Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

The circle opened just fine, and several mildly curious, but not leaping-to-greet faces peered at him and nodded greeting before returning to the conversation at hand. "--that bastard had me training for six hours in a row today," one man was saying, grinning even if he looked chagrined. By the lecherous grins all around him, it wasn't hard to guess what he'd been training in, if not the why's of it!

"If he works us any harder," a woman groaned, "I don't think we'll have anything left for the competition."

"Fire cavern trounces us every year anyways," a third person -- a daemon, it looked, with tentacle-like hair, spoke good naturedly. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"Yeah? Well I hear that Agape has a card up his sleeve this year around," yet another conversationalist dropped. "Not like anyone knows what specifically..." That received several bouts of speculation, leaving Enhuvin rather out of the loop for a few minutes to warm his hands and dry himself by the fire, until one young woman standing next to him noticed that he was not only not part of the conversation, but wasn't part of the group of people that she recognized.

Though merely human, she wore a warm grin and had a welcoming face. "Hey, you look new. What's your name?"

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

He had listened to that conversation with interest, side-railed for a few minutes from his quest for food. He could imagine the general nature of that competition, oh yes, but couldn't glean more than that, and really, he was just assuming sex because that seemed to be the theme here!

When the woman introduced herself, he looked at her, pleased that she seemed friendly -- then again, most of the faces he'd seen here were that! Enhuvin returned her grin and introduced himself readily, "oh yeah, new as of... jeez, this morning, I guess. Name's Enhuvin."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Syja," the woman returned, bringing her hand up to shake -- apparently greetings around here involved some form of touch, even if they weren't as feely as Mehuia's version. "You're quite new, then! Lucky you found your way down here, then... how many Caverns did you get run out of or run away from yourself, first?"

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

Enhuvin shook her hand with a companionable kind of grin, repeating her name to commit it to memory.

"None," he responded to her question with a laugh, "actually. I was really lucky, so I'm told. One of the residents here, her name is Mehuia, she was standing guard in the drop-off cavern, I guess, when I was -- well, dropped off. She brought me straight here, and was kind enough to show me the lay of the land." The pun was subtle, but he chortled in good humor instead. "She even introduced me to the patron here so I could ask for residence... though that went... less than perfectly." Enhuvin shrugged.

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

Syja raised her brows. "Oh, well then, you probably were lucky." She didn't seem to have as great a grasp on those subtle puns, but she was trying! "I take it little Miss 'secret weapon' showed you around well and good."

"Hey, nobody's confirmed that 'Huia's the patron's ace," a man on Enhuvin's other side pointed out, apparently having turned to the conversation. "She's just an elemental, after all."

"Yeah well, she's got drive," Syja retorted good-naturedly. "I wouldn't be in the least surprised. She missed last year's competition anyways."

Turning back to Enhuvin, she asked, "did Mehuia tell you about all of that? We've got our yearly shindig with the Fire Cavern in about a week. It's fun, but the buildup drives me nuts every year."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"No, she didn't say a thing." He leaned in a bit, intrigued. "I caught some of it, just listening in here, but," he laughed and shrugged. "It's some sort of competition, right? Tell me more!"

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Oh, well, it's a long-standing tradition in the Burrows... at least as long-standing as the place has been around! Fire Cavern and Air Cavern measure themselves up against one another, if you know what I mean. Really, it's because the patrons are on good terms with one another, though I don't think they'd have anyone know that for sure the way they puff up their chests at one another.

"It's like a festival; everyone tries to out-do one another with food -- we've been stockpiling supplies for the last two months -- and clothing, dancing, throwing things and throwing things down." Syja chuckled. "And, of course, the sex is nice. Those Fire Cavern types..." she whistled appreciatively. "I don't mind visiting the place, mind you, but it's a little too spicy for me to want to live there for the entire year!"

"Agape gets pissed at nothing every time it comes around again," the unintroduced man spoke up again. "If you got the sharp side of his tongue, I wouldn't doubt that had something to do with it. He's got us all working hard."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

Enhuvin listened through the explanation and had to wonder if that really was part of the reason Agape had been kind of a jerk -- it would be nice to know that it wasn't only because Enhuvin had slept with Agape's particular favorite... maybe he'd get some leeway once the week was over, then.

If he was still here when the week was over! His time limit made sense now, though. He cracked a grin. "That sounds like a lot of fun... and a lot of work. So everyone's training up for the big event this week, then? Is there some sort of prize the Air Cavern earns if we beat out the Fire folks?"

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Well, sort of," Syja mused. "There's no real game save that we share one another's hospitality, but there is a sacrifice; the patron who wins picks someone from the other cavern to play the sacrificial lamb, and they move on over. The rules say that the losing cavern pretends that person doesn't exist anymore, but we only ever abide by that fir the first few weeks. They usually come back to visit after that -- and with gossip for the next competition. It's really all in good fun. Besides, when you live down here for long enough, you go stir crazy if you don't pick up something to look forward to. Some caverns try to rip one another apart, we just like to rip on one another's egos."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

His mouth quirked in a sardonic angle at the idea of making war in these caverns; it didn't surprise him. This was a closed system, and people needed something to do, but wouldn't the oodles of sex serve that function? "I have got to say, once again, I'm happy I ended up here."

Then the clapped his hands together and rubbed them against one another, asking with a wide grin, "So, what can a raw newbie do to help with getting ready for this competition?" It never hurt to lend a hand, even if he did have his own plan to accomplish too!

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Honestly, in one week?" Syja looked him up and down, trying not to show that she didn't think a whole lot about his slight frame. "Well, what's your background? You may just have to watch and learn, and wait for next year."

Someone had been roasting something that smelled delicious over one of the nearby campfires, and was passing around spits of meat -- Syja, grabbing two, passed one to Enhuvin. "You're probably starved, if Mehuia was your guide," the woman noted, "eat something, you could use it."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Oh goddess, could I ever!" Enhuvin, side-tracked, took the spit eagerly and dug in, stomach letting out a mighty (embarrassing; he reddened a bit) growl. "Yeah, it has been a... busy day," he admitted between bites, "food probably should have been higher on the itinerary." He sighed, feeling his stomach start to eagerly dig into the provided food, and took another bite. This was good. He was starting to feel a little less stretched-thin.

After a few minutes, he took a little attention away from his food and back to Syja. "But yeah, you said the cavern has been stockpiling supplies in preparation for the event, right? What else needs getting?" He grinned, explained, "Agape has told me, 'either get something from Falia in a week, or get out', which makes a little more sense given the competition... but if I manage to do it, I should know what to bring back that will get me on the boss's good side."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Oh!" Syja looked quite surprised at this little revelation. "Well that changes a thing or two." She grinned, thinking about that. "Well, if you're going to be getting any action, you should probably keep it to the next day or two. Don't want any of our lovely ladies to be absent during the competition, now, given your goals!" Raising her brows as she followed that line of thought, "or you could always get your, ahem, quota from another cavern... I'd imagine that Agape would look highly on you for that." She winked.

"Now, we can always more protection spells. Falia only ever rarely gives them out, as I'll bet she uses this competition as a means towards profit... but she may not necessarily know that you're a part of that. Keeping infertile for the competition keeps our players in the game, if you know what I mean?"

She plucked at the meat on her spit, sucking the juices off of her fingers. She seemed pretty pragmatic about the entire situation... chances were that she'd been here for some time. "Either that, or the kind of food and drink that's refreshing after spending a lot of energy. Fruit, juice, fish, things like that. Spices are good. Air cavern chefs like to bake, so sweet things count." Chewing on a strip of charred flesh, the woman thought about what else Enhuvin might feel behooved to ask for. "Now, if you're looking to impress His Majesty," she referred to Agape, "The man likes to know what's going on outside of the Burrows, so books work. Asking for cloth that's in fashion in the city will put you on his sweet side, especially if it's magicked for luck. Never can tell if the demons actually do anything to the stuff or if they just pass it off as being lucky, but Agape likes that kind of stuff."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

A little grin on his face, Enhuvin listened while he munched away steadily at his meat-on-a-stick. He tried to commit each thing to memory -- okay, birth control, good sex food, baking supplies, and for Mr. Snooty, special clothes or books. He nodded, considering, and then nodded again. "That's helpful, thank you. I do like to make myself useful," he told her with humor. "And I'm going to do everything I can to stay here... I like it here. But if I were, say, to go outside of the Air Cavern to find some lady to help me in my quest, would you happen to have any suggestions where to go?" He got a wicked idea, and, eyes twinkling, suggested, "the Fire Cavern, perhaps?" Maybe knock out a few of their players!

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"That's not a half bad idea," Syja chortled along conspiratorially. "It's actually across the passageway, two doors down. Just... don't tell them where you're from or else they may try to hold you hostage." she winked.

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Well, I'm not technically from here yet either," he grinned wickedly, liking this idea more and more. Maybe he really could come in with a bang... really impress the pants off of Agape. Hah. Show him. "Hey, do you know how many women a guy has to, you know, knock up, before Falia brings them in? Or is it kind of a 'keep going till she comes gets you' kind of thing?"

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"That varies, I think," Syja asked, leaning forward as she chewed on her meal to raise her brows at their quieter fireside companion.

"Uh, I think it's a combination for us," he answered, "though it varies from guy to guy. I've always kind of thought that Falia rewards those she likes a little better and a little faster, so you could have to wait a week no matter how hard you try, or she could snag you off after your first go. Sorry," he grimaced, "that's not a big help. Since you're new, I'd say the bigger a splash you make, the better she's going to notice you."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

The information should have been sobering, but really -- the more this seemed like a game or a challenge, the more Enhuvin was really getting into it. With a big grin on his face, he said, "well, I had better get splashin', then, I think. Gods! I can't believe this is work," he laughed. Yep, definitely a newbie.

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

Syja snorted, rolling her eyes from Enhuvin to their other fireside chatter. The two shared a look that said definitely that!

"Fire Cavern's in full swing by now, they're a bunch of night owls," the woman noted. "If you can handle it, I'll be you could sneak right in and be made to feel at home."

 

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Re: Enhuvin's Thread (Kattunge)

"Maybe I'll do that," he said. "Where should I put this?" He held up the now-empty spit from his (most welcome and delicious) dinner.