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 Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:18 am
Kiddo Seanchain Seist chuckled softy at Rivek's words.
"I didn't vow to the priesthood until I was an adult," he said, "And the priests of Dues and Frain tend to be rich and high in social rank, so yes, I suppose you could say I'm a spoiled brat. Noble blood and all that. Might not mean much to you, but it means much to me."
"A Fallen Bound is... well, I suppose I should start with what a Bound is." Seist tilted his head, and looked up towards the sky, as if he were checking for something. Then he shook himself. Still blind. Couldn't see anyways. "The dragons of my world have had their ability to fly stolen from them and the power was buried in the human soul instead. In order to get that power back they take what are called Bounds - which is a pretty word for 'slave'. Only slavery would be better, as the dragon controls a Bound's very will - their thoughts are laid bare, their emotions are there for the dragon to tamper with, and a dragon's demands are absolute, impossible to disobey. Fallen Bounds are those bound to a specific breed of dragon and they have wings much like the ones we saw on those creatures. I know this is not my world but I find the similarities unnerving." He frowned. "I realize it is just because of where I come from, but I can't help but suspect-"
He cut himself off at the cry from Lurp. At Rivek's sudden movement and his own attempt to turn towards the sound he unbalanced himself and staggered, falling on his a** on the pavement. Swearing colorfully, the priest managed to haul himself upright again and grabbed for Rivek's arm for stability. LadyFox "I'll hold you to that" Lurp warned, pointing a finger at him. Then she waved hand dismissively in the air. "well, whatever those horrible things were that attacked the inn. I hope at least one of them is going hungry." She nodded at his fork. WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
"Sounds pretty complicated. But it's interesting stuff," he nodded. "Not like anything I've run into here so far, but at the same time - I wouldn't be surprised if we ran into one sooner or later. Those dragons do sound like downright dicks, though."
"I think the ones we've got here in Serendipity are a little better. From what I've gathered around these parts - there are five nations or something like that, with different types of people. Dragon people being one of them. Assholes being all of them. They're almost always just about to do some dumb fighting. I prefer to lay low, do what I can to survive."
Rivek helped Seist up again. "Sorry, not used to 'blind men' being one of the things I carry."
He turned to Lurp, offering Seist's arm to her, "Haha, want a turn? He might like you better."
He leaned into Seist's ear, "I know you totally can't see right now, but if she offers, totally take her up on it. She's way cuter than me."
"How did you end up here, anyway?"Jalil 
The familiar smile crept back on Devaena's face for a moment. He had been crying, but why? Devaena had cried before, but as a ruse, a trick, a funny little game to ply her strings on someone's heart. Something deep seated in her envied the emotion she couldn't feel, but the 'loth in her stomped it down quickly, ruthlessly, and viciously. As he came closer she schooled her face, practiced and heartless. She might play games for mortals, but demons knew better. No play of sympathy would do her any good here (or so she believed). "Your son," she repeated back to him, tilting her head to the side. "Well, never let it be said that demons aren't the essence of chaos, but you are the first I've heard who cared so much for family. Use them, avenge them perhaps, kill them when they become a threat certainly, but to shed a tear over them? Yes, that is indeed a rare occurrence."
She paused as he asked who she was. "You know of the Blood War I presume, unless you are lucky enough that it somehow hasn't managed to affect you yet." She had met demons and devils who have never heard tale of it before. It never ceased to amaze her, but it was somewhat less shocking at least. "I am one of the Mercenaries," she said with a grin, as if that should say all that needed to be said. Perhaps it would, the 'loths were the mercenaries of the Blood War. Oh some demons and devils might try to step outside the box and hire through others, but in the end it usually came back to Devaena's kind anyways. Finally almost as an afterthought she added, "You may call me Devaena."Ensia 
Pahkakino lifted a black eyebrow, "Demons where I am from do not name the wars. There is always fighting, ridiculous power plays between demon clans." He eyed her, keeping his mind to himself again, "We have mercenaries, but you mention your occupation as though it defines you. And you may call me Pahkakino." He bowed his head ever so slightly to her. No harm in being polite after all.
Shrugging, his ruby wings ruffling close to his back, Pahkakino looked up at the sky, "No doubt my emotion is foreign to you. It was to Sylith, even as he died. But I loved my children, even the ones who betrayed my mate and I." His lilly white eyes were sad and pained. "I make no secret of my alignment, I am not skilled in illusions, and couldn't hide it if I wished." Lifting one stained claw, he tapped the corner of one eye, "You appear to have white hair, but I think that means little to you. But my white eyes are a symbol of my alignment. I am a good aligned demon."
It was almost a game to Pahkakino, revealing his alignment and watching the reactions of those he told. He was guessing Deveana was a half demon or some other sort of creature to where the white attribute had no bearing.
'But then again, she could be from an entirely different plane...one with different rules than Abyss.' He thought, wondering if he should take a look in her mind to get an idea of what she was.Finoewae 
Teagan continued to follow the group, hiding in the shadows, trying to write down the important details she heard along the way.
Serendipity...what a strange name for a city.
She was contemplating going over and just joining in the seemingly meaningless stroll through the streets, but there were three of them, and three was a crowd. She HATED crowds. But perhaps she wouldn't have to follow much longer anyway. She'd learned enough about the political strife going on that perhaps she could make an educated guess who the woman was that continued to terrorize the city at night.
It sounded simple enough- the city was home to five races, and obviously they did not get along in the slightest. She had yet to learn though who was the most powerful race, and who was the underdog int he situation. A thought hit her.
Maybe the attacks aren't from one of the races here at all. Maybe they're outsiders, and they're merely taking advantage of the discord caused by the races not uniting!
She was proud of herself for coming up with the theory. But she still had to follow a bit longer. She didn't want to come back to Mr. Fletcher, with an incomplete report and an ignorant view on "Serendipity's" politics.Jalil Devaena listened, arching her own brow. "Perhaps it has not been named where you reside, perhaps it's another abyss of existence entirely, but the Blood War, the eternal war of law and chaos fought along the banks of the River Styx as it twists through the lower echelons...well, for most fiends that I know that is the most widely known war. And certainly, being a mercenary defines me. My...clan if you will, has been trading our services to both sides for as long as the Blood War has existed, allying ourselves with the highest bidder. It's somewhat how we've become known, you might say."
She listened as he explained a bit more about his son, his tears, and those strangely white eyes. Oh this was too rich. Devaena had to stop herself from outright laughing, but she did if only because it was a chance for her to work. Perhaps the first she'd had yet. Corrupting those already pure of heart was one pleasure, but twisting the ones like this, the ones who thought they could be good and pure and clean of their sins despite the very essence of their being corrupt? Those were the icing on her cake. "Good?" she said as she eyed him incredulously. "Very well, forgetting for a moment what you are, or at least what you certainly appear to be, I just watched you rip your son's throat out and burn the body, and you expect me - No, you expect anyone to believe you are 'good'?" Even so, she couldn't say there wasn't some small measure of respect there. She might scoff at him for playing (for certainly that was all it was in her eyes) at being 'good', but to do so openly...he was practically inviting enemies on every side - the true good who would kill him simply for being what he was, and the other demons who would see him as weak and try to take advantage of this. A very dangerous game indeed. Nevertheless, it changed nothing to Devaena. "You are right, this," she said flipping a strand of her ponytail between her fingers, "means nothing. It simply is what it is. To me, I have white hair because I have white hair. To you, you have white eyes because you are good, but the question one should ask is... are you? Or are you doing more damage in the end grasping at the light in the corner of your eye, the star just out of reach? In the end is the facade worth the price?" she asked in an almost solemn voice, catching a drift of ash on the wind. Perhaps it was the ash of his son, perhaps something else burning in the riots tonight. Either way, she was sure the point would be made. Ensia
A small, sad smile crossed Pahkakino's face, "Sylith killed the innocent. Those who had not wronged him, and simply lived for the sake of living. Killing those who cannot hope to fight back... I punished him in the only manner I could. Do I regret it came to that... with all my heart, but he would have killed again." His thoughts turned to the little girl, Mandy. She seemed so like Thrandwe. Shaking his head, the demon's expression turned defiant. "I burned his body to keep other creatures, creatures like you perhaps, from eating him."
"I have no need to explain myself to you. But I can tell you this– I would rather love another more than myself; deny my very blood, chasing after that light." He stood tall, an impressive height to be sure, his wings expanding fractionally. "I went to war with my clan when they tried to kill me for my choice. I won that war." He eyed her, his eyes seeming bright against his dark skin."There is no facade in me Devaena. And I will happily pay whatever 'price' you think is there. To give up a life of war and paranoia, to always be looking over your shoulder for the next enemy. I gladly give it up!" His two pronged tail lashed at his back, "I need no one to believe me. I know that I am good." he spoke with honest conviction, his voice- the one of a man who had been tried by a blood-stained and hate-filled world, and risen above it.Kiddo Seanchain Seist absorbed the information in silence. Five nations... it sounded a bit messier than his homeland. There were only two conflicts to really keep track of there. Dragons against humans. Kas Kain and the land disputes with Shavelle. Everything else was fairly small in scale.
"If war breaks out between the factions," Seist said grimly, "This city will burn as a result. History has shown time and time again that when a city dissolves into fighting, people panic, and the mob mentality kills more civilians than swords do. I'd be ready to do more than lay low, if I were you. Outsiders are always the first to die."
Then he laughed and smiled at Rivek's whisper, leaning into the man to keep the conversation just between them.
"Perhaps I like you escorting me," he whispered cheekily, "But by all means, shuffle me off onto the lady. I may have to call upon the divine more often, if it means I get escorted by a brawny fellow like yourself and a beautiful lady."
Seist reached out a hand, waiting to see if Lurp would take it.
"I died, obviously," he said in answer to Rivek's last question, seemingly unperturbed, "Ran into someone better than me with magic and after we fought ourselves to exhaustion he was still standing and I wasn't. So he slit my throat. I've yet to figure out why I wound up here instead of with my twin deities." Jalil "And yet you will still always be looking over your shoulder. You will still be surrounded by enemies wherever you turn. What do you hope to accomplish by your good deeds? What do you seek to gain by trying to be something you are not? Is it pride? Pride comes before the fall as they say. Perhaps you seek to protect your family? But truthfully they will never be safe, you must know as much. You will always have to fight, to kill, to avenge, even be a kinslayer. These things hold you back from ever being truly good. So are you truly giving up what you see as bad? You say that you need no one to believe in you. That's good, you are self sufficient. You believe in yourself, this is good. Clearly you have power if you stood up to your clan and won, but do you not ever wonder if your interests might not have been better served, better accomplished, by using what you are instead of trying to be what you are not?" She paused for a moment to let him consider her words, then brought it back to sum with the one question that would tell everything. "What do you hope to accomplish?" Planting the seeds of doubt in this one would be difficult at best, but if she could do it...it might be well worth the effort. Ensia
Pahkakino calmed at her words, and even smiled, "You speak like my mate before I won her. And since you can't seem to comprehend what I've gained choosing this alignment, I wonder if there's any point in continuing. Let the enemies come. I always expected to die in battle. But," he grinned still, "I was never afraid of death, and I accept my own death back in Abyss with grace. I was not paranoid, nor afraid of anything, save harm coming to my children. I defended my family. True I was poorly repaid. But I know one of my children will carry on and fulfill what I had hoped for him." Stretching his wings to their fullest, Pahkakino remembered the birth of his favorite son. True, Kyerlusen would never hold a white mark, but there was a feel to the boy that made Pahkakino believe in him and support him.
"Let me tell you something of the demons who live where I come from." he walked in a small circle, the vestigial claws on his wings curling and uncurling, "We are born evil, as I'm sure your kind is. But for those of us capable of the choice, we are different. We have never hungered after the power or pride that other demons want. We are discontent, bored even, with a normal demon's life."
Looking to the stars Pahkakino thought back on his days before the turn, "I was miserable. When I found my alignment, I found what I was. Born a demon, yes." he nodded, "But corrupted and beyond change– no." Moving to stand in front of her, the red demon smiled. "What I hoped to accomplish in my first life, I did. What I hope for now, is the same as then. To find my mate." The memory alone of Virotekatima brought strength back to the red demon, sustaining him better than any meat.Luna_et_Noctis Several nights had passed since the horror at the Worldspanner's inn, and rain had yet to cleanse the air that swirled around Fort Cerxes of the ash born from that night of fire. The remains of the fallen airship had been mostly cleared from the plaza, but the inn remained dark and lifeless. The word around was that while the innkeeper had survived the attack, the inn had not reopened out of respect for the dead, and the tavern room now served as a makeshift morgue for the fallen. Several bodies had been collected by their families the first day, but it looked like the the bulk of the nameless dead sitting in the dark of the tavern would remain nameless. A kind-hearted wizard came daily to freeze the bodies to stave off putrefaction, but the air still was thick inside with the strange purple flies of the plane.
Lamia sat outside on her night-shift guard duty, reflecting on events so far in this strange place. She hoped Shun had fared well. She had gone to look for him later, but the alley that she had left him in was empty. She was concerned, but the lack of a large blood spot where he had been sitting gave her hope.
Finn's funeral had been earlier in the day. “I wish I could have made it...” she thought wistfully, staring off into the darkness and leaning against the bowsprit of the airship that had been erected in the rubble of the inn. At some point before the ship had been removed, the thin piece of wood had been hacked off and secreted somewhere before returning after the guard had cleared off. Now it stood, pike-like, in front of the inn bearing the decapitated head of the valkyrie's leader. Lamia hoped it would be up there long enough to dry out before someone took it down; she planned on stealing it back if it did.
It was a quiet night; it usually was. It was common knowledge that all valuables had been taken from the dead to pay those who were assisting, but every now and then Lamia had to shoo off a bold youth who thought to prove their bravery to their associates by infiltrating the charnel house. Lamia sighed. It would probably be the last night of this; earlier in the evening she had heard they had decided to burn the bodies on a pyre tomorrow night. “Ah well, the blood was going bad anyway...” she thought with a sigh as she leaned back to look up at the head.
“And how are you doing up there? Enjoying the breeze?” Lamia called up to it. She was fully prepared for it to answer her one of these nights. Cartagia  "Lovely thank you," a voice replied, although of course it did not come from the severed head; from around the corner of the charred wall of the inn came a small and unassuming woman, barely more than a girl really. She was wearing a simple dress, her hair was soft auburn and across her face she bore a smattering cover of brown freckles - but her smile was telling of something deeper, a humor lay across it as she observed Lamia. "Sorry, force of habit." She chuckled but it was short; this was not the time or place for jokes.
"So," she continued, looking around at the carnage. "I had heard something went down here a few nights ago, I wasn't sure that I believed it, but..." She trailed off, turning her head this way and that, a little frown touching at her eyebrows. "Do you know what happened?"Blade Kuroda  Over the past few days, Shun had been laying low for the most part. He didn't know the full story behind that attack, but it didn't really matter a great deal to him either. The silver he got from Lamia helped out some, but he still did a few odd jobs here and there where could. Money was a little hard to come by with people trying to recover from the carnage of that night, however.
Thinking back to that, he did have to wonder a bit of what became of the vampire.
It just so happened that he caught the sound of her voice when wandering by the rubble of the inn one night.
There was another voice in the area, but it was one he did not recognize. For now, he tried to remain out of sight, just listening for the meantime.Luna_et_Noctis 
Lamia smiled at the girl's joke. "Yes, and no; unfortunately on both accounts." She stood up and brushed away the sand and dirt that had stuck to her clothing, evaluating the girl in front of her. "I was here when the attack happened, but I couldn't say why it did," she thumbed up to the head, smirking, "and she has been most uncooperative in answering my questions." The girl was small, and didn't appear to have looting on her mind. Lamia hoped she would stick around for a bit; there were few things more terrible than being alone, in her opinion. "Wanna take a seat? I could regale you the highlights of the battle." Lamia motioned to a particularly large chunk of wall a short distance away from the pike.Cartagia "Seat?" the girl echoed, smiling again as if she was itching to laugh. "It's not much of an offer - not that I'm trying to be rude - but still." She sat herself down, making herself as comfortable as she could there, rearranging her skirt. "I would love to hear what happened - as far as you know." She looked up at the head on the pike, eyes narrowing for a moment, but she turned back to Lumia.
"What is your name?" she asked her. "I'm Jeni." Blade Kuroda Well, the other female voice didn't sound like anyone he'd really have to worry about. With the way things had been, he just couldn't be too careful. Lingering where he was for a little longer, Shun soon placed his hands into his pockets and stepped out into the open, looking towards the two.
"If you don't mind an extra person in the audience, that's something I'd like to hear as well," he said quietly. Luna_et_Noctis 
"My name is Lamia, a pleasure to meet you, Jeni. I'm sorry," Lamia laughed quietly, "it's the best I can offer. Most of the furniture inside is currently occupied, or covered in roosting flies." She shook her head, glad that Finn's body had already been taken from the awful place. "But anyway, the battle-" she stopped as a man stepped out of the darkness, mysterious as ever.
"Shun!" Lamia broke off happily. She was glad that he was alive. "I was concerned. Where have you been hiding yourself for the last three days?" She tried to look annoyed, but couldn't mask her grin.Cartagia "Well thank you Lamia," said Jeni, preparing to listen to her story. She nodded in greeting at the man who appeared, Shun, whom her new companion apparently knew.
"Nice to meet you," she added to him, smiling sweetly. Blade Kuroda While amused with Lamia's reaction, Shun just nodded quietly to her for the moment before looking over at the one called Jeni.
"You too," he said simply while nodding again in acknowledgement.
"Just been laying low. Scrounging some funds here and there," he said while turning his attention back to Lamia, "I see you've made it out of that mess in one piece as well."
Not that he had huge doubts she'd make it out, but he did have to wonder before. Luna_et_Noctis 
"I did. And what a mess it was. Come on over, I'll tell you both about it; well, the part that I saw anyway."
She motioned for Shun to come over to where Jeni was seated, and began to tell her tale. "It was not long after I had left him" she motioned to Shun, "in an alley Jeni, that the fiends attacked. I had just left out the alley door with John Tyler, that big man that was with me earlier," she mentioned to Shun as she pointed towards the back of the inn, "when I heard the commotion from within the inn, so I turned back to look inside. It was horrible. Armored women, with great black wings and sabers were slashing up the unarmed people inside trying to eat their dinner."
Lamia's tone and arm movements were very dramatic as she crafted the scene for her audience, but their was an angry edge to her words. It had been such a waste; the behavior of those women was unacceptable in Lamia's eyes, and she was glad that they got what they deserved.WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
"I am very well-practiced at surviving," he said. But then he thought of the WorldSpanner's kitchen. "But laying low isn't always my strong point."
Rivek was intrigued with how forward this man was about his death - it was something of a taboo topic in Serendipity. "Speaking of laying low, you might want to talk it easy talking about the whole afterlife business. Not something the natives look kindly on here."
Rivek flushed a little at Seist's suggestion, be he laughed it off. Poor guy. The priest probably couldn't see him in all his scarred glory. Then again, since he has his arm around Rivek, he certainly could feel his arm's narrow circumference. "Ah, I'll take your word as a compliment, but I'm afraid you must have me mistaken for a much more muscular man. I think when you get your eyesight back, you'll have to re-assess your definition of 'brawny'."Cartagia Jeni's expression was grim as she listened to Lumia's story.
"People are the same everywhere," she commented. "Things happen here from time to time, but this....this is different somehow. Lately things here have been more chaotic than usual, more volatile - lots of little things, but this, this is something different altogether. I don't know exactly what is going on but it's big." She looked away, at the speared head again; was it not a perfect symbol of everything? "I worry about the state of things to come for the people here." Blade Kuroda As Lamia beckoned him to come by, Shun went ahead and approached the two more, but remained standing for the time being. There.. wasn't really any place to sit aside from on the rubble anyway. While she told what went on at the inn, he furrowed his brow, looking over the damaged grounds.
"Do you know who they were? Or what they wanted?" he asked. Jeni did have a point in what she said, but people generally had some sort of reason to cause this sort of chaos, "A few soldiers had appeared in the alley as well, but they didn't fit the description of the ones you speak of."
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:19 am
LadyFox Lurp performed an invisible shift-one that moves her matter around inside without altering her appearance on the outside-and moves more muscle into her small arms before taking Seist's proffered hand and shifting his weight from Rivek to herself.
When Rivek asks "How did you get here?" Lurp realizes with a start that though she had told Rivek about her past to a degree, and about her life with Will, she had never actually told him about her death. She hesitates for a moment then opens her mouth to answer, when Seist starts explaining his own death. Well, the abbreviated version of it anyway. Had Rivek been asking Seist or herself? Lurp isn't sure, but decides to follow Seist's example and keep it brief. When Seist finishes, Lurp adds "Will and I were on a mission, but the enemy knew we were coming. A mage threw fire at Will and I intervened.
Rivek has mentioned that warning about the taboo nature of death twice now in Lurp's hearing, but didn't he just ask about it? Lurp is a little confused. Maybe he doesn't mean around him though... just other people. Or maybe she'd misunderstood his question. Lurp doesn't like things that confuse her, so she banishes these thoughts and asks about something else puzzling her.
"Where are we going?" Luna_et_Noctis 
Lamia nodded at the girl's wise words; she was worried as well. "Soldiers, you say?" she turned back to Shun, "is the government in on it too?" She shook her head, musing, "I thought I had left such corruption behind." She flattened the hair down on the back of her head.
"I do not know who they were, but it appeared to me that they had no mind but for the slaughter of the innocent. I ran around to the front of the inn and crawled through the rubble to attack them from behind. I believe they encountered more resistance than they expected though, and when their leader" she pointed to the pike, grinning as broadly as when someone told her the woman's former position, "lost her head, they fell quickly. Oh, and at some point, the kitchen seemed to have exploded as well and that helped too. There were quite a few of them in there, for some reason." Lamia ended, with a slightly confused look on her face. She still wondered what set that off.Cartagia "There's corruption everywhere - it's what you do about it that's important," Jeni spoke softly. "And I don't...mean just fighting it. Using it is a good weapon as well." She grinned wryly. "It's just what people are like, and how more obviously is it than a place like this, with all kinds of people from all kinds of worlds?" She paused for a moment, turning her head to look inside the building.
"Speaking of," she added. "What are you both?" She looked back and forth between Lumia and Shun, as if trying to place in her mind the name of their people, incase she knew it already. Blade Kuroda
"That was the government's army?" he frowned, "The way they were acting I would have thought them to be more of a fancy street gang."
Shun sneered at the thought. While his roots were pretty deep into crime and he had taken the lives of targets and bystanders alike himself, there was just something about actual government issued soldiers raiding the streets that put him off. Weren't those people typically supposed to protect people? Corruption was indeed all around.
"Cowardly lot too for that matter," he grumbled under his breath.
Looking over towards Jeni, he shrugged and answered simply, "I'm a human."Luna_et_Noctis 
Why was everyone asking that? Lamia mourned for the days where she could hold a decent conversation without having to be nebulous about her...heritage. "Human as well," She said quickly. "We're both from Earth, though perhaps," she glanced at Shun, "Not the same Earth. Are you a human as well?" Lamia asked Jeni, hoping to move the conversation topic over to her.Kiddo Seanchain "I'll take it under consideration," Seist said slowly in response to Rivek's warning, "I suppose since I'm standing here breathing and talking my death doesn't feel terribly real. Like a half-remembered dream. Perhaps I still do not fully grasp my situation though..."
He trailed off, allowing himself to be transferred to Lurp's keeping without any further comment. He'd just have to see for himself if Rivek was merely being modest. Regardless of appearances, he seemed like an interesting person at the very least.
"I say we go find an inn," Seist said, "One that isn't blown to pieces. With a functional kitchen. I don't know about you two, but I certainly need some rest." Cartagia "A human, how sweet!" Jeni smiled fondly at Shun, and then at Lumia, but her expression suddenly changed. "Me? A human!" She placed her hand on her chest, clearly afronted, then seemed to realise herself. "I appologise, I didn't mean to be offensive. I'm afraid it's a common misconception but despite appearances I would no more consider myself to be part of the Children of Earth than I would an earthworm or a rock. I am a Torcotuan. I'm not saying that being Torcotuan is, ah...perfect, far from it, but it's who I am and I can't change that." She hadn't intended to make such a speach but she felt it needed to be explained, she'd had to do that quite often since her arrive here some ten years ago. Shame there's no printing store, it might be easier to get it put onto paper and just hand out. The thought made her smile to herself. Blade Kuroda Briefly, Shun looked to Lamia as she said she was a human, but he didn't say anything of the matter. He did recall that she had been trying to keep that under wraps and he couldn't really blame her. Vampires didn't have the greatest reputations as a race.
Turning his attention back to Jeni, he furrowed his brow, unfamiliar with what she had said.
"A Torcotuan?" he repeated. Luna_et_Noctis 
Her unexpected reaction was quite pleasing to Lamia. That sputtering indignation usually meant that whatever statement that was just uttered likely drew just enough affront to distract, but did not quite dredge up anger. Usually, she accomplished it with a question of clan, but she supposed that race was the mortal equivalent. Lamia put a polite, curious expression on her face at Shun's question.Cartagia
"How can I describe Torcotuan?" Jeni wondered out loud, brushing a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear. "Arrogant, decadent, sometimes cruel and scheming, we are a people very interested in ourselves. They say that to see how a people are you should look at how they treat the unfortunate in their society, well...I judge us on the only thing I know first hand, how we treat our slaves, and the answer is...just as I said." She smiled softly, hoping the humor would be recognised by her companions. "As you can see we do appear to be like humans in appearance and I understand that we do share their - your - genetic makeup, but Torcotuans are Torcotuans and Children of Earth are Children of Earth." She hoped that would make sense to them.
"If either of you are hungry," she added, anxious to appear concerned for potentially insulting them. "I could fetch something for you, there's a rather nice bakery across the plaza that appears to still be intact?"Blade Kuroda
It sounded as if the Torcotuan were rather similar to humans but were a different people over all. At least that was what Shun got from that. In any case, the specifics likely wouldn't matter all that much to those who didn't care who was what all that much.
Raising an eyebrow at the mention of food, he glanced back in the general direction of where she seemed to be talking of. Pickings had been a little slim the last few days due to his money situation, so getting something to eat sounded pretty damn nice right about now. The mention of food sparked up some hunger that had been lying dormant within him.
"That.. doesn't sound like a bad idea actually," he mumbled.Luna_et_Noctis
"How delicious," Lamia thought. Arrogance was something she had acquired a taste for in her years in the hotbed of vampiric politics. She was no stranger to it either, but this was not the time to indulge any such whim.
"Why don't you two go ahead, Lamia smiled. "I have to keep guard, and I'm certain you both would prefer a nicer place to eat than sitting in front of a charnel house, especially a Torcotuan;" she flattered gently. "Why don't the two of you eat and return, if you don't mind keeping an old guard company," she laughed. "I have no stomach for food."Cartagia "It seems unhappy to leave you all alone Lumia, none the less," Jeni smiled, amused by the woman's assumption that she had been describing her very own traits in that sentance. "I will go and bring back something for Shun - are you sure you wouldn't like anything?" She tilted her head to the side. "I am happy to provide it as...my treat, for your efforts in defending the Inn." Blade Kuroda All in all, it didn't matter to Shun if he went with or stayed behind. It also didn't matter to him where he ate. Food in general sounded excellent. Keeping his hands in his pockets, he looked between the two and shrugged.
"If you're fine with running to get something, grab something cheap and I'll pay you back when you return," he said. Luna_et_Noctis "Very well," Lamia acquiesced, "perhaps something that I could keep until I am hungry, then please? Thank you for your generosity." She inclined her head. "Maybe I can give it to Shun later if he is still hungry," she thought. Finoewae
Today was another full day of sneaking and running and hiding and sneaking again. Teagan was starting to find these little groups of people useful to spy on. While she was too unsure of herself to approach the groups that formed after the attacks, they were finally producing the gossip and knowledge of Serendipity's politics that she needed so desperately for her report.
At noon she returned to her new workplace and home, glancing over her report one last time. It contained several eyewitness accounts of the recent attack, as well as general information about the city and the average person's take about why these attacks occurred. Unfortunately the only thing missing for now was an eyewitness report given by a local- the strangely dressed people that avoided the "outsiders" like her.
Teagan had by now learned that most outsiders believed themselves to have died, in order to come here. There was talk of magic and the afterlife, but for the most part she ignored it- at least for herself. As long as she believed herself to be alive, and just misplaced, she was useful and productive. Trying to entertain the thought of Purgatory only brought her to a state of emotional chaos. So she walked into the lobby, smiled at Samantha, as she would if this were any job, any day, in any city she'd become familiar with. For now, denial in small doses was exactly what she needed.
"Good afternoon Samantha," she said, trying to match the woman's cheeriness. "I have a completed report about the recent attacks, and the woman involved. It took me a lot to get this information so I hope very much it pleases Mr. Fletcher. I know I could get more but I figured he'd want this sooner than never, you know?" She sighed.
Maybe I should still talk to people one on one. I just don't know. I just really need to get paid. Cartagia "I won't be gone too long," Jeni promised, turning on her heel to go across to the little bakery there. She wasn't sure why she felt it was worth assisting these people, but they had information, and if they had managed to help fight off the assailants of the Worldspanner's Inn then they were also strong. Around here that sort of thing was...always useful. Besides which there was that troublesome little contest coming up; she frowned at her own thoughts. After that, who really knew what was going to happen? Blade Kuroda Shun raised an eyebrow when Lamia accepted the offer of food. Seeing how the vampires he knew of didn't exactly eat 'normal' food, she must have done it for the sake of being polite. Nodding to Jeni, he watched as she made her way towards the bakery before looking back at the remaining person.
"Is there any particular reason for standing guard over rubble?" he asked. Since that day, he hadn't really been anywhere near the Inn due to wanting to stay out of trouble if possible. Finoewae Teagan didn't stay in the lobby for long. She quickly said goodbye to Samantha and headed back toward the Inn. She had a feeling that she'd be staying there a lot.
After what seemed like hours she made it back to an Inn, [passing the remains of Worldspanners]*. The name reminded her of the rumors she'd heard, about what this city actually was. She audibly groaned at the thought and barged into the establishment, a bit peeved.
She ordered a gin and tonic, and...
Who's this?
Finally someone alone...
...
...That sounded creepier than usual...
Teagan sat two tables away from the stranger, but glanced over once in a while. If they seemed too skiddish, she'd just move farther away and avoid them.
*good, Finoewae? Vilhelmina Helle sighed. Really, how silly was it to fall down and somehow end up under your chair? Thankfully, things seemed to have calmed down inside the inn by now. Helle carefully moved out from under the piece of wooden furniture, changing her position to instead be sitting down on the chair (though it was a bit small for her).
"Okay, Helle." she said to herself. "It's fine for you to breathe, now."
Looking around in the room, she noticed a woman glancing over in her direction. She seemed calm enough... at least not about to attack anything, or anyone, right this moment. That would have to do.
Helle smiled over in the woman's direction, and waved. Perhaps a little too friendly, but that was Helle for you.
"Hello, there!" Vilhelmina 
A slight chill went down Alkhar's spine. There was something... familiar about this, something he was supposed to remember. But he couldn't, not quite.
"Yeah, I guess."
Sighing, he added. "And whatever. I suppose you're right."
Looking around them, he realized that they were, in fact, standing outside an inn. Funny how long it'd taken him to properly notice that one.
"So... Do they have free rooms here, y'think?"
Finoewae
Teagan was taken aback by the tone of her voice.
So many bubbly people for such a dangerous city...
"Oh, hello!" Teagan tried to match her cheeriness, but this time her voice cracked. How attractive. She started to blush as she sat closer to the girl. She looked nice enough. Maybe too nice? Teagan was sure that within five minutes, the girl would be downright terrified of her.
"Erm...so anyway, nice to meet you. I'm..Aven."
Can't be too cautious with people. Heh.
"Have you been in this city long?" she tried to keep a smile but soon her general look of discontent took over, as she downed her drink.Luna_et_Noctis 
She looked at him sadly. "Ah, you haven't heard then?"She took Jeni's old seat. "The dead are still in there," she nodded back to the gloomy dark of the inn. "I'm guarding them from those who might...disturb their rest." She sat silent for a moment, staring at nothing, before laughing quietly and looking at him. "Kind of... ironic, maybe... not sure if that's the right word. Kind of funny."
She paused, kicking at a loose stone that had worked its way out of the pile. "You can have the food by the way, if you want it; I'll give it to you when she leaves. Remind me if I forget."Cartagia Checking the sign, which indicated a vacancy within, Rebecca decided to handle the negotiation on paying for it; she found an amount of money in her pocket, and although worthless as currency it was made of precious metal which in itself was enough to persuade the woman inside to allow them to stay. Thankfully their room was only on the first floor so she didn't have to help Alkhar navigate too many steps.
She helped him to sit on a chair that was inside the small dimly lit room, then stood up straight and gave him a sharp look.
"If you try any 'funny stuff' I will snap off your hands at the wrists," she told him seriously. "Would you like a glass of water?" Vilhelmina 
Helle giggled as she lifted her chair up and moved it over to Teagan's table.
"Oh hi, Aven!"
She said that with a tone of voice almost like the one you'd use to greet an acquaintance of yours which you didn't know too well, but were still positively inclined towards. Not usually the tone someone would normally use for perfect strangers.
Putting her elbows on the table, chin in her hands, Helle tilted her head a little bit as she listened to the other woman's question. With an almost surprised look on her face, Helle replied,
"Oh, no. Not for long, but..."
She looked down at the table, almost as if sensing this was probably not the answer that the woman wanted.
"But it sure was busy here a few nights back!"
Helle looked up again, smiling, her sad look from mere seconds ago nearly washed away.
Vilhelmina
In an ordinary situation in an ordinary world, Alkhar would probably have taken more initiative in this situation. Like offered to pay - but then he wasn't sure he had any money - or insisted on something or other in relation to the room - but then too much had been going on and he couldn't quite be bothered. It turned out that letting Rebecca handle things was just easier.
Sitting down on the chair he was shown, Alkhar tried his best not to show any indication of the pain - well, discomfort - he was still feeling from his leg. It wasn't much use, though, as the sitting down motion seemed to engage precisely the muscles which at this point hurt the most.
"Well, bloody hell."
Still affected by the pain, he ended up looking at Rebecca with an almost angry look, even though it wasn't actually caused by anything she said.
"Now why would I do something like that, Captain?"
Blade Kuroda That made sense. Not much time had really passed and the body count was likely pretty high. It could take awhile to get everyone accounted for he supposed.
"Hm? You sure about that?" he asked, even if he knew bakery food wouldn't do her much good. Shun supposed that she might have other uses for it, but if she was certain, he wasn't about to pass up an extra bite. Cartagia The comment took Rebecca aback and, to her surprise, she found herself...offended by it.; not that she would ever want him to know it. So she tried to brush the comment off.
"Just a friendly warning," she scowled but there was an edge to her voice, it didn't sound quite right to her. She went to get him that glass of water anyway, to avoid having to look at him.
"So," she said as she placed the glass down on the little cabinet beside him. "What can you do that is useful?" She hadn't meant it to sound as scathing as it came out and felt somewhat sorry, but not enough to actually appologise. Finoewae
"Interesting..." Teagan said, a bit coldly. "Well I was wondering because I happen to be doing some research, mostly to help eliminate ignorance among the outsiders. Now I happen to look like an Outsider myself but I assure you I'm no stranger to this town. I just keep a low profile."
Another lie...god I hope she buys this. She's probably been here longer than me by weeks...
"What I do will be a public service to the Outsiders- a general report of happenings that are relevant to Outsider interests, told mostly by Outsiders themselves. It will help strengthen the...'community' around here." She paused and quickly ordered another gin.
"So it's been busy you say," she continued seriously, "can you elaborate on that?"Vilhelmina
Alkhar folded his arms, demonstratively not taking the glass which was put down beside him. Not that this was a very bright move, he needed to drink. Actual fluids moreso than alcohol, actually, or else he would face a fine hangover the next morning.
"Well, I'm a rather decent cook, I'll have you know."
With a hint of a scowl, he added.
"So just what can youdo?"
Mumbling, half not intending to be heard, he went on.
"Surely those can't be people skills they promoted you for."
Vilhelmina
Research, she said? Helle wondered who in these areas would be interested in that kind of thing. After all, it seemed like a bit of a rough part of town, not exactly the type of place where people talked all fancy like, wanting to find out things like this lady here. But hey, maybe Helle was wrong. After all, she hadn't been around that long, maybe there were things she didn't know about this place.
Helle listened to the story and reasons that the woman who called herself Aven told, not managing to make much more sense of it still. Somehow it didn't quite add up, but oh well - there couldn't be much harm in talking to her anyway. She still seemed all right.
"Well, I don't know much about this community, but..."
She paused, putting on a thoughtful face as she let a finger rest on her own lips, a gesture she probably didn't realize she was making.
"A few nights ago, really strange things happened... I had just come here... to the inn, I mean, when suddenly people were running around and screaming and..."
Helle looked down at the table again, now looking slightly embarrassed.
"...and this really fast lady knocked me over."
She laughed apologetically, rolling her eyes at herself.
"It seems stupid, right?"
Finoewae
"Not at all. Actually any information about the incident here would be very valuable to my boss." She continued to watch this new stranger. She seemed like she was very clueless. Maybe even more clueless than Teagan, if that was possible.
"I'm actually trying to get more details about a lady...she was involved in another incident- an attack on the city. I'm trying to find out who she is and what her motives are. I mean, besides the general pillaging of a chaotic town like this."
By now, Teagan had downed a third drink. She had loosened up considerably and even smiled at the stranger once in a while. Hopefully she'd be more open to share how she got here too.
"So if you know anything more of this mysterious woman, please do tell. And also... perhaps it would also help my research if you explained how and when you arrived here?"WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
"I'm with Seist on this one." Rivek shrugged, "I am very much up for food. I recommend we go to an establishment, and just recoup for a few days."
He was trying not to complain, but - after the alcohol, fire, and physical exertion - Seist's weight was taking a toll on his twisted body. He kind of wanted to go somewhere and hack up a lung in private.
"I mean, we could go into one of the other nations... but given we're all Outsiders here, our best bet is just staying in the Commerce sector."
He twirled the fork in his spare hand, "After all, if we need to.... money - or violence - talks."Jalil
Devaena couldn't help but smile. "You mistake me for a tanar'ri brute or a baatezu tyrant. I assure you, I am neither. I am a 'loth - well, at least partly," she added almost as an afterthought, or perhaps a correction. "We are not born evil, we are not corrupted, we simply are the essence of what we are. The difference between your kind and mine is that I have accepted what I am. I have seen the larger picture and my place in it." She paused for a moment to let the smile curl into a grin. "Certainly there are places for power and prestige, if that is what one desires, but the end goal is greater than the individual means. Your demons lack motivation because they lack a purpose. If you would but realize what that purpose is, you would see why this path is foolish," she said with an almost irritated look, as if perhaps she'd had this conversation before and didn't see how others didn't see her grand view. The irritation was there and gone though, replaced again by that small, self-smile. "In the end though, it's meaningless. There is no true redemption for a fiend, and deep down we all know it. We play at being nice for our own ends, even if we delude ourselves into believing it truth for a time, but eventually the essence of what you are rises again and you see your folly. You can tame the beast for a time, but eventually it tires of its bonds, and when it finally gets loose?" She smiles, and it is full of malice.
"The day will come when your beast too will get loose. Perhaps it's already happening without your even realizing. A word of advice, though. Better to guide the beast than to be consumed by it."Ensia
In contrast to her malice, Pahkakino's grin was kind, "We come from different planes, different clusters of planes entirely, it would seem. If I spend the rest of my new life fighting back the selfish instinct to dominate over others, as all demons of Abyss have, so be it. It is a new life I look forward to." His voice was calm and solid with a confidence that was tempered by gentleness. He knew what he would, and would not do, despite his demonic nature.
He touched her mind briefly, seeing if there was any thing he could do or say that might do something for Devaena. Truly he pitied those demons, and her kind too it seemed, that they could find no other purpose than to fight. Like his clan, who thought only of his betrayal, it seemed this lady could not understand that he had found his purpose already.
'She is like the others. I will not waste my time, or hers.' he thought, a touch saddened by the revelation.
Curling the ends of his tail around one ankle, Pahkakino bowed his head again politely, "It seems we will be able to debate our perspectives until this world dies away. I will not waste your time with such nonsense." He looked her in the eye, "I wish you success in your new life. If you can get home, I hope your purpose is as great as you believe it to be. Enjoy the night Lady." With that, the red demon turned and walked away, keeping his mind open to any thought of attack. True, he'd been polite, but that didn't mean much when two creatures disagreed on the very nature of a race.Jalil His touch was brief on her mind before she sensed it and raised her mental defenses, her eyes narrowing dangerously. How dare he! She briefly considered striking him down (for she fully believed she could), but a thought paused her. What he might have glimpsed on the surface of her meticulous thoughts was the very proof of all she had been trying to say. Devaena did not believe her purpose was to fight or to dominate, her purpose was nothing less than furthering evil in whatever manner and method she could do so. She was practically fanatical about it in that respect, and she was willing to do whatever it took to champion her cause.
So it seemed they had indeed come to an impasse, but as Pahkakino walked away after saying his goodbyes, Devaena allowed the smile to come back to her face. "We may be from different planes, you and I, but across the stars some truths will always hold true. Until our paths cross again then," she said and waited until he was out of view before turning to walk the other way. Vilhelmina
Helle blinked.
"Your... boss? Who's your boss?"
Her tone was still quite innocent, but there may be just a little bit more to it than that. Although it was true that in a lot of aspects, she was clueless.
Oh dear, this woman sure had a lot of questions for her. Most of them Helle didn't even follow - apparently there was a lot of background story here which she hadn't been aware of. She hoped that 'Aven' wouldn't find her completely uesless.
"Well, ah... A woman, you said? You must forgive me, I've seen a lot of women around here, I don't know if I'm sure who you're referring to."
Looking at Teagan as she had that third drink, Helle smiled and let out a soft laugh.
"Oh, you must be quite thirsty, Miss Aven!"
She tried to evade the question about how she got here as best she could. She already seemed clueless enough, it didn't seem like a very good idea to make matters worse.
Cartagia "A cook?" she echoed, feeling an odd wreeling in her stomach, ridiculous as it seemed but...it reminded her of what she'd left behind. "What...do you cook?" Her tone had changed, softer than before, although she did throw a look at him for this mutterings.
"I spend my days dealing with lowlives and criminals, my people skills are about perfect for those kinds of people. Anything else has to be earnt from me. Start by drinking that water and managing not to injure yourself again before the morning and maybe we'll be getting somewhere?" Vilhelmina
Alkhar rolled his eyes a little bit, but with a little laugh accompanying it that made the gesture seem not quite so rude.
"Heh. Have you heard about food?"
He shrugged. "It's really not much more complicated than that. You know, the kind of stuff people want or need to eat on a ship. Not exactly fancy type meals... unless..."
There was that feeling of familiarity again... What was that?
"Well, unless it's for someone who deserves it."
Something about the way Rebecca said her last sentences made Alkhar crack up. He didn't know what it was, it was just... Her tone, he guessed, mixed in with that half-concealed attempt to get him to do useful things like drinking water. At this point he was laughing so hard he wouldn't have been able to drink it if he tried, though.
"You know"...he began, interrupting himself with his laughs..."I guess that kind of proves...I'm not a criminal, or else you...Oh, damn..."
Attempting to calm down, but not quite succeeding, he grabbed the glass of water and started to gulp it down.
Cartagia She nodded gently but didn't fail to catch the break in his voice; she wondered if he was hiding something, or just uncomfortable. Not that she was going to pry, it was unlikely to be anything she needed to be aware of and if it was something troubling he would likely reveal it at a time of his choice and not appreciate having it badgered out of him.
"My husband is a baker," she said, and then her eyes widened slightly at his gulping laughter, not sure what she had said that was quite so funny.
"Did I miss a joke?" At least he had drunk the water and stopped insisting on more alcohol. "As for your criminal activities, I am...reserving judgement...but were I come from being a pirate is not a good thing." She hadn't forgotten what he had said before but she knew how the wicked would lie to get themselves out of their punishments if they could; she would just have to wait and see how events took themselves before she knew if he was telling the truth or not.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:20 am
Finoewae
Meanwhile at a bar that's totally NOT the WorldSpanners Inn....
I'm not really at liberty to discuss my boss..." she continued, with a nicer tone than before. The alcohol was doing its job. "But the woman in question is dangerous, and the orchestrator of two attacks on this city. Now if you don't have any more information than that, it's alright. Even if you KNOW someone that knows, that would be good. But don't worry yourself so much. Everyone has information in one area or another, and I'm not going to shun you if you don't have any in this particular topic."
Teagan noticed that her words slurred a little.
Time to slow down on the drinks...
"But let's relax now and forget my work. Why don't you tell me...about yourself. Anything really. I mean, some information is useful for my reports but there are some things I'd also just like to know. I'm a curious girl." She eyed the girl playfully. "well we could start by...I don't believe I caught your name. Well perhaps I did. But you'll have to excuse my horrid manners, I forgot in the midst of all this intense investigation."
The last spoken sentence made Teagan giggle. It took all of her strange not to let it erupt into a drunken roaring laughter.Vilhelmina
Alkhar looked not so little surprised.
"Your husband is... a baker?"
He was basically repeating Rebecca's words, but for some reason they surprised him. She didn't seem like the typical baker's wife to him - not that he was quite sure what such a person should look like, but he had certainly expected someone... softer?
Sensing that this was perhaps not the right attitude to keep if he didn't want to offend Rebecca even further, he tried to smile to cover his surprise up.
"I mean, that's nice! Always...eh...fresh bread for breakfast?"
Man, this was awkward.
Eager not to step on any more toes this very moment, Alkhar shook his head.
"No no no, it's nothing."
He frowned a little, though, when the pirate thing came up again.
"I thought we were over that. I'm not a pirate!"
Cartagia She wished already that she'd never mentioned it.
"Well," she said slowly, looking at a patch of floor that had a stain on it. "Not anymore." She really didn't want to think about Larry, or Trillian, but...she had too, she realised, it wasn't possible to ignore the memory of her family. "But there's nothing I can do about that." She forced herself, against instinct, to take a bound leather wallet from her inside pocket and show him the sketched picture inside of a very happy looking man holding a small girl. You just have to get used to it - what else is there to do?
"Right. You're not a pirate. You're just someone who sails the seas robbing from people. I can see how that is entirely different."
Vilhelmina
Helle looked down again.
"Well, I... I don't really know anyone here that well, so..."
She shook her head, as if to get rid of the slightly solemn expression she feared she had taken on. She smiled at Teagan, though once more there were traces of something else in that smile.
"Oh. Yeah, you're right, I didn't say..:"
She held out her hand.
"I'm Helle. Pleased to meet you!"
Mirroring Teagan perhaps just a little, Helle started to giggle as well. Not quite so uncontrollably, but something very very close to that.
"Oh, you know. There's nothing much, really, I grew up on a farm... Lots of siblings, animals, dirt, people, crops... Things like that."
Slightly quieter, she added.
"I don't really know why I left."
Vilhelmina
Awkward, Alkhar, awkward. Had it been stupid to bring this up? Yes. Really, you'd think he'd stop to think about what he was doing after the 'Hey I'll stab myself in the leg' thing, but nooo.
"Oh, yeah..."
He sighed, on some level being reminded of that there was something he didn't have anymore, as well.
"Look, I... I'm sorry." He smiled when he was show the picture. "Is that your daughter? She looks a lot like you."
He sulked a little bit at Rebecca's last remark.
"Hey. You might not realize it, but it is. ...Also I'm not robbing anyone!"
Cartagia "Yes," Rebecca answered, deliberatly not looking too closely at the picture herself. "Trillian. She might look like me, but she's more like her father - she's kind and happy, and she doesn't antagonise people on sight." A small smile flicked at her lips before disapearing; she took back the sketch and put it back into her pocket.
"All right then," she said, going to get herself a drink of water now. "Tell me how it's different. Go on. I'll give you a chance to explain it to me."
Finoewae
Teagan shook the girl's hand and continued to listen, almost excitedly. But at Helle's last sentence, Teagan suddenly teared up. She tried to hide it but there was the slightest little drop sliding out the corner of her left eye. It was the innocence of her voice that did her in.
...She's just..like..me. Or what...I used to be.....
Suddenly memories flooded her mind- growing up in her village; tending to the farm; learning to ride a horse from her brother. The smell of the market in the summer; the muddy, cool days of autumn. Even the day she was bit by the snake. She missed it- and worse, she'd nearly forgotten.
"I don't know why I left either..." Teagan whispered. She stared into space for a few moments. Her finger caught the tear forming and wiped it away quickly.
Not here. Keep it together.
Her expression changed instantly.
"Well um, that does sound like a simple life. But I wouldn't worry about it, heh. Don't think about it too much- you're on an adventure now, and there's more important things to think on." Now she looked away, afraid that anymore eye contact would make her tear up again.Vilhelmina
Alkhar laughed a little.
"Well, that seems like a useful trait, to be honest."
Sighing, but with a smile, he shook his head.
"Honestly, I thought I tried that already. It's... complicated."
Putting his now empty glass down again, he continued.
"But if you really want to hear the entire thing, then I suppose I could tell you. I'm warning you though, there are years and years of reasons for why I don't like these people very much."
Laughing again, he added
"That, and one friend too many who's lost his life simply because he stood up to them."
Vilhelmina
I hope I didn't upset her... She seems... sad?
Helle attempted to give a comforting look, but this was all a little too close to home for it to be convincing. If she had had any kind of emotional high ground at all, if she'd gotten over it maybe just a little, then maybe she'd have been better at this. But she wasn't. And she was still so young, too.
With a little smile, she continued
"Yeah, I guess it was, I mean... They probably hardly notice I'm gone, I have so many brothers and sisters!"
Her smile grew wider as she heard the word 'adventure'.
"You're probably right about that! This could be exciting!"
Okay, so she was faking this sudden interest in adventure just a little, but what was the harm? After all, if you set yourself up to thinking something for long enough, you just might start believing in it.
"Sooo, Aven. Adventures! You know a lot about adventures, right? How should I begin mine?"
Cartagia "You didn't do a very good job of it," Rebecca told him, but nodded. "Try again. I would...be interested to hear." She found her rather wanted to trust him, because he was the only person she'd met here so far, and because despite his appearance he did not have the turn of phrase she had come to expect from lowlives; so, maybe, there was something in his words. Maybe. She wasn't going to be taken for a fool...
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:21 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:21 am
It might be a Michigan thing though, come to think of it ^^
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:22 am
lol ^^ It's fine, it probably is.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:23 am
me tooooooo, I wish she'd tell us early ^^ I hate suspense! I wonder what time tomorrow? I'd like to be online.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:24 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:26 am
I also need to advise the higher ups to maybe tweak the thread title. I think people are clicking it hoping to join, then getting annoyed that the contest is closed for judging and clicking
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