Venantium Tavern (Closed and complete. Part 2 is live!)

[Talon Sky]

Avvixin's eyes locked with Anna's, fearfully and hatefully, but there was something else. Envy. Pain, maybe. "I sincerely pray you never need to find out, personally, why our motivations are what they are," the Nobody bit back, although there was some sense of genuineness to her retort. Anna's comment about the innocent patrons, however, went without reply.

Yes, many people were going to die in this tavern, and soon. Unless the Reorganization got it's way.

Talon sighed, seeing this conversation was on the fast track to leading nowhere. "What's the Reorganization planning? When are they coming?"

The pink haired Nobody was already shaking her head. "I was only recon, and tasked specifically with gathering info on miss Terranova. My failure could accelerate their plans, or put a stop to them entirely...."

"In that case, we're done here and I should execute you," Talon growled out as a threat.

"But you won't."

Talon grit his teeth. He was too tired for this, too angry at all this. Too angry at the fact Avvixin was right. "Anna, can you....do something to hold her? At least until we have more questions or need a bartering chip?"

[HaJoeKen]

Ronin

The mercenary simply watched and listened as Talon and the two women of this tavern were interrogating the pink-haired woman while she was in the center of a transmutation circle, news to Ronin that Talon apparently knows alchemy. Though he knows nothing of what was going on between the members of the Venatium Tavern and this so-called "Organization" prior to his first meeting with the group, from what he could gather, there was definitely some bad blood that went on with the two groups. But even more alarming to the mercenary is that this very tavern, and especially the owner himself, as well as the patrons here could be in grave danger. Whether he intended to or not, Ronin unwittingly became part of another conflict, and he didn't even get a chance to ask any questions or gather enough information or answers to know what was going on. Perhaps he pretty much came in at the wrong place and time....

"Oh boy....what have I gotten myself into?" Ronin scratches he back of his head with a sigh, still unsure of what's really going on. "My apologies if I sound kinda rude or anything, but can someone here at least fill me (and my writer, for that matter) in on what the hell is going on here? I mean, I'm willing to help you guys out and all, but I wanna know what I'm dealing with and not be left in the dark..."

Tiny_rel

y, I'm not sure if I'm understanding what's going on here, so can someone kindly please let me in on what's going on and whether Ronin will be involved with this or not?

Tiny_rel

Talon Sky

Rose Scented

[Rose Scented]

Terranova listened,
watched,
waited.

Nothing that the Nobody told them was anything they couldn't already guess on their own, and to be quite frank, it pissed the firebird off, and anybody who's somebody knows that's not a good position to be in. As fiery a temper as the core that granted her molten life, Terranova had never been good at controlling herself, though nor had she ever tried. She took far too much delight in her work to cry over a little spilt blood.

Or amputated limbs.

Charred flesh.

A dark little smile crossed Terranova's painted lips, vanishing when Talon asked Anna if she could find some way to bind her. "Don't bother," Terranova said softly, finally stepping from her corner and into the circle of three around the Nobody. "Talon may not be able to kill this b***h, but I can." The first true signs of fear crossed the Nobody's face.

Terranova, unlike Talon, had no honor and very few morals to stand in her way.

Especially when it came to someone threatening their home.

"Anna, be a pet and go check on Shilo," she muttered softly, looking then to Talon and Ronin. "Why don't you go fill Ronin in, babe?"

She waited, not entirely patiently, as the three of them exited the room, and the door was pushed closed behind them. Finally, with mounting glee, she turned her blazing eyes back to the Nobody as she stalked forward, flame and ice raging together in a frightening storm.

Wh-what are you going to do to me?

"Now, now... I wouldn't want to spoil it for you."

----- -----

Time eased on disappointingly fast for Terranova, and devastatingly slow for the Nobody as the firebird worked over her. By the time that Terranova's sadistic need for revenge had been fulfilled the woman before her had been reduced to a wimpering, pathetic puddle of blood and tears. Burns, cuts, frost bite, and a wide range of various other injuries had been inflicted upon her until barely any unharmed flesh remained. Severed digits had wisped away into the darkness from whence they were created, and the disabled Nobody had lost the will to live.

Yet she hadn't caved.

Despite all that Terranova had put her through the woman hadn't said a single word, and for that the phoenix almost respected her.

Almost let her live.

A final bout of pain erased the last bit of withering life, and the Nobody dissipated into tendrils of indigo shaded black. All that was left behind was her black cloak, and blood that would forever stain the wood.

Terranova descended the stairs, crimson flecks painting her fair skin, coating her arms and ruining her clothing. A faint sheen of sweat glistened her forehead, though she didn't look expended. If anything she looked energized, and famished.

Disregarding the others in the room, Terranova's eyes found Talon and she prowled to him with purpose. Upon nearing, one hand twined into the cropped hair at the nape of his neck, the other gripped his shoulder, and her lips met his fiercely. Hungrily. She couldn't count the days that had passed since their last union of flesh and heat, and she craved his touch. The sanity of his closeness.

She drew back from him just enough to plead his name against his lips, her teeth grazing his bottom lip as the final syllable hung between them.


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[Tiny_rel]

Tatianna “Anna” Eve

Walking back to her room, Anna shook out her hands to, relax her, shake out her fighting clothes and move Shilo back to her room. Opening her door her daughter sat down on her bed.
“Am I to pack momma?”
“No baby girl, momma will take care of that for you. Go ask your uncle if you can borrow a few books to keep you entertained and I’ll be down in just a moment. “

Shilo went down stairs like the good girl that she was, knowing full well she wouldn’t be staying here for a while. She started to go down the stairs but saw that Uncle Talon was currently busy with Nova, so she sat on the stair and decided to wait. She wished she could sit and talk to her father like everyone could do her uncle. The girl hugged her knees to her chest, sometimes in an Inn full of people she felt nothing but alone. That was the reason why she read so much, something she learned from her mother, in a book you didn’t feel alone.

With a small bag full, Anna stopped in Grotham’s room to check on the dragon. She injected more medicine into his veins and changed the drip bag to keep him hydrated. The dragon didn’t have a fever, but that didn’t stop the witch from changing his towel on top his forehead and wrapping him up warmer in the blankets. On the way out she shut the door softly.

Coming down the stairs, Anna saw Shilo curled up in the stairs. Slowly she came down and sat down next to her daughter, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. The girl rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, and her mother rested her head on her daughters head, kissing it softly before she did so.

All she whispered;
“I miss him too love.”

[Talon Sky]

"Talon may not be able to kill this b***h, but I can....Why don't you go fill Ronin in, babe?"

Talon sighed as his gaze went from Avvixin to Nova and back, watching the Nobody's eyes go wide. This time, with legitimate fear. Talon wanted to believe Nova's remark a bluff, to believe with all his heart that she would not, could not, kill their captive. Even if their captive would one day return an enemy, and probably a vengeful enemy at that.

But that wasn't who Nova was, and Talon knew it. He'd counted on it. Nova's lack of honor in pursuit of righteousness completed Talon. It was altogether necessary, altogether frightful, and altogether sickening to the samurai.

Without so much as a word of denial or confirmation, Talon Sky turned and went out of the library door. He didn't turn to see if Ronin was following, instead just leading the way down the stairs.

Stopping just short of the ground floor, Talon turned around to face his new-age peer. "Sorry for throwing you into the proverbial deep end, my friend," Talon sighed, his normally dazzling blue eyes nowhere near meeting Ronin's soft and intent gaze. "The short version is, there's evil afoot. The long version is....complicated.

Nearly two hundred years ago, while I was an Alchemist with the military, a war happened. It was a war you've never heard of, I'm sure, because of the massive cover-up the government did. Demons from another world invaded, creatures called Heartless with the ability to steal the souls of their victims and propagate their vile species. I was a ranking officer at the time, having just helped the military create the ultimate goal of the Alchemist: the fabled Philosopher's Stone. That which gives an Alchemist the ability to do the impossible."

Talon went quiet for a moment, his eyes closed as if reliving some distant memory. "It was a costly war, and I was among the casualties. When a Heartless kills you, it uses your 'heart' to grow stronger, but for strong-willed victims, their bodies can continue on....although usually wrong in some fundamental way. These Undead are called Nobodies, little better than vampires to say the least. They are soulless, with an almost tangible darkness filling the void where their heart had once been. My Nobody's name was Laxton."

Talon turned momentarily back towards the library, his keen hearing picking up on Avvixin's well-muffled screams of pain. Talon had, briefly, the strong urge to rush back in and stop Nova from killing her. But he....didn't. Resolve mingled with self-defeat, Talon sighed and turned back to Ronin. "I was one of the lucky ones. You see, just as vampires yearn for blood, Nobodies yearn to be whole again. That's....all that needs to be dangled in front of most Nobodies to gain their unwavering loyalty. Promise. The promise of salvation, that X quest will lead to the restoration of their souls. Leaders of the Nobodies will promise for all eternity a salvation just out of reach, but visible, if it means commanding the rest of their race. Once again, I know from....experience. "

Another blood-curtling scream, hidden from the normal range of hearing. Talon could imagine Avvixin's face, in agony and....heartbreak? Where on earth did Talon know her from?

"Anyways, it would seem the Nobodies have cropped back up and are reorganized, as it were," Talon chuckled spitefully at their less than clever name. "No doubt they have some world-domination scheme planned, and they apparently see us as a threat. I've no idea what they're planning, but I will say this: Nobodies are not stupid. Unlike most Undead, Nobodies band and work together very efficiently. This will be my deadliest....em, Venantium's deadliest challenge, yet." Talon cleared his throat after that slip up. "I'd hate to drag you into a conflict like this, my friend. If you feel so inclined to draw swords and blood beside me, I will be happy for it. But if you feel your best interests lay in survival, than I could not blame you for it. In any case....I need a drink."

Talon finished the walk down into the bar, and the familiar, almost sickly sweet scent of another half-demon caught his attention. Talon's gaze turned to Hartia, a man he'd not seen in some months at least. A nowadays rare smile creased Talon's lips, as thoughts of their last meeting coursed through the warrior's mind. Hartia seemed at times like a reflection of Talon, not the opposite side of the coin but caught somewhere in the side ridges. Hartia looked more or less the same, in contrast to Talon's much shorter hair and roughly worn golden armor. It was because of said armor that Talon merely smiled and nodded to his fellow cambrion; the inside of the armor was laced with holy symbols, and Talon wasn't sure the range at which their effectiveness wore off. He did know they burn like hell, though, because they were continually burning Talon's bare chest.

The silver haired man didn't have long to dally, though. Nova was downstairs quickly....something Talon thanked the gods he no longer worshiped for....and was on his lips just as quickly. For a brief moment, the warrior's heart lifted; this was the homecoming he'd wanted. No worries, no enemies at his doorstep, just his and Nova's passion.

Reality, however, was never as pleasant as his daydreams. "I'll meet you upstairs and then I'm yours, I promise," Talon bade his fiance, and broke from their embrace to head for the stairwell where Anna and Shilo sat. The samurai's heart sank at the sight of her bags.

"I suppose I couldn't convince you that the safest place in the world is right here, could I?" Talon tried, bending on one knee and draping an arm around Shilo. Talon knew that Anna only wanted to keep Shilo safe, like any good parent.

But Talon didn't want to see either of them go. Anna and Shilo were his family, damn it. And if Talon was forced to spend one more day away from his daughter because of these monsters, than he vowed to make every last Nobody realize how easy Avvixin had gotten off....

HaJoeKen

Exposition, I choose you!

[Tiny_rel]

Tatianna "Anna" Eve

Anna looked up with a bit of sadness and pain. She wanted to reply to Talon, but didn't know how to word what she actually wanted to say. Instead Anna took a deep breath, and thought it over. "Here, she could be used against us Talon. If they found out that she not only is half demon half witch, but also Laxtons... "

The witch looked down at their daughter and sent her to get an ice cream from the kitchen. Once she was far enough gone, Anna looked straight into Talon's eyes.
"I will stay and fight here with you, as I've always done. On the same hand I know she's the only thing that means anything to you and I will not risk her becoming a negotiation tool. I walked into this mess many years ago, and almost died a time or two...but I will not throw her into this...."

The witch looked down.

"....She's all I have..."

True, Anna could go to her grandmother ever she need to. But that wasn't the same. Talon had Laxton and Nova. Anna..Anna had Shilo, and she wasn't about to lose her too.

[Priestess of Arcane]

Soft voices whispered to him in his dreams. They called out to him quietly, goading him to listen to what they had to say. He resisted at first, as he always did, and finally caved when the disembodied whispers became harsh and demanding. Finally he relinquished his control and did as he was told. He let voices guide him from his pleasant dream to a place he had never been. The building looked as normal as any other. The sign, he noted, read “Venantium Tavern.” Once he had a full picture of the building etched into his mind, he was suddenly phased inside. Like a weightless phantom, he seemed to float near the ceiling and was given a clear view of the main floor of the tavern. Patrons and staff alike meandered about, drinking, laughing and interacting with each other. Most bore an odd aura but their faces were bright and the overall energy of the place was a fairly good one.

Black, inky mist suddenly began to creep in from the cracks of the windows and underneath the main door. A foreboding presence neared, one he knew well. Death. The people’s faces contorted in fear, rage and confusion when they noticed it’s existence. The mist began to build into a thick fog when the door from which they seeped through, flew open. His vision became obscured from the black mist but he did not need to see to know what was happening. Painful screams pierced the fog. Horrid sounds of rending flesh and breaking bone filled his ears. Blood, fire and singed flesh filled his nose. He squeezed his eyes closed and covered his ears. But to no avail, the sounds only rose in volume until the entirety of his senses, save sight, were violated by this massacre. Wake up, wake up, wake up!, he growled through gritted teeth. And just when he believed he could take no more…

A child’s eyes shot open, wide with horror from his premonition. He drew in a ragged breath as his chest heaved. Bile roiled in his gut and he was defenseless to hold back. The scent of burning flesh lingered and sent him over the edge. He hunched over and emptied his stomach into the corner of the alley. It had been some time since his last vision and he was not used to how real everything could be. After wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, the young boy flopped onto his back and gazed up and the twilight sky. His mind reeled as he recalled the event of his dream. He did his best to record every little detail he had seen.
Moments passed by before the boy finally roused from his makeshift bed of trash and cardboard. He rubbed his eyes, willing himself to momentarily forget his vision. He blinked once, then twice and stood. Beyond his quiet ally lay the busy street of the city. This was not his home but simply a temporary place to call shelter. It would no longer do now that the screams of those people haunted him. Then, as if pushed by an unseen hand, the boy stumbled out of the alley for the last and final time.

He then began to walk, for what seemed like hours, trudging along the icy sidewalk that slowly began to collect snow. His ragged, dirty clothes barely kept out the cold night air. His frail body shivered violently yet he was mildly bothered by this. Instead his mind was fairly blank as he kept walking, some unknown force pulling him towards his destination like an invisible cord. The boy finally came to and quickly inspected his surroundings. A different city sprawled around him, just how far had he walked? All he could tell was that it was well into the night, perhaps even near midnight but he had no way of knowing for certain. Finally his curious gaze settled upon the building beside him. His black brows knitted in concentration as he looked upon it’s windows and edges with a sense of familiarity. Then, the sign that read “Venantium Tavern” caught his attention.

He scoffed, his breath appeared before him in soft mist and disappeared. Of course, he thought to himself. The young boy wandered around the exterior of the tavern, inspecting all of it’s elements before coming to stand in front of the door. The question on whether or not to enter flitted through his head for a mere moment before the cold that nipped at every piece of exposed skin made up his mind for him. With a small, shaking hand, the boy pushed open the front door and was instantly met with a wave of warm air. He proceeded through the doorway and stood, eyes closed, and enjoyed the warmth of being inside. When he finally opened his strangely colored eyes, the boy took in the sight of several (familiar) people occupying the room he recalled from his premonition. He froze, unsure of how to proceed. His interaction with people was slim to none and he knew not of how to approach this situation. He opted to, instead, silently stand and observe those before him. Perhaps they, like the many hundreds of people he had encountered, would simply look him over without thought. But then, how would he go about informing them of the terrible fate that awaited this place?

-[ Hey all! Rose has graciously pulled me from my writer's hiatus to come RP! I apologize for the size and the rust! No my posts will NOT be this long in the future, I'm just a sucker for intro's x3 ]-

[Talon Sky]

Talon hated every word Anna said, for the simple truth of it all. Shilo was a weak spot, one that the Nobodies would use if they discovered. If they hadn't discovered already.

That thought peaked Talon's eyebrow. "What if they followed you? Caught you off guard? Where can you go that's-"

Talon stopped talking at the sound of footsteps, light footsteps, outside Venantium's door. A rush of cold winter wind assaulted Talon's senses as the twin oak doors opened and a young boy wandered in, his eyes closed. The boy was oddly dressed, inappropriately so for the season, and Talon felt a strange sense of....something from him.

Rising, Talon went to perform a role that he hadn't performed in months. "Hello, young man. I'm Talon Sky, owner of this place,at your service."

(Welcome! Please feel free to acknowledge the plot as little or as much as you wish. This RP works as both an 'ongoing' story and as a sandbox for those uninterested lol. And I feel ya on introductions, I get carried away myself :p)

[Rose Scented]

It's always like this isn't it. You shake a tree and a bunch of friends come out.

Scarlett couldn’t help the mild sneer that burned galaxies of fire in her eyes as she glared across the bar counter at Sydney, ignoring the floating bottle of vodka that passed her on the way to Hartia’s waiting hands. “Actually, Syd, Monsieur Hartia here visits me rather frequently. He always has.” It was a sour jab in Sydney’s ribs, and Scarlett was unrelenting in her scorned act. Irritated and bothered by Sydney’s unannounced arrival and flustered by his less than warm welcome after, Scarlett’s cheeks were brilliant with a pinkish hue and her eyes were livid with the turmoil of emotions that couldn’t be tempered by her past elation. What had gone from a happy reunion had been crushed into bitter contempt by Sydney’s lack of affection and the raw emotion that swelled up upon seeing him and withered away into a deep-seated dislike. It was times like these that she couldn’t even remember why she had fallen for him in the first place.

“Maybe you’d know that if you were around more often,” she hissed, another jab, another reminder that he had damaged the heart she had given to him to heal and care for.

The conversation was halted when Talon and Ronin returned from the upper floor where Nova had led them, and Scarlett shifted her gaze away from Sydney and stunted the conversation. She wasn’t one to be open about her affairs, especially in company that, while well liked, wasn’t well-known. Shifting her stance on the tall heels that granted little bulk to her short stature, she winced as what had gone from a drone of conversation turned to muted screams of agony. Like Talon and Hartia, her demonic nature could easily pick up the signs of abuse and horror from where Nova was busy carving away at the Nobody she had captured, though unlike Talon she wasn’t bothered by the pain of it. Scarlett had committed enough grievances in her time to no longer be able to judge those of others.

She remained silent as Nova returned, covered in blood and exhuming such a strong lustful desire that it nearly floored Scarlett, and drove a jagged dagger into the pit of her stomach, savagely twisting her self-control into a thin, waning line. Inhaling sharply when Nova retreated up the stairs, Scarlett was overpowered for a mere moment by Talon’s returned desire, though it faded to worry and then to curiosity as a child with a dark aura entered. Scarlett turned her eyes to the poorly dressed youngling for just a moment, curious as to the odd vibrations he gave off, though before she could greet him Talon had stepped forward once more and Scarlett was left to reflect on the dryness in her throat and the fire in the pit of her stomach. Inwardly groaning, she retrieved a bottle of her favorite red, and a tall spined glass.

Scarlett pushed passed the rasp in her voice as her gaze returned to Sydney, “I truly am glad to see you, but it doesn’t change the fact that you left and your took her with you. How could you, Sydney? For all of the years we’ve known each other you knew, you knew that she was the one thing I wanted more than anything, and you took her from me.”

VEEB0MB3R

Peccaminous Peregrine

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[stillnohero]

Despite his enjoyment of being nosy, Talon was back in the room. And that was his highest priority in coming here today was to talk to him. It was of the utmost importance. The revelation that Xartia actually had friends was....surprising, though he seemed to rather enjoy it in a not so open manner. Regardless, as he began realizing just how many friends he actually did have, he had to be sure to separate any formal or business ties before doing what he was going to do. He wouldn't run the risk of making anyone seem guilty to his acts by association. And he certainly didn't want to tarnish the reputation Venantium carried with it's hunting business. He also needed to be sure that their respective businesses just managed to not cross paths. However, he would understand if Talon couldn't make any promises. For Xartia wasn't willing to compromise with keeping his business out of Durem. Or any city within Gaia Primus for that matter. As soon as he seemed to have a moment, he would feel a peculiar, mental, tap on the shoulder so to speak. And when he looked up to find it's source, he would be drawn to look at Xartia.

Talon Sky

[Tiny_rel]

Tatianna "Anna" Eve

The witch would've contested Talons points, it would be hard for them to be followed when Shilo wasn't going to travel any where. Not by normal traceable means that is.


When her daughter came back with a spoon in her bowl she just looked up at her mom with a raised eyebrow. Anna just looked down at her and pointed up the stairs. "Go upstairs, finish compact packing. I'm going to get you some books from Talon and then I'm going to teach you a few lessons. I won't send you away, just yet. But I will prepare you to defend yourself. Evil is coming Shilo, evil that wants your father."
Anna looked over to Talon.
"And I'm worried."


Shilo nodded and did as her mother said. She could feel a darkening sky, and didn't know that she should converse with the new people around. She hadn't really used the compact protection before, but she knew it was just her mom trying to keep her safe. The girl went up with her ice cream, she supposed as long as she still got ice cream and books then it would be alright.

[Priestess of Arcane]

The boy momentarily forgot about his awkward presence within the tavern as he mulled over several options. He was still very uncertain about how to approach people in a normal fashion, so how would he go about informing these residents of their impending doom? Despite all of his observations, the intricate dance of social interaction still very much eluded the youngster. If I just tell them that danger is imminent, they will panic. Panic will lead to unnecessary confusion and uncontrollable fear. But if I don’t tell them, they will all surely perish like the last disaster, he winced at that particular memory.

So if I can’t tell them outright but I have to tell them, how shou-… his thought process was interrupted as a tall man with gleaming silver hair approached him. He recognized this man from his vision but he did not recall how distractingly beautiful his hair had been. While the man introduced himself as the owner, the child seemed to ignore his warm greeting. The boy instead, slowly circled the man, eyes fixed on his hair and wide with curiosity. “How pretty…like the moon...” he murmured and finally stopped just behind Talon. Drawn like a moth to the flame, he reached a small hand out and grasped a piece of hair between his thumb and index finger.

When reality finally dawned upon the boy, he quickly withdrew his hand. People never did that to each other, only people who were mated seemed to do those types of things! He froze upon this realization. Oh Creators, that was NOT the message he was trying to send. He panicked momentarily and did the only thing he could think of to try and salvage the situation. Remember how people interacted with each other and imitate it. Fully expecting the man to turn around and regard him with confusion, the boy awkwardly jutted out his hand to initiate what people called a “handshake.”

Words suddenly tumbled out of his mouth, “Hello there sir Talon Sky. Nice to meet you,” Thankfully he had caught the man’s name. “I am Knox and I am a boy.” His dry, cracked lips stretched into a small, genuine smile upon reciting the proper greeting he had practiced so many times before. And to use the man’s name and his own with it! Perhaps this whole social thing was not as difficult as he had been lead to believe.

-[ Well this whole "danger is coming" is actually perfect for this budding character so I'll pay attention smile ]-

Talon Sky

[stillnohero]

OOC: -twiddles thumbs-

[Priestess of Arcane]

-[ I killed it D:! ]-