The Nexus Tavern (O//A)

[Turnabout Spaz]

Scarlet stirred around for a moment before she stretched and rubbed her eyes with a paw, finally waking up.
mmm... How long have I been out?
She looked around her through clouded eyes and saw the Tavern once more.
And when did I get back here?Her mind was hazy, and her memories came in patches of what happened that previous night. She remembered falling asleep in the tavern, being in an empty place, and hearing about "damage" that she caused. But, for one of the lives of hers, she could not remember anything more from that night.
She was confused and wanted answers, so she tried to get up and figure out what happened. As she rose, she yeowled in pain as she collapsed on her right side, the right front leg in pain from something she couldn't remember.

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

The yelp caused Night to stir and she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. She looked over to Scarlet and her eyes softened. You'd figure since Scarlet had caused such a serious injury to Night she wouldn't be so calm about it but Night knew it wasn't her fault and instead felt bad for the girl. She got up and sat down beside Scarlet picking her up into her arms. "Easy, easy, I'll heal you" Night said in a gentle, motherly tone. She placed her hand gently over Scarlet’s leg and as her palm got colder so did Scarlet's leg. Soon the swelling went down and Night gingerly moved the leg up and down to exercise it. "Now I don't recommend walking on it right away but it'll come around, sooner of later" She pet the kitty on the head and placed her down on the pillow going to the kitchen. She came back out with a bowl of milk and lay it beside the small feline and sat down on the nearby couch. Night curled her legs in, manifesting the book from her bag up in her room into her hand. Flipping to her page, her eyes began to glide along the page as she snuggled back getting comfortable.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Outside the Tavern, a pocket of instability forms, wobbles, and then implodes in under a second. Out from this implosion comes a young man, covered by his faded teal cloak and hood. His scabbard holds two mismatched swords, but what seems more interesting is that as he sighs a mid-sized leather-bound tome seems to lift itself off of a clasp on the back of his belt and float in front of him, opening and skimming pages quickly as he frowns.

He isn't supposed to be here, he doesn't even know where 'here' is. His spell must have gone off course.

Again.

Another small sigh comes out of his mouth as he rubs his forehead dejectedly, and with no small amount of weariness. It'd be a while before he could get a sense of his current astral coordinates, and he would need to recover from that last bit of exertion anyways. Taking hold of the pommels of his swords, he converses with them to let them know the situation, and looks around.

Then he notices the magic surrounding... no, creating the tavern? He isn't quite sure of this, but the sensation he gets from the energy's structure with his eyes, now glowing a soft indigo, suggests this is the case.

After a split second of thinking it over, he collects himself, puts the tome away, and begins to walk towards the tavern.

At the very least, he wants to meet the person (spirit? being?) that managed this feat.

[Turnabout Spaz]

I...Wh-...
It's been a long time since Scarlet was at a loss of words, since very few have been that kind to her. She laid back down on the pillow, and lapped at the bowl of milk beside her. Soon after, her mind managed to create a clear sentence as to what to say to Night, after being tended to.
T-thank you, Night.
But what still bothered her, was what she couldn't remember. The previous night was still within a dark fog in her mind, and nothing made sense with what little she had.
Um, Night? Scarlet looked up at Night, who was sitting on a couch nearby, with a confused look. What happened on the previous night? I don't remember much other than an empty space, Caleb, and hearing something about damage that I caused.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Hriob Zagel approaches the entrance cautiously, hesitant of what he might find. On one hand, he needs room and board desperately, but he can't say for certain what he might find on the other side of the door; his sensitive eyes may have gotten him out of bad situations in the past, but he can't see anything beyond the energy that appears to be stabilizing this Tavern, the sheer force of recreating reality blocking his ability to sense any power from outside its sphere of influence.

For all he knows, there could be noone inside, or there it could be packed to the brim with who knows what kinds of people... or monsters. There was that one realm he ran across that had predatory monsters like spiders the size of houses, with powerful illusions to catch their prey that even he could only detect, not actually see through...

He sighs a third time since he set foot in this realm. I really need to stop second-guessing myself and just go ahead with this. I don't really have much choice otherwise at the moment. If something wants to eat me, I'm too drained to fight back anyway, but just because there Might be something dangerous doesn't mean there Will be a threat. Taking a breath to collect himself, he checks his arm and shin guards, makes sure his scabbards and tome are still tightly on his belt, pulls down his hood to reveal his messy reddish-brown hair and weary, attentive light-grey eyes, and finally reaches to open the door to the tavern.

[Turnabout Spaz]

Scarlet's ears flicked as she heard the handle of the door move.
Night, hold that thought. It seems that we have a guest.
A smile curled around her muzzle at the sound of some new company.Using barely any of the little power she had at the time, the cat sank within her shadow, and materialized at the door. There she sat, patiently waiting for the door to open with a smile and a eagerly flicked forked tail.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Well, he thinks, I'm not sure what to make of this.

His glowing indigo eyes, now inside the sphere of creative energy, sense four distinct entities, but they seem worlds apart. Straining his Vision's focus, he studies them in turn; quickly, but leaving no detail out of his sight. He concentrates on looking them over in detail only, not bothering with trying to memorize anything directly; the enchantments on his Tome will record his thoughts for him anyways, the perfect memory protection and recall available. Without it, he could never have memorized the sheer number of calculations needed to send himself between worlds with a single specialized spell.

However nice that would have been, not getting myself lost in time and space because I was too eager to try out a spell I helped Master Adalbert uncover in those lost archives. The thought crosses his mind, but it is promptly pushed out as soon as it formed, with another thought, repeated almost like a personal mantra; Focus, dummkopf.

One person was still in one spot, moving to look at the door with some surprise, but no apparent urgency. Putting down her book, she seems to have furry ears and a tail for some reason, but otherwise seem to be perfectly human... to normal eyes, at least. Her aura, however, tells a different story: hers is strong, but not exactly full of inherent force or concentrated power. It has a sensation to it that Hriob might equate with mint or a chill, and is a light blue to his eyes.

Behind the bar of the room he senses a person. This isn't because he can see through the bar, but because the aura is very, very potent, yet almost completely blending into the surroundings. With a start, he realizes that this is because the signature of this orange-hued, subtle-yet-immense aura is exactly the same as the energy stabilizing the tavern around him.

So there's the person responsible. Amazing... I might have someone to learn from here, if I can manage it... and if they'll let me in on their technique.

A third person was also plainly visible, like the first. She was similar in that she too had fur-covered ears and a tail, very similar in shape too, but her aura was much different. This one Is potent to a similar level as the other two, but not in the same manner; where the other two had strength to them from their own essences, this only has a small portion form itself, a bright orange color with a lot of vibrancy... and distortion, as Hriob realizes that the person's aura is wobbling slightly, with the rest of her body, from a fair bit of alcohol in her system... nothing too much, he decides, but I'm not one for alcohol anyways. The rest of her power, he notes, seems to come from somewhere else, and is a pale, powerfully pure white with a mere hint of otherworldliness that suggested a more Holy source of strength. This major part of her aura is steady as a rock, and seems to actually glow to his Vision, despite making no presence to plain old sight.

And the fourth... was both impossible to miss, and hard to catch. At his feet as he opened the door he saw a mere cat, with his normal eyes, but his Vision...

This aura was unmistakably red to him, and had a blurry kind of constant distortion to it that suggested it belonged to someone with no purely distinct form. Shapeshifter, he thinks instantly, and a powerful one too. The aura was also impossibly strong, perhaps as strong or stronger than the one that was currently supporting the entire tavern's very existence, but somehow worn and weakened in essence; not so much from simple exhaustion, but from some sort of inner turmoil or uncertainty keeping itself from harmonizing to full force... for the moment.

The cat, somehow having two tails, merely meows. Then, it reaches out with a paw, and touches his thoughts in a way he could only do with his two swords.

[Turnabout Spaz]

Scarlet took a paw that she extended, and placed it on his boot. With that, she made her thoughts as clear to him, in a calm soothing voice, as crystal.

Hello there traveler, and welcome to The Nexus Tavern. I'm sure things'll pick up once Caleb gets back with us. By the way, the name's Scarlet. The small cat gave the newcomer a graceful bow, while still maintaining contact with him.
For now, I suggest you come on in. If you need anything, just ask. I'll be at the firepit.

Mere moments was all it took, as the cat removed her paw from the man's boot. Then, she merely sank into her shadow from where she sat, and arose back at the pillow she was lying on before, lapping at the milk nearby.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Ok, that was uncanny. I've never seen magic being used to teleport like that before...

He stops, shakes his head, letting the indigo glow fade from his eyes as his focus returns to normal vision, and lets a small, bemused smile start to form on his weary face. Its obvious this place has a unique and talented group of entities, but its now becoming clear that once again he has much to learn from his new surroundings. However simple and peaceful it appears to normal eyes, this place must be full of secrets... and interesting characters. As good as any place, I suppose, to stay for a while... if not a wonderful one. He is decidedly not used to good turns of luck, but at first glance this appears to be one stroke of luck he won't soon pass up...

//Must we stay here? I won't grow more powerful if you just sit around reading. You know how much of a skimp you are with training with us.//
**Must you be such a harsh critic, brother? He needs his rest to be able to manage that, and you should realize that he already found reason enough to train here. This place... its power is held by one who could easily be on par with our Father...**

The voices of SkyFang and GryphonHeart, the gladius and falchion in his scabbards, respectively, echo in his own thoughts, as they did whenever they wanted to talk to him. Only he could hear their voices, because they had been bound to his very soul by their creator; the first person his otherwise unfortunate trans-dimensional 'jumps' landed him on almost a year and a half ago. He was a powerful being in mind, body, and power, and could smith and enchant incredibly powerful weapons that could be said to have living souls of their own... like these two. They had kept him alive through his troubles so far, only asking that he channel his power into them so that they could use their forces of Wind and Lightning and become stronger with every ounce of power they wield.

Their interjections only managed to make him pause for a moment, however, as walks to a vacant table, sits down, rests his head on his arms across the warm wooden surface, smiles softly, and promptly passes out.

[Py Aster]

Caleb was busy mulling around in his room. It had been a while since he had taken on any big project, like training Night, so it was a welcome break from his work. It reminded him of the others that he had trained. I wonder where thy are at now, and if they're still well. As he continued to devise a plan, his ears perked up. Silently but quickly, he opened his door and walked downstairs. There, he saw a boy, however it wasn't he who Caleb was curious about. It was his weapons. He had sensed something different. His experience and his expertise in his magic field allowed him the ability to "sense" what a weapon is made of. Those two.... Although it's like Excalibur...it's not the same.... They feel like cursed swords...but without the curse. Shaking his head, Caleb walked back upstairs and into his room. Whatever. One project at a time.

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

Night looked at this new visitor and her blue eyes shining bright she gave him a warm smile. Her tail flicked and she brushed her pure white fingers over her forehead to remove some of her silky curls from her face. She knew that within the past couple a day Caleb, Kasa, Scarlet and perhaps even her nosey older brother Chaos have all come accustom to each other. However this newcomer will need to find his place and that's not always easy. She sat up straight and hopped off her chair flipping in the air and landing on her hands on the small table a few feet from him. She then fell backwards landing on her feet silently and bowed her head to him, "Hello, my name is Nightmare but you can call me Night. I am the Entertainer of this tavern. My sensei is Caleb, the powerful yet kind owner of the Nexus Tavern" Her ears flickered, "Don't take my strange appearance as threatening I'm not human yes but I am as normal as my kind can get and you have nothing to fear. Everyone here is kind and will protect you so long as you're here that I can promise you" With that she let out a delightful chuckle and turned to Scarlet. Her gaze was still full of the same kindness as she walked over and sat beside her. "What happened yesterday is in the past Scarlet, no matter what happened no one is angry with you or sad. We all understand and all we want to do is help you...so don't worry about it anymore, okay?" Night lay back her hands under her head and kicked one leg up over the other resting it on her knee. There she enjoyed the warmth of the fire as she listened to the noises in and around the tavern.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

"hmmrgh." He had just managed to start to sleep, and then a voice woke him. He always had been a light sleeper, and he probably didn't look like he was actually falling asleep to most observers, so he pushed any misgivings his groggy mind started to form out of his mind as he refocused on his surroundings.

"Sorry, I missed what you said, miss...?" He starts as he rouses himself with a mild, discrete attempt to stretch out the kink in his lower back. However tired he may be, he doesn't let a little thing like insomnia keep him from thinking clearly or staying cordial. He's managed to teach that to himself over the last year of random dangers in his vagabond life. He instinctively refocuses on the young woman with the 'icy' aura from earlier, and guesses it was her who just spoke based on her new position. His Vision might be unfocused, but he still manages to notice the whispers of their auras and the energy around him regardless. That much was as much a part of him as his other magical ability.

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

Night looked up at the boy, noticing the tiredness in his eyes. She tried to think of something that could maybe help him sleep. Well, what would help me sleep? Then she laughed, she doubted placing him in a large floating ball of hallow ice would really help him sleep. So she went into the kitchen and placed a pot on the stove. She filled the pot with milk and allowed it to warm up to a slight boil. She then poured it into a glass and grabbed two fresh, chewy chocolate chip cookies. She then went up to her room and grabbed her massive king sized wool blanket and a pillow and heated them both to a comfortable temperature. She placed the milk and cookies at his side on the table and placed the blanket over him the pillow behind him. She gently placed him back as he starred at her confused. She chuckled and ran back upstairs and grabbed three books and a strange shell shaped flute from her bag blitzing back down to him. She placed them beside the plate of cookies and then sat beside him on the opposite couch and began to play her instrument. The melody was so soothing, placing a calm haze throughout the tavern. After all, her people have what's called a Siren's call. This means any time they sing or play an instrument the melody lures you in and puts you to sleep. Even someone with insomnia could fall asleep if they really wanted to. She knew this boy had no business trusting her especially since she wasn’t a familiar creature but all she wanted was to help. If he did fall asleep he’d have the awareness to hold a proper conversation without missing important information, like her name perhaps.

[Chaos Frosthaven]

Chaos woke with a start, he heard a BANG either in his dream or just outside the tavern, and he realized he had been sleeping for way to long. Dammit the last time i fell asleep like this I almost got killed, so stupid! Chaos then decided to leave his room. he saw everybody alright but noticed a figure near is younger sister and got angry. "Who are you?" He better not try anything funny he does not know the rules or whatever Caleb calls them "Anyway I seem to have slept and my powers have lied dormant I require to go exercise them, just because I was so stupid to even let myself sleep for that long, that is what I get for not sleeping for like 5 years, alas I shall have vodka on the rocks, do not fret I'm not getting drunk merely a refreshment of my powers alcohol works that way for me. Chaos said while sitting down. Plus I can keep my literal and corporeal eye on him too.

[Turnabout Spaz]

Scarlet looked up at Night for a moment as she took in what the girl said.
Well… I guess th-
The small cat's words were cut short, as she flicked her ears and tail around, trying to catch whatever was making that wonderful sound throughout the tavern.
It took a minute, but Scarlet's ears dialed in on what the sound was. Looking toward Night, the cat's eyelids grew heavy as a yawn escaped her muzzle. Her body began to try and move, almost as if something was drawing her in. Soon, the melody being played got the better of the cat, so she sank into the shadow beneath her, and rose out on the couch with Night.
I... I think I'll lie here for a while. The small cat purred. Being content next to Night, Scarlet quickly curled up fell asleep at her side.