Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[JakezuGD]

Ferid didn't pay mind to his companion's excitement. If she'd found clothes she wanted, she was free to buy them, so long as he could get his supplies in order for tomorrow morning. "Calm down, Siorel. That's not a strange sight in Liste. And who made you a town representative?" He sighed quietly, looking over the things he'd picked out so far, not even having turned to look at the arrivals. "Five litres of purified water, three loaves of sliced and dried bread, one bag of jerky." A few looks about the shelves, and a few steps aside. One flask each of vulnerary and antivenom... and a thin half-bolt of gauze. He came around to the counter and set everything down, tugging his single-star adorned half cape out of the way. "How much for all of this?"

---

Natalya chuckled at Gean's request, and since the three were going their own way, the tiger would follow where Nyx and Ingverd had previously gone. Opening the door to the inn, she could see that the former was in conversation with the innkeeper, but the bunny's teary eyes made her raise her brow, putting a hand on Nyx's shoulder. "Evening, moonshine. Hope you're not in the middle of anything too important, 'cause I'd like to get an overview of the facilities. Oh, and I'm Natalya Liberia, commander of the Iron Tigers, including this lovely lady. Did she break your heart already or something?" Heckling the archer in any meaningful way was a rare opportunity, one Tasha would take regardless of how potentially insensitive it was, although she could sense an apology crawling up her throat already. Cute women and all that.

[Nanami Touko]

"Hmm, really? It's not that hot to me... Buuuuuut, you don't seem like the kinda Clouded that appreciates the heat. You should visit the baths! They're cold on purpose. I couldn't stay long, but it was a nice little break." She didn't seem to lose any steam from Ferid's comments chastising her, her smile still big and her tail still wagging. "I made myself representative, of course~ We've got Luca's lovely little shop, then there's the Lonely Stone and the baths... Aaaaaaaand that's, about it, heheheh~ At least that I've seen!" She picked up another black dress and hoisted it over her arm, holding them up against her chest. "What're you all here for? Visiting? Passing through? If you're still here by the evening, I'm putting on a little show in the town square~ Decided on it just now! I needed a dress to dance properly, so this is a great find~"

On The Run

Spoiler

A fully, if lightly, armored man had set up camp for the night next to the road, beside it, the horse he was traveling on. Even in his hurry, there had to be time to rest and feed, or both he and his horse would collapse as soon as they arrived, if not much before; a small campfire going to toast the bread he had with him and keep warm. With his helmet visor up, only the tanned features of his face and black hair covering his left eye were visible. Time is running short… I reach Liste tomorrow evening, and have to spend some of the day restocking for enough supplies to get through Islexia. With any luck, I’ll still arrive before the news from the west do… A quick look over the slice he was holding on the cap spike of his spear, and thinking it well enough done, he took it off and sank his teeth into it with a satisfying crunch.

Finally, she'd caught up with him. A horse hadn't been easy to keep up with, but it had been easy enough to follow its hoof prints in the dirt. She'd been thankful for no rain, else this would've been an impossible task. Without any fear or attempt to approach this gently, Siorel slipped from the nearby bushes and slowly sat down at the fire across from him, letting out a small yawn. 

The black scaled and white skinned lizard woman held a small smile, but her face was mostly obscured by long black hair. Shorts on her legs, a tank top on her body, she might have come across as horrifying, this late at night, if her voice hadn't been so calm and unlike her appearance. "Hi there~ Sorry to startle you, but I saw you rushing off a few miles back… I tried to stop you, but I don't think you heard me. I'm Siorel, stranger. You are?" She pulled a hand up and held it up as if to shake, then had the realization there was a fire between them and pulled her hand back. "Whoops! Right, camp fire… Heheh." 

The rustling of bushes had the man pause and lock his attention to the noise. It wasn’t easy to hear with the helmet covering his ears, but this didn’t seem like something that was trying to hide while moving about. Indeed, he soon caught sight of the person approaching him, expressionlessly gauging what their intent might have been. There was no attempt to reciprocate the handshake, as much as the campfire between them prevented it to begin with. “I did hear you. But I don’t have the luxury of stopping for every person that wants my attention.” Ignoring her asking for a name, he focused only on what she looked like for now. Clouded, obviously, at the least… which raised the question of what she was doing out here by herself. “Are you alone? It’s not safe for Clouded to traipse around Hecatia without an escort.”

“Oh… I can handle myself~ You just looked like you were in a big hurry, so…” Siorel stretched her legs out a little, getting more comfortable. “Mmmm, without giving away my life story to a stranger, my life was saved by some really impressive people… And I’ve sort of, dedicated myself to paying that kindness forward. So when you looked like you were troubled, racing off so quickly like that, I couldn’t help but want to stick my nose into your business… Is that a problem? I guess you wouldn’t want a stranger’s help, though… But I’m a great fighter! Good with knives. Fast, and know how to sneak around when it’s necessary~ … You didn’t actually say your name, though…” 

Siorel suddenly gasped and pulled back slightly, giving him a squint. “Are you a bad person…?”

What sort of logic was this girl running on? He hadn’t even raised the weapon still in his hand against her, despite her encroaching upon his camp at night. “Do I look like one? I’m a soldier, not some two-bit outlaw trying to escape from the authorities.” He took another bite of his toast, relaxed enough in thinking Siorel probably wasn’t going to threaten him in any way. If anything, she might come in useful in making sure he could get where he was going, provided he could persuade her. “I’m on a messenger run, so I only have time to rest and resupply when necessary. And even if you say you’re a good fighter, that only gets you so far. If nothing else, I could drop you off in Liste, since I need more supplies.” That would be the best place around here to leave her, though, there was a decently high chance she’d come from Liste in the first place.

“Liste?” She tilted her head. “I came from Lufiria, so I’m afraid I don’t know where that is… I’ve really just been wandering around, helping those when I can, so… If you think that’s a good idea, then sure!” Siorel smiled, it seemed this girl really didn’t care to do much other than going with the flow. “But, but, your name? Can I know your name? And what you’re doing out there? If you’re trying to trick me, I won’t hold back~” She smiled, but it held a weight, and her magic flared, though nothing had evidently been cast…

“Really now.” That dealt with much of what she’d said in one go, but if she was Lufirian, that would complicate matters somewhat. At least if she was always this talkative. “My name is Ferid. Nothing more than a soldier on a mission.” If Siorel wouldn’t let that go, then he might as well acquiesce to that much. “Liste is a town a day’s travel away or so. It’s about the friendliest place for Clouded around these parts, but there’s something you should know. I can’t say much, but part of the message I’m delivering makes any Lufirians in Hecatia suspects. So, don’t tell anyone you’re from Lufiria, for your own safety.” Though he was being very serious, that maybe didn’t come across very well, given he’d been just as serious the whole time.

“Oh, wow… I didn’t realize that you were doing something so serious.” She nodded, understanding what he was saying. “Wellllllll Ferid, I wasn’t much looking for an escort, but I suppose reaching a friendly town wouldn’t hurt. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you along the way~” She crossed her legs and scooted closer to the fire, staring into the flames. “Mm, cozy… You know… Ferid, I know that I’m shockingly easy going, but… I’m surprised you’re accepting this so easily. I did just walk out of the bushes after admitting to stalking you… You don’t find that weird, or alarming…? Or are you that confident that I couldn’t do anything to you?” She gave him a wry smile, expecting it to be the last thing.

Taking care of a Clouded that just happened to get in his way wasn’t in Ferid’s plans, but he didn’t mind helping out one in need, as long as it wouldn’t hinder his actual mission. “Hmph. Even a kid with a knife could kill most people given a perfectly stationary and unaware target. You don’t seem the backstabbing type, that’s all.” His gaze still didn’t waver, stone-faced through the conversation, even while he continued to eat, another crunch of bread between his teeth. “This would have been your best opportunity to attack, besides waiting for me to sleep. Instead of either you chose to just stroll up and talk. That’s strange, but not threatening.”

“Mmm. Acceptable answers all around… Alright, Ferid, I think I can trust you, then.” Yawning once more, Siorel laid down, resting against the fire’s warmth. “Mmm, wake me up when we have to leave then, okay? I should get some serious rest, that was a lot of running to catch up to you…” Another stretch and she was ready for rest. “If you have any questions… Ask them now~”

“Suit yourself. If you wake up before me, don’t leave the camp.” Done with his food, Ferid went over to his supplies and took out a long string with bells attached to it, small stakes at regular intervals to suspend it over the ground. It was a quick but necessary measure he’d cobbled together before departing, beginning to lay it down around his tent and where he’d made the fire. Questions could wait for the hours they’d spend on horseback the next day, if Siorel still had any; he wasn’t interested in much beyond what was already discussed.

“Heheh~ Friendly.” She shrugged and decided that if he didn’t want to talk more, then she was fine with that. It was a weird little agreement, but she was fine with it, for now. It didn’t hurt to have another body nearby, either… “Sleep well, Ferid~”

"Still, juts a liiiiiittle curious about what you're all doing here... Oh! Ferid, Ferid, you said you were gonna drop me off here, so maybe I should speak with these people and see what they're doing? It'd be safer for me to travel with a bunch of my own kind, right?"

Alvira was standing back a bit, fiddling with her ice and just looking about the shop. She didn't do well with these easy going, free speaking types. Better to let Laniva and Aegean handle her until she decided it was time to move on and bother someone else...

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx’s heart - and her lunch - had threatened to catch in her throat, hearing about the rabbit’s brother, but thankfully she continued and mentioned that he was still alive, which was a hell of a relief. Xanth… name didn’t quite ring a bell, but she wasn’t exactly privy to the finer details of that job - which was probably intentional, come to think of it.

”Aye, m’ wit th’group tha’ jus pulled in. Been a merc fer a while now, n honestly, was kinda hopin’ t’stay outta Hecatia… but, well, at least I got ta meet ye fer real. So, s’nae all bad.” Then, of course, Nattie came in and clapped her hand on Nyx’s shoulder, which was fine, but then the words were… not, really.

“S’not a good time fer fuckin round, Nat.” She said simply, rather than starting some sort of argument. Not that Nattie really knew the finer details of her past, and frankly, she didn’t need to. Aside from this chance encounter, Nyx had no plans to go chasing old ghosts, so she didn’t need to drag the memories back just for someone’s curiosity.

---

Tanya had mostly stayed quiet during the beginning of their little girl’s trek, even as Miria had suggested the idea of a band. She couldn’t help but snort at the thought of this quartet out there performing, especially if one of them had to sing. Well, maybe one of the others could, but she sounded like a dying cat every time she tried to sing.

The irony wasn’t lost on her, either.

”Never hurts to put yourself out there, no.” Tanya added, though she had to bite her tongue at talking about not following in the family’s footsteps, given how the whole Maldolche family had come together under a common goal just as much as they had their bloodline. “Uh, but trust me when I say that I’d be the absolute worst in a band. Except maybe Yuyu, although I think she’d be a decent singer at least.”

Edited May 29, 2022 by MRDRHAWK

[Bluemask 96]

Gean let out a slightly nervous chuckle while listening the to the lizard dancer. She certainly... had a tune of her own she followed. "Yeah." Gean lifted her poncho to show her scales. "I'm actually a Seafolk clouded, so this heat is just miserable for me." Letting her poncho come back down. Her new acquaintance had just planned a dancing performance. "We'll be in town for the night so who knows, we might stop by."

Her knight companion had moved on towards the counter, seemingly ignoring all else going on in the shop. Serious Sam aren't we? Turning back to the dancer who had just spoke about see what we were doing Gean held her hands up. "Uh, we're actually a part of a mercenary group stopping in town mid mission. We'll probably be leaving tomorrow morning anyways." Gean wanted to avoid saying too much. The group had been growing a bit too large for reasonable standards, and adding another clouded to the party going into Islexia probably would be a bad idea. Especially in the eyes of the higher-ups. Yet something about the lizard's happy disposition made it hard for Gean to say no outright.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, mercenaries! How charming~ I'm a slick hand in a fight, so I think I'll fit right in." Siorel was already inviting herself into the group, still all smiles, slowly following after Ferid to pay for the dresses. "I don't mind sharing my skills in the middle of the dance tonight, and, aaaaand~ My dances are magic! If Ferid's not gonna keep me along any longer, there's no better place I'd fit in. Besides! There's barely anything in Liste. No way I can make a living here... I suppose I could head to the coast and take a ship to Glacies. Maybe I'll do that if your boss thinks I'm not fit for it... Unless you're the boss! Should I start impressing you now~?"

Alvira sighed, hiding her face behind her claw. Can NOT handle these types...

[Bluemask 96]

Aaaand now she was practically throwing herself in the group. Gean started to wave her hands in front of her face. "Woah woah, slow down there speed horse. I can't make that decision in the first place, and we're already a big group as it is, miss. I mean, we don't even know your name, unless I missed that. Sorry if I did." Sure the lizard was selling her case as she spoke, but Gean felt like she might get in trouble for just agreeing along with her on this. Tasha might not mind overall, but Ingverd and the Evokers were another matter altogether. "No I'm not the boss, and you don't need to impress me or anything. I appreciate the sentiment though h-haha..."

Glancing back towards her companions, Alvira was already abandoning Gean to her plight. Looking over to Laniva, Gean gave a look that said "help me".

[Nanami Touko]

She placed her dress on the counter next to Ferid's things and hopped over to Gean with a full row of perfect teeth on smiley display. "Siorel, miss. Just your average dancer out in the world doing the best she can to give back to it~" She held a hand out to shake, tilting her head slightly. "You should definitely introduce me then, I'm sure I'll impress~"

Edited May 29, 2022 by Mel the DM

[mcd900]

As they entered Luca's store, it was plain to see that most of the stock was ordinary provisions. Still, perhaps they could fashion some kind of cloaks for the desert out of the material in the back. Laniva didn't have time to give much thought to that idea though - this dancer, Siorel, was rather pushy. It didn't seem to be in the manner that suggested some kind of ulterior motive, though; if anything, it was plain excitement. She seemed to hone in on the idea of joining quite quickly; her companion seemed to have a simialr degree of focus, though on a different subject entirely. It almost seemed like he might've been tuning the dancer out some, but Laniva wasn't quite sure.

Gean's look did not go unnoticed. "Well, miss Siorel. You can call me Laniva. I'm part of the same company, obviously. An introduction is no problem, but I can't make any guarantees on whether we'll be taking you along. The Chief gets the final word on that. Alright?"

[Mercenary on the Winds]

The rabbit found her conversation interrupted by another quite tall woman that introduced herself as Natalya. She possessed clouded features, a feline of some sort, but more important was that she was her savior's boss. She shook her head, "Nooooo, no, she didn't make me cry. Weeeell, she did, but she didn't... nooot in that way? I'm just... happy te see that sheeeeee's still alive." The rabbit shook her head, and wiped her tears. She looked at Nyx, "Ye said that Sarasin sent ye... Whiiiiiiiich means ye probably the group that he mentioned that would be with those..." She paused a moment, and closed her eyes as if searching for the word. "Them Magical ladies from Glacies? Strange... He said that ye would be around tomorrow." She then pointed at Nyx, "But if ye with her, then I will do what I can. Xanth will te when I tell him. Oh, er, right, I'm Persica." 

Persica cleared her throat, "Hmmmmmmmmm... Welcome te the Loooonely Stone. We are smaller place, not a lot of rooms or space. But we'll do our best te accommodate y'all. If I could ask, how many are with ye? I'd probably expect that Sarasin will be keeping the ladies--he's quite fond of them--so we probably won't have te account for them." 

---

Luca quickly looked everything over, and then over the armored man in front of him. "Surprised that you're not melting in all of dat. All of his will run you... twenty-five gold." Luca paused for a moment continuing to look the man over. He had pulled his cape out of the way, but it looked like there had been a star on it. "On your way somewhere? It is a bit strange to see one of you out here on our own, yeah? Well... I guess you're not on your own, are ya? Haha." 

The rest of the group seemed to be dealing with the lizard that the armored man had brought with him. Though, it honestly felt more like that the lizard was more tagging along and the man was simply allowing it. An odd arrangement, but people were strange. 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Mercenary on the Winds

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx had to admit, she was flattered that Persica held her in such high esteem. After all, she’d been hired initially by the people who’d stolen her away, although… well, never mind that now. It was just nice to be the one appreciated for a change. She almost wanted to ruffle Persica’s hair, but she wasn’t sure if that would go over well.

“Cute name.” Nyx teased, deciding to just ruffle her hair anyways, hoping that maybe the rabbit wouldn’t be too upset if it was coming from her. ”Aye, we’re wit the magic lasses. And, we got… uh…” Nyx had to pause and think. How many were actually with them, not counting the Evokers? There was her, Nattie, Gean, Syn, Viry, Rennie, Moonie, the cat, Big Lad, the lizard-thing, Ingy, that other new cat, that one they called Sixteen… “Thirteen? I got that right, or’m I forgettin’ someone?” She asked Nattie, nudging her lightly as she did.

[Bluemask 96]

Gean returned the handshake. "Pleasure to meet you Ms. Siorel." It was then that Laniva entered the conversation. Bless you Lani, you're a life saver. "Yeah we can set up a talk with the boss no problem, but that's as far as we can go. Plus she has to talk it over with our contractors. They're the ones supplying us anyways." From what Gean remembered Ingverd was still around. Might be good to talk to the man anyway. If I'm gonna let Tio and Tasha know more about my past, he might as well know too. "On a side note, are you sure about your friend leaving you like that? Bit of a one-sided decision."

Edited May 30, 2022 by Bluemask 96

[JakezuGD]

"Do what you want. As long as I'm not leaving you on top of nothing, I don't much care what your plan is." That, and he had to be reasonably certain she wasn't handing herself over to a bunch of criminals to be exploited. But despite her overflowing enthusiasm, Ferid had gotten the sense it wasn't out of naïveté, and that she could defend herself if need be. "Messenger duty. That's all I'm at liberty to say," Ferid answered curtly, fishing for the gold pouch from his belt and counting out the coins. The heat was an obvious issue to someone clad head to toe in leather, chain and plate, though a man well disciplined wouldn't let that show.

"I simply happened upon a stray, that's all. Liste was already in my planned route, so taking her here was only correct to do. Who knows what bullshit even my less considerate peers would subject her to." Harsh words aside, the armored man had little emotion to show, only closing his eyes for a moment, soon placing the requisite gold in front of Luca. "Here. Come on, Siorel, take your clothes and help me load the saddlebags." Putting the pouch back, he grabbed the heavier items, leaving the medical supplies for the lizard to handle.

---

Nyx was unexpectedly serious about that, which confirmed Natalya's suspicion of an impending apology, prompting her to pull her hand away. "Oh. I see... I think. Sorry about that." The one time I might be justified jabbing her for something other than the booze, and it's something genuine instead. Good job, Tasha, at least Alvira isn't here to see you fuck up. Thankfully, they didn't linger on that for long, but it still felt like she'd butted in on something she shouldn't have. No matter. Time to be Commander Natalya again.

"Thirteen is right. Myself and Nyx here; Ingverd, Alriana and Sixteen should have come around earlier; Aegean, a tan seafolk clouded; Alvira, a fire dragon lady; Laniva, a purple-haired cat clouded knight; Renais, a pink-haired human cleric; Miria, a diminutive brunette girl; Syndra, a blue-haired human mage; Cinaed, a very tall dragon; and Tanya, a cat clouded who looks like me but smaller." Basic descriptions could help Persica identify everyone, so they wouldn't have to be questioned much. "We're a day ahead of schedule, for once, hence us showing up early. Hope that's not a problem."

Edited May 30, 2022 by JakezuGD

[Nanami Touko]

"... And there you have it~" Ferid sure had a way with words! It didn't dampen Siorel's mood at all, simply gesturing towards him with a smile. "I'll be back in the town square this evening then, so make sure you bring your boss by~ I'm sure I'll be able to convince her I'm a worthwhile asset to bring along. And one more thing... Don't worry about the mercenary work," she said, her wide smile growing suddenly ever so cold as her eyes lowered to a glower. Suddenly, a knife was in her left hand, being effortlessly spun around her fingers, finally getting clasped tightly in her grip. "I know what to do with rowdy audience members. Okay~?" She put the knife behind her back for a moment and it was gone, disappearing somewhere on her person, though she was wearing little to hide it...

Dresses collected and the medical supplies hoisted, she huffed a moment before following after Ferid. "See you later this evening! I'm sure your boss is someone lovely~" As she exited, the blade could be seen held at the end of her tail, gripped tightly in a curl near the tip. She glanced back at Aegean and held a finger to her lips, giving her a wink, before the door closed behind her.

Alvira groaned. "Another weirdo. Not that I'm one to talk, but ugh."

[mcd900]

The two left almost as fast as they'd appeared, leaving only a promise of Siorel meeting them later. One guarded, the other so seemingly unguarded it was deceiving. "Huh... well, I guess that's that, then. I suppose it's fine. We hardly pass for conventional, anyways..."

Laniva sighed a little as the two left, not quite knowing fully what to make of what had just happened yet. No matter how often things like these occurred (shockingly frequent), it was never really going to be possible to get used to how quickly some people latched on. "I'm sure the Chief won't be upset by a new face. Let's see... what were we doing, again. Right, things for the heat..."

She hadn't missed that Ferid was under at least some stress on account of the heat; she'd left her armor stowed for as long as she could to avoid melting, but if it came to it she might just have to grin and bear it.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Luca shook his head at Ferid's curt responses, but it was his response to having vivacious lizard woman about that Luca held onto. It was a little strange for an Altair Knight--especially one out here--to have a chivalrous bone in their body for a clouded. Before Luca could say anything, the man had placed the gold on the counter, and was off without much more of a word. "Heck. Talk about a man on a mission, and with his lips locked to it. How strange for an Altair Knight to act well towards a clouded. I guess he had to be one of Celine's followers..."

Luca overheard Laniva's words, "Hmm. Looking for something for the heat then, yeah? Sorry to say, the best I've got are these covers," Luca pointed behind him at the large, sewn coverings behind him. "And, things like buckets for water. I never really got around to it, but you guys aren't from around here, are you? I know Hecatian summers get bad, but it hasn't gotten bad just yet." 

---

Persica didn't expect Nyx to ruffle her hair. She wasn't quite sure if she liked it, or was annoyed by it. On the one hand, it felt nice, and it felt nice to be appreciated like that. On the other, she was sure that she wasn't too much younger than her savior, even if she was much shorter than she was. It made her feel like she was being treated as more of a child than the woman she was. 

Both women confirmed that there would be thirteen of them, not counting the two magic ladies from before, and also confirmed that they also employed the three who'd come and gone a-running for the baths. "Oooooh..." She stepped back slowly from Nyx's ruffling hand, "Thirteen... Weeeeeell, we don't have thirteen rooms. How would you like te split things in that case? Don't woooooorry about payment, Sarasin would have already asked me to halve the price, but not only are ye helping those ladies out, ye also got her with ye. So I'll give ye the rooms free of charge."

[Nanami Touko]

The weird woman was gone, her knight too, so their quest for cold containers had resumed. This Luca fellow probably wouldn't quite get what they were after until he saw her ice, but that was fine. Trying to explain it to him would be a lot better than having to listen to anymore of that ridiculous enthusiasm and optimism. "Right, so," Alvira began, casting a block of ice and stepping over to the counter with it. "This is my magic, and, as you can see," she continued, promptly setting it down on the counter, gently, "it's physical. Tangible. So we're covered on staying cool, but we're a group of mercenaries... If we're ever attacked, out on the field, split up for scouting... I can't promise I'll be around everyone. So, basically, we're looking for any kind of containers that would temporarily or otherwise insulate my ice from the heat. Doesn't bother me none since I'm a fire dragon-- and I already know how weird it is that I'm casting ice magic, don't ask about it --but the rest of my friends are having a loooooot of issues."

[Billy12510]

"A military family?" Syndra paused to ponder Renais' question. "I wouldn't consider us as such, not quite. I was definitely raised with that level of discipline in mind but I don't... hmm... how do I put this..." Syndra didn't like talking about her family much, they weren't the most noble bunch of individuals, and considering the group she was a part of, she knew going into too much detail about them would look negatively on her. "My family's noble, in the sense that we're well off and influential in social circles, but not noble in the sense that I'd feel any real sense of pride in telling you about things that they've done. Funny actually, if you asked anyone else about them they'd probably sing their praises either out of adoration or fear. I suppose that's also well--earned, they are a really talented bunch." Syndra let out a sigh. "Just hope you don't have to meet them, the worst part about them is how they would... view a group such as ours if you get my meaning." Syndra then just thought about what it was she said a little. What would they do to our group. The "impure" in our group would be killed for sport if they're lucky, sold off as slaves if they aren't. That can't be allowed to happen. I won't allow it to happen.

"Sorry, I got a bit long-winded towards the end there, I haven't really talked about them in a while. What about you three? I'd wager your family situations aren't as screwed up as mine are."

[Bluemask 96]

Gean let out an exasperated sigh as the dancer and knight left the building. "Yeah we're definitely a hot pot of mercs, but she's even more of a special case." Vira had begun talking to Luca about getting some ice holders, so Gean thought it'd be best to let her negotiate and stuck by Lani. "Knowing Tasha, she'd be welcome to the sight. I don't know if the Evokers and Ing will be though. We're gaining new members at a pretty fast pace."

"I might just be overthinking things though. We'll just have to wait and see. I do want to check those baths out later. From what our spirited town rep said, they might just be what I need to finally beat this heat." Gean put a hand on her hip as she continued to talk. "So what do you think about our new recruits Lani?"

 

[MRDRHAWK]

Hey, Nyx will never say no to free shit! Especially from the little rabbit who apparently saw her as a hero. Though Nyx’s initial gut feeling was right; she did not seem to enjoy the pats, which… yeah, fair enough. Who did need something similar was Nattie, though, who seemed a bit downcast for a minute before she righted into Commander mode. So, she clapped the tigress on the shoulder and gave her a smile.

”Ey, s’fine. Maybe if yer a good kitty, I’ll tell ye ‘bout wha happened wit me n’ the rabbit ‘ere.” Nyx teased, though she was quite serious about telling Nattie in more detail later if it’d help make things better. Then, releasing her grip on Nat’s shoulder, she turned back to Persica and plopped a hand on hers as well. “Yer real generous, but that’s a lotta rooms we’d be takin’ up. Ye sure yer okay wit jus’ givin’ ‘em t’us?” Honestly, she would normally just take the free shit and begone, but it also felt wrong in a sense, this time; she didn’t wanna make things harder for Persica when she’d already nearly wrecked her life once without knowing.

---

Tanya listened to Syndra intently, though she was now curious as to how noble exactly her name was. Maybe Dad had heard of her before in his job? It seemed possible, though she didn’t quite know what his deal was - Max might have, if he wasn’t in the middle of his little gripe with Dad to begin with. 

“Aside from my little brother getting a bit grouchy with Dad recently? Not really. Us Maldolches, we all try to make the world a better place, and bring about justice. Whether by going out and seeing the world to right wrongs like I do, studying the secrets of the world to unlock them for all like Max, or… whatever it is Dad does.” Tanya had a smile on her face, thinking about all her family and their own brands of derring-do. She really was happy to have them. “I love my family. I know that sounds kinda like bragging after that story, but… it’s true.”

And she was sure her family would love this group, too. Maybe one day she could bring them home to show off the new friends she’d made.

[TheRoon]

It was a little surprising to see Syn talk about herself openly, though she still kept things vague enough to keep Renais guessing. That being said, the pinkette was actually invested. "A noble family...so you're actually from high society?" 'Sing praises out of adoration or fear. they seem strict...and they're well off. This all sounds like a story I read about a mafia. But that was just a fictional spy thriller, there's no way they actually exist...do they?' Renais had so many questions for Syn now, but she wondered how dangerous it would be to poke further.

Before Renais could bring up said questions however the subject changed, and Tanya took the initiative to introduce her own family. They seek out justice and wish to make the world a better place, they were quite close too from the sound of things. Renais didn't have all the information on the table, but it sounded like they were cut from a different cloth than Syndra's family. The one thing they had in common was they seemed like big families. 'I'm almost a little jealous, I wonder what it's like having such a large family...' "Hm, well my family isn't as large. In fact it's just me and my sister Liza Silvavolke, she's a knight of Kansei...and the whole reason why I joined this unit. I'm trying to find her." She took a sigh. "But it seems like whatever she's doing it's very out of the way, I heard she was in Islexia."

[Ursali]

"Mhhm..." Alriana still didn't have much of her energy, responding to her somehow still hyper sister with agreeing noises as she washed herself off. Wonder what she wants to ask, she's the knowledgeable one... True to the promise her agreeable grunts had made the lizard joined her sister in the main bath shortly. She shivered as went straight to total submersion, only surfacing once she felt adequately cooled from the water. She laid on her back, floating on the surface of the water. Or, at least, it appeared that way. Actually floating would've meant her limbs weren't slack, but they were; the true thing keeping her up was her tail. She took a moment to just chill, staring up at the sky. Somehow, in this context, it was truly relaxing rather than mind-numbing.

She turned her head to look at her sister after a moment. "What was it you wanted to ask?"

[GoldsbroTSG]

"Hmmm..." Poor lady. Must've had a rough life, Miria thought to herself when Syndra referred to her life as screwed up. She let Renais and Tanya talk first over their family lives. 

 "Well, uh, I don't know a lot about mine, actually." Miria shrugged. "I just know Mama talks to like, two of her siblings now after leaving the army. Grandpa, well... disowned her. But we still see her brothers, my uncles Tommen and Edmund every once in awhile. And they're fun to be around," she had a small laugh.

"Actually though... I just realized I don't think I know anything about Papa's family. He keeps very quiet about them. Hmm..." she was half-back to pondering.

[Nanami Touko]

Alriana seemed a lot more at ease. The heat had been getting to the both of them, but her sister seemed to have been holding it all in underneath instead of letting out her complaints. "That's not healthy, you know," Sixteen chided, though she wasn't sure if Aly would get what she was alluding to. "Well, okay. A lot of things, actually. I'll lay out the important ones first." She sat up, clearing her hair out of her face and taking a deep breath. "Okay..."

"What are your plans with this group going forward?" She wanted to get that settled first. "I want to travel with you. Even if I'm so new to your life, you were someone I'd heard about in passing and I've been thinking about you ever since... Biologically, we're pretty much family. I know we were made instead of being properly born, but... We were made in the same place with a lot of the same stuff. You're definitely a sister to me and you mean a lot... So, what's your plan with these Tigers? Just going to go with them forever? Live with them? Do this 'mercenary' stuff?" She'd leaned back at some point near the end, running fingers through strands of her hair. "I'm not against it, or anything. Don't want you to think this is some kind of sudden intervention... I just wanna know. After this mission to Lufiria, what's... What's, the plan?" The was the serious question, Sixteen not leaving Alriana any time to answer before moving on.

"With that out of the way! What are these?" Sixteen scooched over to Aly and almost poked her chest, poking at them, furrowing her brow. "I don't have these. What's the point of them?" It wasn't much difference, but Alriana was definitely more... Feminine, in that area. Sixteen was an almost completely flat surface. "And, and and, why is your hair so different from mine? Mine's, you know, 'hair', like the humans... yours is more... Like it's all a part of your body, instead of growing out of you? Mrrrr. I dunno how to word it. So weird... And you don't have weird hands and feet like I do." She was pouting now, arms folded, tail curling around her. "Not fair. You're so much prettier than I am."

[mcd900]

It occurred to Laniva that it would be a bit difficult to evaluate some of their newer recruits; in truth, she hadn't had a lot of time interacting with them as of yet. It might be something she'd have to rectify in the near future... "Hmm... it's a bit early to say. That is, if you're talking about miss dancer... if you mean the, ah... various others that have joined us along the way, then they seem a good enough sort. I'm sure Sixteen's fine, she's been attached to Aly since she got out of that... er, box. Tanya... haven't spoken to her much since she's gotten here, to be honest."

She shrugged at Gean, turning to look at the coverings Luca was pointing at. They were a bit bulky as they were, but probably nothing that they couldn't try to do some homemade adjustments on. "Hmm... it's worth a try, doing something with that. Though... really? The summers get worse here? Hahh..."

 

[Ursali]

"What's not healthy?" She asked with a head tilt, not understanding her sister. "My tail can support me just fine." She could only guess that she had been talking about her positioning in the water. As her sister sat up straight she rolled herself so that she was sitting upright as well, though still being suspended by her tail. Sixteen didn't give her a chance to interject with an answer to any of her questions until the very end, now pouting about an issue the lizard didn't understand. "Prettier? What do you mean?" Things like physical attraction and being physically appealing were not things the lizard knew; Grelbiria hadn't taught her nor had her reading ever touched upon the topics. "And my feet aren't normal, either. Never seen someone with feet like mine." She let out a small huff, raising a foot out of the water to show off its unique structure. "Though, I don't know what you mean by pointing at my chest. It's just my chest. The other girls' chests look like this too."

She leaned back some and stared up at the sky again, thinking. "Grelbiria was supposed to being me to the Tiger, but she was gone on the day of. Just a note telling me to take my armor and go on without her, so I've been here since. I haven't thought about doing anything else really. But we're supposed to be paid a lot of money for this mission, enough to do whatever we want." She turned her gaze back towards her sister, a resolute look on her face. "I was going to use it to try to find Grelbiria. I want to see her again."

Edited June 1, 2022 by Ursali