All Around the Mulberry Bu-......wait...whut? [Open]

[fire_water_wood]

Characters: Harlequin and whoever he meets . . . or trips over him, as the case may be.  D=  LOL
Content: Wandering, sightseeing, avoiding any stray dogs or cats, enjoying the energy in the air . . . trying to figure out where in Reial he is . . . and working on not getting stepped on!  =S
Setting:  The streets of the makeshift town in the Badlands

Comments

[abeator]

He had been wandering around the market a little ways off the common hangar when he saw a small... puppet walking around. He thought at first that someone was giving a street performance, but it did seem like the puppet was walking about on his own. Was it through magic?

So, without thinking about it, he walked toward the thing while its back was turned and promptly reached down and picked it up by the scruff of its clothes. "What are you?" he asked, if a little gruffly, turning the thing to himself.

[fire_water_wood]

((*snerk!* Mun is highly amused...Puppet not so much, but mun definitely XD))

"Yipe!" To say that Harlequin was startled would be an understatement. A-and how rude! Being plucked up like this... Unnerved reaction more than any real anger, though, was speaking as he looked up that the young man who had captured him so abruptly. "E-excuse me, sir, but could I ask you to kindly Put. Me. Down?!"

I will go to bed. ;; Net is slow anyway. Night! o/

[abeator]

Abe stared at the puppet in surprise. "You're alive," he stated flatly, disbelieving of it. He was a mechanic, himself, and not a bad woodworker, but he had never met anything like this guy. In his surprise, he forgot to put the thing down.

Nighty! Take care *huggles*

[fire_water_wood]

Harlequin sighed, then grinned. After all, he really didn't mind so much - the man had just caught him off-guard. "Yes, sir, that I am. I am a Living Marionette. Harlequin, at your service." He plucked his hat from his head and offered a....rather awkward bow, actually, considering that he was still suspended by the back of his tunic. 9,9;;;

[flashstepfeline]

Yoruichi roamed the streets, ostensibly keeping an ear open for information, in reality probably avoiding her ship. She had been possessed of the good fortune of having underlings for so long that she had forgotten how irritating it was to do everything yourself. She thought longingly of a certain chair she used to like flopping back on, having her subordinates bring her food, but it was useless and weak to be wishful. Having made her choice, she should continue resolutely.

Her interest pricked when she saw a small form, clearly not of flesh and blood. It reminded her immediately of the little magical constructs the military used for certain tasks. It was a little larger, wooden instead of soft, but the idea looked the same. The reiatsu was...not quite the same. Investigation time.

She made her way over swiftly but casually, looking down to make a friendly face. "Why hello there," she said cheerfully. "What do we have here?"

[fire_water_wood]

Harlequin flinched in surprised, shifting and looking up, and gave her an amused grin. "Well, now . . . we have a Living Marionette, my lady! I am Harlequin, at your service." He swept off his hat for a genteel bow. "And might I the pleasure of your name, miss?"

[flashstepfeline]

"Yoruichi," she replied, tilting her head down as she looked at the curious creation. "You have such nice manners, Harlequin. Who might your master be, I wonder?"

[fire_water_wood]

"Ah . . . m-my..." Harlequin swallowed, paling a bit. Well, honesty was always best....r-right? "H-his name is Fire-eater, Miss Yoruichi. H-he owned the Great Marionette Theater in Melior until it burned down just recently..." He shifted, ready to bolt if she looked like she was going to try to catch him. He didn't want to go back, PLEASE don't try to send him back!

[toysandcards]

There did not seem to be an end to the numerous stalls that were set up at the makeshift fair. Even if Near was not one who was particularly interested in getting to explore the fair for himself, the promise of a new puzzle or two to keep him occupied for the next week or so was enough to lure the boy out into the fair.

Near had been looking at some wares that a nearby stall offered when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a puppet walking past just beside him.

Walking. Near could not help but to stare at it.

[fire_water_wood]

Harlequin wandered the fair, enjoying the sights and trying to ignore the smells of food. Work first, then food. Well, no, what he really needed was FOOD first - he was awfully hungry - but as he didn't have any money...

He paused and looked around, shivering slightly at the odd and uncomfortable sensation of being watched.

[toysandcards]

Near raised an unseen eyebrow at the puppet. It was shivering. There did not seem to be any strings attached to the puppet. It would appear to be powered or controlled by some other means, though Near would not know why the puppeteer would want to make a puppet look around, in such a natural manner.

Moving carefully towards the puppet, Near looked down at it, studying the puppet for some hidden string of any sort.

[fire_water_wood]

Harlequin startled back a bit from the boy who approached him with such an intense gaze . . . and the prettiest, pure-white hair he had ever seen. It reminded him a little of Scaramouche's and Salvatore's wigs, but he'd never seen such a color on a /flesh/ person before. It intrigued him.

Shifting to face the boy more fully, he offered a bow. "Good afternoon, sir. Is there something I can help you with?" He was used to the stares by now - he truly didn't mind them - and had come to be able to guess the initial questions likely going across a person's mind. It had become a bit of a game with himself to to try to guess which one each new person would ask first.