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 Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:30 pm
.:;Location;:. Icha is at the bottom of Lake Ice's cliff, hundreds of feet down from civilization. 
Icha walked along the shore of Lake Ice, struggling to keep warm in his light garments and a heavy brown robe, now soaked with snow water, that a Raluth gave him. The thought of it kept Icha warm... at least a little in this bleak empty environment. The rocky shore below his feet made it difficult to walk, but rocks were better than being on snow or trying to fly the long distance in the cold frozen air. The magical white energy of the lake seemed to curl off the top of the icy water, like steam from a pot in a warm kitchen. Water rolling to a boil as it was readied for noodles or rice to be made soft and prepared in a wonderful red or white cream sauce with.. yes.. mushrooms and chicken. Oh~ how the thought of hot food taunted his mind and stomach! If there weren't a thing he would do to get hot food in his empty hole of a stomach this instant! With nothing else he could do about it, he kept walking for a few more minutes. Then, for a moment, he paused looking up at the high cliff walls bending upwards into the thick clouds, disappearing gently.
His mind filled with images of the reasons that brought him this treacherous route. What was it again? Oh yes, I want to be alone! Just for once! One mission without you idiots prancing around me twiddling your ears and lips! He remembered shouting at his crew. Icha often tried to think well of anyone who wanted to kill demons, but some just weren't cut out for it. Maybe they suggested this route on purpose? To teach a lesson. Regardless, he thought I shouldn't treat people that way. They just weren't cut out for such a creature. It was more my fault than anything really... I'll apologize when I reach the city. Send them a fire note or something... Icha felt alone with his thoughts, just as he had planned. Though the route was cold, the lake's magic kept demons at bay. Even through the cold fog, Icha could see strange creatures lurking about in the twilight sun. Ah! The sun! The cold air almost made him forget, what time was it? Almost frantically, Icha turned the left sleeve of his leather coat inward, in it was embedded a tiny clock into the fabric. There was an indention on the outside where the clock was, but hardly noticeable otherwise. He frowned, grunted, then wrapped his frigid fingers around the fabric and pulled the coat inward.
"And I still have to fly up the side of the damn thing!" he shouted, pouting to himself angrily. He was rarely ever this frustrated and he shouldn't have come alone, but I have to help that poor city! Demons must be running rampant around there, I have to help them. Besides, we can destroy this gate or get to the other side of it and stop this madness! There is something we can do, it's called help! he remembered arguing. He couldn't help himself. This city was the closest city to the demon portal. At last. He finally found himself right at the wall of the cliff. Where the water and wall met to be precise. Around the lake, there was no foliage, simply a rocky shore, grass covered by snow, and then fog protecting the lake and town. But there was a rumor about Lake Ice... The lake is colder and colder the further east you go, but they say that it's warm where the water and wall meet, a weak spot in the magical enchantment cast upon the water too far back for history to care to record. Warm enough to melt the ice. And it was. It felt as if Icha stepped through a barrier, his ears popped and he was suddenly warm, as if he were standing directly under the sun of a hot midsummer day. The warmth seeped into the coat, and melted any snow on his person. The ground, still frozen, didn't resemble at all the strange atmospheric conditions.
Relieved, Icha shed the coat and dropped it on the ground, standing on top of it to keep his harpy feet off of the rocks. His hands were no longer frigid and shaking, he could fly... just as he thought. Icha whipped his arms upward extending out his wings from his forearms high to the sky. Brown "owl" feathers flew off of his Flauda wings and gently floated, teeter-tottering to the ground until he pushed downward with all might, lifting his body upward with a jolt while simultaneously grabbing his friend's heavy jacket with him. Icha breathed quickly with each stroke his wings threw himself a few more feet higher each time. He flew straight upward for several minutes, almost getting to the point to where he was starting to tire. He was facing the rock wall and eventually the cliff stopped appearing so abrupt and the clouds cleared a little. The cliff was not exactly a straight drop off from the village but it was close enough. He looked down wards, seeing the various 'steps' a giant may take climbing up the large wall. And then he saw the city's only wall. It was one of the few left without many walls to block out the demons in this era. The wall was simply there to keep stray children or animals from falling hundreds of feet below into the icy lake.
He fluttered for a moment to bring himself over the city wall which was made of a thin sheet of a particular stone that shed a gentle blue glow. Icha could feel, smell, and hear the magic sewn into creating the large twenty foot wall. The stone barrier stretched the length of the city and strode partly down the wedged plateau sinking into (or rising up from) the ground where it was more or less needed. The city, Iroque (ear-oak) was quite old, though you would have thought it was built yesterday. Gray brick streets wound in curvy or straight lines. Every brick portrayed, through pictures or language, a particular happening of Jopodo history, which was quite vast and eternal. Iroque was quite cold for most, requiring any bodily creature to have thick furs or snow coats or get struck with a pang of frigid air. Snow fell gently on the ground, moving very awkwardly as it avoided landing on house tops and even the brick roads. The flakes would sometimes move directly horizontally to find a plant or another snow flake to join in finding its final resting place. This was an enchantment by the puppets to prevent their ticking houses and poetic streets from being obscured. Not that they didn't like the soft whiteness, they simply loved their art more.
Now the city was quite large and the guild and town hall were the two largest buildings. Here, there were no obvious forms of transportation to those unfamiliar with Jopodos' 'strange' imaginations. Iroque's buildings followed a similar fashion trend, each resembling some sort of gears or clockwork and no two exactly alike. It was almost as if the entire town had a theme. Gears jutted out of walls or tops of houses, spinning golden things or twirly rooftops were all different each acting like machines powered by their owners' natural magical characteristics. Some houses joined together in this artsy fashion by mixing their rooftops to work harmoniously letting out soothing (to a puppet) gliding metal noises. The other race's who lived there were not left out of the style, but their houses did not move. In a way, this pointed them out in the puppet's eyes. And there was something else that was uncanny that happened to dozens of houses and shops. They appeared to lack all color and those houses that should be dancing an intricate routine of machinery lay still. Though they didn't look colorless in all reality. But the feeling of emptiness, a hollow pit of sorts filled one's mind upon looking at the dark vacant houses. If not clear headed (or very magically blunt), one might think he was looking at an old photograph through his own eyes. These were the evacuees who fled immediately after the appearance of the demonic gate only a few miles east of Iroque. Said people lacked faith in Lake Ice's magical properties and the protection spells cast around the city after the gate's appearance. Such a strong lack in belief of magic could be detrimental in mass numbers and even Jopodo were capable of not believing themselves. Alas, Icha noticed something else was amiss.
"They're... Protecting themselves?" He spoke quietly before he drifted towards the tavern through a small neighborhood. People were closing up shop and the street lamps disguised as frozen mushrooms or evergreens began to flicker one by one and glow a harmonious orange. Passing through the city just above the rooftops; on each door of every house Icha could see charms on the people's doors, each one a sign of protection against the demons. Some were little swordsmen hung by thin twine above doors or around door knobs. Others were little shrines and trinkets like eagle statuettes, oaths of protection, or family crests. Icha was surprised, these were signs of fear to him and Jopodo kind. He knew what they meant; they didn't believe in Lake Ice's power as strongly as they once did. It made him teary eyed to think a Jopodo was losing faith in such a powerful magic like Lake Ice's. After clearing his head and inspecting the village from a birds-eye view, he eventually circled northward and found the Frozen Hands tavern. Hands was located in the furthest northern part of town, on a steep hill that jutted out of the ground. The tavern was two stories and looked more like a machine than an actual house. The decor on the top was various gears and clockworks that twisted and turned inside and out of each other. The doors were large and round golden gears that seemed to overlap each other.
Icha landed with a bit of a thud on the ground, dropping the jacket and sprawling his long talons out to land flat. He walked towards the door and entered Frozen Hands. Upon entering, he could see predominately Jopodo, Raluth, and Humans alike mingling together. Most of them townfolk, none of them, at fist glance at least, were a demon slayer or hunter of any sort. The After a few steps forward, he was greeted by small Jopodo man, quite round and 'fat.' Well, if one constitutes fat as having a large round golden birdcage for a body, then the word fits. He had a face made of a ventriloquist doll, quite haunting to most but handsome for Jopodo kind. The man had blue marbles for eyes with pupils painted in them as well as wooden arms, legs, feet, and hands. He removed his top hat, the bluebird in his stomach fluttering as he spoke. Bowing his long nose and chin towards Icha.
"Welcome to my tavern young harpy. From the our friendly fort to the south, I see, eh?" He said, looking up from his rose-painted cheeks his head bowed deeply.
"Yes. I am the first, no?" Icha responded.
"You are, come in! come in! I shall get you a seat!" The tiny puppet scuttled behind Icha and put a hand on his back welcoming him into the tavern.
"Have a seat, I must tend to some of my guests upstairs now. You know how Rhino's can be. Quite fans of the drink and never know when they've had too much haha~! I shall find you soon enough!" Before Icha could speak, Mr. Hands, Icha guessed, turned and disappeared into a mix of waitresses, big glasses of beer, people, and food. Icha turned around and sat down on a tall black stool at the wooden bar. Sounds of gears turning, clinking, and working together, filled the atmosphere as well as townfolk drowning themselves in alcohol and fat food. Jopodo and Oziel eating what they call food. Since they did not have stomachs like most, they drink strange elixers like alcoholic beverages for their kind. As well as other kinds for food. Though they only do it for mere pleasure anyway. Icha stared hard at the menu before ordering a hot beef stew and a tall glass of red wine. The many-armed, curvy, unpainted, wooden bartender took Icha's order with one of her many long faces that formed a head. Though she only had two personalities, both female, five faces were necessary to be able to work the bar by herself. Within seconds, he received his wine, and within minutes, his food came from the kitchen via a network too complicated for his tired eyes to care to follow. He stared down at the thick stew, the steam curling gently over his face. Jopodo's cooking always worried him but something was better than nothing. He sighed and picked up a ladle-shaped spoon and dove into the large rich soup. Ordering glasses of wine as he finished them quicker than most days. Icha wasn't in the best of moods and wanted someone to talk to, but his mind was dark and he didn't want to give a bad impression. He was here on a mission; to gather information about the demonic gate and find a party to go investigate. No one from his fort was prepared to lay eyes on it yet as some say the area was swarmed with demons. But no one has been there (at least on record) since it's initial appearance. Here, he could get leads at least, though he were to take them all with half a grain of salt being in a tavern and all...
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:12 pm
xxxxxThe metal clanking stopped when the server knocked on the door. A moment later, the door opened and a hand reached out, waiting for the cup to be placed in its hand. The glass was handed to the hand that was covered with thick, black leather gloves. A soft thank you spilled out from the crack of the door before it was fully shut. After a couple minutes, the sound of the clanking came back. No one question what was going on down there since it was a usual thing. This was a normal day and the only people that questioned such a noise were those new to this place. A small shadow moved from the lounge that was only separated from the kitchen door by a couple feet. The sound of a child running could be heard getting off the carpet and going onto the wooden floor. The shadow moved on until it stopped in front of the mysterious door. A light placed upon the wall revealed the owner of the shadow. A small girl stood there, her height was one foot exactly, and her hair a golden color made of golden thread. Her dress was certainly fancy, her face revealed an adorable pair of eyes and small filled lips. This girl was an example of a small porcelain Jopodo, a Jopodo not seen too much around these parts. Instead of knocking like the servant had, she simply climbed up the door and turned the knob before slipping into the room. Once inside she made sure the door was shut before she went off down the steal stairs until she stood on a concrete floor. The stairs had brought her down a bit, this area being known as the basement. The clanking noise had gotten louder the further she went and a dim light began to break the thick darkness. The small Jopodo walked through the darkness with ease as if she had done it before and soon she reached the source of the dim light which was a simple kerosene lantern. Beside it, a woman sat, her arm rising into the air. Before the girl could say anything, the woman’s arm went down; the hammer in her hand colliding with another metal causing sparks to fly everywhere. She could not help but jump from the loud sound so she quickly ran around the box that held the lantern and now stood in front of the young woman. She curtsied which was a habit of hers and spoke, “Miss Po.”
xxxxxThe clanking stopped and the hammer took its place next to the lantern as the young woman took off her gloves and also placed them beside the lantern after putting down the odd device she was making. Her silvery hands rose up to her face and she took the goggles off, a smile slowly spreading across her metallic face. “Ah, Abigail, is it time already?” Her voice trailed in the darkness for a moment before she stood up and fixed her dress a bit before leaning down and picking up the small Jopodo and then she began walking toward the stairs. Po knew that Abigail’s answer would be a yes and so did the small girl.
xxxxxThey were silent as Po began walking up the stairs though Po glanced at the girl who was truly about 57 years, however compared to Po, she was a girl. Her smile and slightly faded but she was still rather content as she spoke, “I haven’t left the guild in awhile now, I was waiting for this moment. I’ll be sure to take the STS to the Tavern, though I must admit that I’m a bit nervous as to who will be there and if I’ll be able to actually snag anything.” She grew quiet as they walked out of the basement and now stood in front of the door. Truthfully, Po hadn’t been out of the basement for about three weeks and everything seemed different but it didn’t take her long to remember where she was. Po put the girl back down and glanced around telling her, “Go find Attis for me, I’m going to take him along with me.” Attis was her personal assistant aside from Abigail who was more of a secretary of some sorts. As she watched Abigail nod and run off she headed toward the back which was accessible by going into the kitchen and out the only back door. From there, she stood outside, behind the building. It certainly was a sight to see what was behind this building. It was nothing but barred land that stretched on, as if demons sucked the life out of it already. It saddened her to see such a thing but she had to continue on. Po right faced and began heading off toward the side of the building until she reached the front. The only reason she didn’t walk out of the front door was because…well she simply didn’t want to. There, in front of the door, was tarp covering something that stretched out far, about five stretch limos long. Once more her smile crept upon her face as she brushed some of the loose strands of white hair from her face.
xxxxxExposed after the tarps fell to the side, were large (the size of jeeps) metallic spiders with long metal legs like that of a daddy-long leg. It sat there still and dead and she hoped that none of them had any problems. There were about six of these spiders, all attached to one another as if to keep them in line. This, was her form of transportation and all she did was climb into the first spider and waited for Attis.
xxxxxNot long after she got in, the door flung open and a slender pale male walked out. He was not a Jobodo but a different race in which he refuses to reveal. Po never pestered him about it as long as he wasn’t secretly a demon in which he swore on his soul he was not. The man ran up to the spider and glanced at her. He was about six feet and seven inches tall…a very tall man indeed. Attis was very handsome, his eyes a dull gray color, his lips a soft pink color and his hair the color of a raven’s feather. He was slender but it was clear that he had a nicely built body. His black suit was both his uniform and favorite outfit. As he climbed on he muttered something that she did not catch. He sat up with his perfect posture and turned the spider on, the others behind them turning on as well. “The tavern” was all he spoke as the spiders began crawling their way all across the town to the other side. Attis was a very quiet man and he only said up to two words unless in a private room with Po. Other than that, he could be very well be considered a mute. Off the trail of spiders went to the Frozen Hands Tavern.
xxxxxWith the speed it was going at, it didn't take them all that long to actually arrive, in total, it took about an hour. The "train" of spiders turned into the alley of the tavern and stopped behind it so that it stayed hidden from sight. Attis and Po made their way back to the front and went into the tavern, both greeted by some of the workers. There were many people so it would be easy to see who she could recruit. Po would be here for hours to observe them all and simply act like an insignificant Jopodo. The tavern was one of Po's favorite places to go since the design simply intrigued her. She looked around as she walked over to the counter where the tiny puppet had returned. She smiled at the man and spoke in a bright yet low voice, "Andor! It is so very nice to see you. It's been quiet sometime don't you think?"
xxxxxThe rosy cheeked man snapped his head back when he had heard a familiar voice and smiled brightly. He was no longer on his high stool but on the counter, shaking her hand with both his tiny hands. "Yes yes! It's been an awful long time hasn't it? Though I take it you are here for a specific reason?" He rose a single painted eye brow at her while eyeing a couple people in the room. He had watched Po nod thus he let her hand go and went off to do who know's what.
xxxxx"An awfully energetic man isn't he?" Po murmured to Attis with a chuckle as he lead her to the dining area where she simply sat down on a stool at the bar. Her metal dress moved just like and fabric when she sat down though it was still ridged. She sat there simply looking about the room while Attis stood beside her silent as always. Po, out of everyone there, looked elegant as if she had just come from a formal party. She sure did stick out like a sore thumb though her metal appearance was enough to do that in the first place.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 4:35 pm
I||Frozen hands||I
Evan Runner the Medium
The bustle inside the tavern obscured a dark corner of the establishment. There, sat Evan his robe wrapped around his waist and his blind fold lowered so that it hung around his neck. He leaned precariously back in his chair with a half empty glass of tonic held in his hand, he swished the liquid around in the glass for a second then took a sip. His eyes were blood shot as if he'd been drinking for a while, in truth they were just irritated from being bound for so long. He rubbed his temples and exhaled, 'Anything to silence the voices' he muttered under his breath, he took another sip of his drink and endured another rushing headache and the sharp pain that came along a short time after. Months ago he was compelled to make his way to the city of Iroque, more or less it had something to do with the resent reports concerning the nearby Demon Portal. It was the last trip he would have ever thought of making, Mediums were not exactly welcome in many places since the outbreaks began, let alone anywhere near demonic hot spots. He quickly downed the rest of his drink and set the glass down on the table. The noise of the tavern was a pleasant distraction but he knew the next time he would closed his eyes the voices would come rushing back...
Evan raised his hand, signaling a near by waitress. She acknowledged him and nodded. She swiftly drew another drink from one of the many fountains and made her way to his table, swiftly navigating a sea of patrons. Before placing the glass on his table the waitress quickly uttered, "Will that be all?" Evan nodded his head and with that the waitress left.
Evan leaned back even further on his chair, using his staff to keep himself from tipping over. As he raised the glass to his lips a wisper seemed to drown out the ambient noise of the tavern '...sets over the horizon...' '...city of glowing embers...' '...set...' as soon as the whisper came it vanished the hustle and bustle of the tavern soon coming back into focus. Evan paused and stared in the glass, "Bottoms up..." he gulped down the whole drink, a Japodo drink for that matter, and keeled over. His chair slid underneath him a bit, but he caught himself by jamming his staff into the floor. Some would constitute this as self torture, but it was a lot more pleasant than not doing anything.
It was a routine repossession ritual that first brought on these symptoms, an elderly Jopodo, around six hundred years old wanted to partition one of his personalities into a different body, a simple chore for any medium, but not this time. As Evan was in the middle of moving the separate personalities when they just vanished... then came the voices...compelling him seek out something in a Jopodo city...
It was a long shot, but he eventually figured out where he needed to go once the voices steadily grew louder as he approached Iroque, then becoming more sporadic, less coherent, and more demanding as he entered the city walls. It was only until recently did he start numbing his mind with Jopodo elixirs to help silence the voices. Evan shook his head and tried to forget about it, it was unlikely they'd let him though... His palms began to go cold as a side effect to the drinks, or maybe it was his slight aversion to alcohol? He didn't care he leaned back in his chair and tried to think about other things. He couldn't help glancing over at a regal looking Jopodo that had recently entered the tavern...
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:16 pm
xxxxx“Over there,” He murmured before standing up straight, his eyes motioning to what it was he was talking about. Once Po looked over to what he was speaking about, he looked forward again and stood there like he had been the past couple of minutes. He was a man of little words and movements but whenever he spoke, he spoke elegantly and it was clear how educated he was, and when he moved, he moved as gracefully as a Prince would.
xxxxx“I see,” Po muttered as her eyes grazed over the heads of people before she glanced upon a young man who had looked her way. She had looked at him for a split second and continued glancing about the room to make sure that the guy did not see that she had looked at him. His blind fold had caught her eye when she gave him a quick glance and she began to think of who he was, though it was clear that he was a human. Before she could look back at the human male, Po felt Attis lean over again to whisper something else. Po glanced up at him with a puzzled expression and she suddenly stood up, her clothing now looking more ridged and metallic now that she stood.
xxxxx“Stay here, I’ll go see,” Po responded as she made her way further into the tavern until she was gone from sight, lost in the sea of people. But every now and then, she defined white hair and her silver coloration would be spotted. It didn’t take her long to reach a door toward the back of the tavern where only employees were allowed in. Po simply slipped through the door and was greeted by the small puppet man, Andor. He seemed like he was in a rush and before she could stop him to speak with the puppet, he ran out of the room. A small sigh escaped her lips as she was left there to seek the assistance of someone else. Even though she didn’t want to, she still went and found a waitress who was most likely on her break. Po and the girl stood against the wall talking for awhile. After a couple minutes, Po sighed again and shook her head.
xxxxx“I’m very sorry, any other way I can help?” The young woman asked as she genuinely felt bad for being of little help. Her face showed just how bad she felt, though truly it was not a very serious matter so she simply got a chuckle out of Po.
xxxxx“Really, do not worry too much about it. I’ll simply ask Andor when he is not too busy. Thank you for hearing me out. Be sure to tell your friend to see me, I’m sure I have something to help his illness. My potions aren’t distributed here in the tavern so Andor normally sends people to the Guild for the potions. I’m sure your friend knows where it is and I’ll give him what he needs there.” With a soft smile, Po turned and walked back out. She strode back to her seat by the bar and she sat back down, as if she had not left at all.
xxxxxAttis had not moved a single inch but when Po came back he made sure to help her back on the stool, but simply by making sure her dress didn’t get stuck. Po was a tall slender woman though she was not as tall as most of the men in the tavern since many of them seemed to be very tall. As she continued to scan the room she had spotted other people that she considered talking to, among those one was a Flauda and she knew that she would definitely be speaking to him, but she also wished to speak to the human she had glanced at earlier.
xxxxxAs she moved on the stool a bit to get comfortable, she crossed one leg over the other so that it dangled making her seem more sophisticated. Po never considered herself an elegant young woman like most thought she was simply by her appearance, but there was no denying that she truly was elegant and mannerly. She grew up teaching herself proper etiquette, something most orphans would not think of to do. With Attis beside her, it added to her look of being some sort of royalty, which made her laugh on the inside when she thought of that fact.
xxxxxAfter awhile, Po turned away from the crowded room and now faced the wall behind the counter, the bartender refilling her cup. Po simply sat there talking in a low voice with Attis, who only responded with one or two words, or sometimes a nod.
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:13 am
felt better after eating as he was able to pull himself out of the 'rut' he wanted to call his emotions. A heavy sigh blew the last of the steam off of the close to empty bowl of stew. He stuck the final piece of meat, a baby carrot and a pea that avoided him reluctantly. Squeezing his eyes tight, the young owlish man held his breath for barely a fraction of a moment before just taking the final bite and opening his eyes. Icha chewed the bite quickly, the food helped him force down his emotions. Like birds, Flaudian bird folk normally had to eat small and often. Icha, on the other hand, was strong and grave like an owl, almost eerily so. He ate often, but not like most harpies, and larger amounts and after great feats to do so.
He picked up the curly seafoam green wineglass stem and hurled the nice wine down his neck, snapping his head backwards and inhaling the piercing scent. The wine hit his senses with a pang and placed the glass on the table gently. Icha held his breath for a moment before peering left his deep eyes shifting from one person to the next. Someone official... he thought. Icha was resting his eyes particularly on other Jopodo. They were quite particular about who mayored their towns. Especially when something such as a safe haven from demons that was so natural was involved. And only a Jopodo would be anything close to mayor, Humans, Flauda, would be second choice, and anything but a Raluth. His eyes met with a rhino, literally, next to the restrooms across from the bar. The Rhino had an enormous fishbowl, again literally, filled with dark lager. His eyes like beads against his thick gray skin and massive head. Tusks appearing as if they were dipped in gold. The Rhino was dressed in green with curls of brassy gold design, somewhat similar to Icha's, but no one he recognized. He looked down the bar to his left and his gaze deepened into the faces of each individual. A few humans, a ditsy, puppet with hairs made of wire and a mouth loosely attached from over use. Clearly not the smartest of people. A few men, too bleary to understand each other. What's official for a Jopodo city like this...? he thought to himself. So much time with Raluthians has made him think more simply, leaving him to put more in appearance than anything until recently. Not wanting to look like if he was scouting, he turned back to his empty glass.
He pushed his glass forward with one finger by its elegant flowered foot. The bar tender failed to notice, she must have been just as upset about the gate as most of the others here. He whistled a quick note to catch her attention, a Flaudian whistle to be precise, which was not a toot or tweet like most Humans' and Raluthians' whistles. In the woman's gestalt of moment she turned one of her many faces to face him directly. The whistle spoke words that were easily understood by Jopodo and Flauda. It was the other girl inside of her, she was less... kind. This face, one of the ladies' four, looked like the stump of a tree with a face carved in it. Her bangs around the edges of her face were leaves, none too pretty in Icha's opinion.
"What do YOU want?" Her voice sounded like a thousand at once, of course, only because of this particular face. It was harsh and deep, raspy.
"Only a gin and tonic?" Icha smiled and flicked his eyes. His eyes was soft and hollow, his eye lashes shaping his gold streaked brown eyes. The woman found a free arm as her other self worked continuously at putting together orders, sliding plates down the long bar or throwing shots across the room at the Jopodo waiting for them.She found a tall thin glass and poured of clear gin and sprayed tonic on top of it. "Thank you kindly." He said as the woman placed the glass on the table with one of her wooden arms.
"That will be fo-.." her face seemed to halt in mid speech, it was clear who was really in control.
"Thank you very kindly!" She said, it was the opposite personality now and shifted to a doe-eyed ventriloquist puppet face with straight black hair by her face.
"Can I ask you a question? You see, I'm new around here. You know--" He cut himself off, leaving his sentence to hang in the air.
"I understand. We don't like to talk about it... But there is a woman, to your right at the far end of the bar. She would be able to help you, the rather dressy woman in the stiff costume that's smoother than wedding gown. She's nice, I see her here often talking to different people, sometimes the man she is with now as well. And if I remember my gossip correctly, she works for the guild. Call her Po." said the woman, Icha was expecting her to continue.
"Alright." Icha pondered the idea for a moment and swirled around the clear bubbly liquid. He took a sip, easily finishing half of the tall slender glass.
Icha stood himself up gracefully, curling his long fingers around his glass. He turned his gaze upward, there was a slight hum he could feel from the large light in the middle of the room, just floating there unbound by gravity. His seat twirling as he scooted out of it, he curved right around a stout little woman and man making their way to the now vacant seat. He was intoxicated. So he disappeared into the crowd for a moment merely walking around with a smile on his face before returning to the bar on Po's side. The bar tender here was different. A man with diamond like features, straight and narrow like pencils of glass all pointing in a flowing direction. Icha sat himself a few seats away from Po and the gentleman she was with. Dressed a little too nicely for a bar Icha thought. A suit? Maybe it was a uniform. Icha's clothes certainly wasn't the most comfortable. He reached into his shirt and pulled out two black lapels before sitting. A smooth move that no one would notice unless they paid too close attention. They were slightly smaller than the green and golden ones that previously shown. These black ones had a golden crest of a lion's head bowed just before it were to release a roar encircled by green leaves. Quite simple, but recognizable as it was the coat of arms of the small country to the south called Tiwuo (Tih- woe) which currently reigned over Iroque. He was not royalty by any means, he was a slayer. And uniquely skilled as his weaponry showed. His weapons were strange, a white chakram hitched to the back left side of his belt. A string-less, cream bow strapped to a quiver of arrows each with different colors or designs to mark their appearance. His sabre was in its small cream colored sheath and hung dantily at his side. Icha took a deep breath because confrontation was not always his favorite of things to do. He turned to Po and spoke from an awkward distance.
"How d'you do?" Icha said, stumbling over himself slightly, conscious of his mistake.
"Sorry. I work at the fort just to the south of here and the bartend' told me you could lend me a hand of sorts?" He preferred saying 'work' rather than 'kill evil' or 'slay demons.' The feathers on his arm twinged and pointed a bit as he sipped some of his lime flavored tonic.
ooc: I'll get more into AI when I get more used to doing it xp. I couldn't come up with anything creative atm.
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:01 pm
xxxxxUnlike outside, the inside of the tavern was nice and toasty, Po’s body becoming warmer now and she was no longer cold to the touch. She liked when her body was warm rather than cold because it hurt slightly to move when her whole body was freezing. Attis would have to help her around on very cold days when she felt too lazy to move herself. The room was now silent the more she let herself become lost in her thoughts. For a moment it seemed that nothing would be able to snap her out of what she was thinking about. The sound of someone speaking to her made its way into her ears and her brain began to process what was going on. Her eyes scanned over to the person who spoke until she moved her whole head to face the young man. She realized it was the Flauda she had spotted earlier. His feathers and bird like features screamed at her more now that he was closer than before. It was clear he found discomfort in speaking since he was stumbling over his own words, his thoughts having trouble manifesting understandable letters and words.
xxxxxA small smile spread across her face, making her look more alive than before. “It all depends on what you need help with. Most likely yes, but there is that small chance that I can be of little help to you.” Po slowly turned her whole body toward the young man until she now faced him. Her hand ran off the counter until it was held in front of her, waiting for the guys hand to shake hers. “Well, as the bartender told you, I’m Po and the gentleman behind me is Attis.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 1:10 pm
As the metallic woman extended her arm, Icha felt the hot anxiety in his chest subdued. Now that he was pulling a buzz from the wine and tonic, he felt more at ease. She's nice, he thought gratefully. In response to her movement, the harpy twisted himself around on his stool, moved a seat over and extended his feathery arm all in one graceful movement and shook her hand, the warm touch of her metallic skin was awkward. And now next to Po, he could smell the fine oil she had been drinking; ...truly a lady of class he thought. Icha has never drank any Jopodo drinks himself, but his sensitive nose made it easy for him to tell the difference between their expensive and cheap drinks, especially oils. Icha watched her mouth as the words tipped out of her like molten metal, he tilted his head downward, a nod, to the man just over Po's shoulder to acknowledge him.
"Icha Kré Lun," he responded, "is my name" he added after a moment's thought. His voice was airy and kind, not like many Flauda who's voices sometimes came across as harsh and windy. Icha's tone was subtle, like a warm gentle breeze deep in a wooded forest, but dry too.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Po responded before their hands came apart all in a moment. She placed her hand back on the smooth wooden counter with a tender thud, barely audible to anyone other than her.
"I'm here on business about..." Icha paused and shifted his eyes to make sure not a soul was listening too intently, "The gate to the east of here. Do you know anything about it?"
"Yes." Po turned her head to Attis and gave him a glance, "It appeared a while ago. No one saw it spawn, but people have seen it. And those who have, have already left the city."
"I see. . ." an awkward silence purged between them for a moment as Icha blearily studied her appearance once more, noting the beautifully symmetrical swords on her back. "I'm here to investigate the situation more or less. You see; my men are terrified of going near the gate themselves, pitiful for Raluthians and Humans in my opinion. And all we... I have to work with is rumors. I see your swords, do you work with the guild here?" Icha shifted his gaze from the regal doll to Attis and back. There was barely a moment's hesitation in Po's eyes before she parted her silvery lips and spoke;
"Good guess," she smiled, "I am the guild master," Po responded matter-of-factly, "And I could use your help. The guild is running a little low on staff these days now that our beloved city is an island in a sea of demons, but adding only you to our party won't be enough. The demons run very thick around the town and lake." Icha's face twisted to a slight frown as she finished speaking.
"And my men are cowards. . . well most of them. We were all sent here to help you, but they don't want to do anything other than be cooped up and scared in that nasty, wooden shack they call a fort. Do you have fighters available?" He asked, the conversation was going smoothly between the two. Icha could feel intuitively that he was being watched, or looked down on by something but he was not sure by what. . . by what...? he thought until Po spoke again.
"Yes a few."
"Are they skilled?"
"Some can be, but we'll have to take it up with them tomorrow." Po responded reluctantly, Icha could tell that the puppet had a million thoughts coursing through her mind, but what? He was familiar with Jopodo ways and their moods, attitudes and the like, but he could never understand them completely as they were two different species. The two faced the counter, Icha flagged down the nearest bartender, the many-armed woman from before, and ordered a tall glass of water. Po, Icha, and occasionally Attis had a brief exchange of much lighter conversation than before. After a few minutes, Icha turned the conversation into another direction;
"Might I ask you a question, miss Po?"
"Hm?" she raised an eyebrow and her mouth pursed a little.
"What are you doing here? You're not drinking or eating from what I can see anyway. What I mean is in all politeness," he swallowed to clear his throat, "do you have another motive for being here in particular?" the young man asked sipping his water out of a tall hour-glass shaped cup.
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 10:21 pm
xxxxxBefore she knew it, Po had been spaced out for quite some time but of course she had snapped out of it in time to hear Icha ask his final question. It was certainly a valid question, a question no one ever bothered asking her because people seemed far too busy to pay attention to what she was doing. Po found it amusing that he had been observant enough to actually catch that. It was a question she wanted to answer properly, a question she thought about for a moment longer than the other questions she had previously answered. Po sat there in silence as Attis ordered Po another drink from the bartender. The woman had come all the way down to simply try and strike up a conversation with the handsomely mysterious man. She did not succeed since he was a man of little words and in the end he was simply given the drink. Attis placed the drink in front of the metallic Jopodo. Po took the glass in her hand, the glass clinking when it made contact with her hand. The sound seemed to travel up her arm until she felt the vibrations on her ears and face making her wiggle her nose ever so slightly. The glass rose and the fine oil slipped past her lips and down her throat once again. If Po had any arm hairs, they would be standing on end from the Goosebumps the oil would have given her. The oil was so refined that it made her feel sensations in her body that any human would feel, though oil was no diet for a human.
xxxxxPo faced Icha and smiled at him, watching his eyes leave hers since she looked at him directly. Her eyes were a dark purple but something in her eyes were rather hard to stop looking at. Her fingers tapped on the counter for a moment, “You’re quiet the observer, but it is not all that surprising that you are. Your race are known for great sight, keen senses.” Po met his eyes again once he decided to look back and when she felt Attis tap her arm she knew that she had to get to the point. Giving the man behind her a faint nod she continued, “You are right, I do have another motive as to why I am here. Of course you already know why for the most part. I am here to find people to take to my guild, to see if any are brave enough to take a challenge, to see if they have what it takes to save a town and the world. Yes, I could come straight out and announce it to the whole room to make the process go faster, but there are some here that are freeloaders and never really commit. I approach those who I observe and feel will actually stick around and contribute. Most of the times I leave this place with three to five people. Every time I come here the number dwindles, it is a very sad sight to see only two people willing to come. This time I figured I would invite those who would contribute and tell them once we get to the guild. I suppose that is a form of trickery but if it works then it means I am a lot closer at achieving the guilds main goal.”
xxxxxThe room grew silent, a silence only surrounding Attis, Icha and herself. Around them it seemed as if a bubble formed to keep their conversation private. Po sat there silently, ready to hear the young harpy’s response.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:31 pm
I||Frozen Hands||I
Evan Runner the Medium
Evan found himself with his head down against the table, the numbness that enveloped him before was slowly dissipating as his senses returned. He slowly sat up, a sharp pain radiated into his chest from his stomach, most likely the after affects of consuming a non-human drink, but it seemed that had done the trick of ridding his mind of the voices that plagued him, if not only for just the moment. He sat up as fully as possible, somewhat dumbfounded to the lack noise that once filled the tavern. The whites of his eyes were returning as the irritation of being bound slowly subsided. A while back he considered having them gouged out like some of the master mediums, or maybe undergoing the haze sight ritual, but it wasn’t for him, he would simply endure the hexed piece of cloth he wore. He looked around the bar, glancing back over at the Jopodo female again, this time accompanied by a Flaudian, a saber and chakram hung on his waist and on his back a peculiar looking bow. Undoubtedly he was also here to investigate the heavy demonic presence… maybe even combat it. Evan banished the thought from his mind; ‘it would be too reckless’ he thought. He glanced back over at them. They looked plenty capable, much more so than the few mercenaries that have made their way into then, just as quickly, out of the city.
Evan stood up, his legs half asleep. He propped himself up on his staff which was slightly taller than he was, grasping and readjusting the cross-like fixture on the top of it. The a glint of light reflected off the staff and shone into a nearby Raluth’s face. The canine like patron snarled at Evan then took a large bite out an animal limb; Evan cringed at the thought of what it could have been before the Raluth got its claws on it. Evan took his glass in between his fingers and made his way up the bar, his footsteps heavy and slightly uneven, accompanied by the rise and fall of his staff hitting the floor. Evan only stood a few feet from the Flauda, Jopodo, and what he assumed to be her servant whom Evan had barely noticed until now, he could see why, his presence was harrowing and at the same time subtle, well at least that is how Evan perceived him.
He put his hands into one of the folds of his robe and pulled out a small leather pouch followed by the clinking sound of money. He placed his empty glass on the bar table and in no time it was snatched up by one of the Jopodo employees, a rather slim wooden man with several arms and empty socket joints possibly meant to accommodate more arms if necessary , his head was badly carved aside from the two glistening opal looking eyes embedded in the wood. The Jopodo held out his hand, Evan drew open the pouch revealing different types of currency, silver, gold, bronze coins and slabs alike, crystals, a few paper bills, and several arrangements of exotic bones with inscriptions on them, “What do you accept here?” travelling a lot has earned Evan payment in many different forms, some more acceptable than others. The Jopodo perused the pouch for a moment, undoubtedly confused by the broad selection and drew out a few coins and a crystal, the crystal most likely because it looked interesting, though Eva n knew the exact value of what he had, he loved making shop keepers guess…
OOC: sorry about the LONG break, circumstances beyond my control and what not >.<
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 12:59 pm
"Trickery, not hardly!" He laughed and then paused for a moment, he hadn't a clue of how to respond. He tapped the bottom of the strange glass in his hands sending a thin vibration through the water in the cup. He watched the ripples after a very short second and turned his neck back to Po. His shoulders rose and fell to relieve the tension in his neck. Icha felt a tension creep up behind him as a human played the currency game with a bartender.
"Two people you said... Who else other than me?" The young harpy looked around, his eyes covered in a slight glaze, he was intoxicated but hoped that the fashionable woman in front of him wouldn't notice. Just as his gaze fell upon the man with a pouch of money behind him, he felt a chill crawl up his spine that made him shiver. What the hell did he order? he thought as the bartender gave the young man a swirly green and orange drink for Jopodo kind. Icha had tried drinking what puppets did once... once... It burned his tongue and tasted like strange chemicals that made his teeth ring and grit. He couldn't imagine the effects such a drink could cause on anyone other than a Jopodo. The harpy turned back to Po with the same uneasy look on his face. The two stared into each other for a moment, understanding the question on Icha's mind and Po answering it with a nod. Him? Was what crossed his mind. Icha's nostrils flared and he curled his long feet around a pole on his stool out of nervousness.
ooc: It's okay! I've been out for a while too, lol.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 7:46 pm
xxxxxThe heels on her boots made the loudest sound when she stood up, though the sound was the simple sound of heels touching a wooden floor. Po moved both quickly and gracefully as she now stood directly in front of the harpy. The hand that was sitting upon the counter slid over when she had moved and her other hand was placed on the young man’s right cheek. Her metallic yet smooth lips hovered inches away from his left ear and she spoke ever so softly that not even a fly buzzing by could hear, even her lips moved quickly as if she were saying more then what she had actually spoke.
xxxxx“It’s best to keep your nerves in check. If you need me just ask any of the servants, I must continue my little search. In the meantime, sober up a bit.” When she pulled away she still smiled warmly, with a soft quiet chuckle resonating from her mouth. Her cold metal hand left his cheek before she turned and walked off gracefully, Attis beside her. Soon enough the two were gone into the crowds and no longer seen. Perhaps now that would give some sort of incentive for Icha to speak with that mysterious man.
xxxxxAs they reached the other side of the room, Attis spoke something into Po’s ear rather quickly. She glanced at him with a questioning look before giving him a faint nod. With that, he walked off and left her where she stood. “A bit odd,” she mumbled before looking around the room, her eyes once again scanning the area for any possible recruits. Soon enough she was off speaking with a couple, though so far none were good enough to be told anything. Slowly this was beginning to disappoint her, though she did not lose her faith.
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