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 Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 9:19 pm
Sherith only had to take one glance at Claudette's blade before going even paler, which was oddly possible. Emitting a wail, she started to wring her hands.
"I didn't know who they were, honestly. How could I? I was only a child when they found me." She's definitely sounded panicked, but there was something more than that. Guilt?
Glancing towards Veiris, who had stepped back, she continued to say, "Please, you have to believe me," as though he would intercede on her behalf. Then the woman with the blade seemed to back off. She sighed, and calmed down a trifle, but she still seemed highly anxious.
"My name is Sherith." Shaking her head, she adds, "I've never heard of a Needy Magus. The only magic I've ever heard about was in books."
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 9:28 pm
Claudette blinked a few times as she studied the woman, looking for any signs of lying. She cleared her throat.
"All right, all right, calm down. That doesn't sound like how the Immortals operate, so forget I asked. The Needy Magus is a bar that has amazing mixed drinks. Something this place needs more of," she said, grinning at that last part.
Claudette stood up and extended her hand to the woman.
"There's no point sitting on the floor anymore. Might as well get comfortable. You can tell me all about your history. Same goes to you," she said as she gestured to the man.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 9:43 pm
Veiris stood up and stepped back from the two women, content to let the warrior deal with the distraught one. He wondered about the warrior's weird mumbling, but let it pass as yet another oddity of the not-Black Coral.
While the warrior's focus was on helping the woman, Veiris took the opportunity to move back to the counter and order another spice tea from the strangely calm waiter who seemed oblivious to the woman who had just fainted in his tea house.
After ordering, he leaned back over the warrior. "Excuse me, Claudette. Might I get my scarf back now. Since we sorted all of this out. I'd like to avoid other anti-tattoo citizens," he asked, trying to sound as lighthearted as possible while being far too aware of the tattoos that were still visible on his neck.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 9:54 pm
"Right," Claudette said as she handed him the scarf. "By the way. If the tattoo isn't for magic, what is its purpose?"
She casually threw herself into a chair, stretching out her stocking covered legs to rest them on the seat across from her. Gently, she pressed her fingers to her scar as she thought about how to get out of here.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 9:59 pm
Taking a few deep breaths, Sherith accepted the hand upwards. If Claudette is the sort to be observant, she likely would have noticed that the young woman's hands are very smooth; the kind that have never seen a day's worth of hard labor.
Fully standing, Sherith is not terribly tall and is of slim build. Her eyes are blue, and there's a redness to them that indicates she had been crying recently. Her hair is red and falls down her back in a single braid, although the hair around her face is coming lose and sticks to her cheeks.
But she doesn't stand for long; gingerly she sits down, placing her hands in her lap, where they fidget almost constantly.
"I'm not really sure where to start," she says nervously.
Looking over to Veiris, she stares for a few moments at the bits of tattoo that are showing. However, she doesn't seem to have any particular disdain or hate on her face; merely curiosity.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 10:14 pm
Veiris retrieved his tea and decided to sit with the two women, thinking it rude to just walk away in the middle of their conversation. Besides, one of them may actually turn out to have some useful information about this weird tea house in Sol Tier.
He accepted his scarf and wrapped it back around his neck before checking his gloves and sleeves to make sure his other tattoos remained hidden. He was glad Claudette didn't push the question about his "history", but he figured filling her in on his Shifting ability couldn't hurt. After all, shifters were not uncommon. Surely, she'd find out eventually; although, he was still surprised she didn't know about them to begin with.
"You really aren't from around here. They're Shifter tattoos. One tattoo for every form I can take. its the only sort of magic I can do," he explained as he took a seat across from Claudette and next to Sherith, figuring it was safer to have a table between him and the warrior.
He then turned to Sherith, once more offering a smile, "I'm sorry, ma'am. You were saying?" Hopefully, her story would become the new center of attention.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 10:29 pm
The elf strode into the cafe drenched in blood. Some of it was hers, but not all. A nasty cut, hastily stitched, marred her right cheek cutting lengthwise down from her cheekbone, but continued to dribble blood down her chin. She threw a battle ax and a tomahawk down on the ground, clattering loudly, followed by gauntlets and chain mail. She stripped out of her armor as she went, throwing it all haphazardly to the floor. She was tall, long legs scrawled with blackened veins, as was the rest of her body. Arms, neck, chest, face. Her hair had been shaved on the sides, the long, dark strands left pulled into a ponytail. Her pointed ears were heavily pierced with sculpted bone studs and rings. "Whiskey," she barked across to the waitress on duty, swiping blood off her face and flicking it aside, pale green eyes blazing. Her hands shook. Rage. Grief. Emotion boiling to the surface she didn't know if she could hold back. Svana bowed her head, taking a moment to pull herself together. It had been a long day.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 10:55 pm
Dmitri & Zehra His breath came colder as they walked; urgency lacing his gait as they proceeded down darkening streets and through desolate alleyways. He kept his left arm locked around Zehra's right, synchronizing their steps. She pulled the black hood further down over her face, leaving its tattered ends to trail behind her in the air. She prayed her cloak would be enough to shield her from suspicion and hide her olive skin. "Don't speak," he whispered. Dmitri pushed open the door to the bar with his other hand, quickly leading them inside, away from the cold and any dangerously observant eyes. Their mouths fell open and their gaze widened with awe to see such a strangely bright place amongst the slums of Russia's southern borders. The decor and overall structure was all but familiar to Dmitri and what little Zehra knew of the country. Despite how truly foreign, and how possibly risky it was, Dmitri found a table furthest away from the others and sat her down. Zehra's blackened silver eyes traveled around the cafe nervously, her face and bodied covered by layers of peasant's garb. She stared at her comrade until the hair prickled along his skin. Dmitri turned to her, knowing that she now expected several answers, some of which he simply couldn't give her. "I... I'm not sure what this is. This place is..." his left hand fidgeted in his lap as his fingers ran over the metal glove that replaced his right. "Well, it's not where we should be. But we don't have a choice. We can't risk you walking the streets any longer than you have to." Zehra raised an eyebrow-- the only other thing visible besides her eyes. She decidedly broke her vow of silence. "You still haven't told me why we've left," she stated bluntly. He ran his able hand through his blond tuft of hair, sweeping stray strands from his forehead. His hazel-silver eyes met Zehra's with remorse. "You've been targeted." Her gaze widened, then narrowed quickly. Dmitri sighed and bit his lip, frustrated with his actions almost more than the situation they had found themselves in. "I can't tell you the details of it now." He could see that she was clearly less than pleased. "You'll just have to trust me. Okay?" Zehra's eyes didn't relent their resentful stare. However, considering the circumstances, there was nothing she could really do. "You've better feed me if I am to put up with you for much longer." He nodded, almost obediently to his surprise. Dmitri lifted his hand without thought and motioned over a wandering waitress. His bronze hand glinted in the light as he gestured. The breath caught in his throat when he noticed the veiny monstrosity that sat at the bar, covered in blood. Dmitri would have to remain more on guard than he had previously anticipated.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 11:05 pm
"I think I was saying I'm not sure what to say," returned Sherith to Veiris. Her whole body seemed to deflate, as though she was struggling to keep upright. "None of this," and she waved to indicate the room in general, "makes any sense."
At this point she notices the elf enter. Having never seen such a person, and certainly unused to looking at so much blood, she let out a little shriek before she could contain herself. Then she tensed, as surely the sound would alert the strange being to her presence.
In fact, she became so absorbed with the elf that she failed to notice the other two people enter. Which might have een just as well; getting further distracted might be dangerous considering the appearance of the elven woman.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 11:13 pm
Before her drink could be served, Svana heard a high pitched noise somewhere behind her. Half-turning, brow furrowed, wincing as the change of expression pulled on her stitches, she spotted a petite little human. She locked eyes with the girl. Very slowly she raised her eyebrows, glanced down at herself, and didn't bother to turn when a glass of amber liquid was set on the bar where she grabbed it and brought it to her blood-spattered lips. "What?" she asked curtly, feeling confrontational, forcing herself to remember the magic of this particular place and the fact that humans here were not simply for her to pluck up and enslave. They had their own homes to go back to when they left.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 11:50 pm
Dmitri & Zehra The waitress approached casually, seemingly unphased by the unusual company that had begun to flood the cafe. Perhaps she had experienced this before-- and regularly. Dmitri glanced over to Zehra expectantly before realizing that the typical Russian drink nor food may not be served there. He turned back toward the waitress. "What food do you serve?" She cut her eyes toward the left and motioned toward the board that hung behind the bar, listing various food items as well as alcoholic beverages. Suddenly the strange symbols melded into a language he could understand, and he read off several items to Zehra. Zehra maintained her unenthused look as her comrade slowly began to realize that she was also unfamiliar with the contents of Russian cuisine. Dmitri rolled his eyes. "Perogie and vodka. The bottle." The waitress raised an eyebrow. "We can't just give you the-" Her speech fumbled when she noticed the silver pupils boring a hole through her, as if the request was not one that would be wise to refuse. Then she realized just how much she cared. "Whatever." She retreated toward the kitchen. The blond Russian folded his arms and reclined in his seat, trying to keep his eyes toward what he was protecting and away from the unnervingly unfamiliar guests. "You'll tell me what's going on now," she stated plainly, "Or I'll tell the Lady enough to get you in chains until one of us is dead." Her threat grazed awkwardly against his ears, hearing such a thing come from what looked to be a harmless seventeen-year-old girl. Though, he knew well by now that she was everything but harmless. "If you don't cooporate with me, you know you'll be killed." She rolled her eyes. "Do you know how many times I've heard that?" Dmitri huffed and his look grew more stern. "This is different. You're a long, long way away from home, and your sisters." Zehra propped an elbow onto the table and cradled her head in her hand. She was far from intimidated by the man missing his right hand. "Just keep me fed and get me that drink." Dmitri let a small laugh. "What, you? No, I'm not letting you drink." "That's all you do here, yeah?" she quipped. "I should fit in if I am to avoid getting shot or held hostage. Or, whatever you say is going to happen." His brow furrowed. She was apparently far from typical, and he'd have no such luck treating her as such. Dmitri lifted his chin smugly. "Fine." You can't be anymore difficult to deal with drunk anyway...Their thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the strange elven woman spoke loudly at the bar. Their attention quickly turned to her to watch the scene unfolding. Suddenly, Zehra didn't feel quite as comfortable as she thought she might.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 12:03 am
Sherith opened her mouth, but her words refused to cooperate right away. Finally she managed to squeak out an, "I'm sorry; you startled me." Quickly she averts her eyes, looking to the ground. Her poor heart started to speed up, and she was feeling faint again, though she didn't pass out this time.
Suddenly she found herself breaking down and babbling onward. "Everything was all right. At least, I thought it was. But then Alris changed the rules and let me go into town for the first time, by myself. And I met this man, and the man said horrible things...." She couldn't continue, but burst into a flood of tears.
Quite likely the scene made an excellent diversion for those who might want to remain unnoticed. Certainly it would be hard to ignore, at least for the first few moments of sobbing.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 12:23 am
Watching the girl, unimpressed, she tipped her drink back and drained it, vaguely wondering about its alcohol content. It didn't quite taste as stiff as the swamp brews they had, which was a shame, because her tolerance was high. To get buzzed it was going to take quite a bit. Swallowing bitterly, she waited out the sudden outburst of babbling, setting her glass on the counter and motioning for more. "So a man said horrible things to you and your day is suddenly ruined? What's wrong with you? Why are you crying? Stop that." Svana didn't have the patience for this soggy, weepy whelp. Maybe if she could just numb herself, even a little, she would be able to consider anyone else's problems other than her own... Oh who was she kidding? "Why didn't you just say horrible things back to the man?" she added with a small snort.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 1:08 am
"I wouldn't have had anything to say. He wasn't being insulting, although he did start by trying to kill me," Sherith explained between sobs. "But what he told me made my whole life a lie. Of course I was upset. The people I trusted, they can't be trusted anymore." She sighed deeply, her breath coming out with a shudder.
"I stumbled out of the shop, but instead of being outside, I found myself here instead. I don't understand." Shaking her head several times, she hunches up in an attempt to make herself look smaller. Probably not the wisest move, but she doesn't seem like she's had much experience dealing with aggressive forces.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 8:10 am
Claudette folded her hands as she listened to Sharith tell her tale. She seemed to be babbling, and her story was a little vague. Claudette held back a laugh; there was no way this person could ever be a threat, and she felt a little silly for almost attempting to fight her. She probably would have given this woman a heart attack if she had even taken her blade.
Composing herself, her gaze now met the elf. She seemed a little irritated by Sharith, and Claudette studied her silently, unsure if she was friend or foe. Seeing the elf's whiskey made her crave a hard drink, but maybe it was better to hold off until she knew she wouldn't have to fight anyone. Especially this person, who was covered in blood, though some of it was coming out of her face. Her weapons were on the floor, but because she was taller than Claudette, it was not wise to pick a fight, even if the woman became confrontational.
For now, she turned back to Sharith, and asked, "Why would you believe someone who tried to kill you? If he's willing to commit murder, he's probably also a liar."
Claudette sighed softly. She was far too sober for any of this.
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