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Post by Carrow on Jan 24, 2009 18:17:08 GMT -5
Sciurus Whirlpaw looked quite nervous as he strolled through the streets of Cosnair. He was a relative newcomer to the country of Rosferia, having only lived there since 1790. Being very observant, he hadn't taken long to figure out that there was strife in this city everywhere he looked. The cause of this was, at this moment in time, unknown to the red squirrel. He was a pacifist at heart, but had taken a dagger with him when he had left the inn in which he was currently staying.
"Just in case," he thought.
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Post by Ladorak on Jan 24, 2009 18:24:24 GMT -5
Otto Kurtz, the displaced Gradvarian otter who had settled in Rosferia, fleeing from conscription that would have forced him to serve in a military he cared little for and fight wars he cared even less about, he had come here, to the "land of opportunity" as it were. It was peculiar, how he'd gotten so wrapped up in the recent Revolution and had enjoyed himself so thoroughly with political debates and badgering in the old Constituent Assembly. But those days had come to pass.
Thanks to a certain Milton Dragonis, he had been disbarred forever from seeking election to the new Legislative Assembly that had gone up in the old one's place. He really did miss the old way of life. Now of course, there was little to do except offer hypnotism as a means to get by. It was really the only other thing he was good at, aside from observing things.
Currently he was outside, having just completed a session with a very satisfied customer, and he was working on tidying up his shop a bit. He was using a paw held brush to sweep snow off of the sills of his shop's windows, snow that otherwise would have blocked parts of his signs. The industrious otter made use of his tail as well, using it too to to hold a small brush and sweep his steps clean. He saw a red furred squirrel heading down the sidewalk towards him, but didn't pay the fellow much mind yet.
The chap looked distressed about something, and Otto figured he'd make conversation, but only when he had gotten a bit closer....provided the otter didn't become TOO absorbed with his little chores here.....
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Post by Carrow on Jan 24, 2009 18:31:38 GMT -5
Sciurus kept walking. He had seen a shop of some sort, and smiled as the sign advertising it came into view.
"A hypnosis parlour?," he chuckled to himself.
The squirrel was himself a talented hypnotist, having studied the art of hypnosis for quite some time. He had often considered opening a parlour himself, but his current job, that of being a swordsmith, took priority. As he looked about him, Sciurus felt that there would be many creatures in need of his services.
He saw an otter standing outside the shop, clearing snow off its windows. He approached him, shouting over the wind.
"Hello there! Is this shop yours?"
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Post by Ladorak on Jan 24, 2009 18:38:17 GMT -5
A sudden gust of wind had caught the words of the squirrel just as he was going to speak, and so he had to yell to be heard, though Otto felt it was a little TOO loud as they were in relative close proximity. "Yes." he responded calmly back. "It is. Some label it a curiosity, but it's a lot of fun if you've never tried it before." he replied with a grin.
Brushing the last of the snow off the sill, he tossed the brush he held in his tail up in to the air, catching it deftly with his free paw. He had no idea of course that this creature was a fellow practitioner like himself. Otto wore on his lapel a small bronze badge bearing some sort of mark. It looked like an eye that was partly lidded. This was significant, but not many would know what exactly it was.
"Would you care to maybe have a try at it then?" he asked, nodding towards the door of his parlor.
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Post by Carrow on Jan 26, 2009 10:16:40 GMT -5
"I appreciate the offer, but it won't be necessary, for you are speaking to a fellow hypnotist," the squirrel replied.
"It's not a profession, you understand. I am first and foremost a swordsmith, but from time to time an opportunity will arise for me to use my talents. I have been practicing the art for quite a while now. I have been considering opening a parlour of my own lately, as a matter of fact, as I did not find many creatures who wanted to avail of my services at home, and I now think pursuing a career as a hypnotist might be more profitable. I use the word "home" loosely, actually, as I have wandered from town to town for quite a while. I am a traveller at heart, really, and would like to experience as much as I can before the time comes for me to settle down. Cosnair is intriguing me greatly, I must say. Having only arrived here recently, and I hope I don't seem too forward, I must ask you, what in the name of seasons is going on here?"
He checked himself.
"Goodness me, I haven't even introduced myself yet! Sciurus Whirlpaw. Pleased to meet you," the squirrel said, grinning and extending his paw for the otter to shake.
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Post by Ladorak on Jan 26, 2009 12:47:01 GMT -5
"Otto Kurz" the otter responded, taking the paw and giving a firm shake to it. "Ah yes.....Cosnair is....going through some...changing times you might say." he said, smiling almost sagely at his own comment.
"You see, it turns out that this nation is one of the first....well it IS the first on this continent to be adopting democracy as it's main mode of government. We've just overthrown our King two years ago you see. Some townsbeasts stormed in to a large prison here to get weapons, and ended up making off with a good amount. It's.....sort of complicated but right now we're allowing the King to sit as head of the government whilst a newly elected Assembly makes the decisions for the country, though from what I've heard as of late, there's been a lot of clashing between the Assembly and the King." Otto bit his lip as he thought about the recent news as well.
"It seems the nation is threatening war with Kostritz too if Kostritz doesn't reaffirm the treaty that they have with Rosferia. Seems a lot of our neighbors don't.....like democracy." he said, giving a sort of a nervous chuckle. Nervous because Kostritz was courting an alliance with Gradvar....his home nation, and if THAT happened well.....but best not think of those things.
"Tell me, are you from this country Mr. Whirlpaw?" Otto asked him now, "and if not, from whereabouts do you hail?" he asked curiously, hoping his explanation had been sufficient for the squirrel.
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Post by Carrow on Jan 26, 2009 13:22:27 GMT -5
"Great seasons! Turmoil aplenty," was the squirrel's brief comment on the events that had just been explained to him.
"To answer your question, Otto, no, I am not originally from Rosferia. I have come from across the Ceres Ocean, although I can barely remember the place I lived in. At first opportunity, I began to travel, and one day decided that I would journey to pastures new. A long and difficult voyage ensued. Eventually, I arrived in northern Rosferia, coming ashore on the west coast. I have been making my way through the country ever since. I have made my home in a few different towns and villages before now, although never for more than a season or two. Curiously enough, this is the first city I have visited," Sciurus explained.
"By the way, no need to go by formalities, Otto. Please, call me Sciurus."
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Post by Ladorak on Jan 26, 2009 15:55:26 GMT -5
"Sciurus, right, sorry, force of habit." the otter replied with a smile. "I guess I'm just used to referring to my clients that way, sorry. Across the Ceres Ocean you say?" the sea beast whistled now, nodding in deep thought. "Wow.....that's quite the trip. Several months worth. Though that's interesting. I've almost never heard of beasts migrating FROM the west. Mostly they're migrating TO the west, but I guess in your case you wanted to sample the fine society of Rosferia, eh?" he asked, his eyes glistening a little.
"I can't say I blame you...with no offense to your homeland of course. I'm not originally from Rosferia myself, though I'm from further east of here. I've gotten quite caught up in the Revolution you know. Quite caught up. I've been itching to get back in to politics, but unfortunately I took an oath to never again run for office in the Assembly." He frowned a bit, nodding. "Still though.....I'm very glad to make your acquaintance. A bit surprised you're a fellow hypnotist, and even more surprised you're interested in starting a parlor. Would you perhaps like to see the inside of mine?"
he held a paw out to his doorway, offering the squirrel a chance to get in out of the cold.
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Post by Carrow on Jan 27, 2009 8:41:12 GMT -5
"Thank you. I most certainly would, Otto," the squirrel replied as he stepped into the otter's parlour.
"Revolution, you say? I've got the gist of what's going on in Cosnair at the moment, but I have to say I am left bewildered by what you told me. Having lived a solitary existence up until now, this is the first I've heard of any of this, and I now feel like an innocent bystander, caught up in all this trouble. You told me things were complicated. How complicated, exactly? I would appreciate it if you told me more, as I feel that I'm not quite seeing the bigger picture."
Sciurus was taking a shine to his fellow hypnotist. He had been very friendly to him thus far, and had done a good job of explaining the situation, but the squirrel was still not sure of his place. At the moment, he felt like a leaf being tossed around by the wind: powerless to do anything.
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Post by Ladorak on Jan 27, 2009 11:34:34 GMT -5
Otto shut the door behind the two of them, entering his airy, open, and warm shop. A smile spread across his face as the squirrel asked him to elaborate. "Oh but don't you see my friend? It's about democracy! The right to rule yourself, and not have to worry about what a monarch tells you to do! It's about becoming your own beast, becoming WHO you want to be, and how you want to live!"
He moved in front of him, his eyes sparkling with a light now that shone quite brightly. "Here, for example, if you were told by me that you could not enter my shop because you were born in to the wrong class of beasts and were considered 'trash,' well how do you think you'd react? You'd be angry of course, and rightly so! And if I denied you the right to do something because you lacked my social standing and prestige, you'd be bitter right? Well THAT'S what this is about! I feel that NO BEAST has the right to deny freedoms to those of another. You are my equal, my brother even, and why should I deprive you of having the same privileges and rights that I enjoy?"
He had waved his paws around a bit as he explained his position on this. "Complicated I said because well....I come from a country that did NOT have these freedoms. I came from a country that wanted to draft me in to the military as COMPULSORY service to the King. No....I did not wish to serve in something like that against my will, and so quite naturally....I fled! I ran from that life and everything I knew, so that I could live a bit more freely. And when the revolution broke out here, ho ho! Did I ever participate! I wanted to extend freedom and rights to all other beasts, just as I myself had found it! If a nation like mine ever tried to attack us, and there's word that it would, I would be persecuted just for having fled their conscription! Now isn't that wrong? Isn't that unjust? Don't we, as free thinking citizens have the right to CHOOSE what sort of path we would like to pursue?"
Otto had posed these questions to Sciurus, hoping to convince the squirrel of his point of view, as Otto really couldn't see how the system of nations like Gradvar could be right and just.
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