---

That softly spoken response had Silas rolling back onto his side to face the area where Simon was resting. He frowned, not out of annoyance or anger or anything of the like, but rather concern. It seemed that in instinctively twitching, he'd hurt the undead man's feelings. Silas hadn't meant to draw out his insecurities, though. He couldn't help his own reflexes. After being hurt so many times in his youth by bullies, it was a natural reaction to shirk back at any hand reaching out, whether is belonged to somebody fully alive or otherwise.

He supposed he owed the zombie an explanation, painful as it would be to do.

"Oh, it isn't your fault..." Silas told him calmly, almost glumly. There was a short pause as he tried to find the right words. "Not yours particularly. I suppose I've never gotten used to being at close quarters with anyone. Normally, an outstretched hand would spell ill news for me." He let out a sigh, not wanting to speak on the subject any further than that. However, if demanded to be more explicit, then he would do so.

---

The nonverbal response came to Silas as completely unexpected. Surely, his undead friend would have offered up a witty remark such as watch and learn or something along the lines of that! At least under circumstances like these where fun was being had. But instead he'd been flashed a forced smile and a display of the deck twice over before the show wrapped up in a rather anticlimactic end.

Fun was being had, wasn't it?

Silas pursed his lips in a pout as he watched Simon slink away into the safety of his hay bed. The man was moody, no doubt, but just about two seconds ago he'd been pretty cheery. What had changed that? Silas thought back on his actions. Had he underappreciated the trick? Had he bent or torn the card by sitting on top of it? Neither option seemed to fit the bill. He simply didn't understand.

Flopping down onto the bedding back first, he rested a hand on his stomach and stared up at the ceiling for a good few minutes. As much as he'd hoped for an answer, one did not come on its own. So, he went ahead and asked. "I-is something the matter..?"

---

Silas might have felt a little too full and also quite sleepy but he was intrigued by what sort of magic tricks that Simon had to offer. He was, however, slightly taken aback by the undead man's approach in both a literal and figurative sense. His new friend had moved in closer and before he knew it, he had reached out towards his face. Or rather, his ear. The sudden, unexpected gesture did make Silas flinch.

He stared widely until he realized the purpose of it, which was that it was apparently a very part of the magic trick he'd requested to see. Anxiety quickly turned to awe. "Oh, but..." Silas started speaking, only to stop at the other's reprimanding. Was he really resting on top of a card? He hadn't seen one laying there before, although he'd not paid attention when he'd flopped down onto the hay.

To confirm whether he really was sitting on it or not, Silas scooted to the side. And there it was. "...this isn't the same Ace of Hearts, is it?" Silas pondered out loud as he picked up the card and offered it back. If it wasn't the same, then it could have easily fooled him.

---

Silas blinked slowly as he listened to Simon give another snippet into his past and offer a warning about swindling game hustlers on the side. Perhaps if he wasn't so sleepy, he might have suggested that they play a second round of cards without stakes. But the journey here had exhausted him and having eaten his fill and probably just a tiny bit beyond that, while rejuvenating, also did serve to make him feel drowsy.

If only there was an enjoyable activity to do before dozing off to dreamland! One that required less brainpower and more observation...

Fortunately, Simon had made mention of precisely that sort of thing in the list he'd given of what he liked to practice. Silas rolled onto his side, his pale eyes now brighter and attentively on his friend. "Oh...you do magic tricks..?" he asked the zombie curiously. "Of what sort might I expect to see from you..?" With those words he was beckoning for a demonstration.

It wasn't every day one met a magician, and an undead one at that.

---

Simon didn't seem to mind his intrusion at all. How fortunate. "T-thank you..." Silas told him as he stepped over to the hay pile to organize it into a more comfortable shape. "It may be best if you let me sleep in, if that isn't a problem..." At times like this, being a stable hand accustomed to doing such a thing really came in handy. In no time, the once formless pile was fashioned into less untidy bedding fit more for horses than for humans. But it would do for now. Sleeping in hay beat the streets, no doubt.

Silas sat down on the bedding and shifted into a resting position. His weary eyes were still on Simon, who looked to be shuffling a deck of cards. "Do you enjoy card games...?" He asked the undead man casually. After two instances of seeing him with playing cards, he could only figure the answer was obvious.

---

Once Fairwind had eaten the last bit of the apple, Silas gave the horse a final pat on the shoulder. It was astonishing how much the animal could eat in comparison with a feeble human such as himself. But from the sound of it, he was able to consume plenty more than Simon. He frowned sympathetically as the undead man claimed he did not have the need to feed. While on one hand there was the advantage of being unable to starve, on the other, he was missing out on the pleasure of enjoying good food.

But Simon did still have some senses about him, zombie or not. Apparently he'd caught onto the yawn and general signs of fatigue around him, despite his own lack of exhaustion. "Oh, but home is quite a ways off, I'm afraid..." Silas admitted. "...and I am not sure I have it in me to shadow-step again..." Another attempt at a shortcut might very well make him get sick or pass out in a place ill-fitted for rest.

He shot a wayward glance in the direction of the hay pile that Simon had left his cloak on. Assuming that spot was taken, he looked to the area opposite it. There were indeed additional piles of hay fit for fashioning into a bed. "You wouldn't...mind if I rested here for tonight...?" He asked the question cautiously, and in a manner that would sound open for potential rejection. The last thing he wanted to do was intrude on anybody's personal space.

---

TW: animal abuse mention

Silas gave Fairwind's nose one more gentle pat before dropping his arm back at his side. His expression remained solemn even after hearing Simon's pep talk and making a feeble attempt to smile in response. Recalling what he'd done in the past to save his own skin from bullying brats was difficult, indeed. Instead of letting himself get the beating, he'd taken it out on the most innocent of creatures to satisfy those cruel kids' appetite for destruction.

A bird's wing broken here, a puppy's paw stomped there. Those were the sort of actions that stuck with the performer forever, as they had with Silas. Just thinking about those moments turned his stomach. He couldn't bear to tell Simon those horrible, gory details. Even if the other man was an ex-thief with a sordid history of his own.

So, to the best of his ability, he'd continue to keep the very worst part of his story untold.

"I-I suppose you are right..." Silas said to his undead friend. His voice started off a little shaky, though the softness of his tone might have been enough to hide it, if it didn't accentuate it. Again he tried for a smile, which did last a bit longer than the previous. "The horses that I work with do like me very much." It was true, so far as he could see. His job as a stable hand was good for him. And he was never forced to hurt a horse which made them easier to look at without feeling too strong of a pang of guilt.

He looked down at the half-eaten apple which he'd been holding onto all the while and considered finishing it off before deciding against the idea and offering it to Fairwind instead. "Hm, I think I've had my fill of apples for now..." he murmured quietly as the horse ate from his hand. Truthfully, Silas did feel full and may have actually eaten half an apple too many.

"You really do spoil your animal friends, Simon..." the pale man went on, pausing to stifle a yawn, "...if what you say is true about the apples being theirs." He only wished there was a comfortable place for him to rest nearby while the snack settled in his stomach.

---

The pieces were beginning to fall into place here. Simon's outburst hadn't been because of him, after all. Well, at least not his actions. As it turned out, there was an unfortunate coincidence in which both he and a particularly malevolent necromancer the ghoulish man had previously tangled with shared the same name. Silas Monmouth had no actual relation to the Grimshaws though. As far as he knew, anyhow. Which admittedly wasn't much. Silas tried to hide a pondering frown behind the apple he was taking a chomp out of.

What if there indeed was a connection hidden within his mysterious family tree? His shadow powers had surely come from somewhere and by the sound of things, the malicious Monmouth had dabbled in dark arts. Shadows were dark. Not necessarily dark in an evil sense, but there was a commonality there.

But he was going to give himself a headache if he overthought it! Silas would put those musings to rest for now, but he didn't go without acknowledging Simon's troublesome past with the familiarly named overlord. "Ohh, what a regretful coincidence..." Silas said softly upon swallowing another mouthful of fruit. "I am so very sorry. I only hope that Lady Luck can be much kinder to us both from now on..."

Silas smiled feebly at Fairwind's curiosity in the bag of treats which happened to belong to him. The notion that the horse might also be peckish got him back onto his feet. He felt a bit better since he'd downed an apple and a half, and figured that he ought to share with the bigger mammal. So with the swift motion of his hand, Silas scooped up the turnip and held it up to the equine's snout.

And now on to his story. "There isn't much I can tell you, I'm afraid..." he told Simon, pausing to take a small nibble out of his half-eaten snack. "Only that I have resided in Ravensway my entire life. I'd never gotten to know my birth parents, although the ones who took me in did treat me very kindly. As if I had been their own child all along..." He trailed off, suddenly grimacing as if the apple he was eating had just gone sour. "Not everyone in this world is so kind, though. I was not always kind, either..." Silas gently stroked the bridge of Fairwind's nose in an attempt to fend off the queasy, anxious feeling that had just hit him. "But, w-what's done has been done. I won't ever harm another living creature so long as I live..."

---

The fruit was not at all rotten, but Silas was feeling a bit spoiled himself. Embarrassing as it was, Simon must have heard his complaining gut and brought out more food because of it. Either that or he was still feeling bad for initially being cantankerous around him. Silas did pay heed to how he fed the horse in the stall with care, too. Maybe Simon wasn't such a shady guy, after all. Silas of all people knew that looks could very well be deceiving.

His attention shifted from the horse to the bag of snacks, then back to the apple core he held in his hand. "T-thank you. I only hope I won't be depleting your friend's supply of food..." Regardless of if he actually was or not though, Silas needed to eat. He discarded the core, then reached into the bag and pulled forth another particularly juicy looking apple.

As he munched on the fruit, he listened to Simon speak about, well, he wasn't sure what at first. As he went on, the details became oddly more specific to the point that Silas couldn't help but wonder if the tale he was telling was about his own life. He hummed thoughtfully once Simon wrapped up his story. "That isn't how..?" Silas began, though he paused before going any further in case likening the other man to the description of a hideous abomination would be just a touch too offensive. "Ohh, pardon me. I am also very much familiar with the more twisted side of Lady Luck. Just as well as her absence in times of need..." His face fell a bit as he recalled being bullied in his younger years. Such terribly unpleasant memories!

---

The truth was that Silas did not have the slightest clue of how Simon would react to being deliberately trailed after. The man did seem particularly gruff with him at the pub. It was as if he had a chip on his shoulder and that he had somehow been the cause of it just by existing there. So when Simon approached him from behind the stall door with an apple in his outstretched hand as an offer to him, it only felt right to be a tad skeptical. Silas found himself staring widely yet hesitantly at the piece of fruit for what might have seemed like a moment too long.

He finally did reach out to take it once another rumble erupted from his empty belly. "An apple..." he said quietly as he wrapped his bony fingers around the nutritious treat. "Ohh, thank you. This should be quite enough for now..." Though as weak and desperately hungry as he was, he still paused to briefly inspect it for rot or worms first. He couldn't find any obvious signs of either, thankfully.

Silas took a large bite out of the apple, putting his eyes on the horse the other had called by a name. This place, he had to assume, was where Simon must have kept horses. A fellow stable worker, perhaps? The pale man intended to ask but he too preoccupied with tasting fruit flesh and the other's curiosity about, well, his curiosity.

Silas gulped down his mouthful of apple before confirming his suspicions. "Y-yes. Though I do hope you aren't meaning to cause me trouble. Luck is so very rarely on my side..." A second paranoid glance was shot at the tasty snack he held. It was certainly not rotten and there were no worms inside so far. "I only followed you because I found that scene you made at the Lily to be curious and I wanted to understand what had brought upon such a volatile reaction..." He bit into the apple again, then chewed and swallowed a bit slower this time around. His new acquaintance's death smell was making it slightly harder for him to enjoy eating it but he wouldn't dare mention it.

---

Sure enough, Simon was nearby. So close, in fact, that he was able to react to the intrusion pretty much immediately. Silas had not yet gotten back on his feet when he'd peeked over the stall and barraged him with questions. The stale-smeller almost sounded hysterical in doing so at first, which was understandable given that there'd just been a couple of unexpected loud noises going off in his hideout. Ones that could have just as easily belonged to a thief or an assassin. Simon did strike Silas as the sort of man who might have attracted those unlawful types.

But there were no such scoundrels breaking into the stable as of now. Only weary, hungry, unsteady Silas. Still on his hands and knees and attempting to see straight, he must have looked to be in a terribly vulnerable position. He considered himself fortunate that an edge of concern had found its way into Simon's tone.

"Please, do try not to speak so loudly..." Silas urged him, his own voice sort of strained as he struggled into a sitting position. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Simon. Two Simons!

No. Only one of them was there due to his dizzying double vision.

Silas placed a hand over his perspiring forehead and tried to fend off the second image. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to intrude like this..." He closed his eyes for a moment, and bit down on his lip. A wave a nausea had suddenly hit him, as it sometimes did after shadow stepping.

He stayed very still until he was fairly confident that the discomfort had passed. "I will be alright, this isn't anything new..." he told Simon, keeping his pale blue gaze fixed on the ground now. "I suppose my curiosity had gotten the best of me. Although, I really must pay heed and recognize my limits." He let out a weak cough. "Shadow stepping can be very costly..."

---

So much happened in the several moments following his introduction, and each and every little occurrence was odd and unexpected. First and foremost, Simon's demeanor from at least somewhat polite to downright sour and glum. Silas struggled to understand just what had been the cause of this. All he'd done was introduce himself. He almost wanted to assume that the strange-smelling man had downed a few drinks and was going through a mood swing because of them, but that didn't seem to be the case. On the surface, Silas could see no telltale sign of drunkenness about him.

Although his lack of perception regarding what they'd been playing was a tad worrying. It seemed to be the catalyst, too, for what Silas suspected was inward panicking. As he stared widely without finding it in him to properly react, Simon had apologized, all but confirmed his suspicions and tossed a coin in his direction before slinking out of the building.

Very odd and unexpected, indeed.

Silas took the coin off the table and gave it a long, thoughtful gaze before turning his attention to the door that Simon had departed from. He was feeling pretty peckish, but curiosity was beginning to override the gnawing hunger. As was concern. "The game is off, I suppose..." said Silas to the dealer as he abruptly rose from his seat. Sighing, he made way for the exit and followed Simon.

In these cases, he was lucky he had a certain special ability, for trailing after him by foot would have been less reliable and taken a lot longer. The energy cost was the same though, if not more demanding. By the time he'd jumped from shadow to shadow and reached Simon's hideout, he was wobbly and lightheaded. He swayed on his feet upon landing next to the stable doors, and had to lean on one of them so he wouldn't collapse. Or rather, he'd hoped not to. The unlatched door gave way and down he dropped into the dirt on the other side of it, landing on his hands and knees.

The stale stench of death was more powerful in here, which meant that Simon was very close by. Little did Silas know that he'd crashed just a few feet away from the putrid-scented man and his horse.

---

Silas bit down on his lip as he contemplated his cards. It had been a long, long while since he'd played a game of Blackjack but he knew for certain that he needed to be closest to a twenty-one. A seventeen probably wouldn't cut it. He motioned for another card, hoping his greed wouldn't cost him. He really needed to earn the coins for that meal!

As he waited for the dealer to toss him a card, he spoke again the rugged one now identified as Simon. To add to his discomfort, he was now speaking of curses surrounding the pub. "I-it can't truly be cursed, can it...?" Silas said with an edge of anxiety in his tone. "If anything it seems improved. To an extreme..." He frowned slightly at his last remark. If only the prices hadn't been increased he'd be eating a warm meal instead of messing around at a cards table with a man who smelled vaguely of rot.

The fishy smelling man was moving on to introductions now. So, the man's name was Simon. "I am Silas..." was his response to that. He'd say it was a pleasure to meet him if only he didn't smell so rancid. And of course if it was under better circumstances. To make matters a little less fortunate, Silas had just been given a six in the game. "Oh, it's a bust..." he groaned sadly as the dealer took his bet.

---

It didn't take long for Silas to notice the strange smell emanating from his new acquaintance. It was faint but all the same unpleasant. Silas wasn't one to judge as he'd been subjected to plenty of cruel criticism particularly when he was a young boy, but all the same the stale stench was hard to fully ignore. His nose wrinkled slightly as he took the cards he'd been offered by the dealer. He tried to hide his uncomfortable expression behind the Queen and the seven that he held. It was a decent hand, but nothing that would guarantee him a win.

The stranger spoke, prompting Silas to look to him attentively. His voice was curiously gnarled but understandable enough as he made mention of a Jaunty Jug pub that had stood in this one's place several years ago. "Ohh...it was the Jaunty Jug, then..?" Silas mused, still soft and polite in his tone. "The last I recall, this pub was The Raunchy Rabbit. That was around twelve years ago. I do not think that I've been here since. I wonder how often it changes..."

---

Silas needed a change of pace, if just a small one. His hometown in Ravensway was tranquil for the most part but even for somebody who enjoyed lowkey living, copious amounts of relaxation became a little monotonous. He did have some reservations about actual adventuring, but he hadn't left Serendipity itself. And this wasn't his first ever visit to the port town, either. Hadn't there been a pub there, called The Raunchy Rabbit? He could vaguely recall the shabby, shady old place and its intimidating patrons. The food there wasn't terrible though - not always - and it was cheap, too. So long as he kept to the shadows he'd be able to enjoy it well enough without being hassled.

Or so, that was how he'd remembered it. What was once raunchy had become gilded and not just in name alone. The establishment had been completely made over from the interior to the staff to the entire menu. And the prices were upped greatly as well. Silas had brought a fair amount of gold with him, but nothing that he expected would buy him anything very filling. All of the traveling he'd done had worked up his appetite quite a lot, too.

He was in a predicament, but one that was not without a solution. For as much as he wasn't a gambler, the card tables could provide him with more to spend if luck was on his side. Feeling desperate, Silas sat across the treasure hunter who looked about as out of place as he did in an entirely different way. "D-do you come here very often...?" Silas asked the man as quietly and politely as his rumbling belly was refusing to be. He thought himself to be ill-fitted at the pub, but he had to assume that in a way, the stranger felt the same.

Silas Grimshaw is my first character and I'm looking for threads for him!

A TLDR version of his profile would be: he's a shy and anxious stable hand with some shadow-based powers he inherited from his ancestors. His parents died in a fire and it may or may not have been an accident. He's lived in Ravensway all his life and is kind of sickly and frail but I'd be totally good to push him out of his comfort zone with an adventure. Something that takes place closer to his home would work well, too.

If anyone is interested in meeting Silas, feel free to poke me in a PM, Discord or this thread!

Silas Grimshaw
Human // Male // 40 // Stable Hand // Single
A shy stable hand with mysterious shadow powers.
Status: OPEN

Googled something along the lines of 'Fantasy forum roleplay' and it came up!

What are your favorite kinds of plots and relationships to play?

Platonic relationships are my favorite! As far as plots, I'm good with anything that doesn't fall under my limits. I do have a soft spot for slice of life, adventure and comedic threads!

What are your least favorite kinds of plots and relationships to play?

Romantic stuff can be difficult for me at times. Political plots don't really vibe with me because I'm bad at them.

What are your favorite character types to play?

Goofy, sweet, anxious and shy guys tend to show up on my rosters!

Are you a planner or a pantser? Do you prefer to pre-plan and stick to a script when posting, or do you prefer to surprise and be surprised?

I'm a bit of both!

How do you feel about group threads?

Honestly a bit stressful if it's a thread with more than three players. I do have difficulty keeping up sometimes, and can struggle catching every detail.

How often can you reply to any given thread? How long should a partner wait before nudging you for a post?

I've been told I reply pretty consistently, but I know that I tend to lack the energy for rapidfiring posts. Poke me after a month has passed!

What is the longest you're willing to wait for a reply to a thread?

I'm okay to wait for the most part, but if a thread goes untouched for a month or longer I usually do start to wonder if I should contact my partner about it!

How do you feel about instant messenger RP?

Not my thing, personally!

Ho do you feel about post volleying/rapidfire RP?

As mentioned above, I can't really do this.

What's your preferred posting style? Long posts? Short posts? Anything and everything?

Small to medium sized posts for sure! Anything super, super lengthy (I'm talking close to 1k words or more!) can be very difficult for me to respond to.

Any RP styles/habits that you love?

Emphasis on dialogue and actions. I especially enjoy quirky, fun dialogue!

Any RP styles/habits that you avoid?

Posts that are extremely long as mentioned before, especially if it's not just an occasional thing. Players going months without replying and neglecting to contact me about the reason for it.


What are you limits regarding powerplay/godmoding?

I'm okay with it so long as it works within the plot and moves it along. For example, having my character follow yours in your post after mine has agreed to doing that is fine. Attacking is fine too! Just don't kill my characters, please!

What are your limits in regards to romantic situations?

The best route for me and romance is to see if our characters have romantic chemistry organically, and then OOCly discuss if it seems like there's potential afterwards. Romance can be iffy for me as somebody who is asexual and sex-repulsed, so don't be disheartened if I say no. I'm not a fan of cheating or love triangle plots but IC rejection is fine! Age gaps are also alright with me as long as the characters involved are adults.

What are your limits with regards to graphic content such as sex, violence, drug use, sexual assault, etc? What is your comfort level?

Absolutely no sexual content beyond heavy kissing. I can fade to black, but it has to be before clothes come off. Violence is fine unless it involves injury to internal organs or something like disembowelment. And please no bodily functions as in bowel movements or urinating. Everything else should be fine!

What are your limits in regards to pregnancy within plots?

This one's a hard no in all regards, alas.

What about healing?

Totally good with this, so long as it's plotted out first!

What about characters being transformed against their will?

This needs to be plotted out first as well!

Anything else?

Please contact me on the forums or in Discord if you have any questions or want to plot!

Hi everyone, please call me Nyami!

I'm kind of Discord shy so I'll be communicating pretty much exclusively on the forums.

Hope to have fun here! I'm still feeling my way around the lore and such but hope to do some threads with you guys sometime soon!