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Post by enchilada on May 2, 2019 19:56:11 GMT
“All the goblins I know are smelly.”
Enchee was, herself, kind of smelly, but she had ten times as many baths as other Goblins, so she considered herself exceptionally clean. She also kind of meant in a more conceptual way. They were smelly people. They were mean and nasty and they wanted something out of you that you didn’t have. Except her parents, but she didn’t know them anymore. She didn’t have much else to add.
Goblins were smelly.
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Post by moralhazard on May 2, 2019 20:01:07 GMT
Thea returned Crucible’s smile with one of her own. “Indeed,” she agreed. There was a kinship among genasi; strongest among one’s own kind, of course. Most of the air genasi Thea had met knew very little about who their djinni parent was, if they had one. And, of course, many djinni were related. As such, most treated one another as cousins. The same was true within fire genasi. There was still a general camaraderie across, however, a sense of being – other. For some, a sense of being superior, Thea knew. She was proud of her heritage; that pride showed in how she dressed and held herself. But she didn’t like the way some genasi seemed to look down on humans and some other races.
And she hated the thought of anyone looking down on Enchee.
“All of them?” Thea raised her eyebrows. “Why do you think that is?” She picked up Enchee’s coconut, offering it to the goblin. “Here, you didn’t try this yet! Just put your lips on the straw and drink a little. It’s very sweet.”
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Post by 3personal5me on May 3, 2019 15:45:33 GMT
Crucible tried to give Enchee an encouraging smile as he waited to see if she would try the drink. He knew she was a picky water, and was already surprised by the progress she had made tonight. He was glad to see her maturing, even if only a little.
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Post by enchilada on May 3, 2019 18:28:44 GMT
“Because goblins are all worshipping, um..... Mah-glb... eeeee.... eht. And he’s smelly sooo.” Enchee shrugged, carefully taking the coconut. “My mommy used to tell me about him. My daddy didn’t know much about him because he didn’t do that god, he liked some dwarf god maybe? I think it was dwarf? Because he liked to make machines. Anyway, she knew lots about him. I don’t really remember much because I thought it was boring, but apparently he liked to kill the other goblin gods if they got too good at being gods. She came from outside Waterdeep because adventurers killed her tribe.”
She took a sip. It was sweet. She really wasn’t used to that kind of taste. Enchee wrinkled her nose, then tried it again. It was actually really good... it just wasn’t what she usually had.
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Post by moralhazard on May 4, 2019 0:34:35 GMT
Thea waited, patient, trying not to let on that she wanted very much for Enchee to try the drink. Enchee took a sip and wrinkled her nose. Thea was prepared to let it go, but to her surprise the goblin took another sip.
Thea couldn’t hide her smile as she set the coconut back down, well within Enchee’s reach.
“What do you think?” Thea asked, curiously. “About the goblin god and the dwarf god.” She treated Enchee and her opinions with the same respect she would have any adult; it helped that she was genuinely curious. In truth, it probably wouldn’t have worked otherwise.
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Post by 3personal5me on May 4, 2019 4:09:36 GMT
"Killed the other gods?" Crucible asked. He wasn't welled versed in any God that wasn't Moradin. Still, the thought of gods killing other gods seemed insane to him. He supposed it made sense, in a fashion. But he still didn't like it.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that. Unless you're secretly a God and didn't tell us?"
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Post by enchilada on May 4, 2019 10:45:40 GMT
Enchee laughed, then quietly thought about it for a bit longer...
Then she shrugged. Who knows? Not Enchee
“Um. I think the goblin god is a bully. He wants goblins to be always fighting and making more goblins and fighting. Maybe thats why adventurers don’t understand that goblins are people too, because there’s a big meanie telling them what to do all the time. She said it was hard in the tribe, there were a lot of people always telling her to do things and like... she didn’t want to do them. So she was really busy! And my dad just liked to make things and I guess the other god helped him do that? That seems nicer, I think that’s a lot better because he wasn’t having to do all these things all the time, he had lots of time for fun things! So maybe that’s good. I don’t know. I don’t really remember a whole lot, but it was because he said all the time that I need to decide it for myself. Everything all the time was my choice! Except when they went away for working with their friends who did working also. Because then I had to stay in the house and not leave unless I went with Zantiln!”
Enchee took a deep breath. She’d been doing a lot of talking and not terribly much breathing and she was only small!!
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Post by moralhazard on May 4, 2019 12:55:13 GMT
Thea smiled at Crucible, a little sadly. That his immediate response was to reassure Enchee that she didn’t have to worry about the god coming for her was telling. How many nightmares must she have? How many things must scare her?
Enchee started to speak and Thea turned her attention back to her, listening attentively. “That’s how most humans do it, and genasi too,” Thea nodded. “It’s your choice, about gods at least. Many people like to have one favorite, but you don’t even have to do that if you don’t want to!“
Thea turned to Crucible. “How is it for - you?” She hesitated to say warforged. It seemed rude. From his earlier comment, she assumed he worshipped Moradin, but she wondered if all warforged did, or if he had chosen the dwarven smith god himself.
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Post by 3personal5me on May 4, 2019 22:35:25 GMT
"I worship Moradin, if that is what you mean". He grabbed the amulet around his neck and help it up to be seen. "I was built to perform field repairs. After the war, I found work as a blacksmith with a dwarf. It was through him that I learned of Moradin". He let the pendant fall to his chest again, the metal clanging against his chest.
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Post by enchilada on May 4, 2019 22:56:58 GMT
Enchee took another sip from the coconut drink, tiny hands eventually finding their way to edge of the table. She sighed. “Enchee is good by myself, except maybe Queso. I’ve always been by myself.”
She watched Crucible carefully, and then nodded. “I’m trying to learn about that stuff like you. But it’s really hard, and all the books are long and boring. And it’s... really hard to... the words won’t stay still on the paper.” Then Enchee shook her head. She got frustrated with books very easily. They were so hard! Enchee supposed that over time, adults just got used to reading, it wasn’t exactly natural to look at words on a page... it was probably because of the pattern-like appearance of letters.
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Post by moralhazard on May 5, 2019 1:20:11 GMT
Thea looked faintly horrified – she had certainly not meant to directly ask Crucible who he worshipped. It had always struck her as a very personal topic. She hoped he wasn’t offended; he didn’t seem it, but, then, it was hard to tell without facial cues and the other such indicators one usually relied on. After a moment, she nodded. “Thank you for sharing that,” she smiled at Crucible, figuring that she would assume it was all right until proven otherwise.
“Won’t stay still?” Thea asked curiously, leaning forward to look at Enchee. She had made teaching Enchee to read her priority, and she took that seriously.
Before they could discuss it much further, Kalino would return, bearing a large platter with a scoop of shredded pork in the center, dripping with tangy brown sauce. It was ringed by small buns, with little scoops of what looked like a chopped yellow fruit and a chopped red one on the side.
“Here you are!” Kalino set the food down with a flourish, smiling. “A bit sweet,” he gestured at the yellow fruit, then winked, “and a bit spicy.” His hair gave a little burst of flame, waving gently. “Enjoy!” He sauntered off.
“Ready to eat?” Thea grinned at Enchee. “Here, Enchee, I’ll show you how I like to assemble it,” cheerfully, she reached for one of the buns, opening it up. “I take the bread, and put a big scoop of pork in it – like this.” She put a spoonful in the center of it. “I like this – it’s a chopped yellow fruit called pineapple. It doesn’t taste anything like an apple though, it’s very sweet and tart,” carefully, she took a spoonful of the yellow stuff and spread it on top of the pork. She closed the bun, and set the finished product on her plate, waiting for Enchee to make her own.
"Last time, Kalino made me try the red one," Thea gave an exaggerated shiver. "It was so spicy," she giggled. "I thought my tongue would never stop hurting."
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Post by 3personal5me on May 5, 2019 18:37:31 GMT
Crucible watched intently. Thea seemed to have a knack for working with Enchee. She was notoriously difficult, one could say childlike, and he didn't expect anyone to have so much success with her. Granted, food certainly was not an area he was experienced in. Nevertheless, he was glad the little goblin had made a friend that would push her to grow.
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Post by enchilada on May 5, 2019 18:52:04 GMT
Enchee shook off the talk about what she could and couldn’t do. Like read, without the words moving about the page. She was suddenly extremely interested in the food and absolutely nothing else. It was... almost like the kinds of foods she liked, in a way. In a similar group, at least.
She had to reach over the table quite a lot, but she wanted to do it all for herself, at least, as best as she could. Enchee didn’t like having things done for her, most of the time. Slowly, she was getting used to the idea that all Thea and Crucible wanted was to help, they had no other motives. It wasn’t something that a little street kid easily accepted, where someone was always trying to grab something out of you. She’d been told just one thing, one time, by a lady she never saw again, that at least she was small enough to be cute. She wasn’t sure what that meant, still. Maybe it meant people didn’t see her as a threat, which, if so, that lady was wrong.
Enchee knew full well that people saw her as a threat. She wouldn’t have been so scarred up, otherwise.
After she assembled her portion, exactly as Thea had showed her, tongue finally retreating from the concentration, brow unfurrowing, and then she made direct eye contact with Thea as she quickly grabbed a bit of the red one, ate it and just shrugged.
“Is your tongue broken?”
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Post by moralhazard on May 5, 2019 22:30:51 GMT
Enchee stared her down, took a spoonful of the spicy red sauce, and ate it without flinching, never breaking the eye contact. Thea’s eyes were wide the entire time; she expected Enchee to start gasping and coughing at any moment, and was thoroughly prepared to – as Kalino had done for her – try to soothe her with a big piece of bread.
Instead, Enchee shrugged.
Thea began to giggle again. “I guess so!” She laughed. “If you like that one, you can put it on your sandwich too. My broken tongue and I will pass, thank you very much.”
Thea paused, looking at the drippy sandwiches, then down at Enchee. “One last step,” she announced. “We’d better make special bibs for ourselves,” she took her own napkin, and carefully tucked one corner into her shirt, letting the front hang down over her clothing. She would wait for Enchee to do the same with one eyebrow lifted.
Once they were done, it was time to eat. Thea lifted her sandwich in two slender blue hands and took a very careful bite. A little of the meat threatened to drip out of the end but, thankfully, just barely held. Thea set the bun back down, chewing and swallowing, and smiled at Enchee, hoping she would like this too.
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Post by 3personal5me on May 5, 2019 22:41:26 GMT
Crucible laughed. Leave into Enchee to be a rebel. "You know, I imagine you have to be pretty tough to eat those". He sat back, arms crossed, with a smile. "See? Trying new things isn't all that bad. There's a lot to experience in the world. We just want to make sure you see plenty of it".
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