The Sliver of Power IC

[qwertyu63]

This is the IC thread for The Sliver of Power.

The rough location of the characters has already been established.

[Capt. Infinity]

Inns like these are a dime a dozen in this part of Orzia, and yet, at the same time, worth their weight in gold. Those were at least the thoughts coming off a certain colourfully dressed Elf in a... Rather loud hat, all things considered. He sat pleasantly, with a cleaned plate of mutton and about five empty mugs of ale in front of him, and currently downing a sixth, in the corner booth of the inn's main floor, which was primarily dominated by a bar and restaurant area, as all good inns are. Across from him, sitting quietly with the hood of a cloak over her head and a barely-touched mug of her own in front of her, was a much less conspicuous looking Elven girl, who seemed rather anxious about the whole affair. The boisterously dressed elf speaks, his voice deep and cheerful and surprisingly sober, given the amount of alcohol that would appear to be in his system:
"Oh come on Vivian, *burp* lighten up! You left home to experience the world right? Well you can't very well do that from underneath a cloak day-in and day-out. You've got to get out there, live a little! Do you want to know why I brought you here?" He asks, raising one of his pitch black eyebrows half-mockingly above his strange, greenish-purple eyes. "I brought you here because an inn almost always equals adventure. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times some epic quest wasn't brought forth to my attention whilst I sat in the bar of an inn. And, with any luck, something will come up while we're staying here that will really be worth our while! Whattaya say? Excited yet? The young Elf asks, slamming his tankard on the table and waving down the nearest barmaid to ask for another.

[asdflove]

Vivian adjusts her cloak, to bring it tighter around her shoulders before looking up at her traveling companion Xio. "Yes. I did leave to experience more of the world, but I would prefer to experience it with a clear mind and minimal risk of being discovered. If that means keeping my hood up and avoiding excessive amounts of alcohol if I can, then so be it." She glances around the room furtively. "You genuinely expect to find an interesting quest here?" She pauses, pulling down her hood and staring incredulously at him. "In an ordinary inn. While highly intoxicated." With her hood down her thick purple curls, for once not tied back in a braid, fall over her shoulders. She rolls her bright blue eyes at him. "It hardly seems plausible." While her tone is slightly derisive, the smile she gives him after shows at least a little bit of playful affection.

[Capt. Infinity]

The Elven man named Xio looks sideways at Vivian from across the table, grinning a wide and boyish smile, exposing a set of dazzlingly white teeth in the process, and raises one hand to speak. "Alright, first of all, when you say 'highly intoxicated' you are vastly underestimating my liver's ability to filter out toxins, and secondly "ordinary inn"? That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one! So many things can happen in a place like this. I mean for crying out loud, if it weren't for places like this, we would never have met up again! I'm sure something will come up, something interesting always does. I actually know for, a, fact, that an associate of mine, one revenge-obsessed Dwarven lady, is looking to show up any minute to give those ruffians in the corner over there the most unpleasant day of their lives." As he says this, Xio points with his thumb over to the far left where, as he described, in the other far corner of the bar, an as-to-be-determined-later number of shady figures in black hoods were carousing with each other, clearly heavily inebriated.

[DaFinchy]

Something was going on. Roscoe tried to ignore the lingering sensation of dread that came whenever he thought that particular thought. He tried to ignore it, tried to keep himself occupied with the Herculean task of finishing this Dwarven stout he had somehow convinced himself he had developed a taste for. He knew better than to pursue it. He had seen something for a split second, heard something beneath the threshold of his hearing... something was telling him he really should be paying attention. But he decided not to. He was off duty, after all. After a rather eventful few days, between the rigors of patrols, the constant research and magical study, and the occasional days lost to his curse acting up, he was just willing to let whatever real or imagined problem he thought he had noticed just slip on by.

Sure, his badge of office was in his pocket, and people might still notice the distinctive wooden truncheon on his hip. If he really, really had to, he could make himself known as a Brown Cape and restore order. For now, however... he just really wanted to see if he could handle this drink in front of him. It had been so much easier to stomach when there was a woman forcing him to drink it.

[carnackiArdent]

Speaking of associates, someone is threading his way through a mess of tables whose top he barely crests, grumbling something uncomplimentary about overly-tall humans under his breath. A momentary clearing reveals a goblin in neat if somewhat somber clothes, skinny, dark-haired, and bat-faced. His ears twitch for a moment as he takes in the noise of the inn before he sets off again. A careful observer might realize that he's taking a roundabout route toward the two elves, keeping a wary eye on the cloaked figures in the other corner.

"They always told me elves were supposed to be dignified. And quiet," he says, apparently to himself. Though it's hard to take that as coincidence when he says it just as he draws level with the loudly-dressed one, even if he seems to be conspicuously ignoring him otherwise. He nods toward Vivian, rubbing an ear idly. "Viv. Nice to see you again."

[Mylakka]

Hilda's entrance was as loud as she usually isn't, with her shoving the door inward with a curse that would have had her switched as a young lass. 'Bloody doors, no one ever thinks to make them easy to open for Dwarves, do they?' Either way, it seemed to mostly go unnoticed in the general air of merriment that filled the inn. She tugs sharply on one braid, a deep frown set on her face as she waits for her eyesight to adjust. Thankfully, being used to long hours underground it doesn't take long. A moment later she's stepping down into the main floor of the inn, a tension coiling in her shoulders as she absently reaches back to pat Ol' Betsy. She had spent the day scouring the city for leads, rumors, old contacts.. anything to give her some information on where a local cell of the Order might be. After a mostly fruitless day, she's more than a bit annoyed. Eventually though, her stubbornness paid off, leading to her reason for being in this location. Her eyes travel to the back corner of the inn where a group of small figures in black cloaks rest, evidently having a good time. A grin forms on her face as she begins to move forward. It is not a pleasant expression.

She circles slowly around the perimeter of the room, using the tables and other patrons to keep hidden from their line of sight. Not that any of them seem to be all that worried, at a glance. Laughing and drinking, with apparently no cause for concern. The thought alone disgusts her, and the next tug of her braid has her hissing between clenched teeth. Exhaling forcefully, she calms herself. 'The first mistake is going into a battle angry.' She reminds herself. Continuing, it is as she is moving through the room that she comes across a familiar face, and a more genuine grin breaks free. A quick look at the group in the back and the layout of the room shows that they won't be able to leave without her noticing, so she moves over to greet her.. acquaintance? She shakes her head at the thought. 'He's certainly no friend, but he's not a bad sort.' She slaps the man on the back roughly, picking up the recently filled Dwarven stout and downing it just as he's reaching for it. "Ho there, lad. Didn't you have enough of this the last time we met?" Belching, she drops the mug with a laugh, one hand going back to grab her axe. "Here for the show?" she asks, somewhat suspiciously. She peers around the room once more, pausing as she spots a somewhat familiar shape talking to a pair of.. are those elves? She exhales forcefully in another laugh as she recognizes the one's outfit. 'Well now, isn't this interesting. He sure seems to show up at opportune times.' she thinks, turning her attention back to Roscoe. 'Maybe this night won't be a complete waste.'

[Capt. Infinity]

The pieces are set, the players poised. Not much left to do but wait for someone to make the first move. The Elven man thinks to himself after noticing the aforementioned Dwarven woman walk in and, for some reason, talk to what appears to be an off-duty guardsman, and a scrawny one at that! Xio lowers his mug from his face and smiles at the Goblin man who has appeared before the pair of Elves. "Quiet? Feh, who needs quiet? I spent the first thirty years of my life doing 'quiet', and it got me precisely nowhere! Though... Judging by your attire, I'd say quiet has done by you just fine" Xio says, taking note of the daggers at the Goblin's waist. "Vivian, you never told me you had other allies, I'm impressed! Now, aren't you going to introduce me to your green, mysterious-looking friend?

[asdflove]

"Our meeting then was merely a coincidence and you know it. A fortunate one, but a coincidence none the less." Her gaze flits to the group he gestured at, but her focus quickly goes back to Xio. "Are you entirely sure of tha..." She trails off closing her eyes slowly as Gil approaches. "Hello. I haven't seen you in a while Gilroy." She sighs. "Xio meet Gilroy. I met him shortly after leaving home. Gilroy, the obnoxiously bright dressed elf across from me is Xiolianos."

[Capt. Infinity]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gilroy, can I call you Gil?" Xio says, ignoring Vivian's chastising remark, smiling once again and extending his right hand towards the Goblin man named Gilroy whilst using his left to nod his hat in recognition of the new comrade before him. "So, what brings you to this particular neck of the woods?" The Elf man asks, already fairly sure he knew the answer.

[carnackiArdent]

"Xiolianos." Gil's expression says that this is the stupidest name he's ever heard. He still manages to pronounce it more or less properly; he has somewhat strange ideas about what constitutes common courtesy sometimes, and he works hard to get unfamiliar names right no matter how silly he thinks they - or their owners - are.

He shakes Xio's hand a little warily, as if he expects it to explode, on what he views as the reasonable assumption that Vivian's friends might also be wizards. "Pleasure. I happen to have a friend in town. And a few who are less friendly." A significant glance in the direction of the cloaked figures.

[asdflove]

Vivian groans, resting her head on her hand, her finger woven in her hair, and her elbows on the table. "Please don't tell me you know something about those guys in the corner as well?" She sighs, unwinding her hands from her hair and fidgeting with her staff. "Supposedly a 'revenge-obsessed Dwarven lady' is going to fight them. At least according to Xio."

[Capt. Infinity]

"Oh please, call me Xio, everyone does." Xio's eyes follow the gaze of Gil. "Ah, yes, them. I wouldn't engage them quite yet, something tells me we'd have a lot more to worry about if we get to them before she does." His eyes move along the tavern area towards the bar upon which Hilda sits. "Why don't you pull up a chair? The show should be starting any minute now, and wouldn't you know it, we've got the best dang seats in the house!" Xio smirks, waiting patiently, though not without a visible rippling in his muscles as he strains to not burst into the fray himself. He looks sidelong at Vivian, once again raising the eyebrow visible to her side. "Are you doubting my credibility as a deviser of epic brawls in the making?" He says, with a subdued smirk. "Well just you wait and see, it's about to get all sorts of crazy up in here."

[asdflove]

"I just wish you would inform me of the actual situation." She scowls, tapping her fingers on the table. "You know how I feel about not knowing things Xio."

[carnackiArdent]

"These guys personally? Not exactly. Let's just say certain people don't like me. One way or another they've persuaded these guys not to like me, either. I don't know anything about vengeful dwarves." He shakes his head as he hoists himself up into a chair. "Couldn't happen to nicer people, though. I just hope things don't get too nasty; I saw at least one Brown Cape here -"

He turns to nod in the direction of said Brown Cape, and sees... him talking to a dwarf lady. Gil hates coincidences sometimes; he joins Vivian in holding his head in his hands. "Blast it, Roscoe... The kid never learns." Roscoe may actually be older than Gil - he's never asked - but the point stands.

[asdflove]

"I would assume that the certain people who dislike are the very same people you were running from when we met." She pauses. "Who exactly is Roscoe?"

[Capt. Infinity]

"There really isn't that much to tell Viv. There's a Dwarf lady, she's got some beef with this weird and seedy organization, and she is systematically destroying every single cell she comes across. I don't see how it could be any clearer. Besides, if you have any further questions I'm sure she'll be happy to answer them after she's done her business." Xio's ears pique at the unfamiliar name. "Oh yes, tell us about this Roscoe fellow. Is he that scrawny human chatting it up with Hilda? He subtly points with his eyes towards the two figures on the barside.

[carnackiArdent]

"That's them. And Roscoe..." He just points, one long, thin finger directed toward the table with the human and the dwarf. "The tall one. Who's too nice for his own good." Sometimes it can sound like Gil isn't even grateful for having his sorry hide saved. But really, that's just how he shows his love.

He straightens up in his seat and rubs the bridge of his snub nose. "If your crazy dwarf gets one of my only friends on this continent killed I'm calling it your fault."

[asdflove]

Vivian nods at the information given to her. "Thank you Xio." She smiles slightly. "If it means anything, I think that if Xio trusts her, she probably at least means well." She glances over at Roscoe and Hilda, biting the inside of her lip. "And if he is a brown cape then he can certainly handle himself." While she's not wrong, anyone who knows Vivian at all of course knows she's come to that conclusion because the brown capes have magic training.

[DaFinchy]

"Ack!" That slap. Roscoe knew that slap. He smiled through the cough as he turned his head towards his attacker. "Hilga..." he said, with a tone normally reserved for seeing an old friend after years. Surely, it hadn't been nearly that long, but Roscoe was happy to see her anyway. He didn't resist when she swiped his drink from him (actually, considering the alternative was attempting to finish it, he was actually kind of grateful.). "Oh, you know how it is. I figured if I was ever going to run into you again, I might as well build up a tolerance. It can't be any fun drinking with a lightweight, after all."

He noted the way she was holding herself, the way her eyes roamed about the room, the tone of her voice as she mentioned a show. He was suddenly reminded of his own little trepidation. "You're after somebody, aren't you?" He could take a guess, if he had to. After all, it wasn't like she was hiding the fact she had one eye on a certain group of strangers, especially not to somebody as observant as Roscoe. He kept his voice low as his expression sobered. "Anything you need help with?" If Hilga was after somebody, then it was a safe bet that that somebody deserved it. He may or may not have mentioned the fact that he represented the law, the last time they had met, but she knew at least he wasn't that keen on letting her get in over her head fighting the people she was fighting. "You can count on me to have your back, you know? Just say the word."

[Mylakka]

Hilda barks out another laugh, giving Roscoe an amused once over before leaning against the wall, crossing her arms. Her boots scrape against the well worn wooden floor, and despite herself she feels herself relaxing a bit at the conversation. There always was something comforting about an inn. The warm atmosphere, the hearths that never seem to go out. No music in this one, oddly.. but perhaps that's for the best she thinks, remembering some of the local musicians with a wince. "I think you're forty years short of keeping up with me in drink laddie, but more power to you if you can manage it." Her eyes keep track of the group in the corner even as she talks to Roscoe, not willing to let a single member escape. The longer she can go from cell to cell without anyone learning exactly who is taking them out, all the better for her.

A smile hovers at her lips as she recalls the last time she drank with Roscoe, and his.. amusing reaction to the Dwarven stout. Looking at him out of the corner of her gaze she allows the smile to fully manifest, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Although who said anything about it not being fun? I seem to remember a certain someone dancing on a table." As he continues the smile fades, her more natural grim look returning. "But aye, I am here for someone, or someones I guess I should say. You remember the Order I told you about?" A grimace flashes over her face as she remembers that blunder. It's unusual for her to get so drunk as to willingly talk about her issues, but she's only a single Dwarf. Everyone needs a break now and then. A glance over at the elf she knows has her shaking her head, wondering at the strange people she's been running into lately. "There's a group of them here, tonight." Nodding at the more shadowy corner of the inn, she cracks her knuckles absently. "I intend to introduce them to ol' Betsy here." She adds, tapping a finger against the wooden haft of her axe. "She always was good at seducing information out of people."

Blinking at his offer to help, she turns to face him fully, unsure how to react. Truthfully she's not sure how to handle it, unused to anyone offering or even being willing to assist. She wonders at his motives, but finally just shrugs it off. Not like she's spoiled for allies. "I appreciate the offer, Roscoe." She says, using his name for a change to show she's serious. "But are you sure you want to risk it? I wouldn't want to interfere with your job." She wouldn't want to, but she would if it came down to it. Still, she finds herself strangely worried for him, particularly with his.. condition. 'Bah, you always were an old softy gal. You don't have time to be taking in strays.' Noticing movement from the group in the corner she straightens up, watching as they begin to drain their glasses. "Either way, looks like we're out of time. What's it going to be?" She asks, making sure to avoid anything that could be construed as an order, or request.

[DaFinchy]

Roscoe shook his head, hoping against hope that being serious would counter the blush that was naturally going to come once Hilga decided to bring up what Roscoe was like drunk. It didn't work, but he soldiered on, anyway. "Don't worry about my job. Unless the Order stopped being a group of criminals since the last time we met, I should be just fine. More importantly, I can't just leave you to the wolves. Not if I can help it, anyway."

He slid off the stool, one hand resting on his truncheon, the other one fighting the urge to pull out his identification. "Right behind you, Hilga. Just... promise me we can keep the collateral damage to a minimum. Nobody gets hurt unless they have to, deal?"

[Mylakka]

Flashing Roscoe a quick grin, she tugs her axe free of the strapping on her back and begins to move forward. "No collateral damage, nobody gets hurt unless they have to. Gotcha." She says, nodding to her temporary partner in crime. The irony of the thought doesn't escape her. Patrons at the inn seem to have a second sense for violence in the air, because as soon as they see the rather angry looking Dwarf pull her axe to hand they're moving out of the way. 'Thankfully,' she thinks. 'because there is nothing more undignified than having to jump to see over the heads of people.' A disgusted snort at the idea is all she allows herself before she takes a deep breath, each step bringing her closer to potential information about her husband. 'Grodrik, where are you?'

She pauses in front of the group just as they're standing and getting out of their booth. This close the smell of unwashed bodies and spilled drink is obvious, and she wrinkles her nose. 'Have they never heard of a bath? Bah, more grunts. Great.' There are seven of them, all Dwarves. None of them appear to be adept at holding their drink, and there's no obvious leader amongst them. Nonetheless they are well muscled, and weapons are visible beneath cloaks. They grumble and push at one another as they stand up, paying no attention to Hilda. She clears her throat, waiting for a response. When they make no move to respond, she attempts a reasonably polite "Excuse me." that sounds like it was pulled from a botched hammer swing. After still no response, she turns to look at Roscoe, shrugs in a sort of 'What can you do' way and hefts her axe upwards, visibly annoyed. She slams it down on their table, splintering the wood loudly. All conversation in the inn stops as she glares at the Dwarves. "A'ight arse-bandits, which of you is going to talk freely?" She tugs her axe free with a grunt, sending shards of wood skittering across the floor. "Or do I need to introduce you to my friend here, ol' Betsy." She adds, lifting the weapon for emphasis. Subtlety never was her strong suit.

[carnackiArdent]

As exasperated as Gil is with the whole thing, his ears perk up as the dwarf starts interrogating her targets. Quietly, he slips a slingshot that wouldn't look out of place in a child's hands out of a pocket - if things are going to get nasty, he's probably going to wind up involved somehow, and it might as well be from a long way off for as long as he can manage. Gil's knives aren't exactly for decoration, but they're seldom his first resort, and often serve as camouflage more than anything else.

"I know Roscoe can handle himself," he replies to Vivian quietly. "I'm just saying he's not so great on the whole self-preservation thing sometimes."

[Capt. Infinity]

Xio looks at Gil's reaction and smiles. "Now now Gilroy, let's let Hilda have the first shot before anything gets out of hand. There is an etiquette to this sort of thing." Xiolianos says this, but at the same time, his hands are pressed against the table, and his muscles tensed, like a tiger ready to pounce. He looks as though he can barely contain his excitement, and internally he's hoping Hilda gets on with it already so he too can join the fray.

[asdflove]

Vivian looks between her two companions and sighs. "Are you really both waiting for a fight that doesn't even really involve you to start so you can jump into the fray?" Shaking her head, Vivian grabs her staff. "I'm placing the blame entirely on you if this goes poorly." She stares hard at Xio.

[Capt. Infinity]

"I can accept that" Xio states, grinning like a child on his birthday about to open all of his presents. And oh boy, what presents they were!

[carnackiArdent]

"Not jumping in. Just prepared if I get dragged in." Though in this case Gil's idea of 'dragged' included 'Roscoe getting in trouble'. "I could argue 'not involved' anyway. Some of my enemies and one of my friends are in on it."

His ears are still perked up, trying to listen in, just in case the dwarf actually gets anything out of her quarry. He's not holding his breath, though, they don't look too smart from here.

[qwertyu63]

One of the grunts stands up, trying to look intimidating, and says "Whose askin'?"

Another one of the grunts starts running for the door.

[Capt. Infinity]

NOW! Xio sees the grunt run for the door and begins moving at a seemingly inhuman speed. "BesuretocoverHildaincaseanythingbadhappensoka y Break!!" Xio rushes out of his mouth, and, in the same instant, bolts from his seet into a full-tilt sprint at the grunt running for the door. At about halfway across the barroom floor, he jumps up onto one of the tables, lands with both feet, and leaps up about five feet into the air (this inn has surprisingly high ceilings) before flying back, fist at the ready and burning with balled up arcane energy, down onto the grunt below.

"BANZAI!!!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Flashily attacking the grunt making a run for it at +3: (1d6)[2] (1d6)[6] (1d6)[4] (1d6)[5]