Ьȴʊє Ͻ a r a v a n 🚙 🚙 🚙 (new thread!)

Favorite Character Poll Round 10!

Lucien Balthazar Mchale - Vicious hunter of humans and dragons.	27.3%	[ 3 ]
Vasul Calim Shahrad - Crown Prince of Shahrazad and righteous eagle among a flock of vultures.	9.1%	[ 1 ]
Lorelei 'Ellie' Katerini - Knight Errant and Defender of Justice who will kick your butt!	18.2%	[ 2 ]
Inyri Ven - Sharp-minded beauty and budding lady of wares.	18.2%	[ 2 ]
Eriol Epheis - Mysterious man with an eye for the prize.	27.3%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 11 ]

This poll closed on November 27, 2014.
No longer accepting new votes.

[Agent Of Dreams]

Inyri was not all that keen on the idea of entering into the drinking contest. She had only ever drank lightly in her life, and when she had drank anything, it had always been wine. She was fairly certain that this wouldn’t be a wine drinking contest. She looked up at Luther, hoping that he wouldn’t want her to do it. It was a very ugly looking chalice, even if it was made of gold and jewels. What she saw on his face, though, confused her. There was anger there, and she didn’t understand why the goblet might elicit this emotion in him. She continued to look up at him in confusion as he almost said something. What was going on in his head right now? Did he want this goblet, or not?

When the answer came, she did not believe him. His smile was not quite sincere enough for her to believe him.

”Luther, what is it? You’re hiding something from me, and I don’t like that. Tell me the truth.” she said, crossing her arms across her chest and giving him a very stern look. If he did indeed desire this goblet, then she was going to get it for him. She knew she was a light weight when it came to drinking, but Luther had already done so much for her today. She had started off this day feeling completely miserable, and she seen no way to change her mood. Luther had been a moment of laughter, and then he had managed to turn her day around by just being a great friend, and being awfully darn cute with how awkward he was becoming due to her flirting. She had heard the stories of his conquests on the battefield’s, and she had always assumed that he was a serious sort of person, not at all prone to being caught so easily off guard. What she was seeing now was not at all what she expected him to be. And truth be told, she rather liked it.


___________________________________________________________

Location: Log Toss Field
Company: Luther
Health: 100%

[Watervoir]

Ѵeȴɩus Kɩɾʈɑ
ɳoble

Velius woke with a start. His eyes were still shut, which made everything dark, but even after his lids flew open and he blinked a few times, his vision only barely improved.

Naturally, he began by questioning his whereabouts. His sleep had been deep and dreamless, and immediately his last few moments of consciousness flooded his mind. After the great sickness that washed over him just the other night that knocked him dead, he could not help mulling over whether or not he was still alive. But unless the afterlife was made to resemble the places he was familiar with, he had a strong feeling he had not yet kicked the bucket. There was little that could be made out in the dim light of his location, but the familiar feeling of the wood of the table he was resting on and the wafting apple scent tickling his nose gave away that he was once again in the back room of Medayo's wagon. It also set his mind ticking, puzzling away already over why one could never seem to habituate to the aromas of his faithful witch servant.

He remained still in place briefly, curious to see if he could hear sounds that could alert him of Medayo's presence in the wagon. If only he could sense people's presences, the way his bodyguards could. When he could hear not even a peep, he rolled over and pushed himself up.

Not eager to remain in the tight storeroom, he made for Medayo's shop front of the wagon. His body felt lightweight and his mind, clear, so he could only conclude that he was fine. Whatever Medayo's had administered to him had done its job. He felt fully recovered.

It was odd that she had not lingered around, odder still that the wagon door was not locked. The wagon had other safeguards besides the old bolt, chain, and key, but regardless he had never noticed Medayo to seem so lax. He figured she would be back soon so he merely walked out.

The sun's position gave away that it was earlier in the day than he had last remembered it to be, and so he figured a night or, perhaps but hopefully not, two had already passed. The cheery mood of the streets charmed the nobleman. Stalls were lined up like squadrons, all with merchants flaunting their wares. Groups of music makers strummed tunes at every corner. Velius's mood was lifted and he decided to spend a bit of time browsing. The festivities had the town core bustling but the square was large enough for him to provide him with plenty of elbow room.

He was soon lured up one of the streets that were claimed in the sprawl of the festival. He admired briefly the sight of a pointed-ear cook performing a magic trick with her eggs, before moving on. Then, a stand selling a variety of porcelain vases caught his eye. The designs were delicate, swirling, and symbolic, and he recognized them to be from one of the clans of Northenwood.

The merchant had just turned away from Velius as he approached. The noble didn't think he had been particularly subtle in approaching the vendor and yet the man paid him no mind. The old coot hadn't even deemed it necessary to greet his potential customers. How rude.

But before Velius could get a word in, he was joined by a pair of fellows. The only reason he looked up was that he felt an odd sensation pass through him as they approached, and the pair had stopped to stand very close to him. He sized them up. Their outfits did not fit the streets and looked more like uniforms. Servants of some random joint nearby, perhaps on lunch break.

"That one should work well for your gal," exclaimed the man on his right. He didn't seem to notice Velius's look of mild confusion towards him, and instead grabbed Velius's elbow excitedly like a good friend to get his attention. With his other hand, he pointed at one of the vases.

Velius's eyes were trained on the sudden, unsolicited contact at his elbow. He looked at it cooly like it was a bug crawling across his desk. The other man seemed to have noticed him staring at his grip on him. "Marco, what are you looking at?" He promptly let go of his arm. Velius gave the man a puzzled look. Marco?

The merchant seemed to notice them at this point and turned around. His hands rubbed together excitedly as he greeted them. "Have you taken an interest to my fine vases, fellas?"

The guy on Velius's left wrapped an arm around his shoulder in a friendly gesture. tcolor=green]"He's lookin' to grab himself one to woo his sweetheart. Whaddaya have on ya that's good?"

It was this guy's turn to receive a puzzled look from Velius. "Where did you come from?" he said, and stopped. His voice. It was a chirpy sound, not like it was sick, but it just sounded meek from disuse. Maybe even shy. It was certainly not a sound he was used to.

"Come from?" the guy on the right repeated, confusedly. He chuckled. "Rarely hear you say a peep, but when you do you ask the strangest questions. I hail from Quiori, down in Phronwood."

Velius's brows knitted together. "And who are you, exactly?"

The guy on the left drapped an arm over Velius's shoulder. "Ya being serious here, bruv? Why are ya sproutin' these nonsense questions about? We said we'd help ya choose a present for yes gurlie, and we're gonna stick by what we said."

While Velius usually had little regard for peasants standing close to him and making physical contact with him, on the rare occasions he actually encountered anyone who would actually do such a thing, to him no less, the situation was weird enough for even him to become uncomfortable. He reached up for the man's hand and lifted it off his shoulder. "Excuse me, fellas," he said, and started walking away. It wasn't every day that he encountered weirdos, but there were enough of them that would be after your coin in Shahrazad that he knew better than to continue engaging. This could all very well be a ruse, an unfortunate one for the other pair no less, for he was fairly certain Nasrin had already taken the liberty of lifting his valuables off him when he had last been with her.

The other two didn't seem to pursue though. He heard their voices as he departed them.

"What'd I do wrong?"

"Maybe he's off to find Caroline."

"That what they call his girlie? I saw her going down the street the other way, actually... "

Velius turned a corner and stopped in front of a closed window. He could see his reflection clear in the glass. He didn't look much younger or older than normally, but his hair was an uncharacteristic dusty blonde. He wore a loose cotton shirt, overtop which was a faded emerald tunic with the bottom button popped off. Old and dusty apparel, like the other two oddballs at the vase stall. He was actually pretty well built, a clear indication of many hours on the farms. But his eyes... dear gods, his eyes. Velius approached the glass to get a better look. The brows creased with a shy, melancholic look, a look that was broken only by Velius's natural air of confidence, and were as blue as a clear sky.

He could have believed that Medayo's handiwork might have changed his appearance, but he couldn't imagine her fetching for him this... unfetching attire. Something was definitely amiss. Perhaps his transformation magic had gone awry and he was maintaining this new form with absolutely zero effort. That would have been a first. Or perhaps...

"Marco dearest, what are you doing over here? Did the boys ditch ya?" His thoughts interrupted, Velius turned to see a barmaid, old enough to be his grandmother, eyeing him up and down with a concerned expression. She was short, which was not helped by the hunch in her back from her old age, and her hair was grey and faded and tucked into a bun under her bonnet. She appeared a little anxious as she kept gripping and ungripping her hands, but it was not clear why that was. "Come now, if you're off your break we could use a few more hands... "

Velius followed her, if only to see what understanding he could glean from the situation. The lady took him inside the building that the window had belonged to. Lo and behold, it was a tavern. Velius was soon assigned a job to move some bags to one of the patron's rooms.

"I will not be doing that," Velius replied, and walked out.

"Now Marco dearest, this is not what it means to build a backbone. You come back this instance!" she shouted at his departing form.

"Dumb godmother, never shuts up..."

Velius stopped. He turned, because it sounded like he was being talked at. But all around, it was people walking and minding their own business. And none of them were close enough to him to really be of speaking distance.

"But then I wish I wasn't always just so stuuuuupid," racked the voice self-defeatedly.

Velius paused. There it was again. "Oh, shut up," he said under his breath. He considered that perhaps he was starting to go insane.

He turned another corner and caught sight of a familiar head of long raven hair. Meanwhile, the voice in his head sobbed softly. Velius ignored it for now, and approached the pair after hearing Aria's mention of a need for a porter. He felt a foreign rush of euphoria as the other voice in his mind became very excited at the opportunity to make some small change. Velius resisted rolling his eyes.

"I-I can help you with that, miss," spoke his tender voice as he neared them. He supposed he looked and sounded like any regular young adolescent boy looking to scratch out a living being a slave, er, a servant, for the better off folk. Aria was well dressed that afternoon, and her radiance had his body naturally wanting to shrink back. Velius's actively warring against the behaviour made him physically drew a stalemate within that resulted in him looking more like a deer in headlights than anything. At least it fit his self-destructive and pathetic physical demeanour, as much as Velius wanted to correct it.

He gazed over, unintentionally nervously, at her male companion, not recognizing him but noticing the obvious difference in heritage between his body and this man. "Sir," the voice in his head suddenly piped in, and made him bow. Velius groaned internally. Suddenly this seemed like a bad idea, but Velius was not the type to back down. Aria's acquaintance was hopefully not going to be any more annoying than that pitiful second voice in his head that was screaming for him to flee.

[jadeshaw88]

Lord Luther Brendis Highwind

Third Son of Duke Alaric Chlodwig Highwind II of Haelica

Luther was surprised in the sudden change in Inyri. He had been trying to save her from having to drink for him since she obviously didn't want to. It would be silly to force her for something as ridiculous as a goblet, especially since he wasn't sure if he wanted it. Now he was being accused of lying and withholding information. He wasn't really lying, though he hadn't told her that it was his goblet to begin with. It was dented and used...by him.

He sighed and shook his head. Not sure how to respond to her demand. He hadn't wanted to pressure her and yet he was now the one under pressure. "The goblet was stolen from me yesterday. I was bragging about how I got it to a merchant and someone slipped something into it. That's how I got drugged and how I ended up in the stable." He told her honestly though it pained him to admit that it had been his own hubris that had gotten him in so much trouble.

He shrugged and scratched the back of his head as he looked at the goblet once more. It wasn't worth it. It was expensive, much too good of a prize to be won in a silly contest, but it wasn't worth ruining their day over. "On one hand, it could be considered bad luck because of everything that happened yesterday but...still, on the other, I wouldn't have met up with you if I hadn't been drugged or, it wouldn't have been the same if we had. If you don't feel comfortable entering the competition for it, it's really not worth it. I would rather spend more time with you than have you drink for something silly."

[Agent Of Dreams]

Inyri smiled lightly at him as he explained the true meaning behind the goblet. ”At last, the full story revealed.” she remarked lightly, the smile still present on her lips. She was grateful for his honesty. Despite the slight amount amusement she felt at the explanation of why he had ended up in the stables like that, she could not help but feel sorry for Luther. She could tell that this goblet represented a measure of his pride. Something that he had perhaps been lacking since they had met, due to the circumstance of their meeting. She looked down for a moment, weighing her options. She did not think she could do well in a drinking contest. She had never really drank before in her life, at least not heavily. But, after all that Luther had done for her today, especially after the log toss, she felt that she owed him at least a try.

She looked up at him, a smile on her face. ”I think it would only be bad luck if I didn’t try to retrieve it. Because even if it doesn’t seem like it, you being drugged from that goblet was a stroke of good luck for me, because if you had not ended up like that in the stall, I would not have had such a great day because of you. Nor would I have really met you. So I want to retrieve it for you, or at least try to. You have earned at least that much from me.” she took his hands in hers, and continued to smile up at him. ”Lord Luther Brendis Highwind, it is my honor and privilege to champion this cause for you, and to return to you what was stolen from you.” she said. She let out a giggle, because what she had just said sounded so official, like she was going into battle for this goblet. Before she left, she stood up on her tiptoes, and kissed him once more on his cheek. She then made her way towards the tables.

She took her seat at the table. There were other women there, as well, and unfortunately, most of them were of a larger build than her. Competition would be tough, but she was filled with determination to win.

The official came over, and stood at the head of the table. ”The contest will begin shortly.The rules are simple. You will be provided with drink. At our signal, you will drink your drink. This will continue until but one remains. They will be declared the winner, and will be given the honor of crowning the King of Flowers.” he said. As he said this, drinks were being laid out in front of all them.

Inyri gripped the handle of of the mug of her first drink, and looked down at it. She was nervous, but at the same time, she was determined to win this. For Luther.

At their signal, she drank her first mug. It was a honey mead, sweet in taste, which was good. She could drink this for sure. More mead was placed in front of her, and again, she drank at their signal. No one had dropped out yet, and after her third drink, she could start to feel the effects of the alcohol. On her fourth drink, she was wondering if anyone else was starting to feel. Certainly, she was going to have a harder time with it. She was rather small compared to the rest of the women entered in the contest. Her only strength was the conviction she felt towards winning the contest. Her fifth and sixth drink came quickly after, and at this point, she was definitely starting to feel it. However, it seemed like she wasn’t the only one. One of the women at the other end of the table passed out to a cheer of the crowd. Inyri smiled. One down.

A seventh and eighth drink came fast, and two more women passed out. Inyri was definitely feeling it by now. The world was spinning, and as she took her ninth drink, she was barely able to register that it was now just her and one other woman, and she didn’t look like she was in a good spot either. As the tenth mug was placed in front of her, Inyri knew that this would have to be her last one. Either she was going to win it now, or lose it all. And so she lifted the mug to her mouth, and drank it all down to the very last drop. She looked over at the last woman, who had not yet finished her drink. Inyri watched intently. The woman seemed to choke, and the mug fell from her grip, and she fell face first onto the table.

Cheers erupted from all around her, and she felt herself being pulled to her feet. She was at this point too drunk to really comprehend what was going on, but she felt a goblet being pushed into her hands. She looked bemusedly down at it, before turning on the spot to find Luther. She spotted him at the same time that she felt herself losing her balance. She stumbled right at him, and fell right into his arms. ”Oh, there you are, han’some.” she said, looking right up at him as she clinged to him for stability. She broke down into a fit of giggles, which ended in a large hiccup. ”Hav’ I ever told yah how han’some I thin’ you are?” she said. She pulled herself up towards him, fully intent on kissing him, but she stopped midway, realizing that she was holding onto something in one of her hands. She looked at one, saw nothing, then looked at the other. In it was a golden goblet. ”Oh, I won this for yah.” she said, holding it out to him, and giggling drunkenly.


___________________________________________________________

Location: Log Toss Field
Company: Luther
Health: 50% - Really drunk

[Leelee_Mraz]

Willa Odette Wilafax

"I am not fat!"

" Oh that?.......is just....a...watermelon I stole..."

Willa just reached her wagon. Her tears were still falling heavily. She took a deep breath as she reached out and touched the wood. She looked over at her horse, who she had yet to name, and took a deep breath, She paused her tears to make a weary, airy sound at him in greeting. She lifted the sickle, which seemed to now weigh three times heavier than it had been, and threw it over the edge of the wagon, then releasing it wincing at the loud clatter it made. It hurt her head. The crying started again. She was so tired and the thought of climbing into the wagon and sleeping on the hard wood there, stung. She remembered the bed in the place wherever they had been, and she wondered how she was ever going to sleep again. She groaned as she shifted to lean against the wagon. Then her stomach growled loudly and almost painfully. She put her hands over her face and rubbed her temples as she took a moment before trying to control her tears. She was pretty sure that nobody here was going to hit her for crying, but she wanted to try and stop just in case. She rubbed her face, which was heavy and sore from all the crying. When she was just reduced to the occasional sniffle, she shifted again and began to shuffle toward Kemun’s wagon.



Willa paused when she saw that the door was ajar, then moved forward to push the door open. Although there was no hope in hiding it, and she had been crying openly for about an hour, she took one final sniffle in an attempt to clear up and then leaned her head past the threshold. She stepped in and looked around.”Kemun..?” She said stepping in and looking around. She sighed seeing that the wagon was empty. Willa was really hoping get some more of whatever she had eaten from the jar before. She wouldn’t turn down any food but that was what she was hoping for that. She had never tasted anything so sweet. She looked around and then let out a small whimper. She wouldn’t dare look for it herself. She didn't want anyone to accuse her of stealing again. She slowly shifted to sit on the cot, taking a moment to rub at her lower back. She hopped that Kemun returned soon.

"You put that hand on my belly.....you are not getting it back."

[Leelee_Mraz]

Whitnee continued to walk, listening for cues from his captors. He looked back at the priest and chuckled at his interaction with the ever silent Elijah. It seemed like he too was growing weary of the current situation. He looked back at Nasarin as she responded. “ Well yeah. I don’t claim to be an expert in the art of kidnapping. But I have had a few instances before, being a travelling man, and they were all a bit more violent. Of course the few times, they were also a bit more wild. Why this one lot they barely wore clothes. You look a bit more respectful. “ Whitnee chuckled a little bit. “ I hope that you won't be too disappointed if I do not make too much of a bargaining chip. I am fairly new to the caravan. Who’s to say that they would be willing to trade anything for me. “ He drifted into distraction for a moment while the woman spoke to Drazz. He sensed that the conversation was none of his business. He said pausing slightly as the caravan finally came into view.

“ Why look there!” Whitnee said smiling slightly. “ What do you know. “ He said looking toward Drazz. He moved toward the caravan searched the area for a sight of his own wagon. He winced at the sight of it. Why the hell was his wagon blue? He turned to the bandit and listened to her carefully. Whitnee scratched his head.” Um...well... I am not entirely sure who that would be...Drazz? I always thought that it was Velius...kinda...” He scratched his head and his eyes searched Drazz for help.

[Manuscripts and Pince-Nez]

██ The bones of beasts and the bones of kings become dust in the wake of the hymn

✿

Seeing the Caravan again after that hellish ordeal they all have been trough was almost like an omen, a promise of good things to come; or so Phedre thought. The rest of their unlikely adventuring group decided to each go their own way, save for Willa. Phedre didn't notice the poor woman crying, already taking long and heavy steps towards Graves. Her heavy armor tinkled and clattered, each footstep rising up dust as her plated boots sank in the road under the weight of her excited strut. Phedre knew her work for the day was not over yet, but the happiness of seeing the caravan again and the hope of finding a doctor for Calioppe filled her with strength and determination.

Her previous mistrust of Graves was seemingly forgotten for the time being, as well. She let out a booming laugh as she got closer to him, „Am I glad to see-“ and stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the stump of his leg.


“What happened?” Her face went pale and the body in her arms felt heavier as her eyes refused to move from the injury.
Sure, Phedre had seen worse wounds on people much closer to her than Graves, but the turn of events was like a bucket of cold water. The Caravan, for all its misadventures, was still a relatively safe place. Limb loss was not something she expected.

“On second thought, just give me a brief summary, you both need a doctor first” She gestured to Calioppe. While the sudden turn of events was unnerving, she had to be pragmatic first. The damage was already done, now was the time to patch everything up, assessing the damage itself comes later.

“I’m worried about moving her around too much, not sure if there’s any internal bleeding or whatnot-” Phedre moved to a nearby caravan she recognized as hers, even underneath all that new blue paint, keeping her voice loud enough so that Graves could hear her “- so I’m putting her in my bed, for now. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take me to find a doctor here. I might just take one of the horses, can’t ignore an armored woman screaming on a horse, I reckon.”

She chuckled, going inside her caravan where she left the girl in a hopefully comfortable pose.

She brushed the hair off Calioppe’s forehead and grabbed a few dried flowers she kept close by after a moment’s consideration, which she left near her head. A flower wouldn’t help her injuries, but Phedre always used them to ease her mind whenever she knew she would have nightmares.

Her arms felt lighter now that she wasn’t carrying someone. She rubbed at the muscles almost gone asleep as she returned back to Graves.

“So, I’m thinking you should come with me. I’ll lift you up; you just need to hold fast to me”
She neighed loudly, her voice as if it was ripped right out of a horse and then stood waiting, her face already gone serious, her eyebrows down and her lips in a thoughtful scowl.

Soon a single brown horse made its way towards her and Phedre smiled as she started stroking the mane.

“[b]Well, hello to you, again, Jafar. I already thought you decided to take this opportunity to go and find a better human.” She affectionately pinched his ears.
They exchanged a few words, or neighs rather, until Phedre suddenly came into the possession of an armful of Kemun.

Phedre figured that an intruder was just the thing they needed right now. Phedre was being sarcastic.

She nodded at Kemun and patted her reassuringly on the back, pulled out her ax, and made her way to the other woman’s caravan. She didn’t try to move stealthily, figuring that if it was a lowly thief, they might just get scared enough by the sound of heavy armor to leave and not cause much trouble. Kemun had looked exhausted and Phedre felt annoyance at the intruder who would bother the kind woman in such a way. Her grip on the ax tightened.

She nudged the door open with her weapon, making sure not to enter the caravan just yet, in case the intruder was holding themselves up above the door. What she saw, though, was a distressed looking Willa. Her eyebrows rose for a moment, thinking that maybe Kemun had confused Willa for a stranger. The notion was absurd, though; Kemun knew Willa. So that just left the possibility that someone else was in the room.

“Willa, can you please get out? I have to check the caravan for a moment. Kemun’s outside.” She was calm, if a bit cold. She held out a hand to the pregnant woman, wanting to make sure she got out safely.

Mighty kingdoms rise, but they all will fall

no more than a breath on the wind██

[Aeroden Eternium]

Eriol Epheis



Patting the huffing horse, Eriol nodded at Aria. He took a moment to acknowledge the animal, who seemed to be upset at the lack of attention being paid to him for his efforts. There had been so many times before that Eriol thought Arthur was more trouble than he was worth, but he'd rather have a spirited companion than a docile pet any day.

“This is Arthur, who wishes to be formally introduced to you.” The horse gazed at Aria with intelligent eyes. Arthur took a few steps closer to her, sniffing. He did seem to have a preference for pretty young women, and Eriol noted that the seer was surprisingly well-dressed for travelling. " He is sadly not built for burden, but I hope he will prove to be good company in my absence. I will not be long.” With a wink, he took off, running towards the nearest porter he had spotted in the marketplace crowd.

As he promised, he returned shortly, apologizing profusely. Likely due to the hour, there were few porters about whose services weren't already employed. He had located one, an elderly man, stooped with age, who looked like a the weight of pillow might tip over. Trusting that Aria wasn't exaggerating the weight of her inventory, Eriol came back to report his failure. Her features obscured by a veil, Eriol was unable to read her expression, but no doubt, she wasn't pleased. This was, after all, entirely his fault.

But it seemed luck smiled upon them. They were approached by a young man, barely more than a boy really, who readily volunteered for the task. Eriol tilted his head at the boy's appearance, doubtful of his ability. His behaviour did nothing to reassure the bounty hunter of his capabilities, though he found himself more amused than annoyed. It took some courage to approach people the boy was so clearly intimidated by and offer himself to their service. Not that Eriol and Aria had much choice at the moment. He glanced at Aria, giving her an affirmative nod before addressing their porter.

“Thank you for the offer. As you can see, we would very much appreciate the offer. What is your name?”

[Aeroden Eternium]

Vaino Toivonen
(Goblin Merchant)

Time stood still for awhile,
Your hand was holding mine.


The sound of someone entering the wagon had Vaino pulling the furs draped over him even closer. He could hear his heart beating fast, wondering if the men looking for him had found his hiding place. He felt the temperature rising, the air thickening, from a combination of his own nerves and the thick furs. Vaino tried to keep his breathing low and slow, to calm himself. As it was, despite his efforts in making his presence unknown, the stranger in the wagon decided to check this particular pile of furs. Such was his luck today, and he resigned himself to being caught.

Until a familiar face, eyes wide with shock, stared down at him. But Kemun hightailed it out of there before Vaino was able to saw anything. In the heat of the moment, she didn't recognize him, and probably mistook him for a thief, or criminal of some kind. He couldn't blame her for that either, since it wasn't like he had left her note or anything. And it had been years since they had seen each other, though he was quite certain he still had a baby face (it was, as he had been told many times, one of his charm points). He wondered if Batu would be the next to march in, sharp implement in hand, ready to deal with the intruder. Vaino had to admit he was actually surprised it had been Kemun who had found him. Last he checked, she was still in Mirnhet, and had no plans to join her husband on his travels. But plans and people changed. Perhaps he would ask her about it once she had calmed down.

He heard a muffled meow as he struggled out from under the pile of heavy furs. A quiet, feminine voice Vaino did not recognize called Kemun's name. As he brushed a somewhat doleful-looking ermine off his shoulder and, he could see, from the window left in front of his face, a pregnant young woman with a worried expression on her face, seated on the cot. Kuu had stopped playing the part of a toy and was watching her, curious. He seemed not to regard her as a threat. The boy wasn't quite sure whether to address her or not, seeing as she looked like she could burst into tears at any moment. But it would probably be worse if he remained silent and continued to stare at her. The decision did not end up falling to him. A scary, ax-wielding, armoured woman had entered, just as he had managed to free himself of the mess he had now made of the furs.

Kuu jumped down in front of his master, bristling. He sensed this lady meant business, not that Vaino needed help to figure that out. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, and he couldn't help but keep eyeing that ax. He instinctively raised his empty hands to show he meant no harm.

"Um, I am Vaino. Please don't hurt me." He managed to force the words out of his mouth. A drop of sweat trickled down his face, whether from fear or something else, he wasn't quite sure. He swallowed hard, repeating, "I am Vaino. I am Kemun's brother. Kemun knows me. I mean no harm."

[jadeshaw88]

Lord Luther Brendis Highwind

Third Son of Duke Alaric Chlodwig Highwind II of Haelica

Luther didn't really understand why it had been that important to her to find out about the goblet. It was merely a trinket. What he felt was truly important was that they had run into each other and, if she did enter the drinking contest and manage to win despite not being a drinker, it would still only be a symbolic token. They had plenty of those. Inyri's clothes, her crown, the portraits and the story itself. Of course, they didn't really know what the king and the queen were supposed to do at the festival and the idea of Inyri being paraded around the village on the arm of a stranger was discomforting to say the least. He didn't know how she felt about him, and maybe she didn't feel anything at all beyond kinship, but he knew that he at least felt enough that the idea made him sick.

He raised his eyebrows when she gave him his speech and fought back a smirk though his lips twitched in the corners. He wondered if he had sounded like that when he made his. Probably not, she was far more adorable than he was. He probably just sounded like a fool. Luther wasn't sure what he needed to do but he needed to find his ground with Inyri. He had recovered a little but he wasn't anywhere near his old self. It was a miracle that no one else from court was here to watch him make an a** of himself.

Once she left, leaving behind another kiss on his cheek, Luther shook his head and scanned the crowd for any familiar faces. He hadn't actually checked to see if there was anyone from court around and his earlier thought suddenly made him paranoid. Especially since he was once again grinning like an idiot and rubbing his cheek.

Though he did not find anyone familiar in the crowd, he did spot the giant from earlier. Rather easily, in fact, due to his size. Now that they weren't focused on the competition, he could see the rather sad state of the man's clothing and the almost nonexistent shoes on his feet. Clearly, the man had entered the competition for the purse and suddenly Luther didn't feel as great about winning.

Now that Inyri's radiant smile wasn't there to distract him, he had a moment to think back on what had just happened. He shouldn't have won. The giant's biceps were the size of barrels and his forearms were like hams. Luther knew that he had had a decent throw but there was no way that he could throw farther than the big man. So why? Had he thrown the game just so Luther could save face? Obviously he didn't need the money like the man did.

He had originally thought about trying to give the purse to Inyri so that she would have money until they found her parents. He had planned on giving it to her in exchange for the goblet but...

He sighed and walked over to the giant. "Well played." He told him once he had gained the giant's attention. He didn't want to call him out on throwing the game even though anyone with eyes could see that he had. "I really only wanted the title for the lady and her reaction was more than prize enough for me. I dare not anger the Gods for being too greedy in my luck. Please, I insist that you take the purse and save me from their wrath." Luther was not an overly religious man but it seemed as good a reason as any to hand over the money without hurting the man's pride by either giving him away or making it seem like he was giving the money to him out of pity. Truthfully, the purse belonged to the giant.

"Forgive me for being brief, my good man, but I fear that my lady has entered into a contest that might prove to be...challenging for both of us and I must go cheer her on." And possibly get her to a doctor if she was so determined to win that she made herself ill. "Perhaps we will meet again. We are travelling with The Blue Caravan." He told the man before he turned and hurried back to where the contest was set up.

It only occurred to him after he made it to the front of the crowd that he had forgotten to introduce himself. Ah well, hopefully they would meet again and they could be properly introduced then.

Inyri was already well into her cups when he got there and he was surprised to see that she had outlasted several other women despite her earlier claims about drinking. He didn't know if that was exactly a good thing. He didn't want her to hurt herself for a silly cup and he didn't want her to do anything silly while drunk. Knowing what it was like to sober up after doing something ridiculous being so fresh in his mind, he didn't want the same thing to happen to her.

Luther watched on pins and needles as one by one the other competitors dropped off like flies and Inyri just kept right on going. Part of him was proud of her but another part of him worried about how far she was taking it. They other women weren't just getting sick or giving up, they were passing out. He started mentally going over what she had eaten that day. Had it been enough? He didn't know what drink was in those tankards but he hoped that it was something light. Surely, they wouldn't have a competition for all women with something heavy. Even if they were only drinking mead or some watered down wine, she had had quite a bit...

She won! No one was more shocked than Luther but he was so proud of her. This tiny little woman had outlasted older women twice her size and she had done it for him!

He hurried forward as he crowd closed in to congratulate her and/or pick up their fallen women. It was a good thing too because the moment that she stood and turned to him, she practically collapsed into his arms. He did his best to look her over for any signs that she might need medical attention, though her giggling did make it difficult. She seemed to be fine but he was going to keep a close eye on her until they got her some more food and water and probably a nap.

Assured that she was in good health, Luther fought hard not to laugh at her slurred speech. "Yes, yes. You may have men..." His eyes widened as she brought her face towards his and his voice faltered. He could feel his heartbeat jump and he mentally warred on whether to pull his face away or not. On one hand, she was a lady and she wasn't wholly in control of her faculties but, on the other hand, she really was quite pretty and was not likely to remember kissing him once she had sobered up. No, he would rather kiss her when they both were fully aware of what was happening. If they kissed at all. He was getting ahead of himself there.

He had been about to pull away when she handed him the goblet and saved him from his own decision. "Why thank you, my queen." He said as a crown was placed on his head. "Why don't we go and get you some nice hot food and some water. We can go get the portraits after. What do you say?" He had a feeling that this was going to be a very long afternoon.

[jadeshaw88]

I hear you calling to me
See you but you can't see me...
Ari fought the urge to tap her foot as she waited for a response from the man. She could still smell him so she knew that he had not wandered off to find her a porter yet but he seemed to have forgotten about her. She could hear the sound of a horse and that of flesh patting flesh and she guessed that he had taken that opportunity to snuggle with his beast while she waited yet again for him. She again wondered if it wouldn't have just been easier to hire someone else to help her find the caravan. Devinia was likely still around somewhere...

The man finally spoke and introduced her to his horse. Ari bit back her annoyance and reached up to where the hot breath and snuffling was coming from, patting the animal's nose. It wasn't his fault that his master was getting on her last nerve. She was trying to be patient with the man but she had been sitting in front of her shop for hours, she was hot and hungry and she just wanted to go home. Home! It was so close that she could almost taste it. Nevermind that she would be shut up in her wagon for days on end while they traveled. At least she would be in her wagon. It was the only home she had known since she was eight years old. All of this stalling felt like it was literally killing her.

She waited until the man took off and sighed to the horse. "You seem like a sensible creature. Why can't people be as smart as you?" She asked him as she continued to gently pat the mount. "I bet you're handsome. I wish I could see you." Someday. The Goddess had promised her that it would be soon.

When the man returned and reported that no porter could be found, Ari actually bit her lip to keep from yelling at him. From what she had seen the night before, the man seemed to be a decent one and he had had a hard enough life without her screaming at him but she just wanted to go home. When she tasted blood, she stopped biting her lip and blinked away the pinpricks of tears that had been forming in her eyes. Then she took a deep breath and shrugged. "I don't know how we'll get these bags to the caravan without a porter. They really are very heavy and I can't risk leaving them behind because I don't know if my things were left in my wagon or if they looted it after I left." She didn't think that that had happened but she never knew. Velius could have sold off her things out of spite...and for profit...and because she didn't have his fancy bread last time he had visited her. Ugh. Jerk.

Just then, a small voice spoke up from beside her and Ari could have kissed him. She didn't even care if he was dirty. If he could carry her bags and he was careful not to transfer his dirt to her things, she would take what she could get. All that mattered now was getting to the caravan. She could always have her things cleaned and laundered. "Oh thank you! May the Gods shine brightly on you." She told him happily, not caring that this was one of they few times she had blessed someone rather than cursed them. Hey, if the Goddess listened, she wasn't going to complain. This man had just made her day. "Please be careful with them. They have fragile things in them and they are heavy."

As she waited for the porter and the noble to work things out, she fidgeted with straightening her clothing, her nerves suddenly coming back full force. What would people say when they saw her? She knew that she wasn't a particularly nice member of the caravan but she was still part of the family. Had they missed her even a little? What if they had been happy to be without her? What if they had sold her stuff and not Velius? What would she even say to Velius when she saw him? They hadn't exactly parted well. It hadn't been horrible, she supposed but she had pretty much shot him down when he had been flirty...ish and then told him never to look for her. Ugh...even in his absence he was driving her crazy. The fact that she was more worried about confronting him than the rest of the caravan was concerning. Why did she even care? Stupid man. She hoped she looked alright. Not for him. Obviously! She just wanted to look nice...for whatever. She had been gone for months and she wanted to look nice for her homecoming. Yes, that was it.

"Uh..." She cleared her throat. "Is there any dirt on my clothes? I mean...do I look okay?" She hated how self conscious she sounded. "It's silly. Nevermind. I'm sure it's fine. Everyone else will be dirty so I shouldn't care." She shook her head and forced herself to stop fidgeting. "I just...No, it's fine." They probably wouldn't even notice. They probably weren't even there...other than the guards. They were probably all off enjoying the festival. She doubted they would even notice that she had come back until they were halfway down the road. "Would you mind if we stopped at a food stall for provisions. Crackers, bread...maybe some nice cheeses and wine?" At the very least, she was not going to be accused of being a bad hostess again.

...We never said our goodbyes
So dark and lonely your eyes

[Manuscripts and Pince-Nez]

██ The bones of beasts and the bones of kings become dust in the wake of the hymn

✿

Phedre was glad that she didn’t have to wait long for the intruder to make their appearance. She appreciated it when people cooperated. Still, when the intruder-a youngish looking boy- appeared, Phedre narrowed her eyes at him dangerously, but didn’t move. The boy had a cute pet, she had to admit, but cooing at it would not be appropriate at the moment.

He introduced himself as Kemun’s brother, to which Phedre raised an eyebrow. She didn’t talk much to the woman about family, but she didn’t recall Kemun mentioning a brother. It could be that the boy was being truthful, but he could also have just overheard her name somewhere and was now just bluffing. That was easy to find out, in any case.

“Easy, I’m not going to hurt you,” she tried to make her voice sound calmer, “unless you try something funny.”

Without looking away from Vaino, she tilted her head back to the wagon’s open door and called out to Kemun

“There’s a man inside who calls himself Vaino and claims to be your brother! I’ll escort him out!”
Phedre stood aside and motioned to the boy “After you.”

Mighty kingdoms rise, but they all will fall

no more than a breath on the wind██

[Watervoir]

Ѵeȴɩus Kɩɾʈɑ
ɳoble

Velius didn't like where this was going. Ever since his birth, hard, physical, and laborious tasks were beneath him, unless he was trying to impress someone, or was expected to. He would sooner take Aria's bags and impress them on her companion to see the shock on their faces than fool around with his time trying to win their respect. The other voice in his head though, was different. And unfortunately, currently that other, pathetic voice was the one in control. The more his predicament unfolded before him, the more Velius felt like a passenger along for the ride.

"M-Marco, sir," the other voice piped in to answer Eriol's question straight away. Velius was nearly blindsided by the boy's elation at the opportunity at this petty task. He could feel his knees shaking with misplaced excitement. It made Velius want to gag.

The boy bowed again, and when he finally straightened up, Velius took a moment to size up Aria's new companion. He was well put together, and if he was not of a high birth, he was at the least the capitalistic product of very successful merchant ancestry, as Velius was himself. He was a gentle one, with gentle manners, like many others similar him from the West, of whom were exempted from growing up under the harsh sun and sandy atmosphere of the great East. Velius could tell from the look on Eriol's face that he too was amused with the boy's nature; at least they had that in common. He had with him a stallion for a companion, and had it not looked so noble, Velius would have thought he got it for Aria to board and rest her legs (for of course he would not think anyone would spend that much coin on the rogue seer). It might have been better for it to be done regardless. Judging by Aria's huffy disposition, Velius figured she had something up her broadside or Eriol had some impressing of his own to do for the blind woman.

Marco, meanwhile, was not quite as much a snoop as Velius was. "A-and not a problem sir! I'm happy to help!" he continued enthusiastically. "You can go as far as you need to go, but not too far because I do need to be back home for supper--" Velius was wondering when the motormouth would stop. "--Not my godmother's I mean. My folks are from a farm. I work on a farm but this summer I'm with my godmother. My brother--oh would you just shut--" The farm boy clapped his hands over his mouth, catching himself as Velius cut in out of frustration. There was an awkward pause before he continued. Velius was shocked, too. He could feel Marco's heart beating fast as the poor boy hoped the outburst went unnoticed. Velius doubted it did. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. Anyway, I see you have a lot to carry. I'll handle it! Don't you worry, miss," he added at Aria's mention that her goods were fragile. "I swear I'll be careful." He felt the kid wanting to flex his biceps before the two until Velius mentally noted to him that Aria would not have seen him do it anyway. "You might not be able to see it, but I'm strong. Strong enough to give your buddy a lift too, I'm sure, if you want, milady." Velius chuckled to himself as he felt Marco's ears go red. What the others saw was a shame-faced smile on the boy's face. This was going to be fun.

Marco then kept his head down and quickly scurried over to Aria's things. As he cracked his knuckles, Velius sighed self-pityingly. How did he get stuck with this pathetic oaf? He almost felt sorry that Aria and her companion had to put up with this fool. Almost. It was obvious though why he had been given the heavy lifting tasks though. Velius considered his host's body to be a boy, he was at most only a year or two younger physically and was no small squirt. He towered over even Eriol by more than a few solid inches. Aria was a bean sprout in comparison, and her things were like light bundles of hay to him. The boy was really not kidding when he promised her that he could go far with her belongings.

He soon had all of Aria's things snug in his two hands and with an innocent smile on his face. He was very much the image of a lowly servant being the pack mule. Velius watched as Aria's fussed over her appearance. Finding it a real bore, he opened his mouth to cut in, but Marco was catching on his antics and filled in the void with words: "Where would you like me to take these things, milord n' milady? Assuming you will be going somewhere and aren't planning on standing in the middle of the street all day long..." trailed off Velius under his breath.

Oh yes. Velius might have been a passenger in this body, but he was not bad at being a backseat driver. This was going to be quite the ride.

[anais nighteyed]

x

xxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxKemun Eldstra

Kemun’s shoulders loosened in relief when Phedre agreed to lend assistance, ax in hand. In her panic she’d been struggling to decide what to do about the situation. She had not ever dealt with an intruder in her wagon before. Seeking help from a caravan guard seemed to be the best option; Phedre struck her as a capable sort of person, and she trusted the woman could sort the matter out. Kemun trailed after her, and her mind inevitably wandered back to the night when thieves set upon the caravan. It was a somewhat similar situation, but fortunately she hadn’t returned to her wagon to find one of those ne’er-do-wells lying in wait.

“Do you think it’s a thief?” she said to Phedre, speaking in hushed tones. “I… I doubt those folk would have returned in broad daylight. It doesn’t seem wise.” A knot of worry formed in her chest as she considered the stowaway’s motives. She didn’t believe much harm could come to Phedre when she was wearing such formidable looking armor, but Kemun still feared they were walking into a dangerous situation. A moment passed before she spoke again, quietly adding, “Be careful.”

Kemun waited outside the wagon, standing near the foot of the steps leading down from the door. Her brow crinkled with concern as she watched Phedre nudge open the door with her ax. Then her hand went to the knife at her side, and she carefully drew the weapon from its sheath. The long, pale blade gleamed in the sun.

She blinked when Phedre began to address someone within the wagon, and she realized she was speaking to Willa. “Willa? Come out here,” Kemun said, wearing a look of confusion. She was certain it wasn’t Willa she had encountered hiding beneath the furs. She believed she would have recognized the woman, even in the gloom. When Phedre drew the woman out of the wagon Kemun began to urgently beckon her forward, wanting to keep her out of harm’s way.

She then shuffled closer to the wagon, attempting to catch a glimpse of what was transpiring inside. Kemun could discern Phedre’s figure and the outlines of her wares in the gloom, but little else. Then she heard a new voice inside, addressing Phedre. She could barely hear the muffled words. Then she looked up at Phedre in surprise when the woman called out to her with news of the man inside. “What a clever thing to say,” Kemun retorted without hesitation, indignant at the fellow’s claim. Who had the gall to trespass in her wagon and conjure up such a lie to save his skin? She was an only child!

“I am the only offspring of Othe the blacksmith and Retunh the weaver, I have no…,” Kemun trailed off, stopping herself midsentence as the man’s name registered in her mind. She knew that name. Realization flickered across her face. “Wait,” she said, anxiously trying to peer around Phedre. “What was that? His name? Did you say it was Vaino?” Her grip around the handle of her knife loosened. The words forming in her mouth felt heavy as iron on her tongue. She stumbled over them as she spoke, and her voice was suddenly light. “My... my husband – T’len,” she conceded, nearly wincing as she forced herself to say his name. “His brother is called Vaino.”

[NlETZSCHE]

≼≽≼Yggdrasil "Draaz" Søren Freud≽≼≽
(Igg-Druh-S-ill "Droz" Sh-roun Frew-oid)
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♦Extrovert♠ Cryptic♥ Dangerous♣
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Shady Priest
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≼≽≼Far too risky To feed you with bare arms.≽≼≽

≼≽≼Wait your turn, you're greedy I hear you.≽≼≽

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Draaz followed along hugging his bag that held his Artem close. He shrugged his shoulders as Nasrin spoke about her kind nature. That she wasn't going to bite off their heads. "Well, I imagined kidnapping to be a little different, is all. And yeah....what he said." He shrugged his shoulders, after motioning to his doctor friend.

The bandit queen began to speak in riddles which made Draaz blink, and raised an eyebrow, "Familiarity? Find your...likeness?" His face paled, and his arms went slack the more he considered what she meant. Had his past deeds sprung up to finally bite him like the evil snake he knew they would have been. Did she mean HIS face...or...

"I-I have no Idea what you are talking about..." He sputtered. He attempted to regain his composure and dusted off his dirty white shirt. It still looked as though he'd gone and spilled wine on it. "I-I have no reason for my countenance to share a space such as yours might." assuming they were taking about the same things...."I am but a humble priest..." Then he laughed a little bit, in a nervous manner like one laughs at a child who just told the truth, awkwardly, in a crowded place.

He cleared his throat, "Clearly you are mistaken..." and then sped up to catch up with the good doctor, who'd stumbled upon the back end of where the caravans were stationed. "Ah...." There was an odd look about them. They weren't all always blue....were they? His had been....a shade of blue, at least....he thought. But were they always this blue. "Well, I expected that to be a smitten harder, as well...." he said, referring to how easily they had just found the caravan.


The bandit woman made her demands clear, and Draaz turned to look at her, taking his eyes from the wagons. "The leader?" he asked, "I'm not sure there is one..." He looked at Whitnee, who seemed just as confused, "Velius? Caden...?" he shrugged his shoulders, yet again, "Perhaps..."

"I'm sure one of them would be.....DELIGHTED to make arrangements with you....Miss...." He didn't know here name. "Well...let's just find the nearest person, perhaps they will know who you must shakedown for this trade..."

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≼≽≼How can I protect myself from you?≽≼≽

≼≽≼Trust is for fools!≽≼≽