Masquerade Part 2: Army of Darkness

[riariadne]

"... That's fine, then," Valha responded after her brief bewilderment at Taryn rocketing past her. "I wouldn't let you... 'n you're welcome," the harpy called after the councilman, who left with Angus for some reason. She turned to the two harpies on the stairs, flying up next to them. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Valha... we've lived together since you lost him, 'n he's my best friend in the world. So it's nice to get to meet his mom 'n dad, yeah?"

[Vestige]

Raith wasn't really sure what was going on, but figured Makin would explain things to him a bit later. "Sure, let's go," he grinned, taking her by the hand and leading her outside. Just a little ways off from the entrance of the inn, Angus and, as Makin said, the councilman, and his two guards were standing. He didn't want to linger too long, but he was a little curious about what was happening, "so uhhhhh, do you have any idea what that's about?" he whispered to Makin, motioning towards the small group.

[Oersted]

Lanos, still having trouble saying anything, was caught off guard at how quickly his mother had closed the distance and latched onto him and ended up staying silent. He hugged back though, but not nearly as hard as Tayrn was hugging him since he'd probably hurt her. Everything was happening so fast he couldn't control his emotions and he started to cry. When Tayrn pulled away he wiped his own tears and finally found his voice though he was only managing to mumble. "I... I thought you'd`gotten sick of me and... and didn't care about me anymore." He wasn't going to go into detail about how he'd hated her for it, he'd already gotten it off his chest and it would probably just make his mom feel terrible like he had But he was still going to apologize for it, he wouldn't be able to get past it otherwise. "S-Sorry about that..." Then Valha flew up and introduced herself. "She saved my life," he added on. "If it weren't for her I wouldn't be meeting you today."

Edited November 5, 2014 by Oersted

[scorri]

Tristram had woken up early and decided to try his hand at the fist arena. His first bout went without a hitch, with him landing a solid blow and knocking his opponent out. Unfortunately, his second opponent was a better fighter and he soon found himself being woken up by the arena's healers. With a slight sigh, he headed out, wandering through the streets of Felson, slowly making his way towards the inn he'd visited the previous night.

[algae]

Sonia woke to the sounds of some commotion downstairs, though by the time she got ready and left the room, she only saw a well-armed group leaving, and Lanos hugging an unfamiliar harpy... Is that what the thing yesterday was about? Not something she wanted to interrupt, either way. The others were out by the entrance, and everything seemed to be alright... "Something going on?"

[Nanami Touko]

Off For a Walk

Makin smiled, so forward, and let Raith take her out of the inn. He asked about Angus, and she had an idea, but she didn't really know for sure. "Cedric doesn't seem like he means any harm, so maybe he just wants to talk to Angus... He was the one that found that harpy in Cedric's manse, and dropped Lanos' name. I'm sure he'll be fine." Now it was her turn to drag him, as they went down the streets in Felson. "I want to see how well you can fight, Raith. Without your weapons. So..." She rounded a corner, and threw open her free arm. "Ta-da~ It's a fist fighting arena! And while it isn't as prestigious as the weapons one, it's got a strong group of fighters, and they're all respectable. I tried it when I was younger, but... Well, I wasn't very strong then. Now, I want to see how well you do." She smirked, and cocked an eyebrow at him.

Awakeness

Vriska had stirred at all the talking happening outside her room, on the second floor. She couldn't really make out the voices, but they'd gotten her up. She slipped out of bed, and walked towards her door, lazily throwing her clothes back on. Her hair fell in a frazzled mess in front of her face, but she didn't exactly care, having just woken up. That was, until she opened the door, and realized who was speaking. Lanos, Valha, and... Someone hugging the stuffing out of him. Huh... Wait... She watched for a moment, and then walked over.

My Son

Taryn finally let go of Lanos, visibly shaking, smiling, and sobbing. She couldn't believe that not only was her son alive, but he was healthy, had friends; had gotten out of Felson. Valha came over, and Taryn took her hand, vigorously shaking it. "You took care of my son, and for that, you have no idea how thankful I am..." Lanos' worries had struck a cord within her, though, as she looked rather sad immediately. "No, no! Never... H-Here, both of you, come. We'll sit down, and I'll... Well, I'll answer any questions that you have. You probably have a lot." She held a halfhearted smile, wondering if she could answer them well enough to satisfy the young man her son had grown to become.

"Hello."

"Hmm?" Taryn looked behind Lanos, to see the purple haired girl. "Oh, uhm... Hello. Are you another one of my son's friends?" Perhaps they were all here, in a huge group.

As I thought. Though, I didn't expect them to come down here, so brazenly... "No, I'm not his friend."

Taryn was immediately confused. "Er...?"

Vriska smirked. This was the perfect chance. "I'm his girlfriend. We're dating."

"Wh-What?"

Give Thanks

Cedric tapped his foot as Angus slowly approached, holding a stern expression, but letting it soften a little as he came over. "I realize you may be thinking I wish to hurt you, for sneaking about my manse. I would have, to be quite honest... Had you not brought that name to Taryn's attention. You are the reason we know that our son is alive, right now, and had you not done that, he would've perhaps left the city, and we never would have known... So I am here to thank you, despite your actions." He pulled the bow off of his back, and presented it to Angus. "Take it, please. It's all I can really offer, without people wondering why I'm giving someone I don't know gold. I hope it will suffice..."

Angus gets a Killer Bow!

What's The Buzz

Sara came back into the room once everything was over with, and groaned. She'd at least answer Sonia. "I don't know, something about Cedric needing to see your bird and your snake. I'm too young to deal with all of this..." She sighed.

Edited November 6, 2014 by I have opinions

[MRDRHAWK]

Kendeall seemed to have been ignored, and to top it all off, he was getting another nerdy chill up his spine. Today did not appear to be a good day for the axeman.

[riariadne]

Valha shook the mother harpy's hand proudly, smiling wide. "Hey, don't worry about it. Lanos is my friend, too. Little guy lost in the lower quarter, scared of everythin', you just gotta give 'em a claw, yeah? 'N now he's bigger 'n stronger 'n we're there for each other. I'm sorry you guys had to be separated when he was so little, 'n I can't imagine how scary that must've been... but I'm really glad I got to meet and be friends with him." She paused for a moment. "So what was it like, livin' in the noble quarter? Is it... cushy 'n stuff, like they say it is? I almost went there once, but that was when I was little 'n I've never tried to get back in since..."

Just then, a certain childish mage arrived on the scene and made a rather bold claim. "Girlfriend? Don't you think you're pushin' it a little there when you just dragged him around town a bit yesterday, Vriska? Don't get too far ahead of yourself, little miss," she called out the teenager.

[Vestige]

"So, would that have been his mom then? Good on him for finding her," he mused. Makin led him through the streets. "Makin, didn't you say you wanted to meet Alicia, this isn't even the way to--you're joking, right?" she stopped right in front of what he presumed to be some sort of fighting arena. It didn't look quite the same as the one he had entered in the day before, but it was definitely the site of some nefarious roughhousing. He exchanged glances between the building, and Makin. She looked pleased with herself. Raith, on the other hand, was no so pleased. "Are you serious Makin? Oh come oooooon. I barely had any sleep last night," he whined, throwing an accusatory glance in Makin's direction, "And you want me to go fighting, first thing in the morning? I haven't even had breakfast yet," he groaned. Still she was looking at him expectantly, and he threw his hands up in the air. "This is a terrible date," he muttered under his breath.

There didn't seem to be too many challengers yet, and he had no trouble figuring out why. Because people have better things to do in the morning than go punchy-punchy first thing in the morny-morny. He sighed, slapping some gold onto the counter, and requesting to take on the string of fighters. He shook his head, this is so dumb.

[spoiler=I Repeat: This is so Dumb]

As he entered the arena, there was barely an audible cheer among the spectators. Sheesh, tough crowd.

The first man introduced himself as Carl the Quick. "Hey man, just--just go easy on me, alright? I haven't even had breakfast yet so like, I'm really not feeling this thi--" The air from his lungs was dispelled in one fell swoop. Carl the Quick was certainly quick on the draw that was for sure. Raith jumped back, and threw his arms up. It's just another spar. What was that shit the commander used to say? Aim low, guard high? Or was is guard low, and aim high? Ah shit, I can't even remem-- Carl had jumped up in front of him, and threw a flurry of punches at him. He was barely able to defend, let alone throw a punch of his own. As the punches kept coming, Raith noticed a bit of a pattern. He'd throw out about three or four punches, and then take a quick breath. Then he'd do a bit of fancy footwork and throw out three or four more. That was his routine. That was his flaw. After Carl's last punch of his set, Raith took his opportunity. He threw himself at Carl, throwing the full weight of his body against the man. He was sent him sprawling onto the ground. Raith got on top of him and started raining down on the man. He was quick to call the man off and forfeit the match.

The next couple of matches went by without too much of a hitch. Still, Raith was starting to feel weary and light headed. The announcer called out, "Final match! Raith Ereld, vs. Iroooooon Sheikah!" Almost everyone here had some sort of weird moniker attached to their name. One didn't even have a proper name. El Fisto? He wasn't even sure that was a language he knew. He loathed to find out why they called her "Iron". He had some apprehensions about throwing a punch at a woman, but that all melted away when she stepped into the arena. Not only that, but he was starting to feel the effects of his ravenous hunger pangs. If it wasn't for his heavy panting, he guess his opponent would have heard his stomach and mistaken it for a battle cry. Gods, let this end quickly. He circled around her, slowly creeping forward. The thing that immediately struck out to him, was her stance. She had her legs set wide open, and her arms dangling loosely next to her. It's like she had chosen to completely abolish her defenses. Why? He figured she wouldn't exactly answer that for him, so he had no choice but to find out himself. He ducked in closer, and gave her a nice clean kick to her side. To his sheer horror, she barely moved an inch. Instead it seemed like she was almost smiling! She grabbed hold of his leg, and pulled him towards her. Unable to hold his balance, he came crashing to the floor. He scrambled away from her, but she didn't seem to want to let him get away. She approached him, slowly but deliberately. He went in for a more tradition approach, faking her out with a left, and then throwing an uppercut. He'd managed to confuse her, and she couldn't guard the shot. But she seemed to be fazed for only a second before returning with a punch of her own. He tried to dodge it, but he was too slow, and his face took the brunt of the impact. Now it made sense why they called her "Iron". His face felt like it'd been bludgeoned with an axe. He collapsed onto the ground. He knew he was fighting a losing battle. "I'm done. I surrender," he coughed out.

He had surrendered the battle, but it still felt like he was fighting--his stomach that is. He made his way to the stands, slowly, agonizingly. Makin was there, waiting for him. He threw himself onto her. "I can't, I just cannot," he groaned. "Please Makin, you have to feed me. Something. Anything. I'm so...hungryyyyyyyy."

[eclipse]

Crowds.

Meredith had learned to tolerate them, but if she could, she'd hole up in her room and sleep. She had no idea of what to make of the people that passed in front of her - without Cedric's orders, all she could hope to do was blend into the background. Luckily, she'd been dragged outside, where there were far fewer people. Unfortunately, it also meant that she stood out more.

I'm not here, don't look at me, when can I go home?

Edited November 6, 2014 by eclipse

[Oersted]

Lanos was glad he'd left his worries where he had based on his mother's reaction. He had a lot of questions but he only needed three of them answered, he could figure out the rest based on her answers. "I guess the two things I really want to know are what happened after you told me to wait for you and if you ever looked for me." He had an idea on his first question's answer but he still wanted to hear it. "And finally... do I have any siblings?" It was a silly question but how else was he going to find out?

And then Vriska showed up. He was kinda glad, he figured she should meet his parents for... different reasons, but that quickly turned to embarrassment. His face went red and he knew exactly how she was going to counter Valha's argument. 'We kissed,' she'd say and then, for him at least, it'd be really awkward to be around his mom. He had to avoid that somehow. Maybe if he ignored the comment it would go away. "S-So mom, this is Vriska, she's really good with magic. She managed to get up to Marius in the arena."

[charlie_]

"I... um..." Angus was a little overwhelmed by this, having expected much worse. Instead of being punished, he was gifted with a bow, and a pretty deadly one at that. "Thank you, uh, sir." he said as he took the bow, not sure of what to say. He supposed that he owed the man at least an apology, and probably an explanation of why he did it. "I'm sorry about sneaking around. We heard something from a bandit a little while ago about how they were capturing harpies to sell to nobles, and considering he... wasn't particularly nice, I kind of made an assumption before meeting you. I'm really sorry.

[Nanami Touko]

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Makin was entirely serious, and laughed a bit at Raith's whining. "Well, this shouldn't take too long, then. And, hey," she said, matching his glance, "you could've said no. You're just as much at fault for that as I am." She stuck her tongue out at him, and they walked on in. "I'll take you to a great breakfast place after, alright?" she said to him, as he paid, and went in. Maybe I should've paid for him... Hmm. I guess paying for food will make up for that. She made her way into the stands to watch him fight, wondering about the kinds of contestants in such a place.

The first few rounds didn't see that bad. Raith was actually pretty tough. She smirked. That's good... It wouldn't do to have him be fragile. Of course, the challenge had to show up somewhere, and it did, in the form of a woman who looked like she was made of steel. Is that legal? Legal or not, Raith didn't last the longest, coming over to the stands and collapsing against Makin. She felt her face turn a bit red, but she smiled. "Well... Climb on, then, and I'll take you somewhere nice. You did pretty well. I'm surprised you lasted to the final round with nothing in your stomach." She offered a coy smile, and patted her tail.

Girlfriend

"We kissed. Three times, in fact. He's pretty good," she bravely stated at Valha's claim, smiling and walking over. "It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Azix... I'll make sure to take good care of your son. He's right, though. I did make it all the way to Marius, in the arena. He's... Well, too tough for me. But I suppose that's to be expected of a council member."

Taryn was a bit shocked. Though, she made a whispered comment, upon noticing Vriska's apparent race. "Well, like mother like son, I suppose..." She then cleared her throat, and tried to speak up. "Well, I, uhm, I'm glad my son has met such nice ladies to take care of him... Lanos, dear, did you have anywhere you wanted to sit down? I don't know how long Cedric will let me stay here, for, and I'd hate to be unable to answer anything... There's plenty I want to ask you, too." She offered a melancholic smile.

A Bandit

Cedric cocked an eyebrow. "Could you tell me his name? I realize that... There are some rather unsavory dealings with the people of the lower rung. I also realize that my methods are not as good as they should be, but... I mean no harm, to any of them, and I provide shelter, proper food, clothes, and living. I wish that I could do something on the council to help, but with only Marius taking my side, it's... It's problematic." Cedric didn't bat an eye when he explained that he did, in fact, kidnap harpies. Despite what he did with them, it was still... Well, not right.

"As for your sneaking around, I'm not all that surprised. I have a bit of a reputation. Don't worry about it, too much, though. Also," he snapped his finger, and tilted his head to the side. "Meredith, step forward. Angus, correct? Tell that Makin of yours that Meredith will be accompanying you to Karstell. She's a bit shy," he said with a chuckle, "but she's quite skilled with a lance, and is loyal to the end. Just... Don't get her around crowds, I suppose." This may have come as a bit of a shock to the woman, as Cedric had not informed her of this before their leaving his manse. He did this on purpose, though, as she would've protested otherwise. She'd probably protest now, but... Well, it was orders, after all.

Edited November 7, 2014 by I have opinions

[Vestige]

"C-climb on? Climb on to you?" He could deal with a lot of things, but for some reason, this wasn't one of them. "I think not," he said, crossing his arms to form an 'x'. "I'm pretty sure I don't have it in me to be carried around town on a snake's tail--especially as a grown man. Though if I end up collapsing, feel free to drag me along at that point," he chuckled.

[algae]

"And the older harpy came in with him? Huh." Odd. A councilman and his armed guards personally reuniting some new arrival mercenary with (probably) his mother? What am I missing...? Not that she could do much about that now, except perhaps feel sympathy for the inkeeper. "Anyway, sorry about... well, all of this. Is there anything I could help with?"

[Oersted]

Well, it happened; though to be honest Lanos hadn't tried very hard to prevent it. At least his mom didn't seem to shocked by it and didn't start asking questions about age. "I don't really mind where we sit if you're comfortable. We could sit in the foyer," his eyes drifted to the furniture. "The couches look comfy... Unless you wanted it to be private, of course. Then we could talk in my room."

[eclipse]

"SIR?!" Meredith spit out, mostly because the shock of the announcement removed the filter she normally had on her mouth. "This archer looks like he'd have no problems with keeping his foes at bay! If that's the type of company he's in, then what use do they have of someone like me?!" She wanted nothing more than to pass her forced vacation in somewhere that had finally started to become familiar. What have I gotten myself into?

[Xinnidy]

Daylight crept into Maja's bedroom, awaking the girl.

Slowly rising, she picked herself up to lean mostly straight on her bed. It was a new day, but she wasn't even sure she wanted to face it yet. After such effort the arena and the following stress, returning to bed was all the more tempting. I have to find Kadin... The thought kept hammering the back of her head, and was the reason she made the effort to stand up. She brushed off her face to shake off some of the sleepiness and prepared herself for a new day.

Right, my usual clothes are a bit... worse for wear. She slightly frowned when she remembered the cuts and bruises from yesterday. She wasn't one to wear much armor other than light padding, and that much melee combat resulted in some holes and rips. On top of that one monster from before... ugh, rapiers are mean. She sighed, it was either that or the current chemise and smallclothes, and she didn't quite feel like going outside wearing nightwear. Well, it was either these or... ...I'll get that. It's only for a while. I wouldn't feel right without pants. Rather unenthusiastic, she went for her travel pack, picking a fairly monochrome outfit. A white, long-sleeved shirt with a tough collar and black pants that reflected a very formal outfit, especially the silver-lined details that graced the shirt. Black and white once more... I'm still tired of this look. She puffed her cheeks as she looked herself in the mirror, her boots the only colorful contrast her attire had. Sighing, she knew better than to make a bigger deal out of it.

Outside her room the girl was intrigued when she noticed one too many harpies just at the stairs. She was too out of the loop to have a clue. Huh, I wonder who that is. She waved a greeting as she approached the group, wearing a smile, though it still wasn't as bright as her usual self. "Hey there! Lanos, Vriska, Valha, how's it going?" She took a glance and confirmed she indeed had no idea who the new harpy was. "Hello to you too, miss!"

[riariadne]

Valha smirked at Vriska's proud statement, hitting her lightly on the shoulder. "Alright, fair enough. Good job," she teased. "Hmmm, the foyer couches are nice 'n soft, though I guess it doesn't really matter too much if privacy's a bigger issue here, yeah?" When she turned to hear Maja, she was surprised to see the familiar rainbow attire wasn't what she was wearing. "Where'd all your pretty colors go, Maja?" the harpy asked. "Not that black 'n white are bad or anythin', but the colorful seemed to suit so you much more than them, 'n I thought it looked nice."

[charlie_]

"His name was Ertel. The last time I saw him he was falling out of a window with an arrow stuck in him, so it's possible that he died after running away, but I'm not getting my hopes up." They... probably wouldn't end up meeting him again anyway, but still. "And he didn't get them from the slums, he said that got too much attention or something." Which made Cedric's methods very surprising to him, but still.

By the time Cedric introduced Meredith, he'd almost forgotten that Cedric was sending one of his own with them. He was a little surprised by the girl's outburst, but he guessed Cedric hadn't warned him about it for no reason. It... wasn't really his place to say anything, so he waited for Cedric to respond first.

Edited November 8, 2014 by SB.

[Nanami Touko]

Ride Central

Makin chuckled a bit, though she was slightly disappointed. "Ahaha... Sorry. You just joked about it that day when we were in Ward, I figured... W-Well, that you wanted to try it, at least once." She blushed a bit, but slid off of the spit she'd watched from, propping Raith upright. "That's fine, though. Let's just get you something to eat. How doooooes, steak and eggs for breakfast sound, then?" She smiled a happy smile, and tilted her head a bit. "Unless you're more of a pastry kinda guy? I know a good waffle place, too... Or, maybe, cold breakfast?" Makin had started running through the options in her head, instead of actually moving...

Couch Talk

"Oh, the foyer will be fine, then. I'm not too worried about privacy, if you aren't." Taryn cautiously waved at the newest girl, wondering something terrible about her son, but not speaking it. She then hopped over the railing and fluttered down to the first floor, making herself comfortable on the couches.

Vriska was more than a bit shocked, but didn't say anything on it. What is with this girl? You'd think she'd freak out more that I'm taking away her friend like that... She can't be that confident... It was confusing, but there wasn't much she could do to address it right now. She'd have to wait until she was alone with Valha (as if that would happen) to confront that topic. Or at least, just there with a third party. "Wow, Maja... I kinda miss the rainbow already," she said, having brought her mind off of her previous worries. "What happened to it?" she asked, as she began to make her way to the stairs. Maja could follow them.

Black Market

Cedric laughed a little at Meredith's surprise. That had been worth it. "You will be guarding my son. If you've been paying attention, which I'm sure you have-- you're a keen girl, you'd have realized that the harpy in there, that brown haired boy, is Taryn's offspring. Which means he's mine as well. I can't have him heading off to Karstell and getting killed. So you will keep watch over him. That's an order." He put a serious spin on his last sentence, wanting her to know that despite his laughter at first, he meant it. She'd have to find a way to figure out her shyness, because one way or another, unless she wanted to quit, this was what her job entailed.

But, the name that Angus brought up sent a small chill down his spine. "Ertel? Are you sure? So he's still doing his business... Damn." Cedric grit his teeth for a moment. "I hope he did. That man holds a grudge longer than I've never known humans able to hold... If he's still alive, then you and your group should watch out. All the more reason for you to go along with them, Meredith." His tone was grave by now. "He is at least right about that, which is... Sort of why I do. Perhaps if I can bring attention to the issue, it will get resolved, though I don't exactly know how helpful I am being." He sighed, and shook his head. "No matter. If there is nothing else to tell me, you are free to go. I will attend to my son. And you, Meredith, will attempt to socialize, as difficult as that may be for you."

Help

"How can you help? Uhhh..." Sara had never had a guest ask to help, before. It was welcome, after all of this ridiculousness. "You could help me clean up, back here. I need to get things set up for lunch and the like. Maybe some help cleaning. What was your name, again? I'm not sure I caught it."

[Vestige]

"Maybe when there aren't so many people around..." he mumbled. "Anyway," he coughed, trying to feign innocence, "I think steak sounds absolutely delicious right now. I'm honestly just so hungry," he said. Truthfully, he kind of wanted a bit of everything, but having to walk to each and every place was a little off-putting, so he decided to settle with the one that'd fill him up the most. "Pretty big menu though. You seem to know the city pretty well. You said you've been here before, right?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

[Oersted]

"Oh hey there Maja," Lanos greeted the no longer colorful healer with a wave before jumping over the railing like his mother, landing next to her. Seeing her in different clothes reminded him that he probably needed some new ones too after yesterday. Maybe he could get Valha and Vriska to take him clothes shopping, Him knew he had no fashion sense. He was kinda surprised that Valha showed no signs of caring that he and Vriska had kissed. Maybe she was just fine with sharing him? He'd entertain that thought later.

[riariadne]

Valha soared down after the other two, snagging a couch spot next to Lanos and humming quietly. "I'm so happy for you guys everythin' worked out. Don't you worry, miss Taryn, he's got a lot of friends here 'n we all do our best to protect each other. 'N he's a big toughy himself now, huh?" She pat his shoulders gently. "Heehee... I remember when you were shorter than me, but sure that didn't last. I guess bein' a little elvish would do that, huh?"

[Xinnidy]

Right. Of course that'd be the first thing they ask, what was I expecting? Maja wasn't happy to have the topic brought up so quick, but she tried to keep her smile up while she was with the group. "Ah, it's just for a while. After trying the arena yesterday I got too many outfits to patch up, so I could use some new clothes." I really should have learned sewing. Though I guess I can't complain about it now... She stretched her arms while walking her way down to the foyer couches, but didn't sit on them. She had plans to go outside soon, after all. "...So I jut put on this outfit to go out shopping. It's a bit formal, so I shouldn't use it that often." Not that I wanted to wear this again... it's been over an year. Truth be told, it was *too* formal, as if it'd suit a waiter for a high-class restaurant, if it weren't for the boots.

"Umm..." Maja brought herself to attention, hesitantly wishing to sate her curiosity. "I hope it doesn't sound rude, but who are you?" She gestured towards the newest harpy, Maja didn't even get her name yet!

Edited November 7, 2014 by Xinnidy