Ino and the Fortune Teller

Daraius

Just some Hallifax brand cuteness. Ino's really good, and way faster than me, so I'm just chuffed I could keep up with her. As usual, I've edited the perspective so you can be a pigeon on the wall instead of pretending to be me.

Puns and Origami, the Prevailing Arts of Hallifax

Klangiary, 405 C.E.

Daraius Shevat asks Ayisdra, "Comrade, have you kept abreast of this year's publications?"

Ino stretches languidly.

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says to Daraius, "I have not. Although I'm sure Lord-Librarian has published a number of books no doubt that are out of their review period perhaps."

Comprehension flashes across Daraius's face.

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says, "Speaking of his books..."

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says, "And him in general."

Delicately, Daraius Shevat says, "You may wish to steel yourself. This year the library has produced a spate of pun-based publications."

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says to Daraius, "What are your thoughts on puns?"

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says, "He has made me very aware of such."

Ino laughs suddenly, before she coughs and averts her gaze.

Daraius taps the claws of his index fingers rhythmically, gazing into the indeterminate middle distance as he considers the question.

Daraius Shevat says to Ayisdra, "I have no talent for the exercise myself, but I confess I was mildly swayed by Lord Windwhisper's paper on the subject."

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says, "And my paper didn't sway you at all?"

Ino pulls a crudely folded piece of parchment out of her pocket.  Absently, she begins manipulating parts of it, causing it to wiggle slightly.

Dipping his muzzle contritely, Daraius Shevat says to Ayisdra, "The argument being that pun-making was counter to productivity? I felt the evidence of Lord Windwhisper's own astonishing productivity effectively countered it, his own argument notwithstanding."

Shaking his head, Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says, "And here I had hoped you would see that Lord-Librarian's ideals of puns were misguided and foolish in nature."

Absently continuing to fiddle with the parchment, Junior Fellow Ino says, "Puns can cause productivity, as it requires the mind to think outside of the box and inspires further creativity to avoid repeating the same inane puns over and over."

Ino falls silent again, still focused on her parchment figure.

Daraius Shevat says, "But I should note I am not strongly inclined in either direction. I do not take much pleasure in reading or hearing them, but certainly it doesn't inspire any base emotions in me."

His eyes dimming, Daraius Shevat says, "I'm given to understand some are driven to fury by so simple a thing as a pun."

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says, "I suppose being neutral on the matter is better than being in Lord Portius' favor."

Placidly, Daraius Shevat says, "I am in favor of enhancing the cultural health of the Collective. These works, though they may not appeal to everyone, will provide tangible benefits to the Collective."

Daraius's expression softens and his tail wags briefly.

Daraius Shevat says to Ayisdra, "Should a counter movement arise, you may rest assured I will report on it with impartiality."

Ino fixes a fold on the parchment, and then wanders over to Daraius. She stands patiently, awaiting him to finish his conversation.

Aeromage Ayisdra Ysav'rai says, "I see..."

Daraius Shevat's unblinking gaze falls momentarily on Ino and the parchment in her hands. "Have you been practicing your origami, citizen?" he asks with a soft growl.

Ino eyes her crude figure with a slight frown denting between her brows. "I haven't decided sommat yet for my tradeskill, but I was tryin. Lookit!" She holds out the figure for Daraius to take if he wishes.

Daraius accepts the offered model and turns it over in his paws, inspecting it from all sides with exacting scrutiny.

Ino points to the figure in your hands. "It's not as sommat pretty as what you showed me, but lookit! It's a loboshigaru. See, this here's the head, and its got a little ear..." she points to another area. "And this is the legs an' that bit is the tail and - oh! If you pull the leg here a lil bit, it makes the tail wag kinda!"

Ino rummages in her pockets and pulls out two more figures, both crude and slightly smushed from her clothing.  "And this one's a trill, and this is uh..." She peers at the second figure.  "Well, I forget what this one was, but it looks kinda like a cup."

A soft growl rises in Daraius Shevat's chest as he follows Ino's instructions, his delicate manipulation of the parchment causing it to move subtly.

Daraius Shevat asks Ino, "Did you find the process of folding these to be therapeutic?"

Ino ponders the situation.

Motioning with the 'trill' figure, Junior Fellow Ino says, "I guess it was sommat sort of soothing. I had been in the diddly dumps when I was doin' it, and it was distractin' as I tried to do sommat. It was hard, 'cause I don't have patterns or nothing, and I'm not a bookbinder."

Acknowledging Ino's point to be true, Daraius nods his head gravely at her.

Adding as an afterthought, Junior Fellow Ino says, "I made one that's like an aethership or sommat too! I gave it to the Lordar - I mean, the Lord-Librarian though. He's got a lot of 'em in his manse desk now."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Ino ponders the situation.

Daraius Shevat asks Ino, "May I keep this one?"

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "That one flies around when you throw it. Not very pretty to lookit though."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "The airship I mean, not the loboshigaru."

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "O'course you can, sir. Do you want this one too?"

Ino peers at the second mystery figure.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "It kinda looks like a teacup. It doesn't do sommat though."

Sheepishly, Junior Fellow Ino says, "I forgot what it was a supposed to be."

Diplomatically, Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "Perhaps you could continue working on it."

Ino nods her head enthusiastically.

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "Lookit with this one - " She pauses, holding up the 'trill' figure. "If you toss it, it kinda flutters for a bit, like it's flyin'!"

Daraius tilts his head curiously at Ino.

Ino stuffs the 'cup' figure back in her pocket, and makes a few small adjustments to the trill figure. She smooths out a wrinkled wing, and then tosses it lightly in your direction. It glides a bit ungracefully, circling around to land near your feet.

Daraius's placid gaze follows the trajectory of the model as it dives.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Trill."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "The aethership one glides sommat better, but it's kinda funnier lookin'"

Daraius Shevat crouches down to retrieve the trill and returns it wordlessly to Ino, then tucks the loboshigaru into his shirt pocket so just its vaguely canid head pokes out.

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "Aetherships come in all varieties, anyhow. Many real ones are funny looking as well."

Ino tucks the trill back in her pocket, tilting her head to the side as she looks at Daraius. She grins slightly after a moment, pushing her spectacles up her nose. "You like the loboshigaru one then, or sommat sir?"

Considering the question for a moment, Daraius Shevat says, "I have a certain natural fondness for artistic representations of loboshigaru."

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "I'll make sommat more for you then, if I get better at it."

Daraius Shevat dips his muzzle to Ino in acknowledgement, his tail swishing briefly behind him.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Sorry that one's a bit squished sir. It was sittin' in my pocket for a while."

Ino scratches her head in confusion.

Daraius Shevat says, "Quite all right, citizen. He will ride safely in mine for the time being."

Daraius Shevat says, "Allow me to make something in exchange."

Daraius deftly folds and cuts a sheet of vellum into a beryl aerial origami.

Ino nods with a short laugh, and then folds her hands behind her back, smiling to herself. She blinks and then watches with avid interest at your folding.

Daraius carefully inscribes his message onto the inner folds of a beryl aerial origami. The magic ink flashes slightly as its glow permeates the origami with its power.

With a final fold, Daraius closes and seals a beryl aerial origami, hiding its message deep within the folds.

Baring his teeth genteelly, Daraius give a beryl aerial origami to Junior Fellow Ino.

Ino peers at a beryl aerial origami unscrupulously.

Junior Fellow Ino exclaims, "Oh, beryl!"

Ino bounces slightly on her slippered toes as she continues to examine the origami from all angles, mimicking your earlier inspection.

Daraius tilts his head curiously at Ino and offer a soft "Hmm?" in her direction.

Absently, Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "I like beryl. And sunshiney colours."

Ino wiggles the feathers on the origami figure, before cautiously going to open it.

A beryl aerial origami unfolds and sings to Ino, "Thank you, citizen. May you be well!"

A beryl aerial origami flutters apart in wisps of vellum and disappears from Ino's hands.

Ino gives a trillingly melodic laugh.

Ino claps her hands together merrily.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "It's sad they vanish, but they're fun to listen to."

A low, contented growl arises within Daraius's chest.

Ino flashes Daraius a joyous smile.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Thanks Ambassador."

Ino hums a happy tune.

Daraius Shevat studies Ino's expression carefully and makes a passable attempt at mirroring it.

Daraius nods his head at Ino.

Ino blinks at Daraius, and then exaggerates her expression, smiling at Daraius slowly again.

Reasserting his placid mien, Daraius Shevat says, "I will be interested in seeing the extent of your folding capabilities without formal training."

[Domoth preparation spam here.]

Ino sways back and forth.

Ino shakes her head from the distractions, and then redirects her attention to Daraius. "Well it's not goin' to be sommat as pretty as what you do, sir, but it's sommat at least."

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "If you find the process meditative, it is worthwhile to keep at it, regardless of the quality of the product." A soft growl laces his tone as he assesses Ino's expression and posture, continuing, "May I safely assume it has lifted you somewhat out of the diddly dumps?"

Ino ponders the situation.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I suppose it did, sir."

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "Oh! I have sommat else I could show you sir, if you'd follow me to the library. Bit distractin' here and I need a place to fold it."

[to the library!]

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Sorry sir. Just got a bit noisy."

Daraius nods his head at Ino, showing his acceptance.

Ino bounds over to a desk, pulling her journal out of her pack.  She rips a fresh sheet of parchment from within in the binding, and sets about folding and then tearing away a clean edge from the ragged portion.

Ino stuffs the journal back into her pack, and then smooths the paper flat on the desktop.

Ino tears the paper neatly in half so she has a smaller square to work with.  Neatly, she folds the triangular edges on each corner in to the center.

Daraius Shevat approaches the desk, his bare toes clicking lightly against the hard floor as he crosses the room. He looms over Ino's workspace, gazing down upon her efforts serenely.

Ino flips the paper over and does the same on the opposite side, folding the corners in once more. This creates small pockets on the back side.  She folds the paper in half both ways to hold its shape more firmly, and then lifts up the figure.  She pushes her fingers into the back pockets, popping the entire shape up into a pyramid.  She manipulates the figure with her fingers in the pockets underneath, the four triangular points moving much like a 'mouth' on either side.

Absently, Junior Fellow Ino says, "This is just the shape, but you can make it into a game or sommat."

Tilting his head quizically, Daraius asks, "A game?"

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I made a puppet face with another one like this, 'cause if you just move it the one way and hold it up like this - " She lifts it to demonstrate and manipulates it. "It looks sommat like a mouth, and you can make it talk. Or for the game..."

Ino flattens the figure on the desk so it is a flat square once more, with the shallow pockets no longer visible on the bottom.  "Take a look sir," she says, beckoning.  She points to the corners, and then lifts the inward fold gently.  "These are lil flaps, see here?"

Daraius Shevat crouches on his haunches next to the desk to get a closer look. Glancing from the origami model to Ino, he nods briefly, his ears perked attentively.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "So now what you do is... hold on, need to find a quill..."

Daraius gives a glowing purple quill to Junior Fellow Ino.

Ino blinks.

Ino gives a trillingly melodic laugh.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "This'll work."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I don't need magic ink for this to work, but I can do sommat with regular."

Ino pulls the figure closer to herself. She ponders the situation, and then lifts the flaps outward on the figure, and begins scribbling something in each of the four corners. She hides what she is writing from your view, and firmly presses down each flap so its not visible as she finishes with each.

Daraius Shevat nods encouragingly, his gaze focused on Ino's manipulation of the folded square with unnerving intensity.

Ino then writes a series of random, single-digit numbers, eight in total, one on each folded half of the top flaps.

Ino sets the quill down for a moment, and pops the figure back up into the semi-pyramid shape, and then quickly scribbles four different colours on each corner before she hands the quill back to Daraius.

"Ok!" Ino exclaims.

An inquisitive growl escapes Daraius's chest.

Ino holds the figure out, manipulating it slightly so that Daraius can see that when the figure is opened one way, four numbers appear inside. Then, upon closing it and opening it slightly the other way, the other four numbers appear. "See this sir?"

His ears standing at attention, Daraius Shevat says, "Ah yes, clever."

Junior Fellow Ino laughingly says, "Are you ready for the game portion now, sir?"

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "I still don't know the rules."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "You'll find out as we go along. It's real sommat simple."

Daraius Shevat says, "You will be at an advantage, but I am willing to play."

Ino shakes her head.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "There's no losin' or winnin' really, sir. It's just for a bit of a laugh."

Ino closes the figure again, so that only the written colours are visible, her thumb and pointer finger on either hand resting in the four pockets on the pyramid.

Daraius nods slowly, the slightest wariness in his sidelong glance.

Daraius

The Fortune Teller

Grinning, Junior Fellow Ino says, "Pick a colour sir. Your choices are written here - celadon, orange, green, or indigo."

Ino indicates with a nod of her head, to the colours written on the corners.

Daraius Shevat asks Ino, "I choose based on my preferences?"

Junior Fellow Ino says, "You can pick any colour you want for now, sir. Preference, or just a random one from the choices."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Just the means to the end."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Tapping his chin contemplatively with one claw, Daraius Shevat says, "Orange, then, for its proximity to the berylline family of colors."

Grinning, Junior Fellow Ino says, "Good choice sir. Let's see then -."

Ino begins to open and close the figure in either direction, spelling out the name of the colour.  As she says each letter, she only opens the figure once in either direction.  "O-R-A-N-G-E - okay." She pauses, leaving the figure partially opened to reveal the numbers on the last letter.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Now pick a number. You got four, eight, three, or two to pick from here."

Ino indicates the visible numbers in the figure.

Daraius Shevat says, "Two, for the number of pups I have."

Ino nods, and then opens and closes the flaps again, as she did for the spelling of the colour. "One, two - okay, it landed on the same ones again, so you pick from the same group of numbers."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "It don't matter if you want to pick the same number again this time around."

His tail swaying rhythmically behind him, Daraius Shevat says, "Eight, for me and my siblings."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I can see the pattern in your choices, sir."

The corners of Ino's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Junior Fellow Ino exclaims, "But okay!"

With a sound somewhere between a chuckle and a growl, Daraius Shevat says, "My choices must have some significance, I figure, if the result of all this is to be satisfying."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "We'll see."

An impish grin creeps over Ino's face as her eyes light up with mischief.

Daraius Shevat studies Ino's expression searchingly, as if parsing the precise qualities of her smile. He then returns his gaze to the origami model, examining it with the same intensity.

Ino repeats the motion, counting aloud.  "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eiiiight - back to the same group of numbers, o'course."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Pick one more time, sir."

Daraius's eyes dim, but his expression remains unchanged.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "It don't have to be sommat special in numbers to you sir, it's just to pick the final selection. Go ahead."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "This is where the game ends for this bit."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Daraius Shevat says, "Well, if the choice is truly insignificant... three?"

Ino nods, removing her hands from one pocket so that she can gently lift the flap.  She turns it, tilting her head to read the side that had the number 3 written on the top half.

Reading aloud from the figure, Junior Fellow Ino says, "You will go on a grand an' mysterious journey. Many adventures await you."

Daraius flattens his ears against his head.

Ino closes the flap, and then looks up at Daraius.

Daraius Shevat asks Ino, "Divination through origami?"

Junior Fellow Ino says, "It's a 'fortune-teller'. You write some kinda bad ones, some kinda good ones, and the person picks their fate. It's not real, but if you're creative, it can be sommat to brighten your coppers."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I made up the fortunes myself. You can do it however many times until you run out of new fortunes, and then you can do it with someone new. You can change up the game dependin' on what you want. The Lordar - I mean, the Lord-Librarian, I mean, might choose to write a selection of puns instead of fortunes, for example."

The corners of Ino's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Comprehension slowly settles across Daraius's features and his eyes brighten subtly.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Or you could make it a challenger game, where the person who picks has to do whatever the challenge is. 'Eat a whole bowl of spicy nuts in three minutes' or 'compose a poem in one minute.' or sommat, dependin' on your preferences and crowd."

With a satisfied nod, Daraius Shevat says, "In that way it is rather more versatile than a typical action origami."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I don' remember where I learned how to do this one. I think it was a lil kid game when I was younger. Maybe it's a human thing or sommat. I don't think I've seen it around before."

Ino scratches her head in confusion.

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "Nor have I, at least not among my bookbinding cartels. It is certainly an interesting device."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Want to go 'gain?"

The corners of Ino's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Daraius's whiskers twitch abruptly.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "You gotta switch up sommat of your choices each time o'course, or you run the risk of choosing the same fortune or challenge, but as long as you choose a different one each time, you can keep surprisin' yourself until you have each one."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Ino twiddles the figure at Daraius, the origami closed so that the colours are visible once more.

Grinning, Junior Fellow Ino says, "Want to pick another colour?"

Baring his teeth slightly, Daraius Shevat says, "Very well. Perhaps it will inform my upcoming journey."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Celadon, orange, green, or indigo."

Daraius states, "Celadon."

Manipulating the figure, Junior Fellow Ino says, "C-E-L-A-D-O-N, okay, new group a numbers."

Daraius Shevat trains his ears attentively on Ino.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Five, one, six, or seven."

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "Six, definitely."

Manipulating the figure, Junior Fellow Ino says, "One, two, three, four, five, an' six - same group, pick again."

Daraius issues a short, soft growl.

Daraius Shevat says, "One."

Ino snaps the figure to the other set of numbers.  "Okay, same as before.  Four, eight, three, or two.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I would recommend not pickin' three again."

The corners of Ino's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Daraius nods his head at Ino, showing his acceptance.

Daraius Shevat says, "Two it is, in that case."

Ino opens the corresponding flap, reading aloud the 'fortune' beneath the number.

Reading aloud, Junior Fellow Ino says, "Beware from above. Pigeons will flock and follow you for the next day."

Ino giggles happily.

Ino folds the flap back down.

Daraius's ears and whiskers droop pitifully.

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "Don' worry, sir. It's not really gonna happen unless you have a lot of breadcrumbs or sommat."

Junior Fellow Ino laughingly says, "Wanna go again, or are you all set?"

Gravely, Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "I have peered enough into my future for now, I think. How confident are you in its worthlessness as a predictive tool? You did use my magic quill, after all."

Ino waves her hand dismissively.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "It might happen sir, but I wouldn't know. I'm not far enough in my training to see the future. And 'sides, you know that can change whenever. All about perspective."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Just don't make eye contact with the pigeons for the next day, and you'll be fine, I'm sure."

The corners of Ino's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Acknowledging Ino's point to be true, Daraius nods his head gravely at her.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "An' if they did, you could always turn it to your profit advantage."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Sell 'em to the pigeon person."

Ino nods her head sagely.

The corners of Ino's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Daraius begins to wield a loboshigaru monk's staff in his hands.

Daraius Shevat says, "Quite so."

Ino folds the figure neatly into a small square, and then slips it into her pocket.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Did you like the game, sir?"

Junior Fellow Ino laughingly says, "Did it brighten your coppers some?"

A soft growl rolls in Daraius Shevat's chest as he carefully considers the question. At length, he turns his placid gaze on Ino, saying, "As a method of divination, I must categorize it as a waste of time and effort."

Unperturbed, Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "That's not the question I asked, sir."

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "But as a tool for building interpersonal harmony between citizens, it is certainly worthwhile."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Oh good, that one is."

The corners of Ino's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "It's not meant to really divine the future. It's just for fun."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "So the harmony bit is good."

His tail swishing once behind him, Daraius Shevat says, "The harmony bit is good indeed."

Ino wiggles her rear around, as if she were trying to wag a tail.

Ino nods her head sagely.

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "If you think there may be broader appeal to those devices, perhaps we could see about having them produced through a bookbinding cartel."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Oh, I dunno how well it'd work as a standard origami sir. It's not meant for storage."

Ino scratches her head in confusion.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Or charms or somesuch."

Dipping his muzzle in understanding, Daraius Shevat says, "Very well."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "But it's worth thinkin' on. If we could come up with sommat of a way..."

Ino trails off absently.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "I'll have to run it around my noggin' for a bit. Maybe we can."

Daraius straightens to his full height and takes a moment to smooth down his shirt, adjust the cuffs at his elbows, and situate the ends of his bow tie just so.

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "If you develop a suitable design, I can process it through my own cartel."

Pointing, Junior Fellow Ino says, "Your lobo is sinkin' in your pocket, sir."

Daraius deftly rights the little parchment figure in his pocket.

Ino nods her head sagely.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "There you go. All spick and span."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Thanks for playin' with me, sir."

Ino beams broadly at Daraius.

Nodding, Daraius Shevat says, "It was my pleasure. Thank you for the demonstration."

Ino waves her hand dismissively.

Daraius Shevat says, "I note the work on your fortune-teller was actually rather clean and precise. It shows promise for your bookbinding prospects."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Oh, the fortune-teller is easy."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "And you gotta be precise, or it could rip the corners when you move it. But thanks for noticing."

Ino nods her head sagely.

Junior Fellow Ino says, "It's the other ones that give me more trouble, or sommat."

Ino scratches her head in confusion.

 

With a gentle growl, Daraius Shevat says, "All origami starts with a single fold."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Yessir."

Ino rubs her eyes tiredly.

Daraius Shevat says to Ino, "If you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I must take my leave. It appears you are in need of some rest as well."

Ino nods her head emphatically.

Ino bobs a half-curtsey, stifling a yawn with one hand.

Daraius clasps his paws before him and offers a serene bow. "May you be well," he says benignly, "and your efforts fruitful."

Junior Fellow Ino says, "Night, sir."

Bonus!

You grow still and begin to pray silently for preservation of your soul while you are out of the land.

A gentle 'coo' registers in your ears, which twitch to its sound.

Shaddus

Junior Fellow Ino says to Daraius, "That one flies around when you throw it. Not very pretty to lookit though."


...it's an origami wad of paper?

Maligorn

I just read through this. Ino is very charming, and hilarious to bring something like that into Lusternia.