[LOCATION] The Housing Complex

[Striker]

Contrary to its name, the Housing Complex had consistently failed to fulfill its intended duties which mainly included providing sturdy rooftops for refugees and civilians alike to reside under. Unfortunately, though, the city’s lack of funding and resources had prevented the establishment from succeeding in this endeavor, and thus the operators of the Housing Complex had adopted alternative measures to implement their services. While they could neither possibly nor plausibly construct homes for the impoverished of Paxia, they could rent out makeshift shelters for the populace to make use of.

Their tents had become popular very quickly.

Situated in the eastern district of Paxia, which had once housed the lower echelon of society, the Housing Complex had assumed its role from a hollowed out warehouse that had previously (and ironically) stored building materials. Most of these, however, had been set aflame during the orc invasion when a wayward fireball had struck the roof and consequently bathed the entire building in searing fires. The walls of the Housing Complex had subsequently been marred and no efforts had been made to restore the white-washed hue that they had once possessed. Nevertheless, some of the contents of the Housing Complex had been salvageable and the owners had quickly invested in molding these materials into the rudimentary tents that they now rented and sold to the populace –and for a reasonable price, too.

For the most part, the Housing Complex sat upon a wall of rubble -quite literally- as the city fortifications had long been decimated and the stones had accordingly compiled against the backside of the building. Several stories high, there were no windows about the facility to discourage potential thieves from inspecting the inner wares. The sole entrance into the massive building was from the front, but the opening was little more than that –an opening where a spear-like missile from a ballista had unceremoniously broken through the granite wall. Conveniently, though, this had become the main entrance into the Housing Complex and was only closed at the end of the brightening by a great splintered board.

Upon entry into the Housing Complex, one would be greeted by the uncanny sight of hundreds of tents dispersed throughout the open floor. They came in all shapes and sizes and were roughly designed from the same canvas-like material. Several workers could be seen milling about the area, disappearing in and out of the flaps to insure the stability of the proffered wares. Most notable of all, however, was the fact that no price tags were attached to any of the tents as the owners had deemed it demeaning to those unable to afford them. And this is the reason why Gilda Lanlope, whose husband was the progenitor of the generous establishment, had earned a meritorious reputation for herself.

Gilda, an elderly woman in her mid-sixties, could be seen near the front of the entrance poised behind a desk composed of plain wood. Friendly in demeanor and soft of tone, it was she who had provided most of the tents to the populace of Paxia when they had been unable to pay. Many had returned the favor by act of gift giving or simple services, but for the most part Gilda took pride in her ability to help those unable to help themselves.

OOC: Written by GM Striker, idea credited to GM Ragboy. (Self-Modding is permissible)

[Halftpint Naddas]

25th Immanis, Spring, Era XIV PF

Dirty, frequently lost, and hungry Halfie found his way to the Housing complex. He stood in front of the tent with his belongings on his back.

"I wonder what all of this is about?" He murmured and entered the emporium of tents. Left to right, the small halfling walked towards the elder woman whom seemed in charge.

"Serale? Hello?" He looked at her. "Wonder if you can help. Name's Naddas, H.R. REcently arrived and in need of some shelter. I was told this was the place to go. Tell me, what are my choices?"

[Striker]

The years hadn’t been kind to the eyes of Gilda Lanlope, which had seen their share of horrors and joys in her extensive lifetime. Unfortunately, the former had become more prevalent as of late than the latter, and the elderly woman recognized that she was getting far too old to endure through another such tragedy again. She supposed, though, that she did not have that much longer anyway as she was quite up there in years and could not possibly hope to survive beyond another decade –or so she believed.

Squinting from her desk, a wide smile appeared upon her face as she regarded the miniscule Halfling in front of her. “Why serale there little boy, are you looking for your mother?” The woman’s warm and tender expression remained as she instinctively looked over her shoulder as if expecting the ‘boy’s guardian to arrive anytime now.

As the cether spoke, though, Gilda’s worried countenance transitioned into a look of sheer embarrassment. “Goodness gracious, I am terribly sorry! I thought you were a -” She adamantly apologized, purposefully laughing to mask her humiliation. It had been a long time since she had tended to a Halfling and from her distance he had appeared as little more than a child. “I’m sorry again.” Gilda reiterated, shaking her head at her foolishness.

As the excitement died, Gilda composed herself –though not without a touch of red to her cheeks. “It depends on what you are looking for Mr. Naddas. We have hundreds of tents available here –of all sizes too. I wish that we could offer more, but the days haven’t been the kindest to us. How large of a tent would you require?”

[Halftpint Naddas]

"No worries," Halftpint reassured Gilda with a wee bit of annoyance. "It happens all the time, being so small I'm oftentimes seen as a human child." He sighed and a bright look returned to his face.

"Well," He turned his attention to tents. "I do not need a very big one. Perhaps if there's a simple canvas puptent, that would surely suffice. A human sized one would be room enough for me and my possesstions, though maybe it would be wisest to chose a tent with closed ends. That way I can secure my tent when I leave or when I sleep... I know that it won't easily deter the most tenacious of thieves, but it is better than nothing. How much does such a tent cost?"

[Striker]

Nodding several times, Gilda’s warm smile remained across her partially-contoured face as she rose to her feet. “Come this way, young man.” She beckoned. Laboring to move from behind the table, she slowly walked further into the back of the enormous warehouse.

Hundreds of erected tents would greet Halfpint’s gaze if he chose to follow after Gilda. Most of them came in shades of brown subsequent of the type of canvas that Gilda’s company had used, but there were others strewn of many different colors as well –red, blue, yellow, and even black.

After navigating the broad floor with ease, the pair would arrive near the back of the lengthy room. There was a small blue tent with a single-flap opening that could be secured by a drawstring. It stood only a few inches above Halfpint’s full height and it contained a single room.

Another tent that may have intrigued him was equivalent in height, however, it was brown and contained two adjacent rooms that were divided by a thin silk curtain hanging from the top and splitting the middle. Like the previous tent, there was only one opening that could similarly be secured.

“Do you like either of these, Mr. Naddas?” Gilda asked, “Don’t worry about price for now, I’m sure that we can work something out regardless. Just tell me which would be more suitable to your liking. If neither of them then I can show you several more.”

[Medaerus]

After visiting Roland's office, Medaerus made his way to the Housing Complex. He figured that he would get through all of his training and everything before constructing his house - as for now, he had more important things on his mind.

Curiosity gripping him as he stepped through the large hole in the wall, Medaerus inspected the rubble carefully. When he lifted his head, the sight of an aged woman squatting behind a desk frightened him greatly. Jumping backwards, he tripped on a chink of wood and toppled to the ground. Meticulously pushing himself to his feet, Medaerus hastily brushed himself off and muttered that he was fine to the woman.

Gently massaging a slight bruise on his upper back, the elf winced and offered a pained smile. "Serale, ma'am. I would like to...ouch...rent a tent. I don't need anything extravagant by any means, but I just need a place to sleep for a while."

With the papers Roland had given him still folded in his hand, the elf peered at the woman.

"Oh you poor boy! Are you sure you don't need help?"

Medaerus put a little more effort into his smile and murmured, "Yes, fine, fine."

The woman backed away. "Good. I can show you a few decent tents..."

She led him around the building, advertising a few tents. Medaerus did not care much for luxury; in fact, luxury wasn't an option when it came to meager stretches of canvas. The elf didn't mind the lowliest tent, so he accepted one of the first ones he saw. They didn't get much better than it, as they were more or less the same to him.

"I'll take this one. How much will that be?"

The woman glanced down at it. Hmm...how does five crowns a cycle sound?'

"I'll take it." The answer was automatic. Medaerus would take anything reasonable to contribute to Paxia.

The woman smiled sweetly. "Well, good luch moving in, then. Let me know if you're in need of assistance." The elf gave a small smile and nod in return. Ducking beneath the flap, he set down his papers, water skin, weapons and other miscellany. With all of that, it seemed quite cramped, but he could manage.

[Halftpint Naddas]

"Should be fine, thanks a lot for your help!" Halftpint went gather his new digs in his arms. "I'll take the blue one!" He looked around at surveyed the surroundings and sighed. There was a lot of work to do.

"You take care now, you hear?" He bid farewell and left the building, tent in hand.

[Xyltha Thanole]

5 Immanis, Spring, Era II, PX XIV

A young elf-man approached the housing complex, with its wafting aroma of cooking pots and raucous voices of its inhabitants. Xyltha walked as calmly towards Gilda as his tiring legs permitted, trying not to think how he would survive the coming cycles housed in a small tent among the rest of this squabble.

"Serale, I'm Xyltha, just recently from Sylrosia. I have no place to call home here, and wondered if you happened to have any more tents for me to rent...

Gilda motioned the elf forward so she could better peer at him. It had been a while since she laid her weary eyes on one. "Well, you're in luck this brightening, since we have a new shipment of tents come in. What kind of tent are you looking at renting?"

Xyltha stared at the woman, and blinked - twice. A tent was a tent was a tent was a tent. Was there any difference between tents? "Err... I'll take any, I supposed. I'm not fussed."

Gilda inspected him closely - though he did not seem to care about what kind of tent he received, she did. Obviously it was another elf too young to look after himself - children! She surveyed the room full of tents, and pointed to a bulky bundle. Yes, this one would suit this elf nicely... A deep green hue with patterned leaves on the canvas walls - with a room and an anteroom for the elf to entertain company should he have any in cycles to come.

"There, that's a good one for you, I think. Take the tent and find a good spot to set up camp. Don't worry about the price, dearie. I'm sure I can settle that with you later."

Xyltha shrugged his shoulder in elfin indifference. He wrapped his gangly hands around the bundle of canvass and sticks and bid farewell to the operator of the Housing Complex.

[Rioshi]

Glancing about him as if in a hurry, a lone figure stepped out from the doorway to address the elderly woman inside. "Serale. I don't suppose you would happen to have a large tent to rent, would you? I'm afraid I'm a bit tired at the moment and I'd be gratefull should you have any to spare", he says, laying 8 crowns on the table. "Umm... you do seem a bit busy at the moment. I'll just get a tent myself, if that would be okay..."

Feeling guilty for the fact that she probably had been unaware of his presence while talkiing to the other possible buyers, he slipped another piece onto the table and hastily made his exit. He was already much too tired at the moment. The meeting with Roland would probably have to be scheduled at a later time... oh well. He'd find out soon enough...