eXodus
A post Hidden World httyd Roleplay
you cannot hold me captive
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[FINISHED] If You Can't Beat 'Em, You Might As Well Join
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 7:02:07 GMT
Previous Thread
Growing up in a village who's livelihood and culture revolved so heavily around sailing mean that the voyage had been fairly pleasant for the young chief, perhaps more than pleasant given the circumstances. Hiccup was smart enough to know that in some ways he was a prisoner aboard this ship, refusing and escaping had been out of the question, it was him and a small viking ship against a war-queen and a worthy vessel, outmanned and outmatched, cooperating had been the only sensible solution, and he wasn't entirely complaining about that anyway. The quarters he'd been given for the length of the voyage had been pleasant, and he'd been treated with nothing but respect even given his situation and his role in this. He couldn't complain about the hospitality, he only wished more of his captors had learned these lessons, he would take this over being held prisoner by enemies within his own borders any day. The time between the fated meeting and docking had been filled with more questions than he ever remembered asking at any point in his life. Some got answers, vague and detailed, and he couldn't wait to bring some of this back to Berk with him, sure his friends would inevitably be angry at his negligence, but he was sure they would understand, he hadn't had much other choice. Finally though they'd come to rest in Solallen, a city like nothing he'd ever seen before. Much of the last little stretch of time since docking had been spent getting settled to rest before the journey continued, but he'd been given freedom to explore now, and he was more than a little eager to do that. It felt like being a child again, as his father's side while he showed him around the village of another tribe, a nostalgic feeling of wonder and awe, especially as he got a better look at the city, so vastly different from anything he'd seen before. "I've never seen a city like this before, even the largest viking villages have nothing on your guys!" He chuckled, unashamed to admit prowess when he saw it, and he saw a whole bunch of it here.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 4, 2019 7:29:10 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR, TYRO (NPC)]
Ashriji gazed out upon Solallen as the ship slipped into harbor. It was a foggy day - it often was in the Bay of Beasts - and the tingle of the air was cold, though still distinctly warmer than that of the Archipelago. It had been a number of day's sail to the south to reach this point, and Ashriji was personally quite glad to see the land again, even if she'd only be on it for a little bit before embarking again.
Solallen itself was a patchwork city. The docks extended far out into the water, though they bordered the artificial land that had long been created through piles of trash and dirt, for when the nearby hills were being leveled to create more room for buildings, the ground had to go somewhere. The city's many buildings connected with one another without much sense; stonework from the western banners mixed with Viking-style wooden huts and desert-dwelling embroidery. There were a number of people going about their business on the dock, some of whom would stop to salute her or admire her fleet of ships as they came to a complete halt.
At Hiccup's words, she found herself laughing. He'd proven himself to be good company, even if she knew that he was aware of his status as a prisoner of sorts. "No kidding. Solallen is one of the biggest cities in the entire kingdom! It's a cultural melting pot, really, quite the mess." She twirled her spear a little, eager to walk upon dry land again. "We'll be in the city for a day or two while the sailors have time to rest and prepare the river ships with supplies. The desert is a brutal place - I'd reckon that you've never felt heat like it before."
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 7:40:03 GMT
Mess. That was quite an apt descriptor for the city that he was gazing out at as they disembarked and touched down on land. He had to admit he was equally glad to be on solid ground again as well, even coming from a place like Berk Hiccup had never quite gained the sea legs that most other did, and he wouldn't sail if he didn't have to.
He could see the influences of many different cultures on the patchwork city as he got a good look at both the structures and the people milling through them, for the most part foreign to him, but he recognized some touched that reminded him of home, "the proximity to the Archipelago shows a little bit, but I don't recognize a lot of this architecture!" He was quick to admit, glancing over at her with a laugh when she mentioned heat.
"Berk never got warmer than a mild blizzard in a good season, there's a reason we always said it was a few degrees south of Freezing to Death," he rolled his eyes, really New Berk wasn't much better, sure it was marginally warmer, but it was also at such a high altitude that the cold didn't really manage to catch the warmer temperatures. Hiccup glanced over at her and tilted his head, "to be honest, I'm pretty eager to have a look around...I don't even know where to begin!" He couldn't keep the giddiness from his voice, and he wasn't really trying to anyway.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 4, 2019 7:48:54 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR, TYRO (NPC)]
"Well," Ashriji said in a bemused tone, "You'll have to begin somewhere. I've got to stay here and make sure everything runs smoothly, but I know someone who can take you on a bit of a tour through the city if you'd like. If I can find him, that is."
She cupped a hand to her mouth and hollered, "TYRO!"
There was a loud clatter from somewhere down the deck, and a squirrely-looking boy, somewhere in his very late teens, came skittering down the deck. He was tall, lanky, and pale-skinned, with a mousy sort of face and salt-encrusted red hair. He pulled to a stop in front of Ashriji, holding a foul-smelling bucket.
"Y-yes, my queen?" he asked. He was practically shaking, though from excitement or fear was anybody's guess.
"Think you could take our friend Hiccup here out into the city for today?" Ashriji asked. The boy nodded vigorously.
"Of course!" he chirruped. He set the bucket down and extended a hand towards Hiccup in greeting. "M-my name's Tyro," he started.
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 8:06:20 GMT
Hiccup nodded in understanding when she said she would stay behind to watch things, "understandable, I appreciate the guide though, I'd most likely get myself lost," he admitted, his sense of direction was fairly decent in the air, but by land he suffered from a terrible lack of it. He cringed a little at the sound of loud clattering, before the aforementioned guide found his way to him.
The boy looked more like a squirrel than a person, which was kind of a funny thought to Hiccup as he regarded him. He chuckled and took his hand in a firm shake with a friendly grin, "Tyro, nice to meet you," he chuckled, finding the boy to be fairly endearing, if not a little wiry and strange.
"Where do you suggest we start?" He asked the question with genuine curiosity, he was eager to see what someone who probably knew the area thought was important or interesting, you always got a more honest look at any new place when you saw it through the scope of a local, he felt, "are you a local here? I doubt she'd of put me in your hands if you didn't know the city well!" He chuckled, speaking aside as he got a good look around, he half wished he had his riders here with him, "Fishlegs would lose his mind over this place," he said with a bemused smirk, before turning his attention back to his squirrely guide, "well lead the way then, I'm eager to get another's perspective on these lands!"
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Post by muse42 on Mar 4, 2019 8:25:47 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR, TYRO (NPC)]
Tyro's hand was shaky and oddly sweaty, and he seemed to relax slightly as he pulled it away. "W-well," he began, wringing his hands together, "I guess we could begin near the m-market district? They've got some good food, and I k-know how to spot a good cook when I see one. I am one." He puffed out his chest a little before sinking back into his hunched-over stance.
He gestured rapidly for Hiccup to follow, then scurried down the gangplank and onto the dock. "I've g-grown up in this city, so I guess you could s-say I'm a local," he said. He had a slight skip in his step, and had to force himself to slow down his pace to match Hiccup's awkward, prosthetic-hampered gait. "Y-you hungry?"
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 8:34:25 GMT
If Hiccup noticed how unpleasantly sweaty the boy's hand was, he kept any indication of it to himself, eyes brightening a little when he disclosed that he was the cook, "oh yeah? Bet you could teach Astrid a thing or two," he laughed and rolled his eyes, "by Thor she tries, but she's more dangerous to us then dragon hunters with her cooking," another good humored laugh as he followed Tyro down the gangplank, careful not to lose his footing on the awkward incline or get stuck along the way, that was an embarrassment he didn't need.
Once they were on the solid ground of the docks, Hiccup's pace improved at least a little bit more, and he took the chance to look around and get a scope of all the various styles and makes of ships at port. He recognized some that had clearly sailed from his own waters, though the banners were foreign to him, having not had a proper chance to meet the surrounding villages yet.
"I'm in capable hands then!" he grinned, glad that the boy seemed to be confident of where they were going, even though he was already getting somewhat distracted by everything as they walked, "hm? Food...Yeah! Yeah I think food sounds good!" He finally turned his attention back on where they were going, but that didn't stop his eyes from wandering to everything and everyone, causing him to trail here and there as he followed Tyro closely for the moment.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 4, 2019 8:47:45 GMT
[TYRO (NPC)]
"A-all right!" Tyro said. He skipped ahead, down the rickety hodgepodge of planks that dared to call themselves docks. Every few seconds, he'd pause and turn around to make sure Hiccup was still following.
They exited the docks quickly. The scenery transitioned from low-lying boardwalks to tall, hodgepodge buildings with a jarring quickness, and though the city looked large and open from afar, its streets were nothing if not claustrophobic. In the height of the day, they were packed with people of all colors, moving about lugging goods or bartering at storefronts. The air was filled with too many smells to name - sea salt, spices, wet clay, candlewax, and cooking meat, to name a few - and the sky was partially blotted out by a number of clotheslines and cloth overhangs, which created a blotchy pattern of sunlight upon the cobbles reminiscent of the way a forest tore at the sun.
When they got further, Tyro slackened his pace and made sure to walk along Hiccup's side. The blending of cultures spoke to the boy of home, and it was excitingly clear to him how interested Hiccup was towards all of this.
"S-see anything that catches your eye?" Tyro asked. They had entered a small plaza with a number of vendors selling everything from food to jewelry to scarves.
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 9:01:35 GMT
It was almost jarring how quickly the air around him was stifled from open and breathing to heavy with the heat of so many people milling around in one place. He didn't hate it though, he felt like given his track record so many people should make him uncomfortable, but he supposed excitement was drowning out any anxiety he might of felt to be so vastly outnumbered. He found himself trailing behind his guide with wide eyes as he looked above and around with awe, it was probably normal to him, but to Hiccup it was a whole other world.
"This is amazing, I've never seen so many...So many things and people in one place!" He laughed, unable to help the giddy tremble in his voice as his heart fluttered with excitement, "it reminds me a lot of Berk before we had to move, chaos contained, but bigger," he commented, before all the smells caught his attention.
"What is that smell? Burns my nose a bit, smells good though," he seemed to turn from their course after a moment, following his nose with the assumption that his guide would follow, "what isn't catching my eye," he looked over at the boy with a challenging grin, "you're a cook, and I'm adventurous, so what do you suggest? Because I could stand here all day suffering from indecisiveness," he laughed, clearly well meaning and completely forgetting his prisoner predicament for the moment.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 4, 2019 9:11:39 GMT
[TYRO (NPC)]
Tyro laughed alongside him, his anxiety lessening a little. He was always twitchy around new people.
"A-all right, your funeral," he said. He took a few deep sniffs of the nearby air, then turned in the direction of a vendor who was cooking skewers of meat in clay pots. He pointed at it, and stated, "T-tandoori. I b-bet you've never had something that spicy before."
Before Hiccup had a chance to respond, he marched straight up to the vendor and exchanged a few coins in the blink of an eye. He walked back with a few wooden skewers, covered in juicy orange-black meat whose runoff stained his fingers. He pushed one into Hiccup's hand.
"T-try it, but don't say I d-didn't warn you," he joked.
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 9:34:05 GMT
Hiccup grinned at the boy, glad to see that he was starting to at least feel more comfortable, he was an endearing kid and the last thing Hiccup wanted was for him to spend the day terrified of him. He tilted his head, "you'd be surprised the kind of heat I can handle," he shot back with a smirk, though it was true he hadn't ever had much contact with legitimately spicy food, you didn't find things like that around his neck of the woods, he was eager to see what Tyro had to offer on that front.
Before he could confirm that he'd never even heard of Tandoori, Tyro was off and back before he had time to blink, he could hear the sizzle of the still very hot meat that was giving off a smell that was both heavenly, but also burned his nostrils, "well if it tastes as good as it smells," he laughed, before taking a very ill thought out bite, pulling away with a yelp of pain, "HOT! Hot hot hot, wow okay Hiccup be patient next time!" he fanned at his mouth with teary eyes and laughed, giving the meat a moment to cool enough that he could take a proper bite.
It didn't hit him right away, but it was clear by the watery eyes when the spice caught up to him, he chuckled and looked pleased as he continued to chow down, "ugh! It's about time someone in the world learned how to make spicy food!" He laughed, "you've sold me on the food for sure, this is better than anything I've had back home!" he sniffled between words as his nose ran from the heat, but it was an entirely pleasing experience overall, the kind of mouth burn that he absolutely didn't know how he'd ever lived without it, "thanks, knew I could trust your judgement!"
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Post by muse42 on Mar 5, 2019 3:21:59 GMT
[TYRO (NPC)]
Tyro laughed - a sort of high-pitched, rapid-fire laugh that sounded much more jittery than he meant it to be. Hiccup's face was admittedly pretty hilarious. He'd truly never been subjected to anything remotely like real spice before, and he was paying the price.
"G-glad I could be of service," he said. He snacked a little on his own food, wiping away the bit of runoff that dribbled from his nose as the spice kicked in. "Just b-be warned that the spices can stain your s-skin. You might have orange fingers for a bit."
He thought on Hiccup's words for a second, and added, "S-shame you've never had anything like this back at your home. I've been t-told that some Vikings eat rocks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Archipelago is a c-crime against good food."
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 5, 2019 3:32:00 GMT
Rather than look offended or put off by the fact that the boy was very clearly laughing at him, Hiccup instead couldn't help but laugh himself. The sound was rather infectious and catching, and he was pretty sure he probably looked pretty silly. It was kind of nice in hindsight, getting to just be a normal person, he didn't have to behave like a chief here, which was more than he could say back home.
"That's alright," He laughed and wiggled the fingers of his free hand, "gloves," he grinned and looked amused, before going quiet for a moment as he busied himself with eating. He could pretty safely say that his homeland was missing out, though he wasn't entirely sure how any of his friends would appreciate the spiciness of this.
Tyro's comment made him laugh though, and he rose a brow, looking incredibly amused, "you know on principal I want to object, but I've seen Snotlout put pretty questionable things in his mouth..." He smirked, then chuckled, "we don't really tend to get trade ships with these kind of spices in our parts, I might have to change that though," he said idly, finishing off the chicken with a relatively satisfied burp.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 5, 2019 3:43:21 GMT
[TYRO (NPC)]
"O-oh. Right," Tyro realized, previously oblivious to the fact that Hiccup was wearing gloves. Now that he took a moment to stop and observe the young chieftan, he found the clothing to be particularly odd. Hiccup was wearing a sort of scale-armor, covering all but his head, that reminded him quite a bit of the Southern scales studded into Ashriji's gauntlets and boots.
"Are those... dragon scales?" he asked. He finished his food and stepped a little closer to investigate, admiring the scale's sheen and polish. "A-ashriji uses Akkris's shed scales in her armor. I h-had to clean up the mess sometimes... I'm still surprised at how much dragons shed."
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 5, 2019 3:59:35 GMT
Hiccup hasn't left Berk wearing this, he'd wanted to, to make an impression on the other chieftains and remind them that Berk was not a force to be reckoned with, even broken and supposedly defeated. Astrid's logic had almost won out in the end, but he'd never been good at listening to anyone, and somewhere between leaving and landing on Hobblegrunt island, he'd changed back into his armor, he realized now he didn't actually have normal clothes to wear if he wanted, but he hadn't exactly forseen himself getting picked up.
"Yeah, night furies do seem to shed a lot more than other species," he chuckled, not even entirely realizing what he'd said fully, he looked over the scales that studded his armor, "it made raiding hunter ships easier, less danger from getting burned, it also seems to keep its resistance to lightning," he mused, it was an unintended side effect he'd learned of on the fly, quite literally, "Toothless is an amazing dragon...Gotta admit I do miss him," he said this idly unable to help the fond sort of longing he felt. But him not being here was for the best, he didn't know what anyone here might do to a dragon like him.
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