Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Nov 3, 2021 14:13:37 GMT -6
Renathan digs in lot #89:
Alas, doesn't look like there's anything here to make anyone happy, neither historian nor yourself.. But there's still some spots left, so the luck might yet turn!
Despite no finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Renathan has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Auburn digs in lot #90:
Similar to the other, this plot looks pretty vacant. There's some buried seeds, but that's about it.
( Auburn has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Leafy digs in lot #55:
Oh? Is that gold? Well, no, but its still a shiny! A coin worth some 3 points at the booth.
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Leafy has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Naieth digs in lot #56:
Perhaps the familiar isn't looking to be outdone, for they manage to dredge up a green one too! One that's actually worth 6 points at the booth.
( Naieth has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Nerius digs in lot #104:
Oh hello.. It looks to be a shiny! Another of those green glass coins, which the ungulate seems to consider worth 6 points at the booth.
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Nerius has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Ice digs in lot #105:
The familiar takes some time digging up the adjacent spot, but the effort ends up well worth it! To its own interest, there's a shiny golden coin to keep it busy, as a passing historian carefully tried to remove what looks to be a frame of some sort (Without getting bit in the process. It was delicate balancing act, especially considering the sharpness of diamonds). Once it's free, they look the item over, careful to open it on slightly rusted hinges. Oh my.. looks to be a pocket mirror, which is quite a novelty! Though more a recent find, the historian would say they find it personally interesting, but alas, nothing historic to really make any sensational headlines, so they hand it back.
( Ice has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Silver digs in lot #28:
Well.. 'Unlucky' is a matter of perspective, surely there's other factors that might contribute! But, ah, yeah, doesn't seem like there's much here either.
Despite no finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Silver has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Kylma digs in lot #48:
Which isn't quite the case on the other plot, as the halfbreed is easily able to dig up one of those blue coins! Nice, a good chunk of 9 points, if traded at the booth.
( Kylma has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Kadin digs in lot #112:
The unconventional strategy does pay off this time, as a shiny green coin is dug up! Worth a nice 6 points at the booth, this one.
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Kadin has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Miles digs in lot #113:
As if asking the world for a favour, the houluh lands on.. something a little different. A piece of paper (or parchment? It's hard to tell) is revealed, and although it looks tattered, it also looks like it got into a fight with a candle at some point and lost. The historians haven't departed too far even, and a few of them circle back to inspect it. Seeing it's paper, they don't seem all to encouraged, given it's tendency to not really survive a lot of centuries intact, and no sooner do they try to read the handwriting that they determine the inevitable truth - Someone just wrote a complaint to a nearby smithy, nothing more. The date isn't even that old, only so far back as last year. So they hand it back, the air of gloom increasing across all their heads, and even Antelmo starting to look concerned for them. Oh, and there's a blue coin too.
( Miles has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Ashe digs in lot #52:
Looks like the refreshments did the trick! Or was it just good luck? In any case, there's a deep red coin in the middle of the earth, worth a considerable 12 points at the booth.
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Ashe has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Inyala digs in lot #53:
Meanwhile the imp's vigour is definitely admirable, the speed at which the plot is cleared.. but there just doesn't seem to be anything on it.
( Inyala has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Ashe trades at the Booth:
The ungulate finishes fussing about with the quill, as you approach, and he looks up with both surprise and joy. "Ah! Welcome, welcome!" he claps the hooves together merrily, "Of course! Of course, good sir! We have plenty prizes still in stock, and there's no end to points just yet!" He then leans under the table, there's a rustling sound of some boxes and he brings up four of the bags to set on the table. Pushing them across to you, Antelmo smiles, "There, good sir! Four of the winter bags, as ordered. May you enjoy the contents within!" As you take your leave, he turns to update the tally.
( For purchasing 4 Winter Goodie Bags, 8 points have been deducted from your tally! )
Nadia digs in lot #74:
Alas, it doesn't seem as though there's anything of particular note here either, unless one likes some wayward tree roots.
Despite no finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Nadia has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Flare digs in lot #21:
Well, if you like mud, there's plenty of it! Sadly not much else, though..
Despite no finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Flare has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Grendel digs in lot #31:
Meanwhile the houluh certainly has more reasons to do mud-print impressions, as there's another yellow coin! A nice 3 points at the booth, if traded.
( Grendel has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Flare trades at the Booth:
Antelmo catches sight of you pretty quickly as you approach (And it isn't too hard, for not many of the diggers come quite as muddy as that). Visible concern flashes across his features more a moment, when he realizes the table cloth is a nice pristine yellow.. So it wouldn't really mesh well with mud. But being rude meshes less with a customer! So he quickly corrects himself, smiling at your approach "Hello! Hello!" Listening to the request, he nods, "Ah, yes! Yes! Quite popular these! It is a good thing there a plenty more to go around." and he leans under the table to bring up four of the winter goodie bags. With all four in a row, he extends them to you, smiling, "It is 8 points total, so I shall update your tally. Pleasure doing business, good sir!"
( For purchasing 4 Winter Goodie Bags, 8 points have been deducted from your tally! )
Linyü digs in lot #27:
Before it's all said and done, another of the yellow coins is found! Worth a nice 3 points at the booth, too.
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Linyü has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Rei digs in lot #29:
The hara has even better luck, finding a green one! The ungulate would surely trade 6 points at the booth for this one!
( Rei has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
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Post by Renathan on Nov 3, 2021 14:25:24 GMT -6
Renathan did not find anything at all this time, though he was able to catch a bit of a break after the plot is more quickly gone through this time. He takes a big swig from his water bottle and sits down, waiting for Auburn to come to him after she was done checking around. She typically had a tad better luck than he did, anyway. After some amount of time (he wasn't sure how much, just that it allowed him to catch his breath) Auburn does run up- and it looks like she was... Eating something? The mammalian shoots up onto his feet, moving to her and making sure that she wasn't eating something inedible. When he was satisfied that it was simply seeds (where did she even find these? They looked harmless at least) he brushes his hands off on the fur of his knees and then smiles lopsidedly beneath the mask.
"Looks like we need to find a couple more slots, Auburn. We didn't find anything this time around, did we?" They'd been fairly lucky up to this point, so it wasn't much of a blow.[Post 20] [Selections: 97 & 98]
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Post by Linyü on Nov 3, 2021 14:31:51 GMT -6
It seemed like the digging was really wrapping up now. San hadn't been paying close attention, but it seemed as if there weren't any archaeological discoveries made at all here. Who had organized this, and chosen the location? The question flitted across his mind briefly, but it was none of his business, and he felt no desire to pursue the answer.
With Rei in tow, he struck into what ground there was left. It was just as well that things were ending. He was starting to get tired; digging was hard work, and his condition was still not quite what it had been, though it was much better now to have lasted him through even this much of the excavation. He had no doubt that he would be sore tomorrow, but it was no longer his consequence to deal with. Seveth would complain about it at length in the journal when the time came.
[Squares 34 and 35]
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Post by Renathan on Nov 3, 2021 14:32:15 GMT -6
Just as Renathan was leaving the plot he'd checked over and found nothing in; he saw another of those little pumpkin-shaped goodie bags on the ground. He smiles, and picks it up. He had a few of those now, and had opened one far earlier- he didn't open the rest of them quite yet, wishing to get a head start on picking a suitable plot (because there were so many people working so hard, and he had been a bit late earlier in the work, after all!). The closest plots that were right next to one another were not far away at all, so he makes a beeline for these two plots, picking the nearer one for Auburn.
"Maybe we'll have better luck this time, huh?" He asks her rhetorically. She stares up at him with those shiny, precious eyes, and Renathan couldn't help but to give her a pat behind her ears. "Alright Auburn, F'rai!"
Like clockwork, she takes off again. Maybe there would be more tasty seeds for her, huh?[Post 21]
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Post by Renathan on Nov 3, 2021 14:36:06 GMT -6
Renathan had caught his own second wind, and he was quite pleased with it. The little bit of rest had done wonders for him, though he knew that he probably only had one more plot left in him before he was going to need to sit down for a good long while. He moves over to the plot right beside Auburn, and he raises the shovel in more sure hands now before he selects a corner to begin the search in. The ground here was a little bit odd feeling, and he wasn't entirely sure what it was (old roots, maybe? A thick layer of sod?). Despite the off-putting sensation of the 'different' ground in this particular plot, he was determined to work it over as thoroughly as possible. If there was anything here to be found- he was going to find it!
He could hear Auburn chirping happily, even over this distance. It didn't sound like she'd found anything yet, so he simply enjoyed the pleasant-enough 'song' as he worked.[Post 22]
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Post by Ashe on Nov 3, 2021 14:37:21 GMT -6
"Thank you very much!" Ashe said to their host. He hadn't had a chance to talk to him much, to properly introduce himself or find anything out about him on a personal level. Everything was so hectic, so busy, and Ashe too felt the rush. So he just thanked the man, took his goodie bags, and went back to the hole. He poked around in the dirt a little more and - "Ha! It's my turn to find something, 'Yala!" He declared, holding up one of the red glass coins. It caught the light in a pleasant way, when he held it up. But he pocketed it and looked around for their next plot to dig on. He quickly found two, and hurried Inyala over to it. The Imp took one plot, Ashe took the other, and together, they dug at the dirt, shovel and claws, seeking out more of those coins - because anything with actual value would be bad news, and no one wanted that!
[Ashe digs 109 and Inyala digs 110]
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Post by Ashe on Nov 3, 2021 14:43:19 GMT -6
The goodie bags were starting to burn a hole in Ashe's little bag he had to stash stuff in. Almost literally, because the way he kept moving around, trying to focus on digging when all he wanted to do was open more things and get more things... It finally became unbearable and he took a step back, drove the blade of the shovel into the dirt so it would stand up straight, then he pulled out - three of those goodie bags. See what they had inside, and if it wasn't as good as the little pumpkins (he loved those Equillion!) then he would still have one untouched he could sell later. One by one, he opened the bags, eager to see what was inside. Inyala glanced up when she saw her master pause in the digging, but when she saw what he was doing, she just went back to digging. The goodie bags were of no use to her; she didn't eat the candy, or hoard the trinkets. She was more interested in treasure. [Ashe opens: ]
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Post by Silver on Nov 3, 2021 16:47:11 GMT -6
While they weren't doing it just for the prizes, Silver did feel a bit disappointed when they didn't find anything. The coins were a nice reward, an incentive to keep going, a sign that they were on the right track. Ah well, they did already have a lot of them, so they shouldn't be too worried. Plus, as they looked over at Kylma, they saw that he had another blue coin. Well, it wasn't a total waste of time, anyway. "There's not much dirt left unturned," Silver said idly. They looked around at the other tired diggers. Perhaps after this, they could offer to freshen up everyone's exhausted creatures. That would be nice. "Well, if we work quickly, perhaps we'll be done sooner than we think," Silver said. They led Kylma over to a new spot, this time one they chose. "Alright, are you ready Ky? Ready?" They hopped in place to get Kylma excited, which worked a treat. "Dig, Ky, dig!" [Squares 43 & 44] Finds: Unopened: [134.85, 10]
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Post by Leafy on Nov 3, 2021 17:06:47 GMT -6
This time when Leafy and Naieth both finished digging, they ended up with a coin each. Leafy always managed to find another goodie bag and she was overall pleased with their haul. Naieth certainly looked less dejected now that she had found something of substance. The areas left to dig in were growing fewer and fewer in number. If they wanted to ensure that they could snag the ones they wanted, they’d need to get a move on now! They decided to split up. Naieth wandered away from where Leafy was. The girl chose a plot near the edge of the area. Naieth then chose another lone one that seemed to be the only open one even remotely near the one Leafy had chosen. Feeling a sudden sense of urgency, they both got to work digging. Leafy used her shovel to help her move things along while Naieth dug without outside assistance. [Squares 40, 59]
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Post by Nadia on Nov 3, 2021 17:15:32 GMT -6
It turned out there was time and space for another dig, after all! Nadia hadn't planned on coming back after the last attempt, having been disappointed with her luck, but something had given her the motivation to try again if there was anything left to excavate. To her surprise and excitement, there were a few spots available.
Oh, it was much more relaxing once most of the work had been done. There was no need to fret about someone else's eyes having been on her chosen area - she could hop onto the nearest empty plot and get busy. On that day, she'd opted to bring gloves, because the spade was beginning to chap her hands. Clearly she didn't do enough physical labour in her everyday life.
A little prayer was said in the hopes of unearthing a coin, but she was content to leave it to the will of the gods.
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Post by Nerius on Nov 3, 2021 18:06:52 GMT -6
For a while there, Nerius had thought maybe they'd actually found a relic, but the little mirror ended up being not quite old enough, and he was allowed to keep it. An interesting trinket, if nothing else, and Ice seemed to be quite fond of it. The gem dragon had not wanted to give up her find, and if not for her training and affection for Nerius, she would have put up a fight. But no blood was shed in the process, and they were back at the Fairgrounds once again. If last time hadn't had a lot of sections left, it was almost entirely dug though now. It took longer, though he found another pumpkin in the process, but eventually Nerius managed to find a pair of plots that were untouched. Once he'd claimed them, he had Ice start digging, quickly opening the pumpkln, before getting started on his own plot.
[Square 23 and 33] (Ice: 4/10 +Added) (Nerius: 4/5 +Added)
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Post by Flare on Nov 4, 2021 5:03:15 GMT -6
This has to be probably the most digging he's done in a few days, short of perhaps working on unearthing that ancient pond. But thats less dirt and more dirt and lots of rocks. WOrks a totally different set of muscles. The mud smeared on by his now very filthy houlou is drying, and would be a pain in the butt to get out. Getting Grendel to go for a wash? Also going to be tough, as she thought it was a chasing game and would run from him. Maybe he could pay someone else to give her a bath. Wasnt' there a salon in town for dogs, or pets in general? Most of the plots around him were full of holes as Grendel came up to him, and spat a yellow topaz coin at his feet. {Almost done girl. Then you are getting a bath.} he tells her in his native language. The houlou just barks happily. MORE DIGGY YAY.
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Post by Kadin on Nov 4, 2021 5:28:22 GMT -6
Show name: Walk a Mile Call name: Miles Gender: Male Species: Common Houluh Level: 20 [1/5] Loyalty: 42 [2/5] -stats- Stamina: 2 Strength: 2 Resistance: 1 Dexterity: 5 Mentality: 5 Special Abilities: None Moves: Bite Training Tricks Known: Name (1), Heel (1), Come (1), Search (2), Sit (1), Stay (1), Hold (1), Drop (1), Lay Down (1), Combat Crawl (2), Race (3) The holes were dug, the plots were cleared, and Kadin was here to find the last few bits that needed seeing to. Plenty of people had come before him today, before he was able to get here. He didn't mind. He calmly walked among the plots, looking for any areas that hadn't been dug up yet. The first one he found, he sent Miles after, wanting to make sure the houluh got plenty of enrichment today while they were out anyway. Then he scoured the rest of the holes to see if any more had been left for him, a mix of relieved and a bit sad when he did find one. This whole area was about to be dug up! Strange to think that it had been so full and sprawling not long ago. It just goes to show, once someone put the call out, everyone here would answer. Kadin settled in to dig up his chosen plot, hoping for something interesting. Once most of the work was done, Kadin figured it'd be a good time to take a bit of a break and check what was in his goodie bags. He dug through all of the pumpkins, almost afraid of what he'd end up finding. Once they were all sorted out and the items tucked away, he'd go back to survey what he might have found in his hole or Miles found in his. [41 and 87]
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Post by Flare on Nov 5, 2021 5:20:15 GMT -6
His fingers, no his hands, no his ARMS, outright ache by the time he sees one last digger swoop in to finish off the plots. The muscular pains buzzed each time he attempted to curl his fingers in for a grip. Ow. What he wouldn't give for a hot bath right now. There must be something open at this hour. That's what he decided to do, once the fancy goat man and his flock of carrion birds called 'historians' were finished with their businesses here. A nice soak in the hot water would loosen up his muscles. Giving himself a bit of a break before digging that last few inches of his own hole. There wasn't much left, and by the thick and wet clods flying out of Grendel's direction, she would be done soon as well. May the sun pity the unfortunate soul who gets hit by one of those clods of dirt... by sheer accident of course. Nobody looks when throwing clods of dirt. 20.20 lv 92 Flare 18/37 Grendel
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Nov 12, 2021 12:54:19 GMT -6
Renathan digs in lot #97:
Sod? No.. not quite.. Much more.. fibrous. More even. The shovel bites through a layer and it unearths a piece of what looks like wood, but not in the form of a root - It's timber, once worked and maybe even painted, though it's pretty hollow and decayed by now. And only a short distance from it, something glassy and shiny.. and though it seems to be that at first its not a coin! In fact, once its carefully pried loose of the soil, it looks to be a piece of stained glass! The historians quickly usher each other over, the tension in the air palpable as more and more plots disappear before their eyes, leaving nothing but junk and dirt. Could this be it? Their last chance of a find? They inspect it carefully, and one of the group takes careful measure of the metal seams for the piece. The design is certainly intriguing, but as hopeful as the expert is, they can't deny the general lack of corrosion in such humid soil would mark this as too new. Probably made by the glasssmiths of the City only some years back. There's a soft noise, almost like a swallowed sob, and they compose themselves, handing it back.
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Renathan has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Auburn digs in lot #98:
The other plot doesn't have much of anything to find, and even the seeds seem replaced with small roots! Quite unfortunate.. Unless that's the sort of thing to eat too (No judgement).
( Auburn has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Linyü digs in lot #34:
One last push of effort does seem to yield a golden reward! (Actual material composition can vary, item not guaranteed to be real gold).
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Linyü has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Rei digs in lot #35:
The other plot doesn't have that much more luck, but at least it also means none of the stuffy historians come knocking?
( Rei has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Ashe digs in lot #109:
If turns are being taken, well.. Doesn't seem like this piece of land has anything..
Despite no finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Ashe has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Inyala digs in lot #110:
..but the imp's sure does!
( Inyala has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Silver digs in lot #43:
A last ditch effort does bring in a last batch of rewards! Not one, but TWO coins glint back from the dirt!
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Silver has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Kylma digs in lot #44:
As for the other hole, there's mostly gravel and something that looks like a boulder deeper in, but nothing too fancy.
( Kylma has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Leafy digs in lot #40:
Though it's the closing stages of the digging process, it seems this last chance doesn't yield much here..
Despite no finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Leafy has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Naieth digs in lot #59:
..nor on the other one. Ah well, Antelmo still notes the good effort, though!
( Naieth has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Nadia digs in lot #114:
And the gods say.. Yes! Apparently what fate or luck shines down on you is good today!
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Nadia has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Nerius digs in lot #23:
The final closing stages seem to bring out a pretty interesting find! A pearly glass coin, surely worth quite a few points at the booth.
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Nerius has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Ice digs in lot #33:
As the gods, fates or other powers-that-be would have it, nothing would come easy to the historians that day (or all the days before). The familiar is quick to find something, perhaps a bit too quick and ends up giving the glass of the pocket watch a few more scratches from their diamond talons, but not half as many as the historian could receive coming to retrieve it. After some (mildly intense) negotiations between familiar and owner, the historians finally gather around the object. This is it.. Most likely their very last chance to find anything, as the plots were disappearing faster than snow in the middle of summer. Carefully they turn it over, inspect it for any marks, indications, clues.. The design gives some hope, as it could well be one of the first pocket watches to be released! It's newer history, but still important in terms of technological advancements! But then one of them wipes a bit of dirt away from the face of the watch and the imprint beneath becomes more clear.. It's made by an old company, alright, but one that has endured time and simply released some of their oldest watches in new form - Within ticks nothing more or less than the latest technology, purchasable from Timekeepers and Co. just down the street. Sorrowfully, the historian seems almost reluctant to give it back, not because there's worth in it, but because giving it away would ultimately confirm the fears that had been growing within their collective for some time now.. But eventually, they do, and the troupe leaves with comforting pats on shoulders and hung heads.
( Ice has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Flare digs in lot #25:
The mud and effort do end up worth it as a green coin can be found in the dirt!
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Flare has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Grendel digs in lot #45:
The plot doesn't seem to have much, but at least it's some final bit of diggy!
( Grendel has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Kadin digs in lot #41:
Oh? A last bit of crimson luck!
Along with the finds, there is a strange little bag just sitting around on the ground..
( Kadin has earned 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
Miles digs in lot #87:
The houluh doesn't have nearly as much luck, but the exercise is still worth it!
( Miles has earned their owner 5 points at the Booth for their work! )
The last bit of dirt thrown, the last tuft of grass uprooted, and even a final bit of (slightly desperate) passing over with a metal detector finally rounds out the extensive process of upturning the whole of the Fairgrounds area. Numerous hours of backbreaking work, several tons of earth moved with but hands and back and assortment of creatures alike.. And not a single piece of artifact or ruin found! The ungulate looks to be beaming so much as to seem like his eyes gleam, unabashed to showcase the pride he feels over each and every hand that took up the call. To think! Not but months ago he was sitting in a pit of despair, hopes dashed! Plans ruined! But in true Gallus manner, he did not give up, no sir! A Gallus always finds a way, and no pesky sneaky underhanded lawyering will ruin those plans so easily!
So he climbs to the top of some crates, claps his hooves together, and calls out across the whole of the field, "My friends! You have done the impossible! With mere hands and shovels, you have moved a mountain!" (In truth, the elevation wasn't higher than a molehill, but that didn't matter). "I cannot thank you enough for taking your time to come here and help me with my woes and troubles," there's a theatric handback to the brow "When all seemed lost, you heard the call for truth and justice, and took it! And have shown that anything can be done, if worked towards as a collective!" There's a bright smile and brighter eyes, as he takes a deep bow, "So to you all, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart! For you are the true heroes of the day!"
Then, the bow turns into a presentation towards a table set up off to the side, "Allow me a parting gift, of food and drink! To help recover the energy you have lost!"
( Feel free to grab~ )
One hand raises, a single hoof held up, "And that's not all! To all of you who have come to help me, I offer you a voucher from the Labs, free of charge! May it show the depths of my appreciation for saving the Fairgrounds!"
( Feel free to grab ONCE, for all who have participated and earned points~ ) ( Note: When claiming, be sure to specify for which species. )
As the crowd rushes over to the foods and drinks, Antelmo climbs down from the crates. What a feeling! Things are back on track! He can well be on top of the world and no gale or wind or terror would shake him! But as he's about to return to his booth, the ungulate catches sight of the gathering of historians to the side of the field, most packing the few tools and scrolls they brought with them, while most sit with heads lowered or in their hands. There's a pause, the hooves giving a small instinctive twitch. What sadness.. but he wasn't in the business of sadness.. he was in the business of joy and entertainment. So he picks up some leftover pumpkin bags and brings them over to the historians, handing them out to each.
But the faces don't brighten, and the heads remain low, even as some dourly pick at the little trinkets and candy inside. Oh, this isn't working. Why wasn't it working?
Finally, he reaches an elderly type among them, whom he's assumed to be in charge of the general investigation. Her head's between her hands, and one can almost feel the sighing that is happening. The ungulate sits down beside her, and offers up the gift bag, "It is not so bad.. There was no treasure here, but don't give up! These lands are old and vast! You can still find treasure elsewhere to study!"
The woman sighs, uncurling long enough to be completely unmoved by his uplifting tone. "If only it was about treasure itself.. We had a chance here.. At the heart of the greatest metropolis on this continent.. A find in the north or the deserts or the jungle is wonderful, but they are all so distant.. A find here, in the cobbled over, built over, torn down and rebuilt layers of history? It would have been a sensation.."
The ungulate distantly understood there was something within her words, another layer to the situation he hadn't really understood. "You still can," he began, offering a candy from the bag, "Even a small find is worth the search! Why need a sensation?"
The question hit something in the woman, so much so that her hand paused as it reached for the candy. Then, a sigh, and she broke off from the attempt, "Because there's so few of us left now.. Did you know the historical society used to number in the hundreds once?" When the ungulate shook his head, a liveliness returned to her, as if long buried frustrations arose once more, "It did! We used to have enough people to explore all the corners of Pethia.. at the same time! We honed skills and knowledge and arcana and technology.. It used to be popular to be an explorer!" Her hands waive frustrated through the air, "But then the borders closed, new technology replaced old knowledge, and people stopped caring about history.. Only the new, new, new, new.. Our numbers dwindled, and the final blow was those idiots who decided the FIRST ever decently funded exploration the society had done in a decade HAD to be to the MAW of all places!"
Antelmo listened, halfway crunching down on a candy, vaguely recalling the rather disastrous result of that. His thoughts worked through the words, slowly piecing things together. "It was never about a ruin, was it?"
It was her turn to shake her head, "No.. Not by itself. A find here, at the heart of it all could have brought some publicity.. some attention. Maybe even sparked renewed interest in history! All we needed was something sensational.. even a little bit. There were strong hints and hopes for this spot, and then when we heard it was going to be built over, like so many other places in the City?" Her eyes scoured across the dug up lands, almost wounded, "We took a chance.. but we couldn't even be so lucky as that.." After a pause, she looked to him, "It was never.. personal, you know. It was just one last chance to survive."
The ungulate followed her gaze at the field, at opportunities gained, lost, and in many ways traded. The two sat in silence for some time, perhaps understanding each other far better than ever before.
Then, Antelmo's mind had a familiar itch, "Sensation.." he slowly smiled, "Perhaps I can help with that!"
( All maps complete! There will be no more digging, but the booth will remain open for a little while longer, so any found items can be turned in for extra points. )
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