The Devilish Damsel

[Viper 9000]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Meyaira Firespring

MischievousRP

Shade_Angel17

Fallen Akari-chan

WilowFox

(As its probably just gonna be the three of us for a while, lets veto having Thai run off by himself for healing.)

Giving Thai a brief frown for mentioning a treasure map like it was a simple trade good one would buy at the market, Viper waved Regina off to continue her tasks elsewhere and Regina obediently slips past the zombie-like form of Jareth into the rest of the brothel. With Regina gone, the expectant orc pushed herself out of her sudo-throne chair with a grunt of effort and approached Thai.

Once in reach, Viper leaned over her cauldron sized pregnant belly and slipped Thai a palm sized snuff box. "Go back to your chair and rub little bit of this on your ankle and you'll be good as new in an hour or two. It contains many of the same herbs used in healing potions, I've been using it as belly cream." The healing power of the goop is immediately evident as despite the size of her pregnancy, her skin remained a flawless green tint. "While you recover, I'll poke my old contacts and some of the patreons and see who might be interested in such a quick little adventure. Speaking of which..."

Dodging around Thai, Viper waddles over to the bar and stands opposite Jareth. "Cough up some coin first Jar, you know that Dragon's breath ale ain't cheap..." the pregnant orc said, holding out an open palm for the money.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Viper 9000

MischievousRP

Shade_Angel17

Fallen Akari-chan

WilowFox

((OOC: Okay. Fine by me))

Thai was making his way down the hall towards the exit, using his new walking stick, when he heard movement from the chair Viper was sitting in. His furry monkey ears perked up and he stopped and turned around, with a little difficulty and a bit of hopping on his good leg. He noticed two things; one, that the drunkard guy from the bar was here and standing at the front counter like a zombie, two, that Viper was out of her chair and approaching him. She looked a bit like a moving boulder with that huge belly out front and the monkey grinned in amusement, but kept that thought to himself.

He blinked when he felt her slip something into his hand, and looked down curiously while she spoke to him. He gave her a confused look, noticing her belly's perfect smoothness, and the lack of stretch marks. "Okay...sure...I can do that" Thai brightened a bit, quirking a small smile. Still confused at her sudden change of mind, he listened to her next words.

His smile turned into a grin. "Aw, yes! That sounds good! Thanks a bunch!" He silently added 'of bananas' in his mind because Thai liked being silly. He hopped his way back over to the chair, making noisy clunks with the broom handle, and sat down, starting to rub the ointment she gave him onto his bruises on his leg. The pungent and medicinal scent of the herbs in the cream filled the entire area, making Thai's nose wrinkle. His tail waved about and he grinned in excitement. He was going to go on an adventure! Sounded like much more fun than wandering the world alone looking for something that he didn't even know what he was looking for.

Thai hummed a little bard song as he rubbed the ointment in, applying another layer in the hopes it would help it work faster. He looked up at the teetering man at the bar counter and giggled. Silly guy! He must have had too much happy juice. AKA alcohol. Thai called it happy juice since it made him more giggly and silly than usual and gave him a pleasant buzz. Sometimes, long ago, his mother had allowed him to have a cup or two, and he performed silly songs and dance for the village. Good memories...  

[MischievousRP]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Meyaira Firespring

Viper 9000

Shade_Angel17

Fallen Akari-chan

WilowFox

Jareth's eyes darkened and he took Viper by her outstretched arm, pulling her close in a sudden rage. To anyone else it would have seemed an entirely malicious gesture, but having lived in such a small community together for so long, the two of them had a certain rapport with one another; Jareth didn't mean any real harm to the gravid orc. If he had, he could have already done far worse and she knew it.
"Not...what I need. M-my head... I can't..." Jareth began, but then he faltered and squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to concentrate.
He released Viper but his body remained rigid. There was little sense of control in him, and when his eyes opened they were distinctly reptilian. He stumbled backward and virtually fell into a nearby chair. His breathing became even more labored and he clutched the arms of the chair as if letting go would mean the end of his life.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

MischievousRP

(Feel free to correct any of this as needed MM, I don't remember if we ever nailed down the specifics of this drug of his.)

"Not again..." Viper muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Grabbing a partly empty bottle of vodka from the shelf, the expectant orc casually strolled around the counter to Jareth's side. Setting the bottle down within arms reach, her nimble hands, with grace and skill normally unknown to her race, began patting down Jareth and checking his pockets. In short order a modestly sized snuff box was turned up from his person.

To the untrained eye, scale dust appeared similar to common rust one might find on armor or equipment. While some considered the drug just a drug, a more studied mind would find it closer to a poison. Popping the box open, Viper held it near Jareth's nose. "Quick deep breath Jareth." Viper ordered.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

MischievousRP

Thai frowned as Jareth stumbled back and fell into a chair. Maybe it wasn't just happy juice after all. He pulled himself up using the broom handle as a crutch and hop-clunked over to Viper and Jareth "Is...is he okay? Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"I can play an enchanted song for him. I can play Healing Caress which heals minor wounds and accelerates healing of more serious wounds, Calming Essence which soothes or calms an upset or angry target for duration, or Energise, which would give him more magical energy. There's also Mother's Kiss which boosts the immune system but I don't know what would be helpful here..." he fidgeted, a bit anxious for the drunk or drugged guy in the chair...or whatever the heck was wrong with him.  

[MischievousRP]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Meyaira Firespring

Viper 9000

((Works for me!))

Jareth heard Viper's voice, and while he didn't exactly comprehend what she was saying, he noticed he began to take deep breaths through his nose. He suddenly felt fire blaze through his sinuses and overtake his brain. For most it would have been enough to cause complete system shock and a quick death, but for Jareth it was a cleansing sensation. His eyes dilated and his breathing slowed. Jareth felt his thoughts falling back into coherence, like raindrops coalescing into a stream on the street.
That's when he felt the warmth of another body against his. A very pregnant body, it seemed. His eyes drifted up across the very pleasing swell of green-skinned cleavage and met with Viper's. He just stared for a moment, until he felt a firm shifting beneath the swell of her belly as the young within moved. That drew his eyes downward for a moment and then he sat up in the chair.
"What...happened?"
When Jareth took a more broad look around, he saw that Viper had taken out his snuff box. He snatched it from her and had it back in his pocket a second later. Instinctual anger played across his features, but they softened when he glanced back into the expectant orc's eyes. He chuffed quietly and nodded in as much appreciation as he'd ever dare, having put the pieces together; it was a dance they'd done all too often.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

MischievousRP

"He's just going through withdrawals. Happens every once and a while when he's otherwise too distracted to take another hit himself." Viper explained to Thai. Normally Viper wouldn't do such things for a customer but Jareth had been a regular since she first opened the doors so she could always count on him to send a decent amount of coin her way.

"You almost died... again." Viper said, rising back to her feet and handing Jareth the mostly empty bottle of vodka. "But now that you're back, meet Thai." The pregnant orc gestures to Thai. "He's stumbled across a piece of 'history' that might be of interest to the three of us." She adds, using air quotes around the word history in case anyone might have been listening.  

[MischievousRP]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Meyaira Firespring

Viper 9000

Jareth accepted the bottle and immediately took a swig. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times to clear away the last of the haze in his mind. Considering Viper's words, he took another shot of the vodka.
"Thai, is it?" he began, leaning in close to the boy. "So tell me, lad: What's it you've found that you think would interest the likes of us?"  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

show spoilerhide spoiler

MischievousRP

Viper 9000

Thai listened to Viper and nodded but looked confused "With...draw...awls?" he sounded out, not sure what that meant. His purple furry ears went back a little and his tail swished. No one in his village ever mentioned such a thing. He had spent most of his life as a statue so he'd never heard of addictions before. Unless you counted the people who prayed to him to tell the goddess to help them lose weight because they couldn't stop stuffing their faces. Hmm.

Take a hit? That would help? Huh. Okay. Maybe he should help him out by hitting him once in a while. He thought about using the crutch/broom handle to hit Jareth with but decided against it since whatever Viper had shoved up Jareth's nose seemed to have worked wonders.

Thai blinked and looked back at Jareth curiously when Viper introduced him and mentioned the map. He watched him take a drink of some weird smelling liquid. He smiled when the other man spoke to him and nodded "Uh huh! That's the name my mother gave me. Or maybe my goddess. I can't remember too well" he scratched an ear. He stiffened a little when Jareth leaned into his personal space, but didn't stop smiling. "A map!" Thai said loudly and innocently. "We could use it to go on adventures and find treasure. Treasure's good. People like treasure" he added, glancing at Viper to see if he'd said the right thing.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

MischievousRP

Viper returned Thai's curious glance with a nod of approval. Despite appearing to be a full grown adult... whatever race he was, Thai appeared to have the mentality of a ten year old child. She had nothing against children as she was expecting a couple herself but it was still an interesting mentality to get used to after spending so much of her adult life adventuring.

"The map appears to be one of the bigger family tombs near Meddlin Manor but I figured your expertise could tell us for sure as I'm sure maps are nothing new to you and your shop of curiosities." Viper hoisted herself into a sitting position atop the solid oak bar, her pregnant swell filling her full lap. "Let him see the map Thai."  

[MischievousRP]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Meyaira Firespring

Viper 9000

((I do believe someone looted the map from Thai a while ago, but I'll just proceed as if he still had it.))

Jareth snatched up the map before Thai had a chance to fully offer it to him. He eyed the boy for a moment longer before snapping the paper open and giving it a once over. His brow furrowed.
It was indeed a map, and it did indeed claim to lead to some sort of treasure. Details here and there had the map itself as being drawn up long before the town had formed, but the lay of the land was unmistakable to Jareth's eyes; it would take them deep beneath the crypts of Meddlin Manor. Not exactly the most dangerous place in the world if you knew your way around those catacombs, but it would certainly be a challenge if ghouls had taken up residence there as one of the others had mentioned. That's not to speak of the other things buried down there.
He took a deep breath and rolled the map back up.
"Could be something. Could be nothing. Either way, if you're planning to pursue this little venture, you'll want me with you. This is going to take you far deeper than any tomb, and I can't have you just..." he stopped himself mid-sentence and considered his next words carefully. "Well, you're going to need someone who knows the catacombs beneath to steer you in the safest direction."  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

MischievousRP

((Yeah, Viper took it off him a while ago. I'll just say she handed it back to him when the subject came up))

Thai listened to Viper speak and found the map once again placed in his tanned golden hand. While Thai may have seemed quite innocent and carefree, having come from a small village in the tropics, he did have the capacity to learn new things and develop along the way. He wasn't as foolish as he seemed. After all, he was carrying several secrets of his own, and he had listened to many prayers and people over the years he spent as a statue, thus learning different things about life and the world. Being illiterate was a bit of a challenge most of the time but he had learned how to read and play music and weave magic through it in interesting ways. Thanks to his mother's kind tutelage and his goddess' gifts.

He went to hand the map to Jareth when Viper told him to let him see it but found it snatched out of his hand before he could give it. He pouted for a while, then his face lit up in a grin at the older man's words. "So you're gonna help us? Woohoo! I can't wait to get started. What's a tomb? What kind of things are in it? Why is it underground?" he asked one after another, bouncing on his good foot. He tested out his other foot and found he didn't need the broomstick anymore but he kind of liked the idea of having a staff to carry, so he held onto it. Damn, that healing salve worked fast.

"When can we go? Do we need more people? Is it safe for pregnant women?" he added on, leaning on his makeshift staff.

As for the questions about the tomb, well, most people in his village were buried in simple graves or cremated. Tombs were a luxury for the rich or well-off.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

MischievousRP

(Yeah that was the idea, she gave it back to him once Thai was up and moving around again. I'd had her take the map when MF disappeared in case I needed it for a plot hook. =P )

Viper frowned as she crossed her arms atop her breasts and belly. "Pregnant or not, I'm still a seasoned adventurer like yourself Jar... I'm just not quite as nimble or skinny as before. Besides behind danger usually hides the good stuff..."

Cocking an eyebrow at Thai's flood of questions, she waited till they stopped to try answering a handful of them. "Tomb's are where richer folks tend to bury their dead. The maintained ones are usually well protected. I would say we can go once Jareth gathers his senses a bit more. The less people who know about this map the better. And I'm not due for another couple months, some exercise will do me good."  

[MischievousRP]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Meyaira Firespring

Viper 9000

((Terribly sorry for the delay! Holidays and such, you know. I'm going to be working on posts as much as I can between all that's going on, so don't worry!
Now then, here we go!))

"Aye." Jareth grumbled, giving Viper a nod. "Best to be making our way before all this talk of treasure maps draws us any unwanted attention."
He rose from his seat, quicker than would seem possible after being so nearly catatonic moments before, and turned toward the pregnant orc. He handed her the map and went to turn away, but caught himself. From within his shirt he produced a small leather pouch that jingled lightly. It made a metallic clunk when he placed it snugly between her breasts, pressed together by her arms as they were.
"For the good time." he said with a wink, then he grabbed his cloak and headed for the door.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

show spoilerhide spoiler

MischievousRP

Viper 9000

((I'm sorry for causing delay. I'll try to catch up on all my rps today!))

"Ohh. I see" Thai listened to Viper's answers and sobered up a bit. A place where dead people were buried sounded kind of scary. He was wondering why the maintained tombs were protected. Maybe to stop people stealing stuff from them. Yeah, that was the obvious answer. Not because the dead came back to life or anything. Nope. That couldn't possibly happen. He just has an overactive imagination, plus he heard too many stories from the villager's scary tales. Nevertheless, Thai quickly went over all the spelled songs he knew, picking which ones he thought would be useful if they got into any trouble.

"Okay. Well, I'll take your word for it. But if you ever need help, I'll do what I can" He smiled at Viper when she said she had a few more months left and that exercise would do her good. In Thai's village, pregnant women were always treated like queens so they weren't expected to go on treasure hunts. Orcs, or ogres and the like must be tougher than humans when it came to things like this.

Thai wondered what sort of treasure they might find. Hopefully nothing cursed. But maybe his goddess could find something like that useful to use against the god who tricked her. Hmm.

He watched Jareth stand up and followed after him to the door, letting Viper go through first before following the two. Thai brought up a good question as they walked out of the brothel and into the streets. "So, do we need to grab any supplies or weapons first? I already have my bard songs. I think Summon Monster 1, Protection from Alignment, and Hard Shell would be useful spells to put on just before we enter the tomb. Plus we might need rope, water, torches, things like that"