Devil's Deal [IC]

[EdroGrimshell]

The Rum Runner, an old orc warship that was decommissioned and repurposed into a cargo and transport ship. It was built to be sturdy, and that's what was needed to cross the ocean to the "new" continent of Immoren. maenads and shifters manned the ship with a voldur (half-orc half-elf) captain manning the helm with a warforged navigator keeping the ship in the right direction. There was not a single human on the crew, a rarity in Khorvaire, and it made the humans on board uncomfortable.

Below deck were the mess and kitchen, the med bay, the navogator's map room with several instruments that lend to the field of study, the captain's quarters, and the first mate's quarters. The first mate himself was aiding in the cooking, a zshar working under the skilled eye of an elven lead chef, working alongside a hobgoblin sou chef, two thri-kreen cooks, and three goblin prep cooks.

Below that level were the crew quarters and guest quarters, with a larger suite for honored guests, which was currently occupied by a human nobleman. In a room only a few over from the noble's room was a room that was empty but for a wrought iron cage holding a small fairy by the name of Tulip, her captor off in another part of the ship, not at all worried about her escape. On the other side of that level of the ship was a stranger from the desert lands, Dilaa, a shifter making idle conversation with her, they seemed to have an affinity for her for some reason, nearby was Nikita, who had bartered passage with the captain only a day before the ship's departure.

Still further below was a floor devoid of most of the bustle of the rest of the ship, several nervous mercenary guards for the nobleman on the floor above loitered about, along with one of two mages who was perusing through a tome of magical theory nearby.

On the final level of the ship, right above the keel, was a room lined in a poisonous metal, with several chains of the same material holding a black oval-like object in place... the embodiment of gluttony known as Gorge. A mage kept him company, weaving his hands for a spell to keep him asleep. Just outside the room was a psychic, charged with keeping Gorge from getting out to the rest of the ship.

Things were quiet, for now. For now...

Roll Will: DC 16

[Archmage1]

Kneeling in the exact center of her iron cage, Tulip looks thoroughly miserable, sobbing softly having long since given up all hope that someone would come and help. Ever since her capture by the mean man, Tulip's life had been miserable. She'd wanted to see the world, but this... this was just terrible.
She'd tried to escape, but the Iron... it burned her, and she just couldn't stand it. Compared to her usually vibrant coloring, she looks drab, and dull, and her wings, formerly beautiful, almost seemed tattered. She is clothed in a dress that seems to have been made out of leaves, but where once it was vibrantly green, decorated with several petals, now it is brown, and dead looking.
Her hopes of escape had long since fled, but perhaps something would reignite them.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa had shown several things shortly after her arrival on the ship, with more following as the trip progressed.

First, the 'talks' with Avar showed that she didn't speak very much. A conversation with her was doomed to become all but one-sided, with her go-to response to everything being a simple nod or shake of her head. The second was that she didn't especially like being on a ship. The moment they lifted anchor, she grew restless, and within a day she had taken to staying mobile as long as the sun was in the sky. Pacing the ship, or lending a hand where it might be needed, the desert woman seemed determined to keep moving.

Of course, it was her tendency to be on deck that made another of Dilaa's habits very visible. She would continuously go back to her room, to check up on some unusual thing she was keeping with her. Wrapped up entirely in cloth brought from the south, it was one of the few things that had brought her to speak. "Never touch," she had instructed to Victoria shortly after her arrival. "Very private," was the only explanation she gave. Despite the brevity of the time that the redheaded shifter was her bunkmate, Dilaa seemed to warm up to her somewhat, giving her a few brief responses that were actually verbal in nature.

As the sun set, something Dilaa seemed aware of even belowdecks, she would always return to the deck and begin an elaborate set of exercises. Beginning with warm-up stretches, going through unarmed fighting routines and ending with sweeping movements that made her look like she was waving some kind of massive, invisible sheet, the southern woman did the same things each evening. As Reda approached her to speak of combat, Dilaa seemed reluctant at first, but eventually became a somewhat active participant, although she seemed to think deeply on everything she said.

When the new, unknown shifter arrived, Dilaa spent some time with her, seeming entirely content to sit in silence with the mysterious woman. She even joined her on the deck one night, sitting next to her to be sure that she was sleeping peacefully - if her presence seems welcome, she repeats the process each night.

The mysteries of the ship - the lowest deck, the locked room - seemed to disquiet Dilaa at the same time as she did her best to ignore them. The locked room gave her pause, but whenever someone came by as she stared at it, the southern woman would shake her head and leave again.

As Brock approaches Dilaa, she gives him her customary nod of greeting/acknowledgement. In the past, she'd shown some interest as to his activities in the medical bay, but had never said more than a few words - only Victoria and the newcomer had managed to coax more than a handful from her in a single conversation.

[Jacior]

Gorge opened an eye as the sleep finally wiped from his mind. Was Gorge a he? He thought he was. The eye looked at the blank wall with no small amount of fascination. It was so weird. And purply! And shiny! It had been forever since he'd seen something besides stones and squiggles. He was hungry. He could hear someone! And smell them. But they weren't on this side of him. Where were they? The eye closed and one opened on the opposite side. There he was! The eye focused on the mage with its back turned to him. With a blink, six more eyes opened around the center one, each twitching as they jerked back and forth to different body parts. He looks tasty! He nearly screeched it out of his brain when he thought that. Wait. He could do that? Yes! Wait... Could he?

Ta-... yu-... EAT! Gorge was still rusty, it didn't go very far. But that was enough for him. He squeezed himself tighter and the chains loosened enough for him to fall to the floor. The shell cracked as it hit the floor, and he oozed outwards, standing up and grinning as mouths opened up and tentacles grew.

Gorge's mouths curved into sick grins, arcing in unusual directions, as the man fell unconscious to the floor. Yes! That was what people used to do when they saw him coming! Or they ran screaming! But this one couldn't have escaped anyway. Not in this metal box. They wanted him to get eaten! Gorge couldn't help but drool at the thought as his tentacles stretched out and wrapped around the unfortunate soul. People- so yu- yummy! Gorge pulled the man in close as the mouth on his chest grew enormous. He rips into the poor mage and eats his fill... which is the entire mage. There's not even a scrap of clothing left when Gorge stops.

His whole body seems to shake. MORE! GORGE NEEDS MORE! He screams it out, his telepathy echoing out from him. Looking around, the seven eyes settle on the door before he throws himself at it, crashing against it.


My manifestation right now is:

Basic Eyes: 6, no augments (6 points)
Mouths: 4, 1 at Colossal size (16 points)

That's it.

[Regalus]

The journey on the affectionately named Rum Runner had been a fascinating one to be sure for a great many reasons; foremost of which was the queer demographic of its crew, namely that he and one other where the sole humans on board. He hadn't been this much of a sore thumb in a group since his days apprentice to his teacher, and the surprising mass of shifters on board certainly served to fan the flames of his nostalgia and trepidation as he labored to grow more acquainted with his fellow travelers while keeping a lid on Dima.

It was however a shame that his fellow human seemed so dead set upon keeping her own company early on, and had been set in her decision given that even her bunkmate had scarcely scratched the surface of the desert-born swordswoman. The closest he'd gotten to the desert maiden had been when both of them had joined the crew to aid with some of Reda's drills, and even those meetings had born painfully little fruit. He did at least take some solace from the fact that he at least now knew for certain that his fellow human could speak beyond a few short phrases.

It was an enigma that nipped at the corner of his mind each time he witnessed her deliberate isolation, but one he could respect for the time being. After all, there were other things upon the vessel to catch ones eye; such as how well guarded the lower decks seemed to be, or how one could almost make out some strange sound echoing from a certain locked door below deck. Then again, was it truly that surprising that a vessel sailing to the new world would have its own fair share of curiosities? Though in the end it was Dima's own unease at these last two that kept them fresh on his mind amid the long journey, and the half answers he received at most hardly satisfied his partner's curiosity.

As it was the young man had settled into a routine of sorts to keep himself from idling for too long, usually keeping himself occupied walking the ships length or aiding in whatever task he could; going so far as to offer his services to the kitchen, though more often than not the well run machine had little room for the northerner. He had however managed to add a few new recipes to his repertoire along the way. However, on this fateful hour the young man found himself at rest.

With the lunch rush long since past, and clear weather ahead of them there was surprisingly little to do for the young passenger, so he'd come to settle down upon a small nook to work on a small carving in his spare time; prepping a few wares for future trade and conversing with Dima in the hopes of curving her growing restlessness. It was a peaceful affair he and Dima had grown fond off over the years, centering themselves as they whiled away the hours. The young man only breaking the almost meditative trance of his labor as he noticed Dima passing by, the desert warrior following her routine like clockwork.

For better or worse, the day promised another peaceful evening at sea.

[EdroGrimshell]

Before anyone could continue on with their day, a malevolent feeling washed over the whole ship, forcing many of the passengers, and some of the crew, on board to their knees as a single word rang out in everyone's mind, EAT!, a dangerous aura emanating from just above the keel of the boat.

The captain hands off the wheel to the navigator and rushes down the stairs cursing in orcish and elven all the while, stopping occasionally to obtain a crew member, including Brock, Regus Nail (a bounty hunter), and the first mate. It was the halberd he was carrying that got attention, however, a wicked weapon made from the dark green resin produced by the first mate, who'd already formed a suit of resin armor.

Below them, many of the guards hadn't even noticed the message sent out, their minds utterly shielded from mental intrusion taking away what would have been the most prominent warning they could possibly get, only the psychic heard it, and so catastrophic was the intent, that he was frozen with the very feeling of pure, undiluted hunger, no evil, no malice, just blatant hunger from a starving predator that still had the strength to fight, and he was the prey.

Nikita was the first to identify the feeling as something unnatural, his connection to Dima letting him feel just how dangerous, yet innocent, the feeling was hunger, just pure, unfiltered hunger. That left him incredibly confused as to the nature of the beast producing the feeling, was it a nature spirit like Dima? Or was it something else? It was too basic a feeling to tell.

Dilaa, however, was shaken utterly be the feeling, the nature was that of an apex predator, one even the crocodile lycanthrope she possessed told her to run from, it was the captain running by that snapped her out of her reverie, his halberd at the ready as he called Brock to come along. She could see a faint blue mist emanate from him as it formed an axe in his hand and roiled into his muscles and skin.

Tulip felt the wave of hunger most intensely, her small size and vulnerability almost causing her to pass out, but it also made her aware as it instantly kicked her fight or flight response into overdrive, and her will to live was fanned into an inferno. The ground shook from something below deck, and the cage crashed to the floor as another call rang out MORE! GORGE NEEDS MORE!, the force of the call having rattled the entire ship, and inadvertently breaking the cage that Tulip had been in, though not enough for her to escape without touching the iron that still bound her. She was, however, closer to the door now, one might be able to hear her better.

Below, a guard knocked on the door, "th' hell ya doin' in there? Th' 'ole ship just shook off!" that was all Gorge needed to hear, there was food outside that door the door was the only thing blocking him, it was only a matter of time before he could do as his name said and gorge on the flesh of his opponents.

Spells:
0 - Daze, Dancing Lights
1 - Whelm (PHB2), Sleep
2 - Whelming Burst (PHB2)

Skills:
Appraise
Concentration
Decipher Script
Knowledge (All except Psionics)
Listen
Spot
Use Magic Device

May use Favored Feast and Feeding Frenzy


Garmine
Far from the ship, on the Continent of Immoren, in the trading city known as Vinder, was an uninvited fey by the name of Garmine, and a dangerous deal maker. Vinder had proven to be quite useful, and would again soon, a ship from across the sea was to make port in only a few days, he'd have time to set things in his favor while he waited, and possibly get a contract signed before the ship arrived. This would prove most interesting indeed.

For now though, the city of glass would have to do with entertaining him, maybe he could find something of use here.

I'll let you have some creative license with the town, just don't go to elaborate, it's a relatively small city after all.

You can roll Gather Information to find any persons of interest if you'd like, just don't expect any big things.

[Archmage1]

When it happened, Tulip was terrified, horrified, and filled with an even stronger urge to escape. Unfortunately, before she could even think of another method to escape, the cage fell, and she bounced against the iron bars. Each contact felt like someone was taking a branding iron to her, and from every bit of her that touched, smoke arose, and her delicate skin blackened from the effects of the deadly material.
Luckily for her, the cage had landed on it's base, giving her the chance to scurry back to the center, screaming in pain and terror, not even wanting to think about touching the iron again.

From the locked room, screams arose, sounding like a small child in pain.


Tulip is going to take say, 5 damage from contact with the iron. While she doesn't technically have this ability, I'm just going to go ahead and give her iron vulnerability(She takes 1 point of damage from contacting iron, and iron weapons deal a bonus 1d6 damage to her)(Such weapons inflict a minimum of 1 damage after DR)

[PersonMan]

Dilaa is stunned for a moment by the sudden wave of hunger that she felt wash across the ship. To feel something else's hunger is something entirely new to her, and the impossibility of that alone causes her to pause, even before her blood begins to writhe in her veins. That is the part more easily shaken off - years of repressing her feelings have made it simple to push down the human as well as the bestial emotions that would keep her from reacting as she needed to. So she runs, storming down into the ship with a bittersweet feeling filling her heart, the fear fighting a losing battle against the sick joy that was blossoming from this new development.

Before she reaches her room, however, Dilaa hears a scream coming from somewhere and instantly turns towards it, sprinting down the hall to find herself in front of the strange room that she'd been told not to enter. Obviously, such an instruction did nothing to keep her from trying to do exactly that, resorting to violence if it doesn't open easily. Among the roiling mix of feelings - fear, joy, anxious anticipation, anger, protectiveness - within her, the desert warrior's urge to speak out to whoever was screaming inside the room is lost somewhere in her throat, as the words that come to her mind slip off of her tongue.

Strength check to break open the door: [roll0]

If that doesn't work, Dilaa will Mountain Hammer Unarmed Strike the door.

[roll1] (attack, if needed)
[roll2] + [roll3] ignoring Hardness

If an attack roll is required, or if you rule she can do so, she will Power Attack for 4 in the first case, or 6 in the second.

EDIT: Really hoping you don't require an attack roll to attack a door with that natural 1. :smallyuk:

But hey! Simple or Good wooden doors are broken by a 20, so let's hope it isn't Strong.

[EdroGrimshell]

Tulip's scream seems to have drawn some attention, as the door breaks almost a moment later letting in Dilaa, the door falling from its hinges with ease. To Dilaa, at first, it looks like there's nothing, until she looks down and notes the cage with a petite humanoid with fairy wings, her body still producing acrid smoke from minute burns, this was the bounty hunter's quarry?

Roll Knowledge (Nature) if you want to identify Tulip without having to ask.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa looks around the room, confused for a moment by the lack of an occupant before she looks down and finds the source of the noise which led her to the room. As her gaze falls on the tiny woman in the cage, her brow furrows and she kneels down in front of it, considering the metal and the burns on the captive. It seemed like the cage was enchanted, filled with fire magic to burn the one inside if she tried to escape - at least, that's what comes to Dilaa's mind as she considers what she is seeing and compares it to the magic she's seen in the past. Testing her theory, she briefly touches one finger to the cage and, noting a distinct lack of burning, opens the cage much as possible, to allow the tiny woman inside to escape without touching the magicked iron. Dilaa didn't need to understand why the bars didn't burn her, but did do so to the dead-leaf-clad being, so she didn't spend more time on trying to work out what kind of spells had been worked on the cage.

"Free?" Dilaa asks quietly, a strange sense of calm coming over her as she stays down low, still looking down at the foot-tall creature but no longer so far above her.

[Archmage1]

It huurrts... evil metal, and the mean man! Why does it hurt so much?
Tulip was totally occupied with the pain caused by the iron bars, screaming, in a futile attempt to try and make it go away, when the door crashed in. she looks up, pausing in her screaming, as she sees the not the meanie that she was expecting, but someone else, someone nice! Here was a chance for freedom, at last!
"Please, please, please, please let me out? Please?"
Her high pitched voice seems almost desperate, as it felt like she'd been in that cage forever. Luckily for her, the strange woman bent the bars, letting her out, something that, in and of itself, seemed to brighten the colors of her wings, and persuade her petals(her hair is petals) to wilt less.
As soon as it was wide enough to escape, she leapt for freedom, smiling broadly, incredibly happy about being set free, something that she had almost lost all hope of ever happening.
"Thank you, thank you, Thank you! You let me go! You're nice! Thank you! It was terrible, and the walls hurt me! And that mean man, he never cared!"
Flying rapidly, and talking rapidly, and excitedly, Tulip hugs Dilaa's face, trying to convey her excitement and happiness at being freed from the clutches of the horrible man.
"Thank you! I'm free! Thank you!"
Her face seems to be mere inches from Dilaa's eyes, and she seems quite content to keep on thanking her for a while.
Even in the little time that had passed, her wings had changed colors, becoming far more vivid, more colorful.


If you haven't guessed yet, Tulip is feeling ectastic about being let out. :smallbiggrin:

[PersonMan]

Dilaa shifts back slightly as the newly-freed tiny woman jumps onto her face, the unexpected weight causing her posture to change, different muscles working to keep her upright. For a few seconds the oddity of the situation: she had just freed a tiny woman from an enchanted cage just after she had felt the hunger of another being and was now receiving her gratitude in the form of a hug...on her face. The constant exclamations added to her insecurity about how to respond, so the desert warrior decides to simply sit it out - unfortunately, after a few moments she realizes that the small woman seems to have no intent of stopping any time soon. There was still the matter of the source of the quake within the ship to be dealt with, so Dilaa couldn't afford to spend all her time in this room with a foot-tall woman hugging her face.

"Enough; other things must be done," Dilaa says, after gently prying the woman from her face. "You are alright now?" She asks, standing if the petal chooses to stay on her palm or fly.

[Jacior]

Gorge nearly shook with anticipation as he heard the sounds of more people beyond the door. All of his mouths were drooling now and his eyes tightened into slits. He bangs on the door again before trying the handle. Finding it locked, he goes back to banging on the door with both arms and tentacles. OPEN! LET GORGE OUT! EAT! He shouts out again and lashes out at the door, a chorus of slams against the metal reinforced wood.

[Archmage1]

Tulip doesn't really resist when the woman carefully pries her away. It wouldn't have been fair. After the woman explains that she had enough thanks, Tulip smiles up at her, from the woman's palm.
"But you saved me! From the mean man. I was just trying to show you how nice that was, and it was very, very kind! Everyone else just ignored me!"
When asked if she was all right, the burned petal nods, happily, and takes off, flying somewhat erratically at first, presumably from the effects of having been trapped in a torture cage for so long, but she seems to recover fairly quickly.
"II think so, but there's the hungry thing! Anything that hungry is probably really mean! But it's trapped, and that's mean too!"
She darts to and fro, trying to decide what to do. As she decides, she hears another of the terrible telepathic surges from the thing nearby. As she feels it, she darts behind Dilaa, before continuing.
"I know! We can let it out, and if it's mean, we get it to be nice instead! That way, everyone be happy!"
She flies over to the ruined door, and pauses, hovering, looking back at Dilaa.
"Are you going to come too? It'll be lots of fun!"

[PersonMan]

Dilaa feels a brief wave of guilt; when the tiny woman speaks of how everyone but her had ignored her plight, she reminded the desert woman that she had done the same herself, not realizing that the odd high-pitched sounds coming from the room were the cries of a living being, trapped in a magical burning cage. But, as the petal shows herself to be capable of flight, and tells her that she is fine, Dilaa pushes the feeling away quickly. Nodding, preparing to turn to leave the room for the strange disturbance that had wracked the ship, she pauses as the tiny woman begins to speak of the 'hungry thing' having been victim to a similar fate as herself.

Obviously it was a different manner of looking at the situation, one that gives Dilaa pause. If this was truly a simple beast of supernatural origin, that had been locked away and starved for days or weeks, was it necessary to fight it, as she had thought before? Ignoring the disappointment that that thought brings her, she nods as Tulip forms her plan to enchant the beast. Being some kind of northern spirit, the tiny woman probably commanded over impressive magic. During her travels, Dilaa had heard a few tales of her kind and their potentially deadly spells. Surely a simple beast could be easily calmed by such power.

Nevertheless, as they pass her room Dilaa gestures for her new companion to wait and goes inside, retrieving her still-wrapped-up weapon and, without revealing the blade itself, begins to unravel the knots on the cloth keeping it hidden. With a nod to Tulip, she continues once again towards the source of the telepathic messages.

If the beast could speak, was it truly something easily pacified by the spirit's magics?

[Archmage1]

When the woman that rescued her follows her, Tulip claps, and cries out "Yay!", clearly excited about the idea. As they pass one of the rooms, the woman gestures at Tulip, and opens the door to one of the rooms. Curious, the petal darts inside to look around, but she follows the woman as she departs the room, feeling a bit sad that she didn't have more time to explore.

[Tiny]

Walking down the street while humming on a marry tune, was a tall slim fey dressed in a fine black satin outfit. A His face was hard to describe as it had a bad habit of changing into something the observer would see as 'that kind man'. He was not a particularly kind man mind you. But things are seldom as they seem in this world. His long black hair bounced playfully in great curls on his shoulders as he took a measure on the "city" of glass.

Such a small place. Yet.. He drew in a large swath of air enjoying the buzzing smell of an unsuspecting town. It smells of opportunity, of innocence. He could not help but smile. It was time to set things in motion.

He strolled up to a small fruit stand, manned by a young man in his early teens. "Greetings fine young master shop-keep." The smile seemed genuine enough. "It is a marvelous day is it not?" Some pleasantries was exchanged as customs would have it before the small talk began. "You must be pretty exited about the arriving ship? I have recently arrived to this town but you seem like the man to ask.." The smile broadens. "Apart from my self. Who would you say are most interested in these new arrivals?" Those that had a large interest in the ship could prove a enjoyable distraction and perhaps in a lucrative way. The talk turned from people to cabbages and back to people in a dance of words the Fey had danced many times. Unbeknownst by the boy, his thought were searched for clues and each piece was carefully weighted and given a value on a scale only known to the being that had introduced himself as Garmine Hadar.


Using Relive your nightmare, to detect surface thoughts to aid in the gather information roll.
Gather information [roll0]

[Regalus]

The sudden wave of hunger gives Nikita pause as the young man checks Dima, for a fleeting moment worried that his companion was about to try something; yet the idea was quickly dismissed, the sensation that seemed to permeate all around him far to alien to come from his partner. No, this was something far worse; far more primal in its essence, and powerful as well if the expressions of those around him was anything to go by. If everyone could feel this entity they were in deep trouble as it was.

Following Dilaa's example the young man springs to his feet, his figurines forgotten as he mkkes his way to his room; all but knocking the door open as he rushes inside to don his raiments, all the while keeping his senses open. The young man checking for signs of the entity along the periphery of his senses as the ship seemed to rumble around him, all too aware of how his own tension was slowly rousing Dima from it's slumber once more.

Now ready for battle the young man makes haste barely keeping his own speed in check as he hurries down the hallways in direction of the entity, hoping to find a crewman in the know before making his destination; not wanting to make whatever premade countermeasures they had go awry, or strike him, due to his own ignorance. Whatever this thing was, he doubted it would give them any second chances if they made a mistake now.

[EdroGrimshell]

Ship Party

Nikita arrives at the deck above where the feeling was coming from first, a number of hired soldiers looked ready to run with only a noble looking man walking towards the stairs leading down, Nikita could see he carried an odd weapon for a noble to use, a spiked chain. He walked out of view within a few seconds.

A few moments later, Dilaa and Tulip arrive behind him, not catching sight of the noble, but being able to hear the command clearly even from one level up, "If any of you attempt to put it down I will have your heads on pikes! This is my inheritance until it is delivered to Serra and I will not have it killed before then!"

The captain of the ship's voice then carries up, "You think I give a damn that it belongs to you? That just means it's on your head if any of my crew dies here!"

Below, Gorge hears the noble that trapped him, the one that smelled so delicious when he'd first woken up before his mages had put Gorge to sleep. Even still, the door held for a few more moments before it splintered under the weight of Gorge's assault, allowing his eye to be seen from the other side, followed by a mouth, then the door shattered entirely as another attack went through, allowing Gorge out of the room at last.

It was then that Nikita, Dilaa, and Tulip came down the next set of steps, just enough to spot the monstrous form of Gorge, the... thing, that was emitting that feeling of unfiltered hunger. All three were able to sense something else, it was about to go on a feeding frenzy, and it had already picked out its target.



Garmine

The man raises an eyebrow, "ya talk right funny, you wan' som'un to talk proper wit' ya fob off to the other si' of town," he wasn't the politest of men, apparently, and didn't seem to like "proper folk" if his demeanor was any indication, but, the youngster had something of interest regardless, behind the counter was a worn out magelock pistol, a revolver model at that. Extremely expensive for a fruit stand merchant, and only useful to a decent gun mage otherwise just an expensive collector's item. But, Garmine can already tell that the boy, was actually a gun mage, making him quite dangerous, even towards Garmine. It was likely he wasn't military sanctioned, but the weapon looked like an heirloom piece, he couldn't tell if it was functional, though he could tell it was old.

He actually has no idea the ship's even coming in. (Gather Info works better in crowded areas where you can ask a lot of people, asking just one person's not likely going to get you any results, fair warning for the future).

Roll Appraise if you want to know the quality and value of the magelock revolver.

Fob Off = approximately means Get Lost only in a much more offensive manner (more akin to F*** Off)

A magelock firearm is extremely expensive and only really sold to those in the military, though they are often sold on the black market as well. Gun mages can connect to the special alloy of a magelock firearm in much the same way a wizard or sorcerer does a familiar.

[Archmage1]

Fluttering back and forth to look at things as the trio rushes downstairs, Tulip sees the door break, and the hungry maybe mean thing break through. And she senses it's hunger, but sadly, there was no food at all around, so she decides to try and calm the hungry thing down with music, hoping that it would realize that there wasn't any food.

She breathes in deeply, and starts singing, her voice sounding beautiful beyond belief. She sings in a strange language, but that doesn't stop the incredible beauty of her music from coming through.


Assuming we aren't in init yet...
[roll0] perform: Song, trying to fascinate the hungry thing(DC 33 will or be fascinated, so long as the others don't threaten you)

[PersonMan]

Dilaa, stomach churning at the sight of the abomination before her, is once again filled by conflicting emotions. Exhaling once, slowly, she binds all of her feelings in a single mental motion, gripping her still-concealed weapon as she strides forwards, determination as clear in her posture as the hunger in the air. Coming to a halt before the beast, placing herself between it and the man who would otherwise be exposed to its gnashing teeth and unnatural appetite. Looking once to the tiny woman she had released from the cage, Dilaa nods meaningfully to her, her message clear - this is your chance.

Then the entirety of the desert warrior's attention is on the beast before her, watching its every twitch and waiting for a sign of aggression.

Move between Gorge and the psionic dude, enter Stance of Clarity targeting Gorge. Ready an action to attack if he attacks.

AC is 23 against Gorge, 19 against others.

(If it goes off:)
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]

[EdroGrimshell]

The captain watches as Gorge seems to calm, and remains ready if it comes at him, but backs off, signaling the crew to do so as well, the Noble lowers his chain, but remains ready, unfortunately its the terrified psychic that makes things go to hell, a shot of electricity surging from his hand to rip into Gorge, if it hits.

Attack: [roll0] vs Touch AC
Crit Confirm: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2] x2 if Crit

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks horrified at the violence, and her song falters. Oddly enough, it feels colder, and looks darker in the hallway.

[Jacior]

Gorge snarls at the pain, having barely gotten to listen to the pretty song. YOU FOOD! NO HURT GORGE! The mouth on his head twists into a grimace. "ALL. ARE. FOOD. FOR. GORGE!" He says haltingly, with a voice that sounds like it had not been used in years. He lumbers down the hallway, sluggish and off balance, tentacles flailing around him. It seemed whatever the beast was, it was slow. Better just to not get near it. Gorge stops a fair way down the hall, his eyes twitching individually as they looked at the humanoids in the hallway.

All of a sudden, one stops on a single spot and the rest focus on that spot as well. YOU! EAT YOU! Two of the tentacles suddenly shoot out from the beast and attack the psychic that had blasted him and ruined chances of a peaceful resolution. The reach on the creature's tentacles is astounding.


Two Tentacle Attacks:
First:
[roll0]
Crit Confirm: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2] x2 if crit
Grapple if hit: [roll3]

Second:
[roll4]
Crit Confirm: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6] x2 if crit
Grapple if hit: [roll7]

[EdroGrimshell]

Gorge lashes out with his tentacles, far farther than he should have been able to reach with them, bypassing Dilaa entirely to slice the psychic into thirds.

"This beast is going to wreck the ship at this rate," the captain says as the psychic was cut to pieces, his halberd readied again, "Scab, pin him down!" he calls to the first mate, who points the tip of his tail towards Gorge and sprays a glob of dark green resin at Gorge.

Tanglefoot Bag
Attack: [roll0] Ranged Touch
If it hits, Gorge is entangled

Regardless whether it hits, the crew take to the offense, many firing simple slings, though a ball of water had flown at high speed within the mix as well, from one of the crew members that looked the most human (his ears ridged in bone being the only giveaway that he wasn't), though it was now seen he had a large crab-like claw in place of his left hand, which was dripping water from the attack a moment ago, and a red, frog-like humanoid that threw a bladed ring at Gorge.

Crew Attacks
Shifter: [roll1]
Warforged: [roll2]
Half-Orc: [roll3]
Neraphim: [roll4]
Claw Hand: [roll5] vs Touch AC

Crew Crit Confirm
Shifter: [roll6]
Warforged: [roll7]
Half-Orc: [roll8]
Neraphim: [roll9]
Claw Hand: [roll10] vs Touch AC

Crew Damage
Half-Orc: [roll11]
Neraphim: [roll12]
Claw Hand: [roll13]

Among the attackers that didn't use ranged attacks was Brock, who surged forward, blue wisps of incarnum streaming out of... no, into his muscles as he went. He appeared unarmed until he pulled back a fist and swung, only for a pair of gauntlets to form on his hands (formed from incarnum) went careening towards Gorge's tentacle, obviously in an attempt to disable it. Regus Nail follows up with a short sword that seems to be guided by some sort of precognitive ability.

Crew Attacks
Brock: [roll14]
Regus: [roll15] True Strike

"Don't kill it! He's more valuable alive than dead!" the noble shouts, lashing out with his chain.

Attack: [roll16] -4 for Nonlethal
Crit Confirm: [roll17]
Damage: [roll18]

And the captain surges forward, "you're lucky I signed a contract for this!" he shouts, his halberd held low to sweep upwards, it seemingly vibrating as it slashes, passing through any defenses that Gorge tries to put up, and honestly surprising Dilaa, that was Emerald Razor, used with a Halberd of all things, then again, who was she kidding, she'd used it with her full blade before.

Emerald Razor
Attack: [roll19] -4 Nonlethal, vs Touch AC
Crit Confirm: [roll20]
Damage: [roll21] x3 on Crit

[Regalus]

The scent of burnt flesh calls to his attention Dilaa's arrival, a worried glance is soon met by the warrior woman's imposing form carrying a cloth bound object that could only be a weapon; though more curiously was the small figure he could sense fluttering behind her and hidden from sight, the apparent source of the stench he'd picked up. A petal no doubt if his memory didn't fail him, a hunch soon confirmed when it revealed itself to lull the beast to sleep; yet his relief hadn't even begun to blossom before a frightened psychic made it all pointless.

It was amazing just how quickly everything could go straight to hell; Dima at least found it amusing as panicked anarchy erupted around them, given by the soft laughter that herald her waking. Having no time for the usual pleasantry the young man relaxed his guard, allowing the well of Dima's essence to flow through him inconspicuously from the back of the group; as Dima's influence begins to seep into the world around him the hallway grows ever colder with each passing moment as it creeps through out the vessel.

The young man flexing his own will upon the spreading cold, causing it to bear down upon Gorge as a blistering winter's frostbite; the cold trying to bite deeply into his flesh and spirit before uttering a short warning. "If anyone has a power or poison that can sedate it, now would be the time to use it!" he calls out, hoping for a short resolution to the conflict.


Swift Action:
*Emanate Aura of Apathy: Gorge takes a -3 penalty to all his Will saving throws.

Standard Action:
*Curse of the Fateless: Gorge must succeed a DC 19 Will save, or take a -4 luck penalty to all Attack, Damage, Ability, and Skill Rolls as well as to all saves for the duration of the ENcounter, and up to 6 minutes after the encounter has ended.

[Archmage1]

Shivering in the sudden, unexpected cold, Tulip looks for somewhere warm to go. Alas, before she can do anything, one of the new people asks if anyone can put the creature to sleep. Before anyone can respond, she chirps up, cheerfully.
"Ooh! I can do that!"

She starts singing a song, one that is quickly recognized as a lullaby. Gorge feels the urge to sleep rising, and rising within him as she sings.


Casting Deep Slumber(Which gets up to 10 HD) on Gorge. 10 foot burst, so it can get another 4 hd after getting Gorge, which may require some of the NPC's to roll saves as well.
DC 24 will vs Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]

[Jacior]

Gorge pulls at the goop that had been restraining him, in between roaring at the creatures that challenged him and lashing outwards with his tentacles. But the beast was still too weak from centuries of confinement. Gorge slowed down, almost stopping before starting to fold in on itself. Within moments, the horrid beast that had been rampaging was naught but a fairly small, black egg of chitin.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks at the horrifying monster from beyond all understanding turn into a black egg, and considers it for a moment.
"Aw... it's cute! But it's so mean! But Cute! The lullaby won't last for long, even though I always try to help things sleep for longer."
She seems a bit sad about this.

[Tiny]

Garmine

Garmine smiled at the man and turned to look the direction he pointed. He laughed, spat, and returned his attention to the gunmage. So he wanted to play that way did he? Two could play that game. He had plenty of time to get to know this town and there was no rush to the "finer" parts of it.

"Ey boinker! Like I give a toss bout em halfheads this moment. Show me ya gubbins and I show ya the pips. Perhaps we might bodge this bloody introduction." He raised an eyebrow and whistled.

"That's a bloody rummy piece ya gots there! Though it looks kind of clapped out." He nods to the gun behind the magelock and looks at it with his fey eyes. Trying to see the magic energies surrounding it if it had any.


Appraise:[roll0]

Using detect magic to see if the gun is just that.
(Note to self) Invest some ranks in appraise.
Diplomacy: Taking 10 for 51
aka : Take a chill pill mister merchant.

[EdroGrimshell]

Ship Group

Regus falls to the ground as well, asleep just as Gorge is.

The entire crew stands back in case Gorge is just playing possum, the captain turns to the Noble, "take care of it, before I throw you and it off the ship."

Short one because not really much to say



Garmine

"Tryin' a lil' hard there," the kid says, seemingly a bit more amicable after the display, "twitchin' between right proper speak and stree' slang like tha' makes ya look like a right git, by the by," he says simply, "ge' the inbetween an' you'll be a'right in town."

He raises a brow at the comment about his gun, "belonged to me gran, before she passed, a military bitch she was, can't say I folla'd the tradition, 'nnoying bit so clank if I've e'er seen one," he looks up, "it don't shoot, hasn't in o'er a decade," even with that, Garmine can tell that magic runs through it, and something in the chamber holds magic as well. It's only weak evocation and transmutation magic though, unlikely of any real worth beyond the metal its made from.

[Archmage1]

Tulip drifts about the corridor, looking intently at the standing crew, quite happy to be free. She looks to Dilaa as she excitedly reveals her plans.
"Let's go and look around! I want to see the sun again!"
She starts flying up stairs, and exploring, looking for a way to the top of the building she was in.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa, seeing the beast fall, hesitates before moving, giving a glance to remains of the man who had paid for his lack of nerves with his life with a shrug before looking briefly to the noble, open distaste in her gaze. But before it can come to more, the tiny woman who she had freed flies past her, more of her never-ending excitement pouring into her mouth to form words that enter the air without losing any of the emotion that made them. The desert warrior follows, curious as to what the reaction of her new - friend? Companion? - would be to discovering that she was not in a building but on a ship.

Of course, Dilaa wouldn't speak to reveal it. The matter wasn't important enough to goad her into speech. It helped that she would be conversing with someone who managed to work the odd block-language of the north into something more like the tongue of her birth, speaking without sounding strange. On the way to the deck, she stores her blade, thankful to have not needed it, and briefly pausing to force down the surge of disappointment that followed. Not having to kill the beast was a good thing, no matter how much it left her bloodlust unsated and bothersome.

[Regalus]

Nikita breathes a sigh of relief as the creature turns dormant, pointedly ignoring the slight wave of disappointment washing in from Dima's drowsy consciousness; he could practically imagine it's pouting face as it curled up once more. Nonetheless, the young man stayed close to the men as they worked; keeping Gorge within his range in case a fool woke it from it's slumber once more. However, he was not going to settle for standing idly by; not when the creature had slayed one of their number.

Waiting for his chance, Nikita soon approached the captain his own agitation barely restrained knowing that the last thing they needed was for an argument to wake the thing up again. "Excuse me, but what in Pelor's holy name is that thing?!" he began indignantly as he closed the distance with the captain, "Cat's out of the bag, and it might be best for all of us if we know what we're dealing with in case the damn thing wakes up and tries to eat one of us again. We might not be so lucky next time if we're still fighting blind," he adds, quite clearly remembering the ease in which the beast had had started to work through their numbers.

[EdroGrimshell]

Dilaa & Tulip
Tulip makes it most of the way to the deck, and in fact, makes it out into the open through a porthole that wasn't sealed. Dilaa emerges through the door below a few minutes later, sans wrapped sword, the deck was held by several of the crew members, with a kenku at the wheel and a pair of hadozee handling the sails. Funnily enough, a darfellan was hauling fish, including a shark, along towards the stairs as Dilaa comes out onto deck, "mind my asking what was down th're?" she asks, on her way passed, "a hungry beastie I'm sure, but not to keen on the kind," Dilaa could guess the fish was to keep the creature calm long enough for it to be contained when it woke up again.


Nikita
The noble bristles at Nikita's comment, then flinches under the captain's gaze, which was far more piercing than it likely should have been, the noble sighs, "it's an ancient entity that wreaked havoc well over a millennia ago, on par with a dragon's rampage, few people actually know the story today, but it's been in my family since it was sealed away by my ancestor. I'm bringing the beast to a woman that would pay a high price to study it, and when she does she'll find a way to kill it for good, I am sure. As it stands, the last time it was killed it came back, I don't want that happening again," the noble explains, "if it weren't for all the time that's passed I wouldn't even have tried this, but with how weak it has grown from being sealed, I had thought it'd be easier to manage. Though waiting all this time didn't come without detriment, my treasury has grown thin, I wasn't able to hire a force adequate to properly contain him, it would seem, he's eaten the mage and killed the psychic I hired, it'll be even harder to keep him contained now."


Gorge
This sleep was different, Gorge was semiconscious of what was happening around him, people were walking, and talking, and the smell of the psychic that had struck him grew faint, likely brought to another part of the ship. And through it all, Gorge could sense the noble nearby.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa shrugs at the question. "North beast," is all she says, her tone clearly indicating that she doesn't know any more. She doubts that the ravenous thing belowdecks is normal even around here, but she had nothing else to describe it with, apart from its color. Of course, 'mouth beast' sounded even more strange than most of the terminology this language had for things. Still, she'd given the darfellan an answer and that would have to suffice for now. If she wanted to know more, she'd go belowdecks herself - expecting more from Dilaa would be very unusual for someone who didn't seem too intent on making her speak. Making sure the door stays open for the woman, Dilaa takes the opportunity to stare briefly at the strange beast the woman carries with her. It reminded her ever so slightly of the crocodiles of her home, with the great maw and teeth, but everything else was different. What sort of thing was this? Perhaps a blend of the great toothed beings of the wastes and the fish of the seas, made millennia ago to fill the waters as the crocodiles the rivers?

After the darfellan disappears into the ship, Dilaa lets the door close behind her and shakes her head to clear her mind of the thoughts of great sea beasts, instead looking for the odd tiny woman she had freed. As soon as the desert warrior spots her, she moves towards her, curious as to how she will act in the open. The strange spirit of the north did seem to have a great energy within her, and Dilaa found herself enjoying it. It was rare for her to find someone whose spirit seemed to be constantly surging upwards like hers was - especially after being trapped and tormented by a burning cage.

[Archmage1]

Flying through the spacious hallways, Tulip looks quite happy. Anyone would, after being freed from such a cage. Once she gets a glimpse of the sky, she smiles, and looks incredibly happy as she zooms out, and looks around, taking in the open ocean, the three masts of the massive galleon, the wing rippling through the taut sails, the pair of bat-apes in the sails, and a bird-man at the wheel. She looks almost stunned, hovering there, smiling cheerfully. At least, for a few moments, until she realizes what she was missing.
She couldn't sense her garden. It was her, in a way, and she always knew where it was, and now... nothing. Just a void where her sense was.
For anyone who was looking at her, one moment, there was a happy, cheerful petal, looking around at all of the bright and wonderful new things, and then, a moment later, there was a petal who looked like she had lost everything, dropping to the deck.
On the deck, she just stands there, looking forlorn, tears in her eyes, as she whispers her pain-filled words.
"My... my garden..."


I figured that it would be decently thematic for Tulip to know where her garden was, if they were on the same continent. If that's an issue, I can delete the post, but I figured that it was reasonable.
If you're worried that she's going to be sad for long, she won't be. But right now, she is. Even sadder than when she was in the cage(Where she was so miserable that she didn't actually realize it was missing. She hadn't had the thoughts

[Regalus]

Nikita allowed his gaze to drift over to Gorge's sleeping form and then to the ruined wreckage that was it's holding area down the hall as he quietly took it all in; all too keenly aware of Dima's growing interest...and the growing urge to bury the creature under thirty feet of ice. "So, what you're saying is... that it busted through it's cage, and took out the only two people you know of who were fully prepared on how to keep it dormant. Meaning it's going to be on our asses in a few minutes once the sleeping spell wears of," he summed up, half hoping he was missing some detail that denied his vision of having to fight the creature back down within 6 minutes or less from now..

[EdroGrimshell]

Dilaa
"Righ' then," the darfellan says before heading down with her haul, "s'long as it don't try ta eat me I don' think we'll have a probl'm," with that, she vanishes from sight as she heads down.


Tulip
Tulip finds that she's nowhere near a single ley line, not a one, it was unlikely she'd be able to feel out her garden until she could find a ley line that linked back to the continent that held her garden, then she'd be able to track it throughout the other continent, as long as she was near a ley line.


Nikita
"We have another mage, he is still preparing his other spells, but he has scrolls for this type of emergency, with the spell we've used to subdue him thus far, and I can use the scrolls, but they require him to already be asleep or unconscious to work," a caw catches Nikita's attention as a raven flies down, carrying a scroll, "speaking of, my thanks, Toke, let your master know of the incident when his attention can be spared," the noble says, then sighs, "this will last an hour, as long as it takes a hold, that should give us time to build up something for him to eat other than us when he wakes up at least. And without two mages it is when."

Nearby, the captain puts away a stone he'd been seemingly conversing with, "good you should say that, one o' the crew fishers has started already, she's got a shark and some larger fish, we'll have to move what room it's in though, the door won' be fixed 'til we make port. You'll want to make th' spell last as long as possible, wait a time before usin' tha', don' let it sit too long though."

[PersonMan]

Dilaa, having almost reached the tiny flying woman as she suddenly falls, closes the last distance at a run, worried about her sudden change. Approaching the formerly so cheery fey, she lowers herself to a crouch again, concern on her face as she looks at the suddenly distraught woman.

"Hurt?" Is all she asks, leaving it open to the petal to interpret whether she meant physical or mental pain. Based on what Dilaa had seen before, she suspected the latter, but there were several possibilities. Beneath her immediate concern, and the worry about her new friend/companion, she can feel her still-disappointed bloodlust shifting, looking for a new target. Hoping to find something she would feel justified in killing.

[Archmage1]

Tulip, lost in her fear, doesn't notice Dilaa's approach until she speaks, jumping when the giant's sudden appearance startles her.
She tries to offer an explanation to the woman, her tale full of tears, and sadness.
"It's my garden! I... I can't feel it, and I can always feel it! What if something happened to it! I... I don't know..."
She bursts into more tears at the end of her tale. Apparently, her garden is really important to her.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa understands immediately why the fey is worried. Her own experiences with gardens had shown that, in almost every case, their owners placed massive value on their safety. After all, bringing in dozens of exotic plants into a city in the middle of a massive desert, and then watering everything, keeping it free of pests and thieves...it was a truly massive undertaking. So, as the tiny woman bursts into tears, the desert warrior at least knows why her garden is so important. Of course, the fact that she found it utterly insane didn't really matter in this case. The one who she had just considered the container of constant joy and energy was now consumed by sadness. Even if it was silly in her mind, Dilaa knew that the northerners would always be somewhat odd to her. So for now all she could do was try and help the distraught being feel better.

"Garden safe," Dilaa says after a few moments, offering the tiny woman a smile.

[Archmage1]

Pausing in her crying for a moment, the tiny petal, looking so small and vulnerable, looks up at Dilaa, hope in her eyes.
"It's safe?"
Her voice is barely a whisper, and finally, her mind gets involved, and she starts speaking more loudly, her voice gaining in volume and exuberance as she continues.
"Of course it's safe! Sivath wouldn't let anything happen to it, and I would know if it were hurt! It has to be ok, I just can't feel it here. Maybe I'm too far away! But my garden'll be ok! Thank you! I'm much better now, and it's a nice day! I've never been on a boat before! There's so many things to look at! I wonder what it's like up at the top!"
She smiles broadly, and starts flying towards the crow's nest at the top of the tallest mast, pausing about half way up to call down to Dilaa.
"Are you coming too?"
Her voice sounds hopeful.

[Tiny]

Garmine

As the piece was clearly of little monetary or occult value, Garmine almost lost intresst. But then he figured that perhaps he could use it as an excuse to gain a bit more information out of the boy. The boy not being a gun mage made things much less likely to end in hostilities and thus Garmine felt more at ease. He had felt the sting of one of those guns before and it was nothing he cared to experience regularly.
"Mind myself takin' a look?"

Using magic insight on it just in case. Perhaps it can be used as a bargaining chip.

"Sad tha' hear she passed by the by... Wha' army was ya gran stationed in by tha' way?"

Casually studying the trinkets before him while weighing his options. Should he try to make this boy an informant? the thought crossed his mind but he soon decided against it. No.. Not yet anyway. He had to know more about the neighborhood and what possibilities that the city of glass would offer before committing resources to anything. Either he would find something interesting to do until the ship arrived. Perhaps I will have to fiddle again. He chuckled on the inside.

How but' showin' a bloke round town?" He gave the boy a broad smile "Got some pips with ya name on em for tha' trouble."

[Archmage1]

After waiting almost a whole two seconds, Tulip looks sad, but then she smiles.
"Ok, I'll tell you about it later!"
Then she darts up to the top of the highest mast, settling down there, and looking around.

[PersonMan]

"Don't climb," Dilaa replies, shaking her head. The tiny woman's rapid switch from sadness to her apparently normal state of overflowing with joy and excitement is somewhat confusing for her, but the desert warrior doesn't think about it. She had apparently done what was needed to make the strange northern spirit feel better; that would need to be enough for her for the time being.

Stepping back, she watches the tiny woman ascend, flying up the mast like one of the nobles' flowers, blown up by the desert wind. But the only sort of desert they're close to now is one of water. Giant waves of it, flowing slowly around them at all times, reminded her of the sands of her home. But Dilaa was far from home. Far from anything she may have ever known as familiar.

[EdroGrimshell]

Dilaa
"Oi, lady, we're moving the beast into another room, you want to help?" someone calls from the door, it was a kenku, she didn't recognize him at all.


Tulip
The hadozee in the crow's nest is asleep with heavy bags under his eyes. Otherwise she can see for a great distance, the ocean is quite beautiful, not as beautiful as her garden, but still beautiful nonetheless.


Garmine
The kid shrugs, "don' see why not," he says and grabs the pistol and brings it over, "jus' don' walk off wit' it," he warns.

Asking about the army his gran served in gets a simple reply, "Cyngaran, no' much else she coulda been."

"I'm free on the morrow, won' be much 'elp 'til then," he replies to being asked to show Garmine around.

Evocation magic is actually an arcane turbine in the handle, and the transmutation is to convert the energy from the turbine into bullets.

Roll Knowledge (Arcana) for what you know about Arcane Turbines

[Archmage1]

Tulip surveys the ocean for a moment, but before she can really get into it, she notices the hadozee sleeping in the box thing below her. And, since beauty is always appreciated better with friends, she flies down, and lands just below his head.
"Hi!"
She's about three inches away from his face as she speaks cheerfully, hoping that he would notice her.

[EdroGrimshell]

Tulip
The hadozee wakes blearily then yelps as he actually backs up off of the crows nest, luckily catching a rope before he reaches the ground, "ugh, I need to find a new place to sleep," he mumbles out before going inside to try and sleep.

[Archmage1]

Sent tumbling by the hadozee's sudden movement, Tulip manages to catch herself before hitting the bottom of the gigantic bucket on a stick.
"Hey! That was rude! I was just saying hello, you didn't need to throw me!"
Alas, the hadozee seems to be long gone. Since her potential companion had left, she returns to her perch on the tip of the mast, looking around eagerly, her eyes going wide when she spots the marine wildlife beneath the waves. She doesn't seem to notice the back and fourth motion of the mast's movements as the ship moves through the water, leaving a wake.
She looks around for someone to share her findings with, but, alas, there was no one. She keeps her wings spread, to better enjoy the warmth of the sun, and the open air.

[Regalus]

Nikita takes a deep breath as the identity of what they were facing became known to him, it was no wonder that Dima was so on edge if this was the case. "Alright then, is there anything I can do to help? I'm a capable fighter, and I think I can keep " he inquired as he eyed the dormant beast with concern. How long did they have until it stirred again? Four maybe five minutes? Too small a window if something went awry now..

[PersonMan]

Dilaa, reassuring herself with a brief glance that nothing had befallen the recently-freed tiny winged woman, nods in response to the crow-man and follows him back down into the ship. Something about the strange beast that had so briefly gained freedom intrigued her, but she was simultaneously wary of it. It wasn't the beast's killing power, or the strange ability to project some sort of empathy it had, that made her uneasy. It was her own response to it and the threat to the peace she had been able to find that it represented. A monster was easy to deal with, but such a beast would bring other threats with it, ones less easily taken care of.

[Tiny]

Garmine

An arcane turbine.. Curious. "No worries. I ain't no slink" Garmine continued to examine the gun, and as he did he grew less and less sure that it would be worth his time even crawling away with it. "I am looking forward to tha' in tha' morrow then." He smiled as he handed back the heirloom. "Wha' is your name by the by? In case I need tha' look fer ya?"

He almost asked the boy for directions to an inn. But at the last moments he stopped himself. The day was young and the town had a lot more to offer before nightfall.

K.Arcane 14 in OOC thread.

[EdroGrimshell]

Dilaa
Dilaa is led back down to the lower levels, and finds that a pair of the other crew members has taken up positions on either egg-like form of the beast, the kenku takes up a position, leaving a spot open for Dilaa on the opposite side.


Tulip
A seagull lands on the rim of the crows nest and looks at Tulip curiously.


Nikita
"If you want to wait outside the room were transferring the beast to you can keep watch on it."


Garmine
"Mos' call me Remus," was the simple reply as some customers come up.

Check Failed

[Archmage1]

Seeing the seagull land, Tulip smiles happily. There was someone she could share with!
"Hi! Do you live here? It seems sad to me, with no flowers, or trees, or bees, but there are lots of things under the water! What do you do for fun? You do have fun, right? Everyone should have fun!"
She waves cheerfully at the seagull, speaking in a language that it understands.

[Tiny]

Garmine

Seeing the customers swarm the area. He takes the opportunity to take his leave. "I'll see ya on tha' Morrow then Remus" Garmine shots the boy a smile and leaves to explore the town further. Perhaps I shall read up on those arcane turbines when I have time... Using the speech pattern he learned from Remus when deemed appropriate. The dark fey begins sifting through the gossip in town. He frequents the pubs and public places to get a better idea of who does what and of interesting things and people in the city of glass. The buzzing of the common folk, smiths and fishermen alike make him smile even broader. There are potential in this town.

Gather information: [roll0]
Sense motive to use gutterspeak when appropriate. [roll1]

[PersonMan]

Dilaa approaches the odd egglike form of the beast with caution. She's still somewhat skeptical of whatever is holding the strange northern abomination in hibernation, but after a few moments of being unsure of how to deal with the issue of its potential reanimation she simply decides to do what she can to help those who have used their witchcraft to calm it. So the desert warrior joins the others, taking her spot and preparing to lift the dormant beast.

[Regalus]

"Very well," Nikita says curtly to the captain as he waits to take his position despite Dima's anxieties. Come what may, Nikita had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

[Archmage1]

As the egg creature is transported deeper into the ship, to a room that is being rapidly cleared of stores, the noble returns with a wizard, who incants from a scroll, before leaving. As the incantation finishes, the egg creature, who was stirring, settles down once more, soundly asleep again. The darfellan has already deposited her haul in the room, and has departed, presumably to collect more.

Tulip talks with the sea-gull, who seems to be quite confused about quite a lot of things. Like why this creature is talking at him, and why she wants to know all about things. She doesn't even have any food! After a few minutes of this, he flies off, and she looks at him mournfully, before heading back down to the deck of the ship, landing on the wheel, near the navigator.
"Hi! This thing looks odd! Does it do anything fun?"

[Hazuki]

Tulip

A hefty longcoat adorns the navigator's hefty plated shoulders, his leather-bound hands creaking as the curious petal takes a perch atop the steering wheel. Though his face is crested by a metal neckguard, the little fairy can peer up at its tarnished silver skull and meet the lone golden eye that continues to peek out of its socket, shifting over the seas ahead and then back to her. It gives the fairy a solemn shake of its head, scarred and dented all over, before returning to its duty.

"I don' think yer gonna find much luck with 'im, li'l one." A soft voice came from behind the fairy, a lanky figure with her face shrouded by a narrow hat, as she wiped her fingers clean with a wet rag. "Don't speak, and a shame it is, 'cause if ye've seen what's 'neath that coat...well, dunno if 'e'd like me t' share." The blue-skinned woman gives a respectful nod to the navigator, and gets one in return, as she wanders over to the still-unconsious form of the bounty hunter. "Get up, ya soppin' git!" She brings her boot back and delivers a firm kick to the side of Regus' skull, the bounty hunter swiftly stirring back to consciousness. "Yer enough o' an ass without obstructin' the deck."

As the armored man gets back to his feet aboard the steadily-rocking ship, he opens his mouth to speak, but the woman tips her hat back and shoots a glare at the man that makes him grumble and retreat to the lower deck. "Tosser." She spits, then looks back to the fairy. "Bandaid's the name, as ye can guess, I'm the healer. Or just carry a red knight rag around wi' me." She chuckles, waving the blood-stained rag around the tip of her finger. "What's a girl like you doin' in a place like this?"

On the other side of the ship, Tulip spots the Captain's eyes flicker to Bandaid as she yells at the bounty hunter. A scowl seems to cover his brow for a moment, but he gives a light shake of his head and resumes his log-writing without comment.

Dilaa
The wizard, before departing the room with their patron, stands in the doorway and spins on their elegantly-crafted heel to gaze over the crewmembers remaining in the room. "Though my pseudo-predecessor apparently lacked the mental faculties necessary to prevent the egg's escape, and my illustrious patron neglected to implement anything other than mundane bondage for the creature, it would be greatly appreciated if whoever remains in this effluvious compartment would keep both eyes on the hibernating orb of primeval ordure. You were born with them for a reason besides gazing at your own navels." With a slender finger, they tuck a stray lock of crimson hair behind a pointed ear.

"Now," The androgynous figure's tone loses some of its bite, and their eyes become somewhat softer. "Good day to you all, and good luck." With that, they turn and leave, with the Kenku's beady black eyes twitching slightly.

"Yer free t' go now." The feathered crewman tells the desert warrior and the other two crewmembers. With that, he ushers them out of the room, though makes sure to keep a slight distance away from the sleeping creature, Dilaa, and the growing pile of fish corpses in the center of the room.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks sad as the navigator shakes his head, and sadder still as she takes in his battered visage.
"But... if it's not fun, why do you use it? Did someone make you? You look really hurt! Maybe I can help? Somehow?"

When the woman speaks up from behind her, Tulip looks surprised, and quickly turns to face her.
"But he looks really sad! Maybe if he could tell his story, he wouldn't be so sad! Maybe there's a way to let him speak? I'm sure that would help! And then he could be happy!"
Seeing the woman kick the knocked down man, Tulip looks disappointed(And is still failing to recognize him).
"But... if he was really sleepy, wouldn't it be better to let him sleep? Everyone always looks so happy when they sleep! But you're a healer! I wish I could heal people, but I can't. I've tried, but it hurts too much!"
She looks sad as she expresses this.
"Oh! I was exploring, and trying to get to know people, when the mean man put me in a burning cage, and brought me here! It was terrible! But then Dilaa let me out, and now I'm on a boat, and there's lots of new people to talk to! Isn't it wonderful? What do you do for fun here? And do you have any flowers? It's so sad, not having any, but I haven't seen one on this boat!"

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"If there is, I don' know it." Bandaid replies for the silent warforged, walking a few more steps closer to the wheel as she tucks the rag away in one of her many pockets. "But I think what 'e wants is to get to Immoren, same as the rest of us; best thing you can do is try to 'elp 'im out when we get there, eh?" She asks with an optimistic little smile on her lips.

"And not everyone deserves t'be happy, darlin'. Well, I don' think they do." She shrugs her shoulders, leaning against the edge of the boat as she watches the ecstatic little woman. Though she seems oblivious to her sadness for a few moments, her pale silver eyes soften slightly as the Petal admits she can't heal. "Well...y'can always try normal healin'. Wit' bandages and booze and things like tha'."

"It's an okay boat. Captain's a sod, ain't too fond of the guests, but it runs well enough. Happy yer happy, though." She smirks again, her face going through all the emotions as she tries to keep up with the flailing emotions of the fairy. "And no flowers. Hard to keep 'em healthy, but lemme show you somethin'." She leans a little closer to Tulip, as the latter balances on the wheel of the ship, and extends one of her freshly-cleaned hands.

Her wrist shimmers for a moment before it suddenly seems to start sprouting bright red petals, weaving across her palm and her fingertips, until they're all covered. Then, she clenches her fist, and her hand seems like it's become a very large head of a rose.

[Archmage1]

"Aw... but he seems so sad..."
Tulip seems quite disappointed by her answer, but she perks up as she explains how Tulip can help.
"Immoren? Who is she? Is she nice? Will she help everyone? Maybe she can help me find my garden!"
Tulip looks at Bandaid when she says that not everyone deserved to be happy, disappointment clear in her gaze.
"But if everyone was happy, everyone would be nice, and then everyone would have much more fun! It'd be wonderful!"
When Bandaid suggests that Tulip could try normal healing, her eyes light up.
"Could I? I've never been able to figure out how it works! Maybe you could help me learn? Then we could help people hurt less, so they'll be nicer!"
As Bandaid explains that there were no flowers, Tulip looks shocked, almost stunned, and her voice is almost a whisper.
"No... no flowers?"
Before she can continue, Bandaid's magic takes effect, and Tulip sees the flower, and she smiles, delighted.
"Yay! She's a lovely rose! And you do have flowers! But here, keep this one! She wants to go with you."
Reaching into a bag she carries, Tulip pulls out a sole, pinkish red tulip, and presents it to Bandaid, smiling happily.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa nods to the wizard, staying on edge as the slumbering monstrosity is moved. Once it's reached its destination and the small team is disbanded, she gives the kenku a nod as well, turning to look at the strange dormant creature one last time before leaving the room. With her task complete, the desert warrior is left to consider what to do next - the sudden surge of unusual events had caught her completely off guard and it felt strange to just return to what she had been doing before. For a moment she considers looking to see what Tulip is doing on the deck, but remembers the spirit-woman's flight and comes to the conclusion that she would probably be somewhere that Dilaa couldn't reach. Without a specific idea of what to do, she returns to her room, mulling over the changes that had been caused by the creature's awakening and the aftermath.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

Bandaid looks out over the sea after happily accepting the pink tulip in her free hand, tucking the tulip behind one of her ears. "Thanks. We migh' be able t'find yer garden when we get t'Immoren - which is where we're headed, not a lady, tho' I'm not sure I'd like t'meet here if she were one." She lets out a short and bitter chuckle. "And I can teach ya some of my tricks when we get there too, if y'like. Y'gotta promise to use yer healin' only for good, tho'!" She added, winking back at the fairy.

Dilaa

The floor of the desert warrior rocks slowly beneath her feet, as she ponders the recent events and gazes idly at the thin wooden wall that makes up her quarters. She's left alone with her thoughts for a short while before she hears a light rapping on the door, followed swiftly by a pleasant greeting. "G'day, Dilaa. Well...not really good, per say, but y'know what I mean, don'tcha? And now me mates are lookin' at me like I'm mad for talkin' to a door, so open up, will ya?" Her voice, ever-tinted by a kind of gentle enthusiasm, comes muffled through the door.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa sits next to her unwrapped blade, hand slowly going over the shining surface of the instrument of death as her thoughts wander. Her past, her future, the present; all three mix and as memory after memory is briefly visited. Inevitably, her thoughts turn to more abstract issues, mind drifting away from simple recall to the consideration of justice - whether or not her past actions were all justified, what punishment was truly just, and similar. The thought of justice eventually reminds her that Tulip had mentioned being locked away by someone, and the obvious reality comes to her. Someone was responsible for what had been done to her, someone had caged her and placed her alone in a locked room. Someone on the ship, possibly the same man who had brought the strange beast on board.

Before she gets any further, Dilaa is interrupted by knocks on the door. Starting, she quickly closes the cloth around her weapon, tying it up and hiding the polished steel. Pulling her blanket over it, she stands as she recognizes the voice coming from the other side of the door. Victoria, her former roommate. The thought of a conversation with the shifter brings Dilaa some peace; the simple, mundane pleasure of such an exchange would do well to ease her mind after what had happened before, and would serve to aid her in preparing for what needed to happen in the future. Stepping up to the door, the desert woman opens it with a slight smile, nodding in greeting to the woman on the other side and opening the door completely to offer her entry.

[Hazuki]

Dilaa

The old door lets out a long squeak as it's slowly pulled open, Dilaa peeking through the hole revealing the woman standing on the other side. "That's my girl!" She greets the lightly-armored warrior with a wide grin, stretching up to her gaunt cheekbones and slightly stretching the pale scar that mars her dusky skin; a thin line, stretching from her septum, downwards over her full lips, then down to her chin. When the door is pulled open, she enters by slipping in sideways, thus preventing the powerful longbow from smacking into the doorframes, its string wrapped around her lightly-armored torso for easy access. She waits for Dilaa to close the door before reaching out, wrapping an arm around the warrior's shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze, before her calloused fingers fall back to the quiver strapped to her thigh.

"Those were some crazy shenanigans goin' on earlier, weren't they?" She asks, falling backwards so she lands on the bunk with a fairly loud thump and bounces slightly, her red braids whipping with the motion. "Some kinda ship-wide munchies, a battle on the deck, and you doin' something crazy like jumping in defense of a fellow you don't even know!" She looks up at Dilaa with some spark of admiration in her piercing yellow eyes. "Gotta say, not many would do that. Shame that he ended up the way he did, but you still tried, and that's really somethin'." She pauses for a moment. "But enough of me yappin' about that; you holdin' up okay?"

[PersonMan]

Dilaa accepts the red-headed shifter's touch with a pleased smile, sitting down next to the other woman. The proximity was pleasant, even though it reminded her of a time she was glad was long over. Something about Victoria made her enjoy sitting with her, speaking to her - it felt soothing when she was there. After everything that had happened, the woman's calming influence was exactly what she needed.

"Indeed," Dilaa says as Victoria mentions the chaotic events that had transpired recently. As the shifter continues, the desert warrior stays silent, attentively listening to everything said. "Alright. Not sure what to do now," she explains in response to her former roommate's question, gaze shifting down to her hands, folded together on her legs. "Good to do this," Dilaa adds quietly, not turning back to Victoria.

[Hazuki]

Dilaa

The redhead's smile somehow manages to grow a little wider as Dilaa tells her that she's fine, as she shifts back further on the bunk so that her slim, powerful legs hang off of the edge so the toes of her boots just barely brush against the ground. "Always glad to hear my girl's doing fine. So far, at least...but I don't reckon I'll get bored of your company soon, 'specially not if yer willin' to jump in front of a gobble-monster for me." She chuckles lightly, her keen eyes examining the opposite, scarcely touched, bunk that belongs to the unnamed black-eyed girl.

It's only when the desert-born warrior turns slightly away from her that Victoria leans forward, stretching her neck to peer around Dilaa's slightly slumped position and glancing down at her folded fingers. "Good to do what, Dilaa? Unless you meant that to just be for you...sorry for listenin' in, if that's the deal." She says, trying to catch the woman's eyes with a sympathetic gaze, and still smiling.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa offers a nod as Victoria mentions defending her from a, to use her words, 'gobble-monster'. It was an odd term for the beast, and just one example of the unusual ways in which the language of the north seemed to be used in a different way by many of its speakers. As the shifter moves, the desert warrior's eyes briefly flicker to the bed behind her, and the hidden steel resting not far from her body. The brief worry of her bumping into it subsides, and Dilaa's gaze turns away from the package hidden by her blanket to avoid drawing Victoria's attention to it. Of course, the other woman would understand - she'd made clear that she wasn't the type to try and discover her roommate's secret during their time spent sharing a room, but Dilaa still wanted to avoid the awkward exchange that it would make inevitable.

"Talk. Feels good," Dilaa explains as Victoria asks her question, turning back to the shifter with a soft smile of her own.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks momentarily abashed.
"Oh! Immoren's a place, not a person. It would have been nice to meet her too... I... I don't know what I'll do if I can't find my garden! It's, well, home! And it's really nice, and has lots of flowers, and trees, and Sivath!"
When Bandaid offers to teach her some healing, Tulip smiles happily.
"Really? That'd be wonderful! Of course I'd only use healing for good! That's all it can be used for! Maybe I could teach you how to grow flowers? Or maybe make garlands? Learning things is always fun!"

[Hazuki]

Dilaa

"Well, I'm glad you think so, darlin'." Victoria's smiled manages to stretch a little bit wider as the desert warrior looks at her. "Because Victoria ain't going to run out of words any time soon! Say, we never did speak about what you're headed to Immoren for, did we? Feel free to tell me to keep this rampagin' gob shut, but it seems like somethin' awful interesting if you'd hook up with a ship like this to do it!" She chuckles lightly. "Though having a room to yourself is somethin' of a boon, isn't it? Means you don't have to squeeze all your belongings into one spot! Well...you wouldn't, but I would! It's a nightmare!"

Tulip

With a flick of her wrist, Bandaid's hand turns back into the pristine blue skin it had been just a moment before. "Yer garden sounds lovely, but I ain't seen much of 'em out on the seas. And I've sure never heard of what a Sivath is; or is that some friend o' yours?" She tilts her head at the excitable little woman. "But if y'think y'could teach me 'ow to grow a garden on a ship, feel free t'do it! The sea ain't very entertainin' after the first thousand times y'stare at it. Where'd y'learn to grow, anyhow?"

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks sad as the rose vanishes.
"Sivath's a really big lizard, and he said he would watch my garden for me while I was gone! He's really nice, but he does like tricks, but those are usually lots of fun! And I can teach you how to grow a garden on a ship! You just need some nice earth, clean water, and some flowers! Once you have those, it's really, really easy! You just need to keep the flowers happy, and then they'll be nice!"
When Bandaid asks her where she learned how to garden, Tulip looks confused.
"I just know! I've always known, ever since I woke up under the Great Tree, and started my garden! Don't you?"
She looks inquisitively at Bandaid, sure that Bandaid would have known.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

Bandaid stares at Tulip for a few moments, eyes flickering over both her briefly sad expression, then her enthusiastic declarations about flowers. She removes the hat from her head, revealing some short silvery hair, then tucks it into the waist of her pants as part of her hair morphs into the form of many interwoven flowers. "I was spat from my mother's nethers, actually." The healer informs her. "They didn't talk as much as yer flowers seem to. You tryin' to say that flowers 'ave some kinda personality?"

[Archmage1]

Tulip flies over, and lands on Bandaid's shoulder, to get a better look at the hair flowers, smiling cheerfully.
"It's so pretty!"
When Bandaid speaks again, Tulip starts, and then remembers what she was talking about, and looks sad, and she speaks softly, so softly that Bandaid might not have been able to hear her if she wasn't on Bandaid's shoulder.
"I never knew my mother. I just had the Great Tree, but he's really nice, even if he is starting to get a bit odd! It must have been nice, knowing you had a mother."
Still, there was nothing like talking about flowers to cheer up a petal, and Tulip is no exception, and her face lights up with happiness as she talks about the emotions of flowers.
"Of course! They can be happy, or sad, or angry, or lots of other things! The nicest flowers are happy, but after a few days of no sun, they get sad, and they get sad if they don't have enough water, and some of them get angry if you don't pay enough attention to them! Well, they all like attention, but some of them get mean! Especially roses, but others can too!"

[Hazuki]

Tulip

Bandaid startles slightly as Tulip flits over and lands on her shoulder, relaxing as soon as it's clear the fairy is just there to admire her hair flowers. Though she doesn't seem to know where to keep her eyes. "It's alright, I guess. Don't spend a lot o' time with her o' late, but there y'go. Just how things work out." She sighs slightly, then smirks as the Petal informs her about all the emotions of flowers. "Interestin'. And the trees are alive too, if I'm readin' ya right. What about bushes, or foliage, or coral? Do flowers with multiple flower-bits have multiple personalities, or is it all in the stem? Must be a pain in the ass, if y'have one mind wit' lots o' mouths."

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks sad as Bandaid explains her separation from her mother.
"Aw... that must be terrible for you! To be so far away from her for so long! If I had a mother, I don't know if I could do that!"
As always, conversations about flowers cheer her up immensly.
"Trees are alive, and they can talk, but they are really slow about it, so it's really hard to talk to them! Bushes are a bit faster, but it still takes forever to talk to them! Coral... I've seen that! There was a boy in the city who had some! But it didn't talk. The sailors complained about it, so maybe it floats on the ocean? Have you seen any? I've never seen any living coral, but I wasn't really looking!"
She twirls around, looking out at the ocean, before turning back to Bandaid.
"But I don't see any floating here! Maybe we'll get lucky, and see some later?"
She seems hopeful, but she soon dives into explaining flower personalities, something that requires lots of gesturing.
"Silly, of course each flower has it's own personality, but they always get along with each other! Different flowers might argue, but they're always friendly! Well... except for some of the mean ones. They just want to take all the sunlight, and the water, and everything else, and they refuse to share, even with each other! But most flowers are nice!"

[PersonMan]

"New life," Dilaa explains simply. "Find purpose," she adds after a moment's though. As Victoria mentions the benefits of having more space, she looks across the room. As the other woman had already noted, there wasn't much difference for her - Dilaa carried next to nothing with her, traveling light and not needing much space for herself or what little she carried. "Not alone," she clarifies to the shifter, not sure if she did not know of the desert woman's roommate or was referring instead to her absence.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"Eh, it's fine. She probably wouldn't wanna 'ear the things I've been t'anyway." Bandaid shrugs one of her shoulders, taking care not to disturb Tulip's footing. "What d'you do when a flower don't wanna share? What do the flowers think when bees and other nasty things want in on their pollen? Seems like it'd be something they'd object to...personal space an' all that. ...and what d'you eat? Don't wood annoy you, 'cause it's made out of corpses of friends y'had? Or vegetables? One'd think iron'd be the best for ya, since it ain't alive t'begin with. Less morbid."

Dilaa

"Yeah, you've got blackeyes with you, supposedly...she doesn't spend much time here, that I've seen...stumbled across her a few times on the deck, but whatever keeps her comfortable, y'know? I'm not one to judge where you sleep. Well, some places are better than others, but that's enough about my quarters." She giggles to herself. "Any idea where you're gonna head first, darlin'? Farming, dancing, adventuring, scholar...ing? Wouldn't be surprised to find you lining up to be one of the heroes, with the shining plates and all. You'd look good in it, maybe get some red trim. It'd go great with your skin."

[Archmage1]

Tulip's eyes go wide in surprise as Bandaid dismisses the wonder that stories can convey.
"I'm sure she'd love to hear the tales of where you've been! I know I would!"
As Bandaid expresses her belief that bees and other nasty things would offend flowers, Tulip shakes her head empathically.
"No, no, flowers love bees! They share their pollen around, and that's what the flowers want! They don't like grubs and things much, but they love bees, and hummingbirds! But bees can be mean, and not share their honey, but sometimes they do, and it's really yummy! I like honey, and bread, and milk, and nuts and fruit! They're yummy, and the plants don't mind!"
When Bandaid expresses her opinion on iron, Tulip shudders.
"Iron's the mean metal! It burns me, and it doesn't help anything grow!"

[PersonMan]

"Your quarters?" Dilaa asks, raising an eyebrow to help communicate her confusion to Victoria. Unsure of precisely what the red-headed shifter had meant, she's decided to try and get further explanation from the woman. After all, little harm could come from a simple question and it could teach her more about the blocky speech that was Common. As the conversation turns to her future, Dilaa shrugs her shoulders. "Anything new," she says, smiling as Victoria mentions shining plates and red trim. "Thank you," the desert warrior adds after a moment, the mention the trim and her skin suiting each other reminding her of what she'd learned of such exchanges.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"Nahh." Bandaid chuckles at Tulip's innocence. "I really don't think most people wanna know the kind o' stuff I do. Gettin' elbow-deep in blood and guts t'pull out shards o' bone from the next ship over ain't pleasant in any sense o' the word." She listens patiently to the explanation of the Petal's ecosystem, though her brow furrows slightly in confusion. "But bread is what 'appens when ye cut up plants. So when yer eatin' bread, yer eatin' yer friends...or d'they not mind that kinda stuff? I hear a lot 'bout tribals doin' cannibalism jus' fine, so migh' not be too odd."

Dilaa

"My quarters, darlin'. Lots of fun stuff can happen in them, but a classy sailing gal like me don't share just because you ask!" Victoria giggles, her grin a little wider. "But it's nice that you're looking for a new thing to do in life. Just make sure you pick wisely, alright? You seem like a smart enough gal to know what's right for you, but don't let any fast-talkers get to you, hear me?" She gives the desert warrior a brief pat on her shoulders. "Before you know it, you'll be hauling buckets of Burrow Blue into a deck...and I don't mean the drug, neither."

[Archmage1]

Tulip continues in her attempts to convince Bandaid that people would want to hear of her experiences.
"But you must have seen some amazing things! Lovely sunsets, nice birds, all sorts of wonders! Everyone would love to hear such stories! I know I would!"
Seeing Bandaid's confusion, Tulip laughs.
"Silly, grass gets all itchy if it doesn't get cut or eaten! That's how they make bread! They take grass, get some of the seeds, and then use them to make bread! I watched them do it, and they even shared! But I'd never eat a flower, they're too nice! You eat bread and fruit and nuts and things, right? Lots of people like eating fish, which is sad because they look really pretty, and then even more people like eating animals, and that's disgusting!"

[PersonMan]

"I...don't understand. Not the drug?" Dilaa asks after a few moments, more thoroughly confused than before. She feels certain that she misunderstood something at some point during the conversation, but doesn't know where or whether it's simply Victoria being confusing. In their past conversations that hadn't generally been the case, but the shifter had confronted her with things she didn't have the tiniest inkling of in the past - yet more proof that the north was an entirely different world than what she'd known for most of her life.

"Your new quarters, they are more comfortable than this?" Dilaa asks, pushing down on the mattress with one hand to add clarity to her question. She wanted Victoria to keep talking about that, in an effort to discern what the shifter had been trying to say earlier. "This room is the best of my life," the desert warrior adds, a slight frown coming to her face as she considers her past resting places, nodding after a moment as she goes deeper into her thoughts.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"I could..." Bandaid says, going silent for a few moments as she looks over the back of her hand and sighs. "But it's for the best I don't. Yer just gonna have t'trust me on this one, little lady." Her brow furrows at the explanation, then she shakes her flower-covered head. "If ye say so. I don't try t'eat much. As soon as y'get some many, it's worth it t'purchase somethin' magical, like a ring or a cup or somethin', so y'don't have to kill anythin'. Shame that it's so expensive, else more people'd get to eat, y'know?"

Dilaa

"Ah, sorry...Blue's a type of goblin they have in some places. Like the rest, but blue and more of 'em use magic than the regular fellas." Victoria explains succinctly, as her tanned cheeks go just a little bit redder at the constant curiosity of the desert warrior about what she meant by her words. "Well, it's when I want to be really friendly with somebody. In the kind of way that involves less clothes, more sweat, and lots of smiles. If you're getting my meaning, now, darlin'." She explains, waiting for Dilaa to pull herself free from her thoughts.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks disappointed by Bandaid's reaction, not really understanding the source of her objections.
"But stories are fun! People always love hearing them, or at least, they almost always do! They're always fun, and everyone likes fun!"
Looking a bit confused, Tulip tries to explain to Bandaid why she likes food.
"But bread and milk and honey are really yummy! If I didn't eat, then I couldn't taste them! And that would be terrible! How can you stand it? People can just share, and no one needs to be hungry, and everyone can eat!"

[PersonMan]

"And buckets of them? Do they have special value?" Dilaa asks, still confused. Why would one transport a creature in buckets, unless they were some sort of fish? The other obvious possibility seems to be transporting their corpses, but she doesn't understand how something like a goblin could have special value when dead. Furthermore, what did 'Burrow' have anything to do with that? Was it simply part of Victoria's indirect method of speaking of the matter via the mention of the drug, or was it of further relevance?

Pulled from her memories by Victoria's explanation, Dilaa's eyebrows go up and she shakes her head, smiling. "Didn't mean that. Just the room," she explains. For a moment, a thought comes to her mind about teasing the shifter about it, but she discards it. After all, it was likely something she'd misunderstood that had led to the redhead's answer. "I'm sorry if I...said it wrong."

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"'Cause I'm very bitter and find it hard to focus on the good things I come across, little lady." Bandaid says, some minor frustration building in her voice. "So writin' up those stories would only make me upset, or angry, which ain't good for anyone on the ship, m'kay?" She finishes, spinning around and away from the sea to look back over the deck of the ship. "An' the world is fllled with jerks. If y'play up taste, they'll want it. So better t'just let the animals and plants go free, else ye'll just get hedonists wantin' a bite of fairy flesh t'see how it tastes."

Dilaa

Victoria nods slowly and stretches out her long limbs, getting to her feet with a smile. "Well, I've gotta go back up deck. Keep an eye on things, you know the drill. You can catch up with me later if you feel like it, darlin'." The redheaded shifter excuses herself with a wave, before leaving Dilaa to her quarters.

[Archmage1]

Tulip is abashed as she realizes what Bandaid was feeling, ashamed that she hadn't seen it before. When Bandaid twirls, she jumps up, and flutters near Bandaid's head, hoping that she hadn't made her too angry. She is quite apologetic.
"I'm sorry Bandaid! I didn't realize, I thought your stories would be nice, and fun, and interesting! I didn't mean to hurt you! Maybe you'll forgive me later? Please?"
She looks at Bandaid, hovering a few inches in front of her, bobbing up and down(and side to side in the wind), her eyes pleading.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa gives Victoria a nod and a smile as the shifter excuses herself, still somewhat confused by the questions left after her departure. For a few moments she simply thinks on their conversation, wondering what to make of some of the things that had happened. Before too long, she simply lies back onto her bed, eyes closed, and enjoys the peace of the silence in her room. Victoria had brought her peace, and the solitude she left allowed Dilaa to keep that peace for some time. Inevitably, though, the thoughts she'd had before return to her. The peace that she's managed to attain remains, but a reluctant acceptance of what is to come fills the desert warrior. She would have to act eventually, and it was best to do so now than let it wait further.

So Dilaa swings up to her feet, passing through the door out into the hallway and heading up onto the deck. Emerging into the sunlight, she looks up into the air, expecting to find Tulip amongst the masts, sails and ropes that dominate the air just above the ship. Not spotting the spirit woman there, she turns her gaze down to the deck, eventually finding her flitting through the air next to another woman of normal size. Making her way over to the two, Dilaa stops to see if the two are already busy or if she can simply ask Tulip the questions that she needs answers for immediately.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"Yeah, it's fine, knock it off." Bandaid says, flinching slightly at the wings batting a few inches from her face.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks sad, but she backs away.
"aw... I'm sorry..."
Her voice is almost a whisper. Luckily, before she needs to come up with a way to make up for harming Bandaid, Dilaa comes up. Tulip seems to shift from sad to happy in the blink of an eye as she waves to her rescuer.
"Hi Dilaa! Did you find anyone interesting? Bandaid's going to teach me how to heal people, and I'm going to teach her how to garden! Isn't it nice?"

[PersonMan]

Dilaa gives Tulpi a nod as the fey asks her if she'd found anyone interesting. As she continues, the desert warrior holds up a hand to halt the torrent of speech that the tiny woman was already beginning to dive into.

"One who caged you. Find?"

Dilaa's tone makes it clear that Tulip can choose to not join her, and she smiles as the unusual spirit of the north to ensure the woman that she wasn't upset.

[Archmage1]

Tulip seems to freeze, and her face goes pale. She's quite clearly terrified.
"But... he's really, really mean! And he hurt me!"

[PersonMan]

"I will protect," Dilaa explains with a reassuring smile. "No fear. Justice must be," she adds for the few, hoping that Tulip will understand what she means. A spirit of the northern lands might not have the same ideas of justice as she did, but hopefully there would be enough common ground for her to realize what Dilaa meant.

[Archmage1]

Tulip lands on the ship's railing, and looks up at Dilaa, torn between the hope of a just reward for Regus and terror of the terrifyingly mean bounty hunter he was.
"But... he's really, really big, and really, really mean! He's scary!"

[PersonMan]

"Bigger," Dilaa says with a smile patting her chest. "Can be scarier," she adds. Can be meaner. She thinks, deciding to keep that in her thoughts. It wouldn't be within her interests to end up frightening Tulip herself, after all...

[Archmage1]

Tulip seems to be wavering, hope winning out against fear.
"But... you're nice! But..."
She falls silent for a moment, before looking at Dilaa's eyes, looking serious.
"Ok... I'll go with you! Maybe you can tell him not to be mean! Ooh! I know! I can help you know what I feel about you!"
She sings three words, her voice high, and pure, and suddenly, Dilaa feels more heroic.(Casting Heroism on Dilaa, duration, 1 hour)
Her voice much softer, but seemingly loud in the silence, she says one more thing, before falling silent, clearly worried.
"Please be ok?"

[PersonMan]

Dilaa smiles as Tulip declares that she's nice - although the resistance to her plan isn't what she had hoped for, it was nice that the northern spirit felt that she was a gentle person. Even if it was too far from the truth for her own liking, it did lift her spirits. Tulip's decision to come with her is something she hadn't planned for either, but the desert warrior decides against trying to stop her. After all, it would be nice if the tiny woman learned to be less fearful, and her presence could be useful in other ways. In the worst case scenario, there was always her magic to fall back on.

As Dilaa's thoughts go to the petal's magic, she demonstrates some of that very power, filling the desert nomad with a surge of energy. Feeling the power flow through her, Dilaa feels her worries fall away slightly, her determination growing. Smiling to Tulip, Dilaa offers her a nods as she speaks her final words, turning to look around the deck.

"We find," she says.

[Archmage1]

Still looking very nervous, Tulip lifts off, and hovers in front of Dilaa, and nods, looking quite worried.
"I'll come back, Bandaid, and then maybe we can start learning?"
Her voice is almost trembling from her fear.
When Dilaa starts moving, Tulip moves behind her.

[Hazuki]

They find Regus in the lower deck, pouting about the boot imprint on his head.

[Archmage1]

Seeing the mean one, even with Dilaa there, sends a jolt of fear through the petal's heart, and she hides behind Dilaa, peeking over a shoulder, hoping that nothing bad was going to happen.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa approaches the man, serenity filling her mind in preparation for what was to come. It wouldn't be a return to the old her - the man's blood didn't need to be spilled, there was no trial by combat. But the fact was that justice was at hand, that action was required to respond to the man's crimes. While Tulip was clearly not relishing the thought of the coming confrontation, and Dilaa wished it could be avoided, there was no other option. She had taken vows, she had sworn to the gods, the city and most importantly to herself.

"You. Caged?" Dilaa's question comes quickly, with a gesture to indicate Tulip.

[Hazuki]

The large man shifts slightly on his seat as he spots people approaching him directly, lowering his hand from his imprinted forehead to rest on a lightly-armored knee. A scowl crosses his already ugly face, and his hand twitches to the shortsword at his belt, but then he glances above and reluctantly lets it go as he meets Dilaa's eyes. "Yes." Regus replies to the woman tersely, ignoring the fairy to focus on the muscular woman before him. "Is that all?"

[Archmage1]

Tulip, trying to be brave, manages to stay put for a moment or two under the Mean Man's villainous gaze, but only for a moment or two. With a soft squeak, she darts out of sight once more, hiding behind Dilaa's back.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa steps forwards, hand coming up to the man's neck. As she attempts to shove him against the wall, the man resist, keeping his footing. Unperturbed by her failure, the desert warrior stares into the man's eyes, her irises growing somewhat as she bares her teeth, which seem far more pointed and dangerous that they were a moment ago. Her skin seems to shift ever so slightly, arms bulging inside her armor as she pushes forwards again with renewed force, slamming the man into the wooden wall behind him. Her gaze loses the serenity it had before, the calm ripped away by the storm that follows.

"You. Beg forgiveness. Return everything. Never cage other," Dilaa says, all but spitting the foreign words, her hold tightening as she speaks. It takes so much effort to keep from doing more that she barely finds the right things to say in time, putting the odd blocks of the foreigner's language into place. With her words spoken, she stares into the man's eyes for a few more moments, letting her hold do its work before dropping him suddenly, stepping back. Her fists stay clenched, gaze remaining intense as she looks down at him. Ready to act again if he tried anything but what she wanted him to do.

[Hazuki]

Regus' footing is firm at first, as he used the wall as a brace against the strength of the desert warrior, but the sudden rush of strength that follows causes him to slam into the wooden wall behind him, one gloved hand clinging to her bicep in an attempt to maintain some control of the grapple he finds himself in. He clearly attempts to restrain his choking as her hand tightens around his throat, staring back into her eyes with a fading strength, then her commands reach his ears and he collapses halfway to the floor, one knee resting against the bench while his palm hits the floor.

After a few seconds of heavy breaths, the large man rubs his throat and glances back up at Dilaa. "I've... He gasps. "Had it with the Captain's men pushing me around!" He answers, his face flicking between a glare at Dilaa and just staring at the floor, uncertain what to do with the mixture of rage and fear that courses through him. "And I'm not going to change just because you threaten me now. I've been threatened before, you nigh-mute bitch, and it only works until I'm out of your sight. People don't change for a moment of fear. The wretch behind you is proof of that." He gives a halfhearted gesture to Tulip.

"You'll have to do more than threaten if you want me to stop. But you won't. Too much effort for somebody you just met, am I right?" He coughs out a chortle.

[PersonMan]

"Then you die. On land, your life ends," Dilaa replies, a thin veneer of calm coming over her as she looks down at the man. Her hands relax, fists unclenching even as her mind works to hold back the tide of bloodlust that threatens to overcome her. The man was asking for death - rather than repent his crimes, he had chosen to die. But now wasn't the time or the place. Dilaa knew little of the oceans, but had heard enough to know that only the captain of a vessel could dispense justice of that scale. Killing him now would be a crime of its own, causing justice to fall on her as well.

"Come. Leave dead man," Dilaa says, turning back to Tulip.

[Archmage1]

In the silence that follows Dilaa's announcement, Tulip speaks up, her voice quavering, quite clearly scared.
"Why... why don't you just leave, mean man? That way, everyone will be nice, and everything will be ok!"
After a moment, her head pops up from behind Dilaa, and she speaks once more.
"Just leave this boat! You can swim!"
She seems much more determined, and much more commanding this time, as though she has found her courage, and then, in a quiet, tiny voice, she speaks again.
"Please?"

Casting Suggestion, suggesting that he leave the ship.
DC 19 will save, or else a dc 20 will save if he counts as flat footed.

[Hazuki]

A blank haze covers Regus' eyes as he gets to his feet and starts sprinting up towards the deck, ultimately hurling himself off of the edge.

[Archmage1]

After a moment of silence, Tulip speaks up once more, her voice soft, not certain if she had done the right thing.
"Maybe he'll learn to be nice? If he feels what I felt..."

[PersonMan]

Dilaa watches the man run past, looking in silent wonder at the spirit woman once again. The magic she held was powerful - already, she had used it to calm a raging beast and again to send a man to his death. From the first day on her voyage, that was something the desert warrior had noticed about the ocean. The flat, featureless expanse, left under the merciless sun, was death to all those not properly prepared, just as the desert was. Dunes of sand or waves of undrinkable water, it was the same in the end. Tulip had sentenced the man in a surprisingly cruel manner; Dilaa hadn't expected the fey to choose the harsh, slow death of the wastes (or the waters, in this case) rather than simply letting the man die when they reached land.

"You did right. Justice is done," Dilaa says, smiling to Tulip. In the end the sentence was the same; whether the fey was more accustomed to the methods of her homeland or a strange northern practice didn't truly matter. The man had chosen to die and paid the price for his crimes.

[Archmage1]

Tulip flies up, and hovers in front of Dilaa, looking doubtful.
"I... I don't know. You rescued me, but who's going to rescue him? He'll feel what I felt, but... you saved me..."

[PersonMan]

"Gods decide," Dilaa replies with a shrug. "If worthy, they will save," she explains. It was a simple truth, one that she'd expect even a northerner like her to know. Justice of the waste or blade was the justice of the gods, and their favor would save the innocent while their fury condemned the guilty to death. Did they not have divine justice in the north? The thought almost causes Dilaa to shudder.

[Archmage1]

Tulip continues to look doubtful.
"But... not giving him that moment of hope... that's wrong! By now he's realized what's happened, and is experiencing the hopelessness... but he should have the hope too! Otherwise, it isn't fair!"
Her voice grows louder as she explains her reasoning, and as she finishes, she heads back to the deck, looking determined.

[PersonMan]

"If you wish," Dilaa says, watching as Tulip flies away to save the man she had just sent to his death. She makes a note to be more wary of the northern spirit's flighty nature in the future. If she could go so quickly from condemning someone to saving them from their deserved punishment, could she truly be trusted?

The thoughts weighing heavily on her mind, Dilaa slowly heads up to the deck.

[Hazuki]

As Tulip darts up to the deck with Dilaa moseying along in tow, she manages to catch sight of the Captain heaving a sigh as he glares over the edge of the ship. Two members of the crew are braced against the edge of the ship, a rope in their hands as they tug and heave Regus back up onto the ship. The large man coughs and splutters for a few moment, a chill running over his body as he leans against the edge of the ship with a slight wince.

"And what d'you think you were doin', hmm?" The Captain asks, his boots stomping along the deck as he approaches the man with a stern gaze.

"Magic." Regus says simply, after he's taken a few breaths and covered himself with a blanket offered by the crew. "The fairy used words to make me obey; like she did that monster you had on deck." He speaks quite plainly, eyes cold as they stare at the floor of the deck.

The Captain heaves a sigh after staring at Regus for a few moments, the First Mate gesturing to the side of him and to the Petal who recently emerged from where Regus had. "And what do you have to say about this?" The Captain asks Tulip wearily, his arms folded over his barrel chest.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks upset. She had tried to get the mean man to experience what she had experienced, but he had been rescued first. Now, she had to try again.
"He's really mean, and he trapped me in a burning cage! If he'd been left, he would have experienced the hopelessness, and then you would have turned around and rescued him when I told you!"

[Hazuki]

"So..." The Captain arches an eyebrow at Tulip. "Your plan to get revenge on the unsavory bastard failed, because we could clearly see him run off the ship. And if it had succeeded, your plan was to get us to turn the ship around and waste at least an hour, depending on how merciful you were feeling, rescuing the man. Which would mean hassle for us, our cargo, our other passengers, and the dock that we're due to arrive at." He drums his fingers on his jacket.

[Archmage1]

Tulip nods happily.
"Yes, and the Mean Man would have realized how wrong it is to be mean, and so he would have started to be nice!"

[Hazuki]

"You're a ****ing idiot." The Captain tells Tulip plainly. "But it isn't my job to make the world smarter. Now get below deck and stay there for the rest of the trip, and don't try your flavor of justice on my ship again, or you'll be kicked off. Now, get going." He points a finger at the stairs that Tulip had emerged from, then turns to face Regus. "And you, stay in your damned room. Nobody likes you, and this could have been avoided if you just stayed out of sight."

[Archmage1]

Offended, the little petal looks at the captain, and tries to explain.
"Hey! Don't be mean! I'm sure that that the Mean Man would learn to be nice! I'll even stay with him, so you could find him after you turned around!"

[Hazuki]

"Below. Deck." The Captain declares once more, staring firmly at the little fairy as Regus starts to get to his feet. "No talking. No arguments. Go."

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks quite sad, her petals wilting a bit.
"Aw... but it's no fun down there..."
Still, despite her complaint, she heads down the passageway, and starts exploring, hoping that she would find something interesting.

[PersonMan]

Seeing things end fairly well, Dilaa watches with one raised eyebrow as Tulip offers her arguments to the Captain. Clearly, the man is not impressed, and as he gives his orders the desert warrior almost smiles, before a thought comes to her. Tulip's sentence hadn't truly been carried out, and the man had himself said that he would not be changed by a single event earlier. He had still chosen death over repentance, so there was reason to bring him the divine justice he had wanted to take upon himself. Inevitably, it would need to be done, despite the unusual events that had just transpired. The spirit woman's response lies within what Dilaa wasn't surprised by - after all, the fey seemed to be very flighty, so obviously she would dislike being forced to stay in one part of the ship; something only enhanced by her recent imprisonment.

Deciding to stay with the flying petal for the time being, Dilaa turns away from the crew with a nod and follows her, giving her a glance with one eyebrow raised to express something of her feelings about the situation.

[Archmage1]

Once Tulip sees Dilaa following her, she pauses, and flies over to her.
"I know what we can do! We can go exploring! This is a really big boat, so there's bound to be something fun!"
She smiles cheerfully at Dilaa, wondering what she thought of this plan.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa nods. It isn't like she has any other plans, or anything specific she can do with her time apart from keeping in form. So she might as well follow the tiny fey around the ship. She might learn some more things about northern culture, or at least Tulip's version of it. She seemed quite different from the other foreigners she'd met, which made sense as none of the others were a tiny, flying, magically gifted spirit of a garden.

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles, looking quite happy as Dilaa nods.
"Yay! It'll be fun!"
She promptly picks one of the closed doors, and flies over to look at it.

[Hazuki]

This door is a wooden door. It is seven foot tall, two feet wide, and crafted out of a strong piece of oak, resting on a set of iron hinges that look like new installments in the old orc ship. There seems to be a fairly hefty lock at the handle, the door being locked, and it looms above the little fairy like a sentinel of its inhabitant's private belongings. There are many doors like it, but this one is Bandaid's.

[Archmage1]

Struggling, Tulip tries to turn the handle(Something that involves much jumping, and pulling). After a few moments, she flies back, seemingly giving up, before she pauses, and looks crossly at the handle.
"It's broken!"
After a moment's thought, she smiles cheerfully.
"I know! I'll fix it, and then people can get in and out!"
With that cheerful thought, the now humming petal sets to work on the lock, trying to get it to work properly.
[roll0] open locks(Bardic knack + Jack of all trades)

[Hazuki]

With a little jiggling and plenty of tumbling, the lock soon opens with a hefty click. The door opens with naught but a little push, creaking open to reveal a bedroom consisting of a hammock along one wall, a few stacked bags of medical supplies to the side of it, and hundreds of tiny cloth dolls and talismans that are stacked up along the walls, some of them having tumbled to the ground with the motion of the ship.

[Archmage1]

Having managed to fix the door, Tulip smiles, happy to be helpful.
"I did it! The door works again! But... the poor dolls... they shouldn't be on the ground! And they're pretty!"
She darts inside, and starts collecting the fallen dolls, and placing them back up on the walls.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa follows Tulip, first saying nothing but slowly gaining a feeling that something was amiss - she didn't have much experience with northern doors, but in the past nothing similar to what the fey was doing now was done. The idea of doors that were closed like vaults was unusual to her, but that didn't mean that it was a good idea to open them all. It would, at least, bother the northerners, especially since many of them seemed to pay great sums of money to secure all of their doors from outside intrusion.

All of her thinking keeps the desert warrior busy until Tulip finally finishes with her odd task, the opening of the door bringing her from her thoughts and back to reality. As the fey enters the room, Dilaa frowns, stepping forwards. Fiddling with the northerners' strange devices was one thing, but even they surely had a concept of respectful entry. Simply going into the room now couldn't be an acceptable thing - the people of the north had strange customs, a wooden language and a foreign system of justice, but they were no barbarians.

"No," she says. "No invitation. Come back out," Dilaa continues, gesturing for the fey to return to her position, just outside the room.

[Archmage1]

When Dilaa objects, Tulip pauses, holding one of the dolls in her hands, and looks back at her, wide eyed, wondering why Dilaa didn't want her to help the dolls.
"But they're really pretty, and they should be on the walls, with the others."

[PersonMan]

Dilaa frowns. "Put up, then go," she says after a moment. If Tulip was already in the room, it couldn't hurt to let her place a few things where they were meant to be, right? The problem itself wouldn't be solved by her trying to fight with the fey about putting the dolls back on the wall - it was a better idea to let her do that than try and force her out. That would be difficult without entering the room herself, which was obviously not something she wanted to do.

So the desert warrior steps back from the door with a sigh, leaning back against the wall and tapping her arm.

"Not right to go in with no invitation," Dilaa explains as she watches Tulip replace the dolls.

[Archmage1]

Tulip nods happily, before continuing her quixotic quest, gathering the dolls and talismans from the ground, and putting them where she thinks they should go on the walls. As she flies, she continues her conversation.
"But it's a really big room, and I wouldn't mind if someone came into my garden, so why would someone mind if I visit a room?"
She seems to be a little confused, and she's breathing a bit more loudly as she flies around the room bearing the dolls.

[PersonMan]

"Must give respect to owner of room. Only slave has room all enter," Dilaa responds. "Garden is not room. If you invite all, still need invitation for other rooms," she adds. She notices Tulip's breathing become more audible and wonders if the tiny woman's strength is such that what she's doing is significant work for her - in a sense, it wouldn't be a surprise. In the few tales she knew of magic, its wielders were often those with frail bodies. The fey's mystic power probably didn't extend to simple things like moving dolls.

[Archmage1]

"Oh! Of course I respect the owner of the room! That's why I was helping save the dolls! But do you think the owner would mind? I didn't think she would, since I was being helpful..."
Her cheerful voice sounds like she's thinking as she asks her questions.
Not too much later, Tulip finishes her self-appointed task, and flies out of the room, pausing in front of Dilaa, and slowly recovering from her exertions.
"Those dolls are heavy! But pretty!"

[PersonMan]

"If you respect, why go?" Dilaa asks, brow furrowing. "Must ask before going if you respect," she says, stepping past Tulip to close the door. "Remember this."

With that, the desert warrior turns, letting the fey recuperate from the apparent exertion of moving the dolls and talismans, and begins to head towards her own room, looking over to Tulip as they approach the door.

"My place. I invite, but only my half. On bed is thing. Do not touch," Dilaa says, looking into the fey's eyes as she mentions her still-wrapped weapon.

[Archmage1]

"To help! But... ok... if you think it's really important..."
Tulip seems quite determined initially, but she seems less than sure about the importance of not going places where she wasn't invited.
She follows Dilaa into her room, and looks around, before heading over to the pillow to sit down, keeping away from the strange object.
"It looks really big! And this fluffy thing is really comfy!"
She spends a few moments to settle in more comfortably, before looking up at Dilaa.
"Did you think there was going to be fun on this boat?"

[PersonMan]

As they enter Dilaa's room, she opens the door and holds it such until Tulip enters, just as she did for Victoria earlier. Once inside, she sits on the bed, far enough from the fey to avoid potentially making the tiny woman fall. The wrapped blade sits at the foot of her bed, and as Tulip mentions its size Dilaa smiles. It isn't a happy smile, and a memory seems to flit before the desert warrior's eyes before she responds.

"Yes. Made for me alone," Dilaa says. As the fey continues, asking a question about something less tied to her past, the desert woman pauses. "Fun? No," she admits, shaking her head. "Only new life, in new land," she adds as clarification.

[Archmage1]

Tulip seems to brighten at this news, looking quite pleased.
"So you're exploring too! That's what I was doing too! I decided to go out, and see new things, and then there was the really big place with lots of people, but they wouldn't talk to me, and now I'm here! I've never been on a boat this big before! Have you?"

[PersonMan]

"First ship," Dilaa replies with a slight smile as Tulip's excitement returns. It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one completely knew to the world she had entered. True, the woman was a northerner, but a fey who had only lived in her garden would know as little of the outside world as a foreigner from the southern sands. In that sense, they shared a bond. They were different in almost every other aspect, but that gave them something they shared.

"Seen bigger, but never on," Dilaa adds, remembering the harbor of her former home. She had seen truly massive vessels there, unloading crates of gold and spices under the midday sun, but never had she even come close to them.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks amazed as Dilaa says there are bigger ships.
"There are bigger ships? And they still move? I thought the biggest thing was the Great Tree, but maybe they're even bigger than he is! But he's pretty big. And he doesn't move much anymore!"

[PersonMan]

"Ships move with wind, water. Tree holds to not fall," Dilaa replies, repeating what she'd been told years ago. "Sea helps move, land pushes back," she continues.

"Biggest ships larger than any tree of southern land," Dilaa adds, shrugging. "Great Tree bigger?"

[Archmage1]

Rose looks thoughtful.
"Water does change more than earth. So ships are like water, and trees are like earth! That makes sense! Great Tree is really, really big! I've never seen a tree bigger than he is, but he's really nice, and lets all the birds and squirrels live on him! And me too! He talks, sometimes, but mostly he just enjoys the sun and the wind!"

[PersonMan]

"Never spoken with tree," Dilaa admits, shrugging. "Only people, no animals," she clarifies.

[Archmage1]

"He talks a lot for a tree! Most trees don't have much to say. Maybe that's why they've never spoken with you? Ooh! I know what we can do! Do you know any good stories? They're almost always lots of fun!"

[PersonMan]

"Story...Only in southern tongue," Dilaa replies. "You speak?"

"أنا Dilaa Yahaan، وهذا هو لسان الجنوب." She speaks again, this time her tone is more confident, words coming from her mouth like water rather than slowly emerging on their own. Dilaa looks to Tulip hopefully, clearly wishing that the petal can understand her.

"I am Dilaa Yahaan, this is the tongue of the south."

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks at Dilaa, and shakes her head, sadly.
"لا، سخيفة! هذا هو اللغة Sivath المفضل ولكن تمكنت من الحصول عليه ليعلمني ذلك!"

"No, silly! That's Sivath's language! But I managed to get him to teach me it!"

[PersonMan]

Dilaa raises an eyebrow, but responds in the same language.

<"I do not know Sivath. But we speak the same tongue, which is the important bit. I can tell you a story I know very well, now that I know you can understand me,"> she says, her comfort in speaking obvious.

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles happily. She loves stories!
<Draconic>
"Sivath's really, really big, and he has wings and teeth and shiny scales and lots of tricks! But he's really nice!"
She settles in a bit more, and looks up at Dilaa, her eyes open wide, almost pleading.
<Draconic>
"Can you please tell it to me? I love stories!"

[PersonMan]

<"It begins far to the south,"> Dilaa begins.

<"A girl came from the east on a ship. She was a slave girl, but she had a special talent. With a pair of small swords made just for her, she could kill anyone she fought in the arena. She had been bought for a great amount of money by a man who had a special plan for her. She was brought to the city and fought in the arena as she had before. Every month she killed one who was brought to fight her.

It didn't take long for her to get a reputation. Everyone who fought her died. It was said that another rich man tried to have her killed because he was losing money in her fights, but she killed every man he sent. She had no name, because she was a slave, but they called her the Bringer of Death. The man who owned her let her fight in the arena two more times, then began his special plan. He brought her to the ring on the shore, just as a trial was about to be held.

He walked through the streets with her at his side. She had her small swords and everyone knew who she was, so they followed them. At the ring they came to a trial. A man, tall and strong, dressed in armor and wielding a massive sword, stood waiting. He had committed a great crime in the city, and many other cities before. But he demanded the gods' justice, a trial by combat, every time he was brought to be judged. Every time he killed a champion and won his freedom.

A long time ago, this man had killed a friend of the rich man. Now, the rich man who owned the Bringer of Death told her to go and fight. She was the champion - a slave, fighting for justice for a free man who had been killed. The man in armor did not know her. He said 'little girl, run if you want to live', but she said nothing. Did nothing, for she was a slave with a special talent, nothing else. When he swung his sword, she did something.

She used her special talent, used her small swords made just for her, and cut the man into pieces. The rich man had told her to do it that way, so she did. Each piece was cut off on its own. First hands, then the arms, feet, legs, and as he confessed to his crimes she finally cut his head off. That day was the first of many. Because of the rich man and his special plan, she became a champion for those who had none.

In the whole city, everyone knew that if you needed justice you could go her cell and ask. She would always say yes, the rich man would always allow her to do it. The girl would use her special talent and kill for the gods. She was their justice, and when she grew old and died she was given a statue. A place in the hall of heroes, where no other slave had ever been. All because of her special talent, her tiny swords made just for her, and the rich man's special plan.">

Dilaa pauses, looking over to Tulip.

<"Did you like that? It is my favorite story,"> she says with a smile.

[Archmage1]

Tulip listens to Dilaa's story attentively, although she seems almost horrified by the story. Once Dilaa finishes the story, Tulip looks up at the poor deprived Dilaa.
<Draconic>
"It's really sad! The poor girl... no one was ever nice to her, and she had to kill people all the time! It must have been terrible for her!"
There are tears running down her cheeks, brought on by the story of horrors.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa seems thoroughly confused by Tulip's reaction. <"Sad? Why? She was a slave, and ended up in the hall of heroes! She had a statue made for her,"> she replies, turning more towards the petal in an attempt to understand the tiny woman's reaction. <"Many slaves had worse lives. She always had enough food and water, and her cell wasn't even in the sun. The rich man was much nicer to her than other masters were to their slaves,"> Dilaa continues. Clearly, if she explained the story Tulip would understand that there was no reason to be upset. The strange spirit woman wasn't from the south, even if she spoke that language very well. She just needed to properly understand the story, then she would realize that it was good.

[Archmage1]

Still crying, Tulip tries to explain.
"But she was sad! All she could do was fight, and kill! That's no fun at all! A slave is someone who does things, right? Why would her constant fighting be good? It seems terrible!"

[PersonMan]

Frowning as Tulip switches back to the less easily understood language of the north, Dilaa shakes her head.

<"Life is not only about trying to have fun. Her life was good; she killed many who would have otherwise never been punished for their crimes. Is it not good to make sure that those who have harmed others face justice?">

[Archmage1]

Tulip continues to disagree, although she appears to have stopped crying.
<Draconic>
"But punishment doesn't help them to be nice! There's no point in facing meanness with more meanness. You'll become mean yourself! Showing them how their actions made others feel is much better, because that way, they learn to not do it and they will help other people understand too!"

[PersonMan]

<"Many will not allow themselves to be turned away from their ways; they can't be made to feel what their victims have felt,"> Dilaa explains. <"You expect such strange things of people...">

[Archmage1]

Tulip shakes her head, disagreeing.
<Draconic>
"But they can! You just need to figure out how, and they will feel as their victims felt! And then, once they do, they'll stop other people from doing the same thing, and be nice!"

[PersonMan]

<"So you want to spend weeks to learn how precisely one can make these people feel like their victims?"> Dilaa asks, raising an eyebrow.

[Archmage1]

Tulip nods happily, glad that Dilaa figured it out.
<Draconic>
"Of course! That way, they'll be nice, and help other people too! Although, usually it doesn't take too long to figure out how to convince them."

[PersonMan]

<"Perhaps in the north, but not in my home. The people who face the gods' justice there are not easily turned from their ways. You will not find one who can be spoken to and made to help others in this way,"> Dilaa replies, shaking her head. <"Even if it did sometimes work out, you'd spend so much time on every one that it wouldn't be worth it. Even those who did change would still need to face justice.">

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks sad.
<Draconic>
"But if no one tries, the world won't ever be any nicer! Don't you think everything would be better if everyone was nice? But every time I think that, someone's mean!"

[Hazuki]

Tulip looks sad.
"Don't you think everything would be better if everyone was nice? But every time I think that, someone's mean!"In the distance, somebody gets kicked in the crotch.

[PersonMan]

<"I think that would be a good world. But that is not our world. We must do what we can to see that justice is done and the laws of the gods are upheld,"> Dilaa replies, smiling somewhat.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks distressed by this, and looks up to Dilaa, pleadingly.
<Draconic>
"But if we don't try and make the world a nicer place, who will?"

[PersonMan]

<"By seeing justice done, we do our part in helping the world become a better place. Some of us have...other things they can do to help that happen,"> Dilaa seems a bit distracted by the end of what she says, but shrugs it off.

[Archmage1]

Tulip seems quite convinced that her reasoning is sound, silly as it is.
<Draconic>
"But if we get other people to be nice, and get them to get even more people to be nice, things work better! If you just punish the meanies, then they stay mean, and then even more people get mean!"

[PersonMan]

<"Without punishment, those who ignore the law will have free reign. If they can commit any crime they wish, then claim to have changed and wish to be nice, as you put it, and be set free, there is nothing to stop them,"> Dilaa explains.

[Archmage1]

Tulip shakes her head.
<Draconic>
"But if we need to be mean to oppose meanies, then we are meanies ourselves! If they're nice, they will be nice, so why would they need to be stopped?"
She seems confused by the idea of nice people being mean.

[PersonMan]

<"You're assuming that they are nice to begin with. If they aren't, then there's no point in treating them as if they are,"> Dilaa replies.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks up at Dilaa, earnestly trying to explain.
<Draconic>
"But that's why we show them how they make others feel! They way, they are nice, even if they were mean!"

[PersonMan]

<"If a man kills another man, how do we show them how it feels to be killed? Why do you think they care about how others feel?"> Dilaa asks, raising an eyebrow.

[Archmage1]

<Draconic>
"You get them to think that they're about to die, or maybe that they are dead, and in the afterlife! That way, they won't put anyone else in that situation!"
Tulip seems quite convinced that her reasoning is sound, despite the fairly large issues with it.

[PersonMan]

<"I don't think that would work. Many people who hurt others have already been hurt themselves - killing isn't the same, obviously, but it is somewhat similar. You can't expect someone to stop killing if they go through it from the other side. Besides, even if you did somehow manage to convince one or two people, why would they want to try and do the same?"> Dilaa replies.

[Archmage1]

Lying on the pillow, Tulip shakes her head, disagreeing with Dilaa's belief in corporal punishment.
<Draconic>
"But they will! That's what being nice is all about! You try and help people, and then they try and help more people, and then everyone helps!"

[PersonMan]

<"I don't think that will work. But we're not getting anywhere talking about it like this,"> Dilaa replies, the petal's sheer stubbornness becoming apparent. She clearly wasn't going to yield on this matter, and there was no point in continuing to just pointlessly discuss it.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks a bit sad for a moment, but then she smiles.
<Draconic>
"Everyone should be nice, but ok. I know! I'll tell you a story! I have just the story too!"
She stands up on the pillow, although her weight barely depresses the soft feather filled fabric, and begins to speak, her lovely voice skillfully telling the story, although there are quite a few interruptions.
<Draconic>
"It all started when the old queen bee died, and a new one was chosen. I've tried lots of times to figure out how the bees chose a new queen, but they never tell me, and I'm too big to fit in their next."
She seems a bit sad about this, but she swiftly resumes her tale with a smile.
"Anyway, the old queen was nice, and was happy to let me take some of her nest's honey, and share it with the birds and bears and everyone else, and everyone loved honey. The new queen was much meaner. She didn't want to share her honey at all, even when it was dripping down the nest, covering the poor tree, and drowning the grass. We tried begging, and we tried pleading, but she wouldn't relent, so, one day, Mr. Bear finally gave up, and went to the nest. I was nearby, trying to make a garland that the queen would like, so she'd share her honey, but Mr. Bear had a different idea. He walked up, growling that he was going to hit the nest, and take the honey, giving the bees plenty of warning. They just laughed, and when he got closer, they started trying to sting him. But they couldn't get through his fur, and he just ignored them, smashing the hive, and he took half their honey with him as he went! They were very upset about this, especially the queen, who lost half her bower to him, and they followed him halfway to his cave, but eventually, they gave up, and let him be. He went to the sharing rock, where everyone takes the things that they want to share, and called out, telling everyone of the honey, and he left half of his honey there, before heading back to his cave with the rest. I was closer, so I was able to get a bit of the honey, which was really, really, really yummy!, before everyone came to get some, even if they were on the other side of the valley! I'd never seen so many people in one place before! There were the Blues, and the Reds, and the Golds, and the squirrels, and the raccoons, even the deer showed up! Everyone got some honey, although not a lot, and I followed Mr. Bear, to ask him why he did it. When I caught up to him, I asked him, and he said he was going to sleep for a while, and Mrs. Bear was too, and they needed the honey so they wouldn't get hungry, and since the bees were being mean, he thought they deserved it too! Well, I followed him, and talked to him about all sorts of things, and eventually he fell asleep, which was really sad, because we were having a great conversation, but just as I was telling him this, he rolled over, on top of me! He was really, really big, and really, really heavy! I managed to almost get out, except for my left wing, when he rolled over! It took even longer to get out then, but he looked really happy, so I just left, and went home for the night."
As she finishes telling her story in her rather unique style, Tulip looks up at Dilaa, hope in her eyes, and a smile on her face.
<Draconic>
"Did you like it? Mr. Bear did, when I told him it when he woke up!"

[PersonMan]

<"I...em...can't say it was especially...thrilling. I'm not sure I really understand,"> Dilaa replies, shifting on the bed as she tries to answer in an honest fashion without being rude. It seemed to be a simple anecdote from Tulip's life, but she had little idea of what the events in question actually were. She knew of bears, and had a vague idea of bees, but reds and blues and everything else was confusing. It was a very northern tale, one hard for her to grasp.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks terribly disappointed in Dilaa, her wings and petals seeming to wilt.
<Draconic>
"Aw... I thought it was a good story."
She looks inconsolable for a moment or two, and then she brightens.
<Draconic>
"Maybe you can come and visit my garden! Then you can see everyone, and you'll understand! But... I lost my garden, and I don't know how to find it..."
Alas, it must be very trying to be Tulip's emotions. Up one moment, then down the next, then up a bit, then down again. Sadly, Tulip seems upset about her garden's absence.

[PersonMan]

<"Well, when you find it you will have a great many stories to tell. Do you know anyone in you garden who sailed on a great ship across the ocean to go to a new land? Or who put a great hunger-beast to sleep?"> Dilaa asks, smiling. Surely this would cheer the story-loving fey woman. <"Many stories begin with something that isn't very happy, but they get better. You lost your garden, but on the way back you may meet great friends and learn new things.">

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks thoughtful as Dilaa raises her voice in a tone of hope.
"Well... Yes, no one in my garden has done those things, well... maybe Sivath, but no one else. Maybe this will be a story! Stories always end well!"
She looks around the room with renewed hope. And, of course, excitement.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

Tulip's adventures through the lower deck lead her into the swatting range of a fair few crew members, eager to just get back to their jobs without being bothered, while others are busy doing their own thing. She manages to avoid further direct trouble for a while, not a single confrontation on the decks or attempted murder, Indeed, it's a good few hours after leaving Dilaa's room that she's met in the halls of the lower deck by Bandaid, her arms folded across her chest and her lips pursed.

"Why did you go into my room?"

Dilaa

The desert warrior finds herself practicing her form silently in her bedroom, as the Petal flits away and she's left alone with nothing but her thoughts. A few hours of distraction is all she can take before she at least needs to look at something other than the blank deck wall opposite her, and the muscular woman takes to the upper deck to sit beside the mute woman with no name. She takes a seat beside the doe-eyed young woman and there's silence between the pair, one a near-mute, and the other barely understanding the language.

[Archmage1]

Saddened by the crew's decision to ignore her, Tulip was starting to feel quite depressed, but when she sees Bandaid, she smiles cheerfully, and flies over to her. Here was someone nice!
"Hi Bandaid! I went all over! I've never been in a boat this big before! Which one is your room? Wait... I know! Was it the one with the broken door, and the poor dolls on the floor? It must be, because it was the nicest room! But the dolls were all alone on the floor, so I helped them, and put them on the walls, with their friends!"

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"Thank you, I suppose." Bandaid says warily, even as the cheerful Petal flies up to her with all the enthusiasm of a Paladin of Gaiety. "But don't come into my room unless I ask again, because...that's how bad people get in. Through open doors. You know how if you leave food out, it rots? That's the evil getting to it. But if you lock it up, it doesn't, or not as quickly. Because being closed keeps the evil out. If my door is left open, you'd be letting all the evil get to the dolls."

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks horrified as Bandaid explains that bad people get in through open doors.
"Bad people come through open doors? How do nice people come in? I don't want to be a bad person!"
She almost seems to be in tears. When Bandaid asks about rot, she shakes her head.
"What's rot? Do meanies make it happen?"
Her eyes are wide as she looks at Bandaid, horror and fear plain on her face.
"But... if the meanies got your dolls... that would be terrible! They didn't, did they? But the door was open, so they must have! Can we save them?"
Poor Tulip looks terrified, and yet, hopeful, hoping that there might be a way to help the dolls.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"Nono, bad people can come through open doors. Good people can, too, but if good people leave the doors open for the bad people...maybe they're bad too." Bandaid says, watching the Petal panic. "Rot is like this." She says, forming her hand once more into a flower, then having it mimic the effects of rot until the flower is gone. "But, luckily, I found out about my open door in time, so no evil got in." She flashes a smile. "No harm done this time, but you have to be careful, y'know?"

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks much relieved to hear this.
"Oh! So mean people can't open doors? But... the Mean Man, he opened the door to the room when I was in the burning cage! But... he's mean!"
She looks quite confused now, but when the show of the rotting flowers is made, she looks sad.
"But my flowers don't do that! It looks almost like they are going to sleep, but... it isn't right! But I can't talk to her because she isn't real..."
Her voice trails off, sadly.
"But... we closed the door behind us, when we left! Dilaa said it was the nice thing to do! Was it open when you got to it? Did the meanies open it? But they can't!"
Her voice goes softer, and seems afraid.
"Can they?"

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"...Tulip, do you know what a lock is?" Bandaid asks after a few moments of trying to process the Petal's rambling.

[Archmage1]

Tulip thinks for a few moments, and then smiles, happy that she knew the answer as she flies over and lands on Bandaid's shoulder.
"Yes! See!"
She holds in her hands some of Bandaid's hair.
"Here's a lock! One of the visitors asked for some, so he explained what it was, but I couldn't give him one, because I don't have stuff like this!"
Tulip's head is adorned with petals, rather than hair, looking almost like a pink closed flower.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"Well...yes, but no." Bandaid says with something of a sigh as the Tulip mounts her shoulder, then starts to walk through the halls of the ship until she's arrived back at her room. She pulls a thick metal key from a necklace, then slips it inside and opens the door. Once they're inside the doll-covered room again, she reaches into her packs of supplies and pulls out a small padlock. "This is a lock. Some doors have them built in. It stops doors from opening unless you have a key. When a door doesn't open, chances are that the person locked the door. To stop bad people from getting in."

She gestures to her door. "This door is closed, but unlocked." She pulls it open, closes it, then slips her key into the hole and twists it until there's a clunk. "Now, it's closed and locked, which means I don't want bad people getting in." She tugs at the door, which stays steadfastly shut. "My door was locked, then you unlocked it, and left it unlocked. Which meant bad people could get in. Do you understand?" She asks, and passes the small padlock to Tulip.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks very confused now, as she thought she had answered the question correctly. Still, she had always liked rides, so she has fun swaying on Bandaid's shoulder as the pair moves to Bandaid's room. Once there, she hops down, to stand on Bandaid's desk, looking around, and smiling when she sees all the dolls are safe still.
When Bandiad pulls out the lock, and shows it to her, Tulip looks nervous, but she looks over at the door, and then at the lock, and then at the door again.
"But... I don't see one of those in the door? How can you tell if it's been closed and locked, or if the door's just broken?"
When Bandaid passes the lock to Tulip, the trusting petal takes it, holding it in her hands, but only for a moment, as her hands start smoking(Which smells oddly like burnt flowers), and the petal drops it very quickly with a cry.
"Ow! That hurts!"
Her hands still held out in front of her, Tulip looks up at Bandaid, looking betrayed. Her hands seem to be burnt by the contact with the iron of the lock, and there are tears in her eyes.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"A broken door will have signs of damage somewhere. If the lock and hinges seem to be fine, then it's probably locked. You probably just didn't notice the lock because you've never seen one before." Bandaid answers, glancing at the Tulip just as the padlock starts to burn at her little hands. Her silver eyes widen slightly as the Petal cries out, the scent of burning flowers reaching her face. She tentatively reaches out for the padlock and tosses it to the side. "Hm. That's odd. It won't spread, will it?" She asks, gesturing to the burn marks on Tulip's hands and pulling a small wooden tub from her coat as she moves to perch beside the Petal on the desk.

[Archmage1]

Crying, Tulip shakes her head. As Bandaid looks more closely at Tulip, she notices similar burns on her arms as well, as if she had been touching metal wires.
"But it hurts... I thought you were nice..."
Her voice is quite, and interrupted by sobs.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"You were wrong from the start, then." Bandaid replies abruptly, as she opens the pot and dips her finger in the soft off-blue paste within. "But I'm not cruel. I didn't know that would happen. Give me your hands; this will soothe the burning." She says, her face apparently indifferent to the Petal's sobbing.

[Archmage1]

Tulip seems really sad, and confused, as tears continue to flow down her face(Slowly, as it takes a while for the drops to form)
"But... you were nice! You help people feel better, and you wanted to learn how to grow flowers! You can't be mean!"
Tulip hesitates, before she holds out her hands, looking worried, and in pain.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"It's my job." Bandaid says simply, as she gently grasps Tulip's arm between her thumb and forefinger, then starts to massage some of the paste into the Petal's skin with soft motions of her finger. Though the touch stings at first, the paste is cool and soothing, almost seeming to sink into the fey's skin to refresh every inch of burned flesh. Even the wire-burns on her arm start to soften, as Bandaid starts to massage the paste into them. "And flowers are nice to look at."

[Archmage1]

"But a job's just what you do, right? You wouldn't do it if you didn't like it!"
She draws in to continue, but then Bandaid applies the burn lotion, prompting another "Ow!" from her, but then the relief sinks in.
"Ooh... that's much nicer! Thank you! And flower love being looked at! It makes them happy! But meanies never understand that, but you do, so you must be nice!"
Tulip seems to have calmed down now, and she's stopped crying.

[PersonMan]

"Sleep inside?" Dilaa asks the silent shifter she's sitting with, turning to her and offering a smile. She wasn't sure if she would stay out with the woman if the answer was no, or if she'd enjoy the luxurious bed she had in their shared room instead. Sleeping beneath the stars was something she enjoyed, although the hard wood was slightly less comfortable than the sand or grasses she'd slept on at other times.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"I would." Bandaid defends simply, finishing the paste-application to Tulip's burns and then slipping the small wooden tub back into her pocket, "Especially if it's one of few talents I have. Besides pushing people around, but I want to be a politician even less." As the Petal reveals her thoughts on meaning in general, the woman's lips twist in confusion for a moment before she sighs. "There are clever meanies who act like they understand. You should be careful of them, little lady."

Dilaa

The young woman gives just the slightest shake of her head at Dilaa makes her suggestion, knees folded up to her chest and her chin resting on them, as she simply watches the seas.

[Archmage1]

At the mention of polyticians, Tulip looks confused.
"You wouldn't want to be lots of tics! They're not nice, they just take, and take, and take, and don't help at all! They're always inconsiderate, and mean!"
Tulip shakes her head.
"No silly, you're nice! You help people, and you're not mean, so you must be nice! Why do you think you're mean?"
At her last sentence, the much relieved Tulip looks up at Bandaid, curiously.

[Hazuki]

Tulip

"I'm not mean to you. But that doesn't mean I'm not mean to others." Bandaid replies, tilting her head in a mimicry of the Petal's action. "And I am. 'Cause they're asses and I don't feel like dealing with them any more than I need to."

[Archmage1]

Tulip shakes her head, happy that she managed to figure out why Bandaid thinks she's mean.
"That's not being mean! That's being Grumpy! Mr. Bear was always grumpy, but he wasn't mean! Mean is wanting to hurt other people, just to hurt other people, because you enjoy it! You're not mean, you're grumpy!"
Tulip beams up at Bandaid, clearly quite pleased with that line of reasoning.

[Hazuki]

"Grumpy, then." Bandaid replies with a shrug of her shoulders, shifting on the desk to sit a little more comfortably as she folds her hands together in her lap. "But that'd make grumpy just an inbetween mean and nice. You can't be consistently nice and grumpy at the same time."

[Archmage1]

Tulip shakes her head as Bandaid doesn't understand.
"No, you can be nice, but grumpy! If you're grumpy, you're just frustrated, and you are trying to help others understand how you feel! If you're mean, you just don't care! If you were mean, it wouldn't even occur to you that you were being mean! They're not the same at all!"
As she talks, full of emotion, the tiny fey gestures energetically, trying to reinforce her words.

[Hazuki]

Bandaid stares at the extremely enthusiastic Fey for a few moments, watching her little limbs flail until her little speech is finished. "You're cute when you're enthused." The doctor comments with a smirk on her blue lips, pulling one of the small cotton dolls from her collection and idly fiddling with it.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks a little sheepish, but then she flies up, and hovers in front of Bandaid's face, looking serious.
"You were being silly, so I thought it would help! You're not mean."
Her statement has an air of finality about it. And then she grins cheerfully, and darts over Bandaid's head, and as she goes past, Bandaid feels something land on her head. Something circular. If she turns to look at Tulip(Who flies back down to the desk), she sees the petal grinning cheerfully at her, waiting for her to figure it out.


Tulip dropped a garland of tulips on her head, each one a different shade of color, ranging from pink to a dark purple. Five flowers total.

[Hazuki]

Bandaid spends a few moments gently rolling the doll between her cupped hands as Tulip flies in front of her face, nodding in response to her comment and apparently willing to let it go. Even as the garland lands on her silver hair, her hat having been removed a little after entering the room, she spends a few moment fiddling with the blank doll. In a few moments, the doll has a few rudimentary similarities to the Petal; hair a brown flower cap, a dress made of interwoven leaves, along with a pair of wings, and wire-thin burn marks along one arm.

Then she glances at the Petal, feels the shift of weight on her head, and lifts her hand up to a few inches before her forehead. In a moment, it takes on a silvery sheen that reflects the garland on her forehead.

"Thanks." Bandaid briefly smirks again, as she places the doll amongst the others. "So, you just keep a bunch of garlands in your pocket...?"

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles happily as Bandaid seems to like her flowers, looking quite pleased.
"That'd be silly! How would I know which flowers wanted to be in a garland for someone? Besides, I don't have pockets! I did, but I collected too many fun things, and then I couldn't fly, so I had to put them back, and that took forever! So now I don't!"
As she talks, she takes a look at the doll Bandaid is making, rather than the already made dolls, and she smiles, happily surprised.
"Ooh! Are you making a doll like me?"

[Hazuki]

"Then where..." Bandaid looks at the lock that was thrown on the floor, then gives a small shake of her head and rests her back against the wall. "How do you decide what flowers are for who? Why am I pink to purple?" She asks, then nods at the question that follows. "I did, yes."

[Archmage1]

Happy to explain, Tulip flies over, and lands on Bandaid's knee, looking up at her.
"I ask the flowers who wants to go with someone, and they decide. I asked the blue ones first, because they match, but they're a bit arrogant, so they immediately started debating which of them would go, but all of them wanted to, so none of them were willing to let another go, so I asked the others, and those were the ones that wanted to go with you! You were nice to me, and they wanted to get to see the world, and be admired, so I gave them to you, because you're nice, and you travel a lot, so they can see the world, and you'll be nice to them!"

Tulip's eyes go wide in surprise as Bandaid answers her question, and she looks very happy.
"Ooh! No one has ever made a doll like me before! Can I watch? Pleeeaase?"

[Hazuki]

"...well, when you say it like that, it makes sense." Bandaid drawls once Petal has finished her explanation, though her sarcasm doesn't seem malicious in the slightest. "Do I have to do anything to make sure they don't..." She rolls her eyes back slightly and pauses. "Sleep? And I'll keep them away when I'm doing something disgusting. Hide them in my hat or something."

"Not much to it, for me." The doctor explains, as she looks at the Tulip doll that sits among the others, then grabs another blank one. "It's as good as done. I just need to squeeze a few places, run my fingers across and..." She demonstratively molds the doll in her palms, the material and doll itself soon shifting under her touches into a doll of herself, including the new garland. "Done." She shows it to petal, then brushes all of her own features off of it. "But I don't make dolls of me."

[Archmage1]

Tulip claps, smiling cheerfully, glad that Bandaid understood her explanation. It was, after all, a fairly good explanation. The sarcasm goes right over her head.
"No, they won't go to sleep unless they're really, really bored! Just let them see the world, and let them be admired, and they'll be happy, and when they're happy, they won't get sleepy! But don't forget to give them some water as well, because that helps them too! Without it, they get really fragile, and you might accidentally hurt them!"
As Bandaid makes her offer to try and protect them from the disgusting things, Tulip shakes her head.
"No, silly, they want to see the world! They're flowers, so they won't really see anything as disgusting, except for maybe hurting other flowers. They wouldn't like that much at all!"

Tulip looks at Bandaid in amazement as she rapidly finishes the dolls, watching every motion she makes. When she finishes, Tulip looks up at her face, wide eyed.
"You're really good at making them! And they're really pretty! Thank you for showing me!"

[Hazuki]

"Then it's a good thing this ship doesn't serve flowers." Bandaid replies to Tulip's explanation of the feelings of flowers, letting out a soft sigh as she rests against the wall and glancing over the back of her hand. "I'll look after them as best I can. It's what I'm good at, even if I don't know their...language." She glances at the wide-eyed Petal's response to her doll-making and gives a nod. "Thanks and you're welcome. I...doubt it could be as pretty as the real you, though."

[Archmage1]

"Yay! Thank you! They'll love you!"
Tulip, as is often the case, seems quite happy with Bandaid's promise to take care of the garland, but when Bandaid calls her pretty, she shakes her head, smiling.
"Silly, I'm not pretty! I'm just me!"

[Hazuki]

Bandaid shakes her head this time, as she hefts her knee up onto the edge of the desk to rest her foot against the edge. "That's not how it works. You're you, but you can be a lot of things. Just like I can be grumpy and nice, you can be you and pretty...and you are." She looks the Petal dead in the eye. "Or I think you are."

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks quite eager to protest, but even as she opens her mouth, her tiny mind is whirling, and she closes it almost immediately as she realizes how silly she would be to argue.
Then she smiles, enjoying being complimented.
"Aw... thank you! You're pretty too! Pretty, and nice, and maybe grumpy!"

[Hazuki]

Bandaid smirks again, a little wider than before, as Tulip returns her compliment. "Less of a compliment for a shapechanger, but I'll thank you all the same." The doctor speaks a little quieter now, giving a look at the closed door, and placing a hand on the wall for a few moments, as though to judge the rocking of the ship, before she looks back at the Petal. "I'm guessing not many people have told you that before, if you've not been corrected on it... No really good friends waiting for you back home?" She asks, a curious tint to her voice.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks confused as Bandaid claims that being called pretty wasn't a compliment for a shapeshifter.
"But... doesn't that make being pretty more of a compliment? I'm just me, but wouldn't a shapeshifter need to choose exactly how she was going appear, and need to put much more effort into it? Why would being a shapeshifter make that any different?"

Asked about really good friends back home, Tulip smiles, and nods, always happy to discuss her garden. And, of course, completely missing the point of Bandaid's question.
"Of course! There's Sivath, he's a really big lizard, but he has good tricks, and doesn't mind being tricked! And then there are the Blues, and the Reds, and the Golds, and the Thumpers, and lots of other people, like the Bears! They're all nice, and they're good friends! The birds are happy to let me look after their eggs for them sometimes, well, except for the reds, but they're a bit silly about their eggs, and the rabbits love showing off their children, and they enjoy games, like hide and seek, or find the flower, or tag, or lots of things!"

[Hazuki]

"Because most beauty is valued for its rarity and being something natural. Not normally created, except for powerful mages. And shapeshifters can just pick a form and we're like it. And lots of people think that could take away how special its meant to be." Bandaid explains, then gives a heavy shrug of her shoulders. "And...I'm surprised I didn't expect that. I meant, hmm...romantic bonds. Like the parent rabbits."

[Archmage1]

Tulip shakes her head, disagreeing.
"But that's silly! Beauty is! How someone got to be beautiful doesn't change if they are beautiful!"
When Bandaid asks Tulip about romantic bonds, Tulip laughs.
"Silly, rabbits aren't romantic at all."
Her volume drops, almost to a whisper.
"I don't think they really recognize each other. There was one rabbit who went on a week long quest to find all the carrots after talking to another one, and then when he got back, he gave them to the wrong rabbit!"
Shaking her head at this silliness, she resumes in a more normal tone.
"The Reds and the Blues and the other birds are much more romantic!"

[PersonMan]

Dilaa watches the strange shifter for a few moments, curious, but she says nothing. She had no problems with silence at all, in fact she sometimes preferred it to speaking. That wasn't the case as much in her past, but in the north she found the simple peace of silence to be in many cases more enjoyable than trying to work with the blocky language these people used. Without any further attempt to communicate, Dilaa settles on staying on deck for the time being, looking out at the sea of water before them in silent wonder of the size of the world.

[Hazuki]

"It's what people think." Bandaid says. "And I can't really help that. You might be able to, if you go at it with as much vigor as trying to convince me I'm nice." She runs a hand through her silver hair and starts to drum her fingers on the table. "What are the Reds and the Blues?" She asks, though her tone seems slightly less enthusiastic than it had been a moment before.

[Archmage1]

Tulip shakes her head, emphatically disagreeing with Bandaid.
"Then they're silly!"
Asked about the Reds and the Blues, Tulip seems quite happy to talk about them.
"They're two of the bird families. The Reds are the cardinals, but they really love each other, and give presents to each other, and they take care of their eggs together. The Blues are the bluebirds, and they're like the cardinals too, and so are the Golds, who are the goldfinches. That's why they're more romantic than the rabbits! They care about each other, and they stay with the ones that they love!"
She continues to seem completely oblivious to the point behind Bandaid's questions.

[Hazuki]

Dilaa is treated to the soothing tones of the sea as she sits outside on watch with the unnamed young woman, nothing to disturb their mutual silence, until eventually fatigue starts to settle in on her mind and the desert warrior departs the deck to find sleep in her own quarters. Tulip's adventures in Bandaid's quarters ends with a few more questions from the doctor, before she seems to lose the energy to continue talking and asks the Petal to depart, so she can get some rest. Though she's lost for a bit, with no room, she soon finds Dilaa's room and stays there for the night.

The next few days go by without significant incident, as the noble's wizard manages to keep his beast below in check, as well as the abomination that's been constantly watched by crewmembers. The Rum Runner continues towards its destination at a steady pace, and the residents of the ship react to each of Dilaa and Tulip as they had been before. Victoria pops up for the occasional chat with the warrior, Bandaid sometimes speaks to the Petal if she encounters her on the ship, and the Navigator stands at his post, never sleeping or eating, but only navigating.

The city of Garmine is their destination, and as it comes into view on a pleasant amber morning, many of the crew are up on the deck, making sure the Rum Runner doesn't have any unfortunate meetings with the moderate amount of ship traffic that surrounds the city. Dubbed 'The City of Glass', it is the remnant of many attempts to settle the continent of Immoren, and how each of them have failed miserably or simply dissipated in time. Fragile, in the simplest terms. The architecture is an amalgamation of whatever works, whatever's crashed, and whatever previous settlers left behind, and its steadfast refusal to let things go to waste is what's allowed it to be the longest-standing city on the continent, at a grand total of thirteen decades.

Upon arrival, Victoria is the first member of the crew that's allowed off of the ship, arriving at the dock of beautiful white stone, with the ship being guided into its place through the aid of a robed figure, standing atop a podium in the center of the dock. With each wave of its hand, the water shifts, leading to the gentlest parking many ships would ever see. While the crew is allowed off of the Rum Runner almost immediately, largely free to pass by the small group of purple-skinned, horned individuals that await them at the docks. The nobleman and his posse is processed first, including the black egg, and it takes a good hour or so before they're allowed past the posse of greeters.

Tulip and Dilaa are allowed up next, free to get a closer look at the greeters. The one to greet them is a fairly tall, lithe woman, with lengthened incisors, slitted eyes, and a positively predatory smile as she greets them. "Good morning, outlander. What brings you to our little slice of Hell?" She asks, cocking her tapered-back ear, shaped suspiciously like a cats, as the violet group behind her has a mixture of reactions. Some laugh, some roll their eyes, while others just ignore it. Throughout the questioning, the woman dubbing herself Cachal frequently checks with the stoutest of the bunch, and gets either a nod or a shake of the head in response.

Soon enough, questioning is over, and the pair are free to leave The Reigning Hosts, as they learned they were called, and depart into Garmine itself. With only one direction they know, they move through the architecture of onyx and straw to arrive at a tavern sitting dead in the center of town, formed of overlapping domes, called The Circled Circle. After walking through the door sized for the general humanoid range, they come face-to-face with a fairly grand hall that seems just slightly larger than it should be. Although not particularly busy for this time of day, there are at least one hundred seats in the place, all of them crafted out of fine wood and sitting in circles that keep the customers far apart.

The walls are decorated with tapestries and murals depicting various scenes from various pieces of mythology and popular storytelling, from The Sundered Sword, featuring a blade that was split vertically and hurled endlessly towards opposite ends of the world, to a woman made entirely out of crows, the mural of which seems to flutter and fly across all of the others, as though animate. Not a single inch of the walls and ceiling are undecorated, while the floor is a firm wound with a slight bounce to it. Off in the far corner is a lone six-armed woman, playing a simple song on three different lutes, which is quite pleasing to the ears without being obtuse.

And the centerpiece of The Circled Circle is a large fountain that sits in its very middle, crafted from the purest diamond either visitors had ever seen, it was a simple affair with two layers, at least ten foot wide for the lowest and three feet for the highest, it poured a vibrant rainbow water from its tip. As it cascaded down, the colors ran together, split apart, forming new colors and different patterns every minute or so. If one stares at it for too long, one runs the risk of being hypnotized by the constantly shifting rainbow that it somehow maintains.

But it isn't entirely unfamiliar, as a familiar voice can be heard singing cheerfully, and they spot Victoria sitting proudly at the head of her table, sweeping up a few handfuls of gold with one arm.

"Show me your wisdom, your hope, and your grace,
Allow me to smash my opponent's fat face,
Oh Lady,
Help me take money from my friiiieeeeends!"

The redheaded woman sings, and both Dilaa and Tulip can spot the large amount of empty mugs that are scattered around the table, some of them becoming impromptu containers for the sailor woman's winnings.

[Archmage1]

After the questioning by Bandaid, Tulip heads out, and goes in search of food, feeling quite hungry. After she successfully successfully gets some, she retires to Dilaa's room, settling on her pillow for a nice nap. Over the next few days, she has a fine time talking to people, exploring, and playing a few, harmless pranks, as well as cleaning the navigator until he sparkled in the sunlight. And then decorating him with flowers.
When she sees the City of Glass, she goes quite wide eyed, admiring the strangeness of the architecture. When they land, she has an absolutely fine time, but she seems almost paralyzed, staying near Dilaa, unable to decide where to go, or what to look at. When greeted, Tulip smiles, and waves.
"Hi! I'm Tulip, not Outlander! Who are you? I've never seen violet people before! But this isn't Hell! It's interesting! Hell would be a really, really big empty room!"

After the questioning, Tulip continues to stick with Dilaa, staring at everything, very, very excited. Inside the Circled Circle, she starts to fly over to the woman, intending to ask if she could join in too, but before she gets very far, she spots a far more enticing thing, a colorful fountain, with colors, and everything!
She immediately changes course, to go and have a look at it, admiring it's colors, and, before long, trying to see if it responded to her singing. She seems quite entranced by it.

[Hazuki]

The rainbow fountain doesn't seem to respond to Tulip's singing, but as she gets closer to it, she feels almost like she should dip her finger in it...until her head tingles with the realization that it isn't actually her thought, and rejects it almost immediately.

[Archmage1]

All of a sudden, Tulip shakes her head, and flies back from the fountain, back to Dilaa.
"It's really, really pretty! But it tried to make me touch it! But... it's so pretty..."
Her eyes seem drawn to it once more.

[PersonMan]

Dilaa keeps an eye on Tulip as the fey is enchanted by the fountain, and is about to head over to speak to the tiny woman as she breaks free of it and flies back. With a smile, she nods to the petal, snapping her fingers as Tulip begins to turn back to the rainbow-water.

"Come," she says, gesturing for Tulip to follow her as she makes her way over to where Victoria is singing. On the way, she pulls two gold coins from the pouch at her side, the only thing she's carrying apart from the wrapped-up thing on her back. Coming closer, Dilaa smiles and tries to catch the woman's eye before placing the two coins on the table. "Take money from friends?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

[Archmage1]

Dilaa's finger snap draws Tulips attention back to Dilaa, and her subsequent command is enough to compel Tulip to follow, although she does seem disappointed. Her voice is quiet.
"Aw... but it was so pretty. Maybe we can go and look at it again later?"

As they approach the singing Victoria, Tulip seems to brighten up a bit.
"Can I join in? I can sing!"

[Hazuki]

Victoria's singing comes to a halt as she realizes that she's being addressed, and a few of the others crewmembers break from the table to do something other than have their earnings won by the redheaded sailor. She a slightly hazy gaze, she turns her eyes to Dilaa and flashes a smile at her, then at the two gold she's placed on the table. "I, uh, I can't take gold from you just because it's there, Dilaa. I've got to at least earn it before you hand it over." She shrugs her shirt-clad shoulders and that's when Tulip speaks. "You sure can!" She beams. "What songs d'you know?"

[PersonMan]

Dilaa's expression shows her confusion. "Sing not earn?" She asks, gesturing to the coins already in some of the mugs around her.

[Hazuki]

Victoria giggles a little too hard considering the situation and shakes her head, though she grins at the warrior. "Gambling!"

[PersonMan]

"Gamble?" Dilaa asks, raising an eyebrow. The word was familiar, and it was clear that money was involved, but...

"Why 'at least' earn?" She asks a moment later, wondering if Victoria's words had more meaning than that on the surface.

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles even more cheerfully, if that's possible.
"All sorts! Like this one!"
Tulip produces a hand held harp, sized for her, almost instantly, before she starts her song, accompanying it with music from her harp. She sings in sylvan, and, to her, her song is about the cheerful arriving of the morning, and all the fun it starts. It is quite lively, and, as it turns out, Tulip has an exquisite singing voice, and her skills with a harp are clearly in the same league.


Sorry, but... I'm not really musically inclined, and writing songs that are decent... more or less beyond me. Normally, in this sort of thing, I would roll, but if it comes up, we can probably assume that Tulip is taking 10 on her singing and playing, which gets her a 30 in both, which is an extraordinary performance(According to the perform skill in the SRD)

[Hazuki]

"It's, like...dice and cards..." Victoria says after a moment of hesitation, picking up one such die on the table and rolling it. "If you guess right, you win! It's pretty great."

Most of the other clientele seem to enjoy Tulip's song, though its liveliness is something of a contrast to the relaxing music of the six-armed woman in the corner, that proves them slightly fidgety despite the exquisite performance.

[Archmage1]

Finishing her song, Tulip smiles at Victoria.
"Did you like it? That's one of my favorites! But games are fun too!"
She looks sad about needing to choose between singing, and playing games.

[PersonMan]

"We gamble?" Dilaa asks, finding the idea to be interesting. It seemed like a nice way to pass the time, and she enjoyed speaking to Victoria more. It would be nice to get to know about what she was like when she wasn't working on the ship. As Tulip begins to sing, she's just sitting down, and pauses to listen, smiling at the music. It was something she wasn't used to - most of the music she knew was reserved for one of two things, neither of which were relevant here. Simply singing cheerfully in a place like that was odd, but it was nice. It made Dilaa feel more comfortable, even though it didn't help her feel closer to home.

[Hazuki]

"Yep! It was the best song I've heard but didn't understand!" Victoria grins encouragingly at the hovering Petal, then shrugs her shoulders in response to Dilaa's question. "If you like not having any money!" She giggles.

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles happily, glad that Victoria enjoyed her song.
"It was about the sunrise! I've always liked sunrises! The promise of a new day is always a good one! Is there something that you would like me to sing about? Or can I try playing?"

[PersonMan]

"Have much. Need little," Dilaa replies with a shrug, smiling. As Petal speaks about what she sung, the desert warrior listens, not surprised by the fey's feelings. She did seem to be the type to enjoy every sunrise. When the tiny woman expresses a desire to play, Dilaa nods but looks to Victoria for confirmation. She didn't know the game, after all.

[Hazuki]

"I can think of a bad sunrise..." Victoria comments wistfully, as she picks up the nearest stack of cards and starts shuffling them in her hands. "Whenever it's a sailor's morning!" She chortles after her comment, followed by a few chuckles from the other crewmembers at the table. "And I've never seen a girl like you, you're so small! That must be fun...being able to get wherever you want! How long can you sing for? I once met a lady who could hold her breath for ten minutes! Came in handy." She snickers drunkenly to herself, as she deals a hand of cards to the two remaining crewmembers, one to herself, one to Dilaa.

As she watches the cards, Tulip manages to catch the door they entered through being pulled open almost silently, as two familiar faces entered somewhat sullenly. The Navigator, his ragged longcoat still wrapped tightly around his body and billowing slightly behind him, has his head hung slightly as he walked into the Circled Circle, while Bandaid stands beside him, a supporting hand wrapped around the Warforged gentleman's shoulder as they seek a table for themselves.

When Tulip notices the familiar faces, she manages to get a better look at some of the other patrons of The Circled Circle. At one of the tables closest to the rainbow fountain, there sits a curious young woman dressed in a simple robe, and seeming almost entirely noble...were it not for the fact that her entire body seems opaque, a gentle orange color, and the only solid part of her seems to be the crystal embedded in the center of her gelatinous skull. She just sits, staring into the fountain. At one of the tables closest to the doors sits a fairly regal elven woman, her skin almost bronze as she nurses a tall drink and a wooden puzzle box on the table.

After just a moment of watching the elven woman, the door swings open again and an extraordinarily beautiful young woman rushes in; her skin a pale blue, her eyes a wicked red, and her ear long, pointed and pierced. Her leather boots thump against the ground and her single pauldron jingles as she finally gets to the elf, her long lock of bound white hair almost thwacking the elf in the face as she leans down to whisper in her ear. And while this little event is happening, something flickers in the corner of Tulip's eye, and she spots a tiny woman, about one foot tall, with gossamer wings darting towards the rainbow fountain, her hair like snowfall as it trails behind her.

[Archmage1]

Tulip shakes her head.
"Don't be silly! That's not the sunrise's fault! Sunrises are always a new beginning!"
As the laughter dies down, Tulip listens to Victoria's comments, before shaking her head once more, seeming a bit sad.
"But I can't get wherever I want. Some of the doors and things are too heavy, and sometimes, they are made out of the poison metal, and sometimes, I don't know where I want to go!"
Tulip looks a bit confused as Victoria mentions someone holding her breath for ten minutes, but she tries to answer.
"I can sing for as long as I can sing. I just breathe while singing, and then I don't need to worry about air!"

Her attention drawn to the door, Tulip soon notices the other patrons, and then, she sees someone normal sized, not giant sized. Clearly surprised, Tulip flies up, and heads over to her, smiling cheerfully, almost grinning.
"Hi! It's really pretty, isn't it? But it also tried to make me touch it, so it might be mean!"

[Hazuki]

The other normal-sized person startles slightly as Tulip darts over to them, smiling and being cheerful, almost stumbling as she lands on the rim of the rainbow fountain. She tilts her head at Tulip with almond-shaped blue eyes, reaching up to brush a lock of her snow-white hair away from them as she regains her balance.

"Oh. Hey." The fey greets her, smiling slightly as she manages to balance. "It's...pretty great, yeah. Name's Weaver. Looking at you..." Her eyes sparkle emerald for a moment. "You're a Petal, yeah?" The slightly-shorter Fey asks. "Don't see many of you out here. Let me shake your hand." She halts for a moment as she figures out which hand is wearing a buckler and which isn't, before she holds out an inviting pale hand.

[Archmage1]

"It's really sparkly, and colorful! Of course it's great! I'm Tulip! It's nice to meet you, Weaver! There are so many giants, but so few normal sized people!"
When offered a hand to shake, Tulip shakes her head, and hugs Weaver instead, still looking incredibly happy.

[Hazuki]

Weaver laughs softly at Tulip's enthusiasm as she pushes past the hand to hug her, gently squeezing the Petal back despite the chain shirt that covers most of her form. "Now that you mention it...yeah, there are a lot of giants." She says, glancing around and shrugging. "At least there's a private entrance for us. What're you doing in Garmine, anyway? Lost your garden?"

[Archmage1]

Finishing the hug, Tulip also lands on the edge of the pretty fountain, her bare feet gripping the edge fairly easily.
"There's a private entrance? That doesn't have that invisible ice stuff in it? They always seems to have that!"
However, when Weaver asks Tulip about her garden, Tulip looks really sad, and she nods.
"The mean man trapped me, and then put me on a boat! And now I don't know where my garden is, and everyone must be missing me!"

[Hazuki]

"That's a real shame, darling." Weaver notes sympathetically, giving Tulip a comforting touch on the shoulder as she turns on her heel and looks into the rainbow fountain. "I hope you'll be able to find it again, but it won't be on this continent. People just end up more lost. But hey, if you want some fun..." She gestures to the fountain. "Just jump in!"

[Archmage1]

Upon learning that she's on a different continent, Tulip looks even sadder, but, at the mention of fun, she perks up a bit.
"But... I don't know how to swim! Are you sure it's ok? It tried to make me touch it earlier..."
Tulip seems a little doubtful.