wish i had a more convenient save point // pitt ardent

[VALE]

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graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ 3-eyed crow

Vale refused to step foot on the yucky bog. So the crow lingered on the branch of a willow tree and cawed. Though the Tanglewood’s town was likely too far into the territory for anyone to hear the crow, ve was five meters from the border.

Thankfully, the wind blew in the ideal direction today, so the ardent didn’t have to smell the disgusting stench of scent markers, which was, by far, Vale’s least favorite part about visiting other groups. Why couldn’t they all be sensible and use rot as a scent border?

While Vale was thinking on how to convert other groups to the sensible way, a sudden gust from behind picked up the featherbrain and tossed ver into the air. Cawing and beating vis wings, Vale climbed up into the sky to avoid the branches of the border trees. If not for vis superb flying skills, ve might’ve landed face-first onto one of the scent markers, and then ve would have no choice but to burn the whole tree down in vengeance.

“Aye, Tanglers!” Vale cawed loudly as ve circled vis previous perch. No more nicely waiting ardent. Olalla and Vale might’ve been in agreement about wanting an alliance with the swamp dwellers, but a frustrated Vale tended to ruin vis own plans, no matter how illogical why.

“I’m looking for Zjarr, a blacksmith who may’ve wandered into your territory! I’m looking to commission him for some art! I promise I won’t eat him!”

[member=167]psy[/member]

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M OVER IT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[Zjarr]

[div style="width: 48%; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"]Art? What the fuck was he, da Vinci? Sure, he had his profound (and perhaps surprising to others) appreciation for the arts, but he could not call himself an artist himself. Well, blacksmithing was an art form in and of itself, wasn't it? Maybe that was a stretch, but shit, if he was getting paid, he could do just about anything a customer demanded of him. Regardless, the harsh caws of an unfamiliar beast requesting his presence summoned the demon over to the source, glancing at the three-eyed crow curiously.

"That'll be me, birdbrain," Zjarr mused to the avian entity, his nose crinkling slightly at the sudden reek of rot that permeated from the other. Not all Pittians smelled as foul as this, though — that bounty hunter fellow he met had no particular smell apart from a very faint scent that he assumed belonged to The Pitt. Maybe this particular one just needed a nice, long bath. Whatever the case may be, he was not in the place to judge a potential customer, lest he lose vis business. "A'ight, I'll say this now: I ain't no Michelangelo, so I can't offer anythin' crazy huge. Now, smaller pieces, I'll work around 'em, they'll be more manageable. What're you thinkin' 'bout, exactly? Oh, I'll need a name for this, too, if you'd like to indulge me."

The husky now rested upon his haunches, patiently awaiting the crow's response. He had never been commissioned for an art piece before, but there was always a first time for everything, wasn't there? It wasn't as though he couldn't draw a stick figure to save his life — with Flamey in his head, he managed to pick up an affinity for sketching and some miniature sculpting, usually made with clay and other soft materials. Metal sculpting would be a whole other realm of experimentation, so he would use this order as an opportunity to dive into such a field. Practice made perfect.

[glow=#f24b00,2,300]cold cold cold[/glow] — ☼

[VALE]

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graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ 3-eyed crow

Upon Zjarr’s appearance, the little crow swooped down and landed upon a low-hanging branch. Ve cackled lightly to verself. Seemed as if the Tangler didn’t recognize who ve was, so, perhaps, the other groups had truly forgotten the mayhem scorched in vis wake.

“I want a life-sized statue of a three-eyed crow. Should be within your parameters, hm?” Ve tilted vis head and ruffled a wing as ve preened. “Being the ardent of the Pitt and all, I don’t have time to model for you, but I could easily convince one of my feral crow friends to do so. Provided you don’t mind feeding her peanuts while you sketch.”

The three-eyed crow straightened up. All eyes on Zjarr. “You can put the order under my name: Vale. So, what would you like in trade?”

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M OVER IT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[Zjarr]

[div style="width: 48%; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"]It was true that Zjarr hadn't quite understood the position that Vale held until ve up and told him. Ardent of the Pitt. Hmm. Well, that explained why ve was hollering and shrieking out demands like ve was ruler of the whole damn world. In any case, it was always good to identify the leaders of the groups, especially if he had the intention of doing any business with them. And this Vale person didn't seem to be too much of an asshole, just on the louder side. Nothing the demon couldn't tolerate.

The husky snorted at the crow's offer of a feral crow to him. A little corvid muse, huh? It would be...cute, he guessed. Maybe one of the kids could feed it. Teach 'em sum' 'bout responsibility. Hopefully he had enough peanuts to spare for the crow. "Yeah, I'll take one of 'em, if you're offerin'. I'll bring it with me to the Pitt once I'm done," he responded. Vale's request seemed to be fairly simple now that ve fleshed out vis idea, and he felt more confident in his ability to work on the project.

What did he want in return? That was certainly a good question. One of Zjarr's primary reasons for coming to Tanglewood in the first place was the immediate, easy access to scrap materials in their swampy junkyard, so more resources for his blacksmithing ventures would be far from necessary. Was there anything ve could give him? Perhaps an agreement. "Tell ya what. Y'don't gotta give me anythin' now, but I'll make a deal with ya. I'll make your statue, multiple even, dependin' on time 'n' resources. All I'm askin' for in return is some space for a lil' stall right in the Pitt's plaza." Doing business in the heart of the Pitt? Was he a madman? Of course he was, but there was a rhyme and reason behind his request. "Now, I'm a busy bee, I ain't gonna be there all the time. I care 'bout you 'n' your group's gossip 'n' secrets 'bout as much as you care 'bout my own. I'm jus' lookin' for a decent place to sell my wares if I'm in the area, and any other Ignibus as well. Avoids you havin' to trudge back into this swamp again if y'need me for anythin' else. I like my repeat customers," Zjarr added, a warm, wide grin upon his maw. Not only would this be a good opportunity for himself, he could extend it to his children once they were of age to sell and craft their own weapons. Having a secure, trusted location to trade would greatly simplify the process and perhaps put the newfound Tangler's mind at ease once they started getting into the family business. He wanted the best for them, and only the best.

"Whaddaya say, Ardent Vale? Do we have a deal?" he said with his grin unwavering, extending a paw out as though offering it for the other to shake. Could crows shake on it that well? Probably not. He didn't care. As long as he got a positive response, he would be all set.

[glow=#f24b00,2,300]cold cold cold[/glow] — ☼

[VALE]

[align=center]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ 3-eyed crow

The crow clicked vis tongue in agreement. “Wonderful! I’ll send Addie along with a slip of paper on her leg once I return to the Pitt. If you need to send word to me, attach a letter to her and instruct her ‘find Vale’. She’s not conversational, but she’s sharp for a feral birb.”

As Zjarr spoke about what he wanted in return, the ardent tilted vis head to the right. Nothing but a deal? Ve tapped a claw against the bark. Ve didn’t adore the idea of Tanglewoods eyes in the Pitt, but they did need Tanglewoods for reforestation and trade. Besides, having another blacksmith besides Brymstone for weapons—not to mention Vale’s random art projects—would be useful.

“Done.” Vale leaned forward. Vis three eyes widened. “But! you are not to step anywhere in the Pitt’s inner territory besides the plaza. Nowhere else. Your blacksmithing Ignibus kin are allowed; it would irritate me if I came to commission a piece and found a spy instead of an artist.”

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M OVER IT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[CORRUPTTIMELINES]

Corrupttimelines, having listened to the whole affair, stared on in great confusion. Did they just make a business proposal on the border…with the Pitt’s leader? He shook his head, and moved closer to the duo to investigate. “What on Earth was that?” he asked with a chuckle towards the blacksmith.

code by spacexual

[Zjarr]

[div style="width: 48%; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"]"Y'got my word, Ardent Vale," was all the blacksmith had to say in response to the crow, nodding along to vis words. "My family's, too. We'll keep our distance." Sure, Zjarr said that now, but if a Tangler ever needed something from the Pitt, he certainly wouldn't deny a little bribe slipped to him to encourage his "accidental" wandering into the Plaza. For his own purposes, though? He had nothing intimate to do with the Pitt and wanted to keep it that way. It was all very strictly business, and keeping it as simply business was the key to an easy transaction here.

The husky's ear twitched at a Tangler's voice behind him, and he tossed his head over his shoulder to snort at Corrupttimelines, who seemed understandably confused as to what just occurred. "That? Oh, I was jus' serenadin' the Ardent a lil'. Workin' my classic charm," he mused to the other, a rumbling chuckle erupting from him. "No. That, my friend, was jus'...business." Did he care to go into detail about it now? No, not really. Should'a come sooner!

[glow=#f24b00,2,300]cold cold cold[/glow] — ☼