Beneath the Shadows Chapter Two: Chasing Shades

[Nanami Touko]

Most of the clothes were either too big, far too small, or things she absolutely hated. Luckily enough, she did find clothes that not only fit, but that she could enjoy. A lovely black shirt, covering a grey sort of, sleeved tank top, and some slightly too large pants. But pants were pants, and, elated, she slipped into them and folded up the dress she had been wearing before. Someone could hem it, or fix it in the next village or town they came across. It's always nice to have extra clothes. Who could wear the same thing every day? That'd be crazy! All prepared, she stretched herself, and listened in on what Caslan was saying.

"Sure, that'd be fun!" said a blond elf, poking her head out of Linn's dressing room. "Probably should do it away from the battlefield. Wouldn't want to make Andre upset like we did before, even if this practice is more practical than play."

Edited October 5, 2013 by I have opinions

[Toogee]

"Hmm. I see. I'm rather curious about the situation going on in my country, so I do indeed hope we can glean some information from her".

When the commander approached the trio, Zeff responded with "Yes, of course captain. I'll see to it that she doesn't come into harms way..." Still rather taken aback by the entire situation, he decided it would be best to sit down somewhere, and he followed Chandra to the inn, leading Aina towards it as well.

Chandra led Zeff and Aina to a table, which a hand axe buried in it's center. Despite the blood spatter on the wall, it really was one of the cleanest areas at the moment.

"I'll see if I can get some food things together. Hopefully the battle stayed out of the kitchen..."

On her way to prepare meals, she shaman passed by Hale's table. The notes Hale was referring to caught her eye, especially when she recognized some of the terms involved.Had she found a kindred spirit?

"Hale, was it?" Chandra began. "I couldn't help but notice all the familiar faces in your notes. Hideous things, aren't they?"

[scorri]

Adari cursed under her breath. "An he's always been wearing gloves, so he could have a ring on there for all we know. A whole village, and we have the reason right here? We need to talk ta him. Now."

Rayil stirred, and stood up. Looking at his surroundings, he shook his head, before slowly making his way into the inn and collapsing on a bench.

[Oersted]

"Oh..." Ernce said disappointingly when Alfonso claimed to not have seen his shield. "But thanks for telling me! It's just a matter of finding it again!" he added quickly, hoping that he didn't seem ungrateful for the man's effort to save his life. "It should be relatively easy as it will probably be near my lance," he mumbled to himself. "At least it'll stand out to the point that I'd have to be blind to miss it..."

Throughout his entire conversation with Alfonso, which hadn't that long in the first place, the dwelf had continued to sob. While it wasn't very distracting it was annoyingly consistent and highly unnecessary considering she was guaranteed to live at least until she'd given Andre her information. And even then, Andre seemed like a reasonable person, or at least he did to Ernce, and would likely leave her alive if she could prove this "Aldrick" person was the one responsible for all the deaths.

Turning away from Alfonso he addressed the dwelf, "Look, I know you're scared about your life and whether or not you'll live to see tomorrow but you should stop sobbing like that. All things considered, so long as you cooperate and can prove 'Aldrick', whoever that is, did as you said Andre'll probably let you live; he's a reasonable man from what I can tell." Ernce knew he was making empty promises; however, he figured that if they served to comfort the dwelf and perhaps give her reason to cooperate with Andre it was a likely scenario since they hadn't managed to kill any of the mercs.

[Rothene]

Examining some quiver holders, Caslan mused about what it would be like to take up archery. So far he had been very impressed by the performance of the bow users in the group. Hearing Linn speak, a very easy feat for an elf, Caslan turned to face her and replied, "Ye...your hair? What did? What magic did you use?!"

The stunned elf dropped the quiver holder back on the table where he found them and was trying hard to deduce if he was still conversing with the same elf from a moment ago. The face is the same, but the hair...what happened to its colour?

[Nanami Touko]

"Huh? Wait...no, no no! Aw, damn!" Linn walked the rest of herself out of the dressing room, and glared angrily at the strand of her bangs that fell down in front of her eyes. "That spell was supposed to last for years, not just a few months! Perhaps getting blasted around by all this dark magic wore it away, or something silly like that." Grumbling about something Caslan was entirely confused about, she felt she might as well give him the courtesy of an explanation. "I peddled with some street magician in Inthus, one that said he could magically enchant the hair of another to make it appear a different color. He said it would last at least a few years, or until I cast it away. Guess he wasn't as great as he made himself out to be." She blew the hair out of her face, slightly annoyed. "Oh well! Blond now. Not the worst, I guess."

Edited October 5, 2013 by I have opinions

[Snike]

"Some of them are, yes, but others are poor souls," Hale responded, looking up to see that a black-haired woman had inquired about his notes. "I don't believe we've properly met. You're right, I am Hale. If you don't mind me asking, who would you be? "

***

"Alright. Good guard, bad guard?" Andre suggested, as he turned around. There was a boarded up room further ahead, but that could wait until this manner was settled.

***

"... A-And you think she will?" the dwelf tearfully asked, pointing a quivering finger towards the unconscious elven ice mage. "She'll... She'll kill me the next chance she gets! Gods, I don't want to d-die! W-why did I have to sign up for this mission?"

[Vestige]

Zeff nodded his head at Chandra but his gaze followed her, and landed upon the half-elf who had joined them in the previous battle. There was something slightly unsettling about the man, but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. He seemed to fight with both blade and magic. Would that I had the ability to use magic. Perhaps I could have...He let out a sigh and looked at the battered glove that was on his hand. I mean, I used to be able to use this but even that isn't an option anymore. Damn it, if Reva were here she'd probably fix this thing up and then some. She'd probably go buy me a whole set of armor and put magic into that as well. He chuckled at the thought.

[spoiler=Magic Lessons]

"Reva! It's not working!" he said with the tone of a whiny child.

"Well maybe if you would bother pronouncing it correctly, you'd be able to do something!"
"It's not my fault, whose bloody idea was it to write these spells in Elvish?!"

"They're the only books I have! And besides, how was I supposed to know I'd meet some human who'd be so interested in magic, eh? You should have told me, I'd have brought books that you could read too," she said with a smirk. She knew full well there'd be no way for him to have accomplished such a task.

"Alright, forget the books. I bet I'm a prodigy already, and I probably don't even need to know incantations. How about you teach me how to...ohhhh I dunno...channel magic?"

With a sigh, Reva closed the tome she had open and, despite the reservations she had, began to explain the method by which she channeled magic. Zeff of course, despite his enthusiasm, failed to produce any significant results.

With a grin, he thought to himself I told you I was a prodigy Reva, I just needed a little..."help". Looking back at his glove he tried to channel the magic out of it, but as had been the case for a while now, he felt no magic being released. Maybe he had been imagining the effect all along?

"Hmm..."

[Rothene]

"Heh, looks good though. More natural," Caslan answered folding his arms to suppress his urge to chuckle at Linn's plight. Taking a seat, the elven mage continued "But of all colours, why purple? Our kind's ears not standing out enough for you? I heard humans did so to appear different from others, to be more memorable or something."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he contemplated why people wanted to dye their hair colour in the first place, Caslan spotted the armour lying on the floor and gestured at it, "Oh by the way, that's the only other armour I found that might fit your size."

[eclipse]

"I-I'm fine," Raelyn gasped out. She gingerly rose to her feet. A good dinner and a better night's rest would fix things for good. "Seems like everyone went back to the inn. Let's go!" She slowly limped into the inn, and sat herself down on the first non-bloodied bench.

[Nanami Touko]

"R-Really? Well, if you think so, I guess it can't be that bad. I just wanted to avoid the stereotype of blond hair, really... I'm already not the best at magic, so, y'know." She went back to twirling that single strand around her finger, trying to readjust to the color. It felt weird, and it would probably freak out at least one person back at the inn. Too late now. Caslan gestured towards some armor, and Linn picked it up. It did look to be about her size. "Thanks. I'll strap it on before we leave. Don't exactly feel like messing with this sort of thing right now, after fitting myself into these clothes. Speaking of," she said, as she twirled around in them, "how do I look? You think they suit me?"

[Xinnidy]

Alfonso shook his head as the poor thing showed her concern. "If that girl tries to act up again, she'll be having a lance's blunt end hitting the back of her head. Harder than that axe, if necessary." For once, the man was completely devoid of his boisterous air, a seriousness that seemed almost a complete turn in personality. No wonder he was taking this guarding thing seriously, but for what reason?

"But one thing is right: if about everyone around here is dead, then we'll want to know why, what for. The era of blood-curling evil villains are past, even in literature, there must something behind a Senian group doing... this." He said with his eyes staring at the ruined village, probably more absorbed in his monologue than he should.

[Rothene]

"Yes they do, and a fine sight you will be if you start dancing in them," Caslan answered admiringly, very pleased with his privilege of seeing Linn in her new clothes. "Makes me glad that you will be holding off on trying out the armour." Slinging a leather pack that was newly crafted, Caslan added a pair of gloves to it. The new leather pack would serve him better in combat, while he keep his tribal pack made of cloth safe.

Heading to the doorway, Caslan waited to let Linn exit first, "Shall we get going? It might not be wise to be out of sight from the rest of the group for too long. Never know when we have to start moving again."

[Nanami Touko]

Dancing? I could do that? "You really think I could pull of dancing? I'm not sure I have the co-ordination for that. But...thanks," Linn said, a bit red. She laughed a bit, snagging herself a pack like Caslan had, and throwing the armor and dress into it. "They'll probably wonder if we're mages or thieves when we walk in with all this new stuff. Wait, that could be bad... I hope they don't think that, actually," she said, walking out.

Everyone was either still getting up, or already on their way to the inn. Except for Ernce and Alfonso, who seemed to be protecting...the flier and the mage from earlier? How odd. Linn, as jolly as she always was, walked herself in, and sat herself at a table with Zeff and Aina waving for Caslan to come over and sit there. "So!" she began, "what's the situation?" She hadn't thought about how anyone would react to her new hair.

Edited October 5, 2013 by I have opinions

[Ether]

"Well, aside from the obvious." Aina began, turning towards the chipper voice.

"Andre and Adari went off to do some more investigations, from what I hear, there were no other casualties. I'd imagine the healers are scrambling to scrape anyone who got KO'd off the ground..."

[Vestige]

Looking up from the table, he saw Linn grab a seat at the table. He noticed the change in hair color almost immediately but he was hardly phased by it. Another trick of magic he guessed. Not in the mood to portray amusement, he went on to answer her question.

"The situation is as Aina says. Chandra said she's going to try to prepare us a meal, so you can wait here if you'd like. Aside from that, I'm still rather curious as to the situation going on in Senia. Such aggression in unbecoming of a nation. That is of course, unless they're trying to start a war. When I left, things seemed okay to me...but, I suppose things can shift quite easily."

[eclipse]

The inn was surprisingly lively, given the events that just happened. Raelyn's mind wandered back to her recent run-in with unconsciousness. She'd run from Inthus to escape death, yet here she was, in the middle of fighting. I suppose this is better than dying for nothing, but still. . .I'm not ready for my life to end. . . Thoughts of her home caused her to bite her lip. Was the tavern running well without her? Her mother wasn't able to work the front due to a knee injury, so she hobbled in the kitchen. Her father served the front counter, and her brothers. . .Raelyn stifled a giggle. They were WAY too ugly to don her dresses! The older of the two worked to keep the tavern clean and presentable, and the younger one took care of the stables. Her family had their moments, but they were able to survive comfortably on their profits. The bloodstained common room she sat in was nothing like home. Even the worst of brawls hadn't left so much of a mess. She idly took out the ribbon she'd ruined not too long ago. Try as she might, she hadn't been able to discard it. It would be like throwing away my past. . .and I can't do that. . .

[Nanami Touko]

"Is that so, Ain--" Linn quickly clasped her hands over her mouth as she noticed the terrible wound on the woman's only good eye. She forced any audible reaction back down her throat, and coughed, before continuing. "A-Anyway, food sounds good. I didn't pay much attention to politics or world news outside of Inthus, while I was staying there, so I can't exactly comment on that. On a different subject, Zeff, you're Senian? I didn't know that. How interesting." She slumped herself onto the table during the conversation, finally running out of what seemed to be an inexhaustible supply of energy.

[Ether]

And with that sudden wall to the face of energetic talk, Aina was fairly certain that the obvious had been discovered. Smirking slightly, the woman leaned back into her chair... she would have to change up her methods now that both eyes were gone... a blindfold, perhaps? She briefly contemplated a second eyepatch, but somehow it didn't seem like the best of ideas.

[Rothene]

As Caslan was about to join Linn at the table she picked out, he spotted Raelyn staring at a bloodstained ribbon nearby. Having a hunch that the speedy mercenary wanted it cleaned, Caslan sighed and went forward just before calling out to Linn, "I'll be with you in a minute." Harrop Harrier's best stain remover to the rescue.

"Hey, want those stains removed?" Caslan asked Raelyn, the incantations to separate the liquid from the fabric close to his lips. The very same spell he used to clean Zeff's coat of beer stains when they first met.

[Vestige]

"Yeah, I'm Senian...It's funny, had I decided to join the military in Senia we'd probably end up meeting on the battlefield as enemies." He entertained the thought for a little before letting it go. He was feeling very nostalgic but his nostalgia was accompanied by melancholy and regret.

Had things turned out differently, this very moment he would probably have been with Reva, discussing the wonders of magic and listening to stories of elven culture. How he longed for those days to return.

Edited October 5, 2013 by Vestige

[eclipse]

Oh, right, he did that way back when he first joined. "Uhh. . .just a moment!" she said hastily. She quickly unslung her canteen and soaked her ribbon. He's a water mage, so he'll have an easier time if it's wet. "I'll gladly take you up on the offer! Will this make your job easier?" she said, as she presented the now-wet ribbon to Caslan.

[Oersted]

For the second time in a short while Ernce was stunned speechless. From the brief time he'd known Alfonso he hadn't suspected that the man could take things as seriously as he was taking this guard duty. Taking a brief moment to gather his thoughts (and perhaps hide his shock from the prisoner) he turned to look at the ruined village. "If we have to clean up the bodies it's going to suck," Ernce thought to himself as he tried to find his missing equipment.

Although at the moment his search for his equipment proved unsuccessful, he noticed some of the other mercs heading into the inn. The two that stuck out were Caslan and Linn(?) seeing as they looked like they'd robbed several stores or a well-stocked general store and Linn's hair was now blond. He considered hailing them and asking about Linn's hair and their recent 'purchases' but thought better it. He could always ask them later when he wasn't on guard duty.

Looking back towards Alfonso and the prisoner he noticed Alfonso looked somewhat less serious then before; however, he wasn't sure on that. Having gathered his thoughts he figured he may as well help Alfonso's case and hopefully get more than tears as a response for his planned question. "As Alfonso said, odd as it sounds, we're here to protect you from her, not the other way around. Or I think that's how Andre intended it. Anyway, I highly doubt a single elf can get past the both of us; we've held back sturdier foes. But that's besides the point, what did you mean by mission. You said you were hunting someone; care to give us a reason why?"

Edited October 5, 2013 by Oersted

[Rothene]

Caslan stood silent for a breath moment, the spell lost from his mind when Raelyn doused the ribbon with water. The human was right and had he set off that spell, the stain would not have went away as the stain was already too dry.

Coughing gently to hide his embarrassment, Caslan answered, "Yes, I was about to suggest we wet the ribbon. Just give it a bit of time to let the moisture sink in..." then he counted till ten before continuing, "...and that should be enough!"

Arms wide, the elven mage went through the incantations and successfully extracted both the blood and remaining moisture from the ribbon. "It is done!" Caslan yelled triumphantly as he raised his arms. Then putting his arms down, the mage asked, "How did you know it needed more water to it?"

Edited October 5, 2013 by Rothene

[eclipse]

"You, uh, were using water in the last battle," Raelyn said, her words coming out faster than normal. She looked down at the now-clean ribbon. "I figured that, uh, you'd be able to work better with it?" Suddenly, her hands were more interesting than the elf in front of her.

Damn, he's sharp. . .or I'm slipping.