Masquerade Part 2: Army of Darkness

[Nanami Touko]

Very Confused

"Uhm..." Vriska stood stopped on the stairs for a moment, wondering what Ingverd had meant. I hope that wasn't some stupid innuendo. Rather unsure of what to do next, she sat herself down next to Maja and Raith, proceeding to read some more, as she always had her tome at hand. Raith asked about something with the boss, so perhaps paying attention to whatever Maja had to say would 'fill her in'. Alright, I guess he meant that. "I'm just going to listen, Maja. I was asleep, so, don't want to have to ask Ingverd for an explanation."

Obvious

"Hah, no way. Joking around is one of the few things I have left that I refuse to change~." He smirked triumphantly, rather proud of his sense of humor, even if it was incredibly dry at times. Internally he smiled, as he was about to have more time alone with Valha. Alas, it wasn't to be, as she invited Lanos almost immediately. Oh, but she's right, he has his flying duties to attend to, doesn't he? Perhaps there is still a chance. "I was going to go there, and see what supplies I could scrounge up. You want to wait and watch Lanos' little activity with Vriska, or head over there and have him meet us?"

Edited March 18, 2014 by I have opinions

[scorri]

Kadin sighed. "Look. You don't... you can't understand this. Not really. No one can except me. And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go meet the boss." Shaking his head, he headed off towards Hilda's.

[riariadne]

Valha punched him on the shoulder lightly at his quip, shaking her head. "Well, I guess that'll take some time 'n she doesn't even look ready, so we can meet up later, right? Don't think watchin' that is the sorta thing I'd find amusin', you know? If I wanna fly I can just do that myself, I don't need to see someone else do it! Where's the fun in that, anyway?" She played with her hair a bit, unsure of what to say after that. "So, whenever you're ready, I guess?"

[Xinnidy]

Maja acknowledge Vriska and then turned to the both of them. "Sure, well... It seems like this whole thing about going to Felson was also so that Boss could try to check something with the council. The necromancer we fought before coming here apparently had the crest of the Felson guard. You remember that guy, don't you?" She turned to Raith for a moment. "...and so did whoever killed the old guild boss. Ingverd and the centaur guy thought that Makin could do something crazy and risk her life." To be very honest, Maja's head was flying through most of the topic, but she thought her grasp was passable. "Now she's told us, though, so at least we know. It's not going to be bad for us at all, but apparently if Boss angers the council there, things won't get pretty for her." She proceeded to take a bite from her plate, only to realize she probably had more food in her plate than she could stomach. Why did she think that was a good idea? "Hey, feel free to get some more food if you want. Can't see a toast being enough when you're a mercenary." She said to Raith, and then turned to look at the plate. "I got too much anyways..." She mumbled, embarassed to admit it out loud.

[Oersted]

Lanos let out a sigh as both Ingverd and magic-and-axes man called him out for his apparent confidence. "I just meant that I wouldn't suddenly get cold feet if we had to fight some guards when we were in Felson. While I don't know how big the difference is between them I'll take your word for it." He was slightly put off by Ingverd's sudden seriousness, not really expecting that of the elf. "Well, it's not like I'm going to just charge at them and hope they die before I do. That would be dumb."

"I'll just drop in when I'm done," he told Valha. Of course he failed to tell her he meant literally. It seemed that Vriska was currently off by Raith and Maja, he assumed getting informed about the situation by the latter since Raith looked really tired. He figured it'd be awhile before Vriska was ready so he went and grabbed some food for himself. Granted it wasn't much, three pieces of toast and some ham.

[Nanami Touko]

Market Again

"Ahhh, Valha, my poor shoulder. Why would youuuu?" Ingverd faked the pain with a laugh, glad that she hadn't punched the arm he'd injured. She may have actually hurt him, had she. That internal smile returned, as well. "Alright, we'll head out, then. See you there, birdman?" He pointed at Lanos and smirked, opening the door to the inn and strolling out. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sun shining through the trees. "Yeah, this place isn't as bad as it used to be." He strolled over to an elevator, where he waited for Valha, hand on the lever.

Many Words

Far too early. It was far too early for Vriska to be taking all of this in, glad she'd missed what had initially happened. Perhaps some food would help her process better, snatching the bacon off of Maja's plate as soon as she said she'd gotten too much food. "So, like... We either choose to stay here, or help Makin on some intense mission against Felson? Sounds like fun," she said, probably not grasping the entire scope of it. But she was young, so silly remarks like that were the norm. At least in her case. "I'll tag along, as long as the snake doesn't mind. Throwing magic at people is turning out to be pretty fun, when I'm doing it of my own volition!"

Outside

Makin had made it to the city's exit, resting against a tree just past the front gates. It was the space she needed to think, and calm down. Curse that Markus, she thought, before shaking her head. You're here to relax, and you know he only did it because he cares. And it's the only way he knows how. Really, he's been that way since you've known him, and that's been fourteen years. There was even that time when he tried to confess to Clarissa, but didn't know how, so he made some huge analogy to... Makin stopped thinking, having noticed that she was already smiling. She sighed. "Guess some space really was all I needed."

[Vestige]

Raith listened intently to what Maja had to say, trying to comprehend the situation at hand. Man, that snake sure is something else. "Well," he began to say, "Felson, eh? Can't really say I've been there before but hey, I wouldn't mind going. Honestly, I don't really care what the boss plans to do," he shrugged. "I'm just here to get paid," he said, as he began to pick away at Maja's "overloaded" plate of food. "So, what's the deal with you? You staying, or do you plan on leaving?" he asked.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Vestige

[riariadne]

Valha caved and smirked at Ingverd's antics this time. "Bye, Lanos! Don't get yourself in trouble, okay? Take your time if flying with someone else is strainin' your wings, 'n don't be afraid to land when you gotta! Got it? See you later, then!" She waved and followed after Ingverd, thinking as she walked out of the inn. Wow, that was actually pretty insightful, wasn't it? Valha's already rather positive expression became even more amused when she saw Ingverd waiting for her by the elevator. "Huh, you've gotta be kiddin' if you think I'm usin' one of those!" she shouted at him, taking to the skies and waiting for him above, a triumphant grin on her face,

Edited March 18, 2014 by Reinfleche

[Xinnidy]

"Well, yeah, that's kind of it... but we won't be facing too much danger ourselves, well, not more than usual." Maja replied at Vriska, controlling herself not to frown as she took her bacon. Hey!... aww, bacon's my favorite too... She turned her attention as Raith threw a question at her quick enough. "Well, I'm going to stay! No reason to leave when I get to go to so many places, and I do my job well, I think. Besides, I can talk to Kadin that way, too."

[algae]

The gravity of what she had essentially agreed to on a whim (and to a lesser extent, the events of the last few days) hit her only a few seconds after answering the first time. It wasn't until everyone else had moved on that she had managed to find a response. "I'm staying. I'd be dead or worse if your boss didn't have her personal agenda, if this is what it takes to pay you all back, I couldn't forgive myself if I let it pass by." Saying it that way certainly strengthened her resolve, even if it was too quiet for anyone to hear, or directed at nobody in particular.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Alg

[Nanami Touko]

Ground Bound

Ingverd wondered what Valha meant for but a moment, before mentally chiding himself and flipping the lever. "I'd hoped you would remain down here so we could talk. Alas!" He shrugged, and let the elevator take him to the market, where he quickly began looking about for supplies one would take one a trip. Blankets, torches, probably a bit of firewood. Walking to Felson would take at least a week, if not two. I'm light on funds, but perhaps I can find something here that Valha and Lanos would like. I think I've been sweet on her enough for at least a little while, but the other one doesn't seem to enjoy it when I tease him. Perhaps if I can make it clear that it's all in jest, he'll brighten up to it a bit.

Bravery

"I'd say we're all a bit crazy," an uncharacteristic comment for Vriska, but perhaps the weight of the situation had finally dawned on her, just a bit. "I know what I said, and I'll stick by it, but I hope that snake has a darn good plan for when we get there. If she doesn't, and she ends up confronting that council, even if we don't go with her, we might end up killed just for bein' associated, or something!" She threw her arms up to seem dramatic. "I've read stories about these sorts of things! They never seem to end very well."

Edited March 18, 2014 by I have opinions

[Vestige]

"Heh, I think you're right about that, girl," Raith said bemusedly, thinking about his little "adventure" in the mountains just a few years ago. Crazy wasn't even the half of it. "She's a snake though, and let me tell you snakes have rather sharp minds and equally as sharp tongues. They're rather cunning if they need to be," he said. "I'd be surprised if she didn't have something thought up." He helped himself to some more of Maja's food, and ordered himself a glass of water to wash it all down. "Anyhow, I'm not too worried about getting killed by association. Worse comes to worst and I somehow end up becoming an outlaw, I'll just hightail it over to Griberge and hang around there for a while," he laughed.

"So about this Kadin fellow, he's the ghost guy that's been following us around, right? Seems to hang around you a lot...or perhaps you're the one hanging around him?" he winked. "Yeah, I'd say he's a pretty good looking--for a dead guy. Good thing he didn't decide to come back to life after decaying for a bit...Can't say I'd be okay with him following me around at that point." He shuddered slightly. The thought of a half-decayed ghost man following him around everything was certainly off putting.

[Xinnidy]

While the two talked, Maja decided to take her share of the food before the plate got too empty. "Well, yeah, I trust the boss. If she's going to do something crazy, she'll make it worth it. We just gotta do our best to help her if she tries to take things too hard on herself... right?" She stops for a moment, and takes a large bite of ham.

"Huh... not sure ghosts ever show themselves as being decayed... well, unless they do it at will, what do I know?" Maja replied, a bit confused and embarassed as to why Raith winked at her. Definitely missing the implications. "It's really mysterious, but staying around Kadin makes me feel like I'm actually learning stuff about ghosts, it's really cool! Besides, he's really trying to remember his past... I want to see that happen too." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "It seems that Felson had something to do with his past, so we'll definitely find something then, I'm sure."

[riariadne]

Alas? Who even says that? Valha thought to herself, landing by Ingverd and looking at what he had been browsing, but her mind quickly wandered after looking over a nice blanket that she picked out with little hassle to wondering what sort of swords were available here- Lanos had found one, and she hoped the same. "Excuse me! You don't happen to have any swords, do you?" She realized quickly after how silly it would be to expect someone selling blankets to sell swords as well, but hoped she was correct anyway.

[Nanami Touko]

Immature

Vriska shrugged. Perhaps those books she'd read had been wrong. "If you say so, Raith. But so help me if we die, I'll kick you for it." She knew what she'd said, and she meant it. If Kadin could come back as a ghost, and even interact, surely a ghost could kick a ghost. Speaking of ghosts, it had seemed that Maja had missed why Raith was winking, Vriska rolling her eyes. "He means you like him, Maja, in that way," her blunt voice said, turning her eyes back to her tome.

New Toys

A boy of barely fifteen years old was manning the stand that Valha had walked to, trying to keep his nervousness under control. He couldn't help himself staring at her, as he'd never seen a bird person in his entire short life, and her clothes were rather engaging. As she addressed him, he made a small yelp, stammering for words. "Ah, uhm, e-ehm... M-My father's out right now, s-so I don't know if I'm allowed to look in his crates..." He flushed and stared at the ground, eyes passing over one of the crates in question as he did. It was rather sleek and long, certainly holding something that wasn't a blanket. Ingverd saw this little exchange, and wandered over, a few sheets in tow.

"I think he likes you, Valha. Maybe you could use your feminine charms to get whatever he's got behind the counter." The boy made a face at Ingverd.

"Th-That's not it! Her clothes are j-just... Very pretty." Ingverd sighed. "Alright, f-f-f-fine!" He used what strength he had to pull the crate--it was more of a case-- onto the counter and opened it with a key he'd taken from his pocket. Inside was a rather long sword, incredibly thin, incredibly straight. Almost a rapier. He didn't touch it, and almost as quickly as he'd taken it out, he closed it. "Alright, there! Wh-When my father gets back, you can talk to him about it..."

[riariadne]

Valha giggled at the small boy's predicament. "You never seen a harpy before? Lots of people act same as you first time they see one of us because we're different. Especially someone pretty like me, huh? Hee hee." She looked at the sword with interest when he showed it for a brief moment. "Wow, pretty fancy. Looks perfect for me, don't you think, Ingverd?

[MRDRHAWK]

Having slept again, Kendeall tried to figure out what the hell was meant by a nice cave in the fortune he'd received before arriving here... but so far, nothing. Aside from an actual cave, nothing was coming to him - and even then, he continuously questioned where in the hell there even was a ice cave in this part of the world. Fed up, he got up and headed back to the fortune teller, hoping for something else out of her.

[Vestige]

He leaned back his chair, now satisfied with the meal Maja had provided him. He'd have to grab some more food later, but for now he was okay. "So you're going to kick me...after I'm dead? Alright, suppose that's even possible..." he thought for a moment, "if you kick me, I'll get Ophelia to bite you. Sound fair?" he grinned. It obviously wasn't fair, but hey, who needs rules when you're dead?

Turning his attention back to Maja, "Yeah sure," he said, "she's an odd one though let me tell you. If I may be so bold as to make a prediction, she probably will take things too hard on herself," he sighed. She seems like that kinda woman. His boss was certainly an interesting character to say the least. "His past, eh? Well," he said, playing around with his empty glass, "perhaps there's a good reason he forgot in the first place. But those aren't my memories so I suppose it's not my call to make..."

"Anyhow, that's an interesting thought Vriska. I'm not really sure how you came to the conclusion that that's what I meant but perhaps it would be best for you not to make assumptions as to where Maja's interests lie, hm? Maybe you should tone down what kind of books you read? They seem to be giving you rather strange ideas and such..." He leaned over and ruffled the girl's hair a bit. "No need to hide your face behind your little book," he laughed.

[Xinnidy]

"Oh, no! I don't think... he has his own memories, his own family, or I think he does. I don't want to mess with the memories he has, or give him more reason to stay. He's stuck in this world because of some revenge, and I just want to help." Maja replied, a bit more confused now that Vriska spoke up. That's crazy... it just... it just raises so many weird questions, I don't want to think about it.

She turned her attention to the old topic as Raith brought it up, much more comfortable with that. "Yeah... now that you mention it, you're right. Seems like the kind of thing Boss would do. Just means we gotta support her if things get rough,right?"

[Nanami Touko]

Impossible

"Well, whatever, i-it's not like I'm interested, anyway..." The boy folded his arms and managed enough bravado to put on a frown and look away, though he was still beet red. "Don't want to upset yer boyfriend, an' all." Ingverd coughed, and shook his head. The boy then also managed a smirk. "Oh, he's not? W-Well... Maybe I can sell you this. Maybe. For fifteen hundred gold." It was marked down five hundred from the small price tag poking out of the side of the case. "It's, uhm... It's an Estoc. It's really fancy. My dad's had it for years, and no one's ever bought it. Probably because of the price tag." The boy began to regain his composure as he spoke of the weapon. "He wouldn't want me to sell it so cheap, b-but, for you, I don't mind, miss." He ended up standing with his hands held behind his back, staring at the ground in front of Valha.

Do all elves just have a thing for harpies? I worry for future generations if this is the state of us... Well, not really. The children would be quite interesting. Or maybe Valha just has this effect on people? Could be the clothes, or the jewelry, or just her. Perhaps a combination... Instead of adding any advice, Ingverd simply mused over the somewhat magical effect Valha seemed to have on people.

Morning Tea

Hilda was sitting in her house as always, when Kendeall walked on in. "Oh, Kendeall. So nice to see you this morning. How may I help you?" She wondered what he was there for, or if he'd managed enough gold for the same service she'd given Valha. I hope not. All these mercenaries, wanting to see their futures...

Threats

"Are you saying your dragon will be dead too?" Vriska flatly asked from her reading, going to address what he'd said next. "You winked at her and then started talking about how good looking Kadin was, even for a ghost. It was a natural line of reasoning. If I was wrong, sorry." She didn't seem very invested as her tome had taken up her attention span, until Raith messed with her hair. "Do that again and your hand is on fire. My tome has no juvenile stories about romance or anything like that. I'm studying so that I can use it better."

Tree Time

Makin sneezed. "Huh... It's not cold out. Wonder if someone's talking about me... Probably are, after that performance. Kinda wish I had someone to talk to, actually... Though I dunno if I'm ready to confront Kadin at Hilda's, yet..."

Edited March 19, 2014 by I have opinions

[MRDRHAWK]

Kendeall yawned as he took a seat across from Hilda. "Morning... I'm sorry, but I've been having these weird dreams about that cave you told me about before... Could you maybe elaborate a bit more on that?" He asked, in his most sincere tone of voice that he was able to manage this early in the morning without any food.

[riariadne]

"Estoc, huh? Even the name is regal-soundin'." Valha seemed a bit crestfallen at the price, even marked down. "Fifteen hundred? I don't have that much..." Valha looked to her jewelry, wondering if she could trade any of it. Probably not... these are new, too, it'd be such a shame to get rid of 'em already, even if it's a nice sword... Ingverd, would you be willin' to help out a bit? I know you just bought these for me, but this sword looks somethin' real special, yeah? I'll let you take my share out of our next few pays, if you want. I've only got just under a thousand." She gave him her best pouting stare, not really sure it would help, but confident it couldn't hurt her odds.

[Nanami Touko]

Tea

"Well... I don't mean to be rude, but unless you can afford it, the second time isn't as free. You've probably just got it on your mind, though I am no doctor. If you may afford the cost, I will delve into it. But as I warned Valha, the cost isn't there just so I may keep living. It's so keep people away from learning about things they may not want to know." She sipped from her tea, nodding calmly. "I will do so if you can. It's one thousand gold, if I didn't mention it. Otherwise, I would just tuck it away as a memory, and nothing else. It'll happen eventually."

A Choice

Ingverd knew what Valha was going to get at when she wanted to buy the sword, and he sighed before she even asked. "The boss wanted me to buy supplies for the trip. The blankets are cheap enough, but the torches, and their oil, they're rather expense..." He couldn't take her pout for much longer, placing a hand over his face so he couldn't see it. "Please don't do that to me, it's unfair. Please." He even turned himself around as to start thinking properly. "Alright, you make the choice," he finally said. "I'll take getting chewed out by Makin, and I won't let her know it was your decision. So go ahead."

"Uh, miss... Are y-you sure he's not your boyfriend?" The boy was rather confused by their small scene.

[MRDRHAWK]

Kendeall sighed, and gets his pouch. Shit. He thought, as he stood up and silently walked out.

[Oersted]

Lanos would have made a verbal protest to the sudden kid treatment had his mouth not been filled with food at the moment. Choking probably wouldn't help his case much. Instead he settled for a groan that could have, had Valha been around to hear it, been taken as "yes, mother." What's it going to take to be seen as an adult rather than some kid who needs protecting, beating her in a spar? Lanos thought as he finished the rest of his breakfast. Once he finished he stood up and stretched, glancing over towards Vriska in the process. She was still in conversation but there seemed to be a temporary lull and the thought of just sitting around until she decided she was ready wasn't too appealing. "I'll be outside stretching my wings," he announced as he headed for the door. "Come out when you're ready."

Edited March 19, 2014 by Oersted