

The cup is most useful... when it's empty.​

​

Tai Fa nodded to himself and then his wing fluttered over the couple of throwing knives. They disappeared from the table, but stayed patiently within his solid grasp. A frown -- if it could be called that -- appeared and disappeared as the whispers of the echoing past solidified even more.​

​

Difficult, very difficult, and still... they felt good.​

​

What was more, the longer they were in his wing and the more he focused on that tune through the adverbs whispered?​

​

The more he liked them.​

​

"A good beginning.​

Yet, more is necessary.​

Long, thin and sharp, yes.​

​

A needle that sticks.​

Which dances and disappears.​

The shadow pierces."​

​

From the folds of his robe the Thirriken revealed something else.​

​

It was an alchemized hilt, he put it gently on the table, their eyes met and once again that wing wove over the wooden slab.​

​

A soft chink sounded and suddenly there was no hilt, but a blade. A long one with an even longer hilt.​

​

This was what he needed, but better.​

 

[Mishka Larraq]

(more phone posting. Will do Mandoa edits later)

Mishka watched the bird flick a wing over the table, the throwing daggers disappearing somewhere among the flash of feathers. Apparently, there were some sort of fingers hiding in the appendage. While Mishka wasn't particularly interested in the creature's biology, and really should have expected some sort of 'hand like' capabilities from it, it still seemed odd to think of a bird as having hands. And with how fast the thing could move, Mishka would have to keep track of what the bird was or wasn't picking up.

There would be no Link thievery here today.

<Long, thin, and sharp... > Mishka translated and repeated silently, still not entirely used to the way the bird-man spoke. <Dances and disappears.... Soo... something stabby that is easy to hide? Why the kark cant he just say that?>

Mishka watched as the handle all but instantly expanded into the shaft of a short-spear, the blade somehow magically appearing from somewhere within the handle in spite of the vast difference between the final length and width of the blade and the diameter of the shaft itself.

<How the kark?> Was the thought that danced through Mishka's head as she stared in shock at the weapon, dumbfounded by whatever trickery she had just witnessed. Being unfamiliar with alchemy or other dar'jetii creations, Mishka was mesmerized by what she had just witnessed. She knew that their creations were capable of performing many tricks, tricks similar to what was capable with Soul-Steel. But this? This was entirely new.

"You want this?" Mishka asked, picking up the gladius with the swath of leather, "Made like this?"

Mishka stared at the magical, expanding spear for a moment with a furrowed brow hidden behind the Force Mask that covered her face. She had never seen such a thing before, nor had she ever heard of it. "We can't make like this." Mishka said as she pointed at the blade. "But we can cut." She said as she pointed to the place where the blade met the shaft. "And forge." She finished as she laid the gladius on top of the oversized spearhead.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Fa listened patiently to the girl's attempt to communicate with him.

It was amusing, slightly, yet it was important to pay attention to what was being said. Apparently they had never known or experienced the pleasure of Echani Molecular Compression -- perhaps it had been too much to expect, but that was a discussion for another time, instead he pondered about the other option.

Clearly Tai was unwilling to destroy this blade of his, to refit it with what [member="Mishka Larraq"] had to offer, but acquiring another set like this one wouldn't be a great issue.

It would take money, yes, but money... if it was a sound investment?

No, money could be burned for that.

"I can find a twin.​

This one is special to me.​

To destroy it... no."​

​

His hand brushed the metal gently and behind his eyes he suddenly heard the wail of hundreds of thousands of souls in torment. A frown appeared gently, his beak dipping just slightly in thought.​

​

"How peculiar, hmm.​

Powerful, this metal is.​

Where is it from, crafter?"​

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Tai Fa"]

"Olaror norac tion'tuur gar ganar bic, bal vi kelir gotal gar mayen." Mishka said as she began to return the blades that the bird had shown no interest in. Mentally, she noted that the bird had yet to return the three throwing daggers that he had palmed. She also noted that he had not brought up the subject of how he would be paying for them. Instead, he asked about their origin.

"Ibac cuyir ranov'la." Mishka said honestly. It was taboo for a Mando'ad to reveal the nature of their work to outsiders. "A meh gar yaimpar ti waadas, Ni kelir dinuir din'kartay par din'kartay." Mishka said as she gestured towards the expanding and retracting spear. Mishka had very little knowledge of alchemy or the wider arts of metalwork from elsewhere in the galaxy. A shortcoming that she was very interested in overcoming.

In the meantime...

Mishka motioned for the bird to return the daggers he had palmed.

Mandoa Translation

Spoiler

"Olaror norac tion'tuur gar ganar bic, bal vi kelir gotal gar mayen."
"Well, come back when you have it, and we'll make you something."

"Ibac cuyir ranov'la."
"That's a secret."

"A meh gar yaimpar ti waadas, Ni kelir dinuir din'kartay par din'kartay."
"But if you return with payment, I will trade information for information."