Masquerade Part 2: Army of Darkness

[charlie_]

"I'm Angus." he replied, looking back over to Vesta as Lanos' fight continued. "I... guess you could say that's a defining feature of me or something, but aren't you used to being around bow users a lot? You are a centaur after all." He glanced back at the arena to see Lanos' loss, and sighed. "He got pretty close there, I think. Looks like I'll be up soon." It seemed like he was gonna have to cut this conversation short, as soon as Lanos left.

Edited October 12, 2014 by SB.

[Nanami Touko]

Rematch

Marius laughed. "I appreciate your valor, Lanos, but not today. If you really want a second try, feel free to come back again tomorrow! I'm always willing to take people on again, but the arena rules have to be followed. That was a good fight! Let's hope if your other mercenary friends come around, they can give me one just as good." He proceeded to vault back into the stands, similarly to how he had some after his fight with Makin, taking a few breaths and settling himself down into his chair, once again. "He's a fighter, alright."

"He did better than I did, didn't he," Makin asked with a bit of a frown.

Marius paused, then chuckled. "Yes. Sorry. Looks like you're raising your mercenaries well, though."

"Well, you have fun with the rest of them. I think I'm going to go find my inn room and sleep. Today's been rather long, and I'm not looking the most forward to tomorrow..." She thought back to Cedric's reaction to Angus, and wondered if something would really happen. She's assured Angus that it would be fine, but...

"Sleep well, Makin Tiarn, for whatever tomorrow brings. And come back, if you want a rematch."

Makin smirked, nodded, and uncoiled herself off of her tail, slithered out of his stand. She stood herself in the entry hall, and waited for Lanos to come out. She still needed her sword back, after all. She was suddenly joined by Vriska, who paused as she saw the snake, both of them glaring at each other. "You."

"You!" Vriska spouted back, in a mocking tone.

Makin, scowled, moved over to her, and picked her up by her shirt. "Do not. Do what you did. Again. I realize you've taken a shining to the bird, but if we're not telling him something, we have our reasons. It wasn't a problem this time, but if you go spouting your mouth off like that in the future, do not think I'll tolerate it. If we'd been going into a battle and we'd told him what we know, right now, he could've got lost thinking on it, and gotten himself killed. Do you understand?"

Vriska shrieked slightly as she was pulled off the ground, but did her best to keep calm afterwards, looking away as she was lectured. She didn't... Disagree with what she was being told. "Yeah, whatever... Fine."

"Fine." Makin dropped her back onto the floor, lightly. Vriska stumbled a little, but at least she didn't fall over.

Visiting

Ingverd thought for a moment, as the waiter took their orders and walked away, slightly quickly. "Well, I've been there a few times before. It's... A bit like Felson, in a way." He paused, but then quickly added, "there aren't any lower living citizens; that problem is only here, don't worry. It's a trade town, mainly. Many different kinds of entertainment, most of it busking or theater shows. It's lively. If we ever have to visit the desert, for whatever reason, or simply head back there looking for work, I'm sure you'd enjoy it. I know I did." He quietly drank the water at the table as he let Valha wonder about what sorts of things they had there. I'll bet she'll want to go just for the food, haha...

Fastening

"Hmmm?" Sara had been quietly reading a book by herself at the desk, as there hadn't been any other customers that day. "Oh, sure... Wow, look at you. So handsome." She giggled, reaching over to fasten the buttons. "Going out tonight? Or do you just get dressed up like this for fun?"

[Bluedoom]

Ferdinand was caught off guard as Vesta took him seriously and went into the arena. He was too late to stop her and watched helplessly as she went up against the fighters. Luckily she beat a few of them with ease, before forfeiting. With a sigh of relief, he followed Vesta and the now conscious Kendeall to the weapons arena.

When he reached there saw Lanos battling this Marius fellow. With the crowd cheering on for Lanos with such zeal, Ferdinand assumed Lanos was at near the end of the line-up. He watched the fight eagerly, trying to learn from his comrade's technique. Maybe he could learn something about melee combat by watching. After all, Lanos was a fellow monster too!

But the battle ended with Lanos losing, although he had held his own for quite a while. " A very good attempt, I must say." Ferdinand muttered to himself as the crowed roared over Marius' victory. Hmmm, perhaps I should have a go at this arena... it'd be a good way to practice my archery and earn some money!

[Vestige]

"For fun? Good heavens no, this is what I workout in," he chuckled. "Anyway, thanks for the help, I owe ya. I'd best be off though, wouldn't want to be late--for my workout that is," he said, turning around and leaving the inn. Ah now, which way was it again?

After a bit of painstaking backtracking, he finally managed to find his way to Alicia's store. There might be some merit in getting a map of this place... There was a sign that said "closed", yet the door was left unlocked--a good sign if any that he was to help himself inside. Twisting the door open carefully, he walked in, making sure there weren't any guards or anything around. He wouldn't want to look like he was breaking in or something, on the off chance Alicia wasn't inside, it'd be a pain trying to convince the guards otherwise. His fears were baseless however, as he was immediately greeted with Alicia's presence as he stepped into the shop. For a plain looking girl, she sure knows how to make herself look nice.

"You know, they say flowers display their true beauty during a full bloom. I daresay you've done more than just bloom," he grinned.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Vestige

[Oersted]

"Oh, of course it'd be tomorrow." Lanos hadn't meant to imply he wanted one today, he still had to wait for forging to get done. "I can think of at least one who could, don't know if she'd come around today though." He meant Valha naturally. He watched as Marius vaulted over the arena, somewhat impressed. Sure he was a harpy and could fly, but he doubted he'd ever be able to do that, not that he'd ever need to. He left the arena and immediately noticed Makin and Vriska and the apparent tension in the air. "Uh... hey," he said awkwardly, if only to draw their attention to him.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Oersted

[Sandalphon]

Now why did everyone assume she knew how to use a bow beyond vaguely knowing that you pull the string and the thing goes whoosh?

"Naw, I have to admit that I ain't that good with 'em. Kind of a by product of growing up without any centaur-y presences in my life. Still, I reckon I'm good enough with an axe to make up for that flaw." She said with a confident smirk, swinging an imaginary axe, "Besides, it's not like my family was particularly agile when it came to fightin' folks. There ain't much grace needed to smack someone with a bludgeon or shank some poor sucker... anyway, by the look of ya I figure you're headin' into that there arena, right? I would, but I figure my poor cabeza has suffered enough." She laughed, "Good luck though, mate."

[charlie_]

The archer had... kind of expected Lanos to have at least acknowledged him on his way out, but in the end it didn't matter. "So you didn't grow up around other centaurs? I was talking to this guy," he gestured towards Ferdinand, who seemed to have arrived at some point. "a few days ago, and he said that pretty most centaurs tend to prefer bows, I think." He supposed it was time to go, so it looked like his conversation with the centaur had to be cut short. "Cheers. I don't think it'll be too hard, but we'll see." he laughed. After paying the man at the entrance, he stepped into the arena and looked around, wondering if any of the others were in the stands. He breathed in deeply, but he wasn't particularly nervous. He was more anxious to get started than anything, after watching the others fight.

Edited October 12, 2014 by SB.

[Nanami Touko]

Talk Time

"Hello, Lanos," Makin said, using the rest of her serious mood on that, dialing it back to her normal, unamused tone. "Alright, well... If you're done, then come back to the inn. I'll tell you what Angus and I learned when he gets back, as well. I'm going straight to sleep after that, so make sure you ask any questions you have while we talk. Otherwise, you're waiting until the morning." She slithered on, giving Vriska one last glance, before leaving the arena, and immediately making her way back to the inn.

Vriska sighed, glaring at Makin until she was out of the room. She then immediately flung herself at Lanos, so proud of him. "You were amazing out there! And you almost had that Marius, too... You'll get him next time." She left him go quick enough, looking away for a moment. "I, uh... I know that you probably want to hear about your past and all that, but... Do you think I should take on the arena too? If I do, though, I want you to watch..." She blushed a little, pressing her fingers together.

Fastened

"Have fun!" Sara called to Raith, sighing as he left the inn. She slumped onto the table, and grumbled. "Now why can't some handsome man, or some beautiful woman, come in here and take me out? It's just not fair..." She pouted into the silence.

Until Isabelle walked in, smiling and humming to herself. Sara had a not so bright idea, but she felt she might as well. What could she lose? "Hey, uh... Isabelle, right? Want to... Go out, somewhere?" She felt herself turn a little red, being so bold.

Isabelle stopped, looked at her, looked her over, and with a small chuckle, walked up onto her room.

Now Sara knew what she had to lose: her pride.

Date Night

Alicia turned around with a start, a small dagger in her hand, as Raith entered the shop. She'd gone back in because he'd been a few minutes late, and hadn't expected anyone to open the door. She immediately lowered it as she realized it was just him, turning a bit red at his over the top compliment. She'd changed dresses, now sporting one in a shade of lavender, with intricate designs around the neck and bottom, sporting gold around her own neck, her wrists, and a gold colored belt, holding the dress against her. "You startled me there, Raith." She set the dagger on the counter, and walked herself around it. "So~ Our lovely dinner destination's just 'round the corner. I'm sure you'll love it. The music's enjoyable, and the food's fantastic." She offered him her hand, and giggled. "I'll lead you there."

[Vestige]

"Wasn't my intent, m'lady," he said, bowing apologetically. "Though I suppose we'd best be off, Alicia. I don't know about you but I haven't had a bite to eat since this morning. I'm starving at this point," he laughed, taking her hand into his own. This ought to be fun.

[MRDRHAWK]

As Kendeall came out of the gallery, the first thing he saw was the little mage girl throwing herself at Lanos like she was some sort of projectile. Smooth. "Pff. And here I thought mages were supposed to be subtle about stuff like that." Kendeall snickered as he came out of the gallery. Passing by the pair and Makin, he ended up leaving the arena to stretch his legs and see what else there was to do for fun here.

[Oersted]

"Understood," Lanos said. Makin hadn't really left room for anything other than agreement. He wondered just what went down between her and Vriska while he was fighting but knew better than to ask. Lanos froze up a little when Vriska suddenly latched onto him, though it was more from surprise than anything else. "Thanks and I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that, haha." He moved his hand to ruffle Vriska's hair but stopped himself halfway and redirected it to his own hair, smoothing it. "I'm honestly not looking forward to it that much, if they didn't want to tell me right away I probably won't like it." He paused and thought Vriska's question over. He didn't know how skilled she was but maybe she'd be able to go far. "Sure, you could probably get through the first rounds easy enough. And hey, you cheered me on. The least I could do is watch."

[Xinnidy]

Kadin sighed as he kept on listening --not much else clicked him, but apparently Marius knew Makin?--. In his mind he considered how he'd approach Makin about this, but, before he noticed it, Makin had already left from her discussion with Marius. Getting a move on, Kadin found her as she was leaving the arena. I can't wast this, the sooner I find... Kadin was definitely anxious, but part of him continued to wonder what his past would bring back.

Nonetheless, Kadin followed her trail to the inn until he noticed the street they were walking was fairly empty, it was time to make himself known. "Makin, I need to talk to you." He took shape a fair distance behind the snake, he planned not to waste a moment. "I don't know why, but I remember that man you talked to, Marius Typhus. I need someone to ask him about me. About my name... Kadin Fahl." The anxiety was clear in his tone, derived from the chance of learning the truth from his past. "Since you met him, I thought I should say. It might be the best lead I have."

"Thanks! See ya." Maja replied, but Isabelle was already off. Huh, she doesn't waste her time... I guess? Maja then realized she was supposed to meet Kadin at the arena, Vriska and Lanos too! Right, I'm a little late, but they're probably still there. I hope.

Still not fully acquainted with the city, Maja took some time getting there, and Vriska and Lanos were at the arena's entrance. From the looks, it seemed Lanos had already fought. Is it over? Are they leaving? She waved to the two as she got in. "Hey! Sorry I got a bit busy at the shop, did I miss it?"

[charlie_]

It didn't take long for the axeman who must've already suffered a hundred beatings today to come out to face him, this time armed with a throwing axe. Angus broke into a smirk, and fired his first arrow, hitting Tim square in the shoulder. The man cried out in pain, hurling his axe desperately towards Angus, but it was completely off the mark. Wasting no time, he put another arrow in Tim's knee and the axeman fell to the floor, marking his first victory.

The next opponent to approach him appeared to be a swordsman, eyeing him carefully. While Angus didn't feel particularly confident about wielding a lance, he readied it anyway. The two of them stood in an awkward kind of stand off for a few moments, before Angus took the initiative and took James by surprise, scoring a clean hit. He tried his best to counter, but Angus was out of reach, and another clean hit finished the swordfighter.

His third victim was a spearman, and whilst Angus could have switched back to his bow, he'd gained enough confidence from crushing James that he kept his own out. Rather than waiting this time, Angus surged forwards immediately, landing a powerful hit that sent Eric staggering backwards. He evaded the incoming attack with ease, and one whack later left Eric down and out.

Once he saw the hulk of a man who was going to challenge him next however, Angus decided that he'd be better off quitting while he was ahead. He promptly left the arena (to the crowd's disappointment, he expected) and went to collect his winnings. He found Lanos and Vriska still waiting by the entrance, although there was no sign of the Naga. "Hey." he said, unsure of what to say. "Isn't the boss around?" It'd be kind of weird to start without her, even if he expected that he would be the one telling Lanos about what happened, considering he was the one who saw... well, he didn't manage to get her name. Probably should've asked that, really...

[riariadne]

"Sounds like a pretty interestin' place," Valha agreed, thinking quietly. "Like here, but sounds... better. I mean, the people are better off, there's fish, just as much to do..." She drank her own water, awkwardly cupping it in both clawed hands as she did so. "These glasses are never really made with harpies in mind, huh," she muttered unamusedly.

[Nanami Touko]

Memory

Makin jumped, almost off the ground, as Kadin appeared and spoke to her. She took a moment to catch her breath, and sighed out a groan. "Kadin, you can't do that! We're on an empty street, and you just showed up out of nowhere, and, and... Ugh..." She was fine, of course, but it was still a bit terrifying. "Marius, huh?" she said after regaining her composure. "Did you remember something about yourself? Is that why?" She slithered on over GM note: pls give me synonyms for slither I am so tired of using this word @ ~ @ and stood, listening. "I mean... I'm not going back tonight, I'm far too tired, but... If you want to wait until the morning, I can pay him a visit and ask. I don't know if you want to wait that long, but I don't think showing up would be the best idea... Hey, wait, you weren't spying on our conversation, were you?" she asked.

Bistro Round 2

"Sure, sure~ Such a gentleman." She took his hand and lead him out of the store, going down the road for just a bit. "It's just around this... Corner! There we go. A lovely bistro. Should be a few tables left open, at this time o' night. Let's go." She almost dragged Raith into the bistro, quickly placing a demand for a table for two. Upon sitting down, she immediately slowed down, opening the menu and taking her time to actually look at it. "So, Raith... Small talk me. You're a mercenary, yeah? What have you gotten yourself into?"

Things To Do

"I don't know about just as much. The arena there, if it's still even operating, is much smaller and far less populated. It's just tourism, since they get so much trade. Nothing substantial, really... Though, since we'd be 'just tourists', I guess we fit into that category, eh?" He smirked, and then had to stifle a laughter as Valha awkwardly held onto her glass. "You should ask for a wine glass when the waiter comes back around. It might help you hold onto it better. No wine, of course; I know you don't drink. Not sure if I should tonight, though..." He left that thought to ponder.

Though he didn't ponder very long, spying a familiar face being sat down in the restaurant. "Hey, is that... Is that Raith? Haha... Look at that. He got himself a date within the day. What a player." Ingverd was actually impressed. Sure hope the boss doesn't find out. She'd drink herself out of the disappointment... If she could actually get drunk.

Mage Time

Vriska gave Ken and glare and nothing more. "Thanks, Lanos~ I'll head in as soon as Angus is--" done? Well, there he was, walking back out. That was fairly quick. "No, she just left," she said plainly to the archer. "I'm going to go try the arena now, so feel free to wait for me! No seriously, wait. I'm not missing this. Besides, Lanos is going to watch me~" She stuck her tongue out, playfully this time, and wandered over to the reception, dropping one hundred gold off like it had been pocket change. "Make sure you watch, Lanos!" And off she hopped into the arena. Unfortunately, she missed Maja's entrance as she did so, unable to respond. She did wave at the girl, as she'd at least spotted her on her way in!

[Oersted]

Lanos simply ignored Kendeall, instead elaborating on Vriska's answer. "She said she was going back to the inn and that she'd tell me when you got back. Looks like you're going to beat me back though." Lanos waved back at Maja as she entered. "You missed my run, but Vriska's about to do one if you want to watch." And then Vriska called back, drawing him out of the conversation. "Yeah, I'm going." He turned back to Maja. "Anyway, see ya later," he said before heading up to the stands and sitting in the back to draw the least amount of attention to himself.

[Vestige]

"The music's pretty nice," he remarked (mostly to himself), as they stepped inside. The smells emanating from the kitchen-side however, were what most caught his attention, and as Alicia guided them to their table, he hurriedly picked up the menu and started browsing. "Ah, hmm. Well I just started out with my new group pretty recently I'd say. First mission we had, believe it or not, was downing some deranged necromancer who fancied himself a god of some sort. It'd be rather ironic if some other fool wandered over and brought him back to life," he said. "Now wait, if a necromancer brought another necromancer back to life--would the reanimation be able to reanimate? Huh..." he never actually thought of it, part of him wanted to satisfy his morbid curiosity, but he wondered if he'd even ever get the chance. He shook his head, best to just leave that to the imagination.

"Anyway, anyway, sorry rambling a bit. What else now?" he said, perusing the menu even more voraciously than before. Fish. Pasta. Sandwiches. Soup. I wonder what she'll get... "There's this harpy girl that's been with us, she has...deft fingers if you catch my meaning. Apparently, my boss employed her a while back, but she didn't show up until after the necromancer slaying fiasco. The first I see of her, she's being hounded down by some overly zealous thief, who had some trinket or another stolen from him. A thief having his things stolen from a thief, imagine that, eh?" he let out a snort. "We gave that lot a good thrashing, and that was the end of that. Somehow the leader managed to delude some aspiring little mage girl into joining him--how that happened I'll never understand. I told her to fuck em' and join us. She's a mouthy little girl though. I guess it comes with the age, so I can't blame her too much, but sometimes it's a headache and a half listening to the things she says. I'd regret it but my 'list of good deeds I've done in my life' isn't all that extensive, so I've learned to live with it," he sighed. "What about you? I can't imagine you one day woke up and decided you'd be a weapons trader, how'd that come about? I'm sure you get a rather interesting lot of customers."

[riariadne]

"Huh, well... that doesn't sound like a bad downside if there's not as bad of poverty..." Valha mused, frowning at his amusement at her predicament. "It's not funny! Not my fault that people don't accommodate us very well..." She scowled as Raith entered, not forgetting his earlier words. "He sure ditched the boss real quick, huh? Wonder how nice the reaction would be if I brought it up to her."

[charlie_]

Angus sighed. If they were going to be a little while, he still had things to do. "Hey, Maja?" He turned to face the healer. "Do you think you could tell those two that I'll be back at the inn? I need to go get a new shirt and I'd rather not wait until it gets dark."

[Xinnidy]

Kadin frowned at the reaction to his appearance. "Sorry. Just... Yes, I remembered. I know I sparred with him once. I don't know where, but I remember..." He paused to calm himself some, before continuing. "Just like I remembered the crest of Felson. ...I'd like to speak to him sooner than later, but I can wait."

He raised a brow as Makin questioned him about their conversation. He made no means to imply, nor did he recall anything that important, from what he listened in. So there might have been more to that talk. I wonder if that means anything... "I remembered about him just as your fight was over. So I chased after you to observe him more. I only recall you talking about Lanos and the arena, and I do not think that was any of my business." He shrugged, throwing an intrigued look. "Why you ask?"

Vriska and Lanos quickly went their ways, but Maja was addressed by the archer before she could reply."Hm? Oh. Okay. I'll remember that." She nodded, and then followed Lanos up the stands. "Oh, wait for me! I want to watch too! I've never been in an arena before." She sat right beside him (so much for trying to draw the least amount of attention with a walking rainbow nearby), and observed from where Vriska would enter the arena. "She's only a mage, though. Will she really be ok?" Maja asked, fairly ignorant of the enemies Vriska had to face.

[Sandalphon]

Vesta watched the action at the arena contentedly, rather jealous of what one could actually do when they knew what to do with a bow and arrow (other than pick stubborn bits of meat out from between one's teeth). Still, she figured that it was getting rather late and that it might be a good idea to get some r&r before going on a crazy suicide mission out in the middle of God Knows Where.

She trotted down the street, gleefully remembering that for once she had a room waiting for her at the inn, a luxury she hadn't had in a while. "I'll bet it even has things like pillows in it," she said happily, thinking out loud. "Plus gettin' to bed early is good for ya, Mama sure would be glad that I"m bein' a responsible girl!"

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, Vesta spotted the gambling parlour (and how could one not with such a tacky sign).

"...I suppose good money management is responsible enough, right?" Vesta smiled as she entered, fully aware that this was actually highly irresponsible behaviour.

[Nanami Touko]

Spying

Makin narrowed her eyes for a moment, but as long as he didn't eavesdrop on the talk of Gerrod, it was fine. "Just felt like asking. It's fine, if you did," she lied, but made sure it was believable. "I'll see about talking to him as early as I can tomorrow, so you can get these memories in check. Until then... Go and do something you enjoy, or something you can enjoy enough to make it to the next day. See you." She turned and wriggled off towards the inn.

And luckily, it was only a few blocks away. She quickly made her way in, and spotting that it was empty again, save for Sara and the couches (Gods, those couches...) she immediately lay down on them and stripped her armor off again.

"Makin, please, don't do this again..." Sara begged, almost pouting.

"Nope. These couches are amazing. I don't even know why, but... I'm taking a nap on them, no matter what you say. You haven't had any customers all day, it won't be a problem."

Sara sighed.

Bothering

"I'm sure we'll see it, someday." He almost laughed again at Valha's glass protests, but instead waved down a passing waiter. "Excuse me, sir. Could my friend get a wine glass? She's having a bit of trouble holding the regular ones. With just water, of course."

"Of course, sir... One moment."

"Problem solved," he said with a smile. "Trust me, it's like holding a sword. You'll manage just fine." Glass issue solved, Raith seemed to put Valha into a bit of a sour mood rather quickly. "What he said earlier really bothered you, huh?" He didn't comment on it; he'd agreed with parts of both what Raith and Valha had said, and didn't want to take a side on it. "Well... I was thinking about that, actually, and she'd probably end up trying to drink herself silly... And failing, of course, but she'd probably still try. You can if you want, though, I don't think you'd get the sort of reaction you're looking for." He smirked, as the waiter returned.

"Here you are, miss." He placed the wine glass of water in front of her, scurrying off.

Magical Madness

The arena was surprisingly the perfect atmosphere for Vriska and her showy nature. She immediately popped out some fire as the crowd uttered both cheers and boos at the appearance of the young girl. They had no idea what they were in for. The first three rounds weren't even worth remarking on, as Vriska tore into the men one by one, with fire and lightning. She managed to dodge most of them, and even though she did get hit a few times (much to her own disappointment), she'd stayed on her toes long enough to get healed by the arena. And then Havel stepped forward, brandishing his club.

Vriska thought this too, would be easy, and she launched a spell of thunder at the man, but he immediately raised his shield and deflected almost all of the blow. Perhaps bringing his shield up took away all of his stamina, as when he tried to swing his club, he wasn't even anywhere close to Vriska. She took this chance to launch thunder into him again, but his armor absorbed most of it. "Impertinent, little...!" Embodying her rage into her magic, she blasted him with almost all she had! But he'd expected something like that, after the first attack, once again bringing his shield up. The metal was starting to melt, but it gave him the chance he'd wanted. Tired, and not expecting retaliation, Vriska took a heavy swing straight into her stomache, knocking her back a few feet, and almost causing her to puke.

She collapsed to the ground, and in a fit of desperation, she blasted Havel with what she had left. Luckily for her, he'd used up his stamina in that swing, and wasn't blocking. Was she lucky enough to take him out, though? He hobbled towards her, and then collapsed at her feet. It seems his armor had not held up long enough.

She sighed and got back up to her feet. Not soon enough, the healing powers of the arena clerics flew into her, and she breathed normally. That swing might've broken a rib, or five, and if she hadn't been healed that could've gone incredibly poorly for her.

The next two rounds were of little note. Marcus and her traded magic, but hers came out stronger, and poor Troy was fried instantly. But then Murray strode out, and Vriska grimaced. She knew he was tough, almost too tough, but she had to try. She had a small trick up her sleeves, but it would be difficult to use... Oh well. No time like the present to find out! She launched her magic at him, and concentrated at the tip of the lightning bolt, causing it to slip under his armor and shock him directly. He didn't appreciate that. He swung into her shoulder, and then, enraged, did it once again, into the other. She collapsed under the pressure of the assault, as Murray danced his horse around her, and backed up, ready for another charge. She had to take him out, now, or it was curtains. She concentrated again, and as he was charging, she struck him in the same spot, knocking him straight off his horse-- which luckily swerved and didn't trample the poor girl.

And that was it! She had beaten the arena! And she felt pretty great about herself. The crowds only cheered this time, both surprised and amazed.

Then Marius hopped off of his stand.

Dinner Talk

Alicia listened, trying to read the menu but ending up forgetting that while Raith talked. It sounded pretty fantastic. "It's too bad I have that shop t'run, I'd join you all in a heartbeat. That sounds like a great adventure... But the shop means a lot to me. I guess, my story starts when I was a kid. I lived in the slums, y'know. Not as bad off as the harpies, but without a family or a gold coin to my name. That feller down there, that works on weapons, Saul. He was kind enough to teach me how to make a weapon. And, so... Well, I got working. I learned how to make every type of weapon around here, enough so that I they could be used. I made some pretty good stuff when I was younger; still do. But, I still ended up getting lucky. There was a passing mercenary group, and they needed some weapons, quick. Drogan's a cheapskate, always overcharges, so one of them made their way into the slums. Maybe he could get something cheaper, right? Well, he was right. I fixed that group up enough weapons to last them for a month, all in the span of two days. I worked my ass off. And it was worth it. Their leader was so impressed with my work that he paid me double... And that double was enough for me to open that small weapons shop. I started makin' weapons for the town guard, and even some of the nobles buy from me, now! So... That's all of me. Worked my way up from ground zero to owning something dear to my heart." She smiled, and lowered her menu as a waiter came over.

"Your orders, monsieur and madame?"

"I'd just like a horse burger, please... No fries, or anything like that."

"A good choice. Sir?"

Parlor Tricks

A card dealer waved Vesta over as soon as she entered the building, smiling a wide smile. "Hey there, missy! Come to spend some gold and win big? I've got a deck of cards ready to deal to you, if you think you've got the luck to take home a big pot." He did a few deck folds, spewing the cards left and right between his hands, before setting them on the table. "What do you say?"

Edited October 15, 2014 by I have opinions

[riariadne]

"Yeah... thanks," Valha responded a bit sheepishly, glaring as their waiter fled quickly. "Hmph... people fear what they don't understand. Harpies aren't so different, but we're judged because of how we've gotta live down there. Earlier, even Raith didn't get it at all. We're not all bad people because we can't uphold the kind of childish idealism if we want to keep livin', life in the Lower Quarter is just hell, 'n you have to make some decisions that you're not always gonna be proud that you made if you look back on 'em later on. It'd be nice to try 'n live your life without knowin' you gotta hurt people sometimes... when I got the chance, I'd take from the Upper Quarter instead of people strugglin' as hard as I was, but sometimes you have to make that decision that you can't be as nice as you'd love to... it's life or death. All these people live large 'n try to forget about us, so I'd imagine a harpy showin' up here reminds them that we're around, they can't ignore us forever. I resent that... I'm sure not everyone here can do somethin' about it 'n that they're jus livin' their lives, but the people who indulge themselves 'n laugh off our problems... I would tear 'm limb from limb if I had the chance." She huffed angrily, sipping her water as she paused. "So yeah, maybe it was some sort of moral high-ground for him, but he shouldn't pretend to know about this sorta stuff. He's got no place actin' high 'n mighty, like he's better than us for not havin' to endure Felson... if you didn't stop me I probably would've gone after him."

[Vestige]

"You know it's rather funny, a lot of people I meet and talk to say the same thing as you," the most immediate person that came to mind of course, was Sara. "That they'd love to join. It sure sounds interesting, but I'm doing you a favor by omitting the more gruesome details. You've got to have a certain appetite for it--for the work we do," he shrugged. "I mean, all I'm sayin' is that my life ain't all that grand. If I die, that's it. I won't have much to pass on besides maybe an old lance, some coin, and maybe a legacy to uphold. And that's if I manage to settle down later on, y'know?" he laughed. "You on the other hand? I've gotta say, I'm almost envious, Alicia. Starting from close to nothing, and ending up with something grand, made from your own toil and diligence? That's definitely something to be proud of. It'd be a pleasure if you traveled with us, but I can't say I'd be able to bring you away from something you hold so dear in good conscience. Alas, I suppose it just wasn't meant to be. But perhaps we'll meet again in the next life," he said, with some dramatic gestures added in for good measure.

"Erm, give me a second," he replied to the waiter, who had seemingly crept up rather unexpectedly. He furiously flipped the menu, forward and back, trying to size up all the options. He tried weighing the pros and cons of each meal. What sounded good, and what didn't. Ultimately, he chose the option that required the least amount of thought. "Yeah uh, I'll have one of whatever she's having," he said, pointing to Alicia, "though, I think I'll take the fries."

Edited October 15, 2014 by Vestige

[Xinnidy]

Hmm. Could have been worse, I guess I shouldn't pry. "Very well, thank you. See you as well." Kadin replied, and made his way back to the arena. Maybe I should put my mind off of this, but... I guess I'll go back and see if anyone else might challenge him.

At that moment, Maja was already highly entertained by Vriska's performance in the arena. "Wow! Go, Vriska, go!" She cheered, still a bit new to what was going on, but knowing that Vriska was winning. "Wow, did you see that? I had no idea she'd beat all these strong men. Did you see when she scared the lights out of that dragon?" More like 'made Bau Berg Fried Dragon out of', but nonetheless. "I didn't realize she was that strong. Oh, how far did you get, Lanos?" She had a sudden curiosity about whoever else was next in line.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Xinnidy