MRDRHAWK
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Posts posted by MRDRHAWK
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Well, shit.
Nyx figured she had more time to eat, or at least wake up more from the wicked hangover she had, but alas, the Crows had other ideas. She groaned loudly at all the loud noises pulsing through her head as the other Tigers sprung to action. Honestly, she had half a mind to just lay on the inn floor and ignore the whole thing, but those kids needed her. Maybe. Probably.
Nyx groaned once again as she slowly clambered to her feet, legs unsteady as she propped herself up with the aid of one of the chairs in the inn. Regardless of the pounding in her skull, she had a job to do, and hell if she’d let these birdbrains escape her arrows.
”Aight, ye featherheaded fucks. Y’wanna make some noise early? I’ll make sure y’git plucked n’ stuffed like the turkeys y’are.”
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Nyx frowned at the whole display. Really, she wouldn’t have cared much for the whole deal of Ingverd cutting a guy’s hand off, especially if he was a huge asshole like he sounded. But then, did he really have to do it in the middle of the night and get them attacked this early in the morning?
Changing gears, Nyx staggered her hungover ass towards Syndra and gave her a pat on the shoulder, as if to try and calm her before she too took off to prepare. Well, that didn’t work, probably. Time to check in elsewhere.
”Oi, lass.” Nyx swung her focus over towards the girl practically inhaling the entire breakfast table. “Y’seem real calm ‘bout th’ ‘ole thing. Or are y’jus’ waitin’ t’not choke on yer breakfast?” As if remembering that she was a human and in fact needed sustenance that wasn’t alcohol to survive, Nyx plucked some food from the table before adding, “N’try not t’eat too much, aye? Wouldn’ wanna hurl on th’ battlefield, after all.”
She spoke from experience, there. It was not fun, especially while trying to dodge blades.
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Nyx grumbled, as the clear noise of hustle and bustle began to creep into her senses. Dammit, she forgot she wasn’t here alone, and the rest of the crew she found herself with was beginning to stir and make their way down to the main floor. Nyx had half a mind to snark that she wanted some shuteye (which she really did), but…
But then the big lad they’d picked up on the boat mentioned the Crows, and suddenly Nyx felt the fog in her head both thicken and lift at the same time - focusing on one thing swimming around in that head of hers made it easier to deal with.
”Oi, dem Crows… ‘pparently, their leader’s got some kinda connection wit’ th’underworld.” Nyx tried to chime in towards Nattie, slowly dragging herself upright while also trying to move towards the tiger Clouded. She added, in a not unnoticeably smaller voice, “Y’know, th’same sortsa lads tha’ nearly killed me back before y’brought me in. Maybe even…”
No, no, that’s not a thought she wanted to finish. None of these kids deserved to get out through that sort of thing, and Nyx wouldn’t let it happen, even if she felt like she was about tits-deep in the ground at the moment. “Point is, y’gotta be careful wit’ em. Betcha a lotta dem’ll be cartin’ round dem sortsa weapons like th’pirates ‘ad on th’boat.” And a lot more of them, too, depending on who was supplying the Crows.
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Well, that’s the last time Nyx goes drinking that early in the day, especially almost immediately after disembarking from a boat! Okay, maybe it would not be the last time Nyx went drinking that early, she knew. But she could try and seem responsible by saying otherwise.
She also had to deal with her head swimming with all sorts of thoughts, of screeching crows and warm smiles from a cold mage, and even sober it would have been too much for her. But hung over as all fuck? Yeah, no. That was way more than she could manage.
To that end, if one looked hard enough on the inn’s floor, Nyx was passed out in the corner, trying her damnedest to get some more sleep after she was so rudely woken up by the sun. Idly, she contemplated firing her bow at it, but decided that her arrows were better served elsewhere. Like possibly jamming into her skull to stop this damnable throbbing in there.
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it was a lot more active and also probably a lot shittier back then
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Nyx couldn’t hide the burgeoning blush on her cheeks fast enough - though, regrettably, she had to cover her face with her hands to do it. Damn her lack of loose fabric to toss over her face when Syn started getting smooth and getting her redder than a schoolgirl. Thankfully, if anyone asked, she could just say it was the alcohol making her nauseous; anyone that knew Nyx wouldn’t question it… much. Probably.
Though that didn’t quell the internal cries for the warmth Syn provided by just being there. Ironic, given she was an ice mage, but… well, Nyx was frozen by her smile.
“Feels like I shoulda done t’at fer ye, since yer th’proper lady o’th’ two o’us.” Nyx teased, but still found it nice to be treated like one of the fancy dames for once - even if it was by someone who deserved it so much more. “Y’look like a real charmer that way - kinda like one o’dem fancy story princes, but… Y’know. A helluva lot hotter n’em pretty boys.”
Pretty boys weren’t her type, after all. But a pretty lady with an exterior like ice but a heart with more warmth than Nyx had any right to lay claim to? Now that was more her speed.
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Nyx couldn’t help but flash a beaming smile at Syn and her confident declaration, though it may have been at least partly due to all the alcohol swimming through her brain. It was so potent in her mind that it was making her smell like… salt? Wait, no, hold on, that was the ocean tang that they hadn’t quite excised from their bodies yet.
”Oi, dis place gotta good bath? M’pretty sure m’smellin’ like th’sea o’er ‘ere.” Plus, Nyx could fully flaunt her figure in the bath, which was always a fun little confidence booster - provided that Nattie wasn’t holding court in there.
Nyx’s beaming smile turned to something vaguely resembling a scowl, if the scowler was a tipped-over cow. Damn that Nattie for being just a little bit hotter than her in every way - just a bit taller, a bit bustier, a bit buffer… a bit better of a mom figure to Aegean. And strangely for the normally boastful outlaw, she found that part to sting more than the bodily bits.
So, making a rare decision that wasn’t fueled by booze or the chance to cause problems on purpose, Nyx decided that she really needed to find Gean. Well, she’d do so as soon as she stopped clinging to Syndra. She owed the lass some not-mother & not-daughter bonding time, and Syn deserved the chance to bond with other people and not have Nyx practically holding her hostage all the time.
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Swaying from side to side in Syndra’s grip, Nyx felt oddly contented. Sure, the whole thing was probably way too domestic-feeling for a woman like her, but it was still nice nonetheless. Granted, they were just trotting back to an inn while engaging in a dangerous mercenary contract, but still.
”Oh, ye, sumthin’ ‘bout some lads named… ah, fuck, wha’ was’t again…” Damn her and her excessive drinking, now she was losing the details! Think, you useless brain! “Oh, yeh, Sundown Crows or sum’n. Said they’re some uppity mercs tha’ ‘elped out th’knights once so they think they’re cock o’ th’block.”
Nyx leaned just a little more into Syn’s side, grateful for the guidance and support on their way. “Said their leader was some lass named Darlunya, n’ tha’ she mighta ‘ad some ol’ ties t’ th’underground.” Nyx’s voice dropped low, barely enough for Syndra to hear the next bit. “But I don’ ‘member tha’ name from th’ ol’ days.”
And honestly, if the old guard of the underground was expanding all of a sudden, that was a bit disconcerting for Nyx.
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“Ah, m’sure Gean won’ mind! Prob’ly.” Nyx really didn’t know if that were the case, but she could always work her silver tongue - well, maybe. Knowing how she was, Nyx would more likely just spring it as a surprise on Gean and try and fail miserably to woo Syndra in front of her erstwhile not-daughter.
Huh. She really needed to spend more time with Gean soon, huh? Even though they roomed together on the boat, Nyx was in the middle of moping, so she kind of ignored Gean. Some not-mom she was, huh?
”’Sides, knowin’ Gean, she’ll prob’ly tease ye a bunch if she thinks we’re an item.” Which, to be fair, Nyx would appreciate highly, but still… oh, right, she was forgetting one thing even as she headed towards the tavern door. “Thanks fer th’booze, Fe! Yer a real lad fer this!” Bounding over to the man, she slapped a few extra gold pieces on the bar for his troubles, and gave him a little pat on the cheek. “N’hey, ye'll find yerself a helluva lass o’yer own one day. Sorry I kinda found this’un first on ye.”
And, with that out of her system, Nyx looped her arm into Syndra’s. “Awright m’lass, lead th’way~” She kinda had to; after all, Nyx had no idea where they were staying for the night even if she was sober - and she really fucking wasn’t.
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So close. But just as it seemed Nyx had successfully gotten Syndra off tooi , she just had to remind the archer that they were talking about her own issues. Not that she really wanted to, especially not in a bar.
”Look. If y’really wanna talk ‘bout this shit, s’not th’place t’do it. If we got a place t’sleep tonight, ye should crash wit’ me n’ Gean. M’sure we’ll have enough space, or… somethin’.” Smooth, Nyx. Definitely also not her best idea, realizing that Gean would definitely poke and prod about it all, but… well, so it went, Nyx supposed.
”N’ye, I mean it. S’not like it’d be th’firs’ time ‘ve been foul o’ then noble types. N’sides… yer worth the effort.” And then Nyx buried her face in her glass again, hiding the reddening of her cheeks even through her tanned skin.
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Well. Nyx hadn’t quite expected all of that from Syn. It couldn’t quite be called an outburst, given how she kept it fairly close to the chest - no, bad Nyx, no getting distracted by Syn’s chest now, you useless bisexual - but it was pretty damn close. Nyx usually would just give some bullshit outburst in kind, and probably start a bar fight along the way… but she found she just couldn’t do that with Syn.
“Well, shit, s’prob’ly cuz m’gonna be th’one t’get ‘em all killed. Hell, that skinny lad nearly took both o’us out cuz I couldn’ keep me mouth shut.” Even still, the defiance burned in Nyx, as she seemed hellbent on putting distance between everyone - this time on purpose. “‘Sides, m’nowhere near th’sorta ‘genuine’ lass y’think I be. If I was, y’wouldn’ be ‘ere in a bar wit’ me, ye’d be visitin’ me on me family farm.”
Thinking about it, didn’t her folks live near this town? Hm. Might be worth swinging by now that she was making an honest living for a change… no, not the time. Changing gears and pouncing on crumbs, Nyx flashed a feral grin not unlike the ones she usually sported, but still tinged with emotions unreadable - and likely unpleasant. “N’oi, if ye need me t’kick th’ass o’ th’lad ye used ta be tyin’ th’knot wit’, ye let me know, aye? I’ll jus’ hafta win th’hand o’ th’fair lady Synnie wit’ me muscles n’ me bow!” She struck an overly dramatic pose, clearly hoping to change gears off of her and the reason she was daydrinking even more than usual.
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Nyx groaned as she set her glass down on the bar. So, apparently they were doing this now after all. Really, they could have picked a better time and place for this - preferably, about twenty years later, and far away from Hecatia.
“Look, m’gon’ be honest wit’ ye, Syn. ‘ve ‘ad a bad run-in wit them sortsa lads before, n’ ‘m not keen on runnin’ into ‘em ‘gain. So m’jus’ a lil’ bit worried over this sorta t’ing.” A rare bit of weakness from Nyx, telling Syn about this stuff. “‘Sides, t’ain’t jus’ ‘bout me anymore, n’ye know exactly why.” It went unsaid, their group having. a lot of Clouded among them.
”More t’th’ point, why ye wantin’ t’ave this talk wit me anyways? Y’prob’ly would rather ‘ave company that ain’t tryin’ t’drink ‘erself silly. A proper lady, y’know.” Minor grumpiness now out of her system, Nyx turned towards Felix once more, for a very important reason. “Oi, Fe! M’still drinkin’ ‘ere, m’gon’ need a refill!”
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Nyx, to her credit, didn’t seem to be immediately tuned out in favour of the surely fascinating void at the bottom of her glass. If she was being honest, the way Syn made it count, she was about to get grilled for something - and a not insignificant part of her wasn’t entirely keen on finding out what about.
Although, she had an idea. Not a good one for her, though.
”Whaddya mean? We been ‘avin’ ‘em ‘fore, ain’t we?” Deflect like a champ, Nyx. Besides, even as much as she doubted ol’ Felix would do anything if she got into too much messy detail, it still wasn’t a conversation she figured she’d wanna have with prying ears around. “‘Sides, m’not sure wha’ ye wanna ‘ear from me. M’pretty sure I nearly got us both killed back on th’boat cuz I said th’wrong thing t’th’ lil’ skinny lad.” And kinda sorta flirted with his wife, too, which stung a bit more. She thought she had a good thing going, and one person was about to wreck both of them.
Mmm. Alcohol. A fascinating void at the bottom of the glass, as Nyx emptied it into her gullet.
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Oh, right, they actually had to find lodgings for the night. Thankfully, it seemed like Nattie and the others had that covered, so Nyx could do what she did best - get drunk off her ass, and hopefully not get them run out of town. She had to admit, it made things a hell of a lot easier when she didn’t have to worry about places to sleep.
So lost was Nyx in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Syn draping her arm over her shoulders until it was too late, and she had to practically cram her face into her mug to hide the reddening skin on her cheeks. Dammit, she was supposed to be the smooth talker of the two! And damn this bartender for distracting her from the very dangerous hot lady now at her side.
”Makes sense t’me. Course, ‘ve ne’er been one t’care ‘bout that sorta thing.” Yes, Nyx, she’s probably very painfully aware of that by now. “N’hey, I don’ think ‘d make a real good Dame. Royalty ain’t fer some’un like me.” Besides, she had a bit more… regal of a title around here, assuming anyone actually recognized her.
Maybe it was for the best she wasn’t remembered here, though. Best to not bring about too much more trouble than they’re already on the road towards with this job.
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To be fair, Nyx already knew there was a target on the backs of just about everyone in the Tigers. After all, they were mostly Clouded, Nyx probably had about three warrants out for her capture, and if anyone in her old circles found out who Rennie was related to, they’d probably rip her apart just for kicks. So, wisely, she kept her mouth shut for a change - a decision not at all helped by Syndra sliding in beside her.
”’Ey, Syn! M’keepin’ outta trouble, I swear!” Nyx held her hands up in mock surrender, though the gesture probably would have looked more convincing if she didn’t keep her glass in hand as she did it. “Though m’kinda surprised yer ‘ere n’not checkin’ out th’sights in town. Unless y’think m’th’ grea’est sight ye can find ‘ere~”
There was that usual teasing again, but Nyx found it ringing hollow for once. Maybe she’d been more affected by the last couple days than she realized? Might need to talk to ‘Gean about it later - it’d been a while since they’d just sat and had a chat over stuff.
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Hey, Nyx won’t turn down a free drink! But what had her uncharacteristically concerned was the news of merchants being attacked again - not that they probably ever stopped out here, but Nyx had a sinking feeling in her gut. And for once, it wasn’t brought on by too much liquor.
”’Ey, we ain’t crooks, jus’ a buncha tough lasses makin’ an honest livin’. N’don’ ye worry, Felix; m’gonna talk to m’cap’n n’ maybe we can deal wit them ol’ crows for ye. Make things a lil’ easier on ye.”
Plus, she knew Nattie’d go for it - helping people was always a simple sell to her, and it also got them in with the locals. Which, in turn, meant easier access to supplies and information without Nyx having to dig at her old sources.
“Wish we could do some’n ‘bout all them attacks on th’merchants, bu’ m’pretty sure if s’tha’ many, they’re either workin’ t’gether or they’re all mental out on th’roads, n’either way’d be tough t’mess wit fully.” Sure, they could make at least a dent and go from there, but if the raiders were much the same as they were in the old days, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they’d start going for the Clouded kids the group had.
No. Nyx wouldn’t let them. They would have to either avoid them altogether, or take the whole thing out at the roots.
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“S’Nyx. M’name, I mean.”
She was playing a dangerous game, here, telling him her real name, but maybe time healed all wounds. Either that, or with all the other nasties apparently running around, there just wouldn’t be anyone to chase after someone who had no intention of getting back into the game of knights & robbers. Hopefully, anyways.
”Aye, s’a lil’ bit secretive, our new job, but s’not like it’s a bad thing we’re doin’ ‘ere. We’re just a pack o’mercs too, but we’re… well, mostly nicer.” Alvira probably wouldn’t be too friendly with Felix here, but the others… might. Shit, it was a good thing she was here alone, huh?
”Don’ worry. S’jus’ an escort. They wanted some lasses who’d be fine with knockin’ skulls, n’be damn good a’it.” Nyx figured that was good enough for now; not incorrect, but with a few details left out. Just enough to hopefully safe the former knight, and keep him from trying to pry too much from her lips before they got too loose.
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Darlunya… nope, name didn’t ring a bell with Nyx. And that was honestly probably a good thing, given that her eyebrows very clearly raised when the barkeep had mentioned her potential ties to the underground. Nyx was personally really hoping not to get dragged back into that mess, but something told her it wouldn’t be that simple.
”Ye, I did. M’workin’ as a merc wit’ th’Iron Tigers now, n’we got a helluva job t’do.” Which Nyx was currently very clearly doing by getting shitfaced at a way too early point in the day. “But these Crows or wha’e’er, y’think they’re tough shit? Or d’ya think me n’ my beefy arms can take ‘em?”
Naturally, this led to Nyx flexing her admittedly fairly well toned arm, and probably causing at least one fair maiden or poor lad to drop. At least she could get something like that to happen today to get her spirits up, even with her going screaming into her drunken fugue once more.
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Deciding to take the last part in stride, seeing as how it was entirely correct, Nyx simply took a drink to hopefully help things along in her head. It usually didn’t take very long, so she figured that wouldn’t be an issue.
”Sundown Crows? Who th’hell’re them lads?” Nyx still found the decency to at least pretend to be interested in the man’s ramblings - and who knows? Maybe she’d get an actual conversation out of it. “Yer gon’ hafta fergive me, ‘ere, m’only just comin’ inta town after a long time out, so m’not real in th’know ‘bout things ‘ere anymore.”
Careful, Nyx. Who knows what kinda guy this is? Maybe someone who knew her in a past life that went straight too? If so, good for him! Although then she’d have to pity the poor lad for having to get himself stuck in this town while she was off gallivanting across the continent.
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Having successfully managed to dodge pretty much everyone else’s attention - aside from catching a brief glance from Syn before she left - Nyx found herself scrambling for an idea. And by an idea, she meant an idea on where the nearest pub was. Hopefully it was one she hadn’t been kicked out of…
After a couple minutes of searching, and about another thirty seconds of tugging on the handle after the door had seemingly gotten stuck, Nyx tucked her head down and slid up to the bar, dropping a couple gold pieces from her personal stash onto the bar.
”Stron’est y’got, lad. N’keep ‘em comin’ fer a bit, too; m’havin’ a rough go o’it today.” That was putting it rather mildly.Between the pirate attack, making an ass of herself in front of someone she found hot, nearly drinking herself off the boat, making a very subtle ass of herself again before she slipped off…
Honestly, Nyx thought to herself, Nattie might have to just go on without their resident archer, given how she was currently hellbent on a bender. Probably would make Hecatian travel a lot easier without the old Envious Empress of the Underground around to invite people getting in their shit.
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The dance was, simply put, beautiful. Nyx found herself entranced by the dancer’s movements, even as Syn and the Evokers showed up to watch everything too - jeez, everyone just wanted in on this, huh?
As the performance continued, Marianne gave Nyx a little boop on the nose, and oh, how she flushed red at that one. How embarrassing, to get so flustered over such a silly gesture! But then Marianne gave Chris a little kiss, and Nyx noticed the ring upon her finger, and thus the lady drunk sighed wistfully - geez, between this and interrupting the moment she’d had with Syn yesterday, this skinny lad was really out to keep her from anything nice, huh?
Maybe this lad was just karma catching up to her and biting her in the ass. But, like, with legs.
”Well, shit. S’prob’ly th’best damn performance I’ve e’er seen.” Nyx said simply after a moment, which was certainly true enough even with her newfound dejection at being such a damn fool. She’d been flirting with a married woman on the boat, and now she just seemed like an idiot. Well, more of one, assuming she knew about the little incident last night.
Boy, Nyx was really regretting not remembering where the best pubs were in this place. Gods only knew she now badly needed a drink… or twenty.
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Well, shit. She’d been hoping to avoid the dancer and her mate after exiting the boat, especially given that she wasn’t convinced he was liable to kick her ass straight back to the Tigers’ base. But, woe was Nyx, she couldn’t resist a pretty face, so she begrudgingly made her way over to the group that was beginning to form around them—
—Which also featured the other reason for her constant headaches for the remainder of their voyage, the not-so-lovely little scamp of a salamander that called her Grandma. Nyx still wanted to yank her by the tail for that one - she didn’t even give a shit about the whole “worthless human” thing!
”Wha, y’really can’ start yer show wit’out me? M’pretty sure I ain’t gonna be much of a dancer, but I guess I know a few shanties.” Nyx joked, pointedly looking nowhere near either Chris or Alvira. Man, where the hell were Gean or Syn when she needed them? Gods only knew that Nyx was about to make herself a dead lass in a few minutes with this present company.
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Personally speaking, Nyx would have rather stayed on the boat.
However, a few key contributing factors - mostly a lovely ice mage and a particularly persistent young axe-wielder - coaxed her to exit the vessel, where, of course, the first group she came across included the very reason she wanted to stay on the goddamn boat to begin with. Maybe if she stayed quiet, she’d go unnoticed by the dancer and her compatriot with the high connections?
Actually, maybe going unnoticed was something that Nyx needed to do here in general. She almost certainly had a few old buddies here, and that would be bad news for a pack of upstanding mercenaries and their very expensive clientele. Especially if all those anti-Clouded weapons floating about made their way here, into the hands of the trafficking rings.
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Well, at least he wasn’t one of those trafficker types. But before Nyx could voice any sort of relief, he’d mentioned Lord Altair, and even she knew what that implied. Not that she had any time to offer any sort of reply in edgewise, as he’d taken off after some harsh words to Syn as well, and Nyx couldn’t help but scowl as the hand she held the ice rose in dropped to her side.
”Welp. M’gonna hafta stay on th’boat once we hit land, prob’ly, cuz m’pretty sure I just fucked up. Specially if he’s workin’ for the lord… hell, I just hope I ain’t fucked it for th’whole team.” She almost definitely did, but Nyx wasn’t going to worry Syn like that without an out. Nonetheless, she put the ice rose in her hair and turned around, making to leave the room. “Sorry I made ye waste some o’yer magic on me. S’real pretty, n’a lot more than a drunk like me should prob’ly get from a fancy lass like ye.”
And, with that, Nyx left Syndra alone with the documents in the captain’s quarters and began what seemed like an excessively long trek back to her own quarters. That box was open now anyways, and they’d found what they were looking for down there. Nyx had done her job. Now she just had to go get blackout drunk and forget this whole mess.
Boy, Gean was gonna hate her by the end of the night with how much she was going to be drinking.
Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars
in Roleplay
Posted
Well, fuck, Gean sure seemed motivated! So did the rest of the Clouded in the group, for that matter - not that Nyx could blame them. She decided to keep cautious for now, although she seemed to have an eye on Ingverd and the mercenary nearby…
Nyx moves to (8,9) and waits.