Sole Purpose

[Teeramus]

Striker was of the opinion that shoes were important. If you had good footwear then you were ready for anything. Fight or Flight; They were both easier with good shoes. But now that he had a bike, his usual steel toed boots were proving a little clunky for the pedals and he was having enough trouble balancing with only one arm, so he decided to splash out some cash and buy a pair of twenty dollar joggers.

He walked out of the shops bag in hard, trying to remember the last time he owned two pairs of shoes. Then looked up and realised he'd come out a different exit then he came in.

Damn. Now where's my bike? Would it be quicker to go around the outside or back through the shops?

The Australian looked around for a familiar landmark to try to get his bearings.

[Falstaff]

Being a Mage is all about the accouterments: wand, flying broom, Harry Potter bathrobe . . . that's why Falstaff isn't getting the respect he deserves--no pointy hat. He'd just missed Halloween though, and the only pointy hat he could find was pink with cartoon ponies on it. It's not that he didn't want it, just that that bitch--the nine-year-old girl--wanted it more. So what if he's slower than a little girl? A full-grown man ought to be. It's not fair that all they had to do is scream, not even in real words, and the whole world comes to give them whatever they want. He wonders if there's a Rote for that. He practices his pout-y lips on passersby.

Next item on the agenda: find a Magic 8 ball. He's scanning the store fronts, and the occasional ass of a chatty mother pushing a stroller, when he sees him--that guy with the one arm from the Charity event. He's overcome with curiosity: How does he tie his shoes? Does he get a handicapped parking spot? How does he claps his . . . hand? As the great philosopher Sow-Crates said: Wisdom begins with wonder. (Addendum: it ends with Falstaff.)

He makes his approach, only waves with one hand because he doesn't want to look like he's showing off. "Hey, Pal! Remember me? Burning dogs and frisbee and the transvestite-MC." Oops, that had gotten some attention from mall shoppers.

[Teeramus]

The Australian looked around at the voice that seemed to be focused in his direction, show box in bag swinging around as he turned to gently tap, then come to rest next to his leg. Burning dogs? Frisbee? Trans... Oh! Realisation lit the shaman's face. "Hey you're the bloke from the thing." He said he recognised the man from the Insults for Charity event, even though his attention had been elsewhere for half the night. "You're the fella who went nuts and gave up." He said, half expecting confirmation. But he couldn't forget the only contestant to forfeit and throw the mic onto the floor. "And weren't you dressed up in some medieval thing at the meeting earlier? That was you right?" He asked, genuinely wondering if they could be the same people.

[Falstaff]

Falstaff laughs when the man says 'bloke.' "Nuts! Yeah, that's me. Falstaff--pleased to meet you. You liked the outfit, huh? I use a little Renaissance costuming shop along the way; maybe they can stitch something up in your size." He offers him a handshake, arcing an inquisitive brow at the shopping bag, hoping the man hadn't bought the last Magic 8 Ball at the mall. First the pony hat, then the 8 ball? Heavens no. How is he ever going to earn Consilium respect?

"I admire the heck out of you going up there by the way; I'm the one to know about suffering a bit of indignity for a good cause. You busy? Maybe we can get a pretzel or something? You know, one of those warm kinds with butter and salt you put the mustard on? I like to dip mine in ice cream?" Maybe he could teach Falstaff how to make everyone adore him. If nothing else, maybe his babe-friend has a pretty sister . . . or an ugly cousin, even!

[Teeramus]

"Nah mate. I don't need to dress up ay." Striker insisted at the offer of a matching costume. By putting his hand all the way through the holes, he shifted the shopping bag backwards onto his wrist, allowing him to give the other mage a firm handshake. It wasn't painful, but there a certain vice-like quality to it.

"Indignity? Mate I've had worse than that before. I mean SssssJack's quick and pretty clever but we were keeping it decent at least." He replied. "Some of the things I've been called after a brawl would probably have Jack's ears burning." he continued with a smile.

"Pretzel?" Aren't they the tiny little hard snack things. Striker was interested where you'd get a pretzel and be happy with it. "Well you seem to know what you're talkin' about. Lead the way." He directed the other man.

[Falstaff]

Falstaff winces as the man crushes his fingers in handshake; he believes him about the brawls. "Yeah! A pretzel. C'mon. I'll show you." He leads Striker back into the mall, up an escalator, to a pretzel stand. "See?" He orders two and pays for both, finding them some seats at a round glass table to the side. Not wanting to spoil him, Falstaff doesn't get any ice cream for dipping.

"Sometimes I get like a pretzel, you know, all twisted up and I don't know what to say . . . wish I tasted like one." He rips off a piece, dunks it in honey mustard, and then pops it in his mouth. "The bosses seemed pretty pissed at you for that thing at the meeting the other day--everything alright with that?"

As they sat, he assessed the man, tried to figure out what color Renaissance doublet would suit his complexion and chiseled features. Red velvet, maybe? No, too severe. On second thought, even teal might look severe. Yellow! That would work. There's a reason why smilie faces are yellow.

[Teeramus]

"Oh yeah I've seen these. Wow yous make a meal out of 'em." The Australian exclaimed seeing the bready delight.

He listened to man as he picked up the whole pretzel and ripped a large chunk off in his teeth, before pulling off smaller pieces, also with his teeth, and trying the sauces. He wondered why this guy was sharing. Did he want dating advice? Striker wasn't the best to ask about that. Then he wanted to taste like a pretzel. Hopefully he didn't think this was related to the dating advice.

"Nah they just seemed upset 'cause they didn't know what they were doin' straight up. Everything's fine mate. Don't you worry." He wasn't about to get into the consellor's judgements* with this relative stranger, mage or not.

"So I add a bit of Spirit and Life to the party." He said smiling, offering up some information to the friendly fool. "What do you do here?" He asked curiously.

*

Also because, you know, they haven't made them yet.

[Falstaff]

Falstaff had never seen a timber wolf eat a pretzel, but he imagines that if he did, the timber wolf would eat the pretzel like Striker. "Glad you like it." Falstaff observes, making special effort not to put his hands anywhere between the pretzel and Striker.

"Party?" It takes a moment for Falstaff to realize they're talking in "code." "Oh, I see." He nods his head, smiles knowingly. "Eak-spay ig-Pay atin-Lay? en-Whay it's-ay arty-pay ime-Tay--int-hay, int-hay--omething-say, omething-say ate-Fay." He rubs his hands together, face full of glee and pretzel salt. "This is fun!"

Falstaff wonders immediately why the man hadn't grown his arm back yet. ysus-Thay could do stuff like that, right? Maybe later Falstaff could stab himself with a sword and iker-Stray could heal him? "Oooh, do your . . . um . . . credentials . . . include making people taller? aller-Tay?"

[Teeramus]

Striker glared at Falstaff when he noticed that the other Mage was watching him eat. There was only so much you could do with one hand and you had to make do. He wasn't self concious about his missing arm, but no-one like being watched like that.

Then the guy launched into pig-latin. What the hell? Hmmm. Acanthus then?

"Not yet mate. Though I could jimmy together some ilts-stay if it's just the eight-hay you wanted." He replied with a grin.

"So you'd know Faye-ay and epper-Pay, oh and ous-Nay I guess." The shaman asked the little man.

  3 suxx Are you watching me eat?, 4 suxx What are these words you speak?

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-11-07 14:00:31		Striker rolls 4 to Int+Wits What are these words you speak? (10 Again)		10, 9, 8, 5, 8		4 successes
2014-11-07 13:55:00		Striker rolls 4 to Perception (W2+C2) Are you watching me eat? (10 Again)		9, 8, 9, 5		3 successes

[Falstaff]

"ilts-Stay--now there's an idea! You think you could make some that go on underneath my pants, so they don't look like ilts-Stay, you know, just aller-tay e-may?" The problem then would be that he;d have to buy all new pants, or else litle pieces of wood would show through the leg wholes. And then they'd have to fit his shoes into the planks. Being tall is hard work.

"Nope, don't know aye-Fay, epper-Pay, or ous-Nay, although maybe I should? Truth is, I don't know much, except about pretzels and those things I mentioned earlier." He drums his fingers on the table. "I've always been curious about drinking Spirits and being the Life of the party, though? How do you find that suits you? I'd always thought that if there were a problem right in front of you that, uh, maybe those things wouldn't helps so much. But like I said already: don't know much."