The Council of Mythos IC [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 01:21 AM

"Sure, it was destroyed. Uh huh," Sakura replies, chuckling to herself. She sees Nissa's expression. "Oh, you were serious? Oh, honey, that is adorable." She pats Nissa on the head and continues carrying Taalia to Marx Manor.

The commander is sitting outside his rubbled mess of a house, but he immediately snaps to attention when the group shows up. Nissa sees his face completely drain of color when he sees Arios is out of commission. Sakura smiles and walks up to the pile of rubble. "Let's see if I remember how to do this! Been a while since I created something rather than blowing it up!" she says cheerfully. "Let's see...little bit of this, and a bit of that, and then...wish!"

She waves her hands and the house's rubble flies into the air and begins to reassemble itself. The entire manor reforms in less than six seconds. Commander Marx's jaw drops open in disbelief. Sakura turns around and smiles. She walks up to Nissa and hands her the staff and the robe. "I'm leaving Arios with you. Not because I want to, and not because I feel like you're capable of handling the responsibility. But I am. And that means if you screw up, you'll be answering to me." She snaps her fingers and disappears.

Commander Marx picks up his unconscious wife in relief and carries her inside. "Nissa, and your friends...how can I ever repay you for rescuing my wife?" he asks.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 01:37 AM

Fen passes the still-frozen bodies of the three they were supposed to fight. Hmm... were they for real? A frown came to his face, thinking about it... At the moment, there wasn't much he cared to do about it.

---

Fen says to the commander, "Well, I'm bushed. Can't imagine how Neroth and Nissa must feel... you have any extra beds?"

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:01 AM

Nissa tried with little success to stammer out a response to Sakura's last statement before the nymph disappeared. What on earth had she meant by that? And why had she left the staff and robes in her care?

She turned to Commander Marx and shook her head. "Arios is the one who found her and kept my father preoccupied until we could get there. If anyone deserves your thanks, it's him." She brought Arios inside, hoping to be directed to a bed where she could lay him down.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:04 AM

Commander Marx shows the group to two guest bedrooms. Each bedroom has two beds. He apologizes and explains that they are the only two bedrooms he has. He puts Taalia to bed and asks if the group would like his help taking Arios's armor off.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:07 AM

Nissa shook her head. "No thank you, Commander, I can manage his armor on my own." She looked at Arios, then back at Lars. "Could you please let me know when my mother is ready to see any visitors?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:10 AM

The commander nods. "With all due respect, Miss Nissa, that is likely not to be until tomorrow, at the very least. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll have Lord Highmarch bring over a priestess to treat Grandmaster Heartshield's wounds in the morning."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 02:12 AM

"Thanks. It's alright, don't worry about me too much. I'm pretty small..." He yawns and says, "Damn. Got so much to do tomorrow too. Got to see some guy at the barracks, pick up some new armor and clothes, find a mushroom..."

yeah, I'm just shamelessly using a bit of meta knowledge to throw a hint to this guy that yeah, he is in fact the one I was going to talk with ...

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:15 AM

The commander smiles. "Best of luck with all that. And thank you all again! Good night." He turns and heads upstairs to his chambers.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:16 AM

She nodded and began removing Arios' armor to tend to his injuries. There wasn't much more that she could do for him with what power she had left, but she would do what she could for him.

Time to cast ALL the cure spells
Cure Moderate: [roll0]
Cure Light: [roll1]
Cure Light: [roll2]
Cure Light: [roll3]
Cure Light: [roll4]
Cure Light: [roll5]
Cure Light: [roll6]
Cure Light: [roll7]
Cure Light: [roll8]
Cure Light: [roll9]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:21 AM

After Nissa finishes healing him, Arios's eyes open slowly. He sits up and realizes he's not wearing his armor and jumps a bit. "Where...where am I?" he asks, looking around. "Where's Revane? Taalia? Sakura?" he mutters, confused. His face is red. He lays back down, muttering a bit. His forehead is covered in sweat.

It looks like Arios's wounds have been infected. He is running a fever.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:27 AM

Nissa gently pushed him back onto the bed before placing a hand on his forehead. It seemed they hadn't arrived in time to give his wounds proper treatment, and it looked like an infection that was beyond what she could heal magically. "Shh... You're in Commander Marx's home. We rescued my mother and my father's been dealt with. Sakura... she left, but I don't know where she went."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:29 AM

Arios winces and wipes some sweat from his brow. "Magic...my magic is all gone. I need to prepare my spells again," he sits up and reaches over the bed, looking for his bag. "Where is my spellbook? I can't just sit around with no spells prepared."

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:33 AM

"Your spells are the last thing you should be worrying about right now. You're wounded, and you need to rest." She turned to Ghellin. "Go get Commander Marx and bring him here." The raptor nodded and trotted out of the room, leaving her alone with Arios.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 02:34 AM

Welp. Time for bed. He supposed it would be Nissa and Arios in one room, and him and Neroth in the other. He went to check on Arios one last time though.

"Hey, guys. So... everything's alright for now?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:35 AM

Arios looks at Nissa, still confused. She can see the haze in his eyes. "I'm...I'm wounded. Right. But, are you okay?" he asks, slowly lowering himself to the bed.

Ghellin brings the commander down after five minutes or so. The commander knocks on the door politely before sticking his head in. "You wanted to see me, my dear?"

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:41 AM

"I'm fine, Sora." She took a fold of the blankets and used it to wipe some of the sweat from his brow.

When Fen and the commander arrived, she turned to the door. "He was fighting for almost an hour before we got there, and his wounds are infected. Do you have any medicine that we can give him, or know of anyone who would have something to treat them?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:48 AM

The commander frowns. "I don't, no, but at this time of night the only person I could think who would help is-"

"Right here," a voice interrupts. The voice is familiar, and even just hearing it, Nissa already feels a familiar sense of annoyance creeping up on her.

Lord Highmarch walks into the room. "Oh my, am I interrupting?" he asks, noting Nissa on the bed and Arios's state of undress.

Commander Marx is baffled. "You - how did you - why did you - Did you break into my house?!"

Lord Highmarch chuckles to himself. "What a silly question. Of course I didn't break into your house. You leave the second floor library window unlocked."

Commander Marx's eyes widen. "How do you even kn-"

Lord Highmarch steps past him and holds out a vial. "This is what you're looking for, I assume?" he asks, looking down at the man in the bed. "He's...really sick isn't he?"

Nissa blinks as the chains and dark aura appear again behind Lord Highmarch, but this time she feels something different. Instead of feeling the weight of a secret, she feels...something else. Anger? She notices Lord Highmarch almost subconsciously reaching behind him to draw his heavy crossbow.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:51 AM

Nissa grit her teeth at the sight of Lord Highmarch. "Yes, he is. He was wounded helping us rescue my mother, and the wound got infected before we could treat it." She glanced down and saw the priest reaching for his crossbow. "I hope you don't intend to draw that in Commander Marx's home, especially without provocation."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 02:52 AM

Second floor library. Good to know... maybe

"Uh, I'm sorry. Who might you be?" Fen peers at the man curiously.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 03:01 AM

Commander Marx snaps awake at Nissa's observation and sternly grabs the lord's arm. "Are you mad, Severus?"

Lord Highmarch sighs and tugs his hand away. "Sorry. I'll go." He tosses the vial on the bed. "That will take care of any infection that might be in his system. You can thank Ocula for my help, she's the one who saw your need with her magic."

He stops at the door and turns around. "Just so you know, Commander, that man took down over one hundred demons summoned from the Abyss by himself. If you think one person should be walking around with that kind of power, the vial is right there. But if you know that people like that are deadly and absolute power corrupts absolutely, then here's your chance to bring the Council of Mythos's number down to 7." With that, he walks past Fenlaen and leaves, completely ignoring the fey.

Commander Marx looks over at the sleeping, sickened Arios. He sighs and turns around. "Well, good night. Both of you," he adds, looking down at Fen as he heads to bed.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 03:06 AM

"Hey wait! One second please! They call you 'commander'... um... commander of what, exactly? Are you, perhaps, the one I have an appointment with tomorrow??"

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 03:06 AM

"Says the man who's embezzling his own temple..." She picked up the vial and took a moment to examine it to ensure it wasn't poisoned.

Heal check: [roll0]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 03:08 AM

The commander nods. "Yes, I believe I had someone put something on my desk about a visit with a civilian concerning demon attacks. But if you expect me to listen to it I'll need to get some sleep, my boy."

The vial appears to be a potion of remove disease.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 03:11 AM

Nissa lifted Arios' head and helped him drink the potion once she was sure it was safe.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 03:12 AM

Arios downs the potion and his fever breaks almost instantly. His breathing returns to normal and he falls into a peaceful sleep.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 03:18 AM

"Yes, of course Commander Marx... uhm, I was just thinking, perhaps we could talk here, in the morning? Rather than going all the way over there? It would be a bit more convenient for me but... well, it's your call. Goodnight." He smiles sheepishly, having nagged the poor guy.

When he leaves he says to Nissa, "Don't know who that guy was but... what's all this rubbish about absolute power corrupting? ..well, I mean, he did destroy my home but -- the point is, a guy who would take on hundreds of demons single-handedly to save a life? That's not something to fear or disrespect..."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 03:56 AM

I imagine the talk between Nissa and Fen won't take too long, so I'll go ahead and post what happens in the morning before I hit the sack.

The group awakens in the early morning, all of them sporting some bruises to their egos and their psyches from last night's events. There is a smell of bacon and eggs coming from the east wing, however, and it smells quite delicious.

When Nissa awakens, she sees the bed next to hers is empty. The Black Knight is gone.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 04:05 AM

Fenlaen gently awakens, stretching on the small sofa, and he immediately follows his nose. Upon entering the kitchen he says, "Good morning!"

I guess we could continue that conversation simultaneously if you'd like.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 08:43 AM

Nissa shook her head. "Anything that Highmarch says should be taken with a mouthful of salt, Fen.". After saying her good-nights, she collapsed into the other bed and fell asleep.

In the morning, she got out of bed and began searching the manor for any sign of Arios. He couldn't have gone too far, could he?

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 09:19 AM

As Nissa searches for Arios, she passes by the kitchen and sees her mother awake, and cooking. Lady Taalia Marx pulls some bacon and eggs off the frying pan and puts them on a plate, putting them in front of Commander Marx. She looks up to see Nissa in the doorway. Her eyes go from surprised to amazingly happy. She sets the serving utensils down carefully and rushes over to the doorway, pulling her daughter into a hug. "You look...just as beautiful as I always knew you would, honey. I'm so happy you're still alive," she whispers.

Fenlaen walks in and greets the people. Commander Marx nods to him and indicates the chair across from him. "Have a seat, Fenlaen. We can talk all you like now."

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 10:56 AM

Nissa couldn't hold back tears of joy at the chance to meet with her mother for the first time in 10 years, and she returned Taalia's embrace. "All this time I thought you'd died trying to save me... Thank the gods Commander Marx was there to save you."

After a moment she reluctantly pulled back from the hug. "I'm sorry, Mother, but I have something urgent to take care of. Do you know where Grandmaster Heartshield went? He wasn't in his bed when I woke up."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 11:07 AM

Commander Marx grins from his seat. "Well, you could thank the gods, but I do happen to be sitting right here," he teases playfully. All of the fear and sadness she had seen in him yesterday is completely gone, now that Taalia is safe. His wife looks at him scoldingly. "Lars, honey, she's been through enough. Leave her alone. Oh Nissa, I'm so proud of you. You stood up to your father and you not only made him pay for his past mistakes, you stopped him from doing any more harm. Even without any magic! Oh and of course I can't forget about my other rescuer!" She kneels down and reaches out to stroke Ghellin's head, slowly so she doesn't scare him. "He's so cute! What's his name, dear?" she asks.

Upon hearing her other question, Commander Marx raises an eyebrow. "Miss Nissa, I think you've had enough 'urgency' to last you a week. The threat is over, what else could possibly be so important? But as for Grandmaster Heartshield, he left this morning with someone I'd never seen before. A young, thin man with glasses and a necklace with teeth."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 12:15 PM

Fenlaen raises an eybrow. "A necklace made of teeth? What kind?"

He supposed it didn't really matter. "Um.. you suppose he'll be back?? Cause I really needed to talk to him too. Though I suppose it could wait..." He sighed wistfully. Hopefully no other members of the Seven (or Six now) were on the hit list right now.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 12:28 PM

"I'm no wildlife expert but they were all canines, you know, the sharp teeth used for ripping meat off bone. I'm guessing they were tiger or bear teeth," Commander Marx replies. "I doubt he'll be back, he has his own house in town after all. Why do you need to talk to him?"

TheEmperor

2014-12-07, 01:04 PM

Neroth rolled off the bed, awakening with a thud as he hit the floor. Where was he? Why was his armor not on? Why the hell was he so god damn sore? Why was his arm able to bend that way? It shoul- oh, it was just about broken.

"How amazing." he grumbled, and looked out a window, finding that it was already day once more. He had obviously overslept, from the way the day looked. He pushed himself off the ground, and found his armor and weaponry leaning against a wall quite close to him, so he grabbed them and donned them.

He ran a finger down the large purple bruise on his arm, and let his arm flow slowly find all the wounds on his back, below his cloak. How terrible. They'd heal, but they were going annoy him for now.

He came downstairs, with the intent of saying good bye, and giving his thanks to Commander Marx.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 01:17 PM

The commander smiles as Neroth enters. "Good morning. Taalia this is Neroth, one of Nissa's friends. Neroth this is Taalia, my wife and Nissa's mother."

The elf smiles and sets a heavy plate of bacon in front of Neroth.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 01:20 PM

"Ghellin." She chuckled as the raptor nuzzled his head into Taalia's hand. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if he's not just a housecat in disguise."

She sat down at the table at the Commander's response. She wanted to be with Arios right now, to catch up with her childhood friend, but Marx had a point. "I just wanted to make sure he'd recovered enough to be up and about." She looked up and waved in greeting as Neroth entered the room.

TheEmperor

2014-12-07, 01:25 PM

Neroth took a seat by the rest of them, and looked at them all. He nodded, rubbing his eyes, and took a knife and fork in his hands, before saying "Good morning. Nice to meet you all. Happy you're alright, ma'am."

He took a bite out of the bacon on the plate in the most civil way that he could, something he hadn't done in a decade or so, before commenting "Wow, this is really good. Pardon my manners, I haven't eaten properly in a civil environment in years."

Technically, he was wrong, but in Jazi, they'd simply mowed through the food.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 01:32 PM

Taalia smiles and strokes the raptor and looks up at Nissa. "Sora did leave a message for you dear. He'd like you to join him for lunch at The Carole, a very nice restaurant in the nobility district, in about three hours."

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 02:33 PM

Nissa stared, unsure of whether she'd heard her mother correctly. Her face reddened a little as it sunk in, and now she had a new reason for urgency: he'd left her with little time to get ready, considering the only clothes she had were ghe ones she was wearing. "Um... do you know any tailors who could have somethibg ready in time?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 02:47 PM

The elf clicks her tongue and stands up. "Young lady, you happen to be speaking to one of the most successful seamstresses in Mys'tai. What's your size dear? I've got many hand-sewn items I think would look beautiful on you, and I have them in my sewing room in various sizes."

TheEmperor

2014-12-07, 03:02 PM

While Nissa and her newly acquired dresser were beginning their descent into the world of women's dresses, Neroth was nearly done with the food on his plate. After swallowing the second last piece of bacon on the plate, he said "I hope you'll excuse me, but after this, I'll have to leave to do some business... I acquired a new home over the river, so I'll have to go check it out. After that, I have to meet with Master Sai over at the Sublime Way dojo."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 03:14 PM

Fen replies, "Well, I need to ask Arios a lot of things... and quite frankly, I feel he owes me many explanations. As for what I was going to talk to you about... hmm, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if it's all that necessary. You see, I was originally talking to those guards, and we were trying to figure out who was summoning all those demons, but I suppose we know the answer to that now. The only real question lingering is, who was Ravane working for?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 03:37 PM

The commander shrugs. "I've had my eye on Senator Revane for a long time, especially with his recent wealth. If he had a connection to The Black Sun, I'd know about it. And it seems unlikely he'd be working for The Council of Mythos either, as he very nearly killed one of their members. I'm not sure who this 'master' of his was."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 03:41 PM

"I am pretty sure he tried to use Mythic magic though... I mean.. I thought only the Council of Mythos could do that. Isn't that somewhat strange? Also, do you know anything about Zon-Kuthon, or any clerics that might worship Him? Because about a week ago, on my way to Sha'Zhen, I met a cleric of that religion, who seemed involved with the kidnapping plans, and he was being forced to do this by some.. elf woman."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 03:46 PM

The commander shakes his head. "I am a man of faith, but I am a man of loyal faith. I can't tell you anything about a god that isn't mine. If you want to ask questions about Zon-Kuthon, you should ask that man who snuck into my house last night. His name is Lord Severus Highmarch, and he is The High Priest of The Devil. You can find him at the temple usually."

"And as for mythic magic, I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between it and regular magic. That would certainly be something to ask Grandmaster Heartshield about," Marx adds helplessly, starting to feel a little uncomfortable at Fenlaen asking all these questions he has know idea how to answer.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 04:00 PM

"Oh... well, I guess that's it then." Fen shrugs. "Only... one last thing is, you might want to keep an eye on clerics of other gods. The cleric I ran into said there would certainly be others under the same sort of situation."

Fen says to Neroth, "Hey, when are you going over to that house of yours? I'd be glad to take a look at it with you, but I have some stuff to pick up first."

TheEmperor

2014-12-07, 04:03 PM

Neroth shrugged, the armor on him clinking a bit too much, and said "Probably right after this, but I can go along with you if you want me to accompany you on your own tasks."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 04:12 PM

"Oh. Well, all I am doing is picking up some clothes and armor... and hopefully a shield... Actually, I don't need to use the ferry at all," Fenlaen says chuckling. "But I would have trouble finding the house. Hmm.. I suppose I'd have no more trouble than you, considering you've also never seen it..." He wolfs down some eggs and bacon.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 05:10 PM

Nissa went up to her mother's sewing room and gulped at what she found. No creature she'd fought could compare to the monster that was fashion. Her knowledge was limited to practicality: Would this garment catch or otherwise hinder movement? Was this fabric suited to that climate? How loud of a dinner bell was she ringing by wearing this color?

"...I have no idea where to begin... "

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 05:14 PM

Taalia chuckles and reaches into her closet, pulling out a purple dress with no lace or frills. Beautiful, but practical. Not low cut, but certainly not a turtle neck either. Short sleeves. She hands the dress to Nissa. "What do you think? It's one of my finest works, but I never sold it in stores because I wanted you to be the first person to ever wear it." Taalia declares, her eyes sparkling with love and joy.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 05:26 PM

Fen decides. "Well then. Don't mind me. You catch your ferry, and I'll try to catch up with you as soon as I can. Uhm.. one last thing, Neroth... would you mind if I kept that money? There's... there's something very important I'd like to do with it... or, try to anyway."

TheEmperor

2014-12-07, 05:37 PM

Neroth finished off the last of the food on the plate, and slowly got up. He thanked the Commander, and then looked at Fen with a raised eyebrow. "Go ask your mother I guess I'd be alright with that, but shouldn't you be more concerned with what Nissa has to say about it?"

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 06:33 PM

"Right.. I'll ask her too, I guess. Though she did receive some other stuff. I'm sure it's worth something." Fen shrugs.

Fen also finishes eating, to his satisfaction. "Well then, thank you for your hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Marx. Oh, and.. I'm not even sure if I've introduced myself. The name is Fenlaen. It's been a pleasure being in your company."

Then Fen asks Nissa about keeping the gold before heading off to the merchant district to meet Jafar at his tailoring shop. He's got his knife again, and taking up to 300 gold pieces in tow.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 06:48 PM

Jafar grins as Fenlaen enters his shop. "Welcome back, sssssir. I have the item you requessssted ready for your perussssssal." Jafar lays out the tunic Fenlaen picked out. It's been hemmed and resized to fit him perfectly. "Asssss we agreed yessssterday, thissss job will run you twenty sssssilver."

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 06:55 PM

Nissa carefully took the dress, holding it up to get a good look at it. "It's lovely, Mother." It even looked like it was made for someone roughly her size, as if Taalia had anticipated that her above-average height would have carried over to adulthood. When Fen showed up, she simply nodded her approval at him taking her share; after everything that she'd managed to keep in her life over the past day, she was content with what she had.

She looked to her mother once Fen had left. "I should probably get cleaned up before I try it on. I'd hate to ruin all the work you put into this."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 06:55 PM

Fen marvels at the work. "Ah, yes. This is quite nice," he says smiling, putting two gold pieces down on the counter next to it. He picks it up and turns it around. Perfect. "Erm. This does come with some pants, right?"

Speaking of that, he ought to get some damn shoes or boots. Should have thought of this earlier! He'd blame himself, but it was easier to blame Jalessi.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 07:14 PM

Jafar sets a pair of slacks and boots that match and fit Fenlaen on the counter. "Free of charge. Sssssince you're a friend of Natassssha's. Issss there anything elsssse I can get you, ssssssir?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 07:16 PM

Taalia smiles and indicates the master washroom. "Good luck sweetheart. I hope a bit of normal everyday fun will do you some good after all that unnecessary excitement. I'll be downstairs with Lars if you need anything." She heads down to the kitchen.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 07:25 PM

Nissa closed the door and got to work on getting cleaned up. It took some effort considering how long it had been since she'd had a chance to properly bathe, but it felt good to wash off all of the dirt and grime. Her hair was a pain, though; it was tangled in several places, making the brush catch just about every time she tried to pull it through.

After some time she finished and got dressed before heading back down to the kitchen. She'd debated over whether or not to braid her hair again, but decided to leave it down for a change.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 07:29 PM

Fen all but beams. It was quite a relief to not have to go hunting around for some other form of basic apparel...

"Ah, thank you! I'll just uh.. hmm." Now that he thought about it, he felt rather dirty. There had to be quite a bit on him even from his recent adventures since being resurrected. And he was sure there was some kind of demon or spider blood splattered on him somewhere... Regardless, he shouldn't go so long without a bath anyway, and he didn't want to immediately ruin the clothes.

Fenlaen chuckles. "I really am in need of a bath. Especially before I decide to put on these fine clothes.. Do you have any idea where.. well. I suppose I could just buy a little soap from somewhere and head to the river..."

heh thanks. Not like I'm trying to copy you but it is true... we all probably need to clean up.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 07:34 PM

Taalia claps her hands in delight as Nissa enters the kitchen. "Oh dear, that color is perfect for you! Hehe, now I feel sorry for that poor boy. He's not going to know what hit him after he gets a look at you."

The commander stands up. "It's about time for me to head to work. Nissa, I just want to let you know, you are welcome to stay at my home any time, as long as you like. I hope maybe you will consider it your home too, after a time." He smiles warmly, sincerely, before heading out to the barracks.

Taalia starts picking up the dishes to wash in the sink. As soon as she hears the door close from Marx leaving, she turns and gives her daughter a knowing look. "Now then, you've probably realized this, but that nice boy you knew as a kid is all grown up and he's changed. Some would say for the worse. So just...be careful, okay?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 07:36 PM

Jafar chuckles. "Why go to a river, when you can simply use the bath house in the inn for only a night's reservation? It'll cost you less than you paid for these clothes." He tells Fenlaen where the nearest inn is, Fen could walk there in five minutes.

TheEmperor

2014-12-07, 07:38 PM

Neroth gave his regards to the rest, as he left the house behind Fen, and headed for the river quite quickly. He thought he knew, somewhat, where he was going, but he made his way with speed even with his relative inexperience with the place, which he felt was justified how much he wanted to see his new home now.

Now that I'm seeing all the flaws, I'm becoming more and more unhappy with Neroth, so it's becoming difficult to write him.
Better hurry with the Investigator, shouldn't I?

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 07:46 PM

Nissa leaned back against the wall and nodded. "I promise, I'll be careful." She was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "I'm... nervous. I don't know what he'll think of me if I tell him that I still feel the way I did 10 years ago." And then there was Sakura; she and Sora had definitely been in some kind of relationship if the statue of him in the nymph's home was any indication, and Nissa couldn't help feeling that she was coming between them somehow.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 08:00 PM

Taalia chuckles. "Being nervous is natural. But if you get too nervous and start freaking out, just remember: it's only lunch."

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 08:08 PM

"Right... just lunch..." She nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Congratulations, by the way. Commander Marx told me that your anniversary with him is coming up."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 08:19 PM

Taalia blushes and nods. "I hope you don't mind me remarrying, I know that probably came as a shock to you."

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 08:21 PM

"Why would I be upset at you remarrying to someone who actually cares about you? The way I see it, you could've remarried just about anyone in the city and it would've been an improvement."

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 08:24 PM

"Well because.. well, that would have been a last-ditch effort." Fenlaen shrugs. "Thank you, Jafar!" The pixie neatly scoops up the clothes in a folded pile and then heads for the inn he was directed to.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 09:12 PM

Taalia purses her lips. "Don't you have some things you need to look into before lunch? Better get going. You're losing daylight."

-----------

Fen is able to easily find the inn and grab a nice shower for 1 gold.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 09:19 PM

Nissa cringed a little at her mother's response; she hadn't even considered that she might upset the woman. She nodded and gave Taalia a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out the door, telling Ghellin to stay behind. Her sword was still buckled to her waist, though, so she wasn't completely unarmed.

Before going anywhere else, she headed to the barracks to drop off the letter that they'd found on her father. Maybe they would have a way to find out who'd written it.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 09:23 PM

At last. Time to stop looking like a strange homeless "pet". Fen dries off and puts on his new clothes, satisfied with them. This tailor was quite good... especially considering how quickly it took him to size Fenlaen up.

Now with that out of the way, he finds his way back to Hassar's shop to get his armor. He'll also inquire about shields.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 10:11 PM

The guards hand off the letter to their Linguistics expert, who examines it. "Hmmm...yes, very peculiar. This person has a strange way of writing his 's'. If you brought me another document you believed was written by this 'master', I could compare the handwriting samples and give you a definite confirmation or denial, but I'm afraid that's all I can do. I don't have a writing sample of everyone in the city to compare it to, unfortunately."

He hands the letter back to Nissa.

-----------------------------------

Fen drops by Hassar's shop. The troll grins and waves at Fen when he walks in. "Look who it is? It be little Fenlaen, ya mon! Here ya go mon, I got ya armor fixed up right here! It will let your wings slide through easily."

When asked about shields, Hassar shakes his head. "Sorry mon. Weapons and shields around your size are generally forbidden to be sold. I don't even buy them from others because I can't make a profit on em. If ya want a shield, ya probably will hafta go to another town, aye."

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 10:14 PM

Nissa thanked the man and left, wondering how much time was left before she was supposed to meet with Sora. It didn't seem like 3 hours had passed already...

After a moment she started heading toward his home; maybe she could meet up with him ahead of time, then walk to the restaurant with him.

WindStruck

2014-12-07, 10:18 PM

"Hey, thanks!" Fenlaen says, beginning to try on the armor. "Say, how was your date?"

Fen frowns when he says he has no shields though. "Right, I heard something about... halflings and slaves..." that made his face even longer and he shook his head. Really, slaves? He hadn't seemed to have noticed any flagrant controversies right in front of him as he had been around the city yesterday, but the whole idea was distasteful to him. "But hey. I know someone's got to have something, right? I hear people actually would buy things secretly, and there used to be a trader that would buy the stuff people had for smaller folk and ship it to other towns, but he died recently..."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 10:57 PM

From the barracks to Arios's home takes Nissa about twenty minutes of walking. When she reaches the house she feels she has perhaps an hour and a half left before the appointed time, give or take ten minutes or so.

When she arrives, however, she spots an altercation going on. The Black Knight stands, sword drawn, against an unarmed and unarmored man, around the same age as Sora, maybe a little older, but half his size. He is human, with pale skin and soft brown hair, and a pair of glasses. A necklace of teeth hang around his neck.

There are five teeth. They are from, respectively, a werebear, werelion, werewolf, weretiger, and wereshark.

The man pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Is this truly all The Black Knight can offer?"

Arios buckles down and charges forward, swinging his bastard sword to attack the man. The man lifts his hand calmly and Arios's blade slams against his forearm. Nissa gasps and covers her eyes, wondering why Arios would cut an unarmed man's arm off, but instead she hears a sound like steel against steel. Arios growls and raises his blade again, slamming it down as fast as he can. The bespectacled gentleman moves his arm around like a shield, deflecting each attack that Arios makes.

"Amateur," the man says, adjusting his glasses. "Your attacks are angular. Predictable. Weak."

Arios pulls his blade back and then swings it on the ground in an upward slash motion. "Predict this!" he yells.

But his blade does not connect. Nissa blinks, it seems that his target simply vanished, but then he is suddenly right behind Arios. "I did," the man replies, and slams his fist into the back of Arios's full plate. Nissa hears the expected crack of bone, but the cry of pain does not come from the man who seemingly insanely attacked spiked armor with his bare fist, it comes from Arios, who drops like a rock as his spine shatters.

The unarmed, unarmored individual returns to his original position. "You are a disgrace to the Council at your current state, Sora. No man who calls himself the Grandmaster of Abjuration should ever be brought to his knees against an outsider, no matter their number. You have three weeks to improve your skills. Fail, and I will kill you so that a new Grandmaster may be chosen."

Arios groans and pushes himself to his feet. The man smirks and adjusts his glasses. "Your will, at least, is impressive. But I wouldn't move around like that until you have your spine looked at."

Arios roars loudly and raises his sword above his head in both hands, swinging it down in a motion that would decapitate the man. The brunette shakes his head, adjusting his glasses, before catching Arios's blade in his bare hands. He twists his hands to the right and Arios's magical sword snaps in half like a toothpick. A fist out of nowhere. Arios falls to the ground, his helmet knocked clean off. "Only a dog bites a master when he kicks him. I only desire perfection. I expect it of every member of the Council, and you are no exception just because we are friends. Ten weeks. And you'd better find a sharper blade than that. Teleport." The man disappears.

--------------------------------------

Hassar laughs. "It was great, mon! A gentletroll doesn't kiss and tell, but...I totally got to third base. Aw yeah, mon! High five!" he holds up a greasy, unwashed palm in front of Fenlaen.

When Fenlaen brings up that man's name, Hassar narrows his eyes. "Best be careful who you bring that up in front of, mon. Not all of our shops be seedy like that, ya. If you find someone who is selling these goods, they're likely selling most of them to halfling slaves, since that's the biggest market for it. That's insurrection and rebellion right there. Don't get mixed up in tha' crowd if ya know wha's good for ya, aye?"

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 11:19 PM

Nissa ran forward and dropped to her knees at his side, her hands glowing with healing magic. "Sora! Sora, are you alright?!" She wasn't sure where to begin asking questions, or even if she should ask. Who was that man? Why had they been fighting? Why had he threatened Sora with death?

Knowledge Nature to identify the teeth: [roll0]
Heal check to see how badly he's injured: [roll1]

Cure Moderate: [roll2]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-07, 11:44 PM

Arios winces as he sits up, clearly in pain as he puts weight on his shattered spine. "I'm...okay. He didn't paralyze me. And he did that on purpose. He knows which vertebrae cause full paralysis and which do not even through all this armor. Can you please help me up?" As they stand up, Arios says, "I need to get to the Temple. Healing magic is nice but with a broken bone the only magic that can fix it is a regenerate spell, and I'm afraid that's a bit outside your skill level."

As they walk to the temple, Arios remarks, "You look beautiful. Is that for me? I'm flattered." When Nissa reminds him of her original question, he continues. "That was Justin Titanbane, also known as Justin the Immortal. He's the Grandmaster of Transmutation, and possibly the strongest member of The Council of Mythos. He holds everyone to ridiculous standards and decries any failures we have in public as a disgrace to the Council and to our fellow members. Sakura knew this was coming, that's why she left when she did."

Sakura's last words echo in Nissa's mind. "I'm leaving him with you. Not because I want to, and not because I think you can handle it. But I am, and that means if he ends up hurt, you're going to answer to me!"

"Still, it could have been worse. At least he didn't bring Cassandra with him," Arios remarks drily.

"And that took a considerable amount of restraint on his part," a female voice calls from behind them.

"Mind blank," Arios says, touching himself and speaking the incantation reflexively. He turns slowly, and Nissa turns with him as she is supporting him. Arios sighs and shakes his head when he confirms the person who is already standing there.

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/339/f/e/astral_enchantress_by_kitchigai_koji_2-d4i9cr3.jpg

"You must be Nissa Revane. A pleasure to meet you. Let me change your mind!" the woman declares, raising one hand.

Nissa shudders and instantly feels light-headed, then sick, then aroused, then angry, then embarrassed, then confused. The last one isn't magic, just natural.

Arios raises his free hand and points it threateningly at the woman. She shrugs innocently. "What? She didn't mind blank herself, you know the rules. Don't protect yourself, you're fair game."

"This particular woman is not and will never be part of your doll house, Elaina," Arios says. Nissa shivers. The tone of his voice and the look in his eye, now she sees what Commander Marx and Lord Highmarch were talking about. When Arios was angry, he looked less like her childhood friend and more like a cold-blooded warrior.

The witch sighs and curtsies to Nissa. "I am Elaina Buvelle. Though everyone calls me 'Elaina the Puppeteer'. I am the Grandmistress of Enchantment. And I'm here to deliver a message from Cassandra."

"I don't" "Want to hear it?" Elaina finishes, glaring at him. "She's looked into your future, and she's determined that you'll be just fine. You're going to get stronger and you're going to crush Justin one on one and he's going to leave you alone, plain and simple."

Arios narrows his eyes. "That will make me feel better the second I become a fool enough to believe a single word that comes out of your mouth. Which is...oh wait, that's never, isn't it?"

"You are such a child. And here I am, come to deliver a message so you don't have to appear before Cassandra in the worthless state you're in, and also to do this. Regenerate," she says, holding up a scroll. The scroll glows and Arios stands up, rubbing his back. He steps away from Nissa and crosses his arms.

"Don't expect any gratitude from me. I still haven't forgiven you for what happened two years ago."

Elaina shudders. "So cold! I get no love here. I lie to you about your mother surviving one teensy little fire and give you hope that you're going to see her again after eight years and you stop talking to me for...wait, when was the last time you talked to me?"

"Two years. Pretty sure no one has been stupid enough to go anywhere near Kai'Zhal since you cursed it."

Elaina stamps her foot angrily and then sighs and shrugs. "Touche. You win this round then, Black Knight. But you can't protect yourself forever. Pretty soon you'll be dancing on my strings just like everyone else. Tah for now!" She vanishes.

Diachronos

2014-12-07, 11:55 PM

Nissa could only watch blankly at the exchange between the two of them. She shook herself out of her daze when the woman left, before turning to Arios. "What... what just happened? What did Elaina want from you?" This was starting to worry her; she'd personally met only half of the Council of Mythos, and of those four, two of them had either threatened Sora or did... whatever it was that Elaina had just done to her. The rumors of the Council of Mythos being dangerous to deal with were becoming more and more believable with each encounter. Not to mention the chilling difference between the Sora she knew and an angered Arios Heartshield.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 12:07 AM

Arios sighs and picks up his helmet, putting it back on. "I..." Nissa feels a sense of dread as the familiar black mist starts to gather and a few chains appear, but before the locks can set, they all vanish. Arios shakes his head. "I haven't told anyone this, but I'm not going to keep secrets from you, Nissa. Elaina is conducting an experiment on particularly strong-willed individuals. I'm her favorite test subject, as Justin physically repels her and Orion is immune to her magic. Her theory is that even with a powerful protection spell like mind blank and a strong will, if you harass someone or demoralize them enough, you can break their spirit and penetrate their protection spell to reach their mind and destroy it. She wants to torment me until my will erodes away, so that she can break my mind and prove her theories about enchantments and protection spells. "

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 12:22 AM

Nissa stared at him, having a hard time believing what she just heard. "But... why? Why do the others on the Council allow her to do this? And why is she so determined to break peoples' will like this?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 12:27 AM

"Because it amuses her," Arios replies bitterly. "I'm the one who gave her her title. The Puppeteer. Each of us chose a name for one other. You should have seen her eyes light up. I was telling her, to her face, that I thought of her as a manipulative heartless witch who saw people as play things and all she could say was 'That's so sweet of you! Thanks Sora!' I hate her."

He walks over to where Justin beat him up and picks up the shards of his weapon. "This sword was very expensive and well-crafted. I'm not sure where I'll find a better one. Guess I'd better get looking if I don't want to lose. I'll see you at The Carole in a bit, okay? I still need to get ready." He leans in to her, and for a moment his lips are just a hair away from her cheek, but he draws back and sighs, walking into his house and closing the door behind him.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 12:34 AM

Fen smirks and high-fives the troll, then... ick. Damnit he just washed up! For the time being, he'll just try not to use his hand...

"Hassar, I... let me just be frank. I haven't been here long, but I don't think I like the idea of keeping another person in chains... much less an entire people. If you're going to go along with it, well.. fine, whatever. I don't want to get you in trouble."

He begins to leave before adding, "Well, anyway. I'm not trying to stir up trouble. But if I'm seeking such goods, it can't be helped given my size. Thanks again and have a great day..."

Fen exited the store and sighed, rubbing his greased hand into the rags which were his old clothes. Heh, looks like they were good for something after all. Halfling slaves troubled him a bit. He certainly didn't plan on buying any, but he couldn't help but feel a wrongness to the whole idea and not doing a single thing about it.

He pondered what he might do next. Given Hassar's warning, it wouldn't be a good idea to go willy nilly about town asking for weapons and armor perfect for halflings to usurp their larger enslavers. He figured either Jasper might know if someone carried any sort of "illegal" armor, or... perhaps he might even ask guards or something if they were willing to sell a shield they happened to confiscate? He didn't see that going extremely well, but you'd think it would be a reasonable request.

Fen decided he'd head toward the forest to the east Jasper spoke of first. Once he'd done the favor he owed, hopefully the half ogre would be more inclined to talk to him.

questions: Will the breastplate, as a medium armor, slow down Fen's flying speed? A chart says 60' goes to 40', though for some reason I'm just thinking this wouldn't apply if his wings aren't hindered. He's still on a light load, so..

Then there's also the matter of evasion still working... :smallsigh:

Anyway, if visiting the summer home on that island is on the way to the forest, Fen will stop there first.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 12:43 AM

Yes, breastplate will reduce your fly speed to 40'. If your wings were hindered, you wouldn't have a fly speed at all. And the evasion feature clearly says that it only works in light or no armor, so there's not even a need for me to rule there.

Fenlaen heads to the summer home and meets Neroth there. The place is beautiful, and it is large, as Caineghis said it would be. Inside, it is well furnished, with a fully stocked bar including some very old, very good wines and plenty of ales, as well as a few servants who assure Neroth that King Caineghis is still paying their salaries so he won't have to worry about anything.

As they explore around, something catches Fenlaen's eye.
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/101/e/8/brownie_by_carolina_eade-d4ow71w.jpg
The creature is small, barely bigger than a hawk, and is sitting near the hearth working on cleaning ashes out of it. The creature does not seem to have noticed Fen's presence.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 01:12 AM

Fen clears his throat to speak to the brownie. "Ahem... (Sylvan) Greetings, friend. ...just curious, but are you here working as one of those who tend the house? Or... are you repaying a favor?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 01:14 AM

The creature looks up in surprise. "That's correct. I am Syn. Syn Siti. A pleasure to meet you. I am working here because this place is nice and the servants leave me plenty of food after hours. As long as no one bothers me, I'm happy, and the island climate is so nice, especially this time of year." He bows and then goes back to work.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 01:24 AM

"Nice to meet you Syn. I'm Fenlaen Valir. A friend of mine has received ownership of this house but... well, I don't think he'll mind your being here." Fen says with a shrug. "So... right, you seem busy. I'll see you later?" Gods it's been ages since he spoke to a brownie. He couldn't help but feel shy.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 01:27 AM

Syn smiles. "Not at all," he replies. "Always happy to meet some forest folk. They appreciate our hard work. If you like, we can talk more again later after I'm done."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 01:33 AM

Nissa stared at the door after it closed, wishing that there was something she could do to help him. In a way it was her fault he was in this predicament; after all, she'd been the one who'd asked him to get involved with the search for her mother, and he likely wouldn't have been wounded like he had if she hadn't turned to him for help.

With a sigh of disappointment she turned and began making her way toward The Carole. There was a fluttering in her stomach as she thought back to his last words before they'd separated. His lips had been so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek, and she found herself cursing that he had pulled back.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 01:34 AM

"Uh, alright then! This place is pretty big, so I'll keep looking around until then." So with that, Fen continues exploring around the house. If the two would continue talking at some point in the future, hopefully it wouldn't be too long. He had to go on an epic quest to find a mushroom to cure some guy's infected fingernails, after all...

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 01:41 AM

As Nissa arrives at The Carole, she realizes the advice her mother gave her was useless. This was not "just lunch". The Carole was a very swanky, nice place where every woman was wearing at least as nice a dress as Nissa's (most of them more), as well as a well-dressed man on their arms. It looked like some sort of romantic get away for the rich, with everyone having a private booth all the waitresses being well-dressed and extremely poised and elegant, and, as Nissa heard when she walked in, the champagne came with the table.

She arrives before Arios, at least, as far as she can tell. The woman behind the hostess's desk smiles at her. "Hi, what's the name of the reservation?" After Nissa tells her, she is shown to a table with two wine glasses and champagne on ice.

Arios shows up about five minutes after her.

http://recesslv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/01.jpeg

He takes a seat across from her. "I'm so sorry I'm late," he says apologetically. "But there was a surprisingly long line," he pulls a bouquet of white lilies from behind his back, "for these. And before you say anything, I know they're just dead plants, but I did also pick up a few seeds so I can grow some fresh ones in my yard, and er...if you stick around...you can watch them grow and bloom with me."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 01:52 AM

It took a large amount of effort to remain calm upon seeing how extravagant the place was. This was beyond what she was expecting, and judging by her mother's advice she didn't realize just how high-end this place was.

When he arrived, she was on the edge of her seat. Why had he asked her to come here of all places if they were just having lunch? Did he have other plans? The flowers certainly seemed to hint at that possibility. "I... I'd like that, Sora." She smiled nervously and accepted the bouquet, handling them like a precious glass sculpture. "Ten years, and you still remember what my favorite flowers are. It means a lot to me..."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 02:05 AM

A few forced interactions here in order to prevent posts from being two or three sentences long. Go ahead and post any feelings or specifics Nissa would use here for her parts in your next post and we can make this one long interaction.

A waitress comes over and smiles, taking both of their orders. As Nissa glances at the menu she can see that pretty much everything on there costs 50 gold or more. Sora orders what he likes and smiles at her easingly.

After Nissa places her order, she can tell that Sora's mind is still on the fight he had with Justin this morning. She decides to try and get his mind off it, so she brings up a subject from the past. "Hey so, do you remember that one time when the two of us snuck out for your ninth birthday? We stole a little money and had ice cream and bought chalk and drew cool pictures all over the street! We were out until sundown!" she smiles happily at the memory.

Sora's eyes darken. "Yeah, I remember. After your mother scolded you and put you to bed Jacob drew me a bath and put my mattress on top of me. I was trapped between a rapidly filling bathtub and a mattress that was too heavy for me to lift properly. I nearly drowned."

Nissa blinks in surprise. She did not know that part of the story. How much of her fond memories with her friend ended in pain for him?

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 02:18 AM

Nissa fiddled with the skirt of her dress while they waited for their orders to arrive. Okay, so maybe bringing up past memories wasn't the best way to get his mind off of the Council; did any of her fond memories end up well for both of them? Should she apologize, or just let it go and hope that things went smoother after that? "I'm sorry, Sora, I didn't... I didn't know." She looked down at her lap, embarrassed and a little ashamed. Great way to start things off, Nissa. He's not even here for five minutes and you've already upset him...

What was she going to do now? Talking about the past was out of the question now, and discussing the events over the past few days were no better. Could they talk about what they'd been up to for the past few years, or... should she be bold enough to ask why he'd chosen to bring her here?

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 02:22 AM

Sora is quiet for a few minutes, then he says, "I can tell...what you're wondering, you know. The way you mess with the edge of your clothes whenever you're feeling guilty, plus your natural curiosity...all things I really like about you, and I know them well. Listen, Nissa, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. This isn't just lunch. It's a date. I wanted to ask you out on a date, because to be honest, I really care about you a lot and I want you to be a part of my life. It doesn't have to be anything as sudden or final as all that, but I thought bringing you here, showing you a nice time and making my intentions clear would at least let you know where I stood on the subject before you left on your next adventure."

He takes a breath. Nissa can almost hear his heart racing from across the table. His cheeks, which were normally covered by that black helmet, are bright red as he confesses his feelings to her.

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 02:35 AM

Nissa pulled her hands away from her skirt when he mentioned her habit of fiddling with her clothes, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I guess ten years in the wilderness didn't change me as much as I thought." Her hands rested on the table as he continued, confirming her hopes... and worries. "Sora, I..."

She reached across the table and grasped his hand. "I feel the same way. I have for the last 13 years." Her face was soon matching his in redness, and suddenly she found it hard to look him in the eye. "To be honest, I... when I found out how much you'd accomplished for yourself in the last 10 years, I was afraid I wouldn't live up to your expectations..."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 02:36 AM

Fenlaen heads to the east, where he finds the forest on the outside of Mys'tai. He begins searching for mushrooms to treat the infection in Jasper's hand, when a noise interrupts him. Glancing through the trees, Fenlaen spies a face he didn't think he'd see for a while yet!

Michael Leonis is walking with a pair of retainers. The two men, who Fenlaen vaguely recognizes as werewolves that had greeted Michael in Sylvan before they had left for Sha'zhen, were carrying Michael's equipment and listening to him work through battle strategies for the tournament that was taking place in two days. The wolves stop and snif the air.

"(Sylvan) Do you smell that brother?"

"I do indeed, Bah'lake. That is the smell of a tasty morsel around here!"

Michael and the others laugh and transform into their full-blooded animal forms. They turn and start rushing directly towards Fenlaen.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 02:40 AM

Sora squeezes her hand. "Are you kidding me? Look at you, a full-fledged hunter and survivalist, making it on your own, living off the lam? That's what you always said you were going to do. You hated the city, you hated your dad, and now you are free, independent, and able to live for yourself. To be honest, the reason I was so nervous is because I thought you'd say that your only love was nature or that you didn't want to be tied down or something else like that. I thought expecting any kind of commitment from you was unfair of me."

He nods. "And it still is. We may know quite a bit about each other's past, but ten years can change a lot. So, don't think of this as accepting an offer to be anything...labeled. Instead, just consider it an invitation for a second date? And we can see where it goes from there. I don't ever want you to feel like I'm trapping you or caging you or anything like that, Nissa."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 02:42 AM

Fenlaen rolls his eyes. Tasty morsel my ass!

Fen flies high into a tree and sits on a branch. He yells down, "Michael, it's me!"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 02:47 AM

The lion has already started climbing the tree when he hears the voice. The two wolves look at each other and then transform into their human forms.

"(Sylvan) Mi'khal, I think that zhe'mane is talking to you."

"No way! Mi'khal is a hot-blooded lycan just like us. He doesn't mess around with zhe'manes!"

The lion drops to the ground and transforms back as well. "Hunting zhe'manes isn't fun anyway. Who wants food that can talk back to you while you're eating it? Bunch of annoying flies is what they are. Come on, I smell some deer over there."

"You got it Boss!"

The lycans all head off in another direction.

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 02:52 AM

Nissa shook her head and smiled. "Maybe if you were one of the drunkards or thugs who see me as a plaything I would feel that way, but you... Sora, if there's anyone that I would be willing to commit to, it's you." She chuckled and closed her eyes. "Consider your invitation accepted. And how many more hunting-themed metaphors do you have up your sleeve?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 02:57 AM

Sora blinks in surprise. Nissa can tell that her bold declaration really threw him for a loop. The grandmaster reaches for his wine glass but accidentally knocks it off the table instead. The crack of glass against the floor draws everyone's attention. Immediately there are a couple of waitresses over by the table with a rag to clean up the spill but Sora waves them off. He takes the rag and gets down on his knees, cleaning the stain up and carefully scraping the glass into the trash.

"Sorry about that. I didn't expect you to agree so openly to anything. I mean, we only just met again yesterday. I honestly never thought I meant that much to you. You know, since I was just your dad's servant. I thought you might have thought the way I acted was fake because my parents were paid to live in that house and keep you and your mom happy."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 03:04 AM

"Servant or not, you were my closest friend growing up. And the only person my age that I could stand to be around. The sons and daughters of the other noble families... With how they acted it's no surprise that people think poorly of the noble class." She shrugged and gave him a small smile. "I guess I just didn't have the courage to tell you how I felt all those years ago."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 03:08 AM

Fenlaen scowls as he watches the lycans run off. Alright, so maybe Michael didn't know it was him at first, and now he was just trying to play cool in front of his friends? But they'd dare to eat one of his kind without a hesitation? It wasn't even specifically that, even. What if there was.. a normal person? Would they have no problem slaughtering a girl picking flowers and feasting on her? He'd have some choice words to speak to Michael... out of earshot of his friends, that is. Then again, they could use a good lecturing too...

When he's sure they're out of sight, Fen flies a little in a different direction before going closer to the ground to continue searching for the mushroom. Staying out of sight and keeping quiet would help, but if they could smell him... well, he wouldn't want to be downwind.

Let's see... I should know what kinds of places these mushrooms will grow in...

stealth: [roll0]
perception: [roll1]
survival for finding the mushrooms: taking the 20 for 26 total to the score

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 03:15 AM

The waitress brings the couple their food and a new glass for Sora. They clink glasses and enjoy their champagne, and Sora digs into his steak with gusto. Now that the two of them have gotten the heavy stuff out of the way, Sora seems much more chipper. He describes the basics of abjuration magic. Nissa, who can use magic but has never studied how to do so, can grasp the gist of what he is saying, though it is a little hard to follow. Then Sora listens eagerly to Nissa's topics of choice and the two of them end the meal on a very gracious note.

Sora escorts Nissa out of The Carole by her arm. It seems he has plenty of practice in his newfound nobility, though it occurs to her that she has no idea how he even made any money to buy that house or afford anything. He turns to her and bows. "So, as the lovely lady once said to the handsome actor, 'what now?'" he asks, looking a little uncertain.

---------------------------------

After a bit, Fenlaen finds the mushrooms he's looking for. It's a little hard to concentrate on searching with the loud ripping and tearing of animal flesh going on in the background, but Fen picks up the mushrooms and presumably heads back to Jasper's with them. The half-ogre accepts the mushrooms gratefully. Just like Hassar, he seems to be in a very good mood after his date with Natasha last night.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 03:20 AM

"Hah, see! Told you I'm no thief! But really, the job was almost too easy..." Yeah, this was practically stealing. Whether or not he could find a buyer now... had to be someone he could sell them to...

"Uh, Jasper.." Fen lowers his voice and looks around like... well, they were, technically doing something illegal. "Did I hear correctly when Natasha used the word... 'stockpile'? I got a chance to try this knife out, and I don't really think it suits me. Um, if you'd like, maybe I could even trade it for a different one that's worth less? It depends though."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 11:00 AM

Jasper shakes his head quickly. "I gave you what I had, kid. I'm sorry. I've already started melting down everything else. I don't have anyone to export anymore so all this stuff is just contraband now."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 11:14 AM

Nissa tried to think of what to do next, but couldn't come up with anything. A lot could happen in 10 years, and she didn't know if any of her favorite places from back then would still be around. Or if they held poor memories for Sora.

"We could walk around town and see what there is to do. Even if we don't find anything, the time soent together would be worth it." She smiled and gently squeezed his arm.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 11:26 AM

Arios nods. The two of them take a walk through the city. The sun is warm and the air is fresh. There are lots of people running around, but the streets aren't crowded. Nissa finds Sora leading her east towards the pier, and he takes a seat with her on the edge of a dock looking out at the water. He turns and smiles at her, and then leans in close. Two hearts pounding in synchronization, both rapid fire at this rate.

"Oy, Nissa! Is that you!" A voice from the town exit near the docks. Sora blinks and pulls back, looking for the source of the voice.

Prince Michael Leonis and a pair of humans with doglike features walk up to the pier. Michael smiles and waves. "Hey! I had a feeling I'd bump into you here! How have you been?" he says in a friendly tone. "I've got good news! Amora is alive and well. Safe and sound. She's studying hard so that she can develop a scrying spell that will penetrate this fake Orion's defenses. As soon as she finds out who he is, she plans to message you."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 01:14 PM

Fen frowns. "Oh. Well, sorry it all went to waste..." A waste indeed. Was this stuff so dangerous to keep around?? Another reason to hate these slavers, albeit a selfish one. "Uh, do you happen to know anyone who might've been stuck with a small shield, by chance?"

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 01:31 PM

Nissa groaned as she heard Michael call out to her. Not because it was him who showed up, but because this was the second time something had interrupted them being close.

"That's good to hear, Prince Michael. I'm looking forward to any information she can turn up. You're here forcthe tournament, right?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 01:48 PM

Jasper shrugs helplessly. "Talking about it in the open is enough to get you arrested. Even if someone did have that kind of merch, there's no way they'd tell me."

----------------------------

Michael nods. "That's right. Because Amora was brought back to life and she's safe, Father decided to make a special exception for me and revoke our shia-le ritual. That means I'm no longer a rak'shal, so my title as prince was restored and I'm ready to crush these other warriors to restore my honor."

Sora stands up. "I'll be looking forward to going head on head against you in the finals!" he declares, extending his hand. "I'm Arios Heartshield, the Grandmaster of Abjuration."

Michael raises an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, I heard there was someone else who was favored to win this year. So you're the dark horse everyone's talking about, huh? Well, you might not even get to the finals. There are some pretty strong martial adepts in this city after all."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 02:35 PM

Nissa put her arm around Sora. "Somehow I doubt he'll have too much trouble reaching the finals. After all, he bested over 200 kytons in an hour singlehandedly."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 02:40 PM

Michael blinks. He looks at Arios helplessly. "What's a 'kyton'?"

Arios chuckles. "Needless to say, I'm looking forward to our clash in the future. And I hope you enjoy your stay in Mys'tai, Prince Leonis."

Michael grins and glances at his friends. "Alright guys, let's go get a room at an inn and hit up the dojo. I need to practice spar and break a few legs to get myself really in the mood for this tournament. Man it's been nothing but stress the last week, I can't wait to kick back and have some fun!" They run off.

Sora turns to Nissa and chuckles again. His smile is honest and relaxed. "He seems very lively. You know him?"

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 03:57 PM

"Alright..." Fenlaen sighs. "This city is so dumb..." he mutters under his breath.

"Hey! Well, thanks again!"

For a second there, Fen was thinking maybe the Gods stopped hating him, but when he thought about it, all he really had was some clothes, a breastplate that was about to go in the trash, and a knife that wasn't very effective for its supposed price, but also an extreme liability... and no shield. His fighting style practically depended on one.

He also had quite a big pile of gold, which he could probably never spend on any sort of gear here in this city, but that wasn't what it was for anyway...

Now Fenlaen looks for some kind of temple to a good. Preferably a good one.

I've kinda had enough of these Tarot clowns. Any other temples? One to Cayden Caliean maybe? Anything besides the Tarot? Fen's just looking around now.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 04:09 PM

The Temple of Asmodeus is one that is hard to miss, as Asmodeus is the patron deity of Mys'tai. An older gentleman smiles as Fenlaen enters his halls.

"(Sylvan) Welcome to the Temple of Asmodeus, my child. I am Father Crowley, the high priest here. Can I help you with anything today?"

-----------------------------------

The club was a seedy one. Not one that Mr. Davis would normally ever be caught dead in, but this was pure business. He walks up to the door and the bouncer stands in his way, arms crossed. "Password?" the man asks, clearly a bouncer looking for an excuse to beat the stuffing out of an unsuspecting peasant.

Mr. Davis doesn't have the password, but he has something that works just as well. He hands the bouncer a bag. The bouncer opens it to find five platinum pieces. His eyes shine against the rare metal. "Damn, well if I don't have to take a wicked leak right now. Hope no one goes in while I'm gone and not watching the entrance," he says, heading off to the right.

Mr. Davis enters the club and walks up to the host. "Name?" the host asks. "Arthur Sirio," Mr. Davis replies.

The host laughs out loud. "Damn, if you don't got balls man. Mr. Sirio is a good friend of mine, and he happens to be sitting right over there, which means you are not him." "You asked for a name. I told you the name of the man I'm here to see. Now do your job and take me to his table," Mr. Davis demands. The host raises an eyebrow, but he looks back at the table and sees Sirio wave the man through. Mr. Davis brushes past the host. "Thanks for your help." He goes to sit at the man's table.

Arthur Sirio is a tiefling bastard who inherited a lot of wealth from his illegitimate father and used it the only way a tiefling could in this city, to buy some property and start a business in a part of town no noble would dare operate in. Mr. Davis had heard from his contacts that this gentleman had ties to the Black Sun. He had to be careful about how he went about this, or what kinds of questions he would be asking.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 05:03 PM

Fen groans inwardly when he decides 'what the hell' and pokes around in the temple of Asmodeus. It wouldn't be long... he hoped.

He almost wanted to snap back 'I'm not your child' but instead maintained a calm and courteous demeanor. Since he was addressed in Sylvan, he responded in kind. "(Sylvan) Hello, Father. I only had a quick question with which to bother you. I am looking to resurrect someone, but I'm not exactly sure what is needed. Something about a really expensive diamond?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 05:27 PM

Father Crowley nods. "A very rare diamond that is very expensive, but you can buy it in certain large cities. Additionally, you will need the aid of a cleric whose faith is strong enough to call them back. Most towns have a cleric who can easily restore life to a fallen comrade as long as you possess that person's body. In large cities like this, there are high priests like me who are capable of resurrection even if you only have a lock of hair or a bit of a finger. And there is one priest in the world who is capable of performing a divine feat so incredible he can call a soul back from the afterlife and create an entirely new body out of nothing for that person to return to."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 05:51 PM

"Just one, hmm? Yes, I think I had met him... and I'll require his services..." He shakes his head sadly. If it was Father Yassir he was talking about, Fen hoped he might be willing to do it, despite his temple being destroyed... though, Fen planned to give the rest of that money away to help him. "Um... do you know what kind of diamond? About how big or the approximate price of it?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 06:00 PM

"A good diamond for that spell runs around 25,000 gold pieces," the priest replies. "You can purchase them here in Mys'tai, if you like. The palace has a supply they keep around for emergencies."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 06:08 PM

"Uh, alright. Thank you!" Fen tries to politely and quickly leave the temple, waving goodbye. So now where to...?

25,000 GP was a lot, but he had more than that. He didn't think Father Crowly would have meant trying to buy a diamond from the palace... but certainly they got their diamonds from somewhere, so... he'd have to find the supplier, no?

The best thing he can think of is poking around the merchant area again for anything that looked like some kind of jewelers shop and asking around.

gather information: [roll0]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 06:13 PM

Fenlaen poking around discovers that yes, in fact, the only place he can purchase them from is the High Regent himself, at the palace in the Royalty District.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 06:20 PM

Right... Fenlaen hadn't taken the whole sum of money with him on his errands. After all, that would be way too tempting of a target, thousands and thousands of gold pieces jingling in a bulging bag.

Neroth kept them and took them back to his summer home for safe keeping. So that is where Fen wen't next. It was getting late anyway... he could continue his business tomorrow, he supposed. Perhaps he would meet Syn again?

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 06:23 PM

Fenlaen returns and finds Syn scrubbing the floor. He looks up and smiles. "Oh, hello again. Do you happen to have anything sweet? Usually people just leave stuff out for me, but since you're here, I thought I'd just ask." His question seems to be out of genuine curiosity, not greed. After all, for all he knows Fenlaen has been the one leaving those sweets out for him.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 06:30 PM

"Sweets? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever carried that sort of thing on me... Not for a long time..."

They were just expensive and spoiled easily most of the time. Or got everything sticky. "So, people leave stuff out for you, but they never bother... talking?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 06:33 PM

Syn blinks. "Well, I mean, certainly a couple of them have tried, but I don't speak the common tongue. I prefer it this way anyway. If people bother me too much while I'm working, I'll usually go to another house so that I can work in peace. But you don't bother me. You're nice."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 06:37 PM

Fen chuckles. "Glad to hear it! Like I said before, it's my friend's house now, so... I think I could raid the pantries and see what they have around here." His voice is pretty chipper, and he rushes off to search the house for candy.

perception: [roll0]

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 06:38 PM

She nodded and watched as Michael ran off with his friends. "Michael Leonis, the Lion Prince of Jazi. Neroth, Fenlaen and I actually worked with Michael's younger sister Amora to rescue their sister Maria not too long ago." Nissa chuckled and shook her head. "After one sister's abduction, another's death and resurrection, and everything else that's happened to him in the past week, I'd say he earns a chance to relax."

The half-elf looked up at him. "So, you're going to be in the tournament in a few days?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 06:39 PM

Fenlaen finds a slice of cake on a plate in the fridge with a card that says "Reserved for House Elf".

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 06:41 PM

Fen yells, "Aha! Found something! Apparently they've been saving it just for you! Erm. Whoever works here, I guess."

Fen brings the plate over and shows it to Syn. "Did you want it now?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 07:05 PM

Sora rubs the back of his head. "Ah it's really no big deal. Just a bunch of muscled brutes breaking their swords against each other. It's not something I'm proud of but..." he looks as Michael leaves. "Unfortunately, with the sorry performance I gave yesterday, I'm going to have to win. It's too bad, the prince looks like he'd be a nice challenge if I fought without using magic. But if I come in even second place, that will make the Council look even worse."

He stands up. "Don't worry about it, Nissa. Come on, let's go back into town and see if I can't buy you something pretty." As they walk, Nissa can't help but feel that another potentially romantic moment between them has passed.

The two of them pass by a menagerie. Sora's eyes light up. "Hey, Nissa, want to go check it out? I bet this place has a lot of rare animals you may never have seen before!"

------------------------------

Syn takes the plate and smiles gratefully. He eats it piece by piece as he works, taking his 'sweet' time enjoying it. When he finishes, he has also finished scrubbing the floor. "So, what's a pixie doing this far away from mai'silva?" Syn asks.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 07:14 PM

The question was almost like a punch in the gut to Fenlaen. "W-well, you see... I often traveled around the world anyway... I even got a little famous there, in my home... but.. but..."

Fen has to take a deep breath. He looks at Syn, who is probably undoubtedly wondering why he's acting so nervous. "I... I don't know how else to say it but... mai'silva is... gone. Along with just about everything and everybody else for that matter..."

No! No more crying! I said-- ...baby.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 07:15 PM

Syn stares in disbelief. "My home is...gone? But...where will I go now?" he asks, stunned.

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 07:16 PM

Nissa tried not to sigh as she realized that the encounter with Michael had killed another romantic moment between them. She'd heard of people who were too serious being said to have a stick up their ass, but in Justin's case it was more like Lady Olivia's oak tree. A man who made hundreds of demons work for an hour to bring him to his knees and still fail to kill him was a man who didn't have to prove himself to anyone.

A smile crossed her face as they came upon the menagerie. "Yes, let's see what they have. It'll be nice to see some tame exotic animals for a change."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 07:20 PM

Fenlaen shakes his head. "You've got me there... I don't even know where I'll go. Maybe.. maybe I could try and see how the other Six of the Seven are? At least you seem to like living in other people's houses. And it seems you like being alone... I'm sure your home is wherever you'll make it."

Fen tries to smile but it still comes out like a frown, with a corner of his mouth barely twitching upward.

TheEmperor

2014-12-08, 07:22 PM

Kyras Davis was a tall and lank man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNv19ITqHJI), of a rather sickly nature, who stood out in the atmosphere and crowd that pervaded the club due to his particularly well meaning face. He was dressed in a long coat, and had a hat in his hands at his side, which would have been on his closely shaven head, just about leaning on his gaunt face, had he been outside.

As he walked over to the high and mighty Arthur Sirio's table, he got some terribly intimidating looks from a few fellows looking like bad news, just like the war of '09... Thankfully, he managed to keep them off his tail, thanks to the flashing of a rather dangerous looking rapier right at his side. He took a few wary looks around, like a panther in the jungles of the Forest of Despair, but generally acted quite at ease as he took a seat across Arthur.

He leaned back on his chair, and asked a nearby bartender for a glass of wine, and generally looked as if he was preoccupied by the business of other people for a few seconds. He slid his hat onto the table, letting it rest there.

After receiving his wine a few moments later, he graciously took a sip, his face entirely neutral, and then finally looked at Arthur. "Mr. Sirio. I trust you and your business are doing well?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 07:58 PM

Syn looks downtrodden. "Well, maybe its not too late." he offers, looking at Fen hopefully. "I've been studying arcane magic for a long time. I'm very close to a breakthrough in my research that will soon let me conquer death itself. If I can do that, the I could bring Lady Olivia back!"

------------------------------------

Arthur Sirio sweeps one hand through his slicked back jet black hair, barely caressing his demonic horns as he does so. He looks up, his slightly red-tinted skin highlighted under the club's night lights. "My business is very profitable, though with the number of bitches I have in my bed every night I'm finding it a bit hard to sleep well lately." He looks at Davis and Davis immediately understands the look. It's the look of 'turf'. Davis has seen it before, and he knows what it means. Sirio has the ability to wave his hand and have six big guys come and break every bone in Davis's body and the guards wouldn't bat an eye. He has to tread on very thin ice here. But if he goes too soft, Sirio will brush him off as being green. It's a delicate balance between hard and polite.

"So, what has brought you to my fine establishment tonight, Mister...?" the tiefling asks, waiting for Davis to give him his name.

-------------------------------------

Nissa and Sora enter the shop and take a look around. Sora looks a little uneasy, though for some reason Nissa thinks it has to do with something other than the animals. There are tigers, lions, wolves, and even some magical beasts like chimeras and shocker lizards. But one particular creature catches Nissa's eye.

It flies out and lands on Sora's shoulder, and speaks to both of them in their minds. "Hi! How are you both today?"

The creature has wings and red scales, though it is far too small to be a dragon, even a wyrmling. It also seems gentle and intelligent, and playfully snaps at Sora's hand when he reaches up to pet it, before letting him stroke it slowly.
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070326030842/forgottenrealms/images/e/ed/Pseudodragon.JPG

-------------------------------------

Meanwhile

Michael and his friends get a room and crash, all of them wiped out from the trip. The two wolves head downstairs and get all of them some drinks while Michael sets his pack down and starts going through it. The innkeeper comes up the stairs and knocks on the door. "Prince Leonis, you have a visitor. Someone who says she wants to wish you well in the tournament."

"A fan? Already? Wow, word travels fast around here. Please come in!" Michael calls without turning around. The door opens, and then closes a moment later. "So sorry to be rude, just doing a little unpacking," Michael says apologetically, his back still turned to the visitor. "So, how can I help you today, miss?"

"Let me change your mind!" the woman answers from behind him. Michael gasps and drops to the floor. The woman chuckles and settles down into the room. This tournament was going to be fun.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 08:11 PM

dun dun dun...

Fen asks, "You... know magic?" He supposed that perhaps anyone might be able to pick it up if they had the intellect and knack for it. But that just left one question in his mind. "Well why in the blazes are you scrubbing the floors on your hands and knees when you could just snap your fingers and do it?" This time the pixie manages a soft chuckle before going back to the gloomy subject on hand.

"Uhm. Anyway... I am not sure that would work. For one thing, it seems the Divine have all the expertise in bringing the dead back to life.. secondly, her body, along with everyone else's and the forest, her tree... it's all just gone. All dead and in the Nine Hells now for all I know... It's... kind of hard to explain. Someone poisoned Lady Olivia's tree, but when it died, a giant demon came out of it and pulled the whole forest in with it."

"But also I think... maybe... you shouldn't." Fenlaen sighs. "I don't know. It sounded like there was some seething hatred within Olivia for centuries... and it tore her apart. Even if you could bring her back, I don't think you'd fix that. It's the most important part, why everything went to Hell. Literally."

After a moment of silence, Fen asks, "So, what exactly can you do with magic anyway?"

TheEmperor

2014-12-08, 08:16 PM

It was beginning to become quite clear to Davis exactly how tough of a nut he would be to crack, considering everything. The shady atmosphere around him was not helpful to his eyes, but he could still see how the man's eyes were attempting to break through his determination, something he'd never allow after what had happened.

Holding the glass of wine in one hand and moving it around, acting quite sophisticated, he said "Davidius. Alerius Davidius, alchemist and... well, poison maker." As he said the word poison, a peculiar tinkling sound appeared from his longcoat, like the sound of clinking vials, and he paused for a moment, before continuing on. "I'm sure a man as esteemed as yourself wouldn't mind discussing some aspects of business with me? There's a few black complications in Mys'tai, that I believe you'd like to hear about, and it's not something the sun can shine on." he said, purposefully using the two words "black" and "sun" in the same sentence, just so that he could analyze the man's body language in it's response.

Using the Investigator talent Empathy, which acts like Detect Thoughts. Will DC is 22.
Bluff. [roll0]+[roll1]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 08:18 PM

"Just because I know how to make my life easier doesn't mean I don't appreciate and understand the value of hard, honest work," Syn replies, moving over to start putting away plates that the kitchen staff have left out to dry after washing. "Fly," he mutters to himself and lifts into the air, picking up the plates carefully and stacking them in the cupboard.

"I can do all sorts of things. See the future, create fire, fly. It's a lot of fun to use arcane magic. I don't know why more people don't study the art."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 08:19 PM

Nissa chuckled and slowly reached up to stroke the pseudodragon's neck. "We're fine. How are you, my little friend?" She'd met a couple of pseudodragons in her life, and while they had been brief experiences it had interested her in them enough to cause her to do some research on the species. Which is why she moved a little in front of Sora, to put herself further away from its venomous stinger.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 08:30 PM

The creature chirps happily. "Oh, I just saw you both walk in and I sensed some strong arcane power coming from this guy here," it says, curling up on Sora's shoulder. "So I thought I'd come and see if he needed a familiar."

Sora blinks in surprise. "A familiar? Well, I've always had a strong arcane bond to my sword, but it was just recently broken. I suppose I could do with a new method of tapping into the raw magic around me."

The pseudodragon chirps again in agreement. Sora smiles and laughs as well. He purchases the animal and walks out of the menagerie with it. "I'm Sora, and this is Nissa. She's my...er...we're close."

"I'm Dragonair!" the pseudodragon declares. "And I can already tell that the two of us are going o make one heck of a team!"

---------------------------------------------

Mr. Davis is impressed to see that Sirio does not even flinch at his statement, though the implied subtext definitely reached its mark. Sirio glances at his guards standing next to the table and waves them away. The thugs nod and go mingle out in the crowd.

Davis hears the unmistakable sound of a pistol being cocked under the table, and, no doubt, pointed right at him. At that angle, a shot would likely damage a part of his anatomy he did not want damaged. Sirio raises an eyebrow. "Why are you looking for information on The Black Sun? And why are you coming to talk to me about it?"

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 08:36 PM

"Oh... well, I heard it was pretty hard... just about any chump can be a warrior, but it seems far fewer have what it takes to be.. a wizard. Is that right?"

"Anyway, the gesture is really nice, though if it were my dwelling, I wouldn't care how you did it..." Fen shrugs (apparently just sitting around watching Syn do all the work).

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 08:49 PM

Nissa chuckled and held onto Sora's arm as they walked out, though her smile faded when she realized something. "We're going to need to keep Dragonair and Ghellin apart for a while. That greedy lizard still has a hard time telling small friends from food, and he's already tried to eat Fen a few times. Only I see him and a pseudodragon getting into an actual fight over it."

TheEmperor

2014-12-08, 09:08 PM

Davis had always had a long history with interrogation of criminals, and usually it wasn't with the protection of the police at his back, and so took the threatening pointing of a weapon right in stride. He knew what the man was thinking, and it wasn't very difficult for him to pierce through the veil of his mind to throw his plan right out the window.

He raised an eyebrow, and simply looked Arthur right in the eyes. "Point a gun isn't helpful, you know. I've ingested potions of the worst kinds before, which would be powerful enough to destroy what anyone would call a 'stomach'. Taking this in a civil manner is definitely something we should do. In any case, I approach you about the Black Sun for a singular reason, and that is business. You, of course, are another esteemed colleague of the Black Sun group, and so I found it fit to approach you, since you seemed the most business minded of the people I found. Was I wrong?"

Diplomacy? I honestly don't know
[roll0]+[roll1]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 09:30 PM

"What's a 'Fen'? Is that food? I'm hungry!" Dragonair chirps. Sora grins and says, "I think there are some crickets that hang out around my house. You should be able to hunt for something good no problem."

Sora glances up at the sky. "It's getting pretty late in the day. Did you want to go see if your friends found a place to stay, or if you like, you could er...well, I could sleep on the couch and you could have my bed for the night."

-----------------------------

Syn shakes his head. "It's not about the owner's happiness. It's about keeping the home itself clean and doing it right. I'm a spirit of the hearth, my service is not to the home's owner but the home itself."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 09:36 PM

Sirio sighs and holsters his pistol. "You didn't answer my question. Why are you looking for information on the Black Sun."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 09:37 PM

Nissa looked up at the sky as well. "They're probably staying at the estate King Caineghis gave to Neroth. I was planning on staying with my mother and Commander Marx since they'd offered to let me stay while I was in town, but..." Her cheeks reddened a little. "I wouldn't mind staying with you tonight. I'll need to go get my other clothes from Mother's home, though. It wouldn't be right to sleep in this dress like it was regular clothing after all the effort my mother put into it."

TheEmperor

2014-12-08, 09:41 PM

Davis leaned back a little further as Arthur holstered his gun, his face still showing nothing but a neutral expression, with his raised eyebrows being the only thing that were showing emotions. "In Mys'tai, a man like me with my skills, simply cannot find work, you see? And as far as I know, the Black Sun is perhaps one of the most intriguing, and comfortably similar to my ideals groups I've ever seen, which provoked me to try and look into the matter. If I am correct, I believe they are in need of some more subtle ways of acquiring the lives of those who stand in their way?"

EDIT

The detect thoughts of Empathy lasts for 5 rounds, just to remind you.

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 09:45 PM

"Well, I guess I understand..." Or maybe Fen really didn't, but he didn't want to keep questioning Syn over something like this. What he wanted to do was up to him, after all... "Here, would you like some help?" Fenlaen offers to just help Syn do whatever he's planning for now. Maybe they can talk about some other stuff later. It would be a bit strange when Neroth got back though. Fen didn't think he spoke Sylvan, and it seemed the brownie didn't know common...

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 09:47 PM

Sora smiles and turns and takes Nissa's hands, leaning in close and kissing her gently. "Great. In that case, I went ahead and had this made for you." Sora slips his hand into his pocket and places a key in her hand. "Come and go as you please." He blushes and then waves. "I've gotta go make my house pseudodragon friendly. See you later tonight."

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 09:56 PM

Her knees felt weak as he kissed her. The act left her breathless, unable to do more than just stare dumbly and nod as he gave her the key and dismissed himself to tend to his house. It took a moment before she looked down at the key in her hand.

She returned to the Marx Manor and began going over what she might take with her to Sora's that night. While she thought it over, her eyes fell on the ethereal cloak. The half-elf stared at it for a minute before looking down at her hand, where the signet ring bearing the Revane emblem still rested around her finger. It couldn't hurt to take a quick look through the manor she'd grown up in before going to Sora's, could it?

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 10:05 PM

"Well he's no greenhorn detective. Still, I'm not entirely sure I can trust him. Maybe I should just have him killed."

"Very well. The Black Sun is an underground organization with one goal in mind: the destruction of the monarchy system in its entirety. They want to establish something called a 'republic', where rulers are chosen by the people, not by heritage or blood. These rulers would serve 'terms' that would only be a few years at a time, not life. And then after that, the ruler would supposedly surrender all his power and influence to his successor and just go back to whatever else he was doing before he was elected. Foolish, right? But the Black Sun is convinced this is the only way that society can move forward." Sirio explains.

-------------------------------

Syn nods and hands Fenlaen a rag. "If you want to help, be my guest. The mantle could use some dusting."

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 10:14 PM

Fen nods and goes over to the mantel. Sized for Caineghis, it was quite high up, towering above the pixie. Of course, it wasn't an issue for his flying ability. He carefully picked up each item on the shelving, brushing the objects themselves, before sweeping the area they rested upon and placing them back. He was a slow worker, not having nearly any of the efficiency of your typical house cleaner, but after a few minutes it was finished. It was then that Fen decided to remove his armor and get more comfortable before returning.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 10:14 PM

Nissa heads over to Castle Revane and opens the door. Immediately she sees the enormous steel door Commander Marx told her about. There is no slot for a ring, simply a door handle with no keyhole or lock of any kind.

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 10:19 PM

Nissa walked up to the door and ran her hand over the steel barrier. No keyhole or other sign of an opening that she could see, so how was it supposed to open? She knocked lightly on the door to get an idea of how thick it was, then began searching the door to find any sign of an opening mechanism.

Detect Magic to see if there's any kind of spell or enchantment on the door
Knowledge Engineering to see if she figure out what the mechanism to open it is: [roll0]
Perception to find any details or clues about the door: [roll1]
Stealth in case people might be nearby that would need to be hidden from: [roll2]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 10:20 PM

It's locked by an arcane lock spell. Simple dispel magic or knock spell will let Nissa open it.

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 10:24 PM

Nissa raised an eyebrow as she realized what was keeping it shut. Just an arcane lock, really? And yet, somehow it didn't surprise her that her father or someone connected to him thought so little of people that they felt a minor spell like this would be enough to bar any entry. She took a breath and directed her power at it, attempting to remove the spell.

Dispel Magic check: [roll0]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 10:31 PM

The door opens and Nissa enters a small room with a bed and a closet. There is a small girl sitting on the bed with demonic looking horns. She looks up and smiles. "Oh, hello. Are you a new maid or something? I was getting a little worried Daddy wasn't going to have anyone come feed me today. But I didn't do anything bad! Am I just a bad girl in general? It's because of these, isn't it?" she covers her horns in shame. "I don't want to be a bad girl anymore. Can you ask Daddy to come visit me so I can tell him I'm sorry for being a bad girl?"

TheEmperor

2014-12-08, 10:43 PM

Davis's mind went haywire as the man explained the Black Sun to him. The concept was not entirely new, but a group actually trying to put it to use? He'd never heard of anything like it.

But he kept his cool. Even if their intentions seemed good, they were the murderers of his poor little daughter. Terrorists, and nothing better! Perhaps he was lying? Since his thoughts did indicate several testing things...

"Oh really?"

Sense Motive
[roll0]+[roll1]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 10:53 PM

"Ugh, this wine is awful. Note to self. Fire the bartender and then tell him if he wants his job back he has to let me plow his wife, then after I'm done, tell them I've already hired someone else."

"It's true. The Black Sun attempted to kidnap Princess Maria Leonis so they could control her and have her suggest to her family that a democracy was the right way to go. They believed this was the best place to test it because of House Leonis's family dynamics, they let their son and daughters have a vote in every major decision, as well as King Caineghis's general love for the welfare of his people." Sirio continues.

--------------------------------

Syn finishes up and turns to Fenlaen. "Well, I'll be heading back to my little hole in the wall for the night. But perhaps we can talk more tomorrow?"

WindStruck

2014-12-08, 11:03 PM

"Alright! Maybe you could show me some of your magic sometime! ... But um... do you really only live in a hole??" Fen looks rather concerned, but also curious. If he practiced and researched magic, he wondered where he did that?

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 11:10 PM

Syn nods and waves to Fenlaen as he walks over to the carpet and pulls it back, revealing a large hole in the floor, and hops down into it. It seems to lead to a long tunnel under the house.

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 11:32 PM

Nissa stared in shock at what she found behind the door. Her father actually managed to impress her with this; she had honestly thought he couldn't be any worse of a person, and yet he'd proven her wrong with this. And between the girl's honey-blonde hair and what she was saying, there was no doubt in her mind as to who "Daddy" was.

"No, I'm not a maid. I'm... I'm Nissa, your older sister." She walked over and knelt next to the bed, giving what she desperately hoped was a reassuring smile.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 11:38 PM

The girl's eyes light up in recognition. "Oooh, Nissa! I've heard Daddy talk about you! He says you're a...a...um. Oh, I remember! A 'two-faced ungrateful skank who would rather eat berries and shower in the rain than be loyal to her family'!" She smiles and hugs her. "I'm Tiana! Daddy says I'm the spawn of the darkness and hatred in the world! I don't really get it but basically it means that I can do lots of cool things whenever I want. Like this!" She snaps her fingers and a small ball of fire appears in her hand.

Diachronos

2014-12-08, 11:45 PM

She decided to let that statement go; of course their father would have said those things about her. Fortunately, Tiana seemed to be young and innocent enough that she hadn't been corrupted... at least, not beyond what came with being a tiefling. "It's nice to meet you, Tiana."

Nissa flinched back a little as the ball of flames appeared in the girl's hand. She was a spellcaster too, it seemed, so that was another thing to make sure she had control over. "That's impressive. More than I can do with magic." A quick glance around the room brought another question to her mind, though she dreaded hearing the answer to it. "Tiana, how long has it been since you left this room?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-08, 11:52 PM

Tiana shrugs. "I dunno, maybe a day or two? I only ever stay in here when I sleep or when Daddy has errands to run or important people over. Otherwise Daddy and I play all the time! He taught me how to play go fish, and hide and seek, and tag and other stuff. I like to go out into the garden a lot. There are lots of pretty flowers out there! And sometimes Daddy and I go dress shopping when I've been really good."

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 12:13 AM

Oh, lovely, now she had to figure out how to explain to the girl that the father she loved so much was dead. And then there was the matter of telling her just who had been the one to kill him, and that he had deserved what he'd gotten...

"Tiana, I... I have to tell you something. Father's... he had to go away." She put her hands on the girl's shoulders, hoping that she'd be able to keep her calm enough to at least not start slinging fire and lightning around the room. "But I promise I'm going to look after you while he's gone. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 12:19 AM

"Gone away? Oh, you mean like on business? Okay then! So you're going to watch me? Okay Nissa! Just let me send a message to father to tell him that you've come to pick me up. He'd be worried if I left the house with a stranger." She closes her eyes and begins chanting a spell that Nissa immediately recognizes as the sending spell.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 12:28 AM

Oh, you've got to be kidding me... Nissa held up her hand, displaying the signet ring bearing the Revane crest. "It's okay, Tiana, he gave me this to show you could trust me."

Was this how she might have ended up if she'd complied with her father's high expectations?

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 12:32 AM

Tiana gasps. "That's Daddy's ring! Oh my gosh, we match!" she gleefully holds out her hand to show Nissa her ring, which looks expensive and beautiful. It is similar to the Revane signet ring that Jacob wore, but it also contains an emerald that matches Tiana's shiny green eyes. She hops out of bed and packs a small bag with her stuff. "So where are we going? Oooh, are you really living in a hole in the ground? Or a tree? Do you cook with sticks and eat roadkill for dinner?" She walks fast, keeping pace with her big sister. She's just met Nissa, but it already seems like she idolizes her.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 12:36 AM

"We'll be staying with my mother for now. And I think Father didn't really understand how I lived... I do spend most of my time out in the wilderness, but I don't live in a hole or a tree. And I don't eat roadkill." This seemed to be going easier than she'd expected, and Tiana already seemed to have a liking for her despite Jacob's attempts to portray her in a poor light.

She looked down at Tiana with a smile. "I think Ghellin will like you."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 12:44 AM

Tiana grins. "Is Ghellin your boyfriend?" she asks in that annoyingly teasing younger sister voice. "Does he catch fish with a spear for you to eat? Does he make you necklaces out of bear teeth?" She looks around to make sure no one can hear and whispers, "Does he even own a shirt?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 12:50 AM

As they neared her mother's home, Nissa let out a sharp whistle. "No, Ghellin doesn't own a shirt, and he's not my boyfriend. He's a deinonychus." As if on cue, Ghellin came sprinting around the edge of the house and up to them, though he stopped to stare curiously at Tiana.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 12:53 AM

"Di-no-huh?" Tiana repeats, unsure of what Nissa is talking about. Then Ghellin comes around the bend. Tiana screams and dashes behind her sister, cowering behind her legs. "Eek! Nissa, it's a wild animal! It has fangs and sharp claws and it's scary! Kill it with your bare hands and skin it and wear its pelt like a thong like you do with all the other wild animals!"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 12:56 AM

"What kind of nonsense has Father been filling your head with?" She knelt and reached a hand out, and Ghellin happily walked up for her to pet him. "Ghellin's been my friend and companion for... almost 8 years now. And he looks a lot scarier than he acts. See?" The raptor let out a small purring sound as Nissa rubbed his snout, his tail wagging back and forth.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 01:07 AM

"Oh...I see, it's like a puppy!" She walks over and pets Ghellin hesitantly, then lightens up and cuddles him like a teddy bear. "Yay! Ghellin, I'm Tiana! We should play together sometimes!" She giggles and then stops as something occurs to her and turns around. "Wait so does that mean you don't have a boyfriend? Was Daddy right and you ended up alone and childless crying in a gutter wishing you weren't such a total failure of a daughter?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 01:13 AM

Nissa frowned and crossed her arms. "As a matter of fact, I do have a boyfriend! Grandmaster Arios Heartshield, from the Council of Mythos!" It took a moment before she realized what had just happened. She'd known this girl for maybe 10 minutes at most, and they were already teasing each other like sisters who'd grown up together.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 01:32 AM

Tiana's eyes got wide. "Oh wow! You're gonna marry the Grandmaster? So that means you're going to cook all his meals and wash his clothes and raise his kids and all the other stuff a noble lady does, right? You're so lucky Nissa! I bet a famous guy like that has all kinds of beautiful women offering to do that for him but he chose you! You must be a really good cook!" She giggles and blushes at the idea. "Daddy says that maybe when I'm older I can marry a prince and become a princess!"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 01:39 AM

"Well, we... he and I haven't started discussing getting married yet, we're just... dating." She couldn't help smiling at Tiana's mention of becoming a princess. "Who knows, maybe you really will someday."

Nissa looked over to the house, then back to her sister. "Tiana, why don't you play with Ghellin for a little bit? I'm sure he's bored from me running errands all day, and it looks like he wants to get to know you." Sure enough, the raptor was nudging his head against the tiefling's arm, his tail still wagging. "I need to get a room ready for you, but I'll just be inside so I'll hear you if you need me."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 01:43 AM

"Okay! Ghellin let's play! Levitate!" she casts a spell on the raptor and drags him around in the air. The dinosaur seems a little unsettled at first but quickly realizes what is going on and decides to have fun with it.

Nissa enters the house and her mother glances up. "Well now. That was quite possibly the longest lunch I've ever heard of. I'm guessing things went well?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 01:52 AM

"Yes, everything went wonderfully with Sora. But..." She sighed and sat down at the table and buried her face in her hands with an exasperated sigh. "I don't know how else to say this, so I'll just be blunt about it. Father... he has another daughter. I found her locked in a room at the castle, and... I couldn't just leave her there by herself, she can't be more than 8 or 9 years old. Is it okay if she stays here with us until I can figure out what to do with her?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 01:59 AM

Taalia's face is expressionless. "She's your family, not mine," she says simply after a brief moment. "If you'd like to take care of her and need a place to keep her, here is as good a place as any."

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 02:16 AM

Nissa stood up and walked over to the window, watching as her half-sister played with Ghellin. "I'm sorry to drop this problem on you without any warning. I just..." She shook her head and turned back to her mother. "I have to believe there's still a chance for her to grow up without being tainted by Father's influence. She didn't ask to be born the way she is or for her father to be a monster, and I can't abandon her for those reasons. I'm... I'm the only family she has left."

She laid her hand on the edge of the windowsill. "...She doesn't know he's dead or that I killed him, and I don't think she realizes what kind of a man he really was. And the truth is... I'm afraid to tell her." After a while she sighed and started heading up to the guest room to get Tiana's bed ready. "I'll try to figure this out quickly so I can take her somewhere else. I'd rather not wear out our welcome."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 02:20 AM

Taalia sighs and nods. "Okay. If there is anything I can do to help you, let me know. I love you more than I hate him, Nissa. So I'll put you first here."

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 02:24 AM

She nodded, then stopped about halfway up the stairs. "There's one thing I can think of. If you see Commander Marx before I do, can you tell him I found out what was behind the iron door at Castle Revane?"

Nissa spent some time getting the room ready for when she and Tiana would be going to bed, then came back down to see if her mother needed any help with dinner.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 02:44 AM

Commander Marx comes home and Taalia and Nissa make dinner. The commander seems quite pleased to know that Nissa has solved the mystery of the Revane's door and is more than welcome to see his step-niece join his home. He talks about work and asks Taalia how the business is going, making sure to learn as much about Tiana as he can while they talk. Tiana jovially describes all the lessons she's been taking lately: horseback riding, croquet, archery, Draconic, etc.

After dinner, Marx asks Nissa whether she'll be staying the night at his home and assures her that if she feels like she should be somewhere else, she can trust Tiana with Marx and Taalia.

------------------------------------

Meanwhile...

"Oh boys," Elaina calls. The three lycans all look up from the floor where they have been quietly sitting without speaking or moving for the past four hours. "I'm parched. Why don't one of you get me a drink. Oh, and whoever gets me the drink, make sure to use the bathroom on your way back. I like my dogs housebroken."

The wolf named Blake stands up and heads downstairs.

Elaina smirks to herself. "Michael, darling, come here."

The lion stands up and walks silently over to her bed. She grins. "Are you excited for the tournament to start, my dear?"

"No. Excitement is an emotion. Dolls do not feel emotions," Michael replies, his voice completely monotonous and his face devoid of any meaning.

"Good boy. But you know, dolls do have their uses. Why don't you show me exactly how feline you can be?" She grins and shuts off the light as Michael slinks onto her bed in his animal form.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 02:55 AM

Nissa thought for a moment before pulling on her boots and heading for the door. "There's something I need to take care of before it gets too late, but it shouldn't take too long. I'll be back in a little bit."

She hugged Tiana before leaving the house, making her way across the district to Sora's home. This was just perfect; their date had ended on such a high note after all of the mistakes that had happened, and now she had to stand him up because of Tiana. She knew it wasn't the girl's fault, though, and she hoped that Sora would be understanding of her decision.

When she arrived, she pulled out the key he'd given her and opened the door, giving a loud knock as it swung open. "Sora?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 03:08 AM

Sora calls "In here, Nissa!"

Nissa enters the dining room to find a candle lit scene with what appears to be hand-prepared chicken fettucine alfredo and a very rare wine in two glasses. Her new boyfriend smiles when she enters. "I know we had a bit of a heavy lunch, but I thought we'd celebrate the occasion. I've been really busy preparing for the tournament but I managed to find some time to throw a little something together. And as for later...well, we can worry about that after we've had a few drinks, I suppose." He stands up and wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her into a deep kiss.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 03:23 AM

Nissa walked into the dining room and stared at the sight before her. Now this just wasn't fair; how could she turn him down now, after he'd put in all this effort just for her?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden kiss, and it took a moment to collect her thoughts after he finally pulled back. She couldn't do it; she couldn't leave and break his heart, not after everything that had happened between them. Even so, she'd told her mother that she wouldn't be gone long, and they would be expecting her back before it got too late."Sora, I..." She took a deep breath before letting it out with a soft sigh, and began telling him about Tiana. "If I'm going to stay here tonight, I just need to run back home and let my mother know that there's been a change of plans. She probably won't be happy to hear it, but I wasn't expecting to walk in and find this." She gestured to the spread he'd laid out for them.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 03:31 AM

Sora listens to Nissa's tale and raises an eyebrow. "Revane's daughter? So he created her through the ritual sacrifice to Lamashtu? And she's a gifted sorcerer? Very interesting. No, no, I understand completely. Don't worry about all this," he waves at the room airily. "I'll just eat by myself and save the rest. I can always use more leftovers, seeing as how I almost never motivate myself to cook. And we can spend more time together soon, maybe after the tournament is over. Go and spend time with your sister." He smiles.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 03:38 AM

Nissa was tugging at her leggings as he spoke. "I'm really sorry, Sora. I was looking forward to spending more time with you tonight, but then..." Her gaze was fixated on her feet as she spoke. "I promise, I'll find some way to make this up to you. You deserve better after everything you've done for me."

Sense Motive - Is he really as understanding and accepting of the situation as he says he is? [roll0]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 03:41 AM

With a 6, Nissa is convinced he is the most patient and understanding guy in the world.

"Relax. According to you, I have you now. If you're really willing to make that kind of commitment for me, that's all I can ask of you. And that's all I want from you. So go ahead and head out. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe." He sits down and picks up a fork.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 03:53 AM

"Thank you for understanding." Nissa kissed him on the cheek and slowly made her way back to the door. As she pulled it open she looked back toward the dining room, recalling that his sword was still in shards after Justin's "visit". After a moment of thought she unbuckled her sword from her belt and carefully laid it on a chair beside the door. To her, it was nowhere near enough to make up for this, but it was a start. Besides, he needed a sword for the tournament, and this would save him the trouble of locating a new one.

Her feet dragged as she returned to Marx Manor, and she said little once she was back inside.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 03:56 AM

Commander Marx stands up when Nissa enters. "Ah, Miss Nissa, if you could wait just a moment please? You have a visitor."

Michael Leonis steps into the hallway, leaning on the door frame casually. "Good evening Nissa. How are you tonight?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 03:58 AM

She gave a weary smile as Michael appeared, though she was admittedly confused. "Michael? What brings you here? Did Amora find out anything about the fake Orion?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 04:03 AM

"Not Amora, no. She's still too weak to be using magic right now. One of our intelligence agents from Mullmoon reported back to us. It seems that Sakura Ashmond was seen speaking to a gentleman who fits Orion's physical description to the letter, despite the fact that the report was delivered at the same time that Orion Gravestorm was having a meeting with my father about the impostor. I'd look into it myself, but I'm a little busy at the moment getting ready for this tournament. Your boyfriend is a powerful mage right? He could easily teleport you and your friends to Mullmoon so you could investigate. We'd really appreciate it if you did us this favor, and I'm sure my father would compensate you for your efforts. You wouldn't need to engage Sakura directly or anything like that. Just spy on her for a bit, confirm who she's meeting with, see if you can get some name or identity other than Orion from their conversation, and then return to Jazi on foot to deliver a report to my father. Unfortunately, that means you won't be in Mys'tai for the tournament, but since you aren't registered to compete, I figure that's no skin off your bones."

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 04:19 AM

She nodded slowly as she listened to Michael's explanation. The suggestion of asking Sora for help with reaching Mullmoon couldn't have come at a worse time; Nissa had already had to cancel their dinner date on short notice, and asking for magical assistance right after that... she was afraid that he'd begin to think she saw him as a convenience rather than someone she cared about.

"I'll meet up with Neroth and Fen tomorrow, then we'll check into getting to Mullmoon. I'm a little nervous about going back, though, considering what happened while we were there last time."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 11:07 AM

Michael shrugs. "Well, if you're that worried, you could always just leave them both behind and go by yourself. You're a particularly stealthy individual, it wouldn't be too hard for you to keep out of sight of some orcs, right?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 12:44 PM

Nissa gave a slow nod. Going off by herself into a city where she'd been killed before was dangerous; going alone was suicide. "Thank you for the information, Michael. Hopefully we can stop whoever's behind this before anyone else is hurt." She smiled at him. "Would you please give my regards to your family when you see them next?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 12:47 PM

Meanwhile
Arios Heartshield sits alone in his house, drinking alone from a very old bottle of wine his father had given him to use at his wedding, should he ever get married. His fork twists at the fettucine in front of him. Lunch had been bad enough, now he had two plates piled high of this crap. Arios couldn't stand the rich, complex flavors that nobility usually ate, as a former peasant he much preferred some fresh baked bread and a nice bit of mutton to go with it. But this was his diet now if he was going to have a beautiful rich woman like Nissa as his partner, so he had to try and get used to it.

"Oh my. A home cooked candlelit dinner and wine? I know you can see me coming but I'm flattered," a female voice comments from nowhere.

Arios looks up, annoyed. The chair on the opposite side of the table pulls out and Elaina appears from her invisibility, taking a seat and picking up a fork.

"Oh ho! Sakura's favorite. You two make up?"

"It's the only thing I know how to cook. How long have you been here?"

"Since you lit the candles, when was that? An hour before she bothered to show up and blow you off? Mmm...worth the wait though. I'm glad you kept hers heated." Elaina says, digging in to the meal with gusto.

"What are you doing here, Elaina?" Sora asks with exasperation.

"I'm the understudy for the actress currently playing the role of your girlfriend. She couldn't be here tonight for insert-fake-excuse-here. It's a good thing I've been practicing eating and sitting all week, apparently it's a role too difficult for Nissa to play."

Arios sighs and lets it go. The two continue to eat by the light of the candle...

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 12:50 PM

Michael nods and heads out for the night.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 01:38 PM

Nissa watched as Michael left, then began to head up to her room. She was in the process of getting ready for bed when she spotted the purple dress, folded and placed on the stand beside her bed, and the guilt hit her again. She couldn't do this to Sora, not after everything he'd done for her sake.

After changing into the dress and making a quick attempt at fixing her hair, she she went to her mother and explained that she'd made plans with Sora for that night, and that she couldn't bring herself to cancel on him after seeing all the effort he'd put into his preparations for her.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 02:04 PM

As Nissa leaves the house, a wolf skulks in the shadows. It raises its head and howls.

Elaina groans and rubs her temples. "Ugh, that's annoying," she mutters to herself.

"Pardon?" Arios replies, looking up at her.

"I said, it must be annoying having put forth all this time and energy when your spoiled little rich girl girlfriend doesn't even appreciate it," Elaina answers, not losing her step. She raises the glass of wine to her lips.

"Well then I feel sorry for you. You've clearly never cared about someone enough to do nice things for them because you want them to be happy, not because you want to be appreciated for it," Arios replies coolly.

"Yes, I can tell just how happy this all made her by how quickly she ran off. I guess she's at home bragging to her friends about just how happy the dinner you cooked that she didn't eat made her, huh?" Elaina shoots back. Arios falls silent.

Elaina picks up her wine glass and nonchalantly thrusts it forward, covering Arios's suit in red wine. He stands up angrily. "What the hell, Elaina?"

The witch smiles innocently. "Oops. How clumsy of me. Oh well, it's not like you have anyone to impress here, right? Might as well change out of those clothes. Want some help?"

"Shut up. Get out of my house. If you're here by the time I get back, I swear I will break your neck," Arios threatens, heading into his room to change.

The witch waits until his door shuts and stands up. "Mythic disguise self," she whispers, transforming herself into a perfect replica of Arios Heartshield, in his standard black armor, but without the helmet. She stands up and walks over to the door, noticing the sword Nissa left here. She rolls her eyes and picks it up, stashing it in her bag of holding before opening the door.

Nissa sees Arios open the door before she even gets to the house. He walks out, looking downtrodden and at his feet. As she approaches he looks up, surprise on his face. "Oh. Hey Nissa. What's up?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 02:13 PM

Nissa smiled nervously when she saw him come out. "I'm sorry about leaving like that, Sora. I'd told my mother that I wouldn't be gone long before I came over here, but after seeing all the trouble you went to, I... I couldn't cancel on you like that. I shouldn't have canceled to begin with." She held out her arms, letting him see that she was wearing the dress from earlier again. "I was hoping that we could still enjoy dinner like you'd hoped for."

She noticed the little twitch in his eye that he always got when he was upset. "I know you're upset about what happened earlier, but... I want to make it up to you. I want to make it up to you for everything that you've ever been through and done for my sake."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 02:28 PM

Arios sighs and shakes his head. "I appreciate the gesture, Nissa but I already ate. After you canceled I had too much food and I didn't want to waste the wine, so I sent a message to Sakura and she joined me for dinner instead. She just left. I was on my way out too. Gotta find a new sword for the tournament. I mean, the one you left was nice and all, but it's not made of silver. Carrying that into a battle against a lycanthrope would be akin to throwing the match. Though...I guess as a huntress you would know that."

He looks at Nissa suspiciously. "Did you give me that sword to try and rig the match in Prince Michael's favor? You two seemed pretty chummy at the pier earlier."

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 02:38 PM

The idea that Sakura had joined Sora for dinner was like a slap in the face, but she couldn't blame him for turning to someone else after she stood him up. Nissa shook her head when he asked about trying to rig the tournament. "No, of course not! I would never try to do something like that, especially not to you!" She crossed her arms, a somewhat nervous look on her face; was it tactful to bring up her real reason for giving him the sword? "I wasn't even thinking of the tournament when I left that for you, I was thinking of your fight with Justin. I figured that if you had a decent sword it would help get him off your back. I know mine isn't much to look at, but... Well, it's my fault your sword was destroyed to begin with. If I hadn't asked you to help me look for my mother, you wouldn't have gotten into a battle with those kytons, and Justin wouldn't have gotten angry with you."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 02:50 PM

Arios flinches. Nissa isn't sure what to make of that look. It seemed very odd to her. Was it fear or...disgust?

He gets control of himself and sighs. "In that case, I'll just hold on to it. And thank you for dropping by and for your present. Maybe we'll see each other again later. Good night." He starts walking towards the Merchant District.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 03:05 PM

Nissa smiled and nodded. "Good night, Sora." She turned and headed back home, though with a dull ache in her heart. She laid down once she got home, staring up at the ceiling and trying to think of a way to salvage this whole mess.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 03:42 PM

Nissa wakes up and sees the bed next to her is empty, well made up and neat. She goes out into the living room to find Tiana quietly playing a clarinet. She smiles and says, "Good morning! Aunt Taalia said you might not be coming home last night! I'm glad you did. I always worry about people when they go away."

--------------------------------------

Fenlaen wakes up the next day fresh and full of vigor. The sky is his limits and the possibilities are endless (which means he has no plot hooks currently active so I don't know what to say other than it's the next day and Fen is awake now).

WindStruck

2014-12-09, 03:57 PM

Fen yawns, stretches, has some idle chatter with Neroth, and he grabs something to eat. Maybe some fruit. He freshens up a bit, and if Syn is around they'll talk some more.

But if not, he grabs his pile of money and heads for the palace area to see about that diamond.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 04:03 PM

Fenlaen heads to the Royalty District and comes to a guard station. When the guards see the money he's carrying they instantly let him pass with their humblest apologies for holding him up.

Fenlaen is shown into the throne room, where he comes face to face with the High Regent of Mys'tai.

http://i54.tinypic.com/2mguws9.jpg

"Welcome to my palace! I am Core Te'zhan, the High Regent of Mys'tai. How can I make you laugh today?"

He scratches his head. "Ugh, sorry. That introduction was so stiff and formal. Would never get even a chuckle out of the kindest club audience, but that's what they make me say. Don't worry though, now that that's out of the way: on with the jokes! So a devil walks into the bar, and the bartender says, 'What'll you have?' and the devil says 'Just give me something to help me forget. I went through hell at work today!'"

High Regent Te'zhan pauses, looking at Fenlaen expectantly.

TheEmperor

2014-12-09, 04:10 PM

Davis nodded in response to Arthur's words, and pretended to give it some thought, before he said "Hmm. The Black Sun seems like I could not rest without pursuing the case more. Certainly the kind I'd like to work with, considering their exploits that I've uncovered. Thank you, and what would you want in return? And before you say it, no, I have no female siblings or relatives that you'd like to 'plow'."

It was a dangerous gambit, what he did, showing part of his hand in that subtle manner, but as with many investigation, risking the ace in his hand was a necessary thing.

And with his chips all in, what else but to raise?

He picked up his hat off the table in front of his, and with a fluid gesture, he put it on his head, so that it leaned and covered his eyes.

WindStruck

2014-12-09, 04:15 PM

Fen can't help but laugh a little. Not bad for a joke, but why was this guy... oh who cares. "That's pretty good! Something tells me that guy's going to get fired!"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 04:17 PM

Sirio raises an eyebrow. "Since you're offering. There's something you could look into for me. A small creature, like a halfling with wings, is going around harassing my employees to sell him illegal goods over the counter. I want you to find out if he's a plant for the guards and if he is, I want him silenced. For such generous information on my part, I'm sure such a humble favor would be no problem?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 04:20 PM

And there was some more fuel for the fire of guilt that she was feeling. "I'm sorry to make you worry, Tiana." She ruffled the girl's hair and sat down beside her, pulling out the flute that she'd made. "Here. I know it's not as nice as the instruments Father had you learn with, but I think you'll appreciate it more than whoever I could sell it to." With a smile she handed it to her half-sister. "Consider it a late birthday present."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 04:24 PM

The High Regent howls with laughter. "That's great! Always a fan of someone who tells a good joke! What's your name, traveler, and why have you come?"

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 04:28 PM

Tiana's eyes light up. "Thank you very much," she says in a collected, polite voice that she's clearly practiced, accepting the gift. "But, I don't know how to play the flute. Can you teach me, big sis?"

WindStruck

2014-12-09, 04:29 PM

"The name is Fenlaen Valir. And this," he says jingling the bulging bag of coins with some effort, "is why I'm here... well, no, that's just a payment. I've heard that the only place in this city to get a diamond that can revive the dead, even when there is no body left, is... you. Correct?"

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 04:34 PM

"Um..." She scratched the back of her neck, wishing that she'd actually learned herself as a girl. "Well, Father had me take lessons when I was young, but I didn't have the patience to learn it all that well. I might still remember a little bit, though." She took the flute and tried to play a simple tune that she could recall.

Time to mangle some music! [roll0]

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 04:43 PM

"That's right! Of corpse I can help you with that. No body has diamonds like mine. But act now before we're souled out!" High Regent Te'zhan chuckles at his own bad puns.

"In all seriousness though, that's a fat chunk of change you've got there but I don't want your money. This is Mys'tai! I have to build an extra treasure storage building every time the Senate votes just to store all the bribes I get. If you want this diamond I'll need something else...hmmm...you have the look of a warrior about you. I'll give you the diamond if you can retrieve a special jewel for me from inside an active volcano. But be careful, there's a lava ways to die in a volcano!"

TheEmperor

2014-12-09, 04:43 PM

With a flick of his wrist, a card was slipped across the table, and Davis got up. He tied the long coat around him, and let his hands rest in his pockets as he walked away from the table. All that was written on the card was something he'd written quite a while before, having expected some request for work.

Davidius. I Finish What You Start, And Never Stop.

It was a fake business card, hand written, but it served the purpose. As he walked past the man who'd stopped him earlier, he frowned, and sighed. That whole conversation was pressing on him, and he was always worried that his cool and aura of intelligentsia would give out, and leave him without a weapon in the daily parry and riposting that was conversation.

A halfling with wings, eh? He'd 'deal' with him, sure, but not the way Arthur expected.

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 04:49 PM

Tianal winces. "Er, well, it looks really pretty!" she says reassuringly, patting Nissa on the back.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 04:52 PM

She chuckled and handed the flute back to Tiana. "I'm sure it sounds fine, it just needs to be played by someone who knows what they're doing." Nissa stood up and let her hand rest on top of Tiana's head. "Do you want to meet my other friends? I'm sure they'd be happy to meet you."

NeoSeraphi

2014-12-09, 05:01 PM

"Friends? You mean like Ghellin? I thought that you had a boyfriend so you wouldn't have to buy twelve cats!" she exclaims, confused.

Diachronos

2014-12-09, 05:05 PM

"Ghellin's not a-" She looked over and found Ghellin stretched out in front of the fireplace, looking very much like a cat. So much for that argument. "Anyway, Neroth is a human and Fen is a pixie. Neroth lives in the estate across the river, so we'd have to get there by the ferry."

WindStruck

2014-12-09, 05:13 PM

"Ha, ha... yeah..." Fenlaen says, shaking his head. He clears his throat and says, "Indeed, I am a warrior. But once I picked the wrong fight and was killed. The price was everything that I owned. Perhaps you could say... I got more than I bargained for?" He smirks trying to make his own little pun. "Trouble is, no one in this city sells things I can use. Unfortunately, I seem to be about the size of a halfling. It's a bit more than a small problem."

All jokes aside, he continues in a more serious tone, "Ok, the point is, I can't fight very well when all I have is a dinky little knife and some rusty tin can of a suit that probably hinders me more than it helps. You guys don't have any... confiscated goods you could trust me with, do you? I'd even pay for them, and I promise they won't go... er.. where they don't belong."