Honey Bunny

Marcus looked around the armory. They had a shield which would help with his safety, but it was huge and unwieldy. Not exactly something he was sure about getting, on the other hand; better safe than sorry. He looked at where Scarlet...would be, if it weren't for the fact that he'd left her to hunt in the woods. Cities outside of Toulouse didn't have accommodations for gryffons, and Raewald was no exception. It made him nervous to be away from her, but he was a knight. What else could he do, bugger off to Toulouse and forget his honor? Fat chance. If he had his way he'd get her armor, but this was not Toulouse. Any sort item that could help a gryffon simply didn't exist here. I suppose I'll have to ask about any wares they don't have on display. So he approached the huge man once Adele was done and asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any sets of armor would you?" It didn't occur to him until after he'd asked that they might not have armor for man as small as him, and he not want to wear women's armor.

Ulysses absolutely despised ranged combat. He was of the opinion that combat should be done up close and personal, where it's fun. Sometimes though he simply acted on instinct, as was the case this time when he swiveled around and lobbed a hand axe at one of his would-be ambushers. Uysses to Ab16, Subdue Knight A with Hand Axe

Just call her Adele? The thought didn't make much sense to Marcus, she was above him, why wouldn't she want him to use her title? Between the casual nature of the group, and the freedom this mission granted him he was well and truly out of his element. It's not like he could decline either, that would be disrespectful. He looked awkwardly towards Scarlet, but she seemed amused by his predicament. Scarlet herself thought that Marcus could loosen up, but Toulouse had always required him to be at his most formal. She wanted to see him relax, and that's exactly what this new lady was asking for. A gesture that was confusing and foreign to Marcus, was endearing and appreciated by Scarlet. It was a shame that Scarlet was six and a half foot tall gryffon, if she weren't she might have thanked Adele. "I-if you insist A-A-A-," It was simply too hard for Marcus to let go of his formality. His training as a Gryffon Knight left him nearly as much of an accountant, or a lawyer as a knight. Trying to go against his studies, and not use legal formalities was far too much for him to bear. Instead he finished, "Lady Adele." a compromise between her request and his mindset. As well as the best he could manage. Marcus enters the armory.

In all honesty Marcus hadn't a clue what to do now. His whole life had been going from mission to mission, or studying to be a knight. Training seemed like a good idea, or at least, an idea, but where would he go for that? It's not like they had a barracks he could just waltz into. This sort of freedom left him uneasy...and something else? He wasn't truly sure what he felt about all this. Except about the woman he'd watched fall. The fact that she was still alive troubled him. He saw the blow as it struck, by all rights she should be dead, or at least at it's door. It wasn't that he was rooting for her death by any means, it helped lessen his guilt. He'd been trying to write it off as the Prince's healers being that good, but it still didn't set right with him. Something about the whole situation just felt...wrong. Luckily Lady Herman had offered an easy way to spend his time. Shopping for equipment, just as a good knight should. He could use some armor, he was tired of being afraid of danger, "I-If you don't mind Lady Adeltrudis, I'd be interested in seeing the local wares as well." and like that, he had started to follow after her.

Marcus simply watched idly as all the events transpired. Numb to most everything that had happened. What is that liquid? He wondered, taking care of his own equipment. Marcus puts Iron Sword in convoy, Takes Steel Blade from convoy Feeling the weight of this new blade he thought to himself, If that man is any more trouble this should do the trick.

Marcus winced, it wasn't like him to forget his pleasantries. I'm letting everything get under my skin. Precise, calm that's what a Gryffon Knight is supposed to be. "My apologies, Sir Alain," he said bowing a little. Before he could beat himself up too badly he'd noticed the apprehension coming from Alain. Is he scared of her? She's obnoxious, but she's hardly dangerous. Of course, growing up with someone causes you to see them favorably...Luckily Alain took him up on his offer, and Scarlet didn't look too happy with having someone other then Marcus on her back. "Why don't you thank her yourself? Now seems like as good time as any." The request simply didn't make much sense to Marcus, for him Scarlet wasn't a foreign beast of immense size. She was the stubborn albino gryffin who always had his back, and he had hers. However, he still doubted that Scarlet would be happy even with Alain's gratitude. The way Scarlet had stood up, and cleaned her feathers indicated to Marcus a general sentiment of, "You know I won't fly for him right?" To which Marcus had a similar non-verbal response of merely turning and walking to the source of all the commotion, conveying the general sentiment of, "Yes, but you will walk for him." A sentiment she grudgingly proved, and a form of communication unique to gryffon and knight. One that Alain would almost certainly find incomprehensible, should he even notice what had just transpired at all.

"Alain of Raewald, you said your name was? Why don't you ride on Scarlet's back? You really shouldn't be moving around too much with your injury." "Krou?" "No complaining." "Grrrrg..." "Yes, I know I'm the one who wanted to play it safe." "...Krrg?" "Because he wouldn't be able to ride-Look, Scarlet, you're being ridiculous. Just carry the poor man for a little, it's not going to kill you." Marcus offered a sheepish smile to Alain after the exchange with Scarlet, but in the end his wishes had won out. Scarlet was willing to carry Alain.

Pointing to the bloody mess that used to be a myrmidon with his axe, Ulysses addressed Aaron, "I've certainly got more brains than him." A grin growing across his face. The scent of blood and the endorphins caused by his new wound making him a bit less guarded. "Ulysses, remember, you're fighting for survival not fun. We all know how you can get blood-crazy, but you can't just recklessly charge in. The tribe can't afford to lose their craziest warrior." The memory of the man who taught Ulysses to fight reminded him that despite the rush he felt, he was in fact in danger. Though he despised not being able to fight up-close and personal he simply couldn't try and fight normally in his condition. So he pulled out a smaller throwing axe, and lobbed it a nearby warrior. Ulysses attacks Brigand B with Handaxe, (Unless that messes with plans I don't know about due to posting at school. In which case, will edit once home.)

"I am from Toulouse, as is Scarlet. One of the noble gryffon knights, as I'm sure you could tell." Marcus reached up to scratch underneath Scarlet's chin, eliciting a "Ku!", before continuing on, "I was supposed to keep a diplomat safe on a routine trip to Wyke, well, a few others as well as I. We were attacked by Deiran forces though, afterwards Duke Herman told me to take news of the event as well as Rhongomiant to Prince Owen. As a less official task he wanted me to keep him and his group safe." Gesturing to the scene that was still unfolding, "You can see how well that turned out. The other gryffon knights told him I was the most promising new knight, in truth I'm starting to think they wanted to be rid of me." Two new arrivals. Will this duo manage to get someone killed too? "Do you know who those two are?" He asked Alain, hoping the answer was, 'Yes, they're good friends'. "Grrk." "Yes, I can see they're dangerous Scarlet." He sighed, ending a short exchange that would most certainly not make sense to the man next to them.

After Claire had left Marcus turned around just in time to watch a massive spear crunch its way into another newfound comrade. Another he was supposed to protect. Another he had failed. He watched as everything unfolded in silence, not truly comprehending the sight unfolding nor the world around him. I failed. Again. I turned my back on a warrior and yet another has fallen. This one for good. Suddenly Alain spoke pulling him back to reality. "What's the point? She's dead. A wound like that, you don't need to be a healer to know there is no coming back from that." With that he slumped to the ground too, though for different reasons to Alain. Luckily Scarlet had seen her rider fall and quickly placed herself behind him. Acting as a chair to prop him up. Without taking his eyes off the scene Marcus managed to ask the man next to him, "I don't believe I caught your name." "Krrr?" Could Scarlet speak she'd probably be asking the same question.

Ulysses to (Aa,13), Equip previously equipped weapon Whatever. There's a fight ahead, and I should be focusing on that. "THIEVES! COME LEARN THE MIGHT OF THE GRAYSTONE TRIBE!" A good fight always got Ulysses' blood pumping.

Scarlet landed on the ground, and sat herself down. Showing a certain flippant take on the new situation, and letting Marcus dismount. Upon his feet hitting the ground it became abundantly clear that Marcus was everything Laudine wasn't. Short, thin, and generally lacking in distinguishing characteristics. He kept his face clean-shaven, his brown hair short, and his eyes were a shade of brown so common they might actually have been dirt-colored. On the whole he looked ridiculous standing next to Scarlet who sharply contrasted him on seeming every turn. Her fur snow-white, her feathers scarlet red, and both her scaly legs and beak were black. Even their demeanors contrasted one another, Marcus all business, and Scarlet without a care in the world. Marcus turned his gaze and narrowed his eyes at Laudine, "I'll not have you insulting my honor, mercenary." Mercenary curling from his lips like a slur, "Rhongomiant was given to me by Duke Herman, so do not say I took it. I am a knight, not some petty thief." Tilting his head slightly he took a step closer to Owen and lowered his voice, "I would not give her that spear Good Prince Owen. Though she may have helped us with the bandits she is still from Deira. Such a powerful weapon falling into enemy hands...I'm sure you could see the repercussions as well as I." After his warning he'd remembered his manners, "If you would have my advice of course, Prince Owen. Anyway Duke Herman wanted to me to stay with your group, and it is my duty as a knight to fulfill such a request. As such I shall be leaving to see how the man who was felled is faring." With that final word he turned to move away from the spectacle growing around the group of wyverns. I must apologize and offer my help to that man. It was my inaction that got him felled. Surprisingly the man was already awake, "Hello, my name is Marcus, and the colorful gryffin following me is Scarlet. I'll be joining Prince Owen's group, and came to apologize. You see, I was in the area for a while and merely watched as you fell. I let my caution turn to cowardice because of a few archers, and you could have been killed." Avoiding this new man's gaze he finished, "Please, forgive me. I promise to make this grievance up to you." Hopefully that was satisfactory.

"Oh, lighten up Telmara." Ulysses responded, "They don't know we're trying to help them. The two of us look like monsters from a nightmare, and the rest us aren't easily distinguished from bandits. I can understand accidents but...at least try would you?" He hadn't had much hope for a positive response, but he'd grown tired of holding his tongue. Thankfully Kaya seemed to have his back on this one. Turning to address Isaac he said, "The boss said to save your crew, so I'll do my best. They're probably going to be pretty battered though, I'm the most promising axe of The Graystone Tribe after all!" He shot the man a confident grin, probably creepier than it was comforting, but the sentiment was there. Ulysses to Y15, Iron Axe equipped

Ulysses sighed after being admonished by Velvet. She was right after all, just because somebody was difficult didn't mean you had to give up trying entirely. Odd how somebody so small could remind me of Mother Dren. Yet the more time we spend together the more she seems like-"CAT!?" Velvet was several things, small, weak, and perhaps overconfident, but she was her own person. What she used to be doesn't define who she is now. The last time he'd heard that sort of thinking was...Bartholomew. Before he'd realized what he was doing he'd already hunched over, and pulled his axe out. A battle stance. Luckily in the instant afterward there seemed to be a fight breaking out nearby, a convenient excuse for his hostile actions. "Remember a snake strikes out of fear not out of anger" More frustrating than a comforting thought this time. Although it seemed that pretty soon he might have targets for his anger.

Marcus to (11, 7), Trade Rhongomiant with Owen, Take Heather Shield from Convoy Marcus couldn't believe it, the prince really didn't have a clue what had happened huh? I guess that's the point of this mission. Scarlet also seemed displeased with the events that had just transpired, and endeavored to make her stance on matters known...through an ear-piercing shriek. "SKRAEEEEEEE!" Never have I been more grateful for your interruptions. Though he didn't have time to thank Scarlet, he had a duty to fulfill. Reaching into his bag he pulled out the package he had to deliver, and began upon his message, "Prince Owen! My name is Marcus of the Griffon Knights, my partner's name is Scarlet, and we both hail from Toulouse. It was my duty to escort a diplomat to Wyke, and make sure matters went smoothly. They did not. There was an attack upon Wyke during my escort duties, Deira attacked Wyke, my lord." Having brought Owen up to speed on current events he continued to the second part of his message. Holding the spear up high for all to see he spoke again, "This is the fabled spear, Rhongomiant. A gift from Duke Herman himself. It has become my job to deliver this to you, and I intend to finish it. However," Marcus then pointed Rhongomiant at the leader of this small band of wyverns, "this group here would seek to interfere with that mission. They wish to take this spear for themselves, yet claim to want to help you. I don't buy their story for a second, if they truly wanted to help you they wouldn't be trying to attack me, and if they didn't know what the spear was then they shouldn't have followed me in the first place. Furthermore, they ride wyverns, good prince. Not a sign of trustworthiness considering recent events." He then patted Scarlet's head playfully, "Wouldn't you say Scarlet?" "Grrr..." She purred in agreement.

"Heh, I suppose that's all true Velvet. It's easy for me to forget small doesn't mean helpless." A smile began to curl on the corners of his mouth. This isn't like you Ulysses, why are you so uptight? A question which he really didn't a good answer to. He didn't get long to contemplate such matters though, the snake had begun to talk. Is she serious? Did she really almost call Velvet 'your cat'? He stared at her in disbelief. And she's offended because I was being friendly? City-mages, they're all the same. "Alright, Telmara it is then." Telmara had begun to get on his nerves since they started travelling together. He wanted nothing more than to be friendly with her, but it seemed everytime he tried he got push back. He was honestly at a loss for words, that sort of behavior he expected from humans. Not other beastkin. Beastkin...An idea was beginning to form in his head as he followed her down the path. "You know, if you get to call me shark-man does that mean I get to call you snake-woman?" A playful smirk began to stretch its way across his face. Whilst not the most respectful, or even likable, response Ulysses had at this point given up on being friendly the normal way. Instead he was just going to have a bit of fun, and who knows, maybe she wasn't as humorless as she seemed?

Ulysses raised an eyebrow inquisitively, sure one path was darker than the other but not by a whole lot. Not that it mattered much to him, he wanted to go down the darker path. Partially due to curiosity, partially because he was just more used to darker areas. Still he decided to just head to the front and lead with the other demi-humans. Moments like these to bond with the other demi-humans were rare. Not that that was what was mainly on his mind. "Velvet, you shouldn't be threatening people like that. I know we're part of a much larger group now, but you still aren't a fighter. What if they had attacked you before I could act? It's one thing for Telmy to puff out her chest like that, she can defend herself, but you don't even have a proper weapon for self-defense..." After saying that he wasn't quite sure if she did have anything for self-defense. He'd never personally seen her fight, and just sort of assumed she didn't know how, "...do you?"

"I should've known it was you Princess Cassandra, Scarlet can't hold her liquor half as well." Memories of a disgusting slurry consisting of meat, eggnog, and bones rushed through his mind. He shuddered, it took him hours to clean it all up last time. Scarlet still smelled for a week afterwards too. "Hmmm...where did that silly girl go?" He wracked his brain for all the possible places she could be, and it became clear to him. There were, quite simply, too many places she could be. He sighed, "Do you have any wine?" Just because he was losing his sobriety he didn't have to lose his class after all. Besides, he was sure 6'5" pile of white fur, and red feathers would pop up without his searching.

What's that cat doing? Keeping you safe get a lot harder once you start making trouble. If it were up to Ulysses they'd just take the man's offer to share the treasure. Although, it wasn't like the money mattered much to him, he got enough to eat from Velvet, and that's all that mattered. Still, it would appear that such peaceful solutions would be off the table. In anticipation he did a few stretches to make sure he was limbered up in case of a fight. Slowly he placed himself in between Velvet and this new group before placing a hand on his axe. I hope you're ready to run Velvet.

As Marcus walked by the fireplace he heard Serge think out loud. "A good question, actually. You wouldn't happen to have seen Scarlet would you? I managed to smuggle her inside, but I've lost sight of her." Then a thought crossed his mind...No, not the eggnog...not again! He gasped, "THE EGGNOG!" This wouldn't be like the last christmas where Scarlet drank all the eggnog. Not if Marcus could help it. He ran off towards where he suspected the drinks were being kept, hoping he could make it in time.

"Ahh, you must be Lady Adeltrudis. I must apologize m'lady but Duke Herman told me to give the message to Prince Owen. Please understand." Marcus didn't like how rude he had to be Lady Herman, but orders were orders; and he'd shirked his duties for long enough. "As for the wyverns...that also has to do with Prince Owen's gift. Again I must apologize, but I need to bid you adieu." And with that he was off towards his intended target. Please forgive me Lady Herman. One of your comrades has already fallen due to my laziness. There he is, Prince Owen, but I need to get his attention. "SCRAW!" "Must you always embarass me?" A few sly glances, and the way she puffed out her chest indicated that her answer, could she speak, would be, "Absolutely." Marcus to (8,10)

"Errr...sure. We can clean it out here. You wouldn't happen to have a knife on you? I've only got my axes on me." As strong as Ulysses is, he isn't quite strong enough to clean a deer barehanded. He'd need a knife to break through the skin at least.

I'm assuming you only take pre-existing classes. So if I wanted a character that could use Tomes and Hidden Weapons, I'd be out of luck?

Ulysses smiled, "With pleasure." He walked up to the wounded beast, and knelt down to get closer to it. A coppery scent hung in the air close to the deer, the scent of blood...his favorite scent. Were Ulysses' eyes not completely black they would most certainly be dilated, and his mouth was watering. Remember the teachings of the tribe Ulysses. Hunt for food, not pleasure... He needed to grant this creature a merciful death, but didn't have a knife on him. Instead he'd have to rely upon his own strength. He placed one hand underneath the jaw of dying buck, and the other behind its head. Hunt for food, not pleasure. With a quick motion of his hands he snapped the buck's head around, and accidentally opened the wound on its neck further. The scent of blood grew stronger in the air and it was...intoxicating. He closed his eyes, and threw his head back in order to take a deep sniff of the air. Without thinking he said, "Spirits, why do I love the smell of blood?" It was at this point he remembered Kolmar was there.

As soon as Ulysses had heard Velvet's response he turned back around. Only mildly annoyed by the smarm in her remark. "Right up here a ways. They're a little bit off the path, but they're pretty tasty. Besides we might find more stuff we can eat in the woods." Just thinking about the berries was enough to make Ulysses hungry again. Spirits, why am I so hungry? His stomach shot up with pain the more he thought about food. I'm not starving, but it sure does feel like it. "They should be just to the left here." Ulysses turned off into the woods trying to find the bushes again. "Aha, here they are! Wild raspberries." He said, picking a few off the bushes and eating a few more. "I don't think these'll be enough though. Once we get these we ought to find more things to eat. How often do you hunt?"