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Also, you are not expected to work on an empty stomach. You are free to leave to go down to McBurger and get a taco if you want to. Sometimes Pops gets hungry and makes sandwiches or stews for both of you. You have some interesting conversations about woodworking.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Fri 18 Nov 2016.

I'm glad to take off my watch.  In a lot of ways, I try to ignore time when I can.  So that is a small bit of cheer in my life.  As the days go on, I do suspect that I am working a bit longer, and that's good news too.  But my sleep is still in the seven to nine hour range.

I learn the lathe and other tools, but for now, I prefer the carving knife.  I start trying some fancy designs, and whether they work or not, I keep on.  The failures I offer for the cost of the wood if Pops is okay with that, seeing as even poor folk need a stick, even if its ugly.

I shake my head at the idea of weapons.  I find myself happy to embrace peace, and this world seems to have much of that, which I like.  However, I sigh to myself, and began setting aside a little time to practise with my weapons.  The worlds being what they are, there is always  some evil or thug about somewhere.

OOC: Personally, I'm a bit more peaceful than I have been before.  I have a greater reluctance to start a war, and that bleeds into my writing, I guess.  Probably not all that peaceful.

The hotel still has not asked you to leave. That party that you showed up with is still here. You run into them sometimes. They ask if you want to hang out.

The hotel is still not full. You are paying for utilities.

You keep working. Sometimes you work an entire shift and Pops never shows. He's sleeping or he's doing something else. But whenever you and he are there together, he's always still working when you leave. If he's there when you arrive, or if he arrives after you. You always leave first.

But then one shift, the unthinkable happens. You both arrive at roughly the same time. You work and you work. He makes soup and sandwiches. You work.

Then Pops passes out. When you go to him to make sure he's okay, he looks at you with a tired face and says:

"Man, I can't keep up with you anymore. How do you do it?"

It seems he was pushing himself beyond his limits to not appear weak to you. He was often working exhausted and praying for you to leave so he could sack out.



He's not okay with that. You still worked on it. You put your energy into it. You don't sell it for wood cost. But you do let him set the cost. He knows how to dicker with these folks. You still make a few coins from them.



A walker shows up to buy a staff from you. He's not got much money and he offers to teach you to fight with them in exchange for one. Pops says it's okay with him if you just pay him for the wood.



OOC) Better a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war eh?

(Doing Therapy)

I'll take the walker up on the deal, and nod in agreement with Pop about both points.

I like quarterstaffs so this could be fun, of course my knuckles may not like this.

So Pops decides to sack out. He's done trying to impress you. You've got free reign on his shoppe.



Are you using your Order staff or one that you made?

Either way, the walker is just passing through. He wanted a good stick before he went any further. Thus he can only give you one lesson. He's really good at it though and he teaches you well. He can go until you get tired.

1@2 quarterstaff, or +1 to your Order staff. Whichever you pick.

I consider using my Order staff, but this world is so Chaotic that I'm not sure thats a good idea.  So, I go with my regular staff, cross-blocking, doing side strikes....keeping in mind that the sphere of attack is a sphere or at least a half sphere.  Go for a side strike, and then a snap at the down at the calf, and then reverse and hit the other side high, and then bang my stick into his to force him back a step, and off balance, and keep on...

I don't know what's going to get thru, but my steady attack, and variety is going to get something thru, I hope.  Meanwhile try to defend and then as soon as possible go back to attack.

The guy is really good. You can tell he's taking it easy on you. He teaches you some defenses and attacks. You train for a long time. He gets tired.

When you are ready to finish, he shakes your hand. No spitting though (haha!!) and tells you if he's ever back this way, he'll stop in and check on you. Perhaps train you some more.

1@2 quarterstaff.

Shower, food, and bed.

I don't remember hitting the bed.  Next morning, I wake up sore, and do some gentle stretches to get the muscles complaints down to a low moan.  I spend a couple of hours at a park with a notebook I bought, sketching ideas, and most particularly cool walking staff designs if I see one.  The sketches are more informative than pretty.

GE 18

Whilst at the park, you run into the guy you showed up with here. The guy that was leading the walker party. He approaches you jovially enough. Asks how you're doing and what you're working on.

When you show him the staffs, he asks if you can make him one. He walks a lot. He planning to hit the road again. Maybe a couple more sleep cycles. It's never really a good idea to stay in one place.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 34):

"Be glad to man."  I ask him what, if any ideas he has for his staff, and then when I go back to work, I set to on this staff.  I try to put some extra effort into it, which might end up biting me if I overthink things, but hopefully will end up with a really nice staff.

He wants to know if you can put "Like, a large, bulbous statue at one end of it maan."

You get the feeling he wants something with which he could beat someone. But he's good-natured and friendly enough and probably wants it for self-defense. He just wants to avoid telling you he wants a weapon.

And he's willing to pay a little bit extra.

(Doing Therapy)

I nod, and try to make him his basher holding staff.  I ask him how heavy he wants it so that I can try to calculate a decent center of gravity for it, that would make swinging it easier.

I make sure to have several spots to grab it, one for walking, and another for swinging, and another for holding it out a good distance away like you were trying to fend off a superior opponent.

To this he just nods and says "I trust ya maan. If you'd walk with it, that's good enough for me."

He wants you to make it your way. "Let the wood speak to ya maan."



Pops asks if you want any help. That sounds like an interesting build. He wants to see it when you're finished.

OOC) Question. "He wants to see it when you're finished." Do you think "When" is a word these people would use? A concept they would understand? That's kinda got me puzzled.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 21:04, Wed 14 Dec 2016.

Two Posts

Would it be standard procedure for him to stand around and wait for you to finish it? Or would he leave and go get in line at the movies? He'll make sure to look for when you're there.

Do they understand "When"?

That's why I wanted to run you in this world. Your gamer brain seems to appreciate puzzles like this.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 39):

OOC: I think he would understand 'when'.  He might expect me to hang on to it until he gets around to seeing it a day or two later.  Pre-industrial people understood time, just not punctuality. It'd be a 'whenever' thing.


'Yeah, Pops, I could use your help."  So we work on it, trying to create a good weapon.

Pops suggests carving a bird on the top of it. Like a falcon or something in a seated position. Gives it a touch of royalty.

Your carving skills are improving.

I like falcons.  This sounds like a cool idea.  I grin, and look at the staff, and then put it down.

This could be tricky.  I pick up a scrub piece of wood, and began to try to practise it.  My first is way off, and so I settle down, and try to visualize what I'm aiming for instead of just intuiting my path.  That one is....better, but still, I pick up another scrub wood bit...

OOC: Sorry about missing time.

I've heard that some African children have very hard times guessing the amount of time that has passed, and some languages lack words.  So, I don't know...?

OOC) Are you using your Order hammer or any of the Chaos blades for this? I would give a bonus if you were. You'd make stronger wood and better carvings.

Do you even still have those weapons. I think you had the Order hammer and staff and two Chaos swords. Do you still have them? I think you said you didn't like that kind of magic. That surprised me.



OOC) That's why I wanted to run you in this world. Maybe together we can figure it out. Your brain seems to enjoy puzzles like this one.

IC) But you work until you get tired. Pops leaves you in charge of the store. You're still working on it when he comes back from his sleep cycle.

The sun is still moving. It never stays still for more than a few minutes. If you do still have them, your Chaos weapons feel energetic. You think Chaos magic would probably be pretty heavily bonused in this world.

The dude that ordered the staff comes back periodically to check on your progress. He seems very patient and willing to wait. No rush. You can't really be in a rush in this world. He really likes the bird of prey motif. He thinks that will work.

But you're finished on it when you say you are.

it takes me several times but it is is done.  i did not use magic, but i ask pa if i can...outside

the shop.  no need to blow up the shop.

GE 8

Pops doesn't care if you do magic. You get the feeling he's thinking card tricks and pulling rabbits out of a hat though.

But you make a really good staff. The kid that requested it is impressed. He pays you more than was promised. Pops still gets half.

OOC) Sorry it took so long.

I take a carefully selected good straight staff, and take it outside.  I measure it as close as I may to pi in its diameter, and shave it so gently as to reach that along its full length.  Then I spend my time smoothing it out further, rubbing in beeswax which might be expensive to make it smooth, and trying to create as Orderly a staff as may be.

OOC) Are you trying to make an Order staff? If so, you will feel compelled to use your Chaos katana, left-handed to do it. I'm going with that assumption. We can always retcon.

So, you take your Chaos katana and start with a log you just cut from a tree. You just felt compelled to do it that way. And you shave the block of wood. And you look through the blade of the katana, and you see Chaos. And you shave the Chaos. And you look through the blade, and you see more Chaos. And you shave it.

And who knows how many hours go by. But you finish with a perfectly round, six foot staff which is completely black. From a wood which was multicolored. And it feels very Orderly. It's stronger, and has a minor black aura flowing from it.

Is that what you wanted to make? Also, looking through the tools is my version of sight. It creates a lens of sorts that lets you see Order and Chaos.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 47):

Good sound understanding of Modestit's magic.  I like it.

OOC) Good to know!!! It's just my interpretation of the magic from the game you were running.

So you've got this Order staff. The guy you made the eagle head staff for, he approaches you one final time. He tells you that he's about to leave. He wanted to say hi to you one more time. When he sees your staff, he says:

"Oh maan!! That's a bony staff!!! Why didn't ya make mine like that? Ah, no matter. What do you want for it?"

And he pulls out a thick wad of bills to make an offer to you.

(Doing Therapy)

"OK." I say, and take what he offers.

Hmm, that was, interesting.  It brings up all sorts of questions, but I'll let those lie for now.  Instead, I'll feel my way forward by making another staff such as I just made.  See how that goes, if I get anymore information to make a decision on what to do about magic.