Masquerade Part 2: Army of Darkness

[Oersted]

"Wait, you can actually do that? That's really cool," Lanos said excitedly, forgetting entirely about her threat. If she wanted him to stop calling her cute she needed to stop acting cute first, which she hadn't. He didn't say it again though, at this point it would've just been teasing her. "Neither do I. I actually know almost nothing about flowers," he admitted. "I mean I know some names but those are just the ones I've read in books; no pictures to associate the names with."

Lanos jumped slightly when Valha entered the room, mainly because it had been so sudden. He figured that's what he got for thinking 'what could go wrong' and not locking the door because of that. He had forgotten about earlier and actually had to search his mind for it. "I've been okay and uh, yeah. I'm fine." He'd wanted to wait until he'd actually had time to think about his feelings before talking to Valha again so this was pretty awkward for him.

[Vestige]

"You better believe it's not bad," he said. "It's hard to focus on this kind of stuff during battle, but on a peaceful night like this, it's really nice." He kept Ophelia steady, and he flew her full circle around the perimeter of the city walls. After they had wrapped around, he called over to Alicia, "Hey, I should warn you. You might want to hold on a bit tight," he said. And without much other warning, he commanded Ophelia, "down girl," and on cue, Ophelia nose-dived. She stopped just a few meters short of the ground, and then gently came to a halt. She seemed rather pleased with herself. Raith had quite a bit of fun whenever she did that, and he would have continued the "aerial maneuvers", but being that Alicia was a new rider, he figured, for her sake, not to go further than that.

[Nanami Touko]

She What!?

Makin managed to pop out of her armor just in time for Angus to bring up that Maja had defeated Marius. She responded by shouting, "WHAT!?" and rolling onto the floor with a thud. She quickly propped herself back onto the couch and laughed again. "Majaaaaaaa that's so fantastic~ How'd you do that!? That's amazing~!" Then Tristram dropped rainbow terror, and Makin almost had a fit laughing, collapsing her face into a cushion on the couch to try and get herself stop. "R-R-Rainbow terror, ahahahaha! Hahahaha..." She finally managed to quiet down and stop giggling, simply smiling. And staring at her tail as she whipped it back and forth, on the other couch.

"SO. Youuuu want in, Mr. Trishhhtram. Well! What are your qualifications?" Makin asked, with a wry smile slapped onto her face. She felt like having some more fun, as much as she could. Besides, the new guy was cute; why not try to push his buttons a bit? So she lay there, propped up on her elbow, tank top slowly escaping her shoulder (as it tended to do), and with a permanent reddening on her face, she waited for his wonderful explanation.

Sudden

He believed me-- "I, well, yeah, probably... I-I've never tried, but... I can control fire really well, so..." She wanted to actually give it a try right then and there, but guess who burst into the door? Valha, and right while Vriska's book of flowers was still open. She slammed it shut, and flushed a deep shade of red. "Yes, they're real!" she squeaked out. She'd wanted to apologize to Valha for her comments earlier, but right now, she was feeling far too embarrassed for something like that. Instead, she decided to act the child, and "get back" at Valha, in a way. She immediately clung to Lanos' arm and pulled him closer to her, pressing herself up against it. "What about your day, then, Valha?" Top top off the child sundae she stuck her tongue out.

Hold on Tight

Flying was... It was fantastic. No more limitations; you were up there, in the air, seeing the world in a way that would never be possible on your own. Alicia was mesmerized, and almost missed Raith's warning. "A bit Tight? How else have I been holding?" But she quickly realized what he'd meant when Ophelia shot down to the ground, so she grabbed onto the man with all of her might (which admittedly, was a lot, so hopefully she didn't hurt him). As the dragon landed, Alicia finally released Raith from the grip she'd been holding since the ride started, sitting up straight. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she could barely hear herself think. "That was... That was, exhilarating... And you do that when you're fighting? You're real brave..." She gasped for her breath, found it, and started to calm down, slowly.

[scorri]

Tristram found himself wishing slightly that he'd never met this group. But on the other hand, at least things promised to be interesting if he stuck with these guys. "Uh... I'm a competent sword and lance user. I fight on a horse, so that gives me a height and reach advantage over most units. I've never fought in a mercenary group before, but my father trained me with the sword until I was 12, and I learned the lance as well as continuing to hone my skills with the sword after that. I've been protecting myself and my boss's goods as I traveled from Bau Berg to various other cities. I've never lost a delivery and I've been doing it for quite a few years now." He wondered if there was more to add but eventually gave a slight shrug and nodded. "That's about it, as far as I can tell. Unless there's something else you wish to know."

[Xinnidy]

Maja was kind of surprised when Valha came up asking for her well-being. She figured they weren't that close at all, but it was a nice gesture. One she had no time to thank properly as Makin went in to hug her. Hard.

Holy Him, what is that smell?! She felt mildly nauseated at taking in Makin's alcohol-heavy breath, and briefly wondered if one could get drunk off of just taking that in. "I'm fin-" She coughed as she took in more of the air, but then, perhaps for the best, Makin let her off the hug and made her way to a couch.

Angus explained what happened, to Makin's surprised, and Maja chimed in then. "Yeah. I was healed, so it's fine. I'm just... my clothes don't even count as light armor, I wish I got hit less." She took out Marius' lance, which she was carrying on her back (along with the heavy spear and her magical lance... what a heavy load!). "It's true, though. He gave me tthis when I won. His lance."

If Maja's demeanor was no longer bubbly, Angus question made her even less enthusiastic. "He... Marius got angry when he saw Kadin. He said..." She hadn't the heart to continue her sentence. Maja bit her lip and only continued after a curious pause. "Kadin got angry too, he said Marius was wrong... then he left. I have to find him tomorrow, maybe ask Vriska to help again." She found a chair next to the counter, sitting on it and leaning on the counter, expressing how tired she was. "I want something to eat..."

After speaking her mind, something peculiar from the conversation finally got her attention. "Rainbow... terror?" She turned to Tristam.

[scorri]

Trist grinned slightly at the girl's question though he was a bit worried about how unhappy she seemed. "Yeah, Rainbow Terror. I mean, the Rainbow part should be obvious. And after seeing you fight in the arena, the first thing I thought when I saw you was 'rainbow terror.' And since I didn't know your name... That was what I was calling you until I heard your name."

[charlie_]

"Wait, he got mad when saw Kadin? Why would-" He stopped himself, realizing that the girl probably didn't want to pressed about it at this point. "You want food? Alright." He vaguely remembered Sara leaving through the a door at the behind the counter when he'd came in. Feeling kind of sorry for her, he went behind the counter (getting a feeling that he probably wasn't supposed to be there) and knocked on the door. "Hey, Sara? Sorry, but could you get Maja something to eat?"

[riariadne]

Valha's bright expression sunk a bit at the less than enthusiastic reception she received, frowning at the mage's childishness. "Aww, if you didn't want me interruptin' somethin' you could've just said so... they really were nice flowers, though. Never seen so many different kinds in one place. Do you collect 'em wherever you go, Vriska?" She pat Lanos's free shoulder. "That's good, then. I'm glad you're okay. Today was mostly good... I got a new sword from Saul, got a massage like I always wanted to, 'n went out for some dinner with Ingverd. Did you know I was only the second harpy to ever go to the massage place? Only me 'n some noble's harpy called... Taryn, I think." Her already saddened expression fell lower after. "I... saw Leiha earlier, Lanos... if Ingverd wasn't there, I think she would've killed me. But I felt horrible about fighting her. She still can't fly."

[Oersted]

As if it wasn't already awkward enough with Valha in the room Vriska just had to go and make it worse by clinging onto him. Yes he'd said he was fine with it earlier but that was only in front of people who didn't know him. He couldn't help but wonder, Whatever happened to apologizing? as Vriska did just about the exact opposite. He listened intently (he was doing a lot of that today it seemed) as Valha told him about her day. Apart from being glad he wasn't jealous of Ingverd's dinner date with Valha, everything else killed his good, if a bit awkward, mood. "That's my-" he began but cut himself off. He wasn't going to bring up his past if he could help it. Instead he focused on what Valha said next. "So she still hates you huh?" He asked, his voice extremely subdued. He felt like an idiot for forgetting about her and leaving Valha unprotected. He'd have to thank Ingverd later.

[Vestige]

As they landed, Raith slid right off of Alicia's back, and praised Ophelia for the work she had done. Not that she cared much, she already knew she was awesome. Best Dragon TM "I definitely didn't learn how to do it in one day. It's come to me over quite a few years of experience. I think I've had a few near death flight experiences to be sure. Not fun, especially when you have to deal with armed guys flailing their weapons around," he said. "Anyway, we can head back now if you'd like?" he asked, offering her his hand once again--in case she needed the extra assistance getting off Ophelia's back.

[Nanami Touko]

Disappointment

Makin sighed. How could she mess around with someone who was being entirely serious? She collapsed against the couch, and sighed. "Fine, fine... You can come along, BUT I can't pay you until we get back! I don't... Have enough gold, anymore. I paid everyone when we got here annnnnd that took out my wallet. So if you're fine with that!" she said, pointing her finger up dramatically, "you can come along... I'm, getting kinda tired... Anguuuuuuuuus. Help me up to my room." She tried to get off the couch without collapsing, but unfortunately, the floor called her name, and she collided with it again, managing to get herself vertical before shaking her head. "I am nnnnnot trying to go up a set of stairs alone. Nnnnuh uh. And Ingverd isn't here, so it's up to youuuu!"

Meanwhile, Sara had been doing her best to ignore everything that was happening in the foyer, until Angus bothered her. "What?" she snapped, immediately covering her mouth, and then sighing. "I'm so sorry... Your boss is just, really trying my patience right now. I-I'll get her something." Sara sighed, and left her seat in the backroom. She approached Maja, incredibly relieved that Makin had stopped doing... As much as she was doing, even if she was still falling all over the place. "What would you like, hun?"

Mood

"Yes, I did..." Vriska said to the flower question, trying her best not to act even more childish now that Valha had come across as mostly harmless. Why did I even act like that? She just asked about the flowers... Geez. It's just a hobby, Vriska, get over yourself... Vriska sighed, and let Lanos go as they talked, slowly opening the book back up to another random flower. Chrysanthemum, huh? Telling me something, are you, book? She almost smiled. But aside from that, whatever was happening with Valha sounded kind of serious. "What was that about, getting attacked?" she asked. And I guess I should... "I, er... I'm... Also sorry, about, back on the plains... And just now. I'm... I'm trying not to be so immature, but it's tough. Tough getting close to people. N-Not to make this about me, or anything! Just letting you know why... Feel free to go on about what happened." There was no getting around being around Valha if something ended up happening with Lanos, so Vriska had to start trying now.

Near Death Flights

Ground was in sight! And as fun as flying had been, Alicia welcomed it greatly. She took Raith's hand to get down-- but her shoe got stuck against the saddle, and she ended up collapsing against him. She quickly recovered, but it had been slightly awkward. "S-Sorry about that. Dismount's still a bit tough. So... Why'd you decide to stick to it if you ended up almost killing yourself? Making weapons never got me almost killed. I'd say I would've stopped trying to do so if they had, haha." It was a nervous laugh, but it was true. "And, sure, we can go back. This really has been nice, you know? I'll... I'll give the idea a thought, coming along," she said as she made her way back towards the gates. "Perhaps if you can promise me we'll go flying again, then it'll give me more incentive..."

Edited October 31, 2014 by I have opinions

[scorri]

Trist nodded. "Money is not something I worry too much about, so however you handle that is fine. And... good luck sleeping off that hangover..." He shook his head slightly and sat down on the vacated couch. So he was really doing this. He sat there staring at the floor for a little, trying to figure out what to do next.

Eventually he shook himself a little and headed out, back into the town. He knew there was a gambling den nearby that he sometimes frequented. His boss frowned upon the practice, but the way Trist saw it, as long as he was gambling his own money, what was the harm? Besides, he had a new job now.

I should probably send a messenger to the boss... I'll deal with that in the morning.

Entering into the den, he sat down at an empty seat and waited for the game to start.

Edited October 31, 2014 by scorri

[charlie_]

He hadn't expected to be yelled at by Sara, but at but at the same time he could sort of sympathize with her, as Makin called for him to help carry her up the staircase. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." he told the woman, before reluctantly returning to the naga's side, and putting her arm around his shoulder. When did I become your personal lackey, anyway? he wondered, as they slowly made their way to the foot of the stairs. "Well, now comes the fun part..."

Edited October 31, 2014 by SB.

[Vestige]

"Oh watch yourself!" Raith called out, seeing Alicia's shoe get hung up around the saddle. His warning did little to prevent the inevitable though, and he braced himself to catch her. "You could fall into my arms a hundred times, and I wouldn't really mind," he said, grinning at her. "Why? Because I can honestly say, after all this time, it's been worth it--it really has. Every time I saddle up, I know I'm in for a thrill. And that's a good feeling to have--for me anyway. Makes life worth livin' y'know?" He followed after Alicia, "Well, it's a simple enough promise. So sure, why not?"

[riariadne]

"I think it's nice. Flowers are always somethin' good to look at no matter how you're feelin'..." Valha told the mage before her sudden outburst. "It's alright. Sometimes you just get real embarrassed about somethin' you usually wouldn't care so much about." She ruffled Vriska's hair playfully, before sighing when she reached the less pleasant part of the discussion.

"Leiha... is my adopted sister. We've never got along great, but when everyone figured out we weren't real siblings, she hated me. It's a complicated harpy thing, so don't worry too much about the details... When we decided to leave Felson three years ago, me 'n Lanos, Leiha wanted to hunt me down, so we fought... it was brutal. By the time we were done, I was bleedin' out 'n Lanos barely helped me survive, 'n Leiha's wings were so torn up she can't fly," she summarized for the little mage. "So she ran into us today, 'n we fought again... Ingverd more than me, really, but it was pretty bad for all of us. He... stabbed right through her wing again..." Valha sighed. "Somehow, even though she hates me, I feel bad... maybe because her reasons for disliking me aren't wrong, just sad." She closed her eyes, worry showing on her face. "It's been buggin' me since I heard we'd be goin' here that I realized... I don't really hate her. She's awful to me, but I still think of her as a sister, at least a little bit. So I hoped I wouldn't see her, 'n that she'd be better by now, or at least have moved on."

[scorri]

Trist sat down at the table and winked at the man holding the cards. He started off pretty poorly, drawing a bust, but he managed to distract the dealer and switch some cards around, resulting in a winning hand. He grinned, deciding to double down on that bet. The next hand went smoother, if slightly more ironically when he tried to get a better score than 18 and ended up with an 18 again. But thankfully, the dealer had worse luck than he did, and he ended the round with a win. He quickly busted on the next hand, and the dealer was keeping a close eye on him this time, so he couldn't switch out any cards. With a sigh, he acknowledged the loss, and continued on with the game. He quickly won the next three rounds and decided to head out when he realized the dealer was starting to get annoyed at him. Better to leave with gold in his pockets after all. No reason to get kicked out. Walking back towards the inn with his pockets jangling, he grinned. The success of the night was clearly a good sign. He'd made the right decision. His future was looking much more interesting and bright than it had been a few months ago.

[Xinnidy]

"Hm? Oh." Maja turned to Sara, glad at least something could go right that night. "I'd like some... chicken. Yeah, good chicken, with some rice, probably... what do you suggest?"

[algae]

The stairs would probably present a reasonable challenge for a slightly intoxicated human, let alone a naga who could barely keep herself upright, so Sonia crossed the inn to help. "Here, hold on" she said, supporting the boss's other side.

[Nanami Touko]

Honest Drunken Question

Makin gladly took the support from the both of them, dragging her armor behind her with her other hand-- the key was there, and that was important, after all. "Oh, plllleeeease. Shtairsh are nothing..." Surprisingly, Makin made it all the way up them, and without any trouble, dragging Angus along to her room. She slouched over and fiddled for the key in one of her armor pockets, taking it out and sighing.

Suddenly, she took Angus by the shoulders, and stared him straight in the eye, giving Sonia a similar melancholic glance. "Angus, Sonia... W-Would you, kiss me?" She was drunk, alright... But she seemed serious. "I, I mean... Am I attractive? Am I cute? Would you go out with someone like me?" She looked down immediately after that, giving the floor a worried stare. "I, jusht... I saw Raith, with another woman today. I, Iiii know there wasn't anything super serious between us, but... It hurts a bit, y'know? Haha..." She gave a melancholic laugh and then fumbled to get the key into the door. "Ish okay... D-Don't, worry about me." Maybe this alcohol had been an awful idea, after all...

Things Got Serious...

Vriska growled as Valha ruffled her hair. She wanted to say, don't you dare touch me like that, that is my hair, and I did not give you permission to get that close, but instead opted for the noise, because the more logical part of her was telling her that Valha meant well with the gesture and it was just hair, she could comb it back into place later, if it was that big a deal. But what was a big deal, was all of that Valha had told her. Perhaps she'd assumed too much of the woman. She figured that her life had been kinda hard, sure, but she'd gotten out of it and moved on. But if it was still haunting her, and had actually been that bad (because families that hate you are seriously bad), maybe she really needed to ease up on how mean she was being.

"I... I didn't know that all of that happened to you, Valha. I'm sorry to hear about that. I hope... You can come to terms with how you feel. I know I wouldn't be able to forgive someone trying to kill me, but... I'm not you, so... Hah." Vriska suddenly chuckled. "Sorry, uhm... It's just very human of you, to want to fix things like that. I just found that amusing... Not trying to offend, or anything."

Food

"Chicken? At this time of night? I can get it for you cold, but I don't think I'll be starting up any cooking this late... Well... Nah, you seem really upset, so I'll do it. Rice too. Just give me a bit, alright? It was Maja, yeah?" Sara started to get some stuff ready behind the front desk, wondering what had happened to Maja. She'd been in the back room if anything had been said.

Flirt

Alicia stuck her tongue out at Raith as they approached the gates. "Don't be such a flirt, you... You're making this choice way easier than it should be." She took his hand and pulled him closer to the gate, closer to her, and when they were just close enough, she gave him a quick, light kiss. "Thanks for the wonderful night, Raith. Stop by the store tomorrow, alright? I'll have my answer by then. And I'm glad you found something you can be happy with. Hopefully I can find my calling beyond just owning a store." She smirked at him, and let him stay there as she slipped into the gate, and started to run off, a small skip in her step.

The Walk Back

[spoiler=Fighting For What You Want]Ingverd sighed. Not only had he gotten rid of his shamshir, but now he'd sold the steel sword he owned, just for pocket change. But he knew what he wanted to do with it. He headed straight for the Brawlers Den and walked in. He'd seen a poster for it, walking back to the inn with Valha. There were some rather impressive prizes there, if you could beat all of their fighters. And a certain item caught his interest, quite significantly. He placed his gold on the counter, and walked in...

The first round was nothing. A skinny man, a bit quick on his feet, stood between Ingverd and moving on to the second round. He moved in on the man, and, using his superior speed, quickly ducked an incoming punch and clotheslined him onto the ground. There were small claps around for such a quick first round, and some healers came to drag the man away so the second could begin. Ingverd hadn't even broken a sweat.

Next round was a bit problematic. The man that came out was a lot buffer than he had been expecting. He rushed in to give him a quick left hook, but when he saw how ineffective that had been, he braced himself for the coming impact.

And it hit hard.

Ingverd was knocked down to his knees from the two fisted slam he'd received into his back. But he wasn't going to give up from just that. He pushed on his bent over knees, and delivered an uppercut to the man. He staggered back, and Ingverd jumped his knee into the guy's face, knocking him over.

Round three, eh? I can still take this... Round three took a while. Some guy came out and kept trying to shout "THE PEOPLES' ELBOW" whenever he attacked. Ingverd took a blow, but was able to dodge the rest of them, and with a series of steady blows, he took out whoever this Dwayne guy was.

At this point, he was getting pretty tired, and couldn't actually believe the size of the next guy. Do they just keep getting bigger? This is so stupid... No matter, he had to face them down. But perhaps he was getting too tired for his own good. This guy was big. Really big. And he hit HARD. Ingverd kept trying to hit the guy, but his punches seemed to do nothing. He took two bit swings, and knew that one more would knock him down. He had to focus, and as the behemoth of a man swung again, he ducked, spun around him, and put him in a choke hold. He was immediately grabbed, but he held on just long enough to knock the guy out.

Last round. You've got this, Ingverd... Whoever was next, they called themselves the Iron Sheikah, and seemed to have a weird magical aura about them. Unfortunately, that was all they had going for them. Other than that, at least to Ingverd, they weren't much stronger than the last guy, and he was still faster. He swung his punches about, and letting his adrenaline fight off his tiredness, he gave a swift one-two-right-left, and they were done. The men surrounding the fighting started to clap lightly, and he was approached by presumable the owner of the establishment. He had the prices laid out on a large tray, and asked Ingverd which one he wanted. Ingverd smirked.

"That one."

Ingverd, bruised and a bit battered, but smiling nonetheless, started his walk back towards the inn. He held what he'd wanted in the pocket of his pants, wrapped tightly by his hand. He could barely believe that he'd even won, but he didn't give it too much thought. Though, he did spy someone who looked just as happy, and had just come out of a gambling den. "Hey," he called out, noticing the man was also an elf. "Win big at gambling?"

[scorri]

Trist looked up in surprise as another elf talked to him. "Hmm? Oh, yes, indeed. Luck was on my side tonight it seems. Are you all right? You look a bit... well, you look like someone beat you up. You didn't get robbed, did you?" He suspected that there was some other story, since the elf had a big grin on his face, but he figured he better check.

[algae]

This was unexpected, to say the least. Luckily, confusion kept Sonia from saying anything even remotely coherent until the boss got a chance to explain. Even after that, she only barely managed "Er... sure? I mean, you're..." between bouts of panic (which only got stronger after she spoke), and occasional glances toward Angus to make sure this actually was as surreal as it felt. Okay. It has to do with Raith. Another reason to dislike the guy. That worked as a starting point. At least enough of one to get something more than confused babbling out. "Y-you're strong, you're a good leader, and... well, if he doesn't see that, it's his loss?" She hoped the boss was drunk enough that she wouldn't remember that futile attempt at advice.

Edited November 1, 2014 by algae

[charlie_]

When Makin grabbed him by the shoulders, the bowman had braced himself for another crushing hug, but he hadn't expected a question like that. To be honest, he'd never really thought about it. He glanced towards Sonia briefly, wondering if she was going to speak up, because he honestly had no idea what to say. He liked Makin, sure, but only really as a friend rather than having anything to do with her appearance. Thankfully, she did speak up and he found himself nodding along and agreeing with her. "Yeah, you're a great boss. You've managed to keep up us alive and together, and that's pretty impressive. We'd probably fall apart in a couple of days if Ingverd was the one in charge or something." he laughed. "So don't worry about it. You'll feel a lot better after you get some sleep." he said, trying to reassure her.

[Xinnidy]

"Oh, well... you don't need to--" Maja felt sort of bad by making Sara cook so late when she wasn't up to, but if she agreed... "Thanks, and yeah, I'm Maja." She took a deep breath, and brought the prize lance onto the counter just to look at again. Sort of fancy, and it isn't that heavy... I wonder if I would do well with it?

[Oersted]

[spoiler=Journey Not Destination]While Lanos was glad that Vriska apologized it didn't do anything to raise his mood. At least neither of them commented on his slip up. While Valha told Vriska about her sister he thought about his mother, or rather couldn't help but think about her because of Valha dropping her name. He actually had memories of her, unlike Cedric whom he knew next to nothing about. He remembered that she was really headstrong and difficult to deal with, especially when it came to matters regarding him. Something about him making his own choices which, ironically, he didn't do for another twelve years excluding "borrowing" books. But based on what Angus told him she wasn't like that anymore, which he could only assume was related to him in a way. He inwardly sighed, he'd have to go and see her even if he didn't want to. He owed her that much for still caring about him.

Lanos didn't really know how to respond to Valha voicing her worries that was his thing! but he didn't want to remain silent either. Problem was there wasn't really anything to say, only ask. "Why does she hate you so much anyway?" Lanos gave up thinking about it and asked. "I never really understood that."

[riariadne]

"She's... unforgivin'," Valha started explaining. "Somewhere out there is her real sister, 'n it's not me... maybe she's not alive anymore. 'N I can't blame her for bein' mad about that, since it's true. Sure, there was nothin' I can do about it, but to her it's my fault." She pressed her claws against her face, trying not to tear up, thinking over what Vriska said. "What's that supposed to mean? Very... human. We're not that different from humans or elves... we like money because it's somethin' we rarely can have, 'n most of us are scared because people hate us. I rant about how other harpies don't like to act all the time, but to be honest, it's hard to blame them when we get such a bad reception all the time. I don't steal because I like it... sure, I get excited at the time about havin' somethin' new, but it's a way of livin'. Nobody's gonna give a harpy a real job when most humans, elves, 'n half-elves don't even think of us as real people. There are probably more harpies than people in the lower quarter, 'n maybe even the upper quarter, but we have nothin'. We've gotta make decisions you don't wanna down there, 'n people think we're savages for it."

Her expression grew fiercer as she continued her tirade. "Vriska... you weren't there, so maybe this doesn't make sense to you, but... when we were gettin' the boss's money back, Raith was angry when I forgave someone for attackin' us, 'n said that it wasn't okay. 'N it's not... but his pretentious attitude was the kind of reason we're most harpies are in the lower quarter with no way out. We're judged by the decisions we hate to make, 'n we can't prove them wrong. Of course I wasn't okay with the guy attackin' us, but if you punished all wrongdoin's made in the slums, there'd be nobody left. You have to be forgivin', even when you should be angry..." she finished solemnly. "'N Raith didn't even end up doin' anythin', anyway... nothin' gets done when you're all talk. A little harpy, 'n a girl no less, has to deal with far worse than he did far too often. But he ran his mouth about the value of life or whatever, somethin' I doubt he really understands like people who need to fight for their own life every day do. 'N you hate it... stealin', or even worse when it comes to it, killin' to stay alive feels horrible. Sometimes I just think about it 'n it drives me nuts... I'd love to be idealistic in a perfect world, but this isn't that world..." She grasped at the air in front of her, as if reaching out for something that wasn't there. "That's why I forgive... so things can be better some day. We deserve better. We deserve freedom. Free from the lower quarter, free from the system, free from the Council's control. Our minds, free from their prisons! But as long as nothin' gets done, we're chained into a life of everyone for 'emselves. Some day, we'll get there, but until then... I don't hate people who wrong me to survive."