Masquerade Part 2: Army of Darkness

[riariadne]

Some day... "Good luck!" Valha shouted after Tristram, looking from the stands and waving at him. "Pretty nice for a guy I just met, huh? Maybe I've just got a way with people," the harpy wondered aloud to nobody in particular. Some day. Maybe the magic cube thing will be helpful, somehow, like grant me a wish or something. Blue, 'n in a castle by the snow... if only I knew! Thoughts of what it is, how I would find it above anyone else... somethin' that's mine for the takin' in a world I have little in. I want it, soon, even if it just turns out to be some magical trinket... just somehow I can't help but wonder.

[Nanami Touko]

Play me a Song

"Whaaaaat? Why would I do that? No way." She smirked, wondering if that'd be a worthwhile idea, since they'd almost started sharing their gold. I expect I'll be paying for his fight, if he couldn't afford the rest of that item. She didn't mind that so much, but it'd get to be a problem if he started trying to push her into spending her money on him. When it was her decision it was fine, and it had best remain that way. Too many handouts and the rest of the group will start thinking I prefer him over them for more than spending time in a bed. Well, whatever, it won't be that big a dea-- her thinking was shattered by an ear piercing ring, causing her to crumple onto the ground and slam her hands over her ears. "R-Raith, what the...!?" He'd just blown the whistle, but unfortunately, it seemed she could pick up the frequency, much like she could speak with Ophelia. "Ugh..." She groaned, and tried to pick herself up, very tempted to snatch the thing away from him.

"I-It's not broken. It works... Ow..." My poor ears. She shook her head, and knew that if Ophelia had been anywhere near them, she'd be coming over right now, even if Raith seemed unconvinced. Sure enough, the sound of beating wings came near and started to land. She moved as Raith pulled her aside, giving Ophelia room to land in the middle of the street, much to the confusion of a lot of the civilians hanging around. Seeing the black dragon was always a sight, as she didn't expect such a large beast to listen to the wishes of a human, but stranger things had happened. Liiike, what was happening now. She'd smiled as Ophelia rubbed up against Raith, but when the dragon moved to do the same to her, she froze up, not expecting the scaly head to be shoved her way. "Wh-What? How, do you...?" Makin flushed red, wondering how this dragon even knew what they'd done-- She can smell me on him. Son of a bitch... "<W-Well, so what?>" She hissed back. "<I was... I was a bit drunk. Some things happened, and we... Yeah. And don't say ride, like that. It was just sex. Geez.>"

At least Raith didn't hear any of that. Or at least, understand it. "Oh, don't be so hurt. Your dragon's just being rude." She hissed gibberish at Ophelia, and nodded at Raith's plan. "Alright. Don't take too long. I'll meet you there, alright? Or, I'll already be in the stands. Make sure you don't lose~" She stuck her tongue out at Raith and chuckled a bit, before making her way along towards the arena. That dragon... Honestly.

Totally Serious

"Yeah, just fine!" he lied, putting that smile on as best as he could. "You did? Alright! Great job, Lanos!" Ingverd's smile became real for a moment, glad to hear he'd gone and done what he said he would. Ingverd was glad that at least one of them had beaten the man. That helped his mood a bit. What didn't help, was Lanos's barrage of apologies and thanks. It was... Entirely unexpected. Not unwanted, just... "Hey, hey..." He didn't want to see Lanos cry as well. He'd start crying again if that kept up. "It's fine. I... How do I explain this. It's not my choice to take her away, but, even if I take a part of her away, you know she's never going to stop being your best friend, right? Someone can't just walk in and take all of that away from you. Not even me, with all my openness." He smirked. "And me being open, well... That's just how I've always been. I have to live life in the now, right? If I wait, or hesitate, something might slip me by. I can't have that. So I can't keep quiet about how I feel about Valha. If I did, I'd be betraying myself. Don't be too jealous about that. I mean..." he took a step closer, and gently caressed a hand over Lanos' face, "if you want me to talk to you like that, then just ask, Lanos, baby~"

He couldn't not laugh after doing that, taking a step back and clutching his gut as the guffaws poured out. "S-Sorry! Sorry... Hahaha... Just trying to lighten the mood... Hahah!" He had to stop himself from laughing eventually. "You don't have to thank me for that. If you'd been there with her, you'd have done the same. I know you would've. So don't cry, Lanos." He wiped the last remaining tear off of the bird's face, smiling. "We're both here to help each other, and her, alright? Even if she doesn't need it, most of the time. She's tougher than the both of us, if we're crying, licking each other metaphorical wounds out here, isn't she? Let's go back in there and see if we can't cheer her back up as well, eh?" He threw an arm around Lanos and started to lead him back inside. His own feelings could wait. There was someone more important, right now.

ENTRANCE

"Eh? Right, sure. You're up to fight, since that bird's done. Hasn't been anyone else come round yet, probably all scared off by that damn Laurentius." It seemed that even the attendants at the arena didn't have a lot of faith in the mage. Perhaps because they shared their affinity with Marius, but even then, most people wouldn't have appreciated a display like that. "Drop yer gold. Head on in."

Gasp!

Vriska's eyes widened and she smiled like an idiot as Kadin kissed this woman back, pumping her fists as he went in for extra points, giving her the wrap around and pulling her in! She squeaked like a little girl (A littler girl), and fell onto her back, holding back laughter to avoid being caught. "Wow~ You go, ghost~ That was amazing~" She couldn't help but chuckle slightly, wondering if this was why he'd disappeared earlier. "You picked a winner, Maja! This day's been fantastic."

But inside, things weren't as rosy as Vriska was imagining. As Kadin kissed her back, fireworks went off in Iuliana's mind. He even pulled her closer, and she shot her arms up his back, pulling herself closer as well. She didn't want this moment to end. Even if he was dead, even if he was a ghost, even if he'd had a wife; she didn't care, this is what she'd wanted for years. And to have it, just like that-- she was ecstatic. When it did end, through no happy moment on Kadin's part, she almost threw herself at him again. What stopped her was his asking why. Did he really not know? Not notice? She'd been subtle, sure, but there were times where it should've been obvious. "K-Kadin, I... I've always loved you. You joined the council only a few years into my own serving, and... We became friends to fast. I enjoyed every moment I got to speak with you, every day I got to work with you. You made me laugh, you brought me joy, you... It wasn't work, when you were there. It was a pleasure, to wake up every morning. But, you... I should've said something. I was waiting for you to make the first move, but that was stupid of me. You had your eyes on someone else the entire time." She took a step back, smiled a sad smile, and choked out a tiny laugh.

"You and Sophia... If love at first sight had a picture to define it, that would've been it. You were married within a year of meeting each other. I suppose she must've felt like I did, but, perhaps you saw something else in her. Something you didn't see in me. I don't know..." She finally collapsed back into her chair, covering her face. "And why now? Why not? This... I was a fool before, I should've said something. I won't give up a second chance." She let her face go, tears running down her cheeks, but a new determination evident. "I love you, Kadin Fahl. I've loved you since the day I met you. And I'll continue to love you, even in death." She didn't look away, she didn't even blink. She stared straight at him, with teary eyes, and a renewed confidence.

Let The Shopping Continue!

Clarine came back out with a pile of coats in hand, just as Heather left, sprawling them all out on the counter. "Well! Here's all I could find in the back! They should all be perfect for cold weather. I'll charge you twenty gold per coat, so feel free to look them over. They aren't in season, so I don't mind selling them so cheap. I hope you can find what you're looking for!"

New Guest

Isabelle cocked an eye open as another woman came into the sauna. Another elf, as it so happened. "Hmm. Look at that, Vesta, we've company." She didn't say much else, as she was still waiting for a response from the horse, but it was amusing nevertheless that someone else would come into the sauna at this point in the day. I wonder if she's yet another merry mercenary for Makin. Hah.

Edited January 3, 2015 by I have opinions

[scorri]

Tossing the gold on the table, he nodded his thanks and headed into the arena, grabbing Amira along the way. Swinging into her saddle, he gulped slightly and pulled out his lance. As the dragon rider settled into the arena, he patted her side. "Right girl. I'm probably crazy for doing this, but gotta prove I belong in this group, huh?" He lowered his lance and nudged Amira into a charge. The fight wasn't an easy one, but he managed to do a tricky move and knock the rider off his dragon. Placing the blunt end of the lance at his enemy's throat, he waited for the surrender before backing off, waiting to be healed.

Next up was a fellow cavalier. This was an easier fight, knocking him down quickly, and unfortunately leaving the man unconscious. He winced as the man was carried off for more healing before suddenly he found himself facing Marius, who offered the same challenge he offered all arena victors. He was about to turn the man down, when he glanced back up towards Valha. I can't just say no. I'd look a coward... Better to lose than to give up... "I'll fight you. And I'll do my best to win." He charged forward, striking a solid blow with his lance, but taking a blow that almost knocked him off his horse in return. Grunting, he pushed Amira forward, striking Marius on the shoulder and managing to knock the other man's counter wide. One final turn, and he slammed into Marius with his lance, knocking the other man to the ground. Quickly dismounting, he placed the tip of the lance next to the man's head and grinned slightly. "It appears that today is just not your day sadly." He held out his hand to help the other man up, not wanting to seem like he was taunting him too much. "I do have to thank you for helping out those in my group. It is good to see that there are some men in power who care about those who are suffering like the harpies."

[riariadne]

Valha continued to daydream of her future adventures, picturing herself hunting through a chilly castle and procuring the cube from its furthest reaches, wondering what powers it contained. Maybe it's a treasure chest of some sort... or maybe I had the right ides already 'n it grants a magical wish that'll always come true. That'd be nice, huh? I dunno what I'd wish for... Nobody lets you pick more wishes, right? That's pretty much cheatin'. But if it always comes true, maybe that means nothin' is off-limits, right? What if it's one of those evil wishes that come true but secretly backfire? Or, it could be somethin' else entirely! Ahh!

She snapped out of her daze as the crowd around her began to cheer, and she looked down to see Tristram had indeed defeated Marius. "Hooray, go Trist!" she cheered, flying down to the entrance now that her time spectating was over.

[Vestige]

"<So, nothing?>" she said, casually flicking her tongue out. "<If I have to get used to your scent, I'd like to at least know why it's hanging around the boy all the time. I was simply confirming my findings with you, and it seems I was correct," she flicked her tail a bit. "<In any case, I don't find the wording so important. The meaning seems to have been understood anyhow,>" she chuckled. If anyone wanted to know where Raith got his lackadaisical attitude from, and his manner of speaking, one need look no further than the dragon standing before them. Or perhaps it was the dragon who had taken on the personality of her rider. At this point, it was rather hard to tell!

"My dragon, being rude?" he questioned, pretending to be utterly disgusted that Makin would even consider accusing his dragon of being ill-mannered. "I'll have you know that I have done a fantastic job at raising her. To say she's anything less than than well mannered is an affront to the both of us," he said. He appeared to be serious, but cracked a smile soon thereafter. "Actually," he said, chucking a bit, "I'm inclined to believe you. She's a terribly mannered dragon. Always with an attitude, I'll never figure out what to do with her," he admitted. "Hey, stop being so mean to her, or I'm not going to let you go out flying by yourself anymore," he said, gently kicking her side. She snorted in response, and tried (very lazily) to shake him off of her, but after so many years, he wasn't going to be thrown off by just a little unbalance.

"Yeah, yeah, easier said than done, boss," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Alright, I'll be there soon," he said, waving her off. The nice thing about having a dragon to ride, is there generally wasn't any traffic in the air. The most you'd have to deal with was a bird who decided it would try to be a little daring, and fly up next to the jaws of imminent death. But besides the stray bird--nothing. Horses were nice, but there was far too much maneuvering involved, especially in the city. He was at the inn in no time flat, and swiftly headed inside. Ah, and now we play the waiting game for the boy. She tried walking after Raith, but was barred entry to the inn by the door that was a little too small for her. Defeated, she curled up awaiting for his return in front of the door. If anyone had wanted to go in, well, they would just have to wait as long as she had to wait.

The inn seemed relatively empty, compared to the morning at least. In fact, that Cedric guy had caused quite a bit of commotion showing up the way he did. It seemed everyone from his group was either outside, or in their rooms (or in the sauna, but he wasn't about to go check. A shame). Well, whatever. "Hey Sara," he greeted her with a bit of a yawn. Not paying much mind to anything else, he headed up the stairs, stopping short at his door. Maybe I can take a quick nap... He weighed the pros and cons of skipping out on the arena. On the one hand, he'd get some sleep, and he wouldn't need to do any fighting. On the other hand, he'd never hear the end of it from Makin. The choice was painfully obvious. He put the key inside, and twisted the doorknob. Sleep it is!--He took his shirt off and threw it onto the bed--I wish! Death by snake, or death by steel. He'd take the one he actually had a fighting chance with.

He walked over to the mirror, took a good look, and flexed his muscles a bit, striking a couple poses here and there. Eh, not bad Raith, not bad at all. Back in his youth, he'd looked more like a twig. Learning how to use a staff wasn't exactly conducive to building muscle. The most exercise you could get learning how to use healing magic was when you'd swing your staff around, and even that was only if you were being rather zealous about your healing. He quickly changed the rest of his clothes, opting to wear something slightly more worn and torn, and threw his armor on top. He was particularly fond of his armor, given that it was rather light weight, and he had a bit of a color match with Ophelia going on, so that was nice. The armor that other people wore, like Knights, for example, was absolutely ridiculous. He couldn't ever fathom how someone could walk around, let alone fight, in something so heavy. Do I have everything? Magical ring of magicality? Check. Bracer of broken quality? Check. Flute of summoning dragon? Check. With everything prepared, he plodded down the stairs, gave a quick farewell to Sara, and headed out the door--which was, of course, blocked by a familiar looking hide.

"Hey, you, get outta the way would you? You're like, blocking the whole doorway," he said to Ophelia. Not like she cared, though. A bit of begging, and a couple of disgruntled wing flaps later, and the duo had taken off, headed to the arena. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner both of us can get on with the rest of our day... "

[eclipse]

Meredith eyed the coats with glee. The wares were quite varied, from loud colors she'd never consider buying, to the dull, plain clothes she so adored. "Oh, thanks~! That's an awesome deal~! Now, which one of these looks like me, hmmm? What about you?" The coat she held featured several subtle shades of chestnut brown, no doubt due to a dye screw-up. She held it up to her frame, quite pleased when she saw that it fit. "This one will do!" she said happily, handing over the necessary gold to Clarine.

[Refa]

Quincy shrugged at Trist's reply. He wasn't sure what response he was expecting to hear from the elf, so he in turn had nothing to say in kind. How can you help someone out without even understanding that the problem is? Whatever... He tilted his head up to ask Valha the same question he asked Trist, but as it turns out there wasn't really any need too in the first place; the robed man managed that well enough by himself. So that's what this is about. I can understand the sentiment, but threatening to stab Valha or decrying the race wasn't really going to solve the problem. Not that it really concerns me, I suppose, Quincy thought to himself. Marius seemed to have the issue under control, anyways. He didn't want to interrupt Valha and Tristram's talk, so he sat back down without comment and waited for Lanos' watch to begin. Or at least, that's what he was planning on doing, before he noticed Kendeall walk to the entrance of the arena. Catching up after him, "Planning on taking on the arena yourself? Any idea of how you're going to take Marius on?" He asked quizzically, unconsciously taking a quick glance at his newly forged weapon.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Refa

[charlie_]

Angus doublechecked the prices of the coat and boots and then followed suit, handing Clarine her gold. "So... I'm probably gonna head over to the arena soon. Do you guys want to watch?" After the return of his Greatbow and Cedric's gift, he felt confident he could reach Marius. He wasn't sure about beating him, but he'd give it a good go.

[Xinnidy]

"I picked a what now?" Maja replied, unsure how to react to Vriska's comment... and to the whole sentiment they were spying on. I didn't *choose* him... Kadin is special. I want to help him, but I can't even make out what they're saying! She gave a small pout, it seemed that the couple was being very emotional. Maja couldn't help but feel happy for Kadin (misguidedly so, perhaps), but she ever so wished to know what this meant.

-------

Kadin braced himself, he expected an answer like that. He was aware now, more than ever, of the feelings Iuliana hid. Still, it wasn't just, not in his mind. When Iuliana recalled his closeness with Sophia, he was sure of it. He knew that what Iuliana said about them was true. The only thing he did not know was that day... That gods-cursed day, the whole reason I'm still here. Each time I find out a thing about that day, it shows to be more convoluted than it already seemed...

Exasperated, Kadin turned his eyes down, away from Iuliana for a moment, and sighed. He'd got himself in that situation. "Iuliana... I..." He mumbled words through his thoughts, but what was he to say? He couldn't say he did not feel anything, but he couldn't agree with it. He needed to learn about that day, too, or maybe that was just his way to escape the matter. "I don't..." He sighed again, and turned to face her. Eye to eye.

There was a moment of awkward silence as Kadin brought himself to pick the right words. "I don't know if I can go through with this. At least now, there's too much in my mind. The person I've loved for so long was Sophia, you and I know that, and now I can't remember the day we both died. It's even worse now that she might have done something very grave... might." Kadin let out a long sigh, he was becoming more affected by the situation. "I don't... want to ignore you. I'm sorry. I won't pretend this hasn't happened. I..." He lowered his head again, crestfallen. He was still managing his emotions poorly. I can't even give you a straight answer, Iuliana. How pathetic I am...

[algae]

Sonia looked through the pile of coats, picking out and examining a dark blue coat a bit more closely. A bit too big... Still, being 'a bit too big and new' made it better than the usual fare, and (more importantly) the price was great. Apparently great enough that adding gloves and a scarf seemed like a good idea, considering how little she knew about the tundra's climate. "How much would these be?" A far better idea than financial responsibility, at any rate. "Er, I'll meet you guys over there. There are a few things I'd like to pick up after this."

[Sandalphon]

Vesta shrugged, "knowing all the bells an' whistles of every weapon ever made aren't gonna be much use if ya can't defend yourself against them. Besides, picking things up and fiddling around with them is the best way to lose a phalange." (Vesta had plenty of experience with seeing digits get dissolved, ripped apart, and otherwise gruesomely blown off by enchanted doohickeys and heirlooms). "If you're gonna mess around with other people's toys, you'd best learn how fight them off too, I reckon." She continued, waving away the thoughts of dismemberment. She didn't know why she felt any level of concern with someone who was openly disrespectful of her, but she figured that she had met the type before. All those brains wouldn't help if they couldn't keep them safely contained within their skull, which was a bit of a shame really. Vesta shuddered a little, she must be getting soft. Soft or desperate.

"Very pretty, and humble too, I see..." She said, laughing a little, "I take no responsibility for what my drunken self likes in girls. 'S not that she looks bad or anything. I don't judge."

Vesta took a little bit of glee in watching the taller girl struggle to get comfortable. For once, being diminutive was vaguely in her favour, though admittedly that was cancelled out by the structure being built for people of the two-legged variety. "Lemon's alright, if ya-you like feeling like you're being baked into a pastry I suppose."

She heard the door open at that moment and turned her head to face the new visitor to the chamber of citrusy death. She eagerly welcomed the additional company, finding it hard to keep up a conversation with the type of person she would usually bludgeon and rob. "Heya, how's it goin'?"

[Juliette]

Heather opened her eyes briefly to look over the two women who she occupied the sauna with. One seemed to be another elf about her own height, whilst the other was an extremely short centaur. "Good afternoon," she spoke upon being greeted, waving at the two lazily. "I hadn't expected to see anyone else here at this time, to be honest. How are you two enjoying yourselves on such a day? I've been here for about a week, but I've been wondering if there were any particular destinations that just can't be missed... I haven't left Ward too much in a while, I'm afraid."

[Oersted]

"Yeah, of course I know that but..." But was that all they were, friends? Valha seemed to want to be more than that, and so did he, but he felt that his confusion over his own feelings had been caused by not being open about them. "Heh, we're like opposites there. I have trouble being open, though that's probably because of my trust issues..." He had honestly been surprised that he'd been able to talk to Ingverd like this after what happened yesterday. He must've trusted the elf much more than he thought he did, or maybe he'd matured enough to where what needed to be said mattered more than his own feelings. He still froze again when Ingverd suddenly caressed his face. He recovered much quicker than last time though. "Wh-What the Hel!?" he said as he stepped back out of Ingverd's range.

Ingverd apparently found that hilarious, as he was busting his gut, but Lanos just sighed; he couldn't get mad at him for, probably, trying to cheer him up. Him above, why did I think he was serious... "Yeah, sorry about suddenly crying on you. Bad memories came up for a moment there..." Ever since Valha had almost been killed he'd been much more worried about her. Before that it was the worry of if she'd be okay or be back at night but after that he'd actually work himself up worrying about her. Before then she'd been invincible in his eyes so there wasn't a reason to worry. "Yeah, she's been there for us, we need to be there for her." He didn't freeze up when Ingverd threw his arm around him this time.

[Nanami Touko]

The Long Walk (Slither?) Over

Makin watched Raith fly off until he was out of sight, finally letting go of a long sigh. She appreciated having him around, no doubt, but... He was taxing! He was so snarky and silver tongued and full of quips! It took all of her brain power to keep up with all of his jabs and teases... It was wonderful, but the break was appreciated, really. She could recharge herself and get ready for the next wave of comments after he'd finished fighting. Surely there'd be more. So she started her slither towards the arena, wondering a few things to herself. Mostly...

What does he fantasize about? She couldn't really believe she was asking herself that, but, she'd openly mentioned what she was daydreaming about. Now she was curious... And without a source to base her curiosity on, it was left to fester into whatever it wanted to! And her first thoughts were towards Ophelia. There was no way Raith just saw Makin's tail and suddenly went all BA-BUMP over her. He must've had somewhere to start with, but... Th-That'd just be wrong! There was no way! She shook her head hard enough to toss the thought out of it. But, what then? Maybe he was into... Riskier things... Involving rope? N-No way, haha... He's so normal! He probably hasn't even thought of anything, and you're wondering over nothing. Despite that, Makin held a bit of a silly smile as she wandered through the streets, holding a hand against her head to try and brace herself over too many wonderings. "What if he brings magic into it?" she mumbled out loud, catching the attention of someone walking past her, who promptly gave her a weird look and sped past her.

Luckily, for her and any random passerby, she couldn't think about it anymore, as she'd reached the arena, fizzling slightly. Her last thought had been a rather worrying thought on if he ever thought about other women, but having been together for about, oh, two days, almost, that probably wasn't a very legitimate worry. She sighed, ruffling her hair in an attempt to unravel her head and get her brain to stop! "Ahhhhhhhh, that was so stupid! Just sit in the stands and keep quiet, brain! Ughhhhh!" With audibly complaints and groans, Makin avoided everyone she came across and made her way into the entrance, waiting for Raith to show up. She even passed by Ingverd, Lanos, and an approaching Valha, without saying a word, too disgusted, or bothered, by her own mind to register them.

Return

"Don't give it too much thought. If you have to cry, you cry. Just don't try to cheer someone up while you're doing so, yeah? It makes it ten times harder. Trust me, I've tried. Makin and I both ended up laughing at each other crying, so I got off lucky, but, well..." He smirked. It was amusing, thinking about some of the things they'd gotten themselves into. But that was then, and right now, he had a few birds to see. "Alright, now, where is she-- Ah, hey!" Ingverd dragged Lanos over to their favorite bird lady, who was luckily coming to the entrance, letting him go once they got over. "Hey. You feeling alright, Valha? Sorry about storming off, there. Just... Well, had some things to mull over." He scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Who went in after Lanos? Was it Tristram?" He wondered how his fellow elf would fare. I hope he doesn't win. That'd just make me look bad. The only one here to actually lose to Marius, hah! "I really am sorry, though... I should've stuck around to give you a shoulder after all that Laurentius said." He gave a sad smile, wondering if the act had upset Valha as much as it had upset him.

Another Round

Marius watched the new challenger, the elf that had been sitting with the harpies, take on the rest of his fighters. He'd been here the other day, Marius remembered that much, so he was pleased to see the elf overcome the people he'd failed against. It meant Marius could stretch himself out a bit more, even if he couldn't fight without holding back. He hopped off his perch again, lance in hand this time, and approached the rider. "Alright. I'll assume you were watching the birds fight, so you know how this works. Come on, boy!" He smiled, and their fight began!

And even if it lasted longer than Marius had expected, the elf came out on top. He was pleased about being bested this time, even if he was holding back. This group was worth its salt and more, always providing a good fight. "I guess it isn't, huh? ...Alright, lad. Sorry to say, I'm out of weapons to hand out, and I doubt you want this rusty old lance. Talk to the man at the counter, and he'll provide you with a proper reward." He smirked, and took the hand to help himself up, waving along to the crowd. "I do hope you all come back. This is far too much fun, fun that I won't get anywhere else. Come back, and give me the biggest challenge of my life. And don't thank me. Just doing my duty to the citizens. All of them." He smirked. He appreciated the thanks, even if he was playing it off.

Non Answer

Vriska smirked, pulling herself back to her feet. "I meant he's really interesting. I thought we'd just end up trailing him and listening to a sob story, but instead, we get some lovely romance~ This was definitely worth the adventure."

Inside, the adventure was finally coming to an end, and it truly hurt Iuliana. She couldn't blame Kadin-- how could she? But, even still, it hurt. She clutched her hand close to her chest, trying to smile, as she felt tears happening again. She couldn't guilt him like that, so she quickly stood, turned around and straightened herself out, making sure not to make a sound as she cried. "That's fine, Kadin," she lied, using all of her mental strength to keep her voice sounding as normal as she could. "I didn't expect an answer so quickly. How selfish of me that would be. I shouldn't be expecting an answer at all, if we're being honest. You were dead, this... This is all just the world taking pity on me, or something." Why can't I stop crying? He can't see my face. I want him to answer me honestly, if he even does. He can't see me like this. He just can't... "You don't have to stay any longer. It's alright. I'm sure you have things waiting for you, so... Thank you, for coming. And indulging me." Please, don't come over here. Please...! She closed her eyes, hoping that the next time she opened them, Kadin would be gone, and not staring at her. Part of her did. The other part wanted him to whisk her off her feet and she'd have her wish, but, that part was being too optimistic.

Vriska's romance was no more, and that really bothered her, for some reason. "Hey, why's she crying?" she asked, as if Maja would know. That's not right. They kissed. Crying doesn't follow kissing. That's not how it's supposed to work... Lanos didn't cry. She frowned.

Shopping Done~

Clarine looked over what was being purchased (she took Angus' money first), and then went over her list for costs. "Alright. For you, Meredith, just twenty gold, for the out of season coat. And for you, miss, that'll come to fifty gold. The coat's twenty, the scarf's twenty, the gloves are ten. Scarfs are always in season, I'm afraid to say." She smiled a bit, hoping the woman wouldn't mind spending that much on the clothing.

Warm Talks

"I can fight. I'm not a pushover. Just because I'm a merchant doesn't mean I don't know my way around all the things I understand." She almost felt attacked, if not for it being who it was. Vesta was probably just saying it matter-of-factly, from the interactions Isabelle had had. Then again, these interactions had lasted all of about twenty minutes to far, so she could be entirely incorrect. "I'm incredibly humble. I just know that Schdem has blessed me with a rather... Full body, and I'm not afraid to be proud of it. As for being drunk, I suppose I can understand, there. As upstanding as I am, I've certainly had some rather terrible nights-- and worse mornings, because of the substance." She remembered a rather unpleasant night, where she'd started tossing fireballs from a training tome around. She'd rather be able to toss that memory out altogether.

"Then let's make ourselves into a fine pastry," she mumbled, getting more comfortable as the new girl spoke. "My day's just started. I've slept through most of it. What of you, miss...?" she said, leaving her question hanging, so it could be filled in. "As for travel destinations, I've heard talk from some of the people here that we're off to the tundra next. Dreadful weather, to be sure. Not a place I'd go if there wasn't copious gold involved." Isabelle took a moment to stare at her fingernails. "Ah, well. Occupational hazards, I suppose."

[scorri]

Shaking the man's hand, Trist nodded. "I suspect at least a few of us will be planning on coming back here. We're not done with this city yet. And we'll be sure to stop by, give you another run for your money. Even if you are all out of nice weapons to hand out." He grinned at Marius before heading over to the counter where he collected his winnings, including what seemed to be a set of bracers that would compliment his current gauntlets quite well. Sliding them on (Tristram uses the bracer), he walked over to where Valha and the rest were. "Well, that was a good fight. Got lucky mostly. Managed to knock what I suspect would have been a finishing blow out of the way. But enough fighting for now. Hmm... I think I'd like to go collect a few more items before we head out tomorrow, but I'm not completely sure I have enough funds for it... Would any of you care to join me as I teach the card players in this area how it's done? I showed them pretty well yesterday, but wouldn't mind collecting a bit more from them. I could show some of the finer points of gambling, if you wanted." He grinned, clearly teasing at this point, at least some what.

[riariadne]

"Yup, Trist got him too, even if it was close!" Valha confirmed after Trist's own retelling, smiling being with them all. "'N hey, don't worry about it, Ingverd... Laurentius left us all sour. I wanna wipe the smug look off his face, when I'm stronger 'n can beat Marius tryin' for real... anyone for real. I was really angry for a bit, but... I got my shoutin' over with, 'n all that's left is to show anyone who thinks we're not as good as 'em how strong we really are. When it comes to bein' accepted, the harpies don't play, yeah?" She gave a brief glance to Makin as she slithered by confusedly, but her interest was really perked when Trist brought up card wagering. "Oh, like the gamblin' place, right? I'm sure I could rob 'em blind when it comes to that sort of stuff... uh, not literally. Not that I'd do that, but desperate times for a little harpy 'n all that, haha!" Hmmm, hope they don't recognize me... Edited January 4, 2015 by Reinfleche

[Juliette]

"Hmmm, beauty sleep does wonders, I suppose. My name is Heather Rhodes, and I am a traveler of sorts..." Heather introduced, smirking at the note of destination. "So you're one of the mercenaries as well, I would hazard? I saw some who said they were headed there while I was purchasing clothing, though I had meant I was interested in places in the city. But copious reward, you say? What qualifies as copious to you, or is that information not yet privy to you?" The elven woman opened her eyes attentively at the sound of much gold to be made.

[Vestige]

As Raith made his way closer to the entrance of the arena, he spotted a small congregation of people huddled around the entrance. He didn't pay them any mind, and began to make his landing. However, as he got closer, he began to see more clearly just who it was that made up that small group. Abort, abort. He tried to steer Ophelia away from them, to make his landing a bit more inconspicuous, but Ophelia was having none of that. Down she went, with a great thud, no doubt garnering the attention of everyone around. "You, I hate you so much right now," he whispered to the dragon, who was no doubt unfazed by his words. Fantastic. Well, at least it seemed they were all leaving, rather than going inside.

Had it just been Ingverd or Tristam around, he might have stopped for a little chatting, but Valha wasn't someone he wanted to engage himself in conversation with--small talk or otherwise. Still, he didn't want to be so petty as to completely ignore Valha's existence, so he simply offered a cursory greeting to the group as a whole, before ushering himself past the arena's entrance. Once upon a time, he had actually fancied her as being rather pretty, but, as recent events seemed to dictate, scales were more his forte.

So, this is where he was headed. He calls me from here, all the way back there, just to bring me back here again? Such a bother that boy is. Ophelia let out a yawn, and decided to perch up atop the arena's walls. If she was here, she might as well watch the grandstanding that was sure to ensue. It was always funny watching Raith try and fight without her. As far as she was concerned, she was the one always doing the heavy lifting in a fight. He was just there to poke people with his stick, and weigh her down. That aside, most of her interest was held by the water dragon she'd seen earlier. Unbeknown to her, it wasn't a real dragon at all, still, it had piqued her interest, and she hoped she'd manage to see it again.

Inside, Raith saw Makin standing in the foyer. He smiled, delighted that she'd decided to wait for him inside of taking her seat in the stands first. "I see you decided to wait for me, that's nice," he said, walking up to her. This better be worth the forgiveness, he sighed, and the gold. Right, the gold. Oh fuck, I forgot about the entrance fee! But it wasn't so much that he'd forgotten about it, rather, he just didn't have the money to begin with. "Erm, hey, so uh, you mind spotting me the gold to get in? I'll pay you back, though, so don't worry! Because... I'm totally going to win back your money. After all, I have you as my good luck charm, right?" he said, letting out a bit of a nervous laugh.

[Bluedoom]

"You want to go to the arena, Angus? Well I'll come along too, I'd like to see how you fare in it. Also... I think it is about time I had a go at the boxing arena and that's close by too, so it shouldn't be a problem. Oh, I forgot to ask this a lot earlier, but Angus, do you mind switching our bows back? I think I have an idea on what to do with the short bow." Ferdinand told Angus.

[Nanami Touko]

Awkward

"Raith? R-Raith! Hi! Heyyyy..." Makin laughed awkwardly, trying to toss her brain entirely out of her head. She should've seen this coming-- duh, they said they were going to meet. But for some reason she let her mind wander like that, and now talking to Raith was just a bit awkward. She had to let that go, or he'd make her say what was wrong, and she did not want to tell him what she'd been thinking. At least he made it easy to take her mind off of it. "Need my money again, huh?" she asked, regaining her regular composure. "Alright, alright... I'm sure you'll win at least one round, so I expect you'll be able to pay me back. Here." She took out the required entrance fee, and sighed, just a bit. "I suppose it's fine if you're going to pay me back right away, but the group can't see me always giving you extra attention. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of them. I don't mean romantically; that's my business, just, financially." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, trying to smile. "Here's hoping this whole deal with Karstell ends up going over well. Maybe we all won't have to worry about money for a while."

"Anyway, you go have your fights. I'll be watching. Make sure you do well, or I'll be disappointed~ If you do REALLY well, I'll give you a reward myself, alright?" She winked, and went off to the stands, doing her best to get comfortable once again on the benches built obviously for those with legs. She sighed, and curled herself up well enough, getting some leering stares, but whatever. She'd stopped caring about being treated like an exotic animal a while ago. Just here to watch Raith fight. That's all. Anyone else can stuff it.

Gamble

"Ahhhh, woe is me! The only one left out of us four to have lost to him! What an embarrassment," he joked, smiling and running a hand through his hair. It was actually a bit disappointing, but he wasn't upset about it. "That's good. That's good..." Ingverd sighed a bit of relief as Valha seemed to be alright. He didn't need to try and push anything, then. With how he felt, he might've accidentally upset her, and that would've ruined the point. "We'll come back from Karstell with riches, magicks, and enough experience to put any of them into the dirt. We'll all give Marius a killer fight when we get back." He wondered if he'd learn enough to fight against that Laurentius, and get enough courage to face that magic. He hoped so. But for now, there was apparently gambling to be done. "Hmmm, I suppose it wouldn't be that bad of an idea. Might be fun to lose some gold!" He joked, giving Valha a coy stare. "I'm sure you can manage to keep your claws to your side of the table, the whole time." Maybe at some point she'd have stolen from such a place, but hopefully, now wasn't that point. "Lead on, Tristram."

Things To Do

"Heather, is it?" Isabelle repeated, wondering why another elf would be so far away from home. She didn't bothering asking about that. "We are. Sorry if I misinterpreted your question, but that's that. As for rewards, probably gold, I assume. There's a councilman paying us to go, so we'll get gold from him, and whatever we find in the castle. I'm sure it won't be that big a deal." She shrugged. "If you're interested in things like that, I'm sure you can come with us. It seems the snake's taking in everyone she meets. Another won't hurt things. It might hurt that councilman's wallet when we get back, but, that's not my concern."

[MRDRHAWK]

Kendeall stretched his arms out over his head, trying to limber himself up just a bit more before he went in. Apparently he was just fighting Marius himself, which made things just a bit easier. Before he went in, though, he was stopped by an elf... or, rather, a half-elf. Kendeall wasn't the best at remembering the difference.

"Yeah. I was originally going to face him with this old axe I had, but I feel like I could use something better. Lighter, and more suitable to deal damage to a faster opponent." The axeman replied, glancing into the arena. Marius wasn't the quickest guy out there, but he was fast enough that Kendeall could have some issues with his quickness. "Then again, what are the odds of me getting a weapon like that right before this sort of big fight?"

[riariadne]

"Riches 'n magical stuff, huh... I keep thinkin' about the fortune Hilda told me 'n the blue cube I'd find. It's so mysterious! It isn't just a treasure huntin' thing, it'll be me who finds it for sure, she said, somethin' that's mine... it's almost like a fate thing. It's been there 'n nobody will have found it like I will, or something." Well, did she really put it like that? Maybe I'm misrememberin' a little bit--

Thud.

Valha looked up at the dragon before her, moving her hand to the Estoc in surprise. She soon recognized the dragon and its rider, snarling even at his brief hello. "Don't fake all polite with me now, mister dragon rider," she cursed under her breath. "You're not the only terror in the skies..." The harpy glared as he approached Makin, surprised at their displayed closeness. "Huh, a bit quick of them to be so close, especially after he was datin' someone else yesterday, right?" she spoke suspiciously. "Pretendin' I'm not there then, tryin' to push his stupid idea of what's right around before that, this guy's got some nerves. Not gonna be pleased if now he's gettin' paid extra by suckin' up to the boss... I think he's up to somethin', 'n I don't like it. Can't imagine the boss is as okay with that stuff, anyway- wasn't she sayin' she doesn't like relationships in the workplace? Sure she wouldn't be a fan of the same guy datin' someone she probably doesn't even know..."

She snapped back to a more pleasant conversation when Ingverd jokingly brought up the prospect of gambling. "Hey, I'm not gonna lose! I'll come out with more money than I went in, no cheatin', just wait!" She punched him on the shoulder mockingly, smirking. "What about you, huh? I bet I'll do better than you will!"

[eclipse]

"I've had enough of the arena," the half-elf said none-too-enthusiastically. "I need to go back to my room, and do a final check of my belongings. Gotta make sure I don't walk out of this city without something important!" Before anyone could object, Meredith booked it back to her quarters.

Coat. Check. Looks like my winter boots are in good shape, as well as the gloves my parents sent me off with. I've got enough of the other stuff to last me for the journey, none of which looks like it'll fall apart. Lances. Check. Everything's in good repair. All I'm missing is a good pack. The old one's too small.

She walked back into town, this time going to a shop that looked like it made what she was looking for. "Erm, hello? Do you have any bags for sale?"

[Juliette]

"A councilman? Now you've got me really intrigued," Heather responded. "And did you say snake? You've a naga, for a boss, then? Hmmm... this just might be worth my time. I am looking for work, and something interesting at that, after all... so, what's your name, madame?"

[charlie_]

"Well, I guess it's just us." Angus said, turning to Ferdinand. "And I'll trade weapons back soon, there's something I want to do first. Let's go." And with that, the archer left the shop and made his way back to the arena. The entrance seemed rather busy, so he made his way to the stands instead and waited his turn, wondering how much he'd missed.