Return of the Emblem Chapter Eight: Affairs of the World

[Mercakete]

"Not sure how you reached that conclusion," Norbert replied with a bit of a shrug, "Aren't we the only ones you've tried talking to peacefully? That might have something to do with it." Not sure what sort of chip she has on her shoulder, but I'm not exactly an emissary of Mercy either. I know why people don't like being around me, though. I just don't bother with it. I guess in the moment, the line between decency and letting myself be walked on gets blurred... Hmm maybe that's only part of it. I don't know. Well, it's my problem and no one else's and I accept the consequences. Nothing else to be done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can make a good offer once we decide on a ship t' board. Not sure how t' tell a captain that we're considerin' other ships. Someone else should probabla handle that. I can ask those crewmen where their captain be, though," Gytha offered, "Not sure about leavin' ye like this, though... Ye realla shouldn't drink whatever someone gives ye. ... That goes fer on a ship, too." Might as well fill her in now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Those who escort the bandits here out of the way can deliver the suggestions. Appoint whomever you will. I plan to see this check through to its end," Cecelia replied to Fletcher before looking back at the scaffolds, "Hmm... Do you think I should bring my pegasus in here? It may be quicker than trying to climb."

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

"Hey Chip. Sorry this is for me, not for you...though I could probably make you one pretty easily. Wouldn't need much metal considering your size," he said, grinning a bit as he adjusted a strap on the greaves.

Nadya

"Well if ya go around insultin' people, they're less likely to want to chat with ya," Nadya said, chiming in to Robin and Bert's conversation. "If ya care about makin' friends, try to be friendlier?" she suggested to the archer.

Veronika

"Maybe you should wait for the effects to wear off before you start negotiating," Veronika advised to Raquel. She definitely is a lightweight, just like Robin was. Even at their age I could hold my liquor a lot better than they could. "I'll go with Gytha to speak to the Dark Utka, Aneda and Gabriella can make sure there's no trouble," she said, getting off her stool.

Edited March 24, 2012 by -Cynthia-

[Snowy_One]

"But, I have not insulted anyone besides Gytha." said Robin in reply, a confused look on her face. Insulted? She was sure she was being a bit harsh at times, but aside from that dumb pirate wench, she hadn't gone around making lewd comments or anything of the sort.

[-Cynthia-]

Nadya

"Uh, after I healed ya yesterday ya called me a demon. Maybe that's a compliment where you're from, but most people I know take it as an insult- includin' me. Even with the blood loss, did I really look like a fanged thing about to rip your head off?" she wondered aloud.

[Snowy_One]

Robin's confusion only grew. She remembered the incident, but she hadn't called Nadya a demon at all, rather felt that her survival seemed to be guided by some demon intending to harass her.

"I did not call you a demon. I said I have taken so many blows since I swore to protect Raquel that my survival seems less an act of mercy and more the act of some demon wishing to punish me. I do not think you are a demon. Faatina is closer than you for killing the people I disabled yesterday."

[Ether]

"Disabling is only viable when done right." Faatina grimaced at the fight from the day before being brought up.

"The first girl had a hole the size of your head in her stomach. She was going to die, and was in immense pain. I did her a service by ending her. The second was not disabled in the slightest. Not only was she still atop her mount, but she was poised to attack. Had I not dealt with her, perhaps it might have been one of us dead." Faatina continued, noting Norbert's reply in her head.

'It seems she is quick to friction with her allies indeed... quite abrasive.'

[Mercakete]

"I don't know how many people you insult, but it sure seems like you're usually either by yourself or telling someone what they should or shouldn't be doing," Norbert spoke up, trying to clarify what he meant earlier. This looks like it's going to get out-of-hand soon... Maybe I should do something about it. "Regardless, as long as some people stay here to guard the wagon and tell Raquel where we went, we can go ahead and look for a cutlery or something," he mentioned as he pushed himself off of Rizen's side with his shoulders and stretched.

[ReformBlade]

What do you do with a drunken Pegasus Knight

"Yeah yeah, I'll do what I want, mister, but thanks for the tip~!" Immediately she took a sip. Nothing, as expected. Eh... Maybe I should make this more fun... "Well... bottoms up!" Taking the mug in both hands, Aneda decided to down the drink in one go, taking her sweet time but doing just that. Towards the end she sputtered a little but she did finish it, with a gasp and a cough as she wiped her mouth and began laughing and mentally slapping herself. "Ahahaha... Why did I just do that? Ooog... Ahaha..." It wasn't immediate, but she got tipsy fairly quickly, the place seemed to move about all around her and her balance seemed to be going wherever it friggin wanted to go except in the same spot twice. She tried to stand up but then the swaying just brought her right back down, making her laugh even more. "I gotta hand it to ya... it's... definitely a drink... that does things! Oh! Did she finish her drink yet? Haha, I wonder how many walls she's hit! Silly girl, needs so much help despite being all... shady! SIlly, silly pinky... " Aneda hiccuped and had to rest her head and close her eyes, just to keep from getting dizzy at this point. Note to self... Make a note to remind myself to not chug that again...

Who is this I don't even

"For the love of god, why are rooms so expensive?! I can't afford these rates!" Davod raged to himself outside, instead opting to go to a bar to try and calm himself down. Alright, one drink and that's gonna be enough for you, Davod. You've hardly got enough money as it is, and for some reason you refuse to steal despite it being so easy. I mean come on, you're quick enough and you've proven you're deft of hand plenty of times before, why not just make enough to get by?! "Because it's wrong! Sheesh, I've told you before!" he mumbled seemingly to himself. "Now be quiet, I'm in no mood!"

Upon entry, there was a decent crowd which was to be expected. Good, that either means people stomach the stuff or it's at least a good place to hang out... Of course neither of those could be true, you know... "Whatever..." Taking a seat away near but not close enough to be bothered by a green haired lady who seemed to be out of her mind, Davod made himself as comfortable as he could. "The cheapest you got, if you wouldn't mind, barkeep."

Edited March 24, 2012 by RainbowKitty

[Snowy_One]

"You killed her swiftly in cold blood. You impaled both women with no second thought. What will you say when you see their friends? Family? Children?" she groaned before rubbing her temples in annoyance. "I know I am in the minority here, but I have sworn to never take a human life in combat. I know it is strange, but it is me. Please, let us change the topic before I end up with a lance in my side or something... like shopping."

[Phoenix]

Bar

"Grrr, stop calling me thaaaaaat." Gabbie warned from close by. "I can hold my booze well enough so I can help look after her if you guys want. Can't promise I won't make her drink more, though. This is entertaining."

"Keep her away from me." Raquel pleaded in an agitated voice. She looked almost feverish at this point. "I just ... need a little help so I don't trip. I can still focus." she explained. Aneda quickly began succumbing to the listing ship's effects and the whole display had Raquel frightened. Was she going to end up like that, or would she be spared by only having drunken half? She didn't know and now she was just plain scared. Of course Aneda didn't just have trouble getting up, she also had trouble keeping her opinions to herself ... not that she tried. Raquel quickly became defensive. "Look! The best I can do right now is empower other people. Before Lilith ... violated my mind, I couldn't even handle anything with combat potential!" As Raquel ranted in response, her aura began to become visible again, just like it did when she was trying to empower Gytha and Blake. The energy wasn't going anywhere in particular though, and just bled off into the room. "I'm trying my best ... now can someone please help me? I want to talk to the captain over there." she asked, beginning to choke up.

"Ohhhh so she's a paranoid-emotional drunk. Huh, makes sense." Gabbie noted, realizing Raquel had already succumbed herself.

"Cheapest huh? Falling on hard times, there?" the barkeep asked while he began filling a mug for the man.

Dauntless

Chip didn't understand a word of what Connor was telling him, but he knew full well he couldn't get any of this gear on, so he opted to take shelter inside the torso instead, slowly crawling inside from the arm until only his tail was sticking out.

Cave

"We've got time, Captain. You don't have to go yourself. It's going to take at least a half hour to load these guys up in the wagons, and another to gather up all the crap that's left behind here." Fletcher pointed out.

[Ether]

"Last I checked, cold blood did not mean sparing one the pain of dying a slow, agonizing death. She called to me from the sands and begged me to end her so she need not suffer. I do not see how that is cold blood. As for the other, she simply succumbed to the blow. I will not object to you leaving foes alive if they cannot fight, and do not suffer. But I do not wish to be antagonized each time I fell a foe. When one steps on the battlefield, it is with knowledge that they very well may not step out of it. Please, I would like to not speak of it anymore." Faatina replied, patting Sharif's snout afterward.

<"How many times must I repeat this to her... is she daft, or simply so absorbed in her own ideals that she is unable to see past the act of taking a life to see the reasoning behind it?"> Faatina muttered afterward in Rexian, mostly to herself, though giving the other Rexian woman an inquisitive glance at the same time.

[Mercakete]

Well, that distraction wasn't working. The pegasus rider sighed, deciding to just let the argument play out. It'd end when it ended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gytha grimaced. Things were not going well. "Err... Veronika, either you or I should stay here with Raquel. Raquel, yer not quite yerself. Best calm down n' r'lax fer now..." she advised.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm not one to wait around without purpose. If we can do this efficiently, we should. Aside from that, if there is more we haven't explored, then there is the possibility that there are things we need to tend to hastily: escaping bandits, captured citizens in poor conditions, a timed detonator... All these are factors we must consider, however outlandish they may be," Cecelia retorted.

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

"I said I'd make you one, not crawl into mine!" Connor said in an exasperated tone. He considered trying to get Chip out before deciding the monkey couldn't do much harm to it anyway. My suit's going to smell like monkey now though...when's the last time Chip took a bath?/ he wondered to himself.

Nadya

Nadya whistled as Robin began arguing with Faatina over the issue of killing people. Wonder if I killed those guys I attacked yesterday...eh who cares she finally decided, before the cavalier began speaking in Rexian.

<"Robin is stubborn and may be a little hard of hearin'. Maybe ya should just agree with her, so y'all can move on. I don't really feel like fixin' gunshot wounds again,"> she said to Faatina.

Veronika

Gytha is experienced at this sort of thing but...her diplomatic skills may leave something to be desired. Veronika thought to herself, the incident in Sanctuary still fresh in her mind. "I think you should wait before doing any negotiating, Gytha will keep you company while I go speak to the Dark Utka," she said to Raquel before casually walking towards the corner where the men with longcoats were.

"Greetings, I am...Veronika," she said, deciding not to reveal her last name for the moment. "So...I heard your crew makes trips to Tremere, my group wishes to go there. Would it be possible for me to arrange a meeting with your captain?" she asked the men bluntly.

Edited March 24, 2012 by -Cynthia-

[Mercakete]

It looked like Gytha would be watching after Raquel while Veronika did the negotiating. So, the mariner watched and listened as best she could from where she was...and half-covered her face with a groan as she heard Veronika's introduction. Why're ye tellin' 'em that much? Why? Oy, this won't go well... A simple 'Are ye th' crew o' th' Dark Utka?' would've been best... Oyy here we go...

[Phoenix]

Bar

"But the Argus guy is right theeere." Raquel protested, though Veronika had already wandered off. Raquel quickly turned to Gytha. "Look, I'm ... I'm alright. I'm not slurring my words or trying to pick fights with anyone, and I'm definitely not acting crazy ..."

"You're glowing like a flux spell, again." Gabbie noted.

"... so I'm not completely drunk. I can talk to the captain. I just need a little help getting over to him. Please, I'm so tired of being useless around here. I can beat this."

"'Useless'? Oh wow, it's just all beginning to come out, isn't it? Keep her talking. I want to know what she thinks about me~"

Meanwhile over in that dark corner only a woman trying to find a captain would wander over to by herself ... "You want to see the captaaain hmm?" the man paraphrased while his eyes made massive scans, from Veronika's head to her toes and back ... several times. "I suppose he wouldn't mind seeing you, either. What do you boys think? Should we bring her to the captain?" That voice of his was nothing short of creepy.

"What's waiting for you in Tremere, 'Veronika'? Are you ladies all together?" he asked, leaning his head toward the rest of the group and sounding just as treacherous as the first one.

Cave

"We'd be fools to let our Captain wander into the unknown alone. If you're going, at least take some of my men with you. I'll get the captives out of this rat hole and let the Colonel know what's going on." Fletcher suggested, though he sounded pretty set on the idea.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

These men seem a little strange, but perhaps I'm just not used to sailors. "Yes, they're part of our merchant group operating out of Ursium- we're trying to return back there. What sort of business do you men deal in?" she asked them.

[Mercakete]

I shoulda been th' one t' go, I shoulda I shoulda... Gytha internally agonized. At this rate I'll have t' save 'er... Oyyyyy... The mariner sighed and looked over to Gabbie. "... I have t' go save Veronika, ye watch Raquel while I'm gone n' try not t' get inta trouble." With that, she got up and walked over to Veronika and the sailors. "Just a moment," she excused, the phrase directed to the sailors before taking Veronika aside. "What're ye doin'?!" Gytha whispered, clearly stressed -- to the point of near panic -- about the way Veronika had been handling things, "These're sailors, not diplomats! Didn't ye hear me warnin'?"

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"I heard- I think we should at least hear them out before making any hasty judgments," Veronika whispered back. "Maybe these men aren't the most legitimate businessmen in Sardius, but I'd rather be on a slightly illegal ship than none at all. We aren't going to get any information out of them if we don't offer any ourselves. If you want to help negotiate fine, if not just watch to make sure nothing fishy happens," she whispered to Gytha before returning to the Dark Utka crewmen.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, you were saying...?" she continued to inquire of them.

[Mercakete]

"Yr nt lstnng t' mrrrrr!" Gytha mumbled, absolutely agonizing over Veronika's lack of listening. Feeling it was the perhaps the best action she could take, Gytha took a deep breath and walked up beside Veronika, giving the sailors a hard glare, speaking up for herself, sternly. "All we want t' know is where yer captain is. We'll make our dealin's with him." That said, she shifted her eyes to Veronika, doing her best to let her know that this is how it absolutely had to be without actually telling her.

[ReformBlade]

"Hey... Hey Raquel! Know what I think about... about what you just said? I think you shuold shove it! Or something! Let your friends do stuff for ya, stop being all 'lalala I'm uuuuuseless but I'm supposed to be leeeeading them'!" A hiccup escaped her lips and she sat up, the worst of the drink's effects having passed, or so she thought. She still propped herself up with the table as she moved over to Raquel, poking her, "I've got many problems with you, yes, but after seeing you earlier, I don't think you being useless is up there anymore, so please, do us all a favor and stop being a whiny bitch pffhahahaha!" She finished her 'tirade', if it could be called that, with a pat to Raquel's head.

"Hard times? I guess. It's mostly self imposed, I'm not exactly dirt poor, just kinda... stewing, if you will. Perhaps I'm waiting for luck to finally give me something to work with that I WANT to work with, you know? Right now I'd probably like a place to stay, or at least a way to get a consistent amount of cooked food and a not rocky bed to sleep on." Davod placed a few coins on the table, hoping it'd be enough as he took a swig. Lowering his voice a little, "Any clue what the hell is going on over there? If it's business as usual I'll ignore it, or do you just not care, sir? Not prying, just curious."

[Snowy_One]

"I do not want to talk about it either. However, do not kill those who can be saved if you can help it. We should focus on something less likely to make Nadya end up healing us. We were about to go shopping after all, let us focus on that. I am reluctant to give up my knife, but it is a step up from the current conversation."

[Mercakete]

"Why do you think I was proposing going alone? I am simply stating that I am also going to continue to explore this hideout until it has been thoroughly checked," the captain clarified, somewhat annoyed by the assumption Fletcher had made (in spite of it having partially been her fault for not clarifying.)

[Phoenix]

New River

Raquel was left alone with Gabbie? It was time to have some fun~ ... and then Aneda's opinions came out. Raquel stared blankly at the pegasus knight and slowly fell apart. Only a few tears fell before she buried her head in her arms and inadvertently pushed her drink back a few inches. "Why does this always happen to meeee ..." came her muffled cries. "I just wanted my father back. I just want this nightmare to end. I'm not perfect but what did I do to deserve this? What?" Well so much for Gabbie's fun. Even she wasn't cruel enough to kick the merchant while she was down.

"Well at least you have a father. I've got a wvyern from a breed that 'doesn't exist'. That's it. Have another drink, you'll feel better." she advised.

... though there could be things worse than kicking. "I'm not drinking anymore of that." she replied, shoving the drink over to Gabbie and then burying her face again. "The one thing I might actually be able to do around here and I'm being forced to just sit here because a bartender wanted to have a little fun ... it's not faaair. I'm pretty sure I could talk to one of the captains if someone would just help keep me steady until this drink wears off."

"... what the hell is in this stuff, anyway?" Gabbie muttered, staring down the mug Raquel had shoved over.

"And no one can make up their minds. They're mad I hid my powers but don't want me to fight with them. Meanwhile no matter what we do, we can't find my father and Sardis shows up randomly to blow everything off of the map. Who the hell made that coward the king of dark energy? Sardis I hate you ... I hate you so much. You're the one person I would kill ... out of everyone we've ever fought, you're the one. You've always been the one and you need to diiiiie. You wrathdamn coward. Just diiie." she cried and rambled. "Please, daddy ... wherever you are ... just stab him in the face. I won't blame you ... no one will."

"Mmmm think I'll just let'er vent." Gabbie decided.

Barkeep

Right after the man voiced his question, the barkeep paused. Raquel was crying right at the counter. "Pretty little things crying their eyes out next to a half empty mug? Business as usual? Not a chance." he replied. "usually it's older men doing the crying. Men crying over lost ships, lost women, and lost dreams are what I get ... and what I prefer." he added, giving Raquel a sympathetic glance.

Dark Corner

The crewmen watched with great interest while the women had their little back and forth. Veronika tried to break it off to speak to them again, but the tougher looking one stepped in and asked specifically to see the captain. "Hmph ... you want to see him? You can find him down at the docks. Don't send any grunts, though. He doesn't like dealing with ... 'hired help', heheh. Meets should be held, 'captain to captain' after all."

"They don't have a ship so they don't really have a captain." one of the dopier sailoers pointed out. The guy stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest.

"Shut up. You know damn well what I meant, and so do they ... I'm sure." he explained, grinning at Veronika and Gytha.

Cave

"I know how you'll tackle a situation by yourself if it's timely, Captain, I just want to be sure." Fletcher replied.

[Mercakete]

"Thank ye," Gytha replied to the sailors before giving a light pull on Veronika's arm as she returned to Raquel in a sort of "come on; lets go" fashion. When she returned, Raquel was crying, Gabbie looked like she was about to drink something that probably wasn't good for the head, and Aneda was still in hysterics. "...I can't leave any o' ye alone fer five minutes in a port, can I?" she asked rhetorically, heaving a sigh after the question. "Well, once ye sober up, Raquel, we can go find th' captain o' th' Dark Utka n' talk t' him about sailin' with 'im, but I'm not sure that's our best option. If yer a'right with it, I'm goin' t' talk t' th' captain o' th' Argus," she informed the closest thing to a captain she had at the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Odd," Cecelia mused aloud, "You make that sound like a bad thing." She shrugged and turned to study the scaffolds: an informal dismissal. I might as well use my time for something useful while I wait for these bandits to be cleared out.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Mercakete

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"They also mentioned that they only wanted to speak to our "captain". I don't think that's a particularly safe option though, considering I didn't get to learn anything about the Dark Utka before being interrupted. At least we may have other options," Veronika said, sighing a bit. She decided not to comment on the drunkeness in order to preserve some of Raquel's dignity...Aneda seemed to faring poorly as well.